|~ Wicked Menace ~|

Chapter 3: New looks, New intentions

Lucia POV:

"Alright.. I'm ready!" I call out, adjusting my tie. I open the door, I wear the school uniform, a white shirt with a black tie, baggy sweatpants with white outline and a black jacket that falls at my shoulders. Amelia whistles. "I forgot the contacts!" I rush back in, sticking in my blue contacts, blinking to get used to the feeling.

"Perfect." I say, combing my hair with my fingers as we walk outside. "Uhm.. lead the way.. please.." I ask, nicely..? "This way!"

| Time Skip |

"Im nervous.." I admit, looking at the people staring at us. "Its fine~ Just dont murder anyone or commit any crimes!" she reassured me. "Hey amelia~ HOLY SHIT YOUR SCARY-" a girl with green hair steps back, I rub the back of my neck and give a nervous chuckle. "Really..?" , "I mean.. your 6 feet tall-" she gets cut off. "I'm 5'8" I cut her off, "5'8, whatever. I just find tall people scary." that sentence makes me tense up. "Eheh.." I shut my mouth to reduce the awkward moment.

"Wionna this is... Lu-..Luz.. This is Luz!" she explained to the girl. "Ah, hello Luz!" she sticks out a hand. I shake it with a smirk. I see the girl lean to Amelia and nudge her and whisper something. She instantly slaps the green haired girl making her glasses tumble down her nose, making her push them back up her nose bridge.

I raise an eyebrow at the sudden outburst, wondering what could have caused it. Amelia looks embarrassed and quickly apologizes to me for her friend's behavior. I assure her that it's alright and turn my attention back to the girl who had just been slapped.

She looks up at me with a mixture of surprise and annoyance, rubbing her cheek where Amelia had hit her. "What was that for?" she asks, sounding more curious than angry.

Amelia jumps in to explain. "Sorry, Luz. Wionna can be a bit... blunt sometimes. She was just making fun of your name."

I feel a twinge of irritation at this revelation, but I try not to let it show on my face. Instead, I give Wionna a smug grin and say, "Well, Luz is actually a very nice name. It means 'light' in Spanish." I bend down a bit and emphasise on the word 'nice'

Wionna rolls her eyes and mutters something under her breath, but I ignore her and turn back to Amelia.

"We have class, no?" I simply say, hands in my pockets and jumping on my heels. "Yeah, you should have the same schedule as me?" I nod and I follow her lead, waving off Wionna as she just shrugs and goes the opposite way.

"Dont budge with her, she has always been the mean one." Amelia sighs. "Its fine, really. I couldnt care less." I let out a scoff and release my muscles which I didnt know were tensed.

As I walk through the halls, the silence pecks at my skin. All I hear is the clock ticking and footsteps getting closer and farther, heck, I can even hear my heartbeat at this point.

My eyes go into focus onto the green mane before me, and I wont lie, I admire her curls and how beautifully the brown and green blends. Wait. No, Lucia. Dont say- think..? Whatever, just dont.. that..good enough.

By rhe time I'm done arguing with myself I'm met with a room full if lurking eyes, Its like I'm being fed to crows. They stare at every, single, inch of you looking for imperfection. I just take my seat next to Amelia after introducing myself properly to the class. I pull out a book Amelia lended me and started to write, my handwriting was very messy but it was good enough. Every now and then I felt stares like piercings in my back, it was scary, honestly.

I feel myself struggle to focus..? My mind always leads to the window. The window.. I take a squint and see its unlocked. I swear I saw someone behind a tree.. must be paranoid.

I snap out of my trance by Amelia tapping me on the shoulder. "You alright Lucia..?" she whispers, looking at me with her full concern. "Yes I'm.. I'm fine." I answer politely, waving my hand.

But my mind is still wandering, wondering who or what I saw outside. I try to refocus on the task at hand, but my thoughts keep drifting back to the window. Finally, I can't take it anymore and excuse myself from the room.

As I step outside, the cool breeze hits me and I feel a sense of relief wash over me. I walk towards the tree where I thought I saw someone and find nothing but a few fallen leaves. Maybe it was just my imagination playing tricks on me.

I take a deep breath and try to clear my mind. As much as I want to focus on work, sometimes it's important to take a break and let your mind wander. Maybe that's what I needed all along - a moment of peace and quiet to reset my thoughts.

Feeling refreshed, I head back inside with a newfound sense of clarity. Sometimes all it takes is a little distraction to help you refocus and get back on track.

I re-enter the classroom, back to my normal state. I push in my chair with a little scoot and continue to write. 'Beneficial Excellent Gratitude Acceptance, AKA B E  G A Y is used most effectively in mental health services such as psychiatric treatments or mental health care. And so...' (btw none of that is real. I think..) I am snapped out by a booming voice. "Alright! Times up! Presenting will now begin, who would like to start?" the teacher with wavy grey hair sat up on the desk and tapped his pen to his cheek.

"Aww, your all shy~ Alright, du du du~ Luz Noceda! Come up to present." he pointed at me, I almost forgot I was undercover before standing. Every step I took I got more and more anxious, I felt my hands shake and my throat dry up. I look at the class behind me before movind infront of the desk, using the paper to hide my face. 'You cant have a panic attack yet, Lucia. Calm down.' I thought to myself.

"S-so.. the.. the.. ahem.. sorry.. the.." I took a moment, my hands were shaking uncontrollably that I couldnt read my work. I noticed students giggling and whispering, which only made it worse. Did the temperature go up..?

I see Amelia staring at me, her eyes laced with concern. It made me feel warm inside. "The.. The B E  G A Y system is used most.. most.. effff.. e- efficiency- No, sorry. Most efficiently.. through- ... through different stage-stages. a-a-nd.." I take deep raspy breaths.

I try to steady my hands and focus on the words in front of me. I can feel the sweat on my forehead and my heart racing. Why did I have to stutter now, in front of everyone? I take another deep breath and look up at Amelia again. She gives me a small smile, and it gives me the courage to continue.

"The B E G A Y system is used most efficiently through different stages, and each stage has its own unique challenges. The first stage is awareness, where individuals become aware of their disorders. The second stage is acceptance, where they accept themselves for who they are. The third stage is daily activities where the person will become active to bring their mind off their disorder which proves to increase mental health and anxiety."

I pause for a moment, taking another deep breath. "And finally, the fourth stage is Communication where the individual will have conversations with their personal doctor and ir therapist about their B E G A Y experience." (Again, this is made up, do not take any of this into consideration. And if you do think you have a disorder, go see a doctor/therapist! Stay safe lovelies<3)

As I close my book the bell rings, I rush out as quick as I can and wait up for Amelia, a minute later she comes tumbling out and jumps towards me. "You did GREAT!" she smiles at me. "Going soft for me, Blight?" I tease, she goes back to her aggresive face, oops~

The rest if the day was a blur, and all I could think about was the warm embrace of my bed. But before I could relax, someone came into my room with a soft knock. "hola cariño, ¡escuché que volviste a la escuela! ¿Cómo estuvo bebé?" my mother softly says, I giggle quietly as she ruffles my hair. "Irritante, pero asombrosa en general, ¡me encontré con mis amigas!" I explain, my voice dry and tired, my mother looks happy for me as she gives me a peck on the forehead. "Eso es genial bebé, que tengas un buen descanso. Buenas noches mi mundo." I smile. "Buenas noches, mama."