Chapter Four – Second Chance

Areena was in a deep black space, all she could see was darkness, she felt pain in every inch of her body, her heart feels like it's been stabbed with a dagger and the dagger keeps thrusting further into her heart making more pain and suddenly it makes a huge blast, bursting blood and pieces of flesh everywhere the blackness.

Areena jerked from the nightmare that she was having in the middle of the day, sweat washed over her body. She was laying down on a bench, under a tree in their school backyard. The cold wind blows, making her regain consciousness, and starts to regain composure. And analyzing the place.

Where is she?   

She twinkled her eyes sitting upright, heaving, and her head felt dizzy for a moment. she blinked and rubbed her eyes. Taking in the surroundings, the place looks familiar.

This is the backyard of Elite High school, the favorite spot where she sits and eats her lunch every day. Alone.

What in the world is she doing here? 

Her eyes traveled to her thighs and feet, she was wearing her dark ash flared knee-length skirt, long black socks, and black tombs.

She is in her school uniform?

Why is she wearing her uniform?

She rubs her hands over her body feeling as if she's real. Feeling her small teenage figure and her short bob hairstyles grazing her shoulders.

Is she back in her teenage days? 

Why is she in school?

The last thing she remembered was ...

She paused in her tracks gaping.

Dying!!

Is she dead?

Is this Heaven? Why would it look just the same as in her old days? Why would she be in Heaven school?

Her eyes roamed around and fell beside her, where her lunch box and her thick orange cover diary that she used as a pillow. Her neck was sore from her bad sleeping posture. And she runs her fingers massaging her sore neck. Picking the diary and checking the page her tag was on. She checked the date she wrote on the page.

13 /2/2008

What!!?

She suddenly remembered the date. She could never forget this date. This year to be specific, 2008 is her final year in high school and tomorrow would be valentines day.

"Valentine's day."

She stood up suddenly as realization drew her, meaning she would confess to Ed tomorrow by leaving him some chocolate and a love letter in his desk locker. She slumped down back on the desk, and the diary in her lab slid and fell from her thigh into the floor near the flower pot.

Why is she here? Her shoulder slumped.

Perhaps the gods granted her a second chance? And to right her wrongs and redeem herself.

The school bell rang, bringing her back from her thoughts. Feeling hungry, she opened the box and quickly ate a few bites of her sandwich, and drank her milk. She grabbed the box and headed back to class. Forgotten to pick up the diary as it was not in her sight. With many thoughts in her mind and the sound of the bell making, she dashed out in no time to think about the diary.

She passed the hallway, into their class as students walked past her, everyone heading to their class from the cafeteria. 

She paused at her supposed class, Elite class A. She heaved deeply, her chest rising and falling with each breath she took. She doesn't like the stares her classmates gave her and thinking about it, makes her cold shrill run down her spine. She calmed her pounding heart, before pushing the door and entered the class.

She walked slowly with her head down avoiding everyone's eye contact. She usually came back to class before the bell rang, when everyone was in the cafeteria, but today, she had forgotten. It had been 7 years back, how could she not forget? 

She usually comes to school early, when no one was in the class, and waits till everyone leaves the class before going out during lunch or closing hours. Her desk was at the back, there she felt peaceful with no eyes mocking her or glaring at her. But it also had its disadvantages.

She passed the first row, second row, and the second seat, that's where he used to sit. She checked from the side of her eyes and noticed he was not back from lunch. 

And quickly without getting any attention she went to her seat and sat down. As many classmates returned from lunch. She brings out her English textbook and studies avoiding what they are doing.

Being a school of elites, many kids dress how they like, and do what they like because their parents are well-known respectful people in the town.

Nobles are respected by all and all being the elite among nobles makes each of them special.

Except her!

She sighs looking blankly at the textbook her attentions are nowhere near the book.

Being a "Half-Blood" as they called her. 

She mentally rolled her eyes. 

Half noble half, half servile. Are seen as worse than Servile. Because they weren't grateful for how they were born. Their parents actually, and in which rank they are. And have an affair with a noble as having a child.  Someone like her.

A Half Noble, Half Servile.

Her mother is a servile and the father she never knew was a noble. 

Though her mother said she is not a bastard. She never wants to talk about anything concerning her father.

As the name implies, Noble, the nobles are wealthy, rich, spoiled people in their society and were originally descendants of royal kings and queens but as the world advanced there were no kings and queens but politics, president democracy and stuff. High men and women. Celebrities. Doctors. And all those high positions.

That's why the nobles are divided into both noble and elite nobles. And all of the nobles inherited white hair from their ancestors. So, they are easily recognizable with their white hair.

While the Servile are the low-earning individuals in the society, which are the descendants of servants.

