Episode 8_ Same class
1434 Words
The second morning at St. Alden’s Academy felt far more intimidating than the first.
Orientation had been polished and controlled.
Students filled the academic hallways with the kind of confidence Elena immediately recognized as long-term belonging. They moved easily through the enormous corridors beneath framed portraits and academy banners, laughing softly among themselves while discussing assignments and upcoming assessments.
Nobody looked lost, except her.
Elena tightened her hold around her books slightly while checking the classroom number again.
B12.
She stopped outside the door for one brief second before quietly stepping inside.
The classroom was already half full.
Sunlight poured through the tall windows overlooking the lower gardens while students sat in small groups talking comfortably before lessons began. Some wore expensive watches already. Others had tablets and neatly arranged stationery spread across their desks.
The room itself looked too beautiful to be called an ordinary classroom.
And almost immediately after entering, people noticed her.
Not loudly, just enough to remind Elena she was new.
A few students whispered softly to one another.
The scholarship student.
Elena ignored the attention and searched quietly for an empty seat near the middle row.
As she sat down, she could still feel eyes following her briefly before conversations slowly resumed around the room.
“She’s prettier than I expected.”
“I heard she scored incredibly high.”
“Do you think she’ll survive here?”
Elena opened her notebook without reacting.
She had learned a long time ago that silence often protected dignity better than defense.
“You came early.”
The familiar voice instantly softened the tension in her chest.
Elena looked up quickly.
Damon stood beside her desk holding two notebooks, his dark hair slightly messy like he had rushed through the corridors to get there.
And somehow, seeing him made St. Alden’s feel less overwhelming immediately.
“You’re in this class too?” Elena asked.
Damon smiled before sitting beside her naturally.
“I checked yesterday after orientation,” Damon said.
“So you already knew?” Elena asked.
“I hoped we’d end up together,” Damon replied.
Elena laughed quietly.
The sound made Damon grin too.
And within seconds, nearby students noticed, especially the girls.
Damon Harrington was impossible not to notice inside St. Alden’s.
Even at ten years old, he carried the effortless charm people naturally gravitated toward. Teachers adored him, students admired him, and girls throughout the academy constantly searched for excuses to speak to him.
Not because he tried to attract attention, but because attention followed him anyway….. Yet despite being friendly with almost everyone, Damon rarely behaved comfortably around people.
Except Elena.
With her, his smile looked real. His voice relaxed naturally. Even his posture changed.
Like he could finally stop being “Damon Harrington” for a while.
“You memorized the building already?” Damon asked while opening his notebook.
“Almost,” Elena replied.
“Almost?” Damon exclaimed.
“I accidentally walked toward the music hall instead of the library,” she said.
Damon laughed softly.
“That still counts as impressive.”
Elena looked at him with amusement.
“You used to get lost inside your own house," Elena whispered.
“To be fair,” Damon replied immediately, “our estate has three staircases that lead nowhere.”
Elena burst into quiet laughter.
A few students nearby looked over immediately.
Not because Elena laughed, because Damon did too.
The reaction surrounding them shifted subtly.
Several girls who had been watching Damon earlier suddenly seemed less comfortable now.
Because he wasn’t simply being polite to Elena.
He looked happy beside her.
And that difference mattered.
“Are you nervous?” Damon asked quietly after a moment.
“A little.” Elena responded.
“You don’t look nervous.”
“My mother says my face hides stress too well,” she stated.
“She’s right.” Damon replied.
Before Elena could answer, a boy suddenly slid into the seat behind Damon.
“Harrington.”
Damon glanced backward. “Morning, Leo.”
Leo Ashford immediately looked toward Elena with obvious curiosity.
“So you’re Elena Parker.”
Elena nodded politely. “Hello.”
“I’m Leo,” he introduced quickly. “Damon’s friend.”
“Unfortunately,” Damon added.
Leo ignored him completely.
“You’ve already become popular here,” Leo whispered.
Elena looked horrified. “Really?”
