Chapter 17: First Day

Though the inside was pure luxury, the path towards the school was not. The bumpy, wet road was full of mud and because I was already prepped up in a school uniform, I couldn't get my damn shoes dirty by getting outside.

The coachman was nice and understanding. However, he couldn't dare disobey his master. So I had to use a well practiced tactic on him, teary puppy dog pout, which made him uneasy.

"Very well," the coachman gave into my demands, "how about I carry you on my shoulder and you may sit beside me...?"

"Will you teach me to ride a horse?" I asked, excited.

"No, but... well..." he hesitated, "you know what they say... um... oh yeah! You must see things before handling them."

"Okay." I agreed. After all, anything was better than being bounced up and down inside an enclosed space.

I hopped onto his back and we rode quite a way. Upon reaching a dense forest, just before nightfall, he somehow managed to convince me to get inside the carriage.

It was dark inside and out, but the warmth within all those fluffy pillows and soft seats, made the night fly by quickly. It was the most costly carriage in the kingdom and yet, Charles casually booked it just for me!

I felt sorry for the coachman, so I gave him a woollen shawl I had packed in advance. He seemed touched by this simple clothing and thanked me.

...

Finally, just as the sun was shining up above us, by noon we reached the school gates. I jumped out at the first sight of freedom.

Though he seemed a bit surprised, the coachman smiled at me and asked, "My lady, we have arrived at the gates of the renowned Magic Training School. What are your next orders?"

Slightly startled by his sudden formality, I answered, "Hmm... well, the school doesn't seem to have ended for the day yet... so I'll stay here. Would you mind and take the luggages to the dorm?"

"Very well, as you wish. Have a splendid first day." He bowed politely and was about to leave when I called him back.

"Wa-wait!" I called out, "What's your name? You never told me."

"Oh, well..." he nervously chuckled and answered, "My name is Richard Roule."

"Hmm...?" I noticed something odd, "But don't you have mana? Why not a middle name?"

"It is a very long story, young miss and right now, it seems presumptuous of me to waste your time like this." Richard dodged my question.

I smiled gently and told him that it was okay to tell me whenever and I thanked him for the wonderful carriage ride.

Then I ran towards the school building, hearing the bell, finally waving a goodbye to him and watching the silhouette of the man and his carriage disappear.

"I guess I won't see him again." I thought, merrily skipping and strolling into the giant building that resembled an entire castle.

The more slowly I walked, the more I absorbed the beauty of this school. The outside was no doubt gorgeous, but the insides were simply too wicked to explain!

The walls were stretched high and the roof was shaped like a triangular dome... once or twice, I saw students inside these long tubes swooshing away at high speed from one end to another. They just popped up and then disappeared. The roof above was decorated with sparkles and mana infused butterflies fluttered their wings slowly making their way all over, but never going inside the pipes, despite having the ability to do so.

The floor was pastel in color and the they were made of marble tiles. However, some parts, if one looks carefully, were made of translucent glass. Right below was water and many fish like creatures swam underneath.

"Whoa~" I exclaimed, amazed by these new and unique structures.

I had the entire hallway to myself. Nobody was around, so I assumed that class had already started.

"I'm a transfer student, so taking my time won't really matter much." I thought to myself, gaping pop-eyed at every tiny detail my eyes noticed.

"Life here won't be boring!" I blurted out loud.

"It certainly won't be once you get to class, young lady!" a voice shouted angrily from behind me.

Startled, I turned around and saw this 40 something aged woman with deep brown eyes and an intense stare, behind me. She held a wooden ruler on one hand and eyed me curiously from head to toe.

"What is this!" She furiously exclaimed as I stood still, not knowing what to do, while she marched towards me.

"How did you get this? Explain!" She demanded, taking out a leaf that seemed to have fallen on top of my head.

"It is a leaf. But I have no idea how it got on me." I replied honestly.

"Who are you?" she asked, her face clearly showing doubt.

"I'm the new transfer student of Class 1, My name is-" but even before I could introduce myself, her finger hushed me.

