Golden Melody

Zatariel Wov His POV June 7, 2011 – First Day at Wayne Academy It felt like just yesterday I was celebrating middle school graduation with a medal that said "First Honor." And now, here I am. My first day of high school. Seriously, who hit fast-forward on my life? Now here I am, ignoring the speech number four of what felt like a bees buzzing into my ear while I slouch on a plastic chair in the freezing auditorium. "Blah blah, welcome to Wayne Academy. Blah blah, excellence. Blah blah, values." Principal Sebastian's "Vision and Mission" monologue was long enough to qualify as an audiobook. I zoned out somewhere between "lifelong learners" and "global citizens," mentally switching to Call of Duty mode—strategizing loadouts, imagining flanking routes. Why am I even here, when I am supposed to be in my bedroom playing with my buddies. tsk. Oh yeah, High school, I decided, was just another campaign. Probably on Hard Mode. More quest. Less respaaaawn. "yawn" And then............ "And now, from the Top 1 of this batch... Zatariel Wov!" Wait....... What? I blinked fast trying to process. Did I mishear it? Or did she really call me on stage? Ah... I felt their gazes in my direction. I guess she really did mention me. "s**t," I really don't wanna get up. Why me? WHY???!!! Damn, those people started clapping. The girl in the bonnet beside me gave me a thumbs-up. Fantastic. Now I had to go up there and talk s**t. I had prepared absolutely nothing. Zero. Nada.... honestly I believed Jayson would outperform me on the entrance exam. He told me that he did well on the test... But that traitor— I shot him a deadly glare as I passed his seat. Oh, the traitor couldn't even face me. He just looked away, giggling like he didn't just shatter my expectations. The emcee handed me the mic with a smile. I stared out at a sea of strangers, all waiting for the "Top 1" to say something profound. Inspiring maybe. Something life-changing. No pressure or anything comforting. I cleared my throat. "To our beloved Director, Mrs. Cienna Verra... Principal Jenna Sebastian... Deans... Teachers... Guests... and, um... all 128 fellow freshmen... good morning." I took a shaky breath. "So... today's the start of our high school journey. We're supposed to look back on this moment someday and say, 'Ah yes. The day it all began.'" I paused to think for more words of wisdom. "Years from now, we'll probably remember how freezing this room was. Or how we all pretended we weren't absolutely terrified of what our high school journey might do to us. Maybe we'll laugh at how seriously we took everything... or at how unserious we were when it actually mattered." A few chuckles. Okay. Good sign. "Some of us will find lifelong friends, enemies or romance maybe. Some will fake sick just to skip PE. Some might join a club and never figure out how to leave." Louder laughs. I relaxed—slightly. "Whatever path we choose—Creatives or Academics—on this campus, please take responsibility for your own decisions. And, if possible, not treat our classmates like emotional support staff, they already have subjects to carry. They don't need to carry you too." I glanced toward the students, hoping to spot someone familiar. Jayson and Asha both raised their eyebrows at me. Traitors. I pushed on with my speech anyway. "I'm not here to give a 'believe in yourself' speech. I'm still trying to figure out what that even means for me. But if you ever feel lost, overwhelmed, or like you don't belong... chances are, the rest of us feel it too." One last breath. One final sentence. "So yeah. Here's to surviving high school. Maybe even making something good out of these four years." I handed the mic back and practically power-walked off the stage before anyone could make me say anything else. Back at my seat, I brushed past knees and muttered apologies—until I reached the bonnet girl next to me. I tapped her shoulder. She turned to me and pushed the bonnet off her face. For a second, I forgot how breathing worked. Because my brain was clearly corrupted by dangerous golden hair. She blinked behind her thick glasses, her brown eyes. My heart beats louder than earlier when I'm on stage. "Do you think it'll be done soon?" she murmured. I nodded, trying not to sound like a nerd. "Almost," I croaked. Wow. Smooth Zat. You are truly the peak of human charisma. She smiled—lopsided, sleepy, somehow she looks adorable. "I'm bored." she whispered Then she raised her right hand. "Welcome to Wayne Academy. I'm Miexha Verra, you can call me Ex." I blinked. Then grinned. "Ex... hmmm, That sounds like emotional baggage I'm not ready for. How about I call you Mimi instead?" She blinked—then laughed. Its warm and mischievous, like a song you didn't expect to like, then played on loop. "Mimi, huh? You're the first person to call me that. I kinda like it a lot." I tried to play it cool, but inside? fireworks. Then, out of nowhere, she stood and grabbed my wrist like we'd been best friends since preschool. "Looks like it's over. Let's go! Before that tall guy catch us first!" Her hand was warm. I think I'm burning. My brain short-circuited. I let her drag me out of the auditorium, completely forgetting I hated crowds, touching, and human interaction in general. "Do you always kidnap strangers?" I asked, trying to sound chill. She glanced back, eyes sparkling. "Only the interesting ones." Interesting, huh? Me? "What made me interesting? My dazzling flop sweat or my lack of will to live?" She shrugged. "Hmm... dunno. Maybe 'cause you gave a motivational speech on stage Mr. Top 1?" "Was it really motivational?" I scratch my head She laughed again, which made her look more like a goddess. Then suddenly, an annoying voice came from behind us. "Hey. What's going on here?" We both turned. Thyron Sebastian. Cocky smile. School-issue jacket slung over one shoulder. "Nothing," I said, stuffing my hands in my pockets. Thyron's gaze flicked between us, lingering on Mimi a second too long. "You ditching the VIP lounge, Exy?" She rolled her eyes. "Don't start, Ron. You were busy with Ofri all summer. You forgot I existed." He chuckled. "Just checking on my princess. You know your mom doesn't like you hanging out with... suspicious boys." My fists clenched, he just called me "suspicious?!" ME?! Come on man! I'm the most harmless guy in this world! Before I could point out that he looked significantly more suspicious than I ever could, Mimi stepped closer to me. "Zatariel's not suspicious," she said, giggling. "He's... talkative... and, um, interesting." That word again 'Interesting' . And somehow, it hit harder the second time. Thyron raised a brow. “Was he… your boyfriend or something?” I asked. She shrugged, completely casual. “Nah. He’s my childhood friend. We grew up together. He’s just being overprotective.” “By the way, do you know him?” she added, pointing at Thyron. I nodded."Of course, Thyron and I have been classmates-" “No, I mean the tall guy walking towards us.” “Oh, that’s Jayson Dom,” I said, unable to stop the grin tugging at my lips. “Do—Dom? He is Jayson?!” she stuttered. Honestly, who wouldn’t? Jayson was practically the son of our country’s leader. “Yeah, he’s Jayson Dom. But don’t worry, you’re with me,” Thyron said, sounding strangely possessive as he walked toward us.