The Bewitched Knight

The first evidence of helium was observed on August 18, 1868, as a bright yellow line with a wavelength of 587.49 nanometers in the spectrum of the chromosphere of the Sun. The line was detected by French astronomer Jules Janssen during a total solar eclipse in Guntur, India. This line was initially assumed to be sodium...

My eyes scanned through the encyclopedia wanting to know more about the gas, Helium. It had been fourteen days since I’m stuck in the subject and the more I knew about it, the more fascinated I became and it was why I ended up sitting in the library, reading through the encyclopedia, and noting the points down in my notebook.

“Ace?”

I looked up to find Jung-Hwa walking up with his hands full of drawing sheets as he kept them over the table and took a seat before me.

“What’s this?” I asked as I took one of the drawing sheets and rolled it open to find cell diagrams of all living beings.

“Assignment!” he said in his Korean accent.

“Alright!” I said as I rolled it back and looked back into my notes. “Did you finish your assignments?” he asked which made me look up at him “Not yet,” was my simple reply as I continued looking through the encyclopedia, “I have been busy.”

“Busy? Tomorrow is the last day to submit the assignment Ace, you know Mr. Acton very well and to top of that, he gave twenty assignments to finish and submit in two weeks. Half of the students are running here and there, searching for the study materials and here you are! Man you will be in trouble!” he exclaimed as he looked up and rubbed his hair.

“Deadline is tomorrow. Till then, we have so many time in our hand to complete it,” I said as I took the highlighter and used it over a certain line in my notebook.

“Of course! I forgot with whom I’m talking to,” he laughed and I looked at him and signaled him to lower his voice. He bit his tongue as he looked here and there, checking if he disturbed anyone in the library.

“The almighty genius, Mr. Ace Knights,” he whispered and that made me grin at him.

“I don’t really like that name,” I remarked and all he did was pick his drawing sheets up and shrug at me.

“Really?” he chuckled “But your smile tells the vice versa, and moreover, everyone knows you by this name only,” he winked at me and that made me sigh.

“I know that you can finish up your assignment in a single night but just help me with mine. I have more five assignments left to finish. Could you please come to my room after you are done with your...” he looked at my notebook and the encyclopedia “Work?”

“I am almost done man! Head up to your room, I will be there in an hour,” I said as I got up and closed all my books and stuffs and put the pens and highlighters back in my bag.

“Where are you going?” he asked as he eyed my bag.

“To eat...” I grinned and he nodded his head and both of us walked out of the library.

It’s been six years, since I came to London away from my house, away from family. My mother wasn’t really happy with me going abroad but thankfully my dad supported me and it is how I ended up transferring at a young age to London School of Science for further studies. Life in London, is really hard for me as I miss my mother the most and her food.

Sometimes, she would give me a surprise visit along with my sister, Amelia, but other than that we would facetime each other every single night and it turned out to be a habit of both of us much to my father's annoyance. Because the call lasts three to four hours, with my mom avoiding him and ignoring him every single day.

But then they were like every other parents, caring and worried for me and I knew my father had assigned the guard at the school's door to keep tabs on me and report him whenever possible. My father did things secretively, but it was always obvious to me and I didn't really ever mind.

"Can I have some more of this mild Caribbean chicken please?" I asked the lady who was serving and she smiled "Of course my dear!" and she added more of the pieces and handed me the tray "Here you go!" she chirped and I smiled at her "Thank you," I replied as I searched for a place to sit in the canteen.

Finally, I got one in the corner, near to the window and took my seat keeping my bag on the chair next to mine, as I began eating in peace. The canteen was crowded and students were in group enjoying their meal gossiping and laughing.

As always I was alone, sitting away from them, isolating myself. Most of the times, I had Jung with me who gave me company but other times, I was always alone. It wasn't as if I wasn't invited by any other groups or something, it was always me. I liked being alone and I concentrated more in eating my food in peace rather than talking about people or socialising.

"Look who's here," I heard a familiar annoying voice and didn't even bother to look up.

"The almighty genius, Ace Knights," Elliot Abram mocked me in a girly tone as I continued eating my food.

Just why does he always shows up whenever am eating my food?

He is going to through my food now, better hurry up and eat as much as I can to save myself from hunger.

"Hey! Nerd! I'm talking to you!" he sneered as he slammed his hands on my table making the curry in my plate, splash on my glasses.

Great!

They laughed like a hyena enjoying my state as I got rid of my glasses and wiped away the curry using a tissue. What a normal day!

It was actually a normal day for me, because since the day I had joined London school of Science, Elliot Abram, the son of the school's trustee made his life's goal to bully me until my end. He disliked me from the beginning and made his goal to take away my peaceful leisure time, just every single day. I have been immunized to his acts from a long time and whatever he did, didn't really had any effects on me.

I have spent my six years, closed in the bathroom, sometimes I would find my toothbrush in the toilet, my notes torn and thrown away in the dustbin, my glasses broken, food being thrown over my face, and everything chaotic, and eventually it turned out with me being immunized to such acts that I didn't really care. It was like a normal routine to me now.

I could always complain about him and I was sure my father could easily solve his matter and throw his father out of the country but as I was away from home, I didn't have any wish to worry my family and especially my mother or she would end up severely hurting herself if she comes to know about this.

Only one more year left, before we graduate and we will all be in our way to pursue our dreams and I made up my mind to endure this a little longer because I knew I wouldn't have to face him ever in my life.

