Simone ended up saving my hide with Bethany and Daniella.

She fed them some lie about how I thought they would hate me for riding the bus and reacted in such a hostile manner. Both girls assured me that this was not the case and would avoid such an 'uncomfortable' topic for me in the future.

I thanked them for their understanding and offered my services as a tutor to show that there was no ill will.

They gladly accepted and we exchanged numbers.

Part of me was happy to get back in their good graces, while the other part felt like a dirty politician selling their soul to the devil.

Hopefully, an incident like that won't arise in the near future…

I was currently walking back to our classroom with Simone for our free period.

"Thank you…by the way," I said in a small voice. Still ashamed by my actions.

"Oh, gosh, don't mention it," she began with a smile on her face, "Truth be told, you saved me from yelling at them again and getting the lovely title of 'frigid bitch' for the school year."

I raised my eyebrows in curiosity.

"You aren't going to leave me hanging and not tell me that story, right?" I asked her with a smirk.

"It's not much of a story…" Simone trailed off while looking at me from the side, "Oh, alright…As you've noticed by now, Evelyn has to remain this cool, collected, model student to maintain her position of power. She's behaved like this since grade school and, obviously, she's done a fairly good job since she's running unopposed for class president."

I nodded my head to show that I was still listening.

"Everything was going smoothly, until Adelaide showed up our freshman year here. Headmistress kept boasting about the child prodigy that was born in a 'quaint village' up the road, and how she could study anywhere, but chose our immaculate school. You get the picture?"

"Yeah, I'm still following," I informed her while motioning for her to carry on.

"Well, you can only imagine how angry that made the other girls here. To be constantly compared to a person of 'impoverished means' who doesn't know the difference between a salad fork and a soup spoon. I'm speaking in hyperbole of course…" Simone trailed off towards the end, "She obviously can tell the difference between the two—"

"I get it," I quickly assured her, "It was a good analogy."

"Thank you," she replied with a smile, "Anyway, this poor girl was tormented by everyone. The school says that it has a zero tolerance to bullying, but they did absolutely nothing to rectify the situation they put her in. The whole thing pissed Evelyn off. I mean, she's always respected an intelligent and diligent individual above all else. But there was something that really got to her when she would see Adelaide getting bullied…"

"But she couldn't step up without taking sides and losing some of her power," I commented, piecing the last bits of the puzzle together.

"Exactly," Simone answered with a smile, "And I love my best friend more than anything in this world, so I took matters into my own hand and became the 'frigid bitch' who bullied the bullies."

I slightly chuckled at such an elegantly poised girl like Simone taking on the bullies of this school.

"Evelyn is lucky to have a sister like you," I unwittingly commented before I could stop myself.

Simone paused mid step and turned to me in astonishment.

"How did you—Oh, Evelyn told you when I took those airheads to get milkshakes," she easily pieced together with a grin.

"Yeah, I never would have guessed on my own had she not informed me that you were stepsisters," I honestly confided with a small smile.

"She must really like you to let you in on that," Simone said smirking at me.

"Why is that?"

"Evelyn likes to hold all her cards to her chest," she truthfully answered, "It's easier to move your players around when the opposing team doesn't realize just how useful a certain piece is."

"I love the fact that you did a chess metaphor just now," I gushed to her with a grin.

"I thought you might appreciate that," Simone laughed as we arrived at the classroom, "Are you sure you want to stay here and do homework during your free period?"

"Yeah, I promised Anna a girl's night when I got home," I told her with a fond smile on my face.

"I thought you were new here," she began while giving me a look of curiosity, "Don't tell me that you've already made plans with other schoolmates before me?!"

I laughed at the mock horror on her face, "No, Anna is a family friend who is like a little sister to me."

"Oh, good, whew, for a moment I thought I was already being tossed aside," she slightly teased me while making her way to the door.

"Not a chance, Simone," I told her with a grin.

"Good, I'll see you after break," she called out to me over her shoulder.

I acknowledged her farewell before opening up my textbooks.

Let's do this.

3rd Person POV

Simone quickly made her way through the halls to the inner courtyard where Evelyn would be waiting for her.

