MY FEET THUDDED AGAINST THE LEG OF THE STIFF CHAIR, echoing throughout the quiet room, but it was the steady rhythm that was keeping me sane. Without the quiet thumps, I was sure I would combust into flames from irritation and a million other emotions piling up on top of one another - perhaps not smart when talking to supposedly, my new principal, but it was not something I could simply ignore. Simply put, this guy was draining my new life out of me, more than Inga could ever even dream of.

I had practised with Inga for this moment for days, slaving over keywords and actions and proper posture and science terms that would help me blend in and how to ask for food at the cafeteria and how to do everything that normal seventeen-year-olds would know, but things that I had never experienced. It was not hard, really, but it was a whole new world that I never thought I would have to learn how to be a part of, even if it was really just a mission. There were things that made no sense to me - why did teens care so much about football, and just what did it mean when someone said tardy, how were people so lax with such disobedience? America was strange, but at least I could know all that was possible about it in order to blend in and pretend that the 'normal' me was not such a foreign concept.

I was prepared for this, more prepared than I had ever been in my lifetime. I knew practically everything there was to know about Peter, right down to the colour preferences of his socks - grey, with the occasional white stripe - and the way he parted his hair - to the right, normally - as well as anything involving friends, family, and the students at Midtown High. I could list everyone in a heartbeat, as well as their social security numbers, addresses, and if they still slept with a night light - which was exactly 27% of them, though ten percent of that was due to younger siblings. Maybe not normal for an 'exchange student', but I needed every bit of the information in order to accomplish what I needed in the least amount of time.

However, none of that truly mattered at that moment. Right then, I needed to finish up this interview, which meant smiling and nodding and taking a serious science student persona in order to get where I needed to go. After that, things could begin, but this was the gateway - and if I messed this up, Inga would slice me into millions of tiny pieces the size of specks of dust. For that, I smiled as wide as my lips would spread and nodded along as though whatever he had been saying had been picked up by me.

"...I must say, your marks are incredible, especially basing around the math and science branches," the principal continued, forcing my attention again. "I'm quite impressed."

Inga flashed him an ice-cold smile, the type disguised by a warm mask so as not to alert him of ulterior motives, but one encouraging me to stop and sit nicely. Under the desk, her black-tipped nails dug valleys into my skin. "Emily's always been such a strong student; she has always pushed herself to the max for everything, and I admired that about her."

"I can see that, even just from this entrance test." He sat back, not bothering to hide his unnerving stare, his hawk eyes trained upon me. He was a larger man, with a bulbous nose placed directly in the middle of his square face, with a smell of garlic, piss and desperation. I was not quite sure if I was hiding my sneer of disgust very well anymore. "If I'm being honest, I'm not even sure why you needed to make an appointment to discuss her enrollment or any sort of program to take her in slowly, she seems like she is able to take on much more."

The woman's loud laugh echoed throughout and made my ears ring, clearly faked to a degree of obscurity. "Though Emily is quite a strong student, she has always been a little bit on the quiet side, and I just wish my daughter to have the best chances. I wanted an appointment to ensure her the best possible option among such talented students."

Bullshit - the entire thing was bullshit. She could care less about every little detail she spat his way and did not actually believe me necessary to any support system. Inga herself could care less for the plan and originally just wanted a slyer way to force my entry into the school. However, it was not in the cards and she instead had to take up the mantle of a rich, doting widow, a concept extremely appealing, presumably. If she could bat her eyelashes enough and coo in such a sickeningly sweet way for long enough, well it meant she could play with the cards of fate and make some changes, in whatever little ways, to ensure a better shot at that boy.

As much as I would never admit it, she was doing a rather impressive job, so far.

After a pregnant pause, the man smiled and shook both of our hands, leaving me to wince and wipe my palms afterwards. He passed over a folder to Inga, and then a grin down to me. "Well, welcome to Midtown High, Emily. We are so happy to have you join our community of students, and I know you'll be comfortable along with us. Do you have your schedule, all you need?"

I nodded, holding up the paper for him to see. The courses had been changed around in the computer so that they were all lined up with the strange boy I needed to watch, all thanks to the works of Inga Kuznetsova. "All here, sir."

"Great! Now, because Midtown High is a big school, I can ask someone to show you to your class-"

"That will not be necessary," interrupted Inga, her claw-like fingers gripping my shoulder and edging towards the door. "Emily is very good at thinking on her feet. I think we'll just let her go to her first day if you would allow me a few moments with my dear daughter?"

