The morning sun had barely peaked above the academy rooftops, but just enough sunlight to peek through the thick drapery of a bedroom.
A woman twisted and turned on the double bed, covered lightly in nothing but a blanket as the glint of sunlight reflected on her cheek. Then, a soft groan escaped from her soft pinkish plump lips as she slowly woke up from her deep slumber.
Vibrant orange hair spilled in a tousled mess across her face as she turned over to her side, clutching the blanket to her chest while her eyes were still half-lidded. She stared over the lightly dented empty sheets on her right side, reminding her of someone's presence who had just slept beside her but now was empty.
Just adjacent to the bed, a smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted in the air as a man in boxer shorts, clad in a dark blue robe hanging loosely over his shoulders, lounged comfortably on his desk, reading a memo in his hand while holding a cup of piping-hot coffee on the other.
"Hmm.. you are up pretty early," the girl on the bed groaned.
"Just looking through my mail," the man in his mid-forties replied indifferently, like they had grown accustomed to each other's company.
"What's so important about that?" she whined under her breath as her arms stretched before a yawn escaped from her lips.
"Just apparently a new adjustment to the roster of students in class 2-C," he calmly replied as he glanced over his shoulder to look at her.
"You are going back to class today, right?"
"Mhmm," she nodded softly as she got out of bed. Her footsteps quietly approached behind him while her figure was just clad in nothing but a black lace bralette with matching laced bikini underwear, and her hand still clutching the blanket. She leaned in closer to his face.
"What's up, sir Callahan? New transfers?" she cooed in curiously.
"The new kid in class 2-C," Callahan mentioned again as he stared once more at the memo. "His name is Raphael Kiersten. A special case of mid-semester transfer, which is pretty peculiar," he commented.
"Hm? School always gets transferees. What's so interesting about him?"
"This one seems different. I heard word from the admin that he has connections. Specifically as the principal's nephew," he carefully stated before glancing at her reaction.
She just snorted in disbelief. "Bullshit. Frederic Schneider doesn't have one. If he has, then what is he doing in this shit hole Academy?"
Just as she sat back on the bed, she grabbed a stick of cigarettes nearby and began lighting it. "He will probably just cry in a few weeks here."
"That's just rumors from upstairs." Callahan calmly reminded her. "Either way, I am just here to tell you to be careful with your usual shit."
"That's no fun," she defiantly complained as she rolled her eyes.
"Who knows what he could do. With the principal right behind him, you are basically gone in an instant. Full expulsion. No appeal. Not even I can help you with that."
"You are just saying that, so I can leave him alone, huh?" she protested while puffing a cloud of smoke.
"No, just warning you to be careful. That's all," he explained once more. "If the principal is involved.... You know."
The girl just gave off a laugh with a cigarette in between her fingers. "So you are scared of the new kid? Oh, Callahan. I never thought of seeing you afraid like this." Her sarcasm didn't help the situation.
"I am scared of liability," he corrected sternly. "And you should as well, Sylvia."
Sylvia stood up from her seat and clung to Callahan's broad shoulders, leaning in closer to his ear.
“Fine. I’ll be careful.”
Callahan didn't flinch as he swiped the cigarette off her fingers. " You don't wanna get caught once more smoking this."
A kiss pecked on his cheek in a playful tease rather than affection.
“But if he’s just some rich kid playing normal, I’m still gonna have fun finding out how fast he breaks,” she said before retreating.
Callahan sighed as she sauntered toward the door.
“Sylvia—”
She waved without turning.
“Relax, Mr. Callahan. I’m a model student.”
The door clicked shut behind her.
The bell rang at exactly 7:45 a.m. in a long, brassy tone that blasted through the dining hall like a starter pistol.
Instantly, the usually low rumble of breakfast exploded into restrained chaotic energy.
Chairs scraped back in unison, and trays clattered onto return carts with metallic crashes. At the same time, student voices and footsteps began hurriedly rushing out in overlapping expressions.
“Wait—my bag!”
“Hey! Let's get going, guys.”
“Move it, I’m gonna be late to homeroom again!”
"Excuse me, coming through!"
As students continued to surge toward the exits of the dining hall with backpacks swinging and shoes squeaking on polished floors.
Meanwhile, Raphael and Harian descended the stairs just in time when the bell rang. Now, properly clothed in their blue blazers, buttoned-down dress shirt, red tie, and well-pressed dress pants with classic black shoes.
