a/n:
The ages for the characters are as listed:
Robb - 19
Jon - 19
Sansa - 17
Arya - 15
Bran - 13
Rickon - 10

Jaqen (female) - 15

Gendry - 26
-
-

********Game/of/Thrones********
*

North Snow Private High School for Girls;
A Change of Pace:

Chapter 4: —
A New Beginning:

Three hours in the backseat of the car with Rickon, and she could almost forget what the end destination was. But when Ned pulled into the parking lot, she knew the fantasy that this was just a endless road trip was over. It was noon, and when they got out of the car, they were greeted by a podgy older man, in a suit and tie that seemed a little too tight around the neck, his face so red looking that it could have been a pimple about to pop.

"Hello," he said, holding his hand out to Ned. "You must be the Starks. I'm the Vice Principle Mr. Hal Halper."

Ned shook his hand and introduced everyone, while Arya pursed her lips, trying not to laugh, and Rickon smiled broadly at the man, never uttering a sound. Arya shook the man's sweaty hand with distaste, and then began the tour of where she'd be spending the next two-and-a-half-years.

First, was a tour of the school, which was virtually empty of students because it was the weekend. Arya had to say, despite herself, she was quiet impressed with the place. Under other circumstances she might even find it beautiful, and charming, as big as a castle—if it wasn't going to be the yard to her prison for almost three years.

It was huge, for starters, complete with three floors. The floors were shiny, not scuffed. The walls were coloured in soft tones; bulletin boards filled with news, club notices; beautiful murals painted in strategically placed spots; glass cases with team trophies and school awards. There was an indoor pool, and gym, outside there was a court, track, and soccer field. And Suddenly, Arya realized just how much her parents were sacrificing by sending her here. She wasn't here on a scholarship, and she knew that the tuition on a school like this must be as much, if not more than Jon and Robb's college tuition.

Next were the dorms located next door to the school. There were three different buildings. The Freshman Dorm (which included first and second-years), The Junior Dorm (third-years), and The Senior Dorm (final-year students). Each dorm had two-resident rooms, a communal toilet, and communal showers (not like prison, but with separate stalls), laundry room, a wreck room, and a Resident Advisor.

Her name was Myra, the R.A. for the Freshman Dorm that Arya was staying, and she gave them the tour, that was who Halper left them with. The dorms' cafeteria was huge, able to accommodate 500 hundred students at any given time; this was where every meal was eaten, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Finally they arrived at what would become Arya's home for the rest of her high school life; Room 168-B.

The room was essentially split in half, each side identical in furniture; a single bed, with a shelved headboard, and drawers in the frame, a small desk, and small closet space with a single window facing on the wall opposite the door, and a small tack-board on either of the walls to 'personalize'.

"Your roommate is Jaqen H'ghar, she'd been here since Freshman-1. She's at team practice at the moment, but I'm sure that she can help you with anything you need if you can't find me, Arya. This side of the room is yours, to decorate as you please. The showers and bathroom are free to be used at any time, but students usually do their laundry on the weekends. We already have your uniform prepared, and your P.E. clothes as well. Please wear the uniform when you attend school, otherwise your own clothes are fine. Breakfast is 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., first period starts at 8:30 a.m., lunch in an hour at 12:00 p.m, the school day ends at 3:55 p.m., and dinner is served from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., but the cafeteria closes at 9:00 p.m., your curfew is at 11:00 p.m., you are expected to be in your room, but your bed time is up to you, as long as you're in class in the morning. I have a booklet here for you to keep, it has all that I have explained in more detail, as well as other things. If you have any questions for me, my room is 128-AB. I'll leave you to get settled, then." Myra handed Arya the booklet, and gave them a warm smile before she disappeared down the hall, swallowed by students.

"She's seems nice," mother murmured.

Arya dropped the booklet onto the cleared desk that she knew was to be hers, this side of the room plain and dull, the other was decorated and adorned with Jaqen's things. She turned to her parents.

"I've learned my lesson. Can I come home now?" Arya asked.

"Sweetie, this wasn't just some scared-straight tactic." Ned told her. "This is your school now, and this is where you'll be staying."

Arya's lips pressed into a firm line. She didn't want to stay here, she wanted to go back home!

"This place is so cool!" Rickon piped up. "It's so big. It has a pool and everything! You're so lucky, Arya. I really wish I could stay with you."

Arya looked down at her brother, and could see the awe in his expression. Yes, this place was impressive, and she would have found it cool, too, if she were a ten-year-old, and wasn't the one who was going to have stay here until she was eighteen—which, let's face it, was a million years away from now.

"Please—" she stared, turning puppy eyes on her father, his expression softened.

"Arya, that's enough!" Her mother snapped firmly. "Stop acting like a child. Your father paid a lot of money for you to attend here. You are fifteen-years-old—start acting like it."

Arya glared at her. "You hate me, don't you?" she seethed. "You're glad to be sending me away!"

