The distance between his home and his new school was, thankfully, not great. He could walk to it, though he had to leave his house at least thirty minutes before his classes started if he wanted to reach his destination on time. Standing in front of the administration building, Leo looked up at the school, which looked more like several cathedrals built around grassy courtyards than anything else.
He was a little surprised there was such a prestigious school in such a small town. From what he'd been told, until just two years ago, the school had been girls-only preparatory school and only became co-ed fairly recently. The student body was still more than 80% female, with more than five women for every one of their male compatriots.
"I guess most guys would consider odds like that to be a blessing from the heavens," Leo muttered to himself.
He didn't really understand what was so exciting about being surrounded by girls. He knew he couldn't afford to do more than be friends with them, so the possibility of romance wasn't something that interested him enough to ponder for long.
What the typical student wore here was much nicer than what he'd expected. Leo had only worn khakis and a collared shirt because he had to register at the admin building—that, and he wanted to make a good first impression on his teachers. But all around him he saw girls in designer labels, and the few guys he saw wore slacks and a blazer, many of them even had a tie on.
Shortly after he entered the school's grounds, a bell tolled and the flood of students reached a peak. Even in front of the admin building, the hallways were crowded with students.
If he'd worn what he used to wear each day to school back in Colorado, he'd have stuck out like a sore thumb. It seemed he'd have to upgrade his wardrobe if he wanted to blend in. But even though his clothes were roughly on par with the business casual look that seemed to dominate, he still drew plenty of eyes—especially female eyes.
'It seems like my chances of having a normal life here aren't that good,' he thought to himself.
Since Leo was a transfer student, he headed to the registrar's office. When he told the girl at the window that he was a new transfer student, he was instructed to fill out some paperwork and wait in one of the chairs that lined the far wall until his name was called.
He had just taken a seat when his keen ears picked up his name being whispered. The girl who'd taken his name was whispering to her friend and occasionally stealing a glance his way. The forms he filled out asked for the usual information—name, address, emergency contact, etc. He had a little trouble with the last one, as he didn't know anyone in town other than his parents.
He left it blank.
A chime rang a few times, and he heard a male voice call his name. A man in a gray suit who stood at the door beckoned him closer. "Leonidas Karteros, I assume?" He held out his hand with a brilliant smile.
"Just Leo," Leo answered as he shook the man's hand.
"I'm Marcus Dillard, a junior professor here at the Academy," the man introduced himself. "I think you are in my World History class, but I'm also an assistant registrar. We'll get you settled and then off to your first class… thanks for coming in so early to take care of all the paperwork."
Marcus went through forms Leo had filled out, stopping at the missing emergency contact. "I'm afraid you can't leave this blank, Leo. We'll need a point of contact in case you slip and fall on the stair or some such nonsense." The junior prof, who couldn't be more than twenty-six, grinned and rolled his eyes.
"Sorry. I just got into town, and my parents are the only ones I know around here. And since it said my emergency contact should be someone not already listed…" Leo's voice faded away, and he offered a one-shoulder shrug.
"Well, we often get transfers due to family circumstances, but your case seems a bit more complicated."
"Yes. I'm sure you don't get many like me…"
Before the accident happened, he'd lived at the Vatican. After that, he'd followed his parents in their travels, rarely staying long in any one place. The year he'd spent in Colorado Springs had been the longest he'd been in one place since leaving Italy four years ago.
It was honestly a miracle that he had graduated from high school under such circumstances.
"Alright…" Marcus shook his head. "We'll note that your parents are your current emergency contact, but I expect you to update that as soon as you can."
Handing the paperwork to the girl who had signed him in, Marcus led Leo out of the Registrar's office. "You only have ten more minutes to get to your first class." The older man checked Marcus's class schedule that he'd printed out back in the office, along with a map of the campus. "Looks like that will be Chemistry 101. Your teacher is Miss Starling, and you're in Beecher Hall for what looks like a lab section."
Marcus clapped Leo on the shoulder and wished him luck, reminding him of the History reading he'd have to do before tomorrow's World History class. Waving goodbye, Leo headed off in the direction of Beecher Hall.
When he stopped outside the lab in Beecher Hall, Leo paused. It seemed trouble was right around the corner. He sensed at least two people inside the lab that could be a problem before he'd even started his first day at his new school. Sighing, he pushed open the door.
***
"Hey, Kira! Did you hear? We're getting a transfer student," a petite, silver-haired girl with purple eyes gushed. While speaking, she moved her arms animatedly. Anyone who saw her could see the girl was full of energy.
"Hmm…"
Her taller lab partner only offered a lethargic reaction. It seemed her interest was fully invested in the sweet bun in her hand. She was short, but not as short as Maria, with white hair and golden eyes. Other than the delicate features that gave her an almost ethereal beauty, the most remarkable thing about her were the cat-shaped hairpins she pinned her hair back with on either side.
