A rather small, ebony colored carriage made several distinct, wooden sounds as its wheels rolled along the weathered cobblestone path. Within the coach rested a young blonde girl with wavy locks and her fussy, aged governess who wore a displeased expression.
"Remember, Agetha, you musn't become involved with any of the young men at this school; exposure would ruin your father's career, and any of these silly author intentions you have will be dashed," the old woman wagged her wrinkled finger out at the teenager before retracting it and folding her hands neatly in her lap, "Honestly, I can not imagine why he let you go through with this in the first place." She blew out hot air after the last word left her agitated, pale lips.
Agetha continued to gaze out the carriage window, as if mapping out an escape route through the bramble, and simply answered, "I haven't the slightest clue, but I'm glad he finally saw things my way." Her face wore no particular expression as she said this, and her light blue eyes continued to scan the area, while the horses kept trotting along the beaten road with heavy hooves.
Today would begin her first year, or "form", at Weston College, a prestigious public school where all the aristocracy of England wished to send their heirs so they may acquire its status for themselves, despite its ridiculously high tuition. However, the young lady was not interested in the status as much as she was the academic privileges, for Weston was a place where students could enjoy the most sophisticated of educations available in the entire empire.
The problem in her enrollment here did not lie in her intellectual capability, but rather her gender. The school was a place where only males could attend, and that was certainly a requirement she couldn't work upon. She soon pleaded with her father to conjure up a new birth certificate with one of the families who worked beneath them, groveling in her request, and surprisingly her wish had been granted. The whole reason behind why Agetha had asked in the first place was so that she might become an author in her later days, which required skills above the average Victorian girl's tutoring, and creating her male alias while in school would hopefully lead her toward better connections in the future. It was a brilliant plan she had concocted, truly, but she did understand the risks she was taking by attending the college.
With this in mind, she pulled back her bangless curls and tied them into a flowing ponytail resting on the back of her shoulders, adorned with a blue ribbon. Many of the other boys had long hair, she had researched ahead of time, and as long as makeup was out of the question - the blonde was convinced she could pass as male. Her breasts were not well developed, even with hitting puberty at an early age, and slender boys were not all that uncommon within the country. The only issue she fretted over would be infatuation, and no not toward her - but from her, since she wasn't so blind as to be oblivious of her feelings. Most young girls her age were already engaged, or had their families scouting for their "coming-out" parties that were soon to come, but those were more business deals than affections. She knew, however, that around all of the young men her heart would be vulnerable - or at least she imagined it would be. Her governess simply rejected the plan altogether for etiquette required her to be with the young lady at all times when a male was present even in the room; the situation lit many fuses within her.
Eventually, the coach did reach a halt and the cross-dresser stepped lightly out of the cart, revealing her formal leather shoes, blackened wool trousers, dark morning coat, and her specially crafted top hat for her puny head. This was the considered uniform for the students, and she hoped not to forget her simple hat on a rushed morning, for it was a new accessory to her. Several other boys seemed to rush down the paths of the school, and Agetha deduced that she must have already been running later than she thought for the opening ceremony. She took note that no one stepped within a foot of the edges of the grass lawns and she figured them to be off limits as she dashed with the others. This in itself was a new experience for her, for a young lady should never romp about like a wild beast, and she enjoyed the freedom she was already receiving on the new grounds.
In the meantime, she expected her footman and governess would prepare the luggage accommodations since none of the other boys seemed to give a single care for theirs. Ah, what an easy life they led.
Once within the solemn gothic chapel, the female weaved through the blabbering crowds until she found a safe distance away from the other students. She figured no one would recognize her here, without makeup, unpinned hair, and the lack of a hoop skirt, but it was better to be safer than sorry this early in the game. Socializing wouldn't be out of reach for much longer, she figured as she estimated about 200 boys were situated in the church.
A few minutes passed before the looming doors were finally shut, and a hush fell over the adolescent crowd as a rather tall man dressed in tutor robes and a graduation cap approached the podium on the alter's stage. Taking this as the beginning of the ceremony, Agetha and the other standing students took a seat upon the ivory colored benches of the chapel.
"Good morning, gentlemen, I am Johann Agares, Vice Headmaster of this glorious, English institution. As of today, you are all my students and shall follow all of Weston College's rules and traditions; there are no exceptions to this," at first the man had seemed rather friendly, but his last phrase had caused his eyes to grow fierce and cold with threat, "As long as you keep this in mind, I am sure you will all have a wonderful and meaningful experience here along with your fellow brothers!"
He took this moment to circle around the podium, but before he could give a real send-off, he tripped off the stage and smacked the middle of his forehead clear on the hard, wooden floor. With blood now trickling down the side of his face, the Vice Headmaster extended his hand and acted as if his clumsy mistake hadn't just happened. "Welcome!" Everyone threw him questioning glances, and some whispered a few inaudible mumbles, before a group of four older boys stepped forward - still on the stage. Each one bore a different color: A blonde flirty type dressed in a velvet rouge vest wore a hairstyle rivaling Agetha's, the other blonde was stocky with piercing green eyes, a chiseled jawline, and an olive plaid vest, the brunette with chopped bangs and glasses held a book close to his blue, white-bordered vest, and the final boy dressed in a violet argyle held the girl's interest the most. Instead of an appropriate hat for the ceremony, he simply wore a shadowed hood, lined in a midnight purple, and his tie was carelessly fashioned into a bow; his hair was far more peculiar than any eccentric woman's she had ever seen, and yet his ebony locks were in a lovely contrast to the bleached streak that delicately framed his heart-shaped, made up face. The teenage girl felt the need to compliment him at that exact moment, for that was much to her nature if she found intrigue, but she repressed the urge and waited patiently for the meeting to continue.
The upperclassmen had introduced themselves as the prefects of the institution, and were named: Edgar Redmond of Scarlet Fox House, Herman Greenhill of Green Lion House, Lawrence Bluewer of Sapphire Owl House, and lastly - Gregory Violet of Violet Wolf House. Each house held its own significance on the campus from the nobles, to the physically adept, and the studious intellectuals, to the artistically gifted. Greenhill then took another firm step forward and ordered, "Alright lads, gather into your houses and get ready to move!"
All of the boys' eyes widened and they bustled about, trying to stand in front of the prefects' fags (AN: This is not a term that is meant to be subjective, it is simply the term used in the series to refer to the bond between an upperclassman and a specific lowerclassman). The blonde glanced down at her waistcoat, checking the patch once more for confirmation, and then proceeded to her sorted house's group. A sea of boys dressed in striped blue ties awaited her as they were led away toward Blue House. Secretly she wished that she had been put into "Purple House", now that she knew what their prefect looked like, but she knew the academic road was far more suited to her objective than his house. Though, it truly was a shame - eye candy never hurt when trying to reach a goal.
Once outside the arched gates of Sapphire Owl House, the prefect's fag, Clayton, called roll for the first time. Many names were listed and answered before Agetha finally spoke on the school grounds.
"Aaron Eades!"
"Here!" she answered possibly a little too loudly while raising her hand. "Hopefully," she kept to herself, "I'll learn to answer to this name without thinking too much about it."