She quietly tiptoed behind her sister and went to scare the unsuspecting girl when a voice called out her name.

"Simone…do you really think that you can scare me?" Evelyn questioned her childish stepsister's behavior.

"Well I would be able to if you would let me," said girl whined.

Evelyn let out a small chuckle before turning the page in her book.

Simone patiently waited for her sister to speak first before realizing that she had never been known for her patience and made the first move.

"So…" Simone prompted.

"So…what?" Evelyn responded without looking up.

"So, what do you think of my find?" She asked her older sister in a huff.

"She's interesting—"

"Oh, give me more credit than that!" Simone argued in outrage.

"Simone…" Evelyn warned.

"She comes from strong, influential parents who are clearly trying to expand their empire on a global scale, she's a certified genius, and…" Simone slyly smirked at the last part, "She stuck up for your Adelaide."

Evelyn snapped her book close in irritation.

"She's not my Adelaide…she's a schoolmate, a brilliant student, but not my anything," the girl growled at her nosy sister.

"Uh-huh, then why are you planning on helping the new girl win if you don't have any feelings for Adelaide?"

"How did you—" Evelyn cut herself off after seeing the knowing grin on her sister's face, "You didn't know until I confirmed it just now…"

"Yep."

"You know I really hate you sometimes," Evelyn teased while bumping her sister's shoulder.

"Yep."

"You know your new friend denied my offer to get her elected?"

"And that was what made you decide to help her," Simone informed her sister, already knowing how her mind works.

"…Yeah," Evelyn hesitantly admitted.

"Why are you hesitating?" Simone asked with a tilt of her head, "It's not like you to be unsure."

"…She smells like freshly dug earth," Evelyn finally admitted to Simone.

"I'm sorry…what?" Simone asked her stepsister, shocked that a person's scent would cause her to distrust like this.

"There isn't a speck of dirt on her, but she smells like…like a freshly dug grave," Evelyn tried to further explain.

"Maybe she likes to hang out in cemeteries?" Simone supplied with a shrug of her shoulders, "Or maybe she's an avid gardener…?"

"No…that would have a different smell—"

"Are you seriously not going to help her because her body wash or perfume throws off her natural body odor?" Simone asked her sister in aggravation.

"I'm going to help her…I just want you to keep your guard up around her," Evelyn told her, "I can't risk losing my best friend…"

"Man, Evelyn, you make it sound like we are at war or something," Simone commented before giving the girl a reassuring side hug.

"We might as well be…"

"Oh, that is it, you are asking Adelaide out so that you can finally get laid and get over your morbid bullshit," Simone declared while shoving her sister's shoulder.

"I'm fine, Simone…Just a little stressed lately…"

"Which is why we are going to get Lucretia elected into office so that you don't end up in hospital like last year," Simone clarified.

"I didn't end up in hospital—"

"Fine, almost end up in hospital," Simone amended, "Seriously, if you don't let me destroy that reckless girl's high school career after she put you through so much stress—"

"Simone, she was inexperienced and just looking for a group to make friends with," Evelyn stuck up for the previous treasurer.

"Inexperienced my—"

"Simone," Evelyn cut off in warning.

"Fine, fine…But we both agree on the subject, right?" Simone asked her sister once more, "Good find?"

Evelyn paused and thought about the well-put together female with blonde hair and determined gold eyes.

"…Great find, Simone,"

The rest of the school day went by without a hitch.

I met a few new, interesting people and I was excited about what tomorrow would bring.

The only person that I didn't get to meet yet was Adelaide.

Despite our classes being together, I couldn't seem to find a good opportunity to introduce myself.

I'm going to have to try and talk to her at the bus stop.

Even if we don't become friends, I would like to become associated with a diligent student like her.

My eyes soon spotted her sitting on the bench waiting for the bus to come. It was just the two of us out here. The teachers must still be in their offices finalizing last minute paperwork.

Here goes nothing.

I took a deep calming breath before sitting down next to her.

She was reading a book and I was internally debating with myself. Should I interrupt her train of thought to introduce myself or wait for her to look up?

Thankfully, I caught her eye and she made the decision for me.

