Your POV 

Three days had passed after Ashley's birthday.

And nothing had changed. 

I had decided to come to school today and face the music. For the past four days, I had been faking sick to avoid school. But the social was tomorrow and I couldn't spend the rest of my days hiding. Rumors of Jordan and Blair's scandal seemed to have seeped out to the whole school, probably over social media. I tried my best to hide my face whenever I saw the scandal plastered all over on magazines. But the damage was done. 

Sighing, I stepped into the school grounds. A few students threw judging looks my way. Word of me being a "slut" had also been spilled. I was early, thank goodness. Not much people were at school, and if they were, they were scattered all over the grounds. All the Elites usually come late anyways. I trudged my way over to my home class, and the lights were already on. Stopping, my eyebrows pressed together. Our home class teacher Mrs Gould usually doesn't come this early. 

'And then Blair was like, "you're no sister of mine." It was so exciting to hear those words from Blair to (y/n)! Imagine the publicity and gossip from not only Sydney, but the whole world!'

The sickeningly chirpy voice of Ashley floated out into the dimly lit corridor. Her voice was all cheerful and sweet, but I knew better than that. A slight cold edge to her voice was always there, haunting her words. My heart froze in shock, but it also seemed to be pounding against my chest. I heard the familiar laughter of Chanel, Harper and...Layla. I tried my best to swallow the lump in my throat, but it stuck there, unmovable. Those four and me were the ultimate inner circle of Elites. Everyone knew it. The hierarchy of the school was so painfully obvious, even the teachers had a clue about it. At the bottom, it was the classroom loners and anime freaks like Hannah Mitchell. Then the nerds. Then people constantly preoccupied with helping out the environment and playing musical instruments. Then the people who had potential in Elites, but were just too poor. Ashley should've been placed in that section. Anyways, it then goes into the Elites, all of us pretty, cool and rich. If we weren't pretty, we were beautiful, hot or cute. Then above the Elites were my friendship group, made up of the top 11 Elites. Then in the inner circle of our group were Ashley, me, Harper, Chanel and Layla. Then me, Chanel and Layla. Or so it used to be. Now it was kind of Harper, Ashley and Chanel. Layla and I had kind of been shunned out. And we had no idea at the time. And on top of everyone, wearing the title of "Queen Bee" and acting like a crown was on her head, was Chanel. Even though she had hurt me beyond imagination, I still cared for her. And I knew things she didn't. Like how Ashley could be so sneaky. Ashley's endgame was probably to somehow push Chanel aside and claim the crown of the school. Even if she was poor. It was time for me to step up. I was going to reclaim my friends. Confidently, I started walking up to the classroom, chin held high. 

Ashley's reign of terror was ending today.

---------------------------

Shu's POV 

It was finally the day.

All the preparations was leading up to this. I began to walk confidently to the aircraft, my suitcase already on board. As I was walking up the ramp, a shiver of excitement ran down my spine, tingling my body. I grinned. Normally I would be sleepy as it was only 5:30am, but today was different. The excitement and thrill of visiting a mythical place, another realm had extinguished the sleepiness. I was going to a place nobody had been before. 

As I walked across to the meeting area for early breakfast, servants bustled in and out of the kitchens, a delicious smell wafting through the cool air. A plain white corridors was alive with excitement, Dr. Tarver jiggling around exhilaration so much that Gold Eye had to calm him down. 

'Red Eye,' Gold Eye spoke my name, his golden lenses looking directly into my crimson ones. 'After breakfast we are changing out of our Snake Pit uniform and revealing our identities. I have strict orders to tell you that after breakfast, get changed, and meet Ashtem in the control room ASAP. We can't rock up in Earth wearing our intimidating uniform.'

'Right,' I nodded before turning left, into large room. 

Two bookshelves were pushed neatly against the wall, the books in colour order. Piles of sausages, bacon, eggs and plenty more were heaped on silver platters along the table. Below us the distant hum of the engine could be felt. 

Long panels of glass aligned one side of the room, giving us a perfect view of the rising sun, dappling colours across the sky as if it was a canvas. Only a handful of birds were fluttering around, their black wings soaring them up into the sky. No sign of civilization could be seen over the tall jungle, giving it a completely magical atmosphere. I sighed, a white cloud of my breath momentarily visible in the cold air. I wondered what (y/n) was doing right now. 

-----------------------

Your POV 

I doubt anybody would've thought that I would dare to barge into an Elite meeting. If I had been told that last year, I would've laughed and told them to stop talking nonsense. But that was what I was doing right now.

'Ashley.'

I spoke her name distastefully, anger and pain trembling in my voice. She stopped laughing and hopped off the table she was sitting on. Sour faces were immediately on everyone as all happiness evaporated from their faces, leaving them with a stony expression. Four people stood before me. Ashley, Harper, Chanel and Layla.

'(y/n). Speak of the devil.'

She spoke my name with equal venom and hated, almost hissing it. But I wouldn't be surprised if she did hiss. She is a low-life snake after all.

