1. New life

"So heavy ughh," Innessa groaned as she stepped into the dorm with two heavy boxes. As soon as she stepped inside, she placed them on the floor and sighed, dropping her weight down as she sprawled on the floor, breathing heavily while staring at the ceiling.  

After catching her breath, she pulled herself to her feet, pulling her trousers up, her gaze bounced around her precious dorm.  

The room was small but cozy enough. There was a single bed to her left, and a study table with a cupboard to her right. A mini room fridge. There was a window on the front wall and a restroom door to her right at the corner. Innessa checked the restroom. It was small, but luckily, she didn't have to share it with anyone.  

She was on cloud nine. The only reason she got a whole room to herself was because of her scholarship. She got the golden scholarship.  

Innessa had worked so hard for it. Just thinking about her late-night studies and crazy study schedule brought tears to her eyes, but the fruit of victory tasted so good.  

The girl was from a small town in Russia. She completed her college from there and lived with her loving parents. Her elder sister, Faina, got married last year and currently lives with her husband in Bradford.  

It was Innessa's dream to get enrolled in the world's best Grand Elite Academy. The academy of dreams. Innessa could never get into the university with her background and no money. The only option she had was to get a scholarship, and she succeeded in doing so.  

Retrieving her phone, she video-called her dad while switching on all the lights and pushing the curtains aside.  

"Innessa, my sweetheart," Denis, her dad, said on the screen, beaming at his daughter.  

"Is it Innessa?" Alisa, her mother's joyous voice reached her before she shoved her face in front of the camera.  

"My precious, how are you? Did you reach there safely? Did you find your dorm? Are you sharing it with someone?" Alisa bombarded her with questions, making the girl giggle at how excited her mom was.  

"I'm good, mama. The room is all mine. They told me that I got the golden scholarship," She grinned. The questioning look on her parents' faces had her explaining it to them.  

"It means, I'll get lots of perks, no fees at all, personal room, food, everything is free. Isn't it cool? Wait, let me give you guys a tour of my room," She stepped out of her room.  

Innessa stepped in and showed them her room, the window, and even the restroom. "Honey, there's no kitchen. What if you get hungry in the middle of the night, like always, what would you do? Shall I ask your sister to bring a stove and stuff?" 

"No, mama. I'll be fine. Don't worry, I'll buy some snacks for my midnight cravings. And you mustn't forget to take your meds, Dad, make sure Mom takes her meds on time. And keep sweet things out of her reach," She instructed her dad.  

"Yes, boss," Denis saluted, earning a chuckle from her.  

After talking to her parents for a while, she went back to the ground floor and brought her bags up. Unpacking all the stuff she placed in the cupboard, cleaned her room a little bit, and stepped into the shower.  

Innessa changed into her pajamas and hopped into bed. She was exhausted from all the travelling and shifting, but it was fun. This was the first time she traveled alone so far from her country and the first time she'd be living alone.  

The girl scrolled through P*******t for some room decoration ideas to give her room more aesthetic vibes. She gathered a couple of budget-friendly ideas, and her giddiness knew no bounds.

She slept like a log that night because she was drained. Luckily, the next day she had no classes, so she grabbed her schedule from the front desk, had breakfast in the cafeteria, and went out for some shopping.  

Grand Elite Academy was on the outskirts of the main city and was surrounded by small towns. Innessa bought some fake vines, fairy lights, and some double-sided sticky tape. On her way back, she had an iced latte.  

Stepping inside her room, she removed her shoes, placed them aside, and padded inside barefoot. She checked her banking app once before she got to work.  

She decorated the wall with the pictures and quotes she had brought along. The girl decorated the ceiling above the bed with fake vines and fairy lights. Once done with her handiwork, she switched off the lights and switched on the fairy lights. The girl was instantly in awe at how beautiful it looked.  

Her phone rang, and she answered the call. It was her sister Faina. The girls talked, and Innessa showed her excitement. For dinner, she had chicken corn soup, spaghetti, a bowl of fruit, and juice. There were many more things, but she only picked a small amount because everyone was taking small portions. Thankfully, she felt full after the meal and retired to her room. She put the card key in front of the scanner when her eyes darted to the girl standing outside of the room next to hers. Their eyes locked, and Innessa stiffened up. The fear of being new to this city and academy was making her nervous. She was like this even when she was outside shopping.  

The girl was very pretty with rose gold ombre hair and amber eyes; she was an inch shorter than Innessa.  

"Hey, you're my neighbor, nice to meet you," The girl said in a sweet voice, walking over to nervous Innessa, who smiled, tucking her strand behind her ear.  

"Nice to meet you, I'm Innessa Laskin," Innessa shook her hand, and the girl beamed at her. She had a pretty smile. "I'm Scarlett Walsh." They shook hands, her phone rang, and she walked away after waving at Innessa, who stepped inside her room. Placing her shoes aside, she ambled inside barefoot.  

She shuffled out her best dress for the first day tomorrow. Setting her shoes, clothes, and books on the side, she went to sleep all happy and excited.  

Unfortunately, the excitement lasted a week because damn, the classes were draining her.  

By the second week, she had developed a routine and gotten used to her new life.  

Everyone made friends with the people they shared a dorm with.  

It was not like she didn't know how to make friends. It was just that she felt nervous about it, and Innessa was way too aware of their social differences. Every single person in the Grand Elite Academy belonged to a top-notch family. They were all the heirs of filthy rich families.  

Her mother bought the most expensive clothes for her from the market back in her town, but they looked dull in front of the lavish clothes these people wear. Though she didn't mind it, she loved to be around fashionable people. It was just that she felt out of place, but then again, she had earned it. So, she shouldn't have to feel like that.  

She smiled, staring down at her watch. She'll head straight to the church tomorrow. Just like last Friday. She should buy some chocolates to give to the kids there.  

"Innessa! Wait," She paused, noticing Henry jogging over to her.  

She instantly straightened her posture and faced him.  

Henry was in the same department as her, though he was two years her senior. She met him in the library. He was the one who approached her and politely asked for the book she was reading. That was the only book, so she gave it to him. Ever since then, she bumped into him often.  

"Are you heading to the dorms? I'll walk you," He offered.  

"No, I... I'm stopping by the store on my way back," she said and began to walk away. Innessa didn't know why, but she always got this uneasy feeling when he was around. 

He followed right behind her. "You're the scholarship kid, right?" He asked out of the blue, and she nodded.  

"You're from a small town in Russia. You got the golden scholarship. You live alone in your dorm room. No friends in the academy. Your sister lives in Bradford with her husband," Henry mused.  

Innessa stiffened as she gaped at him, dumbfounded, holding the bag close to her side as her shoulders shrank with building fear. She never told him any of these.  

"Mind if we have some coffee together?" he asked as she shook her head, stepping back. He was terrifying her.  

"H... How did you know all this?" 

"I have my way. I've been trying to talk to you for some time now, but you always walk away as if I'd kill you. Come on, let's go have some coffee," he said, grabbing her hand as she jerked her hand out of his hold, glaring at him.  

"I don't want to. Stop stalking me," She gritted despite the fear cocooning her.  

Glaring at him, she dashed out of there, thankfully there were students around her, so he didn't come after her, but he looked pissed.  

Innessa was disturbed by what happened, but she didn't share it with her parents because she knew they'd worry about her nonstop. She hoped that Henry wouldn't bother her again because if he did, she'd complain about him to the authorities.