Amu looked up with awe at the huge castle like building that towered before her. She turned to face her family.
"This is it, Amu-chan." said her mother, Midori, choking back the tears.
Amu held her mother in a tight embrace, as they both let the tears flow, and soon, both Amu's father, Tsumugu, and her little sister Ami joined in. They stayed like that for a lengthy amount of time, until they were interrupted by a dainty yet impatient cough.
They all turned for their eyes to meet a pretty but plain looking woman. She had a grey tailor-fitted blazer, white blouse, and grey pencil skirt teemed with a pair of small black heels. Her features were small and elfish, and her mousey brown hair was slicked back into a pony-tail that reached just past her shoulders. Her green cat-like eyes softened slightly, as her thin lips forced themselves into a smile.
Ami cowered behind her sister.
"Boring woman is scawee, onee-chan…" Ami whimpered.
The woman's small pointed nose twitched.
"Ehehe…" Amu laughed awkwardly.
"She didn't mean it." Amu insisted.
Turning her other cheek, the bland woman stared Amu in the eye.
"I take it you must be Hinamori Amu."
Amu nodded.
"Good. My name is Yamada Chie, and I am the deputy head. Say goodbye to your family and follow me." The middle-height woman turned on her heels and walked on at a leisurely pace, as to let Amu say her goodbyes privately.
"Goodbye, Amu. We all love you, and remember. This is for the best."
Amu gave her father a small smile, as he spoke to her those reassuring words, all though Amu didn't know why it was for the best at all. In fact, she had a feeling it was for the worse.
"I love you too guys." Amu said, allowing one more tear to run down her soft cheeks.
She bent down to Ami's height, and held her tightly in a hug, and whispered in her siblings' ear, "Keep the locket, Ami. Don't let anyone take it from you." Amu retrieved a sapphire encrusted locket from her jacket pocket, and handed it to Ami.
Ami went to open it, but Amu rested a hand over the locket.
"And do not open it; I repeat do NOT open it, unless you are in danger. And I don't mean petty things like being bullied, or a burglary. No, save this for a different kind of danger. It will save your life."
And with one hug from Ami, her mother and father, Amu strode to catch up with Yamada-sensei. She waved and waved and waved, until her family was no longer within her sight. Only then did Amu fully turn around to take another look at her surroundings.
It was a large, grey building, perhaps the biggest Amu had ever seen, with multiple towers. It was extremely castle-like in its appearance, with even fog, rain, and strange croaking's to complete the typical stereotype of Dracula's castle. But luckily, it wasn't always this glum. There had simply been a bout of unexplainable storms occurring lately in Kyoto, where Amu would now attend school.
There had not been many nice rumors going around about this place either. Lexer Creek Academy was its original name, after the first headmaster, but all the locals simply called it; Strigis Occultus Academy. They say each pupil and teacher that attends and teaches there, always has something odd about them, even they don't know themselves. So why was Amu going to board here? Even she didn't know the full reason, but she understood that It was perhaps best not to push her luck by nagging her parents, as they had been under a lot of stress lately.
Amu was rushed to the main reception, through a pair of giant wooden doors, and given a map of the Academy, a key, and a servant to help carry her stuff to her room. Amu was also given one final thing. A thick manila folder, presumably containing the basic rules she must follow.
The servant Amu had been lent the services of was surprisingly beautiful. She was tall, thin, but did not give the impression of intimidation. She had cobalt coloured hair that flowed freely and ended at her mid-back. And a pair of stunning azure orbs for eyes. Although the girl herself was flawless beyond compare, with her pale skin, the clothes she wore did not do her justice. (Even though she could probably make rags look good). She wore a simple ensemble of a black maid's dress that stopped just above her knees and puffed out slightly, a white frilly apron on top, a pair of knee high white socks with a pair of black pumps, and a simple black alice band.
The maid introduced herself as Tsukiyomi Hotaru. Hotaru offered to find Amu's room instead, and Amu accepted, grateful she would not have to trail around, for hours on end searching aimlessly for her room in this colossal academy.
Tsukiyomi Hotaru offered no small talk, or exchange of words at all throughout the 10 minute walk, but simply carried on walking briskly to their destination. Once they had reached the room, Amu held out the key to Hotaru. But Hotaru simply shook her head, and pulled out her own key, successfully unlocking the door.
"How did y-"
"You are my dorm partner. There are two other girls with us, Tanaka Arisu and Tanaka Amaya. The Twins. They will be in class at the moment, and the school day ends at 5pm." Hotaru replied, cutting through Amu's query.
It was a long corridor, with eight doors. Three on each side, with two on each end. The doors were large and white, with intricate gold detail decorating each one. Hotaru showed Amu the kitchen, games room, living room and then Amu's room. Hotaru eventually left Amu too her own devices, claiming she had to get back to work. So Amu began to unpack her things.
