A few days earlier —
Same place.
The café inside the International School of London.
It was the first day of the new term—term two of year three (or Grade 12, back home).
Jody Johansson, an American girl with a sharp, androgynous look, sat at her usual table. Quiet, composed, and not one for small talk, she sipped cocoa from a steaming mug. In front of her sat a ceramic plate with two slices of bread topped with cream, untouched. In one hand, she held her phone, scrolling through updates from her home country while slowly eating her breakfast.
Suddenly—
(DING!)
The school bell rang.
Jody, along with the other students outside, recognized the chime. First period was about to begin. Lucky for her, she'd just finished the last sip of her cocoa.
She stood up, paid the bill, gathered her things, and turned to leave.
And then—
Thump.
It was the sound of a fork falling from the nearby table. A boy had dropped it. He bent down to pick it up—but didn't look away from his phone. He was clearly preoccupied with something on screen, so instead of reaching properly, he just blindly swept his hand across the floor until the fork landed back in his fingers.
It wouldn't have been a problem at all...
If he wasn't completely blocking Jody's path.
The brown-haired boy had his back turned to her. He didn't notice that his upper body was now the only thing standing between Jody and the exit.
"..."
She gave him a moment. But the guy was clearly glued to his screen. So, Jody gave a small, composed cough.
"Ahem."
Soft. Controlled. Yet cutting—
That low, husky voice of hers always caught people off guard. She'd often been told she sounded like Rosamund Pike.
Most students would've jumped, turned around, apologized profusely the moment they realized it was Jody behind them.
But not this guy.
He slowly turned his head, retrieving his fork in the process.
His vivid red eyes—eyes that looked like they were permanently ready to pick a fight with the entire human race—locked onto her blue ones. He said nothing.
But his face said it all:
"The hell do you want?"
Or something like that.
Then, as if she wasn't worth his time, he turned away and went back to scrolling his phone, letting her pass.
Which left Jody… baffled.
Who the hell is this guy?
He was clearly in uniform. But something told her—he had no clue who she was.
And to be fair, she didn't really bother memorizing the faces of people who weren't in her class. So she couldn't exactly place him either...
But one thing was certain:
He didn't recognize her.
If he'd seen the "combat trial" that's traditionally held on Day One of Year One, he'd be trembling by now.
Still, it was already time for class. And besides—Jody wasn't that type of person anymore. Not since she moved from New York. So, instead of making a scene, she simply walked out.
Ding-ding...
The boy checked the time on his phone.
He still wasn't used to the time zone here.
"Yaaawn..."
Eventually, he got up, slung his bag over his shoulder, and casually exited the café.
Ding-ding-ding.
—
[9:00 AM]
The classroom environment was far from ordinary. There were murmurs here and there, but nothing chaotic.
Almost every student in this room came from elite backgrounds. Children of politicians, business magnates, celebrities—even prodigies.
No surprise then, that Jody sat among the top echelon of the top. Not just in intellect, but in power too.
Naturally, social hierarchy still existed.
Those without powers were the base of the pyramid—looked down on and stepped over. Most were placed in the lower-ranked classrooms.
Jody's class?
It was the best of the best.
She didn't mingle much, but she wasn't unfriendly either. Just… distant. Everyone instinctively left an empty gap between her and themselves.
Not out of dislike—
But fear.
Truthfully, Jody was too old for Year Three.
She should've been in her first year of university by now, but due to transferring from overseas, she had to start high school from scratch. She was a full year older than everyone else.
She didn't sit at the front like the movies.
Her desk was all the way in the back—alone.
She had requested it.
Jody didn't like having anyone sit beside her.
She placed her things on the desk and checked the time. Then she looked up at the classroom door.
A moment later, the homeroom teacher walked in.
But something felt… off.
He paused at the entrance, glancing behind him as if signaling someone to wait.
The class sensed something strange. A few students whispered. The teacher spoke up quickly.
"Everyone, before we begin today, I'd like to make an announcement. We've received a transfer student under the UCL Exchange Program from Australia."
The room instantly buzzed.
They had heard whispers last week about several exchange students enrolling this summer.
This must be one of them.
The teacher nodded to someone outside the door.
The moment he stepped in, the room collectively perked up—especially the girls.
But not Jody.
Because she recognized him.
The boy from this morning.
Messy brown hair with a streak of yellow up front. Red eyes sweeping across the room as he walked in.
He made his way to the front.
"Look at him... he's scary."
"He's got that dangerous vibe. Kinda hot though~"
"Damn, he's fine."
Jody could hear the whispers from across the room. The guys were talking too.
"That dude's intense."
"Think he'd punch the teacher?"
"Guy looks like he's ready to fight everyone... Kinda pisses me off. But... if he made it into this class—even as an exchange student—he must be something."
Jody silently agreed with that last remark.
Even exchange students weren't normally placed here. Unless they were extremely gifted—
Or ridiculously rich.
"Alright. Please introduce yourself."
"Hey everyone. I'm Syd Barrett. From Sydney, Australia. I'm half-Asian."
"What mix?" a bold girl called out.
"Dad's Aussie. Mom's Thai."
"Whoa! Thailand?!"
The room erupted again.
Syd didn't flinch under the attention. In fact, he looked mildly annoyed by all the foreigners trying to impress him by telling him when they visited Thailand and how much they loved it.
As if they know anything beyond Phuket and Pattaya. Bloody tourists.
"All right, Syd. You're allowed to choose where to sit. But the only available spot happens to be next to Jody. Would you like to sit there? It'll complete the pairings."
"…"
Syd looked over.
Jody wasn't sure if he recognized her yet.
But then he did something no one in that room would dare.
"Nah. She looks scary. I'd rather not."
Even the teacher's face twitched in shock.
The entire class gasped—
A guy even hissed "Sssshhiiit..." under his breath.
It was as if Syd had broken an unspoken taboo.
"Well... alright then. But there's no room up front either. I'll just take a seat in the back."
He walked all the way to the last row, placed his bag down at the desk next to Jody's...
Paused.
Then picked up both the desk and his bag—and moved them all the way to the opposite corner of the room.
From the teacher's view, Jody now sat in the back right corner near the windows.
Syd?
Back left. Right beside the exit.
If a fire broke out, he'd be the first one out.
"All right, Syd. I know exchange students don't have a GPA. But we do have a baseline placement test to start the term. The front desk mentioned this, right?"
"A what now?"
"A placement test."
"Oh… right. That thing."
"It doesn't count for grades, so no pressure. Want to give it a try?"
"Hmm... I'm jetlagged and kinda dead right now. I'll pass—"
"Scared?"
The room fell dead silent.
Everyone—including Syd—heard it loud and clear from across the room.
Jody.
The kind of clear that if he pretended not to hear, he'd just look deaf.
"…No."
"Oh come on. You said it's just for fun, didn't you? You're an exchange student—make it count."
"…"
No one in that room was dumb enough not to realize that this was Jody's challenge.
"Fine. Whatever. Bring it on. Gimme the sheet, sir."
This was the lightest form of punishment Jody could offer.
Soon, he'd understand just how wide the gap between them truly was.
And if he didn't do too badly, maybe she'd at least get a gauge of what kind of skills he had.
"What the hell's Shakespeare even on about... who the hell talks like this... bloody hell..."
It had only been five minutes and Syd was already grumbling under his breath.
Jody's lips curved ever so slightly.
She was already thinking about what line she'd drop after the results were announced. Something that wouldn't crush him completely.
She'd seen his type before.
Arrogant. Rude. Cocky.
They all needed to be put in their place.
And Jody was just the person to do it.
Again.