Chapter 1 – Relocation
I've been having a strange dream lately. I'm not even sure if you'd want to call it a dream. It feels real, almost like I've lived through it before. The problem is, I know for certain that I've never encountered this situation. It starts with me standing on a rocky Cliffside overlooking a vast desert. There's a city in the distance glowing with lights that I guess are coming from a festival. The sun has gone away to make room for the moon, but the sky is pure darkness. There are no stars to be found. On the desert ground, a dark figure drags their bare feet along the sand.
"Hey!" I yell to the wind.
As I look closer, I see a trail of blood behind them. They're injured!
"Are you ok? Can you hear me?!"
The wind is screaming in my ears so loudly that I can barely hear myself.
But the figure stops.
Can they hear me?
They turn toward the Cliffside I'm perched on. A sudden wave of fear and anxiety comes over me. Why am I afraid? I drop to the ground, not wanting them to see me. My body trembles against the pebbles. I don't understand. They won't hurt me…will they? I peek over the edge of the cliff to see if the figure it still looking at me.
They're gone!
Eyes wide with terror, I lean further over the edge. Maybe they're walking towards the cliff? Nothing there either. I push myself off the ground and onto my feet, preparing to run away from the cliff. When I turn, I'm met with a pair of green glowing eyes that stare, not only into my brown eyes, but into my very soul. My feet are stuck to the ground. I'm frozen with terror.
The figure smiles. I have nowhere to run. No way to escape. Am I going to die?
A white hot pain pierces through my chest. All traces of air left my lungs. I look down, seeing a black arm stuck into my chest. Red blood drips onto the dry desert rocks. My blood. The figure withdrawals their arm.
Ba-dum…ba-dum…ba-dum…
Dripping blood. Still beating in their hand. My heart is shown to me before my very eyes. I watch as it begins to die. As I begin to die. The beats become slow and dull. I start to panic.
I don't want to die!
My vision becomes hazy. Before my life slips through my hands, I look, once more, into the green eyes of my killer. They smile a wicked white tooth smile, cackling at my distress. My legs lose their strength. The wind screams through my ears as I fall down the cliff side. Before I hit bottom, the figure eats my heart whole.
"HELP ME!" I scream, then everything goes dark.
*line break*
I awake covered in cold sweat and trembling. My body must have responded to the nightmare before my brain had. Tears fall from my eyes as I recall every moment of the nightmare that has been haunting my unconscious for weeks. Taking deep, even, breaths, I lay back on the pillow.
"It was just a dream, Reina." I whisper, "Just a dream. Calm down."
I put my hand over my heart, feeling it beat evenly. My grip tightens onto my tank top as the dark memory tries to push its way back through my thoughts. It's been four years since the Kishin was defeated, yet I still have nightmares.
Just a dream. I thought, and got out of bed.
I walk over to my back pack on the other side of the motel room and pull out my usual attire. A black, long sleeved, top with a blue bodice and blue jean shorts. Folding them over my arm, I walk into the bathroom for a long, hot, shower.
When I come out of the bathroom, I find my partner sitting on my bed, drumming her fingers to the beat of whatever song is blasting through her ear buds. I pull my long, dark brown, hair into a high pony tail, leaving my bangs to cover my forehead. I walk over to her and pull out her ear bud to get her attention.
"Don't you ever sleep in, Lilly?" I ask, "It's 5:30AM."
She only smiles at me and shakes her head.
"We can sleep all we want to when we're dead." She says, "Today, we finally get to Death City! Aren't you excited? Lord Death chose us out of all the other students at the Los Angeles DWMA! We're like.. extra special!"
I roll my eyes at my partner. It wasn't that we were extra special, as Lilly put it. At the Los Angeles Death Weapon Meister Academy, Lilly and I were the top students. Our skills became too advanced for any of the professors to teach us anything more, so by a majority vote, and a letter from Lord Death himself, we were transferred to the original DWMA in Death City, Nevada. I was excited to finally get the chance to attend the original academy where my parents were taught to become excellent Meisters.
"Well since you're here," I start, "Why don't you help me clean this mess up?"
With a groan, Lilly slides off my bed to strip it of its sheets, mumbling about how this is maid's work. I gather up the rest of my clothes and stuff them into my bag. A silver chain with a heart locket dangles in front of my face.
"This was on the floor by the bed." Lilly said with a slight sadness in her voice. "I know how important it is to you."
I snatched the necklace from her hand and slipped it over my head. It must have come off sometime during the night. Tucking it inside my shirt, I put my hand over it, recalling all of the fond memories that it carries with it. With a smile, I turn to Lilly.
"Ready to go?" I ask.
Death the Kid
9:00AM
From the time I walked through the doors of the Academy, to the present time, I've been hearing nothing but talk about new students. I am intrigued about their arrival. From what rumors I've heard, their skills were too advanced for the DWMA they attended. Black Star, of course, is infuriated by the amount of attention the strangers were getting before they even arrived.
