The whispers didn't stop.
By Wednesday morning, Amara had earned a nickname:
"The Queen of Ruins."
A girl who walked into chaos and left silence behind.
But she didn't care.
At least, that's what she told herself.
Until she walked into the cafeteria.
---
The cafeteria was divided—not by tables, but by bloodlines.
The Gold Circle—children of CEOs, celebrities, and international powerhouses—sat at the front under hanging glass chandeliers.
Everyone else was scattered like crumbs.
Amara carried her tray quietly toward the far back, but a sudden voice stopped her.
"You're sitting here."
It was Kai.
The room froze.
He didn't shout, but somehow everyone heard.
Amara blinked. "Excuse me?"
Kai stood from his seat at the center of the Gold Circle. His eyes—cold but curious—were fixed on her.
"You challenged the Violets. That makes you interesting. And I don't like to be bored."
Whispers rippled. Phones were already recording.
Amara raised a brow. "You're mistaking me for someone who cares about your table."
The air crackled.
Even the spoiled sons of billionaires didn't speak to Kai Onyx like that.
But Kai… he smiled.
Not wide. Not warm. Just a slight twitch of his lips.
Dangerous.
Intrigued.
Challenged.
He stepped closer. "You've already caught the attention of every enemy here. Sitting alone won't protect you."
She looked him dead in the eyes. "Neither will pretending to be your friend."
Kai tilted his head slightly. "So you're choosing war?"
"I'm choosing peace—" she stepped past him, "—by staying far away from your battlefield."
And just like that, she walked away.
The entire cafeteria was stunned.
---
Elsewhere – A Secret Garden Within the School Grounds
Two figures sat beneath a marble gazebo, watching everything unfold on a live feed.
One of them, a girl with long jet-black hair and silver nails, smirked.
"She's fiery," she said, sipping her lavender tea.
The boy next to her, with a soft smile and eyes that could melt glass, replied, "That's what makes her dangerous."
"I like dangerous."
Their screens showed Amara—alone again, but still walking with her head high.
---
Back in Class – A New Rival Appears
During art class, Amara finally got some peace. Her brush moved quietly over the canvas as she painted a field of red flowers tangled in barbed wire.
A shadow fell across her paper.
She looked up—and met the gaze of a girl with silken curls and piercing blue eyes.
"You're the reason Kai is distracted," the girl said smoothly.
"That makes you my problem."
Amara stood up slowly. "And who exactly are you?"
The girl smiled. "I'm Delilah Orléan. First daughter of the Orléan dynasty. And Kai's fiancée."
Amara stared at her. "Fiancée?"
Delilah gave a slow, practiced smile—the kind that didn't touch her eyes. "Engaged since we were sixteen. It's old news in our world. I suppose you wouldn't know."
Her words were laced with poison wrapped in velvet. Amara could almost smell the arrogance wafting off her like perfume.
"And yet," Amara replied calmly, "he doesn't seem the type to settle down."
Delilah's gaze sharpened.
"I don't need your opinion," she said, voice low. "I'm just here to make one thing clear—stay away from him. From all of them. This school is built on rules… rules you clearly don't understand."
"I don't follow rules made to keep people silent," Amara answered.
The class was quiet now—everyone pretending to draw while eavesdropping.
Delilah stepped closer. "This is your last warning. Poor girls like you don't survive long at Elysian. Especially not when they play with things that don't belong to them."
Amara's eyes narrowed. She refused to step back.
"I'm not playing," she said. "I don't want what you have. But if you think your money or your name gives you power over me, you're going to be very disappointed."
Before Delilah could speak again, the teacher entered.
"Ladies, return to your seats."
The tension lingered even after they sat. Amara felt it in every stare, every whisper behind her back. The Violets had returned—with a prettier, more polished leader.
Delilah wasn't just a rival.
She was a warning.
---
Later That Day – The Garden Courtyard
Amara sat on a stone bench, sketching alone. Her hand moved quickly, the lines coming out angry, sharp.
A voice interrupted her thoughts.
"You know, it's rare to see Delilah rattled."
She turned.
It was Kai.
He wasn't smirking this time. No game in his voice. Just curiosity.
Amara looked back at her sketch. "I didn't come here to impress anyone."
"Exactly," Kai said, stepping forward. "That's why you're dangerous. Most girls like to dance for approval. You… burn the ballroom down."
She looked at him.
"Do you enjoy chaos?"
"I enjoy people who don't pretend."
Amara studied him carefully. There was something about him—some edge of loneliness beneath all the charm and danger. But she wasn't stupid.
"You're not easy to figure out," she said.
He chuckled softly. "And you think you're any easier?"
Before she could reply, a tall, quiet boy walked past. His eyes met Amara's briefly. He didn't speak, but something about his gaze made her breath catch.
Kai noticed.
"Don't bother with him," he said. "That's Damon. He doesn't talk much. And when he does… it's never good."
But Amara's heart beat a little faster.
Because Damon had looked at her like he saw everything.
Not just the mask.
But the scars beneath it
For a moment, the world slowed.
Damon's gaze lingered—piercing, unreadable—as if he saw through every wall she'd built.
Then he turned and walked away, disappearing into the maze-like paths of the courtyard.
Kai tilted his head, watching her reaction.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," he said.
Amara blinked and forced herself to look away. "He's… intense."
Kai gave a half-smile. "That's one word for it. He doesn't talk much, but he watches everything. And when he decides to speak, people listen."
"Is he one of you?" she asked, shifting her sketchpad back into her lap.
"One of us?" Kai echoed, amused. "You mean the Gold Circle?" He chuckled, but there was no joy in it. "Damon was never one of us. He just doesn't care enough to leave."
Amara frowned. "Then what is he?"
Kai's gaze grew distant. "Someone who used to believe in loyalty… until it ruined him."
Amara glanced in the direction Damon had walked, but he was long gone. Just like that, a new mystery had opened—and something in her gut told her this boy, this silent shadow, was going to matter.
Maybe more than she wanted.
---
That Evening – Dorm Room
Amara curled up on her bed with her laptop, trying to distract herself. But the internet was on fire.
#QueenOfRuins was trending among the Elysian High students.
Pictures of her standing up to Vanessa. Of her walking away from Kai. Of Delilah's glare.
They were all posted with captions like:
> "This girl has no fear."
"Amara Clark just declared war."
"Delilah's got competition!"
Amara sighed. "Great. Now I'm famous for surviving rich girls and their egos."
Just then, her phone pinged.
A message from an unknown number:
> Unknown: You're making waves, Queen of Ruins. Careful—you might drown.
Her fingers froze over the screen.
Who was this?
Vanessa?
Delilah?
Damon?
Kai?
The phone pinged again.
> Unknown: Then again… maybe you were born to swim in storms.
She stared at the words, heart thudding.
And for the first time since entering Elysian High…
She smiled.