Chapter 1:

Four Years Later

It was a beautiful spring outside; birds were singing; flowers were blooming; dews bejeweled the marshland; and the sun rose among the alpine mountains.

The arrays of light gradually crawled the earth, as the wind of spring blew into the windows of every drowsy all-nighter. It was so silent and calm, filled with serene comfort.

Everything was blue, including the skies. This is the hour of a moment of silence.

HONK!!!

"Danielle!!! Danica!!! Get down here right now! We're going to be late for school! So, move your bums or I'm leaving without you two! Danielle!?"

"(Yawns loudly) I'mmm aliveee!"

"Hey! Get out of your beds and prepare yourselves for school. Look at me. I'm so busy right now going to and forth packing our meals, and I'd still need to prepare my lesson plans. It's already six o'clock, Danielle! And we are getting late again! So stop goofing around and help me down here!"

"(Yawns again) Coming!"

Yup, you heard it right. I'm Miss Danielle She. The first daughter of the "She" family, the third child and the big sister of Danica She.

It is my daily routine to stretch my every limb before getting out of bed and kneel for a short prayer as a kick start first thing in the morning. It was not so divinely consecrated, but my prayer goes like this:

Dear God, thank you for giving me another life to spend. Please bless my day by giving me the means to win over my sister again. Give me the utmost strength and patience not to shave her head because of her uncontrollable arrogance and my extreme jealousy. And I am earnestly praying that, hopefully throughout the day, we won't get into a fight again. Amen.

I don't know if the heavens have agreed to my temperance prayer, but umm... this happens every morning.

"Hey! Wake up!"

I patted my snoozing sister by the arms as I shook her shoulders to wake up. However, with all the efforts and patience that I endured, she just annoyingly grunted in irritation and brushed me off.

"(Scoffs) Playing hard to get, huh?" I grumbled.

To my irritation, I spew a short whistle and shortly after, my best buddy, the furry four-footed hotdog, entered our room, hopped on our bed, and attacked my sleeping beauty sister with a mouthful of licks all over her drowsy face.

Seeing her horrible fate, I quickly got out of bed to prepare for the loud morning blast.

"POOOPPYYY!!!" Danica screamed in frustration as my best buddy scram towards me. "Ugh! Gross! "

"Good morning, Princess." I greeted her with an evil smile and left hastily to avoid.

"UGH!!! MOM!!! "Sister let Poppy into our room! " She cried.

The furry Corgi's name is Poppy, a.k.a. "Hup-Hup". And she's my best buddy around the house. She was my best gift from my cousin from abroad. And well, my sister doesn't hate her much, but she's a bit more of a cat person. And her feline friend is Jiji.

I went downstairs to help Mom prepare for our meal. And as I was roving about to fetch our plates, spoons, and forks, I happened to glance at the wall and saw our last family picture taken before my two older siblings were sent to a boarding school.

They were Reacher and Ross. So basically, our brothers left together to attend their tertiary education at a prestigious university. And Danica and I were left under the care of Mom and Dad to finish our secondary education at Mom's employer academy.

I really want to come over with my brothers to get away with Danica. But I think it would be fine for now, because this year will be the last year that I'm being stuck with her. And next school year, I'll be on my way to transferring to a bigger university, and I swear that I'll enter a school where she'll never be able to follow me ever again.

"Hey, buttercup! Join me exercise first." Dad invited me to do our daily work-out.

"No exercise today, Donnie. It's getting late, and it's Monday. I won't tolerate any tardiness on the first day of the week. Our attendance is a must, and if I cannot arrive on-time for the flag ceremony, I'll be deducted for the appropriated penalty." Mom interpolated.

"Nah, it will be a quick warm-up, honey. It's for her own good. Now, Danielle, come on." Dad insisted.

"Hey, can't you understand?" Mom exclaimed.

"Don't you worry. I promise it'll be a quick stomp." He assured as he continue his push-ups.

Thus, to eschew further argument, I quickly left the utensils on the table and immediately went towards Dad to comply what he instructs. So, I laid down on a yoga mat and performed my stretches with Poppy beside me.

It sure was a hassle, but I was glad by the improvements that it caused to my body. Couple of minutes after, Dad rushed me to have my meal with Mom and Danica. Then brushed my teeth and took a bath right after doing so.

This is the daily routine of my life.

HONK!!! HONK!!!

"Girls! Get in the car." Mom called us.

