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Page One

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Disclaimer:: Cough cough, I don't own Gakuen Alice.

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Take off your makeup

And put down the camera,

Choke on the drama

That makes me want to….

. . ~The Girl's a Straight Up Hustler-All Time Low .

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Photo Number One: Alice Academy

Mikan sank into a plush, blue seat in the vacant space at the back of the coach bus. Placing the orange headphones in her ears, she swept her chestnut-brown hair loosely into a messy bun. Kicking off her Converse sneakers, she hugged her knees to her chest. She felt considerably more comfortable as she stared blankly at the swiftly passing scenery, deep in thought.

I wonder how Jii-chan's doing. He'd reassured her that he'd be fine without her there. "Don't worry about this old man, Mikan," he'd joked, "My life's already settling down. But you, your life's just beginning." He'd said his friend would take good care of him. But he had to say that. He was, after all, the one who'd suggested Mikan accept enrollment to Alice Academy.

She'd forgotten she'd even applied in the first place, when the letter came for her in the mail. She'd sent an application about a year before, when she was scouting for new schools, meticulously completing the enormous mass of paperwork. She'd never thought for a second that she would be accepted.

Only a select few were chosen every two years to attend the prestigious boarding school. It educated the world's future leaders, doctors, lawyers, and ambitious businesspeople. A diploma from Alice Academy virtually guaranteed acceptance from any university in the world. Of course, for most people, there was the actual obstacle of being chosen…

But she'd done it, and she didn't know how. Initially she refused. She had to take care of her aging grandfather, after all. She had to be there for him every day. He seemed to be getting older by the day, barely able to walk to the kitchen and heat a bowl of soup, let alone manage by himself.

However, he'd insistently refused to let Mikan turned down the school's acceptance.

"No way," his crinkly face tried to look as firm as his voice was. "This is an opportunity of a lifetime. Graduating from this school means you can become a doctor, follow your dreams."

"But I can become a doctor at other schools too!" She'd argued.

"No. You will attend Alice Academy, Mikan. It is what your parents would have wanted. Don't worry about me. I'll stay at my good friend's house. Besides, you need to get out and experience new things. This'll be good for you, Mikan. Trust me."

The bus came haltingly to a stop. As Mikan returned to reality, music still blasting in her ears, she glanced up as more people boarded the bus.

Experience was right. Mikan had never travelled more than ten miles from her town, which had been her home for all her life, as long as she could remember. And all those years, it was just her and her grandfather. He'd told her the tale countless times; how her mother left her to him when her father died, as she had no other choice. "She was brave," he'd told her. "So don't you go hating her. She loved you."

Mikan rolled her eyes. He was such a sappy romantic sometimes.

This was going to be the beginning. Childish joy filled Mikan as she thought about it. The beginning of my life as a doctor.

Well, this would be her junior year in high school. So technically, there would be two more years before her actual medical career off at university.

Mikan focused her attention on the monotonous landscape outside. The trees, which zoomed by, seemed to be exact copies of each other. She was bamboozled; hadn't the school's brochure said it was located in the city? So why were they just in a forest, in the middle of nowhere?

Then finally, they were there! The massive powerful-looking gates were held by a single gold lock in the center, with the initials AA carved into the golden surface. Stretching from the edges of the gate was a vast brick wall, which seemed to extend never endingly in either direction from the gate. Quickly pulling out her sleek black Polaroid camera, she took a shot of the moment, of the empowering gates.

If she'd thought the gates were empowering, it had nothing on the actual campus and buildings which made up the school. Well, she'd seen it in the brochure and pamphlets, but here it was, basking in all its magnificent glory.

The offices were located not in the main buildings, where most classes were held, but in the one adjacent to it, Mikan surveyed closely, as the bus slowly drove past both buildings. The entire campus had a laid-back, natural and easy feel. The buildings, made from what seemed to be stone, had a somewhat old English appearance, complete with the towering clock which held a close resemblance to Big Ben.

The dormitories and student facilities were in no way inferior to the huge schooling buildings. They were like grand hotels, only less modern and ostentatious. The sheer size of the dorms was like nothing Mikan had ever seen. Granted, this was where every single person on the campus, student or teacher, was living. But still, it seemed so ridiculous. It was as if the building complexes were screaming, "Hey look at me! No look at me! I'm bigger and better than you!"

Suddenly, she felt doubtful, but this time, the feeling in the pit of her stomach was unrelated to her worry for her grandfather. Was this really a good idea? She'd seen the movies, where the normal, unimportant girl goes to the rich and famous school, with all the rich and gorgeous people. Oh yes, she had seen them, how the girl was always the one ridiculed for sticking out. And she hated to admit it, but she had no idea how to fit in, if she was that girl, that is. But that was just fiction. Right?

The bus screeched to a halt outside the immense dorms. Mikan pulled the headphones out of her ears, hastily shoving the iPod in the large pocket of her light fleece jacket.

