The next day...

"Elisa! Wake up! Today's your first day at your new school!" Audrey hollered up the stairs.

Elisa sat up in her sleeping bag and called out to her mother. "Coming, Mom! I just need to get dressed!"

Elisa took her icy blue dress out of her suitcase and changed into it. The dress was a u-neck with an embellished waist, sequin details and 3D-style flowers. It hit below the knees in the back.

Suuiren helped Elisa put on her white heels.

"Awww, Suuiren, thank you!"

Suuiren winked. "You're welcome!" The swan kwami sing-songed.

Elisa slung her purse across her body, the strap across her shoulder.

"Suuiren, get in the bag!"

Suuiren winked again before flying into Elisa's purse.

Elisa ran downstairs, only to be stopped by her mother. "Careful running in heels, Elisa. You don't want to hurt yourself."

"Yes, Mom." Elisa sighed.

After eating her breakfast and brushing her teeth, Elisa put her platinum blonde hair up in a low bun. Suddenly, the events of yesterday afternoon ran through her head like a blizzard, causing her to space out.

"Elisa, you ready to go, sweetie? Elisa?"

"Huh?" Elisa snapped out of her daze. "Yes, Mom?"

Audrey smirked at her daughter. "You're thinking about Luka, aren't you?"

Elisa's face turned tomato red. "Uh... um... I... Uh..."

"No need to hide it, Elisa." Audrey giggled. "Ah, young love. I remember feeling that spark when your father and I first met. However, I was with that awful dentist..."

"Orin Scrivello, DDS. Yeah, I know." Elisa growled. She had been told of the way her mother had been treated by that creep.

"Have a good day at school, sweetie!" Audrey kissed her daughter's forehead.

"I will. Love you, Mom!" Elisa called out as she walked out the door and off to Françoise Dupont High School.

"So," A female voice said behind her. "You must be the new girl."

Elisa turned and saw a girl with dark blue hair in pigtails. She wore a white shirt with pink flowers and brown leaves. Over her shirt, the girl wore a dark gray blazer with rolled up sleeves.

"Yeah. My parents and I moved here from Moscow yesterday."

The girl held out her hand. "I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng. What's your name?"

Elisa shook Marinette's hand. "Elisa Krelborn-Fulquard."

"Want to walk to school with me, Elisa?"

Elisa smiled. "I would love to, Marinette. I need someone to show me around."

Marinette and Elisa talked as they walked together.

"Hey, Elisa, have you met Luka?"

"Uh..." Elisa blushed, thinking about yesterday.

"You did!" Marinette squealed. "Oh, you're blushing! You like him!"

"My mother knows. You're not the only one. In fact, it was Luka who told me about you. He said I reminded him of you a bit."

"Do you stutter when you are around him?"

"Yeah." She replied.

"By the way, your dress is beautiful!"

Elisa smoothed out the dress a little. "Thank you. I got it on my 15th birthday."

Before they knew it, the girls came upon the steps to Françoise Dupont High School.

"Well, Elisa, we're here. Let's go see Principal Damocles."

Elisa

Marinette and I went into Principal Damocles' office.

"Principal Damocles, I have Elisa Krelborn-Fulquard here." Marinette introduced me.

Principal Damocles shook my hand. "Welcome, Miss Krelborn-Fulquard. Your schedule is right here."

I took the paper and looked at it. "Ms. Bustier?"

"We have a class together, Elisa! Let's go!"

Marinette took me to Miss Bustier's classroom.

"Wait out here."

Marinette went into the classroom. After a few seconds, the students went silent, and I heard a new voice, possibly Ms. Bustier.

"All right, everyone. We have a new student in class today. Marinette, bring her in."

Marinette came out, took me by the hand, and led me into the room. I looked around timidly, seeing everyone's eyes on me. I then saw a familiar face. It couldn't be! Luka?!

I stood in front of the class, and Ms. Bustier laid a hand on my shoulder.

"It's ok. Introduce yourself."

"Um..." I spoke. "My name is Elisa Krelborn-Fulquard. I'm from Moscow, and now I live here."