Danica scoot in first, while I struggled to hop all of our things inside the trunk. It took a while for me to finish the task and break a sweat from doing it. I was so annoyed by the unfair treatment that I wanted to freak out. But as a responsible big sister, I murmured to myself instead.

(Grunts) Can't Danica help me with these things so we can go faster than we used to be?

HONK!!!

"Danielle, hurry!" Mom cried.

"(Sighs in disbelief) Coming!"

I hurried my way to the car and sat beside Danica. The engine started and I put on my seat belt for my own safety. I wanted to remind Danica about it, but she's just way too busy with her make-up to be bothered. And so, I let her be.

Unexpectedly, Mom hit the brakes and Danica slipped her hands and scribbled the lip tint all the way to her ears. She turned ridiculously awful that I didn't stop myself to throw a chuckle. This offended her and she groaned at me with a serious glare.

HONK!!!

"Hey! Watch where you're going, asshole!" Mom cussed at the careless driver who cut by.

"Mom! How do I look? " Danica cried.

"Not now, honey. Can't you see I'm driving here? Go ask your sister." Mom threw the concern at me.

Undoubtedly, Danica turned towards me and to my annoyance I said:

"What? Want me to say that you're a clown now? " I ridiculed her.

Having said that remark, she scorned at me and veered towards the window. I was angry for having been disrespected, but somehow, I think I felt more satisfied.

HA! You got your express Karma B*tch!

Not long after, we finally arrived at the academy. Mom pulled over by the guard house to sign-in for today's attendance and parked by the open lawn. When we got there, there are already so many students awaiting the ceremony. And all the teachers are busy organizing their students to make a straight line. Seeing this, we hurried over to our designated places as a drill.

Shortly, the ceremony begin and it started with the national anthem, followed by the Academy hymn, then by the pledge, and ended right after a couple of announcements. After that, the students began to sprint towards their classrooms and waited for their course facilitators to arrive. There were bickering, gossiping, and playing like it was Thursday Market.

"Oi! Danielle!" a slender gal called to me gesturing to come over by the seat.

"Maya! Good morning! " I returned the greeting.

Maya was my best friend in school. She was my informant and the best information broker within the four walls of the campus. I am not the type to eavesdrop on gossip, but my dear friend is always the news bummer. I always get the updates from her and most of them appear to be valid. In fact, she proved it all the time. And, this time, I bet she had great news for me again.

I sat down in my seat next to her and whispered: "You got me anything?"

"Haven't you heard?" she whispered back.

"What?"

"Shhh!"

She cut me off and motioned for me to look over at the group of girls gossiping next to us. They were bothered about something very contentious, and I was tempted to listen into their conversation. It was so serious that my hearing senses suddenly turned out to be extremely sensitive that I almost heard everything they said.

"Hey, Chris. Haven't you heard? Arren took a slot for tomorrow's Valentine's Serenade Booth. Eek!!!" she announced as she and her group squealed in excitement.

"Really!? Is that for real? Because that's never so like him. And this will be the first time ever, right?" Chris joyfully cried and the gossip girl nods in agreement.

"Eek!!! Oh, tell me more about it!" Chris insisted.

"(Clears throat) Ok, here we go. Actually, everyone was told to keep this as a secret. But I am going to tell you all about it that you will be so shocked that it will cause your death if you hear this horrible news." Gossip girl whispered.

"(Scoffs) Don't be so overdramatic. Why? Does he plan to make up with his celebrity star ex-girlfriend?" Chris cut the chase.

"No." The gossip girl denied.

"Oh, ok. Then was it the little Danica She again?" Chris tried to guess.

"Kinda... but no."

"Then who is it!?!" Chris lose her temper.

"Shh!!! I will tell you, but promise me that you won't freak out."

"Nothing surprises me, Ivy." Chris replied.

"Then promise me, ok?"

"(Scoffs) go on!" Chris pressed her.

"(Exhales sharply) Ok, You're all ready for this, right?" Ivy asked her girl-friends as they patiently nodded and continued:

"The lucky girl in school is..." Ivy stalled.

"Oh come on! Just get on with it already!" Chris burst out.

"It's Danielle She."

"DANIELLE SHE!!!???!!!" everyone yelled in chorus.

I coughed from surprise.

"WHAAT!?"" Chris reacted.

"SHHH!!!"

The girls went on with their gossip while I could not stop coughing from the shock of hearing the appalling news. I wanted to believe it, but it was just not so possible.

"You heard that?" Maya asked happily, with a distinct squeal.

"(Coughs) Un-Imaginable!" I repudiated her hopes.

