Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice

Chapter 2

Normal POV

Adina woke up on her bed, surprised she actually made it back. As she went through her morning routines, all she could think about was that girl she saw last night. She walked down for breakfast, meeting up with Anna and Nonoko along the way. They sat at their table along with Inchou who was staring at a textbook, preparing for their first day of classes. Apparently Gakuen Alice didn't have summer or winter breaks so students study all year round but students do get two weeks off as they enter their next year, a week off after first semester finals, and a week off to prepare for the Alice Festival. The only other times students get days off are during Christmas and New Years but students were given one day off on the day of any other major holiday. Adina didn't have much of an appetite this morning, her mind was occupied with thoughts of whether last night was a dream or not.

The dining hall doors slammed open and in walked four students, two by two. The girl in question danced into the room and Adina couldn't tear her eyes off of the brunette. She was real. Next to the brunette who was elegantly smiling and touching hands with those who came up to her was Hotaru fiddling with a weird looking object and completely ignoring the stares she was given. Behind them was a girl with a dark green perm and matching green eyes. She led with her hips in a walk that belonged on the runway. Next to her was the blonde boy Hotaru was talking to yesterday holding a rabbit. His eyes seemed glued to Hotaru's backside. Hotaru on the other hand was either not noticing the stare or deciding to ignore it. It was probably the latter.

Anna and Nonoko jumped up, "Mikan-chan! Mikan-chan! Welcome back!" The brunette stopped and started walking up to them but Hotaru held her back.

"Baka, we have to be in class in ten minutes. Do you want breakfast or not?" Pouting, the brunette walked past them, motioning that she'll talk to them later. The blonde and girl with a perm followed them as they entered the balcony where only special stars and whoever they invited were allowed to eat. Adina watched as a maid checked the brunette's ID and let them pass. She turned back to the table.

"So the brunette is Mikan? Is she the one who was absent yesterday?"

"Yup," Nonoko answered, "That's Mikan Sakura; you can't miss her cuz she stands out everywhere probably because she's student council vice president. Her Alice is Nullification and Stealing which are really rare."

"And she's a special star," Anna added, "She always scores either second or third on exams but she's not snobby about it. She's really nice."

"Who's first?" Adina asked, watching Mikan lean back in her chair laughing her head off at something.

"Hotaru Imai, triple star, and the smartest girl to ever step foot on Gakuen Alice. She's the one who rakes in the most profit for our school because of her invention Alice," Nonoko replied as she pointed at the violet eyed genius.

"Her love for money's probably the reason too," Anna said, taking a bite out of her omelet.

"Well money does make the world go round."

"True. Oh and Adina I suggest you don't get on Imai-san's bad side. She loves blackmailing people." Right after Anna said that a few clicks were heard. Turning their heads, they saw Hotaru snapping pictures of the perm haired girl who was shrieking her head off while the blonde boy was attempting to stop Hotaru.

"Uhm…okay…" Adina said meekly, "What about the perm haired girl?"

"That's Sumire Shouda who has the cat-dog Alice, two star. She's the student council's first assistant and our resident gossipmonger. She used to be the president of the Natsume and Ruka fan club but she resigned last year." Anna glanced at Sumire, "She used to hate Mikan too but for some reason they became best friends last year." We heard screaming and turned to see that Sumire managed to get her hands on Hotaru's camera but was shot by Hotaru who was wielding a weird gun. Hotaru then turned and shot the blonde guy three times. BAKA BAKA BAKA.

Anna sighed, "Hotaru and her infamous baka gun. And the blonde guy she just shot was Ruka Nogi. He has the animal pheromone Alice and is a triple star. Everyone knows he has a major crush on Imai-san but for some reason they're not together yet. Anyways we're going on ahead. See you later Adina." Anna and Nonoko walked off, leaving Adina with Inchou who muttered an apology about going to the library and left as well.


A couple minutes after they left a couple girls approached Adina and sat down at her table. "Hey," a redhead with cat like eyes greeted, "I'm Melanie Williams, X-ray Alice and two star. This is Alicia Percy, speed Alice, two star." She pointed to a blonde haired girl. She pointed to another blonde. "And that's Delia Hale, teleportation Alice, two star but we call her Dee." Adina couldn't help but notice that all the nearby guys were staring at the three girls in front of her or more specifically their revealing uniforms. All three of them were wearing the skirt like mini skirts and the top two buttons of their shirts were unbuttoned, revealing a lot of cleavage. True, they weren't ugly but you wouldn't describe them as beautiful either. They just seemed above average compared to the four people sitting on the balcony.

