Black Rose

Chapter 2

They're always super distracted on Fridays.

The new student came. Her name is Grace and she is very quiet. I haven't heard her say a single thing. She travels with a bodyguard. The other kids don't talk to her, and not because she doesn't speak, but because they seem to know more about her than I do.

"Celia, do you know anything about Grace?" I asked her.

Grace had been at the school for a week. They'd taken her out of my classroom for two days, but after that she was back. She would sit and only take notes in my class. I'd gone as a substitute for the English teacher two days back, and she'd followed me there too.

"Grace who?" Celia asked.

"Grace Black, the new girl," I replied.

"Uh, why do you ask?" she asked, sounding strange.

"Because of things like your tone right now," I pointed out.

She sighed. "Grace Black is the daughter of Olivier Black, the schools greatest benefactor and the most mysterious man this side of the world."

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"There are rumours about the man, which is why everyone keeps their distance from his daughter. He's not a good man Rose. Stay far away from his daughter," she told me before the bell went.

Her words unsettled me. It didn't seem right to me that people were avoiding this poor child based on whatever it is that her father is said to be. That was in my thoughts as I walked back to my classroom. I had a free period and I didn't expect to find the little girl there.

"Grace," I called to her. She jumped and looked up, eyes widened.

"Hey, it's ok. I'm not going to hurt you or anything like that. Why are you here? Don't you have class?" I asked.

She didn't say anything for the longest time. "I don't like the other teachers."

I walked over and sat at the desk in front of the one she was sitting at. "Why not?"

"I actually don't like anyone in this place except you. You don't look at me like I'm an alien," she replied.

"This isn't the first school where this is happening, is it?" I asked knowingly.

"It's my eleventh school in the past two years alone. Everywhere I go, people treat me differently because of who my father is. I'm guessing you know nothing about him," she commented.

"I just learnt his name today, but even if I knew who he was, I wouldn't treat you any differently. You're not your father, and it's wrong that people isolate you because of him," I told her.

"Not everyone thinks like you, and that's why you're probably the only person to ever hear me speak in this place," she said with a smile.

I returned the smile. "You have a beautiful smile Grace. You don't smile very often, do you?"

"With the kind of life I live, despite having one of the richest men in the country as my father, I don't have much to smile about. It's true what they say about money not buying happiness," she said sadly.

"Well, I'm here for you with anything you need," I said, holding her hand.

"Do you happen to teach anything else other than Math?" she asked.

"I teach Math, but I also took up English, Geography, Science and History. Why?" I counter asked.

She shook her head, a smile on her face. "It's nothing."