We get to meet the main character! Yay! I'm a little hesitant to post this as is, because I'm pretty sure she's too angsty, but at the same time this is one of the few times in the story where she's going to be moping around. I just know that if I read a story, having a bunch of angst in the first chapter would put me off, so I feel obligated to warn you guys. ^^" There will be very little angst for the rest of this story, so please bear with me!

I hope the characters are all likable and/or realistic. I think they are, but I don't think my opinion is the one that counts. XD

If anyone has any suggestions on how I can improve this chapter, please feel free to tell me! I would love to get some reviews!


Chapter One

Outside, the autumn leaves began to swirl in the air, blown around by the unseen wind. Terra shivered, watching through the window as she rubbed her goose-bump covered arms. "It looks really cold out there," she stated loudly to her mother who was washing dishes in the other room. "It looks like it's even colder out there than it is in here!" Exasperated, Terra's mother sighed and left the dishes where they were as she leaned into the other room to glare pointedly at her daughter.

"You wouldn't be so cold if you would move around more often," she stated, receiving nothing but a sigh in response. "I mean it! All you do is sit around! Why don't you invite some friends over and go out and play?" It was true, Terra almost never left the house, spending almost all of her time reading or drawing, the rest spent on video games and Internet surfing. Mrs. Drake was quickly becoming concerned about Terra's health, but so far all of her attempts to get her daughter doing things outside were all for naught, as she shot all of them down, claiming that there was 'nothing to do out there'. This time was no exception, with Terra promptly snorting rudely her mother's suggestion, but for once it wasn't for the reason Mrs. Drake expected.

"What friends?" Terra asked, waving her arms and looking around, as if to say 'I certainly don't see any'. "Don't you think if I had some real friends, I would have invited them over by now?" As though only just realizing the full extent of what she was saying, Terra promptly lowered her eyes and turned back to the window, temporarily lost in thought. Mrs. Drake furrowed her brow in confusion and sat down beside her on the windowsill, forcing Terra to look back at her.

"What do you mean? What about those girls you sit next to during lunch at school?" she asked, concerned. "I thought they were your friends? You're always talking about them. . ." Terra just sighed and shook her head slowly.

"I have almost nothing in common with them, Mom!" she said tiredly, as thought she had already said it a thousand times. "They're loud, and- and rambunctious, and they're materialistic too. The only real differences between them and the popular kids are they're more kiddish and slightly more nerdy. Compare that to quiet, little, nerdy me? We're worlds apart." For a moment, her mother could only stare at her before shaking her head in disbelief.

"Well, first of all, you're one of the tallest girls in the school. You're anything but 'little'," she began, shifting back into 'lecture mode', as Terra liked to secretly call it. "And second of all, shouldn't the fact that they're nice to you be more important than whether they're just like you or not?" The teenaged girl merely groaned and bumped her head gently on the window in frustration.

"Of course being nice is more important! But they aren't all that nice, that's the problem!" She sighed and took a deep breath in an attempt to keep her voice down. "We don't really like any of the same things, and when I try to talk about things that I like, they either ignore me or talk over me. . ." Her mother huffed and glared sternly at her, causing her to shrink back ever-so-slightly.

"Then find someone else to sit with! Be more outgoing, talk to new people! Smile at them! Don't just sit there being a grump and expect people to want to hang out with you!" Mrs. Drake stood up, wiped off her pants, and walked away rolling her eyes. "If you would just talk to people instead of assuming they're exactly the way you think of them, you might find you have more in common than you think." With that final statement, Terra's mother went back to the kitchen to finish the dishes.

