Set's POV

I sat stiffly on one of the seats on the far side of the dining hall. I only had half an hour before the “mandatory” party Milaek and Azami were throwing, and I needed to be alone. I was getting too close to the people here already, and it had only been a week. Well technically I had met Zenery two days before the week started but that wasn’t really important.
“Yes it is.”
My rabbit spoke from the ether apparently, because his physical form was nowhere to be seen.
I ignored its statement as I had been all day. Because there was certainly nothing of notice or difference about the purple haired girl.
Instead I looked at the locket in my hand again. It was a golden chain with a heart pendant at the end.
I flipped it open for the millionth time and re-read the all to familiar inscription.
Yours to own and keep safe, Lucy.
It had been two years now. I had learned not cry. But I still felt the pain and guilt; fresh as the day it happened. The tears didn’t even threaten anymore. Sometimes I wondered if I was even capable of crying anymore.
I snapped the locket shut.
My resolve to keep myself from caring, or getting to close to these people strengthened 100 fold; I stood up, and slipped my sunglasses back on my face. I never wore them when I thought about Lucy. I had begun to wear them only after she died. After I killed her.
I would have jumped at the loud sound of the door banging open, but I don’t flinch. Ever.
I was hoping whoever it was would just go and leave me alone, but to my dismay footsteps came closer to my corner.
“Set, shouldn’t you be getting ready for the party? The headmasters did say it was semi-formal.”
It took a few seconds for my heart to remember it was supposed to be pumping blood to the rest of my body, during which time I turned to see none other than the one person I wanted to leave the most.
Zenery stood behind me wearing her normal day attire, and a worried expression on her face. I could almost see the gears in her head turning as I far to slowly for my liking returned the locket to my pocket. Uncharacteristically she said nothing about it, and seemed to be waiting for my answer.
“I was going right now, and was unfortunately interrupted by you.”
Her eyebrow twitched up slightly, but other than that she didn’t react to my statement.
Instead she sat down next to me and looked at the wall.
“What.”
She continued to look at the wall.
“You’ve cut yourself off again you know.”
She really didn’t beat around the bush did she? One of her few redeeming qualities. Reminded me of-
I stood up in a flash, my chest tightening uncomfortably as my mind raced.
I did NOT just think that. Zenery was NOTHING like her. Nothing.
“You know I love getting a rise out of you, but I don’t think I did that one. Care to share?”
“No.”
Zenery turned to look up at me.
I stood still as a stone, and I could feel her gaze burning into the back of my neck.
After a seemingly interminable amount of time, she spoke.
“You know you can try to lock me out, but I have my ways of getting in. Other people don’t though, and you’re going to end up losing any chance of having people care about you.”
“Has it ever crossed your mind that I don’t want people anywhere near my life?” I retorted flatly.
“Yes, but the fact that you felt the need to say it tells me that somewhere in that closed off mind of yours you do.”
I greeted her statement with silence.
She sighed, and stood up, brushing off her shorts.
“Fine, do whatever you want, but I think you’ll end up regretting it later.”
She turned to walk out of the door, but then stopped again.
“Oh and by the way, you might want to hide your girlfriend’s locket better if you don’t want people asking about her.”
I whipped around.
“How did you-“ I started, enraged, before realizing I was talking to an empty room.
She was NOTHING like Lucy. But then why did she remind me of her?