Chapter 1.1: "When you did something out of your character"

"Lupert, what time is it?" I asked my personal assistant. He looked at his watch.

"It's 25 minutes past seven already, young miss," he replied. I took a deep breath while still scanning my whole figure in front of my human-sized wall mirror.

It has been about five minutes since I put on the uniform of the school I will attend to, San Ignacio High school — one of the most populous and known commoner school in the entire city of Montelban. I twisted my hips, stretched both of my arms, and did some weird poses just to measure the quality of the outfit and see whether I'll be comfortable with it or not. And so far, the texture of the fabric used is good so I don't feel any irritation in my body or anything. Maybe I'm not just used to it for now which explains why I felt a little bit foreign with what I'm currently wearing.

Because unlike my old previous uniforms, this one is totally different. The skirt is too long — like over three and a half inches from the knee. There's neither a logo on the blouse nor any other distinctive designs. The sleeves are also small and the middy-puritan collar has this strange cape-like design around the back. There are also no additional wearables like bow tie, vest or blazer. In short, it looks normal. Although not very eye-pleasing, I also don't find it that bland despite of the missing elements.

I tied my hair into a bun while still facing my bare reflection. Compare to all the normal girls around my age, I am not fond of wearing thick cosmetics on my face just to make myself more outwardly attractive. Aside from the fact that it is facially discomforting, I also do not find it necessary — yet a moisturizing lip balm and a small touch of baby powder will do. For the last time, I turned myself around 360 degrees in front of the mirror to check my final appearance. I guess I'm ready for school then.

"Here is your bag young miss." Lupert handed me a quite weighty, black backpack. For the record, this will be the first time I'm gonna use this kind of satchel to pack all of my stuffs up. Back in my previous school, I always had my personal assistant with me who always carry my things and then there was also a locker there so I don't really needed a bag before, just a small purse for my phone and wallet. But since the situation is different now, I won't be having PA at school anymore, it will only be strange especially when I am inside the campus. Also, my bodyguards will no longer follow me through the school premises so I must learn how to be independent at all times.

When I came out of the room, I bumped to my older brother Matt who is clad in his semi-formal look for work.

"Woah! Who are you? How did you get into our house?" He raised both his hands on the air like a criminal while looking at me with astonishment. "Wait, you're not my stalker, aren't you?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "It's just me, Kuya Matt. Don't be ridiculous."

"Lil sis? THAT'S YOU? But how come? Why do you look so... so oddly exotic?" he exclaimed in the most exaggerated way possible. I rolled my eyes out of unutterable dismay.

Kuya's twin sister, Ate Monice, also came out of her room just in time so I decided to ignore him to greet her as well, hoping to get a different reaction from her which didn't happen. Her eyes widened when she turned in our direction, specifically mine.

"¡Dios mio! Hermana, are you wearing a rug?" she hysterically commented but I just shook my head. It seems like she's going to faint any second so before she could even lose her consciousness, her assistants supported her from the back while one of them is fanning her. Don't be surprised if she hyperventilates at times like this, knowing that she's a perfectionist and a known fashion enthusiast to boot. "Eric, quick! Call the ambulance! My sister's wearing a weird outfit and I think I'm gonna die now. ¡Vamonos!" She closed her eyes and placed the back of her right hand on her forehead in an extravagant manner. She should've been an actress.

"Stupid! You're going to die but you are calling an ambulance instead. Where will you be buried, at the hospital's emergency room?"

"Oh shut up Matt, for Christ's sake! I don't effin' care about your opinion!"

"Neither do I, Monja-monja!" Kuya teased her. She gasped and opened her eyes.

"How dare you call me that, you booger-faced geezer!"

"What's with this chaotic hullabaloo in the morning?" Aside from the familiar sound of the footsteps coming closer, our eldest brother Terrrence's king-like voice also echoed in the hallway which stopped the fight between the two. It was as if the air around him is magnetic that the three of us were pulled to look back at him involuntarily.

His secretary and two personal bodyguards followed behind him as he walked in our direction. He stopped before me and gazed at me with that intimidating look upon his face.

"Why are you still here? Are you planning to get late on your first day of school?" he scolded me like a military commander. "¡Ve ahora!"

"Are you out of your mind Kuya Trent? You'll let our little sister go to school in that... unsightly get-up?" Ate Monice opposed him while to what I was wearing.

"As far as I remember Monice, that's their mandated school uniform. So whether you like it or not, she will have to wear that everyday now," he replied as he strike his meaningful glance at me, head to foot. "Besides, she seems fit with it. So, there's nothing you guys need to worry about."

Just as how he swiftly appears earlier, he immediately left us barely saying nothing. I couldn't help not to make a grimace when he emphasized that 'fit' word. Just what is he trying to invoke with it?

