1 Chapter 1

"She got top marks again!"

"I know right! What on earth does she do?"

"Lucky! No matter how hard I try, I'm never able to beat her!"

"What can anyone say? She's Keira Wu, daughter of millionaire Charlie Wu!"

I don't say anything. I've been hearing these comments since forever, and I know it's all fake. They just want a rich friend, popularity, and fame. All these people are so shallow. They don't know what it's like to be me.

+++

"Keira Wu," the teacher, Mr Ling, calls. I nod and follow him. It's not the first time I've been called to the principal's office—the others were mostly congratulatory words that I didn't bother registering. I don't want anyone to tell me how good I am. I know it. I've heard it.

As I knock on the principal's office, my stomach twists itself into knots. What am I so afraid of? I've been here a thousand times. Well, except for the fact that this is the first time I'm facing a new principal. I guess that makes sense. "Come in!" a feminine voice says. I take a deep breath and go in. It's re-furnished, very different from the old office. Mrs Cho's office was filled with trophies and certificates, gifts from her students and teachers. This principal—Ms Li—didn't hang a single award up. She didn't place any ornaments on her table, and her shelves are just files. She gestures to the seat opposite me, and I notice that her fingers are long and slender. Her smile is bright and cheery, like Mrs Cho's. "Good morning, Keira. I'm Ms Li, the new principal. I've seen your work—it's incredible—and the achievements you've accomplished. It's brilliant, something not easily pulled off by just anyone," she says in a breath, her voice light. I nod slowly, unsure of where this is heading. "Keira, I know you're aware of your abilities. And this school has a number of opportunities for you. But you've surpassed that level. Therefore, I want to introduce to you another school which is specially for people like you."

Transfer schools?

"I've emailed your parents, but I'd like you to discuss it with them and also I thought I'd let you know in advance," Ms Li continues.

"Which school is it?" I ask finally, clearing my throat.

"NXT LVL. It's sort of a sister school. It's for gifted students," she explains, like it makes any difference.

"O-okay. Thank you, Ms Li," I say, standing up and bowing.

She smiles, but somehow all I see is a slash of white under layers of pink.

+++

"Keira!" my mum cries, hugging me. "I'm so glad!" I give her a tight smile. She's overjoyed I'm invited to NXT LVL, and so is my dad. "Of course we'll accept the offer! NXT LVL is better than the current school you're at, Keira," he says. I nod as if I'm excited too, but deep down inside, I'm crying. I don't want to. I don't want to stand out just because someone told me to. I don't want to sit with a bunch of kids who won't shut up about memorising the periodic table, or memorising the first hundred digits of pi. I don't want some cocky kid sitting next to me.

I don't want it at all.

But I bottle all that up, and smile like I'm supposed to.

Nod like I'm supposed to.

Agree to everything.

Like I'm supposed to.

+++

My parents say I'm transferring next week. Which gives me a week to say goodbye to my friends. I mean, I do have friends, it's just that 3/4 of them are shallow bitches. And the other 1/4 are just gossip girls. I say I'm leaving and they weep, they cry, they beg me not to go. But I know once I leave, they'll be gossiping about how mean I was to them, how I never did this…etc. Just shit they always say. And they'll look for their next target.

"Jessie, stop crying," I tell the mousy girl. "I-It's just…you're so nice, and pretty, and…" she stutters and I resist the urge to roll my eyes. "I'm not dying," I say.

+++

The week passes by and soon I'm standing outside NXT LVL. The school's actually quite big, with a total of five blocks and five levels each. As soon as I step into the school, a cheery girl with bright red hair tied up greets me. "Hey Keira! I'm Scarlett. I'll be your guide!" she chirps. She's wearing a white blouse with skinny jeans. I smile tightly. "I'm Keira," I say, though she already knows my name. Still, she smiles cheerily, and leads me to the Foyer. "This," she says, "Is the Great Foyer. Well, it's just the Foyer, but everybody hates it, you know? The teachers always say we can play here, but then there's a bunch of restrictions, so basically everybody hates the Foyer, and therefore the name Great Foyer," she explains, gesturing to a wide space of concrete with four green pillars at the sides. She turns to her left, where an office stands. "This is the General Office. You can go there to return lost wallets, phones, etc." She leads me further down to an open square, where the national flag and school flag are up on a pole. "This is the parade square, and there—" she points to the glass case beside the parade square, "—is the awards case." She turns to the right. "That's a row of classrooms which no one ever uses except for storing school bags. That's why you'll see students kissing there. And that's not even the worst part."

God, why do people need to be in a relationship?

Scarlett is chatty as she introduces me to the whole new world of NXT LVL. The school itself is big in size, as mentioned earlier, and the decorations within the schools are bare, if any. But the thing that catches my eye is the way every student dresses. They don't have a specific uniform, so as long as it's 'appropriate', it's acceptable. Apparently, some people—mostly girls—have a very, let's just say—interesting idea of 'appropriate' attire.

"Don't bother about those girls that dress like barbie dolls," Scarlett tells me as we pass by a blonde in a miniskirt for the hundredth time. "They're just shallow bitches." I know.

Once we finish the tour, Scarlett turns to me, eyes sparkling, red hair sticking to the sides of her head, beaming. "Welcome to NXT LVL!" she shrieks, hugging me. I smile genuinely, a smile I haven't been able to give since two years ago. I take a deep breath.

"Let's start over again, shall we? Hi, Scarlett. I'm Keira Wu. The girl you tormented until she went mental two years ago."