"I know now. No need to say anything!" her face seemed disgusted all of a sudden while she turned around with a huge frown and said, "Follow me."

She strolled through the long, endless hallway, really fast. I had to walk fast to catch up to her. Then she stopped and barely glanced at me, saying, "No running in the hall."

"Yes, of course." I replied, nervous and disappointed.

"If this is what every teacher is like," I convinced myself in my head, "then I'm running away."

"Please remember to keep your voice to yourself until you have mastered the mental lock spell, for every corridor and hallway in this school has magic infused in them." she calmly stated, as if she could hear my thoughts.

"Eh?" I flinched, "There's no way..."

"Yes, I can hear your thoughts loud and clear. Now go to the second right and Class 1 will be the door that has a green colored door." She pointed straight, expressionless.

"Yeah..." I walked away, creeped out.

"Hmph." she exclaimed and went away.

...

"Go on! Get out!!" the history teacher yelled.

Outside, in the hallway, he put a magic inside my collar/neck item (the one mandatory for students to wear) and all of a sudden, I was I was lifted up in the air and then spun around 180 degrees.

"Wah!" I pushed my hand towards my skirt, "What are you doing!"

"This is punishment. Girl or boy, you dare to look down upon your teacher! No excuses for such a student!!" He stated out loud and left to teach his class.

"Thank goodness for these leggings!" I thought to myself, "They come in handy... but this is... utterly humiliating!"

My eyes flared with revenge. I felt myself helpless here. Even more so, this collar was restraining my mana from any raw work. Only spells enchanted are allowed here.

"If only I hadn't these gold coloured contacts, then these people would worship me!" I thought hard, but unfortunately, once put on the contacts were bound to me. So they wouldn't come off.

"That trickster!" I mumbled, furiously.

My golden eyes were standing out more and more. I was barely six years old and most of the other kids were at least 4-5 years older than me. Our class wasn't over yet, but many of the other classes were. So I was a spectacular sight to behold, floating upside-dowm while wearing a skirt.

Apparently, it wasn't too difficult for me to know that in this school, very few students got punished. The teachers who were harsher to students made them fear and those who didn't obey or broke the rules got severe punishments.

So I was an example of the worst kid in the class... nothing new.

"He punishes me just for knowing history in more depth than himself..." I mumbled, "what a loser."

A while later, after history lesson was finished, the teacher landed me properly on the ground and told me to wait inside because I had earned myself some detention.

He closed the door of the classroom and locked it. He went to the teacher's desk and sat me opposite to himself.

"You may be new. You may be smart, but always remember you are here to learn." He stated, his face still a frown.

"What did I do wrong?" I asked, confused.

He sighed and he pointed his finger towards my right arm. In a matter of seconds, electricity surged and my hand felt numb all over.

"Ah!" I shouted, "Haaa...!"

It was an unbearable torture that lasted for an entire minute.

"This." He exclaimed, his voice calm, "You forgot to raise your hand before you speak. Young lady, this is a school for elites and rich families. So you must act accordingly. Nobles and those geniuses from the common folk all gather here. However! They all know their place. So why shouldn't you?"

I didn't say anything. This f**king guy was simply too much!

_______

___

I had to stay in that classroom until my detention was over. For half the day, I did nothing. I was fatigue from journey and yet, here I was, receiving punishment on my first class.

When I left, the school was dark all over and dimly lit street lamps barely covered the way. Since I didn't have a carriage to take me to the dorm anymore, I had to walk there all the way.

After getting lost a couple times, I finally found the Dorm-A building (for girls). The dorm was two main streets away (three blocks away) and right beside the forest, fairly enough distance for walking to and fro. I didn't hate it.

"And you are?" a blonde fashionable looking girl stopped me from entering the dorm, popping out of the blue.

"Ah, um... I'm the new transfer student, I just arrived today." I replied with a nervous smile.

"Hmm..." she intently stared at me, and plastered a smirk, "Average."