Before any more could be said, we were out the door, me fighting to rip her nails out of my skin and her lipstick spreading a thin dark line across her lips as she tried to hold onto her smiling facade.

The hallways were relatively empty, save for a few huddles of teenagers discussing things I had no interest in and others who stood alone with music blaring for the rest to hear. I did my best not to stare, for that wouldn't help with anything, but it was curious as to what exactly they were doing and why - should they not be in classrooms? Why did no one care for their truancy, and why on earth would someone listen to such angry, crashing sounds - was this some cruel punishment exhibited? It certainly seemed as such, to my twisted mind.

We continued on.

Room 307 was not hard to find, contrary to Mr Harrington's obvious belief, but by the looks of it, he did not have much floating up in his thick skull to help him remember anything. It was not anything to have to search for, either; a giant hand-written sign saying 'Mr Warren's Chemistry Class' made it clear to anyone just where they were. I was not sure about his strange choice of art on his door, but I was not really there to judge his classroom, rather to be a good and obedient student with an interest in chemical equations or whatever it was they were focusing on. Those sorts of students probably did not judge doors.

Before I knocked, however, Inga spun me around to face her. Gone was the face of affectionate, motherly love; her expression told me that if I made a single mistake, the remains of my body wouldn't even make it back to the Academy. "Не подведи, Emily."

Don't let me down. Don't let her, or the Academy, or anyone down. Her words were a cruel, double-edged dagger digging into my side as we stared at one another, threatening to draw blood. Her eyes spoke it all, every single unsaid truth that she did not dare repeat in a public place but would hiss in the later hours of the night. It had been made excruciatingly clear that one wrong move would bring this operation down, and I could not have that happen - not only for the Academy but for my life. If I wished to ever return to Russia, I needed to be victorious at all costs. This step was just one of many, but first impressions seemed to be things that lasted a lifetime.

"я не подведу," I replied slowly, contempt dripping from each word. I was not sure of that - the promise hung by a thin web of chance and skill - but there would not be an opportunity to believe anything different. I could not fail, and I would not fail. "Trust me."  

She made no motion to show she even acknowledged my words, only sending one last sentence as a farewell. "I will be back, then we will talk."

Then she was gone, and I was left alone in the hallway, frozen on the tacky tiles. Her nails had left lines of harsh red down my arms, and with a wince, I pulled back down the sweater sleeve so they were hidden. My hand hesitated on the door handle, but I could not open it just yet. The minute I did, it was time to put on the show necessary and begin my work, and nothing would be the same again. I would not, could not ever be Freya; I would be Emily, through and through. For some reason my breath caught in my throat and my hand shook in nervous anticipation, with Inga's hissed words a cursed mantra repeating itself over and over again in my head, bouncing about in my skull.

However, before I could get back to my senses and knock, the door swung open from the inside. The teacher, a thin, balding man I recognised from images to be Mr Warren, smiled at me and shrugged inside. He spoke in a jittery way, his gaze jumping about and his moustache twitching on top of his lip as though it was a living breathing animal. He asked for my name, though he already seemed to know it, then beckoned me in in a way that was supposed to seem warm but just came off as more off-putting.

I was not even sure if the smile I wore was a smile or a dagger-sharp glare; my face was frozen into a strange mask and I didn't know what to do. My legs moved almost automatically, robotically, leading me into the colourful classroom that was nothing like I was used to and into the crowd of bored, grumpy or confused students staring me down. A group of sharks, ready to tear apart the new meat and see just what she was made of. 

However, I barely noticed their eyes on me, for I was already trying my hardest to locate just where the Parker boy was, scanning the rows of heads in search of the target.

It was not hard to spot him, for he was the only one who had not looked up at the new noise. His head was ducked down to his computer, so I could not make out his face but build and complexion wise, with the familiar tousled brunette mop peeking out, it was clear he was the same boy. He was quieter then I had expected, and definitely far less dangerous-looking - but that could all change in a heartbeat. The Parker boy was not one to be trusted, Madame had said, and I believed her, of course.

Sometimes the most dangerous had the best disguises.

"Emily?"

Mr Warren's smile was already beginning to bother me; it was either some sort of front put up to make me believe that the career chosen was more than just a last-option scenario, or that he, too, clutched some ulterior motives that would be revealed much later in time. Either way, I disliked it, even when I turned away and moved to his side to face the group. "Class, let's welcome our new student, Emily, alright? She's come all the way from Canada, she's going to be in our classes for the next while. So, we're going to welcome her, right?"

