• "Welcome, one and all, to another wondrous year at Ashbury Academy!"

    Ms. Ashbury had just started the welcoming speech to all of the students of Ashbury Academy in the auditorium, and she felt beyond happy about it. The auditorium was filled with eager students, socializing with their friends and joking around, until they all heard Ms. Ashbury's booming voice, and looked in her direction. She noticed most of the students smile and cheered when they heard what she had said, and she gladly smiled back.

    It seemed as if it had been so long until another new and exiting year at the Academy would come. She had no idea at all why she felt strangely happier about this upcoming year. Maybe it was because her lovely niece was going to finally attend the school she had always wanted her to, or because it was Saito's (the most well-known troublemaker in all of the Academy) final year here, and she wouldn't have to deal with his devious schemes or her whole filing cabinet of his files. Maybe it was because, school would start in a week, and she would be able to sneak into the first years' classes to scare them as she "just so happened to pop in." Or maybe, it was simply because it was a new year and she had always felt giddy like this whenever she made her Welcoming Speech.

    Either that, or she had drank too much coffee this morning.

    Ms. Ashbury decided to blame her strangely happy mood on the coffee, and moved on with her speech.

    "To our newcomers," said Ms. Ashbury in a ringing voice, stretching her hands wide and a beaming smile on her lips, "welcome! To our old hands -- welcome back! It is a pleasure to be with you all, and to see all your lovely faces here, ready to learn!" There was a few groans from the students, but Ms. Ashbury ignored them and continued.

    "As you all know, Ashbury Academy is a safe, learning society for all of the many talented students such as yourselves. But not only is this an Academy to learn, but also a sanctuary for the many gifted, as well as a home." Saying this, she remembered all the moments in which Arisu had stayed with her, the good times and the bad. She smiled softly to herself, then noticed she was drifting away from her speech, and forgot where she had left off. She pondered for a few seconds, then carried on.

    "I surely hope you all enjoyed your summer breaks, because this year will be just as difficult as last year," she joked. "If anything, it might even be worse." A few teachers laughed at this, but all the students stared at Ms. Ashbury in horror. She smiled brightly at all the students. "Make sure to be ready by the end of the week, because by this upcoming week, school has officially started! I wish for all the best to you all, and may you enjoy the rest of your free week. Thank you."

    As Ms. Ashbury got off the podium, the students went back to their talking and fooling around, and the whole auditorium instantly became louder once again. Students were already walking back to their dorms, while others decided to stay out in the fresh night air. Ms. Ashbury thought of looking for Arisu in the crowd, but decided that Arisu was busy making new friends, and it was too much of a hassle looking for her in such a big crowd of students anyway.

    She walked back to her house, still smiling like a child, not having her happy mood fade away.

    "Whooo hoo!" came the only warning anyone would ever get that the school's resident prankster, Saito had returned. The call was heard the second after the headmistress had left the auditorium, and Saito was the first student out of his seat and towards the door. "Another year for the king of the pranks, and now is my last year to show what else I have up my sleeves!" he pronounced to the students, who were already getting up from their own seats and vaguely listening to what Saito had to say. But not getting as much attention as he had wanted didn't bother him as much as it used to, so he casually walked out of the auditorium doors, smirking to himself.

    "Saito! What are you up to?" he heard someone behind him ask. Though he didn't turn around to face whoever had asked him the question, because he was looking straight ahead, as if planning something important.

    Finally, he turned to the group of students who were already outside and in front of the auditorium, and gave what seemed to be an evil smile.

    "Whoever can beat me in a race into the dorms will be my personal assistant in mischief making," he stated proudly to whoever was listening, which now seemed like quite a lot. Saito smiled to himself. He had gotten what he wanted from his fellow classmates: Attention. Most of the students turned their heads to him after hearing his offer, and by the looks of it, wanted to hear more of what he had to say.

    "The rules are simple," he said aloud, as a few schoolmates went towards him with determination in their eyes. "All you need to do is run to the dorms before I do," he told them. "And without using any of your powers." He could hear the complaining already.

    After getting ready to see who would want to join, Saito had about twenty to thirty people (mostly guys) lined up horizontally with him, ready to run.

    "Okay!" he yelled to them all. "When I say 'go,' you go!" he said, laughing at what he thought was a joke. But no one else was laughing since they looked to intense. "Anyway..." he carried on. "Ready, set--"

    In less than 0.3 seconds, Saito broke off into a sprint. While he ran, he screamed as loud as could, "GO!!!"

    It was a perfect head-start for the master of mischief.

    Arisu gave a small yawn. Everyone else was leaving the auditorium, but she stayed sitting. She was sitting at the far end of the auditorium at the very last bench, which was closest to the doors, while her rabbit Mochi was in the next seat, fast asleep. Arisu leaned back on her comfy seat, clutching her necklace slightly (a bad habit of hers), and stared out into nothingness, trying to ignore everything and everyone around her. They were all so loud that it was getting on her nerves...

    She kept replaying Headmistress Ashbury's speech in her head, trying to define every word correctly.

    Society.

    Sanctuary.

    Home.

    Arisu sighed softly. She had forgotten the meaning of 'home' though she had no intension of remembering any time soon.

    She overheard a few students talking about which dorms they were in, and that gave Arisu a jolting shock of thought. Only now did she remember that Headmistress Ashbury had signed her up to be in a dorm. And with a roommate.

