Chapter 5: Academy Crest

Leandro did not drop us off at the police station where our very responsible guardians are being held.

According to him, Genevieve and Erin are most likely going to spend a day or two there, depending on how they behave. As a result, he sent us directly home. Unfortunately, Ashley was the first to be dropped off. The Rose district is quite far from our district, which I'm sure was done on purpose to avoid them accidentally meeting.

Similar to ours, the bungalows on their street have similar designs. Various roses are lined up at the edge of their lawns by the sidewalk.

But what surprised me the most was the lone orange tree at the center of Erin's lawn.

I reminded myself to never speak of its existence, or a world war might just break out within the academy.

Leandro gave Ashley his card and told her that she could call the number on the card in case she needed anything. He also advised her to not wander alone and to wait for Erin to return.

When something happens to those under guardianship, the guardians will receive part of the blame. It is one of the risks of being a guardian. But, of course, the benefits outweigh the risks, so a lot of seniors still take the course.

I ended up with the school president, alone in a car that randomly talks sh*t. To say that the whole ride was awkward is an understatement. We didn't talk much during the ride. Or, more like, I didn't really talk at all. I just nod or shake my head when he asks certain questions. Or listen quietly when he relays certain helpful information about the academy.

"Do I scare you that much?" he asked, out of the blue.

I could see how bothered he looked, so I hurriedly shook my head. Since he isn't really driving, he can freely look at me without worry. But I'm the one who's worried! I'm pretty sure my face is currently red from embarrassment.

"Then, I guess I'll just assume that the reason you aren't talking is because you're mute," he stated, crossing his arms over his chest.

I opened my mouth, just to close it again. Honestly, it's easier to nod and say that I really am intimidated by him. However, there is also this feeling of not wanting to offend someone, which keeps me from doing so.

"You know, it's impolite to ignore your elders," he said in a tone used by the elderly on children.

"You sound like Genevieve," I said, cringing.

"Oh, so you can talk. That's great!" he exclaimed, and he didn't even mind that I compared him with my weird Guardian. "You would have had a very hard time here if you could not talk."

Perhaps it is the nature of his kind of people to force people to talk. He reminds me of that young official I happened to hitch a ride with back in my town. He's as talkative as that guy.

"Also, you should talk more often. It's a waste not to use such a pleasing voice to talk," he added, and my face turned crimson. Thankfully, he was looking ahead, so he didn't really see.

Beautiful people should never talk. Their words will bring great danger to the entire human race.

I'm fully aware that he isn't hitting on me and is truly complimenting me. That made me feel more embarrassed. People often compliment me on my speaking voice, saying it's so soothing to the ears. Not the kind that makes you fall asleep, but the kind that makes you want to listen to it all day. But hearing it from a being who resembles an Olympus god... that is something I have never experienced before.

Thankfully, we arrived at our home before I could make a fool of myself. I hurriedly dislodged myself from the front seat, feeling like I was on fire.

I shyly said, "Thank you."

"Here." He gave me a similar calling card to what he gave Ashley. He also gave me the same reminder that he gave her. He was about to go when he saw the lone apple tree standing on our lawn.

He had the same look I had when I saw the grapevine on Erin's lawn. "You should never speak about that tree."

I nodded in response. I was planning to keep my mouth shut anyway.

As much as possible, I'd like to lead a peaceful life within the academy.

"I think I just said, that you should speak more," he said in reprimand, while squinting his eyes.

Seriously, what's wrong with this guy!

"Will you please not ruin your image in my mind?" I muttered in disappointment.

"Why? How do you see me in your head?"

My eyes widened in surprise. "You... heard that."

I did not wait for his response. I slammed the car door shut in panic and ran towards our door, then fled inside without ever looking back.

I melted on the floor, as my forehead began sweating in horror. How the hell did that guy hear what I said? I'm sure I was just muttering it to myself!

…

Genevieve ended up staying the night at the police station, so I had the whole house to myself for an entire night. I haven't had any time to explore our home these past two days that I was here since I spent all my time learning about the academy from Genevieve. So in her absence, I got to go on a little adventure.