"Girls will get off here and retrieve their belongings. We have reached the ladies' dormitories. Boys, please stay on the bus; we will leave for your dormitories shortly." The bus driver announced, as he stood up, brushing off his black pants.

Mikan felt quite unprepared compared to the other new female students. They carried loads of bags, luggage, and suitcases. Mikan had only brought one single luggage besides her large blue duffel bag. Clothes weren't really that important, and she could always wash the ones she had, and buy more. Besides, it was pointless to bring loads since they had to wear uniforms, which were issued to them as soon as they'd unpacked and settled down, according to the information pamphlet.

Belongings in hand, the hazel-eyed girl whipped out the thick student handbook, thumbing through the pages to the map of the campus. She'd circled the location of her dorm and room, where she'd be staying with one other roommate in black Sharpie the night before.

Dorm A, Room 12.

She wheeled her luggage through Dormitory A's doors, through the lush, carpeted hallway. Wow, they even have elevators. And a complementary, 24-hour coffee and fruit stand!

Room 8, Room 10. . . There! Room 12 was engraved into a silver plate in swirling, calligraphic letters. Mikan fumbled, reaching for the small key hanging from the lanyard around her neck.

Mikan flung the door wide open, stumbling clumsily as her luggage's wheels rolled over her toes. "Owww."

"Ah-hem!"

Great, Mikan groaned silently. Now my roommate probably thinks I'm a clumsy fool.

She gazed up, only to face a pair of unfazed, cold amethyst eyes sharply staring back.

Familiar amethyst eyes. Mikan squinted.

And that short, cropped raven hair…

"H-Hotaru?"

In an instant, Mikan was up on her feet, arms thrown around the other girl in a bear hug. "Hotaru! I can't believe it's you! You're here!!!"

"Get off me idiot, before I call security to take away a deranged, mentally unstable psycho." The girl sounded irritated, but made no motion to stop Mikan.

"Oh, sorry!" Mikan picked up her bags, dragging them into the room with her.

"Wow, this is nice!" The room was quite large and fully furnished. There were two enormous windows, sunlight illuminating the whole room. Two beds were on opposite sides of the room, near the back next to the windows. The closet doors were n ext to the front door, off to Mikan's left. Two drawers had been pushed together next to the closet. A modern-looking white sofa sat in the center of the room, facing the plasma screen TV hung on the wall, which was painted a calming lavender. A large desk occupied the space on the other side of the room. It was already in use by Hotaru, with a glossy black laptop, as well as stacks of paper, which were scattered neatly on the cherry-wood surface.

Mikan heaved her bags on a bed, wrinkling the tidily pressed sheets. "Hey… Where's the bathroom?"

Hotaru wrinkled her nose before pointing at a closed door which she hadn't even noticed. "We have to share it with the room next door, so don't make so much noise. You'll bother them with your obnoxious voice."

"Awww, Hotaru! You haven't changed a bit!" Mikan gushed happily, before heading to the bathroom. "You still care about me so much!"

"You haven't changed either," Hotaru grumbled under her breath.

Mikan was splashing cold water on her face when the door opened unexpectedly. She grabbed her special orange towel and patted her face as she glanced at the girl. She had long, wavy pink hair and an excited grin on her face.

"Hi!" She exclaimed. "You must be my neighbor! Me and Nonoko, that's my roommate, are both new here. We're going to be in our junior year!" She stuck out her hand. "I'm Anna Umenomiya."

Mikan shook her hand vigorously. "I'm Mikan Sakura. I'm a new junior too!"

Then she cautiously touched the girl's pink hair in wonder. "Hey, is that your real hair?"

Anna giggled mischievously. "Yup, one hundred percent! See, look at my eyebrows." She wiggled the pink caterpillars, and they both burst into laughter.

"Where's your roommate now?" Mikan wondered.

"Oh, she's downstairs, getting some coffee and free food." She winked at her knowingly. "These rich institutions always have so much money to spend on such trivial things."

Mikan chuckled in agreement, then grabbed Anna's arm, yanking her into her room. "Come on, I want you to meet my roommate."

"Okay, Hotaru, this is Anna Umenomiya." She gestured with her hands animatedly. "and Anna, this is Hotaru Imai."

"It's nice to meet you, Hotaru!" Anna stuck her hand out expectantly, but Hotaru had returned her attention to the Ma laptop. "Mikan, you interrupted me for this?"

Mikan rolled her eyes; Hotaru the antisocialist. "Sorry, Hotaru's like that to everyone. She was like that to me too when we first met. She's just shy," she reassured the pink-haired girl.

Their attention was diverted to the noisy thud of a door opening and slamming shut. "I think that's Nonoko!" Anna exclaimed, squinting through the bathroom doorway, which they'd forgotten to close. She pulled Mikan's arm, heading over.

"Come on, I'll introduce you!"

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Chapter numero uno finally completed! :D

~AVioletSky