Howdy, y'all! That last bit dramatic enough for ya? We'll be cranking out the rest of the story more quickly now that school's out. Well, hopefully. I actually typed a lot at school, so... Oh, well. To escape plot bunnies, we've both been writing little blurbs for our individual accounts while we figure out what the crap to do with this plot. ^^'

Well, we still don't own Hetalia. Just this story, Holly, and Anya. And the other weird OC's. Look out, because things are about to get really weird, really fast.


"Holly, come on already! If we're late for the first day of school, I'm never talking to you again!" Anya yelled at her twin sister from the bottom of the staircase. She huffed and checked her watch again, glancing up nervously at the door to their apartment. The brunette's hair was pulled back into a ponytail that fell down her back in dark curls. She was already dressed for school, wearing the standard uniform; a short sleeved button up shirt with a maroon blazer, a plaid maroon and white skirt, and white knee high socks with black Mary Jane's.

"Coming!" Holly came tumbling down the stairs, her backpack slung over her shoulder as she finished buttoning the top button on her shirt. "I'm here, I'm here. Chill, sis!" She grinned and patted her shoulder. "We have plenty of time!" They ran down the street to their brand new school.

"Look at how big it is, Anya! It's like a college or something!" Holly exclaimed when they reached the front gates. Other teens filed in near them, chatting excitedly.

"It's the New World Academy," Anya reminded her. "The college shares the campus with the high school. It's the biggest school in the entire state of Oklahoma."

"Oh," the younger twin laughed. The girls followed the crowd to the front office, looking for a principal so they could get their schedules.

"Ah, here we are! Miss Michaelis and… Miss Michaelis!" A lady dressed in red, with hair nearly the same shade, handed the girls their schedules. They were exactly the same, except for two classes each; chamber orchestra and band, and then French and Spanish.

"Come on sis! I wanna get to class already!" the hazel eyed girl dragged her sister down the hallway, the latter simply sighing.

Their first class that they shared was Chemistry. While they had heard stories of the class being extremely difficult, the teacher was nice enough. The entire class period was spent getting to know their classmates- what they liked, if they did sports or music, things like that.

"Study hall is our next class." Anya glanced down at the paper in her hands as she placed it back into her binder and put the folder in her backpack.

"Everyone says you just spend study hall outside and relax, so let's go! Free class!" Holly ran outside into the summer air. She was so glad it was warm again! Her sister followed suit, dropping her backpack unceremoniously to the concrete and joining her sister under a large oak tree that provided a shady hideaway beside the library wall. The twins flopped back into the soft green grass, letting their eyes close as the fresh smell of pure summer soaked into their senses.

"Well, hola, chica." A Spanish accented voice interrupted Holly from her nap. Anya sat up immediately, glaring daggers at the two upperclassmen that stood in front of her and her sister. "Whoa," the taller newcomer laughed. "Relax, hermana. I'm not going to eat her! Am I, Artie?" He nudged his friend's arm, disturbing him from his book.

"Hmm?" he grunted, looking up for the first time. He regarded both girls before righting his glasses and returning to his reading with a small wave.

"He's shy," the first boy laughed again. He walked forward and held a hand out to the younger twin, who took it instantly. Instead of shaking it- Like a normal person, Anya simmered- he turned Holly's hand over and gently kissed the skin of her wrist. "Me llamo Antonio Fernandez Carriedo," he said, rolling the syllables off of his tongue. "Or Toni, whichever you prefer. And this is my best friend, Artie Kirkland." He pointed at the green eyed blonde who had been dragged along.

"It's Arthur, you-"The blond caught himself and blushed at the twins. "N-Nice to meet you…" He stuttered and looked away, his reading glasses slipping down on his nose again.

"Awh! You have a British accent! It's so cute!" Holly gushed over the older teen, smiling when he fidgeted nervously and leaned casually against the old tree and pretended to read again.

"Hey...What grade are you guys in anyways?" Anya asked defensively, interrupting her fangirling. They looked awfully old to be openly flirting with two younger girls.

"Oh, me and Artie here are juniors! Seventeen years old!" Antonio grinned at the two girls.

"Oh, cool!" Holly grinned sociably. "We're freshman! This is our first-" Anya stabbed her sister in the ribs with her elbow.

"Ow…That hurt, Anya!" The hazel eyed sister glared at her, and Anya stared stonily back.

"Come now, hermana," Toni smirked playfully. "Let your hermanita speak, no?"

"Come now, hermana…" Anya felt a pang of recognition run through her with those few words. She had heard those words before, but where? Not from Holly, obviously. The girl was sharp as a tack in French, but Spanish was practically Greek to her. Maybe she was just imagining things…No. The feeling of utter rage and chaos that came with that simple phrase was too much to ignore.

"Now I have learned the name of your other half. May I ask for yours?" Antonio grasped Holly's hand in his own again, distracting her with flashing green eyes.

