Chapter Text
The sound of ringing made a low groan escape the girl, reaching out her arm just to shut off her alarm, before she pulled the blanket over her head.
Today was the first day of 11th Grade—or first year of non-compulsory, post-16 education in Avalor—and Elena still wasn't ready to go back to school yet, not after having such a wonderful time with Sofia and her family in Enchancia during summer break. Besides, it was still so early, or so she told herself.
It was 8:20..
She was startled by the time on her alarm clock once she actually took a closer look, her mind finally waking up as she scrambled to get ready for the day and not be late.
"Mija! It's almost time, and you haven't even gotten ready yet!"
'Dang it..' Elena almost cursed at herself as she rushed through her usual morning routine, her long dark wavy hair simply tied back into a ponytail like she always did as she practically flew down the flight of stairs. She dashed towards the dining room, where she found her little sister, abuela, and abuelo almost finished eating breakfast. Her mother, having just finished cooking at the stove, turned to the sight of her eldest who was currently in a rush to eat.
"Ay, Elena, quickly eat up before both you and your sister are late! It's already 8:27." Lucia chided her daughter after glancing at the wall clock, who merely let out a sigh as she downed a few arepas.
Isabel, who was already done and had her school bag ready, observed her hermana and how quickly she ate her breakfast. "You aren't usually one to wake up this late, Elena, what happened?" Isabel inquired as Elena grabbed her bag from her room, the former handing over her water bottle.
"I read the time wrong, I thought it was still early!" Elena exclaimed as she gave her hermanita a smile, grabbing her water bottle as the two rushed to give their mother, abuela, and abuelo goodbye kisses to their cheeks.
"Adiós, Abuela, Abuelo, Mami!" The sisters bid their goodbyes before they made their way towards the front door, only to bump into their father along the way.
"Papi!" Isabel beamed as Raul laughed, a familiar sound from their father as he placed an arm around his daughters each.
"Oh, mis hijas, both of you are growing up so fast; I can't believe my Isa and Elenita are already in 5th and 11th Grade." He released a long sigh, hugging his girls a moment longer before letting them go.
"Alright, Papa, we gotta go now—we're already going to be late." Elena smiled as she kissed her father goodbye on the cheek, followed by Isabel.
After bidding goodbye to their familia, the sisters just barely made it to the bus, with their shoulders heaving and breaths uneven, sunk into their seats. Elena watched through the window as the bus made its way to school, leaning her head against her hand as she felt the weight of Isabel leaning against her side, bringing a soft smile to her face. The ride was long, as it usually was; but in no time, they made it to their school—which was one of the few in Avalor that taught all grades—quickly getting off as they approached the familiar school gates.
"Alright, Isa, now you have a good first day in 5th Grade." Elena smiled as Isabel wrapped her arms around her, returning the embrace with her little sister for a moment before letting go, the latter beaming at her hermana.
"You have a good first day too, Elena." Isabel paused, then looked down at her wrist that held her bracelet. "Here, you have it; for good luck." She smiled as she took off her bracelet, putting it on Elena as it fit perfectly around her wrist.
"Thanks, Isa." Elena's smile widened as she pulled her hermanita into her arms once more, pecking her cheek before letting go and finally parting ways before both could truly be late.
"Elena!" Mateo yelped as she almost bumped into him by the door in a rush. "Mateo! I'm so sorry I'm late, I read the time and only had 10 minutes to get ready-" "It's alright, I don't need an explanation; just get inside!" Mateo said as he pulled his friend inside, leading Elena to where he sat with Naomi and Gabe in the back.
Naomi looked up to see the pair, letting out a huff as she couldn't suppress a smile. "There you are, Elena! We almost thought you'd be really late." Naomi muttered as she leaned back against her seat, watching as Elena sat down beside Mateo, across from her and Gabe. "Yeah, though i'd say even if you were really late, you would've been alright; if you haven't noticed, class hasn't even started yet."
And that was true; 8:41, and their other classmates were still chatting to each other, with a few greeting Elena warmly.
But there was one girl that kept Elena glancing back every few minutes; she sat near the front by one of the windows, her gaze focused on the book in her hands as she said nothing, just quietly flipping through each page that she read.
'I wonder who she is, I mean, she definitely isn't from around here..' Elena thought, her gaze was fixed on the girl a few rows in the front.
Her hair was long and black—perhaps as long as her own—while she had a pretty fair complexion, which was even fairer than Naomi's. It was a shame she couldn't properly see her face from this angle though. Well, then again, she could always just walk up to her later.
The girl was wearing a pastel blue sweater, paired with a beige skirt, knee-high socks, and a pair of black school shoes. It was modest, but it certainly didn't deter her quiet beauty.
Just then, the bell finally rang, the footsteps from outside the hall slowly ceasing as students got to their respective classes for 1st period.
"Good morning, class!" Their new homeroom teacher, Mr. Rodriguez greeted his students warmly, a welcoming smile on his face as he entered the classroom.
