Before you start reading please put this playlist on spotify https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2JjrGY8pafIPvyGyXCYDJG?si=74MRnSMXQM-MKphx6bpRAw If u don't have Spotify u can put on https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7pW2TRJlD4lZfK5VTpleGqivGUzozbto&si=q36Hqd-DTG_VXoe- if the link doesn't work on Spotify, YouTube search my memories starlight: boarding school ch1
the playlist songs:
-youth by daughter
- family line by Conan gray
- people watching by Conan gray
-people you know by Selena Gomez
-idontwannabeyouanymore by Billie Eilish
-Burning house by Nico Collins
Rue ran as fast as she could through the woods. Branches scratched at her arms, her lungs burned, and her legs screamed for her to stop, but she couldn't. The guards were close. Too close.
She tripped.
Pain exploded through her knees as she hit the ground, but she forced herself back up, stumbling forward. Through blurred vision, she spotted it: the faded old shack her father had told her about. She pushed the door open and rushed inside, slamming it shut behind her. As the adrenaline began to fade, a sharp ache shot through her legs. Rue looked down and froze.
Blood trickled from her scraped knees, soaking into her socks. Only now did she realize how bad the fall had been. Her hands trembled as exhaustion crept into her bones. Then, the sound of footsteps echoed outside. Her heart leapt into her throat.
She limped to the hidden high cabinet her father had instructed her to hide in. Rue squeezed herself inside, pulling the door shut just as the shack door creaked open. She held her breath. One step. Another. Her heart pounded so loudly she was sure it would give her away. Then, a small, trembling voice broke the silence.
"Hello? Is anyone here?"
Rue frowned. That wasn't a guard. Slowly, carefully, she nudged the cabinet door open. A little boy sat on the floor, knees hugged to his chest. He looked up, and his face lit up.
"Hi!" he said excitedly. "What's your name? Your eyes are really pretty, sis!"
Rue froze. Before she could speak, the boy continued, "My name's Damian and I'm six no, seven!"
Rue swallowed, forcing herself to stay calm. "My name is Rue Yitria," she said evenly. "I am six years of age. I request that you refrain from addressing me as the opposite gender. I identify as male. It is acceptable to make your acquaintance."
Damian blinked. He stared at her for a long moment, his mouth slightly open. "Uh…" he said. "What?"
Rue stiffened. Of course he didn't understand. She sighed before adding, "Hello. I'm Rue. I am a boy, not a girl."
Damian, now understanding, smiled brightly. "Oh, hi Rue! I'm sorry for calling you a girl." His eyes fell to Rue's knees, and his expression turned to shock. "Are you okay?"
As the pain rushed back, Rue watched the blood trickle down her shins. Damian moved toward her, and Rue froze, unsure how to react. Damian gently guided her to sit down. Finding some old bandages in the cabinet, the boy carefully cleaned the dried blood and wrapped the wounds.
Afterward, Damian sat beside her. An awkward tension hung in the air until Damian spoke up. "So, what should we do now?"
Rue looked at him for a moment. "Where did you come from? Are you lost, by any chance?"
The question triggered Damian's memory. He began to sniffle. "I... I wanna go home."
"Don't cry, Dami. It's okay," Rue said, panicking slightly. She pulled him into a hug to comfort him. Damian cried into Rue's shoulder, sobbing, "I miss my mom, sis..."
Rue didn't correct him this time. After he calmed down, Rue tried to pull away, but Damian hugged her tighter. Rue eventually melted into the hug, wanting to cry herself; no one had hugged her in so long. But she held back her tears Damian was depending on her to be the strong one.
As Damian calmed down, his stomach growled. He looked at Rue, embarrassed. "Do you have anything to eat, sis?"
Rue moved away from him to search the cabinets. She opened drawers until she finally found one filled with sealed cans of food. As she began to prepare a meal, Damian sat next to her, staring at her like an expectant puppy. Rue looked at him and felt like a protective big sister. She went outside to collect sticks, building a small fire to cook the food. Damian followed her immediately to help.
Late that afternoon, Damian returned with more sticks and a few berries. He handed them to Rue. "I found berries near a stream!"
Rue took the berries, examining them carefully before giving them back. "A stream? Where?"
Damian pointed into the distance. "There. I walked that way." Rue followed his directions to the stream and brought water back. When she returned, Damian was asleep. He had made a makeshift bed out of chairs and leftover scraps; it actually looked comfortable. Rue was shocked he was quite smarter than she thought. She took a blanket from the hidden cabinet, draping it over him before climbing back into the cabinet to sleep herself. In the dark, she finally felt a sense of comfort.
