"See the dress I made for the competition," the guy said placing his smartphone in front of her.
She smiled and picked the phone up. The gown in the picture was beautiful. It was a navy blue dress. "It's beautiful," she complimented and returned his phone to him. "I remember clearly now, you are the guy who came second in the competition," she said immediately when she recognized him.
"Yes. I really wanted to come out as the best but since a genius was around I missed it. I love the two dresses you made. They were unique and stylish. You did a great job," he told her.
"I don't think I am a genius, I only tried my best. It was tough but I guess we all have to do what we can," she replied with a sincere smile. "Are you going to get a job after high school?"
"No. I don't want to. I got offers but my mother wants me to get to the peak. I have to go to college to achieve that. What about you?" the guy asked his eyes fixed on her hazel eyes.
"I will go to college too. It is best I do so," she answered truthfully.
"I guess if someone isn't seeking to begin making money fast, he should go to college . . . At least that is what my mother told me," he said as he could not help but get fascinated by her eyes.
"I think that is a good idea," she replied. She wanted to go to college for the certificate. She wanted it to be part of one of her accomplishment not because it was compulsory. She also wanted to use the college to get closer to the royal family.
College life could also be fun with Anna and she could use any opportunity she gets to make new friends. She might need help and she needed a good relationship with people.
"Where do you plan on going for college?" she asked the guy.
"I want to go to Star city. It is the city of fashion," he replied smiling dreamingly. "What about you"
"I am yet to decide," she told him trying to avoid telling anyone where she wanted to go to.
"I think you should go to Star city. You might get scouted by a well-known fashion designer. Most of the lecturers are fashion designers who have done a lot of miracles in the fashion world," he narrated. "I heard Valerie also works there."
"Uh?" she asked shocked. How comes a stranger is telling me about my family?
"Yes, Valerie works in Star city and she is a lecturer in a university in Star city. I also heard she was a professor," the boy continued telling her more about her mother.
"Oh . . . I see."
"Aren't you Valerie's daughter?" the boy asked confused by her reaction.
"I am her daughter. I was just thinking of what it might be like to go to a university where my mum works," she replied immediately.
"Hello everyone," the teacher in charge of the club said from the front of the large room.
The room became quiet and everyone's attention moved to the beautiful well-dressed teacher.
***
"Hey," the red-haired guy said standing obstructing Anna's part as she walked to the mathematics teacher's office.
She stared around but students were not around. She prepared herself for defense and readied her mouth to scream if he tries to attack her after all the girl he likes was killed.
"What do you want?" she asked with her fist clinched ready to punch the guy. She took a step back from him.
"I want to talk to you," he told her with a cold frown on his face.
"Talk," she said waiting for him to speak without letting her guard down.
"Not here," he replied looking around with a sign of nervousness appearing on his earlier cold face although he maintained his frowning expression.
"I won't talk to you then," she told him and walked past him.
"I saw Jace on the night of the competition," he said making Anna stop on her track.
"So what?" she asked when she questioned herself of the reason she stopped when there was nothing wrong with Jace.
"He was stabbed," the boy continued.
Rose who lifted one of her leg to go away, stopped and looked back him doubting.
"I can show you the sign of blood still on the ground outside," he told her.
Anna immediately reached for his collar gripping it very tightly. "What did you do to Jace," she asked her teeth clinched.
"Nothing. Think about why your friend almost got killed," he said with a smirk. He removed her fingers one after the other from his collar and stepped back.
"Anna!" Rose called running towards the two of them. She caught the wrist of the guy who wanted to pass by her. "Who are you?" she asked giving him a once-over.
The guy dressed in a simple manner with his collar wrinkled unlike the other parts of the neatly ironed uniform he wore. "Ask Anna," he answered still wearing that smirk that did not do a good job of hiding the sadness in his eyes.
Rose released his wrist and ran to Anna. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she looked at Anna carefully for any wound.
Anna shook her head making her a little confused. "Let us go home," Anna said pulling her sister out of the building.
Rose swallowed all the questions she wanted to ask one after the other as they kept popping up on her mind the more she thought of it. Anna hardly kept secrets from her and she could only patiently wait trusting that Anna will tell her when she is ready.
"Mum have been busy lately to teach you how to drive. Let's tell Mara to help us," Anna said when they sat in the car with the chauffeur who came to pick them up from school.
"Sure thing," Rose agreed immediately. Her car was going to deteriorate in the garage if she does not have a reason to use it.
Anna nodded since she needed a distraction at the moment to prevent her from fighting a mental war. She did not want to believe Jace was stabbed and she did not want to run to his house to find him.
Rose glanced at her sister who was lost in thought and had to ask her what was wrong with her.