Philip adjusted his royal-blue blazer as he and his fellow schoolmates walked down the isle, led by a teacher. It was orientation week, the week students would first get to know each other, when teachers didn't give homework, when everyone was desperate for a friend. Orientation week was either scary or exciting, depending on the person. The students marched into the school's auditorium, where they were sorted into their classes.

The first part of the program was to sort all students into their respective classes, starting from the first graders and ending with the twelfth graders.

The teacher then called up the students who would be in Class 1A. After 17 students were called up, the teacher read out loud,

"Philip Deering, please stand up."

Philip nervously stood up and followed his fellow classmates. After everyone was sorted to their respective classes, they each went on a tour around the school compound.

The school compound was much larger than Philip thought, with three large buildings (including the boarding house) and a spacious school ground, it even had a basement! After the tour, each class went to their respective classrooms. The second and third floors were the places you could find the primary classrooms. The fourth floor was where you could find the middle school classrooms. The high schoolers would study in a separate building, at the eastern side of the school.

Since they were in the First Grade, their classrooms would be on the second floor. The classroom was very nice, equipped with its own projector and sound system. There was also a very big whiteboard, which occupied most of the front of the classroom. There were three rows of desks, each row having six desks and chairs. There were bulletin boards at the back of the room and the right wall, for students to showcase their work. The bookshelves were at the left side of the classroom, below the curtain-draped windows. The teacher's desk was at the front-left side of the room, next to a potted plant.

Philip sat at the front-right area of the classroom, near the door. The rest aimed for the seats at the back, since it would be harder for the teacher to catch them talking. When everyone had chosen their seats, they labelled their books and placed them on the shelves, according to the subjects that they would use their notebooks for. Each of the students then introduced themselves in front of the class. After that, they had their first break.

Philip sat alone at a bench in the school garden, observing those around him. An introvert, they said. The observant thinker. His Protector, seeing that he was alone, sat next to him.

"Why are you lonely?" he asked.

"I'm not lonely," Philip replied, "I'm just alone."

"I know that you need some alone time to recharge, but you need to make a friend. Just one companion, that's all."

"But how? I'm shy."

"Then I'll help you get one."

The man beckoned to the little boy who was looking at the sky. To Philip's surprise, he actually turned around! But the boy didn't even notice them earlier, but when the man beckoned he turned around. The young brunet sat down next to Philip. The man stood up and watched him from a distance.

"Talk to him," the man encouraged him. Philip looked at the boy and cleared his throat.

"Hi," Philip said softly.

"Hi," the boy replied.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Louis. What about yours?"

"I'm Philip. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you to. Are you from here? An American?"

"Yes. What about you, Louis?"

"I'm from France, but my family migrated when I was three years old."

"Oh, that's interesting! Why did your family move?"

"My dad got a major promotion at work, so we moved."

The two boys chitchatted and became friends. They bade each other goodbye and the brown-haired boy left the garden. Philip skipped merrily to the man, who was standing under a maple tree.

"So how did it go, Philip?" asked the man.

"It went great! His name is Louis, and he's from France. It just so happens that we were in the same class, and he also likes comedy movies!"

"I'm glad to hear that. You two are friends now?"

"Yeah, we're friends."

The school bell rang and everyone rushed to their classrooms. Philip and his classmates learned Math, English and Science before they had lunch at the cafeteria. The cafeteria was a large and noisy room in the basement. There were large tables for large groups, small tables for those who wish to be alone, and medium-sized tables for small groups and pairs of individuals. Lunch was served by five different lunch ladies. The first and second ladies served free lunches (sandwiches or salads served with fruit juice). The third lady sold drinks for no more than $5. The fourth lady sold desserts (including ice cream) for no more than $10. The fifth lady sold heavy lunches (steak, chicken legs or noodle-soup) for no more than $15. Since Philip hadn't claimed his allowance, he had a grilled cheese sandwich and orange juice for lunch.

After lunch, the students had to take more lessons. After the lessons, they were given two hours of free time before they have dinner. Philip used this opportunity to claim his weekly allowance. He climbed down the stairs and went to the front desk. The women on the left and right sides of the front desk were very busy. The woman in the middle, however, was relaxed. Philip approached her shyly.

"Umm, excuse me? I'm here to claim my allowance?" said Philip. The woman put down her book and looked closely at him.

"You're here to claim your allowance?"

"Yes. My mommy said that she would send me money every week."

"Sure. Just state your name, your class and the number of your dorm."

"My name is Philip Deering, I'm from Class 1A and my dorm number is 312," Philip replied. The woman checked her computer and searched through her files.

"I'm sorry, but someone else has already claimed your allowance." said the woman.

"Really? Who?" Philip demanded.

"That boy over there." the woman replied, pointing at a Third Grader.

The boy was big and wore a grin on his ugly face. His black hair was spiky and his eyes were fierce. Philip noticed a white envelope, held in the boy's left hand; the envelope that contained his allowance!

Philip cautiously walked up to the big boy. He cleared his throat and wiped his sweaty hands on his shirt.

"Umm, excuse me?" Philip said nervously. The boy looked down upon him.

"Yes?"

"I see that you're holding my envelope."

"What makes you think it's yours?"

"It has my family's address written on it, and it also has my name."

"You want this? Then go get it!"

The boy flung the white envelope to the potted plant. The envelope was caught in between the plant's small branches, making it stuck. Philip was a tall lad for his age, but he was unable to reach it. He jumped multiple times, but not even his longest fingers could touch it. He tried shaking the plant, but it remained attached to it. He needed help. At that moment, he remembered what the man told him.

"Oh My Protector, I Summon Thee!" Philip muttered softly. The man appeared out of thin air, leaning against the wall.

"On my count, jump. One, two three!" said the man. The moment Philip jumped, the man raised his right hand - as if he was lifting him on one hand. Philip jumped surprisingly high and managed to retrieve the envelope. When he opened it, however, it was empty!

"Looking for this?" asked the boy. He held a wad of bills on his left hand.

The bills, which amounted to $140, were held together by a rubber band. Philip tried getting it, jumping high, but the banknotes were held up too high for him to reach. The boy laughed at Philip's effort. The man saw what the boy did, and because of that he felt agitated. The man clenched his right fist, as if he was choking someone's limb. In an instant, the boy felt a squeezing pain in his left arm, dropping the bundle of banknotes. Philip caught the bundle before it fell to the floor. The man then let go of the boy's arm, which he did not touch.

"Thank you for returning my money!" Philip thanked him, skipping merrily to his dormitory.

"I didn't want to give it to you, I only dropped it because my arm hurt!" the boy yelled at him. Philip did not listen, for he was already far away from the boy.

And the man followed him.