The lessons aren't as bad as I thought. I had been under the impression that schools from this time would have the same curriculum as the one I had gone through but it was different. The subjects are taught in a different way and they cover topics that I haven't had seen yet.

In a way, it was fun too. I can just treat it as if it had been my first time learning in a place like this.

After my school with Lawrence, we parted ways. He had some people to meet and somewhere to go while I had to come back to yellow house to help around. Well, I wasn't in a hurry so I figured I can look for a spot where I could breathe for a second. I found one that was relatively near to the building I had come from. It was a secluded square area, surrounded by tall walls on either sides, and short walkways led to it from outside where students come and go from their schools. In the middle, it had a small two-tiered fountain where I sat by the edge.

With the hum the late afternoon breezes brought and the faint chatter of students, it was a relaxing place to be. Just listening to the water flow felt like it was washing away all the exhaustion brought on by my first day. But even that couldn't make me forget the main reason why I had been here in the first place.

I was supposed to find Derrick Arden, right? And keep an eye out for him and make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid that'll disgrace his family. I still haven't started looking for him so I hadn't a single clue as to where I would find him. I've noted before that he might be in red house but so long as I don't meet the students there, I doubt I would meet him. Then again… Weston is big but it'll only be a matter of time before I get used to this vast land.

I have high hopes that I'll meet him one way or another, whether it was through me actively looking or letting fate handle it. There's only so much students that are currently enrolled, how hard would it be to find him?

For now, I need to focus on what was important; yellow house being presentable.

I stretched my arms over my head, taking a deep breath, before letting them fall to my sides. From above me, I can see the sky slowly turning into an orange shade, the white bird's flying overhead turning orange as well.

Time to go.

Just as I was about to get up, I happen to glance at my side and I realized that I had not been alone the whole time I was there.

There was another person with me, wearing a hood like those in Violet Wolf so I assumed he was part of said students. He was hunched over near the back side of the fountain, sitting in the grass, just a little bit from where I was currently sitting. Due to that, I couldn't see the figure's face but I had a good view of what he was drawing.

It was of a person with a long ponytail. He was standing in front of a desk of sorts and as his back was towards us, I could only assume that he was also wearing our same uniform.

I had to admit, I was impressed at what I was seeing. I've seen what people can do with just pencil and paper and they never cease to amaze me. Though this person that I was watching seem to be more skilled than those people. He was using a thin strip of charcoal as his choice of drawing medium and he's really skilled.

For a moment, I was reminded of Gregory though I haven't even seen him draw. But if everyone's praises were of any indication, then I wonder if he was as skilled as this person?

I watched the hooded figure draw for a few more moments before his drawing started to take more shape. It was starting to look familiar before the large circle behind the figure he was drawing made me realize that it was a large pendulum like the one from the Headmaster's office.

Then, this person he is drawing is…

"That looks amazing."

I hadn't realized I had spoken until the figure visibly jolted from my voice. It seems that he hadn't known that I was there, just like how I hadn't noticed he was sitting where he was at. He looked up to me then it was my turn to be surprised.

"Gregory… I mean, sorry. Sorry, Violet." I smiled sheepishly, scratching my cheek from having accidentally called him by his first name. I could blame the fact that I've always called everyone I've met by their first name. Weston's rules was just making that bit a tad more difficult than I would like. Habits die hard, I would guess. "I didn't mean to surprise you. I apologize."

He remained silent for a moment before he answered, "It's alright." Though I noticed that he moved his cloak so that it'll cover his drawing.

I raised a brow at that and I was about to say something about it but someone else spoke up, followed by multiple sets of footprints.

"Oh. Midford. How surprising." It was the other prefects; Lawrence, Edgar, and Herman. They looked just as surprised as I was to see them come here. The one who spoke up, Edgar, went over to where Gregory and I was. "What are you doing here?"

I stood up, tipping my yet again invisible top hat and smiling. "Hello. I just thought of sitting down somewhere to think before I head back."

