The lunchroom was a cacophony of voices, laughter, and the occasional sound of trays clattering against tables. It smelled like stale bread and something vaguely metallic, a scent that Kite had grown used to in the undercity. The lunchroom’s flickering fluorescent lights cast an uneven glow over the cracked tiles and dented steel tables. Kids moved in waves, pushing and shoving past each other, their voices blending into a sea of chaotic noise. Kite hesitated near the doorway, clutching his tray tightly, his heart pounding like a trapped bird in his chest.


    He stepped forward, weaving through the crowd. Human kids and chimera children filled the room, their hybrid features, a mix of human and animal traits, creating a patchwork of diversity that was both fascinating and intimidating. A girl with cat-like ears swished her tail as she passed by. A boy with scaled arms and glowing eyes growled at someone who bumped into him. Kite tried not to look directly at anyone, keeping his gaze fixed on the worn floor as he shuffled forward in the lunch line.


    When he finally reached the counter, he grabbed the first meal handed to him: a protein slab with some sort of grayish mash and a carton of lukewarm milk. His stomach twisted with hunger, but the noise and movement around him made It hard to focus. Clutching his tray, he scanned the room for a spot. The tables were full of clusters of kids laughing, shouting, and trading food. He spotted an empty corner at a table with peeling paint and uneven legs and made a beeline for it.


    Sitting down, Kite kept his head low as he began to eat. He stabbed at the mash with his fork, forcing himself to take a bite despite the lump in his throat. The noise felt like it was pressing down on him, each shout and laugh making his skin crawl. His hands trembled slightly, and he gripped his fork tighter to steady them. The metallic taste of the food did little to calm his nerves and sweat began to bead on his forehead.


    From the corner of his eye, he noticed movement. Rad, the biggest kid in their class, was walking by with his tray. Rad’s broad shoulders and scarred knuckles made him an intimidating figure, and his perpetual scowl kept most kids at bay. Kite froze as Rad’s gaze flicked toward him. For a moment, Rad hesitated, his eyes narrowing as if considering something. Kite held his breath, his heart hammering even faster.


    But Rad merely snorted and turned away, choosing a nearby table. He sat down alone, stabbing into his food with an air of defiance. Kite exhaled shakily, trying to calm himself, but the tension in his chest refused to fade. He hunched over his tray, focusing on his food, though the fork felt heavy in his hand.


    “Heya, Kite!” The cheerful voice made him jump. His head snapped up to see the girl who had waved at him a few days before as she slid onto the bench next to him. Her small frame was almost dwarfed by the oversized, ragged clothes she wore, and her messy pinkish brown hair hung in uneven strands around her face. Her pink irises glinted mischievously as she placed a single apple on the table in front of her with an arm that was covered in dirty bandages.


    “Ava?” Kite blinked, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. “Oh, hey.” His voice came out more nervous than he intended as he quickly looked back down at his tray, his cheeks flushing faintly.“You look like you’re hiding from a pack of feral chimeras,” Ava teased, leaning her elbows on the table. “What’s up with you?”


    Kite hesitated, unsure how to respond. “I, uh, just… don’t like the noise,” he muttered, taking a quick bite of his food to avoid talking more. His hands were still trembling slightly, and he hoped Ava wouldn’t notice.


    She didn’t seem to care. Picking up her apple, she took a loud, exaggerated bite, the crunch cutting through the background noise. “Well, it’s just me now,” she said with a grin, her pinkish skin glowing faintly under the harsh lights. “So, you don’t have to worry about all of them.”


    Kite glanced at her sideways, her carefree demeanor both confusing and oddly reassuring. For a moment, the noise of the lunchroom seemed to fade, and the corners of his mouth twitched upward in the faintest hint of a smile. “Thanks,” he said quietly, taking another bite of his food. Ava smiled back, swinging her legs under the table as if she hadn’t a care in the world.


    Ava tilted her head, her sharp eyes studying Kite as she bit into her apple again, juice dribbling down her chin. She wiped it away with the sleeve of her oversized shirt, her grin never faltering. “You know, you’re way too quiet, Kite. All these other kids running around, screaming their heads off, and you’re just over here, trying to disappear.”


