"Miss your bed all you want, you won't be sleeping on it for a long, long time." Su Tang stopped the car by the parking lot with only a few cars that might be for the teachers. She knew her sister better to know what she was thinking at the moment.
"What do you mean by that?"
Su Tang ignored her and stepped out of the car. "I'd advise you to come with me else you miss the way."
Ruolan got down from the car with her backpack and trailed behind her sister. She was still thinking of her words but the sight if the students caught her attention.
As they walked, they saw students of different skin colors, the beautiful ones, the average, and the ugly.
However one thing was common, they were affluent kids just like her. She roamed her gaze on the students for a while to find any one they graduated high school together, but found none. She tore her gaze away from them and looked behind her to see none of hers or her sister's guards were following them. Were they stopped outside the gates? Maybe. She brushed off her thoughts as she heard some students appraising their looks.
"Wow, who are those chicks?" asked Simeon as he whistled.
"Who doesn't know the Tang sisters? Oh, you wouldn't because you never watch business channels nor read business magazines." Answered Anthonio with a snicker.
"He doesn't do those things because he can't afford them," Richard mocked and everyone hanging around the boys laughed.
"I'm Richer than you are, idiot!" Simeon fired back.
"Yet, I know who those girls are, ninny!"
At Richard calling him that, Simeon flared up and was about to throw a punch at him when he heard the sound of a whistle, stopping Simeon's punch in mid-air.
The students turned around to see two men in blue uniforms rushing over with a man in his middle thirties strolling towards them while twriling the weird object (that had sounded like a whistle earlier) in his finger.
The men in uniforms grabbed Simeon and were dragging him away when he yelled, "Fvck you Richard!!"
The man who blew the whistle sighed, "freshets, they never read rules before entering schools. What are parents doing these days?... And you boy, why didn't you read the rules? you should have known that for starting a fight one-week detention. For cursing, three days detention.
You have ten days of detention when you haven't even spent three days here. Now, you won't be attending lessons on those ten days and if your score doesn't meet the requirements for remaining here, by the end of the semester you will be sent home."
Just when Teacher Xu finished speaking with pity for the boy, he saw his eyes brightening, so his polite nature suddenly changed and before Simeon could show his excitement on his face, the man added,
"...Alone." he esmiled when he saw the approaching excitement turned a sour look on his face.
Simeon didn't seem to understand as he looked stunned, so Teacher Xu explained briefly. "You will be sent to walk through that creepy road alone without guards or anything." Seeing the horror on Simeon's face, Teacher Xu felt satisfied and added: "Did I burst your bubble? Yeah, I know I did and you are welcome. Send him to the detention class to get his level of work."
"Yes," the guards took the wide-eyed Simeon away.
All through the walk, Simeon was only allowed to utter the curse word he said to Richard and nothing else. He was stunned silly. What just happened?. He was just about to be excited as he wanted to leave this hell of a school he was forced into by his parents. He has been here for since three days and nobody approached them nor said anything or announcement anything to them. He couldn't even get a girl to play with as all the students here were too affluent, just like him. As if that wasn't bad enough, he was being sent to detention? When has he ever in his life gone to detention class before?... No f*cking time!
The students in the corridor were mainly new students like Ruolan who had just come here and hasn't even been told the rules and regulations of the school. The reason why Simeon didn't know how serious his crime of wanting to fight was. Although they were given the school booklet containing the school rules and other important things before entering the university, the majority of them haven't opened it to read.
"Sister, are the teachers here so harsh? What kind of a school is this?" Ruolan asked after Simeon was taken away.
"You will be fine if you follow the rules and regulations until you graduate," Su Tang said.
"That's fine too." She smiled. She was so looking forward to breaking all the rules she can to get expelled and return to her comfy bed!
Su Tang only smiled at her words. How could she not know what her sister was thinking? Does Ruolan ever agree to things without having her own opinion about it?
...
Soon they got to the principal's office where they met Mrs. Jefferson.
"Welcome CEO Tang, please have a seat. And this is…"
"Ruolan Tang," Answered Su Tang.
"Oh, Ruolan Tang, have a seat," Mrs. Jefferson said and both girls sat down.
Mrs. Jefferson's gaze lingered on Ruolan who was already finding a comfortable place in her chair to doze off.
"Ahem," Su Tang cleared her throat to draw Mrs. Jefferson's attention away from her sister.
"Sorry, I was too mesmerized by her beauty. It's.... One of a kind," She said awkwardly.
Su Tang only smiled faintly. The cheerfulness she was exuding when she was having a banter with Ruolan had long disappeared and right now, she was sitting there looking like her company was defrauded by Mrs. Jefferson.
"As we discussed a few days ago, everything has been settled. Her luggage arrived two days ago and she is the last student to show up. If you hadn't showed up today, the school would have punished her for the whole semester." Mrs. Jefferson said as she secretly scrutinized the lazily sitting Ruolan.
