Lia and Bella were standing like statues. Another girl popped in front of them.
" Are you not going to make a choice? Don't you know that every student has to decide on which team they are going to choose on their first day of school?" the girl asked both of them.
" And what if we don't want to choose any team?" Bella asked her.
" The team leaders would give each of you punishment." the girl replied.
" On what basis does one decide which team are they going to choose?" Lia asked her.
" Did you admit here by endorsing the scholarship welfare?" the girl asked, looking at them head to toe. Both of them nodded their heads.
" Nice to meet you. I'm Rose Parkinson." she said and forwarded her hand for a handshake to the girls.
" Hello, I'm Amelia Reed." Lia said and shook hands with Rose.
" I'm Isabella Reed." Bella said and shook her hands with her too.
" You both are sisters! How amazing!" Rose exclaimed, clapping her hands together.
" Now, can you tell us about the teams?" Lia asked her.
" Since you guys are from a Welfare society, it's common that you don't know them. You can decide which team you want to choose by their looks." Rose said to them.
" Well, bye. Choose fast. I'm going to choose mine." she said and ran off to Team Adolphus.
" What the heck they are doing? It's better to take punishment than be on either team." Lia said and Bella agreed with her. They turned around to go back to where they were but suddenly stopped one someone called their names.
" Amelia! Isabella!" someone shouted at Lia and she turned around to look who it was. Rose called them, waving her hands, saying to come where she was.
" Come fast, both of you!" Rose again shouted and both of them had to walk towards her though they didn't want to.
" Did you decide on which team are you going to?" Rose asked them when they reached her.
" Actually, we are not interested in any team." Bella said as the two boys walked toward her.
" Is it a new way to attract our attention?" the second boy, the leader of Team Sarff, asked.
" Who do you think you are that we will have to attract your attention?" Bella asked him, agitated by his words.
" You know that if you don't choose any of our teams, you will get a punishment." the boy whom Lia bumped into in the morning said, walking closer to Lia until he was towering over her. Lia had to crane her neck to see in the boy's pitch black eye.
" Of course, I know." Lia said, not even a single percent intimated by him.
" Good. Since you know we both will give punishment to you guys. I'll give punishment to you, Lia." he said, taking her name slowly. Lia felt a very weird sensation when she heard her name roll from his tongue.
" My name is not Lia. Call me Amelia." She said glaring at him. She doesn't like when someone calls her Lia if they are not close to her. And, she doesn't like it, even more, when that boy calls her Lia since he didn't has a good impression on her.
" I like this name, Lia. You can't change my opinion about it, Lia." he said, teasing her more by taking her name again and again.
" I'll be going if this is over." Lia announced, irritated by the boy in front of him.
" Be patient, Lia. Hear your punishment first." the boy said to her.
" Okay. I'm listening. Say it." Lia said, folding her hands in front of her chest.
" Go to the second last room on the third floor and bring the shining ball from there." he said and Lia nodded her head. The whole group of students who were standing behind started to murmur among themselves.
" Brother Ivan. Why are doing this to her? Let it slide this time." Rose said, stepping forward.
" Stay out of it, Rose. Your class is starting. Head Back." he said to her. Rose couldn't say anything further. She stayed there, her lips zipped.
" Ok. I accept this. When should I give it to you?" Lia asked him. The boy smirked seeing the boldness in Lia's eyes. He backed a step to stop towering over her.
" Let's see you here at 8 p.m. tonight with that ball." the boy named Ivan said to Lia. Lia nodded her head, accepting the punishment.
" What about you? Have you thought about the punishment or should I give you some time to think about it?" Bella asked the leader of Team Sarff. Since he had accused them to be trying to seek their attention, Bella wanted to pin him on the ground and beat him until she is satisfied. And she did, but in her imagination.
" Too bold. Such boldness can harm you, dear." he said, earning a disgusted expression from her.
" I like my boldness. So, now tell me what punishment are you going to give me?" Bella asked him.
" Let's see how bold are you. Have you seen the school map yet?" the boy asked her.
" No." she replied.
" Let me give you the privilege of spending time with me. Come to the forest with me. Sharp at 7 p.m. meet me here." he said and Bella nodded her head. She isn't afraid of forests at night. At the back of the village they lived, was a huge forest. Many a time they had to head to the forest to pick up wood in winter when they forgot to bring it during the daytime.
" If it's done then we will head back to our class." Bella said and turned to look at Lia who was waiting for her. Both of them left the place and went back to where their next class was. They both were the first ones to enter the class. Walking towards the second last bench, they took off their bags and sat down.
" My whole mood is spoiled now on seeing his face again!" Lia said irritably and put her head on the desk.
" Are those guys somewhere's presidents who are making people select which government they want, Adolphus's or Sarff's! Ridiculous!" Bella huffed angrily.
Gradually, the other students began to enter the class. They all were looking at them and whispering in each other's ears. Of course, they were the ones present at the ground choosing their teams, so they all knew what happened. A girl walked toward them and sat on the bench in front of them.
" I'm so sorry. Because of me, you both will have to take punishment now." Rose said to them.
" It's not your fault. Why are you apologizing? Normally, we got punishment because we didn't want to join anyone's team." Lia said to her.
" If I hadn't called you both, Brother Ivan and Brother Seb wouldn't have noticed you guys. Maybe you would have gotten a lighter punishment." Rose said to her, her head hung low.
" This is light too. We just need to go to a room and forest. We can do that." Bella said to cheer her up.
" That's not just a room or a forest. Wait. How would you know since it's your first time here? Go to the reception after this class and ask for the prospectus. You will get what I'm saying." she said to them.
" Ok. We will see it. But anyhow, don't upset yourself about this matter." Bella said to her.
" By the way, you just called them your brothers. Are you three siblings?" Lia asked her.
" No. I'm Brother Ivan's godsister. I call Seb my brother because my birth parents were friends with his parents and we got to know each other since young." she explained.
" But, remember not to mention Brother Seb's name in front of Brother Ivan, and vice-versa." she added, earning a confused look from both of them. Rose sighed and started to explain them.
" Both of them are like each other's enemy. Many times they have made this University campus a bloody mess. That's why the school's students are divided into two groups. You will always have to be careful of other group members. They won't let go of a chance to humiliate you. But, now that you have refused to be in anyone's team, both of them will try to humiliate you." Rose said. Lia and Bella looked at each other. In what mess they are in on the first day of their college!
" Well, thanks for the information. We will try our best to avoid any trouble." Bella said to Rose.
" The teacher is coming!" someone shouted in the class. Everyone sat straight in their respective seats and the class went pin-drop silent.
" Good morning, class. Welcome to your first English class. I'm Miss Suzanne Lopez. Hope we get along well." the teacher said and sweetly smiled at her students.
" Take out your books. We will start with the first topic of your session- Nature." Miss Lopez said and everyone take out their books.
Lia concentrated on her class and the incident that happened a few minutes ago slid out of her mind in the meantime. Like her first class that she found way too funny, she liked English class more. Miss Lopez was an excellent teacher and now she understood why people wanted to study in this college.