Ashville Academy

by Impure Paradise

After the abrupt death of their creator, the Utonium sisters are sent to live in an elite boarding school in Ashville, Kansas, until they turn eighteen. Struggling with the loss of their powers and adjusting to humanity is one thing, never did they expect to find their born-again counterparts living just down the hall. (All Original Pairings.)

1. Welcome To Ashville

Ashville Academy

~ Hello, Allison Peirce here, for those of you who do not already know me. In this new story of mine, there is a little bit of everything - Action, romance, humour, drama, suspense, angst. I do hope you enjoy this pilot chapter. Thank you all of those Townsville High readers that have came to read this story (You are all absolute angels!) And also thank you to the new readers. (: ~

Summary: After their father's death, the Utonium's are sent to live in a Boarding school in Kansas for the next two years. Just when things couldn't get any worse, they run into their reformed ex enemies; The Rowdyruff Boys.

Disclaimer; I do not own The Powerpuff Girls, nor any of the characters. All I own is the two original characters featured in this chapter.

---

Oh, you can't hear me cry,
See my dreams all die,
From where you're standing,
On your own.
It's so quiet here,
And I feel so cold.
This house no longer,
Feels like home.

- Ben Cocks, So Cold

XoXoXoXo

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013.

As she stared out the window of her best friend's bedroom, Blossom Utonium pulled her pink cotton sweater tight around herself. She watched as cars drove by and strangers mingled outside of shops. It had been like this for a while - peaceful. A town that was once under constant threat by villains hoping to make a quick buck or just to ruin someone's happiness had turned into a quaint, normal town. Blossom thought back on all of the villains that she used to face; Most of them skipped town years ago, the rest had either been locked up in the new high-security Townsville Prison or had become reformed. The town was finally at peace.

While this was a good thing, it also meant that Blossom as well as her sisters had no obligation. At first it was seen as a gift, however as the years went by, Blossom realised that she missed the excitement. She missed seeing a smile on someone's face and knowing that she had put it there. She missed being needed. It had been three years since Townsville changed, and Blossom still felt the withdrawal. With Townsville finally safe and her life's mission being completed, Blossom lost all of her powers, as well as her sisters. It wasn't subtle either. One morning they woke up to find their powers wiped. Just like that, a huge part of their life was gone. Blossom took it the worst. While Bubbles was glad that she got to be a normal teenage girl and Buttercup was just happy that she didn't have to get up early to fight villains, Blossom felt like she didn't know who she was without her powers, or without her title as the protector of Townsville.

Blossom finally tore her gaze away from the window and looked over her shoulder. The room was quite small and dimly lit, but Blossom could still see her sisters clearly. Sat on the ink black rug, soft and fluffy, was Bubbles. The short blonde was dressed in her favourite pair of pajamas; A blue long-sleeved shirt and pants covered in white stars. She was laughing, and it made Blossom grin, she couldn't remember that last time that Bubbles had laughed like that. Chuckling along with her, sitting on the only bed in the room, was Buttercup. She was sprawled across the silk purple sheets on the bed, her green eyes narrowed from all of the excitement. And finally, Robin Schneider, the sweet brunette best friend of the Utoniums, sat on her rug in front of Bubbles. There was this tight, unbreakable grin on her face, and Blossom knew that she had just told them something important. She knew Robin well, and that grin was unmistakable.

"He did what!?" Came the shrill scream of Bubbles' voice. Her blue eyes, wide as dinner plates, stared into the fellow blue eyes of Robin. Her scream seemed to vibrate throughout the entire bedroom causing Buttercup to cover her ears with both hands. "Are you for real?"

Blossom raised her eyebrow, wondering what all of the commotion was. She had managed to tune out most of the conversation. But from the look on Bubbles' face, she knew that something interesting had just been said. Sliding off of the windowsill, the aubrun-haired Utonium began to walk over to her best friend. Robin looked up as soon as Blossom made her presence known.

"Can you believe it?" Robin boasted to her three best friends. Her shoulders swayed back and forth along with her upper body, doing a small dance while sat down. "Mitch actually asked me out. Like, on an actual date."

Eyes filling with surprise, Blossom felt herself gasp and smile at the same time. "Really?"

"It's about time," Buttercup interjected. She rolled her eyes. "You and Mitchelson have been making googly-eyes at each other for ages. I was starting to think you were both too stubborn to admit that you liked each other."

Robin's smile transformed into a pout. "I'm not stubborn. I was just too shy to say anything. Either way, it doesn't matter, because we're finally going out! He's taking me to that new Chinese place on Saturday. It's going to be so romantic." The brunette spoke softly as she fell backwards, landing on her back and sighing dreamily.

Blossom looked at her sisters, her smile growing wider. She was overcome by happiness for her friend, as well as a tad of jealousy as she compared Robin's love life to her own. While she had had her fair share of relationships, Blossom had never really had a successful one. She had crushes. Although she had never been in love, hence the jealousy. Robin and Mitch were so clearly in love. Blossom and her sisters had came to conclusion months before. Mitch would always pair up with Robin for science class, he would make her laugh, he was the first to console her when her ex boyfriend Mike broke up with her. And Robin, she was more obvious than Mitch was about it. She always dressed extra nice whenever she knew Mitch would be around, she laughed at his stupid jokes even though no one found them funny, and she always got shy when he would compliment her. Blossom was shocked that neither of them realised the attraction until years had passed.

"That's great, Robin. I'm ecstatic for you." Blossom spoke as she took a seat beside Robin.

"We are too, right Buttercup?" Bubbles asked, jabbing Buttercup in the leg.

Buttercup nodded. "Totally. You know I'm not a fan of the mushy stuff though, so no kissing in front of me please."

Robin's cheeks turned a slight rosy colour. "We won't be kissing, it's just a date. Who knows if he'll even ask me out again."

"Come on, Robin," Blossom frowned. "I'm sure that he'll ask you to be his girlfriend."

"Hmm," The brunette smiled, looking up at the ceiling. She nodded to herself. "I hope so."

Before Bubbles could get the chance to let out an ear-spitting squeal again, there was a knock at Robin's bedroom door. All head's turned just in time to see Jasmine Schnieder - Robin's mother - walk through. Her curled brown hair covered her sea blue eyes, but for some reason, the girl's could still make out small red blotches hiding underneath said eyes. Robin's concern for her mother showed all over her face.

"Is everything alright, mom?"

Jasmine swallowed the lump in her throat. "Robin, I need to speak with Buttercup, Blossom and Bubbles for a moment. Do you mind?"

Robin glanced at her friends, who's faces all seemed to hold the exact same expression; confusion. She turned back to look at her mother, just then noticing that her voice came out rough, as though she had been crying only moments ago. The red marks under her eyes only seemed to add to the assumption. Robin wasn't sure what was happening, and neither did either of the girls. Instead of questioning her mother, Robin nodded.

"Um, sure, of course." She said.

Jasmine tried to smile, but it just wouldn't happen. "Girls, please come into the living room?"

Standing up, the Utonium's all shared a glance. There was a worried look in Bubbles' eyes. She didn't like where this was going. Blossom quickly took Bubbles' hand and let her towards the door. The auburn-haired girl was so confused. She tried to keep her mind clear, to not jump to conclusions, but her mind was failing. Why else would Jasmine want to talk to them without Robin? Unless something terrible had happened?

They followed Jasmine into the living room. It was a nice living room - decorated nicely with a thin black carpet, a warm fireplace, painted cream walls and expensive looking black curtains. Even the television was hung onto the second wall with hooks, easily seen when sitting in the two leather couches pressed up against the sides of the first and third wall, opposite each other. The living room seemed to be the only well decorated room in the house though - every other room was filled with mediocre furniture and wallpapered walls.

Blossom and her sisters all took seats on one of the leather couches while Jasmine paced back and fourth in front of them. The girls knew Robin's mother very well, having known her for nine years and talking to her many times when staying over at Robin's home. This was why neither of them knew what to think. Jasmine never got nervous, not once, she even had 'the talk' with Robin after she first started dating Mike, and as Robin had described she seemed at ease. Yet Jasmine was clearly very nervous. That couldn't be good.

"Why did you want to talk to us alone, Miss Schneider?" Bubbles spoke up.

Jasmine turned to look at the blonde, stopping her pacing. "It's um, it's about John. I have no idea how I'm supposed to- Oh god." Jasmine went back to her pacing, running a hand through her mahogany hair. Yes, she was definitely nervous.

"Huh?" Buttercup mumbled. "What about the professor? Does he need to go away on business again?" She asked, referring to the time that her and her sisters spent a whole week staying with Robin and Jasmine considering John had to take a trip to Millan to discuss one of his latest inventions. Although Buttercup didn't even seem convinced with her own words. There was no way that Jasmine would act this panicked over having to look after the Utoniums for a week.

"Miss Schneider, what is going on?" Blossom asked, shredding Buttercup's question, as she too knew that this was obviously more than another business trip. She watched as Jasmine turned to look at them all, and her eyes were surely filled with tears now.

"I have something to tell you," The forty year old woman began. "I just got off the phone with the police department-"

"Was dad arrested!?" Buttercup exclaimed, almost rising up from her seat.

"No, he wasn't," Jasmine held both of her hands up. She shook her head, a frown appearing on her youthful face. "They told me that there was an accident. Oh, girls, there was a fire at your house twenty minutes ago."

Three sets of eyes widened.

Blossom was the first that dared to speak.. "A fire? Is everything alright? I mean, our father will have somewhere for us all to stay right?"

Jasmine shook her head. "Honey, John...he didn't make it."

For a second, no one moved, no one spoke, they barely breathed. Blossom's eyes stayed glued to Jasmine's as she shook her head slowly without even realising it. She was too afraid to look anywhere else. From beside her, she could hear Bubbles let out a sob which was soon muffled as she shot her hand up to cover her mouth. Jasmine continued to watch them all, ready to console them when they finally let the information sink in, but the waiting was the hardest part. She just wanted to rush over and pull them all into a hug right there and then. But she gave them some space for a couple of moments.

Bubbles turned to look at Blossom, only to find that their eyes could not meet. It was as if Blossom was in a catatonic dreamlike state. Her wise pink eyes still hadn't left Jasmine's, even though Jasmine had looked away a couple of times, she just stared at the same spot. And although she was looking, it seemed like she wasn't actually seeing anything. Bubbles then looked at Buttercup. She didn't find Buttercup in a dreamlike state, no, Buttercup didn't look sad, she looked pissed if anything.

"You're lying!" Buttercup screamed in accusation. She jumped to her feet, ignoring Bubbles trying to paw at her arm and make her sit back down. Buttercup shook her head frantically. "The Professor isn't dead. That's insane, no, you're insane!"

Jasmine frowned. "Buttercup, I am so sorry, but this is the truth. I wish it wasn't but..."

"No! I'm going home, I don't want to hear anymore of this."

"Buttercup! Watch," Jasmine yelled. Turning towards the television, she picked up the remote on the coffee table and clicked the television on. She turned over to the news channel, just in time to cut into the footage of John's tragic accident. "I'm not lying to you, honey."

As soon as the noise of the television reporter's voice boomed into the room, Blossom broke out of her catatonic dreamlike state. She turned her gaze towards the television, unable to breathe properly as her heart raced inside of her chest. All three Utonium's eyes grew wide as they stared at the screen. Their three story house - the place they had called home for eleven years - was burnt to a crisp. The damage was horrible, there was barely anything recognisable about the house. Police cars, fire trucks and an ambulance surrounded the scene - but the ambulance was empty. There was no way they could save John.

"The scene was discovered by John Utonium's neighbour," The reporter spoke into her microphone. "The entire house was up in flames. The firemen reported that the cause of the fire was a gas leak. By the time that the fire engine got here, the house was too unstable to get inside, the roof collapsed onto the first floor. John Utonium was confirmed deceased ten minutes later once a fireman finally got in to find him. His three daughters were not in the house - and the neighbour confirmed that they were staying at a friend's house. This really is a tragic accident, and our prayers go out to those close to Mr Utonium," She seemed genuine. But of course she was. Everyone in Townsville adored John. "I'm Joan Richman and this is Townsville News."