"Arya, do not speak to your mother that way." Ned told her, his voice hard, stopping anymore that the girl was about to say. "Your mother loves you, we both do. We are doing this for you. You may not appreciate it now, but when you're older and have kids of your own, you will."

Arya bit her lip and nodded grudgingly. Maybe he was right, maybe it the future she'd look at her time here at N.S.P. H. like a blessing, but right now she hated it—she hated all of it! But she didn't yell, or scream, or run away like she wanted to—she took deep breaths like her father taught her to, and shoved these fiery feelings down as she followed her father and mother back to the car with Rickon to get her stuff and move it all back to her new room.

It was an hour later, everything had been moved to Arya's room but left packed, as the four Starks stood in the parking lot; three ready to depart, one staying.

Arya hugged father first, pressing her face into his strong chest as she tried not to start crying like a little girl. But she always felt like one wrapped in his arms, and she never minded, because she always felt safe in them. He murmured little nothings in her ear, pecking her head before finally releasing his youngest daughter, his little girl.

Rickon lunged into her arms next, holding her tight around her slim waist, burry his face in her stomach as he cried. "I'm going to miss you, Arya."

Arya hugged him, petting his head. "It's going to be okay, Rickon, it's going to be okay." But she wasn't really sure who she was trying to convince—both of them seemed about right.

Eventually Ned had to pull his youngest son from her, patting his shoulder, he said, "Come one, Rickon, let's give your sister and mother a minute to say goodbye." And led the boy to the car.

Silence filled the few feet that separated mother and daughter, not having been on good terms with each other for a week now. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence, but this time they were going to be separated physically as well.

"Arya..." Catelyn murmured softly.

Arya didn't say a word. She was angry with her mother for sending her away, and sometimes the girl hated her, but it was always love that born those feelings. She wasn't going to see her mother for Gods know how long, it didn't matter what she was feeling in this moment, she didn't want to regret it later when it was to late. She knew her mother sending her here had been done out of love, and she knew it hurt her mother just as much to send one of her children away.

Arya stepped to the woman, and wrapped her arms around her. She could feel the relief in her mother's body as Catelyn hugged her back. After a minute of basking in her mother's warmth, forgetting all that had happened for a moment, Arya finally pulled away.

"Goodbye, mother." Arya said, wrapping her arms over her chest and hugging herself.

"Goodbye, my daughter." Catelyn whispered, and leaned forward to kiss the top of her daughter's head, before getting into the car with her husband and son.

Ned started the car, and backed out from the space. She waved to them as they pulled from the parking lot, and didn't move until long after that. She wiped the tears from her eyes before it messed with her eyeliner. She'd never felt so alone in her life, stuck in this strange place. It was different than when she was little and went to summer camp, she'd never been alone, her brothers and sister had always been there with her. No, here, she was a stranger in a sea of strangers. She was nobody. She'd never felt so scared in her life.

She was finally forced to move, when another car pulled into the spot that her father had pulled from, it was a blue Ford. It was a guy in a simple buttoned shirt, with a dark blue tie and black jeans climbed out. He had almost shaggy hair as black as ink, broad shoulders and chest, at least six-two, with dark stubble shading his chin and cheeks. Skin tanned golden, and shocking, intense pair of blue eyes. He had to be it his late twenties, but he was so handsome he looked even younger than that.

She sucked in a breath through her teeth as he turned those eyes on her over the roof of his car, a briefcase in hand. She tensed as he shut his door, and slowly started to walk towards her. She wanted to bolt and run, but she was frozen to the ground under that gaze.

She felt like a street rat, and she probably looked it. To most of the girls here, she was probably something like street trash—at least that was what she felt.

"Are you alright?" He spoke quietly, but she heard his voice anyway, as he slowly approached her.

She looked up at him with an open mouth as he finally stopped in front of her. "I'm fine." She said finally snapping out of her daze, her shoulders straightening, her grey eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Yes, sorry. My mistake, I can see that now." He replied with light humour. "I didn't just find a girl, standing by the curb, crying, looking like a lost puppy."

"I'm not a puppy, nor am I lost!" She told him firmly. "Or crying." She added as an after thought, she hoped her eyeliner wasn't streaked. "Who do you think you are? Approaching a girl, playing friendly. You're not a pervert, are you? You should know that I'm not defenceless, I know how to fight!" She wasn't bluffing either, she'd taken self-defence and karate classes when she 10 all the way until she went into high school, but she took a step back from him anyway, he was big, and she could see clearly the muscle he was packing.

"Not a pervert." He told her, a easy smile at the corner of his mouth as he held up his hands to show no threat, having set his briefcase down at his feet. "Just a teacher."

But Arya still looked on him with suspicion. "Any guy could say he's a teacher,"

"You're right, anyone could claim to be a teacher." He nodded in agreement. "If I showed you my I.D. Badge, would that be enough?"