'Having fun talking about me?' I asked her, fake cheeriness dripping off my words as a fake smile broke my face. 

'Why are you here, (y/n)?'  Ashley exhaled, exasperated. Her eyes dropped as she begun inspecting her nails. 

'You know why I'm here.'

The smile had gone. The happiness had gone. All that was left on my face was complete and utter bitter anger. Ashley, raised her left eyebrow, as if me standing up was amusing her. 

'Ashley, I'm tired of you constantly hurting me!' I yelled, my words full of anger and pain. 'Even from the beginning of the year, you've hated my guts? Why? I don't know. Maybe because your parents work for my parents, the CEOs of CSIRO! Maybe because I'm only the one who knows about your family's money problems.' I turned to the other three, who's mouth was agape at this information. 'You wanted some hot tea to spill to the other Elites?  Here some; Ashley doesn't live on Aureum Hills. Or Argenti Park. In fact, she doesn't even live on Divitae Streets, but on the other side of Sydney with the commoners. She shouldn't even be an Elite!'

'Shut up,' Ashley's voice quivered from sheer hatred, as she took a step towards me. 'Don't believe her.'

'But the evidence is all here,' I glared at her. 'Why you never let us go to your house. Why you refuse to buy all the expensive stuff at the mall. Even why you hacked into my family's bank account and stole their money for your birthday party. Isn't this all true? Admit it.'

'Ashley, did you really do all of this?' enquired Chanel, frowning and tilting her head slightly. Her face flushed red as  she clenched her fists. 

'F-Fine!' she screamed. 'I did it! I did all of it! But it wasn't my fault. It was yours, (y/n)!'

'Mine?' I cried in utter shock. 

'Yes, yours!' Ashley continued shouting, spit flying everywhere. I'm glad we still had another twenty minutes before the teachers got here, otherwise it would've been a real mess. 'You're a constant reminder of what I'm not. We are complete polar opposites. You're ugly, I'm not. You're pathetic, I'm not. You're dumb, I'm not. You're everything I'm not, yet you have the perfect life! Your sister is a celebrity! You have a huge mansion up on Aureum Hills! You have Jack falling for you!'

It was as if all life had gone out of me in one single breath. I stood there, my lifeless arms still, watching in hurt as she continued ranting about my life, how ugly and dumb I am. My breathing started to become irregular, as if all the oxygen wasn't properly getting down my windpipe. The air felt difficult to swallow, like it had suddenly becomes huge ice cubes. I'm hyperventilating.

Her words continued to pierce my heart like pointy shards of ice, poking my heart until it bled. All my ex-friends stood to one side, watching the fight without any emotion. They made no sign to show that they still cared for me. Whatever. Through my choked sobs, I could feel my (e/c) orbs glaze over with hurt, pain and sadness. All fight had gone out of me. I was just a shell containing hurt, pain, betrayal, torment, agony and dejection. I could dimly register the waterfall streaming down my cheeks from my eyes. All I could hear were her words repeating again. 

'You're ugly, I'm not. You're pathetic, I'm not. You're dumb, I'm not. You're everything I'm not, yet you have the perfect life! Your sister is a celebrity! Your family is beyond rich! You have a huge mansion up on Aureum Hills! You have Jack falling for you!' 

'Jack betrayed me,' I whispered, loud enough for only Ashley to hear. 'Just like so many others.'

'No, he didn't!' Ashley raged, still angry. 'He loved you, (y/n). He didn't help you at the party because I told him to get some drinks from a store, away from the party. At the party after you took off from Jordan, he went looking for you. He found you in the bathroom, and told Jordan.'

'But, why didn't he come comfort me?' I asked, bewildered. 'He could've taken that as an opportunity.'

'Because he heard you,' Ashley now began to sob, overwhelmed by her heartache. 'Rambling some guy called Shu-'

I had enough of this shit. 

I turned on my heel and ran. 

------------------

Shu's POV 

'We have three special guests joining us today,' Ashtem announced, standing up at the head of the wooden, glossy table while everyone else hushed and sat quietly, eating their breakfast. A short man with electric blue eyes and a shock of white hair emerged from the doorway, his white lab coat dangling down. He reminded me a little of Dr. Tarver, the way he was standing, and the look in his eyes showed precisely just how practical he was, following logic rather than the heart. He was clutching a big, thick book with Earth engraved on the leather. I recognized the book as the one Mrs Tanaka showed us in class. 

'This is Subete Shitte Iru, a very important researcher and scientist concerning myths, legends, space and realms,' introduced the leader of the Snake Pit. 'He is also the author of this precise book about Earth. Many have read about it, yes?'

There were nods all around the table. 

'I'm glad to hear that,' Subete clasped his hands together. 'Though I would like to tell you about Earth before actually descending down on the planet.'

'Yes, of course,' nodded Ashtem, before turning to the rest of us. 'Subete here has visions about Earth. He believes the humans are trying to connect with us through some sort of radiation.'

'But enough about me,' smiled Subete. 'I'm sure the two other guest are much more important.' His gaze was directed towards and his eyes glinted, making me feel a little uneasy. 'Especially to this young man.'

