Chapter 8 (69%)
“I heard she’s Emma’s sister. She just came back home and is starting seventh grade at our school this year,” a student said.
The boy looked shocked. “She seems about our age. Why is she only in seventh grade?”
“I heard she dropped out before finishing elementary school and never went to middle school, so she’s starting from seventh grade. Her family was worried she’d fail the entrance exam for our school, so they used their connections to get her in.”
“Sounds like she has some connections, huh? What a pity—pretty but not much else. Emma is still the best—she’s beautiful, kind, and smart.”
Justin Jenkins walked by and overheard them. He turned to glance at Elysia. With her flawless skin and striking presence, few could match her grace, even in the elite circles of Jorlandia.
“What’s this? Are you smitten?” Leon Harris teased Justin, noticing his gaze was fixed on Elysia.
“Just a pretty face, nothing special,” Justin chuckled softly and continued walking.
Leon glanced back at Elysia, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. “Sure, it takes someone special to catch the eye of a top student like you.”
Meanwhile, Emma felt a wave of jealousy. Everyone focused on Elysia. “This wretch knows how to command attention. Just wait! Once they find out you’re just an 18-year-old country bumpkin who didn’t even finish elementary school, they’ll lose interest real quick.”
Elysia wasn’t bothered by the stares, but just as she was about to walk away, Emma called out to her. Elysia frowned, feeling annoyed.
“Do you know how to get to Class 6 in seventh grade? Need me to show you the way?” Emma asked.
“No, thanks.” Elysia wasn’t planning to go to Class 6 at all.
Emma added, “Alright. Just a heads-up, though—you’re not wearing your uniform today, so if you run into the disciplinary department, you’d better have a good excuse so you don’t lose any points.”
Elysia didn’t reply, but her frown deepened. “Why is she being so chatty today? If she keeps this up, I might just have to push her away.”
“And another thing—”
Elysia quickly walked away, not wanting to hear another word. If she kept listening, she might lose her cool and create a scene—she didn’t want to embarrass herself or Emma.
Elysia then walked through the school until she found the principal’s office and knocked on the door.
From inside came a deep, rich voice. “Come in.”
Elysia opened the door and saw a striking young man with neatly groomed eyebrows. Dressed in a sleek black suit, he was…
Levi Sharpe, the principal, cleared his throat behind his desk. He had intense eyes, sharp features, and sat on a couch. “How can I help you?”
Elysia withdrew her gaze and turned to Levi. “I’m Elysia from seventh grade, Class 4. I want to apply to start in twelfth grade.”
“Elysia? Right! I remember—your mother came by yesterday to set up your enrollment. She mentioned you didn’t finish elementary school, so we placed you in seventh grade. Is that a problem?”
“Yes, actually. I don’t want to be in seventh grade.”
Levi looked troubled. “Look, jumping straight to twelfth grade needs a strong foundation. Since you didn’t complete elementary school, it’s better for you to finish three years of middle school first. If you skip to twelfth grade, you might struggle to keep up.”
Elysia insisted. “That’s not a big deal. Don’t you have entrance exams? Just let me take a test and see if I qualify for twelfth grade.”
“Well…” Levi glanced at the man sitting on the couch, as if looking for approval.
Elysia noticed this and turned to the man. “Sir, what do you think?”
The man nodded.
With the man’s nod, Levi turned back to Elysia. “Alright, I’ll arrange for you to take the test. If you pass, you can move up to twelfth grade.”
“Thank you,” Elysia replied, then turned back to the man, silently expressing her gratitude before leaving the office.
After she left, Levi chuckled softly. “These days, girls always seem to have their eyes on a handsome guy.”
Suddenly, he remembered that Zane hated such comments. He quickly added, “But I didn’t mean that, Mr. Hartley.”
Zane frowned. “So you’re saying I’m not handsome?”
“No, no, you’re definitely handsome,” Levi said, sweating. “What kind of day is this? Zane seems to be in a different mood today, not minding the compliments about his looks?”
Zane’s frown relaxed. He stood up and headed for the door, pausing to say, “Make sure to set up that girl’s exam quickly. And remember to send her scores to my email.”
“I’ll get right on it!” Levi nodded quickly.
Zane then walked out, and his assistant handed him a stack of papers.
“We found her. Her name is Elysia. She’s the biological daughter of the Rosewood family. She was living in Silverstream until just a few days ago when she was brought back. The records show she doesn’t know Ada at all,” the assistant reported.
Zane skimmed the documents and handed them back. “She’s smart. Things aren’t as simple as they seem.”
The assistant looked puzzled. “So, should we keep digging?”
“No need.”
Milton School acted quickly. That afternoon, they arranged for Elysia to take the test and gathered her papers.
When the results came in, the teachers were stunned. They double-checked the scores, worried they might have made a mistake—it was hard to believe there were no errors.
They couldn’t help but think, “Didn’t they say this girl hadn’t even finished elementary school? How could she score so high? Her results are even on par with Justin’s!”
Justin was the genius who had been at the top of the class for six years. The teachers were shocked that Elysia could not only compete with him but even outshine him, especially considering she had taken the test casually.
When Levi got the report card, he was equally shocked. He turned to the other teachers and asked, “Are you sure there’s no mistake in the grading?”
“We’ve checked it several times, and we’re certain there’s nothing wrong,” one of the teachers replied.
Levi nodded, thoughtfully. He figured that with the right support, Elysia could easily ace the SATs next year.
“Elysia, I’m fine with you joining the senior year. But we have Advanced Placement tracks here, and you need to choose between the Liberal Arts track and the STEM track,” Levi said calmly.
Wayne Fletcher, the Liberal Arts teacher, jumped in eagerly, “Elysia! Come join us. The STEM class already has Justin, and having two top students competing might not be ideal.”
Levi shared a satisfied glance with Wayne, hoping Elysia would choose their group. But it was her decision.
Meanwhile, Lorenzo Hoffman, head of STEM, also hoped to get Elysia. An extra talent like her could help more students get into top universities. If Elysia chose Liberal Arts, it would boost the school's reputation.
Elysia said, “I choose STEM.”
The room went silent.
“Elysia, are you sure? Maybe take a moment to think it over?” Wayne suggested, his voice a mix of concern and disappointment.
Elysia shook her head. “No need. I’ve made my choice.”
“Alright, we respect your decision. You can head to Grade 12, Class 1 with Mr. Hoffman now.” Levi sighed.
After Elysia and the teachers left, Levi shared her report card with Zane.
Zane opened it with a smile—this girl was definitely smart.
When Elysia arrived at Grade 12, Class 1, the students were busy with a physics lesson. Lorenzo knocked on the door and called out, “Mr. Lynn, can I have a moment?”
Walden Lynn, the physics teacher, paused his lesson. Lorenzo entered the classroom with Elysia.
“Class, we have a new student joining us today, Elysia,” Lorenzo announced, turning to her encouragingly. “Why don’t you introduce yourself?”
“I’m Elysia. Nice to meet you all,” Elysia smiled.
The students stared, shocked and confused. They were stunned by Elysia’s beauty and wondered why she wasn’t in the junior class and how she ended up in their senior class, especially with Lorenzo escorting her.
Leon glanced at Justin and teased, “Looks like fate brought you two together.”
Justin rolled his eyes, puzzled. “Just moments ago, they mentioned she was in junior class six. What’s going on?” Unfazed by Justin’s annoyance, Leon continued, “Is this really what you call ‘all looks, nothing special’? But I see a lot more than just looks here.”