Though her friend was ignoring her, the long silver-haired girl didn't seem to mind. She knew that Kira had heard her. "I really hope it will be someone interesting. Mimi has been searching for someone with at least some talent to help her, but anyone with talent in this school—especially any boys—are already under Rayne's or Sharon's control."
"That's because Rayne is the best," Kira replied. "You should stop bothering people about joining Mimi's circle, Maria."
"Aye, I know that for you, Rayne is indeed the best Mistress. But we aren't talking about you here, you know?" The energetic girl, Maria, sighed and then crossed her arms under her breasts, nudging her push-up bra a little higher.
Maria wasn't joking around. Her Mistress, Mimi Mephisto, had only recently received her pieces. But in the two weeks since then, the only one Mimi had convinced to join her circle was Maria, as Mimi's Rook.
The situation was worrying—even more so since there was a competition between Mimi and her older sister Rayne. Currently, though Rayne had yet to complete her circle, she had an overwhelming advantage.
'Argh! If only Lucy would join me under Mimi,' Maria despaired.
Munching on her snack, Kira looked at her friend's despairing frown but didn't know how to comfort her. In the first place, she had never been very good at expressing herself. There was also the fact that she knew Maria would bounce back soon enough. After all, Maria was the kind who was willing to serve as her own sister's maid.
To this day, Kira couldn't understand why she did it. But since Maria's mother, Sheila, served her husband as his maid, she guessed it wasn't such a big deal.
Now that she thought about it, even the wife of Salvatore 'Lucifer' Mephisto served as his maid. The Mephistos were a weird family, but they were also a large and unusually close family.
Thinking about all she owed to the Mephistos, Kira was about to take another bite on her snack, when her hand suddenly dropped. She stared at the door of the classroom.
"Everyone," Professor Starling called out, "please calm down. We have a new student. I'd like to introduce Leo Karteros—though it's unusual to have a transfer student join us this far into the semester, he's had Chemistry before, so shouldn't have any trouble."
Kira completely ignored the professor, who stopped at the podium in the front of the lab. She only had eyes for the young man following behind her. The transfer student was tall, with slightly unkempt brown hair and light green eyes. A small scar could be seen on one side of his face, starting just below his right eye and extending across his cheek. It gave him a slightly delinquent look.
Other than the scar, the young man was rather handsome. But this was not why Kira stared at him, stunned speechless.
"Kira?"
She ignored Maria and lowered her head onto her arms as she shivered and whimpered, refusing to look his way any longer. What she had seen and—more importantly—what she had felt from him had been too overpowering.
She suddenly didn't feel well. A pain blossomed behind her eyes and her stomach seemed to be in full revolt. The honey bun she'd eaten started screaming for daylight. She'd expanded her senses immediately upon hearing there was someone new, and now paid for her curiosity.
Maria looked over at her friend, who suddenly looked very pale and had broken out in a cold sweat. Kira had buried her head in her arms on the table in front of them and swayed side to side.
"Professor!" Maria stood, holding Kira's arm to keep her from falling over. "Kira isn't feeling well. I should take her to the infirmary."
Just as Maria was about to help her stand, Kira suddenly felt like she was being lifted.
"Ohhhhh!" the class exclaimed in wonder.
It was only then Kira understood that she was being held in a princess carry, in the arms of the same transfer student whose aura had overpowered hers. She blushed as she leaned her head against his shoulder. Surprisingly, the dread that had been previously filled her heart calmed down.
She tried to struggle a little in his arms. "I can walk…" she mumbled, but the boy who held her was the only one who heard the weak protest.
"Are you sure?" he murmured, ready to set her back on her feet.
"Well… no…"
Even if she wasn't particularly sociable, Maria didn't want to refuse the help he was offering her. There was also the fact that the arms under her knees and supporting her back felt strong, and he felt very warm.
"Professor, I'm sorry if I startled the class," Leo apologized. "I won't really be missing anything, so should be the one to help her."
Professor Starling hesitated, but then nodded. "Alright, Leo. Maria, please show Leo the way to the nurse's office. Come back afterwards, please. Leo, you can catch up to where we are on the lab with Maria Mephisto once Kira is in the nurse's care."
"Understood, Professor." Leo turned to the friend of the girl in his arms. "Maria, right? Please lead the way."
Maria, who was startled at how easily the transfer student took charge, nodded hurriedly. "Yes, let's go!"
Inwardly, though, she couldn't help but be wary of the new student. After all, she had sensed his aura once he'd entered the room—though she'd been quick to withdraw her perception.
'I didn't notice him until he was already in the lab and the professor was introducing him. How did he slip through my perception?' she wondered.
It seemed the new transfer student was a bit of a mystery.