"We're supposed to make them feel welcome, Black Star." Maka scolded.
"And what's more welcoming than a challenge from me on their first day?" He laughed, "I'm the biggest star here, and I won't let some new students take the spot light from me!"
It's rare for new students to arrive at this time of the year. My father must have seen some potential in these two to accept them so late in the term. Professor Stein rolled into the room, miraculously not falling over this time, a feat that he has never achieved before. Seeming pleased with himself, he stands in the middle of the classroom and puts his hands in his lab coat pockets.
"I'm sure most of you have heard already, but we have two new students joining us today. They should be here momentarily." He said.
Not a minute after informing us, a head peaked its way into the doorframe. Long red hair waved with the movement. Stein turned his head towards the door.
"Ah, and here they are." He said, "Please, come in."
The red head entered first, a smile on her face, and a twinkle in her blue eyes. I looked her over. She was tall, definitely the same height as Liz. Tan skin. Slender, but toned. She had no visible scars or birthmarks. I assumed she had none judging by the lack of clothing she had. Only a pink spaghetti strapped tank top covered her torso, a black mini skirt, grey leggings, and pink knee high boots. I could tell already that this girl was going to be Liz's new best friend. My focus went to the other girl who entered shortly after the red head.
She looked to be my height, maybe shorter. Her skin was pale and flawless. Dark brown hair that was pulled into a pony tail with her bangs evenly covering her forehead, and brown eyes. She wore a black, long-sleeved, shirt that was cut just above her navel, with blue trim, black shorts that clearly won't reach below her fingertips, and black boots with silver buckles. While her clothing style wasn't all that symmetrical, her face and body were perfect. Almost as perfect as an Egyptian statue. I found myself mesmerized by her beauty. There wasn't one hair out of place. Absolutely perfect.
Professor Stein cleared his throat, rather loudly, and pulled me out of my thoughts.
"Well, here they are. Our new students." He turned to the girls, "Introduce yourselves, starting with the Meister."
The brunette stepped forward, smiling sweetly at us.
"My name is Reina Mori. I'm a Sword Meister from the Los Angeles Death Weapon Meister Academy. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
With a small bow of her head, Reina stepped back. Her voice even complimented her looks. It was soft and comforting. Almost angelic.
The red head stepped forward next.
"Yo! My name is Lilly Williams! I'm a curved blade sword from Los Angeles, a force you don't wanna mess with! Yeah!"
Reina
I pinched the bridge of my nose after Lilly's introduction. I suppose it's my own fault for expecting her to follow my example of a proper introduction instead of being herself. All the students stared at Lilly and I like we had two heads and fox tails.
'Way to go, Lilly.' I thought solemnly, 'So much for a good first impression and making friends on our first day. Thanks to you, we're gonna make enemies..'
Lilly kept obnoxiously smiling at the class, her hands on her hips. Professor Stein cleared his throat once more.
"Ok…well, go ahead and take a seat so we can begin today's lesson." He said.
Lilly proudly marched to an open seat next to a girl with long, light brown, hair wearing a cowgirl hat. I searched around the classroom for another open seat, finding one next to a blonde girl with pigtails.
"Hi, my name is Maka Albarn." She said once I sat down, "It's nice to have a new classmate."
"Likewise." I smiled, "I'm glad to meet one of the Meisters that destroyed the Kishin."
"Now, onto today's lesson." Stein started.
I fell onto my bed when I had finished unpacking my belongings. Everything was organized to my liking. School related things on the left side of my room and personal things on the right. Simple. Lilly was already out and about looking for good party spots. It amazes me to this day how our souls are compatible while our personalities are so different. If you haven't guessed already, Lilly is a party girl. She's loud and rambunctious. Always on the move. I'm more quiet and stable. I'd choose reading a good love story over clubbing for a night. With a loud sigh, I sat up.
"Guess I should look around."
I slipped my boots back on and walked out the door, locking it behind me. Lord Death provided us with one of the student dorm rooms close to the school. Several of our neighbors greeted us while Lilly and I carried boxes inside. Everyone here seemed so much nicer than the queens and kings of Los Angeles.
There were tons of stores around Death city. I'm sure Lilly was having a field day at all the clothes shops. I made a note to check them out after I found my target. There had to be a good bookstore around here somewhere. Hell I'd even settle for a library. Maka told me about the huge library available to DWMA Students at the Academy, but I doubt that it would have the literature I'm looking for. After turning down one to many streets and going up and down a lot of stairs, I got completely turned around. Yay, I'm lost…and even better, there's nobody around to give me directions. I crossed my arms across my chest and looked to the right and left of the alley way I was in.
Where's a directory when you need one? I thought.
With a heavy sigh, I turned to the right and followed the walkway. There had to be somebody around here to help me out.
Maka
"You wanted to see me Professor Stein?"
I walked into the office. Stein sat in his usual computer chair, backwards. He blew smoke out his nose and nodded towards me.