"Really? You can just say it's impossible. But, Un-Imaginable, you're making yourself a monster. But, come on! Don't you think that's something we should be celebrating? Hello? Arren is the Most-Popular-Perfect-Guy in school, gal. And-and..."

"Stop. It's just a rumor, Maya. You never know. They were just making up those stories to fool us. A guy like that would never fall for some nobody like me, who knows nothing but books and sleep. So, cut the crap and get back to reality, ok?" I refuted.

"Ok. Well, you're going to be somebody if you have him." She added.

"Maya!" I rebuked.

"Ok, ok. I'm just saying that maybe... you know..."

Outrageous as it seem, yet how I wish it were true. Arren, the Most-Popular-Handsome-Guy in school, the top student in the class, President of the Supreme Student Council, team leader of the soccer league, and the only heir of the academy holder? I'll be completely on the bleachers.

And even if I wanted to, theoretically speaking, there's no way that I'd be on the league of such a perfect guy. Long skirts, knee socks, and boots? I'm a prehistoric damsel in the eighteen hundredths.

But, what if he really has taken a liking to me? Plus, if I take advantage of this opportunity, I'm pretty sure that I'll succeed Danica in no time. Well I guess, it won't hurt to see it for myself. After all, I was part of the student council and we have been associates for four years. So maybe Maya was right.

Yes, that's it. I'll confirm it directly from him.

-----The academy bell rings-----

Morning classes concluded as everyone raced to the canteen to fight for their ration. I bid my farewell to Maya and went to Mom's classroom to have my lunch. When I got there, Danica and Mom were already eating their lunch boxes, while mine was left on a corner. I took off my backpack and joined them.

"So Danica, how's school?" Mom asked.

"Totally great! And you know what, Mom.."

"What?"

"When I went to my locker this morning, I found plenty of Valentine cards piled on my locker." Danica boasted.

"Nah, that always happen every Valentine's Day, darling. It's not a surprise, but I'm so proud to have a beautiful daughter like you. You know, I was just like you when I was younger. Boys fawn over us, but we're too busy studying (laughs). So, no boyfriend for Danica up to this time, ok?" Mom warned Danica.

"You can count on me." Danica replied.

"So, how about you Danielle, how's your school?"

"Same as usual," I replied.

"Ok, good. I've heard you'll have a meeting this afternoon. Was it in the council?" Mom inquired.

"Yah, it is."

"So are we going to wait for you after that? Or should you prefer to come with your father later?"

"Yah, you can (sighs) go home first, and I'll just hitch by Dad in his office later." I desolately respond.

"Ok, that is then. Don't worry, I'll call him for you. "

I don't know if she was attentive to what I'm feeling right now, but it stinks that she never realized it. Break time is over and the afternoon classes commenced. Nothing changed, and the classes continued and ended as usual.

The afternoon was about to finish, and the bell rang for dismissal. Students ran off towards their respective duties and I proceeded to the supreme student council office. It was not long before President Arren arrived and the meeting started.

OK, here we go. Step one: If he'll lock eyes with me that means he's mine.

The meeting goes about reviewing the preparations for tomorrow's event, the Valentine's Day. We tackled the status of the activities, the booths, and the committees that we agreed upon last week. Everyone was so excited about it, yet all I heard from him were the advantages that we could gain from it.

As a matter of fact, to him it was all about generating the councils' revenue. I was hoping for a turn of events, but all throughout the discussion he never looked at me, not even once.

Step two: If he knows my name, then he likes me.

"Miss Mary, are there any concerns with regards to the materials that we need for the booths tomorrow?" he asked our secretary-in-charge.

"Well, so far, we have bought and completed the things we needed. Except for certain items such as tents, tables, and chairs..."

"Those things are already out of concern, Miss Mary. And for everyone's knowledge, the supply officer has already approved it for us since last week. Hence, I will entrust this responsibility to the Committee on Venue immediately after today. Councilor David Pitt and Amanda Patterson, I believe you two were given this responsibility. Can I count you on that?"

"This is duly noted, Mr. President." They replied.

He continued, "Anything else, Ms. Mary?"

"Well, other than the Valentine cupcakes and tarts, I believe the heart balloons weren't procured yet from the store." Miss Mary added.

"Very well then, the Committee on Food and Beverages will have it complied." Make it done by tomorrow, Ms. June and Pasha.

"Yes, Mr. President. Expect it by tomorrow." Pasha took the initiative to reply.

"And about the heart balloons... Was it already compensated, Ms. Mary? " He paused for a question.

