Utopia Today, Dystopia Tomorrow ✔

2

Anastasia

"Thank you for taking the exam, I shall let you know within a few days how you did." Principal Cohen says.

He leads me out of the office and takes me to my first class. As I walk past, I see students gazing at me, some giving me spine-chilling looks. Why? I don't know.

We reach a classroom, and as I glance at the window, I notice that it has a layout of a college lecture room. Strange, isn't it? We enter the room and Principal Cohen goes down the stairs towards the front of the classroom, where the teacher is, teaching the students. I don't know why I stood back near the door but I waited. The Principal whispers something to the teacher, who then looks at me. She nods her head, and she motions for me to come. I walk down the stairs and stand next to her.

"Class, this is Anastasia, she is new here so please be kind to her." The teacher states.

She then turns around to face me, "I'm Mrs. Jones, and I'll be your Math teacher."

She gives out her hand. Assuming she wants to shake my hand, I take mine out too, and we shake hands firmly. She then tells me to take a seat so I look around to see if there's an empty seat. I find an empty seat next to a girl, all the way at the back. She looks very pretty, light-skinned, with tight black curls that go just below her shoulders and eyes the color of the ocean. Does such beautiful person exist? She adjusts her glasses in place to have a good look at me, as I walk towards the seat next to her. I sit down, smiling at her, whilst she smiles back. I notice Principal Cohen making his way out of the classroom. There's something odd about him, something I can't describe. He gives some type of bad aura, I can't put my finger on it.

"I love your necklace." I hear the girl next to me say.

"Thank you," I respond to her compliment. I realize I didn't know her name yet so I ask, "What's your name?"

"Rosa Coleman, nice to meet you girl!" She says, with full confidence.

I love her confidence. Her dimples are showing clearly as she smiles.

"Nice to meet you too!" I exclaim.

We chat quietly, getting to know each other. Rosa's dad is an FBI agent and her mom is a doctor. Her older brother died in a car crash, bless him. Hearing her life story made me think about mine. Everyone has lost something precious in their life at least once. For me, it was my mom that I lost. She died when I was very young...

"What about your family?" I am brought back to reality by her question.

I take a look at my necklace. My mom gave it to me a few days before her passing.

"My dad is a businessman-" I get interrupted by her.

"Victor Delaney?" She asks with her eyes wide, as if she is shocked.

"Yeah, him." I sigh. 

She tells me how famous and rich my dad is. Then she asks me about my mom and I tell her that it's been just me and my dad almost my whole life. Of course, I told her not to pity me as it would make me feel worse than I feel right now. She understands and we decide to change the topic.

***

It's lunch time and Rosa takes me to the library. It's grand and contemporary, full of wonderous books, novels and computers to be used by students and teachers.

"Let's sit there." She points to the cream-colored couch.

As we sit, we are approached by a timid-looking boy.

"Rosa, the Principal's calling you." He says to Rosa.

"Why?" She questions him, raising an eyebrow.

"No idea but you should go, he said for you to go to him right now." He announces.

Rosa apologizes to me as she stands and makes her way to the Principal. Whilst she's gone, the boy takes her seat.

"I'm Eric, Rosa's friend." He speaks to me.

"Oh nice to meet you, I'm Anastasia." I respond back to him.

"I'll call you Ana, if you don't mind?" He turns it into a question.

"Of course Eric." I chuckle a little.

We talk for a while. I find out he's bisexual, interested in both male and female. As he talks, I notice his details, those sweet and luminous brown eyes and honey blonde hair. His uniform is so in-place, like he cares about school and learning. In the midst of our conversation, Rosa comes back, her face looking weary, as if she's been crying.

"Are you okay?" I ask her.

She looks at me then at Eric. What is going on?

"My father is in hospital." She mutters, with tears forming in her eyes.

First day of school and I already hear someone's dad being in hospital. I comfort Rosa as she weeps on my shoulder. Eric tries to reassure her, telling her everything is going to be okay. Is it though?