"Tsk, tsk, tsk…" Himari paced around back and forth when I arrived. She too had the charm bracelet, only the black heart was white.
"What's up?" I placed my right hand against the mirror. It felt colder than ice.
"I don't trust that Kid guy." She turned to me and placed her left hand on the mirror. "And the worse thing is you're falling for him." I laughed.
"I'm not falling for him, you idiot! He's…" I smiled. "He's the first friend I ever had." I smiled at her. Her expression was deadly.
"I'm your only friend!" She screamed. Her eyes burned a great fire, her usual smile a permanent scowl. "I'm the only one you can TRUST!"
I looked at her with wide eyes. "Himari…"
"I'm the only one you need! Damnit!" She banged her head against the window. It didn't crack. But blood fell from her forehead down her cheeks. Tears mixed into it.
I was suddenly away from the mirror, away from Himari. I called to her. It was pitch black except for the ever-falling blossoms.
Kid's voice came in. "It's worthless to pick up fallen petals. The flower is dead, just wait for the next one to blossom and whither." He came into view. I turned to see him. He held his right hand out toward me. I smiled and ran to him. I noticed I was barefoot. My short, white, puffy dress was now a silk black one. It hugged my waist and cut at the thighs, revealing my legs. It also cut down my back. I noticed the train never ended.
I noticed another thing.
I had no sleeves on my left shoulder, but on the right, my marks connected with the top hemming of the dress. My markings… were part of the outfit…? Same thing with my back, too. The dress seemed to be like paint until it actually came down my waist and the train.
I kept running towards Kid. I stuck my arm out, hand outstretched. I called for him. No matter how fast I ran, the gap between us just kept getting farther and farther. Spikes grew from his arms and legs. He sort of looked like a miniature version of his father, only without the mask.
His hand was still outstretched toward me. I screamed and ran harder.
"Kid!" A black liquid ran down his shoulder, down his arm, and circled around his offered hand. Like a snake, the black blood shot out at me. It came so fast I couldn't react. All I could do was be frozen in time, running.
It pierced me in the heart. Red blood gushed. I gasped, falling backwards. I felt no pain, except for a long sadness. A black shadow with red eyes came flying from the sky and wrapped me in her arms. She hugged me tightly before disappearing like shards of glass. The red blood gushed again. I balanced myself to look at Kid. He smirked evilly.
I placed my hand over my heart to stop the bleeding. It poured over my arms and body.
"W-Why Kid?" Another black snake came from Kid and bit my right shoulder. My tattoos burned. I cried. Another came, jet-fast, and straight into my eye. Blood poured out of me. Tears poured down my cheeks. I screamed in pain. Another struck me in the stomach. I fell to the ground. I screamed again.
"Help!" I wailed. How could he turn on me like this?
Suddenly the shadow who hugged me appeared above me, this time I saw her white angel wings. She flicked her wrist, and chains flew from her wings. They cut the blackness stabbing me, disconnecting me from Kid. The knives in my wounds disintegrated. I put my hand up against my eye and sat up. Kid turned and walked away into the shadows. The angel came down and hugged me again. She closed us around in a safe haven of feathers.
Himari appeared. I couldn't see her face, she was looking down. Blood covered her. "I'm your only friend. Believe me. Those guys are bad news."
*-.-.-.-.-*
The rest of the week went by pretty fast. Nothing too interesting happened. I was lying in bed, looking at the time. 5:30 AM. I sighed. I haven't seen Himari since that one incident last Tuesday. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and finally Monday. I reflected on my first week at being "Alice." I sat up. I wasn't tired. I saw no Kishin, thankfully. Soul and Maka still seemed like lovey-doveys to me and Liz. Kid attempted to make the perfect symmetrical dinner, and burning it in the process. Black*Star and Tsubaki came over once and had tea. Roxas came over twice to hang out.
I hadn't been spending so much time with Kid after the dream- I mean nightmare, but I still wore the bracelet. I wanted Himari to come back. I thought it was my fault, so to help myself calm down I've been going to this small hill overlooking Death City and meditating. It helps, but I missed Himari.
I yawned and slowly got up, dressing myself in the never-worn uniform. I looked at the black and white pleated skirt and ruffled it. I straightened my purple tie. (You get to choose your own color, awesome!) I fixed the cuffs on my wrists. I got the blue earring and put it in. I left my coat open, revealing my white undershirt. My black plaid high-knee socks went well with my blacky-brown shoes that were rounded at the toes. I silently crept into the bathroom and turned on the light. I got my own toothbrush and comb, so I began brushing and combing the few tangles in my dark black hair. My purple and blue eyes shimmered I smiled. I parted my bangs to where they fell slightly over the blue one. I kept my down-to-my-butt hair straight, not putting it in a pony or anything.