Before I could ponder about what that meant, two tall figures emerged from the doorway, one male, one female. The male had a mop of salt and pepper hair, suggesting that he was in his mid-40s. The female couldn't be older, yet beautiful white locks tumbled down past her shoulders. Although they were both wearing masks and the Snake Pit uniform, they seemed...familiar. Like I had known them before this. But I couldn't place it, so I immediately shrugged it off. 

'This is Crimson Eye and Lilac Eye,' presented Ashtem, the male one being Crimson Eye and the female Lilac Eye. 'Both are significant scientists as well and they were the ones that confirmed that the ID of the Russian astronaut that had fallen a few months ago was not fake, thus proving Earth is real. They have also done wondrous things to manufacture this aircraft, sacrificing many important things to them.' Ashtem's lenses lingered on me for a second. 'Please make all three of these guest feel welcome here. We will be leaving in approximately one hour. You may go now.'

I obliged, walking to my single room were the bed had been made and my suitcase laid upon the bed. I opened it, and the first thing I saw was a picture of the Bey Club during the Nationals. The picture wasn't great, but it capture the Bey Club perfectly. I remember when the picture was being taken perfectly. Honcho and Wakiya were squabbling over who was most likely to beat Lui, Daigo was standing to one corner slightly emo-ish, Valt's hand were in the air after an exhilarating win against the Sword Flames and I...watched all of the chaos with a little smile of my face. My lips parted and I realized just how much I missed them. 

'Red Eye,' Ashtem's voice crackled over the intercom. 'Are you finished yet? We have an important meeting in the headquarters.'

'Uh, not yet,' I admitted. 'I'll be there in a few minutes.'

'Good.'

I undressed and threw on my casual clothes, which just made me miss Japan and my friends even more. I hadn't worn this for at least one month. Sighing, I walked towards the headquarters, where Ashtem, Subete Shitte Iru, Dr. Tarver, Gold Eye, Silver Eye were waiting. 

Shock jolted through my body as I realized Ashtem was Theodore Glass, but then I guess it wasn't too surprising. After all, I had found Ashtem working in an underground basement of the Raging Bulls. And Theodore Glass hadn't bothered to find me after I left to go to Mexico. I wondered if he had abandoned his post as the Raging Bulls manager. Both Silver Eye and Gold Eye were top American bladers, also known as Charlie Dilger and Norman Tarver. 

'Sorry for being late,' Lilac Eye called out, walking towards us. She and Crimson Eye walked in hand, in hand. As suspected, their eye colours were lilac and crimson, just like mine. Lilac Eye carried the scent around, the smell of familiar lilac, the smell of home-

'Shu!' my mum giggled playfully as I wrapped my fists around her snowy white locks from my white cot. 'Don't grab my hair like that!'

Her warm scent of lilac wafted around me, making me feel like I was right at home, where lilacs adorned the interior. I smiled up at her comforting face. Nothing could go wrong. 

'Honey!'

 Father's panicked voice rang out from the doorway to their small apartment. Something was wrong. Mother's forehead creased and she immediately left me in my cot. I could see them, huddled around a piece of paper. I tilted my head to one side. What could possibly be on that piece of paper? Mother let out a cry of grief before sobs racked her body. Father crouched down and tried to comfort her, but he, also, had tears in his eyes. I wanted to help. But I couldn't.

After a week passed, Mother started crying again. I didn't get it at all. She and Father gathered around my cot. 

'Shu,' Mother smiled melancholy, caressing me face gently. Tear drops fell from her lilac eyes. 

'My son,' Father spoke up, his voice breaking. 'I am so sorry about this.' He and Mother exchanged looks. 'But trust me when I say this is for your own good.'

'Oh, Shu!' Mother cried, picking me up and clutching me towards her chest. I was only a toddler around three years old, but it was clear she was in distress. Distraught by the atmosphere around me, I started to cry and whine loudly. 'I'll miss you so much! But this isn't goodbye.'

This isn't goodbye. 

My mouth hung open agape, unable to register who the people in front of me actually were. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off be shoulders, a weight I didn't even know existed. 

Lilac Eye gripped her hands together slightly in happiness. Her mouth let out a cry of joy, her lilac eyes shimmering with joyous tears. Scarlet Eye rested his hands on her shoulders, a huge grin drawn onto his features, shining with overjoy. 

'Mother?' I asked slowly, incredulous at this discovery. 'Father?'

'Oh, my son!' cried Mother, rushing forward to grip my in a tight hug, burying her face into my shoulder as her teardrops overflowed and stained my shirt. Father also ran over and enveloped all of us in a tight hug. My body instantly relaxed from the familiar touch of family I hadn't felt in years. Tears started watering in my eyes. After a minute, Mother and Father let go, tears brimming in both of their eyes. 

'My son,' began Father. 'We have a lot to catchup on.'

--------------------

REMEMBER...VOTE...COMMENT...SHARE!!!

Word count: 2988