The Mysterious Alpha

Chapter 8: The Brownies

❤ Isabella’s POV ❤

FOR the duration of the class, I tried not to get distracted. I felt like the odd man (or woman) out in the sea of very fashionable and good-looking classmates. I am by no means ugly, but compared to my classmates, I look very ordinary.

I was relieved when lunch period finally came. I packed my stuff and got ready to leave for the cafeteria. I actually packed some lunch for myself because I wasn't sure what kind of food they would serve in the cafeteria. Packing lunch is also a good way for me to save money. I know my mom isn't earning much working at the hardware store, and I didn't want to add up to the expenses.

As I was finishing up, Arwind approached me and said "Ready for lunch?"

I smiled as I stood up and said "Oh yes."

I was so thankful to actually know someone in class, so I didn't have to worry about who to sit with during lunch. As we walked toward the cafeteria, I couldn't help but blurt out "What's up with our classmates? They're all so--"

Arwind: "Snobbish?"

Isabella: "Well, I was going to say good-looking, but yeah, I guess they seem snobbish too. And what's up with the brown eyes?"

Arwind: "Well, having brown eyes means they are related to the town founders."

Isabella: "So you're not originally from here?"

Arwind: "Oh, no. My dad used to live here but his family moved out when he finished high school. Then he met my mom, they got married and had me. When my mom died, he decided to move back here."

Isabella: "I'm sorry to hear about your mom."

Arwind: "Thanks. I was young when she passed. I can barely remember her."

Isabella: "How old were you when you moved here?"

Arwind: "I think I was five. I was just about to start school."

Isabella: "You must have a lot of friends here since you've known them for so long."

Arwind: "Well, not really. Those brown-eyed kids don't really like to talk to us, non-brown-eyed people."

Isabella: "Really? That sounds--"

Arwind: "Crazy? Weird? Well, you don't know half of it."

Isabella: "What do you mean?"

Arwind: "Nevermind that. We're here."

As we entered the cafeteria, I was surprised. It was actually quite big and looked really nice. The whole school is actually nice, but the school paid special attention when they were building the cafeteria.

Isabella: "Wow, this is really nice. It doesn't look like a school cafeteria at all."

Arwind: "I know, right? The food is good too."

Isabella: "Well, I brought my own food, so I'll just wait for you at the table while you get your food."

Arwind led me to a table where we could sit. There were people already sitting there. None of them had brown eyes.

Arwind: "Isabella, these are my friends, Leo, Paula, Cynthia, Marco, and Jessie. They're in different classes."

Arwind moved closer and whispered, "They're our people."

I glanced at Arwind before turning to the people at the table and saying "Hi, everyone. I'm Isabella. It's nice to meet you all."

Everyone said hi, and the girls had me sit next to them, while two of the guys stood up and went with Arwind to get food.

Paula: "Did you pack a lunch?"

Isabella: "I did. I see that you did too."

Paula: "Yeah, we always do. The food here is ridiculously expensive."

Leo: "Yeah, but they're really good."

Cynthia: "Sure. But we can't afford them every day."

Isabella: "How could school cafeteria food be so expensive that students can't afford it?"

Paula: "Well, we couldn't afford it, but they can."

Paula was obviously referring to the brown-eyed kids when she said 'they.' I guess since they can afford to wear fashionable branded clothes, they must be able to afford expensive cafeteria food too.

In the city, we are considered upper middle class because my father had a good job, and we could live comfortably off it. Since my father has stopped supporting us, my mom's income is our only source of income, and I guess we are now considered poor.

Leo: "Shh, guys, Stop talking about them. They could hear us."

I took out my food container. I brought in a tuna sandwich and carbonara. I made the carbonara last night and had some leftovers, so I just heated it up this morning before packing it. I also packed my sister's lunch, and it included a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, some fruits, and a juice box.

When Cynthia saw my lunch, she said, "Ooh, I love carbonara. Can I have some? You can have one of my chicken wings."

I smiled and said "Sure."

Paula: "Did you make this yourself?"

Isabella: "I did. Thanks. I just followed a recipe I saw online."

