Nicole Jane’s POV
I only had forty minutes left before my first class starts. So, I quickly got inside my room. I hadn’t been able to take everything out of my suitcase because I didn’t have much time to put them 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, don’t 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 didn’t fully understand yet what they were for.But I just realized. If these two were really that important, then I shouldn’t wear them and just keep it 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. Honestly, another reason why I didn’t 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. It’s 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 rode above the knee. The coat was also black with a white long 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’m finally satisfied with how I looked, I took my bag and my schedule list, then went off.Actually, I could come late to class according to what Butler Lin told me earlier because I was new. But I didn’t want that.At the same time as I opened my door, so did the door on the room left side of mine. 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 wasn’t 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, I’m Mikan. 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 didn’t seem to bother her that I didn’t accept the gesture.I didn’t want to be rude. I just wasn’t the friendly type of person. That’s why I didn’t 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 know where your classroom is?” she asked smiling.I shook my head. I really didn’t 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. You’re 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 didn’t want to go with her, I knew my life would be easier if I did.“Okay.”Good thing I met one of my classmates. I didn’t intend to struggle just 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 that 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 from our dormitory was wearing a bracelet similar to the one given to me by Butler Lin.I didn’t pay it much attention. But when we passed the other dormitory, I noticed that all the students from there weren’t wearing any bracelets.I frowned. Do they choose the students who get to wear the bracelets?Another thing that amazed me was that there are 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 was wrong. Even the way they looked at me— it was so creepy. There was also something different with their eyes. It has some sort of hypnotic effect that I couldn’t understand.Another thing I didn’t understand was why they were only looking at me that way. Did they think I was so beautiful that they couldn’t stop staring?“How long have you been here?” I couldn’t help but ask Mikan.We continued walking until we entered a building. Where was our room?She glances at me. “Since freshman year,” she answered 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, you’re late,” our teacher said to Mikan.“Sorry, Sir. It won’t happen again.” She bowed before walking straight to the empty seat at the back.Did she just leave me hanging?Our teacher’s 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 couldn’t figure out.“Okay. Please come here in front and introduce yourself to the class first.” He motioned 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 can’t even see any kind of emotion in most of them. They just all had these blank expressions.“Okay.” Suddenly, our teacher approached me. “But where’s your bracelet, Miss Parker? Don’t 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 don’t forget to wear it next time. That is one of the most important things you should always have with you while you’re 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 classmates gazes followed me. The way they looked at me seemed that they wanted to eat me alive.They’re really weird and creepy!The classes that I had attended went well. I listened attentively in every discussion. I was also able to answer the recitations immediately. The subjects are not different here. It’s 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 to join 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.“Let’s 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 wasn’t in the mood to argue, so I just let 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. That’s why we immediately lined up to buy food.I bought pizza, spaghetti and coke in can. While Mikan bought pasta, 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 have 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. “What’s with those weird stares?” I asked when we sat down.She looks at me in disbelief. “You really don’t 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 didn’t mention anything else.“Don’t know what? Hello? Newbie here!” I irritably said to her.She looks at me seriously. “Listen carefully, okay?”I nod 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, don’t 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 raised.Respected? They think too much of themselves. I don’t care if they’re the son or daughter of the President or even of a King from a far away 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 didn’t think there was anything like them in real life.A prince and princess? We don’t have such in our country.Suddenly, her eyes sparkled.