Now that's my queue.

"In line with that, Mr. President, yes, we have already paid the bills." And I have all the receipts right here with me." I interjected.

"Good. May I have the receipt please, Ms. Danica? Er- I'm sorry, what's your name again?" He entertained.

WHAT!?! After all these years we have been associates yet you never knew my name!?! And why, of all people, has it had to be Danica!? Are you kidding me?

"It's Danielle She, Mr. President." I tried to calmly reply as I handed over the receipts.

"So it is then, Madam Business Manager. Your efforts are deeply appreciated." he thanked.

MADAM!?!

"Now, any concerns before we adjourn our agenda, everyone?" he continued.

(Exhales furiously) Last card: If he spares me any responsibilities today, then that means he cares.

"Mr. President, Sir, we truly want to fulfill the things by tomorrow morning, but I guess we'll be short of time if we even have to drop by the store to procure the heart balloons." Pasha raised the concern.

"Ok then, we'll have it done by Madam Business Manager. Ma'am?" He threw the concern at me.

SERIOUSLY!?!

"(Exhales sharply) I'll be delighted to help, Mr. President, Sir." I replied, trying to put on a fake smile.

"Alright, last call everyone? Anyone? No more? Then our meeting is adjourned. We are dismissed." He finally concluded and stamp the gavel.

BLAST THAT CRETIN!

I was hoping for a sign, not rejection. Ugh! I knew I never should have let my hopes get too high. It was a bummer, and I felt so embarrassed! (Sighs) I was an idiot.

I left the office disappointedly and went directly to the same store where the heart balloons were bought. The store manager immediately recognized my face and handed me over the balloons that were ordered last week. I was happy to swing by her place, but the feeling of rejection still bothers me. I did not hang out for too long, but I was glad to hear from her.

After that, I went to my father's office to hitch a ride on his motorcycle back home. And shortly after, we arrive. When I got inside, Mom and Danica were preparing for our dinner. So, I went straight to our room to change clothes. And by the time I went down, Dad called and said:

"Danielle! Danica! Do your daily self-defense work-out, now! " Dad demanded.

We quietly made our way to our personal gym and took turns assisting ourselves. We do sit-ups, push-ups, planks, and light weightlifting. Right after the warm-ups were completed, we went to the dummy bags to perform basic kicks and punches.

Basically, Danica had to execute it first, and then I had to take a turn right afterward. Now that it's my turn, Danica replaced me as her sub and went behind the punching sack to counter the force behind.

I punched and kicked with all my heart into it. But, Danica, who can't seem to read the mood, started to chat about herself.

"You know what, I was troubled about how to respond to my suitors again. There're just so many on the line. Maybe I should be absent tomorrow. Hey, do you think I should?" She asked.

"You're--- (jabs) Question--- (jabs) Is--- (jabs) Irrelevant (jabs)," I tried to answer while I tried to land a punch.

"And why is that irrelevant?" she followed up.

"Because--- (jabs) (exhales deeply) your education doesn't have to do with your teenage romance. And if you miss a class, surely that'll affect your grades, but your love interests won't. In fact, they just keep on adding every single day. And besides, you have already gotten used to it. I bet you can manage every boy to bust them out of your life." I explained.

Well, I guess you have a point, but that doesn't answer my question, sister."

"(sighs) Then do whatever you want. What's the use of asking me anyway?" I shoved the argument and continued jabbing.

"That's because you never know what it's like to have so many admirers. And yah, I remember, isn't this the fourth year in the academy that you have never had someone fall for you? Oh, unless the rumors about the President weren't a joke. Yet, too bad those things only happen in a dream, don't they? After all, nothing is a fairytale, right sister? But I heard the surname was exactly "She", as in our family surname "She". Well, isn't that good news? I bet it was definitely me." She bet.

"Oh, don't be so sure, Danica. There are so many girls in the school with the same surname. Hiya!" I countered her as I carried on with my front kicks.

"Oh, really? Because there'll be only two options, sister. It's either me or it would be my prehistoric nerd sister."

Ok, that's it. You crossed the line Danica.

To my anger, I kicked the sack so hard that it sent her flying off from her stance. She fell on the floor and glared at me furiously.

I wanted to feel sorry for her, but she just deserved it. I waited for her reaction as she checked on her cheeks, which were hit by the dummy bag and prepared for a potential spar. But to my dismay, her furious face suddenly turned watery.

"Mooom! Danielle broke my beautiful face! AAAHHH!!!