Mirrored Vanity: Ce ix Hunter U

Chapter 2

Lan Hannie Sy's POV:

“What kind of trouble have you gotten into now, Lan Hannie? Why were you at that crime scene? You look innocent, but you’re trouble,” Dad scolded.

“Dad, I didn’t do anything! I was just wandering around the school when I found him injured. I was trying to help him, can't you see?” I protested. “And hello! Do you really think I could do that? Look at me, your son s***h daughter! I bet he was involved in a gang fight, judging by his appearance.”

“Yeah, but why were you there? You're always getting into trouble. You've only been at that school for a short time, and already you're making a name for yourself. I didn't want you to go there, but no other school would take you.” Dad sighed.

“But Dad, I was curious! You told me I was going to a different university, so I checked it out. And Dad, I hate it there! Look what happened to that guy. He was beaten up. I'm scared for my life!” I dramatically exclaimed.

“If you hadn’t been so troublesome at your previous schools, you wouldn’t be in this mess now. Don’t complain,” he snapped.

"Hey, I told you a million times it wasn't me! I was set up! Do you really think I could do something like that? Dad, why didn't you fight for me? Then I wouldn't be at this scary university! Ugh!" I whined. With my looks, he should have believed me!

"Wow, and it's my fault now? Don't bother complaining, it's too late," he dismissed me.

Che! It’s not my fault I was blamed for pushing that guy down the stairs. I didn't even know him! It just happened that when I opened the door, he slipped. And those nosy kids saw me and spread rumors. I should have just pushed him. It was a moment of chaos and misunderstanding that led to unjust accusations being cast upon me. The circumstances were unfortunate, as I found myself in a situation where a simple act was misconstrued and blown out of proportion by those who witnessed it.

And then there was the girl with the bubblegum in her hair. I felt sorry for her because she was being bullied. I tried to help by cutting her hair, but someone bumped into me and I ended up cutting off half of it. Of course, I got blamed for that too. Despite my intention to assist a peer in need, a series of unforeseen events unfolded, resulting in a mishap that led to further backlash towards me. It was a case of good intentions gone awry, leaving me unfairly accused and misunderstood once again.

It gets worse. In science class, my partner and I were doing an experiment, and he was being so careless. I tapped him with a plastic bat, but he dodged and it hit the lab equipment. It was a small fire, but they exaggerated it saying I almost burned the school. I still got expelled.

They said I tried to kill the math teacher and cut someone's hair. It's ridiculous! So, no other school would take me. The chain of events that occurred in the science class experiment escalated quickly, resulting in severe consequences that were not commensurate with the actual events that transpired. Unjust accusations of intent and actions that were completely unfounded led to a situation where my educational future became uncertain and bleak.

But then Dad told me about this new school, Ce ix U. Sounds weird, right? Anyway, I went to check it out. And guess what? I saw a guy being beaten up. I was about to help him when someone stopped me. It was the school guards obviously, and they suspected me of beating that guy up. How ridiculous! In my journey to find a new educational opportunity, I encountered a harrowing scene that once again drew suspicion towards me, despite my genuine intentions to intervene and help. The cycle of misfortune and misunderstanding seemed to persist, casting a shadow over my every move and decision.

I'm so lucky, yeah, note the sarcasm.

Morning came and Dad's about to introduce me as the new Queen of Acacia at the university. Apparently, his powers are fading, so he's passing the torch. He says it's my duty to protect the planet. Just kidding.

Seriously though, today's the day I start at Ce ix Hunter University. I'm kind of nervous after what happened last night. I hope I don't get caught up in any more trouble.

I've been daydreaming about being a campus princess, with everyone fawning over me. But let's be real, that's probably just a fantasy.

For those who don't know me, I'm Lan Hannie Sy, but you can call me Lannie. People have called me all sorts of names, but I hate it when they call me LanHa. It sounds like some kind of ointment.

Anyway, I'm 17, and I'm pretty. Really pretty.

Okay, enough about me.

"Lannie, we're almost there. Stop daydreaming," Dad teased.

I rolled my eyes. He's always teasing me.

As we arrived at the university, I could see the huge sign: Ce ix Hunter University. It was so impressive, almost as if it were beckoning me to enter a world of knowledge and caffeine-fueled late nights. After checking in, I got my schedule, and to my delight, I discovered I was placed in Humanities. I thought, “Perfect! I get to ponder life’s big questions while avoiding anything remotely resembling math.”

I met with my guidance counselor, and she was pretty nice, which was a relief because I was half-expecting a stern lecture about my life choices. Instead, she told me I didn't need any special classes since I was already ahead. "Great," I thought, "more time for existential dread!" So, here I am, starting a new chapter in my life, hoping things go smoothly this time. After all, I can't handle another semester of accidentally signing up for underwater basket weaving.

She just went over the usual rules and expectations. Nothing too exciting there, just the classic don't-chew-gum-in-class and no-throwing-paper-airplanes-at-teachers guidelines. So, I started looking for my classroom. Here, teachers come to you instead of you going to them, which is pretty cool—like a buffet of knowledge where the educators are the entrées, and I’m just a very hungry student with a plate.

I was assigned to Section A—lucky me! I mean, who wouldn't want to be in the teacher's favorite section? I walked into the classroom, and suddenly it felt like I was the new kid on the first day of high school, except this time everyone wasn’t wearing matching outfits. Everyone turned to look at me as I entered, and for a brief moment, I considered striking a pose, you know, just to make a dramatic entrance. But I thought better of it—no one wants to be known as “that awkward person.”

I just smiled and found an empty seat. The teacher, Ms. Sinerie Claudette, came in, all business and charisma. She introduced herself with an air of authority that made me sit up straight, immediately wishing I'd practiced my “I’m a responsible student” face in the mirror that morning. When she asked me to introduce myself, I did my best to sound interesting without revealing my obsession with collecting novelty socks. Then, we dived into our philosophy lesson.

I was shocked by how many of my classmates believed in strange things, like aliens and witchcraft. I mean, we’re in a Humanities class, not a supernatural convention! But what really knocked the wind out of me was when someone raised their hand and said they believed it was okay to kill innocent people. I mean, what? Did I accidentally sign up for a psychology class on criminal behavior instead? I could already feel my eyebrows arching like they were trying to escape my face.

After the bizarre philosophical debate that left us all questioning our life choices, we moved on to stats and probability. Our teacher was really funny, using a series of hilarious puns that made the concept of probability feel like a stand-up comedy routine. “So, what’s the probability that you’ll ace this test?” he joked, “It’s about as likely as me winning a dance-off against a squirrel!”

In the afternoon, we had creative writing, which I absolutely love. I could feel the creative juices flowing as we discussed our ideas, and I couldn’t help but imagine myself as the next great novelist—think J.K. Rowling, but with a flair for sock-themed fantasy adventures. It was a pretty good day overall, filled with laughter, strange beliefs, and more potential plot twists than I could count. I walked out of the classroom, already looking forward to what tomorrow would bring. Surely, it couldn't get weirder than today… or could it?