"I don't ever want to let you down,
I don't ever want to leave this town;
Cause after all,
This city never sleeps at night.
It's time to begin, isn't it?"

◘ ◘ ◘

"Well, this is it. I'll let you settle in, your uniforms are already hung in your wardrobe," Mrs. Humphrey said, giving me a tight smile before stalking off. Mrs. Humphrey was the woman in charge of student accommodation, a strict lady with her hair tied so tightly into a bun it looked as if she was stretching out the skin on her face. I thanked her halfheartedly, and set my small luggage on the floor. Looking around the room, I let out a sigh, admiring the beautiful cream coloured walls, the leather sofas, my big, king-sized bed. My room hardly looked like a dormitory, it looked like a hotel suite! Well, at least the students get their money's worth, I thought.

I couldn't help the big smile on my face as I dragged my luggage into the walk-in closet and once settled, immediately diving head-first into my plush, luxuriously soft mattress.

Most of the students are back from winter break, since school started the next day, and I received many curious glances when I walked down the hallway with the level custodian beside me. Meilleur Academy was located in Paris, France, and people from all over the world study in this prestigious, well-known school. It was incredibly hard to get a scholarship, and I was one of the lucky few who had the privilege of receiving it. The tuition is extremely expensive, and from the looks of this dorm room, I could definitely understand why. Rich socialites, geniuses, heirs and heiresses to multi-billionaire businesses, up and coming artists and star athletes...these were the people that attended Meilleur. It was an elite school, the place for the absolute best.

I sighed softly. I had to give my very best here, this was my chance to achieve my dreams! It's still such a big shock to me, that I received a scholarship to this place. Better not let this chance go to waste then! I looked over to my bedside table to check the time.

6.48 PM

It was time for dinner soon, according to the schedule Mrs. Humphrey handed to me. The school had schedules for everyone, which included their classes, meal times, and curfew. I got up and walked over to the wardrobe. Mrs. Humphrey had told me that students were not required to wear uniforms after classes have ended, and that we were free to wear whatever we wanted on weekends, as long as it didn't obstruct the school's dress code. I pulled out a fresh set of iron-pressed clothes, admiring the professional stitching and smart design of it. It truly looked like something a rich heir or heiress would wear, even though it was only their school uniform. Meilleur's school uniform was designed by one of the students from when the school first started. It consisted of a crisp pearl white button-down blouse with black stitching on the cuff of the sleeves and a black pleated checkered skirt that was lightly accented by white and grey. Finally, the uniform is complete with a black blazer. I put on the uniform, frowning slightly when I realized it was a few sizes too big for me. The blazer was so big only the tips of my fingers peeked out! Oh well, unless I wanted to starve, I had to wear the uniform. I'll notify Mrs. Humphrey about it soon, I decided.

Slipping on a pair of black flats, I grabbed my dorm keys and map and headed to where I hoped the canteen would be. It wouldn't be much of a problem, though, since the map was clear, precise and bloody colour-coded so I didn't get lost on my way to the canteen. As I entered the canteen, I was awestruck. This place wasn't like the regular canteens in America, it looked like the inside of a five star restaurant! The tables were covered in satin cloth and the polished wooden chairs had velvet cushions on it.

I planned to get take-away and head back to my dorm to unpack as well as tell Mrs. Humphrey about my uniform. After all, I didn't have any friends to eat with.

Not that I need any, I thought.

I was so caught up on my thoughts, I didn't see the man standing in front of me until I walked right into his hard chest.

"Ow," I groaned, rubbing my forehead. I looked up to the boy I had run into, and I lost my breath for a moment. He had stark white hair and was very pale, and he stood almost a foot taller than me. Sterling silver rings hung from his nose and ear, adding to his intimidating aura. His blue eyes were filled with annoyance, his nose tilted high in arrogance.

"What the hell?" he said, glaring at me with what I could only describe as pure disgust and annoyance. I immediately snapped out of my trance, and felt annoyance creep up my spine. I glanced around and noticed that everyone in the canteen had gone quiet and was watching our exchange with interest.

"Sorry," I bit out reluctantly. I didn't want to apologize to this asshat, but I also didn't want to cause a scene. No distractions.

"Do you think sorry cuts it?" He snapped, although it didn't seem like a question. I stared at him, dumbfounded. I had never met someone so...so rude!

"Are you mute or something? Or just stupid?" He sneered in annoyance when I didn't answer.

"I am not stupid," I muttered, frowning.

"Ah, it speaks!" he smirked, and a soft rumble of laughter sounded throughout the canteen. I felt my cheeks flush in anger and embarrassment.