Terra blinked slowly, turning her mother's words over in her head, as she recalled various parts of their conversation. She began to carefully consider the possibilities of what might happen if she smiled at people at school the next day. After all, she couldn't initiate a conversation, even if she wanted to. She had no topics to talk about and no social skills to speak of. She would just end up embarrassing herself. 'But,' she thought to herself carefully. 'smiling might be more do-able.' The only reason she didn't smile at people was because she could never tell if they were looking at her or not. It was. . . awkward, to say the least. But if she smiled at everybody, then it wouldn't matter if they were looking at her or not, right? Right. With this plan of action in mind, Terra went back to gazing out the window and watching the swirling leaves dance as she tried to keep her now-growing anxiety stamped down.


The next day at school, Terra put "Operation: Friend Maker" into action. She tried her best to give at least a small smile to everyone she saw. Some of the kids she walked by burst into laughter after she had passed, but she didn't have any idea if they were laughing at her or not, so she tried to ignore it and kept smiling at people. She thought it was going well, all things considered. No one seemed to be outright making fun of her anyway, so that was good. She was, however, asked several times by her teachers if she was alright, which she didn't understand why but responded with a confused "yes" each time regardless.

Terra managed to keep on smiling until lunchtime, at which point she sat down at her usual spot, at the rightmost edge of the third table from the left in the row that was farthest from the classrooms. She sat in the same exact place every day for two reasons. The first reason was the other kids always got mad at her and ordered her to move when she sat at any other table. She assumed this was because it left less space for their friends to sit with them, and never really questioned it as she thought them all odd anyway. The other reason was, if she sat anywhere else, even if it was just one seat over, she started feeling odd. It just felt wrong, like she was suddenly out of synch with the rest of the world. She felt the same way if any of her daily routines had unplanned disruptions.

Sometimes Terra wondered if she had Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or something, but her parents always denied it, saying there was nothing wrong with her. Terra snorted to herself, losing the smile for a minute before reminding herself and plastering it back on her face. 'Nothing wrong with me. Yeah right,' she thought to herself as she waited for her table-mates with hidden anxiousness. 'If there's nothing wrong with me, then why do I always feel like such an outcast?' Terra's rather angsty thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a tray full of cafeteria food slammed down right in front of her, startling her and causing her head to shoot up, eyes wide in alarm.

"Much better," her friend Melody said, sounding very satisfied as she sat down across from Terra.

". . . What's better?" Terra asked curiously, wondering if maybe something happened in one of Melody's classes. Melody stared pointedly at her, causing her to furrow her eyebrows in confusion. Out of nowhere, Terra's other friend, Hannah, sat down next to Melody, setting her tray down much more carefully than the other girl had.

"You looked like a deer in the headlights who was either constipated or in pain," Hannah explained bluntly, patting Terra on the back in a way that was supposed to be comforting, but made her as uncomfortable as her words did.

"W-what do you mean?" Terra asked nervously. "I was just smiling!" But Melody just shook her head.

"No, you were grimacing," she informed her. "There's a difference."

"But I was smiling!" Terra insisted, trying her best to not sound hysterical.

"Grimacing~" Melody sang, making Terra's heart sink. And she had thought she had been doing so well too! "This does explain those weird rumors though."

". . . What rumors?" Hannah asked for Terra, seeing the look of horror on her face. Before Melody could answer, the rest of their group took their seats at the table, chattering excitedly.

"Hey guys, did you hear?" one girl asked in a conspiratorial tone.

"No, what?" The others leaned in close, anxious to hear.

"Tiffany told Derek, who told Katie, who told me that some kid lost a bet and had to superglue her eyes open! She had to go to the hospital, but they couldn't get them to close, so she had to come to school like that." Giggles.

"What? That's not what I heard!" another girl said.

"What did you hear?"

"I heard that she's never had caffeine before, and someone dared her to drink a 5 Hour Energy!"

"No way!" "Really?!" "I don't believe that!"

Terra stared at them in pure horror, putting the pieces together and suppressing the urge to run away and hide. "My life is officially over," she groaned, resting her head in her hands.

"What were you trying to do, anyway?" Melody asked while munching on her chicken burger. Terra froze, not sure what to say. She didn't know if they actually considered her a friend or a not, and she didn't want to hurt their feelings by saying she was hoping to make some new friends because what if they took it the wrong way and WHY did she have to over-think everything?!