"Um, hi!" I said a little too excitedly, "My name is Lucretia—"

"I know, we have the same class together," she deadpanned, clearly not amused.

"Oh…yeah right," I trailed off, wondering where my confidence from this morning went.

Then again…this wasn't a business transaction…this was me trying to make a friend.

Oh, boy…I'm in trouble.

"Um…your name is Adelaide, right?" I tried again with a hesitant smile. Trying to keep any kind of conversation going before I lost her attention.

"Yes…it was announced during roll call," she bluntly replied. I got the gut feeling she wanted me to stop talking.

Too bad for her because now I was just completely nervous and could feel myself about to ramble.

"Y-yeah, they did, I was just trying to—"

"Look, let's just cut to the chase," Adelaide interrupted before turning towards me, "Yes I am a scholarship student, yes I am a genius, and no I will not do your homework for you."

I blinked at her in shock.

She took my silence as a sign of her victory and turned her attention back to her book…that was until she heard a snort come from my direction.

I tried to hold back and stifle my laughter, but my snickering won out in the end.

"What's so funny?" She asked me with annoyance.

"I-I am so-sorry, it's just," I began wheezing out, "How many times were you approached to complete homework assignments before that became your automatic response?"

I managed to get my giggling under control and saw she was looking at me with suspicion.

"Enough times," Adelaide plainly responded, "So, you don't want me to do your homework?"

"Oh, God, no!" I exclaimed before hurriedly explaining, "I mean, not that you're not fully capable of getting high marks, but I'm very…competitive with myself and like to see how far I can push myself in my studies."

"Then what do you want?"

"Oh…uh, well…" I began stammering, "I was hoping we could become…bus buddies?"

"Bus buddies?"

"Well, yeah, we sit with each other when we ride the bus and talk…We can even spend time in the inner courtyard before class. There is a lovely spot—Oh, uh…unless you don't want to hang out before class…" I lamely trailed off looking at her, hoping she would take pity on me and take over the conversation.

No such luck.

So, I continued to ramble.

"I mean, I know that we won't start outright as friends just because we ride the same bus together. My mom made me read this book about making frien—You know what forget I said that, that just sounds so pathetic when I hear it out loud. Anyway, I know that we have to first establish common ground with similar interests and hobbies. And I figured the best way to find out these similarities is by riding the bus together as bus buddies and we can one day become…uh-friends? Unless, you don't want to—you know what? It's okay, please, forget I said anything. I'm going to sit over th—"

"You didn't ramble like this when you talked to Simone this morning," Adelaide cut me off with a curious look on her face.

"That's different," I told her with a slump of my shoulders, "Simone was a potential business proposition and future alliance. I'm used to those interactions."

My head snapped up in realization at how rude I sounded, "Not that you aren't a potential business ally! I mean, part of the reason why I wanted to get to know you was because of how determined and hard-working you seemed—"

"I get it, calm down," Adelaide waved me off with a chuckle, before steeling her face again, "You were sitting with Bethany and Daniella at lunch today.

"Oh, please don't remind me of that encounter," I groaned putting my head down in shame.

"That encounter?"

"I blew my top when they were…spouting nonsense," I decided to not tell her what they were saying about her, "And I was lucky that Simone was able to do damage control before rumors could fly about me having some sort of angry disposition…"

"So, you care what others think of you…" she accused me with anger in her eyes.

"Only until the end of elections," I honestly replied, "I want to be the class treasurer, which is why Simone introduced me to Evelyn and…those other two…"

"I see…so next time Bethany and Daniella or whoever says something you don't like—"

"I'll be doomed," I admitted.

"Just don't say anything," Adelaide blatantly stated as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I can't stand by and do nothing," I quietly seethed.

"Why not?"

"Because…because I can't tolerate bullying," I answered calming down a bit.

"I find it hard to believe that a girl like you knows what bullying feels like," Adelaide coldly informed me with a calculated glare.

Ouch.

That was true…I've never been a victim of bullying.

But seriously? 'A girl like me'?

I sighed before pulling out my phone from my backpack and going into my photo albums.