"Oh, m-my name is Holly," she stuttered, dazed. Arthur jumped from his place near the tree, taking in the –rather familiar- name. He smirked when he saw Toni flirting with the new girl and making her blush.

She is quite cute when she's so flustered… Wait, what was he thinking? He had just met this girl, for God's sake. Antonio was the natural flirt, not him!

Anya cursed herself for zoning out; and at a time like this! She stood, starting to pull her sister with her. "Come on, Holly. We really need to-"

"Hold on, sis! We have time- we still have forty five whole minutes!" The younger sister resisted, wanting to stay and talk to the two juniors.

"Yeah, sis," Toni snickered. "Are you her mamá as well?"

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Anya snapped. "Listen here, you-!" She lit into the poor boy, basically throwing any Spanish insult or curse word she could think of at him. She eventually ran out of profanities and stopped, panting slightly.

"What language," Toni deadpanned weakly.

Anya let out a frustrated groan, shouldering her bag and storming away angrily, leaving her sister in the grass.

"Is she like this a lot?" Arthur ventured, slowly closing his novel. "That was quite the display."

"Yeah, it's nothing new," Holly giggled. "Anyways, if we're going to talk, we may as well just sit down!" She smiled and plopped back down on the grass, patting the spots next to her for her new friends to join her.


"Stupid…freaking… juniors!" Anya ground out as she stormed away from the library, looking for a place to cool down. Other students on break were lounging on the grass or on stone benches, and didn't pay any attention to the irate freshman. She turned a corner into the gap between two buildings and stumbled to a halt, mouth gaping.

A large courtyard full of red and white rose bushes, young cherry trees, and cool stone benches greeted her sight. She instantly walked into it in awe, taking in the sight around her. It was just like something out of a fairytale. The smooth stones of a winding path felt untouched under her shoes, although cherry blossom petals rose from the ground in droves when the wind picked up. The place was so peaceful, and silent but for the wind and the birds.

It never occurred to Anya that there might be someone else there.

She hummed lightly as she skipped to the center of the garden, trying to calm down. She ran her hand across the majestic oak tree that sat in the middle of the ordeal, creating a cool oasis of shade underneath its leaves. Anya was slowly calming down, letting her hand trail over the rough bark as she circled the tree. Well, she was until her body collided with another, causing both parties to collapse into a red rose bush.

"Ah! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you!" The mortified girl instantly started to apologize, scrambling to help the other person up.

"It's okay," a soft voice said. "I'm fine." Anya found herself looking up at the boy she had knocked over. He stood nearly a head taller than her. Brushing jet black hair from his eyes, he regained his footing and nodded his thanks. "I was just hoping that you were okay. Those roses haven't had all of the thorns removed yet, and you fell much harder than I did."

"I-I'm fine, umm…" She trailed off, not knowing how to address him.

"That's good," he smiled. "I wish we could have met differently, but my name is Hon- Kiku Honda."

"Well, it's nice to meet you anyway." She reached forward to shake his hand. "My name's Anya Michaelis."

"It's nice to meet you too, Miss Anya," Kiku said politely. He turned to the crushed bush with concern in his eyes.

"Oh," Anya stared. "D-Do you think it's okay?"

Kiku knelt by the little bush and waved her over to join him.

"It will be," he said after a minute. "See? The leaves are a bit crumpled, but the stem and roots are fine. Put some wiring around it for support, and it'll be good as new."

"That's great," she sighed, relieved. "I didn't want to get in trouble for defacing school property, or ruining such a beautiful garden."

"You really like it?" The older boy sounded surprised.

"Are you kidding?" Anya gushed, surprising herself with how quickly her mood had vanished. "It's so peaceful here; I can't believe there aren't more people out here enjoying it!"

"That was our intention," Kiku admitted as he stood, holding out a hand to assist Anya. "Unfortunately, no one else has even noticed the new renovations the gardening club has done. We worked very hard, too. It's a little disappointing."

"Students did this?" Anya let him help her up and gazed around the courtyard again. It looked like the work of a whole team of landscapers, designed to be a safe harbor and relaxing hidey-hole from the universe. "You all did an amazing job. I've never seen anything like this!"

"Arigatou," the Japanese teen smiled at her. "By the way, I don't believe I've ever seen you before. Are you new?" He gave her a curious look, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"O-Oh, yeah. This is our first day. My sister and I are freshmen. Oh, and we're twins, so if you see me around, make sure it's me first." She cursed her inner babbling. So she had made a friend; was that so new? … Yes, she decided. Yes it was.

"Ah, so you're my kouhai," Kiku deduced. He laughed lightly at her confused look. "Sorry; underclassman. If you need any help finding anything around the school, you can just ask me if you wish."

"Thank you, Kiku. I will if I do." Anya smiled at the other teen. "Do you want to sit for a while? I've got time." The two chose a bench in the shade of the oak tree and stayed there for the rest of the class period, simply talking and getting to know each other.