Bubbles once again looked over at Blossom. Only this time she wasn't perfectly still, she was shaking. Blossom took a deep breath and held it, and she held it even longer, unwilling to let it out. The only thing that went through Blossom's mind was; I'll never see him again. Never was a long time to hurt this bad. She felt like someone had punched her in the stomach, pushed her to her knees, just left her there to feel the pain. She soon came back to reality when she heard Bubbles crying beside her. She shoved away her own shock and pulled Bubbles into her, rubbing her back in comfort, and she cried. She cried for so long.

"I'm so sorry, girls." Jasmine's voice was the last thing that Blossom and Bubbles heard until the sound of a door slamming echoed throughout the room. And Buttercup was gone.

---

"I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was. Likewise, I never imagined that home might be something I would miss." - Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Sunday, February 3rd, 2013 - Present Time

Buttercup Utonium's eyes fluttered shut in thought. She listened to the steady rain dropping and sliding down the windows of the ink black car she was currently occupying. Buttercup and her sisters had only been in Ashville for an hour and already she seemed to despise it. The scorching sun of Townsville had now been replaced by the thunderous rain of Kansas. Buttercup found herself wondering if it could get any worse. But of course, she knew it could. With her luck, it could only get so much worse from here on out.

She tried not to think about all of the things that she would miss. Her friends. Her school. Her life. Most importantly, the home where she once sat around the kitchen table with her sisters and her now deceased father. Whenever Buttercup allowed herself to think about all of those things, she found herself grieving in silence. She didn't mind the pain anymore, because that at least meant that there was still a little humanity left inside of her.

Buttercup fixed her gaze on the car window, an impassive look plastered all over her pale face. She could hear the soft music playing through the car radio, strumming a song that she did not recognise. She felt herself let out a small, frustrated breath as she absentmindedly observed the droplets of rain roll down the clear window. Buttercup didn't like rain. Rain reminded her of her father. Once when she was younger she asked John why it barely seemed to rain in Townsville. John replied to her, "Because this is Townsville, Buttercup." She didn't understand back then but she did now. Sunshine always seemed to linger throughout Townsville, even when there was none to be seen.

But this was not Townsville.

"So, tell me again," Buttercup's voice broke the stiff silence. "Why exactly do we have to go to this stupid, fancy boarding school anyway?" Her gaze did not leave the window, but she could still sense that her sisters were staring at her, shooting her a look of mild frustration.

"We have been over this," Blossom Utonium answered quietly. "Robin's mother could not afford to look after us as well as her own daughter, and Mr Mitchelson couldn't take us in because of his own money troubles. We no longer have a legal guardian. Ashville Academy is the only choice."

Buttercup sucked in a sharp breath, resisting the urge to softly bang her head against the thick car window. She had heard that same answer over and over. No matter how many times Blossom or Bubbles explained the situation to her, Buttercup still couldn't overcome the immense feeling that this was all just a terrible dream that she would one day wake up from. Although it all began to fell more real to her as she observed the dreadfully dull sign of 'Ashville Academy' in the distance.

"We all know that he never would have wanted this for us. The Professor would have-"

"Stop," Blossom cut her sister off instantly. "We made a deal. We don't talk about dad. Not today."

Buttercup's cold emerald eyes met with Blossom's. They battled each other silently, neither daring to break the intense gaze. Sitting in between them, Bubbles Utonium was looking back and fourth, trying to decide who's side she should take. Bubbles was always so confused by their relationship. Her sisters always got on so well. She often found herself jealous, believing that Blossom and Buttercup were closer to each other than Bubbles was with either of them. They told each other everything, they hung out even when their friends weren't around, just in general they got on like best friends would. Yet they still fought like alley cats. Bubbles always felt stuck right in the middle of their arguments but lucky that she was never on the other side of them.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Buttercup sighed in defeat.

"Fine." She conceded reluctantly.

Bubbles watched as Buttercup glanced back out of the car window. The short blonde's thin eyebrows furrowed. Buttercup never conceded an argument. She could tell that Buttercup was hurting, every single day, although she wouldn't allow herself to show it. Bubbles always seemed to know how everyone was feeling, it was both a gift and a curse. She could see that Buttercup was always holding her tough exterior but inside she was still reeling from the aftermath of John's death. That was the thing about Buttercup's tough exterior - it was a cheat. You couldn't just ignore all forms of bad emotion, you had to feel them and move on. But Buttercup prefered to fight off all of it.

The black Maserati began to slow down drastically, diverting the Utonium's attention towards the sight before them. Ashville Academy was without a sliver of doubt the largest school they had ever seen. There was a large building standing tall at the front, the walls painted smokey white from head-to-toe. Two slightly smaller cream coloured buildings stood behind the first. Surrounding all the three buildings was a thick layer of freshly cut grass and scarlet Camellia flowers, none of which drooping. The bricked roofs were all red, matching the flowers underneath. The tough tower-like gate was stirling silver. It looked sturdy enough to keep the students trapped inside like prisoners.

Buttercup almost rolled her eyes at that thought alone. No escape. She whispered goodbye to her master plan to sneak out and hitch a ride to Mexico where they would never find her.

Although Ashville seemed as dull as a town could possibly get, this one school shined a little light and effortless beauty into the city. It was spectacular. Blossom felt herself ease immediately as she gazed upon the flowers and rose bushes. If she remembered correctly, red Camellia flowers promoted excellence and perfection. The meaning of the name seemed fitting for such a school. She knew that her sisters would have a hard time enjoying their experience here, however Blossom was determined to enjoy herself, no matter how tough it got.

Buttercup was the first to step out of the car. She held her head high as she observed her new home from afar. She smiled to herself - one day she would escape. No gate could keep her in. The black laced combat boots she was wearing clicked along the ground. She spun herself around to close the car door, slamming it shut as if believing that such a small action could relieve the intense anger that she wanted to release. Blossom and Bubbles stepped out of the car from the other side, swiftly raising their arms over their heads to shield themselves from the pouring rain.

"This place is beautiful," Bubbles spoke in a breathless tone. She sized up the building, her bright sapphire eyes gleaming in wonder. "It's not what I had expected." The blonde admitted quietly.

"It's not beautiful." Buttercup scoffed. She pulled her Rick Owens biker jacket tighter around her slim form, as if seeking comfort from the grim leather.

Blossom ignored Buttercup's cynical tone and turned her full attention towards the driver, whom by the look of it, appeared to be in his late thirties-early forties. She sent him a soft, thankful smile before his hands returned to the wheel of his Maserati. Blossom watched as the driver sped off into the daylight, shredding all chance of getting back to their one true home, Townsville. She turned to look at Buttercup, whom was glancing from left to right, clearly looking to see if anyone was in sight.

"Buttercup." Blossom's silky voice tensed in warning. She knew her sister better than the back of her own hand, it was obvious to her that Buttercup would try to run away at the first she got. But Blossom couldn't allow her to run off. She didn't want her sister to get them into any sort of trouble while they were in this town, but that of course was like asking Bubbles to dye her hair. It was completely impossible.

The dark-haired Utonium rolled her eyes. She let out an exasperated and childish groan before directing her attention back towards the school that would soon become her home. She stared unenthusiastically at the white walls. A small, hopeful smirk destroyed her weary expression as she began to meticulously calculate some cunning ways to escape her new prison.

Just as she began thinking of how she would break free before even stepping foot inside, Buttercup heard the front door of the smallest building open. A tall, agelessly beautiful woman walked out and closed the door behind her. The Utonium's watched as the woman began working her way towards them, strutting glamorously in lavender Christian Louboutin stilettos. The confident smile dropped from Buttercup's face as she glared at the woman. Her golden blonde hair was held up in a high bun, halting strands from shielding her vision.

"You must be the Utonium girls." The woman spoke in excitement. Her voice was overly sophisticated, and didn't seem to fit her overall appearance.

"That's us," Blossom answered cheerfully after a moment of muteness. She extended her hand towards the blonde whom proceeded to shake it in a form of introduction. "The school is stunning. We cannot wait to get acquainted."

Buttercup's eyes rolled. Her sister always spoke for them, trying to sound as if all three Utoniums were just as refined and amicable as she herself was. Buttercup sometimes got the impression that Blossom wasn't pleased with how she and Bubbles acted in situations such as this. But that only added to her charm. Blossom was a Grade A perfectionist, which meant that if something wasn't considered perfect, she had to make it appear to be.

The woman smiled, her deep green eyes showing pride. She was beautiful, the girls noticed, and she took care of herself well. Her skin was smooth and tanned, and there wasn't even a hint of a blemish on her ageless face. Her stature was tall, she must have been about 5'9. Her lips were thin and naturally blush pink. Everything about her screamed beauty. It was hard to tell her age - but Blossom assumed she had to have been in her late twenties. Anything older than that would have been a shock.

"I'm thrilled to hear that," The tan skinned woman drawled. "My name is Holiday Sinclair. I'm in charge of the students, I'll help you settle into the school and I'll make sure you're comfortable here. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you all to Ashville. I am certain that this experience will change you all for the better."

The short silence was filled with a snort of derision.

Blossom shot her head towards Buttercup, a stern expression painted all over her face. Buttercup smiled sheepishly at her sister, fighting back the urge to smirk brashly. The two sisters stared each other off once more as if just asking for an argument. But Buttercup wasn't worried. Blossom would never come to blows in front of a respected staff member of the school, she didn't like to cause scenes or appear less than responsible.

"Well," Holiday broke the tension, dusting invisible lint from her thistle coloured Ponte dress. "If you will all come with me, I'll bring you to the office and we can continue this meeting."

Holiday spun on her heels and began walking towards the first building in sight; The large one with the smokey white walls and large windows. As the Utonium's began to follow, Blossom discreetly pulled Buttercup's arm and walked by her side, holding a tight death grip on her sister's upper arm. Buttercup glanced at Blossom, sheer amusement dancing in her forest eyes.

"Would it kill you to be polite?" Blossom whispered sharply.

The sides of Buttercup's lips curved into a half-smirk. "Would it kill you to stop acting like a posh bitc-"

"Buttercup!" Bubbles scolded from beside Blossom. "Can you please just stop fighting? At least wait until tomorrow morning before you are at each other's throats again."

Blossom and Buttercup exchanged a glare, both reluctant to let their argument go. Eventually Blossom released her sister's arm and continued walking with her head held high. Buttercup sent a glance to her other sister, whom was smiling sweetly up at her. Bubbles always seemed to be the peace-maker of the family, it was hard to say no to her, even for Buttercup.

"Let's just get this day over with." Buttercup muttered.

Holiday opened the white double-doors, a wide grin on her face, as if she was excited to see their reactions. She held the heavy door open for the Utonium's to walk inside. Blossom followed by her sisters entered the school, or the mansion as Buttercup was thinking. It certainly didn't look like a run of the mill Boarding school. Their feet was immediately met by a dark carpet, contrasting well with the teal coloured walls.

Although Buttercup was glancing around the room with very little interest, Blossom and Bubbles were practically gushing in awe. It was beautiful - no, more than that. Spectacular was the only word that came to mind. The entire hall looked too good to be true, like it had been photoshopped to perfection. Everything fit so well in the room, right down to the delicate paintings of the Kansas shore hanging on every wall, the fuchsia flowers on every table and the blinding crystal chandelier looming over their heads. Strangely enough it was like something out of a run-down cliché fairytale.

"So. What do you think?" Holiday asked with an anticipating smile lighting up her face.

"It's very nice, Mrs Sinclair." Blossom spoke absentmindedly. Her lips were moving yet her eyes were bouncing around the room, trying to take everything in.

The statuesque blonde chuckled. "Excellent. I am pleased that you like the facility. Please wait here whilst I go fetch your timetables for classes tomorrow."

Blossom could barely hear Holiday as her eyes feasted upon the room. She had expected much less than this. Most Boarding schools were not as sophisticated or beautiful as this one. Truth be told, Blossom would never have guessed that such a place could be set in Ashville. She made a mental note to forbid herself from expecting the worst from now on.

