Chapter three
Late, late I am so late
BEEP, BEEP!
The traffic was bad, really bad.
BEEEEEEP!
Casella hit the horn in a hissy fit…
I'm late, I'm tired, I'm completely & utterly running on a half hour of sleep…
I DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR THIS
BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEEEEEEP
The traffic was moving…slowly…..inch by inch by painstaking inch
People cursing, horns beeping,
Ella hit her head on the steering wheel
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP
'ow'
She laid there, in that position for a while…head on steering wheel
Sigh….do I have to go to school?
Deep breaths, Deep……breaths……..
Casella Magdalene was asleep………
BEEP
"Oh god.."
This will be the death of me….
She drove on
************
Ella hurried up the stairs of the Doux-Amer Academy, her cinnamon hair flowing in soft waves behind her
Surprisingly, she was not late.
There were many students still milling around, some talking, others adjusting their crimson & gold uniforms. Ella slowed to a halt, checking her student map…Five years in this (6-12)
Academy, and still she did not know it, just too big.
The Doux-Amer Academy (Of Fine Arts, Science, Math, etc.) was a sort of preparatory school, aimed at sixth through twelfth graders, of rich families, of gifted families, of hard-working
families.
It gave opportunities to teens like Rue, or Tony, whose families couldn't afford to put them through any kind of higher education programs, like college, (or Julliard). They who were so,
so…gifted.
The school regularly churned out the best & the brightest talent in everything, from dance to engineering, & those kids (rich, poor) go on to receive scholarships to the best schools in
the world.
Ella had arrived at West Wing Room #176, and she hesitantly stepped inside. Students in crimson jackets & (either) pleated skirts or khaki pants paused, glanced at her, & resumed
whatever they were doing. She sighed, recognizing many faces, faces she would've preferred not to have recognized.
There was lanky, skater-boy, Steven Bell, flippy hair & all.
And there's Adelie, the turquoise-eyed French beauty that Roku's brother had a crush on.
Crystal Diamonte, Adelie's best friend, wrote a quick note, handing it to Adelie, who giggled…
There was voluptuous Lily Curimoto & her statuesque friend, Nicole.
An awkward-looking beanpole of a boy, Freddy was chewing on a Twizzler.
Ella tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, coolly looking for an empty seat.
Alanna Bixen, the U.S's most beloved teen idol, was assessing her, most likely forgetting that Ella knew her, knew everything about her, everything she does, & nothing would change
the fact that Ella would not be acquainted with her for the world.
Matt, Roku's half-brother, waved cheerfully at her. Eddie, chocolate-skinned Eddie Catania, was watching her as well, remembering her, from somewhere. He whispered something to a
pony-tailed boy, Max. Max eyed her with wolfish, ice-blue eyes, & smirked.
Ella was getting uncomfortable, most of these people she knew, most of them she didn't really like. She tolerated them, but she certainly wasn't friends with them.
She demurred in her seat, flipping through her notebook, looking for, or pretending to look for something, anything. The door opened again, & she looked up.
There came walking in Rue & Roku, as well as Tony Fakir. Behind them trailed two tall, almost identical teens, with ice-blue eyes & white-blond hair. They were Belinda & Jake Sargon,
twins of Spain's Prime Minister.
A petite girl slipped in the door just as it was about to close, blue-eyed, red-haired, Maya Ahiru.
Ella breathed a sigh of relief…
She waved to Maya, who was her best friend. Tony & Roku were heading towards her seat,
'Please don't come over here, ple-'
Crap.
They were coming over here.
As much as she loved those two boys, she really did not want them getting anywhere near her, she had been in this place long enough & she knew exactly what was going to happen
next. Roku & Tony were the main heartthrobs of the school, the guys with a lot of 'fan girls', per se. And, whoever has the girls, has the crowds. Max stood up from the desk he was
leaning on, Eddie did as well. Matt followed them, them who were heading toward Roku & Tony, and therefore heading towards Ella. Jake was among them too, and wherever he went,
Belinda was not close behind. Alanna was there as well, for two reasons. One was to say hi to Belinda, her supposed best friend; another, the real reason, was to flirt with Tony,,,,,,
Five minutes later, the class was a condensed group centered around...Ella.