Adelaide must have thought that she won, once again, and returned her attention back to her novel.

I gently nudged her arm and showed her my phone's screen.

"This is my little brother, Tony," I told her scrolling through my billions of photos that I've taken of him, "He is one of the sweetest, bravest, and goofiest kids I know."

"He seems…nice," Adelaide replied, not sure where this conversation was heading.

I nodded my head before pulling up a different photo album.

It was labeled evidence, and I hated looking at those pictures.

"He is, but other kids didn't see him that way," I whispered as I showed her pictures of him in the hospital with a busted face and broken arm, "They—they said that he was a freak because he loves monsters, special effects makeup, comic books and other things like that. He's a really talented artist…but he was too different for them…"

I heard Adelaide inhale sharply when she saw one of his worst injuries from the attack.

"Sorry about the graphic content," I apologized before going back to the other album of a cheerful, little boy, "Here are some of his creations that he's made. Oh, and this is when he made his first full body suit of the monster from the movie, The Creature from the Black Lagoon."

I fondly smiled at the happier memories.

"Is, is he okay?" She hesitantly asked me, smiling as well when she saw he took first place in a costume contest.

"Oh, yes, he's doing much better now," I informed her, "We pulled him out of that school after the incident and started homeschooling him. My mother and father made sure that the perpetrators were rightfully punished…I hold onto the evidence just in case…"

"Good," she simply replied, "It sounds like he has a good support system."

"Do you have a good support system?" I asked her with a tilt of my head.

"I'm fine…I can handle a few snide comments on my own," Adelaide proudly stated, turning her head away from me.

"Just because you can handle it on your own, doesn't mean you have to," I quietly informed her.

She seemed to mull over my words for a moment before shaking her head.

"So, do you live in the village?" She asked me, effectively changing the subject.

"No, I live a few miles outside of the village next to the creepy castle that used to be a bed and breakfast," I told her, not completely lying about the situation.

"The one near the graveyard?" She asked me in shock.

"Yep, that's the one," I cheerily replied.

Adelaide gave me a look of astonishment before coming to a final conclusion.

"You are a strange girl…"

"So, I've been told," I answered honestly.

"…I suppose it wouldn't hurt being bus buddies with an anomaly," she finally conceded.

I clapped my hands in excitement, "Really!? Oh, this is great!"

"…Strange girl, indeed," I heard her mutter, but I was too excited to finally make her acquaintance.

"Okay, first question," I eagerly began, "What kind of music do you like?"

The bus ride went faster than normal, this was mostly because I was distracted by playing 20 questions with Adelaide.

She decided to wait with me on the bench for my connecting shuttle to come and pick me up.

Her reasoning being that it would be inconvenient for her to lose her newly acquired bus buddy when we just started to get to know each other.

"But, shouldn't you get home before it gets dark?" I asked her with concern.

"My apartment building is literally right behind us," She told me with a jerk of her thumb.

My head swiveled to where she pointed, and I smiled at the quaint looking building.

"That must be really convenient to live right next to your stop," I told her with a hint of jealousy in my voice.

"Thank you for not saying that it looks 'homey'," she simply replied with a shake of her head.

I gave her a confused look.

She went onto explain, "Group project last year and all the girls wanted to see how the 'poor' lived."

I bristled in indignation at their tactless comment, "Well, that's just stupid and rude."

"Agreed…anyway, I suppose we should exchange numbers," Adelaide commented nonchalantly, "It's just in case one of us is running late to the bus stop, of course…"

"Oh, of course!" I agreed, excited that I may have made a friend rather than another business partner.

We swapped digits right as my bus came and bid farewell to each other.

I was still on cloud nine as I walked past the guard booth.

I greeted Mr. Schneider and he waved hello back, before turning back to the main security cameras around the property.

Both my dad and Frederick still received alerts on their phones if there were any suspicious movement caught on the motion sensors. It was just nice having an extra pair of eyes watching the property as well.

I quickly made it to my bedroom where I changed out of my uniform and into comfy pajamas. Clad in pale pink boxer shorts with yellow ducks on them and an oversized yellow sweater, I quickly sat down at my desk with my homework.