"Yes, please sit down, Maka." He said.
I nodded and sat down on the chair opposite of him. He laid his head on his arms and stared at me.
"What do you think of our new students?" He asked.
I almost fell off my chair. He only wanted to see me to get my opinion on Lilly and Reina? I thought it was something important, like a new training assignment for Soul and I to make ourselves stronger.
"Um..well I haven't gotten the chance to talk to Lilly, but she seems like she'll get along with Black Star more than anybody else. Reina is nice. She's polite and way into books and love stories."
"Uh huh. That's it?"
"Well…yeah? What else could I think after the first day of meeting them?"
Stein spun around in his chair, laughing like a maniac.
"Oh nothing at all!" He laughed, "You're dismissed."
I swear he gets more and more loony every day.
Reina
Finally, I found a library! Somebody in there should know how I can get home, after I get some books of course. I walked inside, finding the place nearly empty. Don't the people in this town like to read at all? Seriously, there's so many books in here I can hardly stand it! It's like I've died and gone to Heaven. I walked up to the front desk, where a lady was sorting through a pile of books.
"Um, excuse me, miss?" I asked.
She doesn't look up from her sorting.
"Yeah?"
"I was wondering if I could check out some books."
"You got a library card?"
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my student ID.
"Well..no, but I got my student ID."
She looked up and examined my ID. A smile spread across her face.
"Ohh, so you're the new student that everybody has been talking about. Welcome to Death City, feel free to check out any book you'd like, dear."
In a matter of minutes I found myself surrounded by books of all shapes and sizes. Back in Los Angeles, I had so much trouble finding a good romance novel, it was so much different here! There was an entire section dedicated to romance novels. Romance/Adventure. Romance/Drama. Romance/Fantasy (One of my personal favorites). It was a hopeless romantic's dream come true! I got so wrapped up in the book I was reading, I didn't even notice that it was almost time for the library to close. I checked out four books and walked back out onto the maze that was Death City, Nevada. When the doors locked behind me, I froze.
"Dammit.. I forgot to ask for directions back to the apartment!" I sighed, "Well.. can't help it now. Might as well get more lost."
Clutching my books to my chest, I started my long walk down the cobblestone path. Turning corners and climbing up stairs that didn't look familiar at all to me.
I wonder if Lilly is as lost as I am.
I quickly turned a corner and just barely caught a glimpse of a black object rushing towards me. It collided into me, sending both of us crashing to the ground with the object on top of me. The air was knocked out of my lungs as my back hit the stone.
"Ow.." I mumbled.
"I'm terribly sorry. Nobody is usually on this street at this time."
The weight was lifted off of my front and I found I could breathe more easily. I looked at the person who ran into me.
"Oh.. no need to apologize." I said, "It was my fault, I should have paid more attention to where I was going. You're not hurt or anything are you?"
Golden eyes looked at me with confusion. I knew who he was. Death the Kid. Lord Death's son. The second Meister that destroyed the Kishin. He's also what father called a Noble, and nobles are to be treated with absolute respect.
"Here, let me help you up."
Kid held his hand out to me. I grabbed hold of his hand and he pulled me onto my feet. I patted the wrinkles out of my shorts and smiled at him, then realized that my books were on the ground.
"Oh! My books!"
I gathered them all up, making sure they weren't damaged at all. I stopped observing for cracks and dents when a peculiar title popped out at me.
"The Balance of Souls? I don't remember checking that one out of the library."
"Actually, that one is mine." Kid said, "I checked it out for some light reading."
I stared at him, then back at the book.
"Light reading? This book is about as thick as your hand." I said with amazement, "I'd hate to see what you read when you have absolutely nothing to do."
Kid took the book from my arms, tucking it under his own arm.
"It's very important to study balance." He said.
"So does that mean you do yoga?" I asked.
A silence overcame us. I felt uncomfortable, like I had asked something wrong.
"Um.. I'm sorry." I said, "Did I say something wrong?"
"Your eyes!" Kid exclaimed.
I jumped back in surprise.
"M-My eyes?"
Kid's face got closer to mine, his eyes sparkling with amazement.
"They're perfectly symmetrical! Even your eyelashes are completely even and perfect!"
I felt my cheeks flush in embarrassment.
"Soo… about the yoga question."
"Oh yes." He cleared his throat, "No, I do not do yoga."
"Why not? It's a great way to relax, and it helps to balance your soul. I do it four times a week. Maybe you could join me?"
"Hm, alright." Kid nodded, "I'll meet you at the running track and 8 o'clock sharp!"
"Ok." I smiled, "See you then, Kid!"
I started to walk away, but stopped dead in my tracks.
"Uhh.. if I could ask one favor from you."
A small pause.
"Could you help me find my apartment?"
Author Note: I'm sorry if the first chapter sucks! It's a really bad habit of mine to plan out the most important parts in a story, but I don't know what to put for the smaller parts. I promise things will get better!