For some reason, with just that one word, this little barbie doll ticked me off. I don't know what it means... but when she says it, I'm infuriated!

"Hmm..." I recoiled her own words right back at her, with a dazzling smile, while staring back, "You too! Great minds think alike, don't they!"

"Urgh!" she growled and stomped her feet and left.

"What a bother!" I mumbled and went directly inside, "The first day and I'm already making enemies... oh, Lord, oh, Lord... what will happen next?" I sighed, looking for my name amongst the tags of attendees.

"..."

"Are you the new girl?" a loud voice startled me from behind.

I flinched, wide eyed, to look at the person standing behind me.

"People here sure have weird customs," I thought to myself while looking at the mesmerizing cute girl behind me, "They love to sneak up on people from behind. Gotta be careful not to attack."

She was pretty and the cute type. A cheerful blonde with Emerald green eyes and a small mouth, but wide smile. The absolutely annoying thing about her seemed to be her curiosity.

"Ye-yeah, that's me!" I said without thinking.

"You don't seem to have manners at all, but that's fine! I don't care about all those boring details..." she casually remarked.

"... correction. The absolutely annoying things about her are her harmless remarks and that curiosity!" I told myself.

"Well, no need to be so silent!" she patted my back so hard that it ached more and more with each stroke.

"Well," I casually slipped past her whip-like hands and went ahead, "I'm looking for my room."

"Come on!" she grabbed hold of my hand, tight as a knit and pulled me along.

"Wait a minute!!" but before I finished my sentence, I was already in front of the room 'M: 709,' gasping for breath.

"Nice to meet ya, roomie!" she shook my hand and thrashed open the door with an even bigger smile.

"Haha..." I nervously smiled, "Thanks?"

I went into the dorm room. It was more spacious than I thought. Two of the beds had been occupied, so I got the one on the right side of the room. The room was spacious enough for three beds and enough space extra for three people to share it.

"The bathroom is on the left. That one." a girl at the left, who had been reading a book, pointed, "That's why I took this side. Anyway, the storage room is at the right, on your side of the space. Anything unnecessary or excessive is to be put there."

She seemed the quiet type of girl who didn't like to be disturbed and wasn't afraid to show dissatisfaction in front of an audience.

"That's Lucy." the one who dragged me here exclaimed cheerfully, "And I'm Analise!"

"O-oh," I was a bit late in my introduction, overwhelmed by Analise's positivity, "I'm Gloria, nice to meet the both of you."

"Hmm... so you're that tiny transfer? The one who was previously-" Analise was stopped short by a loud thud.

"Don't poke your nose too far. You'll upset her." Lucy calmly said this despite her fury almost leaking out.

"Ah, yeah, 'course! Sorry..." Analise chuckled, nervously, probably feeling guilty.

"Well, whatever. I don't mind as long as you don't gossip behind my back. Otherwise you better prepare yourself for a beating!" I casually smiled at her, clenching my fists harder.

"Pfft!" Lucy laughed for the first time. Her usual frown was gone, "A-ana... Analise doesn't talk behind... your back... she is upfront about... ev-everything!!" Lucy burst into tears of joy and all three of us laughed together.

_______

___

It was already the second day and first class just happened to be that horrible magic history teacher's one...

"...and so, with this basic formula, our ancestors were able to conjure..." he continued on and on until my ears failed to understand his language at all.

"Mr. Ugler is such a bore..." Analise murmured.

"I agree. He has no intention of making this class fun at all." another girl added, yawning.

"This is way too much. I'm gonna leave." I stated in a whisper while the two girls looked at me pop-eyed.

I stood up from my chair and slid over to the front of the class.

"You need permission for all the things you are doing, young lady." Mr. Ugler stated, his eyebrows twitching in annoyance.

"Washroom." I just casually said.

I turned right, almost leaving the classroom perimeter, when he threw a chalk at me. I dodged, by all means.

"Young lady, sit down." he ordered, as politely as it may have sounded.

