Volume 1 - Chapter 1: The Orphan Outcast

“And they all lived happily ever after!” Those seven little words have never ceased to haunt Cathedra for as long as she could remember. That one short phrase was the magic word to summon a terrible curse that would rob her of a chance at a normal life. 

It all started back in kindergarten. 

Magnus Clementine Elite Academy—it was a school where all the rich and privileged children gather. Sons and daughters of wealthy businessmen, influential families, politicians, corporate leaders, and the like, flock in the Academy to be nurtured and raised to be the leaders of the next generation. From kindergarten up until their graduation in college, they are stuck in the Academy, promised with the fame and fortune in the paths their parents already paved for them.

It was to this school that Cathedra was sent to on her first day. She was accompanied by the orphanage Directress in her rickety old car that existed for a number of years greater than all the fingers and toes on Cathedra’s body put together. 

The Directress drove past the two sparkling golden gates that served as the Academy’s entrances and stopped at the third, rightmost gate embellished with glimmering blue gems, known as the Sapphire Gate. Cathedra’s jaw was glued to the ground in awe at the sight of the luxurious shiny cars with their suit-clad chauffeurs, escorting girls and boys of all ages who all had similar haughty skips in their steps and condescending looks on their faces.

“State your business, Ma’am,” a serious-looking security guard standing straight in front of the Sapphire gate held out his hand to stop the Directress from going further.

“I’m Hyacinth Dale, from the orphanage. I’m here to show one of our children to her classroom. It’s her first day in kindergarten.”

The guard pulled out a clipboard from behind him and scanned a list, flipping quite a few pages before stopping at the part he wanted to find. “Dale . . . Dale . . .” His face lit up when he found what he was looking for, “Hyacinth Dale and a new scholar, Cathedra?”

Cathedra shyly raised her hand and mustered a tiny squeak, “Right here, Sir.”

“Okay, your building is just down this street and turn left at the first corner. It’s the red building on your right.”

The security guard picked up his walkie-talkie and pressed a button that made a staticky sound. “Clear. Open the gates, over.”

On cue, the gigantic Sapphire gate opened with a booming creak. The Directress gave the security guard a gentle, thankful honk and drove down the street, following the security guard’s instructions. All of the proceedings took a few moments but the painful hammering in her chest made it feel like an eternity.

All Cathedra heard over the sound of her drumming chest was the hand brakes clicking in place and the Directress muttering a few encouraging words that made no sense at the moment because of how terrified Cathedra was.

“Best of luck, dearie,” the Directress beamed, “I'll pick you up after school.”

Her throat felt like it was frozen in ice so all Cathedra could do was nod. She scrambled her way out of the car and found the door to the classroom. Inhaling deeply through the nose, she twisted the knob and entered inside. 

It felt like exiting the human world and entering another dimension. A few seconds inhaling the air inside the classroom and Cathedra already felt out of place. 

Most of the kids already made their own friends and were exchanging stories to catch up on each other’s vacations. Some showed off their extravagant clothes or shiny new shoes. A kid or two paraded their bags bearing the faces of their favorite cartoon characters and displayed their brightly-colored lunch boxes to anyone who would give them a single glance. 

On the other hand, Cathedra was an orphan in her shabby hand-me-down clothes that were two sizes bigger. Her soiled, tattered shoes were barely holding together even though the orphanage staff were kind enough to help her patch up the gaping holes. Even the school bag on her back wasn’t hers but handed down from generation to generations of orphanage children so that the white color of the cloth was discolored to a dirty yellowish hue.

Cathedra knew an ordinary commoner like her, orphaned at such an early age, had no place among these rich people. She was the outsider in their pack, so she huddled at the corner of the room, consoling herself by incessantly repeating in her mind how privileged she was to be the only child in the orphanage whom the prestigious was willing to offer a scholarship to. How it was such as blessing that Magnus Clementine Elite Academy, one of the benefactors of the orphanage, acknowledged her intelligence and was kind enough to support her education until college, as long as she would maintain her excellent grades and outstanding performance.

The thought did nothing to lift her spirits one bit.

The doorknob twisted as a person from the other side turned the handle. The door gave a slight creaking sound and ushered in a pretty woman in her late twenties. She had soft, bouncy brown curls and a gentle smile. From her smart casual get-up: black blazer, black pencil skirt, and a pile of papers supported by her right arm, Cathedra figured that she was the teacher. 

