Celestine stood before the tall iron gates of Pacific Crest Highschool, the morning sun painting the coastal city gold behind her. She tugged at the hem of her orange checked skirt, which fell just above her knees, and smoothed her white shirt for the tenth time. Her palms felt damp.
"Are you sure Mike schools here?" she whispered, her voice barely steady.
Perched on the gate, Raho's seagull form tilted its head knowingly. "I confirmed it. He schools here."
Celestine's heart skipped. Her nervousness surged, but before she could lose herself to fear, Raho's voice softened in her mind:
"Relax, Celestine. You've got me. Always."
She blinked. "Did you just… talk in my head?"
"Exactly. From now on, we'll communicate like this. Telepathically."
Celestine gasped and then tried answering in thought.
'Like this?'
"Perfect." Raho ruffled his feathers proudly. "And don't worry—when I'm with you among humans, I can choose to stay visible… or invisible."
Celestine smiled faintly. That helped. She didn't need to worry about the strange stares that might come from lugging a talking seagull around school.
Admission? Not a problem. Raho had already bent reality in her favour and taken care of that. Celestine was simply a student now.
She stepped inside the school compound. Her walk was hesitant, but heads instantly turned. Whispers rose around her as students stared—half curious, half awestruck. Her beauty had a glow no makeup could mimic, an otherworldly shimmer that belonged to the sea.
Inside the girls' locker room cabinets, Celestine found her locker—No. 54. Other students fumbled with their keys, but when she placed her palm lightly against the keyhole, it clicked open as if welcoming her.
Her breath caught.
Inside was a little world waiting for her:
Walls lined with shimmering mermaid pictures torn from magazines.
A few books and pens stacked neatly.
A handful of photos of her in uniform… but not a single one with friends.
And some stationery tools in a transparent plastic stationery casing.
A sudden pop! startled her. On top of her literature book sat a small orange crab, claws clicking.
"Do you like it?" Raho asked in his new form, pincers twitching.
"Wow! Honestly, I love it." Celestine blurted out loud. A few girls glanced her way, raising brows.
She looked around and noticed their gazes. She bent back to her locker, grinning awkwardly.
"You forgot to answer telepathically," Raho chided, snapping his claw lightly.
"Somehow…" she replied in thought this time.
She slipped a few textbooks into her bag and closed the locker gently.
Right beside her, a boy spun his combination lock. His chocolate-brown skin glowed under the fluorescents, his curly black hair almost brushing his forehead. Celestine froze. For a heartbeat, she swore it was Mike.
She blinked. No… not him.
"Hi," the boy said, flashing a smile and extending a hand. He wore the same white shirt and grey trousers, his checked tie matching the orange of her skirt.
"Hi," she replied, forcing a smile as she shook his hand.
"You must be new here. I haven't seen you around."
"Mm… not really. I joined last week." The smile on her lips showed no sign of genuiness at all. She was visibly, nervous.
He studied her briefly, then shrugged. "O…kay. What's your name again?"
"I'm Celestine. And you?"
"Luke. Luke Tyson." His grin widened, natural and warm.
Before she could answer, the shrill clang of the electric bell echoed. Students scattered like startled birds to their respective classes.
"I've got to go. Nice meeting you, Luke." Celestine started off.
"Wait—I could walk you to class."
She waved quickly. "Nah, I'm okay. Thanks."
Luke watched her disappear down the hallway, her hair bouncing lightly as she turned a corner. His chest tightened.
So beautiful, he thought, before turning away.
As Luke left the locker room in hurry, he bumped shoulders with someone. Books tumbled to the floor.
"Oops, sorry," Luke muttered, kneeling to gather the three textbooks. They looked oddly identical to the ones Celestine had picked from her locker.
He stood and offered them back to their owner. A tall blonde boy in a prefect's blazer. But the boy didn't take them. He just… glared.
Luke froze. It was as though the stranger's gaze cut right through him, peeling his soul bare. His throat dried, and he looked away.
"You've no idea that I could slice you into halves just by looking, do you?" the boy said coolly.
Luke swallowed hard. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to."
"Leave him alone, Rockie." A girl's voice interrupted. Another prefect, also blonde and sharp-eyed. She stepped closer, tossing her hair over one shoulder. "He's just a poor land boy."
The resemblance in them was undeniable—they were twins.
Rockie finally snatched the books back, and Luke hurried past them, his skin prickling.
The girl turned to her brother. "Not feeling like going to class again?"
"Somehow. I'm tired of this boring school life. Four years of the same routine, Ruksy. Four years."
"Me too," she sighed, but her eyes narrowed. "Let's wait for Mike Harrison to show up again. We'll need him to break the...." Her words trailed off. She sniffed the air, then slowly walked toward the locker cabinets.
Rockie frowned. "You still believe he's the key? We could figure something out without him."
But Ruksy wasn't listening. Her fingers trailed along the metal lockers, her steps deliberate.
"Hold on a sec brother. I'm picking up an oceanic scent. Someone of our kind was here recently."
Finally, she stopped before Locker No. 54. She tried the handle, but it was locked.
"Need help with that?" Rockie appeared beside her instantly.
"No,we don't need to." She smirked faintly. "I already know her name."
Rockie tilted his head. "Her?"
Ruksy looked at him and back at the locker number. 54. Then, silence.
"Celestine. Her name is Celestine." She replied looking at him.
"Goodness. And she's in our class. Same as Mike." Rockie said staring at the locker with his eyes glowing orange.
"Something fishy's going on," Ruksy said, pressing her palm against the locker. Then she stepped back and, without hesitation, walked straight through the wall and vanished into it.
Rockie pulled a blue pen from his pocket. Slowly, he wrote the number 54 across his palm. He smirked.
"I think I feel motivated now." And with a shimmer of light, he dissolved into thin air.
To Be Continued....