The Uninvited
Chapter 1: Rogue Academy
Author's note: So, I hope you all love the new rewrite!
X
"Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything, or if anything happens, alright dear?" A tear rolled down the woman's face. She didn't bother to wipe it away, as she embraced her daughter in her arms.
"Mother… please don't worry about me. I'll be fine, I promise." Rima Touya comforted gently, stroking her mother's blonde and grey hair affectionately. She smiled encouragingly, although it should have been the other way around.
She watched the black sedan roll away into the distance with an expressionless manner, before wrinkling her face into one of sadness and regret. She felt her grip tighten on the handle of her suitcase.
Rogue Academy. A private boarding school designated for the elite and the obnoxious. Rima felt herself cringe at the idea of being a Rogue student from this day onwards. She had always criticised the school, but now she just felt as if she was a hypocrite. She was just another person who just jumped at the opportunity of attending a prestigious school. (Even though it wasn't her fault – her parents were going on an overseas business exchange, and she didn't exactly want to follow them all the way to London. She was desperate.). It was as if all of the honour and pride she had worked hard for over the past seventeen years of her life had been stripped away in an instant, upon stepping foot onto Rogue's territory.
I bet all of the kids here will no doubt, be snobby and arrogant.
"Hey."
Rima turned around to meet eye to eye with a boy of her age. She immediately guessed him to be a student of the school, judging by the smart black blazer and striped navy blue tie he wore. His mahogany hair was ruffled in an I-just-got-out-of-bed manner, his blue eyes sleepy yet sharp with intelligence.
"Hello?" The blonde girl greeted back unsurely, finding herself averting her gaze to the ground. Why are you acting all shy all of a sudden, Rima? Get your act together! It's not as if you're a peasant, you're Japan's number one up-and-rising young model!
The boy eyed her suitcase; a mischievous glint flickered in his blue eyes. "You're escaping too?"
"Huh?" Rima confusedly tugged at her pigtails, "What do you mean?"
"So you're a new student. Well, I suggest you get out of this place as soon as possible. It's hell. Care to join me?"
Rima gaped at him, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. She didn't know what to say. What did this boy mean? How immature! Is he trying to pull a prank on me on my very first day here? "I do not want to join you. It seems like my assumption was correct, you must be as arrogant as the rest of them. Now if you don't mind, I best be on my way to get my dormitory and enrolment sorted out."
Rima grumbled past the silent boy, who only looked back at her with a surprised look on his face. The boy watched as she made her way to the entrance of the large four-storey school building that loomed over like a ghost.
"Whatever," Shiki Senri murmured to himself, turning around to continue his plan of escape.
He was too late.
"Going somewhere, young man…?" An eerie voice uttered from the black-clad figure now standing in front of him. Senri felt a chill creep up his spine as he recognised the face shadowed by the cape.
"I…I…"
XXX
"We've been waiting for your arrival, Miss Rima Touya."
A lady dressed in a white blouse and a pencil skirt led Rima down the elegantly furnished hallways of the school whilst holding Rima's suitcase. Rima had offered to do it herself, but no matter how much she protested, the woman's urgency to serve her had doubled twice as much. So she gave up. It was only a suitcase, after all. Rima smirked under her breath. Damn, no wonder the kids here are all annoying. They're buried up to their heads in this kind of unnecessary treatment! She eyed the classy wainscot walls and the fluffy red carpet. Not even a single piece of gum to be seen. Impressive. They probably have servants cleaning up after every mess they make.
"Miss Rima Touya—"
"There is no need to address me so formally," Rima scoffed, obviously ticked off.
The woman smiled in a knowingly manner, "Miss Rima Touya, your room."
Rima felt her eye twitch in annoyance. She glanced at the polished gold number plate that was nailed onto the door at eye-level. Number 545.
"Your roommate's name is Ruka Souen. The remainder of your luggage had already arrived yesterday, so we took the liberty to unpack it all for you. If there is anything you need, please use the telephone that is inside your room."
The woman left before Rima could even begin to verbally abuse her for touching her luggage. Oh my god, does that mean that they even touched my underwear? Despicable! The blonde shook her head angrily, shaking off the disturbing thought. She placed her hand on the doorknob, and almost pulled away just as quickly as the woman had left.