"I- uh. . . It doesn't matter now. . ." Terra ducked her head in embarrassment and shifted uncomfortably in her seat, not liking this conversation in the slightest. She was extremely relieved when they merely shrugged and turned to safer, more relaxing topics. She sat and watched everyone else eat their lunches as they began talking about the different anime they all watched. Terra didn't like any of the anime they mentioned, but it was better than hearing any more rumors about herself, that was for sure. At least, it was, until Hannah decided to try and include her in their conversation.

"What about you Terra? What's your favorite anime?" Hannah asked out of the blue, startling her badly as suddenly all eyes at the table were on her. Terra gulped nervously and began picking at one of the scabs on her arms- a bad and disgusting habit, but one she hadn't yet been able to break.

"Well, um, I like Pokemon," she started, trying her best not to stumble over hear words. "The older seasons though, not the newer ones, and, um, I also really like Yu-Gi-Oh!" The others just nodded and went back to talking to each other, making Terra feel relieved for a minute, but the moment passed and she started feeling very foolish. Both shows were commonly considered to only be for little kids, and no self-respecting high school student would admit to liking either of them. Even if the original version of Yu-Gi-Oh! was not suitable for children in the slightest, she would have been much better off mentioning something like Negima! instead. 'Oh well, too late now,' Terra thought to herself, doing her best to appear nonchalant, as though she wasn't silently chastising herself for saying something she though was stupid.

Terra watched kids pass by their table as they went about their business, talking and laughing with each other as they went to their own tables. She stared after them almost wistfully, as though she was remembering this event after many years instead of experiencing it in the present. Secretly, she longed to have a relationship like that with anybody, where she could truly be herself and talk about what she wanted to for once without getting interrupted, because they would be just as interested in Yu-Gi-Oh! as she was. Where they wouldn't mind hearing about her theories and head-canons because she enjoyed listening to theirs, and they would have lots in common even though completely different people. . .

Suddenly, Terra jumped as she felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder. She whirled around in her seat, expecting a bully or maybe a teacher, only to find Hannah standing behind her. She blinked and glanced over at the spot where Hannah had been sitting only moments before, wondering when she had moved before realizing that everyone else at their table was gone. "They all went to walk around," Hannah told her, noticing her confusion.

Terra let out a soft "oh", feeling embarrassed. She hadn't even noticed them get up to leave! 'Talk about "space cadet",' she silently scolded herself. Hannah re-seated herself, right next to Terra, slight concern evident on her face.

"Are you okay Terra?" she asked, taking careful note of the way the other girl turned away at the question. "You've been a major daydreamer the entire time I've known you, but lately you just seem kind of. . . distant. Is something wrong?" Terra gulped, unsure of how she should answer. Taking a deep breath, she attempted another smile.

"Everything's fine, Hannah," she lied, wanting this conversation to end. Hannah wasn't fooled though.

"Come on Terra, please don't lie to me."

'Crap,' Terra thought. 'It's like she's psychic or something. . .' She sighed and ran her hand through her hair, subconsciously taking note of her numerous split ends and tangles as she thought about what to say. What exactly was wrong, anyway?

". . . I guess. . . I guess I'm a little. . . lonely. . . ?" 'A little' was probably an understatement, and she wasn't sure if 'lonely' was the right word, but it was the best description she could come up with for the way she was feeling right now, so it would have to do. Hannah was looking at her a little funny, as though expecting her to say more. 'But what else is there to say?' she wondered, staring at Hannah blankly. When it became apparent that Terra was not going to say anything else, Hannah sighed and started rummaging around in her backpack as though looking for something. Bewildered, Terra watched as she pulled out some sort of flier and handed it to her. Looking at it more closely, Terra realized that it was advertising some kind of Halloween party. "What. . . what exactly is this?" she asked. She began squinting her eyes at it as though that would help her divine its meaning. What was the point of handing this to her? What did a party have to do with anything?

