The Bewitched Knights

I was engrossed in an encyclopedia, my curiosity piqued by the subject of helium. It had been two weeks since I’d started studying it, and the more I learned, the more intrigued I became. That’s how I found myself in the library, pouring over the encyclopedia and scribbling notes in my notebook.

“Ace?”

I glanced up to see Jung-Hwa approaching, his arms full of drawing sheets. He sat down across from me.

“What’s this?” I asked, unrolling one of the sheets to reveal detailed cell diagrams of various living beings.

“Assignment!” he replied, his Korean accent coloring the word.

“Got it!” I said, rolling the sheet back up and returning my attention to my notes.

“Have you finished your assignments?” he asked, causing me to look up at him again.

“Not yet,” I replied simply, before diving back into the encyclopedia. “I’ve been busy.”

“Busy? The deadline is tomorrow, Ace. You know how strict Mr. Acton is, and he gave us twenty assignments to complete in two weeks.

“Half the students are scrambling to find study materials, and here you are! You’re going to be in trouble!” he exclaimed, running a hand through his hair in exasperation.

“There’s plenty of time to finish before the deadline,” I said, highlighting a line in my notebook.

“Of course! I forgot who I was talking to.” He laughed, and I shot him a look, signaling him to keep it down. He quickly quieted, glancing around to see if he’d disturbed anyone.

“The almighty genius, Mr. Ace Knights,” he whispered, earning a grin from me.

“I’m not a fan of that nickname,” I said, and he just shrugged, picking up his drawing sheets.

“Really?” He chuckled. “Your smile says otherwise, and besides, that’s how everyone knows you.” He winked at me, and I sighed.

“I know you can finish your assignment in one night, but could you help me with mine? I still have five left.

“Could you come to my room after you’re done with your”—he glanced at my notebook and the encyclopedia—“work?”

“I’m almost done. Go ahead to your room. I’ll be there in an hour,” I said, packing up my books and pens.

“Where are you going?” he asked, eyeing my bag.

“To eat…” I grinned, and he nodded. We left the library together.

I’d been in London for six years, having left my family and home behind. My mother wasn’t thrilled about me going abroad, but my dad supported me, and that’s how I ended up transferring to the London School of Science at a young age.

Life in London was tough. I missed my mom and her cooking the most. Sometimes, she and my sister, Amelia, would surprise me with a visit. Other than that, we’d FaceTime every night. It became a habit, much to my dad’s annoyance, because the calls would last for hours, with my mom ignoring him the entire time.

But they were just like any other parents, caring and worried about me. I knew my dad had assigned a guard at the school to keep an eye on me and report back to him. He was always secretive about it, but I always knew, and I didn’t mind.

“Can I have some more of this mild Caribbean chicken, please?” I asked the cafeteria server, and she smiled.

“Of course, dear!” She added more to my tray. “Here you go!” she said cheerfully, and I thanked her.

I found a seat in the corner of the cafeteria, near a window, and began eating in peace. The cafeteria was bustling with students, all in groups, chatting and laughing. I was usually alone, preferring to eat in peace rather than socialize.

“Look who’s here,” a familiar, irritating voice said. I didn’t bother to look up.

“The almighty genius, Ace Knights,” Elliot Abram mocked, imitating a high-pitched voice. I continued eating, ignoring him.

“Hey! Nerd! I’m talking to you!” he sneered, slamming his hand on my table and splattering curry on my glasses.

I’d spent six years dealing with his pranks—being locked in the bathroom, finding my toothbrush in the toilet, my notes torn up and thrown away, my glasses broken, food thrown in my face. You name it, he’d done it.

I could have complained about him, and I knew my dad could have easily fixed the situation and had his dad kicked out of the country.

But being away from home, I didn’t want to worry my family, especially my mom. She’d be devastated if she found out what was happening.

I decided to put up with it a little longer because I knew I wouldn’t have to deal with him ever again after that.

He’d usually grab me by my shirt and toss me around or lift me off the ground by my collar and throw me somewhere, usually into the garbage can…

But I didn’t give him much thought. My mom always said that people who crave attention act out to seem powerful, so others will respect and fear them.

“What, Knights? Are you planning to take that greasy mop of yours to the grave?” he commented, referring to my neatly combed hair.

