Disclaimer- We do not own any part of Gakuen Alice.
Author's Note- Nothing in this chapter has changed.

·٠•Transparent Strings•٠·
-Written By Brisken & Blooming Confessions-

"Don't run away from your fears; Accept them and face them yourself."

-Blooming Confessions & Brisken-

-Chapter One-

Cold violet eyes stared down at me. Her mouth twitched ever so slightly as I defiantly stood before her with crossed arms. She mimicked my pose and continued staring at me, even going as far as pushing a lock of her pixie-cut lavender locks behind her ear and glancing at me through her lashes.

Once my lip twitched, she knew just how to finish me off. "Mikan..."

I stomped my foot childishly and huffed, "Fine."

My best friend - and boss - blankly handed me a couple of glittery dresses and continued on whizzing through the paperwork.

"Hotaru," Her orbs flickered to my hazel wells momentarily before dismissing me altogether. Why couldn't she even say a 'thank you'? After all, I was working after my given hours. I hated this bondage she had put me under.

With a sigh, I walked away from the counter that held the cash registers and expertly weaved my way through the customers and racks of clothing.

Girls squealed over articles while guys walked slowly past the store to check out all of the chicks gathered here. I rolled my hazel irises and found the rack that Hotaru had asked - more like demanded - me to hang the dresses on.

I nimbly dropped the glittery mass onto the metal rod and peeked out of the window to the rest of the mall. Our store was located on the outskirts of the food court. But more importantly, Ruka's work - my old job - was across from ours.

From my spot, I could perfectly see him flashing his "infamous" smile at a customer while ringing up his purchases. He flipped his gold mane almost making me swoon. Then I saw her blonde mop bounce towards him as the customer bid him farewell. She wrapped her tanned arms around his neck and whispered in his ear. He reacted by doing what I call his 'seductive' laugh and nodded.

Brit giggled before turning on her heels and prancing out of his shop, her green eyes alight with mischievous. I hated Ruka's girlfriend to the point of quitting my old job so that I wouldn't have to see what I just saw.

With a sigh, a bent over and collected the clothes that our customers had dropped and been too lazy to pick up. You'd think that if the whores had enough energy to squeal then they'd have enough energy to hang a frickin dress on a frickin pole. All they had to do was raise their hand and drop it not on the floor but on the pole. They should know what a pole is since they dance on one nightly.

Someone clearing their throat made me jump into the air with a slight squeal. At least the sound mixed in with the others resonating throughout our glossed shop.

I straightened out my black glittering dress so that it would at least cover up to a third of my thighs. Hotaru's rule at her store was that we had to wear the clothing that she sold...this dress was the most modest one I could find.

Plastering a big smile onto my heart-shaped face, I turned and said, "Hey, do you need something?"

"Yeah."

I snapped my eyes open upon hearing the deep chilling voice. Surely enough, standing before me was the new guy in our school, Natsume Hyuuga. He was the holder of defined crimson pools lined by thick black lashes. His tanned body was perfectly chiseled and his facial features were sharp and angular. He had a broad nose that sat above full pale red lips and arched brows that would dance to show his emotions.

Currently, the god was smirking at me, his gaze traveling the length of my body. I was tempted to ask how much he saw - since my dress was rather short... - but decided against it thinking it'd be best not to know.

"What can I help you with?" I asked in a polite manner.

He quirked a brow. I inwardly smirked as I disguised my lust for the tall lean male. He clearly wasn't expecting me to be unaffected by his sexiness.

He ran a hand through his jet black hair fabricating a mess of perfectness. No one could be so perfect, it was impossible.

"I'm looking for a dress for my sister," He explained.

I nodded and asked, "What style does she like?"

He looked thoughtfully around the store before his intense gaze landed on me. I pulled my blush in and looked at his chest as to avoid his gaze.

Natsume extended a hand and pointed at my dress. "This type."

"Okay," I said. "My dress is over there if you want to check it out."

