I was up until 3am this morning working on this chapter, plus an extra four hours since I woke up just to make it work. So, I hope you enjoy.
Also, as you may have noticed, these chapters have been longer than the other TAMTS story I did, and I hope to keep it that way. But, no promises. So, here it is. Enjoy. :)
Naminé groaned as her alarm clock went off at about six in the morning, the sun's rays not even making their way above the tree line at that hour. Plus, as she climbed out of bed, her leg caught onto the sheets on her bed, causing the blond artist to fall, face first, into the nightstand.
"Just great…first day of school and I'm already bruised up," The teenager growled as she stood up, rubbing the swelling bruise on her forehead. Turning on the bathroom light, the girl opened up the large medicine cabinet over her large vanity, "Let's see here…bandages, bandages…Ah! Here we go."
"Naminé, are you up!" The familiar voice of Kairi filled the room as she banged on Naminé's door. Placing the band-aid on her wound, the blond rushed into the main room, opening the door, "Oh, there yo-…what happened?"
Naminé smiled, pointing at the tangled mass of sheets on her floor, "My feet didn't want to leave the bed yet."
Kairi laughed, "I can't leave you alone for one minute, now can I? Anyways, get showered up and into the school uniform. Mother is making breakfast, and then we're going to the school early so that you can get registered."
Naminé nodded, thanking Kairi as she closed the door and returned to her bathroom. Closing the door behind her, the blond stripped down and stepped into the shower, turning the warm water on. Sighing as the heat surrounded her, she began to later up with her favorite smelling soap, strawberry kiwi. Ten minutes later, Naminé exited the shower, a fluffy white bathrobe over her petite body. Grabbing her own comb, she began to brush her already straight hair along her back, aside from the part that sat on her right shoulder. Smiling at her appearance, Naminé reached over and grabbed her school uniform off the top of the hamper. It consisted of a white shirt, blue and white tie, and blue and white skirt. Darker blue knee high socks and black shoes completed the ensemble.
"Not bad Naminé…not bad at all," The artist said to herself as she appraised her appearance in the large mirror. She wore no makeup, simply because she didn't feel the need to ruin her face with it. Nodding with approval, she grabbed her small handbag and her dark blue messenger bag, which held all her necessary school supplies to get her through the year, off the floor of her room, before setting out into the maze of hallways
Ten minutes later, Naminé found herself still lost in the mess of hallways. So far, she had managed to find her way to the library, home theatre, and back exit to the gardens, "I'll have to remind Kairi to make me a map of this place," Naminé murmured as she opened another door to reveal a small study, "My god, there's three people in this house. How many studies do you need?!"
"Naminé! Naminé!" Kairi's voice rang through the hallway, causing Naminé to cease her actions of cursing the house, "Where are you, Naminé?"
Grabbing her bag, which she had set down, Naminé, ran towards the source of the voice, as if for her life. Unknowing, Kairi was heading in the same direction, causing a full blown collision to occur between the two teenage girls.
"There you are!" Kairi yelled as she stood up, "What are you doing back here in the guest wings? The dining room is up near the front of the house."
"I got lost," Naminé stated in a matter of fact tone as the two walked back down a hallway, "Mind making me a map?"
Kairi laughed, her voice echoing amongst the long hallways filled with ornate vases and elegant pictures, "I'll see what I can do."
The two continued their small talk until they arrived in the large dining room. Three large, stained glass windows covered one side of the room, a large, mahogany doorway led to the kitchens. In the center of the room sat a large oak table, with chairs around it fit for a knight at King Arthur's table. A large, ornate chandelier hung over the table. At the head of the table closest to the kitchen sat Helena, who was sipping at her coffee as she read the newspaper.
"Good morning, Aunt Helina," Naminé said as she sat down at her place, a jelly filled donut in front of her, along with a glass of orange juice. Smiling in delight, the blond bit down into her donut, letting the jelly rub along her lips.
Aunt Helina laughed at this, "Good Morning, Naminé. Get lost?"
Naminé's face turned to a faint shade of pink, "Umm…yeah, it's a very big house," She stated quietly as she sipped her drink.
"Yeah, I remember when I first moved here eighteen years ago. I got lost so many times," Aunt Helina responded, her eyes distant in some long off memory, "You'll grow used to it," She said, coming back to reality.
Naminé smiled at this, before turning her attention to Kairi, who was sitting across from her, "Where's Uncle Jordan?"
