I get settled in the girl's dorm and look for my name on the headboards of the beds, I find my bed just next to a mini library and a window seat. I unpack my stuff in the chest and put my things on the dresser. I take note of my class schedule on a bulletin and put it into my louie.

I get changed and brush my teeth before I go into the common room, and see Max, the boy from the bathroom, and Jackie, the girl with the handcuffs, complaining about a video game Jackie is playing. Leo quickly stops the fight and walks away, right up to me.

"Hey, Angel. How is your first night at Greenhouse?", he asks leaning on a column next to me.

"Good. I was just about to go to the Eagles clubhouse to say goodnight to Brooke.", I say giving him a small smile.

"Well...lights out at 11:00 so be sure to be back before then.", he says in a captain voice.

"Ok Cap.", I say fake saluting him and walking away.

I go to the Eagles dorm to see Hayley talking to my dad.

"Hey, Hayley.", I say as I walk up to knock on the Eagles door.

"Careful they are a tough crowd", she warns my dad and me. Brooke answers the door with an annoyed look asking,"Wha-Dad! Ang!"

We all quickly hug and say goodnight. Brooke asks me to stay but after I explain to Brooke I have to go to sleep or Leo will have my head, she lets me go.

🌱

I wake up this morning to see the sunlight streaming through the window panes in the girl's dorm, I make my bed and go to get ready for my first day. I go to the bathrooms and get ready. I wear Raven appropriate attire, making sure that my colors go with the house, which is a cute pair of navy shorts with a red tank top and a white crop over it and braid my blonde hair into a waterfall.

I go to sit down on a chair in the small library nook in the clubhouse. I pull out my louie and see a ridiculous picture of Alex showing off his abs. I wonder why Sophie would do that to him...

I was pulled away from my thoughts by Leo who, call all Ravens to the couch so he could give us a speech about the opening challenge,"No house wants to lose the first challenge."

"-Because winning is the only option?", Hayley interrupts making fun of Leo's over-the-top captain-like ambition as I laugh with her.

"-Exactly.", Leo says, not understanding the joke and happy to see Hayley's participation,"The Eagles beat us last year. The legacy of our house is at stake. When we lose, I feel sick. And when I feel sick, I'm not nice. Now, you want me to be nice, don't you?"

Everyone cheers yes before they all go outside chanting 'Ravens!'. I reach my hand out to Hayley knowing she would try to ditch and we slowly trail after them. It is not that I am not super excited to be a Raven or to participate in this challenge, I just have never been one to get overly excited about a competition.

We walk up to see Alex who is looking around for someone and stops when he spots us, "Hayley!"

"Oh, so now you do want to talk?", Hayley questions Alex with an angry/hurt look.

I decide to leave the two not wanting to be involved in family drama and run up to walk with Brooke and Daniel.

"Hey! So are you guys pumped for the challenge?", I ask them once I catch up to the couple.

Daniel greets me with a smile," Totally. You Raven's better be prepared to lose."

I raise my eyebrow at him, questioning his confidence.

"Angel! How was your first night?", Brooke asks me with a smile.

"Great. I really like it here.", I tell her with a smile.

We finally make it to the room and we separate to sit with our teams. I sit next to Hayley and give my dad a small smile when he sees me. Leo comes into the room and looks around for a seat. I imagine he would sit next to Max but instead sits right next to me. I give him a small smile before looking up to listen to my dad explain the challenge.

"Welcome to the opening challenge.", we all cheer at his statement," As you all know, this is not a regular school. And our goal here is not to prepare you for the regular state standardized exams. Other than a two-week vacation at the end of the year for you to prepare for that unimportant test we won't be dealing with that at all. My only job here is to feed your curiosity. Now, the Ravens and Eagles have been rivals for decades, and this year is no different. So today I'm sending you a riddle. You have to solve that riddle to find the key to unlock this case, to be the first team to ring the gong and win."

Leo raises his hand and asks, "So, what's the prize?"

"Yeah, I wanna know what the Ravens are missing out on this year.", Daniel jokes as all the Eagles laugh.

Leo rolls his eyes at Daniel, "-Really?"

My dad fixes the situation by answering Leo's question, "-It's okay. Let him talk. I'll just say that the winning house will get a treat to kick off a very sweet year. The riddle is being sent to your Louie now."

We all grab our louies and open them to find the riddle.

