Chapter 109: Source Of Income

"Oh my goodness, that was one hell of a nightmare," Starlight muttered under her breath the second the private elevator doors glided open on the top floor of Eclipse House.

She stepped out onto the pristine, polished floor with a tired sigh, already longing for the quiet of her new suite. "I really hope I never have to go through anything like that again for a very, very long time." The entire day had been one ridiculous situation after another, from the Crown Twins cornering her with their absurd contracts to becoming the center of attention at the Academy, and then having half the student body chase her around like she was some kind of celebrity.

She still couldn’t wrap her head around it. How had things gotten this ridiculous this quickly?

She walked down the quiet corridor toward her suite, shaking her head as the events of the day replayed in her mind. Starlight had spent most of her life watching celebrities on television, never wondering what it must feel like to have strangers recognize them everywhere they went, but now she was beginning to understand it firsthand, even when she didn’t want to. Still, she couldn’t understand why anyone would worship or fawn over another person, let alone students fawning over a fellow student simply because of some stupid ranking instead of focusing on their studies. She still couldn’t understand exactly what was so special about being on the Apex Board that people were willing to spend their own money just to keep someone at the top, and now she had to deal with being chased around?

"Seriously, what is wrong with these people?" she muttered, shaking her head. "They sure do have a lot of free time."

She walked past the first massive suite door, then the second, slowing slightly as she glanced toward each one. There were only three suites on the entire top floor, which meant one of these doors belonged to either the Crown Twins or Eden, their beta, and she still hadn’t figured out which room belonged to whom. She definitely needed to figure that out in order to map out which doors to avoid like the plague. Starlight sighed as she continued toward her own suite wondering if Elle was still inside, though considering only Starlight could let her in, she wouldn’t want to risk getting locked out.

Elle seemed to have fallen for the suite.

When she reached her door, she placed her finger against the scanner and waited for the lock to recognize her fingerprint. Her phone rang in her hand, making her glance down at the screen. The moment she saw her mother’s name, a small, genuine smile touched her lips. She opened the door, stepped inside, and closed it behind her before answering the call. "Hi, Mom."

Her mother had been calling almost daily ever since Starlight had reached out to her with the phone issued by the Academy. She had called home to let her family know she had a direct line, and Clara had been over the moon, checking in whenever she could. "Starlight! How are you doing, sweetie? How is everything?" Clara’s warm voice washed over the line. "It’s been a while. I missed hearing your voice."

Starlight chuckled softly, walking over to the main living space and dropping heavily onto the plush sofa. She kicked off her shoes and leaned her head back against the cushions. "Mom, we just talked yesterday."

Clara laughed softly on the other end. "I know, I know. A mother can still worry, can’t she?"

"How are Aiden and my sweetest Angel doing?" Starlight asked, stretching her legs out in front of her, her eyes resting on the high ceiling.

"Aiden is in school already," Clara replied, the faint sound of dishes rustling in the background. "As for Angel, that little rascal has finally fallen asleep after draining every last drop of energy out of me today. I bet she’s snoring softly in her crib right now." Clara complained, her tone dipping into something softer, laced with familiar affection.

Starlight laughed softly. "I’m glad you get to get away from her, even if it’s for a moment."

"How is school treating you, honey?" Clara asked, her voice becoming gentle. "How is everything over there? I know you really hate being there, and I’m still so sorry about how everything turned out. Aiden has been regretting his decision ever since he found out what happened."

Starlight squeezed her eyes shut for a brief second. "Mom, please stop apologizing. You’ve been apologizing to me ever since I left. It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault, and it’s definitely not Aiden’s fault either. He’s just a kid who was only trying to get the best for his big sister. He couldn’t have known any better."

Clara let out a gentle, quiet breath. "Just hang in there, sweetheart. As soon as your father returns from his business trip, he’ll make sure you get pulled right out of that academy."

Starlight couldn’t stop the small smile that touched her lips. Her mother had been saying that every time they spoke with absolute confidence, and Starlight could not understand why her mother placed so much unwavering faith in her father when the man possessed no political influence to overrule an imperial directive without a legitimate reason.

But since it brought her mother comfort, Starlight always played along. "Sure, Mom," Starlight said softly. She hesitated for a moment, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "But, Mom..."

"Yes, dear?"

"I don’t think I want to be pulled out of this academy anymore."

There was a sudden pause on the other end of the line. "Why? Why would you say that?" Clara asked, her voice instantly rising with concern. "What happened? Don’t tell me you’ve fallen in love with someone there!"

Starlight almost choked on her own breath. "Mom! Why is love the very first thing you jump to?!"

"Then what is it?" Clara pressed, sounding utterly bewildered. "We all know how much you hate werewolves and the whole Lunar Lottery. The Starlight I know wouldn’t want to spend a second longer there than absolutely necessary."

"Well, I found a source of income," Starlight explained calmly.

"A source of income?" Clara repeated, her tone sharpening with worry. "I don’t understand, Star. What do you mean, a source of income? Are they forcing you to work over there?"

"Mother, calm down, okay?" Starlight said quickly with a laugh. "There’s this system they have here, something called the Apex Ranking. Students have to vote for their favorites to stay on the leaderboard, and somehow I found myself among the students in this Apex Ranking."

Starlight still couldn’t bring herself to explain to her mother that Imperial Prince Nikolai and Prince Mikhail had personally chosen her and placed her in the Apex. That explanation would only lead to a dozen more questions she wasn’t prepared to answer. Instead, she settled for the simplest version of the truth. "Maybe it’s because I’m one of the people who was selected in the Lunar Lottery, so people started voting for me. And guess what, Mom?"

Starlight leaned forward on the sofa. "Those voting points are converted into real money and sent directly into your account. If I showed you the amount that hit my account this morning, you wouldn’t even believe it."

"Starlight, slow down..." Clara’s voice turned cautious, heavy with hesitation. "Are you sure you’re not involved in anything shady? What kind of system gives students money just because other students vote for them?"

"No, Mom, it’s nothing shady or illegal, I promise," Starlight reassured her immediately. "Honestly, I was worried at first, too. I felt like I was taking advantage of these students or practically stealing from them. But this is just what these rich kids do for fun. Besides, I never begged them for anything. They’re the ones choosing to vote for me with their own money. They’re rich, and they have to spend it somehow, so I might as well take it."

Starlight grinned. "I even have enough to send so you can get something nice for Angel and Aiden."

"Look who’s feeling rich now," Clara teased, before her voice turned gentle. "Star, you know we’re not struggling for money, right? You don’t have to worry about sending anything home. Your father and I can take care of the family."

"I know, Mom. I know. Just take it."

"Just keep it for yourself, Starlight," Clara insisted, her warmth returning. "You’re the one who earned it. Use it for your own expenses. Buy yourself nice clothes and stuff. You always refused whenever I wanted to get you something nice. This is the right time to spoil yourself."

Starlight frowned slightly. The reason she always refused whenever her mother tried to buy her something was because she knew things were hard, and every extra coin mattered. Still, she never understood why her mother always insisted they weren’t struggling financially.

If they were doing fine, they wouldn’t be living in District Fifteen, one of the poorest and most neglected sectors in the empire.