It wasn't due until Wednesday, but I'd rather get it all done today and not have to worry about it later.

Gregory would be showing up at my door any sec—

A knock sounded and I made my way to my door.

Opening it, I saw a very grumpy vampire.

"Lucy…" he growled out.

"What could I have possibly done wrong?" I asked him indignantly, "I literally just got home and changed!"

"You opened the door without knowing it was me," he answered with a huff.

"Oh, come on, Gregory—who else would it be? The Easter Bunny?" I slightly teased him while pulling him inside.

"That's not the point and you know it."

"Yes, yes, can I tell you about my fabulous day?" I excitedly asked him as he took a seat on my bed.

"We're not done discussing this," he pouted.

"Gregory…" I groaned out.

"Alright, fine…tell me about your 'fabulous' day," he said while relaxing on my bed as I relayed the past events.

Gregory seemed genuinely happy for me.

"I'm glad you had so much fun," he laughed, "See, didn't I tell you that you would make friends just fine."

"Yes, you did 'oh wise one'!" I joked with him while dipping into a mock bow.

"Brat," he laughed at me before throwing a pillow at my head.

I grabbed onto it and held it to my chest while staring at him from the chair.

"In all seriousness, thank you for the pep talk this morning…I really needed that," I confided to him.

He smiled back before saying, "Anytime…"

Gregory got a wicked smile on his face as he floated closer to me, "Now about my payment…"

"Oh, alright, what songs do you want to download?" I fondly asked him with a smile.

"Nah, not songs, how about I watch something on your tablet while you do homework," he suggested.

"You're going to stay here for at least an hour and wait for me to finish my homework?" I asked in disbelief.

"Of course," he simply replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Won't that get boring for you?" I asked, not wanting him to waste his precious time waiting for me.

"Hence the reason for your tablet," Gregory drily commented with a smirk.

"But—"

"Lucy, you and I both know that I'm not leaving you in here alone," Gregory finally said with a serious look on his face.

Understanding colored my vision and I nodded my head before handing over the charged tablet.

"Alright, but put the volume on loud," I requested, "I need to hear background noise when I'm studying; I can't stand the quiet."

"Yeah, little siblings ruin the need for silent moments, don't they?" Gregory commented, completely understanding my need for noise.

So, that's how we remained the rest of the evening.

He watched a new tv series that he found interesting and I finished the rest of my homework before dinner at 8pm.

Dinner was just with our two families, both of which were happy to hear that I had a wonderful first day.

The best part of the dinner was when my dad turned to Tony and asked him how his first day back to school was.

Both my mom and I looked at him in confusion.

"Uh…sweetie?" My mom hesitantly began, "You know Tony is home-schooled, right?"

"Of course, but he still started his online classes today," my dad replied not understanding the line of questioning.

I tried to cover my laugh with a cough.

My mom shot me a look before turning her attention back to my father.

"Honey—"

"Oh, dad, it's nice to know that you still reign supreme as the 'first day jinx'," Tony cut off our mom and informed our father with a smirk.

I couldn't hold my laughter in anymore.

"Cut him some slack, Tony," I wheezed out between my peals of laughter, "He could have dropped you off at the wrong school again!"

Tony laughed along with me before joining in my jeering.

"Good thing you took the bus home, Lulu, you might have been forgotten at the school until dinnertime…again!"

"Alright, that's enough from you two!" My mom scolded us, quickly giving us a look that stifled our mirth, "Your father just mixed up the dates and has everything taken care of for when Tony starts his online classes next week."

She enunciated the last part of her sentence towards dad so that he would realize where he made his mistake.

"Yeah, just got a bit mixed up with the dates is all," my dad happily agreed with my mother, rolling his eyes at us trying to stop our guffawing.

"See, he's already sent in the paperwork for Tony's onli—Oh, Bob, don't give me that look," my mom quickly backtracked when she saw my father's look of horror on his face, "You did send in the paperwork informing them of our move and Tony's continuing education with their program…didn't you?"

"Uh…of course, I did, honey!" My dad clearly lied while pulling out his phone to begin emailing the faculty members of the homeschooling program.