    Kite shifted uncomfortably, his fork pausing midair. He could feel her gaze on him, probing like she was trying to crack open a safe. His heartbeat picked up again, and he focused on his tray, forcing another bite of the grayish mash. It tasted like wet cardboard, but it gave him something to do besides talk.


    “I like being quiet,” he muttered, barely loud enough for her to hear. “It’s… safer.”Ava frowned slightly at his words, but it was fleeting, replaced almost immediately by her usual mischievous smirk. “Safe is boring,” she said, leaning in closer. “What’s the point of sitting here by yourself if it’s just gonna make you miserable?”


    Kite finally glanced up at her, his emerald, green eyes meeting her bright pink ones. He opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by a loud crash from across the room. A chimera boy with ram-like horns had knocked over a tray, sending food splattering across the floor. The lunchroom erupted into laughter and cheers, kids pounding on tables and shouting taunts. Kite flinched at the sudden burst of noise, his shoulders hunching instinctively.


    Ava didn’t even blink. She threw a glance toward the commotion and shrugged. “Just another day in paradise,” she said lightly, taking another bite of her apple.Kite envied her composure. The noise was like nails scraping against his skull, but Ava acted like it didn’t even register. “How do you do that?” he asked before he could stop himself.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    “Do what?” Ava tilted her head again, her messy hair falling over one eye.“Just… ignore everything,” Kite said, his voice still low but tinged with genuine curiosity. “All the noise, all the people. It’s like it doesn’t bother you at all.”


    Ava laughed softly, a sound that somehow cut through the chaos around them. “Easy. I don’t care what they think.” She leaned back, balancing on the edge of the bench as she waved her hand toward the crowded room. “All these kids? They’re just noise. Background. What matters is what you think, Kite. And right now, I think you’re overthinking everything.”


    Kite frowned, her words stirring something uneasy in him. It wasn’t that simple. It couldn’t be. The stares, the whispers, the constant feeling of being out of place, they weren’t just noise to him. They were suffocating. But Ava sat there like she was invincible, like nothing could touch her. He wanted to ask how she did it, how she carried herself with such casual confidence, but the words stuck in his throat.


    Instead, he asked, “Why are you even sitting with me?” His voice was quiet but carried an edge of vulnerability.


    Ava grinned, her pink eyes sparkling mischievously. “Because I can. And because you look like you could use a friend.” She took one last bite of her apple, then spun it in her hands before placing the core neatly on her tray. “Besides, you’re interesting. All these other kids? They’re boring.”


    Kite blinked, her bluntness catching him off guard. “I’m not… interesting,” he said, his voice trailing off. “That’s what makes you interesting,” Ava countered with a wink. “You don’t even realize it. ”Before Kite could respond, Rad’s voice cut through the noise. “Hey, runt!”


    Both Kite and Ava turned to see Rad glaring at a smaller chimera kid, who had apparently wandered too close to Rad’s table. The kid, with rabbit-like ears and wide, frightened eyes, quickly scurried away, clutching his tray. Rad shook his head and went back to eating, his scowl deepening.


    Kite swallowed hard, his anxiety creeping back. Rad was always on the edge of causing trouble, and Kite wasn’t sure he wanted to be anywhere near that kind of attention. He turned back to Ava, who was watching the scene with an unreadable expression.


    “See?” she said quietly. “That’s why you need to stop worrying about what everyone else thinks. Most of these kids are just scared or trying too hard to look tough. None of it matters.”


    Kite stared at her, her words hanging in the air. For a moment, the noise around them seemed to fade, and he felt a strange sense of calm. Maybe Ava was right. Maybe he was overthinking everything. Or maybe she was just better at pretending.


    He took a deep breath, his chest still tight but a little less so, and picked up his fork again. “Thanks,” he said softly, glancing at Ava. It wasn’t much, but it was the most he could manage.