"Good morning, sir!" A mix of both calm and enthusiastic greetings were met in return as they all settled down, their focus turning towards the man.
Mr. Rodriguez smiled as his students began paying attention to what he had to say.
"I hope everyone here has spent a good summer break, because school is back in session! I'm your new homeroom teacher, Mr. Rodriguez; I will be giving you all your schedules and discussing the school's new implementations." He said as he stood beside his desk, his eyes quietly scanning the room.
"However.." Mr. Rodriguez paused, his smile widened as he continued. ".. before that, allow me to introduce you to our exchange student—coming all the way from 月の揺籃 (Tsuki no Yōran), and is here to stay for this entire academic year; please, stand up and introduce yourself."
Then, the girl who had paused in her reading earlier, stood up as she made her way towards the front of the class. She stood there; her shoulders back and chin up after a moment as she placed a hand on her chest, right over where her heart is.
Now that she was standing before the class, her face could be seen clearly.
'Ay dios mío..'
Suddenly, Elena felt like she couldn't breathe for a second, her brown eyes widening the slightest as she fought to keep her composure.
The girl was beautiful; she had the gentlest features, and the softest eyes. Her irises were a deep sea blue that mimicked the color of the ocean, and despite being in a completely different school and environment, she remained tranquil... like a lake with the stillest waters. Oh, and don't get her started on the girl's voice...
She not only had such a delicate, tranquil demeanor, she also had such a soft and smooth voice to match, and her noticeable accent did nothing to deter it.
"Hello, and good morning, everyone. I'm Kouyuki Mochizuki, an exchange student from 月の揺籃 (Tsuki no Yōran); I look forward to getting to know all of you." The girl, now known as Kouyuki, introduced herself as she then gave a bow before straightening up again, which made her new classmates look a little wide eyed—a few of which were whispering, others were smiling.
"Huh, her name is so different..." Gabe mused as he leaned back in his seat. "Sure, but it's a breath of fresh air." Naomi shrugged as she gave the guy a light nudge to his shoulder, the former letting a huff as he straightened in his seat. "Now it makes me wonder what her name means." Mateo mumbled as he briefly tapped his finger against his chin, leaning back against his seat as Kouyuki went back to her shared desk.
Elena? Oh, the poor girl was stuck in her head, trying to keep her composure up as she drank more of her water—and perhaps she was just imagining things—but she swears she could feel her cheeks growing just the tiniest bit warmer than they should. This exchange student was more than enough to keep her mind racing with questions and musings, her gaze flickering between what Mr. Rodriguez was writing on the whiteboard and on the girl that was Kouyuki.
For the next period, which she shared with Gabe, Elena couldn't help herself whenever her mind wandered back to Kouyuki; her demeanor, her voice, her eyes...
It wasn't until their 25 minute break after 2nd period did Elena find the chance to approach the new student, her figure making a beeline towards Kouyuki, who was just organizing her locker amidst the sea of students.
"Hey!" Elena called out as she stopped before Kouyuki, who perked up at the sound of her voice. Turning around as she closed her locker door shut, the girl offered Elena a soft smile.
"Hello." Kouyuki responded as she briefly nodded her head, her deep sea blue eyes meeting Elena's brown eyes as she gently inquired. "You were in the 1st period, yes? Homeroom... I saw you earlier, in the back, right?"
Elena chuckled as she nodded, stepping closer to stand beside the girl as she leaned back against the lockers. "Yes, that's right; Elena Castillo Flores." She introduced herself, even though everyone that was in the homeroom earlier had introduced themselves already, so rather it was a reintroduction. "So, Kouyuki..." Elena mused with a grin, her head tilting slightly towards the exchange student. "A very interesting name."
That made Kouyuki chuckle, leaning back against her locker as she tilted her head towards Elena. "Yes, well, that's what everyone that has come up to me has been saying..." She paused, her gaze shifting to the floor. "It means 'Brilliant Snow Child' in my language." Kouyuki murmured as she lifted her gaze once more, seeing how Elena seemed to take in that piece of information, before the latter then smiled.
"Your name has such a lovely meaning..." Elena responded, her grin softening into a warm smile, She stood there with Kouyuki as they kept the conversation going, using up the last few minutes of their break.
With the way she felt after Kouyuki's earlier introduction, Elena thought it would've been hard to keep her nerves in check. But here she was; the words flowed seamlessly, and she could feel the tension in her body ease up as they got to know one another. Even when they had to part ways, Elena left feeling at ease, and it seemed Kouyuki did too.
By the time Elena got back home from school, she realized she forgot to ask Kouyuki for her socials!
Elena lets out a rough sigh as she got under the covers, tucking herself in early since she didn't have any assignments today. She already bid her familia goodnight, so they knew not to disturb her sleep.
'I'll just ask her tomorrow..' Elena mused as her eyes fluttered shut, her breath slowly evening out as she fell into the hands of sleep.
As she drifted off to sleep, Elena found herself already looking forward to seeing her 'Brilliant Snow Child' again.