"Look, I don't know who you are and I'm sorry for bumping into you, but that doesn't give you any right to be a dick," I snapped, and the canteen emerged in silence.

The stranger's eyes darkened with anger, and he opened his mouth to speak but was immediately cut off by another.

"Asher, stop wasting your time associating with people like that," his friend said monotonously, barely casting a glance my way. I hated the tone he spoke with when he spoke of 'people like that', as if I was...was some sort of nasty old gum stuck on the back of his thousand dollar shoes.

My eyes widened in shock and disbelief. They were the first people I met in Meilleur, and they were downright assholes.

He too stood tall and poised, his sharp aristocratic nose slightly lifted high in arrogance. His honey blonde was longer and would've fallen over his eyes if it wasn't styled up fashionably. His sharp, chiseled features complemented the arrogance that poured out of him in waves. His face seemed to be set into a permanent frown, although I didn't know why that very frown that could freeze water made him look so appealing. What struck me most was his clear, greenish-blue eyes.

I noticed another two guys standing behind the boy I had run into, both of them also tall and unforgivingly handsome. One of them looked at me with sympathy, while the other seemed like he'd rather be anywhere but here.

The stranger beside Asher stared down at me, narrowing his eyes before stiffly turning away and stalking off, his long black trench coat billowing behind him dramatically. The three boys followed behind him without a word.

I stood there, still trying to process what just happened. The sharp sound of heels against the floor tiles snapped me out of my shock. I looked up to see an innocent-looking girl with curled blonde hair and slightly elfish-like features that made her look like a fairy. However, she wore a nasty smirk on her face that made her look more like a witch. Behind her stood a mocha-skinned girl with endless legs and a petite Asian with wavy brown hair and big doe eyes.

Their uniforms seemed to be tailored to fit them perfectly, accentuating their seemingly perfect bodies. I immediately felt a bit embarrassed since I probably looked like a limp sack of potatoes with my over-sized uniform on. They all wore matching bright pink headbands, which in my opinion, was a little too Mean Girls cliché and garish as hell.

"You're the new student here, am I right?" the blonde spoke first, staring down at me arrogantly. Geez, were all the noses of the students here attached to some kind of invisible string that forces them to lift their noses way too high in the air?

"That's right," I replied, albeit a bit cautiously. The other two girls stood behind her, arms crossed with smug looks painted on their faces.

"Well, that explains your foolishness," she laughed without humor. "Anyway, I'm Bianca Harding, daughter of Bethany Harding. Ring a bell?"

"Frankly, no."

Bianca narrowed her eyes, her jaw clenching tightly before she continued speaking, "Well, I don't expect you to, since you're clearly uncultured. This is Adia Afolayan, heiress of several oil companies that her family owns, and Marissa Lee, aspiring violinist and pianist. We're basically the most popular and most beautiful girls in this Academy, the most suited for them, too. And that draws me to my point. Everyone knows the most important rule is to never speak to the Royals. Don't look at them and don't touch them! Understand? We don't need trash like you tainting our princes." Her two friends nodded in unison, delicate frowns gracing their feature.

I scrunched up my nose in confusion. Princes? Bianca rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically.

"Robin Clair, Asher Dane, Yuko Hideyoshi and Logan Marshall. The four princes of Meilleur Academy. They are the richest, smartest and most talented students here. Not to mention, extremely attractive too," she giggled.

"This is stupid," I muttered under my breath. Is this some sort of joke? This is starting to feel like something out of a soap opera or one of those addictive Korean dramas they show on television.

"It is absolutely not!" she nearly screeched.

"Listen up, newbie. I don't know which dumpster you came from, but there are rules that you need to obey here at Meilleur. Or else you have got to watch. Your. Back. Clear?"

I scowled at them. They won't leave me alone or stop talking unless I agree with what they say, and the idea to tape Bianca Harding's mouth with duct tape is becoming more and more appealing because she's really starting to get on my nerves.

"Crystal," I said through gritted teeth.

"Perfect," Bianca said, her glossy pink lips forming a perfect smile. "We're glad you're at least intelligent enough to know your place. Keep up with this and you'll enjoy your time here at Meilleur just fine. Ciao!"

With that, the three Barbie dolls turned on their stiletto heels and headed back to their table. I could feel the amused, sympathetic and mocking stares and I clenched my fists in an attempt to control my anger. There was no way I could still stay in this blasted canteen after being practically humiliated in front of the entire school. Sighing in frustration, I turned to leave the canteen.

I felt a soft tap on my shoulder just as I exited the canteen. I turned around quickly, startling the blonde bespectacled girl standing behind me. Her wavy blonde hair was tied neatly into a bun, a few loose tendrils escaping from her hair band and framing her heart-shaped face. Thin, brown spectacles sat on the bridge of her nose, disguising her marvelous striking blue eyes behind the frame. I frowned slightly.

