Hazel's POV
*Kring* *Kringg* *Kringgg*
Pinatay ko Ang nakakairitang alarm clock ko at tumayo. Tiningnan ko ang orasan at nakita ko na 5:30 palang. "Makapag-ayos na nga, baka malate pa ako."
Naligo ako at nag-ayos. Kumuha ako ng cereal sa refrigerator at kinain ito, Mamaya na siguro ako bibili ng mga pagakin at mga needs ko.
Kinuha ang bag pack ko na laman ang mga gamit sa school.
Lumabas ako ng apartment ko at naghintay ng taxi. Nung nakito ko ang isang taxi, pinara ko ito.
"Saan ka miss?" Tanong sa akin ng driver, yun nalang ang palagi nilang tanong pagkasakay ko sa kanila. "Alam niyo po ba kung saan ang Royal Academy? Doon po kasi ang punta ko." I said.
"Aba, siyempre. Sikat na sikat kaya yung school na yun. Doon ka ba mag-aaral?" I nodded my head as a confirmation.
"Ingat ka. Sabi ng anak ko na dating nag-aaral doon maraming mean girls doon. Mga kabataan nga naman." He said and we stayed quiet after that.
'Find your man and your free from deal.' That keeps repeating in my head. How can I find a man if I don't have any interest in them?
"Andito na tayo." Nagbayad ako at bumaba na. Lumantad sa akin ang napakalaking eskuwelahan, parang andito na lahat ng mga facilities.
Pumunta ako sa Dean's office at kinatokang pinto nito. "Come in!" At pumasok na ako.
"Magandang Umaga po! I am Stella Veroda, a transferee from America." Bati ko may nilabas siyang papel at tumingin sa akin. Ngumiti siya tapos tumingin ulit sa akin. Binaba niya ang files na iyon at tumayo.
"Good morning, Ms. Veroda. Welcome to Royal Academy, I'm Lucas Collins This is your schedule and classroom." He hand me a paper at tumingin ako dito. Nakalagay dito Kung saan ang classroom ko at mga schedule ng klase ko.
"Thank you, Mr. Collins." I bow and walk out.
I walk around the campus and saw A-2 I come inside the room at wala paring tao.
People started coming and noticed me.
'A transferee?'
'So plain.'
'Ugly.'
'A nerd?'
'We found another prey!'
Words that comes in the mouths of those who come in and notice me. The teacher also come in and noticed me.
"Is there any transfer?"
"Yes." I answer.
"Please introduce yourself here at front." Pumunta ako sa harapan at nagpakilala.
"Hello everyone. I'm Stella Veroda, transferee from America. Nice to meet you all. " I said while looking at their eyes.
"You look plain and ugly girl."
"Add the word nerd at your sentence."
" 'Sometimes those opinions will be ones you don't like.' Heard that sayings? Don't judge me by my appearance." I said and they roll their eyes, mga matataray.
"Go back to your seat now." Utos sa akin nung teacher at sinunod ko naman.
Inumpisahan niya na magturo at ang first subject namin is Math. Math is my favorite subject so I really study it, nung alam ko na lahat ng tinuturo sa school it became boring, tumingin nalang ako sa Labas ng bintana baka mas magustuhan ko ma.
"Ms. Veroda, can you solve this?" Pumunta agad ako sa harap at tumingin sa whiteboard, inanalize ko muna bago sagutan.
Their Jaw drops because it's one of the hardest equation in mathematics but I easily manage to answer it.
"You can now seat." the teacher said.
It's break time at nagdecide ako na pumunta sa cafeteria. Pumila ako sa pila at naghintay.
Habang naghihintay may nakita akong lalaki na nagbabasa ng libro about physics— that's Sam, right?
Sam is my childhood friend in America, he don't know things about my family, he just know about me living a normal life there. Parehas kami ng hilig—ang magbasa so close kami. Sa tingin ko hindi namaan niya ako matatandaan, 10 years na ang nakalipas eh. Mas bata siya ng 1 taon kaysa sa akin.
Nag-order ako at binayaran ito nung paalis na ako sa pila my tumapik sa likod ko—si Sam?!
"Yo! Long time no see Hazel." He greeted me while smiling, he is really cute.
"Long time no see, book worm." I also greeted while smirking.
'Hazel?'
'I thought it's Stella?'
Another gossips from my beloved school mates.
"Let's go, seat down." Sam dragged me at his table and let me sit.
"What are they saying? Who's Stella?" Naku po! Paano ko to papalusutan? Isip, Hazel, Isip.
"Me." I said while eating my food.
"I thought your name is Hazel?"
"I lied." Kumain na naman ako ng pagkain ko.
"Well, why? May I know the reason?" I swear curiosity will kill humanity.
"Dahil hindi ako basta-basta nagbibigay ng mga information about sa akin sa mga taong hindi ko naman kakilala." Sabi ko.
"Well, That's reasonable." He said at salamat sa diyos nakalusot din.
"Nagtransfer ka ba dito?" I nodded. "Alam mo na ang pamamalakad sa school na to?"
"Same as other school, right?"
"Nope."
"Edi ano pala?" I am getting curious and curios here.
"If sa ibang school, ang pinaka mataas ay Principal, sumunod mga teacher tapos student council na, dito, Principal tapos Royalties tapos teachers?" I raised my eyebrows curious what it is.
I just say that Curiosity will kill humanity but I'm being too curious here.
"Curious, right? Meaning the Royalties have more authority than the teachers, many rumors said that they exceeded the teachers knowledge that's why they are more respected, but the teachers are also respected by them and other student." Interesting. "By the way, lahat ng mga binibili mo dito sa school is base sa score mo. Bibigyan ka nila ng pera based on your test, quiz, and performance score. Kunwari sa test, 99/100 ka, bibigyan ka nila ng Php 99 sa bank account mo, pag 0 ka wala kang makukuha. Yung perang binibigay nila sayo is the only money you can spend here at school, no matter how rich you are if you don't have brain it's useless." He explained and I am having interest here at this school.
"But many rich kid also buy their scores, so yeah, it's still unfair." He said with a sad tone.
"Hmmm... I don't think so, that it's unfair. You said this royalties has more authority than the teacher, as long as they don't agree with the teachers it cannot be perform. Meaning all of the student here are smart. Pero pwede nila yun magawa outside the school, meaning there are still possibility na nandadaya sila." I said. This school is like a maze at dapat mong malutas. "This school is really interesting." I smirk.
'Life is a maze from which we never escape. Every decision takes us in a different direction and every time we turn one way we could just as easily have turned the other.'