"Thank God she's gone," Buttercup muttered as soon as Holiday was out of sight. "Her perfume was making me nauseas. Why does she have to wear so much of it?" She moaned grimly.

"Why are you being so negative about everything?" Bubbles asked in a small voice.

Buttercup's thin eyebrow raised. "Gee, I don't know, Bubbs. Maybe it's because we're being forced to live in this place until we're eighteen; which is in two freaking years. No matter how beautiful the school is, it's still our prison."

"We should at least try and get used to it," Bubbles began. "Come on, try to enjoy the fact that we get to experience this whole new adventure. We get to meet new friends and learn new skills. And no one here knows us or our story. No one knows that we're ex superheros that lost their magical abilities. We get to feel normal for once."

A thick silence passed after Bubbles' speech. Even Blossom pulled herself away from her Ashville Academy filled trance to stare at her sister with soft eyes. The sisters all shared a three-way glance and didn't say a word. It felt like forever since someone had mentioned their loss of fame and power. It felt like only yesterday to the girls, but all in all, they had been living the façade of being normal for the most of three years now.

Just as the muteness began to seem never ending, Holiday's high voice broke out.

"Your timetables!" She spoke excitedly as she rushed over. She practically shoved three pieces of laminated paper into Blossom's hands. The red-head looked at Holiday, startled, before taking hold of the papers and handing one to each of her sisters.

"Thank you." Bubbles said sweetly, giving her a warm smile.

Blossom studied her timetable closely, her wise pink eyes fluttering in wonder. All of the classes seemed basic although she didn't enjoy there being only three classes per day. Nevertheless, she seemed impressed. She raised her hand to tuck a lingering strand of soft auburn hair behind her right ear, leaving the rest to fall down her back. She had always had particularly long hair. After turning sixteen, she decided against cutting it, letting it continue to linger around her waist line.

Many girls that had passed Blossom in Townsville stared at her in envy. Even her best friend, Robin, found herself staring every now and then. Blossom was the type of girl that wasn't aware of her genuine beauty. She had always been the tallest out of her sister, giving her the adored long legs that most people would kill for. Her face was structured well with a firm-set jaw, a straight nose, clear complexion and a small amount of auburn freckles gracing her cheeks.

Of course, Blossom was too wrapped up in her mind to notice the beautiful outside that she had been gifted with.

Holiday's cheerful face turned serious; and boy, it was terrifying. "Now I must inform you of the rules that you must stand by."

Blossom and Bubbles suddenly tensed. They cast sly glances towards Buttercup. The dark-haired Utonium's face had turned red in livid rage, steam practically began spurting from her ears. If there was one thing that Buttercup hated, it was rules. And if there was something she hated even more than rules, it was being told to do something. Blossom began to worry, her clever pink eyes shooting a warning glance towards her sister before she could say something she may later regret.

"Rules?" Buttercup asked slowly, spitting the word out as if it were venom.

"Yes, rules. First of all, we do not appreciate misbehaving students. If you talk out of line once then you will sorely regret it. Now, all years are allowed to leave the building on weekends and also on Fridays, on the condition that you are not to leave any earlier than 10 am and you must be back inside your dorm room, ready for bed, at 12 pm. If anyone breaks curfew then they are not allowed outside of their room for a whole month - excluding classes and the common room. The same goes for if a female is caught in the room of a male and vise versa."

Buttercup pouted her lips and nodded, a small hint of mischief running through her eyes.

"And what if we go out and just..don't come back?" Buttercup asked, earning a sharp elbow in her side from Blossom. She turned to look at Blossom with eyes. Blossom sent her another look of warning before turning back to Holiday.

"If anyone attempts to run away, the police will be involved."

Buttercup's eyes closed as she let out a sigh of frustration. She kissed goodbye to her plan of escape that she had been working on the whole ride there. She didn't want to get into any unnecessary trouble while she was here. That still wouldn't stop her from causing some harmless trouble though. Buttercup smirked to herself as she began planning an all together new plan, one that involved the can of spray paint hidden in her suitcase and Holiday's car.

"Now for your rooms. Blossom and Bubbles, you two shall be sharing room 47. And Buttercup, you have been assigned a room that is lacking of a secondary student." Holiday informed them.

Roommate, Buttercup thought. In that moment she began to think about how she would handle having a roommate. The girl would be someone that she would have to see every morning when she woke up and every night before she went to bed. It had never occurred to her that she might have to accommodate a room without either of her sisters in it. Buttercup wasn't sure if she was alright with it. She didn't like meeting new people. It made her feel vulnerable, just the fact that she knows nothing about them. Buttercup liked to know everything about her friends, to make sure she could trust them. But she knew nothing of this girl.

"Buttercup, come on."

The dark-haired teenager glanced up to the sound of Blossom's voice. She noticed her sisters and Holiday making their way towards the door, no doubt to show them to their new rooms. Buttercup quickly gathered her bearings and walked towards them all, her mind a million miles away.

Buttercup followed Holiday outside, her eyes narrowing as the thunderous rain of Kansas once more hit her. She raised one of her arms over her head to shield herself momentarily. She strolled behind the tan skinned woman until they stood before one of the other buildings. This building was cream coloured and slightly larger than the other. Nevertheless, it was equally as magnificent.

As she stepped inside, Buttercup ran her fingers through her short black hair. The frustration was written clear on her face. Ten minutes in this place and she was ready to scream. She absentmindedly tugged at the collar of her leather biker jacket, her green eyes scanning the new enviroment.

As well as her auburn haired sister, Buttercup wasn't aware of her head-turning appearance. Truth be told she had never thought of herself as the girl that made fellow females stare in envy or made the male population awestruck. However over the years Buttercup had grown into a rather attractive young woman.

A waterfall of shiny, thin black hair reached just under her shoulders. The bright sheen of her midnight locks always managed to bring out the emerald green of her eyes making them sparkle mysteriously. Her skin was smooth to the touch, the texture giving the impression of fine silk. She also towered over her blonde sister, coming in as the second tallest Utonium. Her legs seemed as though they could go on for miles. She had naturally long eyelashes and thin eyebrows. Even her cheekbones were perfect, making her smile even more ravishing, if only she showed it more. Although Buttercup couldn't see it, even Blossom found herself envying the unseen beauty of her sister.

"There are three floors in this building," Holiday's velvety voice called out. "The first floor is the mix of female and male rooms between the ages of fourteen and fifteen. The second floor is for the sixteen and seventeen year olds. And finally, the top floor is for the eighteen year olds," She turned to the dark-haired Utonium. "Buttercup, your dorm number is forty-six, on the opposite side from Blossom and Bubbles' room."

Blossom's lips curved into a smile. "Thank you, Mrs Sinclair."

"Please, call me Holiday," The blonde woman waved her hand. "You can go up to your rooms now. I'll fetch your luggage that was sent over this morning and bring it up to you as soon as humanly possible."

With that said, Holiday spun herself around and began walking away, the heels that adorned her feet clicking painfully loud as she did so. Buttercup took a step forward, heading towards the stairs. The staircase was so red that it stood out more than anything else in the room, and the golden banister shined brightly, adding more attention. Buttercup had caught a glimpse of an elevator lurking in the back of the room. She squinted her eyes at it. Was there really any point of having both a staircase and an elevator? Buttercup was dying to ask someone that very question.

Blossom and Bubbles followed their sister up the stairs, eager to see the room that they would be sleeping in for the next two years.

"Come to my room after you've checked out your own," Buttercup told her sisters as she walked. "If I don't like my roommate, I'll need you two to stop me from causing a scene." She said - only half joking - and sported a bittersweet smirk, causing both Blossom and Bubbles to roll their eyes.

"I'm sure she'll be lovely." Blossom commented, praying that as usual she was right.

As the girls reached the second floor, they parted ways. Blossom and Bubbles skipped excitedly into their bedroom, leaving their sister to cautiously poke her head into her own.

Buttercup's eyes narrowed as she laid eyes on her roommate. The girl was sitting on the floor in front of a television screen, a game controller in her hand. As Buttercup glanced towards the screen she noticed that the girl was playing Zoom Racers 3, which just happened to be Buttercup's all-time favourite video game. The dark-haired Utonium felt herself ease slightly. They had something in common. That was a good sign.

The stranger's midnight eyes were fixed onto the small, block-like television screen. The smallest whisper of a smile was adorning her full pink lips. Her fingers were violently slamming down on the circular buttons of the X-Box controller as if her life depended on it. As she played the game, her body swayed back and fourth in unison with the violet Corvette on the television screen.

Buttercup raised her eyebrow as she stepped inside the room. "They have video games in this place? Hmm. Maybe it isn't as bad as I thought."

As the girl took notice of Buttercup's presence and looked up, Buttercup took the chance to size her up. She was beautiful, Buttercup noticed, but she wasn't beautiful like those girls in the magazines. She had a more girl-next-door look. Her long hair was a rich shade of mahogany, fanning around her face in a feathered style. Radiant blue eyes, framed by long lashes, stood out thanks to her stunning porcelain-esque skin. There was a small amount of tan freckles dusted across her high cheeks and straight nose. All in all, she didn't look like the type of girl that would be sitting in a boarding school playing video games.

"Actually, you have to earn the right to use electrical devices," The girl spoke. "I happen to know a member of staff that is very open to bribes." She finished with a small smile.

The girl sat her game controller on the floor in front of her before rising up to her feet. Buttercup took notice that she was rather tall, taller than her and most likely Blossom as well. She looked at Buttercup from head-to-toe, her soft blue eyes shining in admiration.

"I'm Daisey," The brunette spoke, her thick Australian accent flowing like smooth velvet. There was an air of cheerfulness that surrounded Daisey as she spoke. It was like nothing Buttercup had ever seen before. "You must be my new roommate."

Daisey took a step forward, allowing Buttercup to catch a good glimpse at her outfit. A cropped jean jacket paired with a tight-fitting white blouse covered her slim top-half. A ruffled, blush pink, floral print skirt emphasized her long, creamy legs. Finishing off the outfit was a thick cream belt wrapped around her small waist. While it was an outfit that Buttercup wouldn't be caught dead in, she found it rather interesting.

"That would be me," Buttercup responded. "I'm Buttercup."

The brunette stared at Buttercup. For a moment she just stood there, void of all emotion or movement, almost as thought she wasn't sure how act properly around a stranger. Buttercup just assumed that being cooped up in this school would make anyone turn into a confused robot when meeting new people. After a prolonged minute of awkward silence, Daisey shot Buttercup a friendly smile, showing off her pearly white teeth.

"You're one of the new girls," She spoke with interest. Buttercup realised that it might take a while to get used to that overly chirpy Aussie accent of hers. "I heard that three sisters were moving in today. It's nice to meet you."

Buttercup's thin eyebrow raised in curiosity. It was apparent that news traveled fast in this place. Composing herself, the dark-haired Utonium nodded.

"Yeah, my sisters are sharing the room opposite to this one. They're a lot more excited about this than I am." She mentioned, crossing her arms in distaste as she glanced around the messy room she would be subject to sleep in. She soon realised that perhaps this Daisey girl might not be the cleanest roommate.

Daisey's soft blue eyes rolled. "Let me guess, Mrs Sinclair gave you that speech about how 'Ashville Academy will change you for the better'. Gosh, she can be a right pain in the backside."

"Yes!" Buttercup's voice raised drastically. "She kept looking at me like she wanted to make a lady out of me. It was sickening. What's her deal anyway? Why is she such a.." Buttercup paused and began to click her fingers, trying to think of the perfect word to describe Holiday.

"A dingbat?"

Buttercup wore a perplexed expression. "Huh?"

"It means she's stupid."

"Oh. Then yes, she's a dingbat."

Daisey chuckled musically. Ever since she had been at this school, she had never had a roommate that she liked. Most of them either complained about her lack of tidiness while the rest just got on her nerves. Daisey always managed to get them to switch rooms by playing nasty pranks to drive them away. But she had the feeling that she had finally struck gold with Buttercup. A girl that didn't like Holiday and was also rather funny? Daisey liked this one.