They lived in the cabin for nearly two weeks. Damian called her "sis" throughout his stay, and she never corrected him again. Damian went out during the day to play while Rue stayed inside to clean, fix things, or cook. She only emerged at night to collect resources like berries, wood, and water. This routine continued until one day, while Damian was playing, his worried parents spotted him. They were dressed in elegant, expensive clothes; Rue realized then that Damian's family was incredibly wealthy.
From the window, Rue watched Damian walk away with his parents. The boy looked back once, smiling at the shack before turning away.
Rue was alone again. She looked at the empty spot where Damian used to sit, and a heavy loneliness kicked in. She spent the days counting the floorboards, bored out of her mind. She never thought she would actually miss the "annoying" Damian.
A month after Damian left, her food supplies were running low. She had to rely entirely on what she could find at night. As the days passed, hunger became a brutal challenge. She curled up in a chair, her stomach growling and the corners of her vision darkening as she struggled to stay awake.
Then, the sudden rush of footsteps echoed in the distance. Rue weakly stood up, stumbling toward the hidden cabinet, but her strength gave out. She fell to the ground, passing out just as the door burst open. There stood Asher.
When Rue finally woke up in a real bed, Asher was sitting beside her. Looking at the malnourished, tired girl, Asher's face remained a cold mask.
"The Guardian Knights no longer suspect I am hiding you. From now on, you will live here as a distant cousin."
Relief washed over Rue. For a moment, the weight of the last few months became too much. Tears fell uncontrollably down her face, her chest heaving with the need for comfort. But Asher's tone shifted instantly. He cut in sharply, his voice like ice.
"You are a man now. Deal with it." He looked at her with a flash of disgust, his lip curling at her matted hair and tattered clothes. "Get washed. You look filthy."
Rue flinched, deeply hurt. She looked away, trying to swallow her sobs, but Asher didn't care. He stood up and walked out without a second glance.
Life at the manor was a prison. Every few days, the Guardian Knights arrived to inspect the estate. Each time the clatter of their armor echoed through the halls, Rue's heart nearly stopped. She would hide in her room, paralyzed by the fear that they would see through her disguise.
Asher was never there for her, leaving her alone in a house that felt hollow. Izah, who lived on the other side of the estate, gave her a permanent cold shoulder. Whenever Rue tried to approach, Izah would move away, dragging Kaido with him. He refused to let them play or speak, leaving Rue to wander the massive, silent halls in total isolation. She missed the shed. At least there, she had been comfortable.
Four years passed like this. Rue was now ten, and she had grown used to the coldness. She had meticulously crafted her persona, becoming a rising star in high society: the elegant, sharp "Young Master" of the Yitria house. To the world, she was a boy of perfect poise.
While attending one of the season's grandest social gatherings, Rue moved through the ballroom with effortless grace. She charmed young ladies with a polite, distant smile until her breath hitched. Across the room stood Damian. He was eleven now, a refined young man with broad shoulders and a steady gaze.
Before she could retreat, Damian navigated the crowd and stepped into her path. He offered a respectful, yet knowing, tilt of his head. "What a fine day to meet you again, Rue," he said, his voice smooth. "I believe you've become quite the sensation in high society lately, Young Master."
Rue felt a shiver of panic. He knew. He had always known. She realized with a sinking heart that her six year old self must have left a trail of "sisterly" warmth that Damian never forgot.
"You seem surprised, Rue," Damian added, leaning in to create a private space between them. "Did you think a few years and a sharp suit would make me forget the person who saved me?"
"I don't know what you're implying, Master Damian," Rue said, her voice a steady blade of ice. "We are in public. I suggest you remember your manners."
Damian let out a quiet laugh. "Oh, I remember my manners. And I remember my 'sis.' Don't worry, Rue. Your secret is as safe with me now as it was when I was seven. I'm just glad to see you're... well, mostly fed."
Rue subtly grabbed his hand and led him toward the lounge. Once they were alone, she cornered him. "How did you know I was a girl, Damian?"
Suddenly, Damian pulled her into a hug. "Sis, did you miss me? And why aren't you calling me Dami anymore?"
Rue froze, realizing this was the same Damian she had known in the woods. She awkwardly patted his head before pulling away. "So the arrogant rich boy is still the sweet little boy from before?" she teased mockingly.
Damian countered with a smirk. "Wow, Miss Rue. I didn't think you would catch the ladies' attention that well."
It was awkward between them as they stood there. Damian cut the silence with "So sis care to come to my estate?"