"What do you think?" Mr. Mooncrest asked his wife, who was on her way to give him medicine.

"But what if she refuses? What if she questions why we didn't let her go to the same high school as her brother? Or why we're sending her away from us? And what if-" just as she was asking all these questions, Mr. Mooncrest interrupts her.

"Just tell her we're doing it for her better future. It's not like we have a choice. We're tight on money, so we need to be careful with our finances. I'm on medication too. How can we afford to send her to Elysium Academy? Besides, the boarding school will take care of her stay there without any extra charges. And if she earns the scholarship, we won't have to pay a hefty amount for her studies," he says, sounding a bit tense.

"I understand. I'll talk to her. Don't stress too much and get some rest now," Mrs. Mooncrest says as she leaves the room.

Despite assuring her husband that she would convince their daughter to attend a boarding school, she still struggled to comprehend how to successfully carry out her plan. Noelle, their daughter, had been rebellious since childhood.

"She will surely believe we are favoring her brother and not wanting to spend money on her," Mr. Mooncrest mumbled to himself.

But little did she know that her daughter had already heard her conversation with her husband. Although Noelle was defiant, she was mature for her age. She understood her parents' hardships and was studying in her room for the scholarship test.

***

Mrs. Mooncrest entered her room with a fake smile on her face and asked, "What is my little princess up to right now? Not feeling sleepy, are we?"

Noelle diverted her gaze from her books to her mom and said, "Eww, who the hell calls a grown teenager 'LiTtLe PrInCeSs'? Stop that, Mom. It's so cringy. I was just studying, but why are you here? Has Dad fallen asleep? Is he okay?"

"My, my, so many questions. Your dad is fine. I've given him his medicines, and he'll fall asleep soon. Don't worry, Noe," she said, smiling.

"And?" Noelle asked.

"And what?" Mrs. Mooncrest replied.

"Ugh, cut the crap. Why are you in my room this late? Do you want to say something?" Noelle asked irritably.

"Of course, our Neo is smart. The thing is, your father and I have decided that you'll complete your high school at Willowbrook Boarding School. But you have to take their scholarship test. You know, that place has an excellent academic record and their students-"

Noelle interrupted her mother and immediately said, "Enough! That's enough! I get it. Now you can go. As you said, I need to give the scholarship test, so I have a lot of preparation to do. Sleep well."

Mrs. Mooncrest was pleasantly surprised that she didn't need to put in much effort to convince Noelle, but she sure was relieved. She smiled and said, "You too, Neo. Sleep well. Don't spend the whole night studying." This time her smile was genuine.

Mrs. Mooncrest leaves.

***

Noelle sighs and lowers her head, her books beneath her. Soon enough, those books become damp with water droplets, which are nothing but Neo's tears. Neo closes her books, stands up from her study table, and lies down on her bed. With her pillow in her hands and on her face, she sobs and cries even more wildly than before.

She reminisces about all those old memories of her friends on the playground, where her squad of six girls would giggle and talk about how their friendship would last forever.

Neo recollects how her friend, Misty, mischievously says, "We are going to rule Elysium Academy. I swear everyone will be jealous of our beauty and friendship. You know how they show it in the movies? We're just so perfect. We'll have everyone's attention. You guys are lucky, having a pageant queen like me in this group. Just wait and watch how all the boys will fall for me like dominoes, Haha."

Maya confronts her, saying, "Fall like dominoes for you? What for? Your big mole on your nose? Hahaha." All the girls laugh, and Misty chases after Maya to teach her a lesson. These sweet memories flash before Neo's eyes, and she can't help but cry.

She tries to console herself, thinking that it's not a big deal after all. It was bound to happen, right? How could they have been friends forever anyway? Her family's financial condition is more important at the moment. She can still talk to them on the phone, and everything will be fine. She will get to know new people and make new friends at the new school. She shouldn't cry over something so insignificant.

Midst, being lost in these thoughts, she eventually falls asleep.

***

[Tip(1): This story is based in a frictional country named Raebin. It takes place in modern time period, precisely during the year 2010.]

The next day arrived, and Mrs. Mooncrest refrained from waking Noe up, believing she had likely studied late last night and deserved proper rest.

