Jessica Jung Xiuyan stared out of the window of the van, her eyes taking in the change in landscape from the towering skyscrapers of Changsha to the treelined roads of the suburbs. It was both similar and different from metropolitan Seoul. The mere thought of home made her stomach churn. Jessica turned her gaze from the window just as her phone vibrated and lit up.

Unnie, fighting! You can do this!    

Krystal’s text message calmed her down from an impending state of internal panic. With a deep breath, Jessica typed her reply and sent it with a smile.

‘I can do this!’

She thought and repeated in her head as the van slowed down in front of the gilded phoenix gates. Four distinct Chinese characters loomed over the gilded arch rising about the golden-plated gates. Jessica could only guess that it translated to the school’s name. The large entrance was guarded by a pair of phoenix stone statues, their eyes glistening red.

There was no one around at the entrance, but the gates creaked open as soon as the van approached it and the driver shifted his gear to drive down the winding road ahead. Jessica noted the vast expanse of fields, buildings, and townhouses lining the path.

This place looked like another world of its own.

Before she knew it, the van stopped in front of a building. “We’re here, Miss Jung.” The driver spoke to her in thick accented English. Jessica thanked him and got out of the vehicle. Someone else was already taking out her luggage from the back of the car. She was still processing her new surroundings when the kind valet handed her, her belongings.

A young woman approached her from the building’s entrance, sparing Jessica from the daze of being in an unfamiliar place.

“Hi. You must be Zheng Xiuyan.” The woman lent out her hand for a handshake to which Jessica took with care, “I’m Xie Na. I’m going to be your class advisor and counsel. Welcome to Phoenix Academy.”

Jessica smiled and attempted to greet back in Chinese. She had known the basics before entering the country and her effort showed when she saw Xie Na’s eyes light up in surprise and relief. “Wow, your Mandarin is good! Hěn hǎo!”

“Xièxiè!” Jessica graciously replied with what little Chinese she has learned, bowing before her teacher, “I will try my best to practice and learn more.”

“Good! Good! But first!” Xie Na gestures for her to enter the building, “We go through registration. You will meet some of your other teachers later.”

They entered the concrete edifice with Jessica’s luggage in tow. The lobby was void of people save for a woman manning the concierge who cast them a gentle smile. Xie Na and Jessica greeted her before proceeding down the hallway leading to the offices. They stopped at the end and Jessica could only guess that this must be the headmaster’s office.

Knocking on the mahogany door, Xie Na proceeded into the room before motioning for Jessica to follow. They were welcomed by three people engaged in an animated conversation. Two females were seated across each other in front of a mahogany desk while a male sat behind the table. Their exchange was cut short on Xie Na and Jessica’s entrance as their gaze landed on the newcomers.

“Headmaster Kenn, Jing Jie, and Na Jie, our new student has arrived.” Xie Na announced.

“Oh my,” Ning Jing gushed with a pleasant smile, “You look gorgeous!”

Jessica felt her face turn red at the compliment. She’s not used to being praised like this by her elders. “T-Thank y-you.” She reddened more for stuttering.

“I think you creeped her out, Jing.” Na Ying whispered as she elbowed the other woman. Jing simply kept her smile. Turning back to the young lady, Na Ying composed herself and tried her best in welcoming the newcomer, “Welcome to Phoenix Academy. I’m Na Ying, one of your group or league …uh, how to say… dǎoshī? Ah, mentor… And this is Ning Jing, your other group mentor.”

The confusion written on Jessica’s face made both Na Ying and the sole male in the room, nervous and prompted her to tap Ning Jing for help. The latter huffed for having to explain, “We have a different format from other schools. Students are recruited into different leagues and each league has its own teams who are required to showcase their skills and talents every month. The best teams are qualified to compete for the academy’s annual contest and the winners get to have opportunities to collaborate with or be schooled directly by the best artists in the country.”

“O-Oh, so do the year levels even matter? And how does one join the league?” Jessica asked.

“It’s nice to meet you, Xiuyan.” The man finally spoke. Jessica felt her Chinese name still quite foreign to her ears.

“I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Chen Qiyuan, but you can call me Director Kenn. I am the current headmaster of Phoenix Academy. We encourage collaboration and competition between students of all levels. Therefore, you can work on a recital with even the most senior of our students here.”

Jessica nodded in understanding, her nerves beginning to get to her, as the thought of joining a group of senior students for a show, passed her mind. How will she deal with the language barrier and the student hierarchy?!

“I believe you must be tired from your journey.” Xie Na spoke up after having picked up a stack of papers to hand to Jessica, “Why don’t I show you to the dorms? You will meet some exciting sisters along the way!”

Jessica absentmindedly nodded along before bowing before the three members of the school administration. When she and Xie Na left the room, Ning Jing and Na Ying shared a heated stare, much to Kenn’s amusement.

“She’s mine!” They both chorused much to their collective ire.

“I will have her on my team!” Jing decided.

“No, you’re not! I’ll have her on mine!” Na Ying refuted, “You already have that musical genius kid, Yu Wenwen!”  

“But you have the vocal prodigies Tan Weiwei and Cyndi Wang Xinling! They practically demolished the team I pitted against them last year!”

Kenn merely laughed, “You two. You can’t just recruit anyone to your league this time. There will be some changes to the rules and this school year’s competition will be more exciting.”

“Kenn, does this mean that I won’t have my usual kids, back?!” Ning Jing’s voice echoed through the room.

“What do you mean, Kenn?! I had a hard time convincing Cyndi Wang to join my team last year!” Na Ying admonished.

“You’ll both find out when classes start. For now, let’s get back to discussing the budget distribution for the different courses.”

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A/N: lol! Sorry for missing out on the fun. Work and personal life has been keeping me busy and sleepless. T__T Hope everyone's doing well, though. :) And finally, Jessica has entered the scene! Who do you think she'll be rooming with? :)