"The boys and girls in the clique, the awful names that they stick. You're never gonna fit in much, kid."
"Oi, Titania. We caught some of your precious ducklings on our side of the farm!"
Levy looked up to see a tall red headed beauty pout from being interrupted during her speech while another busty female with white hair came running up to meet us, Geeze was it a requirement to have big boobs at this university? She eyed her roommate, Wendy, and felt a little more secure, Maybe not. "Thanks Sting. I don't know what we'd do without you guys." She gave a sweet smile to him as he walked away with a "yeah, yeah, I'll see ya later," before turning on the freshmen girls with a menacing scowl. "If you guys don't get in line right now, I'll showing you the meaning behind She-Devil faster than you can sprout feathers on your asses."
Levy didn't bother telling her how ridiculous that sounded, she heard the verbal threat in upperclassman's tone, not words. All the girls scrambled into the line with the other "ducklings"
"They said all teenagers scare the living shit out of me. They could care less as long as someone'll bleed"
"Now that I have your attention after that rude interruption," Another menacing glare from the speaker this time was made towards the girls, Levy has never felt so small before. Or hungry for that matter, her serious case of munchies and cotton mouth had her stomach empty and throat dry. She tried to focus on the female talking in front of her, "As I was saying, I need your full attention for this next part. The activities today until Saturday are all on a volunteer system. You are by no means REQUIRED to complete any task given to you. The safe word for refusal is "Strawberry Shortcake." You may refuse at any time while performing your task, no questions asked. Remember, you are here in the spirit of fun, friendship, and making connections you will keep for the rest of your life." Erza paused as she smiled back at her nakama."That being said, you may only refuse twice. On your third refusal, you will discontinue the program."
A hush felll among the girls as they contemplated Titania's words. Levy saw a small bus pull up with the school's logo stuck to the side. The one that the freshman now dubbed as the She Devil came up and said, "All right ducklings, our first activity is ' SPA DAY'!" The slim woman lifted her arms up as the teenage girls 'Woo'd" and ran for the bus. "Nuh-uh" she waved her finger at the excited ladies, "I see too many people and not enough ducklings."
Levy watched as the girls broke rank and started waddling uncertainly. There was no way she was getting any closer to the ground than she already was. She cracked a smile and said, "Strawberry shortcake" as she casually strolled onto the bus, ignoring the scowls of the upper classman and to the shock of her peers.
The bus greeted her to a small strobe light, a disco ball, techno music, and a plethora of alcohol. Levy's stomach growled as her eyes landed on the only food she could find. Diving for it platters, she swallowed the appetizer with minimal chewing, not noticing the other person on the bus until she heard, "Oi! Shrimp, save some for the others."
Levy turned, red faced, and saw a brunette nursing a bottle of fireball in a tank top and cargo pants. "What did you call me?" The short woman's voice dangerously low.
"Eh?" The brunette hiccupped and waved an arm, "The shrimp. You are eating all the cocktails that I worked so hard to display."
"Oh," Levy looked at her hand and sure enough, the little, traiterous crustacean was there. She quickly put the cup down. "Sorry" she mumbled before taking a seat, her stomach somewhat satisfied.
The rest of the ladies finally made it to the bus and the drunkard - whom Levy learned was named Cana - started handing out empty cups with a few others trailing behind her with the perfect ingredients for a tequila sunrise. "Drink up bitches, we're gonna have a great day!"
If Levy never heard another cry of 'Woo' from the high pitched girls, it would be too soon. As she looked around the bus waiting for her drink she saw Lucy with Erza having an animated conversation. A few of the upper class girls were talking and pointing , none too discreetly, at Levy. The girl next to her was a petite blond that Levy recognized as I of the other two who were late.
The bus took off as Levy introduced herself. "Hisui, pleased to meet you." The girl held her cup out and Levy brought hers up to toast. "I'm so nervous for today," Hisui continued, " but still really excited. Aren't you?"
Levy nodded nonchalantly as she took a gulp of her drink. She made a face, Whoa, can this drink be any stronger?
As if on cue an upper classman with long black hair sat up and said "Duck! Duck! Goose!" there was laughter among the older girls as she continued, " The rules are simple: if you get tagged as a goose, you down your drink." Nervous laughter filled the bus, "and to ensure there is no cheating, please raise your cups in the air."
