ECTOMORPH

PROLOGUE:

— Aurelia and Ares: a history

Aurelia Perlman, the name that slipped out of tongues heavenly and true. An aura of gold enveloped her and her beauty was unable to be encased in a painting. Long brunette locks protected her head and her honeyed eyes sweetened the mood of those who were fortunate enough to lay their eyes on such an ethereal being. She was angelic. boys desired to be with her, even if only for a night, but her eyes only wanted one person and even if he knew it or not, he was hers. Or so she thought.

Ares Dechiel, the name that spoke true to his personality. His unquenchable thirst for conflict along with his quick temper was only a few of his downfalls. With his palm tree eyes and his velvety hair, girls fell at his feet yet he only managed to catch a few. His whole being was attractive, he only spoke eloquently with a dulcet voice and his face was carved like a sculpture on display, and, despite his whereabouts, his skin was always sun-kissed.

Ares and Aurelia were an obscure pair, one being temperamental and erratic and the other as perfect as the constellations in the night sky. They were best friends despite the oddities that people saw when they were together but something changed as they grew up. When something, or rather, someone was snatched away from Aurelia for a reason she would never know so she made reasons. And from that moment onward, she was never the same, she became too worried about what others would say.

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— Aurelia Perlman :

I saw him, standing there like I didn't exist. I saw him, laughing along with his friends as if I weren't a part of them just a couple of months ago and then, I saw her. she was stood next to him cuddling into his side with his arm over her protectively as if she would leave him. Oh how much I wish she did. Maria Adair, she stole him from me. Her brown doe eyes and her shoulder-length blonde hair took what was once mine. And he was mine, everyone knew it, except him maybe. Maria Adair would get what was coming to her, I’d make sure of that.

Of course with our friendship, I was fine with him dating other girls, he wasn't mine yet. it didn't bother me as he only used to indulge in meaningless one night stands, I was no stranger to that too. but, when Ares strolled into school that cold Monday morning, the first day of autumn, hand in hand with Maria Adair, hair slightly wet from the rain that had just begun to pour that solemn day and walked past me with a smirk on his face was when I finally knew that he lived up to his name. Ares did love conflict and I was his newfound entertainment.

I was confused. why would he want to be with maria when he knew he could've had me, why didn't he want me? Every single guy in school wanted me. After all, I was Aurelia Perlman, the prettiest girl in school. A title that was given to me even though I seldom believed it (if it was true then Ares would've been mine) What was wrong with me? Why wasn't I enough for him? Questioning myself was the worst part, it seemed as if it'd never end no matter how much I tried and failed to distract myself. The incoherent confusion and incessant questions were always there, playing on my mind like a video game.

What did Maria have that I didn't? Money? We both have a whole trust fund for that after all, everyone in this school has money pouring out of them like a waterfall. Was she nicer? Maybe, I had yet to converse with her. she was pretty and slim, not curvy like me. maybe that was it, I had thought. she was a great deal slimmer than me, maybe if I had been slimmer, he'd have been mine and not hers. With my reason settled, I began thinking, arguably too much.

"If they keep going at it like that I will not hesitate to punch one of them, or both." my best friend Talia Cameron had threatened as she shut the black locker with force. She was one of the only ones who desired to stay friends with me after Ares started dating maria. Why that had to ruin all of my friendships was unbeknownst to me but I knew it had to do with a certain brown-haired devil. I hated that he had control over everyone in the school, no one ever stood up to him and for once, all I wanted most in the world was someone to tear down the tough exterior that surrounded him. If only people didn't fear him. I sympathised with them though, Ares Dechiel had a talent for ruining people's lives. After all, there was nothing that his money couldn't solve.

I looked over at them with my hands crossed against my chest, my protective stance it seemed and there they were, bodies pressed up against each other and mouths devouring the others against the black lockers. It truly was disgusting and not just because I was in love with Ares, it was because PDA like that should be illegal. Okay, maybe it might have been because it was Ares.

"That's the last thing I want to see first thing on a Monday morning," I responded with a frown on my face. It seemed as if it was permanently etched there, never leaving. The clouds would move on but the frown still stayed.

The sound of the bell resounding signalling that it was lunch hour crept a little smile onto my face. With Talia, we sat, began to eat, and made mellifluous small talk about the galaxies and the planets. And, as quickly as it came, the smile left as I turned and lifted my head and saw the unholy sight of Maria Adair on my Ares' lap. I felt sick and rapidly ran to the bathroom where all the contents of my lunch spilt. Weirdly enough, it felt good. I felt as if I was finally in control for once.

Shaking my head with a silent sigh and straightening out my black and white uniform, I popped a couple of mints into my mouth and sauntered out of the bathroom and there he was, Ares Dechiel with a beautiful smile on his perfect face, leaning against the newly painted wall and looking straight at me. I couldn't help but smile, that was the issue with ares, he was impossible to be mad at. His manipulative ways always bailed him out of trouble and it seemed that this time it'd be the same; he knew I’d forgive him in a heartbeat if he just asked. That was the problem though, he never did.

"Always one for the dramatics aren't you Aurelia?" Ares said, referring to my sudden sickness and I felt a feeling of sadness rush over me at the use of my full name. I wasn't used to it and I was afraid that I never will be. I missed the way he hugged me whenever I was upset or the way he'd console me if I ever cried, I missed the way he'd say 'Aur' when he used to call me from across the classroom. Why had everything had to change? I didn't know why our friendship had to end and it felt to me as if I never would know.

"What do you want?" I asked him, the frown coming back and replacing the smile on my face. To this, he smirked, knowing that he already had me in the palm of his hand, all he had to do was say something and I'd do it. Immediately. That was the issue with Ares, he always knew when he had someone, and he had always had me. He was manipulative and had miscellaneous talents at ruining someone. And I had permitted him to ruin me time and time again.

He pulled me closer to him and I had allowed it, taking a couple of steps back so I could crane my neck up to look at him in a comfortable manner. Even at my stance of 5'10, he overpowered me by at least six inches. It seemed as if he was always the one in power, I just hadn't realised it yet. Ares' hands cautiously cupped my face like he used to like it was normal like nothing ever happened and maybe I was willing to pretend like it didn't.

"I want to talk to you," he said and he let go of my face. Admittedly, I immediately missed the warmth his callous hands had always provided me and I desired to place them back but I knew I couldn't. He did have a girlfriend after all and I wasn't like that, no matter how much love my heart held for Ares Dechiel. "I miss you," he confessed and of course, I told him I did too.

What I didn't realise and never realised was that this was his game and I was always the one who'd lose. He didn't mean what he said, he never does and this was a wake-up call; ares was just playing with me like I was an antique doll, vintage, so he played with caution. and, after I repeated those three unfortunate words, a vexatious smile broke out on his chiselled, sun-kissed face and I understood then that he had won the game. For once I just wanted to win. I needed to win, I had to win but I never did.

It seemed that I was always losing things, my friends, my family (if you can even call them that), and now Ares. He was it for me is what I had previously thought but he had proved me wrong over and over again. If this was love then why did it hurt so much, why did I feel like my heart was going to break and my mind was about to shatter?

After our one-sided comedic and downright embarrassing encounter, I decided to tell Talia that I was going to go straight home, not being physically able to be attentive in school any longer and slept in my comfortable bed. I slept until the blue clouds became dark in nature and I slept as the process repeated once again. I slept until my alarm rang and for once, I didn't care.