Nevertheless, Mrs. Mooncrest shared the good news with her husband. Mr. Mooncrest received it with a smile, unsurprised, and remarked, "I had a feeling she would agree. She's my daughter, after all." His expression then turned serious as he added, "But the most crucial part is the scholarship test. She needs to perform well. Let's make sure not to disturb her and allow her to study in peace."

Mr. Mooncrest finished his breakfast and prepared to head to work. Mrs. Mooncrest handed him his bag, and they bid each other farewell.

***

At 8:30 a.m., Noe finally woke up and proceeded to complete her daily routine. After about an hour, she sat down at her study table, remembering the conversation she had with her friends last night. The conversation went as follows:

She felt a sense of regret, but there was nothing she could do about it. Opening her laptop, she eagerly searched for the date of her scholarship test. To her surprise, it was just around the corner! She had a mere nine days to prepare. Fortunately, the curriculum wasn't much different from what she had studied at her previous school. With a determined mindset, she created a timetable for her study plan in the upcoming days.

***

Days passed like grains of sand, and finally, the D-Day arrived. Her father accompanied her to Willowbrook Boarding School for the test. Noe felt nervous, yet a tinge of excitement fluttered in her heart as she visited her soon-to-be new school. As she reached her destination, she was struck by the school's significant size, though not as massive as Elysium Academy.

Upon a large board, the name "Willowbrook Boarding School" was displayed. Noe hadn't paid attention to the name before due to the hassle, but now it struck her that the name was really strange, kind of a mystical essence to it. "Who would give a name like that? So quirky," she thought to herself.

Her father was taken to another room where other parents or guardians were seated. Meanwhile, in the central room, an anchor was telling the audience about the tales of the academy's history and greatness.

As Noe made her way to the test room, she passed several rooms filled with students patiently waiting for the test to commence. Although not accurately counted, each room seemed to have around 40 to 50 students. Soon enough, she reached her designated room and took her seat. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

At 9:00 a.m., the test began, with a duration of three hours. The difficulty level was moderate, and Noe felt quite confident that she would score decently. After three hours, the test concluded.

Her father didn't ask about how the test went, but instead, he took her to Noe's favorite restaurant and let her choose whatever she wanted to eat and drink. Noe chose a classic Margherita pizza with iced tea. After enjoying their meal, her father finally asked, "How did it go?"

"The food was delicious, of course, and umm, thank you," she replied shyly.

"That's good to hear, but I meant, how did the test go?" he inquired.

"It went well. I'm confident that I did fairly well. Don't worry," she responded, trying to act confident.

"I know my daughter is just like me, smart, right?" he smiled.

"Of course, Dad! No, actually, I'm even smarter than you," she teased. They both giggled.

***

At around 2:30 p.m., they arrived home. Although it was already late, Noe couldn't resist the urge to check her test answers.

She went straight to her room and reviewed her answers. To her disappointment, due to overconfidence, she had made several silly mistakes, such as calculation errors, misreading questions, and marking incorrect answers. It left her disheartened, but she didn't want to let her parents know about it. So, she acted naturally and happily, as she usually does.

Later that night, after dinner, she checked her friends' messages. They were all furious with her. It had been a week since she last spoke to them. She wanted to say something, but she felt that it would only further ignite their anger. As a result, she bother not to talk. Gradually, she felt a tinge of sadness for not being able to attend Elysium. However, it wasn't as serious as before. After visiting Willowbrook, she sensed that she could start on a new journey in her life, like the beginning of a new chapter.

"But I have messed up my scholarship test. There's no way I'll be able to study at Willowbrook! Damn it, why do I always act so full of myself?" she muttered angrily to herself.

***

A week had passed, and the result finally arrived. Noe had scored 234 out of 300, which was a pretty decent score. It also helped her to fetch a scholarship of 65%. Although it fell short of her parents' expectations, they congratulated her wholeheartedly. Everyone was happy that day.

No, nothing strange happened.

***

[Tip(2):  Noelle's father, Mr. Mooncrest (45), is a police officer who struggles with high blood pressure and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Her mother, Mrs. Mooncrest (43), is a homemaker who deals with low blood pressure and slightly high cholesterol level.]