"Don't worry, the other staff are a lot better than Mrs Sinclair," Daisey said. "I'll show you around the grounds later. There's tons of stuff to do in the third building. Do you play pool?"

Buttercup sported her legendary Utonium smirk. "I'm the master of pool."

"Ace," Daisey grinned. "I'm looking forward to facing off against the master." She bowed playfully, long brunette hair cascading around her.

The dark-haired Utonium smiled uncontrollably. She took another step into her new room and took a look around. Although the black carpeted floor was covered in items of clothing and what appeared to be chocolate wrappers, it was still rather quaint. The walls were a soft cream colour, most of the colour hidden by the mass of posters hanging on Daisey's side of the room. Both single beds had black sheets and white pillows, extremely bland yet comfortable looking. Stood by the side of the door was a vastly large wardrobe that looked broad enough to fit two people's clothing. Beside the oak wardrobe was a cream coloured stand, holding a small television. Both of the beds were positioned on opposite sides of the room, the only object between being a beige bedside cabinet. Over all, the room might not have lived up to Buttercup's high standards but it would do.

"Do you like the posters?" Daisey asked as she appeared beside Buttercup. "If you don't, I can take them down."

Buttercup turned her attention to the mass amount of band posters hanging beside and above Daisey's small bed. The first one that caught her eye was a Bastille poster which was stood tall in between a Paramore and an Augustana poster. Buttercup's eyes gleamed. Her favourite band of all time was Bastille. The rest of the posters were a selection of Indie bands, some solo artists such as Jessie J and Ellie Goulding, and even some rock legends. Buttercup was impressed, she distinctly remembered having at least several of the bands on her iPod Playlist.

"No, I like them."

"Good, because I wasn't going to take them down." The Aussie girl declared, turning to face Buttercup with a small, insignificant smirk tugging at her lips.

Buttercup rolled her eyes but still managed to smile at her roommate's comment. Just as she was about to ask Daisey what the teachers were like, Buttercup heard footsteps behind her. She spun herself around as did Daisey to face the two remaining Utoniums. Blossom was looking around the room with her nose scrunched in distaste as her eyes landed on the mess around the floor whist Bubbles was sheepishly waving at the strange brunette standing in front of her.

"Hello," Bubbles spoke politely. "I'm Buttercup's sister. Bubbles."

Daisey remained completely silent for a second. She was tempted to ask why they all had such odd names, but decided not to be rude. Instead, she sent a smile towards the freakishly short blonde. Daisey felt a surge of jealousy run through her as she sized the stranger up. Her beauty was unimaginable. Never had she seen someone with hair as golden as Bubbles', nor had she seen anyone with such sparkling, alluring blue eyes. Daisey was having a hard time stopping the envy from showing on her pale face.

Ever since the age of fourteen Bubbles had been aware that she was attractive. Her sisters always remained oblivious of the famous Utonium beauty but not the short blonde. She might not have been the sharpest knife in the drawer but she was certainly all knowing in different aspects. Bubbles had stopped wearing her hair in pigtails at the age of thirteen -realising that she had grown out of the adorable child look- and began to wear her rich golden hair down, usually curled to perfection. She never usually wore makeup unless it was necessary, she felt as though it ruined her natural style. Her skin was slightly sun-kissed compared to her sister's pale porcelain-esque skin. Whenever she smiled, dimples appeared at either side of her lips, adding to her sweet captivation.

Bubbles had spent all morning going through her mass of outfits trying to find something acceptable. After much deliberation she had decided upon a Christian Dior blouse and a Valentino pencil skirt. Her blouse was vintage, the colour of midnight blue bringing out the alluring bright blue of her eyes. It was a flattering blouse, complete with silver buttons and a neat collar. Her skirt was diamond white, reaching just bellow her knees, allowing her long legs to make their appearance. Completing her outfit was Salvatore Ferragamo slingback heels, the colour matching her blouse.

"I'm Daisey McCoy," The Aussie introduced, pushing aside her jealousy. "I love your shoes."

"Thank you. I like your belt."

"Oh, this? I bought this in Australia when I was seven. It's so cute, right?"

Buttercup rolled her eyes. She always hated how when anyone spoke to Bubbles the conversation turned into something to do with fashion. She understood that Bubbles had an eye for beauty, she could see the splendor in everything, whether it a simple dress or a mere painting that no one would pay attention to. But that was not Buttercup's department. Buttercup prefered to chat about music or sports. Yet Bubbles always managed to slyly enter fashion into any conversation. Once, Buttercup and Blossom were talking about chocolate ice-cream and somehow the conversation ended with a discussion of the new floral skirt that Bubbles had bought.

Much to Buttercup's appreciation, Blossom managed to stop the painfully boring conversation of belts by introducing herself.

"I'm Blossom. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Daisey's lips curved into a small smile. "Right back at you. Come on in, we can chat before I show you all around the school."

The two Utonium's stepped inside the small room, trudging past the mix of white and purple shirts that had clearly been flung around the room. Blossom sucked in a sharp breath, trying to hide her obvious distaste. Being the perfectionist that she was, Blossom didn't enjoy being in such a harsh enviroment. However she decided to try getting used to it for the time being. That was, until she could rush in during the middle of the night with a broom and a bottle of soap and water.

Buttercup took the chance to get acquainted with the bed she would soon have to be dragged out of every morning. She hopped onto the unforgiving mattress, upsetting the thin white pillows sitting at the head of the bed, and began bouncing around a little to check the comfort. She received odd looks as she continued to jump around on her backside, short black hair cascading all over the place.

"Uh, what is she doing?" Daisey whispered to Blossom.

"She is checking to see how comfortable the bed is," Blossom responded in a clearer voice, receiving a cautious look from Daisey in return. "She does this with all of her beds."

After a good twenty seconds of bouncing, Buttercup smiled. She lay down on the bed allowing her hair to fall around her face. It might not have reached the same level of snug relaxation as her previous bed in Townsville but it was still cozy. However she believed that the cushions seemed more like bricks than warm, fluffy pillows. She finally glanced up at her siblings and roommate only to find them all staring at her with mixed expressions.

"I like it!" Buttercup declared with a painfully wide grin strapped to her face.

Daisey pursed her lips and held back the urge to comment that Buttercup was beyond the weirdest person she had ever met. She strode past Blossom and jumped onto her own bed which unlike Buttercup she found extremely uncomfortable. She lay on the black sheets with her back propped up against the headboard, both hands placed behind her head and a content smile on her lips.

Just as Blossom decided to take a seat on Buttercup's bed in order to protect her feet from the messy floor, a new voice entered the mix from behind her.

"Daisey," A secondary Australian accent bellowed. "Did you steal my laptop again?"

The Utoniums and Daisey turned their attention towards the boy standing by the door. He stood there staring at the newest students in surprise. He was very tall -And older, Blossom noticed, most likely seventeen- and poised with this strong air of confidence surrounding him. His coffee coloured brown eyes bounced from one Utonium to another, studying them closely like he had never seen an unfamiliar face before. Amusement flickered in his orbs as he stared at them.

"I borrowed it actually." Daisey rolled her made-up eyes.

As he continued his piercing gaze at the Utonium sisters, the boy crossed his arms over his well-built chest. A smile lit up his face accenting his perfect cheekbones. Buttercup could practically feel Daisey's exasperation from the other side of the small bedroom. The stranger looked back over at Daisey with one of his eyebrows raised.

"I didn't realise that you had company. Finally made some mates that can put up with you, huh?" He teased, his voice as smooth as silk. And what a voice it was. Even Blossom found herself wishing that he would speak again.

Daisey sent the boy a cold look before turning her attention back to the girls. "This is Chase. He's an ass."

"I'm touched, Daze." Chase held his right hand to his chest and pouted. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said about me," He glanced back at the Utoniums. "I'm Chase Royale."

Chase grinned boyishly at them, looking nothing less than pleased to see new faces. His sandy blonde hair was disheveled, dark golden curls just about covering his unique, honest brown eyes. His hair fit well with his slightly smooth and sun-kissed skin giving him that perfect male complexion that most strive for. His look was so effortless, so easy, that it looked as though he didn't even try for his firm jaw line, straight nose and great cheekbones. While his face looked laid-back, his physique was another thing. Arms rippling with muscle and toned body - anyone could easily tell that he was the athletic type. And boy, it fit him well.

Casting a smile, Blossom stood forward and decided to introduce herself. "I'm Blossom and these are my sisters, Buttercup and Bubbles."

"I reckon that you are the new girls?"

"We're famous already?" Buttercup said to Chase as she sat up on her bed. "Awesome."

Chase's lips stretched into a grin. "Not famous, no. We just don't get a lot of excitement in this school. Three sisters moving into our hallowed halls is what you would call 'Grade A gossip'," He told Buttercup before glancing back over to Daisey, whom seemed less like the joyful girl she came across as now that Chase was in the room. "Why don't we give them a tour of the school? I'm sure that they would love to see the common room?"

"The common room?" Bubbles spoke up. Her eyes shined with curiosity.

"We Ashville Academy students call it the Sanctuary," Answered Daisey as she rose to her feet. "It's the only place in all the school that all years can hang out before and after classes. I reckon that you'll like it."

"That sounds great," Blossom said. "Let's go."

As the two Australian's headed towards the door, Blossom turned to face Buttercup. She raised her eyebrow in question when she noticed that her dark-haired sister was yet to get up. Sighing in defeat, Buttercup slid her Rick Owens jacket off of her shoulders before standing up. She didn't want a tour of the school, all she wanted was to find a way to escape it. Buttercup dragged her feet forward and followed her sisters out the door.

The five of them headed down the red stairs, Buttercup's hand clutching onto the cold, golden banister. Even the stairs screamed expensive. When their feet trampled down the steps, they didn't creek like the stairs in the Utonium's old home. The red carpet had no clear stains, even the banister was free of finger prints. Buttercup rolled her eyes while wondering if this school could get any less realistic. She was only about 20 percent sure that she was actually awake and that this wasn't just a terrible nightmare.

"The Sanctuary is usually flooded with students on Sundays, by the way," Chase spoke as he made his way to the bottom step. "Since you three are the first new students in months, there may be a lot of staring, but just ignore it."

"Yeah," Daisey piped up. "When Chase and I moved here a year ago everyone stared at us. But it'll stop after a while."

Bubbles glanced at Blossom and swallowed. Contrary to popular belief, Bubbles hated being the centre of attention. It made her feel uncomfortable. She stepped down the stairs nervously, wondering how her hair looked. Okay, so she may not enjoy being the centre of attention, but if that was the case, then she had to look good. Bubbles ran a hand through her hair, using her fingers as a makeshift comb. She looked down at her outfit, straightening out her blouse and dusting off her pencil skirt. Everything appeared to be okay. Bubbles just wished that she makeup hadn't smeared at some point during the car ride.

They walked into the common room, and just as Chase had predicted, all eyes were on them.

Buttercup narrowed her eyes as she looked around the room. There had to be at least thirty people all between the ages of fourteen to eighteen. Some instantly looked away when Buttercup shot them a glare, but others continued to look at them, as though they were the most interesting things in the whole room.

Daisey, a wide smile on her face, leaned into Buttercup and whispered, "Keep shooting them those evil looks, they'll be sure to stop looking at you."

Ignoring the staring, Bubbles and Blossom looked around. The walls were painted clean white, and there was these little specks of gold flickering across the walls almost like stars. A single photograph was hanging above one of the many red couches. The enlarged picture looked old but well taken care of, a photo of the school seen from the outside, however it looked slightly different. Written in a border on the golden frame was the numbers 2001. Students stood outside the school, posing for the photo. One of the students near the front was unmistakably Holiday Sinclair. The tanned skin, blonde hair, sharp green eyes and timeless beauty was hard to mistake for anyone else. She must have been at least seventeen years old, give or take a year.

Sitting near the back of the common room was a row of computers. They all looked modern enough and the computer chairs looked to be even more comfortable than the couches. Near the other corner was seven large pool tables, all places in rows like the computers, in the colour of beige. Two students -a girl and a boy, both with blonde hair- were already in the middle of a heated pool game. Their eyes were battling each other from across the table as they made their moves. Every now and then, they laughed, as though this was the most fun they had had in a while.

