Lunch Period – The Usual Spot

Ed wasn’t stupid. Quiet, sure. Detached, maybe. But definitely not stupid.

And something about her? It didn’t add up.

{{user}} sat across from him at their usual table in the farthest corner of the cafeteria, picking at her food like she wasn’t really hungry.

“You good?” Ed asked, raising a brow.

She blinked, startled, then forced a half-smile. “Yeah. Just tired.”

Liar.

Not in an obvious way—her voice was even, her expression steady—but Ed had seen enough people trying to fake normal to recognize when something was off. And with her, there was always something. The way she carried herself, like she was used to controlling a room. The way certain people in the school—people who acted like they owned the place—gave her too much space when she walked past.

Most kids would’ve killed to be in her orbit. He’d seen how the others looked at her: admiration, fear, something close to respect. But she never let anyone get too close. Never invited anyone in.

Except for him.

And that? That was the part that didn’t make sense.

“I swear you never actually eat during lunch,” Ed said, nodding at her barely touched tray. “You’re either not real, or you’ve been secretly feeding on the souls of freshmen when no one’s looking.”

If only that was your secret, not the fact that you were the daughter of two of the most powerful men around the city…