"This is pretty chaotic." Raphael looked all over the place as students rushed outside in a panic frenzy.
"It's normal. We can walk if you aren't in a hurry. We will just arrive on time eventually." Harian chuckled softly as they began to walk amongst the crowd of students rushing.
"True. So, which class are you in ?" Raphael struck him with a question.
"I am in 2-A," he proudly tapped the small brass name tag with his name and class. "And you?"
"2-C," Raphael replied in a neutral tone.
Harian was pretty surprised. "Eh? You don't seem like a 2-C to me. You could at least be in class 2-B."
"What's wrong with it?"
"Hmmmm... you know the school's system, right?"
"Not really," he denied honestly.
"Well. If you belong in class A, you are one of the promising students in the Academy. You get special privileges like better teachers, a hall pass for the best study hall, and better snacks." Harian explained.
"Hm? What about class C?" Raphael's brow raised.
"Basic stuff. Just that you might get involved into potentially bad and dangerous crowd. There are still decent ones who just struggle keeping up with their grades."
"Oh, I see. My class doesn't seem that bad."
"That's good. Besides, you can still have a chance to accelerate in a higher class for next school year." Harian encouraged. "Who knows, maybe we might be classmates if you do great."
"Alright. I will try my best." Raphael smiled back at him as his hand pulled his sling securely.
"Just don't drop below D or something," Harian whispered cautiously. "It's literally a hellhole. Full of delinquents and students that people avoid at all times."
"I will take note of that." Raphael took note of his warning. Just as they climbed through a set of stairs.
Finally, they reached their destination, the west wing, where the Second Year Classes belong. Class 2-A is just located a few blocks from the stairs, while B, C, and D are situated further down the corridor.
"Well, my stop is here." Harian glanced over his shoulder to look at Raphael.
"Sure. I guess I will head over there." Raphael nodded his head and waved his hand.
Harian bade goodbye as well before he disappeared into the room. Meanwhile, Raphael didn't wait any further and continued walking down the hall.
The hallway outside the classrooms for classes B, C, and D was pure pandemonium: last-second locker raids, friends shouting across the corridor, a last-minute dance challenge in the middle with a phone leaned against a wall to record.
Raphael slipped around the crowd before finally reaching the entrance of class 2-C.
Feyline was surprisingly standing by the doorway with her arms crossed, guarding the entryway. She was casually gossiping with another student who happened to pass by.
"Hey," Raphael called out as he approached Feyline. "What's up?"
"Oh!" Feyline appeared to be startled as she quickly composed herself, while the other student just nodded off before leaving. "Raphael, you here!"
"Yeah. Umm... why are you standing on the way though?" he asked.
"I was looking for you. Thought you might be late, but hey, you arrive just in time."
"Oh, okay. You got something for me ?"
"Yup," she handed over a piece of paper. "It's a requirement. You have to attend the Academy's orientation like every new transferee should," she explained thoroughly.
"Okay. When is this?" Raphael glanced over the paper with details indicated.
"Should be your first period. You get to skip class somehow."
Ground Floor, Eastern Wing Audiovisual Room 110.
"Alright. I guess I will head over there." Raphael smiled as he kept the paper folded into his pocket.
"See ya later, Raphael. Antonio is looking forward to later, btw." Feyline waved as he began moving towards his new destination.
Audiovisual Room 110, Ground Floor, Eastern Wing
As the bell chimed once more, indicating the start of the first period, Raphael had arrived.
The room was already lit with the school's projector turned on when he got inside. There is just a bunch of desks and chairs, a whiteboard with a big headline: Evanderhill Academy, and some information below.
No one else was there besides him.
He found a pleasantly situated seat just in front of the screen and patiently waited to see if anyone else was coming over for his orientation, tapping his fingers lightly to break the silence.
After a few minutes had passed by, the door flung open as a set of heels began strutting in, making a slight clicking sound every time it hits the tiled floors.
"Good day, you must be Raphael Kiersten." A female's voice spoke out with a deep vocal tone and a slight hint of sternness. As soon as his name got called, Raphael turned over and nodded in affirmation.
"Yes."
"I am your counselor. Ms. Gretta Hernandez," she introduced as she continued to walk towards the front of the room with a small podium.
"You can call me Ms. Hernandez. I will be handling your orientation."
