"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Farrow. I will be your guide for today."

I looked up and noticed a tall boy standing in front of me, his arm outstretched. He had unruly, chestnut curls and round, hazel eyes, which had a mischievous twinkle in them. He was quite good-looking, but he seemed almost rebellious. The way he carried himself, in a casual, confident way. Completely opposite to me. He continued to hold out his hand to me, eyebrow raised, and it finally registered to me that I was meant to shake it. His smile seemed to be a bit forced, I could tell, although to any other person it might have appeared genuine. Was he another one of those sweet talkers?

"Oh, um, hi," I stuttered, letting go of my suitcase and hastily shaking his hand. "I'm Aisa."

"I know," he said, sounding a tad bored. He tugged his hand away from my lingering grasp. "Let's get this started."

"Of course," I answered, studying him closely. Something about him seemed a little off, and almost...familiar? I could have sworn I saw him somewhere else. But nobody I'd seen but him had this kind of attitude. 

He turned his back to me and began heading down the cobbled path towards the building, not bothering to look if I was following. 

I rolled my eyes. I didn't want to do this, either. He didn't have to put it so bluntly. And act so...rude. But then again, it was refreshing to meet someone who didn't treat me like some princess because of who my father was. Although right now I'd give almost anything to be back home and not worry about the Superiot. But while I was here, I might as well make the most of it. The parting words of my mother lingered in my mind like a motto I should never forget:

Do NOT disappoint me.

I glanced up at the place I would be staying for the next three years, trying not to panic. The Superiot practically loomed in front of me, with the two towering buildings made up of spotless, clear marble, a giant fountain standing on top of each, the water flowing out of them in various patterns. Lush, green grass surrounded both of them, and stone pathways threaded through it every now and then, each leading to one of the many doors of each building. Beautiful plants and flowers lined the fields, creating splashes of color amongst the otherwise completely polished Superiot. Everything seemed to sparkle and shimmer under the shining sun.  The thought hit me before I could stop it.

I do not belong.

I pushed it away immediately turning my attention back to the matter at hand. Raiker was already almost at the building. 

Taking another moment to process his uncommon actions, I started to follow him.

***

"So... there's not much to see here. When you first enter, you gaze upon the reception, where a single woman has to deal with constant hordes of people, most of them being annoying guests of our esteemed students!"

I glanced at the relatively small cubicle, with spotless glass windows and a slightly burnt out woman sitting at the wooden desk inside. A phone sat between her shoulder and ear, and she was scribbling frantically on a notepad while speaking, her hair frazzled. She looked a lot like Tight Bun lady...

"Done staring at that?" Raiker asked, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Uh, yes," I replied, startled. What was his problem?

"Everything else down here is just a bunch of official administration stuff that you don't need to know much about. Just remember that the reception is on the left."

"Okay, thanks," I told him. But wasn't it his job to show me everything?

"Next we're gonna walk up this stunning staircase made out of marble, and hope that our legs still work after it." He ran a hand along the polished railing and beckoned for me to follow. The fact that he had to be a bit polite seemed to be sinking in, although his tone was still a little off. Sarcastic, maybe?

He was right about it being long though. By the time we reached the top of the ridiculously grand stairwell, I could barely feel my legs. It didn't help when I noticed another staircase towards the back. Inwardly sighing, I turned my attention back to Raiker, who, to my surprise, looked as if he was trying to stifle a laugh, his hazel eyes brightening. I almost lost myself in their green-brown beauty for a minute.

And that's when it hit me.

He was Raiker Denlow. He was the son of the man who was running against my father in the elections. He was supposed to be perfect. A role model - just like his dad. From Jermaine Denlow's son, I certainly hadn't expect... this. 

"You'll get used to it. Gives you a workout, doesn't it?" He asked as if he were reading my mind. I nodded quickly, setting my face into a neutral expression, though my mind was still buzzing. I almost couldn't get over it; this was the Raiker Denlow?

"Anyway, nothing too interesting up here either," Raiker said, his eyes flitting across the spacious, circle-like area in front of us. A plush, velvet rug sat in the center, and two hallways stood to either side. "Just some hallways, the right one having another amazing surprise at the end."

"Stairs?" I guessed.

"Nah. You'll see. But later. First, we've got to go down the left one, where we can stare at the classrooms where we're taught life-changing lessons by our truly fantastic professors."

"Sure," I said shortly, at a loss on what to say. He was definitely being sarcastic. Did he really think no one could notice? Or did he want me to notice?

"You're not much of a talker, are you?" He noted. "So far you haven't said more than three words at a time to me."

Was that a problem? Did he seriously expect me to answer these remarks? Sarcasm was meant to be left alone, anyway. But despite myself, something bubbled up inside of me. The way he acted on this tour was completely getting on my nerves, and I couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Can you get a single sentence out without being sarcastic? Or is it just in your nature?" I burst out. It seemed to be the right thing to do.

