MASKED QUEEN

Entering through bright yellow gates I gape at how yellow everything is. We walk into the school building through glass double doors and causally I look around.

Jay certainly wasn't kidding about the eccentricity of the school. I thought as someone bumps into me from behind.

Stumbling forward, I get a hold of myself before I could fall on my ass. "Hey!" I call after him, but he just keeps running without muttering an apology or even giving any hint of acknowledgement.

Grumbling, I didn't expect the double doors to suddenly bust open and for students to flood inside. They all ran, not caring as they jostled me about until I was pushed back enough for all of them to rush upstairs freely.

"What the hell is wrong with them!" I yell in disbelief, rubbing my arching arms while staring at their retreating backs with a perplexed frown.

"Beats me."

Jayden's reply caused me to turn and see him practically pressing his body to the opposite wall. "That was seriously crazy." He sighs and straightens up to flick off an invincible speck of dust from his uniform.

Cocking a hip, I cross my arms over my chest. "Thanks for the help brother," I say sarcastically and he nods with a distracted frown.

"You're welcome."

"Why the hell are they rushing like that?"

"Who knows, it's like I told you the school is full of eccentricities." Clasping my hand in his, he turns to me with a smile. "Come on, let's get you registered."

Still confused, I follow silently as we made our way upstairs and head in the direction of the teacher's staff room. Getting to the first floor, we stop short at the sight of the crowd of students chatting excitedly.

They're practically blocking the hallway, talking in whispers and murmurs as they held their phones out in their hands. I turn to Jayden for an explanation as we struggle to make our way past them but he just shrugged with a clueless look in response, once we made it through Jayden leans down to say in my ear.

"Hey, am going to go to the bathroom for a sec, just enter the staff room and meet one of the teachers and am sure they'll help you settle in."

He rushes back through the crowd before I could respond and I watch him with a helpless sigh. I glance at the students one last time before entering the staff room, startled to find so many adults filling up the place.

Most of them sat in their cubicles working, while others took the 4 leather couches across the room to sit and read or just chat.

There's a door to my right that reads Vice Principal's office but I didn't pay the slightly open door attention and walk up to the first teacher I notice; the slightly older woman has shiny jet black hair that's pulled into a low ponytail and large round-framed glasses are perched on her button nose.

She's leaning back on her white rolling chair while sipping coffee. "Uhm… excuse me?" I mumble hesitantly, and she turns around on her chair with a surprised look on her face, there's a small glass nameplate on her desk beside her small potted plant that reads Miss Kim Bong Soo.

"I'm Lana Kang and I was wondering who I'm supposed to meet for registration. You see am a new student."

Opening my bag I pull out the folder containing my papers and turn to the woman, only to find her staring at me with a lost look. "Uhh…" She sits forward and tilts her head with a frown. "I don't u-u-under," She struggles to form the words and I frown in return. "I don't stand English."

Changing to the Hangul dialect, I bow traditionally and apologize. "I'm so sorry, am so used to speaking in English I forgot."

She nods in relief and asks with a forgiving smile on her face. "What did you say you wanted?"

"I'm here to register, am Lana Kang. A new student."

Her face brightens in recognition. "Ooh, Lana Kang, of course, I remember." Turning to her desk, she riffles through the cluttered documents with a small frown. "Let me see, I believe you're in my class. Sit down while I take care of your papers."

Smiling in relief when she collects the folder, I settle on the free seat at the side of her desk. 30mins later I was done and was about to leave when Miss Kim stopped me with a weird smile on her lips. "Lana, just how well do you sing?"

"Uhm, well enough I guess. Why do you ask?"

"Oh it's nothing, it's just that our school is having a small—" She pinched her thumb and forefinger together. "—competition and I saw in your files that you attended a very prestigious art school in L.A. I need 4 people in my class to participate in a singing competition and I am one person short, I was just wondering if you'll be interested?"

She looks so hopeful as she asks this that I felt bad immediately because there's no way I'm doing this. It's most likely to guarantee attention from people and I want none of that, no amount of her hopeful smiles is going to wear me down. "Look, Miss Kim—"

"First place takes home a lot of money."