Chapter2
That was not the last I saw of her. That was just the beginning of a series of events that introduced me to a new person...no, a new entity.
As I entered the class with Natsume, Mikan came skipping over. Growing up has affected most of us in favorable ways, for example, Mikan. She no longer has those girly pigtails bouncing off the top of her head; straight and sleek's her style now, that's earned her compliments from most of the guys, and even a half nod of approval from Natsume! He still tries to keep up that he did that to fend off her constant pestering, but not any other girl has received frequent sideways glances from him, so, well...
Coming back to the point, Mikan was talking her head off about her 'speculations' about the new teachers. There were rumors that Narumi-sensei had been promoted and now he will be teaching the high-school students too .Great. Another year of bunking. But not if Mikan had her way. She had almost convinced Natsume to give him a chance, and stay for at least a class. It looked like she was still waging that battle...
"...he is really nice and sweet and kind-hearted. He's such a jolly person. Come on Natsume, give it a try. It won't hurt to attend his classes. Please."
"No. And if you don't shut up now, I am gonna burn your hair"
"Aww, come on. How many times are you threatening me with that? I know you won't hurt me, will you?"
Bingo. Bull's-eye. And there goes the 'black' cat in the bag.
"Fine. Just one class. But keep your fat mouth shut."
"Sure then!"
Mikan bounced off, leaving Natsume flustered. I love to see this happen, she's the only one who can do this. Sixteen years of his solitary life, and he landed with a crush on the most unlikely of all girls. Cool!
As we moved on to our seats, Narumi entered the class. Its still a mystery how that guy manages those long, wavy hair. His clothes were even more flamboyant than usual, perhaps for celebrating the start of the term.
"Good morning class", he said with a smile, and I saw Natsume's fingers tighten around his manga. He might stay in class, but he still hates Narumi much.
"I believe you are surprised to see me here, but I am pleased to announce that I will be your class teacher again this year." the class cheered in unison, and before the squabble could die down, narumi cleared his throat again and everyone fell silent.
"The New Year hasn't just brought on new opportunities; it has even brought new friends! Class, welcome Koyoko Migasaki!"
The class fell silent. A new student, now?
"Now, Koyoko here has just been admitted to the academy. It seems that her powers were discovered at quite a late stage that explains her delayed admission. But, that's not unheard of is it? I expect you all to make her feel at home as best as you can, just as you have made friends with other students in the past." His gaze settled on Mikan, who gave him a warm smile, which he returned. Natsume scowled.
"So class, this is Koyoko."
The brunette girl I had seen in the forest entered the room, bringing with her the atmosphere of mystery. Most of the people stopped talking; those who didn't were nudged into silence by their friends. All heads turned to fix her with hard stares. She kept her head down, her pale hands clutching at the seams of her bag. She didn't look shy, just nervous, and not all of that nervousness seemed to be associated with meeting new people.
"I have some business to attend to, so I need to go. Make yourself comfortable" narumi said to Koyoko, "Enjoy your first day, class", and departed.
"She's pretty, isn't she?" Mikan's loud whisper broke the silence.
A buzz of talk broke out, and I saw her lift her lashes and scan the class, quickly. I sat at the back, but could still see her eyes very clearly. They were beautiful; large, brown, and deep and thoughtful. Her very appearance attracted me like a magnet. Was it natural, because I didn't even know her.
"Hi! I am Mikan Sakura. Welcome to Alice academy. " it seemed like Mikan had jumped to the fore of her 'make friends' mission, as she held out her hand to the new girl, who took it with a quiet 'hello'.
"And I am Yuu. I am the class representative. And this is Hotaru Imai, another of our representatives. Nice to meet you!" Yuu-Chan had stepped forward and taken Mikan's cue; even Hotaru shifted towards her .Deja vu, I muttered to myself, as I remembered the incident in the forest. Just as the animals, each of my classmates looked over at Koyoko, curiosity displayed on their faces in varying degrees. Mikan and Yuu, fine, but Hotaru? Since when did she start making friends with newbies?
"...I am sure you'll love it here at Alice academy, it's a bit tough in the beginning, but you'll do just fine." Mikan was saying.
"She's right. Mikan was new here back in the elementary class, but now she's as much part of our little family as anyone else" Yuu added with a smile ,"okay, first you need a seat ,right? I am afraid everyone's bagged the front desks, but you can sit over there." he pointed over to us, and I, breaking out of my reverie, put on the most convincing expression of aloofness as her gaze followed his finger.
