Bab 29: CHAPTER 29: Shattered Hope

"One of the boys will pick me"

"One of them will pick me," Shella muttered, over and over again, since it was obvious to her that Makin chose Taurin more for her beauty and not as much for her strength.

"Second Person- Wein," stepping out the moment his name was announced by the Headmaster,

"I choose Flora and Marcel," He said with a gentle smile in a way that made Ashen begin to wonder why someone as nice as him would hang around Makin, as he remembered how he had tried to help him from getting burnt,

Not knowing who the other students were, Ashen simply sat expectantly waiting for Ara's turn as he waited for the other student's turn to pass and after a while of students shouting in gleeful happiness and unexpected sorrow, her turn finally came with Ashen going ahead as to cross his fingers about to say a small prayer to any god that was close enough to listen.

"Number 10- Ara," as she stepped forward the second her name was called out,

"I choose Ursula and Cerulean since they helped me a lot," she said, as two girls sitting in their seat right beside each other jumped us and hugged each other while making high-pitched noises in the first row as Ashen watched with dejected eyes unable to understand why he ever thought an acquaintance who he spoke with one in a blue moon would actually choose him out of everyone she knew,

"You're really sad…you know that. I can't believe you thought Ara of all people, one of the most popular girls in our year, would pick you especially when you did nothing to deserve it. I think delusional is a better word…" Dosan commented from his seat with a chuckle, and Ashen was about to agree with him in his mind, when he looked over at the stage to see Natal, who was standing right next to the last person, as he stared intently at a girl in the front row with a black bundled up ponytail who was trying to make faces at him.

"Natal might pick me..." the thought flashed in Ashen's head only for him to thump it down and stamp it out like an ember,

"I'm nothing to him," Ashen thought wondering if the case might have been different and might have stood a chance if he was born a beautiful girl… or BOY, depending on whatever was more attractive to the Students on stage,

…..

One by one, the students on the stage stepped forward, picking the two people of their choice as more and more students felt depressed, noticing how less than four students and about eight chances remained.

Shella was one of those students, unable to stop herself from biting her nails in anxiety as she looked around, wondering what she could do to get chosen…

In a split second, she made a decision and immediately jumped on her feet, resisting the urge to climb her chair to make sure that she could be clearly seen.

"Number 22- Tamacti," the principal announced, as a young boy with fairy-like green eyes steps forwards, even as his pale and cold face was a direct contrast to bright eyes, since anyone would easily come to the conclusion that he rarely stepped out under the sun,

"Please pick me!," Shella thought going as far as to raise one of her hands, the moment the boy's gaze landed on her, since she knew that he was a total shit in and he didn't really have any friends.

"I pick…" Tamacti said with a pause as his eyes roamed the students in front of him with the intention of picking two random people that he thought were alright since he had gotten the globe all by himself.

"I pick Laurel and Toad," he said picking two of the people in the back who looked beyond dejected, seeing that tears were about to drop from their eyes,

"Tchhh," clicking her teeth together in anger before turning around to see the two miserable people that got picked, jumping up for joy with shocked expressions on their faces, going as far as to fist bump each other since they were friends and after being unable to get a single globe, they had immediately given up all hope.

"Even bumpkins like them were able to get a place in the third year before you and still you're unable to get," Taurin sneered as she sat beside Shella, mocking her especially since she had been chosen first by Makin,

"I guess this is the end for you," she laughed at Shella looking over her standing figure and her fidgeting hands,

Instead of replying in her usual proud and sarcastic manner, Shella ignored her and kept on looking at the stage, her heart beating practically as she noticed that there were only two options left for her since she was sure that Natal would never pick her,

"Number 23- Babba," was announced when a big fat boy whom Shella considered to be so unpleasant to look at that she was tempted to sit down and avoid him perverted gaze the moment their eyes met, watching him smirk at her in disgust,

Still, she smiled using her cutest and her most adorable smile, doing her best to try and convince him to pick her even though she was dying inside,

"I pick...Gander and that pick haired girl standing at the back," he said pointing straight as Shella as her mouth fell open in horrific shock,

"Is this even fair? The boy doesn't even know her name?" Alessia thought from where she sat in the centre of the stage behind the students, leaning into her chair with a disappointed look on her face since everything had been going well as she watched the entire hall erupt into laughter as murmurs began filling the air,

"He doesn't even know her name,"

"Duh...he obviously picked her cause she was making faces at him,"

"Well...if we were that cute we would have gotten to stay too,"

"Urgh...this is so unfair. Girls and pretty girls have it better,"

As Shella openly blushed in shame at the thought that the dumb boy she had been making faces at didn't even know her name as she watched the headmaster look at her before opening the book he held in his hand and scrolling through it until he found her name and her hovering picture magically stamped next to it,

"Stella Cartney. Okay next," he said without any particular emotion wanting nothing more than to leave and be done with the results,

"Number 24-Natal," Headmaster Dramus announced and Ashen's heart skipped a beat, not wanting to put all his hope in him, yet he couldn't help it as he stared longingly at the stage in front of him,

With a sigh, Natal stepped forward looking at only the headmaster before he opened his mouth to speak,

"I pick Anared and Asher," he said in a loud and confident voice, nodding his head with a look of glee as he did so but what followed was a strange kind of silence in the hall.

Like others before, the moment someone on stage picked two people, at least one of them would jump up to show how glad they were or something like that but in this case, no one did as Ashen went as far as to bend his face to hide the tears that threatened to fall, with no idea what he would do next once he got expelled from the academy.

While Natal simply stops looking straight in Ashen's direction with a confused expression on his face,