“Good morning, class!” She beamed at the sight of the children, and made her way to the front of the room. 

Although Cathedra knew it was impolite not to greet her in response, the class’ lack of recognition for the teacher made Cathedra hold her tongue in silence. She didn’t dare bring attention to herself on her first day, so she decided to follow her classmates’ silent treatment. 

Despite her students’ rude disregard of her presence, she still gave them a patient smile. “My name is Miss Yumi, nice to meet you all!”

Again, Cathedra opened her mouth to speak but her classmates’ silence made her doubt if it was wrong for her to answer.  

Maybe the social convention in this school is different from the orphanage, Cathedra thought. 

Miss Yumi clapped her hands loudly, probably to compensate for the lack of sound dominating the classroom, and probably in vain hopes that it would catch the children’s attention. "Okay, kids! Gather around and sit on the floor! Today, I will tell you a story!" 

The kids didn't pay her a single heed. They all pretended like they didn't hear her. Instead, they whispered among themselves with scorn and disdain on their faces.

“What? Does she expect us to sit on the floor? Like I would do something a peasant would do!” 

“I’ll get dirty, so no.” 

“They should fire this teacher. She doesn’t even know what’s she’s doing.” 

“All the germs that I could get from sitting on the ground. I’ll tell my father about this outrageous thing. Let’s see if this teacher still has a job tomorrow.” 

Cathedra took a while to deliberate whether she would obey Miss Yumi’s instructions or not. If she decided to go, she might get in trouble with her classmates. Regardless of her fears, Cathedra was more concerned on how guilty she might be if she became a part of these snobbish, arrogant kids who disrespected those in authority. Would she even be able to live with herself if she grew up to be a mean-hearted, rotten adult like these children are raised and primed to be? 

Steeling her resolve, Cathedra decided to deviate from the norm and took a step forward. The second step wasn’t any easier than the first, nevertheless, Cathedra mustered the courage to complete what she started. She silently moved from her space in the corner and sat down on the floor in front of Miss Yumi. 

She gave Cathedra a thankful smile and clapped her hands once. "Very good, dear! What’s your name?”  

Cathedra was so nervous that it took a few tries to steady her vocal cords to prevent her voice from squeaking. “C-Cathedra.”  

Miss Yumi’s smile became wider, probably relieved that not all her students are bad eggs. “Now, now, everyone! Gather around like Cathedra over here!" 

Everyone whipped their heads around to glare at the goody-two shoes who had the audacity to show herself up as the teacher's pet on the first day. All eyes were trained on the poor girl, threatening that her life wasn't going to be easy inside this school through their icy glares. Whispers erupted like wildfire among the children. 

"It's the new student, just look at her, trying to act all good and obedient." 

"Look at her shabby clothes. She looked like she stole them from her father's closet." 

"She doesn't have a father. I heard that she's an orphan." 

"No wonder she looks so filthy. Eww, I don't want to sit there, I might get her germs." 

Cathedra ducked her head, hoping desperately to disappear. Even though she knew what was coming, the rejection still stung. She was just trying to do what’s right, so why was she judged harshly for it? 

It's just the first day and it was already worse than what she imagined it to be.

Miss Yumi, realizing that she has to distract the students to put an end to the bullying, held up a big storybook with a beautiful princess and an ugly beast dancing together as the cover. There was a red rose in the princess' hand and a huge smile on her face. There were words printed at the top part of the storybook but Cathedra could not make out what it said since she does not know how to read yet. 

"This is the story of a beautiful girl named Beauty, and how she met a prince who was transformed into a hideous, ugly beast!" 

All the girls gasped at Miss Yumi's narration. The boys, who could hardly be bothered by princesses and love, could only sigh in defeat as their groans of complaints were drowned out by the girls' excited giggles.

The girls ran quickly to find themselves the best seats while the boys reluctantly followed suit, since the girls composed the majority of the class, and they figured that it wouldn’t bode well for them if they did not go along with the popular decision. 

All protests of sitting on the floor forgotten, the children decided to settle down and sat to listen. They positioned themselves far away from Cathedra, like there was a gaping hole in the ground around her that they didn't dare to cross. 

Cathedra tried desperately to hold in her tears and sobs at their harsh treatment, and forced herself to listen to Miss Yumi's story to get her mind off things. 

Now that she got the children's attention, Miss Yumi smiled gleefully and began. 

"Once upon a time . . ."