Byun Baekhyun was seriously regretting not accepting his father’s offer of a ride as he stared up at his new school with wide eyes…and water dripping from his clothes.

Damn rain.

 It was his own fault really. He should have realised that the public bus wouldn’t be allowed on to the academy’s grounds. But he hadn’t and it wasn’t. So he had been left to drag his heavy suitcases (because one giant bag of clothes certainly wasn’t going to be enough) up the seemingly endless driveway. All by himself. In the pouring rain. Yay.

After what felt like hours Baekhyun finally reached the massive wooden doors of the academy’s entrance hall. He could feel his heart pounding erratically in his chest as he nervously pushed open one of the grand old doors.

 Although he hid it well Baekhyun was terrified, Stratford Mason Academy was his dream school - well it was most people's dream school really - he had been dreaming of this moment ever since his old homeroom teacher gave him the scholarship application.  Baekhyun had always been nervous around new people but adding the pressure of not screwing up on his first day at such a prestigious institution had left him literally shaking with worry.

As the heavy door creaked open Baek quickly schooled his features, his megawatt smile belying the anxious butterflies beating up a storm in his chest. All thoughts of panic evaporated as the boy stepped in to the academy building for the first time.

 Baekhyun could barely contain a gasp as he gazed around the grand hall. The boy had thought the outside of the building was beautiful but the inside was on a whole other level;  A wide marble staircase stood opposite the doorway, sparkling tiles made up the floor and the wood panelled walls were decorated with a range of breathtakingly beautiful paintings. Venturing further into the room, the boy looked more closely at the masterpieces - Monet, Picasso, Van Gough. Wow.  The entryway didn't scream wealth in the way Baekhyun was expecting from such an exclusive school but instead, as evidenced by the choice of artwork, showcased a subtle luxury reserved for the richest of the rich.

The echo of footsteps drew Baekhyun from his observations, turning quickly he was faced with a grey haired man in a crisp navy suit.

"Byun Baekhyun, I presume?" the man asked, his voice authoritative and deep "I am Headmaster Kim, if you would be so kind as to step into my office".

The headmaster gestured to a dark wood door to the left of the staircase. Bowing politely Baekhyun thanked his lucky starts that the headmaster  had spotted him before he managed to get himself lost in the expansive school buildings and followed the man into the office.

"You're the first of the group to arrive, Baekhyun- ah" the headmaster smiled kindly at the boy as he settled into the plush chair behind his antique desk. The scholarship student hovered nervously in the doorway, wringing his hands, unsure of how he should handle himself.

Picking up on the boy's nervousness, the headmaster waved the brunet into the luxurious office "Come on in, Mr. Byun. Pull up a chair, I'm sure the others will be right along". Smiling politely, Baekhyun slid quietly into the chair closest to the broad mahogany desk that Headmaster Kim had seated himself behind.

 Given his new proximity to the man Baekhyun realised that the headmaster appeared far younger than he had initially thought. The man's grey hair was a stark contrast to the subtly muscled body that Baekhyun could see hidden beneath the man's impeccable suit. Realising that he was staring, Baekhyun averted his eyes. The boy could feel the familiar bubbling of nervousness starting in his stomach as the ornate grandfather clock in the corner ticked by painstakingly slowly. An involuntary sigh of relief forced its way past his pouted lips when a sharp knock on the door broke the oppressive silence of the  office.

Headmaster Kim rose smoothly from behind the desk, he opened the door with a serene smile on his somewhat wizened face.  In the doorway stood  three boys that Baekhyun, to his great relief, recognised instantly. He had met Luhan, Tao and Lay at the open day for potential scholarship students about a month before.  The three were from China and had known each other for their entire lives, which Baekhyun had found intimidating at first as an outsider to the little group.

Luhan smiled and bowed politely to the Headmaster before introducing the trio. "Hello sir. My name is Lu Han and this is my cousin Huang Zitao and our friend Zhang Yixing" Tao looked stone faced as usual as he stood behind his cousin but as soon as he saw Baekhyun he broke out into a wide smile. Lay was staring dreamily(as expected) at an abstract painting hanging on the exterior wall.

"Welcome to Stratford Mason gentlemen" replied the headmaster, moving aside to let the boys into the room before exiting the office .  Luhan bounded over to Baekhyun , followed closely by his young cousin, with a wide grin on his face.

" Baekkie-ah" he greeted warmly, pulling the younger into a one-armed hug. "You got a scholarship too! Isn't this great?"

Baekhyun smiled back at the elder, equally delighted. "I know hyung. It's awesome. Hey Tao, Lay" he spoke to the other two, who had already taken their seats  " How are you guys doing?"

Tao was practically bouncing in his seat as he turned to answer the elder  " I'm so excited hyung. This is gonna be so great. So so great. All of us together. It'll be amazing."

 Baekhyun couldn't help but let out a little laugh at the boy's enthusiasm which was all the more strange coming from such an  severe looking figure.  The Korean student could feel the nervousness he had felt earlier evaporating as he fell into easy conversation about anything and nothing with the other boys. After a while the topic of conversation turned to the remaining two slots available for scholarship students.

 "I hope its Kyungsoo and Jongdae" Lay said softly "They were nice... and funny" .

 Tao whose excitement still had not waned quickly vocalised his agreement " Yeah, Jongdae hyung is so funny. Can you imagine being in a class with him? It would be epic. Wouldn't it be so fun Lu-ge? I hope its them. I'll be so sad if it's not. What if we get stuck with some boring, yucky people? Gege, what will we do?" Luhan just rolled his eyes in response to Tao's hyped up ramblings, sharing a conspiratorial look with Baekhyun who simply smiled bemusedly at the antics of the youngest.

Muffled voices, echoing from the entrance hall, drew the attention of the students in the office. Under the weight of  the four curious gazes the office door swung open to reveal Headmaster Kim who was followed by the subjects of the boys' previous conversation - Kyungsoo had his petite hand in a secure pinch on Jongdae's ear and dragged the boy into the office by said appendage.

"I can't believe you Kim Jongdae!"Kyungsoo scolded as he pulled the younger over to the two vacant seats "You can't shout 'smell you later, haters' when you get of a bus. Its rude and embarrassing. Why am I even friends with you?!"

"Because I'm your beloved hyung, Soo-Soo, and without me you would be lost in the sea of life" Jongdae mocked, only narrowly escaping a jab aimed at his ribs by his wide-eyed companion.

"How many times have I told you to stop calling me Soo-Soo!" the smaller boy seethed.

"Oh ...about 50... Do. Umm-a"  the older boy emphasised the title, a wide mischievous grin on his face, as he ducked into the office.

"KIM JONGDAE!" Kyungsoo ground out through clenched teeth, racing in to the richly appointed room after his friend. "Prepare to die you brat!"

"Save me Luhan- hyung!" Jongdae wailed, ducking behind the elder.  The other boys in the office couldn't hide their giggles as Jongdae flailed under the weight of Kyungsoo's glare, even as the younger greeted the others in the office.

"Is this all of us then?" Jongdae asked after the boys had all settled into the chairs around the Headmaster's desk.

"Indeed it is Mister Kim" the Headmaster replied, startling the boys as he appeared in the doorway behind them. "So are you boys ready to begin?"

So thats chapter 1, though its really more of a prologue XD. Since its my first time posting on here the format might be a bit weird, sorry. Also if anyone wants to make a cover or poster or whatever for this that would be really cool :) Reviews/ helpful feedback would be super useful too! argh I'm rambling. Anyway I hope this is okay! - IntricataeGratia