"Amazing," Sehun muttered by the time they were escorted out of the airport, his eyes wandering around.

The seven passengers silently walked behind a woman who claimed to be one of the professors in Yoongeun High. The woman, Jungkyung assumed was in her early 30s, wore a simple, peach-colored tube dress, its ends almost touching the floor. Around her neck was a white scarf, painted with some sort of colorful art. Her hair was up in a nicely done bun, showing her dangling silver earrings. Jungkyung thought for a moment that the woman was more of a socialite than a teacher.

"Again, welcome to Yoongeun Island," the teacher said, stopping in front of a while mini-bus. "For now, we'll head towards the school's hotel for everyone to stay in until the first day of classes. Feel free to walk around the school grounds and even visit the neighboring district, if you want to buy something. Going beyond the district of Yiliven is strictly prohibited, though. Never go past the black gates if you happen to see them, or you'll be kicked out of this place immediately. You don't want that to happen just before the start of your life here, do you?"

Silence never left the group, and the teacher was actually pleased. Without any more word, she let the students get in the bus and they all left shortly after everyone has chosen his seat. Jungkyung sat at the back of Sehun, wanting the row for herself. She sat by the window, keeping the white curtains closed. She was suddenly tired to bother pushing them away, so she left them block the outside view and just stared at it.

"Hey."

Someone sat beside Jungkyung, who she thought was Sehun. Without looking up, she answered coldly. "Go away. Go back to your seat."

"I won't."

Sighing, she shifted her gaze to the man sitting beside her, and to her surprise, it wasn't her friend. "H-Hey," she managed to answer.

The guy smiled, almost fighting back a laugh. "I surprised you, didn't I? That's the same expression I saw back there in the plane. I wasn't expecting you to be that slow to realize that I was actually looking at you, but I now know why you ranked last. Barely making it to the cut, huh?"

"Thanks for the acknowledgement," Jungkyung answered with the slightest hint of irritation. She thought of asking him his name, but considered saying nothing else would offend him even a little bit.

"So, you're not going to ask who I am?" He shrugged, his arms crossed against his chest. "Not gonna tell you, then."

She looked back at the curtains, noticing the letters Y and H embroidered on its lower right corner. "Doesn't really matter."

Her tone irked him, to his surprise. "It doesn't matter?"

"Yeah, even if you're ranked first or somewhere higher than me."

"I am ranked first."

Jungkyung gave him another look, a long one. "Oh. You don't look like it."

The guy stood up, his eyes on Jungkyung. He was pissed off, but he tried hard not to please her. "Kim Jongin, for your information," then he went back to his previous seat.

The bus stopped in front of a plain-looking 10-storey building. Its walls were white and looked like it was regularly cleaned or repainted. There were six balconies per floor, starting from the second one. There was no sign or banner outside with the hotel's name on it, which made Jungkyung think that the building was solely made for incoming students like them.

What they saw inside were completely beyond their expectations. There was a long, black carpet a few steps from the entrance that extended up to the spacious hotel lobby. Six big chandeliers hung by pair from the high ceiling, clearly undisturbed by the sudden arrival of people. The interiors were also painted white, matching the black couches and tables. The place has a sophisticated feel which made Jungkyung want to go back to Seoul or at least find a different hotel, but before she can even make a move, the teacher gave them keys to their respective rooms.

The week passed by, a little slow for Jungkyung’s liking. The other students have already bought things from the Yiliven district, or the district of merchandises, while she remained inside her room, ignoring Sehun’s daily phone calls. She made herself busy by reading the books she brought with her, spending minutes sitting on her balcony. And hours before the start of classes, she packed her things up and readied herself for the first day.

“Good morning, everyone,” the teacher, the one they met at the airport, walked inside the gym, earning the student’s attention. She went up on stage, checked the mic if it was working, and greeted once again. “Good morning. I assume you, all, still know me. I’m Hwang Miyoung, one of the head teachers of Yoongeun High.”

Jungkyung blankly stare at the speaker, not noticing Sehun who sat beside her. He poked her cheek and she immediately looked up at him.

“What?” she asked, partly annoyed and mostly uninterested.

“You didn’t answer any of my calls,” Sehun answered back. Pouting crossed his mind, to make her guilty even a bit, but he thought it would only make him look pathetic. “Did anything happen?”