Melanie leaned towards Adina, "So, how do you like the school?"

"Uhm…it's my second day here?"

"Pshaw, details. I meant anyone interest you?"

"Uh…no?"

"Really? What about Ruka-sama. He's really hot." Adina looked at Ruka again as he ruffled his hair.

"Uhm he's not really my type. Doesn't he like Imai?"

"Whatever it's not like they're dating or married. Besides even if they were dating you could break them up and if they were married, there's always divorce," Melanie laughed. Adina was beginning to feel really uncomfortable around her loose attitude. "So, I was just wondering what a pretty bird like yourself was hanging around with a bunch of nerds," Melanie wrinkled her nose, "You deserve much better, like me."

"You shouldn't talk about other people like that."

"Why not? It's true. Besides I know we'll get along much better than with those guys. So what do you say I show you the ropes around here?"

"Uhm…that's really nice but you see…" Adina stuttered.

"ARE YOU SAYING NO TO ME?" Melanie closed her compact that she was smiling at.

"No, no…of course not."

"Good, then I'll show you around after class," she returned to her compact, "Hello gorgeous." Adina stared at her. Looks like she started out on the right foot, wonder what her friends would say.

While staring at her compact, Melanie started gushing about how amazing the school is because of her. Umimpressed, Adina tuned her out while Melanie's friends, the two airheads, started bickering about what color nail polish was "in."

Adina watched as Mikan finished her breakfast, ignoring her fighting friends and walked down the stairs. Adina lowered her head as Mikan danced past, followed by Ruka who stared blankly in front of him with Sumire next to him, wearing a smirk. Hotaru picked up her camera, reloaded her baka gun, and started fiddling with a weird invention again. She walked down the balcony before pausing at Adina's table, slowly turning until she faced Adina.

"Oh, hello again." She stared at Adina. Mikan halted, which had the whole room staring at Adina's table, even Melanie stopped gesturing. "Hey Mikan, this is the girl I was talking to you about. Adina Stark."

Mikan waltzed over and stood in front of Adina. Before she said anything Sumire was next to her leaning her arm on Mikan's shoulder. "What's your name again?"

Mikan sighed, "Her name is Adina Stark, Permy."

"Shut up, I told you to stop calling me that."

Mikan turned back to Adina, "Hi Adina. I'm Mikan, and this is Hotaru, Sumire or Permy, and Ruka." She nodded towards each person as she introduced them. "It's nice meeting you and welcome to Gakuen Alice. We rarely get new students this late in the year. Well, see you around." She nodded to Melanie and her friends, gracefully turned, as if walking down a runway, and walked away, with Sumire and Ruka following her. Hotaru scrutinized Adina then Melanie for a few minutes before smirking and walking away.

"OH. MY. GOD." Melanie squealed, "I can't believe Mikan talked to me." Adina was getting a bit annoyed at Melanie but decided to ignore her as the bell rang. She rushed off to her class with Melanie still gushing to her friends.


In the classroom

Once again Narumi sensei left the class to its own devices and things immediately turned chaotic. Mikan, Hotaru, Sumire, and Ruka were in the back corner of the room talking. Anna, Nonoko, and Inchou had to help out the teachers at the meeting so they left with Narumi which left Adina at the clutches of Melanie and her groupies. Melanie was once again ranting but this time about how average humans weren't as great as Alice wielders.

"I mean, why do we even need them. They're so useless compared to us. Even if they tried their hardest they can never reach our level…"

Fed up with the way Melanie was talking, Adina screamed, "What is with you going on and on about Alices? Are people with Alices really all that -!"

"We are that great!" a voice interjected. Adina turned and found herself facing Sumire who had walked over when she heard Adina's protest.

"Sumire-san! I knew we thought alike!" Melanie clasped her hands together.