There isn't that much to see in a two-bedroom bungalow, though. After my effortless exploration, I realized that this bungalow is just a normal bungalow.

There isn't anything unusual about it, except for the fact that some of the appliances I saw do not have any plugs or wires. I thought they were battery-powered, but I've already turned the toaster upside down, and I searched through the body of the stand-fan but couldn't see any charging socket either. However, when I turned the fan on, it worked perfectly!

In the midst of my frustration, I could clearly hear the devil telling me to dismantle it just so I could feed my curiosity. Thankfully, my guardian angel has a stronger will.

As the night turned darker, I began to feel the emptiness of the place. I've been with Genevieve ever since I came here, and now that I'm alone, I feel a bit lost. Genevieve has always been loud and bubbly. And without her, the place felt extremely desolate.

I turned the television on to fill the silence. Little did I know that I'd be in for a surprise.

The TV only had three channels—none of which I'm familiar with. As I flipped through the three channels, trying to compare one to the other, I realized that all of the people inside were students at the academy!

I settled on the channel with a Phoenix logo and watched the news. The anchor was talking about the opening of the class this coming Monday. She then handed it to the field reporter standing in front of the administrative building where we were this morning to give a further explanation.

"Yes, Lilian, an estimated number of 20 thousand freshmen students from all over the country and even abroad is expected to come this year. According to the administration office, the academy is already prepared and excited to open its gates to this new batch of students."

I did hear the estimated yearly number from Genevieve. But I didn't give it that much thought until now. Just thinking about that number, I can't help but wonder how big this academy really is—especially since there wasn't a huge crowd when we arrived at the administration building this morning.

After relaying the information she gathered from the admin office, the attention went back to the anchor. The anchor then called another reporter from another location. This time the reporter was standing in front of a building with the familiar crest of the academy—a triangle in the east and west separated by three broken lines at the center.

At the top and bottom parts of the crest are two dragons, their bodies arched outward. The head of the dragon at the top was facing the triangle on the right, and the one at the bottom was facing the triangle on the left, forming two semi-circles with the intricately carved broken line at the center.

I saw the same crest at the top of the administrative building today. But it had a different color. The one in the administration building was silver, while the one on this building is painted in various shades of red. Despite using only one color, the artist was able to create depth in the crest, making the dragons appear to be alive.

I found out from the reporter that the five-story building behind him belongs to the engineering department. However, it isn't their main building. Rather, it is the dormitory reserved for the freshmen students.

The reporter talked about the arrival of the new students tomorrow. He then proceeded to interview a female senior, who, according to him, is the dorm-keeper, and asked her how they were preparing for the influx of students.

The news ended up becoming quite boring. It was mostly about the opening of classes. Some of it I already knew from Genevieve, so I switched channels and ended up watching an unfamiliar series.

Unfortunately, the series had already aired for quite a while, so I couldn't understand much of the plot. However, it did not stop me from appreciating the acting skills of all the actors and actresses.

If this was the outside world, I would've mistaken them for veteran artists! Their acting looked extremely realistic—it felt like they weren't acting at all!

Furthermore, the cinematography of the series is just top-notch! There are no awkward camera angles, and the camera perfectly captures the emotions of the actors. Even the transition between conversations is seamless.

No wonder a lot of students coming from this academy end up becoming Hollywood actors and actresses. Even some of the rising directors in the film section are rumored to be from this academy!

It's a shame, because with such talented actors and crews, our own film and drama standards could have reached new heights if those graduates had chosen to work in our industry.

Unfortunately, our local film and drama industries are all about money, and only a few really care about the quality of the work they produce. There is little to no creativity in their work, and their stories kept repeating one common plot, as if they couldn't think of anything else!

So I could really understand why those graduates did not choose to stay local. It is such an insult to their talent to work in a place that lacks flexibility. It will only hinder the growth that the academy has painstakingly honed.

With such bitter thoughts, I ended up sleeping on the couch with the television still on.