The Fifth Element (Dinah/OC)

Prologue: And So It Begins (Edited)

"Scarlett," The teen spoke in a very low tone as her gaze was fixated on the floor.

Nicole leaned down a bit more, to the discomfort of the teen, and tried to hear a bit better.

"I'm sorry?"

"Scarlett... Please call me Scarlett."

"Oh, I apologize. I forgot that was mentioned by your social worker. I just find Melinda to be such a beautiful name," Nicole replied. "Well, you can call me Nicole. Most of the students here do. Having the last name Haught does have its disadvantages, especially when I decided to take up the headmistress position here. Teens just have to tease about the name. It is like an obligation."

Nicole chuckled, but stopped shortly after when she noticed that Scarlett remained silent as she told her joke.

"Tough crowd," Nicole muttered under her breath. "Come on. Let me show you around while we have the campus to ourselves. The students should all be in class by now."

Nicole turned her attention towards the man who had driven Scarlett. He had just finished unloading all of Scarlett's things, which she noticed was not a lot. All Scarlett had were 2 suitcases and a small pack.

"Thank you for your assistance," Nicole addressed as she waved over a group of faculty members. "They will deal with the luggage." She handed the driver an envelope filled with a hefty amount of money.

The driver's eyes nearly popped when he gazed down at the stack of cash. He quickly thanked Nicole and paused a bit to stare towards Scarlett before jumping into his car and disappearing through the iron gate. Once the car was out of sight and Scarlett's things were gathered, Nicole brought her attention back onto the teen to start the tour.

"Let's begin, shall we?" Nicole smiled as they began to walk through the campus.

As they walked through a number of hallways and pathways, Nicole took the time to observe and analyze Scarlett's appearance and demeanor. She already knew about Scarlett's timidness and fear towards others. She had seen it first hand the day she met Scarlett in Ohio. She recalled the time that a simple outstretched hand had caused Scarlett to have a full blown panic attack. Nicole had to wait a full day in order to revisit Scarlett after that.

Nicole also took note of Scarlett's mannerisms. The way the teen would tug at her sleeves and would scan her surroundings like someone was going to attack her from behind.

This didn't surprise Nicole since she already knew about Scarlett's past. Nicole couldn't fathom how much pain and suffering Scarlett had endured in the past, but she hoped that this would be a new beginning for the teen and that a brighter future was in store for Scarlett and the world.

"This building over here," Nicole stopped in front of a small stone building, though not the same size as the main office building, it was still magnificent. "This is the administration office. This is where you will go if you need any assistance regarding your classes or extracurricular activities. If you need to talk to your teachers, or have classes changed as well. In addition, this is where you will find my office. Usually students come here for issues they have caused, but feel free to visit me any time. I have an open door policy with all of the students."

Scarlett nodded and gazed around.

Nicole continued to show Scarlett the different buildings such as the jaw dropping library, the Grand Hall where everyone gathers for announcements and eats their meals, the indoor and outdoor pool, the track field, gymnasium and outdoor fields. The campus appeared to cater all needs and wants for the students and Scarlett was in complete awe of the layout and the vast amount of land. She never imagined that she would be attending a place like this.