Herman propped his cricket bat up his shoulder. "How was your day?"

"Tiring. But fun, I will admit." I paused for a moment before adding, "And weird. Definitely weird."

I had never been so manhandled in this entire life. I silently said to myself, having not yet forgotten what the Green Lions had done to me prior.

"Though what were you guys doing here?" I inquired, just as Gregory stood up and still hiding his drawing under his one arm. He took it upon his self to answer me.

"It's where we always meet."

"For?"

"Swan Gazebo." Edgar explained further. "If we did not have anything important to tend to, we spend our time there together along with our fags."

Oh, well I guess they're entitled to leisure. They are helping keep Weston in order by enforcing the rules and such. I don't doubt that they probably patrol the halls at night as well to make sure students under them are in their rooms sleeping and not sneaking out.

"I see."

"And… Midford." Lawrence slowly called out to me, his eyes staring at my feet. Confused, I followed his gaze and saw green around me. It took a moment for it to sink in before I jumped away and retreated somewhat from where I previously stood. Which I was pretty sure just incriminated me further for my crime.

"Ah, sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to." Right, I wasn't supposed to be standing in grass. Rule no. 48. I should've been paying more attention. But in my defense— "I hadn't noticed."

They expressed various degrees of exasperation making me sigh at myself.

"Right. I guess I'll be taking a Y." I tipped my (imaginary) top hat at them before turning around and walking away.

"Oh, and a Y for each step you take in grass." Edgar called out to me making me stop in my tracks… before I started booking it out of there. From behind me, I could hear his laughter along with a few chuckles.

Ha, as if I'll be accepting more. One Y is enough, thank you very much.

That night, I only had a few hours to help around the house cleaning. If I wanted to be done with that punishment, I needed to work on it early so that I'll be done sooner.

Have I mentioned that I'm not knowledgeable in how all this 'punishment' thing works?

I hadn't a single clue as to when I would pass it to any prefect. Would I even pass it to them as proof that I had done it or let my suffering speak for itself? Because if I had to write more Latin, I would be losing my mind. And I was very close into time-travelling back to Ancient Rome to have a chat with King Augustus about recent developments for the Great Roman Empire.

I also had no idea who to give it to, even. Thinking about it, I don't want proof of my suffering to be stacked on my desk, constantly reminding me of the sleepless night I was currently going through.

Letting my head drop into the desk, I groaned, already feeling piteous of myself.

…I should've just run away earlier instead of admitting I needed a Y.

Smacking my forehead against what I was writing, a couple of times for good measure, I sat straight back and pinched my cheeks. I was determined to finish this torture now, even if I had to sacrifice precious sleep for it.

The next day, as what was expected, I pulled an all nighter. At first, I had been startled by the bell tolling into getting dressed hurriedly. I had thought that I was late but according to Alena, there were no morning classes when it was a half holiday. So I just need to have my morning tea, then wait for breakfast to be done and I can be on my way to Drawing Schools.

I was so relieved that I slept through morning tea and ate a bit of breakfast before sleeping through it as well.

So when Percy saw me while waiting outside our classroom, it was understandable that he would raise a brow at my disheveled and yawning self.

"You look lovely," He told me, a hint of sarcasm in his tone that I hadn't picked up like I would've usually.

"I had to stay up all night to finish that Y." I told him, showing the stacks of paper I had in my arms.

He burst into laughter. "What, you thought of finishing a Y in a single night? You do know that prefects give you leniency and allows you to submit them whenever you finished them… right?"

I stared at his blue eyes, unamused. So I had worked for nothing when I could've just finished it whenever?

He had to shield his shins from me kicking them using his cloak. "Ow, ow! Hey, stop it."

"I could've finished them whenever? I spent the whole night on this thing!" To prove my point, I smacked his shoulder with the rolled up papers I held.

