Winter Swan

"Long time no see, Silje. Are you ok?"

Silje met Irina in the hallway after her first class. In an adorable white rabbit fur coat and carrying a large fleece bag, Irina looked cute as usual. She was alone and not with her best friends Martina and Nina.

Silje wanted to talk to Irina anyway, so she was glad about this coincidence. She replied, "Oh, Irina! Nice to see you again. Long time no see."

"I was worried about you. I heard something huge went down recently."

Irina looked around before whispering into Silje's ear.

"You have no idea how shocked I was when I heard about it. Nina came to me and told me she saw you being dragged away by Felicien and his goons. I thought about going to the teachers or maybe calling the cops."

Silje looked at her with a grave expression and asked Irina to go somewhere private to talk. They found a bench outside and sat down together.

"Were you really going to call the police, Irina?"

To Silje's surprise, Irina nodded.

"I was going to, really. Nina told me it looked very bad, so I thought about reporting it to the cops. But I figured out a better way to end this whole shenanigan for good."

Irina looked at her knowingly and added, "I went to Kail and told him about it. I told him you were taken by Felicien and asked him to do something about it. I tell you, Silje, when I saw his expression, I was scared. When I told him what happened, he glared at me like he wanted to kill me. I froze on the spot."

This was what Silje expected. She suspected that someone told Kail to come and help her. It turned out that it was Nina and Irina.

Irina was still looking at Silje with great interest. Silje shrugged her shoulders.

"So Kail became angry?"

She could guess what he must've felt. After what happened in the storage building recently, Kail wouldn't have wanted to help Silje. He would've been torn about what to do, and he'd be angry at Irina for letting him know what was happening.

Irina continued to stare at Silje expectantly as if she was hoping for an explanation. When Silje didn't say anything, Irina continued, "Oh, he was angry alright. I thought he was going to hurt me. He asked me why I was telling him about you, but it was clear that he was worried. He frowned, and when I turned around, he passed me and left the classroom. He slammed the door shut behind him so loudly that I even flinched. I knew it then that Prince Kail was going to rescue you."

Irina smiled teasingly and Silje blushed. She felt embarrassed and her heart beating very fast.

Silje replied to Irina, "Don't tease me like that Irina. And thank you for your help. I was able to escape thanks to you."

Silje shook her head as she remembered that horrible night. She didn't want to think about it anymore. Turning to Irina, Silje thanked her again.

"I really appreciate your help, Irina. I really do. You have shown me that not everyone is out to get me, and that I can trust people."

Silje was serious. After all, Irina was the only one who helped her in this school other than Kail.

Everyone looked the other way, but Irina and Teacher Annika were there for her. Silje knew she was still alone, but she didn't feel so hopeless anymore, knowing there were people who cared about her. Even if her life became harder, Silje felt like she now had people she could turn to.

At Silje's sincerity, Irina studied her and replied with sympathy.

"Wow, Silje. I know you have been bullied very badly in this school, so I get that you would have a hard time giving your trust to anyone. To be honest, I didn't do much. I just got worried and told Kail. That's all. There is no need for you to thank me. You are making me feel bad, because I really didn't do much. I could've been nicer to you and I could've helped you out more."

Irina shrugged her shoulders and added, "Anyway, Kail ended up saving you. I knew it! I am very certain that Kail likes you."

When Irina emphasized the last sentence, Silje could feel herself blushing again. She coughed in embarrassment while Irina continued, "When I told him you were in trouble, he got angry at me and told me to get lost, but I could see the concern in his eyes. I can't believe that the cruel king could look like that! Haha."

"Irina, I think you are having too much fun about this."

When Silje shook her head, Irina smiled and replied, "I am a huge movie fan. I especially love teenage romance. When I see you and Kail together, it feels like I'm watching a movie. You two look great together. Kail is hotter than Nicholas Hoult from the UK show Skins, and you are the Asian princess who will become the famous model in the future. What do you think?"

Silje laughed at Irina's excitement.

"Haha, thanks, Irina. I won't forget what you did for me. Please let Nina know that I appreciate her help too."

"You're welcome! And it was nice talking to you, Silje. Next time we meet, let's go out together. I want to take you to my favorite cafe nearby. They have the best pie and black tea. So yummy yummy! Just thinking about it makes me drool. Promise me you'll go with me, okay?"

Irina smiled adorably and walked away.

Silje was alone again, but strangely, she felt warm and loved. Perhaps it was because she now knew that not everyone in Bestrum Skole was bad.

Sitting alone on the bench in the cold windy winter, Silje smiled softly. It was a genuine smile that came from true contentment.

Next, Silje had to visit a tenth-grade classroom. Luckily, she found the person she was looking for immediately.

There was the familiar dark hair, skin, and furtive eyes. She still felt uncomfortable and sorry for everything that happened to him, so she had to do this.

Silje called his name.

"Jamal!"

Jamal cringed in surprise.

"Silje, what brings you here today?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

Jamal seemed nervous as he slowly backed away, but Silje took his hand.

"You don't have to worry about anything anymore, Jamal. You're safe, I promise."

When Jamal still looked frightened, Silje sighed.

"I just want to talk to you. Don't worry about Kail. You can relax."

She emphasized her next words, "It won't happen again."

Thankfully, Jamal followed her without a word. Jamal still seemed to be afraid of Kail because he constantly looked around. Silje decided it would be best to go somewhere private, so she took him to the rooftop.