Haoran realized that Emma had let go of his hand. He turned to the girl and narrowed his eyes.
"You don't want to pay for my services?" he asked in a cheerful voice. "Fine... I'll think of another type of payment."
Emma just rolled her eyes and walked away from the young man. She had already seen a sign pointing to the principal's office. Haoran walked behind Emma and didn't force her to hold hands with him. He seemed already very happy to just walk near her.
In his heart, Haoran decided to protect the beautiful Emma from bullies. Usually, new students, especially those with unique appearances, would be the target of such terrible actions by other students.
Fifty percent of students at St. Catherine consisted of foreign students; thus their physical appearances were quite diverse. Still, the girl had a look that differentiated her from everyone, she was like a magnet that attracted people's eyes.
Like Hong Kong, Singapore was one of the few countries in the world that had a population consisting of mixed races. It was a hot spot for international citizens, and St. Catherine was a popular school that had many international students. It could be seen how the students were of different nationalities.
However, none of the students of St. Catherine, had a face as beautiful as a fairy, skin as polished as a porcelain, long platinum hair that reminded one of flowing silver, and light blue eyes that shone like topaz, like Emma. From the first time he laid his eyes on her, Haoran was fascinated.
He didn't expect, however, this beautiful girl to have a personality that was different from most girls he had met. She didn't talk much, but was strong and didn't hesitate to slam him on the ground, even though that was an accident. Also, she seemed to have a look of indifference plastered on her face most of the time. For a new student, the girl didn't look shy nor timid.
'All of these combined is like a formula for asking to be bullied,' Haoran thought as he glanced at Emma. He knew in St. Catherine High School, there were several groups of students who didn't like having their popularity taken over by newcomers like Emma.
"So, where are you from?" Haoran asked, a few meters away from the principal's door.
Emma stopped as she pointed at the office. She nodded at Haoran and said, "I've arrived. Thank you for walking me here."
She knocked on the door twice and went in, leaving Haoran outside.
***
Mr. Albert Young invited Emma to sit. The man, who was in his late 30s, examined Emma's documents and nodded. He called someone and told her to come to the office.
"Welcome to St. Catherine. You transferred in the middle of the school year, so you'll need some time to adjust," He said as he looked at the girl with a friendly expression on his face that immediately made her like him. The principal seemed to be a good person, unlike that evil witch, Ms. Mabel, who always looked at her with hatred.
"Thank you, Sir. I will study as best as I can." Emma bowed.
"I can see that your grades are excellent. I wish for you to keep up your achievements here."
The door knocked and a neatly dressed middle-aged woman entered. "Good morning, Mr. Young. Has my new student arrived?"
Mr. Young nodded and introduced the teenage girl. "Emma, this is Mrs. Sharon Wen, she is going to be your homeroom teacher in Class 2A."
The girl got up and bowed. "Good morning, Ma'am. My name is Emma Stardust."
"Nice to meet you, Emma." Mrs. Wen smiled and shook hands with Emma. Mrs. Wen then turned to the principal and said, "I'll take it from here, Mr. Young. I'll have her measurements taken first before introducing her to class."
"Thank you, Mrs. Wen," Mr. Young said.
Emma and Mrs. Wen left the principal's office, but Haoran was no longer outside. It was almost time for the school to start, so of course, he must be walking toward his own class now. They then made their way to the administration room and had Emma measured.
Mrs. Wen handed over the new uniform and said, "You don't have to wear this right now, but you'll have to wear them tomorrow. Let me take you to class."
Emma followed behind Mrs. Wen's across the enormous courtyard toward the blue building that had a row of large classrooms. They climbed the stairs to the second floor and passed five rooms before stopping at the end of the corridor.
"This is Class 2A. You could say this is the section for the smartest children in this school. We've assigned you here based on the grades in your transcript."
Emma nodded. There were rows of classrooms they had passed by earlier, a total of six. She concluded that the first classroom must be class F, the place the teachers considered the students to be the stupidest. Following that was class E, D, so on and so forth, until class A that was located at the end of the corridor.