"Who are you?" I asked cautiously, still slightly embarrassed from the humiliation I went through.

"I'm Emily. Uh, Emily Park. You're new here, right?" she asked softly, not daring to look at me directly in the eye.

"Yeah."

"Have you eaten?" Emily asked shyly. I shook my head.

"You can come to my dorm and I can cook something quick for you. You probably haven't stocked up on groceries, right?" Emily offered. I really wanted to reject the offer, but I was hungry and pissed and Emily seemed too hopeful and nice to be a subject of my anger.

I sighed and nodded, which caused Emily to smile brightly.

The two of us headed to her dorm in silence, and I watched her as she whipped up a bowl of macaroni and cheese for me.

"Why are you befriending me?" I asked the question that had been bugging me the entire time. Emily flushed and continued stirring the boiling macaroni in the pot.

"Well, you seem like you needed a friend," Emily said softly. My eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Anyways, what are you here for?" Emily asked.

"I'm here for art," I grinned proudly.

"That's so cool, I can't draw to save my life," Emily laughed.

"What about you?"

"Oh, I'm doing finance," Emily said, but she doesn't seem very keen as I was on the course she was taking.

"Do you like it?" I asked, and Emily frowned slightly.

"Not really. I would love to take literature, but my parents think it's impractical. They want me to take over their banking business," Emily said, shrugging. I nodded slowly, feeling a bit of sympathy towards her.

"Banking business, huh?" I asked.

"Yeah, they own United Express and Seven Seas Privileged Bank," Emily shrugged, like it wasn't a big deal. I bit my lip. Those two banks are the most prestigious banks in the world. Damn, the people here are unreal.

"So...what's the deal with the Royals?" I asked curiously.

"The Royals?"

"Yeah, the boys that I, uh, ran into. I just want to know what the big deal about them is," I explained.

"Well...Bianca probably gave you an idea about them already. The whole 'Don't look at them, don't touch them and never speak to them because they are the most popular boys and the rest of you are peasants' sha-bam. They're well-known because of how filthy rich they are. Not their parents, but they themselves. That makes them extremely powerful."

"Powerful?"

Emily nodded.

"They're probably this generation's smartest and most talented boys."

"That's crazy!" I exclaimed. "The one I ran into was Asher, right?"

Emily eyes widened slightly before she nodded, "That's right. The one with white hair. Robin's the one that...stepped in. He's the one with blonde hair and a permanent frown on his face."

"Oh...so they're kind of a big deal here, huh?" I murmured.

"A big deal? No, they're a huge deal! They're prodigies in their own separate business fields. For Robin, it's mining, stocks and trade. Asher is an art curator and an artist, too. Yuko specialises in science, mathematics and astronomy. And Logan's a writer and a musician," Emily said.

"Wow," I breathed.

"I know right? These people are so...unreal. It's hard to believe one of them can achieve so much, much less all four of them," Emily sighed. "Most of us can't even achieve half of what they do in our lifetimes. It's even rumoured that Robin Clair earns a million dollars a minute!"

My jaws were practically on the floor as I processed the new information. These boys had everything they could ever want, looks, money, success...yet they seemed so miserable. Especially Robin.

"Well, I'm done with dinner. Bon appetit!" Emily declared, placing a steaming bowl of delicious macaroni and cheese in front of me.

"Thank you," I said genuinely, bringing a large spoonful of the food in my mouth.

"Welcome—," Emily started to say, before gasping loudly.

"What's wrong?" I asked cautiously.

"I just realized I've never asked for your name! Oh gosh, how rude! I'm so sor-"

I laughed softly, causing Emily to stop and flush with embarrassment.

"I babbled again," Emily whined, causing me to laugh louder.

"But seriously, what is your name?" Emily asked again.

"Alexandra Knight," I introduced, smiling.

"That's such a fancy name! Alexandra. Alexa. Alex. Xandra," Emily trailed off.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to make a nickname for you," Emily shrugged.

"People usually call me Alex," I said.

"Yeah, that's why we need a special name for me!" Emily grinned.

I rolled my eyes and smiled.

"Ah hah! Lexi! I'll call you Lexi."

"Lexi...huh. I like it," I grinned.

"Glad you do, Lexi. Anyways, welcome to Meilleur Academy."

◘ ◘ ◘

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of TLK (Old Edition). To old readers, does this bring back any good memories?

I will be uploading chapters 3 times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays!

Please like & comment if you enjoyed it <3

Song of the Chapter: It's Time // Imagine Dragons