You can measure the level of prestige in a boarding school not necessarily by what is being taught or by whom, but rather by what happens outside of class hours. What sports are being played? What events are organized? And nothing screams prestige more than decadent balls.

The Opening Ball ended the first week of school with a bang and was the last fun activity before the students would be drowned in a cocktail of Sciences and Humanities.

Preparations started by selecting a chairperson - someone to officiate the party and act as a host throughout: giving a welcome speech, announcing when to eat, when to dance, and a general scapegoat in case things went wrong and teachers, too busy with their own decadent party to supervise, needed someone to blame. The obvious choice, democratically and almost unanimously voted on the second day of school, was Hendrick. Which for Kyle meant that the preparations for the party were in risk of all going according to plan and where would be the fun in that? It was not for his lack of trying: since he, as president, could not be nominated so as to let others shine in a leading position - the only thing worth aiming for as an Elysium student - he tried to push another candidate forward, someone almost equally well-liked by the students. Jacy was excited at the proposition despite clearly knowing Kyle’s intentions, but when the time came for the candidates to give their speech to promote themselves, he was overcome with a sudden anxiety and mumbled all throughout the speech, becoming an easy target for the rumor mill in school.

This is what most people were talking about during lunch break, so Jacy decided to skip it all together. He didn’t even need to enter the massive dining hall to hear the whispers. Knowing he could find food somewhere else, he went outside, ready to walk the forest path and scream his lungs out. Yes, he wanted to fail so Hendrick could win, but the anxiety he faced giving his speech was all too real.

His path was blocked however by a body bumping into him, his usually perfect instincts taking a backseat to his rage, but he instantly recognized those smoky quartz eyes.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to,” said Jabari. He had heard about the incident, was actually present at the voting, and wanted to say something to make the second year feel better, but his eyes were boring into him like a prey ready to attack at the slightest offence. Still, he muttered, “I think you will make a great chairperson in the future.”

“Doesn’t matter what you think. Apparently by next year at least one of us will be dead,” said Jacy referring to Kyle’s speech, “so what good will a chairperson be?”

Jabari wanted to correct him, say that it was unlikely, but Jacy walked away just as the sky began to darken from the coming rain, the first flash of lighting briefly illuminating his silhouette.

***

As Jabari walked back inside the stone building, he decided to stop by the library to choose a book to keep him company at lunch. While he did enjoy the company on his first day, he wasn’t too sure he would get the same invitation again. The library was bigger than one would expect from a high school, but Elysium wasn’t just any high school to begin with. About a dozen rows of shelves lined the room on each side, with tables occupying the center. A grand chandelier and two spiral staircases drew the eye to the upper level, where the rarest books lay. It was obviously empty at this time, but not entirely. He heard rustling from one corner of the room and found a guy who he easily recognized as Hendrick frantically searching through the bookshelves.  

“Aren’t you supposed to be at lunch?”

“Oh, is it lunch already?” was the only reply for a solid minute. Jabari almost gave up on the conversation and was just about to leave after snatching a random book when Hendrick spoke again:

“I wanted to do something new for the ball, have a sort of theme, you know?” he said frantically while flipping through poetry volumes and occasionally grunting in disapproval. “Love. Well…courting mostly. This is the perfect occasion for romance to bloom. It is much better for people to talk about who they admire rather than gossip about…other things.” The reference to Jacy’s speech or perhaps even Kyle’s was not lost on Jabari.

“So are you trying to court somebody by reading them poetry?”

“No, not at all.” The reply was too immediate for it to be believable. “This is just a prelude to my public announcement where I’ll give details about the ball. Evrika! I have to run now, see you at the announcement!”

He assumed Hendrick had found what he was looking for as he ran from the library, almost knocking a marble bust in his way.   

***

The rain had stopped and the sun was about to set when Hendrick uttered the verses of Skakespeare’s Sonnet 40 to his small audience in the green field surrounding the school that acted as a courtyard. Perched atop a bench, with his jacket and tie forgotten under a tree, hair and shirt’s sleeves ruffled from the slight breeze, he spoke as if both in irremediable pain and serene acceptance. He didn’t mind that his audience was so spare; he cherished it, because it left him with a clear view of the exact people he wanted to address the poem to. The guy from the library who he recognized as Jabari was there, so was the blond girl from the first dinner, Svea if he recalled correctly, but his eyes were drawn to the first row. Shiro was staring intensely at him in his usual fashion, analyzing his every move or gesture with an air of both superiority and genuine curiosity, and right next to him was the girl who he had been waiting for today to join him in their secret vices. It was risky, having a partner in crime, more so after Kyle’s threats, but he wanted her company again. Iv, like Shiro, was also paying close attention, frowning as if trying to understand the purpose of it all. In fairness, there was none. Or none that could be revealed. But for the other curious souls gathered in the field, he explained that it was an attempt to get their attention and convince them to find partners for the ball.

“Our annual Opening Ball is to take place two days from now, in the Grand Hall, beginning exactly at sunset. The dress code is the school’s colour, blue.” His eyes lingered on the dwindling crowd so he quickly thanked them for their attention and hurriedly walked towards the two, but Iv was already leaving in one direction and Shiro in the other, gazing at her retreating figure over his shoulder till she was out of sight.

***

“Wait!”

He turned around to find a blond girl running towards him. He noticed her with Iv before, almost always stuck together.

“Svea, right?”

“Yes. And you’re Shiro.” He grunted in response and waited for her to continue. He already knew however what this was about.

“I was wondering if you’d like to be my partner for the Opening Ball. I know we don’t really know each other, but I know no one else so I just thought I’d try with you.”