She reluctantly nodded her head. Maybe he really was a teacher, but how was she supposed to know? She'd gotten here less than two hours ago, and the only people she'd met that work here so far were V.P. Halper, and R.A. Myra. He fished in his jean pocket and pulled out a plastic card with clip on it and help it out to her.

She quickly snatched it from his hand, lest he try and grab her, but he stayed still, an amuse expression on his face. She looked at the I.D. it had a picture of his him, handsome dark looks and all, except with glasses—he looked very Clark Kent—with the school's name, and barcode, and his name underneath: Waters, Gendry.

She held it back out to him, and he took it, pushing it back into his jean pocket. "I guess it checks out," she said, embarrassed, but she refused to blush.

"Glad you think so." He said. He cocked his head slightly as he looked at her. "Since you don't know who I am, and I've never seen you around here before, am I right in guessing that you're new here?"

"Maybe," she crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly. "Technically as of two-hours ago."

He smiled at her. "Maybe not so new after all...? Can I ask your name? I'm Gendry Waters, I'm not lying, it says so on my badge."

"Arya Stark." She told him.

He held out his hand to her, and she looked at it for a moment before reaching out. His hand seemed to swallow hers, almost like her father's did. It was warm, and calloused. He shook it, and she took her hand back awkwardly, holding it slightly tucked behind her, clenching and unclenching it, unnerved by the heat that stuck to her palm.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Stark."

"I'm no miss, Arya's fine… Mr. Waters." She told him.

"Of course… Arya."

"Aren't you a little young to be teacher?" She asked him after a moment, unable to help herself, not sure if she was insulting him or not—he didn't seem like teacher.

"I'll take that as a compliment." He grinned at her. "I went straight to University out of High School, studied for five years, apprenticed as a T.A. for two, and finally got my teaching degree. This is my first year teaching," he told her. "Got any pointers?"

"If you're as old as I think you are, then I think you'll be able to handle it. But I don't know a thing about being a teacher," she shrugged her shoulders, "So it could go either way."

"You're not afraid to say exactly what you're thinking, are you, Arya?" He asked her.

"Sorry," her gaze flickered away before looking back at him, nervous. "I don't really have a filter."

Gendry smiled. "That's okay, I don't mind. It keeps things interesting. I'll see you in class—maybe." He picked up his briefcase and winked at her as he passed her by and entered the school, and this time she did blush, she could feel the heat in her cheeks. She wanted to feel grossed out that a teacher winked at her, but she couldn't—he didn't look like any teacher she'd seen before.

When she finally found her way back to the Freshman Dorm and her new room, she saw another girl on the lived-in side of the room. She was a little taller than her, but also a little chubby. She had long brown hair, with a stripe of blond in her bangs down one side, and green eyes. She looked up from a text that she was reading on her bed, and smiled as she saw Arya.

"Hey," she greeted, smiling big. "You must be my other half. Arya, right?"

Arya nodded slowly. "Jaqen?" She asked, just to make sure.

"She readith my mind." She laughed.

Arya smiled awkwardly. She hoped to the Gods that her roommate wasn't a freak, she wasn't sure she could last having to be around the girl nearly all the time.

"Sorry," Jaqen said. "I'm a little nervous. It's been a while since I had a roommate, my last dropped out because she got knocked up." She whispered.

"Really?" Arya couldn't help the surprise. "In this place?"

Jaqen nodded.

"She didn't, you know?" Arya pointed to her bare mattress.

Jaqen followed her finger before shaking her head. "She creeped like a spider through the halls, and does the deed in the wreck room—and laid many eggs."

"That's good to know."

Jaqen smiled at her. "You gonna unpack?"

Arya nodded. "Some of it,"

The other girl went back to her textbook, and the first thing that Aray did was make her bed. She unloaded all her clothes in the three drawers that lined the side of the bed, and left her school uniform hanging in the closet. She set up her alarm clock and radio on the head board, and made sure the time matched her watch, and then took a break.

"Mind if I turn on the radio?" Arya asked. Jaqen just shrugged her shoulders, and the girl took that as a yes, and flicked it on to 91.3, and turned the volume to background noise level. She blew out a breath and laid back on her pillows. She thought that it would be better if she stuck around here for a while, read the book that Myra gave her, and fire any question she had at her new roommate. She might as well get the the information that she could about the place before she went to class on Monday—it sucked being the new girl—she just hoped that this place was a lot better than North Winter High.

-tbc-
********Game/of/Thrones********

Note:
I made Jaqen H'ghar from the show a teenage girl because I wanted to give Arya a friend, and of course, I've finally added Gendry. I knew from the beginning that I was going to add him, but I was at a crossroads at whether to put him in as a student at the all boys school close by, or make him a teacher, I decided on the latter. I'm wondering myself where I'm going to take this, please, give me your thoughts.

Thanks for Reading!

y