Title 07/10/2011
With a deep and heavy sigh, the new girl followed the directions on a piece of paper in her hands. This school is huge. She thought to herself, just looking at the scale of the map. But it is the best in the country.
She moved her eyes to the people around her, the men in dark red blazers with black trousers and a black tie around their necks while the women walked around in long dresses made from red skirts and white tops. All of them had the school badge on their hearts and carried identical black bags, also with the crest.
The girl sighed as she followed the directions, trying her best to ignore the others around her.
At last she found the room she was after.
"Hi, you here to sign in?"
The girl nodded to the older girl inside, a bright red band around her arm. "Yes."
"Alright, name?" she said, looking at a clipboard.
"Rinee Denham."
The girl looked up, her eyes wide. "You are Rinee Denham?"
"Everyone calls me Rin."
Her eyes went up and down the girl. "Yes. Well… I've heard about you. Well done on getting the scholarship."
"Thank you."
"Well, I've signed you in. Go sit down please."
Rin nodded then went to a seat, sitting down and getting out her book, ignoring the others in the room as they chatted and got to know each other.
Soon, class began and they were told about the school, the rules, the regulations and the way things were done. After the class was asked to stand and give their name to the class. Many of the students took this chance to also state who their family was.
There was an heiress, a son of a multinational business, the son of a major food enterprise, a ambassadors' daughter, the son of a man who owned a car factory… then there was Rin.
She stood up, keeping her head down. "I'm Rin Durham. I… I'm the scholarship student." The others all turned to look at her suddenly, as if amazed they could see her at all.
With so many eyes on her, she sat back down and kept staring at the desk. She had a feeling she'd be spending a lot of time alone.
After the class had been introduced to each other and the teachers, they were marched to the hall, sitting on comfortable chairs in long straight lines, looking up at a stage. The head teacher addressed them, welcoming them and going once more over the rules. Then the nurse told of her role and where to find her. Followed by the librarian, followed by the grounds keeper. Rin stopped listening somewhere in the nurses speech but when the girl next to her wiggled and knocked her, she lost her concentration and the sounds flooded back.
"… council president and head boy of this school, Sesshomaru."
The girl next to Rin wiggled again, more violently than before.
Wondering why, the scholar student looked up at the stage. Stood there was probably the most beautiful man she had ever seen. His hair was long to his waist, glittering silver while his eyes were a bright orange, his skin pale while he seemed to have a small blue crescent moon on his forehead. His tie was yellow instead of black and his trousers were white above the normal red blazer. He stood for a moment, still and silent.
"Thank you sir." He said at last, looking at the head teacher then to the audience. "May I first welcome our new students to this year here at Drasin Academy and welcome back our old students." He said each word coolly, clearly and smoothly, his voice almost emotionless but that was what made it more effective. "As school council president, it is my duty to listen to the students, taking their comments and putting them to the committee of this school. I hope this year to fulfil my duty as well as I have for the last three years. If you have anything to say to me, I hold an open question session once a month in the computer room three. I welcome all suggestions, no matter who they are from or what they are about. Thank you and welcome to Drasin."
Some of the girls in lower rows stood up and clapped as he walked away and slowly the rest of the school broke out, clapping as the man walked to the empty chair and the head walked back to the pedestal. "Thank you Sesshomaru. Now everyone, its time to return to your classes. Frist years, your timetables will be ready for you and I hope you have a good year here."
Rin sighed as she stood and went back to class with the others. A few kind hearted people tried to talk to her but she didn't say more than simple yes or no. The first week of classes were just setting up; knowing where the classroom was, where things were kept, which books were needed and where to sit as well as the occasional opening exercise. Rin spent a lot of time alone and when she was forced to work another, her work was always the best and she hardly spoke to her partner.
After a week of introductions, actual lessons began. As many expected, Rinee was incredibly smart. She answered quickly and rarely with a mistake. Her weakest class was PE, where she struggled to keep up with the others but did explain she had a weak chest from childhood.
She excelled at everything else.
Towards the ends of the week, she made her way to one of the schools many science labs, locations that could rival any laboratory in the world.
The teacher told the class of twenty nine to stand in a line at the front and held out a large bowl with small bits of paper in it. "This is a nice little exercise that we do here each year. It'll help you know people from another part of the school. Now, in this bowl are numbers. You will each pick on out and that number will match one that is currently being selected by a fifth year student outside. In a minute, they will come in, you will find the matching number and complete a simple experiment together. The first pair to finish will win a prize. Any questions?"
The class was silent so the teacher walked down the line, holding out the bowl for each student to pick a number.