    Arisu always hated having Headmistress Ashbury in her own room, so how would she be able to share a room with a stranger? Slowly, thoughts of that person invading her privacy crept up in her mind. She shivered slightly.

    By now, the whole auditorium was empty, which was what Arisu was waiting for. She got up from her seat, brought the sleeping Mochi into her arms, and walked towards the girls' dorms to find her own room.

    'It should be simple to find it,' she thought to herself. 'It's the very first room.'

    But she still had the strange feeling that she was going to get lost.

    Wonda came to Ashbury Academy knowing it was the only school that would accept her. Yes she felt horrible because her grades were low and she couldn't do alot of things, but the idea that a school accepted her made her feel great. Her only probalem was that here everyone knew each other, she came here knowing no one. So she stared her first day of highschool alone.

    Ninna got up to leave. She looked back at the auditorium. Arisu was still sitting in her chair. Ninna sighed, she made her way over to Arisu. Then she stopped it looked like she wanted to be alone. She turned around and made her way to her dorm. Why was that girl always so isolated? Awell Ninna would get to her they were somewhat simmilar. At least i can get to know her in any form i choose. Ninna stopped. I think I'm lost.

    James looked around. He was planning on showing Ninna to the dorm rooms. His friend Saito was making trouble again.
    He sighed as long as there was trouble to be made somewhere it would from him. He got up and headed for the dorms. He saw a girl looking at Arisu. (Must be Ninna, I acually think I can fall in love with her more and more.) It's good to be back.

    Saito was going through all the walls, running like mad. He could here the many footsteps of his competitors, but he didn't care, since they seemed still pretty far from him.

    Finally, he had made it to the boys dorms, where he signed in, glad to know that he was the first name on the list to ever sign in. He was trying to catch his breath after running for that fast, but he still had one extra trick up his sleeve. He pushed a small sofa, which was conveniently near by, towards the entrance doors to the boys dorms. He stopped when the sofa touched the doors, knowing very well that it would block whoever would want to get in (which was practically every guy who was racing with him). Saito smiled as he thought of what a big riot it would make, and how much he wouldn't care because he would be sound asleep in his room.

    As he walked towards Dorm No. 6, a new thought came up to him. 'Where the hell is James?' he pondered. 'Hopefully he'll find a way to get in the dorms without getting pissed at me.' His best friend was always the one who was by his side whenever there were rules to be broken. But today, Saito hadn't seen his partner in crime at all. Wondering where he could have been, Saito stepped into his dorm and shut the door behind him, heading for the bed for a nice little nap.

    James new Saito was going to do something stupid so he was just going to wait til everyone was sighned in. Anyway one way or anther he always ended up in dorm seven. James was currently just wandering around outside the dorm rooms when he heard everyone yelling. Sure enough he could tell it was Saito's doing. James went in through a window near the sign in sheet just as everyone made it around the sofa. He got dorm seven and made his way to his room

    Arisu walked her way out of the auditorium, and noticed a white-haired girl standing right outside, as if she were dozing off. 'Strange...' Arisu thought. She didn't want to go near her though, for fear that the girl not remember who Arisu was. But of course, the headmistress had always told her to take chances, and Arisu was feeling quite lonely during the whole day, so she finally decided to walk up to the girl, strongly hoping it was her best friend, Ninna. And if it wasn't, Arisu's plan was simple: Run.

    She tapped the white-haired girl's shoulder lightly, and said calmly, "Ninna."

    "Arisu, I was going to go over and talk to you in the auditorium but it looked like you wanted to be alone." Ninna stopped talking. Arisu looked as if she doubted her.
    "Um, Arisu, I'm probally really satupid for not knowing this but which way are the dorms?"

    Arisu laughed at Ninna's clueless remark. Because Arisu was about to ask her the same exact thing.

    "To tell you the truth, I have no idea." she said with a sigh. "Maybe we should just follow the crowd." Slowly, Arisu looked around, noticing how empty the school grounds were. "Or... what's left of the crowd." She sighed, feeling lost. She had no idea she would be able to get lost in a place she had been living in for a year. But of course, the only places that Arisu had visited were the music room and the headmistress's office. Never had she thought she would ever need to go into the dorms. She had always had the thought of living in the headmistress's house until the rest of the year. But, sadly, she was completely wrong, when the headmistress had practically forced her to move into a dorm this year, so she would be able to "get to know her classmates better." The headmistress was truly evil to her.

    All of a sudden, she felt Mochi, who was still in her arms, slightly move. "I think Mochi is awake." she said, then regretting it afterwards, because she had just stated the obvious. But a sudden thought came to her once Mochi jumped off her arms and onto the ground. "Ninna! Mochi knows the way around the school!" she said with relief. "She can show us where it is! Isn't that right, Mochi?" she said, looking at Mochi directly in the eye. As if she had heard her, Mochi started walking (or in her case, hopping) towards where the dorms were.

    Before Arisu started following Mochi, she told Ninna, "C'mon."

    Ninna was happy she decided to be friends with Arisu. Of course her old "friends" were afraid to even except the invite to Ashbury.
    "Ok Arisu" Ninna was also glad Mochi new the grounds so well. Her friends loss that they didn't come in the first place. Ninna decide that starting school tomarrow she would give herself a new look. She didn't like wearing one look for more than she had to.

    To be continuied: ask me if you want the whole story.....more to come