The girls did what they were told and the game began. Squeals of laughter went down the rows as the geese rapidly drank their drinks and some spilled out of their cups dripping down their faces and neck in their rush. Levy wasn't too worried since most of her drink went to quenching her cottonmouth. As they were nearing her seat she saw Hisui straighten up I excitement. "Duck, duck, duuuuck, duck, duuuuuuuuuck, GOOSE!" Cana had grabbed the cup out of Levy's hand and poured the last of her fireball into it before handing it back to the unsuspecting girl.
"Drink up little duckling," the black haired maiden grinned evilly. "I hope you didn't think we wouldn't pay you back for not waddling," she said with an unfriendly tone.
"So darken your clothes or strike a violent pose. Maybe they'll leave you alone, but not me."
Levy squinted her eyes at the upperclassman before looking down at her cup, she could do this, mentally pumping herself up. With a shaky hand she put the rim to her lips and started to chug, never taking her eyes off of the woman in front of her. As she finished, Cana let out a low whistle, "Man, shrimp girl's got some mad chugging skills. Minerva, you sure did underestimate her."
"Tsk. Whatever," she ran a hand through her black her, slightly disappointed the noob didn't chicken out. "Hmmm, Shrimp? I like it Cana, it suits her so well." She had an malevolent smirk on her, "Congrats girl, you just became our first duckling with a name."
Levy sunk lower in her seat as she felt the bus stop in front of a salon and Cana whooped in agreement, "Swans and Ducklings! Can I have your attention please?" Everyone turned to the announcer, "Please help me welcome 'Shrimp' to the party!" Cheers erupted out of the older girls as the younger females slowly clapped following their mentor's lead.
They started to get off the bus excitedly talking about the spa treatment they were about to receive. Levy wobbled a little on the way out - due to her almost two full drinks - and was caught by the She-Devil who efficiently tucked the smaller girl under her arm. "Whoa there Shrimp, don't want you injured before all the fun now do we?" she flashed her brilliant smile, " I'm Mirajane by the way, but after that feat on the bus, you can call me Mira."
Levy mumbled something incoherent along the lines of "Anything but Shrimp" the effects of the alcohol really seeping into her bloodstream.
"Oh don't worry, it won't be your name for long." Mira's flashy smile soon turned menacing once again. "Come on, before all the good booths are taken. Don't want to miss your ' early bird special'." She let Levy go to catch up with the others and Levy watched her long white hair trail behind her.
How does she change emotions so quickly? Levy wondered, too drunk to worry about the Mira's words as she entered the salon.
~~3:30 PM (ABOUT 3 HOURS LATER)~~
'Spa Day' seemed to be code for "Let the Swans play dress up however they want. Some girls got their hair cut really short "just like a fairy's"! Others were forced into manicures with extremely long nails, "think of it as your webbed little feet" the elder girls explained to the poor souls with their fingers splayed, not used to the unnatural length. Makeovers were done for a lucky few, Levy noticed that Lucy was one of them, but they were shooed away to a back room and came back with a bunch of different outfits that Levy had only seen in the adult Halloween section or a Comicon. A few girls abstained from the Spa Day, risking one less get out of jail free card to preserve their original look.
The 'early bird special' turned out to be just for a select few. In fact, only four others besides Levy seemed to get it. All the girls that were late were ushered into a hair washing area and were immediately blindfolded with a plastic mask that went around the ears so the stylists could work with their hair freely. She smelled the ammonia before they could even begin on her hair. Oh no, what am I gonna look like? She wasn't vain or anything, but she didn't have any complaints with how she looked. Not even her small breasts, she's learned to enjoy that they mesh well with her vertical disability.
The once excited girls all walked/waddled (some followed in Levy's footsteps and just requested amnesty) with a little less enthusiasm, ending with five girls with blue or green hair. They could have at least styled it. Tsk. The new bluenette thought. She noticed that Wendy and Juvia both had blue hair as well and Hisui along with another girl, who Levy learned was named Bisca, both had green hair. "So you guys will look great when taking Roomie Selfies" explained Erza. I wonder how they knew we were all roommates. Levy thought back to the animated conversation Lucy was having, Of course. Dammit. The short girl seriously needed a bowl to calm her nerves.