Anya couldn't really put her finger on why, but she trusted this boy more than she trusted those juniors that she had left her sister with. Kiku was obviously a polite, decent, -and however old fashioned it might sound, honorable- person. Arthur was still a bit of a mystery, but if he was that Spanish flirt's 'best friend', he couldn't be much better. Even if he did read. Something kept her from becoming too worried, though. Her sister wasn't as clueless as she acted, and for some reason Anya was sure that the boys wouldn't try anything.

"What's wrong?" she asked suddenly. Kiku was looking at her with a very strange look on his face. The expression was somewhere between working a hard math problem and trying to remember if you had left the lights on. "Are there still leaves in my hair?" She had thought she'd scavenged them all out…

"You're very pretty, Anya," Kiku remarked quietly, a pale blush covering his cheeks. He had no idea what had prompted him to say such a thing. It was very forward, and unlike his normal character, but he felt so familiar with Anya that the filter between brain and mouth was not functioning properly.

Anya fidgeted with her uniform skirt's hem, muttering a thank you and blushing darkly. Okay, that was just weird, she thought. Maybe I was wrong about this guy? Well, he's obviously blind.

"You don't think so," he stated, practically reading her thoughts. Anya shook her head ashamedly. "Do you not think your sister is pretty?"

"Of course she is," Anya retorted defensively. "Holly's always surrounded by boys trying to ask her out, and she's popular wherever we go. She's already flirting with a couple of juniors." She jerked an angry thumb in the direction of the exit.

"And yet you say that the two of you are twins?" Kiku smirked triumphantly.

"Th-That's totally different," she denied. "Sure, we're twins. But it's not like we're-"

"Identical?" Another gentle smile. "You should have more confidence in yourself, Miss Michaelis. If you keep denying yourself and putting yourself down, you'll never take an opportunity when it arises."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she huffed, getting irritated again. Kiku chuckled and stood, walking over to the bush they had fallen in and returning with a half-grown flower in his hand.

"Take this for example," he instructed, taking his seat on the bench once again. "This little rose may think that it isn't as good as the other ones because it isn't as big or doesn't have a deeper color. So it tells itself that it will never bloom, and it closes up." He closed his hands over the blossom, shielding it from the light and from Anya's curious eyes. "What happens then?"

"Well, it won't grow," Anya said simply. "If it doesn't open up to the sunlight, it'll shrivel up and die."

"That's correct," Kiku nodded. "But if the sprout can see itself for what it really is and really can be, and makes an effort to bloom…" He opened his hands and Anya sucked in a breath. The meek little plant had vanished. In the palm of his hand lay a crimson rose blossom in full bloom.

"…Then it grows to be a lovely and fragrant rose, charmed by all who see it." The older boy whispered, lightly reaching forward and tucking the token behind the speechless girl's ear. And just for a moment, for the first time in a very long while, Anya saw herself how others must see Holly. How this strange, oddly formal boy seemed to see her.

"But who can tell?" he broke her out of her trance. "You won't know unless you have the confidence to keep going." Kiku stole a glance at her from the corner of his eye, blush prominent on his face now that his speech was complete. "So, now do you understand?"

"Yeah," Anya whispered, gently brushing her fingers across the silken petals that tickled her ear. "I think I do. Thanks." She looked up at the sky for a minute before she finally found the words to speak her thoughts. "Hey, Kiku?"

"Yes?" he asked, curious. "What is it?"

"You're way too poetic to only be in high school."

Kiku apparently found that very funny.


"Anyhow, my family is actually all the way from Spain. We moved right before my little brothers were born. Artie's parents are in London, but he and his brothers live here!" Antonio explained to the eager freshman, her eyes gleaming with admiration and awe.

"That's so cool!" Holly gushed over the two. "We were transferred here because we won a scholarship contest a couple years ago, and started as freshman here." Toni nodded and grinned at the shorter girl. He casually sprawled out across the carpet of grass beneath them, propping himself up on his elbows to look at her.

"Where are you from, Holly?" Arthur looked up at her from behind his glasses, his bright green eyes tinted with a curious glint.

"Oh, me and Anya? We're from L…Laa…uh…" She stumbled over her words, trying to remember a small, unremarkable place from last year's geography class. She could just say that they were born in America, but her flustered mind couldn't grasp the simplicity of the solution. "W-We're from Latvia! We were brought here when we were really little, though. That's why we don't speak- um-Latvian!"

"Ah, I see. That's neat." Arthur blushed and mumbled slightly as he looked back to his book, turning the page. "Say, Holly… Do you think Anya would let you come to the mall with us after school today?"

Toni sat up and clapped the other boy's shoulder. "I was just going to say the exact thing! So what do you think?" He glanced at Holly hopefully. "We were planning on going to eat, and maybe we could all go see a movie later!"

