Beaufort Academy | EDITING

Chapter One: Arrival

"In behalf of Captain Gonzalez and the Philippine Airlines crew, mabuhay and welcome to the Philippines," the head flight attendant said over the speakers.

It was 2:15 in the afternoon and Wolf Ford finally arrived in the Philippines after an eight hour-long flight. Although he sat in the business class section of the plane, it still wasn't as comfortable as his own bed and that was why his whole body ached. That and because he wasn't used to staying put in one place for a long period of time.

He stretched out his legs and though he would rather be anywhere but in this country, he was eager to get off the plane.

After passing through airport routine, he walked out the place and was greeted by the humid heat. His eyes wandered around, looking for a familiar face when he heard a loud voice calling out his name.

"Wolf!" Chandria called.

Chandria was his best friend. They had known each other since preschool as they both grew up in Australia. They were the only two half-Filipino kids in the private school they went to so they instantly hit off and became best friends.

Chandria's parents were board members of an importing company and they were managing the Australian end of their business. But when Chandria's grandfather, who was then CEO, died when she was only 13 years old, they immigrated back to the Philippines to manage the company.

That was four years ago and today, both of them were 17 years old.

Wolf greeted her with a smile and Chandria immediately wrapped Wolf in a huge hug. It was only when they parted that Wolf saw that she wasn't alone. Chandria came with his father.

Mr. Paulo Ford was the CEO of Hyacinth Corporation, a company that owned and handled five-star hotel chains all over Southeast Asia.

"Son," Mr. Paulo called as he clapped Wolf's shoulder.

Wolf's smile faltered and his body stiffened at his father's touch, "Sir."

"So... how are you, Wolf?" Chandria asked before things got more awkward.

"Tired as hell. You came from school?" Wolf eyed Chandria's uniform: a blue-green plaid skirt, a white, long-sleeved, silk blouse with matching blue-green neck tie, skin tone stockings, and black Mary Jane shoes.

"Yeah, but I was excused from class."

From his peripheral vision, Wolf saw his father signalling to some people - his people, Wolf assumed. A few men in black suits took Wolf's luggage and placed them inside a black SUV.

Mr. Paulo cleared his throat, "I have to go, I have a meeting at three o'clock. I'll see you later, Son. Thanks, Chandria. I'll leave Wolf in your care."

"You're welcome, Uncle," Chandria smiled.

Wolf only nodded towards his father's direction and then watched as Mr. Paulo went inside the other heavily-tinted SUV beside the one where his luggages were. He waited until it had sped away before he turned to Chandria, "Let's go."

Both of them got in the car and Wolf leaned his head back, his body tired from the long flight.

"Are you and Uncle Paulo still in bad terms?" he heard Chandria ask.

Wolf scowled, "What do you think? It's not like I want to be here. If I wasn't a minor, I'd stay in Australia. If only Mom was still alive."

Wolf's Mom died three months ago because of breast cancer. She was a very beautiful Australian woman who Mr. Paulo met in one of his trips in Australia. He had planned to expand their hotel chain and was eyeing Australia to be the first country outside Southeast Asia to build it in.

"But you're fine now, right?" Chandria turned to face him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "You know you can always talk to me about anything."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks. I just can't stand having to live with his family."

The truth was that Wolf was Mr. Paulo's illegitimate son. He had a family in the Philippines even before he met Wolf's mother. Wolf eventually came to know about this and he had long since decided to cut off all ties with his father.

However, before his Mom died, Mr. Paulo showed up. Wolf's mom made him promise that he would take care of their son when she died. It was the reason why he was now in the Philippines to live with his father and his family.

"Have you met your half-brother?" Chandria asked.

Wolf frowned, "Not yet. I don't even know what he looks like. Do you know him?"

"Kind of. Well, at least now we get to see each other in person and not just over Skype. You have your papers with you, right? Like your transcript and other school stuff?"

"In my bag. Why?"

"We'll pass by my school and get you enrolled. I'll introduce you to my friends too."

"What? Can't we do that tomorrow? I'm hella tired," Wolf protested.

"This'll only take a moment, I promise. Besides, Uncle asked me to go with you and get you enrolled today. He also said he'll pick you up after school so that you can go home together and he'll introduce you to your-"

"His family," Wolf cut in.

"Yeah, them."

After a couple more minutes, they arrived in front of a huge white gate. Beyond it, Wolf saw huge fields where students were playing football and volleyball. There were also students carrying books, laptops and other things.

They drove in and Wolf saw a mixture of modern and old buildings in their surroundings. It was only when they arrived in front of a huge white building did they stop. Wolf could see two words in big, bold letters emblazoned in front of it.

A few people, who Wolf was assuming were part of the teaching staff of the school, were lingering in front of the main building. He could see their ready smiles when they saw the SUV pull up front.

Chandria turned to him again, a huge grin on her pretty face, "Wolf, welcome to Beaufort Academy."