HIS ROOMMATE WAS A LIE

Sera povThey say when you lie once, it's easy to lie again. Whoever said that deserved a prize because that was currently happening to me. I wore a binding chest wrap to prevent my boobs from being visible. I had three layers of oversized uniform and I had cut my hair shorter.I reached the gate of virelade Academy when a guard stopped me without even looking at me. "Boys only at this point".I blinked twice. Did I not look like a boy to him? I'm even in my school uniform!I swallowed and deepened my voice just enough to not sound like a girl. "Right! I'm on the list. My name is Calix, sera... Um ... I mean Seth Calix".He squinted his eyes at the clipboard and ran a finger through the names trying to locate where my name was, after finding it, he grunted and waved me through.And just like that I was in.Virelade Academy stood before me more like a castle and not a school. It had towers painted in dark blue, had trees surrounding the main building. It was a place that only the rich

Day two at Virelade, and I was already considering faking my death maybe that would be the best option,I should just find a cliff and jump.I woke up before the sun. Mostly because I couldn’t sleep. Partly because I was paranoid Kael might hear me breathing wrong and decide to report me for existing or blow my cover.He hadn’t spoken a word since dinner,He just glared like I personally offended his entire clan.Now came the hardest part of the day: The Shower.Sure, the dorm had its own private bathroom, but “private” didn’t mean “safe.” Especially when you're a girl pretending to be a guy living with a guy who walks around shirtless like it’s no big deal.I waited as I watched the door. Kael was still asleep, sprawled across his bed like some prince,his sheets were half kicked off, hair was a perfect mess, like some moody shampoo commercial.Not that I was looking.I bolted for the bathroom and locked the door. I Double-checked then triple checked to ensure everything is good.Oka

The new day at Virelade started like the usual with tight schedules, stiff uniforms, and the constant pressure of being around the best of the best. I was doing my best to blend in, with my head hanging low and keeping my voice lower so they couldn't suspect me and keeping the whole "I'm totally a guy named Seth" act perfect.That worked for about five minutes.Luca slid into the seat beside me in Lit class,he came towards me all grin and attitude. "Morning, sunshine."I blinked. "Huh?"He smirked. "Your hair's a mess,kind of a sexy mess though. Like you just rolled out of bed after a wild night .""Dude," I muttered, praying the floor would swallow me."Relax, Seth. I'm just being friendly. You looked tense,want me to massage your shoulders or something?" He wiggled his eyebrows.My face burned as i shifted in my seat, trying to laugh it off. "Pretty sure that breaks like ten rules."From the front row, Kael turned his head slightly just slightly towards us. But his gaze was nowher

The halls of Virelade were quieter than usual.It was one of the few free days the students got no classes, no drills. Just a whole afternoon to blow off steam and be normal teenage guys… or as normal as you could get in an elite all boys academy run like a royal military cult.By 4 PM, most of the dorms were half empty. Some kids had gone to the city,others were chilling by the lake or hitting up the school café.But not me.I was alone in the art room.A large sheet of paper sat in front of me with smudges of charcoal on my fingers, lines streaked across my sleeve. I was deep into the drawing so deep that I didn’t even hear the door open.The pencil moved slowly, deliberately, as I shaded the long wavy hair past the shoulders. A version of me that felt like someone else now.Sera.I missed her,not the name,not the body but just... the freedom of being her.The drawing was almost done. My real face stared back at me with haunting softness, something gentle and vulnerable in the eyes

Sera pov After our little embarrassing get out, mostly because of me thirsting over kael whenever he looked away but look at him,you can't blame, he look like he just stepped out of fancy magazine. We decided to return back to school, by the time we reached the school compound, no student was seen around which means we were late, at least me. Because Kael and the rest of sovereign Circle had no curfew but I was no body, just an ordinary student and I was certain I was going to be punished. We reached the hallway leading to the dorms, when the lights went out leaving us in pitch darkness. "Dammit!" I muttered then turned to Kael "Does this happen frequently? Or is it just today?" Kael shrugged "not everyday, but once in a while it happens. Why do you ask? Are you afraid?" I snorted "afraid? Me? Hell no! I was just asking because ever since I joined this school, there has never been a power outage" Kael just smirked "whatever you say Seth!" I gapped at him, he was making fun of