"Welcome to the Sanctuary - in other words, our common room," Daisey spoke loudly. She turned to the girls and smiled. "There's also a library in the back, you just have to go through that door over there-"

"A what?" Blossom's face lit up.

"-And you can use the computers to go online or send emails to family and friends back home. You only get a one hour pass per week though so use your time wisely-"

"What was that you said about a Library?" Blossom tried again.

"-Oh! Also, there is the swimming pool, it's in a room down the hall. That's right - an indoor swimming pool. Coach Taylor uses it for Gym sometimes when he can't come up with anything proficient-"

"Daisey! The Library?"

The Aussie turned to Blossom, her eyes wide in surprise of her outburst. She hadn't even heard Blossom over the sound of her own voice. Smiling sheepishly, Daisey pointed to the wall near the door, her finger crossing over to another door on the other end of the wall, leading to the library. Before she had a chance to ramble on about the Sanctuary anymore, Daisey felt someone grab onto her arm. She turned to see Blossom, already trying to pull her over to the door.

"I need to see the library, right now." Blossom barely got out before she pulled Daisey away.

Buttercup, Bubbles and Chase watched them go in amusement. As soon as they were inside the library, Chase turned around to the girls, a grin on his lips. He gave a quick look around - barely anyone was staring anymore.

"So, ladies, who's up for a game of pool?" Chase asked. "I happen to be the best pool player in all of Ashville." He boasted.

"You were," Buttercup smirked. "Until an hour ago when I arrived."

"Oh, it's on."

Chase and Buttercup rushed over to the pool tables. Bubbles followed them, her eyes darting around the room as she did so. She had never seen so many different looking people in one room. There was posh looking boys and girls - all clad in Armani, Christian Loubiton and Prada. Then there was a group of goth-looking kids, none of which had anything that wasn't black on. Beside the computers were a flock of smart kids. There was even a corner filled with boys wearing football jerseys, jock style. Bubbles realised that this school may have it's advantages but it wasn't all that different from her old high school in Townsville.

While her sister and Chase began their game, Bubbles continued to look around. Her eyes fell onto a boy sitting on one of the couches by himself. He was the only person that wasn't sitting with a crowd. His hand was clutching a yellow pencil, and he was drawing on what looked like a sketch pad. Bubbles found herself more interested in him then any other group of people. Maybe it was because he was the only one that didn't see the point in giving into the clique rule, or maybe it was because while he could have been playing pool or surfing the web, he was drawing.

Before she realised what was happening, Bubbles found herself staring into his eyes. He had looked up, as if he felt someone looking his way, and he flipped his blonde hair out of her eyes so that he could see who it was. She felt lost in his eyes - pools of midnight blue, so dark and handsome that it was impossible to look away. The boy was definitely attractive. He had this lost, lone wolf quality about him. She noticed his eyes squint slightly as though he was trying to figure out who she was. Bubbles raised her eyebrow. That was impossible, he couldn't know who she was, she had just barely met him. His shoulders shrugged and he looked back down to his sketch pad. Bubbles frowned, she missed those eyes already.

"Hey, aren't you going to cheer me on?" Buttercup's voice broke out.

Bubbles spun herself around. She looked at the pool table, noticing that Buttercup was in fact winning so far. She only had five of her balls to get rid of, while Chase still had seven. If she kept this up Buttercup would win for sure.

"Oh, you're winning," Bubbles grinned and turned to Chase. "I thought you said that you were the best in all of Ashville?"

Chase's gaze narrowed. "I am the best, you'll see." His voice showed deep determination.

"Whatever you say, dude." Buttercup muttered.

Bubbles giggled. "So, I have to ask Chase, are you and Daisey boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"God no," Chase held back a hysterical laugh at the assumption. He leaned over the pool table and continued to play while speaking. "Daisey's mother and mine are best friends. We grew up together. But we're not exactly friends, more..frenemies."

"Frenemies?"

"You know, not exactly enemies nor friends," He scored another goal, smiling in achievement. "We've never really gotten on well but since we came here we decided that we'd try to put up with each other. Plus, Daisey doesn't have any other friends here, so it's only right that I sometimes hang out with her."

"Well she has friends now," Buttercup said as she took aim at one of her pool balls. "So you're off the hook."

Chase raised his eyebrow. Before he could say something, Blossom's voice sounded from the other side of the room. Buttercup, Bubbles and Chase looked over to find Blossom and Daisey walking towards them. They were laughing, and Blossom looked happier than when she had seen the inside of the school. Her whole face was lit up, obviously because she had enjoyed seeing the library.

"That was amazing, I've never seen so many David Levithan books in one place!" Blossom beamed as the name of her favourite author left her lips. "We have to go back there later."

"You certainly like books," Daisey commented with a smile. She turned to the others. "So, do you want to check out the outside? There's a lot to see."

Buttercup shrugged. "Sure."

Abandoning their game, Buttercup and Chase followed as Daisey let everyone out of the room. Bubbles was the last to reach the door, and before she left, she cast a glance towards the boy with the handsome eyes. He didn't meet her gaze this time, he was too preoccupied with whatever he was drawing. She smiled to herself before rushing out the door to catch up with everyone else.

---

Buttercup Utonium's POV

As promised, Daisey and Chase took my sisters and I outside for a tour of the grounds. I wasn't sure what to expect. I mean, this school already looked like something out of a fancy novel. The floors were spotless and the paintings on each wall looked like they could easily be worth thousands. Currently we were being shown the famous football field that Rich Boy -My accurate nickname for Chase that I had drawn up once I noticed the ridiculously expensive silver Rolex on his wrist- had boasted so much about. The field was pretty huge, taking up most of the area behind all three buildings of the school. I had only been sitting on the plastic red seats of the bleachers and already I was feeling a pain in my backside. Not that sitting on cold plastic seats wasn't great of course.

From the distance I could see at least eight men and one very masculine looking female kicking a football around on the field. The female seemed way better than the males though. That made me smile. I started to drown out the sound of my sisters chatting so that I could take a good look at the field. The grass seemed freshly cut, really short as well. In each opposite side stood tight netted goals. There was even a score tracker that was just as tall as the bleachers I was sat on placed in between of both goals. It occurred to me that this field wasn't just for a fun game of football.

"Should I be concerned that there is an electronic score keeper?" I heard myself as absentmindedly as I stared at the players again. I could have sworn that one of the guys was checking out either myself of Blossom -who was sat right beside me- and not subtly either. Gross.

"It's not just for entertainment purposes," Chase said while turning his attention my way. "Sometimes rival private schools and other boarding schools come over to our school and play against us. Holiday said that it promotes healthy competitive skills although I wouldn't call out team's competitiveness healthy." He chuckled.

"Hmm," I mumbled to myself. I guess that this school is more realistic than I figured. Just when I was starting to think that this was all too idealistic to be true. "How do you know so much about the subject anyway, Rich Boy?" A small smirk lit up my face as Chase rolled his eyes at the well thought of nickname. Yes, I'm a genius. Hold your applause.

"I'm the Captain of the team. I also feel obligated to mention that since I have become Captain, we haven't lost a game since." He added before grinning to himself.

Daisey's expressive eyes rolled. "Honestly, Chase. I don't reckon the girls want to hear you boast about your virtues."

"But what is the point of having virtues if you can't boast about them?"

As the two friends, or frenemies I'm assuming, continued to bicker about Chase's accomplishments, I took the time to duck out before anyone could drag me into the argument. Call me crazy but I find unneccessary arguments a bit annoying and time-consuming. I strolled along the side of the painfully bright red bleachers, watching my step to make sure I didn't fall off. Dying on my first day? That would easily be a new record for my list of worst days ever. I wouldn't exactly be alive to be able to write it down but you see my point.

The second that my feet touched the ground, I noticed a large cloud of smoke ahead of me. Curious to figure out where the dark grey spirles were coming from I strolled over to the third building, which just happened to be the largest, fanciest looking building of them all. I walked slowly, my eyes narrowing, not sure what to expect. As soon as I got close enough to the Victorian-looking building I noticed a figure leaning against the wall. Judging from the broad shoulders and the large arms this was a male student. Or it could be the masculine looking girl I had seen on the football field.

I took a couple more steps until I found the source of the smoke. A lit cigarette hanging from the strangers lips.

Allowing myself to get a closer look I noticed that it was definitely a male student. He looked more or less the same as myself, give or take a couple of months, and he was taller than me. Like, really tall. I would have to stick on a pair of Bubbles' ridiculous high heels to look him dead in the eye. I observed him from head-to-toe, slightly surprised that he had not noticed me yet. I was standing at least ten steps away from him yet he seemed more interested in his cancer-stick.

He was attractive in an obvious sort of way. Like something out of an Abercrombie and Fitch catalogue. You know, where the male models stand in front of bland background with practically no clothes on, even though they are sporting a watch yet you can see the guy's abs more than the watch they are supposed to be selling. It's pretty disgusting.

I had to hand it to him though; his outfit was brilliant. An ink-black leather jacket that resembled my own. Underneath was what appeared to be a green muscle shirt -And I'm only judging that based on the fact that you could actually see his abs through the shirt- which was draped over a pair of seriously dark, ripped in all the right places pair of blue jeans.

"Hmm." I muttered to myself. He seemed like the type of boy that your mother would warn you to steer clear from.

The boy clutched his cigarette in his hand. Those hands. They looked as though they could crush someone without even trying. Are all teenage boys on steroids these days? Seriously, those arms can't be natural. He took a long drag of the cigarette, puffing out the dark clouds of smoke before letting his arm fall by his side. The smoke traveled towards me, allowing me to smell the horrid tobacco.

I wanted to vomit right on his olive green K-Swiss shoes. The smell of cigarette smoke always bothered me, to say the least. It was as though the little sticks were only created to bunk people off so that the world wouldn't be so overly populated. But the again, that's just my opinion. Others would just assume that some idiot came up with a great way to make money; Get people addicted to something perfectly legal so that they can't stop buying the damn things. Whoever came up with that bright idea was obviously someone with nothing better to do with their time and wanted a Ferrari..or whatever fancy car was around back then.

"Those things will kill you, you know?" I asked the stranger. Once I heard my own words, I realised that they held a bit more insolence than I intended. Not that I wanted to offend the guy in any way. Well maybe I did. It's not my fault that generally everything I say sounds rude.

As the boy turned to look at me, finally acknowledging my existence, his eyebrow raised in what I can only assume was amusement. Now that his eyes were on mine I took notice of the colour. Dark, very dark green. The shade put my green eyes to shame. Strangely enough, his hair colour seemed to match mine to a perfect ten. He had this intense vibe around him, but I wasn't intimidated. I don't get intimidated.

There was this deafening silence until the boy cleared his throat to speak.

"We're all going to die one day. What's the point of life if you don't live a little?" His voice, I noticed, was seriously deep and hoarse. That was most likely because of the cancer-stick that he was puffing away at. The tone of his voice almost sent shivers down my spine. It sounded oddly familiar and yet so new at the same time.

"You call this living?" His eyebrow raised again and he leaned forward slightly, almost daring me to continue. "You call smoking a stick that could kill you, living? And I thought I was a little hypocritical." I snorted unattractively while rolling my eyes.

If anything, the sound only made him more amused. He smiled at me, although it seemed more like a smirk.

His laugher surrounded us and he actually had to hold his stomach to stop himself from doubling over. What was so damn amusing about what I said? He opened his eyes again and looked at me, his smile turning into a full-blown grin.

"Thanks but I'll skip the lecture, new girl."

I could feel a growl escaping my lips. A real, animatistic growl. If there was one thing I hated more than being laughed at, it was when someone called me anything but my name. New Girl? That was right at the top of the list of names that pissed me off to no extent. I clenched my fist, swung it back, and for a second I actually considered punching him. Then I thought about Blossom. She would fry me if I got into a fight on my first day. Pulling my fist back, I took a deep breath.

"You're lucky that I have a strict order not to get into any trouble today."