Sumire ignored her and continued, "We students with Alices have been recognized by the government and are the special elite that have been put under their care and protection." Adina gaped at her. "But since you obviously know nothing, I'll explain it to you. People with Alices have made quite a few achievements in many fields, including politics, the arts, and academics. It's not an exaggeration to say that the specialists of this country have made it what it is today by using Alices. However, even in today's society the country still continues to keep the existence of people with Alices top secret. That's why the students in this school are forbidden from taking part in affairs outside of it. Why do you think all this is done? If people found out that the geniuses and prodigies and all those people at the top of their fields were people with Alices, then ordinary people would have nothing to do." Adina was staring, shocked, at Sumire. The rest of the class turned towards the two girls, thinking they were in for an interesting show. Hotaru was filming Sumire's speech and Ruka was looking down blankly at the scene, while Mikan was looking at Adina as if pitying her. "That's why in normal schools, they're able to spew out things like, "You can do it!" or "If you work hard, you will surely get results!" Just like that, they have you work your hardest and raise you to be a superior human cogwheel for us to use. Those humans who don't have Alices swarm around people with Alices like parasites and gain their benefits of such or, they become the Alice's arms and legs and function like worker ants. We are the chosen humans. Our existence is different from normal people who are expendable and can be replaced at any time."

"What the hell are you saying? You've got to be kidding me!"

"The one who's kidding here is you!" Adina was about to yell back but Melanie pulled her back and started berating her about talking back to Sumire as Sumire smirked and walked back to her group. The history teacher walked in as Melanie and Adina were yelling at each other.

"BREAK ITUP AND DETENTION FOR BOTH OF YOU!" Adina reluctantly flopped onto her seat. "All right, I will be your European history teacher this year. Some of you, excuse me, most of you will come to hate me by the end of the year but those same people will be praying at my alter once you enter college. First of all this year I will be teaching you facts. I don't care about your opinions or analyzing abilities, all you will be learning are facts. You college professors will teach you the rest later but what I am teaching you are facts, facts, facts. Now hopefully your brains still retain some memory of what my predecessor taught you so we shall begin with a test to see how much you know." Their history teacher divided the room into right and left. "If you get a question right, your team gets a point. If you get it wrong, you lose one. Clear?" Everyone nodded.

"Now let's begin…Ms…Shouda." Sumire stood up looking arrogant. "During the English Revolution, the Levellers advocated what idea?" WHAT? O.O

"Uhm…uh…oh…I know this…uh…" You do?

"Five seconds."

"Uh…Oh, that all men should have the vote regardless of whether they own property."

"Correct. Next…Mr…Nogi." Ruka stood up. "What is the name of the Siberian mystic that heavily influenced the Czarina as adviser since she believed he could control the bleeding of her hemophilic son Alexis?"

"Gregory Rasputin," replied Ruka without a pause. Adina was speechless. How smart were these kids?


10 minutes later

"Ms. Stark." Adina jumped up. "Ah…I see you're new. I'll give you an easy one then." Adina frowned. "In the 18th century, what was Europe's largest city?" Adina had absolutely no clue so she just guessed.

"Uhm…Paris?"

"No, the answer is London…Hm I guess I should have expected you not to know anything considering you transferred from a normal school."

"I'm sorry sir but that was uncalled for. Just because I didn't answer the question right doesn't give you any right to mock my old school." The teacher looked at her, then erased all the points her team had gathered.

"See me after class." Adina sat down, trying to ignore the glares of her teammates. After class, she went up to her teacher's desk.

"Uhm…excuse me…?" Her teacher finished scribbling something on a notepad then wripped it out and handed it to her.

"Here, a reading list for you to catch up. I expect you to be able to fully answer all the questions I asked today by our next class and I hope there won't be a repeat performance of today."

"Yes sir." Adina took the list and walked back to her seat with her classmates drilling holes into her back. Her next class, chemistry wasn't any better because she couldn't understand a thing the teacher was talking about, then her English and Spanish classes were conducted entirely in that language (apparently everyone was expected to be fluent in at least three languages by the end of school). By the time lunch started, Adina was swamped with homework and extra reading from her teachers to catch up.


Dining Hall (Special Star Balcony)

The special star balcony could be accessed through two sets of stairs that swept up to the balcony on the left and right side. It was surrounded by a glass railing that let everyone on the balcony see the entire hall and likewise. Instead of long rectangular wood tables in rows with straight back wood chairs like the dining hall, the balcony had three circular tables with large comfy chairs. Behind the three tables was a smaller rectangular shaped table that seated two with a recliner instead of chairs. The four teenagers were currently occupying two of the round tables.

"What do you think of the new kid and Sumire's speech? Remind you of anyone Mikan?" Ruka smiled at Mikan who was stirring her salad with her right hand and leaning her cheek on her left. Mikan looked across the table at Ruka who was seated next to Hotaru as close as he could without being shot with the baka gun. She then turned towards the other table, occupied solely by Sumire who was yelling at a butler for bringing the wrong dish. Mikan smiled.

