CHAPTER 2

Sarah looked up at the building in front of her. The bricked school was painted red with a brown roof. It seems like a typical school and it wasn't as big as her previous school. It was a fair size and there was a thick forest that surrounded the school that reminded her that she was now in a different town and school. The school was a two-story brick building with large windows in front, with a sign above the entrance that read "Prides High School". Below it was a white banner that read "Welcome to the new semester!"

Right, not something she needed to be reminded of, she thought as she walked towards the entrance. Along the way, she noticed that she has gotten a lot of curious looks watching her. It ought to make her feel uncomfortable but she has gotten used to the stares. Probably because she had moved schools so many times, she needed to count the numbers using with her feet too.

Luckily, this time, her family managed to move into town, just as the school semester was about to start. Her parents had worked super fast to get her into school and it was a bit hectic. With all the things happening back home, Sarah was surprised that they managed to handle things that easily. Again, they probably got used to it since they moved town quite a lot.

As she walked past the open large double entrance to the school, she saw a reception counter in the middle of the school lobby. In the school lobby itself, the room was decorated with the school flags. From what she could see, the logo of the school has a wolf in it, which was kind of unique for her. She did not think that a wolf would be used as a symbol for a school.

She continued her walk towards the counter and saw a plump and young woman sitting behind the counter. She was looking down at her phone, scrolling.

The woman saw her approaching and stood up, greeting her with a warm smile. "Hello, what can I do for you?" she asked nicely.

"Hi! Um... I'm new in school. I'm here to collect my schedule and also, my locker number…?" Sarah answered slowly, tilting her head in uncertainty.

"May I have your name?" the woman asked, as she began to shift through some of the papers on her desk.

"Sarah James."

"Give me a second," the woman said as she continued to look for Sarah's schedule and locker number.

Not a minute too soon, the woman handed her the schedule, together with the locker number and the map of the school. "Here you go, dear."

Sarah gave her a friendly smile. "Thank you."

She then began to look for her locker, following the sign direction that read "Locker Area".

Few minutes later, she found her locker and placed some of her items that she does not need for homeroom inside. She then locked her locker shut and began to study the map of the school in her hand, her backpack on her back. According to her schedule, her homeroom was located on the first floor, room 15. Despite not being as big as her previous school, this school seems to have many rooms. She just hoped that she would not get lost. Even if people say that women were supposed to be good at reading maps, she was not one of those women.

Ignoring the blatant stares of the people around her, she continued to walk down the hallway. She looked up at the signs, hoping they will help show the way. She wished this place was like in the Pocahontas cartoon, where there was wind blowing the air, showing her the way. Alas, it did not work that way. She was not Pocahontas nor was this a cartoon. She can only rely on the map and her 'amazing' map reading skills.

Few minutes later, she was still lost. And the hallway was empty, leaving her alone, feeling anxious. "Great... this is only my first day and I'm already late," she let out a dejected sigh as she looked around her, hoping to find a friendly soul to tell her where she was.

Just as she was about to give up and return back to the reception counter, she saw a teacher walking towards her, carrying a thick folder in her arms. The teacher also noticed her at the same time. She walked over to Sarah and asked in concern, "Are you a new student?"

Sarah nodded, smiling sheepishly. "Yeah, I got lost."

"Are you, by any chance, Sarah James?"

Sarah's eyes widened. "Ah yes!" she said, looking surprised that this teacher knew her name.

"I see. I'm your homeroom teacher, Mrs. Harris," the teacher said, with a warm smile. "Come and follow me. We'll go to homeroom together," she continued, beckoning Sarah to follow her.

Sarah heaved her backpack up on her back and quickly followed Mrs. Harris from behind to the classroom.

Just as they reached the classroom, chatter and laughter can be heard from inside. It sounds like a scene out of the fish market where there were people shouting their goods to be sold. There were shouts and shrieks, making Mrs. Harris shakes her head in bemusement.

Mrs. Harris opened the door and the noise fell into a deep silence. It was as if the noise was being sucked out of the room, leaving a soundless room. It was a funny sight to see as the noise miraculously disappears once the teacher enters the room.

Mrs. Harris walked to the front of the class while Sarah waited near the door. The teacher then turned to the class and greeted them with a huge smile. "Good morning, class! We have a new student today joining us."

She then gestured to Sarah to come to the front of the class.

Sarah walked over and stood in front, giving everyone a small smile.

Just then as she looked up, her eyes met one of the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. His dark brown eyes looked like the colour of the deep, earthy brown and stained like a hot chocolate on cold winter nights that wrapped around you like cosy warm blanket. Her breath hitched as she looked deep in his eyes. 'What is going on?' she thought to herself, surprised at the feeling she felt.