Girl from Nowhere · Chat

In July, Bangkok's rainy season arrived without warning. A black sedan stopped at the school gates, and as the door opened, a pair of white canvas shoes stepped out first, their uppers impossibly clean. The girl unfurled a transparent umbrella, and raindrops slid down the ribs, shattering into tiny mists on her shoulders. Lao Chen, the security guard, glanced at her twice—this school hadn't had a new transfer student in three years, let alone in the middle of the semester. In the faculty office hallway, Wankarn leaned against the window drinking coffee. Today he wore a freshly ironed white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his mid-forearms, revealing the Seiko watch his wife had given him. Passing female students chorused "Good morning, Teacher Wankarn," and he nodded with a smile, the fine lines at the corners of his eyes curving just right. The head of discipline poked his head out of the office: "Teacher Wankarn, take charge of the new transfer student." He turned back. At the end of the hallway, beneath the clear umbrella, the girl was handing her transfer papers to the clerk. She had lowered her umbrella, leaning it against the wall, the water stains spreading into a small dark patch near her feet. Her school uniform skirt was two fingers shorter than regulations permitted, and her white socks were pulled straight. Wankarn's gaze lingered on her face for a second before returning to his coffee cup. Very pretty, but not the reassuring kind of pretty. "Nanno," the clerk read out the name. "Transfer student, assigned to Class 3." Inside the classroom, the third-row window seat was empty. Ah-chai kept her head down as she flipped through her textbook, her fingertips rubbing back and forth along the edge of the pages. Her dark circles were heavy again today; she hadn't slept well last night, and closing her eyes brought back the glaring desk lamp in the office and the locked doorknob. Her deskmate, Xiao Mei, leaned in and lowered her voice: "I heard the transfer student is from Chiang Mai, and it seems her dad isn't around anymore." Ah-chai didn't reply, her pen tip drawing a circle in the blank space of her textbook before coloring it in. "Hello everyone, I'm a new transfer student, Nanno."