"Pshh, Anya doesn't decide where I go. She really isn't my mother, even if she tries to act like it." The shorter brunette stood as the bell rang, brushing her skirt off. "Well, I gotta get to orchestra. I don't want to make a bad impression on the teacher on my very first day!" She stood there and thought intently for a second before ripping a piece of notebook paper out of her binder and scribbling something furiously on it. She tore it in half and handed each junior a piece. "Here's my number, if you want to text me. Just tell me when you want to meet up and I'll be there! I check my phone constantly, so you'll be sure to get a message back~"

The teen looked up at the large clock tower on the school before scrambling for her bag. "Oh God, I'm going to be late! Crap crap crap crap craaap!" She grabbed her stuff and started sprinting in a random direction.

"Holly!" Arthur yelled, stuffing his book into his bag and racing after her. "You're going the wrong way!" He waved briefly to Toni as he ran after the clueless freshman. She really is lost without Anya sometimes, isn't she? As he caught up with her, Arthur gave Holly and exasperated look. "The music building is that way, silly." He pointed in the direction almost opposite the way she had been running.

"Oops?" Holly blushed. "Thanks…" She turned around and started in the right direction at a brisk pace, and was surprised to find Arthur still walking with her. He kept up with her frantic strides easily, amusement plastered all over his face. "Um, so where are you going?"

"To orchestra," he smirked. "Where else would the first chair Chamber violin be headed at a time like this?"


"That's the bell," Kiku commented as the large copper bell rang out the end of their second class period.

"Ugh…I don't want to go to band," Anya groaned as she plodded over to the edge of the shade and hefted her bag onto her back. "Can't I just stay here and take a nap or something?"

"You're in band too?" he asked, a little surprised. There weren't many freshmen in the school's band; for some reason, only the older students ever showed interest.

"What? Oh, yeah. I play the French horn." Anya explained, feeling a little self-conscious. At her old school, the band had been considered really un-cool, and she didn't want to seem dumb in front of this nice (and rather attractive, she noted with a secretive smile) boy.

"I have band this block as well," Kiku exclaimed. "I'm a percussionist. Would you like to walk with me? I can help you find your class." He gathered up his bag and drumsticks and joined the brunette in walking.

"Yeah, thanks," Anya grinned widely. "That'd be awesome."


"Sis? Sis-s-s!" Holly groaned as she walked to the music building with Arthur, the blond staying quiet by her side. "Gosh, where is she? The band practices in this building too, right?" She was ready to just give up and get to her class when she finally spotted Anya walking into the band room with- wait. Who was that? The younger twin grinned impishly, realizing that her sister, Miss Anti-male 199-EVER, was chatting with an upperclassman boy. They must have met when she was all stormy and yell-y and stuff.

"There's Anya, Holly…" Arthur pointed towards her and the boy she was with. "Did you need to talk to her?"

"No," she sang, choking back her laughter. "I'm just going to leave her alone for a while~"

"But didn't you need to ask her about-?"

"Alone."


"Why. Can't. I. Get. This. Right?" Anya ground out under her breath as she scribbled in the flat sign next to the note she had missed.

"You'll get it," a horn player named Matthew whispered encouragingly. "I hate A-flats, too." Anya smiled gratefully at the quiet blonde next to her as the conductor set them off again, the horns playing smooth whole and half notes in contrast to the trumpets' trills. The brass instruments practiced together in one room while the woodwinds and percussion played together in another. It was nothing new; just the same arrangement as middle school. The only difference was that this band was much larger, and was playing much more difficult music.

"Now horns, right here is where you need to play softer; you're being overbearing, and I need to hear more of the trumpets instead." The director watched the two sections doodle in either a double forte or a mezzo-piano. He started off on a rant about dynamics that the class was grateful for; they were finally getting a break.

While he was gushing about contrast, Anya wondered how she had gotten into the first band. It was the most advanced class, and yet she somehow had managed to be placed in it, without her knowing, of course. Had the administrators just stuck her in there on a whim? They must have, because while the class was fun, she was being dragged along by the ear.

"Now we need to go back to measure number forty-five and play to the end," the director instructed. Groans were suppressed as everyone put their instruments up.


"Violas, you need to play a lot louder here." The instructor motioned towards the section. "Especially you, Holly. You might be new, but if you're going to play a solo, it has to be heard!" Holly blushed and nodded, feeling half of the eyes in the room boring into the back of her head.

Arthur felt kind of sorry for her; after all, she was only the new kid and having to play a solo right off the bat was nerve wracking. He thought back to when they had first had tryouts for the class in May.


"Come on already! I wanna see who made what chair!" The entire class gathered around the bulletin board, eager to see who had made the class, and what chair each person had gotten out of those selected. "First violin, first chair is Arthur Kirkland!" The blond blushed and smiled sheepishly.

"Who made first chair viola?" A blond haired girl with a bow on top of her head growled as she shoved people out of her way.

"Natalia, chill! Even if you didn't make first chair, you made chamber for sure!" Toris patted her slightly on the shoulder, earning a growl from the older girl.