We silently watched his back as he descended with his subordinates, not until Kuya Matt broke the silence out of the sudden. "What's wrong with him? It's too early in the morning and yet he's already in a bad mood. I guess some pretty good chick rejected him last night, or worse — dumped him."

"Keep your thoughts to yourself, Matthew. If Kuya Trent's gonna hear your trivial opinion, he will definitely punish you right away."

"Meh, as if I'm afraid! I'm not a scaredy cat like you." He smirked. "Speaking of, you look like a leech that is always clinging to him."

"What did you say?!" And so it goes, the extinguished flames of fraternal bickering a moment ago has been ignited once again. But instead of getting in between them to pacify the situation, I just shrugged and let the two of them kill each other as I pranced away.

"Wait lil sis, where are you going?" he chased after me. I raised my eyebrow without glancing back at him.

"At school, obviously. Do you still have to ask that?" I said. He clicked his tongue to make that 'tsk' sound as he pouted at me.

"Oh Jesus, just look at your another rude child beside me. I guess I was the only kind one you created in this family," he muttered as he closed his eyes and finger-combed his hair in a slow, dramatic motion. Ugh, what a narcissistic cunt he is. "Anyway, do you want to ride with me in my Maserati? Let your big bro take you to your school."

"Thanks kuya, but I already have my own ride so I don't need your offer. Besides, the route to the capital where you work at is different from my destination."

"Well, if that's what you say so." He shrugged before tapping my shoulder. "I'll just wish you a good luck on your first day then. I hope you enjoy it lil sis!"

"Yeah. I hope so," was the last thing I said to him. Before boarding the service car to school, I chanced upon Kuya Trent again downstairs but he bypassed me and adjusted his pacing to get ahead of me till I lost sight of him.

Rather than to overthink, I decided to disregard what happened and just opened a new-released BELA magazine while on the drive. 'Romantic summer' is their current theme which I wasn't surprised about, knowing that summer vacation just recently ended. I couldn't help but look away when I saw two familiar models smiling joyfully to each other, right in the front cover. Out of all freaking people, why them?

A few minutes passed and I just realized that we were in front of the said school.

"This way, young miss." Lupert guided me as we entered the wide gate through San Ignacio High. The school is as big as my school back then but what's different is that there are more students here and the facilities look old enough, as if it wasn't renovated annually. However, the entrance is clean and pleasant while I see some students sweeping at the side of the paved pathway.

"Oh my goodness, who is she?"

"Watch out guys, she has bodyguards."

"She's probably rich. Is she a celebrity?"

Due to the presence of my securities and personal assistant, and even from the moment I got out of the car seconds ago, I became a head-turner to everyone along the way. There were others mumbling around and the look of surprise and astonishment were vividly flaunted on their faces as they watched me walk like a queen on the red carpet.

Nonetheless, I remained stern and placid. I'm already used to get paid with lots of attention, in fact it was just as normal as breathing everyday. Ever since I was a baby, I already have everyone's eyes focused on me. I'm not a popular figure in the society but still a lot of people are watching me like a surveillance camera, this is why I could not afford to spawn any public mistakes that will possibly harm mine and my family's reputation. All my life I was thought to play a single role to be like this, and so I have no other choice but to stick within the character.

But that is me before-this-happened days ago, speaking. Curse AU and those homeschool teachers, I'm gonna make my own thing, my own path, and my own story. No one's gonna stop me.

I became even more of a center of attraction when I was greeted by three men in their mid-40s. Base on how they dressed, I think they were teachers, and the man in the middle must have been the head principal of the school. This is kind of unusual.

"Welcome to SIHS, Miss Cortez. My name is Rosalito Miñeza and I'm the school principal," the man in the middle introduced himself before he bowed in front of me, followed by his two companions next to him. Wait, what's with this honorific salutations? Is this how they welcome new students in their school? "On my right is Mr. Supangan, the Head teacher of the Senior High department. On my left is Mr. Alfonso, and he's school registrar."

"Nice meeting you all." I smiled awkwardly then shook hands with them all. Lupert also did the same.

"We would like to thank you for choosing our school. It is an honor and a privilege, Miss Cortez. We swear to provide you the best service we can offer as an institution," and they bowed their heads again.

"With all do respect gentlemen, you don't have to be so formal in front of the Young miss. After all, she personally requested to be treated fairly like any other students here," Lupert spoke on my behalf when I subtly nudged him.

"Oh, of course. And we shall do our very best not to disappoint her, Sir."

"Where's my room? And my schedule?" I don't want to act rude with my tone but this conversation is somehow turning me off, aside from the fact that it's making me uncomfortable. The way the act around us is totally different from what I expected. I don't know if it's a common thing here but they're flamboyantly displaying their special treatment towards me base on their docile attitude, which is absolutely annoying in my part. Was it because they're afraid of my name and status quo? Is it really a big deal for them that I'll be studying here?