"Ten from the sea to the sand he walks to look in the soil but not in the box", Leo says as the Raven's huddle around him,"That must mean ten steps from the ocean to the sand."

They all run to the beach and begin digging in the sand. I follow with them hesitantly, not believing the riddle would be so easy. I sit on a sand dune and begin to close my eyes and think about the riddle 'Ten from the sea to the sand he walks to look in the soil but not in the box'.

Leo walks up to Hayley and me with sand all over his body.

"Well, don't work too hard.", Leo comments smiling at our apparent laziness.

"I'm waiting for the real classes to start.", Hayley says shading her eyes from the sun. "And I am trying to solve this riddle. I know my dad this is way too simple.", I say biting my lip trying to think about what it could mean.

I begin to lie back down when Hayley suddenly get up and starts digging. Leo gives me a surprised look asking for a reason as to why Hayley decided to dig. I give him a shrug.

"Hey, there!", I say giving her a look questioning her change in attitude.

"I'm not doing this for the Ravens. I'm doing this for Alex.", Hayley says as she continues to dig.

Just after she says that I remember this morning when Alex and she got in a fight, I think about the wall behind Alex and remember there was a painting of an ocean. I jump up and brush the sand off myself excitedly.

"Now what are you up to?", Leo asks me with a curious look.

"I figured out the riddle! Look! It's a trick question. 'The key is in the soil, but not inside the box.' What does a box have to do with anything? And why is it not in the box? Maybe it's outside the box."

"Yeah", Hayley says as she begins to understand my train of thought.

"Like...think outside the box.", Leo says.

Leo grabs my hand as we all run towards the foyer. Once we make it Hayley looks around for a clue. I notice that Leo is still holding my hand and I blush scarlet red.

"I think the riddle meant the sea in the painting", I say pointing with my other hand to the painting.

Leo hesitantly lets go of my hand so that he will be able to count the ten steps. He walks right up to a small Japanese rock garden. I dig with the tiny shovel until Hayley grabs the key. We all high-five at our achievement.

"Honors of what?", Alex says walking into the foyer before he notices Hayley holding the key, "I knew you'd find it."

Hayley looks down before throwing the key to Alex,"Take it. The stupid Eagles will worship you if you come back with it."

"I don't need your handouts.", Alex says unemotionally as he walks away.

🌱

We are all back in the class as my dad congratulates the Raven's on winning the opening challenge.

"A wise leader always thinks outside of the box. And the Ravens understood that. So they went to the painting on the wall instead of looking in the most obvious place.", my dad points out. He then hands the winner's gong to Leo. Leo thanks him then offers the gong to me.

"Me?", I say pointing to myself confused.

"You earned it", he tells me with a smile on his face. I give him a bright smile and take it from him before I hit the gong making a loud noise.

"I now pronounce the Raven's winners of the first challenge", My dad says.

🌱

The Raven's went up to the clubhouse to see a pizza party set up in the middle of the room. We all go up and begin to grab food. Everyone is talking about how we won. I wait until the line is not so bad and grab a plate of food before I sit with Hayley and eat while we talk about classes. I finish my food and throw the plate away as I walk towards the window seat to watch the sunset. Hayley sits next to me as she looks at her louie frowning about Alex.

"Maybe he needs some space", I say nervously not wanting to ruin the friendship I have with her but also feeling the need to tell her the truth. She frowns at me before she leaves mumbling something about 'the gym'.

Leo takes Hayley's seat sitting next to me.

"You were great with that riddle. I mean how did you figure that out?", he asks me.

"I don't know. It just seemed too easy. I find that clearing my head always helps me think. I know weird but I figured it out.", I told him honestly.

"Well, whatever you did was awesome.", he says giving me a smile.

"Are you excited about classes tomorrow", Leo asks me.

"Yes! I can not wait for my meditation class with Brooke. It will be the only class we share.", I tell him.

"How are you able to take an Eagle class?", Leo asks me.

"Oh. I thought you knew being captain and everything. I will be taking 3 Eagle classes and 4 Raven. Hence why I am a Raven. Remember how I told you I went to school in France?", I say to Leo noticing his confused expression.

"Yes", he says.

"Well, that was for dance.", I tell him.

"That is so cool", Leo says,"I always wished I could dance."

"I'll teach you one day", I tell him with a smile.

We talk the rest of the night until I fall asleep and Leo carries me to my bed.