WILL WAS HUMMING ALL the way there, but despite the fact that he looked like a literal bumblebee Ella couldn't help but notice how people stared as they passed. Everyone either smiled at him or looked at him in reverence and he greeted them all by name, beaming at anyone he saw. She really wasn't stressed at all about going to see Clarkson for an eventual punishment, but if she had been, Will was ideal company to have.

"Here we are!" Will announced as they reached the end of a stairway, a hallway sprawled out in front of them with one door at the end.

The principal's office had been quite cold and as she walked towards Clarkson's the difference became more obvious. On their left and right pictures were filling the walls, of students, teachers, moments. Ella was surprised to see Clarkson smile in some of them, a warm expression which didn't suit him but also did at the same time. She stopped walking then as she noticed a smaller picture, almost hidden away at the bottom, of a much younger Clarkson in a forest. He was standing next to a pretty brown-skinned girl as he held up a cucumber with a dead expression in his face and in the right corner was a small note.

"A MEMORY OF ONE OF OUR FIRST CRIMES TOGETHER, JAY-JAY. -M."

"What are you looking at?" Will said, peeking over her shoulder.

"Nothing," she shrugged, her gaze back on the door again as she continued walking," just saw a fun picture."

"These are cute, right?" Will beamed, pointing at the right to a picture at the top," look, Alex, Levi and I made it on here too a couple of times."

"Are you hugging Clarkson in that picture?" Ella frowned.

"Alex suspects that was the moment he decided to give me a hugging limit," Will reminisced.

"He's absolutely right."

Clarkson had opened the door, his low voice echoing through the hallway as he nodded at the two of them in acknowledgement. Will didn't seem bothered at all by his reaction though, instead grinning widely at the vice-principal as they passed through the door. The inside of Clarkson's office was surprisingly cozy as well, with warm colors and big chairs, photo frames turned away from them all over his desk along with messy stacks of paper. Once everyone had sat down Clarkson scraped his throat almost nervously, before speaking.

"So," he said," I suppose the two of you don't know why I've called you here."

"Is this because of the mail I sent about whether we could get a goldfish for the dorms?" Will said.

"That was you?" Clarkson frowned.

"In that case, it wasn't me," Will replied smoothly," I have no idea what you're talking about, sir."

Clarkson paused for a moment, like he was thinking about whether he should pursue this or not, finally just deciding to drop it. He interlaced his hands on the desk, gaze serious as he looked at the two of them.

"I have a favor to ask," he began," my niece is going to live with me from now on due to some circumstances and because I am here during the weekdays, she's going to transfer over to St Joseph as well. I would like to ask you to keep an eye on her. She's this really sweet girl and most of the students here can be quite... intense, so I thought it best to ask you two."

"Of course!" Will agreed immediately, grabbing Clarkson's hands in a touched gesture," you're really the sweetest uncle, sir, I'll help in any way I can."

Clarkson looked surprised, a certain warmth seeping through before he quickly tried to conceal it with a grumpy huff. "Thank you."

"I'm not sure why you chose me and not Alex," Ella said.

"Don't get me wrong," Clarkson said," I know Alex is a good kid, though don't tell him I said that, but I saw him flirt with a tree during the camp."

"Understandable," Ella said.

She wasn't even going to ask why he didn't choose Levi, that was clear enough. The guy was so grumpy he'd scare anyone away, but with his position in the school and how close she was to him, she supposed Clarkson had found her the next best thing. Either way, it sounded like a fun project with Will and it allowed her to skip class without repercussions at the moment, so she was all for it.

"So are the two of you in?" Clarkson asked.

"Of course," Ella smiled," you can count on us."

"Okay great," he said as he got to his feet," because I wouldn't have taken no for an answer and she's waiting right outside."

"Wait, what?"

For some reason Ella had pictured a female version of Clarkson with a matching tracksuit when Clarkson opened the door, but when she saw who was standing there she couldn't help but stare. Will was the first to speak, a wide smile on his face as he pulled the startled girl in a hug, warmth radiating from him.