    Ava smiled, her grin softer this time, and nudged him playfully with her elbow. “Anytime, Kite. That’s what friends are for.”The two children sat together in a rare moment of silence, the din of the lunchroom continuing unabated around them. Kite felt his nerves settling just a little, the warmth of Ava’s unexpected company creating a fragile bubble of calm. He stole a glance at her, watching as she leaned back slightly, her bandaged legs swinging idly beneath the table. She looked so carefree, yet something about her always seemed just a little… off, though he couldn’t put his finger on it.


    Without warning, Ava grabbed the apple core from her tray and slipped it under the table. Her movements were casual, almost playful, as she cradled it in both hands.


    “What are you doing?” Kite asked, his voice tinged with both confusion and curiosity. He leaned forward slightly, trying to see what she was up to.Ava didn’t look up. Instead, her pink irises began to glow with an eerie, otherworldly intensity, casting faint streaks of light that reflected off the dull metal surface of the table. A sly grin spread across her face. “Magic trick,” she said simply, her tone playful but laced with an unsettling edge.


    Kite tilted his head, unsure whether to take her seriously or laugh it off. Before he could press her further, a sudden movement caught his attention. Rad, sitting alone at his nearby table, had frozen mid-bite. His usually scowling face now bore an expression of wide-eyed horror, his fork slipping from his fingers as he stared at Ava.


    “What is she…?” Kite’s voice trailed off as he turned back to Ava. She chuckled softly, the sound low and devious, as her hands moved beneath the table. Whatever she was doing, Kite couldn’t see it, but he could feel a strange hum in the air, like a low vibration crawling up his spine.


    “Catch,” Ava said suddenly, her grin widening as she tossed something into the air above the table. Instinctively, Kite’s hands shot up, and he caught it with a soft thud. His eyes widened as he looked at what he was holding. The apple core, once gnawed and discarded, was now a perfect, fully regrown apple. Its skin was smooth and gleaming, a vibrant red that seemed almost unnatural under the cafeteria’s harsh lighting.


    “It… It’s fully regrown!” Kite exclaimed; his voice louder than he intended. He turned the apple over in his hands, inspecting it from every angle. There wasn’t a single blemish or sign that it had been eaten before. It looked as if it had just been plucked from a tree moments ago.


    Rad’s face was pale as he watched from his table, his usual tough demeanor replaced by something closer to panic. His gaze darted between Ava and the apple in Kite’s hands, as if trying to piece together what he had just witnessed.


    Ava leaned forward on the table, resting her chin on her hands as her grin took on an even more mischievous curve. “It’s a trick I learned a while ago. Magician’s secret,” she said, her voice light and teasing. Her pink eyes dimmed slightly, returning to their usual glowing hue as she watched Kite with amusement.


    Kite stared at the apple, his fingers brushing its smooth surface. He felt a strange energy radiating from it, faint but undeniable, like the lingering heat of a flame. “But how…?” he started, his voice barely above a whisper. He wasn’t sure whether to feel amazed or unsettled. Something about the apple didn’t feel right, it was too perfect, too flawless, as if it didn’t belong in this world.


    “Don’t overthink it, Kite,” Ava said with a soft laugh, brushing a strand of messy hair out of her face. “It’s just a little trick. No big deal. ''''But Kite couldn’t shake the feeling that it was a big deal. He looked up at Ava, his emerald-green eyes meeting her glowing pink ones. “Why give it to me?” he asked hesitantly, the apple still cradled in his hands.


    Ava’s grin softened, just for a moment, into something more enigmatic. “Because you caught it,” she said simply, as if that answered everything. She leaned back again, her carefree demeanor returning as she swung her legs beneath the table. “And now it’s yours.”


    Rad continued to stare from his table, his fork still lying abandoned next to his tray. His mouth opened slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out. He finally tore his gaze away, his hands clenching into fists as he glared down at his food, his jaw tight.


    Kite, meanwhile, held the apple in his hand, feeling its weight and the strange energy that seemed to pulse from it. He wasn’t sure what catching it meant, but a part of him sensed that Ava’s “trick” was anything but ordinary.