Disclaimer: I would be lying if I said I owned Gakuen Alice.

Chapter 3

Morning passed, and Mikan was awake by noon. She tried to find some wild fruit or vegetables but ended up digging into her food supply from the tower. While she munched on a piece of bread, the brunette observed her surroundings. The forest was shaded and cool. There was a stream bubbling nearby, and she made a mental note to fill her flask with water before moving on.

It was in the midst of this peaceful reverie that Mikan noticed the missing presence of a certain violent stuffed-animal.

"Bear," she called, head switching from side to side. She began to panic when she did not hear or see anything that could tell her the toy's location.

"Bea-ow!"

Mr. Bear had shot out of the bushes just to kick the long-haired maiden in the head.

"Why would you d-mmff!?"

He had put one cloth paw over her mouth, and used the other to point towards the sky to her right. There were three shapes soaring towards their general direction. It took a moment for Mikan to acknowledge what they were.

"Err, wffes,"

Translation: Oh, witches.

A moment passed where Mikan simply stared at the approaching figures. Then it clicked. If those casters caught her, they would drag her back to that tower.

She shot to her feet while Bear removed his paw from her mouth and dove back into the bushes. Those bushes were large enough to hide him, but not Mikan. Instead, she ran to the tree she had spent the night under. Gripping the trunk, she shimmied up until she could reach branches as hand holds. Once she reached the top, she perched on one of the larger branches and waited. She waited for them to fly away or find her. Crossing her fingers, she wondered if they had seen her.

After what seemed like eternity, but was probably only fifteen minutes, she jumped down from the tree, and looked to the sky. The witches were only specks disappearing in the direction opposite they had come. Bear stuck his head out of the shrubbery.

Adrenaline from the scare made her quick and jumpy. She fished the flask out of her bag and filled it with water from the stream. She also sipped some straight from the stream. It was cool and clear, and tasted like freedom.

Bear fastened himself to her leg so that he didn't have to walk. He didn't weigh much, so Mikan was fine with it. She started in a direction perpendicular to the path the witches had taken.

The sun was beginning to set when Bear suddenly leapt off her leg and into the underbrush. Mikan stared after him in confusion, but soon noticed the approaching flying figures in the distant sky. She backed up a few steps to try and hide in the trees, but ended up stepping right off a small cliff.

She experienced a feeling of déjà vu (French for "already seen") as she fell through the air and her back hit the ground first. Her spine just couldn't get a break. This time, however, once she smashed into the earth, she began to roll down the steep incline, which was still hidden from the sky by trees. She tried to keep that in mind so that she didn't cry out and give herself away to the witches. It was hard though. While she tried to stop herself from rolling, fallen branches scratched at her and rocks stabbed at her. Leaves caught on her clothes and hair the cloak wasn't covering.

The brunette finally found herself in at the foot of the hill, still surrounded by trees. In the back of her head, she was celebrating that she hadn't smacked into one. She got wearily to her feet and checked for injuries. A few scratches and bruises, but otherwise fine.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Mikan went stiff at the voice. It was cool and collected. She turned and saw a figure partially in the shade of a tree. Her breath caught in her throat.

The girl was beautiful. Deep violet eyes set into a pale face. Short-cropped raven hair with a few locks braided in random places. She wore a long-sleeved light-purple blouse, an ankle-length skirt split from the knee down to allow movement, laced knee-boots, white gloves, and an emotionless expression.

But it wasn't her beauty that made Mikan's breathing hitch. It was what it meant.

This girl was a witch.

Mikan stumbled backward to get away from the girl, but thudded into something. Check that, someone.

An arm wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her sides. A large hand came over her mouth, cutting off the words of surprise in her throat.

"Can't have you calling for your witch friends," said the girl in front of her.

"I highly doubt this brat is a witch. They make themselves pretty. She's obviously never done anything for her body, from what I can feel," said the person holding her. The voice was deeper than any she had heard before.

"What does her face look like?" asked the voice, before their hand came off her mouth and used it to grab her chin and turn her head toward them.

Her eyes met with crimson ones. They were attached to a tanned body that towered over her, with raven hair and an expression similar to the girl's, except a bit annoyed.

"There's no way she's ever done anything magical to this face. She's probably just some stupid girl who thought it would be fun to explore witch territory" they said, and while she was mad at this incredibly rude person, and scared of the witches, there was one thing she couldn't stop thinking.

So, this is what a boy looks like.

Author's Notes:

Yes, now I can begin the better part of the story, with more characters, dialogue, and action. Thank you to those who reviewed and sent in ideas. The next chapter is where I'll introduce a lot of characters. I volunteer at a hospital during the week so I'll update when I can.