Any other day, he might have accepted. She seemed pretty enough, like a flower coming into bloom. But he was looking for something else.

“I’m sorry, but I was going to ask someone else.” He was just considering whether to mention that that someone was her roommate when she said something that caught him by surprise:

“I know. I saw you looking at her. And she was looking at you, too.”

He knew he was being obvious, so he just assumed that Svea asked because she was oblivious. But that was not the case, which meant that she did it on purpose, although it wouldn’t really make sense since the girls seem to have genuinely bonded even after only briefly knowing each other. So…

“Why?”

“Just wanted to see if you really intended to ask her.”

***

It was a lie.

She did notice the looks, was all too aware of it, yet that was exactly what made her go up to him. It was an impulsive decision, not the first one of its kind she had made, yet it hurt all the same. Why did she feel the need to go after those that she couldn’t have only because it seemed like a fun idea, a challenge? She didn’t want to be seen as a homewrecker, one of those girls everyone stayed away from, yet she had to control her impulses that always seemed to tell her to do the bad thing.

Trying not to look dejected, she decided to go back to her room, but just as she was about to turn she spotted movement in the corner of her eye. Two boys she was familiar with, Nik and Tyler, were whispering among themselves and glancing at her, attempting to be subtle, but comically failing. This may be an easy catch, she thought, but it was worth playing along.

She pretended not to know they were looking and took a few steps closer to where they were, crouching gracefully to admire a dandelion.

“Excuse me?” She looked up. It was Tyler. Nikolaus was nowhere in sight anymore.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear that guy refusing your invitation. I hope you aren’t too upset about it, because I for one would like to thank him.”

“Thank him for what?” If her tone was a bit higher than usual, head tilted slightly and eyes wider on purpose, no one needed to know.

“For giving me the chance to ask for your company at the ball.”

Too easy. But she will take it. After all, she promised herself she would be good.

“It would be my pleasure!”

***

Nik left Tyler to head to the ballroom as they had both volunteered to help with the preparations. He told him they were already late so he needed to go, but truth be told, he didn’t want to watch him ask out the girl he was also thinking of inviting. Not that he cared too much about that anyway. It was just a stupid ball.

When he arrived, the ballroom was already buzzing with people running left and right to arrange the decorations, mostly blue and white balloons that matched the intricate wall paintings which reminded of the Versailles palace with its splendor and glamour. Right in the middle of the room was Hendrick yelling instructions, reminding the volunteers that everything had to be perfect for the night. He also noticed Kyle approaching, looking like he was closely monitoring everything even if there was no need to. He asked Nik where Tyler was, then, after a few seconds of silence, right as Nik was about to excuse himself to go help out, he started talking again:

“Don’t you think Hendrick is being a bit too strict as a leader?”

“I wouldn’t know, I just got here.”

“Well I have been here for a few minutes now. Not only was he late to give that utterly unnecessary speech from what I heard, but also look at how stressed people are. This is supposed to be fun, don’t you think? Here, I’ll show you what I mean.”

Nik watched confused as Kyle called out for Gwen to come, who he vaguely remembered as having some sort of important role in the student body.

“Gwen darling, don’t you think our dear vice-president is taking his duties too seriously?”

“Oh no, he is a wonderful leader, the way he is commanding everyone in this room with his mere presence is so…” Nik noticed her eyes widen at the way Kyle glared at her. “What I mean is, he may be exaggerating just a bit.”

Kyle nodded and quickly sent her off. As he turned to Nik again, his tone seemed to soften.

“Now you see? Don’t worry, I will make sure to fix this. After all, the principal always listens to me,” he said with a pleased smile.

He didn’t know what to say to that, so he excused himself to finally go help. As he worked alongside other students he tried to cheer them up and get as involved as possible just so that everything worked out. It was just a stupid ball, but he quite liked Hendrick from what he saw and he didn’t want the guy to be blamed if anything went amiss. All the while, he could notice Kyle staring at him intently, deep in thought, looking as if he was planning something.

If only he could figure out what…

***

It was a dream. It had to be. Iv was standing in the flower field beyond the school’s forest in just her white nightgown. She identified the place as such, as you usually do in dreams where you instinctively know where you are, despite never having been there and only hearing about such a place from her roommate. It was also sunset and she was pretty sure she already went to bed considering she was in her nightgown. But something felt off about this dream. She was usually a lucid dreamer and was able to dictate what she would see, but none of this felt like her own doing.

“This is a dream, just in case you were wondering.”

She turned around even if she already recognized the voice, despite only hearing it once before. Shiro.

“I wasn’t wondering. I know it is a dream. What you are doing in it is what I’m curious about. I can’t seem to erase you from it.” Not that she was trying too hard, but she often despised not being in control.

“I just had one question to ask and then I’ll vanish.”

If she couldn’t control her image of him, standing as he was with his uniform, long hair blown by the slight breeze, maybe she could…

“Will you do me the honor of joining me to the Opening Ball?”

She reappeared behind him just as he asked his question, in a blood-red medieval dress and a sword extended to nearly touch his chin. That was much better.

“How about you ask me again and I’ll consider it.”

He kneeled in tandem with her lowering the sword, all throughout showing a genuine smile that she could bet was very rare, thus all the more precious.

“Will you be my partner for the ball?”

She woke up before she could answer, yet she knew what she had to do. She got out of bed, careful not to disturb Svea, and opened the window. As expected, Shiro was there, sitting in front of a tree, the moonlight illuminating his soft gaze. She only had to mutter the word, but by the smile, she knew he understood. Yes.