"Yea but that was a long time ago. I've changed and so has Sumire."

"I admit Mikan changed," Hotaru looked up from her invention, "But I highly doubt Sumire has," she smirked taking out two video tapes. "Want to check? I'm pretty sure her speech for Adina was the same as yours." Mikan pouted as Ruka laughed.

"Wow Hotaru, you taped that?" Ruka smiled at Hotaru but she glared at him.

"And when were you able to call me by my first name?"

"Uh…I…I'm really sorry!" BAKA BAKA BAKA BAKA BAKA. Mikan sighed at their antics. When were those two going to get together? She started thinking about the new girl. Adina. She seems like a nice girl but a bit shy, completely unlike her when she first came to Gakuen Alice, Mikan smiled. She walked over to the glass railing and surveyed the students below. Anna, Nonoko, and Inchou were absent but this was to be expected since they were all busy at the teacher's meeting. Adina was sitting with Melanie and her friends. At this Mikan frowned; looks like Melanie got her hands on her. She walked back to Hotaru and Ruka who was unconscious on the floor due to the baka gun.

"Melanie's got her claws on new girl." Mikan announced.

"So?" Hotaru didn't even look up.

Sigh. "Adina's in for a ride now that she got mixed with her."

Silence.

"Mou…Hotaru."

Silence.

"She could be extremely useful with her Amplification Alice."

Silence.

"It's for everyone in the school."

Silence.

"Don't you want to help the students?"

Silence.

"Arrgh…What if I pay you?"

"300 rabbits."

"…you haven't changed a bit have you Hotaru. Anyways how do we get her away from Melanie?"

"Got it covered," Hotaru said as she walked over to Ruka and started whispering in his ear. He started to protest but Hotaru silenced him with a glare. Ruka whimpered and nodded.


In the classroom

By her last class, calculus, Adina was dead tired and ready to drop any minute. Her calc teacher, Jinno-sensei entered the room with a rod.

Everyone was sitting quietly but Adina had her head on her desk just praying for her day to end. "First thing I would like to say is that calculus is an extremely hard course and anyone not putting in 120% of their efforts will fail my class. I expect all of you to be fully prepped to test everyday. So, to start things off let's see how much you know with a pop quiz." Everyone groaned as Jinno passed out the papers. Unsure what the letters and numbers in front of her meant, Adina just scribbled whatever came first and turned her paper in, collapsing in her chair. Classes ended at three.

She was preparing herself to take a nap before moving when someone shook her arm. It was her seatmate, Anna. "Hurry up or you'll be late for our next activity."

"THERE'S MORE? WHAT THE HELL?"

"Yes, don't worry this is the last one since you don't have any club or student council activities. All students are expected to join a sport since our school doesn't have physical education. I'm in swimming." Adina groaned, banging her head on her desk.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You need those extra brain cells," Sumire smirked as she walked by.

"Permy be nice," Mikan chided her.

Adina managed to drag herself outside but Melanie spotted her and dragged her away from Anna and Nonoko who looked shocked. "Join football with me."

"Why?" Melanie didn't look like the type of girl to play football. Curious, Adina let herself be dragged to the football field.


Football Field

Adina was sitting on the bleachers next to Melanie adjusting her cleats as the coach walked in with a football. "All right girls, get on the field. Practice game." Excited, Adina sprinted to the field. She was assigned midfielder. Melanie was defense for the other team. Just then Sumire strutted onto the field at which Melanie started screaming her name. Ignoring her, Sumire planted herself in the middle of the field, obviously playing forward. The coach blew her whistle.

Sumire got hold of the ball and quickly passed it onto her teammate before sprinting forwards which surprised Adina. She expected Sumire to be a ball hog, all glory, and no teamwork. Sumire's teammate managed to dribble the ball halfway to the goal and passed to Sumire. Sumire caught the ball and was about to kick it but then Adina slid across the ground and kicked the ball away from Sumire. She then stood up and kicked it to her teammates in the opposite direction before turning around and giving a hand to Sumire.

Sumire spat out a mouthful of dirt, glaring furiously at Adina, then stood up. Scared, Adina took a step back. Sumire held her glare for a moment then smirked maliciously. "Keep doing that and we might win a few this year," she said, "But do that to me again and we'll have a problem." Smirking again at Adina's face, Sumire walked past her back to her side of the field.