Beyond The Gates
Country: Aurivelle
City: Auremont
Alvara
The moment we stepped beyond the institute gates, the air itself felt different.
Not cleaner.
Not lighter.
Just… bigger.
The institute was its own world…structured, polished, controlled.
But outside the gates, the city pulsed with movement.
Cars passed.
People hurried along sidewalks.
Music drifted faintly from somewhere in the distance.
Isabella stretched her arms like someone who had just escaped captivity.
“Freedom!” she declared dramatically.
Mila snorted.
“You act like they are keeping us in chains.”
“They were,”
Isabella insisted.
“Creative chains.”
I laughed softly as we walked toward the bus stop across the street.
The city looked exactly like the kind of place people built dreams in.
Tall glass buildings reflected the late afternoon sunlight.
Fashionable storefronts lined the streets.
Large digital billboards flickered with advertisements.
And one name appeared over and over again.
Hawthorne.
On buildings.
On billboards.
On screens.
The logo…a sleek silver hawk spreading its wings…was everywhere.
Mila noticed it too.
“Does the entire city belong to that family?”
Isabella pointed at a tall tower across the street.
“Hawthorne Finance.”
Then at another building.
“Hawthorne Tech.”
And then a massive shopping complex further down.
“Hawthorne Plaza.”
She shook her head slowly.
“Okay… that man from yesterday might actually own half the world.”
I folded my arms thoughtfully.
“Half the city at least.”
A bus pulled up in front of us just then.
Isabella clapped her hands once.
“Adventure time.”
The bus ride itself felt like part of the exploration.
It wasn’t crowded, but it wasn’t empty either.
We sat near the window, watching the city glide past us.
Fashion boutiques.
Luxury car dealerships.
Street performers playing instruments on corners.
Small bakeries with warm light glowing through their windows.
“Look!” Mila said suddenly.
She pointed at a massive digital billboard mounted high above a building.
An advertisement was playing.
A Hawthorne advertisement.
The screen showed a sharp-suited Grayson Hawthorne walking through a sleek office corridor before the Hawthorne logo appeared behind him.
Isabella gasped dramatically.
“Oh my God.”
Mila laughed.
“You just saw him yesterday.”
“That was in person!” Isabella protested.
“This is cinematic.”
I shook my head.
“You’re unbelievable.”
But secretly…
I couldn’t deny something.
Seeing him on that screen again made the memory of yesterday strangely vivid.
His calm confidence.
That quiet authority.
Isabella elbowed me suddenly.
“You’re staring.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
Mila leaned forward mischievously.
“Oh my God. She is.”
“I am looking at the city,” I said calmly.
“Sure,” Isabella replied.
“The city is named Grayson Hawthorne,” Mila added.
I rolled my eyes.
We got off the bus near a lively shopping district.
Music floated from open storefronts.
Street artists painted colorful murals on large walls.
People walked past us in stylish outfits like this place itself was a runway.
Isabella immediately dragged us toward a boutique.
Inside were racks of stunning clothes…designer pieces with clean lines and bold structures.
She held up a jacket.
“If I owned this, I would never remove it.”
“You would sleep in it,” Mila said.
“Yes.”
I wandered through the store slowly, studying the fabrics.
The tailoring.
The construction.
This city was a living inspiration board.
After the boutique we walked through Hawthorne Plaza, a massive luxury mall.
The interior was breathtaking.
Glass elevators moved between floors.
A huge chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling.
Even the floors looked expensive.
“This place is ridiculous,” Mila murmured.
Isabella pointed at another Hawthorne logo near the escalator.
“They literally stamped their name on the entire city.”
“Power branding,” I said.
“Or ego branding,” Isabella replied.
From there we visited a street market filled with handmade crafts.
We watched a violinist performing.
We even wandered through a quiet park where golden sunlight filtered through tall trees.
The hours passed quickly.
And by the time evening crept in…
We were starving.
“Food,” Isabella announced.
Mila spotted a cozy restaurant on the corner.
A warm place with soft lights glowing through large windows.
The sign outside promised pizza, pasta, and cold drinks.
“Perfect,” Mila said.
We stepped inside.
And then everything froze.
Because sitting near the center table were six very familiar people.
Kieran.
Ethan.
Helena.
Leonora.
And Ally.
The three girls who had practically become inseparable since the institute started.
Helena noticed us first.
Of course she did.
Her eyes immediately sharpened.
And then slowly… a mocking smile spread across her lips.
“Well, well,” she said loudly.
“Look who walked in.”
Leonora turned.
Then Ally.
Helena leaned back in her chair with exaggerated amusement.
“The exception herself.”
The word dripped with sarcasm.
Isabella’s shoulders stiffened beside me.
Helena tilted her head.
“You know… it’s funny. Everyone else here worked hard to earn their place.”
She looked directly at me.
“But somehow you appeared.”
Ally snickered.
Leonora watched with interest.
Helena continued sweetly.
“Special treatment is fascinating.”
