Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Crusade or the characters involved with it. I simply own the idea for this story.

I'm so happy you guys reviewed ;u; I'll be on top of this… sorta. Really!

So the story might be switching between different periods of time… er- you'll understand (hopefully) once you finish reading this chapter.

Anyway, I wonder who Marie Hendric is? It couldn't possibly be related to someone from Chrono Crusade 8D /shot

It seems that yesterday (10-12-12) was the two-year anniversary of my story! ;u; I can't believe it's been so longgg. /Celebrates with a new chapter

Another warning: More cuss words!

Anyway, on to the chapter! :U


Even though he was going to a boarding school, Chrno was much happier than he could describe. He would be in the same city as Rosette and Joshua. He would look for them, find them, and get together like the good old days. He'd find a way to attend the same school, or at least a way to be closer to them. He couldn't think of anything negative about the trip to New York and the adventure waiting there.

Chrno played with the pamphlet Ms. Jean had given him. "Don't judge a book by its cover. Schools usually pretty up their image by exaggerating their good points. Be careful, okay Chrno?" Ms. Jean had worriedly told him before he left.

"I know how to stay out of trouble. Problem school or not, it'll be easy," Chrno smirked.

The teen was also excited for school. Before living in the orphanage, Chrno was home-schooled with his caretakers. He never left the house, and had no way of seeing the outside world. Not that he had any desire to, anyway. However, now he was going to attend a real school. He would sit in a desk inside a classroom, have classmates, a teacher giving lectures on a board, and a break between classes. He would have and experience many new things that would be normal for a regular teenager to have experienced.

He knew, though, that school wouldn't be all rainbows and sunshine though. He was well aware of things like bullying, cliques, popularity and other things that could possibly damper his exciting school experience. Not a problem. He knew poetry was weird for a boy to do, hence, no more poetry for him. It wasn't normal for a boy to have unnaturally long hair, and so he cut his shoulder-length hair into a short mess. All he needed was to make a friend or two to avoid being titled "that loner kid". He had everything planned out and in control.

His optimistic hopes quickly withered and vanished when he actually arrived in New York city, however.

The airport alone was full of people. More people than he had ever seen or known in his life. I really hope they're evacuating the city or something, because I don't know if I could find Rosette in any sea of people larger than this… Chrno thought.

However, outside it just made things worse. There were even more people than inside the airport outside. He could barely step forward without someone bumping into him and rudely saying "Watch it!". Chrno spent over an hour and a half attempting to get a taxi. If he managed to get one's attention, someone else usually came up from behind him and took off with his hard-earned taxi. Once he tried stealing one himself, but he was just shoved out of the way by the original customer and left behind on the ground. When he had gotten another's attention for the umpteenth time, he quickly opened the door, threw his bag in and shoved his way into the car before someone else could steal it.

Giving a sigh of relief, Chrno asked the taxi driver, "Could you take me to Magdalene Boarding school?"

"Which one, kid?" the driver asked in his rough New York accent.

There's more than one? Chrno thought. He quickly took out the pamphlet and showed the driver the address printed. "Uh, this one?"

The driver froze for a few moments, opened his mouth to say something, decided not to, and gave a curt nod. He began driving in some direction unknown to Chrno, occasionally mumbling to himself or honking at other cars. Chrno watched the tall buildings go by, the lights that flashed every few seconds, and the people walking on the sidewalks. A little spark of hope lit when he saw various people with questionable looks even more questionable than his. Maybe I can blend in here after all? He thought, hopeful.

The taxi eventually came to a stop. Chrno looked around the area, but saw no indication of a school. The only thing there was a street. No people, no lights, no anything, just a dark street. Chrno gulped.

"Sorry, kid," the driver said. "This is as far as I'll take ya. Get out, take a right on that street there, and keep walking straight down 'till you reach the school."

"Uh, why did you stop here?" Chrno asked the driver, wondering why he had stopped so far away from the school.

The driver said nothing and only asked for the money owed. Chrno reluctantly paid, got out of the car, watched the taxi speed away, and followed the driver's previous directions.

The street was even more eerie from outside than it was from the car. There really were no lights or people in sight. All the buildings looked abandoned and worn down. Chrno would occasionally pass a cat or dog, and they would hiss or growl at him.

But even though there were no people in sight, Chrno felt like he was constantly being watched.

X

After what felt like three miles of walking, Chrno came across a large iron gate. To the left of the gate, on the tall stone wall, there was a sign that read "Magdalene Boarding School, Campus D". Under the sign, there was a small speaker, microphone, and button. The text under the button read "Press for campus access." Chrno gulped and pressed the button. A static noise came from the speaker, and then a voice said, "Magdalene Boarding School, campus D. State your name and purpose of visit."

The sudden voice made Chrno jump, but he was able to calm himself down enough to reply. "Uh- um, my name is Chrno… Rennis," he said into the microphone, hesitating before saying the last name Ms. Jean had given him. "I'm a, uh, transfer student. I was supposed to check in earlier today but was having some difficulty getting-"

He was interrupted by the voice. "Chrno Rennis. Student ID: 5679432. Birth date: November 19th of 1994. Dorm S, room 113." Chrno was surprised. "You were due to come in earlier today."

"Uh, yeah, but I was having trouble getting he-" Chrno began.

"Tardiness is not tolerated here. Do not let this happen again. Upon entering, grab a map from your left and head to your dorm room. Classes begin tomorrow at seven am sharp. You must pass by the office before classes to receive your schedule," the voice interrupted again. "Failure to show up or arriving late results in detention for a week. Your uniform should already be in your room. Any damage done to your uniform also results in detention for a week. The full list of rules can be found in your student handbook. It should be beside your uniform in your room. Read it."

The gates opened just enough to let Chrno squeeze in. The voice began again, "Seven am sharp. Do NOT be late," and stopped.

Chrno gulped. Oh god, Ms. Jean, he thought to himself. Didn't you research anything about this school before sending me here? He remembered her telling him to not judge a book by its cover when she handed him the pamphlet. More like, you couldn't research anything about the school before choosing it, huh? He looked at the gates and the small opening for entrance. Well, here goes nothing.

Chrno really did have to squeeze his body through the gate to get inside. When he got past the gate, it closed behind him, screeching as it did. Chrno looked to his left, to where the maps were supposedly located, but only saw a broken table, ripped up papers and the words "Fuck off" written in spray paint above the mess. He looked around the entrance, hoping for a campus map somewhere, but found nothing. When he finally gave up, he grabbed his bag, put it over his shoulder, and blindly walked onto the campus without any idea of where he was going.


Short chapter, I know! D8

But it's okay~ I have another coming soooon.

For realz.

References.

Also, I'm sorry I haven't updated in a long time. There are lots of things catching up with me, and it isn't easy to fight them back. D:

But on the bright side, I have an idea of where the story is going now~ /already said that last chapter

Anyway, I will have the next chapter out as soon as I can, and I'll try to make it longer, promise!

R&R!