Chapter written by Elle (precerii).

The soft girl watched as ravens surrounded a squirrel carcass outside her window. Their black wings changed from green, purple and blue as they moved through each stained window pane. The birds squeaked excitedly as they flew from each side until deciding to land in a large circle, pecking at the lifeless animal. Her hand supported her head, her other hand twirling a metal straw inside her hot coffee. The sun was yet to rise as stars glimmered around dark, puffy clouds. The only light provided being the street lamps outside, illuminating the deadly scene before her.

Yoonah assumed that the squirrel probably got run over, but it still upset her. She had never been exposed to these kinds of things. It disheartened her, seeing what used to be an energetic creature lying lifeless on the ground, just waiting for the cycle of life to carry on with it's process. It was unfair. She hated not being able to help, even if it was a small animal. Even as a child, she'd always wanted to help.

—

"We have to help him, daddy!" Little Yoonah exclaimed, tugging on her father's much larger hand as she watched a young boy with soft brown hair get slammed against a telephone booth by someone much larger than him. Scratches and bruises covered his face, and his hair soon became tangled. It was no match, the younger boy would clearly go down without help.

Her father glanced over at the sight and shook his head. "Those are thugs, Yoonah."

Yoonah glanced at the boy once more and furrowed her brows. He didn't look like a thug. He looked like a child her age who needed help. Something about that sentence disheartened her—in her little heart, and maybe she was too young to be feeling this deeply about someone she didn't even know, but it's how she felt.

As her father tugged her away, the girl stared hopelessly. What happens to a fox without its tail?

—

Sighing, Yoonah took a long sip of her coffee and smacked her lips at the bitterness. She sat in front of her desk in a warm cardigan. Ever since she entered this school, every room made her feel like she was in a mental institution. Constantly checking behind her back, always being watched. Shivers relentlessly ran down her back, making it cold and forbidding. It didn't matter what setting she had her little heater on, and it didn't matter how hard it blew or however much it rotated, she always felt raw.

It was about five in the morning. She had risen early, feeling too jittery to sleep.

You see, it was her first official day at Yongsan Academy. Today would be the day that she would grant her father's wish, and perhaps have a chance of getting into the school of her dreams, Wilmington University; an arts school. It had been her dream since, well, forever. Ever since she laid her hands on a piano, she fell in love. With this opportunity, nothing could keep her from her goals.

Well, there wouldn't be if she could actually get herself to do it.

After finishing her coffee, still dressed in sweatpants and a cardigan, Yoonah slips on a pair of brown moccasins and walks towards the grand piano, her fingers sliding against the glossy oak wood, faintly being reminded of her parents. Of the long nights during rehearsal, of her parents screams from the crowd as she performed, of how her mother always loved to sing as she played. With her eyes watering, Yoonah sniffled before turning away.

Don't let your past define you.

Opening her closet, the girl pulls out her uniform before undressing herself and pulling it on. Buttoning up her white, long sleeved shirt and slips a sleeveless, navy blue vest over it. Next, she puts on her black tights before her blue and yellow plaid skirt. After pulling her short hair into the best ponytail that she could muster, the bell signifying the first warning for class rang.

Grabbing her backpack, Yoonah's lip part in surprise when she hears a knock at her door. Slipping her bag over her shoulders, she opens it and finds a blonde girl obnoxiously chewing her gum, a bored look on her face. She had the same uniform on, except she wasn't wearing her tights and her skirt was rolled up above her mid-thigh. Call Yoonah a goody-two-shoes, but she's pretty sure that doesn't follow the dress code.

"Hi?" Yoonah greets hesitantly.

"Principal Kim told me to show you around. We have our first period together." She stated bluntly, before turning around and leaving, heading down the long corridors filled with students heading to their own destinations.

"Wait!" Yoonah yells, turning off her light before quickly shutting the door and rushing towards the girl. "You didn't mention your name!" She mentions, giving a gentle smile. This could be her first shot at gaining a friend, and God knew she needed one.

The girl rolls her eyes. "Mihi." Maybe not so much of a chance.

"Oh . . . I'm Yoonah." She mumbles, knowing that the other girl probably didn't care much about her name anyway.

"This is the library," the girl points to a room in the center with a large, grand entrance. There were two wooden doors with golden designs of lions snarling, showing off their sharp teeth, and ravens who circled the lion. It looked pretty much like every other building in the academy, but something was different about it. As Yoonah pushed open the door to get a sneak peak, she quickly figured out why. The library was dome shaped, with a glass ceiling. Vines and morning glory's grew along the roof.

Yoonah gasps at its beauty. "It's beautiful," she can already imagine the endless nights she'd spend there.

Mihi blows a bubble and nods. "Over there is the cafeteria. That's where we eat lunch, if you didn't know." She mocks sarcastically.

"And this is our first class."

Yoonah peeks in the open door, seeing multiple students already sitting at their desks and pulling out their books. Some students leaned over their desks, sly smiles adorning their hungry lips as they spilled the newest gossip of the day. As she leaned further into the door in an attempt to listen more only for it to creak against her weight. The class immediately turned to stare at the culprit. Yoonah wasn't sure if she was imagining their snarls or if they were real. The atmosphere in Yongsan Academy already felt ten times different than her old, public school. The girl didn't know how she could even begin to compete with them.

Suddenly, a hand gently touches her shoulder, making the girl turn around only to be greeted by Principal Kim, who has a jolly smile adorning his lips.

