Anna

Anna’s foul mood lingered till lunch.

She arrived at the cafeteria late due to the complexity of the campus layout and definitely not because of her abysmal sense of direction.

There were a variety of food stations positioned neatly in a line. Hastily, she walked down the column, filling her tray with a modest assortment of dishes—enough to last her until dinner, but not an egregious amount that would send her into a food-induced coma for the rest of the afternoon. She planned to train after orientation was over. She needed something to make herself forget this chaotic mess of a day.

Because she was late, the cafeteria was completely packed. Anna moved along the rows, trying to find an empty seat amongst the array of tables. It didn’t take long before people recognized her. Heads turned. Unruly fingers pointed in her direction. Eyes of scrutiny climbed up and down her body as nearby whispers wormed into her ears.

“Hey, isn’t that—”

“Wow, it’s the crazy girl.”

Anna grimaced at the scathing remarks. If you’re going to whisper, at least do it properly so I don’t have to hear you!

Finally, she found an unoccupied table by the corner of the hall. Eager to eat and get the hell out of public eye, she rushed towards the seat.

“Oh.”

Someone apparently had the same idea. Someone who she unfortunately already knew.

Great, the last person that I wanted to see.

Anna clicked her tongue, finding herself once again face-to-face with Emil. The boy had a dumb expression plastered on his face as if in disbelief at this sheer coincidence.

“Uh, I can find a different seat,” he offered. Both of them scanned the premise, before quickly realizing that there wasn’t another empty seat in sight.

“…It’s fine.” Anna propped down her tray and angrily took one of the two chairs.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll—”

“Just sit dammit!” she insisted in a voice that was just a tad too loud for the merry conversations happening around them. The cafeteria suddenly fell silent. Anna wanted to bury her face in her hands.

Emil sat down meekly, also visibly uncomfortable with the incessant eyes on their table. Trying to ignore all the unwanted attention, he dug into his food.

“Wait, isn’t that the guy she got into a fight with?”

“Wow, I can’t believe they’re sitting together.”

“Am I witnessing a real-life enemies-to-lovers development?!”

I swear I’m going to murder all of them, Anna cursed. It took her nastiest glare and the threat of an electric blast to shake most of the eyes away. The two of them then ate in silence. Emil was devouring his food with an impressive voracity as if this was the first meal he’s had in ages. Anna munched on a slice of bread, quietly observing the boy responsible for her disaster of a morning.

Jet-black hair, neatly trimmed, covered his head. If she overlooked the nasty scars decorating his jaws, he had a surprisingly boyish face. Traces of femininity lined his facial structure. Not enough to look androgenous, but enough to give him a soft, tender appearance.

Emil suddenly looked up after demolishing his main course. Their eyes met.

“What?” Anna hissed, not bothering to hide her terrible mood.

The boy sheepishly scratched the side of his face. “Again, I’m sorry for what happened this morning. Is there anything I could do to make it up to you?”

She narrowed her eyes with suspicion. Emil feigned a cough.

“…Like for example, if any of your belongings broke, I was thinking I could perhaps buy you a replacement.”

Anna scoffed, reaching for an item inside of her leather pouch. “Feel free to find something to replace this.” It was an old pocket watch. The glass enclosure covering the face was cracked, and the hands that should have been ticking was frozen still. The inscription of “Seibert” was engraved in tiny letters at the bottom.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“But unless you have a Gift that lets you travel back two centuries in time, I wouldn’t bother.” Her answer caused Emil to wince. Anna smirked at his discomfort. That’s right, suffer for a bit for making a mess out of things.

“Did this mean a lot to you?” he asked.

“It was just a family heirloom. My family owns the Seibert Merchant Company. I'm sure you've heard of it—it's quite famous. Anyways, my parents gave this pocket watch to me on my tenth birthday to celebrate my inauguration as a merchant's apprentice. I had just negotiated my first deal and made my first sale to a major customer. They…” she suddenly trailed off. Unpleasant memories rose to the surface. Words that she never wanted to hear again blared in her head. “They had a lot of expectations for me. I guess they hoped that I would be the one to carry on the family business. This was their way of expressing that hope.”

She winced, realizing that she had said too much. Why the hell am I telling him all this? She raised her head, ready to give Emil an angry scolding for prying into her life.

The incendiary words hanged on her tongue. The guy was suddenly a mess. The corner of his eyes trembled as his face looked tortured by guilt.