The restaurant had gone quiet enough that several nearby tables were listening.
Isabella whispered beside me.
“Alvara…”
But I was already walking forward.
Slow.
Calm.
Controlled.
Helena smirked as I approached their table.
“Oh? Coming to defend yourself?”
Instead of answering…
I picked up the cup sitting in front of her.
A latte.
Still half full.
And calmly poured it across her table.
The liquid splashed over her notebook and bag.
Helena gasped.
The entire table went silent.
I placed the empty cup down gently.
Then I leaned slightly closer to her.
My voice was quiet.
But every word was sharp.
“You talk a lot for someone who survives on other people’s attention.”
Her smile faltered.
I continued.
“Here’s the difference between us, Helena.”
My eyes locked onto hers.
“You need an audience to feel important.”
I straightened slightly.
“I don’t.”
Her face paled.
“And one more thing.”
My voice dropped colder.
“If talent were measured by noise, you’d be a genius.”
A tear gathered in the corner of her eye before she could stop it.
I turned to Kieran and Ethan.
“Next time,” I said calmly, “chain your mad girlfriend.”
My gaze flicked back to Helena.
“And teach her to control her tongue whenever she sees me.”
No one spoke.
Not even Leonora.
The entire table looked stunned.
I turned and walked back to Isabella and Mila.
They were staring at me like they had just witnessed a small explosion.
“Let’s go,” I said simply.
We left the restaurant.
The moment we stepped outside….
Isabella exploded.
“OH MY GOD.”
Mila laughed in disbelief.
“You just destroyed her.”
“I think she almost cried,” Isabella added.
“She did,” Mila confirmed.
They both looked at me like I had just performed magic.
Isabella shook her head slowly.
“Remind me to never fight you.”
I shrugged lightly.
“She started it.”
Isabella smirked.
“I know this side of you already, but I can't just get used to it. ”
Mila grinned.
“Well… I like it.”
By the time we reached the bus stop again, the city lights had fully come alive.
The ride back felt calmer.
Quieter.
The excitement of the evening settled into tired satisfaction.
When we arrived at the institute gates, the security guard checked the logbook.
“Back before nine,” he said approvingly.
We signed in.
Then headed toward the dining hall.
Dinner at the refectory was simple.
Comforting.
Afterward we separated near the dorm corridor.
“Goodnight,” Mila said.
“Night,” Isabella added.
I returned to my room.
The first thing I did was take a long shower.
Hot water washed away the entire day.
Then I changed into my pajamas and climbed into bed.
Before sleeping, I called home.
My mother answered.
“Alvara!”
Her voice instantly warmed my chest.
“Hi, Mom.”
Leo’s voice immediately shouted from somewhere behind her.
“Look who finally remembered she has a family,” Leo’s voice announced the moment the phone changed hands.
I smiled despite myself.
“Hello to you too.”
“Wow,” he scoffed. “That’s it? No tears? No emotional reunion speech?”
“You want a speech?”
“Yes. Preferably something about how much you miss your favorite brother.”
“You’re my only brother.”
“Exactly,” he said proudly. “Which automatically makes me your favorite.”
I rolled my eyes.
“How is school?” I asked.
“Boring.”
“You answered that too fast.”
“Because it is,” he replied. “You left and took all the fun with you.”
“Leo.”
“What?”
“ I'm twenty”.
“You’re very dramatic.”
“I learned from the best.”
“Excuse me?”
“You,” he said calmly. “The girl who used to threaten to run away from home every time Mom made vegetables.”
“That happened once.”
“It happened seven times.”
“You’re lying.”
“Am I though?”
I laughed softly.
“So tell me,” he continued, voice turning mischievous, “how does it feel being a big city designer now?”
“I’ve been here for one week.”
“Exactly,” he said. “Practically a celebrity.”
“I am not a celebrity.”
“Give it time,” he replied. “Soon you’ll forget all about us poor people.”
“I will not forget you.”
“Sure you won’t. Next thing we know, you’ll have bodyguards.”
“I might get them just to keep you away.”
He gasped loudly.
“Wow. Betrayal.”
“Protection.”
“You’re cruel.”
“You’re annoying.”
“You miss me.”
“I miss peace and quiet.”
“That means you miss me.”
“That’s not how that works.”
“That’s exactly how it works.”
I shook my head, smiling.
“You’re impossible.”
“And yet,” he said proudly, “I’m still your favorite person.”
“Again,” I sighed, “you’re my only brother.”
“Same thing.”
Before I could reply, the phone shifted again.
“Don’t mind him,” my mother said gently.
“He’s been like this all week.”
“I can hear you!” Leo shouted somewhere in the background.
“Yes, and we can all hear you,” she replied calmly.
I laughed quietly.
We talked a little longer.
About home.
About the neighborhood.
About how everything was going at the institute.
She asked about Isabella too.
And before long, it was time to say goodnight.
When the call ended, I placed the phone beside me.
The room was quiet again.
The day had been long.
My eyes slowly closed.
And within minutes…
Nature took over.