"Ow!" He rubbed his shoulders where I had made contact though he still held an amused smile in his face. "It's not my fault you haven't asked."

"I will kick you again." I threatened.

"Don't bring my shins into this."

"Midford, Percival, hush."

Gregory's unnaturally sharp tone cut through the hallway, making the two of us immediately shut our mouths in unison. While I stood there uncomfortable from the piercing prefect's stare, the young man beside me merely zipped his lip before playfully raising his hands in a surrender. It looked like he was used to this surprising side to Gregory meanwhile I had been the opposite of him.

Thinking about it more, he would not have managed to get the role 'Prefect' if people did not follow his words. And seeing him in his usual self? I too doubted whether he would be able to do so but now, he was making me think otherwise.

Staring back at him, green met violet and for a second, it felt like a one-sided challenge has been initiated.

What else are you capable of, Gregory Violet?

I tipped my imaginary hat towards him and smiled sweetly, as if it was just any other day and I had just passed him in the hallway. Without a change in his solemn expression, he turned his head away, his hood now blocking my view of his face.

Then, with impeccable timing, Master Howard arrived nearly before the bells tolled.

"Perk yourselves up. Just because it's a half holiday doesn't mean future gentlemen such as yourselves should be showing such faces of…" the older man squinted his narrow eyes at me and I looked up at him innocently, as if he wasn't just about to make me an example. "…nevermind." Though he seemed to change his mind at the last second so that was disappointing. What's a second beration to add to the first one I got?

With a key, he opened the door to our school and opened it with grandeur. Violet Wolf students filed after him and the prefect. Percy and I were the latecomers so we were to enter last but even from where we are, I could see through the side window inside the class we were to use. It was Painting Class and the inside looked like a studio. One side was a row of open lockers, filled on each one with items used to paint like brushes and paints. It was a bigger room than the others I've been in as well, with enough room to encircle the center with many easels.

It was impressive to see. I used to have painting lessons with Miss Grimshaw. She was a very strict woman but she knows her craft well and I happen to learn a thing or two. I used to paint by my lonesome but now, the thought of sharing a room with others was an exciting thought.

"Have you any idea what we are to paint today?" I whispered to Percy and he lowered his head to whisper back to me, his usual small smile in his face.

"It's a surprise." The playful tone in his words made me give him a look, making him chuckle. "Master Howard told us to wait for him to tell us. So, it is a surprise. Even to me, surprisingly."

I smacked his arm lightly in response. He was definitely pushing it with his playfulness. Even I wasn't that mischievous.

Just then, Gregory walked by the window and towards the back of the room, making the two of us freeze and pretend that we weren't fooling around again. Though I happen to follow his form with my gaze and suddenly realized something curious. I looked on the other side of the room to confirm what I had just inwardly concluded before addressing Percy.

"Hey, Percy. Why is Violet sitting on his lonesome there?" I asked, still watching the other set up his tools on the far end of the room while all our other division classmates chatted with each other on the other end. There were about three easels on each side of the prefect that was left unoccupied and no one seems to want to sit there.

Looking at the same direction as I do, the young man beside me explained. "It's been this way for years. We would sit away from our prefect as he worked then the more curious ones crowd around him after he was finished with his work." I turned my furrowed brows at him and he shrugged his shoulders. "I can't help it as well. The last time I sat beside him just so he'd have someone to talk to or just to accompany him, I got a lot of heated stares."

I frowned disapprovingly up at him, making him rub his cheek sheepishly. "You should've tried harder," I told him before pushing past the students in front of us so that I could enter earlier. In doing so, I got annoyed glances pointed at me but I paid them no mind. The same way I ignored them when, holding my own set of randomly grabbed tools, I strode with my head high and a smile on my face to the far end of the class.

Me sitting down jolted Violet into looking at me in surprise as I arranged my workplace properly.

"…what are you doing, Midford?" I heard him ask me and I turned in sit to face him with my back straight, smiling.