"Viola, first chair, goes to Holly Michaelis," someone said unceremoniously. "Wait. Who the heck is Holly?"

"She's transferring here from another school and will be here next year. Second chair goes to Natalia Braginski, third chair to…" The music department president continued on as the blond grew furious.

"I swear to God- on the first day of school, she's going to regret ever being born."


"Holly, you can back off slightly here," Mr. Beildschmit gestured. "But give a bit more here. The higher voice needs to be heard over the bottom here. Got it?" The director glanced at her from his score, lifting his hands to continue conducting.

"Yes sir," the brunette squeaked, knowing she was being glared at from the stand behind her. It also didn't help that the conductor's oddly-colored red eyes were creeping her out. The first count hit, and she started to play, finally bringing out the right tone for the solo.

After class, the students chatted excitedly as they put their instruments away. Arthur was constantly casting worried glances toward Holly, emerald eyes following her into the instrument locker room. As she closed the door on her instrument locker, Holly turned around to be greeted by a pair of bright blue eyes.

"U-uhm, hello, Natalia." The taller girl stomped forward, causing Holly to flinch back into the lockers. She winced as a lock ground into her shoulder.

"You had better be giving me first chair, or quitting this class, because I refuse to be upstaged by a stupid freshman like you." Natalia glared with fire in her icy eyes. "I've been first chair every year I've been here, and I don't plan on that stopping any time soon." She backed up and walked away- outside of the building and off to her next class. Holly just stood there in shock; what just happened?


"Hello." A sharp pencil to her back startled Anya as she snapped the clasps closed on her case, causing her to yelp and jump half a foot in the air.

Kiku laughed out his apology. "You're easily scared, Miss Anya," he grinned. "Here, I'll get that." He picked up her instrument and put it in its locker on the top row of cubby holes.

"Thanks," Anya smiled and put her backpack on, slinging it over her shoulders as she waited for him. "How was percussion?"

"Same as last year," he shrugged. "We don't really have to do all that much. The only really challenging part is being in the drum line, and I'm not even in it."

"Why?" she asked, following him outside. "Don't they think you're good enough?"

"I wouldn't have time," he explained. "I'm in the N.J.R.O.T.C., and that's more important than a more challenging role in band."

"There's really a navy R.O.T.C.?" Anya exclaimed. "I thought Holly was joking…" She had known about the Air Force Junior R.O.T.C., but had figured that the only navy groups would be someplace closer to- well, water.

"There really is," Kiku promised, crossing his heart playfully. "I'll have to show you some drills; they're really pretty incredible. They let us use real sabers and everything."

"Let me guess; you can dance, too, can't you?" she deadpanned. "What a show off!"

"Actually, I can…" Kiku sounded unsure, and a bit confused. "How did you make that connection?"

"I…" Anya frowned. "I think someone told me once that swordplay had some type of correlation to dancing. That they aren't so different." She shook her head irritably, as if trying to shake water from her ears. "But I can't remember where I heard it. Weird."

"Weird," he agreed. "Well, what's your next class? If it's close, I can walk you there."

"Let's see…" Anya rifled through her bag to find her schedule. "Oh, it's Spanish next. With a Mr. Alvarez?" She raised an eyebrow as Kiku barked out a laugh. "What, do you know him?"

"He was my Spanish teacher last year," Kiku chuckled. "I'm not pursuing the language, but the class was alright. Call it a hunch, but- Never mind. I'll just give you the Spanish Inquisition at lunch."

"Huh?" she asked brilliantly.

"Nothing, nothing. Now, the foreign language classes are this way…"


"Holly, are you ready to-? Dear God, what happened?" Arthur was in shock; the normally bubbly girl was under a personal raincloud of despair. "Natalia said something to you, didn't she?"

"Is it that obvious?" she squeaked, clearing her throat. "I mean… Really? Artie, what do I do? Nat scares the snot outta me!"

"What did she want?" he asked calmly, slipping into what he hoped one day would be his 'counselor' voice. Psychiatry was so interesting; peoples' minds could really play tricks on them! Arthur had decided that he would get a degree in that field when he was older… mostly to find out where his flying green bunny had come from.

"She wants me to quit, or give her first chair," Holly said quietly. "She- She wouldn't actually do anything… Would she?"

"Oh, that's just Natalia for you," Arthur smiled warmly. "She really just wants to impress her older brother; Ivan's off playing chamber in college. She would never do anything to hurt you, though, so don't worry about it. At least it isn't Ivan himself; the man gets so drunk he can't see straight." He ruffled the dejected girl's hair. "I have Ivan's number, so if she threatens you again, I can blackmail her with it."

"Artie, that's so mean!" she laughed, and Arthur was glad to see her smile again. "Well, I've got to go to French next… Do you know where it is?"

"You took the Frog's class?" he gasped, stopping in his tracks. People sidestepped him to get around, but he didn't notice. Suddenly looking frightened, Arthur grabbed Holly's arm and bent down to look her in the eye. "Listen very carefully, Holly. That man is a monster. If he says or does anything to make you uncomfortable, you let me know immediately."