"Mia!" Will exclaimed as he pulled back, grinning at her," are you Clarkson's niece?"

A blush had colored Mia's cheeks as she looked from Will to Ella. "You two are the rowdy troublemakers my uncle talks about?"

"How do you know Mi-Ja?" Clarkson frowned.

"We met right before school started," Ella said as soon as she had recovered from her initial surprise," but I hadn't expected to see you here."

Clarkson had been right when he had called his niece a sweet girl. Mia Ryder's pretty, all shy smiles and raven hair, brown eyes with matching soft mocha eye shadow, a blush blooming on her cheeks. She seems like she's made of coffee and midnight talks, hushed whispers in forgotten library halls, a doll come to life. It's easy to understand how Clarkson wanted them to watch over her, especially considering how much she doesn't fit in here. Last she remembered the girl had attended Gaia High before, a high school only for the rich and powerful. The contrast was probably going to be shocking for her here.

Clarkson's phone went off then and he glanced at it, before looking back at Mia. "I have to take this, will you be okay, Mi-Ja?"

"Of course," she smiled sweetly at him," go on, I'll see you at home."

"I can't believe you're related to Clarkson," Ella said once they walked down the stairs, glancing at Mia in search of some family resemblance.

"He looks stricter than he is," Mia chuckled," uncle Bas is a true sweetheart."

"He has grown on me honestly," Ella nodded.

"I'm glad you came, Mia," Will said," with you and El here this year is guaranteed to be fun."

"You picking open Ella's lock was quite a memorable experience," Mia smiled at him," my first crime, actually."

"Now you're at St Joseph it certainly won't be your last," Will grinned.

"I don't think I'm made for a life of crime," Mia said as she shook her head," I can't even open jars, let alone fight my way out."

"It's okay," Will reassured her," there's not that much violence here."

"William," Ella said slowly," you literally have multiple bats for fighting."

"And I cherish them all," Will said. He looked at the two of them, eyes warm. "Speaking of, I have a match next week, so if you guys want to come, you're more than welcome."

"Of course," Ella said," now I've heard all the rumors, I can't wait to see you in action."

"Rumors?" Mia blinked.

"Will's quite the star at baseball," Ella told her, though that was an understatement in itself.

Levi, Alex and Will were all quite notorious, but Will's reputation had another twist in it, intertwined with a talent for baseball which was apparently so good that he could easily go pro. Instead of bragging about it he blushed, waving her compliment away.

"I wouldn't call myself a star," he said," but I do enjoy being on the field, so if you have time I'd like for you two to come."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Mia promised him.

They had walked all the way down to the ground floor, ready to enter their next class when Will noticed something out of the window. His soft expression immediately changed and as soon as Ella followed his line of gaze she noticed why. Outside Levi was standing against the wall, looking bored, but it was the three guys around him which had gotten a reaction out of Will.

"I'll be right back," he said, even his voice lower, before he opened the window and jumped out.

"Poor Levi," Mia frowned worriedly," I hope they'll be alright."

"It's the way he stares at people, I swear," Ella chuckled as she leaned on the windowsill," everyone thinks he's picking a fight with them all the time."

"Should we call someone?" Mia asked.

"Nah, they'll be fine," Ella assured her, sizing the guys in front of Levi up," I actually think he can take the three of them alone, but with Will beside him it'll be okay for sure."

Right at that moment Alex rounded the corner of the building and walked towards the group, before his mouth dropped open as soon as he saw Levi.

"I left you alone for four minutes!" he shouted," how did you get in a fight already?"

Ella was about to yell something as well when she suddenly heard Mia gasp beside her, a hand on her shoulder then. She turned around, eyebrows raised, and when she saw the girls surrounding her, she knew this couldn't mean much good. One of them was holding Mia by the arm, her other hand over her mouth, two grabbing Ella.

"Let's go," one whispered in her ear," we are about to have some real fun."