Chapter two

Meeting a new frienemy

Stumbling over my feet, I allowed Joey to drag me to wherever he wanted to. Being dragged into a classroom on my first day wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but it was good to know that I've made some friends.

Joey pulled me into my homeroom and almost into the teacher's desk, but turned quick enough so I wouldn't get badly injured. He dropped his brown bag next to, what I assume is, his desk and motioned for me to sit next to him as Yugi took his seat right behind us.

"So, Zandria, you sure you're new around here?" Joey asked, leaning back in his chair as I sat down and faced him.

"Pretty much, but I could've lost my memory like in a dream I had," I replied, giving him a small smile.

"I guess dogs hang out with dogs, don't they, Wheeler?"

All three of us spun around to find the voice that so rudely interrupted our conversation, though we just started it. Standing in the doorway was a tall brunette with cold blue eyes. He buttoned up his school jacket and was standing proud. To me, he seemed like one of those perfectionists that never puts a foot wrong.

"Look, Kaiba," Joey began, getting to his feet. "I can talk to who I want and Zandria is not a dog!"

"He's right," I added, also standing up. "I'm not a dog; I'm your worst nightmare."

Kaiba looked at me with his, what I presume, usually cold gaze, but I saw his eyes widen a bit when he caught sight of me. It went unseen by anyone else and Kaiba resumed his usual stare.

"And how is it that you could possibly be my worst nightmare?" he asked, his voice low and his eyes narrow.

"I have family in high places," I answered, crossing my arms.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow but said nothing further and walked right past me. He took a seat at the back of the class and took out a book to read, blocking out any interference.

"Is he always like that?" I asked, sitting back down.

"Yeah, unfortunately," Joey replied, also taking his seat.

"But he does have a good side," Yugi spoke up and I nearly jumped. "He really cares about his brother, Mokuba."

"I know every person has a good side, but some are just harder to see than others," I responded, locking eyes with Yugi.

'I wonder…'

My thought was interrupted as Joey continued.

"Let's not talk about him. I want to know more about you, Zandria,"

I blinked as if the question caught me off-guard before speaking.

"Well, there's not much to tell…"

"You're new, so there's a lot to tell!"

I pondered for a moment, thinking about what I should or shouldn't tell them, but then decided it would be best to reveal as little as possible about me.

"Well, I love music for a start," I said and Yugi leaned forward, resting his head on his arms. "Though, my stepsister and I have completely different tastes in music."

"You have a stepsister?" Yugi asked, lifting his head.

"Yeah, Tea Gardener,"

Yugi's head shot up, Joey fell out of his chair and I was stuck on what to do from the sudden reactions.

'She never told them? I thought she'd at least mention something about her family, but to never mention she has a sister? That's just plain rude.'

"You're… you're…" Joey stammered, getting up from the cold floor.

"Tea's stepsister," I repeated.

I caught sight of Yugi trying to make sense of my words since he was blinking a lot and shaking his head as if he's trying to wake up from a dream. My brown eyes caught dark and cold blue ones as I locked my eyes with Kaiba's and a shiver ran up my spine.

Kaiba was looking right at me, his gazed fixed like he was frozen and his eyes held only coldness. And yet, I could feel something in them, like an emotion he has never shown to anyone. Almost like I'm someone different than the rest…

And then I felt another shiver, one that you feel when you feel like someone's watching you. Looking around the room, I saw Yugi and Joey, Kaiba still looking at me intently and then no one else. It's really frightening and I don't like it. I then return my gaze to Yugi, only to find someone, no, something standing next to him.

This…person looked almost just like Yugi, but he had blonde strikes in his spiky hair and his face was much sharper, unlike Yugi's child-like face. His eyes were also different, but remained the same Amethyst colour. His eyes were fixed on me and his arms were crossed over his chest. He vanished just as quickly as he appeared and I had to blink several times to make sure it was just my imagination.

"That's really…new," I heard Yugi say, snapping me out of my trance. "Tea never mentioned anything about having a stepsister."

"We're not exactly close," I responded. "We just try to avoid each other as much as we can."

"Hey, Yugi, hey, Joey!"

We all immediately turned our gazes to the door to find Tea, and someone I don't know, standing in the doorway. Tea walked over to us, greeted her friends and they greeted back, before turning to me.

"Hey, Zandria,"

"Tea," I greeted through gritted teeth.

The bell rang and the group departed, each one taking their own seat as more students came pouring in and I prepared myself to start my first day of school.

Kaiba's POV

She's just started here and I already don't like her. I know she just said she had family in high places, but she and I both know that it was a lie. And yet, I feel like I've seen her somewhere before. The voice and tone seems quite familiar, but I can't place them.

I'd better keep an eye on her; she might be much more valuable later. If she is someone of great importance and has much influence, then I will have to get her on my side. Of course, anyone who has any duelling talent might be of use to me for me to reach my goal.

Her face doesn't look familiar, maybe because I've never seen her until today. Of course, anyone in Yugi's circle of friends is a useless duellist. And yet, I feel as if Zandria is hiding something… Something that could help me…

Darn bell, I was busy reading. I guess I'll do research on her later, I might just find something interesting.

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I apologize once again to all my readers, even more to my co-author, but please leave a review. That will get faster updates!