After two months, on April 2nd, 2010, Noelle Mooncrest was ready to start on a new chapter of her life.

Following a long two-hour drive, Noe finally arrived at Willowbrook Boarding School. As they stood at the entrance gate, her mother couldn't help but shed tears. Noe, too, felt emotional, realizing that she wouldn't be seeing her parents regularly as before. She hugged her mother tightly, and her father tried to hide his own tears.

Looking at her, he said, "Take care, Noe. Ahh! I almost forget telling you to go easy on the kids here, don't be too extraoutstanding in the curriculum activities, other kids will feel belittled, okay?"

"Dad, stop it now!" she laughed and playfully hopped onto her father for a hug. He gently patted her head.

Finally, they bid each other farewell.

***

Noe entered the campus with a bright smile and high expectations. As she made her way, she noticed a line of newcomers at the school's reception. She joined the line and when it was her turn, she was given a form. Most of her personal details were already filled in, so she only needed to fill a few sections. After completing the form, she submitted it back to the counter. The form looked something like this:

Once she submitted the form, she received a blue circular badge with "10-G" written on it. The receptionist instructed her to wear it and follow the instructions of the lady who had the same badge but in green. Noe followed the instructions and soon realized that the lady was actually the headmistress of grade 10-G.

She instructed the students to follow her, leading them down a path that eventually split into two separate corridors. In each corridor stood a different teacher, also wearing a badge but in black color.

"I'll be your headmistress for this year. You can call me Ms. Denji. The teachers with black badges will provide you with further information," the lady explained before departing.

At that moment, the boys were directed to proceed down the left corridor with their assigned teacher, while the girls were instructed to go down the right corridor. Noelle couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions, as if she had entered a new and unfamiliar environment. It almost seemed like being taken to some kind of jail, yet the excitement of this new experience was undeniable.

***

They entered a room where six beds were arranged, each with a blue badge labeled "10-G." All the girls in the room glanced at one another during the first few minutes of silence. Suddenly, a blonde girl named Olivia Grace broke the ice by introducing herself, asking the others to do the same.

"I'm Olivia Grace. Since we'll be staying together, it would be nice to get to know each other. Can you guys introduce yourselves as well?" she asked, with a warm smile.

"I'm Ava Evelyn, and I'm really looking forward to our time together," said a short, brown-haired girl, her face beaming.

"I'm Noelle Mooncrest, and I'm also excited for our stay," Noe chimed in. However, everyone's attention seemed to be fixated on her. It wasn't surprising, considering that her surname, "Mooncrest," was quite unusual.

Likewise, the others took turns introducing themselves. There was Emelie Jackson, a girl with glasses, Lisa Timber, who stood tall with slender legs, and Milly Malbon, a girl with long, straight black hair, much like Noe's own.

Amidst their small introduction, the girls heard a bell ringing, followed by a voice on the speaker instructing, "Attention all grade 10 girls, please gather outside your rooms in the corridor."

They stepped out and noticed an anchor at the beginning of the corridor, wearing a black badge.

"Take a look here, at this notice board. All the rules you need to follow are written here. Read them carefully and make sure to follow them. Failure to comply with the rules will result in consequences," he announced before leaving.

The girls turned their attention to the notice board, where they found a notice displayed, as shown in the picture below:

They read the rules carefully, understanding that it was clear, they had to strictly follow it.

***

Everyone felt relieved and happy knowing they didn't have any classes for the day. They returned to their rooms and began unpacking their things. Some decided to take an afternoon nap, needing to rest and recover from the exhaustion of the first day. Others engaged in conversations, getting to know each other better and sharing their experiences. Some girls busied themselves with their phones, catching up on messages or exploring the online world.

It was a time for relaxation and settling into their new surroundings, each finding their own way to spend after the long day.

Nevertheless, everything was peaceful. Well, nothing strange happened.

***

[Tip(3): In Raebin, the school structure is as follows;

★ Primary School(7 years)

            2 years of kindergarten. (KG1, KG2)

            5 years of classroom studies compromising, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, grade 5

★ Middle School(4 years)

            Classroom studies compromising, grade 6, grade 7, grade 8, grade 9

★ High School(3 years)

            Classroom studies compromising, grade 10, grade 11, grade 12]