"Perfect!" I said. I didn't care about what I looked like, but it was nice to look good on the first day of school. At home I received tutors, so I never went to a school. I stared at the DWMA crest over my left breast. It was a skull like Shinigami's mask and a shield-like shape encircling it.
I crept back into my room and looked at my brown satchel. I opened it and stared at all the things I needed. Notebook, pencil, binder, "The Souls of Meisters and Weapons" handbook, and a small sack lunch. I counted everything three times to make sure I had everything. I opened up my bed-stand drawer and grabbed my Student ID. It had a picture of me giving the peace sign and winking at the camera, along with my name (the people who made the cards thought it was odd I had no last name), species (meister), gender, age, birthday, date of when the card was made, and the ID code. 937008. There was also a ranking. From level 1 to 5, I was level 3. I didn't understand the purpose of it, so I'd have to ask Kid about it. I'd also have to go back every year and get a new one. I placed it in my undershirt's pocket. I clapped three times, then slapped my cheeks three times. It was 6:40 now, and I could hear Kid getting up, yawning, and getting dressed. I walked out with my backpack and sat down on the couch. I turned the lamp on and began reading various books on cooking recipes. (Patty wanted something new every night, so I wanted to master it before I got cooking it.)
7:00 AM. I heard Liz and Patty get up. School started at 8:30, so we needed to leave at eight, precisely, like how Kid wanted it. I crossed my legs. I heard footsteps coming from the hall. I looked up to see a half sleepy Kid, which was weird since he was always the first one to get up in the mornings. He was straightening his skull-like tie. I noticed that he was wearing his usual suit, and not the boys' uniform. I shrugged it off. I also saw he had bed-head hair, making him look like a little child. I never saw him look out of place, always refined and proper.
I giggled, making him notice me. His eyes widened. "When did you get up?" I fixed my collar and set my book down on my lap.
"Couldn't sleep. Around 5:40…" I watched as he pulled out a comb and began brushing his hair.
"Geez, you're gonna fall asleep during class. Eat something, at least." I watched as his hair became symmetrical, as if by magic. I got up and walked to the kitchen. He was right. My stomach grumbled. I grabbed a blueberry muffin from the counter and began nibbling on it. He sat down on the couch. I sat back down too.
"How are you able to have your hair symmetrical, and keep it like that all day? You don't use gel…" I asked, staring while he slipped on his shoes and began combing his bangs and hair again.
"I'm magical like that." He chuckled. I giggled, putting my hand to my mouth, not wanting to spit out a mouthful of muffin.
I finished eating my muffin at exactly 7:12. I heard rustling and squeaking in the hall behind us. Kid was still trying to make himself symmetrical. I was still staring at his hair. It was all perfectly aligned, and all he did was brush it. I wanted to brush it, but feared I'd mess it up.
Kid glanced at me while fixing his coat. He must have seen my desire. He turned his back to me while tossing to comb over. I picked it up carefully.
"Are you sure?"
"I can make myself symmetrical again if you screw up." He seemed like an adult compared to my childish wishes. I crawled over closer to him and began combing. His hair was as soft as… well, girl's hair. I wanted to run my hands through mine and then his to compare, but I stopped myself. I leaned over and brushed his bangs. When I finished, I somehow made his hair seem polished. I grinned. It still looked symmetrical.
"Ah… perfect, perfect!" Kid said happily, although not looking into a mirror.
"Who is it?" A pair of hands covered my eyes. The voice sounded deep and brass. I noticed the hands were longer.
"Liz." The hands were removed, and I could see again.
"How'd you know?" Liz went over and sat down between me and Kid.
I laughed. "A magician never shares their secrets!" Patty sat down on my lap.
"Show me a trick!" Patty bounced up and down.
I quickly glanced at Kid. He took action. "Don't you have to finish getting ready, Patty?"
"Damn!" Patty got up and went into the kitchen. She made herself a bowl of cereal.
*-.-.-.-*
It was exactly 8 o' clock when we left. We were half-way up the stairs to the academy. Knots grew in my stomach. Liz must have saw my tension, because she placed her hand on my shoulder and winked. I smiled at her, but quickly stopped when I heard two kids walking beside us whisper;
"Hey… hey, look at that chick! She's with Death The Kid's group… she must be either really strong or really rich!"
"Yeah! She's pretty! Maybe Kid's girlfriend?"
"Maybe… Hey! She's looking at us! Run!" They ran up the stairs. I sighed. Kid laughed.
