The school Astra was joining was nothing like any other school in the country, not even comparable to the dust in her old school. It was called Zenith Crest Academy, the breeding ground for the children of the nation's wealthiest and most influential families.
From the outside, it resembled a medieval fortress more than a school, with imposing walls that stretched toward the sky. The drive from the main gates to the central building took a full ten minutes, winding through perfectly manicured grounds dotted with ancient oak trees. Astra even spotted a few golf carts buzzing about, ferrying students and staff. It was all so... grand.
When they arrived, the school grounds were already bustling with students, some laughing with their friends, others lost in their own zone. They all wore their uniform which consisted of white shirts tucked neatly into dark blue pleated skirts for the girls, or dark blue trousers for the boys. They had a choice to opt between a dark blue double-breasted waistcoat or a blazer, both adorned with the academy's emblem embroidered on the chest pocket.
"Ready for your first day?" Rowan's voice pulled Astra's attention away from the window, where she'd been observing a group of girls laughing around a marble fountain.
"Mm-hm."
"I know you're worried about the test," Rowan said, giving her shoulder a pat. "But don't stress yourself out. It's just an aptitude assessment. Even if you don't score particularly high, you'll still have a place here."
Astra, who hadn't spent a single moment worrying about the test, merely hummed in response.
"Worst case scenario, you end up in Section E," Rowan continued, his voice carrying a note of pride. "That's where I am, so it wouldn't be so bad, right?"
Astra, who was not planning to give her whole effort in the test, hummed in response. She made a mental note: Avoid Section E at all costs.
"Come on, I'll show you to the examination hall." Rowan began leading her through the maze of corridors, "Since it's the start of the new academic year, there'll be quite a few students taking the placement test, though mostly freshmen..."
While Rowan began to explain everything about the academy, Astra became acutely aware of the attention they were drawing. Heads turned as they passed while others whispered among themselves. Some students wondered about her identity, others commented on her appearance, and a few who recognized her from the horse ranch began to tell the others about it.
She could also feel their emotions rolling off of them in thick waves. Curiosity, nervousness, jealousy, excitement, and many more. Astra had put up her mental walls, trying to ignore those emotions while she focused on Rowan's voice.
Apparently, Zenith Crest Academy had been existing for more than a century now and was often referred to as the 'School of Kings'. Its history was rich and everyone who had studied here or had graduated from here had surnames that were famous around the world.
In Astra's opinion, this was a place to make connections and open doors for future opportunities.
"Here we are," Rowan announced, stopping before a set of massive oak doors that were currently opened. Inside, Astra could see dozens of students seated at individual desks, their expressions ranging from confident to terrified.
"Well, this is where I leave you," Rowan said, checking his phone quickly. "Text me when you're done with the test, okay? I'll show you around the rest of the campus."
Once Rowan had left, Astra walked inside, immediately catching the attention of the others present inside. Dozens of eyes swiveled toward her like compass needles finding north, and she could hardly blame them. It wasn't every day they encountered someone with silver hair and eyes. The whispers started immediately, low but clear to her keen hearing:
"Is she even real?"
"Look at her hair..."
"Those eyes can't be natural, right?"
"She looks like she walked out of a fairy tale..."
Ignoring the mounting whispers and stares, Astra approached the teacher's desk at the front of the hall. A middle-aged woman sat there, her attention firmly on her tablet as she processed incoming students.
"Name," she demanded without looking up, her fingers hovering over the screen.
"Astra Kayzer."
The teacher typed her name and when her profile came up, her head snapped up, her eyes widening as they took in Astra's appearance. She glanced back at her tablet, then up at Astra again, as if running a mental cross-reference between the profile photo and the living person before her.
[Goodness. Was this girl even human?]
She cleared her throat and looked back at the screen, this time consulting her seating chart. "You're assigned to the first seat in the second lane from the left."
"Thank you," Astra gave her a small nod and went to her seat.
To her surprise, or perhaps not given this Academy was based on money, there was an expansive laptop lying on the desk. She set her bag down beside the desk and settled into the chair, taking a moment to observe her fellow students.
Following the lead of other students, she detached the laptop's screen, transforming it into a tablet. On the screen was her profile. Under it were the guidelines and rules that were to be followed during the examination.
The test was to be taken on the laptop and was divided into two parts, one was multiple choice questions while the second part was to write an essay.
"These rich people," she muttered under her breath, propping her chin on her palm as she waited for the examination to begin.
[Oh wait...I am also part of these rich people.]