Dear mamá,
Today I'll be leaving to stay at the Lunacrest Girls Academy. I'm so thrilled that I was chosen for the scholarship, except it's unfortunate that I'll have to leave all my friends behind. But that's okay because I'll get to make new ones! I truly can't wait. Wish me luck!
With love,
Camellia
I genuinely was excited to go to my new school this fall. After I had received notice that I would be attending the Academy last year, I couldn't help but be grateful. It felt like things in my life were going in the right direction. After all I had been through, I really needed this.
My mother passed away three years ago. A few months after that happened, my father lost his job. It was difficult for him to get back on his feet, but he did everything he could. He really was a wonderful father, so my little sister and I helped as much as we could. On a whim, I decided to enter for a scholarship that would allow me to go to an amazing school. Funny enough, I actually won.
I'd miss home but I was doing this for my family.
Finally, the day had come to attend school. There was a long journey ahead but it would all be worth it. The taxi dropped me off at a magnificent gate, which seemed neverending. It had golden accents that stood out against the rich black color of the gate itself. On the other side, the headmistress was waiting for me. As I stepped out, she approached me.
"Hello, Miss De León, welcome to the Lunacrest Girls Academy."
With a smile, I replied, "Thank you, headmistress. I'm so happy to be here! It's been one of my long dreams to attend such an extraordinary school."
"Come along now, we'll place your things in your room which you can find later on."
"Thank you!"
We both headed into the school's main courtyard, and I honestly just couldn't believe I was here.
"You will be given a tour of the school by one of our most brilliant pupils. She is waiting for you in the garden down this path. I wish you the very best in your studies, Miss De León."
"Ah, yes, thank you so much!" I beamed.
We both parted ways, I couldn't wait to meet this girl—the headmistress made her sound wonderful. A potential new friend! This campus was devastatingly gorgeous. It was surrounded by so much greenery, which was something I loved. There were trees filled with small white flowers that aligned the path I walked on. Just a hint of autumn was on each one. From afar, there was an array of various different flowers.
When I went into the garden, I had found myself in the presence of a beautiful, petite girl who was accompanied by what seemed to be a young maid—perhaps in her mid to late twenties.
"Good evening, you must be Camellia," she said as she tucked a piece of her long golden hair behind her ear.
I couldn't help but smile. "Yes, hello, it's a pleasure to meet you."
She extended her hand and smiled back. "My name is Angel."
I shook it and couldn't help but notice how soft her hands were.
"You're very tall Camellia, do you happen to be a model?"
This made me chuckle. "No, I wish. I probably would be if I were pretty."
"Oh you're so silly, of course you're pretty. I'm sure all the boys back home would rave about you." She smiled, making the beauty mark under her left eye move ever so slightly.
She really knew how to tug at my heartstrings; to be complimented by such a beautiful girl was something I'd never forget. I felt like I had truly made a new friend. Now I didn't feel so lonely anymore. Suddenly, the maid went up to Angel and whispered something to her.
"Oh dear, I had forgotten all about that," Angel said out loud. "I'm so sorry Camellia but it turns out I have something I must attend to. Our tour will still happen, it'll just have to be later on today."
"Yeah! No worries, that's perfectly fine."
"The dormitory is just down there," she pointed down towards the other side of the garden, "that's where you'll find your things. I shall find you after you've finished unpacking."
"Alright, see you!"
She nodded and began walking in the opposite direction, but I noticed that the maid had been staring at me for quite a while.
I asked, "I-Is there a problem?"
"Yes," she answered and continued to follow Angel. I was a bit confused but brushed it off and headed to the dorms.
Angel was very kind. If everyone here was like her I'd have no problem finding friends I could study with. I wondered if she was the same age as me. As I made my way inside the dorm entrance, I was greeted by the dorm mother.
"Hi dear, are you the new student?"
"Yes, that would be me!"
"Lovely, you can call me Mrs. Marigold. I'll show you to your room."
"Thank you."
We both headed into a labyrinth of hallways, but Mrs. Marigold was talking to me the whole time that I didn't even know where we were going. She explained to me the school hours and when the cafeteria closed. Everything here was always done in an orderly fashion, just the way I liked it.
"Here we are. Camellia, is it?"
"Yes!"
"Well get yourself situated Camellia, your roommate should have moved in by the end of this week. The other girls should be arriving any day now."
"Sounds good, thank you!"
And with that, she left me all alone to unpack. After what seemed like forever, I got my side all cozied up. I took out a quilt my mother had made for me when I was a baby. I always made sure to take it with me wherever I went. It was like having a little piece of her here with me. I also kept a journal where I wrote to her, although I knew she'd never see it, it made me feel better to write letters to her.
After I was done unpacking everything, I headed out of my room. However, I was quickly stumped when I didn't know which way the exit was. This place was like a maze, I really should have asked the dorm mother how to get out of here. Nonetheless, I decided to take a left and headed straight down the hall.
"Hello? I need help please." I walked for what seemed like forever when suddenly I heard voices coming from one of the rooms.
"YOU WHORE! STOP PULLING SO DAMN HARD!"
I was alarmed when I heard a boy's voice coming from the room. Boys were not allowed to be anywhere near the dorms. Muffled movements came from the other side of the door and without thinking I reached for the handle. I slowly turned it, cracked it open, and poked my head through.
There, right in the middle of the room, I found a boy and the maid that I had met earlier today. He immediately turned his head to me and glared my way. The maid seemed to have been putting a corset on him.
He released his glare and spoke, "Oh it's just you. AH! FOR FUCKS SAKE MAGNOLIA, IF YOU KEEP PULLING LIKE THAT YOU'RE GONNA BREAK MY RIBS!"
"A few broken ribs never killed anyone," the maid responded.
I stared in disbelief at the whole spectacle. The boy then proceeded to put on the girl's uniform and a blonde wig, paying little to no care of my existence. My brain turned off at that point and I couldn't really distinguish what was going on.
Once the boy was done, he walked up to me and now in a high-pitched voice said, "Come on Camellia, let's go on your tour."
Like a mindless zombie, I followed them around the entire school. Having finished the tour he asked with a smile, "Any questions?"
I smiled back and said, "Just one. Why are you a boy?!"
He dropped his façade and scowled. Now in his normal voice, he said, "I was really hoping you would be dumb enough to dismiss that."
What in the world was he talking about?! How could anyone forget that?! "Y-You're disguised as a girl! When you're actually a boy!"
"Uh, yeah, I think we've already established that." He rolled his eyes.
The whole time the maid just stood there without saying a single word. My world was being flipped upside down.
"This isn't allowed!"
He shrugged. "So what? Are you gonna report me or something?"
I nodded. He gave a devious grin. "You still haven't figured out who I am, have you?"
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. He sighed and placed a hand on his hip.
"My name is Angel Lunacrest. And if you want to keep your scholarship here, you'll keep your mouth shut."
My heart almost fell out of my chest. This cross-dressing boy was the son of the owner of the school. I didn't know what to say other than, "N-No, that's impossible! This isn't happening!"
He laughed mischievously and changed his voice again, "I can't wait to spend the rest of high school together!"
The devil! I had met the devil!
Dear mamá,
This isn't what I wanted at all! Never in a million years would I have expected this to happen to me! He's a foul and evil boy that I want nothing to do with! And the worst part is he's still beautiful...
Send help,
Camellia
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