"Why, I'm sitting here now, of course. Seeing as I'm new, there's a lot of seats to choose from but this here," I patted the stool below me. "—looks and feels comfortable. So, if you don't mind…"

I turned back to what I was doing but apparently, that wasn't the end of the conversation there. But before he could say anything, Master Howard interrupted everyone as he loudly asked,

"Is everyone at their seats?"

"Yes!" I immediately answered followed by other's confirmations, making Gregory look at me unamused, though he didn't look like he was about to protest my seating arrangement anytime soon. He merely sat beside me with his back hunched and him staring at his empty canvas.

Percy, who had just taken his seat a few places to my left gestured at me discreetly, silently asking what I was doing. I merely copied what he did last time and zipped my lips, my smile way too mischievous to be called innocent. He rolled his eyes at me before tossing a paper flower at me. I caught it, just as the last of everyone's various confirmation to our professors rang out in the room. The handwriting in the white sheet was oddly familiar and I stared at it for a moment before I realized that it was mine.

He had just swiped one of the papers from my stack of punishment.

My smile in return was as evil as my first life.

Fortunately for Percy, I was interrupted from my murderous intents when Master Howard addressed us all again.

"Now, for this week's assignment, I want everyone of you to paint freely using Impressionism in mind." Murmurs erupted from the students and the older man shushed them before continuing, "Now, I know that holding class outside is impossible as of now but for now, use your imaginations and try to paint as if you were outside. I'll be judging your works according to the strokes and the lighting so be careful. And Midford,"

I blinked in surprise at being suddenly called out. "Y-Yes?" I got that same narrowed look from our professor before, yet again, he shook his head at me. It was as if he had just thought better of saying what he was to say.

"Never mind."

I must say, this must've been the same confusion Edward went through during his birthday that one time. Nevertheless, I rid my head of thoughts before brainstorming as to what I would like to paint. Though before I could go past my cat Grey, Gregory's voice snapped me out of focus and I turned to him.

"Why do you insist on sitting here?" His question was simple yet it sounded as if he really wanted the answer to that. And so I turned to him and answered as honestly as I could.

"Because you were lonely."

That surprised him, his eyes widening for a moment. "…what?"

Again, a new emotion on his face that I hadn't seen before. But I do admit, as much as I didn't want to explain anymore and just shrug to make things easier, it felt like I owe him that one; especially since I had annoyed him earlier with Percy and I's antics. "While I was outside, I saw you sit far away from everyone. In turn, everyone kept their distances. Though according to Percival, everyone just decided on it." I looked in his violet eyes, searching for a particular emotion in its depths. "..right?"

And I saw it. That loneliness. Ciel had the same look in his eyes though his' was masked by hatred and the overwhelming need to push forward. With Gregory… well, he had fear. There are a lot of ugly emotions that exists out there but those same emotions could be a source of strength for others. Right now, as he silently sat there in front of me, his fear was holding him in chains.

But fear for what? I haven't a single clue. Though I do have an inkling as to what it might be.

Tilting my head at Gregory, I sat with my hands propped on the stool below me. "When was the last time you painted something that was for your eyes only?"

"What do you mean?"

"What I meant was, the last time you had painted something which you didn't feel the need to be complimented by others once done. Something you made that was for you only. Something that would make you happy, instead of making others happy."

At his hesitation to answer, I took that as a 'no.' It seems that my suspicions were right. He was feeling pressured into making something for others and not for himself; to make something perfect and polished as if it were made of gold. Once others realized his genius from three years ago, he had never been the same. People expected a lot more than a painting from him, and in turn, he worked hard to meet those god awful expectations.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed his easel on one of its feet so that it was turning away from me. Gregory half-heartedly tried to stop me, his face the very epitome of confusion.

"Midford, what are you doing?"