“Yeah! They’re so awesome! They’re so beautiful and handsome! They often get a perfect score in exams and quizzes. They also know how to use different kinds of instruments and even love sports.” She pouted.“It’s just that I’ve only seen the prince once because he doesn’t study here right now.”I winced. Even though I haven’t seen them yet, it felt like I never wanted to meet them already.She started eating while I didn’t say a word. I’m still trying to process in my brain all the new information I learned.What is this place I transfer into? Is this really a school?But she said something that caught my attention. “Why isn’t 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 don’t 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 didn’t care. So what if they heard what I said?I never thought she was ever 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 that was the same as mine. “Last question,” I said while she was murdering her pasta.“Spill it.”“What’s on with that bracelet?” I asked while pointing at it.Suddenly she stopped eating and looked at it. “They say that it’s for protection. I’ve been wearing it for five years now, so I’m used to it already.”“But don’t you find it weird? If the students here are required to wear that, why don’t most of us have that? The biggest question is protection for what?”She shrugged. “Honestly, that’s what I thought at first. But I didn’t 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 has to follow.”Her face suddenly became serious before her gaze dropped to my wrist. “Do you have this one too?” She’s now looking at my eyes directly.I met her gaze. “Yeah. And I don’t 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 hasn’t 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 has finally ended, I was the first one who stormed out of the room. I didn’t even manage to even look at Mikan.I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and now I’ve decided.This academy has lots of mysteries and secrets. And I will not allow myself not to find out about them.My first destination— the forest.I got here safely because there was no one else around. If they really forbid an entry here it should at least have a guard or at least 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 didn’t 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 passed. 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 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 didn’t pay attention to it. I slowly stood up and when I looked up I saw something...House? Oh. Scratch that. It’s more like a mansion!But wait. In the middle of the forest inside the academy? Seriously?I was even more confused. I didn’t 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 the 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 blows and someone spoke from behind me.“Who are you and how the hell did you enter here?”Nicole Jane’s POVI froze on the spot upon hearing his deep cold voice. My heart was pumping so loudly against my chest, and I couldn’t even make a single move.When I finally had the courage to take a step back, my eyes widened in horror when he suddenly showed up in front of me.Wait. How the hell did that happened? I didn’t even notice him pass me by!My mouth dropped open, and I couldn’t help but be stunned when I was able to observe him freely. He was so damn tall that will make you look up at him. He also had pale skin, red lips, pointed nose and a pair of brown eyes.Also, that messy hair of his doesn’t look bad at all because it suited him perfectly. His hands were both buried in his pockets, and he was wearing a plain white shirt with a black leather jacket hanging on his right shoulder. It was paired with a brown pants that he finished off with a black converse.I blinked when he smirked, revealing his deep dimples. It felt like I was going to pass out any moment from now.“
Nicole Jane’s POVI was startled when I heard a series of knocks on the door. I didn’t have any intention of bothering with it. But it seemed like whoever was disturbing me had no plans of stopping.“Wait a moment!”I lazily got up and rubbed my eyes. Once I stood, I immediately headed towards the door and opened it for whoever was on the other side.“What is—” I wasn’t able to finish my sentence because Mikan suddenly hugged me.“What the? Get away from me!” I quickly pushed her away, and luckily she let go immediately.“Geez, you push so hard! While you’re the one who just woke up and hasn’t even taken a shower yet.” She pouted, then went ahead inside on her own.My eyes widened as she went straight to my bed and lay down.I was about to pull her out when I glanced at the round clock hanging on the wall. I gasped as I noticed that it was already past seven thirty in the morning. Our time is at eight o‘clock!I quickly grabbed my things and went into the bathroom. I can’t believe I t
Nicole Jane’s POV“Are you really sure you’re okay? I’m sorry earlier for not being able to help you.”Mikan kept on talking beside me with her head bowed down. Since our class ended, she didn’t stop talking even though I wasn’t paying any attention to her.I don’t have any ill feelings towards her. Honestly, it’s better that she didn’t do anything earlier.The thing is, she’s too kind. I’m just not used to someone talking to me and being concerned like this. It feels weird.“I’m really fine. Besides, I’m not expecting any help because I don’t even need it.” I crossed my arms. She looked up at me this time.“One more thing is that, I can handle those girls by myself. If Kyle didn’t show up, they would’ve surely regretted it,” I determinedly replied.I continued walking, and suddenly she screamed beside me. Other students around us turned to our direction.I turned to her with a puzzled expression. Did I say something wrong?“Do you know how adorable the two of you were earlier? Especi
