"Are you sure you're not missing anything?" Andrea asked Kate. Both of them were standing beside the Gates of Saint Claire Academy. "Do you have your pencils, erasers, sharpeners?"
"Yes!" Kate replied. "Don't worry, Mama Andrea, I got them all here."
"Good. I'll pick you up after the exam ends, alright?"
"Un!"
Not far from them, Ciel was doing the same. He was making sure that Chloe had all the items she needed for the exam.
"Don't worry, Big Brother," Chloe said with a smile. "I'll pass the exam so we can stay together inside the Academy."
Ciel gently patted her head. "Mmm, do your best. I'm sure that you can do it."
"Un!"
Only the students taking the exam and the school staff were allowed to enter the gates. Andrea and Ciel had no choice but to wait outside the Academy. Even though Ciel was already a student of Saint Claire, he was not allowed to accompany the girls inside.
"Kate, make sure that Chloe reaches her classroom safely," Ciel reminded the girl who had just walked up to them. "I'll leave her in your hands."
"Leave it to me!" Kate said as she patted her chest. "I will escort the princess safely to her classroom before I go to mine."
"Good. I will reward your valiant efforts with a piece of cookie when we get back home."
"Eh? Only a piece?"
"Yes," Ciel answered with a smirk. "There's no need to offer you more since you visit the pantry every night."
"Che!"
Claire held her sister's hand and said words of encouragement before letting her go. Andrea, Ciel, and Claire watched as Kate and Chloe disappeared among the crowd of examinees that entered the gate.
"What is the name of your assigned room again?" Kate asked while holding Chloe's hand. The younger girl was currently wearing sunglasses because of the clear weather.
"Jasmine Building, Room 1-A," Chloe replied. "Big Brother said that it's located on the Eastern side of the Academy."
Kate looked around to search for a staff member that wasn't doing anything. She found a lady who seemed to be at least in her early twenties wearing a uniform with the academy's emblem on it. "It would be best if we ask for directions. We don't want to waste our time walking blindly."
"Yes," Chloe agreed. "You're right, Big Sister."
The two approached the staff member who was looking at the examinees with a bored expression on her face.
"Hello, good morning!" Kate greeted the lady with a smile. "Big Sister, can you tell us where the Jasmine Building is?"
"Jasmine Building?" The lady frowned as if trying to recall something. 'Is that the Building where the 'special classes' were held?'
She eyed the two girls in front of her and knew that both of them were examinees. Actually, she was not a staff of the Academy, but the daughter of the School Dean. The reason why she was standing near the gate was because she was waiting for her little brother to arrive.
She planned to escort him to his examination classroom because their father was busy handling today's event. Although she wanted to help, she was not very familiar with the different buildings in the Academy.
Why? Saint Claire was a very large academy. There were so many buildings that held classes that she couldn't be bothered to remember all of them.
The lady looked around and saw a man wearing an armband on his shoulder. She knew that these were the people that were currently assisting this year's examinees.
"Sir, Excuse me!" the lady waved at the man. "Can you please help these children? They need help in finding their examination rooms."
The man was about to say that he was busy when she saw the emblem on the lady's uniform. He immediately changed his countenance and approached them with a smile. Since he was an official of the school he recognized the emblem. It was the emblem that belonged to the family of the Academy's Dean.
If he dared to ignore this lady, he might find himself losing his job!
"Yes, how may I help you girls?" the man asked the two girls with a smile on his face. He didn't mind helping the examinees since it was his job.
"Big Brother, we are looking for the Jasmine Building, Room 1-A," Kate replied.
The man nodded his head. "Understood, please follow me. I will take you there."
""Thank you, Big Brother. Thank you, Big Sister.""
Kate and Chloe both said their thanks. They didn't forget to thank the kind lady who helped them call someone to bring them to the examination room.
"Good luck on your exams!" the lady said with a smile.
She watched as the two children disappeared among the crowd of people who were also headed in the same direction. When they were out of sight, she returned her attention to the gates and frowned.
'Where are you Stephen? What's taking you so long?'
-----
"That is the Jasmine Building." The man who guided them pointed at an elegant building that looked like a museum. "Should I escort you to the examination room?"
"Thank you, Big Brother," Chloe said politely. "This is far enough. We know that Big Brother is busy. Thank you very much for bringing us here."
Chloe was a very adorable girl and the way she thanked the man made the latter have a very good impression of her.
"Good." The man nodded his head."Room 1-A is just near the entrance, you can't miss it. Good luck on your exams!"
""Thank you Big Brother!""
After waving goodbye to the kind man who helped them, the two walked towards the entrance of the Jasmine Building. The first thing they noticed when they entered was the beautiful marble floor.
The interior of the entryway was very spacious. The hallway looked so clean that the floors and the walls had a glossy shine in them. In the middle of the room, a big flower in full bloom was etched on the marble floor. As the name of the building suggested, the flower was a Jasmine.
"Excuse me? Can the two of you move?" an irritated voice of a girl sounded from behind them. "You're blocking the way."
Kate and Chloe almost jumped due to the sudden sound that came behind them. They hastily retreated to the side to make way for the people entering the building.
The girl who spoke earlier gave the two of them a sidelong glance before walking away. Kate's strong sense of hearing managed to hear her utter the words 'Country bumpkins.'
(A/N: Filthy Mudbloods!)
Kate narrowed her eyes and remembered the features of the girl who looked down on them.
The girl looked a bit older than Chloe, and was closer to Kate's age. She was very pretty and had dark brown hair that hung loosely behind her back. Kate could tell that she was from a well-off family due to the way she walked and presented herself.
Kate was the type to hold grudges. Although she was not good at remembering written text in books, she was very good at remembering people. Kate vowed to return the 'favor' in the future!