"It's the annual Halloween Bash, down at the old MacFarland Mansion," Hannah told her, as though she should know what she was talking about. Hannah waited for the spark of understanding to enter her friend's eyes, but that spark never came, and Terra continued to stare blankly at her.

"There's an annual Halloween party?" she asked, curiosity overwhelming her. "Wait, hold that thought. There's a mansion?! Since when!?" Hannah stared incredulously at her friend.

"How can you not know?! The MacFarland Mansion has been at the top of the hill downtown for centuries, and the MacFarlands have been hosting the Halloween Bash since before we were born! As soon as they get too old for Trick or Treating, all of the teenagers start partying their Halloween nights away at the Bash!" Terra blinked in shock.

"You can get too old for Trick or Treating? Is that even possible?!" For a minute, Hannah could only stare as she processed this outburst.

"You really don't know anything, do you?" she asked curiously, not intending to be mean or rude. Terra cast her eyes down and started picking at her scabs again.

". . . I can't really remember the last time I went to a party. I can barely even remember my own birthday parties," she admitted, thoroughly embarrassed once again. She always knew she was kind of pathetic, but having it thrown in her face like this hurt. After a moment, she glanced back up to see Hannah staring at her once more, clearly at a loss for words. But then, suddenly her eyes were brimming with determination, and Terra felt like she could literally feel a fire burning inside them.

"You are coming with us to that party," Hannah told her, the tone of her voice leaving no room for any argument. The bell rang, and the other students left in the cafeteria picked up their backpack and began ambling towards their classrooms. Terra moved to follow them when Hannah reached her hand out and stopped her, her eyes still burning fiercely. "Halloween is this Saturday. Come to my house around seven thirty and we'll walk to the mansion together, it's not far from where I live. The party starts at eight, so we'll have plenty of time." Terra just nodded dumbly, attempting to process all of this.

She was going to a party. Her. At a party. No matter how hard she tried, she could not see herself in any sort of party-like environment. While she considered herself to be friendly, she knew that other people probably viewed her as cold. She also knew that they were probably at least partially right. Terra knew full well that she could not relate to real people at all, and as such it was difficult to even visualize herself in a room full of other people, let alone having fun. She was so wrapped up in her worries that she almost didn't hear what Hannah said next.

"And since it's a costume party, make sure to wear a costume, okay? It is Halloween, after all." Terra turned around at this, only to see Hannah already heading off to class. Belatedly realizing she should do the same, Terra hurriedly grabbed her backpack and stood up, thoughts swirling as she jogged off to class. Her? A party? A costume party? Her mind flashed to this year's Halloween costume, sitting ready-to-go in her closet, and she couldn't help but laugh hysterically to herself, earning an odd glance from a passing teacher. Well, if she was going to stick out like a sore thumb, at least she would be doing it in style. Entering her math classroom, she ignored the stares and whispers from her classmates as she gave one last small cackle and sat down in her seat, leaning back slightly as she began to relax. Her teacher promptly began the day's lesson, and after his brief explanation of their assignment, Terra got to work while quietly humming Leather Pants to herself, grinning diabolically all the while.


I hope that ending didn't completely give away what she's dressing as for Halloween. If you can't guess it, then great~ If you can guess it, then oh well~

AND BEFORE ANYBODY PANICS, there's not going to be Abridged references everywhere. In fact, that brief mention of Leather Pants is probably going to be the only Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series reference in the entire story. I know! Crazy, right?! Every time I see a story like this where there's Abridged references everywhere, I just want to cringe. So I'm going to do my best to not do that, because that's not the point of the story, and I feel like it would detract from it greatly.

Leather Pants doesn't belong to me, by the way. It belongs to Little Kuriboh. I didn't put it at the top of the story because. . . I don't know. I didn't feel like it I guess. If people complain then I'll move it to the top.