He stared at me and this time his smile was definitely not a smile. He actually had the nerve to smirk at me?

"So. Did you come to this school just to tell people off for smoking? Or do you have behaviour issues?" He asked casually, and just before I could respond, he blew out a huge puff of cigarette smoke. Right into my face.

I waved the cloud of smoke away with the back of my hand. And then I started coughing something fierce. I was so close to forgetting about Blossom's 'no violence' rule and inflicting some serious damage on this dude's Abercrombie and Fitch-looking face. I took a calming breath, trying to stop my hand from clenching again. As much as I didn't care for rules, I cared for Blossom. And if I did anything, she'd be so angry and disappointed. There was no way that I would let this guy come between us.

Ignoring his question, I turned around and started to walk back over to the football field. Just then I heard his voice again. His voice sounded less rough, but the general mischievous tone was still there.

"Can't I get your name?"

I froze in my step but I didn't turn around. "You have to earn that right."

With that, I left. And I could have sworn that I heard him laugh again, laughing like this was normal, like he was used to people talking to him like this. It only made him more insufferable. With that thought in mind I climbed back onto the bleachers and didn't look back, although I could tell he was still looking at me. One day, I would wipe that smile off of his face. Just for the fun of it, I would.

XoXoXoXoXoXo

Regular POV

Crossing her arms, Buttercup sat down beside Daisey. She ached to glance back over at the strange boy, just so she could shoot him a cold glare, but she was smarter than that. Cold glares led to arguments. And with Buttercup, arguments always led to fights. Instead she simply turned her attention to her sisters. She noticed how calm they seemed. Blossom was watching the football players with a small smile on her face while Bubbles was looking around the building, curiosity sparkling in her bright blue eyes.

They didn't seem nearly as uncomfortable about living here as Buttercup was.

"Who were you talking to over there?" Bubbles asked as she turned to face Buttercup.

"Some random guy," She shrugged and decided to change the conversation before she had to explain her frustrating encounter with the boy with the eyes so green. "So. We're going to have classes tomorrow," She directed her gaze towards her brunette roommate. "What are the teachers like?"

"They're evil," Daisey answered immediately. "First of all, there's Josh Lomax. He's our English teacher and he absolutely hates me," She muttered. "He's the vilest of them all. Then we have the Math teacher, Nathaniel Cavanaugh. He's wonderful, friendly and so gorgeous I can't even pay attention when he talks-"

"He's like twice your age." Chase cut her off while rolling his brown eyes.

"Wrong. He's only like thirty. Anyway, moving on," She hissed at Chase before turning back to Buttercup. "Next we have Miss Van Dey, she teaches Art class. You really don't want to catch her on a bad mood. Our History teacher is Mr Doyle. He's sort of sweet, I guess, but he can be strict sometimes. Mrs Devereaux is the French teacher. She's a B with an itch," Daisey paused as Buttercup couldn't help but laugh at her comment. She laughed herself before continuing. "Finally we have Mrs Khali. She's amazing, seriously. And she teaches Social Studies. You'll love her."

Blossom, suddenly interested in the conversation, opened her mouth to speak. "That's all the classes? I figured there would be more than that."

"Well there's Coach Taylor who teaches Gym and also coaches our football team." Chase added.

Daisey outstretched her hand towards her roommate. "Let me see the school schedule that Mrs Sinclair gave you. I'll check if we share any classes tomorrow."

Reaching into the back pocket of her jeans, Buttercup pulled out the small pamphlet that Holiday gave her earlier. She passed it to Daisey and watched as her blue eyes skimmed the front page. A small, happy sparkle shined in said eyes as she looked back up.

"Looks like we have English together, first period tomorrow." Daisey told Buttercup, who smiled, glad to have a familiar face in her first class.

Blossom pulled out her own school schedule. She began to read the first page, hoping that she wouldn't have to suffer through her classes alone. Although she didn't know Daisey or Chase that well, she knew who they were, and having them in the class would be better than if they weren't. Her wise pink eyes lit up as she read English sprawled across the pamphlet.

"I have English first period as well."

"I don't," Bubbles spoke up. Her auburn-haired sister turned to look at her and noticed that she too had her schedule in her hands. A tight frown appeared on her face. "I have History."

"Don't worry, you're in my History class. I have that tomorrow as well." Chase said, shooting Bubbles a friendly smile.

"Oh, well that makes me feel better." Bubbles answered as her frown turned into a grin.

Daisey abruptly stood up from her seat in between Buttercup and Chase, dusting off her blush pink skirt with her hands. Of course these seats were much cleaner than her bedroom so most found the action strange. The brunette hopped down onto the aisle so that she could walk, causing Blossom to look up from the school timetable that she had been studying.

"Where are you going?"

"She's got detention," Chase answered Blossom. "As per usual." He muttered, although he had a feeling that Daisey had heard considering the next thing he knew her hand was smacking the back of his blonde head. He raised a hand to his head, muttering a few obscene words under his breath, and shot Daisey an angered look.

"You're no better, Chase," She bit out. Turning her attention back to the Utonium's, Daisey smiled. "I'll see you girls later. Have fun touring the grounds."

With that, she walked down the aisle and left. Buttercup watched her go, without realising that her gaze landed on the third building. The boy that she had met was gone. Raising her eyebrow, Buttercup wondered where he had went off to. She thought back on his black hair, slightly spiked up at the front, damp from the Kansas rain. And his eyes that were so green, deep and familiar. His chiseled jaw. The way he stood up straight rather than slouching. The way his smile looked so crooked yet handsome at the same time. His voice, rough and sultry, unable to forget. Buttercup was sure she had never met anyone like him. And she knew one thing for sure; she hated that dude.

Chase's Australian voice brought Buttercup away from her thoughts.

"We'll have to cut this meeting short. I'd love to stay but I have an English project to work on with my roommate."

Curiously, Blossom asked, "What is your roommate like?"

"He's pretty uptight but I think that you would like him," Chase answered with a chuckle. He stood up and glanced down at the Utoniums. "Have a look around. We can hang out in the common room tonight."

After delivering a wave, Chase headed down the aisle of the bleachers.

"Well," Buttercup began. She turned to look at her sisters and shrugged her shoulders. "Ashville sucks. I told you."

"Are you being serious right now?" Blossom asked with a look of bewilderment on her face.

"Yeah," Bubbles piped up. "The school is beautiful. It's perfect in every way. And we've already made friends. How can you still not like Ashville?"

Buttercup bit back a rude comment. She knew that Blossom would have a fit if she started an argument. Instead she turned to face Bubbles, a hard look in her eyes and she answered.

"It's not Townsville."

---

An hour later, Bubbles pulled down the hood of her cropped Jacquard jacket. The Kansas rain had finally stopped and Bubbles caught the hint of a rainbow spreading across the sky, hovering above the school grounds. She wished that she had her camera on her so that she could snatch a picture of it. However she knew that her camera was back in her room. She had managed to get Blossom to unpack all of her things so that she didn't have to. It didn't take much convincing though considering that her sister prefered to it all herself. Bubbles smiled to herself at the thought of Blossom putting all of their clothes away, arranging them by colour or season. Once a perfectionist, always a perfectionist.

She strolled over to the third building and took in its beauty. The entire school reminded Bubbles of the castles in the fairy tales that John used to read to her when she was younger. She always envisioned herself as a Princess, standing in her castle and waiting for her Prince. But now that she was older Bubbles realised how insane all of that was. She could live in a castle -which she now sort of did, considering how huge Ashville Academy was- but that didn't make her a Princess. Nothing ever could. Bubbles was practical, just with a giant artistic imagination.

As she turned the corner of the third building, aching to see if there were anymore mysteries to this school, her breath caught in her throat. The inside of the school was just the beginning of Ashville Academy's beauty. Behind the third building was what appeared to be a real sanctuary - nothing like the common room. It was a utopia. Grass, taller and thicker than on the football field, surrounded the entire area. Rose bushes and sunflowers sat all around. It would probably take a good ten minutes to find a spot that no flower stood. Bubbles counted a total of seven stone cherubs -actual cherubs, holding silver flutes to their lips- scattered around the grass. And the best of all, a slick, silver fountain. Water poured out gracefully through two long tubes and into the large bowl at the bottom before the cycle started all over again. It was so peaceful, so noiseless.

Before Bubbles could rush up to her room and grab her camera, she noticed something. Someone, a boy sitting against the wall of the third building. It didn't take Bubbles long to realise that this mop of blonde hair was the same boy that she had seen in the common room earlier. His hand was wrapped around a pencil, and his blue eyes were stuck to the sketching pad in front of him. Bubbles wondered if he was drawing the water fountain, considering his gaze occasionally flickered up towards the quiet silver faucet.

She watched the strange boy from afar and took in every little detail about him. She studied him from the midnight pea coat around his shoulders to the bland sneakers on his feet. There was something about him - something that singled him out from the crowd. He seemed lonely, the type of lonely that was chosen, like he didn't mind. His dark blonde hair was disheveled as though he didn't put any effort into impressing anyone, and his deep blue eyes, framed by short lashes, held that same artistic flare that Bubbles' held whenever she saw a beautiful painting.

Bubbles decided that she may as well introduce herself. The more friends she made at this school, the better, considering she would be spending two years here. As soon as she took a step forward, the boy's gaze flickered up again, only this time he wasn't looking at the water fountain, he was looking right at her. Something besides artistic flare sparkled in his eyes. Recognition. Bubbles smiled at him, not sure what to say. But that didn't matter - because before she could speak, he did.

"Bubbles Utonium?" He asked. The boy's eyebrows furrowed as though he had seen a ghost.

Startled, Bubbles shot him a look of surprise.

"How do you know my name?"

"Really?" He said quietly, letting go of his pencil and letting it sit on the sketch pad on his legs. "You honestly don't recognise the person that fought you countless times? The person that looksexactly like you?"

She stared at him in awe. Only one name seemed to come to mind, and she felt stupid for not realising it sooner. With a small voice, she called out the name. "Boomer?"

Boomer nodded, unable to take his eyes off of her. She looked so different in his eyes. The pigtails that he once made fun off had transformed into gorgeous blonde curls, cascading around her shoulders. Her height -something he also used to tease her for- had changed also. She was still so small for her age, but her legs were longer, and almost hypnotizing. Boomer could barely tell it was her. But he had recognised her the second that her eyes met with his up close. It was hard to forget such beautiful baby blue eyes.

Turning her head to the side, Bubbles' face lit up in realisation. "I knew it. That guy that Buttercup was talking to earlier..that was Butch Jojo," She turned her head back around to face him. "What are you all doing here?"

For a second Boomer looked hesitant to so much as exchange words with her. But then he placed his sketch pad on the ground above him and rose to his feet. Bubbles glanced down at the paper and realised that he wasn't just drawing the water fountain - he was drawing the entire area, the whole utopia. And it was amazing. He was amazing. She looked back up to meet his eyes and couldn't shake the look of shock in her eyes.

"We didn't really have a choice in the matter," Boomer spoke. His voice wasn't cold but it wasn't exactly super friendly either. He still seemed to be surprised that he was standing before his old counterpart, but mostly he was curious. "We had to come here."

Bubbles stood as still as the cherub statues surrounding the utopia. She didn't speak for a few moments, she just basked in the feeling of shock. Not once had she wondered if she would ever see him again, she didn't miss him when he and his brothers left Townsville, but now that she was standing with him, she realised that she couldn't miss him because he never said goodbye. There was no reason for him to say goodbye though, they were enemies. Bubbles wasn't sure what she should be feeling.

"You left," She mumbled before she even realised that she was speaking. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she continued. "We were ten years old. We woke up one day and realised that we hadn't heard from either you or your brothers in weeks. You just left and we didn't know why."

Boomer nodded again. "Yeah, we packed up our stuff and left. We left Townsville without telling a single person."

"But why?" Bubbles whispered.

"Because-" The blonde hesitated again. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head, wondering why he was even bothering to talk to her. He looked over at her and saw so much question running through her eyes. Without giving it a secondary thought, Boomer answered her. "Because we wanted to be normal," He said in a small voice. "You of all people should understand that. We just..we didn't want to be criminals anymore. And we're not. We lost our powers a long time ago."

