To Seek. To Learn. To Hide. *All Boys School Story*

Chapter 1

***Thank you for choosing to read this book! Hope you Enjoy!!!

PS. In the UK a public school is actually used to describe a private school and not a school funded by the state! eg. Eton and Harrow are public schools. just to remind anyone reading from there or to inform some people from other countries and may be confused with some public school references in the story.***

Querere Discere Vincere: To Seek, To Learn, To Conquer. The motto of Ashwood College, the most influential and best regarded school in Europe if not the entire world, is designed to inspire pupils to advance themselves and to become the best they can possibly be (which generally for the school that means becoming as very powerful and wealthy as possible). To be honest as I sit here in the back of a taxi transporting me to the school I realise the motto doesn't really fit my purposes at the school at all. To seek? Maybe. To learn? Definitely, I've never done anything like this before and never thought I would so I obviously I haven't really been preparing myself in advance, hopefully I'll be able to learn and aquire the knowledge quickly. But to conquer? Not a chance. I'm here to keep my head down and get on with it, though I doubt that will be easy, everyone is always curious and wary of a new teacher.

That's right I, eighteen year old Emily Grayson, have managed to land a job as teacher and dorm superviser Miss Hamilton. Not only has my luck extended as far as to help me to pull that off but also helped me secure my new position at the famous Ashwood College Public Boarding school for Young men, though if I'm honest I'm not sure if that's lucky or not. Ashwood is a school known for it's prestige and excellent results as well as its rich history (The school has produced ten prime minister. Ten!) so the pressure is definitely on to try and live up to those teaching standards, especially considering I've never taught before. Add this to the fact it was an all boys school and I have to live on campus with them and basically I'm screwed before I've even started. How am I supposed to cope with all that? Any sane person wouldn't have taken the job, especially considering that they were already taking a huge and technically illegal risk of providing false documents, but I'm the next best thing to insane and that's desperate. I needed a decent paying job that involved something I could do (although I didn't have the qualifications I had always been a good tutor, and it doesn't exactly require a lot of skills to be a dorm matron) in a fairly anonymous location (this school's basically set in the middle of nowhere) that provided accommodation (a requirement for boarding school staff) and decent security (you cannot risk the security of some of the world's most rich and powerful people's children so there was 24 hour monitored top of the range security meassures); basically this job was available and was so perfect I couldn't afford to waste time looking and applying for a different post, it was a miracle I got this job in the first place with such stiff competition for it.

I don't know how well I'll hold up living a double life, and that concern is definitely far greater than the thought of facing a male dominated environment. No joke, I haven't even made it to the school yet and I'm all fidgety and sitting on the edge of my seat at the thought of recieving a call to tell me they had discovered my documents fraudulant and the police were currently homing in on my location to arrest me. Discovering my documents were false would be one of the worst things that could possibly happen: at best I would just have to try and find a new job in a completely different sector with a different alias which would be time consuming and complicated, at worst I would be thrown in jail for 25 years. Although the jail time itself is an obvious risk the biggest risk would be that an arrest would lead to a paper trail: DNA and fingerprints on file, records of my known movements and current location and, of course, the possibility of media coverage. How much less low key can you get than a story about you on the national news because they find the story a novelty, an 18 year old really thinking she could pull off being a teacher? I know I would find the story interesting and I'm sure plenty of news stations would too. But there is nowhere I am safe, not even a jail cell could provide me with any protection if they caught wind of my location.

My train of thought is cut off as the taxi pulls up outside the administrative buildings of Ashwood.

"That'll be £20.30 please miss."

I smile at him and hand him £30, I really shouldn't be this leniant with money but the man was so friendly earlier, "Here that should cover it. Don't bother with change, just consider it a tip."

The cabbie smiled at me, "Thank you kindly miss. Would you like help with your bags?"

"No thank you, I can manage them to the door and I wouldn't know where else to send them yet anyway. But I appreciate the offer."

I smile and exchange waves with the cabbie as he pulls away and trudge towards the door of the georgian style building laden down with now what consists of my entire worldy possessions in a backpack, two duffel bags and a large suitcase. I'll admit, I'm not exactly badly off for possessions but trust me when I say compared to what I used to have this is next to nothing. Though I am not ungrateful, I remind myself, I am lucky and I will not complain.

After a moment to prepare myself and a few deep brethes I lean forward to knock on the door only for it to swing open, causing me to jump a mile in the air in fright, and reveal a well-built older man with a tall frame, smoky grey hair (and matching mustache) and a stern expression which all added to his air of intimidation. It was clear theis man must be the Headmaster.

"Welcome to Ashwood College Miss Hamilton."