Not that it worked. My mouth went slightly agape, almost immediately as she looked at me, right in the eyes.
Attention please. I did not let my mouth fall open because I was wonderstruck or anything. That would be too melodramatic! It was just... she stared at me as if she knew me, like a long lost friend, still wondering how she happened to meet her companion. I realized that she knew I had been watching her in the forest, but how?
Something's weird. No, someone's weird in here. This self talk of mine was becoming irritating, but I just couldn't stop thinking how she recognized me. Or seemed to, at least.
"... the boy you see there. That's Ruka Nogi. Right in front of him. Mikan happens to be sitting right next to you, so you can ask her, or me, about anything you wanna know."
She nodded mutely. Cool, she'll be sitting right in front of me. Looks like I'm gonna flunk this year, with this mystery lady right in front of me. But maybe, ill just get used to that 'empty' feeling.
Crap, talking to oneself, first sign of madness. I'm definitely cracking up.
"...come on, Koyoko, let's come and sit" Mikan smiled and led Koyoko to her seat. As she moved through the rows of benches, everyone stared at her, trying to make conversation, but she didn't reply in more than a few words. Why was she behaving like that? She was getting more attention than customary, yet she wasn't responding as she should have.
Suddenly Sumire blocked her way, that ugly smirk on her face. Uh-oh. There's trouble. There's no way she's going to let Koyoko off without humiliation. And there was proof.
"Hey Koyoko, hi, I'm Sumire. Welcome to the academy"
"Hello" another quiet reply.
"So, how come you discovered your alice this late?"
Koyoko didn't reply
"Hey, we're gonna be in the same class now, come, you can tell us"
As softly as she could, Koyoko said, "I'm sorry, but I really don't know"
Sumire stared flatly at her for a few seconds, and then said, "fine, don't tell me then. Like I care. But you can tell us about your Alice, right?" she stretched her last word, as if she was talking to some mentally slow person. It was insulting, really.
"I can't"
"What, you can't? Why not? Is it not strong, or is it too stupid and insignificant? Or," her eyes lingered on Mikan for a moment, "you don't have any?"
The class went quiet; she was doing it again, making the newbie feel out of place.
"Answer me, then. What is your alice?"
"I'm sorry, but...I can't tell you about it"
If I hadn't seen her lips move, I would have sworn she hadn't spoken. Sumire's smirk grew wider, and she took a little step forward.
"Cant tell us. Huh! Why don't you just confess frankly that you don't have an Alice? I mean, my god, I don't know what they have been thinking lately, letting all sorts of weirdoes in, who don't even possess an alice-"
"Stop it, Sumire!" Mikan cried. Her face was flushed, and she looked angry. My, this was turning into a total drama. I really wished it would stop. Meanwhile, Natsume was sitting next to me, reading his manga, unperturbed, inert to the commotion.
"That's really mean of you, you shouldn't say that. She's new here, maybe she's just shy-"
"Oh, shut up Mikan." Sumire replied in a huffy tone, "who asked you to defend her? Anyways, she's just like you. A complete nobody. I was always against your admission into the academy, but who listens? I bet she is gonna turn out just like you, a troublemaker and a burden. A liability to all. Perhaps," she added maliciously, "that was the exact reason why her parents got rid of her. She must have been a burden"
I am sure I was the only one who ever came to know of it. As Sumire's horrid words started to sink in, and even before people could gasp and murmur and show their outrage at her behavior, I saw it. For a tiny fraction of second, Koyoko's pale fingers tightened around her bag, and her eyes hardened. The next thing, well, everyone saw it. Sumire, still smirking, was cleanly swept off her feet and thrown against the opposite wall with a great force, by, umm...something as fluid and invisible as the wind.
As she collided with a great bang and then slid to the floor, all eyes turned to her, and then back to Koyoko, who stood in the middle of the class, slender, beautiful, and frightened out of her wits. The people closest to her backed immediately, and everyone stared at her with horror.
"Did you see that?" I turned to whisper to Natsume, but to my immense surprise, he was not on his seat. As I looked back at the site of commotion, I saw people regaining their senses, as they started to cluster around the unconscious and bleeding Sumire, all of them throwing furtive, accusing glances at Koyoko. Even Mikan seemed uncertain to go near her.
Then she ran. Tears streaming down her pale face, her entire body trembling, Koyoko Migasaki ran out of the classroom, followed by none, but a certain raven-haired boy.
Nobody ever quite understood why Natsume went after Koyoko as she exited the room.