My seller mode had been activated as I steered him through the crowd all the while explaining the dresses pros while avoiding the cons. We reached the rack and I gingerly showed him the price. The store was expensive since Hotaru had an obsession with money.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, one hand holding the price tag the other tucked into his dark washed jeans. After a moment he finally said, "I'll take it, but in red."

I beamed at the lad as I reached over and found the red style of my dress.

"Do you know her size?"

He blinked and then scanned his eyes over my body yet again. I avoided slapping him and covering my body as he practically undressed me. How can all the girls like him when he's such a perv?

"What size are you?" He answered.

I blinked in surprise and failed at hiding my blush. This was getting a little personal.

I whispered, "8."

He plucked out a dress and peeked at the size saying, "She's about your size," Then he gave me the dress. While walking towards the register to ring up his purchase I glimpsed at the size and saw the number 8 typed on it.

Once reaching the counter, I began preparing his order. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw his rouge eyes watching my every movement. Such a creep..I thought and held the tag over the scanner. The phone rang -pulling me out of my thoughts-. I reached to pick it up for a distraction but Hotaru beat me to it by pulling out the plug.

"Annoying bastards. Calling my work for all of the shit that they want. I swear they'll be praying for Satan to take them when I lay my hands on them," She muttered.

I laughed, knowing that she was talking about the business men that desired to hire her. She was a senior in high school, like me. But Hotaru was special, she already owned 3 businesses and had made multiple inventions which she's sold to companies for millions.

As I finished his purchase, Natsume said, "You look different in school."

My hands finished typing out the number on the tag as I replied, "Yeah. I have to wear clothes from work if I want to keep my job. You're total will be 168 dollars...Sir," I added hesitantly.

He took the plastic bag as I took his extended credit card. I swiped the card and finished off the purchase then handed him his card and smiled while saying, "Thanks for shopping here. Hope you're sister likes the dress."

He smirked and nodded, but stayed before me. Not wanting to be caught in his intense gaze, I shuffled trough the paperwork before me, pretending to need to find something.

"That doesn't explain the hair and makeup," He continued.

I sighed and replied, "I can't just where my hair in a messy bun with this type of dress. Plus Hotaru makes me wear all of the junk so that I'll attract more customers."

That was half the truth, I couldn't wear my hair casually with such a spunky dress. I had curled my auburn hair into soft waves that fell to my chest line, but because I liked dressing up for a change...not because Hotaru made me. Albeit she did encourage it.

Natsume simply said, "Hn."

His face had been void of emotion except for the occasional smirk which let some mischievous and amusement slip through his façade.

Still, he stood before me. Feeling wicked uncomfortable with him watching me for a minute straight, I stopped riffling through the papers and asked, "Is there something else you-"

"Were you even looking for something?" He interrupted.

I froze and stared at him with my mouth slightly ajar.

He shook his head with a small smirk. "Wanna catch a bite to eat?"

My limbs became moveable again as I kindly smiled and said, "I have work. Sorry."

Natsume looked at Hotaru as he asked, "Can't you have a lunch break?"

My hands found the pen laying near the register. They started to spin it in circles to release some of my nerves. Dammit why did this guy get me so worked up?

"I'm not hungry."

Actually I was starving and I was no longer on duty but I knew that Natsume had a girlfriend. She was constantly hanging on him and I knew because I watched him at school. I wasn't a stalker, if anything he was the stalker. Natsume was always watching me with a bimbo or two trying to gain his attention. I could feel his gaze - always as intense as fire - as though he desperately needed something from me.

So, when he wasn't watching me I'd watch him to see what type of guy was stalking me. Besides, he wasn't an eyesore or anything. There was something that did bother me though; never once had I seen Natsume smile. He was always either looking bored, irked or tired and sometimes - on his good days - he'd smirk.

Suddenly his hand slammed onto the papers before me causing me to stare in shock at him. Hazel and crimson clashed as an invisible current slapped me across the face.

He opened his mouth to speak - although I probably wouldn't have heard it since I was so mesmerized - but was interrupted by Ruka.