"Bob…" my mom groaned out.

Tony and I made eye contact and erupted in another set of giggles.

"What exactly is the 'first day jinx'?" Frederick asked my mother as my dad was frantically mumbling to himself while scrolling through his emails.

"It's the term the kids came up with for Bob's annual habit of messing up the first day of their school year," my mom sighed out shaking her head at her husband's absent-minded behavior.

"It's hilarious because he gets so mad that he's made a mistake that he puts so much pressure on himself to make sure that everything goes right the next year—"

"But something always happens that derails his best laid plans," Tony finished for me with a laugh.

"Let's see there was the time I started the academy and he forgot that there was a strict uniform code and I got sent home immediately. Oh, and the time when Tony was in the 3rd grade and an email was sent out about the change of school's start time—Tony ended up being 2 hours late that day. Oh, and the time I was starting kindergarten, or was supposed to start kindergarten, but ended up going a week late because he switched the dates on the calendar," I began listing off.

"Don't forget about the animal crackers!" Tony called out, remembering the one day that will always live on in infamy for him.

"Oh, yes, the year Tony started kindergarten and dad forgot to add money to Tony's meal plan."

"I came crying to Lulu because they wouldn't let me have any animal crackers," Tony recalled with a look of longing on his face.

"You were so heartbroken that day," I affirmed with a nod of my head.

"Okay, are you two done making me feel bad?" Dad pouted off to the side.

"Oh, daddy, we're just joking with you," I reassured my father before leaning my head on his shoulder, "Besides, it's funny to see that our favorite superhero has weaknesses from time to time. It makes you more relatable."

"Yeah, dad, it's fun memories that we get to laugh about later on…it's practically tradition now!" Tony agreed with me with a chuckle.

"Dottie…" dad groaned out trying to get backup from his wife.

"Aw, you know they are right…it's so cute how flustered you get every year," my mom cooed at my father.

"Et tu Brute?" He replied back to my mother.

We all laughed at his expense before enveloping him in a group hug.

I love my dorky goofball of a father.

Anna and I were sitting in the den enjoying our movie and playing with each other's hair. I decided to use a curling iron on her hair and made lovely little ringlets before connecting the two sides in a French braid. Once the two sides met in the middle, I pinned an adorable violet bow in her hair that really made her red hair color pop.

She was currently practicing her fish braiding technique with my hair and it was really cute to hear her struggle with it.

Reminded me back in the day when I was her age.

She, eventually, managed to do a simple long fish tail braid and was so delighted with her work. I praised her hard work and told her how much I loved it.

She preened under my compliments before we turned our attention back to the movie.

It was a cute classic fairytale movie set back in the day of kings and queens. The movie, when translated, was called The Seven Ravens and followed the story about a young maiden trying to undo a spell placed on her brothers. Anna gushed about the young maiden used the power of her love to bring out the regal attributes of the young prince.

She kept saying how the prince reminded her of Tony.

When I asked her why, she said it was because Tony wasn't accepted by his peers before but now had new friends to show him how lovable his quirks are.

I thought that it was such a beautiful sentiment that I became a little choked up. If anyone is going to have a crush on my brother, I'm glad it's this sweet and understanding girl sitting next to me.

My arms wrapped around the sweet girl and I only hoped that both of them received a sweet love story like the film we were watching.

Once our movie ended I stretched my limbs before packing up our hair accessory kit to store underneath Tony's and my bathroom sink.

"Are you going to go flying?" I asked Anna in curiosity.

"Maybe after I escort you to your room," she replied back.

"Anna…you don't have to—"

"I promised Gregory," she told me cutting me off, "Besides, it would make me feel a lot better knowing you're tucked away safely for the night."

I huffed out in slight annoyance before giving into her puppy dog eyes.

"Oh, alright, but you all need to stop worrying about me so much," I slightly scolded her.

"Oh, that will never happen, Lucy," she chimed in from my side on the stairwell.

I hugged her goodnight and told her to enjoy her evening, but to stay safe.

She promised to be cautious before flying off to find the others.

I quickly put my supplies away before curling underneath my covers.

Today was an eventful, yet wonderful, day.