"Why?" Holly gulped, alarmed. "Is he some sort of weirdo?"

"Yes!" Arthur hissed. "I mean, no- What I mean is, I just don't like him, okay? Haven't since freshman year, and I didn't even have his class!"

"I'm sure you're exaggerating," she laughed nervously. "I'll make sure to tell him that you said hi!"

"Holly Michaelis, don't you dare-!"

The hazel eyed sister laughed and ran off to the main building once again, slowing down to a walk when she entered the empty halls. Her shoes clicked as she strolled to the last classroom on the left; it was her French class. She entered the room quietly, looking around at the other few students who had come to class early.

"Bonjour, madam. Comment tu t'appelle?" An accented voice greeted her as she snapped out of her thoughts.

"Je m'appelle Holly Michaelis, mais appelle moi Axcelle, sil vous plait." She smiled.

The blond teacher stood up from his desk and walked over to her. "Ah, tu est une etudient nouvelle?"

"Oui, oui. Êtês-vous Monsieur Bonnefoy?"

He smiled down at the brunette. "Oui, qui est moi. Welcome to French, Holly- I mean, Axcelle."

The class started about twenty minutes later. The eight person class received a forest green textbook, a red composition book, and a study guide. They started on the most basic chapter verb starter; the imperfect tense.

"Elles parlons….no, that isn't right… Elles parliez... that isn't right either!" Holly groaned as her head hit the desk with an inaudible thud.

"Avez-vous besoin aide, mon cher?" Monsieur Bonneyfoy walked up from behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder gently.

"Yes, please! I don't have the slightest idea of what I'm doing." She pouted as her face flushed slightly.

"Okay, this is simple. Find the present tense nous form first." He pointed at the verb with his pencil.

"Nous parlons," Holly muttered slightly, trying not to just flip the desk over in frustration.

"Bonne. Now, We only take off the –ons, right?"

"Oui, because –ir number two verbs end with –issons." Holly nodded her understanding. "Good. Now, we simply remove the –ons, and we add the new endings to our stem. Do you know the endings, Axcelle?" The young teacher looked her in the eyes.

"Je is –ais, tu is –ais, il and elle are –ait, nous is –ions, vous is –iez, and ils and elles is…" She trailed off, scrunching her brow in concentration.

"-aissent?" He finished for her quietly.

Her eyes brightened at the statement. "That's it! That's the one I needed!" A grin spread across her face as she scribbled the letters down. "Thank you so much!" A smile graced her teacher's features as he nodded and stood back up, walking to the other students who needed help as well.


"So I'll find you at lunch?" Anya asked hopefully. "Can we eat out in the courtyard?" Kiku had offered to walk her to Spanish, and she was lingering just outside of the classroom.

"I'll find you," he corrected, ushering her into the slowly filling room. "Go on; get in there before you're late. Senor Alvarez hates tardiness. Good luck!" He left her there with a laugh and a wave, jogging off to his next class.

"Thanks," she whispered, not minding the ridiculous grin on her face as she entered the Spanish I classroom. Surprisingly, there were very few freshmen. The majority of the group contained sophomores and juniors, along with a few seniors who had waited to get their Foreign Language credits until the last minute.

"Alright, settle down," the teacher ordered. He had an olive complexion and long dark hair tied back in a low ponytail. Anya quickly chose a seat in the front row so she would be able to see the whiteboard. When everyone had found a place, the teacher stood up from his desk and addressed the class. "Bienvenidos a la clase de espanol. Soy Profesor Alvarez." He received only blank stares from most of the assembled teens, and sighed ruefully. "Welcome to Spanish. I'm Sr. Alvarez."

The class gave a collective "Ohhh" of comprehension. This was going to be another long year.

"Don't worry," he said, more to himself than to the class. "It's perfectly normal to have no experience in the language at the start. Starting with the basics, it will be my job this year to teach you to at least hold a normal conversation in Spanish. The amount you learn all depends on you. The fruit of your efforts will either amount up to 'Me gustan gatos'" – Anya snorted, drawing estranged looks from her classmates- "or something along the lines of 'La joven castaño conqueteó con su novio antes de clase.'"

He looked directly at Anya, smiling benignly. Yes, he had seen her with Kiku, but didn't mean anything by saying that she had been flirting with him. His students' social lives were not his concern. In any case, no freshman student would actually understand-

"He's not my-!" Anya gasped, clapping a hand over her own mouth. Everyone in the class was staring at her as if she had popped out of the floor in a flash of purple lightning. Of course, they hadn't understood the statement at all. "S-Sorry," she whispered, mortified.

Sr. Alvarez marched quietly up to her desk, scrutinizing her. He opened his mouth, and Anya expected a reprimand. Instead, he asked her a simple question in Spanish. She answered automatically, and cheered up at the excited smile on his face. He immediately asked her a more complex question, with the same result. The class watched, the captive spectators of a verbal tennis match, until the teacher finally threw out an unfamiliar word.