"Hey Ella," Tony tapped her shoulder cheerfully, "Long time no see"
Ella did not raise her head from the crooks of her arms, where she was trying to hide from the rest of the world.
"No kidding," she muttered sarcastically," Yesterday night was eons ago"
Alanna perked her ears at the words, she crossed her legs & batted her eyelashes in a flirty manner,
"Oh Tony, you were wonderful yesterday…"
He raised an eyebrow at her, "I know"
Eddie , who was to Tony's right, punched the air, " Now I know where this girl is from."
'He means me, right?' Ella sighed, and picked her head up, "Yes?"
Eddie grinned at her, "Are you Roku's sister? Or Tony's? You're Casella, right? They always mention you…."
She glared at the two 'brothers' of hers, "Mention me, oh really?"
Max piped in, "Noting bad, it's just that…They don't have sisters & they talk about you an awful lot, especially Tony, and we were wondering if…"
"Oh no," Ella considered Tony, who cocked both eyebrows at her," I think he may be my distant cousin, twice removed. Besides, he only hangs around me because he loves my car and
aims to steal it."
Tony grinned cheekily at her, " I'm not denying it."
She sighed, & the bell rang…..
******
The bell rang and the students scurried to any available seat. The teacher, who was on the computer all this time, looked up, apparently surprised to see a bunch of 16/17 year olds
stare at her.
"School time already?"
The class looked at her in blank disbelief
"Just kidding"
The only sound was of a pen dropping
Ms. Louise chuckled nervously, " I was kidding, kidding. Anyway…how was summer break? Were those 70-something days wonderful?"
Her homeroom class still stared….
Casella tilted her head, 'Is she high?'
"Oh my god, I need another cup of coffee"
She headed toward her own personal coffeemaker, filling a mug with good, strong, black coffee and chugging it down. The class watched her, thinking…great, we get the 50 year old
crazy….
She regained her composure and returned to the front of the class. "Well, I shall take attendance now"
Alanna Bixen rolled her sapphire eyes, and exchanged a look with Belinda….
"Maya Ahiru?"
"Steven Bell?"
"Alanna Bixen?"
"Eddy Catania?"
"Freddy Crueger?"
"Lily Curimoto?"
"Crystal Diamonte?"
"Tony Fakir?"
"Rue Kraehe?"
"Matt Kaiba?"
"Roku Kaiba, brothers, right?"
"Max Koronue?"
"Casella Magdalene?"
"Nicole Memoiur?"
"Adelie Rionte?"
"Belinda Sargon?"
"Jake Sargon?"
"Well, that's everyone"
The door burst open, and two teenage girls stood awkwardly in the doorway,
"Sorry we're late,"
Ms. Louise turned back to the class,
"Maybe not"
The class looked at her through lidded eyes…….
Casella looked back to examine the newcomers. One was tall and slim, inky black hair cascading down her back in very loose waves & she had vibrant green eyes, like a cat. The other girl
was shorter, with a curvaceous body and hair like spun gold. The boys' eyes widened, the girls' eyes narrowed. Ella rolled her eyes, sighing….
"Um," The green-eyed girl began, "We got lost on the way to the main office……"
"…..And this classroom. The school is huge, " The other girl added,
"Anyway, My name is Rose Minamino, and this is Lilyanna De la Camera, and we're new students…"
'Well, of course," the teacher muttered absently, "Of course you're new students. Have a seat"
The two girls sank down into empty seats while the teacher added their names to the system…
The class was finally settled in, with assigned seats when the announcements went on. They were boring, welcoming the students back, greeting new students, announcing the return
date for medical forms and extracurricular forms, and other forms…blah,blah,blah. Boring, boring, boring. Casella couldn't have bothered listening to them for the world. Suddenly a cool,
clear, crisp female voice spoke,
"Good morning students. This is your headmistress speaking. I would love to bring well-deserved attention to the spectacular performance done yesterday by our very own prodigies in
the dance, acting, and performing arts. We raised nearly over 3,000 euros; over half of which will be donated to a good cause: The World Foundation for Epilepsy and other neurological
problems. Please, give an applause to any of the troupe members for a truly wonderful performance. "
Tony stood up, bowing to the applause of his fellow students. Rue just rolled her eyes at him.
