Unknown

Annabelle walked through the school's hallway, surrounded by the chatter and laughter of students rushing to their next class. The crowded corridor was a sea of unfamiliar faces, but Annabelle was determined to find her way. She scanned the crowd, searching for someone who looked friendly and willing to help.

As she walked, she glanced at the students' faces, hoping to find a welcoming smile. Some were engrossed in their phones, while others hurried past, worried about being late.

She has had enough of cold looking faces from Riccardo's clan and now she was only going to speak to soft looking persons. When she saw her perfect target, she quickly approached the girl.

"Please excuse me." She said, tapping the young girl on her shoulders.

"Hello." The girl turned to look at her.

"Good morning." Annabelle greeted.

"How can I help you?"

"Do you know the way to the Rectors office for Business Management?" She asked.

"Of course I do. I can show you the way." The girl offered with a smile.

Annabelle smiled. "That would be awesome. Thank you."

She walked side by side with the girl as she lead her towards the Rector's office. 

"Are you here to study Business Management?" The girl asked, glancing at Annabelle.

"Yes." Annabelle answered simply, looking at the buildings they passed by.

"That's perfect. I can also show you around the lecture room. We'll be studying the same course." She informed, a hint of excitement in her tone.

"Really? Thank you." Annabelle let out a small smile.

"Here it is." The girl stopped in front of a huge door.

"You can knock and enter, I'll be waiting for you here." She added, her smile not faltering.

"Thank you." Annabelle muttered as she knocked on the door. She heard a faint 'Come in', she then pushed the door open and walked in.

"Good morning, Sir." She greeted the man who sat before her.

"Morning. What's your name? Let's get started." He asked, not looking up from the pile of files in front of him.

"Annabelle Sanchez." She said and he quickly raised his head to stare at her.

"Oh, you are. Everything has already been arranged. These are the few things you'll be needing. You can keep them in your locker." He said, handing her a small box filled with different books and the locker's room tag.

"Thank you." She said, carefully taking it from him.

The box was a little heavy, but it wasn't something she couldn't carry. She walked out of the Rectors office with the box in her arms. She met the girl from earlier sitting on a bench, obviously waiting for her.

Annabelle steadily approached her. "I'm here." She informed.

"Wow. That was fast." She said, rising from where she sat.

"Yes. Do you know where I can find this locker number?" Annabelle asked, showing her the tag.

"Yes, follow me."

"My name is Annabelle." She introduced.

"What's your name?" Annabelle asked.

"I'm Laura." She smiled.

"Alright. Nice to meet you, Laura."

"Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you, Annabelle." She smiled as they made their way towards the locker room.

When they reached Annabelle's, she carefully placed the books into the locker and took the one she needed for her first class.

When she was done, she turned back to Laura who was behind her. "I'm done. Let's go."

Together, they headed to their first class for the day. Inside the lecture room, Annabelle settled down on a chair beside Laura. She then remembered the Necklace Riccardo gave her that morning.

Whatever it might be, she decided to wear it. She brought it out of her pocket and wore it around her neck. "It's pretty." Laura complimented.

"Thanks." Annabelle muttered.

Soon, the lecturer walked in and they began learning immediately. Annabelle listened attentively, it was currently the only thing she could do to get her mind away from Riccardo and his world.

The class was a comprehensive one and she understood most of the things the Lecturer talked about. When the lecturer was done teaching, she walked out and Laura whispered to her that they had a ten minutes break before the next lecturer would come in.

Annabelle just stared around the class room as she had nothing else to do. She was very used to her phone, but now she couldn't even get a hold of it. Everything just felt weird around her.

From leaving her Parents house and her country to a Mafia Clan and now coming to a college where no one knows her, and worse, without her phone.

She couldn't help but wonder when Riccardo would hand it back to her. And his Clan... Why were his Clan members so Cold and detached. It was almost as if they were doing a competition of who had the coldest demeanor.

Except that Riccardo stood out. Gosh! What was she even saying? One thing was sure. She wasn't going to be able to survive in such a place. Maybe escaping would be her best choice.

She definitely couldn't escape from the Clan, so she might as well try to escape from school. But she wouldn't do without thinking twice. She was going to think about a perfect plan. A plan that when executed, Riccardo wouldn't be able to find her or take her back to his Clan.

Annabelle shrugged the thoughts off as soon as the ten minutes break was over. The next Lecturer walked in and soon, they began learning. Annabelle pulled out her notebook and began writing down some important things.

The class went on for a long time, when it was finally over, Annabelle began packing up her books.

Laura whispered that she had something important to take care of and that she was going to meet her tomorrow.

Annabelle had no choice than to pack up and go alone. Leaving the classroom, she went to drop her textbooks in her locker. And after that, she made her way outside of the school, silently hoping that whoever Riccardo was supposed to send would have arrived.

She wasn't really familiar with the road, and wouldn't want to get lost in a foreign land. She continued to drag her tired feet across the hallway that led outside the schools building.

"Annabelle." Someone called from behind her.

She stopped in her tracks, her heartbeat accelerating. Who just called her name? Laura had already gone home and no one knew her here? And she was 99.9% sure that it wasn't Riccardo's voice.

"Annabelle." The person called out again.

She took a deep breath and slowly turned around to see who had just called her name.