Elliot was a year older than me and taller than me. He had red curly hair and was already well built and looked like mini sumo wrestler. He would usually pull me by my collar and thrash me around or pick me up from the ground by my collar and throw me somewhere or most of the times, into the dustbin...

But I gave him less importance as my mother had always told me that people who liked to seek attentions behaved such way to show that they were powerful and everyone should respect them and fear them. The main agenda was to seek attention, and it was why I never gave him any importance and ignored him and his acts like a plague, much to his annoyance.

"What Knights? Are you going to keep that ugly oily hair of yours to your grave?" he remarked my perfectly combed hair and even though I wanted to roll my eyes at him, I restrained myself from doing so.

Where the hell are you Jung?

Jung didn't really fear him. In fact, he was the only guy who would talk back to him but always ended up hurting himself for me.

"And where is your Chinese friend?" he looked around and I clenched my jaws, "He is Korean," I corrected him and immediately his head turn my direction and he smirked "So the frog finally got his tongue to speak."

Cat...

"Here!" he threw some sheets before me. "Finish my assignments and submit them to my room before eight," he commanded and I took his sheets and forwarded it back to him.

"I haven't finished mine. I can not do this," as I said that immediately my tray was thrown away and it went flying and spilling all over the window with people immediately looking our way.

"What's going on Abram?" two more of his friends joined him and he sneered at me.

"The nerd is being a smartass over here," he remarked and they glared at me.

"Look! Knights! I gave you a work and you have to" I couldn't breathe as he held me by my collar blocking the air out of me "Finish it on time, if you don'-" he was interrupted by someone clearing its throat.

"Can I take a seat over here?" a girl asked and above all that chaos, we looked over to find a girl with raven hair, holding her food tray looking at the vacant seat next to me.

I had never seen her around before. But she ignored the scene that was going on and looked over to me with my collar on Elliot's hand.

"Hey! Newbie! Can't you see what going on here?" Elliot snarled at her and all she did was to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Veronica. My name is Veronica," she said as she kept her tray on my table.

Elliot immediately let go of my collar and I saw as he put all his attention on her. All of a sudden he was looking her up and down and smirked.

"Oh well, Hello Veronica," he forwarded his hand for a handshake and I adjusted my shirt and my glasses looking for a way out. It would be good, if I pick my bag up and be on my own if I want to avoid doing all his assignments and it was why I picked my bag up from the chair.

"Thank you," she said and immediately sat down on the chair blocking me from going out. As I sat next to the window and in the corner, the only way to get out of the table was the chair next to me on which the girl took a seat.

Well...what a normal day!

"Are you ignoring me, Veronica?" Elliot leaned over and looked at her whilst she took her tray and began eating her food completing ignoring the red hair bully before her. I wanted to tell her that she shouldn't do that if she didn't wish to be in the hit list of Elliot but then as Elliot was right before me, I couldn't speak and I hugged my bag and watched what was going on.

Veronica in the other hand, took her fork and ate her salad in silence, not bothering Elliot's presence and I noticed that this was annoying Elliot even more as his face grew red in anger and he slammed his hand once again on the table.

"Yes?" Veronica looked up still eating her food questionably.

"Look! Newbie...you need to know your position. Answer me when I'm asking something because you wouldn't like to be in trouble, am I clear? If you want to know what all troubles I can have for you then you better ask the nerd right beside you and he will give you all the dishes that I have in my Trouble menu," he smirked as he looked my way and I found my legs wobbling in anticipation, that something bad was going to happen.

"Okay," was her response as she carried on eating her food, uninterested to what Elliot just said.

"And" I watched as Elliot put his hand in the air ready to throw her food tray away, to keep his dominance and threat that he just made and I was sure that the food tray was going to land over me and it was why I hugged my bag tight ready to make it a shield but soon I was was beyond surprised as I saw Veronica stopping his hand from hitting her food tray using her left hand.

Effortlessly, she held his hand by his wrist and continued eating using her right hand making all the people in the canteen gasp at her action.

"And as I am here, let me make something clear to you. The first thing is..." a yelp escaped Elliot's mouth as I jumped in my seat and watched him in horror. "Never disturb me when am eating. I do not like people annoying me when I am eating," Veronica said and I watched as she put pressure on his wrist and turn it in an odd position making him scream. Her grip did not even look tight but I was amazed by the fact that she could hurt Elliot using a single hand.

What in the world is she doing?

Elliot thrashed his left hand that was still in the grasp of Veronica wanting to free it but Veronica ended up turning it even more and he screamed in pain and put his head on the table writhing in pain. Finally, Veronica let his hand go and picked up the knife to slice her chicken as she eyed at him who was cursing under his breath.

"Now, as you will get to know me more in this one year, I will make sure to let you know the other things that I don't like too. So, if you don't mind," she picked up a piece and put it in her mouth "I am eating," she finished and Elliot stood up while his friends looked confused to what just happened and glared at Veronica.

"You have put yourself in trouble. We will face each other soon," Elliot said as he adjusted his shirt and glaring her way walked away picking his drawing sheets up in anger.

I couldn't believe what just happened. I looked back at Veronica who continued eating her food as if nothing happened. Why did she do that? I wanted to ask but thought it was none of my business. I wanted to leave but couldn't as she was eating her food and I remember her telling she didn't like when people disturbed her while eating.

So, I stayed in my seat and waited for her finish so that I could leave.

Turns out the day wasn't really as normal as I had thought it to be.