Paula: "Well, you must be a naturally gifted cook, because this is delicious."

I smiled and said "Thanks."

The guys came back to the table not long after and took their seats. Arwind sat next to me, while the two other guys sat across from us.

Marco: "The tenderloin looks really good, but man, that was expensive."

Isabella: "They actually have steak on the menu?"

Marco: "Yeah. The brownies basically have control of the menu, and tell the cafeteria what to prepare. They really like to eat meat."

Isabella: "Oh."

Jessie: "So, Isabella. Tell us something about you."

Isabella: "Well, I'm in the same class as Arwind, so 10th grade. I moved here from the city with my mom and little sister."

Marco: "Where are you staying?"

Arwind: "They are staying at Mingan's house. Isabella's mom is Mingan's stepdaughter."

Jessie: "Wow, really? That's interesting."

Isabella: "Why is that interesting?"

Arwind looked at Jessie as if signaling him to stop talking. What could be interesting about us living in my mom's stepfather's former house? As far as I know, he left the house to her, so we have every legal right to live there."

Arwind: "Nevermind that. So, how's your first day so far?"

Isabella: "It's good. The teachers are really good. What sort of extracurricular activities does the school have?"

Cynthia: "What do you mean?"

Isabella: "Like, is there a cheerleading squad, varsity teams, that sort of stuff?"

Jessie sniggered and said, "Nothing like that happens in school."

Isabella: "Nothing? How about journalism or theater? Are there any clubs at school?"

Paula: "There are. But they're exclusive."

Isabella: "Exclusive? What does that mean?"

Paula: "Well, membership is limited. And none of us are welcome."

Isabella: "Really? How come?"

Jessie: "Well, Isabella, you are a curious one. Everything will make sense in time. Eventually."

I am more confused now than I was before I started asking questions. I decided to just start eating, since we'd already spent a significant amount of time chatting.

I found out that Paula and Cynthia are in the 11th grade with Jessie. Marco is in the 12th grade, while Leo is a year younger than us, and is in the 9th grade.

Arwind had me try his food, and I must admit, it really is delicious. I told myself I would try the cafeteria food one of these days. I decided I should probably get a job to earn some extra money.

As I was eating, I caught a whiff of Nikolas' scent and lifted my head. As I looked at their table, I noticed him looking in our table's direction. He was eating an apple and I almost choked as I saw how intensely he was looking at me. I took a sip of my water and just focused on my food.

Paula, who was sitting next to me, moved closer and whispered, "That's Nikolas Guerrero. He's gorgeous, isn't he? Too bad he's a brownie. None of us regular people have a chance."

Isabella: .....

Paula: "That girl sitting next to her is Stephanie. She's had a crush on him forever. People are saying they're destined to get married."

Isabella: "Oh, uhm, good for them."

Paula: "And Nikolas is not just an ordinary brownie. He's like the top dog in this school."

Isabella: "Kind of like the alpha?"

Paula chuckled and said, "You got that right."

Arwind: "What are you two talking about?"

Paula: "Nothing. We're just admiring Nikolas."

Cynthia: "He's really gorgeous. I wish he wasn't a brownie."

Jessie: "Girls, stop fantasizing about him. I'm right here."

Paula sniggered and said, "Nikolas' feet are better looking than yours."

Jessie: "Whatever. Don't give Isabella any weird ideas. We're not supposed to fraternize with their kind."

Isabella: "Why? What kind are they?"

None of the people at the table were able to answer me immediately. After a few seconds, Arwind said "They're brownies. They're the elite of this town. Just stay away from them, okay?"

Isabella: "Well, I wouldn't necessarily walk up to talk to them, but if they initiated the conversation, I wouldn't run."

Jessie: "Well, maybe you should."

I looked at Jessie curiously and waited for him to keep talking, but she didn't. After a few seconds, Paula stood up and said "Well, the lunch period is almost finished. We're heading to the ladies' room. Isabella, do you want to come with us?"

I nodded and said "Sure," before packing up my stuff and standing up. I said goodbye to everyone at the table and walked out of the cafeteria with Paul and Cynthia. They seem really nice, and I'm glad that I was able to make new friends.