"Dad usually leaves for work at around five in the morning, so we only get to see him at night," Kairi informed her cousin as she bit into her bagel, "Though, he always takes the weekends off, along with Mondays."
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in!" Aunt Helina called.
The double mahogany doors opened up, and Rian stepped inside, once again dressed in a suit, "Good Morning Mrs. Rino, ad good morning Kairi and Naminé."
Naminé turned red from the attention, but Kairi smiled at the young servant, getting up from her seat, "Come on Naminé. Time to be going to school."
Naminé nodded, standing up as well and following Kairi and Rian out into foyer, the blond being careful not to touch anything in that room. Rian smiled as he pushed open the front doors, revealing a large black limo stretched on the roundabout, its surface glittering in the morning sunlight.
"No, no! I'm not going to school in one of these," Naminé yelled, putting her foot down, "I can handle all the service inside, but not this."
Kairi shrugged, "Suit yourself. You can walk the eight miles to school," Smiling, she stepped into the limo, "See you at school, cousin."
Naminé stood there, mouth agape, before running over and hopping into the back with Kairi. The inside of the limo was dark and sleek, with dark black leather seats and even a mini television, "You take this to school all the time?"
"Not always. It's between this and the purple corvette, and until one of us can drive, we take this."
"Don't you take a bus?"
Kairi smiled, "Naminé, you're in the big leagues now."
Naminé sighed and turned to look out the black tinted windows. The limo was still driving in the gated mansion neighborhood, heading further away from the main town. The street was nice and paved no cracks or potholes.
"We're here," Kairi informed the girl, pointing out her side window. Naminé leaned over the brunette to peak out at her new school, her eyes widening.
A large, wide road led the way into the campus, a large ornate arch welcoming the students. Embolden in gold letters were the words Imparare, e la vita sarà buon.
"Is that Italian?" Naminé asked as the limo passed underneath the large arch.
Kairi nodded, "My Italian's rusty, but I think it means "Learn, and Life will be good."
The campus was more reminiscent of a college campus than a high school. The road pulled split into two, the right going to a large, empty parking lot. The left road, which the limo took, led to a two way roundabout, with the statue of a women in the center. She held a book, and the Italian words that were on the arch were embodied on the book. Naminé could see five, or six, tall buildings made of a dark red brick, with rounded tops, similar to a rotunda.
"That's the administration building," Kairi pointed to the building closest to the roundabout, "The science and math building is to the right of it, and the English building is to the left. Behind the English building is the art wing, which you'll love. All the modern day necessities for an artist. Over next to the Science and Math wing is the PE Building, and the sports fields are behind it. Our cafeteria in the English building," Kairi continued to point out, Naminé's eyes following her hand as it pointed the things out, "And our History, Buisness, and Economics building is over next to the English building – Rian, you can drop us off here!"
"I wish you both a good day," Rian said as he opened the right door to let the girls out, "And good luck on your first day, Ms. Naminé."
"Thank you, Rian," Naminé nodded shyly as Rian walked back to the driver's seat, and slowly pulled away from the roundabout, and up onto the main road, where the other cars and limos were "So, I have to go into the administration building?"
Kairi nodded, "Yup. The secretary will give you your schedule, agenda, and anything else you need. Come on, I'll walk you ov-"
"Yo, Kairi!" A voice called to the brunette, and Naminé turned alongside Kairi to see a child like boy running over. He was dressed in the boy's uniform, which was similar to the girls, except with pants and a blazer. His blazer, however, was slung over his shoulder.
Naminé grinned at Kairi, who was turning a slight pink color, "Sora?" Kairi nodded and turned even more red.
Sora's chocolate brown hair was unbelievably spiky, going in any direction someone could imagine. Like that glass elevator in Willy Wonka. He had stunning dark blue eyes. As soon as he reached the two girls, he fell over onto the grass, huffing and puffing and gasping for air.
"I thought you worked out," Kairi remarked, glancing down at the boy on the dark green grass.
Sora stood up, grabbing his blazer and bag from the ground, "You know I am, Kairi. I ran all the way from the parking lot to see you."
"That's not very far."
Sora laughed, before turning his attention to the blond girl next to Kairi, who instantly dropped her head to look away, "This must be…Naminé. My name is Sora Hikari."
Naminé looked up and returned the kind smile, "Y..Yeah, that's me."
"Nice to meet you, Naminé. Mind if I go with you to the student center? We have about…," Sora checked the gold watch on his left wrist, "Twenty minutes before homeroom and first period starts."