"I do not intend to pee in the classroom, professor. So if you don't mind..." I slid opened the door, after flicking my hand over my side-bangs, trying to show off my coolness.

Everyone looked at me. Some were delighted, while others were simply nervous.

"Sit down! That's an order!" Mr. Ugler proclaimed without hesitating.

"Surely you don't wish to shame a student of this prestigious school?" I questioned innocently, while my face had that famous imprinted that devilish smirk.

I had always been too self-conscious back when I was Grade, especially during my childhood years. So Vel had taught me a useful skill. He taught me to manipulate my face and to structure it perfectly even without a mirror in front of me.

So much so, that at the age of 14, I was able to get away with burglary, theft and pickpocketing just by the some art of changing expressions.

During those periods, Vel had been the above the law for me. He was my only saviour. After all, the oh-so-mighty law couldn't help me anyway. It never did. So, why would I dare to question that human sanctuary...?

"Mind your manners, you outsider!" He yelled by this point.

Then, out of the blue, he attacked me.

"Outsider...?" I thought, "The hell is he talking about?"

A sphere of fire was thrown at my direction, so I used my mana and created a reflection shield.

Taken aback, I had forgotten the crowd by the side and the fireball reflected towards them. The teacher, not even trying to save the students, threw a lightning support attack on me.

Now I had to stop two spells at once. Thankfully the window was open. So I casted a mix of air and earth spells to form a dust spell, which resembled a net that used to trap flies. The dust spell kept the attacks at bay, but it didn't have the ability to tackle the spells.

"Abolish!" I stated, commanding the dust net thingy to swallow the fireball and diminish it's flame.

At the same time, I created a counter-attack that defended the students against lightning based attack. The tables and chairs were made of a special wood called Sapa, which had the ability to suck away lightning and not be destroyed by it.

So I used wood magic.

Casting all these spells simultaneously tore me apart.

Mr. Ugler was furious! He was making these annoying crunching noises with his teeth that produced tremendous sound waves and almost destroyed our eardrums...

"Sound barrier!" A familiar voice behind me spoke.

I turned around to see that woman from yesterday and another older woman beside her. They both stood there, not saying anything else and after a while, class was dismissed.

We were led out and had P.E for the next three periods. It was annoying. The guys were outside, but thankfully I was a girl and so I was in the comfort of the gymnasium.

Somehow, by the time afternoon classes began right after break, all the students knew who I was and pointed or whispered pretty much anywhere I went.

"Am I imagining things again?" I thought to myself, "I mean, just because I was looked upon like some loner back on Earth, doesn't mean it's the same here... right?"

I sighed, while heading for the next class, tired and worried.

"No use worrying now," Analise patted on my back, really hard, "you were caught red-handed by Secretary Jo Lin and Miss Principal today! Sucks to be you." She grinned.

"Who?" I asked, curious.

"You don't know? Oh you poor soul!" Analise just seemed to enjoy my shortcomings.

She gave me a tight hug and then ran away.

"I'll tell you on the way home. Wait for me!" She shouted out loud.

"Wow," I thought, almost smiling like a fool, "What are the odds! Someone who's personality matches mine, as much as J!"

...

The end of the result was that everyone ended up serving some form of punishment. No one complained, except for that ungrateful blondie whom I so happened to meet, yesterday night. Her name was Semune and apparently, she just so happened to be the dorm head of Dorm-A, where I stayed.

As for that Mr. Ugler... well, he was fired for almost murdering his students during class.

Since all the girls and boys of M.T.S stayed in dorms, our punishment was homework. Mixing vile chemicals, to form an acidic jelly that resembled a slime monster. Since slimes were regarded as the most basic type monsters since ancient times, it was sort of an assignment.

As crazy as things went, Semune and I happened to be made a pair, for the group project. So we had to do it together. The boys did their experiments back at their dorms, while the girls planned to meet in Dorm-A and do most of their work here.

And what can I say? I was popular amongst the girls. They all complimented me often and I was left super embarrassed...!

Sadly, I was a girl in this life... wish I'd been a boy.

