Prologue

Prologue

The silent and calm hallway I used to walk the first time I have arrive here was nothing more but a beehive. Without telling me and listening to them, I could already guess what they are talking about. It was nothing more but delusional bearings that I need to ignore.

You could hear a lot of buzzing sounds side by side. Everywhere you go, you could hear them loud and clear. As if they weren't whispering close to each other's ears. I don't know if they are aware of how stupid they look and sound as I continue to stare in front of me. What's the use of whispering if I could hear all of you? And for everybody to stare at me with different emotions is such a fascinating thing.

A very fascinating phenomenon.

I continue to walk with my face void of any emotions, pretending that I could not hear every single one of them. It was a technique I learned from someone very close to me, and I have been using it for so long that I don't remember when it started.

It was already a muscle memory. Ignore them just like how I ignore apples.

As my footstep echoed across the hallway, so was the buzzing of the bees. With every step I took, it makes a clicking sound. As if I am one of the infamous professors walking in the hallway, scratching the shiny white floor. I tried straightening my back and walk slowly as possible to minimize the sound of my footstep on this expensive tile floor.

Click.

Clack.

"Isn't that her?" a short girl with a ponytail hairstyle standing from left my side, looked at her friend for confirmation.

My eyes traveled to the little silver brooch placed on her left chest. She was a demigod base on her badge.

I paused for a moment and let others overtake me. Those people don't seem to recognize me.

They are talking as if I wasn't beside them, completely ignoring my existence. From my peripheral vision, I saw the other girl squint her eyes at me and tilted her head.

"I think you're right! I think she really is." The girl with long black hair answered eyes wide and looking shocked toward her friend's face.

That was some of what I heard while walking down the long hallway toward my first class. I could help but frown and almost hide my face with my book just to avoid their stares.

It's rude to stare at someone, don't they know that? And if you are going to whisper please keep it to yourself. What's the purpose of whispering and gossiping if your 'tea' can hear you?!

My right eye a twitch as I lampooned.

I held my books tighter and continued walking, occasionally having a deep breath from now and then. It wasn't nervousness but instead irritation, the constant feeling I get when something doesn't go according to my plan.

What I feel right now is frustration.

'Just ignore them Heme.'

I keep telling myself whenever I heard some buzzing around. All I need is to tone down and mute their noise. I don't need to listen to them anyway.

And besides, I don't want to make a mess on the first day of school. They aren't physically hurting me but my ears are going to bleed anytime soon.

"Oh my gosh! That's scary!"

I look around, and all of them are talking about me. It was pretty obvious that I think even a mortal child could guess. The look on their face is either filled with disgust or wariness, some of them seem to be scared, while others just simply don't like me. I want to defend myself but it will be no use. It's implanted in their minds, there's nothing I can do about it.

It is useless to argue when the other party isn't willing to listen, I don't like meaningless things and wasting my time.

"Shhh! What are you doing? What are you gonna do if Death will hear you and appear right through your face?!" I heard someone whisper in a loud voice.

The air and atmosphere in the hallway turned cold.

My eyebrow twitched for a second.

'It's not like Dad will spare his time looking at you though.' I could help but lampoon inside my head.

I never wanted to be here in the first place, who wants me to study here? I'm happy staying in the Underworld talking to dead people for almost eighteen years.

It makes more sense to talk to the dead than those who only know how to talk about useless things.

If Mom hadn't forced me to study here, then you wouldn't have and will never see a glimpse of my shadow here. I won't ever step in this place for pete's sake. You won't even know that I existed, much more see me. If you hate me and then the feeling is mutual, I hate breathing creatures.

But I have no choice, if I did have one then it won't be like this. I would never be here but I already made a promise to Mom that I would be good.

While walking, they avoided me, as if I had an infectious disease-carrying with me.

I just let out a heavy sigh and proceed to ignore them. What else can I do? I could only let their words travel through my ears and make them disappear.

Why are they avoiding me?

"Why the hell are you so slow?" A sharp baritone voice echoed around the hallway. And before I knew it, I was been held by the back of my collar and dragged down toward the direction of my room.

I could help but squeeze my eyes in frustration, and keep wishing that the floor beneath me would open and swallow me up. I hope that the Underworld would hear me and crack open this damn surface and swallow me whole.

Damn.

I just hate the surface with all my heart. All of them are better dead than living.