Chapter 3

Mint tea and pastries. The festivals and the architecture. Those are perhaps what I shall miss most of Rabdah. 

And I knew that London would be different, but I don't think I was expecting this dramatic a change. Nothing is how I imagined it would be. The food is new, the way people dress reminds me of my stay in the states. And even back then, my mother had been fearful that I would be eroded by foreign values that were not values at all. That I would be turned into someone they would hit he able to recognize.

We did not make any out stops along the way. We took a car straight from the airport to the school which was somewhere in Birmingham. 

My father said we required no rest and I understood why. As the emperor, he was required to be back at home as soon as possible to deal with other more pressing matters. I filled in the silence by staring out the window.

I liked observing. People,things, situations....I liked observing everything. It gave me a clear insight to what was happening around me. I liked watching things occur from a distance and in secret.

We stopped once at a restaurant because my stomach growled, forcing my father to feel guilty for starving me for those few hours. I had honestly not even realised I was hungry until the food was set before me and I began eating. 

When I was halfway through the meal, I glanced up, and a girl at a table a few feet from ours winked at me.

I have her a small smile before politely facing away.

Females were a mystery to me. 

According to the books I have read and the knowledge I have acquired throughout my lifetime, I'm pretty certain that seventeen is around the age where all I ought to think about is girls and how to get one alone in an enclosed room .

But I have never thought of such a thing. Back home, countless girls were willing to give themselves to me. Some were even courageous enough to ask me directly to my face whether I would be interested in sleeping with them. But I always said no.

I made myself believe that it was all because of culture, but I suspect there is more to it. 

Although that is a line of thought that I will never walk on. 

After the meal, we left and there were no more stops until we got there.

And by there, I'm referring to Seville High.

The institution was sheltered somewhere between countless trees . And I could tell even from a distance that it sat on several acres of land. 

It was also secluded, away from civilization and in the middle of nowhere.

I looked up at the building as the gates opened up to let us in. It was painted a deep brown. And on the front of the administration building was the engraving of the school emblem. 'In knowledge and integrity we strive' read the words under the engraving.

I could see students, all dressed in formal school uniform as they walked in various places around the school.

I got off the car and followed my father inside , he appeared to know exactly where to go. And I have a feeling that the school knew exactly who he was considering the treatment that we were getting.

Refreshments were served as we sat in the principal's office awaiting his presence since he was in some meeting.

A meeting he must have cut short when he learnt of our arrival because he appeared moments later seeming all out of sorts.

" Mr. Amir, it's an honor to have you here...." He said then turned to me and extended his arm.

" Oh, and this must be Jerald. We've been awaiting your arrival here. I've heard great things about you boy......I hope they're all true. "

I could only chuckle and put on a smile because I did not know what great things he had heard exactly.

He looked down at the violin case at my feet and nodded.

" Our school is always looking to mentor young talents." 

I told him how happy I was to be there and he gestured for us to take our seats before doing the same. Then there was this long conversation about my intellectual capabilities and my discipline levels.

I was then given a handbook that contained all information I needed to know concerning the school.

I don't know how long the meeting went on for but after a while I was asked to sign something then the principal kindly asked me to head out for a while. Maybe have a look around the place while he and my father discussed some matters.

That was a metaphor. I knew very well that matters stood for money. 

I did as asked and went out. I found a nice leather couch next to a wall and sat down to go through the handbook.

The school had some very strict rules, apparently, I was supposed to be in formal uniform throughout the weekdays from morning to around four which was when classes ended. The lights were supposed to be out by ten , I had to engage in at least one sport and passing all my classes was an absolute must. The meal times were to be strictly followed and so on and so forth.

I got tired after ten minutes of reading it and decided to take the principal's advice and walk around. Of course I didn't want to attract any unwanted attention, so I stuck to the mostly empty hallways .

I stood out, considering that everyone else was in uniform while I was dressed in a pair of jeans and a skyblue traditional tunic shirt.

I walked around the administration block for a while before I came across a door that led out, and against my reservations, I opened it up and stepped out into the midday sun. 

There was just grass and no one around, so I walked around the building until I got to the back.

Then I stumbled across some sort of garden.

The smell of greenery invaded my nostrils. I saw a tree that was sure to provide lovely shade and walked over to it. 

Then halfway there I saw him.... whoever he was.

His neatly combed brown hair was the most visible feature about him from where I was.

He was engrossed in reading a book while seated in one of the three benches in the garden. 

He looked....serene. An aura of calm encased him and for a brief moment I wanted to walk in his line of sight until he noticed me. But I didn't, instead I silently walked over to the tree and leaned against it. Then I admired the stranger from a distance.

Like I said, I love observing.

He smiled to himself as he flipped to the next page. He had one of those one sided smiles that were more like a smirk. And I wanted to draw nearer....I wanted to be close enough to make out his full features and to know what color his eyes were and whether he actually was as magnificent as he seemed from a distance.

I was caught in a trance, observing him. Then I heard my father call out my name and I turned back and saw him beckoning me to go over. And when I looked back at the stranger, he also looked up and straight at me.

Then I watched his eyes narrow and an unreadable expression masked his face.

I stalled for a couple of seconds, letting the staring stretch. And then he accidentally dropped his book and my father called out to me again.

I walked away without glancing back, fully aware that my father had committed a grave mistake by enrolling me there and he didn't even realize it.