Kairi shrugged, "I don't see a problem with it, but it's up to Naminé," Turning her head to the other girl, who nodded, Kairi smiled, "Alrighty then, let's go. Before it gets too crowded." The three began to walk along the pathway around the roundabout towards the Administration building, Sora and Kairi talking about their summer vacation, while Naminé simply took in her surroundings. More and more cars and limos were starting to pull onto the campus, and teenagers were making their way around the school.
"We're here," Kairi stated as she pulled open the glass doors of the Admin building, letting Sora and Naminé walk inside first. The inside was very warm, yet held the appearance of an older palace, with its aged bricks on the walls. An elderly lady sat behind a wooden desk at the far side of the room, busy typing on the computer, "She'll give you everything you need."
Naminé timidly walked up to the desk, "Umm…hello."
"Name please," The lady behind the desk said, stopping her typing to stare at Naminé. Her nametag said Mrs. Bull.
"Umm, my name is Naminé Rino. I'm-"
"Kairi's cousin!" Mrs. Bull stated as she heard Naminé's last name. She began to rummage through the many papers on her desk, "Okay, here's your schedule and locker assignment. Also, this pink slip needs to be signed by all your teachers, according to the Academy policy. Bring it back here at the end of the day, and you'll be all set. Any problems, just come back here and explain them."
"Alright, thank you," Naminé stated, taking the three pieces of paper and walking back to her friends. Kairi immediately snatched it out of her hand, reading it, " I didn't even get a chance to see it!"
"Yeah yeah…you're lockers in the History building," Kairi murmured as the three walked out into the morning warmth, "Sora, she has buisness with you. I have Math with her, and we all have lunch and gym!"
"Though, you're alone first period. Kairi and I have art then," Sora remarked, "Crap, we only have eight minutes left!"
Kairi sighed, "Come on, Sora. Let's go find Naminé's locker, then we can go to art."
The three walked into the History building, immediately finding Naminé's locker as it was near the building's entrance, "Wow, nice and big," Naminé remarked as she put her possessions away except for her History and English supplies, "Alright, which way to my History class?"
"Down this hallway, and take a left. First door on the right," Kairi called over her shoulder as she followed Sora down the stairs to the front doors, "I'll see you in English!"
Naminé sighed as she closed her locker and walked down the crowded hallway, feeling very out of place amongst the rich kids. Thankfully, she found her room without much difficulty, heading right to the teachers desk with her paper.
"Yes, can I help you?" The man asked, putting down his cup of coffee. The nameplate on the desk said Mr. Leonheart.
Naminé handed him the paper, "I...I'm Naminé Rino. Mrs. Bull said to get this signed."
Mr. Leonheart hurriedly signed his name in the place for first period, before handing it back to the girl, "Sit wherever you want."
Naminé thanked the man, before turning around and glancing around the room, spotting a single seat over by the window. Hurrying over, she claimed it as her own, staring out at the yards outside. She could see the art wing that Kairi told her about, along with a stadium in the back of the campus for sports games. The bell rang in the building, and everyone who were out in the halls ran into their classrooms.
"Good Morning class. It's good to see so many familiar faces," Mr. Leonheart said, standing up, "Welcome to Historical Perspectives in the World II. In this class, we will be learnin-"
The door burst open, and Mr. Leonheart sighed, "Glad you could join us, Mr. Hikari."
Hikari? Naminé turned to glance at the doorway, expecting to see Sora. Instead, a boy nearly identical to Sora was standing in the doorway, a sly smirk on his face. His blond hair was less spiky, but still impressive none the less. He had the same blue eyes and face, though they were more masculine than those of Sora's. He began to walk into the room with swag, completely ignoring the teacher. The girls that he passed turned a bright red, and sighed as he winked at them. The guys, however, grumbled to themselves and glared at the boy.
"Reminds me of that Carrie Underwood song…cowboy Casanova," Naminé murmured, though she could not deny the fact that the boy was cute. Sighing, she settled into her comfortable chair as the teacher continued to go on with his lecture. Before she knew it, the bell rang, and Naminé found herself in the hustle and bustle of kids moving to their next class. Thankfully, Naminé had no trouble finding her English class, what with Kairi standing outside the door.
"So, how was History? Boring?" Kairi asked as she led Naminé into the room. After getting the slip signed, Naminé took a seat next to Kairi.
"Somewhat. Though, there was this bo-"
"A boy?! Was he cute?"
Naminé sighed, "Are you dating Sora?"
"For you, silly!" Kairi whispered to her as someone walked past.
"…No comment."