Unfolding it, Sesshomaru looked down at the number. 17.
Suddenly someone tapped his shoulder quickly. "Hey, Sesshomaru, what number you get?"
He held the paper over his shoulder to her. "Seventeen."
"Ah, I got twenty. I won't be working far from you. Won't that be fun?"
"Humm." He replied, looking back to the front.
The girl behind bit her lip as she looked at him, fighting the urge to reach out and touch him again. He was so close… so handsome, so… perfect. She fought away the giggles, trying to remain mature and adult. "Do you remember when we did this? I got stuck with some idiot, never knew what he was doing."
"Humm."
"You won the prize if I remember correctly."
"Humm."
"Brandy Lim, stop talking."
Brandy stiffened as the teacher walked past but once he was out of sight, she huffed. "Teachers. You'd think with the amount we're paying them, they could show us some respect."
Sesshomaru said nothing as he walked forward with the rest of his class.
"Right, everyone, head to the desk with a matching number. The instructions are on the table and just put your hand up if there are any difficulties."
The two classes broke a loud talk as they walked around the room, finding the stations with the number. The silver haired man walked over to the station in the corner, looking at the large 17 on the side then picked up the instructions, reading them quickly.
"Umm… excuse me?"
He turned around to face a small girl with long black hair that was tied back in a ponytail, her eyes large light brown. She blinked then held up a bit of paper. 17
He gave a small nod. "You're working with me."
"Oh… right."
"Come on, I've already read the instructions." He passed over the paper. "It's a basic experiment, finding the identity of several different metals by their reaction…."
"It's a basic flame test. A Bunsen burner flame will change when in contact with different metals due to the ions they possess." She said, not even looking at the paper but at the experiment itself.
Sesshomaru blinked as he looked at her then at the experiment. She was right but more than that, she wasn't bothered by him. Most people, when around him just stood, stared, helpless and hopeless. This girl was already looking over the samples they were given, marking on the paper a few times then putting them to the side.
"We don't need to do those, I recognise the magnesium, sodium and copper powder and know what colour the flame will turn."
With a blink, the council president turned to the experiment. "You light the burner, I'll prepare the samples."
She nodded then turned to the burner while the others in the class were still reading the instructions. She stood by the burner and turned on the gas, closed the cap on the burner and lifted the matches they were provide with. Quickly she struck it over the burner.
The gas around the top of the burner ignited all at once and a slight back flash hit the girl. She yelled, dropping the match to the counter and grabbed her hand. Sesshomaru turned to face her when it happened and reached out, taking hold of her hand by the wrist and pulling it away, looking over her hand.
Rin stared as the president held her hand. His skin was so smooth and cold as he looked over her hand. Finally he looked at her. "Go run it under the cold tap. It's not bad."
With a nod, the followed his instruction as the teacher came over. "What happened?"
"Back flash." He said smoothly as Rin ran her hand under the water. "The burner went up too fast sir."
"Nothing serious?"
"No."
"Alright then, get back to the experiment."
Once Rin had cooled and dried her hand, they began the work, silently apart to ask for equipment. The rest of the room was filled with a level of chatter but the table 17 just worked through the noise. Finally they cut the gas and turned around. "Finished sir." Rin said, holding the paper.
The rest of the class turned to look at them as the teacher took the worksheet and checked it quickly. Then he nodded. "Well done, every answer correct. You two win the prize." He reached into his pocket pulled out two long bookmarks, both with the school crest on them. "Hope you like them."
Rin took one and turned it in over in her hand. It was very good quality. She nodded to the teacher. "Thank you sir."
Behind her, over at table twenty, Brandy fumed silently at the little girl.
-0-
The weeks had passed since Rin had started at Drasin Academy and she was actually beginning to enjoy herself. She didn't have any friends, or even someone to eat lunch with but her classes were very enjoyable and fascinating, the teachers the top of their fields and the schools amazing facilities were more than she could imagine.
One late afternoon, she was sat in an empty computer room, tapping away at the keys. Everyone in the school had gone home, even most of the teachers but she liked the peace and quiet.
"Anyone in here?"
She jumped half out of her skin turning to the door. A figure was stood there but she could see who; the lights in the room were on a timer and since no one had moved in ten minutes, they'd turned off to save energy. She could see by the light outside and the computer screens so hadn't bothered to turn them back on.
The figure stepped into the room, tripping the sensors. The lights flickered back on and Rin could see the person was her old lab partner, Sesshomaru.
"President Sesshomaru." She stammered, standing up. "I… I didn't think anyone would still be here."
"Nor I. What are you still doing here?"
