Chapter 2: In the Middle of the Forest

Nicole Janeʼs POV

I only had forty minutes left before my first class starts. So, I quickly got inside my room. I hadnʼt been able to take everything out of my suitcase because I didnʼt have much time to put it on the cabinet. Why did I have to move here right on the first day of school?

I am now standing beside my bed with my arms crossed, staring at the necklace and bracelet laid on top of it.

There was another bed here near the window. So, I was sure that two students could occupy the room. Although I was happy because I was still the only one occupying it right now.

“Whatever happens, donʼt take it off.”

“That will serve as your protection, so you must always wear it.”

Until now, I could still hear their reminders, although I didnʼt fully understand what they were for.

But I just realized. If these two were really that important, then I shouldnʼt wear them and just keep them in a safe place instead, because I just might end up losing them both eventually.

I winced as I again focused on the bracelet that Butler Lin gave me. Honestly, another reason I didnʼt want to wear it was because of the weird design of the pendant.

So in the end, I just decided not to wear both of them. I just hid them in the lowest part of the cabinet and locked them. Then I looked at myself in front of a full-length mirror one last time.

“Even the color of their uniform was strange. Itʼs a good thing I looked cool in black, though,” I said to myself while fixing the slight tangle in my skirt.

The skirt was checkered black and white and rose above the knee. The coat was also black with long white sleeves inside and a red ribbon.

I just applied some face powder and lip tint before letting my waist-length, wavy, light-blonde hair down.

When I was finally satisfied with how I looked, I took my bag and my schedule list and went off.

Actually, I could come late to class, according to what Butler Lin told me earlier, because I was new. But I didnʼt want that.

At the same time as I opened my door, so did the door on the roomʼs left side. We both froze when our eyes met. Her forehead wrinkled as she stared at me.

Then suddenly, a smile slowly formed on her lips as she waved her right hand to me.

“Hello! You must be the new student!” she greeted cheerfully.

“Well, I guess so,” I hesitated to answer because I wasnʼt sure if I was the only student who was new here.

She laughed. I just shrugged my shoulders and started walking. I was about to pass her because I had no intention of talking to her when she suddenly blocked my path.

“Wait!”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “What?”

She started to walk towards me, then extended her right arm.

“By the way, Iʼm Mikan. And you are?”

I just looked at her hand spread out in front of me.

“Nicole,” I simply answered.

She immediately pulled her hand away. It didnʼt seem to bother her that I didnʼt accept the gesture.

I didnʼt want to be rude. I just wasnʼt the friendly type of person. Thatʼs why I didnʼt have any friends at all.

I thought she would stop talking, but it seemed that she really had no intention of letting the conversation go.

“Do you already know where your classroom is?” she asked, smiling.

I shook my head. I really didnʼt know yet. I forgot to ask, and it seemed that Butler Lin also forgot to mention it earlier.

“May I see your schedule?”

Although hesitant, I silently handed her the class schedule I was holding.

“Oh, youʼre also in class 12-A of ABM. You can come with me. That is also my class.” Her voice was full of excitement.

I shrugged. As much as I didnʼt want to go with her, I knew my life would be easier if I did.

“Okay.”

Itʼs a good thing I met one of my classmates. I didnʼt intend to struggle to find my classroom. You needed a lot of luck just to find your way inside this large school.

She just kept telling me about her life, which I had no interest in, while we were walking. I just listened quietly. It was the least I could do.

After we got out of the dormitory building, I saw a lot of fellow students scattered in the area. I immediately noticed that everyone in our dormitory was wearing a bracelet similar to the one given to me by Butler Lin.

I didnʼt pay it much attention. But when we passed the other dormitory, I noticed that all the students there werenʼt wearing any bracelets.

I frowned. Do they choose the students who get to wear the bracelets?

Another thing that amazed me was that there were more of them compared to us. I estimate that only one-fourth of the student body was from our dormitory.

Now I wonder why. You will notice right away that something is wrong. Even the way they looked at me—it was so creepy. There was also something different about their eyes. It has some sort of hypnotic effect that I couldnʼt understand.

Another thing I didnʼt understand was why they were only looking at me that way. Did they think I was so beautiful that they couldnʼt stop staring?

“How long have you been here?” I couldnʼt help but ask Mikan.

We continued walking until we entered a building. Where was our room?

She glances at me. “Since freshman year,” she answers with a smile.

I was about to ask her again when she suddenly stopped in front of a door. Maybe this is our classroom.