Even though I wanted to roll my eyes at him, I held myself back.

Jung wasn’t scared of him. In fact, he was the only guy who would stand up to him, but he always ended up getting hurt because of me.

“And where’s your Chinese buddy?” He looked around, and I clenched my jaw.

“He’s Korean,” I corrected him, and his head immediately swiveled in my direction, a smirk on his face. “So the frog finally found his voice.”

“Here!” He tossed some papers at me. “Finish my assignments and bring them to my room before eight.”

I picked up his papers and handed them back to him. “I haven’t finished mine. I can’t do it.”

As soon as I said that, my tray flew into the air, spilling all over the window and drawing everyone’s attention.

“What’s going on, Abram?” Two more of his friends joined him, and he sneered at me.

“Listen, Knights! I gave you a job, and you’re going to do it.”

I couldn’t breathe as he grabbed me by my collar, cutting off my air supply.

“Get it done on time. If you don’t—” He was cut off by someone clearing their throat.

“Can I sit here?” a girl asked, and amidst all the chaos, we turned to see a girl with raven hair holding her food tray and looking at the empty seat next to me.

I’d never seen her before. But she ignored the scene unfolding and looked at me, still in Elliot’s grip.

“Veronica. My name is Veronica,” she said as she set her tray on my table.

Elliot immediately released my collar and focused all his attention on her. Suddenly, he was checking her out and smirking.

“Oh, well, hello, Veronica.” He extended his hand for a handshake, and I adjusted my shirt and glasses, looking for an escape.

It would be best if I grabbed my bag and left if I wanted to avoid doing all his assignments, so I picked up my bag from the chair.

“Thank you,” she said and immediately sat down in the chair, blocking my exit.

Since I was sitting next to the window in the corner, the only way to get out from behind the table was to move the chair next to me, which was now occupied by the girl.

“Are you ignoring me, Veronica?” Elliot leaned over and looked at her while she took her tray and started eating her food, completely disregarding the red-haired bully in front of her.

I wanted to warn her not to do that if she didn’t want to end up on Elliot’s hit list, but with Elliot right in front of me, I couldn’t say anything. So I clutched my bag and watched the scene unfold.

Veronica, meanwhile, calmly ate her salad, not bothered by Elliot’s presence.

I could tell this was irritating Elliot even more as his face turned red with anger, and he slammed his hand on the table again.

“Yes?” Veronica looked up, still eating her food.

“Listen, newbie... you need to know your place. Answer me when I’m talking to you, or you’ll be in trouble. Got it?

He smirked as he looked at me, and I felt my legs shaking, anticipating something bad.

“Okay,” was her response as she continued eating her food, uninterested in what Elliot had just said.

“And.”

I watched as Elliot raised his hand, ready to throw her food tray to assert his dominance and reinforce his threat.

I was sure the food tray would end up on me, so I clutched my bag tightly, ready to use it as a shield. But I was shocked when I saw Veronica stop his hand with her left hand.

Without any effort, she grabbed his wrist and continued eating with her right hand, causing everyone in the cafeteria to gasp.

“And since I’m here, let me make something clear to you. First…”

A yelp escaped Elliot’s mouth as I jumped in my seat, watching him in horror.

“Never interrupt me when I’m eating. I don’t like being bothered when I’m eating,” Veronica said, twisting his wrist into an awkward position, making him scream.

Her grip didn’t even look that tight, but I was amazed that she could hurt Elliot with just one hand.

Elliot tried to yank his hand free from Veronica’s grip, but she only twisted it harder. He let out a cry of pain, his body writhing as he dropped his head onto the table.

Veronica finally released his hand, picking up her knife to cut into her chicken. She watched him, her gaze cool and detached. He muttered a curse under his breath.

“Throughout this year, I’ll make sure to let you know about the other things I don’t appreciate. But for now”—she speared a piece of chicken and popped it into her mouth—“I’m eating.”

Elliot pushed himself to his feet, his friends looking on in confusion. He shot Veronica a glare.

“You’ve just made a dangerous enemy. We’ll cross paths again,” he warned. He straightened his shirt, shot her one last glare, and stormed off, his drawings clutched tightly in his hand.

I wanted to leave, but I knew better than to interrupt Veronica while she was eating.

So, I stayed put, waiting for her to finish her meal so I could make my exit.