Chapter 1 - I was horrified

This was all Lacey's fault. Don't ask why. If she hadn't made us walk instead of taking the bus, if she hadn't wanted to go into that shop... Arghhhh. Anyway, there I was, minding my own business that morning when my teacher dropped a bombshell on us. Hey, maybe it was the teacher's fault. She wanted us to do that stupid essay on magic, didn't she?

"Rachel," a voice called from outside the classroom. Rachel was Ms Chan's, our form teacher, first name. "Rachel, I've got a foreign student for you."

The classroom immediately started to buzz with excitement. Totally predictable. Our school had not let foreign students enter since... ever. Ms Chan's attempts to quiet the class down did not help either. We just went noisier by the minute.

She gave up and went to talk to the secretary outside. The class started to lower their voices to eavesdrop.

"England?" we heard Ms Chan say.

The almost silent class gave me time to think. Who would move to Singapore? I wondered, slightly amused. Our country isn't big on big, if you know what I mean.

Ms Chan appeared back into the classroom with a boy, correction, man, trailing behind her with a bored expression on his face. "Class," she started.

I was sure almost every girl's jaw dropped. Okay, fine, I admit I did ogle a bit too. I'm only human after all.

It was no doubt he was good-looking, with dark hair and eyes like that. A sneer seemed to make its way onto his oh-too-hot face as he surveyed the class' stunned looks. As if he had expected it.

That made my impression of him bad. Alright, perhaps he didn't want to come to Singapore. Maybe his father had a job or something. He didn't have to look so... arrogant.

"Everyone," Ms Chan continued brightly. "Let's put our hands together to welcome Jamie Yeates." She put her hands together in an exaggerated manner.

I hope that answers your question if she was in drama club when she was younger.

As the class full-heartedly applauded, I sank my head onto the desk. There was only an empty seat in the classroom and it was beside me. Please don't sit here. Please don't sit here... I prayed desperately, knowing it was an hopeless cause.

"Oh! There's a seat beside Zhang Lin. Why don't you sit there, Jamie?" Ms Chan said, her smile never faltering. "Is that okay, Zhang Lin?" It was too bad she didn't have any psychic powers, or she would have known I was trying to keep myself from jumping up and strangling her.

Damn, I thought. My dream to graduate the school peacefully, without any "obstructions", was gone. That's right, I'm not a popular girl.

I lifted my head and gave Jamie and Ms Chan a huge, fake smile and said, "It would be my pleasure." I lowered my voice so that no one could hear my next sentence. "Not."

Only Lacey, my best friend and possibly my only trusted friend, heard me. She sat on my left. Lacey shot me a look that plainly said, "How could you not like him?"

"Like that," I muttered under my breath as Jamie took his seat on my right. "Snobbish git." I moved my table and chair a few inches away from him purposely. His obnoxious expression flickered when he saw me. Hah. Serves him right.

The bell rung. Everyone stood up and started packing their bags, ignoring the fact that there was still a teacher in the room.

"Class, remember to write an essay on A Magical Life!" Ms Chan called out. No one paid any attention to her. It had been like that since I started schooling here. When the bell rings, hear nothing but the bell. That was the student motto.

I got up from my seat and waited outside the classroom for Lacey. I yawned. I desperately wanted to go home and bury my head into my pillow and sleep soundly.

Where was Lacey? I thought, mildly irritated. We were supposed to be taking the bus home. How many buses does she plan to miss before boarding?

A pair of shuffling feet sent me turning around, thinking it was Lacey. Instead, my eyes fell on someone else, someone none other than Jamie Yeates himself.

"Oh, you," I said, whipping my head back around. I was sure my voice was coated with disappointment. I mentally patted myself on the back.

"Is it me or do you really dislike me for no reason?" his deep voice asked me from behind.

"Neither," I said, not bothering to turn around. I don't dislike him, I hate him. For a reason too. His arrogant attitude.

"Well, then, how would you like to go down to the pictures with me?"

I noticed he put emphasis on "me". Like he's a celebrity. Well, pictures means cinemas, which means catching a movie with him. Yep, add that extra emphasis.

"I'd hate to," I replied.

"How about I help you with that essay Ms Chan gave?" he offered. "I bet I would be pretty good at it."

Three things happened at once, all coming from me.

I spun around, saw his cocky grin, and punched him in the face. "The nerve," I hissed. "You're pretty good at writing huh? Here's a hint - I'm better."

I spotted Lacey stepping out of the classroom and pulled her away to prevent her from seeing what I had done to Jamie. I threw a death glare at Jamie and stormed away.

"Are you angry or something?"

I shook my head. I was practically steaming. To me, Jamie just gave me an insult. I stuck my fists in my pockets. I could just... punch him. Again.

"I was wondering we could, you know, walk home."

I snapped out of my thoughts and stared at Lacey. "What? Why?"

She blushed. "I think it would be fun." With that, she pulled me away from the bus stop, leaving me no choice but to walk with her.

"What's the deal about walking home?" I asked with mild curiosity.

She let out a high-pitched giggle, which sounded like fingernails scratching against a blackboard. Ugh. "Some of the classmates say Jamie walks home."

I blinked at her in disbelief. "And... what has that got to do with anything?"

"Well..." Lacey giggled again. "I hope we'll get to see him."

I can't help it. Disgust overtook me. "Lace, there's, like, a million roads out there. You don't even know where he-"

"Look, Zhang Lin! A new shop in the mall!" Lacey interrupted, pointing. From the far distance, I could see the shop name, 'Charmed' flash. "Let's go and take a look," she said.

Awww, there goes my nap. "What for?" I snapped. "We still have that essay to do."

"Please?" Lacey begged. "You can do it in about half an hour. Please? Who knows, maybe you'll get some tips from the shop. It does look magical, doesn't it?"

I know what she was thinking. Harry Potter. I swear she's madly in love with that fictional character. "Don't get started," I muttered.

Unluckily enough, it was all about Harry Potter. I watched as Lacey squeal at our "luck" and saw her practically run into the shop. I sighed as I followed her in. I could have went home myself, but I hate being seen alone. You know.

I wandered away from the shelves and shelves of Harry Potter books and PC games and walked towards a table of four computers. Only one among the four computers was switched on. Suddenly, the screen turned black. Then a gray hole appeared in the middle of the computer. Words poured out of it.

"Prepare for the unbelievable," I read it aloud and snorted. Well, I believed it would be about Harry Potter. "Press the return key."

Little curious me did as I was told.

At first nothing happened. Then I felt a pull and all of a sudden, there were four bright colours swirling around me. Red, yellow, blue and green. It was so eye-piercing that I had to close my eyes.

I sucked in a breath and the feeling of being pulled disappeared. Like, vanished. Relieved, I opened my eyes and started.

I was no longer in the shop! I had never in my life came here before. The place looked familiar though. Like I've seen it in a movie. A movie Lacey begged me to watch with her. A Harry Potter film.

It came to me. I was in the infirmary. With a stranger looking down at me with her huge eyes.

[A][N]

In the next chapter... Who was the stranger? Zhang Lin finally meets Marcus Flint... but why the hell does he look like Jamie Yeates?

Hoho, could the computer be a Portkey? BTW, What's Cho's eye colour? *blur*

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