"It's a good thing we made it." Su Tang said with a deadpan expression.
"Her name has already been changed like you instructed and henceforth, she is Vicky Tang," Mrs. Jefferson said.
"Thank you" Su Tang said like she was dissatisfied or irritated. Yes, the principal was making her angry. Ruolan is an extremely sensitive child and the way the principal has been looking at her might give her hints to things she is keeping from her.
Ruolan stared from her sister to her principal discussing what she didn't understand. This was not what her sister told her. Not that she cared though, but why the change of name and what's with the luggage?
She didn't bother to research about the school because she felt sleeping was way better than sitting on a computer for minutes typing and scrolling like she was checking the status of her soul.
After Su Tang and Mrs. Jefferson were done talking, she asked. "Ma'am, I thought the registration will be ending tomorrow?"
"Yes, your... Ahem...Correction young lady, I'm Mrs. Jefferson, call me that, and No, you got your information wrong about the registration. That has nothing to do with you anymore though, because you have already been registered since two weeks ago "
Vicky turned shsrply to look at her sister who was equally looking at her. Their eyes met and for the first time, Vicky saw…fear? Hidden in her sister's eyes.
This is not right. Her sister never had anything to be scared of. Be it in the business world or anywhere else. Something is not right with the situation.
Before Su Tang and Ruolan Tang left the principal's office, Mrs. Jefferson bowed to the two girls as a farewell gesture which was weird. How could Hassride University's principal bow to Su Tang and Vicky Tang?
Minutes later, Su Tang and Vicky Tang were sitting in the car talking.
"Ruo, you heard everything your principal said. Study well and mold your character. Like I said earlier, your scores aren't important. What you should be fighting against is being sent home. I know you can do it, after all, you are my brilliant sister." She patted Ruolan on the head.
Vicky stared at her with her purple eyes and asked "What is going on?" her sister was trying to act calm like always but she could still see little things off about her.
"What do you mean?"
"You are scared of something," She said while looking down at her open palm.
Su Tang sighed, "I can't hide anything from you can I? Fine. I'm only scared you are going away from home, I will miss your presence."
"The journey here to the capital isn't far. I can come home with you and attend school from home," she said.
She was still not convinced even after her sister's excuse. She has known her sister for eighteen years to Know that she was lying through her teeth. If she's not a strong-willed woman she wouldn't have been able to climb to the top of the business world in just eight years.
"We are not in the capital nor are we in China." Su Tang finally opened her mouth to tell the truth.
"What do you mean? where is this place?"
"You will find out when you pass your first year. Or your school might tell you what you need to know in a while. I should start leaving so that I can get back to China before Thursday." She said while checking the time on her wrist.
She thought of telling her friend before hand to send her private jet over, but was scared it would be monitored, so she had to drive her car for days while resting on the way.
She had sent her guards in different directions to mislead whoever might be following them in secret.
Vicky Tang widened her eyes in shock. She looked at her phone and discovered the time was passed three in the afternoon of Monday.
They left home by 3 pm on Friday. Then If that was the case, it would means they have been on the road for... three days!
Ruolan looked at her sister who nodded at her and looked down with her emotions in turbulence. If there was nothing going on, her sister wouldn't do so much to bring her here.
What is going on? For once she has never heard of this school before. Maybe it was because she was too lazy to care about things that has nothing to do with food and sleep, but so far she hasn't seen any of her classmates in high school and this was supposed to be the best school in whatever country this was.
Secondly, she didn't know she spent more than a day on the road, meaning she was sleeping, and there was no way she would sleep for that long, unless she was... drugged! But she didn't eat anything from home, then her mind jolted. "You drugged me!" She was very sure that was what happened and her sister attested to it.
"Yes," She nodded.
"Why would you?" She didn't know if she should be disappointed or angry.
"It's for your own good. And remember, no matter what you do, you must not let anyone see your real face. Not even your future best friend...." She turned around and held her by the shoulders and with a serious face, she emphasized, "Ruo, on no circumstances should you let anyone know you have been wearing a mask."
Vicky swept her hands off, she has heard those words uncountable times already that she even hears them in her dreams sometimes. "I"m not dumb I know that. Don't try to change the topic." She has been living with a skin mask on her face since she was little and she has gotten used to it. Even her eyes are not spared from disguise.
"How sure are you?" Su Tang raised a brow.
"Whatever, think what you like. We will talk about this when I return," Vicky said. She knew her sister didn't want to answer the questions, so she stopped forcing her.
"I hope so, take care, honey... Wait, take your paper bags out of my car." She keeps avoiding the topic because she knew that even if Ruolan comes back, she won't open up, unless she comes back stronger than she is right now.