"We're glad to have you here, Elisa." Ms. Bustier gave me a warm smile. "Can you tell us a bit about yourself?"

I started to speak more confidently. "I play the flute. My parents run the flower shop here. They were involved in the 'Audrey 2' incident back in Skid Row before I was born. And let me tell you, Skid Row was not a nice place. I was born there, but I was raised in Moscow. My mother always dreamed of going 'somewhere that's green' with my father. And it happened."

"That was very interesting, Elisa, and once again, we are thrilled to have you in the class." Ms. Bustier pointed to an empty desk. "Why don't you sit next to Luka over there?"

I froze. Oh, no...

Marinette put a hand on my shoulder. "It's all right, Elisa."

I went to sit down at my desk. I was so nervous...

Someone took my hand in theirs. I looked up to see Luka staring into my eyes.

"Don't be nervous, Elisa." He squeezed my hand. "I've been there too."

Luka

Elisa was nervous. I knew how she felt. It was her first day at a new school, and she was under a lot of pressure from moving to Paris.

I took hold of her hand. She looked up at me, and I gazed into her beautiful emerald eyes.

"Don't be nervous, Elisa." I squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I've been there too."

Elisa's scared face morphed into a gentle smile.

I thought back to yesterday when I first met her. Not only is she gorgeous, but she and I have so much in common. I learned more about her during lunch today.

"Elisa, could you tell me more about yourself?"

As she spoke, I noticed that she was no longer stuttering. Her confidence was growing.

"Well, I'm 15 years old, I'm an only child, and until now, I've only lived in one place."

"What exactly was the Audrey 2 incident?" I asked her, remembering the mention of that earlier.

"It's a long story." Elisa replied. "I'll tell you later."

"What do you like to do in your free time, Elisa? I know you play the flute, but what else?"

Elisa smiled. "Well, I sing, I meditate, and I hang with my friends."

"Me too! We have so much in common, don't we Elisa?"

"Heh, I guess we do."

The bell rang and we headed to our music class. Our teacher wanted us each to practice a song.

This obnoxious girl named Chloé Bourgeois, who Marinette told me about, was up first. Elisa had gone into a nearby room to practice. Chloé's sidekick, Sabrina Raincomprix, was on the piano.

"The pear-shaped toad..." Sabrina began.

Chloé started singing.

"Ohhhhh,

Sing sweet nightingale,

Sing sweet nightingale,

Hi-i-i-i-igh above me

Oh, sing sweet nightingale,

Sing sweet nightingale..."

I sighed. Marinette was right about Chloé. I could even see it from the way Marinette was treated by her in Ms. Bustier's class.

I went to look for Elisa. I found her in a nearby room, singing the same song, except hers was different. Elisa's voice was beautiful.

She was also twirling around as if she was in a trance. Was she thinking about me...?

Elisa

I had gone into a separate room to sing. I twirled around as if I was dancing with Luka.

"Hi-i-i-i-igh above...

Oh, sing sweet nightingale

Sing sweet nightingale

High...

Sing sweet nightingale

Sing sweet nightingale

Oh, sing sweet nightingale

Sing, sweet...

Oh, sing sweet nightingale

Sing...

Oh, sing sweet nightingale

Oh, sing sweet...

Oh, sing..."

"Elisa..." A familiar deep voice rumbled behind me. I gasped and turned around. Had Luka been standing there the whole time?!

"Luka..." I breathed.

In a few seconds, he was standing right in front of me.

"Elisa, you have a beautiful voice."

I blushed, putting a hand to my heart. "Thank you..."

Soon, it was time to go. I'm sure by now, the moving van has arrived at my house. Luka and I walked down the steps together.

"Elisa, Juleka and I are inviting everyone over to our houseboat for a get-together. Would you like to come?"

"I'd love to come." I replied.

Luka smiled and pressed his lips to my cheek. Whoa!

"I'll see you tomorrow, Elisa."

As I walked home, I stopped and sighed, touching my cheek where his lips had been.

Oh, I'm pretty much a goner...