Anna clicked her tongue, suddenly irritated, “Just for the record, I’m not trying to guilt trip you. You asked for the story, you got the story. That’s the end of that.”

She picked up her tray and stormed out of the cafeteria, ignoring all the curious eyes still trailing behind her. As she rounded the corner out of the crowd’s scrutiny, she let out a long sigh.

The old, broken pocket watch remained in her hands. She distinctively remembered the day when she received it—the pure joy and elation that swelled in her chest when her parents placed it in her hands. To her, this pocket watch was more than just a simple reward. It was a recognition of her accomplishment. A reward for all the hard work she put in. A symbol of her parents' belief in her. She felt like she could fly.

Then just several years later, everything changed. One day, she would be confronted by her mother’s cold, contemptuous scowl and the terrifying eyes of her father, brimmed with hatred and hostility. Expressions that parents should have never directed at their daughter.

“Get the fuck out of my sight!”

Her father’s voice boomed in her head. She winced, still able to feel the foul spittle splattering against the side of her cheeks. The side of her head throbbed, a scar hidden beneath her hair flared—a distinct reminder of that wretched day. Ever since then, she lost her prodigious standing amongst her family. Her parents never looked at her warmly again.

Shortly after, Anna discovered that she was being shopped around as a marriage asset. Her parents planned to wed her to an old, decrepit noble for the sake of elevating the Seibert Merchant Company's standing.

That sent her over the edge.

“Fuck this.” She shoved the broken pocket watch into the nearest trash can. She had no idea why she still held onto it. After all, the warm feelings engraved in that heirloom were long gone.

***

Anna spent the rest of her afternoon training. She pushed herself to her absolute limits until she was too tired to remember the shame and humiliation that plagued her the entire day. Then she retreated into her dorm where she promptly collapsed.

The next day arrived. The sun peeked out over the horizon. It was the first official day of classes. Anna reluctantly dragged her sore body out of bed. The corners of her eyes were red and puffy.

Still sleep deprived, she made her way onto campus and into the room of her first lecture. Somehow, most of the seats were already occupied. Excited conversation was already taking place between the students in the lecture hall.

How the hell is everyone so energetic? She felt like the only sane person in this room, surrounded by a bunch of noisy freaks who could somehow function properly at this ungodly hour of the day. She winced as she pulled herself up the row of seats. The loud chatters pounded her exhausted brain. She tried to ignore the probing eyes staring at her back.

Anna limped to the only available seat at the back of the room.

“Good morning.”

She turned, narrowing her eyes as she once again spotted a familiar person.

“You again?” she groaned. Why can’t I get rid of him? It was Emil. The boy gave her a strained smile.

“You look…tired.”

“Oh yeah? What gave it away?” she retorted harshly. Anna took her seat, bemoaning of her fate of continuously being stuck with the person that had turned her into an unwanted celebrity. An uncomfortable silence soon settled in.

Alright, maybe it’s time I stop being a rude bitch. It could have been worse. She could have been stuck with one of those arrogant nobles whose head was stuck up their own ass. At least Emil was courteous and made an effort to make amends with her.

“…Here.” Emil suddenly pushed something towards her. Anna shot him a confused look, before unravelling the cloth covering the mysterious item.

“Um, excuse me? What's this?” Inside the cloth was a pocket watch. Its glassy surface had been polished, glimmering, absent of blemishes.

“I found it in the trash can yesterday. I thought it was yours, so I fixed it.”

Anna’s jaws dropped. “You what?”

“It seems like the technology behind a pocket watch hasn’t changed much in the last two centuries. The clock's inner mechanics were very similar to today’s versions. I just had to replace the glass and a few of small broken parts that were already rusted,” Emil replied with a proud look.

“Is that so?” Anna said, staring at the pocket watch. The faint inscription of the Seibert family was engraved in tiny letters at the bottom of the face, indicating that it was indeed her family heirloom. The hands of the clock ticked faintly with a steady cadence.

A vague smile crossed her face.

“…I don’t believe you,” she said, grabbing the watch and placing it in her bag.

“Huh? Wait, I’m serious. I really did fix it,” Emil protested.

“A delinquent like you, fixing a pocket watch? Next, you’re going to tell me cats can fly,” Anna said, sticking out her tongue, her eyes dancing with mischief.

For the first time since she arrived in Azure City, her heart swelled with a semblance of warmth.