Normally, their hair is black or brown. And they are teachers, nurses, petite businessmen and workers, janitors, and cleaners.

As for the Half-Blood, they are rare due to the rules in the world. It is forbidden and cursed to fall in love between the two ranks. 

Everyone believes in the law, and takes it seriously and doesn't involve themselves in that kind of thing. And whenever that happens the mother usually kills the child and hides their affairs. Normally half-borns have blonde or ginger hair.

Her mother was a nurse, even though she studied to be a doctor. No hospital appoints her as a doctor, a title of - a nurse with help of a doctor. For their hospital's sake.

Areena was enrolled into the elite school only through scholarship, being born with naturally white hair, makes her blend among the nobles. 

At first, making it safe for her in school. But not for long, after they saw her mom's hair color, which she is not ashamed of, came to the teacher meeting with her natural hair. Areena became the talk of the school. Having completed the puzzle of why was she the only scholarship in the school.

Areena being a bright girl since she was a child, makes her mother persuade her to sit for the scholarship exams. As she used to stand out in the servile schools, where she did all her studies till middle school.

Having few Half-Bloods in the country makes no care about who was to apply for the test. And when she passed they let her in because no rule said she couldn't.

That aside Areena was extremely bullied by the student both physically and with harsh words or their normal mockery glares.

She remembered a time when she was in the second year, a girl brought in hair bleached and harassed Areena, the girl and her friends forced and humiliated her, into washing her hair to get out Areena's real hair color. Afterward, the students were just punished by writing her an apology letter. 

"And now I'll have to relive the bullying once again."

She murmured aside, heaving a sigh as their physics teacher entered the class. 

She raised her head, and all the students were back in class. 

Her eyes fall on Ed's younger back, strong muscles, he bends to pick up his pen on the floor, his face sun-kissed by the sun rays coming from the window. The white bangs hang sideways from his face, making him look deadly handsome. 

She quickly diverted her eyes from him to the tall, white-haired, serious-looking physics teacher in a split second before looking back to her book. 

Her body is heating up.

She bent to pick her spectacles from her bag and wore it on, cooling herself down.

Young Ed looks handsome and cute. He was not hot like his mature self in the future but he looks devilishly handsome. She missed his teenage, innocent face. 

A smile crept out of her mouth, making the side of her lips curve up. Even though she wanted to keep staring at him. She couldn't let anyone catch her gaping at him, like a goat. 

"Wait! What's wrong with me?" Areena muttered and facepalm, it looks like she still had her crush on him when she used to.

This is going to be hard.

Areena heaved deeply, Ed is handsome, intelligent and has a calm character makes him the prince of the school, loved and respected by both the teachers and students.

Many girls confessed to him but denied them, saying he's just in school to study and not ready for love.

But rumor has it, he is together with one of the daughters of his father's friend, her classmate Pretoria, everyone calls her, "Preety".

Areena scuffs inwardly, her eyes going to Preety's seat, before peeping at the teacher, who was busy writing on the board.

Preety had long curly white hair that was in a twin half pigtail, leaving some strands framing her small face, pink lips, short straight nose, and cornflower blue eyes.

Indeed she is pretty, just like a barbie, always dressed up, and pretending to be the teacher's pet, loved by both students and teachers.

She has both beauty and brains making the boys fall for her and the same as Ed making the two of them a perfect match. That's why all the schools rumored of them  being together.

Ed always takes first place, in any class he's in, Areena was in the same class as him in the first year. He was first and she while Areena the second.

As for the second year, he was in class E, in which he came first too. Areena also took first in class C in her second year.

Same as Pretoria, she came first in both of her classes. But this was the first time we were all together in the same class.

Areena, Edward and Pretoria.

Being their final year, the school authority made an elite class of all the highest-ranking students, making it the best of the Best.

Elite Class A, obviously all three happen to be among the 25 of the best final-year students in all the classes. Being an honored class makes it even more difficult for Areena with the whole school. 

"Everybody hates me." 

She mumbled to herself, wishing for the final year to end. And how she would have to endure it again. The class ended, in a blink of an eye, and so does the school. 

Areena happily packed her things and was in a hurry to meet her mother. After all these years, she craves her mother's presence, her warm hug, her gentle smile, her funny character, and her strong mind. Her mother is her backbone and the only one she looked up to. 

She smiled at the mere thought of seeing her beautiful face again. As she patiently waits for the class to be empty so she can't go home. Nodding index finger on the desk. Now that it's already closing time, every second seems to move slower than before.

And can they hurry up already!! She has a home to go to.

Seeing only one, to two students remaining she went out, eager to go home as soon as possible, not once did she remember her missing diary.