"Mikan, you ready to go?"

I lifted my eyes from Natsume's, seeing his lip twitch in annoyance.

"Sure," I said while gathering my belongings from under the counter.

The two boys were glaring at one another, both having their hands tucked into their pockets and both having their bottom lip slightly stuck out.

"Ruka?" I asked after standing beside him for a full two minutes.

He snapped his cerulean orbs to me and forcibly laughed before saying, "Yeah. Let's go."

As my body turned away from Natsume's I felt a sudden overbearing doleful emotion inundate me.

Before I could think, I twisted my head back to Natsume and waved slightly with a small smile on. I said, "Bye, Natsume," Before looking in front of me again and walking into the obstreperous food court.

"Mikan."

I looked up at Ruka as he walked beside me with distant eyes. "Yeah?"

"What was he doing there?"

My head cocked to the right as I pondered on his sudden pensive gaze and tense and irate figure.

I responded, "He was buying a dress for his sister."

We continued to the car in silence.

"Luna, I'm going to bed," I called.

Sumire flipped her permed emerald hair over her shoulder as she turned her magazine's page. "Of course you'd go to bed early. You're such a weird loser."

I ignored my step sister and strained to hear Luna's - my step mom - reply.

"Okay. Are you alright?" Her blonde hair popped out from her room down the hall, her hazel irises round with concern.

"Mhm," I reassured with a smile. "Just tired."

Luna nodded before smiling at me and saying, "Alright well goodnight, Mikan. Sleep well."

We both knew it was more than a farewell, it was a plea. Lately, I hadn't been sleeping and the bags under my eyes were proof. It wasn't entirely my fault, my nightmares were so horrid and daunting that I couldn't sleep after awaking from one.

It was always the same; cloaked demons would be chasing me through the woods while calling out my name. They were as fast and nimble as shadows and I knew that when they said, "We're coming for you," That it was true. The demons were coming for me because I had saved Ruka.

Just thinking of his lifeless body on the bank of the river made me shiver. My powers - which I avoided using as it brought the demons closer to finding me - hadn't been enough to bring Ruka to life so I had begged for power from the had given me the power and now Ruka was warm and living; but now, they were coming. And I couldn't run or hide this time.

If only I hadn't had these strange powers that made people ostracize me. We had to move when I was in the fifth grade since the children grew scared of me after I had shown them my power. It was nothing special, just the power to move objects mostly. But it was different and humans estrange what is different in fear of the unknown.

I don't know where I got them from. Maybe Mother or Father would know but I couldn't ask them. Mom had died when I was in the third grade and Dad had passed away from a car accident about two years ago now. Whenever I had mentioned my powers to Dad, he'd become uneasy and tell me to never speak of them or use them.

My mother was a distant memory. All that I could remember was that she looked a lot like me - hazel wells and auburn hair with a heart-shaped face. I think she was kind and active. Dad was always laughing and caring to me. I had perfect parents, ones that truly cared for me. I guess that's why they died, because they were too perfect to be living.

"Moron, are you going to go to bed or were you just joking?" Sumire interrupted.

I snapped out of my reverie and cuddle into my bed trying to evade the light from Sumire's half of the room. I was a senior in high school and Sumire a freshmen and still we had to share a room. I wasn't complaining exactly. Honestly I loved it since it helped with my nightmares. But my step sister felt differently.

Her bedside lamp illuminated her pale face as she watched me with worry. Sumire's slightly upturned nose crinkled as she thought of what to do and her thin lips pursed as she struggled with her words.

"Idiot...why are you scared of your nightmares? They're not real."

I had to laugh. This was our relationship; I played the loser older sister who cared for her junior and Sumire played the wanna-be popular junior who never wanted to concern herself with her loser senior. But she was too good for that. Sumire cared for me and her way of masking her concern was to make it seem like an insult.

"Perms, if only you knew how real they were.."

Brisken- Thanks for reading :D Hope you enjoyed!

B.C- Here's a rerun of Chapter One. (: Enjoy Chapter Two! :)