Furrowing her eyebrows, Bubbles said, "My sisters and I lost our powers too. When we were thirteen," A thick silence passed as the two blondes stared at each other. Bubbles took a deep breath before finally breaking the muteness. "I'm glad that you're not evil anymore."

Boomer instantly looked down at the grass bellow his feet. "Yeah? Why's that?"

"Whenever we fought, I could tell that you hated it. I could see that you hated all of it. You never looked happy."

With that said, Bubbles turned around and decided to leave before it could get anymore awkward, although it didn't seem like it could get any worse. She headed out of the utopia, leaving Boomer to watch her go. As soon as she was out of sight, Boomer let out a breath that he had been holding since she last spoke. He closed his eyes, unsure of why seeing Bubbles made him feel so relieved. He had a feeling that deep down he knew why though. Because unlike how Bubbles hadn't missed him - Boomer had definitely missed her.

---

Later that evening, Blossom was sat on Buttercup's new bed. She had finished setting up her own room and was dying to do something about Buttercup's. The clothes all around the room was bad enough, but the food packets and the CD's scattered everywhere was the deal breaker. Her obsessive compulsive disorder was kicking in, begging her to do something about the mess. Sitting across from Blossom on her own bed, Daisey lay her head back on her headboard and stared up at the ceiling. She looked happy, really happy, most likely from the fact that she actually had something close to friendship after a year in this school.

"So, if you don't mind me asking," Daisey began. She turned her head to face Blossom, curiosity clouding her blue eyes. "Why were you, Buttercup and Bubbles sent to Ashville? You don't seem like the trouble-making types."

Blossom pursed her lips in reluctance. She hadn't talked about her father's death in so long, it almost seemed impossible to mention it.

She heard Daisey speak again after a minute of silence passed. "Whatever it is, you can tell me. I don't judge."

"I guess it would do me some good to tell someone," Blossom said slowly. Her eyes met with Daisey's and she felt as though she could trust her. After all, it's not like the Aussie would go around and tell all of her friends, she didn't have any to tell. "My home was set on fire. It was because of a gas leak in the kitchen, it seemed to spread all around. And my father..he.."

"I understand. Go on." Daisey said softly, saving Blossom from saying it out loud.

The red-head took a breath. "We didn't have anyone to look after us. I mean, we tried to stay with our best friend, but it just wasn't available. And our other best friend couldn't take us in either. His father already had enough money troubles, he couldn't afford to take on all three of us."

"Don't you have a mother?"

Blossom blinked.

She thought about it for a second, debating what she should respond. She couldn't exactly say, 'No, we don't have a mother because we're actually just miracle lab experiments born with superpowers.' She wanted to come across as a normal teenage girl, not some sort of freak. However Blossom didn't want to lie to Daisey. She cleared her throat and decided against saying anything of the sort.

"She wasn't around," Blossom said carefully. "Anyway, we were told that we had to live here until we are eighteen."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Daisey looked over again, her eyes showing sincerity.

Blossom swallowed. "Thank you. He was a great man," She sighed and decided to switch the conversation. "So what about you? How did you end up here?"

Smiling bitterly, Daisey rolled her eyes, "I'm apparently a 'troubled child'. Thrown out of three high schools, refused to take action on my attitude problems. I guess considering I've never really had that many friends, I didn't find school that fun. I acted out."

"You have friends now."

Daisey nodded at Blossom, her lips curving into a thankful smile. "You know, I understand how you feel. My dad passed away as well."

Blossom looked at the Aussie with soft eyes. "He did? I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah," Daisey muttered. "That's sort of the reason that I'm here too. With my dad out of the way, I didn't have much in the way of parents. When he died my brother and I were left with Lilian."

"Who's Lilian?"

"My mother," Daisey spoke quietly, scowling in distaste. "I doubt you could even call her a mother. She sent me here the first chance she got."

...Flashback.

Daisey McCoy's usually mischievous smile was absent as she stood as still as a statue, staring at her mother. The tall, delicately slim, dark blonde woman wasn't even taking a side glance at her daughter's reaction. Instead, her fierce blue gaze latched onto the expensive Diamond Crypto Smartphone in her hand. There was a stiff, bored expression painted all over Lilian McCoy's youthful face. She barley took notice of the pregnant silence that followed what she had just told her daughter.

"Boarding school?" Daisey's Australian accent bellowed throughout the McCoy's living room, bringing Lilan back to reality. "You want me to go to boarding school?" She asked bluntly. Her voice was a mix between shock and livid rage. The simple thought of leaving home forced the tall brunette to shake in her checkered sneakers.

Daisey finally caught her mother's gaze.

"Darling, it's only for a couple of years," The statuesque blonde replied nonchalantly. "You can always visit on the holidays. I just think that it would be best for us all if you went to Ashville Academy. You need to straighten yourself up," Lilan actually sported a frown, although it didn't look as sincere as Daisey had hoped. "This really is the best thing for you, sweetheart."

Lilian's overly posh voice trailed on as she began to stare absentmindedly at her phone again. Her daughter stood rigid, unable to pry the look of fear on her face. She hated being the 'new girl'. She hated trying to make friends and never being able to. She hated feeling trapped, and that's exactly how she felt at that moment. The thought of leaving Australia, of never seeing Chase - her only companion, and Tabitha - her only friend, terrified her.

"You..you can't do this to me," The brunette's voice cracked. She shook her head in disbelief, mahogany hair thrashing wildly. "You can't send your own daughter away. Do I really mean that little to you?"

Lilian sighed. "Oh, please quit with the dramatics, Daisey. What am I supposed to do? You get kicked out of every school I put you into. You don't know how to behave properly. It really is best that you attend Ashville Academy. You are very lucky to be accepted, it's one of the best Boarding schools in the world. Please, just give it a try, Daisey."

"Do I really have a choice?" Daisey deadpanned. She watched as Lilian pursed her thin lips and said nothing. "Mom, please let me stay here. I don't want to be alone."

"I don't want to hear anymore of this. Go upstairs and start packing." Lilian said. Just as Daisey turned around to storm up to her room, Lilian placed her hand on Daisey's shoulder and stopped her. "Oh, and you won't be alone. I'll try to call as much as you want."

Daisey spun around, a look of pure hatred running in her eyes. "Don't bother."

With that, she ran upstairs to her room, fighting back tears of frustration.

...End Flashback.

"Oh," Blossom whispered as Daisey finished her story. "I'm sorry that your mother didn't give you another chance."

Daisey tensed up. She sat back on her bed, allowing her head to rest on her pillow. She stared up at the ceiling in solitude as her mind drifted back to Australia. It had been a year and she still missed her home dearly. She missed her brother, her only friend, heck she even missed all three of her high schools. The only positive thing that came with her move was that Chase managed to get roped in to coming along with her. But she didn't want to get into that story yet, one story was enough for today.

She turned to look at Blossom again and pursed her lips.

"I guess on some level I should feel lucky," The brunette began. "There's people all around the world that have neither a father nor a mother. As much as I hated her for turning her back on me, she still realised that I needed to get out of Australia and have time to just forget about everything for even a day. And she sent me here, which was probably the best thing that she has ever done. I belong here."

Blossom nodded. "You're a lot smarter than I gave you credit for."

Smiling, Daisey said, "Well I've grown up a lot since moving here. I let go of all of that resentment. I think that you are your sisters can do the same, you know? This school..people don't realise just how much it does in fact change you. There's something about Ashville Academy that fixes everything."

"I hope you're right about that. There's a lot of things that need to be fixed in my family."

Daisey sucked in a sharp breath. "This is turning into a sob fest. We need to change the subject."

Blossom laughed and nodded. She looked around the room, thinking of something that she and Daisey could do to pass the time. Her first idea was the library, but she had a feeling that Daisey wasn't exactly the book-reading type. She noticed a laptop sitting on the floor, and bit back a comment about how a laptop does not belong on the floor, until she remembered that this wasn't Daisey's laptop. It was Chase's. She remembered when she first saw him earlier that day, he stormed in complaining that Daisey had stolen it from his room.

"Don't you have to take that back?"

Daisey's raised her eyebrow. Her gaze fell onto the floor where Blossom was pointing. She jumped up in surprise and went to grab it before someone stood on it.

"Oh yeah. Chase is going to need this to work on his English project." She said. Her hands gripped the black Toshiba Satellite laptop and she hugged it to her chest as though it was a treasured artifact - mainly because she knew that if she broke it, Chase would find a way to break something of hers, and she didn't want to wake up to find her X Box broken in half. Also, because she wanted to borrow it again later, and she couldn't do that it if someone stood on it.

"I'll take it back with you." Blossom offered as she got up from Buttercup's bed. Her feet landed on a chocolate wrapper, and her nose scrunched up. She held back a shriek and stepped away from the dirty food wrapper. Daisey held back a laugh at Blossom's expense as she strode towards the door.

The girls walked into the hall, passing various other dorm rooms. Most of them were empty as the students were either sitting in the common room, playing football outside, or hanging around near the utopia. Some people were still in their rooms so that they could work on their projects in solitude though. All of the second years - The sixteen to seventeen year olds - learned the same things in each class, therefore all had the same projects. The same went for the first years - the fourteen to fifteens - and the third years. Although the third years were all eighteen, so they didn't have to do the work anymore. The third years all had the option to leave the school, however some decided to stay for a while, until they realised what they wanted to do when they leave.

"He's in room fifty three," Daisey said to Blossom as she continued walking. She clutched Chase's laptop tighter to her, hoping that no one had stepped on it while it was on the floor. She stole his laptop a lot, among other things, and she was surprised that Chase didn't lock his bedroom door whenever he was at football practice. "He'll be working on his English project with his roommate so we can't stick around after I give this back. We can go to the common room or I can show you the swimming pool."

"Sounds good." Blossom nodded just as Daisey stopped walking.

Daisey strolled into a room, the number 53 hanging on the door, and waved for Blossom to follow her in. Unlike Daisey's room, this one was very tidy, almost too tidy. The walls were two different colours, the top half being white, and then underneath that a coat of red. It was painted so delicately that there wasn't even a need for a border to hide where the lines met in the middle. The carpet was black, and soft, really soft. It felt expensive. Even the white sheets on the two single beds were crease free. There was a two person wardrobe in the perfect centre between the two beds that sat on either side of the room. In the corner sat a red arm-chair, tall and round, fitting in well with the half red walls.

And surprisingly enough - a small television and a stereo sat on a table at the other end of the room, both of which had to be earned by good behaviour. Chase didn't seem like the 'good behaving' type, which only meant that this roommate of his was.

"I brought your laptop back, Chase." Daisey sing-songed as she walked over to Chase's bed.

Chase was sitting on his bed, staring a piece of paper with the information of his English assignment on it, before he turned to look at Daisey. Sitting in front of him was a boy. Obviously this was Chase's roommate. Blossom stayed beside the door. She didn't know Chase well enough to parade into his room and start talking to him. Her gaze fell onto Chase's roommate, of course she could only see the back of his head. He appeared to be just a tad shorter than Chase, and his hair was a deep copper colour, mostly hidden by the red snap-back hat on his head.

She turned her attention back to Chase just in time to see him take the laptop from Daisey's hands before turning back to his paper.

"No 'thank-you'?" The brunette pouted.

The roommate chuckled, and to Blossom it sounded so familiar. She just couldn't seem to place it.

Daisey turned to the red-haired boy and grinned. "Hey, Captain Genius. How's it going?"

"I told you to stop calling me that." He muttered.

Rolling her eyes, Daisey turned around to face the other red-head in the room. Blossom was staring at the back of the stranger's head with a raised eyebrow. She knew that laugh, and she knew that voice. Her eyes directed to Daisey, who had taken a step closer to her, a happy smile tugging at her lips. The brunette pointed between them and spoke.

"Captain Genius, meet my roommate's sister. She's one of the new girls."

