Jae and Alex stopped over for some lunch before they continued the rest of the way. By the time they arrived at Freccia Prep, the students were in the middle of afternoon classes.
The school buildings resembled an old medieval castle, leaving Jae in awe. The marble had worn out in time. Their once vibrant colors faded under the sun. The asphalt tiles on the roofs suffered the same condition.
The words “Freccia Preparatory Academy” stood out in black iron letters over three archways.
It had four main towers, each taking the corners of a square. The main office took up the middle of the back wall. The rest of the walls had been converted into long buildings for the classrooms. In its center, a grass courtyard covered the plain. Other facilities had been built around the campus, including additions for sports activities.
“No wonder that elf acted like a prissy princess. She practically enjoys her days in a palace” Jae breathed out. He turned towards the public restrooms, shouting, “Are you done yet?”
The parking lot was packed. He expected the students here to have chauffeurs that come only to pick and drop their wards. He didn’t think the parking would be as filled as Wooldands’. They could only park in a spot near a few restrooms which someone found convenient.
Alex stepped out, a paper bag in hand. The waves of her blonde hair reached the middle of her back. She wore a white long sleeved blouse and a black pleated skirt, reaching two inches above her knees. She matched it with closed black shoes that had one-inch heels. A navy blue plaid jacket wrapped around her waist.
“If I didn’t know any better, I think you went to school here” Jae commented, his eyebrows raised. In this ensemble, she looked like an entirely new person. Someone who was completely in touch with her feminine charms.
“But the female students don’t wear pleated skirts” Alex chuckled. She hid the paper bag inside the car and closed the door. She heard the sound of its security alarm being activated, “Theirs have an A-line cut.”
“I’m gonna pretend like I know that.”
“Just imagine the letter, A, and it looks like that” she added to help explain, “Come on, let’s go. Aunt Lilly called ahead but the guards would need to phone the main office before we can get in.”
Like Alex predicated, they waited by the entrance. The school had one giant iron gate in front between two small towers. On either side of those towers, two smaller ones stood with the same black iron design. All of them were hinged at the edge of long archways, opening to the courtyard. Doors had also been built to enter the small towers.
They were escorted to one of the towers. The first floor had been converted to a waiting area for visitors. A few rooms took up part of the space, presumably for the security’s use.
“Why are there three gates?” Jae looked around while he sat on a bench. For a prestigious school, he half-expected a lounge area similar to a hotel. The place looked almost similar to the staff room back in Woodlands.
“This used to be two sister schools,” Alex answered beside him. She sat with her hands folded on her lap, “One side was an all girls school while the other was an all boys one. The main gate didn’t even exist decades ago. The courtyard was also divided into two by a wall. Girls and boys used to take different lessons so the setup was that way. It became convenient for families to pick up their children whether male or female. It took a bit of time but eventually they removed that division and built the main gate, making it one school.”
“Old-fashioned, huh?”
Jae had heard something like that in his history class before. He also heard that some schools still kept the same traditions, including boarding ones. He couldn’t imagine himself in such a place. They seemed to center around discipline and etiquette more than a student’s freedom of expression.
It sounded a bit suffocating to him.
“You’ll actually find that Freccia Prep is one of the most unique schools around,” she chuckled, “Academic classes are still divided by boys and girls but everything else is joint—including clubs.”
“I’ll just take your word for it” Jae sighed, adjusting his back on the wall, “But I still don’t think that I’d enroll in such a place.”
“Well, keep that to yourself because we’re supposed to be on a school tour while we wait for classes to end.”
A security guard came up to them and escorted them inside. They passed through the courtyard since it was the fastest route to the main building. Lush green grass covered the ground. Plants and trees added shade around its edges. It had two paths that intersect in the middle.
A few tables and chairs had been set up for students to use in their free time. It looked like four sets of parks crammed together. All of them were currently empty since classes were ongoing.
Jae whistled at the sight, “I wouldn’t mind having this around.”
“We do have it” Alex frowned, “It’s just that most of them are used for PE and sports.”