“Here we are.”

She was the one who turned the knob and pushed the door open.

When she opened the door, everyone inside suddenly looked at us. I just shook my head when I realized that we were already late because our teacher was already inside.

“Miss Williams, youʼre late,” our teacher said to Mikan.

“Sorry, Sir. It wonʼt happen again.”

She bowed before walking straight to the empty seat at the back.

Did she just leave me hanging?

Our teacherʼs attention shifted to me.

“You must be the new student?”

I slowly nodded to him. His face is too serious.

“Yes, Sir.”

He suddenly smiled. But there was something strange about him that I couldnʼt figure out.

“Okay. Please come here in front and introduce yourself to the class first.”

He motioned with his right hand towards the front of his table.

I quickly entered and immediately stood in front as he ordered.

“Good morning. My name is Nicole Jane Parker,” I managed to introduce myself to them.

There is something really special about the people here. You canʼt even see any kind of emotion in most of them. They just all had these blank expressions.

“Okay.” Suddenly, our teacher approached me. “But whereʼs your bracelet, Miss Parker? Donʼt you know that it is required for you to wear that?” he asked seriously in a low voice.

I was stunned by his question. Was it really that important?

“I was in a hurry earlier, so I forgot to wear it,” I just excused myself.

He nodded. “Okay. Just donʼt forget to wear it next time. That is one of the most important things you should always have with you while youʼre here.”

I was about to ask more when he spoke again.

“You may now take your seat. You may sit next to Miss Williams.”

I walked towards the back. Most of my classmatesʼ gazes followed me. The way they looked at me seemed to indicate that they wanted to eat me alive.

Theyʼre really weird and creepy!

The classes that I attended went well. I listened attentively in every discussion. I was also able to answer the recitations immediately. The subjects are not different here. Itʼs almost the same as the school I came from.

Even though I was stubborn and would often get reprimanded, I can say that I also had something to be proud of. It may not be obvious, but I was one of the top students in my previous school. I passed all of our exams and usually joined the school activities. I also like joining different clubs that capture my interest.

Some time passed, and finally the bell rang. Just in time, I thought. I was getting hungry, so I quickly gathered my things and was about to go out the door when someone suddenly pulled me in.

“Letʼs go eat together,” Mikan invited.

I was impressed by the fighting spirit of this girl. She really thought we were already close friends. She should be thankful that I wasnʼt in the mood to argue, so I just went along.

After we arrived in the dining hall, I immediately looked around. The chairs and tables were made of wood, just like the floor. Small chandeliers are even hung from the ceiling. It was also cool inside because of the centralized air conditioning. But even so, the food smelled fresh.

A lot of students were also starting to fill up the cafeteria. Thatʼs why we immediately lined up to buy food.

I bought pizza, spaghetti, and Coke in a can, while Mikan bought pasta, a sandwich, and juice.

When I was looking for a place to sit, the empty table in the middle caught my eye. I was about to sit there when Mikan suddenly pulled me away again.

“Why do you keep on dragging me?” I snapped at her.

“Look around you,” she whispered nervously.

I rolled my eyes and did what she said.

I frowned. Why do they take a bad look at me? What did I do? Can someone please explain to me what the hell is going on?

We sat at the far end, on the left.

“Whatʼs with those weird stares?” I asked when we sat down.

She looks at me in disbelief. “You really donʼt know yet?”

My forehead creased. Besides the fact that Butler Lin gave me a tour of the entire academy earlier and gave me a bracelet, he didnʼt mention anything else.

“Donʼt know what? Hello? Newbie here!” I irritably said to her.

She looks at me seriously. “Listen carefully, okay?”

I nodded at her.

She took a deep breath before she continued.

“Because the seat you intended to take earlier is reserved for the children of the owner of the academy, including their cousins ​​and friends. So, if you still value your life, donʼt make the mistake of sitting there.” She looked around before bringing her face closer to mine.

“Also, do not touch anything here that is exclusively for them. People here will gang up on you. Students here treat those siblings as a prince and princess, as well as their cousins ​​and friends. All six of them are respected here. So, the number one rule here is to never get on their bad side,” she calmly and slowly explained to me.

My brow rose.

Respected? They think too much of themselves. I donʼt care if theyʼre the son or daughter of the president or even of a king from a faraway land. My point is that all of us here are just the same—we are all just students and people. There must be equality here!