"What ever do you mean?" He asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb, please." I rubbed my temples and passive-glared at him, something I've finally mastered. It's enough glaring to send the message, but it's not something to be called out on either. "Sarcasm is not an attractive trait on a man, no matter how pretty you might be."

For a moment, his face froze, and he stared at me through his hazel eyes. Did I go too far? I was about to give him a hasty apology when suddenly, the frozen mask on his face broke, and instead was replaced by a half-smile. I didn't know if I was imagining it, but I could have sworn there was a hint of amusement in that smile.

"As you say, Ms. Farrow.  However, I am glad you think I'm 'pretty'." Raiker remarked, not giving my time to reply before he spun around yet again. "Shall we proceed with the tour?"

I gave him an almost imperceptible nod, already embarrassed by my outburst. I've always been able to keep my cool in front of aggravating people; I've had to deal with plenty of them. But it was something about Raiker that just made it impossible to ignore him.

So down the hallway we went. In silence. Raiker seemed unfazed by the whole debacle and continued as if nothing had happened. But he said nothing until we reached the first classroom, by which I was craving conversation. I had thought I would enjoy the silence, but it just made everything worse.

"That's the cuisine classroom for first year girls." He pointed to a stained glass door. Before I could even get a glimpse of it, he moved on, pointing to the next door.

"That's beauty. Girls, obviously, and that one's etiquette," he strolled through the hallway, continuously naming each and every door, so fast I could barely process what he was saying, much less keep up with him. Why, why did I get stuck with him as my "tour guide?" Why couldn't I have gotten Zander? He's so much more agreeable, and well mannered. I can be around him without wanting to tear my hair out. I couldn't say the same for Raiker.

Numerous glass doors later, we were finished at the left hallway.

"Of course, you really only need that, that, and that," he said matter-of-factly, gesturing at the science, beauty, politics, and etiquette classrooms. "Hopefully you got that much."

I sighed. I didn't even bother to ask him how he knew that. What was the point?

I smiled wearily. "Yes, thank you," I said politely. "Can we please move on?"

"Your wish," he claimed, and continued to saunter down the path, moving onto the right hallway

***

The rest of the "tour" was probably even worse than the first half. He just kept blankly stating which room was which and then moving on. Eventually, I gave up on listening and settled on giving him a polite smile and nod. But somehow, I think he noticed how mindlessly I was responding. Nobody's ever done that before.

As we rounded a corner, I stifled a yawn. How much longer was this going to take?

"So, here's the same interesting stuff. Classroom there, another one there. But the thing is, this one's decorated with gold carvings of roses, while this one's got gold carvings of tulips!"

He seemed to be getting some of his snark back. Suddenly, he stopped, turning around to face me.

"And here's what makes this hallway stand out. It's what makes it different from the left one. It's what makes the right hallway the right hallway." Spinning around yet again, he strode over to the tall, white pillar in the middle of the hallway, placing a tender, gentle hand on it.

"It is the Pole."

I stared at him, confused. He wasn't being serious, was he?

"The Pole," I repeated slowly. "Does it hold some sort of significance, or...?"

"How dare you question the significance of the pole! It is the one true architectural masterpiece on this floor. The most marvelous pillar in the entire campus." Raiker glared at me accusingly as if I had done something wrong. I probably had. Crap.

"Oh, I-I didn't realize. Sorry." I muttered, looking at the floor. Part of me was ashamed for being so rude- but another part of me annoyed. Did he have to make a whole scene out of this? He was probably playing it up for his entertainment. I could feel the annoyance bubbling up inside of me, but I pushed it down. I wasn't going to burst out again. It was only when I heard a soft chuckle that I looked up. 

Raiker was doubled over, shaking in silent laughter. He was actually laughing. He didn't even try to hide it. My face turned as red as Amara's ball gown when Trent had accidentally spilled tomato puree on it.

"You are just too easy, Miss Farrow," he said, making his way down the hallway, almost as if nothing had happened.

My face burned. This was all just a complete joke to him. He probably didn't care even a bit about if I could survive in this school or not. I balled up my hands and took deep breaths. I was not going to lash out. Or embarrass myself. Again.

"One last thing on this floor," he paused again, pointing at the metal doors at the end of the hallway. "This is the elevator. If you were wondering how we've all managed to keep our legs, this is your answer."

"Wait a second," I said, fumbling to get this straight. "There was an elevator, right here, the entire time, and you didn't tell me?" All of my pent-up frustration with him was threatening to escape. He made me walk up all those stairs for absolutely nothing?

"Just because you're a girl and you don't have athletics doesn't mean you don't need to exercise. I did you a favor. Don't worry, I won't demand too much in return. I'm actually quite reasonable." He smiled smugly.

"And that, Miss Farrow, concludes our tour."