"Moving your easel. I don't want to see what you do nor am I interested in what it is right after." I plainly told him and he still made no move indicate that he was going to go along with what I was doing. So I had to do things by myself. He gave me piercing stare as I pushed his stool with my other foot (I thought he would be lighter but I was wrong) while I arranged his easel with my hands. I also took it upon myself to push the small table beside him that had all his other stuff, just so he wouldn't have to do it by himself.

Once I was done, his set of easel was the only one out of the circle that was off by a bit. I had it in a way where I wouldn't be able to see what he was doing and since he had no one sitting by his right, I think he will do fine by himself. Feeling a little accomplished, I turned back to Gregory and told him,

"Now, promise me neither I nor everyone else are allowed to see your work." I paused slightly. "Except for our professor. You can paint whatever you want like Master Howard said and the only thing you need to keep in mind is that you need to enjoy this for once." I took one of the small-tipped brush from the bottle that was holding a set and handed it to him. "Here."

He didn't move.

"I'll do anything you ask of me." I promised and his eyes lit up at the slightest, which made me clear up what I meant. "Any one thing."

The glint vanished and he sighed, before taking the brush from me. "Fine. Weirdo."

"Says Violet Wolf's prefect."

He didn't look amused but nonetheless, he didn't say anything more. He went back to looking at his canvas, deep in thought and I took that as my chance to do the same thing. In doing so, I happened to glance at the table on my other side and saw the looming stack of Y that I had placed there earlier. Just looking at it was making me remember the suffering I had gone through, writing the same lines over and over for a hundred times. At this point, I was pretty sure if someone told me to recite the poem I wrote, I would've been able to; word for word even and in both English and Latin.

Believe me, I was not happy at the thought.

Though, now that I was thinking about it, I do happen to have a prefect sitting by me.

I eagerly grabbed the stack and whispered towards Gregory. "Violet." He looked at me from his canvas; his face looked as if it was saying 'what now?' As per usual, I had the sweetest looking smile as I showed him the stack of paper and the lone flower that sat a top of it. "Tadah! I finished the Y last night."

He looked bewildered as he accepted the papers. He flipped through it as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Just last night?"

I nodded my head a little too happily. "Uh-huh. I didn't get to sleep but I thought of finishing it first so that it wouldn't get in the way later."

"You were supposed to pass it whenever you finished it, not as soon as possible." He told me, his expression so flat that I was in awe for a bit. Yet the truth of his words still hurt.

"I know. Percival told me. Which by the way," I gestured to the flower he had set aside and he looked at it. "That's his doing. He took one of the papers I had written on earlier when we were having a bout and made that."

A flash of recognition shined in his eyes for a split second before it turned into something akin to bitterness. I watched him as set aside the papers and placed the flower back on top of it haphazardly. Then… he completely turned his back on it. I continued to study his features but even with my obvious staring, it was clear that he was ignoring me at that point.

There was something going on between Gregory and Percy.

The prefect's hands started moving and it seems that he was done deciding what he was to paint. The tenderness that I thought had formed from earlier was gone at that point and I couldn't help but frown.

"Well then, I'll get on with mine as well." I told him before I turned in my seat to face my still blank canvas. Whenever I have a heavy heart, one thing always made me happy and even though that wasn't with me when I came to Weston, I still remember it by heart.

What am I talking about? Why, it's my silver cat, Grey! He's always grumpy, that one. He only ever becomes affectionate when he's hungry but any other time, touching him felt like a major crime I was committing against him. Still, that's what makes it fun to mess with him. I remember that I used to place random things behind him. It would always be small things I happen to see whenever I'm in the same room and when he sees them, he doesn't even bat an eye. But oh-hoh, when I switched to food, one in particular always makes him freak out;

Cucumbers.

When I found out, and after a few more tries to make sure it hadn't been a fluke of a reaction, we never once ran out of cucumbers in the house. Even when I leave for a while, I always make sure to come back after buying some.

If Grey was a human, he definitely would've murdered me in my sleep by now.