Leo laughed loudly enough to make Damon shake his head.
“You’ll survive,” Leo assured her.
“I’m not convinced yet,” she responded.
Damon smiled quietly beside her.
Before their conversation could continue, the classroom door opened again.
Almost immediately, students straightened in their seats.
A woman entered carrying several books against her chest. She looked elegant and composed, probably somewhere in her early forties, with dark hair neatly pinned back and sharp eyes that scanned the classroom quickly.
“Good morning, everyone.”
“Good morning, Mrs. Holloway,” the class answered together.
Mrs. Holloway placed her books onto the desk before smiling gently toward Elena.
“And we have someone new with us today.”
Dozens of eyes immediately shifted toward Elena again.
“This is Elena Parker,” Mrs. Holloway continued warmly. “She recently joined St. Alden’s through the academy scholarship program. I expect everyone to make her feel welcome.”
A few students nodded politely.
Others simply observed quietly.
Mrs. Holloway smiled toward Elena again.
“You may introduce yourself briefly if you’d like.”
Elena hesitated for only a second before standing carefully.
“I’m Elena,” she said softly. “I transferred from Hackney. I like reading… and drawing sometimes.”
Her voice remained calm despite the attention.
Mrs. Holloway nodded approvingly.
“Thank you, Elena.”
As she sat back down, Damon leaned slightly toward her.
“You forgot to mention correcting my homework for years.” he said humorously.
Elena whispered back immediately, “That was confidential information.”
Damon laughed under his breath again.
And once more, people noticed.
Mrs. Holloway eventually began the lesson, writing several words neatly across the board.
Patterns, Choices, Communities…..
“Today,” she explained calmly, “we’re talking about groups and leadership.”
The topic immediately felt more natural for their age, though St. Alden’s still approached learning differently from ordinary schools.
Students here were encouraged to explain their thinking instead of simply memorizing answers.
Mrs. Holloway divided the class into small discussions before asking simple questions about leadership, fairness, and trust.
Several students answered confidently.
Some clearly enjoyed hearing themselves speak.
Others competed quietly for approval.
Elena mostly listened at first.
Observing and learning how the classroom worked.
At one point, Mrs. Holloway asked, “Why do some people follow rules even when the rules feel unfair?”
The room quieted briefly.
One student shrugged. “Because they’ll get punished.”
Another answered, “Because everyone else follows them too.”
Mrs. Holloway nodded thoughtfully before her eyes moved toward Elena.
“What do you think?”
Elena looked slightly surprised at being called again.
Then answered carefully.
“I think people get used to things,” she said softly. “Sometimes if something has been happening for a long time, people stop asking if it’s wrong.”
The room became quieter.
Not dramatically.
Just attentive.
Mrs. Holloway smiled slightly.
“That’s a thoughtful answer.”
Beside Elena, Damon looked impressed.
Not because she sounded smarter than everyone else, but because she always thought deeply before speaking, and he had loved that about her for years.
The interaction and connection between them both lasted only seconds, but half the classroom noticed anyway.
Especially the girls, because Damon Harrington paid attention to almost everyone politely, yet focused on Elena differently.
Naturally, comfortably, like she already belonged beside him.
Near the back observation window outside the classroom, an older man stopped walking.
Professor Adrian Vale.
Silver-haired and sharply dressed, he stood quietly beside one of the academy administrators while observing the classroom below through the glass panel.
Most students never noticed him, but Elena did.
And for a brief moment, their eyes met.
Something strange settled in her chest instantly, not fear exactly ,but recognition.
Professor Vale remained still while his gaze slowly shifted back toward Elena’s desk.
Toward the way she answered questions. The way she listened carefully before speaking. The way Damon naturally trusted her presence beside him.
Then Elena lowered her eyes toward Damon’s notebook and absentmindedly corrected something.
A small habit, simple, natural, but Professor Vale suddenly felt cold.
This is because years ago, he had seen someone else do the exact same thing.
John Parker.
- Writer