Raphael nodded as he sat in a proper posture.
Ms. Gretta appeared to be voluptuous with her turtleneck shirt clung nicely tight over her chest and waist, while her pencil skirt hugged comfortably on her thick hips and thighs. The dark stockings and Louboutin's heels just complemented her fit. But the way her hair was tied in a neat bun and red frames sitting on the bridge of her nose gave her that serious and stern confidence which complemented her overall appearance.
While she was speaking about Evanderhill Academy's history, she opened up a presentation in PowerPoint to discuss it further with visualization.
Raphael attentively listened and took down important notes like any other discussion in class.
"What is Evanderhill Academy?" she said deliberately, like a rhetorical question.
"It's not just a conventional high school," she explained. " Evanderhill was created as a private alternative high school program by the Schneider family, specifically designed to help students who begin or resume their secondary education later in life. We cater to returnees, dropouts, homeschooled individuals, and transferees from non-traditional systems.”
She paused for a second to study Raphael's expression, ensuring he was following through.
"Most of our students are 18 or older with a maximum age acceptance of 21, though we maintain the traditional sophomore, junior, and senior labels for academic structure," she continued, clicking her heels as she walked by in circles.
He paused and pondered. So this wasn't a typical high school at all? That explained why the wide range of ages seemed vaguely noticeable.
Then, Ms. Hernandez proceeded to the next slide, and Harian's image stood through one of the sample images displayed on screen.
“Evanderhill also welcomes special privileged students such as idols, actors, athletes, and others with demanding careers who wish to continue their education while working. We provide flexible scheduling, modular online classes, and support to accommodate them.”
Raphael smiled in amusement. Harian's definitely not lying about it, huh? He seems to be one of the golden trophies in here.
"The Academy also accepts scholarship grants, provided that they must work under the school's administration while maintaining a class standing of B and above. Failure to comply will result in revocation, or further negotiations can be applied through more working hours." she calmly stated the next section of the slide.
"Ms. Hernandez, what do you mean by class standing?" Raphael curiously raised his hand as he asked the question.
"Evanderhill Academy has a special hierarchy class system. This can help maintaining competitve environment to help students improve themselves and aim to reach perfection."
"Each school level is divided into four classes," she continued.
She showed the following chart :
CLASS A — Top students in academics and athletics. Prodigies, Popularity, Social Involvement, and other Activities, Elite connections are also considered. Extra privileges are granted for students in this tier. Basically, the model students in the academy.
CLASS B — still a solid tier for capable, reliable, responsible for students, but not exceptional enough to belong in class A. Middle ground for decent achievers in academics and athletics.
CLASS C — transitional tier for students who have difficulties during the entrance exam classification. Some students belonging here have inconsistent performance, image problems, and rebellious demeanor.
CLASS D — the bottom tier. students belong here are poor in academics, have bad behavior, and serious disciplinary records. The Academy still welcomes them for support and additional funds.
Ms. Hernandez kindly explained each tier thoroughly while citing examples for each situation. Now, Raphael remembered taking that classification exam. His uncle told him not to take the examinations too seriously, and the results? Class C.
At most, his intelligence could only merit him at least in class B, but if he mentioned his connections with the Schneiders, he would certainly belong to class A.
Actually, that didn't seem too bad for him. After all, he needed to be low-key.
The discussion continued further with explanation of possibilities to accelerate in the Academy's classification through different means such as: attending athletics program, extracurricular activities, student body committee, improving academics, doing exemplary research and investigations, and other opportunities.
Raphael just quietly sat in his seat, still trying to listen attentively as the orientation dragged a little bit longer than he expected.
Ms. Hernandez finally reached the last few slides of the presentation and made her closing remarks.
"That's all you need to get to know Evanderhill Academy. Now, Raphael. Are you willing enough to improve yourself in the next school year?"
Raphael's thoughts had drifted somewhere before he could eventually realize she had started a conversation.
"Oh, um. I am sorry," he snapped back to his senses.
"Well, I hope you do." She just smiled. "Thank you for your time."
She finally dismissed him from the orientation and was told to return to class for his next period.
As Raphael began to march his way back to his classroom, he carefully thought about the Academy at the moment.
This Academy is pretty complicated, the deeper he thinks about it.
What is the reason for inventing this system?
It's nothing more than a division in power and social status.