Rin looked at the computer screen and sighed. "I'm just doing my homework."
"Surely you could do it at home."
"I… I don't have a computer at home." She confessed, looking at her feet.
"Oh. You're… Rinee Denham."
"Yes sir."
"But surely with the scholarship, you were given enough to pay for a small laptop computer."
"Yes but after buying the uniform, bag, books, supplies and taking into account my transport to get here every day and return home for a year… even with my job and savings, I couldn't afford a computer as well so I just stay behind to work."
"I see."
Rin stood for a moment then moved to sit back down. "Well, I better get back to it. I'm almost finished."
He stood behind her for a moment then blinked. "When you say transport… what do you mean?"
"Oh, I have to get the bus."
"Correct me if I'm wrong but public transport stops coming here at six o'clock."
"That's right." She said, returning to her typing.
"It's half past."
Rin blinked then looked at the clock in the corner of the screen then at her own watch. She fell still for a very long time. "Oh no, I've missed the last bus!" she said, standing up and looking at the screen. "How am I going to get home? Ah!" she slumped back into the chair and dropped her head into her hands suddenly. "I'll have to get a taxi."
Behind her, Sesshomaru just stood for a moment. "If you come now, I will have my driver take you home."
She turned to face him, her eyes narrow with confusion. "Really?"
"If you are need of a taxi to return home, you must live out of walking distance and you have already said that you are low on finances."
Rin blushed. He was saying she was poor. She was, there was no denying it, but it wasn't as if a taxi home would drain her account. She just wouldn't be able to eat at the school canteen for a few weeks, that was all.
"Are you coming?"
She took a moment to think. "I… I would really appreciate it."
"Very well, get your things together and meet me by the main entrance." He turned and left the computer room, pulling out his phone as he did.
Quickly Rin saved her work and packed her things together, pulling on her coat before running to the main entrance. Sesshomaru was already there, stood by the side of a large black expensive looking car, another man hold the door open for him.
"Ready?"
Rin nodded then stepped over to the car, unsure of what to do next. Sesshomaru stared at her for a moment then stepped to the side, moving away from the car. "Well?"
Rin blinked then stepped over to the car, climbing in slowly. The seats almost welcomed her but as she turned to scoot over, the door beside her closed and she sat still until the door on the other side opened and the strange president stepped inside. "Where do you live?"
"Umm… 560 St. Rose Street."
"Driver."
The car suddenly roared into life and pulled away from the school, leaving Rin to hurry and put her seatbelt on, Sesshomaru doing the same.
For a while, Rin stared at the bag in her hands then out the window. Sesshomaru just sat there, his eyes not on anything. "St. Rose Street." He said at last. "I know that area."
"R…Really?"
"There's a coffee shop on the end, correct?"
"Yyes. I actually work there at the weekends."
"I see." He shifted slightly. "Is it hard?"
"A little but I enjoy it."
He was silent for a while longer, the car stuck at some traffic lights. "Your parents must be proud… you getting the scholarship."
"My… my parents are dead."
He looked over at her suddenly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."
"I don't like to talk about it. It was only a couple months before starting school."
"I am sorry." He fell silent as the car began to move again. "You live alone then?"
"No, I have an aunt who took me in but she has a new baby boy of her own so having to feed me as well is hard for her. That's why I work, so I can help pay for the food and bills."
"That's very noble of you."
"It's only fair, she's the only family I have."
He fell silent for a long time then let out a deep breath. "You've very lucky."
"What do you mean?"
"You don't know about the world I and many of your classmates live in. The pressure on us."
"Why do you say that? I have to deal with a lot of pressure. Everyone expects me to be perfect in class."
"But you don't have any expectations to live up to. When you leave school, the world will be yours… many of your classmates will have to follow in someone's footsteps."
Rin thought for a moment then nodded. "I guess so." She looked over at him. "Is it like that for you?"
Sesshomaru looked as if he was about to answer when the car stopped and fell silent, the door soon opening from the outside. Rin looked outside and recognised the little house with its small garden and washing line. She almost blushed at the sight of her clean underwear hanging on the line for all to see.
Swiftly she stood and turned to the car, looking inside. "Thank you very much for the lift."
Sesshomaru only nodded back. The car door was closed and he was lost behind the tinted glass. Rin waited by the side of the road until the car pulled away to turn and go into her home.
Back in the car, Sesshomaru lowered his head slightly, thinking over her last question. Yes, I have to follow my father's footsteps. He lifted his head and looked out the window. Only no one thinks I can be as great as him. They believe something about me is missing, something my father has but I don't.
"But what?"
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