The announcement continued," Another item to add, two students who performed in 'Now and Forever' had earned a very high privilege, Rue Kraehe & Tony Fakir have qualified to the
Julliard Academy of Dance's full scholarship, Congratulations! "
The class clapped even louder. Tony grinned, Rue blushed as Roku placed a soft kiss on her cheek in front of everyone. Belinda's ice-blue eyes twitched at this, and she pursed her lips.
Ella caught this action, she also caught Alanna's smirk at her 'friend's distress.
'How interesting"
1:45 pm
The day was almost done, just one class to go & Ella would be free. She hated the first day of school, absolutely loathed it. Syllabuses and selected reading lists and introductory letters
and filing & meeting people she was perfectly happy to leave behind over summer break…..
One more class, just one....more…..
She closed her eyes, letting her feet guide her down the hallway, she was exhausted. Another reason she hated school, everyday, at the end of the day, she was drained. Completely
drained of any power to do anything. Since it was a boarding school, with dorms you live in for 265 days, your buddies come and visit you. Visit you and wake you up from your nap…so
when you're exhausted & want to take a nap at the end of the day you can't, because someone will come a knocking at your door, waking you up and dragging you to the nearest hippie
joint to …breathe, just breathe. Wait until that moment comes to freak out…
Ella reopened her eyes, took another deep breath, and walked into Room #228, Economics with Mr. Rivers.
She had walked into a sanctuary.
The room was dark, lit only by blue & green Chinese lanterns hanging from the ceiling, and sparkling Christmas lights draping the chalkboards. The desks were arranged in a semi-circle
around a common center, the teacher's desk. It was in a perfect position, letting the teacher to command full view of his classroom, and focusing the class on him, only him, him and his
words.
She sat down in an unoccupied seat off-center to the right, back towards the door. Ella looked around the room, admiring posters & diagrams, and work from past pupils. The other
students were filing in slowly, talking and laughing with friends. From the looks of them, the roguish way they had their uniforms, and the over-all vibe, they weren't the kind of people she
was used to, they were the brats.
Brats, because their parents' money was the only thing keeping these kids in the Doux-Amer Academy, meant for the super-promising, not the super-rich (spoiled). Ella laid her head on
her desk again….
A teacher walked in, and the class settled down. He was a scrawny, beanpole of a man, about 45 or so. His hair was going, going, almost gone, And his glasses were in dire need of
repair. He nervously made his way into the center, and flipped thorough the attendance papers, the class looked at each other, smirking, a single thought going through their minds…
'If this is the teacher, there's going to be hell.'
The students were getting loud, a paper ball flew past Ella's head. She was the only one sitting in her seat, a seat. The rest were on laps, laying on the floor, chewing gum, throwing
pencils, French-kissing.
The poor educator had cleared his throat, had begun to say something, had quieted back down again…..
The class grew louder, and Ella cast her hazel eyes down, feeling embarrassed for him.
He cleared his throat again,
" Class, settle down."
They did so, gradually, testing the limits.
He continued, " Hello everyone. I hope you all had a great summer. This is Economics and I am-"
A crisp, clear voice cut smoothly in, " Thankyou Mr. Blithers, I'm sorry I'm late."
Ella' s eyes widened.
She knew that voice, would have known that voice anywhere.
Even if she did only hear it on one occasion…..
Only once
A person was passing by her desk from behind, making his way to the center.
Ella's eyes were still wide in disbelief, not seeing anything in front of her.
"Again, thanks for covering, the coffee machine's backed up again & guess who had to fix it. Bleh. Anyway, have a good day."
Ella was looking down again, hyperventilating.
"Okay class, I am Mr. Rivers & I am your Economics teacher. Let me take attendance, then I'll properly introduce myself."
He rummaged through his desk..
"Where are those papers?", He wondered out loud
"Crap,…Mr. Blithers!"
The teacher ran out the door.
Casella sighed in relief, 'He's gone'
He came back, "Crazy old man took the attendance sheet with him"
He chuckled, a smooth, warm chuckle, "Now, let me take attendance"
'Oh shoot'
The teacher called out a list of names, getting to Ella's
"Casella Magdalene?"
She braced herself, "Here.."
And looked up,
The bartender met the eyes of the 28 yr. old muser….