I wished to have a knife in my hand, so I could ram it through his thick skull, for clearly, no one was interested in this new addition to the class - aside from a group of slobby, underdressed imbeciles in the back, one of which gave a low whistle that made me want to lunge at him and knock him to the ground for such actions. It took every inch of me to stand still and smile politely like taught, my fists itching to just land a blow already.

After several seconds of awkward silence and rude stares, the man cleared his throat and resumed his grin, pointing to a couple of empty chairs. "Sit wherever Emily, just find somewhere with no one sitting there. I'll be right with you to tell you about what you've missed, give you the low-down, but in the meantime, let's resume our lesson."

The minute he had stopped addressing me I immediately made a beeline to the one empty seat in the back, conveniently located right next to the Parker boy and his shadowing friend - Leeks, that was his name, the one eyeing me with a curious glance. I didn't worry about him, though, as all my attention was on the boy who had not yet looked up at me. "H-"

"You can't sit there," was my interruption, made by a girl behind me sporting a snobby glare a shirt that only covered a couple inches of her torso, leaving pale skin exposed in a rather peculiar manner. "That seat is taken."

"Excuse me?"

She rolled her eyes, as though I was the one who was slow. As though she, the one with nothing written in her open notebook and shoes worth more than her IQ was smarter than I was. "That seat is taken. She's just running a bit late. Move it."

"She's right, Emily." Mr Warren seemed to find the need to butt in then, his eyes bulging out in an insincere apologetic smile. "There is someone sitting there, but you've got plenty of options over here! How about you sit here, beside Mr McKeever?"

I wanted to vomit at the thought of sitting next to the boy who had whistled at my entrance, for every single piece of him repulsed me and warned me to stay away, but there was no way I was going to start trouble on my first day. Slowly picking my bag back up, I stole a glance backwards as I walked, hoping that the Parker boy had looked up one bit. I was disappointed, for he had simply continued on with his own business. He didn't care much, evidently, about the drama unfolding around him, only focused on his own business.

The boy, already on the bad side of my books, smirked and shoved his bag off of the stool so I could take a seat. "Canada, huh? That's cool; I kind of like the foreign girls."

I was not sure what to think of him, or whether or not this was some sort of sick joke or not. Though I had practised my words and mannerisms and customs and everything that I would need to know for America, nothing in my notes had told me about disgusting children that would end up polluting my air and ruining the mission. The males in America were strange, foul creatures that I did not understand from the get-go.

I turned away, pretending to focus on the scribbles on the board and the teacher, who had excused himself for a moment with another half-assed smile; while, in reality, everything was focused on the Parker boy and what exactly he was doing, trying my best to gauge an opportunity to get closer to him. He had not even noticed me, it seemed, and that was upsetting. In order for everything to work, I needed to make him see me, need him to take note of who had just strolled in. I needed him to be interested in the new girl - in me, and though not opposed to dramatic actions, it would have been nicer for a simpler option.

The scum that sat beside me, strangely, seemed to be the best excuse, his light fingers barely getting a chance to graze my arm, his lips barely able to part into another sly remark-

"Don't you dare touch me," was all I hissed, glaring venomously in his direction. "Back off."

A friend of his cheered awkwardly in the background, making a comment about 'McKeever strikes oouut' but I had lost interest in him, the annoying ass and the chatty class. The only thing I cared about was that the Parker boy had looked up, and was watching in a mixture of confusion and surprise, narrowed eyes frowning my way. He had noticed me, and as I sent what was hopefully a shy smile back, I marked down my first small victory.

"Okay class, sorry about that - I just needed to borrow something from the room beside us!" No one had noticed he had been gone, and I watched him with half-focused eyes that didn't really take in whatever he was explaining for the rest of the class. "No big parties while I was gone, right? No mind-blowing plans to solve cancer or anything? Eh?"

I was fortunate to know everything he was planning to teach from my extensive notes, for I had no interest in his words anymore - and I doubted most didn't care much either. All that I could think was that I had managed to get his attention, that he had looked up and taken in the new student and though his gaze had drifted the second the glance was reciprocated, it was still a notice.

I could work with that.

  я не подведу  - I will not fail

  Не подведи - do not let me down

There's the start of Freya's/Emily's new high school career! I know the beginning was still very thought-heavy, but I tried to incorporate more and more dialogue because I mean, even I was boring myself when writing it at first. However, she's here and she's here to make an impression on Peter! I'm excited to finally get the wheels rolling haha. 

The gif at the top was made by the lovely @cieopatras. check her out!

Thank you for reading!