I was jumping up and down in my seat and had my face and palms against the window's glass. I was excited to meet new people and learn new things...

...and show my new classmates and teachers the toy that I found.

Paul pulled the van up to the school building and unlocked his car door and mine. He told me to have a great day and do my very best, and I opened my car door, hurried out of the van, shut it, and waved goodbye. Paul waved back and drove away.

I spun around on my heels and skipped up the stairs and to the double doors. A man was standing by them and gave me a welcoming smile.

"Why, hello, young lady," he greeted. He was very kind towards me. "I have never seen you before. You must be the new student, Ada Maxwell."

"I am, sir. How did you know?"

"Your father told me everything about you. You could say that I am an expert when it comes to you."

I moved my bangs from my eyes. "May I ask who you are?"

"I am the principal of this school. Principal Brown. But you can call me Mr. Brown."

As soon as he announced his last name, I held my breath and covered my mouth. His name was funny to me, and I did not want to laugh in front of him, for I thought that it was disrespectful.

"Ada?" Mr. Brown adjusted his glasses. "What is the matter?" His eyes bulged. "Do not tell me that you have to..." His voice trailed off.

I uncovered my mouth and breathed heavily through my nose. I gripped my backpack's straps tightly and reassured him that I was not sick.

"I am perfectly healthy, sir. It is just that...I had the urge to laugh and did not want to do it when you are by me."

Mr. Brown placed his hands on his belly and laughed. His laughs were deep. "I have no problem with any of my students getting a good laugh once in a while."

"So...you are okay with me doing it?"

"Of course. Did you know that laughing is good for your brain?"

"Really? Wow. I always thought that laughing was shamed upon."

"Only at somebody's unfortunate expense."

He continued laughing and encouraged me to do the same, and we laughed and laughed and laughed. After what felt like an eternity, the two of us halted, and the principal suggested that we take a mini tour before school. I accepted and followed him in.

There was not much to show off. He basically just showed me the classes that the school offered and where they were. When the tour came to an end, Mr. Brown led me to a row of lockers.

"This is where your locker will be. In this area." He tapped a locker with his fingertips, and the locker made clanging sounds. "And this is where your locker will be."

I scanned my new locker from top to bottom and came to the realization that the locker number was thirteen.

I suddenly became a bit uncomfortable and rocked back and forth on my heels.

"I hope that you like your locker," Mr. Brown said.

"Yeah, um...I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Do you have another locker that I could use?"

"Hmm?" He tapped on the locker again. "What is wrong with this one? It is clean and ready to be used."

I was confused. Did he not see or know that number thirteen was on that locker?

I looked in all directions and leaned towards him. "Do you believe in bad luck?"

"Not really, no."

"Well, I do. I learned while I was at home that the number thirteen is a bad number, and if you get it in any way, you will receive bad luck and only bad luck."

"Ah. I get it now. Look, Ada. I know that you are scared that this locker will give you horrible luck..."

So he did know!

"...but what you just explained to me, all of it, is nothing but superstition."

I took off my backpack and set it on the hallway floor. "What is superstition, sir?"

"It means to believe something that cannot be proven."

Mr. Brown eventually convinced me to put my bag in the locker, and I did so and followed him to a classroom that was across from the row of lockers. I was carrying some of my supplies...

...including the gun, but it was hidden from plain sight.

The principal poked his head in the classroom. "Mrs. Burtmon?"

I heard a female's voice. "Why, Principal Brown. To whom do I owe the pleasure?"

"Remember that new student that I was telling you about?"

"Yes." She gasped. "Is she here?"

"I have her right here." He encouraged me to go into the classroom, and I did so.

You might think that I was nervous. In fictional reality, I was super confident.

"Hello. My name is Ada Maxwell. It is my first day."

The teacher smiled at me and nodded. "I know. Principal Brown said that you would be in my class."

"What class do you teach?"

"I will leave you and Ada be, Mrs. Burtmon," I overheard Mr. Brown say. He excused himself.

"I teach kids how to write fanfictions. Are you familiar with what a fanfiction is?"

I sat at a desk in the front row and set my stuff on top. "No. I was never taught that word."

"A fanfiction is a story from an existing property that is fiction. You give credit to whoever thought of the characters and places and create new stories with them."

"Whoa. That is pretty cool."

"Today, I will be teaching you and the other kids the difference between a fanfiction and a Forlot fanfiction." She checked her watch. "Oh, dear. I will be right back, Ada." She exited the classroom.

That is when I met him.