“But this has those plus this courtyard” he retorted. They walked behind the security guard as if on a stroll. Jae lifted his head up to check out the buildings. He shielded his eyes from the sun, “There seems to be a class that is currently on free time mode.”
Alex followed his line of sight and spotted a few boys on the third floor. All the upper floors of the buildings had stone balusters with archway openings in front of each classroom. It made it seem as if each floor had one long balcony. They hung out in the corridor with their arms over the flat top of a railing.
A few of them decided to look in their direction, pointing and whispering among themselves.
She ignored their gestures and turned her attention back to the front, “They probably could smell that you’re one of them.”
Jae blew a raspberry, “I’m pretty sure it’s not me they’re talking about.”
Between the two of them, it was more logical that Alex held their interest. Fair slender legs, feet on heels, short black skirt and long wavy blonde hair… all things that could catch a boy’s attention. They were probably thrilled that she glanced their way.
The three of them entered the main building. The staff room had glass as its entire front wall. It had an opaque covering which blocked them from peeking inside. The doors could be found in the middle. The security guard opened it for Alex and Jae, nodding as they stepped inside.
In contrast to the school’s exterior, the room looked modern. A white wall with doors covered the left side while a front desk took the middle. What space remained had a lounge and marble stairs that lead to the second floor.
The receptionist had black hair tied in a bun. A pair of black rimmed glasses rested on her nose and ears. She smiled when the visitors entered through the door. She walked around the desk, meeting them halfway.
She wore a standard office outfit of a dress shirt and pencil skirt, both in dark grey.
Extending a hand towards Alex, she said, “Hello! You must be Alexandra. Welcome to Freccia Preparatory Academy. I’m Cora, call me when you need anything. Please wait in the lounge. Headmistress will be down soon.”
Alex received the handshake halfway through the speech. She smiled back kindly and nodded at her words, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Cora. We’re delighted to be here.”
Then, she walked in front of Jae, heading for the lounge. It had two red couches. They formed an ‘L’ shape around a low coffee table. At the opposite side of one couch, a bookshelf had been placed against the stone wall.
Their bottoms barely touched the seats when footsteps descended the stairs.
Black closed heels and cream slacks appeared from behind the spiral column. Beige delicate hands followed with rose colored sleeves of a blazer. Then, a face of a middle-aged woman emerged. She had delicate features and a pixie hair cut, the blonde strands almost turning white.
When she reached the first floor, she turned towards the front desk, “Cora, mind asking the student council if they’re done with the report about Foundation Week?”
“Right away, Headmistress” the receptionist left her post and disappeared to a corridor near the offices.
Jae stood behind Alex as the headmistress walked over to them. She had a motherly aura around her—different from her grandmother. The kind smile on her face reminded Alex of a queen in a movie she saw a few years ago.
“Wonderful to finally meet you, Alexandra. I’m Headmistress Jem. It flatters me to know about your interest in the school. We shall start with the tour in a bit. I just need to sign some papers.”
Alex nodded politely. She clasped her hands together over her abdomen, “Thank you for the warm welcome. We know it was on short notice and we’re grateful that you gave us some of your time.”
Jem shook her head, admiring Alex’s features. Her brown eyes crinkled at the corners. She sighed, “You look so much like your mother—except for the eyes.”
“They’re father’s” Alex supplied. Then, she stepped sideways and gestured towards Jae, “This is my companion, Jae Parker. He attends a school in Woodlands and is wondering about your sport teams.”
“For practice games?” The Headmistress inquired, “I’ll have to look into first before anything.”
Cora came out of the corridor with a new companion. She headed back to her desk and typed away while the student council member looked through the files inside a folder. He wore the same uniform as the boys Alex and Jae spotted earlier. The dress shirt was white while slacks were navy blue. The necktie around the collar matched the black trimmings of the cream blazer.
He closed the folder and looked up, turquoise eyes landing on the group. The fringes of his black hair dangled directly above his eyebrows. His face had an indifferent expression as he approached them.
His gaze made contact with Alex’s and the feeling of dread clouded her.
“Neal!” Jem beamed, taking a pen from her blazer’s breast pocket, “I knew you’d be able to finish early.”
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