Sleepiness had seized my consciousness for a long time. It compelled me to skip my breakfast due to oversleeping.

The time clocked at 7 in the morning. Hastily, I put my outfit on while studying my face in the mirror. It reminded me of the girl in the picture. We possessed identical appearances, orb hues, hair color, nose, and face shapes. And we even shared the same hair and lips. The only difference was solely the mole on her forehead.

My hand secured the cherry-red cloak that grazed my thigh with its long size; it was the uniform many kids out there dreamt of wearing. Only those who were geniuses with flawless beauty got an opportunity to proudly don this cloak.

It sounded weird; I thought it was, the first time I read the brochure. One of the requirements in students' intake was that the applicant possessed flawless beauty; it applied to both girls and boys.

For me, it was only luck that brought me to this place; I wasn't a genius even though I had beauty, other women were envious to have. Another thing that made me admitted to this academy was my photography skill. To get accepted, you had to master one of three skills, photography, painting, and pottery.

"You will miss the school bus if you keep adoring your gorgeous countenance in the mirror," Ms. Grayson appeared at the door and warned me. "Good morning."

"G-good morning," I startled, hesitantly responding. I took the final look at my school uniform, a pink blouse on top and a knee-length skinny dark skirt with black socks protecting my leg from the cold and mosquitoes bites.

That woman let me out before she got into my room to do room cleaning. I rushed down the stairs. Taking the lift would waste time as I had to wait for it to open.

After a long run, I gasped for air when I arrived at the front door of the hall. Strangely, I spotted no one here. Did I go to the wrong area? I checked the map the receptionist gave me. It was the right location where I could catch the bus. The other students might have left the dorm earlier. That's why I didn't see anyone.

A bus, smaller than a normal bus, came and halted before me. A conductor opened the door for me to climb into it. There was no passenger in this vehicle except me.

The bus took its leave to the academy. Along the way, I felt amazed by the scenery, the big trees, bushes, wild beautiful flowers, and the chirping birds perching on the branches of the trees.

I turned my camera on, and then in a second, I captured all the beauty of the world into my camera; one snap or two at a time. My hands moved my shot to another angle. A flock of dandelions was caught in my camera at the count of three.

"It's perfect," I muttered, staring at my picture.

"We have arrived at the academy, Miss." I climbed out of the bus and the academy before me stole my focus.

"It's beyond my imagination," I whispered.

I couldn't believe what my eyes saw; an enormous building stood like a giant king facing his people. Its nuance was somewhat the same as the dorm, monopolized by white and brown guarded by the golden gate

I lost count of how many floors it had, but it was the biggest school I'd ever seen in my life. It was the Academy of Haut, a dream school for students my age.

"It's fantastic, isn't it?" Someone's voice pulled me off my daydreaming. A towering blond-haired boy smiled at me. My emerald gazes dissipated into his ocean eyes. He was wearing the Academy of Haut's uniform for boys, a cerulean shirt mixed with dark blue pants under a cherry red cloak.

"I-it is…" I briskly averted my sight, trying to hide that I was falling for his charm. "It's incredible," I added.

"I am Lanzo, what's your name?" He extended his hand. I hesitantly reached it out.

"Dylanesa,"

"What a beautiful name!"

"I wonder If you are a new intelligentsia just like me," I awkwardly muttered.

"I am. It's nice to meet you, Dylanesa."

"It's nice to meet you, too."

"Let's be friends and dive into the unexpected adventures!" He excitedly said the words. I just gave him a nod. We proceeded into the gate. But, a tall bulky man got in the way.

"You two have to put this on to get to the assembly." He passed us a dark wristwatch-like object.

"What is this for?" I couldn't hold my curiosity while putting it on my wrist.

"That's your ID with multi-functions on it, a map, time, direction, search engine, as well as a means of communication. You can connect to the other Intelligentsias and academics through that object in your hand."

"And you cannot lose it." Lanzo interrupted as if it wasn't something new for him. " A senior told me that," he clarified.

"I see."

"This front building functioned as an auditorium where the school organized the annual art exhibition," Lanzo pointed to the first building they passed by. "You may wonder why I know about this. I learned about this Academy before I came here. One of the seniors is my neighbor in my hometown," he explained as I looked at him with questioning eyes.

"What about that?" My eyes traveled to another huge building.

"That's a central building that consists of the offices including an academic and administration room. The right-wing building has the laboratory and classroom where we are going to study. And in the left-wing building, we can access the infirmary, cafeteria, and library."

"It's great that you know a lot about this academy," I commented. I fished my digital camera out of my bag.

"So, you are a photographer too?"

"I am not, I am just into photography."

"It seems we have the same hobby. Are you enrolled in Photography class?"

"I am. Are you?"

"That's amazing. I am taking the class too."

"I am curious where the photography class is."

"I think we need to tour around this academy to find where it is."

I was the type of reserved girl. It was a bit unusual that I could easily mingle with a stranger and get involved in a long conversation. Lanzo was a little bit different from the rest of the people I'd ever encountered in my life before. This boy was humble, friendly, and knowledgeable. That was what made him attractive in my eyes.

We walked around the Academy of Haut and Lanzo could always be relied on whenever I had inquiries about the academy or its staff and facilities.

"Boy Sports Building…, " I read words written on the board in front of the huge building.

"Only boys are allowed to take sports classes.

"It is like the Academy gives boys more privileges. Do you know why?" My comments silenced him.

"Well, I don't have any idea of that policy."

"Why do I feel that this Academy has a lot of secrets behind it?"

"Overthinking is sometimes not good. It will only stress you out."

"But there are many fishy things that I had to discover."

"Don't ever think to give it a shot or otherwise you will regret it." His tone of voice changed cold. It sounded like a threat.

"Why? Do you hide something from me?" He startled and swiftly looked away as if his eyes could reveal a hidden thing if I searched into them.

"We haven't toured the library yet. You might like it." He strode away.