"Hmmm..." Emma was happy with the arrangement. Just like other smart kids, she didn't like to be disturbed by people and by other people's shenanigans. Smart kids focused intently on their lessons, and their own personal concerns.
St. Catherine was so big that it could divide its students into six different classes per year level. When she was in the orphanage, Emma was placed in a general classroom with 30 students.
She entered the room after Mrs. Wen. This would be her class for the next half-semester. After that, they would move up to third level, graduate, and then go to university or work. Emma was already thinking of looking for work once she graduated from high school.
"Good morning, Students. I brought a new student here. She will be your new friend. So, please treat her well." Mrs. Wen called for the attention of her students in class 2A. The room was quiet as the students looked at Emma. Mrs. Wen then nodded at the girl. "Emma, �����please introduce yourself."
Emma nodded and said to her classmates, "Good morning, my name is Emma Stardust. I transferred from another school."
"Did you move here from abroad?" asked one of the students while raising his hand. "It's quite unusual to transfer in the middle of a semester."
Mrs. Wen answered for Emma, "No. Emma is from Singapore too. She moved houses, and the school here is closer. Right, Emma?"
Emma decided to agree to Mrs. Wen's explanation. She felt that there was no need for her to explain at length how she was a child adopted by the state.
"Class President?" Mrs. Wen called out and a beautiful mixed-raced girl raised her face. "Bianca, please help Emma with all the school rules and midterm activities that are currently underway."
"Will do, Ma'am," Bianca said as she gave the transferee a complicated look. Emma felt a hint of hostility from the glance of the girl.
Bianca had a slim body similar to a model and a half-Asian, half-European face, just like many other students at St. Catherine. Bianca was a beauty. In fact, she was the most beautiful girl in St. Catherine, and with Emma showing up, who was prettier than her, she couldn't help but feel her popularity was going to be overshadowed by this newcomer.
"All right. Since everything is settled, please take a seat, Emma. There's an empty chair at the back, and we'll begin today's lesson in chapter 10. Everyone, please open your books."
Emma made her way toward the empty table at the very back and put her bag on the chair. As she plopped down herself in the chair, her gaze was struck by the large poster on the classroom's wall.
[SCHOOL TRIP TO PARIS THIS SUMMER!!!]
The caption on the poster showed a backdrop of the beautiful Eiffel Tower.
'There would be a school trip to Paris?' Emma thought.
Her heart instantly raced. For almost 12 years, she had been dreaming of going to France. She remembered she was brought to this country from an orphanage in Paris, so all the information about her parents and her background should be kept there.
Emma longed to see her father and mother once more. She hadn't seen them for more than a decade and almost forgot their faces.
Her mother was a stunning and loving woman. She had a lovely voice that could even make birds stop singing when she sang. They would be ashamed to show off their voices before Arreya Stardust.
As Emma grew older, the image of her mother returned to her memory through the mirror. She was her beautiful mother's spitting image, after all. They both had long platinum hair, a pair of light blue eyes like topaz, and skin as beautiful as porcelain.
But Emma's personality almost took entirely after her father, Kaoshin Stardust. The man didn't talk much and loved taking care of plants. He rarely spoke, but somehow, the couple always understood each other.
Well, it was more like Arreya always knew what was on her husband's mind. When Emma was a kid, she had thought her mother could read minds. Emma, however, had forgotten her father's face. She only knew her father was the most handsome man she had ever known.
The last time Emma had seen them was on that one night in winter, thirteen years ago. She was almost four years old. Arreya Stardust cried as she kissed Emma's face many times before leaving her in front of the orphanage.
Kaoshin Stardust seemed more devastated than his wife. His straight shoulders were slumped, and his usually calm face was dark, wreathed in sadness.
Emma couldn't forget her father's devastated expression. It was that despairing face that made Emma understand her parents never intended to abandon her.
They had been forced to put her in an orphanage. But why? She wanted to know the answer to that question for all her life. She wanted an answer, but she needed her parents more.
Even if they were in such a big problem, why didn't they take her with them?
Emma would rather die with her parents than live in this world alone.