Miley’s POVI couldn’t help but smile as we walked down the hallway towards Nics’ room. Thankfully, we managed to convince my brother to agree to what Reiri and I wanted. I thought it would be difficult to persuade him, but it seems he can be swayed by a little bit of drama.“I don’t really understand my brother. It seems that he doesn’t really like Nics at all,” Rei said, confused.She looked up, seemingly lost in deep thought. Vince was the one who strongly opposed when we asked for permission earlier.I shrugged. “Me too. But we both know that Vince and Kyle are both aloof.”Honestly, I’m also puzzled as to why Vince suddenly gets annoyed whenever we mention or talk about Nics in front of them.But before heading straight to Nics’ room, we stopped by the main office of the academy to get a duplicate key to her room.Yes, we took it without asking. They can’t do anything about it anyway. We’re sure she’ll ask again how we managed to open her door. She might start suspecting us, and
Nicole Jane’s POV“Whose car are we going to use? Yours or mine?”We don’t have class in our last two subjects for today. That’s why I decided to go into town to buy some supplies and other personal needs as well.Aside from weekends, we can also go out of the academy on weekdays. We just need to make sure to return before seven in the evening.Truth be told, for a boarding school, the rules here were not that strict.Now I wonder why.The reason I thought of bringing Mikan along is that I’m not yet familiar with the places nearby and even the way itself. Imagine the shock on her face when I informed her about it.I was about to answer her question when suddenly, she speaks again.“Let’s use mine. I’m going to be your tour guide for today!” she said excitedly.I just shook my head and continued to walk until we reach the parking lot.“Maybe you can tour me next time. We also need to return quickly.” Her face showed resistance, but she nodded in agreement.Almost all the students here
Nicole Jane’s POV“I still couldn’t believe of what happened. It seemed like some kind of kidnapping case,” Mikan said out of the blue.None of the three of us commented on what she said because we were all deep in thought.We are now on our way back to the academy. I looked outside the window, while Kyle’s resting his head on the car window on the other side. Kira’s focused on driving, and Mikan’s busy doing something on her phone.After the incident earlier, Kyle quickly pulled me out. When I turned around, I saw Mikan being pulled by Kira. I didn’t notice him earlier.These friends are really weird because they suddenly appear out of nowhere. They’re like Miley and Reiri.As we stepped out, they looked around as if searching for something. I did the same, even though I didn’t know what or who I was looking for. Until my attention focused on a man.He’s standing in front of a post far away from us and wearing a hoodie. I couldn’t see his face.But I’m sure he’s looking at us. Then I
Miley’s POVI am watching attentively while trying to maintain a heightened sense of awareness. We can come to the palace anytime we want. It’s just that they shouldn’t see us now or know what we’re doing. We might lose the opportunity to uncover the truth even more.But my concentration is being disrupted by the two noisy vampires beside me.“Could you guys please be quiet? Dad might hear and see us,” I softly scolded Reiri and Hiro.They’ve been arguing with each other since earlier. I don’t know what the problem is this time. But they’re just so irritating.They’re always like that, never agreeing with each other. They really should be separated.“We can just teleport, you know,” Hiro said, trying to lighten the mood. I gave him a disapproving look. Did he really think that would work with Dad? Especially since his teleportation ability can only cover short distances.“I forgot. Among the three of us, you’re the only one who can go to faraway places,” he said, but his attention is
Nicole Jane’s POVI have been half-walking, half-running for quite a while now. I’ve been searching for Mikan since earlier, but I still haven’t found her.She told me a while ago that she’ll just go to the library since she doesn’t have an appetite to eat. I told her that I’ll follow once I’m done with my food. But the moment I arrived at the library, I just found out that she’s not there anymore.To be honest, I don’t know why I’m looking for her now. In reality, I shouldn’t really care whether she attends the next class or not.I just shrugged. But where did that girl end up? This academy is so vast.One month has already passed since I first came here. I never imagined that I would stay here for long. It feels like there are only a few of us normal people here.I’m not saying that most of the people here were not normal or something. Don’t get me wrong. But most of the people here are just really weird. Even the teachers are like that. And they are extremely pale.They don’t even