Soon, the bell rang, and the homeroom teacher walked in with the new student.
"Good morning, teacher," the students greeted in unison as they bowed slightly.
"Morning, everyone," Teacher Amber said as she motioned them to sit. "As you all know, we have a transfer student joining us today. Please welcome her."
She gestured to the door toward Sera. "Come in and introduce yourself."
Sera stepped inside with a hopeful smile on her face. It was the beginning of a new life that she had never been able to live in her previous one.
"Hello, I'm Seraphina Lan," she said.
She purposely dropped the rest of her surname. She wanted to avoid being linked to the Lancaster family. But what she didn't know was that Melissa had already spread rumors, labeling her a leech before she even arrived.
"I hope to get along with you all," she added, bowing politely.
There was complete silence. No one spoke. There were just cold stares and sneers.