Anya searched her memory, but no corresponding English word came to mind. "I don't know," she finally relented. "What does 'nutria' mean?"

"Impressive," Sr. Alvarez grinned. "Really excellent work. Oh, and it means 'otter'." He watched the new student closely, noting the way she repeated the new word to herself, savoring the feel of it. She wasn't going to forget that one any time soon. He turned to his dumbstruck class. "You see?" he said casually, as if nothing had happened. "Applying yourself can bring about great results."

"Like, that's totally not fair!" a voice whined. Anya did a double take; the blond sophomore looked exactly like the nice boy from the horn section. However, this was obviously not the same person. This boy was tilting back dangerously in his chair, and chomping loudly on bubble gum. "You're from, like, South America or something, right? That's how you speak Mexican so good." He pointed an accusatory finger at her. "Let me guess; taking your own language as an easy A? Don't deny it, babe!"

"Okay, I don't know who you are, but listen," Anya huffed, turning slightly in her seat. "One, it's Spanish. Mexican is not a language. Two, do I sound like I'm from South America? Three, I took this class because I happen to be interested in the language. Four, if you have a problem you can leave and go take an English class, which you clearly need. And five-" She glared her hardest at him. "Don't call me 'babe'. It's derogatory."

She faced the front again, the tips of her ears tingling with anger and embarrassment. What was up with her? She had blown up so many times today… It was like high school had unleashed some sort of anger hormone that she couldn't control. Calm down, girl. Just calm down…

"That's enough," Sr. Alvarez said sharply. "Please refrain from instigating conflicts in my class, Alfred. That goes for you too, Miss…" He glanced down at his roster, going pale when his eyes fixated on one specific name. "Michaelis?"

"Lo siento," Anya muttered. Staring at her desk, she missed the shocked and slightly fearful look on her teacher's face.

"V-Very well," he coughed, trying to act naturally. "Now, if I could have someone hand out the textbooks… Ah, Mr. Jones! Thank you for volunteering!" Twenty minutes later, the students were chatting animatedly about summer, schedules, and the latest fads. Anya rolled her eyes and resumed going over her assigned summer reading book.

"Forgot to do your homework?" an amused voice asked. Anya jumped and snapped the book shut. Sr. Alvarez was staring at her curiously. "It's nothing to be ashamed of," he went on. "Literature seems to be lost on this generation as a whole unless it involves the luminescent undead."

"Don't make me laugh," she scoffed, waving the paperback with the practiced ease of an avid reader. "This is my third time through. I'm disappointed in myself for not reading it years ago."

"To Kill a Mockingbird?" he noticed, surprised. "Most students find that novel horribly dull. What makes it so special to you?"

Anya was thrown off by his question. No teacher had ever asked her why she enjoyed a particular book. Her past English teachers had just assumed that she would read anything. "Well, I like the tone, I guess. It's… not sarcastic, just blunt. There's all of this serious prejudice going on, and it's all told from the perspective of a scrappy little tomboy. She tells it like it is, as she sees it."

"That's true," he nodded approvingly, sliding into an empty desk. "So Scout is your favorite character?"

"Atticus," she answered immediately. "He's so cool and confident; I think I found a new hero." She sighed, fanning the pages wistfully. "He raises his kids right, and he's an honest man. And there's so much that Scout and Jem don't even know about him, like when he shot that gun. He's not prejudiced and he always makes time for his little girl."

"Is that jealousy I hear?" Sr. Alvarez laughed. "D-Do you talk that way about your own father?"

The hurt and anger that passed through her violet eyes pinned him in place, and the quick recovery was almost as paralyzing. "Holly and I don't have any parents," Anya said bluntly. "We're wards of the state; as if you didn't know." She knew what the teachers thought of them. It had been the same ever since they were little. The female teachers would cluck and fuss over the poor little dears while the males would glance at them suspiciously, as if they were going to suddenly become emotional and cause a riot.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely, looking uncomfortable. "If you don't mind my asking-?"

"We were abandoned," she shrugged. "I hardly even remember them anymore, so I can't really miss them." Okay, that was a lie. They both missed mamá and papá. Or maybe they just missed having them. "Excuse me, but would it be alright if I went to the library?"

"Of course," Sr. Alvarez nodded. He'd been teaching long enough to recognize a high-strung teen when he saw one. "Take your time; the class doesn't end for another twenty minutes."

Anya thanked him and left the room before she realized that she didn't even know where the library was. Stupid huge school. Well, it wasn't as if she had needed to go, anyway. She just needed to cool down. What was wrong with her? She hadn't felt this pumped and anxious since-

"Hey!" a coarse voice barked. "Do you have a hall pass?" Anya squeaked as a firm hand gripped her shoulder and spun her around. The stranger was tall, with jet black hair and eyes nearly the same shade. His thin mouth was drawn up in a disapproving scowl. "I said, do you have a pass?" he repeated.