As Amu was about to start hanging up her formal wear in the wardrobe, Amu noticed that all her school uniform had been placed inside. Taking it out, Amu tried it all on. It her fit her to a T. 'How did they know?' Amu thought to herself. 'Mum must have said' she concluded. The uniform was not unique, but there was something about it that made Amu proud to wear it. It consisted of a black skirt that ended a few inches above Amu's knees. A white blouse, and a black v-neck cotton jumper emblazoned with school's logo. A gem, intertwined in vines. The gem was a stark blue against the black, and the vines an avid green. A small blue bow, the colour of the gem was to be worn around the neck.
Getting back into her normal clothes of dark blue skinny jeans, a pair of black pumps, white tank top and hot pink hoodie with 'Seiyo High' stressed on the back in large white letters, and the small logo of Seiyo High in the far left. Amu rummaged through the drawers of what was now her desk. It was empty, apart from a small square planner, which was a dark purple, with Lexer Creek Academy's logo printed proudly and largely across the front. Underneath was a small space in which a white box sat. It read:
Name Of Pupil : _
House Of Pupil :_
Amu wrote her name neatly in the top box. Momentarily, she forgot which house she was in, but remember it had been printed on a placard outside the dorm hall. So, Amu got up and walked to the exit door of her dorm hall. Poking her head round the door, Amu saw that the placard read, 'House : LEXER' In complicated calligraphy. Rushing back to her room, Amu wrote 'Lexer' in the bottom box.
Being exhausted from her journey, she decided that she could take a quick nap. As Amu was drifting off, she was awoken by a soft knocking on her door. Believing herself to have imagined it, she started drifting off once more. But the knocking came again, this time louder. Amu, now definitely not going back to sleep, stood up, still tired, and walked towards her door. As Amu opened it she was greeted by two girls. Two identical girls. Amu rubbed her eyes, convinced she was seeing double. The girls giggled, and one of them held out their hand for Amu too shake. Amu, still not fully awake, stared at the offered hand like a simpleton. The owner of the hand waved it a little. Amu looked up, and took in the appearance of the two girls.
They were both a little bit taller than Amu, and had long shiny dark purple hair, tied into a side plait, held in with a bow. One girl's bow was white, while the other girl's bow was black. They both wore the school uniform, and each had expensive looking bags hanging from the crook of their arms. Amu now realized they were also wearing a pair of black heels, and neutral shaded tights. Amu quickly took the first girls hand and shook it.
"We are The Twins. I Am Arisu, and this is Amaya." The one with lighter hair proclaimed.
"She smells good. Can I-?" asked the twin that had not yet spoken.
"NO!" The other twin shouted. "I'm sorry, but my twin is a little… odd." Explained Amaya.
Amu, not wanting to cause trouble, simply nodded her head, and asked to be excused. 'What was up with that girl? Arisu…' Amu thought too herself. 'I swear she had a dangerous air about her…' Amu decided she would try for a little exploring instead, so taking her map in hand, Amu began her expedition of the school. She found her way around via shortcuts not pointed out on the map, but ones she had stumbled across. She decided she would use them instead. Bad idea. Amu had noticed a flight of ascending stairs, that she presumed will have led to the tower. They did, but what was in the tower was NOT at all what Amu was expecting.
As Amu rounded the last few stairs, she heard laughter. A guy's laughter. Followed promptly by the nervous laughing of a girl. Poking her head round the corner ever so slightly, Amu's eyes saw a boy, around about her age, with a tall frame, midnight blue hair and azure eyes. He was wearing the boys uniform. He was stunning. Infront of him stood the maid she had befriended earlier. Hotaru. She was speaking to him, and Amu could only catch onto snippets of what Hotaru was saying.
"New… Hinamori… Pink hair… Strange Aura… The key… Human."
The boy, who must have been related to Hotaru in some way, waved his hand in the air, as if dismissing her. Amu quickly but nimbly ran back down the long flight of stairs, terrified at what they were talking about. Suddenly she couldn't move. She was utterly still and silent in mid-stride. All Amu could do was breath and think. She had no control over her bodily functions. "What were you thinking?" came a girl's voice, soft, but obviously annoyed or worried, Amu could not decipher. "Stay still." Ordered the voice, and Amu had no intention of disobeying it.
Suddenly, Amu felt some sort of feeling run a course through her body, returning movement. She quickly swiveled around, to come face to face with an obviously annoyed Hotaru, now in casual wear, of a pair of denim shorts, long-sleeved black t-shirt with the words; love kills slowly on the front in italic writing, and a pair of black trainers. 'Why is everything so dark around here?' Amu thought to herself.
Hotaru stared at Amu, then suddenly grabbed her arm and ran with her back to their dorm room. Once there, Hotaru fixed Amu with a steely glare.
"Nothing!" Amu protested a little too quickly.
"You better watch your back around here." Hotaru said icily.
"Your not even meant to be here."
…
Thank you for reading this, I am quite happy with it myself, and if you are so tempted to figure out what Strigis Occultus means, please don't publish it in the reviews, or tell any other readers at all, as it spoils half the fun (= I shall reveal the meaning, but not right now. I hope you enjoyed, so now please press that big juicy green button (= Thank you