I had told Semune to take care of the heat radiation of the slime. However, while I was helping some of the classmates, Semune in her jealousy, ditched our project.

When I turned back to see how far our project had gotten, I saw a balloon-like slime, bubbling like boiling water... almost like it would 'pop' at any moment. I couldn't find that darn Semune anywhere, but it didn't matter for now. I rushed to Analise and some of her friends and together we evacuated all the other students and emptied the lab room.

Within a minute or so, a huge explosion burst out and flames spread all across the laboratory and I swear I saw them gushing out of the windows, as the glasses all shattered.

The entire dorm ran in panic mode and everyone was scared. Some girls were screaming for dear life at this point and I was startled, myself.

Analise and her friend Olivia were good in water magic and I asked some of the other girls to lend us their powers as well. However, we quickly realized that this wasn't enough. The flames were too unstable and rough.

So Olivia suggested we evacuated the entire dorm building before some innocent gets hurt. Within seconds, everyone agreed. Lucy who had witnessed it all, went straight to inform Miss Principal about this incident.

"What's going on!?" Secretary Jo Lin was the first to arrive.

Lucy and Miss Principal joined us a little later.

"You!" Secretary Jo Lin pointed at me, enraged.

"Now, now, Miss Lin, no need to accuse a bystander." Miss Principal suggested, "Why not stop the fire first? I worry about the students."

"..."

Although she gave me a deadly glare, Secretary Jo Lin simply brushed past me.

A magic circle appeared atop the building and poured some golden glitter downwards. The flames began to dim down and Secretary Jo Lin casted a brilliant water spell that forever silenced the burning fire.

There was mist in the air. So much so that it was impossible to see your feet if you looked down. Everything was white and foggy.

"Who is responsible for this?" Miss Principal asked.

"It was Semune!!!" most of the other children shouted.

"Hmm? If I remember properly, isn't Miss Gloria, her teammate?" Secretary Jo Lin pointed out the obvious fact.

I didn't answer her.

"I-I didn't do it!" I heard Semune's voice from somewhere.

The fog prevented my sight, else that wicked girl would have definitely received a beating!

__________

___

"I cannot agree that Miss Gloria receiving the same punishment as Miss Semune!" a teacher I didn't know, voiced out.

I was at the centre of all this chaos. Semune had already received her punishment and was declared guilty. She was expelled from the school for destroying school property and her dear daddy had to pay it all off.

"Same here!!!" three other teachers agreed.

"No, that girl is a danger to our school and she should be expelled! Furthermore, she has been causing mayhem everywhere she goes...!" Secretary Jo Lin declared here straight in front of the principal.

"I apologize for my careless actions, Miss Principal." I bowed politely in front of her, "I should not have left Semune on her own like that and helped the others. I am sorry."

"Sorry?!" Secretary Jo Lin shouted out, "Will that take care of anything at all!!? The damaged property or the fact that an entire dormitory of students almost lost their lives??"

Miss Principal held up her hand and the Secretary stopped yammering.

"Indeed, what should I do?" she leg out a sigh of deep regret.

The Principal then told me to leave and wait for a while in the detention room right beside her office. I went there with Secretary Jo Lin and she locked the door and left me alone inside.

Some heated discussion was going on because I heard clamour for a couple of minutes and some arguments too. The wall was thick so unless someone shouted very loud, I couldn't hear anything.

There were not more than ten desks in the entire classroom and each desk was about 2-5 metres away from each other. There was no clock in the room and there wasn't air conditioning either. it was very hot, in fact.

"Hmm?" I thought for a while, "But air conditioning doesn't exist here. So how do they change the temperature of the rooms anyway? Strange..."

As I dawdled with more and more lazy thoughts, I began to fall asleep... with a few winks here and there, my eyes shut from exhaustion.

"Babies..." I yawned very heavily, barely able to think anymore, "sure need... a... lot of... re....rest..."

That was that. My brain failed to continue any further as I entered the threshold of a long-happy dream... So relaxing!