The Lion, The Dragon and The Bird

Welcome to my jungle

Quinn was mildly annoyed after that exchange with the vice-principal, so she went to the quietest place on the campus.

The rooftop of the administrative building was accessible through a blue door on the third floor. The door remained closed most of the time, but she had managed to get a double of the keys from the custodian a few years prior.

She only had a few minutes to spare as she had a speech to deliver to the first years. She sat at a spot from which she could monitor the situation on the sports field. For now, it was still only the students playing around and new students kept arriving. A small smile formed on her lips when she recognized a familiar silhouette. "Finally, he is here."

As soon as the black SUV paused in front of the gates of Soveland academy, Theo jumped out, his backpack dangling on one side.

"Young master Theodore!" his personal guard called out behind him, a step too late. Theo was already halfway up the hill at which top laid the soccer field. The gates were at the opposite end of the campus from the field, all the way down the hill. Theo found the dress pants of his uniform particularly uncomfortable for running, but he was too excited to mind it at the moment. Thankfully, he didn't have to wear it every day.

When he reached the field, he intercepted the ball from one of the ongoing games and skillfully dribbled his way through the goal post. His unruly blonde hair swished in rhythm with his feints. Nobody knew who this blonde devil could be, but the members of the soccer team felt a sense of rivalry as they tried to block him but were easily defeated. Finally, Theo stepped inside the penalty box and scored. The girls around the field that witnessed the scene loudly cheered for him and he bowed in response.

"You're okay, man?" Theo offered a hand to one of the boys that had tried to block him, but miserably fell on his butt. The boy hesitated to grab the hand, but Theo's dazzling smile made it hard to ignore him. "Of course, I just slipped." Jeremy, the captain of the soccer team, held onto the extended hand to stand up. And just like that, Theodore Riccardo Ryuuzaki had charmed his way into the heart of the students at Soveland academy.

"I hate that he does it so effortlessly," Quinn commented as she stood next to Jonathan. The well-trained bodyguard had easily caught up to Theo and stood at the edge of the stadium.

He nodded. "He will be okay, right?"

They both observed Theo, playing around with the students, with a mix of anticipation and apprehension. It was his first time not being homeschooled, and he had been thrown directly into the jungle called high school.

Quinn knew better than anybody else just how ruthless it could be.

"I will be there."

***

"Dear students and parents, please take a seat in the bleachers. We will proceed with the welcoming ceremony for the Senior School."

Soveland academy was divided between the middle school, from grade 6 to 8, and the senior school from grade 9 to 12. The two rarely interacted. The middle school buildings were on a secondary campus, five minutes by car away.

The welcoming ceremony basically consisted of a series of boring speeches. Then the students would go to their respective classrooms and complete the orientation activities.

For the third year in a row, Quinn had the honour to be in charge of the opening speech. She slowly climbed up the stairs of the stage placed on the pitch for the occasion.

The crowd of students and guardians was rather small in the broad stadium. She was familiar with most of the students and had started to memorize the faces of the new ones. When the headmistress took place in one of the reserved seats at the front, it was her queue to start.

"Distinguished headmistress, dear members of the staff and teachers, as well as my very dear fellow's schoolmates, welcome back home," Quinn greeted with a smile. Her clear voice silenced the last murmurs in the crowd.

"And for you first-years," she made eye contact with one that seemed particularly nervous, "this is the first day of the most defining years of your life."

"During the next four years, you will cry, you will laugh, you will sweat and you will fall but most importantly, you will grow and flourish, you will plant your roots and mature until you are ready. Ready to spread your branches into the whole wide world."

"Soveland Academy will provide you with the best possible environment to thrive. With modern facilities, highly qualified staff and international renown.

So, I, the president of the student council, would like to personally welcome you to my home."

Welcome to my jungle, she thought with a smirk.

She then proceeded to introduce key members of the staff and to share the agenda of the student council for the year. One point was particularly important to her.

Quinn took a deep breath for the effect and slowly walked her gaze over the faces in front of her. She wanted them all to feel directly concerned by her next warning.

She stood alone on the stage, facing the crowd and facing the administrative building behind it.

So she was the only one to witness what was happening on top of the rooftop. A shadow passed over her face, but she was able to hide it almost immediately. Only her closest friends would be able to detect such a subtle change of expression.

"Zero tolerance for bullying."

As she concluded her speech, cheers erupted from the crowd. Cheers which drowned the sound of a body hitting the pavement.

Authors Notes:

WC: 975

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