The school registrar handed an envelope to Lupert, then he checked it first and its contents before passing it to me. I looked inside and saw an Identification card, hall pass, library and clinic card, student handbook, a school map and any other school documents that weren't mentioned. I took the piece of paper where my class schedule is written supposedly and read the first four lines across to see what were the subject periods I had to attend.

"I will be in-charge of taking you to your room, Miss Cortez. Since you can only attend half-day in your daily schooling, we put your class schedule from eight o'clock in the morning to one o'clock in the afternoon. You'll have a break at 10 o'clock for 30 minutes, and at 12 o'clock for 45 minutes. You don't have classes every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday so you don't have to go to school during those days. And as to your — "

"I think I've known pretty much enough already, kind sir. Thank you." I didn't allow Mr. Supangan to finish his statement because it seems like he was about to narrate almost everything to me, with no plans to stop talking. He may even tell me the entire school history if I didn't manage to cut him off, when I only asked for the location of my room and schedule.

I eyed my assistant Lupert and my bodyguards as well to leave and wait for me outside the gate. They nodded and followed without hesitation.

"We hope you'd enjoy your time here in our school, Miss Cortez. If there's any inconvenience, you can directly tell us about it."

"For sure I will," I timidly replied by nodding to put an end mark to the conversation. The principal and the school registrar bid goodbye before they departed, while I tailed behind Mr. Supangan on the other hand, who take most of the time to tour me around the school and see the whole thing. And because today is still the first day of school, the classes were not that serious so Mr. Supangan told me not to worry that I missed half an hour for a quick campus stroll with his guidance. On the last moment, he finally took me to the classroom where I was designated.

We were at the door when he asked for consent to the teacher inside before walking through. I just stood a meter away from the doorway while courteously waiting for him to finish talking to the teacher in that room. When he turned to me, he nodded which served as a signal that I can go inside and follow him. The atmosphere instantly changed as everyone in the room stared at my direction.

"Students, she is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mordecai Cortez, who works under the FGC International Empire. Starting today and onwards, she will be studying here in our school and she'll be your permanent classmate. So, I beg you all to be nice to her," Mr. Supangan explained after I humbly spoke my introduction statement awhile ago. I cringed for a bit when I realized that he even mentioned about my parents and their work even though it's not that necessary. Or was it?

"I am Mrs. Riza Hermandez, your homeroom teacher. You will be under my advisory this whole school year." The teacher glanced at me with a smile across her pale face. She looks plain but quite a beauty despite of those age wrinkles. I presume that she's already in her mid-thirties. "You can now take your seat, Miss Cortez," she added.

"Where?" I asked. She pointed to a vacant seat in front near the wall on my left. My forehead creased as I noticed how it is strangely separated from the rest of the seat alignment and had a unique design when compared from the other seats. Hold on, even my seat has its own special properties?

"I can handle ma'am. Allow me," I firmly stated when she was planning to walk me to my table as if I was a disabled and limbless person. I restrained myself from getting angry about it although deep inside, all of this is too much for me too handle. What even fuels my irritation more is how irritating my classmates look at me like I was an alien sent from outer space.

'Okay, just relax genius. This foreign ambience will not bother you anymore after a day or two. It's only normal now because you're new but sooner? The awkwardness will be gone and they will come to you like what you expected for.' I mentally encouraged my frantic self.

When the classes began, I also started observing each of my classmates including our adviser. And they we're right, it was different from my school because they don't have any projectors here or any expensive equipment. And instead of ipads, I'm forced to use a plain notebook and a pen when I'm jotting down important notes. The ambient temperature is also hot 'cause they don't have air conditioners here, yet they only have four wall fans attached to each of the corners in the room. Fortunately, my uniform is thin and the sleeves are cut short so I don't get too sweaty.

I was about to have a heart attack when the door suddenly banged opened in a violent manner which caused it to make a loud noise. All of us inside automatically faced the tall silhouette of a guy standing at the doorway.

He was wearing a hooded jacket and his shoulders were moving up and down, a sign that he was out of breath from running. He removed his hood to show us his gloomy appearance. He looked around with his forehead furrowed as if he's searching for a criminal who caused his terrible mood that time. His dark and otherworldly aura spread across the perimeter in just a couple of seconds from the time he arrived.

"Damn it! Wrong room again!" My eyes widened in disbelief after he furiously kicked the door again, leaving it with a mark of him nearly destroying it before running away. There's even a long moment of cricketing silence in the whole classroom after that weird encounter. I clung tightly to the pen I was holding as I was calming myself.

Who is that guy? And why do I sense something bad about him?