It was cold as ice.
No way. It must be my imagination. Don't be an idiot, Rima! She twisted the doorknob, swinging the creaky door open. It was all dark in the room, save for a small yellow light that flickered from one corner.
"Um… hello… anybody home?"
"AH!" A voice shrieked from the direction of the yellow light. Rima hurriedly switched on the light, only to find a young girl with long brown-blond hair sitting by her desk. Rima's eyes averted to a candle that sat on her desk. So that was where that creepy light was coming from.
"Uh…" Rima avoided asking the girl why the heck she was sitting at a desk in complete darkness with only a measly candle to provide her light. "I'm Rima Touya, your new roommate…"
The girl uneasily smiled at Rima, blowing out the candle with one swift breath before getting up of her seat. She headed towards Rima, taking her hands in hers.
The girl looked at her in the eyes coldly. Rima twitched, but didn't pull her hands out of the girl's grasp. "Rima Touya? You must get out of here, now-! Hurry, before it's too late!" Her voice was urgent, and she was whispering as if she was afraid of being heard. The girl frantically looked around at her surroundings, as if she had just been abducted and had woken up in a strange place.
Rima stayed silent for the short period while her brain digested what the girl in front of her was saying. And then it hit her.
"Oh great," Rima rolled her eyes coolly, pushing the girl off of her with a strong force. The girl toppled to the ground, her eyes still desperate and pleading. Rima winced mentally, oops, a bit too much. "What is up with all of you brats?! Stop playing these stupid jokes on me already, do you really think scaring a new student is fun?"
"Ruka's not joking." A voice from behind of Rima murmured in an impassive tone. Rima turned around, facing another girl. She was petite, with snow-white skin and shoulder length brown hair. Her child-like face was adorned with two big brown eyes, that screamed nothing but seriousness. "I'm Yuki Cross," she introduced, stepping into the room. And then she closed the door and turned the lock.
"We're not lying to you, nor are we doing it to entertain ourselves."
Rima shifted her feet uncomfortably, unsure whether to believe the girl or not. "I still don't believe you. Why is everyone telling me to escape from this place? As soon as I walked into this place, some weird mahogany-haired boy told me to join him in running away! What kind of joke is this, really?!"
"Wait."
Ruka got off of the ground, her eyes wide with shock. "You mentioned a mahogany-haired boy. What did he say to you?"
"Uh… well he told me that he was escaping, and asked me if I wanted to come with him."
Ruka shot her friend Yuki a look that spelt 'trouble' and uttered under her breath, "Shit, Senri's done for…"
"Not again! How many times has that stupid cousin of mine tried to escape already?" Yuki wailed, covering her face with her delicate small hands. "He's going to be punished severely!"
"Um…" Rima scratched her head, "What happens if you try to run away?" These spoilt rich students are probably only running away for mediocre reasons. So they probably get what they deserve…
Yuki flinched at the blonde's question. She saw the disapproving look that the new girl was giving her. Yuki didn't blame her. All of the new students were the same - they never believed the genuine countless warnings that other students went out of their way to present. Until it was all too late. Yuki straightened up her posture. She was determined. She didn't want another person to get hurt…
"It's impossible to run away from here, Touya-san… so many students' efforts have gone to waste. Headmaster Kano will punish those who are caught… punishment varies, but my old roommate disappeared after plotting to run away. It seemed as if the headmaster caught news of my old roommate's plans. And Senri… I mean, the boy you saw earlier… he's been caught once before."
"He was placed into solitary confinement for a week," Ruka joined in, her brows furrowing in discomfort. "Or so he tells us. I reckon he received a light punishment if you ask me. I've heard that some people disappear off the face of the planet, so you'd be lucky to even survive…"
"Sounds like a loud of bullcrap to me," Rima uttered, though her stubbornness not as apparent in her voice as before. She admitted that she was perhaps a little scared.
Ruka opened her mouth to say something more, but then was interrupted by loud thudding on the other side of the door.
Bang, bang, bang.
"Help! Open up the door!"