“Have you seen them?” I asked curiously. In truth, it is still hard to believe what she said. I didnʼt think there was anything like it in real life.

A prince and princess? We donʼt have such a thing in our country.

Suddenly, her eyes sparkled.

“Yeah! Theyʼre so awesome! Theyʼre so beautiful and handsome! They often get a perfect score on exams and quizzes. They also know how to use different kinds of instruments and even love sports.” She pouted.

“Itʼs just that Iʼve only seen the prince once because he doesnʼt study here right now.”

I winced. Even though I havenʼt seen them yet, it felt like I never wanted to meet them.

She started eating while I didnʼt say a word. Iʼm still trying to process in my brain all the new information I learned.

What is this place I transferred into? Is this really a school?

But she said something that caught my attention.

“Why isnʼt that supposed prince studying here?”

She immediately covered my mouth with her hand.

I briskly removed her hand. “What are you doing?” I glared at her.

She just gave me a peace sign. “We donʼt talk about them like that. Especially him. Someone might hear you,” she whispered.

I let out a deep sigh before starting to eat again.

I didnʼt care. So what if they heard what I said?

I never thought she was going to answer my question. So, I was surprised when she suddenly spoke again.

“Honestly, no one even knows why. But I heard that he will be studying here this year.” Her voice was filled with excitement.

I just shook my head when I suddenly looked at the bracelet she was wearing, which was the same as mine.

“Last question,” I said while she was murdering her pasta.

“Spill it.”

“Whatʼs up with that bracelet?” I asked while pointing at it.

Suddenly, she stopped eating and looked at it. “They say that itʼs for protection. Iʼve been wearing it for five years now, so Iʼm used to it already.”

“But donʼt you find it weird? If the students here are required to wear that, why donʼt most of us have that? The biggest question is protection for what?”

She shrugged. “Honestly, thatʼs what I thought at first. But I didnʼt know anything else strange about it. All I know is, whoever gets it is required to wear it all the time. That is one of the major rules here that all of us who have this have to follow.”

Her face suddenly became serious before her gaze dropped to my wrist.

“Do you have this one too?” Sheʼs now looking directly into my eyes.

I met her gaze. “Yeah. And I donʼt have any plans to wear it until I discover the truth behind it,” I said with finality, then stood up and left her.

***

Ever since I left Mikan in the dining hall earlier, she hasnʼt spoken to me again.

Which is a good thing. My world is more peaceful, and I can finally think straight now.

When our last class for today finally ended, I was the first one to storm out of the room. I didnʼt even manage to look at Mikan.

Iʼve been thinking about it for a while, and now Iʼve decided.

This academy has lots of mysteries and secrets. And I will not allow myself to not find out about them.

My first destination was the forest.

I got here safely because there was no one else around. If they really forbid entry here, it should at least have a guard or a barrier.

But there was none. The whole area was wide open, and the atmosphere was so inviting.

I started to walk into the forest. I didnʼt see anything else around other than trees, plants, and different kinds of flowers. Only the sound of the wind and the chirping of birds could be heard. There are also many small trees, branches, and stones scattered everywhere I pass. I just walked straight so I wouldn't get lost.

I turned my back. I could still see the academy from here. But I knew I had come a long way.

I looked down at my wristwatch. It was already 5:00 pm. It was still early, after all. But because of the tall trees, it blocked the little light that entered the forest, making my surroundings darker.

I sighed deeply. I was thinking twice about whether I should continue or not. It looked like I had nothing to gain from this.

A few minutes had passed, and I finally decided to go back. But when I was about to turn my back, I tripped on a rock in front of me. I noticed that something was flashing in front of me but I just didnʼt pay attention to it.

I slowly stood up, and when I looked up, I saw something...

House? Oh. Scratch that. Itʼs more like a mansion!

But wait. In the middle of the forest inside the academy? Seriously?

I was even more confused. I didnʼt see anything like that while walking earlier.

Until I realized that I was slowly getting closer to it. When I stopped right in front of it, I looked up in amazement and observed its entirety.

It looked like it went up to the fourth floor, and there was a veranda at the very top. It was also surrounded by huge windows that were covered by long curtains from the inside. There were also two pillars in front and a door in the middle.

Who actually lived here? Academy staff? Because Butler Lin told me earlier that the entire academy still covers this inner forest.

But the joy and wonder I was feeling suddenly changed to fear and trepidation when a strong wind blew and someone spoke from behind me.

“Who are you, and how the hell did you enter here?”