"N-No," she stammered, backing away from him. She was so flustered she couldn't even form a coherent thought. "Sr. Alvarez didn't… t-the library?"

"Freshmen," the teacher grumbled. He pulled a small notebook and pen out of his pocket. "Give me your name and homeroom. I'm going to have to write you up."

"B-But he didn't tell me that I would need a pass!" Anya protested angrily. "I was given permission to go to the library, but I'm totally lost. Come on, it's my first day!"

"It is every freshman's first day," he pointed out, frowning. "And if every one of them was wandering the halls, no one would get an education. Now, your name," he demanded. Anya sighed and opened her mouth to say-

"Michaelis!" another voice answered for her. The annoying sophomore named Alfred bounded around the corner, holding a slip of paper. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the teacher. "O-Oh. Hello, Mr. Souma."

"Mr. Jones," Mr. Souma acknowledged, looking between both students as if he couldn't figure out which one would cause the most trouble.

"Here," Alfred whispered, shoving the small scrap into Anya's hands before sprinting like an Olympian back to the safe haven that was Spanish. The slip appeared to be a hastily written hall pass, signed and dated by Mr. L Alvarez.

"It seems that I do have a hall pass now," Anya said sweetly. "Mr. Souma, could you please direct me in the direction of the library?" Why was the name so familiar? It burned her tongue like a bittersweet acid. She tried to dredge up where she might have heard it before, but only came up with images of Benedict Arnold and Adolph Hitler. It was like something inside of her was positively screaming at her to either run and hide or find the nearest firearm.

"Out that door and to the right," he pointed reluctantly. "It's the building by the large tree."

"Oh, thanks!" she beamed, waltzing past him to the door. What am I doing? she panicked. I can't pick a fight with a teacher on the first day! But she really wanted to show this man that whatever he did, she wasn't scared. It was an urge as innate as blinking or breathing or speaking. It couldn't be denied. This is why Anya felt incredibly satisfied at the poorly concealed rage on Mr. Souma's face as she waved cheekily and ducked out into the sunshine.


"Dudes, Souma's on the warpath!" These were Alfred's first words as soon as he returned to Spanish, slamming the door behind him. The entire class froze before exploding into chatter.

"Basta!" Sr. Alvarez clapped his hands once, and the class calmed down. "Alfred, what is going on? Did you give Miss Michaelis her hall pass?"

"Well, duh!" the sophomore yelled. "I totally swooped in like a hero; and just in time! Souma was gonna give the newbie a 'Freakishly Fresh 'Ferral'!" Everyone groaned at the title that Alfred himself had given to the yearly occurrence. Mr. Souma would write up at least a dozen clueless freshmen on the first day of school. "But you guys, she was fighting back. Against the Mr. Souma! Maybe I was wrong about the new girl; she's not just talk." He actually looked smug, as if he had taught Anya everything she knew, and hadn't been putting her down only a half hour before.

"Thank you, Mr. Jones," the teacher sighed. "Please return to your seat. Quietly." He had heard students complain about Ryu's unfairness, but he had simply assumed that it was the general grumbling that came naturally with teenagers. Maybe it was time to look further into it…

"Everyone, I'm stepping out. Please endeavor to display intelligence in my absence." He left the classroom and caught only a glimpse of his new student as she left through the side door. Good. She knows the way to the library.

Mr. Souma was still shaking with rage. He heard the footsteps behind him and composed himself in order to greet Mr. Alvarez. "Shouldn't you be teaching?" he smiled thinly. "You know; 'Hola, me llama es Sanchez'?"

"Llamo is the conjugated form of a reflexive verb," Alvarez corrected automatically. "Therefore, es is not the correct- oh, never mind! Ryu, what is going on? One of my students seemed to think that World War Three was in motion out here."

"Miss Michaelis was wandering the halls without a pass."

"Which was entirely my oversight. I hope you become more lenient with the freshmen. They are confused and need time to acclimate themselves to high school."

"They need to learn the rules," Mr. Souma argued. "You're too much of a pushover, Alvarez."

"I resent that statement."

"Alright, let's just leave it," the younger man sighed. "I just hope she won't be a problem," he muttered.

"Miss Michaelis seems to be an intelligent and well behaved student, Ryu." Mr. Souma wouldn't look him in the eye. "She won't be a problem in our school."

"I sincerely hope not," he snapped. He turned to the back of his notepad, where a temporary roster had been carefully taped. "Because it seems that Miss Anya Michaelis is in my penultimate class of the day. Oh, and a Miss Holly." Mr. Souma saw the look that marred the other teacher's forcefully cheerful expression. He just couldn't identify it. "I'll have to make sure to have a good long talk with them."


Teehee, anyone catch the Twilight reference? Confused? Well, so are we. Review and stuffs to inspire us, because that's what keeps us writing! Happy summer!