"Ah, Miss Seo, I see you've met Miss Kim. How are you two doing?"

Mihi's entire demeanor switched within seconds. She swallows her gum and bows politely, a forced grin on her lips. "Good morning, Mr. Kim," she greets, her voice intoxicatingly sweet. "I've just been showing Yoonah around like you told me." She reports, her hands fold politely behind her back.

The man nods and glances over at the other. "How are you adjusting to the school?"

Just as Yoonah is about to open her mouth, Mihi juts in. "She's doing great, principal Kim." She bats her eyes.

Content with that answer, the man smiles. "I'm glad to hear that. We're happy to have you officially in our school. Continue on with your tour, ladies." He says before waving, walking down the hall and presumably enters his office.

Yoonah bites her lip, suddenly feeling a jumble of nerves.

Once again, Mihi's demeanor changed as soon as the man left. "Our teacher is right there," Mihi points to a tall man sitting at a desk in the corner. "Good luck." She smirks cockily before sashaying to her assigned seat.

The girl's hand suddenly felt clammy, and she found it hard to move once her teacher's eyes narrowed in on her. She didn't even prepare—what was wrong with her? She didn't even know what class she was in, let alone did she even look at her schedule to learn her teacher's names.

The teacher raises a brow. "Who might you be, miss?"

Blinking rapidly, she mumbles, "Seo Yoonah, sir."

Flipping through a folder, he pulls out a sheet and nods his head in understanding.Grabbing a pen, he draws a box and writes something down in it before glancing back up and points towards an empty desk next to perhaps one of the most beautiful boy she's ever seen.

He's dressed in the correct apparel, a white button up shirt like Yoonah's, and a navy blue blazer to cover it along with corresponding slacks. The ceiling lights hit his light skin perfectly, and his brown eyes flutter shut for a second, pretty eyelashes resting against his cheeks. He doesn't even glance her way as she walks down the aisles and takes a seat next to him. His eyes remain on the white board, tapping his pencil against the desk impatiently as he waits for the lesson to begin.

Yoonah can't help but stare. There was something very familiar about this boy, but she couldn't figure out from where. His jawline protrudes, and his dirty blonde hair is shiny and looks soft, as well as his red, plump lips.

"Hey," she leans over, tapping the boy on his arm. When he doesn't even blink, she taps him again. "Hello?" She asks, extending the 'o'.

Well, he sure has the looks but not the manners.

Shrugging, Yoonah digs through her bag and pulls out a notebook and a pen, resting her chin on one hand as she listens to her first class.

"Today we'll be learning about the anatomy of the human body . . ."

~

After four drilling classes, Yoonah walked to the cafeteria defeatedly. It seemed as if everything was weighing her down, her skirt, her backpack, her books, everything.

Her classes absolutely drained her. They were much more attentive and drilling than any other class she had taken. She probably took about seven pages of notes for each class. That equals almost twenty eight pages! That's more than a fucking essay.

Getting in line for lunch, the girl grabs a tray and a juice box.

"Soup or salad?" The lunch lady asks in a monotone voice.

"Salad." Yoonah says, and continues answering their questions until she comes out of the line with a salad, a turkey sandwich and an apple. The sandwich was squished, as if someone had quite literally punched it, and the girl was quick to throw it in the trash.

Glancing around the cafeteria, almost every table was filled to the brim. You would think that such a prestigious school would make sure that there were enough tables for everyone. She thought.

Walking through the cafeteria, in search of an open spot to sit, Yoonah notices people glancing at her. Some snickered, some covered their mouths as they spoke into their friends' ears, some laughed openly and some threw mean glares.

What is with everybody?

Signing when there was no spot open, Yoonah walks out the open doors, revealing the outside garden and spots a beautiful Sakura tree, with absolutely no one around.

Smiling, she rushes towards it and sits under it on the plush grass, its blossoms shading her from the sun. Only taking a sip of her juice, she ignores the rest of her food and instead pulls out a book from her bag that she started during the summer but never finished. Leaning against the trunk of the tree, she opens to the page she last left off and smiles, beginning to read.

For once, she felt peaceful. With the warm breeze caressing her face and with silence (other than the occasional student passing by, their footsteps clapping against the sidewalk) she felt happy.

Her peace was short-lived though.

The doors that she had just walked out of swung open, and two girls fling out of it. One is taller, and has a nasty grip on the shorter girl's hair who is screaming and clawing at the other. Yoonah's eyes widen and she slowly reaches for her juice, taking a long sip as she watches the scene unfold.

The two girls throw punches at each other, slaps and kicks to the abdomen that Yoonah cringes at because that has to hurt.

Suddenly, the taller girl reaches into the back of her skirt and a flash of metal gleams in the sun. She holds the knife threateningly, and the shorter girl immediately backs off, trying to run away but it's too late. She's been grabbed and it pierces her side as a blood curdling scream leaves her lips. She falls to the ground, and the taller girl stares at the blood covered knife, a psychotic smile adorning her lips.

Yoonah watches in horror, subconsciously trying to quite literally become one with the Sakura tree until principal Kim comes running out. He gasps at the sight and grabs the tall girl by the shoulder, ripping the knife out of her hand and shoving it in his pocket.

"You're in big trouble, young lady. It is not that time of year yet." He grits out, shoving her back in the cafeteria.

That time of the year? Yoonah tilts her head.

What in the hell is that supposed to mean?