"Heh." Just remembering has immediately made me chipper again. Picking up my brush and mixing the appropriate colors, I start to work on what my painting was going to be about. I don't intend to take it seriously but my hand was moving by its own by now.

And while doing so, I didn't notice that I started humming to myself; most especially, the two piercing stares I was receiving on both sides of me.

I stretched my arms over my head, just as the bell started tolling for the fourth time that afternoon (it meant classes are over).

"I'm done!" I declared proudly.

And indeed I was. The good thing about today was that I was pretty motivated to paint. Amusing thoughts about my Grey cat kept me at it even when I was deprived of sleep so things turned out good. There was a lot of work left to do as painting using small brush is taxing but I can just do them for next time. Now, I can go back and take—

I yawned.

—a well needed rest.

"Time to sleep."

"You really didn't sleep last night?" Gregory inquired from beside me as he arranged his things.

"Nope. I was determined to finished the Y."

At that, he gave me a weirded out look from behind his canvas. "You're really a weird one."

I sweatdropped. "Do we have to go over this again, Violet Wolf prefect?" Sometimes, I just think that he wasn't aware just how ironic it was for him to call someone else weird. One of these days, I'm gonna show him if he really was clueless.

Before anymore could be said between us, Percy decided that was a good time to call out to me.

"Midford!"

The two of us looked over to him to see him waving me over. Beside him stood Eric Sydney, the one who was skilled with flower arrangements.

"Walk with us back to the dorms!"

"Oh, sure! Hold on for a moment." I turned back Gregory, as I gathered the things I used to paint. "Well, see you tomorrow, Violet." I tipped my imaginary hat at him before leaving with the two. On our way out, we managed to bump into Cheslock, the prefect's fag, as he headed to fetch the other most likely. I gave a small wave to him as the three of us passed him. "Hello and goodbye, Cheslock."

"Uh…"

Cheslock raised a brow at the older boy's form as he walked alongside a familiar blonde, not even bothering to say his goodbyes. He looked inside the room beside him and at his prefect, who stood there by the side, placing his tools where he had gotten them earlier that day.

"Since when did Percival get so buddy buddy with the transfer student?"

His question made Violet twitch, something the other hadn't missed. He propped a closed fist in his waist, directing a look towards him that he was determined to ignore. He walked past his fag who watched him head the opposite direction from the others.

"Who knows." He had muttered under his breath.

Cheslock looked on either side of the hallway; one where the other students had gone down to leave and the other where their prefect walked on his lonesome, before he sighed to himself.

"Violet, wait!"

Later that evening, Master Howard was looking over the work of his students from earlier. People knew that he liked seeing the finished product so he never usually looks at his student's work while they were in the making still. But there would be times like now when he would go over each one while they were in the early stages so that he could leave notes about it for his students to read the next time they come back.

While going through each one, he can still see that even after five years of knowing his students, they're still the same as they were when they first entered.

But… there was just one that was out of place.

Usually, he would've thought it would be that Midford child but even his work seemed normal. It was just a cat, perplexingly afraid of what seemed to be a cucumber placed behind the poor thing. But it was the work from the canvas beside her that made him raise a brow.

It was devoid of any colour aside from grey, black, and white. Not only that, but the object of focus was… interesting.

Master Howard glanced at the empty seat on his left that was placed before the canvas. Then, he shook his head.

"What an interesting turn of events."

With that, he turned to leave and bathed the room once more in darkness.

A/N: So, I decided to update this alongside Truly the Most Dangerous because I'm behind schedule. If I hope to ever finish the prologue for the new story in time (which was supposed to come out yesterday), then I would need to give myself time instead of... not sleeping tonight ehehe;; I also need to update The Chiming of Bells still and draw for that so...;;

Uhhh I hope you guys enjoy this as well and let me know what you think! For next chapter, trouble arises in Yellow House and Elliot comes to the Prefect Four to ask for help.

See you in ten days or so!