When The World Turned
Country: Aurivelle
City: Auremont
Alvara
I barely heard her.
“…I’m telling you, Alvara, it wasn’t me.”
Isabella’s voice came again, tighter this time, edged with frustration and something close to panic.
“I swear to you, I didn’t tell anyone.”
I was sitting on the edge of my bed, staring at nothing in particular.
My phone lay beside me.
Screen dark.
But I didn’t need to turn it on.
I had already seen everything.
Every post.
Every comment.
Every version of my life twisted into something people could consume.
“…Alvara, say something.”
I blinked slowly.
Her voice felt distant.
Like it had to travel through something thick before it reached me.
“I believe you,” I said quietly.
And I meant it.
That wasn’t the problem.
That was what made it worse.
Because if it wasn’t her…
Then how?
A soft sound came from the door.
We both turned.
Mila stood there.
Silent.
“I heard what happened,” she said.
“They’re talking about it everywhere.”
The room fell quiet again.
Isabella exhaled sharply. “This is insane. The details are too specific. Someone…..”
“had access,” Mila finished gently.
“ I'm so sorry Alvara, sorry you had to go through that”
Her gaze shifted to me.
Lingering.
Just for a second.
Then gone.
I said nothing.
Because thinking hurts.
Trying to connect it all…
Hurt more.
Time passed.
I wasn’t sure how much.
At some point, Isabella stood.
“We have class,” she said, softer now.
I didn’t respond immediately.
Then slowly…
I nodded.
The hallway felt heavier than usual.
Like the walls themselves knew.
We hadn’t even taken ten steps before it started.
Whispers.
Low.
Sharp.
Unfiltered.
“That’s her…”
“The one from the post…”
“The maid…”
I kept walking.
Beside me, Isabella’s posture stiffened.
“Just ignore them,” she muttered under her breath.
But it wasn’t that simple.
“I heard she trapped him…”
“No shame at all…”
“Imagine coming here after all that…”
A small laugh.
Cruel.
Deliberate.
Someone walked past us, brushing my shoulder harder than necessary.
“People like her shouldn’t even be in this institute,” a voice said openly.
Isabella stopped.
“Excuse me….”
I caught her wrist.
Gently.
“Don’t,” I said
.
My voice was quiet.
But firm.
She looked at me
.
Anger burning in her eyes.
But she didn’t argue.
She let it go.
And we kept walking.
By the time we stepped into the studio, the atmosphere shifted again.
Not quieter.
Worse.
Everyone already knew.
Of course they did.
Conversations stopped the moment we entered.
Eyes followed.
Lingering.
Heavy.
Unapologetic.
I moved forward slowly.
Isabella stayed close.
Then….
A slow clap echoed through the room.
“Wow,” Helena said, her voice dripping with mockery. “The star of the moment has arrived.”
Laughter followed.
Leonora tilted her head, studying me like I was something amusing.
“I have to admit… I didn’t expect this level of… history.”
Ally smiled faintly.
“From a maid to this? That’s quite the upgrade.”
More laughter.
It spread wider this time.
Not everyone.
But enough.
Enough to feel it.
I stopped.
Just for a second.
Then I forced myself to keep moving.
“Tell me,” Helena continued, stepping forward slightly. “Did you trap him on purpose? Or was it just luck?”
A few snickers.
Someone whispered….
“I heard she got pregnant just to stay.”
Isabella stepped forward.
“Watch your mouth.”
Her voice cut through the noise.
Sharp.
Protective.
Helena’s smile widened.
“Oh? Defending her now?”
Leonora crossed her arms. “Careful. You might end up like her.”
A few more laughs.
I said nothing.
Not because I didn’t want to.
But because…
For the first time…
I couldn’t.
Every word felt stuck somewhere deep in my chest.
Heavy.
Unmovable.
“She’s quiet today,” Ally observed, amused.
“Maybe she’s remembering her place,” someone added from the back.
That one hit.
Hard.
But my face didn’t change.
I wouldn’t let it.
I couldn’t.
Not here.
Not in front of them.
“That’s enough.”
Mrs Alexia’s voice cut through the room.
Sharp.
Final.
Everything stopped.
She stepped in, her gaze moving across the students before settling briefly on me.
Something flickered in her eyes.
Gone just as quickly.
“Everyone to your stations.”
No one argued.
The room shifted back into motion.
But the whispers didn’t disappear.
They just lowered.
Changed form.
Followed.
I moved to my table.
Sat.
Picked up my tools.
But I wasn’t really there.
The room blurred at the edges.
Voices faded in and out.
Time passed.
I think.
I wasn’t sure.
I didn’t hear the instructions.
Didn’t follow the lesson.
Didn’t design.
I just…
Existed.
Until….
“Alvara.”
I looked up slowly.
Mrs Alexia was watching me.
“See me in my office after class.”
I nodded.
Mrs Alexia’s Office
The silence here was different.
Controlled.
Not suffocating.
But not comforting either.
I stood in front of her desk.
Waiting.
She didn’t speak immediately.
Just studied me.
Carefully.
“I won’t ask you about the posts,” she said finally.
My gaze lifted slightly.
“They are irrelevant to me.”
A pause.
“But your response to them… is not.”
Her eyes held mine.
“You did not react.”
It wasn’t a question.
“No, ma’am.”
“Why?”
I hesitated.
Then…
“Because reacting wouldn’t change anything.”
A beat.
Her gaze sharpened slightly.
“And staying silent will?”
I didn’t answer.
Because I didn’t know.
She leaned back slightly.
“This institute is not kind,” she said calmly.
“Not to weakness.”
Her tone didn’t soften.
“But it respects strength.”
My chest tightened slightly.
“You earned your place here,” she continued. “Not your past. Not your story. Your work.”
Silence.
“Do you intend to continue?”
The question settled heavily between us.
I thought about the hallway.
The whispers.
The looks.
The laughter.
Then I thought about something else.
Why I came here.
What I wanted.
Who I was trying to become.
“Yes,” I said.
This time…
Stronger.
She held my gaze for a moment longer.
Then nodded once.
“Good.”
A pause.
“Then don’t let them decide who you are.”
Something in my chest steadied.
Just slightly.
“You can go.”
The hallway was quieter now.
But it didn’t feel lighter.
As I walked back, one thought stayed with me.
Clear.
Cold.
Unshaken.
This wasn’t random.
This wasn't a coincidence.
Someone wanted this.
Someone made sure it happened.
And whoever it was…was still watching