The day continued on in the same fashion, they were taken to a courtyard on campus and asked to line up according to breast size and Levy found herself on the lower end of the list (only a red faced Wendy was at the end.). Lucy and Juvia were at the opposite end of the spectrum fighting for the two largest pairs among them. Shirts were handed out to the lower end numbered 1-10 with I.B.T.C. (Itty Bitty Titty Committee) painted on the front. They were then asked to make a pyramid according to rank with one being on top. The bigger ten were supposed to lay down and be their mats in case of a fall. A nervous Wendy backed out almost immediately, not wanting to get up on the top of all those girls so high in the air. Levy backed out when she realized she couldn't climb, still tipsy from the continuous drinking on the bus. Shit, I'm out of refusals. At one point, Cana came out of a building loaded with super soakers screaming "Air Raid!" Immediately letting loose on the unsuspecting freshman while the others pulled water balloons out of no where to help the bombardment.
Other nicknames were given out. Lucy got Cosplayer for loving her new outfit a little too much. Wendy was given Emu for not wanting to climb the pyramid. Juvia was dubbed Rain Woman for just standing there and taking the water attack. Bisca was Quickdraw for her quick thinking on stealing a forgotten gun on a bench and retaliating on the upperclassman. A few others were Wicked Sakura, White Flash, Snake Queen and even a Sex Bat.
Levy was livid that she no longer had an identity outside of "Shrimp." It brought back memories from middle and high school that she didn't feel like reliving and was tempted just to quit and enjoy her books for a week until her best friend drove up. The memory of Jet being so excited for her stopped those thoughts and Levy vowed to finish the week out, no matter what. With new conviction, she looked out the window and saw that they were pulling into a bar not far from the university and noticed that another bus had joined them. There were two males standing in front of the entrance, one was slim with green hair whose features paled in comparison to his friend. The male toward over his green haired companion with long black hair that looked like it was cut by a five year old with the way it stuck out at odds and ends and enough piercings in certain places to make you wonder what inspired his current look .
The upperclass girls exited the bus and she, along with her peers, stood up to follow but Cana, who was now just sporting a bikini top and her cargo pants, turned the music down and aimed the gun at the newbies. "Hold it just there!" The girls quickly froze not wanting to cross an armed drunkard. "I need to tell you guys about your Snipe hunt!" Everyone paled, not wanting to know what task they were about to be given. "Outside are beautiful handsome men just waiting to get into your pants."-an audible gulp made by many- "Your task is to retrieve an item from them without losing any part of yours. Obviously the more intimate the item, the more points you'll score. Necklaces or any form of jewelry, including belts, they may wear will gain you five points a piece. Shirts, socks, or Shoes will give you 15 points. Underwear-"pause for effect"- will get you fifty points. Double if their name is on the lining or if you get an upperclassman to witness. The deed." The girls were quiet for a moment, some dreading the task and others already formulating their plan of attack. "If you lose a piece of clothing and it is presented to us, your team will lose 30 points. You have until Sunday's brunch to turn in any items. Keep in mind, the boys have their own goals as well that may or may not be different from ours. Be wary of them and trust in your nakama before any of them. The top two winners will enjoy a beautiful brunch with us. All others will be serving it. Any questions?"
"Yeah, how will the teams be split up?" a voice shouted from the front.
"Your roommates will be your team. Anything else? Well then lets get on with it!" She stepped off and whistled, "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present your entertainment for the evening."
Levy was stopped by her blonde roommate, "Hey shrimp!" She granted Lucy a quick glare, "don't be slacking off and make us lose. I've heard how stoners slack off and don't give a shit."
"Tsk. Whatever Cosplayer, just be sure to keep your pink lips to yourself this weekend. I don't want to have to serve breakfast to any of these bitches." Damn, I need a bowl, she thought irritably as she exited the bus and lined up.
A/N: I feel slightly better about this chapter than the previous one. Still it's really long, sorry I tried to shorten it so if there is anything confusing just let me know and I'll either edit it or explain it in a note. On another note...Gajevy starts next chapter! well, at least they speak their first words to each other! Also, soon starts the angst in a few more chapters maybe, but it's totally coming. Sorry for the slow build up but addiction isn't an overnight thing, if you want a faster story then go find one. I'm trying to keep this as close to reality as possible (Hence dark and twisty feelings coming up in later chapters)
Special Shoutout: AyaEisen - thanks, its something that bounced around in my mind for a while now and THANK YOU SO MUCH IT MEANS SO MUCH, XD
Music Credit:
Teenagers- My Chemical Romance