She shifted her attention back to the teacher who began introducing Yoongeun High’s headmaster. “Nothing. I just wanted to be alone.”

“Self-reflecting?”

“Never gonna happen.”

“Then what?”

She sighed, wondering when the real classes would start. “Self-reflecting.”

The headmaster, who introduced himself as Park Jungsoo, did some explanations and introductions regarding the school. Jungkyung managed to take note of the important things — school policies, important dates and events, and basically everything that Mr. Park has stated. After almost half an hour, another teacher handed the headmaster a folder.

“Alright,” Mr. Park said, opening the folder in his hands. “Done with the basics, I will now introduce all of you. Once called, please stand up to be acknowledged.”

Jungkyung’s world almost stopped after hearing what he has said. She hated attention and, therefore, hated introductions. She’d rather be a stranger to everyone than be on the spotlight. The worst part was her ranking, something that would surely make her a topic.

She kept her head down, listening to the names being called. Some were familiar to her — Sehun, Krystal, two more people from her middle school, and the guy named Kim Jongin.  Just when she was about to make herself relaxed, her name was mentioned.

“And last, but not the least, Park Jungkyung.”

She slowly rose up her seat, hesitant. Murmurs erupted from people around her, but she kept her head low. The headmaster continued.

"Daughter of Park Hyunseok and-" he paused from a moment and looked over the teachers seating behind him. "and of Park Kyungji. How interesting."

Jungkyung glance up at Mr. Park, then immediately looked back at the floor. She wondered if he knew her mom and how. She, the daughter, didn't even know how she died or how she met her father because she died when Jungkyung was still a few months old. She has no memory of her mother.

"You ranked last, I see," the headmaster said, making the whispers louder. Someone from the faculty commented something that Jungkyung didn't pick up, but Mr. Park did and in which he nodded. "Yes, indeed. Just like her mother."

His words made Jungkyung glare at him with an intensity Sehun never saw before. He tried to calm his friend down, but he knew she was offended and he can't do anything about it.

"And what was that supposed to mean?" Jungkyung spoke up, her tone dark.

The headmaster smiled at her as if said nothing unnecessary. "I expect a lot from you, my dear. You may now take your seat."

Sehun had to pull her hand to make her sit down. Jungkyung's stare never left the speaker, just like a predator to its prey. The man seemed to mind it, though, and continued with the next activity in line.

"Now, I want everyone to welcome the butterflies of Yoongeun High."

Suddenly, hundreds of butterflies flew into the gym, putting everyone in awe.

"There are six kinds of butterflies here, one from each of the main districts," Mr. Park said just after six big butteflies flew on stage, each of different colors. "The blue ones are from the wind district, Aoresa. Green is for the water district, Acoeand. Brown and red are from Rhaetrem and Etherilith, respectively. Rhaetrem is the district of earth manipulators and the other one is of fire benders. Yellow-colored butterflies are from the light district, Therithiel. And finally, the district of ice, Eraecia, owns the white butterflies.

"May I ask everyone to please rise, for we will begin this event shortly," then the headmaster waited for all of the students to get up. "These butterflies will determine the district you belong to and the element you will learn to manipulate. They will analyze your physical and mental capabilities and decide whether to include you in their district or not.

"I'll be giving everyone 15 minutes. Don't worry, you don't have to do anything, just stand there and wait for a butterfly to land on your shoulder. Don't expect more than one butterfly, though, but don't be frustrated if none got to you. Once a butterfly landed on you, you may take your seat." He took out a sand dial from his pocket and flipped it over, the sand slowly falling down. "And your 15 minutes starts now."

The butterflies started flying around the students, some already landing in the first minute. Jungkyung watched as they flew over their heads, not really caring if one was coming for her. A few more minutes passed and Sehun sat back down, a blue butterfly on his shoulder. He smiled at Jungkyung, then she just nodded back. Her eyes went back to the flying ones.

Little did she know that the teachers' attention was on her, especially the headmaster's. They waited for her to take her seat, but 10 minutes passed with her still on her feet. Mr. Park began wondering if she wasn't as special as he thought she would be.

"Just like her mother," the male teacher sitting beside the headmaster said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, she's the last placer in this batch. What can we expect?"

Park Jungsoo stared at the daughter of his former student, clearly not pleased with what was happening in front of him. "Maybe you're right," then he took an old, blue hair pin from his pocket. "Maybe she is just like her."