The boy turned his head around, his eyes showing slight interest since Daisey mentioned one of the new girls, and then they widened. Her pink eyes were the first thing he saw. Pink eyes met red, and it was impossible not to recognise each other from that alone. Blossom's whole face contorted in shock. Red hair, evil-sounding laugh, tidy bedroom, red hat, and even now, red eyes. This was definitely her ex counterpart.

"Brick?" She whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

For a moment Brick didn't say anything, he just looked at her. Brick couldn't believe his eyes. It had been so many years since he had seen that auburn hair and those pink eyes. If it were anyone else he wouldn't be this speechless but this girl was the reason he was alive, if it wasn't for her, he never would have been invented. Yet the last time he saw her, they were rolling around the roof of the Townsville Bank, trying to throw each other off the end. Blossom had managed to hold him down long enough for Buttercup to grab the stolen money from Butch, and then they never heard from them again.

After a thick silence, Daisey's voice broke out.

"Oh so you already know each other?" She looked between them and grinned. "Awesome. Come on, Blossom, we should go find your sisters before they get themselves lost," She turned back to Chase and Brick. "See you later, boys." She sing-songed before walking over to Blossom.

When Daisey took a step out the door and realised that Blossom had yet to move from her spot she turned around again. She pulled on Blossom's arm and sent her a questioning look.

"You alright?"

Blossom nodded, her eyes never leaving Brick for even a second. "Perfect."

Smiling, Daisey hooked her arm around Blossom's and led her over to the door. Once the two of them were out of sight, Chase watched Brick turn back around to face him, and his eyebrow raised. He had known Brick for four months and he had never seen him that speechless before, it was strange considering how out-spoken Brick usually was.

Chase broke the silence. "How do you know Blossom?"

"I've known her all my life."

XoXoXoXoXo

Blossom closed her eyes as soon as she heard Chase's door close. She ran a hand through her long auburn hair and cursed herself for allowing her counterpart to see her look so tongue-tied. Just knowing that he was so close, albeit behind a closed door, made her skin crawl. She wondered if people knew who he was. She wanted to lay low in this school, for no one to know about her past, but with Brick being here it just made it seem impossible, especially if he had told someone how he was created.

So many questions ran through her mind - Why was Brick in Kansas? How long has he been living here? And most importantly, was he still evil?

She was ready to make a move for her room, to tell one of her sisters. She was dying to tell someone. But before she could move her legs, Daisey popped up in front of her. The Aussie's blue eyes were shining in curiosity and excitement.

"That was a pretty intense staring match. I reckon there's a history between you and Captain Genius, huh?" She beamed, as though she was about to hear the best gossip she had heard all year. "How do you know him?"

Daisey noticed Blossom tense up at the mention of her nickname for Brick. She raised her eyebrow, looking at Blossom quizzically while awaiting her answer. Considering she didn't have many friends back in Australia, Daisey was unsure of what Blossom's behaviour was implying. Her first thought was that Brick was her ex boyfriend, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions.

"He's, um," Blossom swallowed. She didn't want to tell Daisey how extremely not-normal she was. She hated to lie to a new friend, but it was the only way to keep her past private. "I used to know him. We lived in the same neighbourhood. He and his brothers left town when they were ten years old. I just wasn't expecting to see him here is all." Blossom said, surprised at how easy it was for her to lie.

Laughing, Daisey replied, "Did he always wear those red contacts?"

Blossom blinked.

It was then that she realised that Brick and his brothers hadn't told anyone about how they were created either. And just like that, her secret was safe once again. Blossom wondered if either of her sisters knew about the Jojo's being here, or if the other two knew that her sisters were here. Her defensive mode kicked in. She didn't know if they were evil or not, and she wasn't taking any chances. She had to find Buttercup and Bubbles before someone else did.

"Yes..we both have a thing for contacts," Blossom blurted out. "Listen, I need to go talk to my sisters about something. I'll catch you later, okay?"

Before Daisey could respond, Blossom dashed towards her bedroom. She turned the corner and took a breath, not stopping her sprint. She couldn't go another second without telling one of her sisters who she had just seen. She just hoped that her sisters were in her's and Bubbles' room. The last she had seen them, Buttercup was heading down to the football field and Bubbles was exploring.

When she finally reached her room, she let out a sigh of relief. No Buttercup, but Bubbles was there. She was on her feet and pacing back and fourth in the middle of the room. Her light blue eyes looked like they were calculating something. Blossom stopped her run as soon as she got into the room, and she couldn't stop panting. It was such a short run but she still found herself panting, probably a result of the adrenaline mixed with the shock.

"There's something you need to know." Blossom breathed out.

Bubbles finally acknowledged her sister's presence. She stared at Blossom, whom was looking down at the floor, hands on her knees, letting out a deep breath. Bubbles looked taken aback by Blossom's overall demeanor. She nodded slowly before answering.

"Ditto."

"What do you need to tell me?" Blossom asked in confusion.

"I just ran into someone outside. I'll give you a hint; One of our ex enemies that goes by the name of-"

"Boomer or Butch Jojo."

Raising her eyebrow, Bubbles said, "Boomer. Hey, how do you know that I saw a Rowdyruff boy?"

"I know because I just saw Brick. He's Chase's roommate."

Bubbles pursed her lips, wondering if it could get any worse. The only two friends they had made at this school were associated with their enemies. Chase lived in the same dorm room as Brick, they were probably friends, and Daisey knew him. There was no way it could get any worse than this. Bubbles sat down on her freshly made bed, staring at the light blue walls of her room and thought of Boomer. He didn't seem bad but then again he never did. Bubbles wondered, what if they were only here to do something bad? What if they hadn't changed and Boomer was lying?

"Why do you think that they are here?" Blossom asked. She strolled over and sat next to Bubbles on the bed, turning to look at her.

"They want to be normal. That's what Boomer told me anyway."

Blossom frowned. "Do you think we can trust that?"

"No," The short blonde shook her head. "Of course we can't just trust them without reason. But it seems like they want exactly what we do," She turned to gaze and Blossom. "Boomer looked the picture of normality." Her voice wavered in envy at her last comment.

The room fell silent. Both Utonium's looked at each other as a single thought crossed both of their minds in unison.

"Wait..Buttercup doesn't know that they are here." Bubbles said slowly.

Blossom swallowed painfully. "But Butch knows that we're here."

Without another word, both girls shot up from the bed and dashed out the door to find Buttercup before she had a chance to realise who she had met earlier.

---

Buttercup Utonium's POV

I had spent a good half hour at the football field. Even after watching three boys get their butt's handed to them by a girl, I still wasn't in a good mood. I don't think anything could make me feel any better about being in this school. Sure, the common room was pretty cool, and Daisey seemed like a good roommate, but given the chance I'd go back to Townsville in a flash. I grew up in Townsville, I had a whole life there, and now I'm just known as the 'new girl' of Ashville Academy.

Walking slowly, I wandered into the common room. I'm not sure what I was even looking for. I had a feeling that my sisters might be there, but they weren't, and neither was Daisey or Rich Boy. I was standing in a sea of unfamiliar faces. No one stared this time. I guess my morning of being the entertainment was over, thankfully. I looked around the room in disinterest. Most of the students were laughing with their friends, looking like they were actually having fun, and that confused the heck out of me. How on earth could they enjoy being locked up in a place where you had to earnaccess to electronic devices? Come on, that's torture.

Staying here wasn't an option anymore, I was going to escape, someway, somehow. I didn't care how complicated it would be. There was no way that I was staying two whole years here. I would be out by the end of the year. That much I knew.

"Ah, it's the anti-smoker."

Oh lord. I knew that voice.

I spun around and there he was, the boy with the black hair and green eyes. The same delinquent that I had met earlier. He wasn't wearing his leather jacket anymore, and the first thing that I noticed was his muscles showing through his shirt. I realised a little too late that I had been staring at them for a while, and he snickered. I narrowed my gaze and looked up to meet his eyes.

I scowled, irritation evident on my face. "Oh, it's you again."

"I'm guessing that this school isn't what you expected, huh?" He asked me casually, that devil-may-care grin stuck to his face.

Rolling my eyes, I looked away from him. "I learned a while ago not to expect anything. But I guess you're right. This place is a bit better than I figured."

"Hmm," I heard him mumble. "My brothers seem to like it."

At the mention of family, I turned back to look at him. This guy had brothers? I hoped that they weren't anything like him. There was only room for one irritating person in my life right now, and I'm not counting Blossom in that. He looked at me and smiled slightly, like he wanted me to ask about his brothers. Like he wanted me to talk to him. I guess in hindsight I should have just walked away and left him to die of lung cancer, but on some level I was curious. And when I'm curious about something, I don't walk away.

"You have brothers?"

He smiled again. "Two. One of them is far too smart for his own good and the other is an artistic loner."

My eyes narrowed. It seemed like for a second he was describing my sisters. In fact, that sort of described my sisters perfectly. Blossom is smart, and she liked people to know it. And Bubbles, well she's artistic and she's never been the type to have a huge group of friends. I guess you could consider her somewhat loner-ish.

Something weird was definitely going on here.

"What's your name?" I asked carefully.

His lips curved into a smirk. "You have to earn that right, Sunshine."

Sunshine. Sunshine. Suns-

I could feel my face contort in realisation. There was only ever one person that has ever called me 'Sunshine'. I looked at the guy again, only this time I really looked at him. I didn't just skim over his familiar qualities. Black hair, spiked at the front. Green eyes, darker than mine. Tall, muscular, rough voice, bad attitude. It couldn't be..

..Flashback:

"Give it!"

Buttercup growled as she tried to grab the bag. Towering over her, Butch Jojo clutched the bag filled with stolen money to his chest, unwilling to hand it over. From above them, they could hear their siblings fighting on the roof, Blossom trying to buy Buttercup enough time to get the money from Butch, and Bubbles distracting Boomer before he could realise that his brother's needed his help. It was all kicking off, and Buttercup wasn't planning on letting her sisters down. She flew over to Butch at full speed. Her eyes were deadly, while Butch's eyes were twitching.

Without giving him time to avoid it, Buttercup stuck her hands out and tackled Butch to the floor. She grabbed his left arm and tried to wrestle the bag of money from her counterpart's hand. Butch managed to turn the situation around. He spun Buttercup over, trapping her under himself, smiling in victory. The next thing he knew, he was staring back into her glowing green eyes.

Butch swerved out of the way and rolled onto the floor in an attempt to avoid Buttercup's laser beams. Buttercup jumped up to her feet, her eyes back to their usual light green, and through her foot up high. Although Butch had managed to duck and miss the kick completely, he didn't have time to avoid the punch that came for him stomach next. He staggered back slightly, and while he was distracted, Buttercup seized her opportunity and snatched the bag from his hand.

She floated in the air, a smile on her face. "You may as well leave because you can't beat me."

Raising his eyebrow, Butch dusted the dirt from his clothes using his hands. "You're too confident for your own good," He muttered. "I'm a way better fighter than you are."

Buttercup growled animalistically. "Why are you still doing this anyway? Mojo is in jail, for good this time, you don't need to steal things anymore."

"I was literally born to do this," Butch answered while scowling. "What else would I be doing?"

"Hmm..I don't know? Living your life maybe?"

Butch let out a chuckle and shook his head slowly. He finished fixing his clothes when he heard Brick's voice from outside. He began walking towards the Townsville Bank door, his steps steady although he could barely feel his legs after being tackled by his counterpart. When he reached the door, he cast a final glance at Buttercup and smirked.

"See you around, Sunshine."

..End Flashback:

I blinked away the memory, although that was hard to do once I had started remembering. There had only ever been one person in all of my life who had called me that nickname. I remember hating it, but more importantly I remember the son of a monkey who had always called me it. I looked at the guy in front of me again, and then he spoke, and his voice had never sounded more familiar than at that moment.

"Still haven't figured it out?" He asked smugly.

I muttered the name uncontrollably. "Butch?"

He smirked at me, and it all came rushing back. I didn't have a doubt in my mind that this guy - this leather jacket wearing, name calling, chain-smoking, green eyed guy was Butch freaking Jojo.

"Welcome to Ashville, Sunshine."

---

~ There you have it, the début of Ashville Academy. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it ~

Review please?