"You? My girlfriend? Never." I felt my face go pink.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I punched him in the arm.
"Ow!" He rubbed his arm.
I turned to Liz. "What did those boys mean when they talked?"
She grumbled. "They define us as the popular group because we're rich and because Kid's a shinigami, strong. Because you're a new face and seen hanging out with us, you get defined too."
"Oh…" Being popular? "Just what I need… attention." I sighed. We were up on the platform now. I noticed Shinigami was there, off to the side. I saw little groups whisper as they looked at him. I guess it was rare to see him outside out of his office.
He waved us over. We walked over to him. "Ahh, Alice, how are you? Long time no see!" He nodded at everyone else, giving me unwanted specialty.
"It's only been a less than a week, Shinigami. I'm fine. How are you?" I hated small talk.
"Good, good. Oh, because it's the school term, for public reasons, call me 'Professor' Shinigami." He chuckled.
"O-Okay, Professor Shinigami." I put on a fake smile.
"How are you, Kid?" His comedic voice rang. "Taking care of Alice?" Shinigami patted Kid's head.
"I'm fine, Father. And yes, I'm taking care of her." They were talking as if I wasn't even there! My wrist chimed from my heart-like bell. It was hidden under my sleeve, so no one knew where it was coming from. "Why are you out here, Father?" Kid asked.
"Just wanted to give Alice this!" He gave me a slip. On it were numbers and times for class periods.
"O-oh… thank you, Professor!" I bowed slightly. He chuckled.
"Anytime!" He ruffled up my hair. "I better get back to my office. See ya!" He literally gave us the peace sign before bouncing off. I fixed my bangs.
"Well, we better get off to class." Liz said, leaning over my shoulder to see my list. "Hmm… you're with Stein…" Patty clapped.
"Stein?" I repeated the name.
"Yeah." Liz gave me thumbs up. "You're with us. Lucky you!" I grinned. I was glad I was with them. If I wasn't, I'd probably end up hiding under my desk.
"Come on!" Kid opened the door for us. He seemed extra formal in public. I slipped inside, with everyone else following.
"Where's everyone else?" I turned my head to try to find Roxas and the others.
"Black*Star and Soul usually cut class… Maka and Tsubaki should already be in the classroom. Roxas… I dunno, he's always like five minutes late." Kid explained.
"Do you cut class?" I asked.
"Never!" He sounded disgusted by my question. I choked back a laugh. "U-uh, Professor Stein!" We nearly got ran over by a young man riding on a wheelie chair backwards. He has gray hair, and a stitched up lab coat with a gray shirt and black pants. His round glasses shined in the morning light. I widened my eyes and blinked a few times to make sure that I wasn't seeing anything.
He had a large scar across his face, and…
A screw.
A large, metal probably, bolt came straight through his head. His twisted it. It clicked.
Click,
Click,
Click.
I tried not to stare by looking at my shoes. This was Professor Stein? This. Was. Awkward.
"Ahh, Kid, Liz, Patty." His voice was bland. "And…" Stein twisted his chair to where he saw me. "Alice, I presume?" I looked up at him and nodded slowly.
"I was sent from Professor Shinigami to make sure you didn't just take your seat. Every new student gets an introduction." He chuckled. I hugged my backpack close to my stomach. "Come along." He started wheeling down towards the hall. We followed.
Liz warned me. "Be careful… he's a scientist… he'll try to dissect you." I didn't know whether I should be scared or laughing. I simply sighed.
Whispers, laughs, and remarks flew across the hall. I didn't like it. I wrung my hands. We stopped at a doorway. A large sign was on it.
"ROOM 24 – PROFESSOR FRANKEN STEIN – MEISTER WEAPON TEACHING"
I glanced at my small piece of paper. "Rm. 24- Prof. Stein- Meister/Weapon."
"Wait out here." Stein told me. I leaned up against the wall as the teacher and my three friends walked into the room and took their seats. I didn't dare peek inside. I watched as lookers slowly passed through the door.
"Who's she?"
"Is she the new student?"
"Hey… she seems really strong…"
"She's hot!"
"What's her name?"
"I heard that someone saw her with Death The Kid's group!"
"She's obviously not a weapon, then. Liz and Patty were there."
"Yeah… plus, Kid would never partner with her, she's nothing symmetrical!" So people knew about his OCD, then, eh?
"Look at her eyes!" I stared at the floor. I wanted to run, but Stein's words froze me in my tracks.
"Yeah…"
"I want to see her in action!"
"I bet you ten bucks I can kick her butt, plus she doesn't even look that smart." I glared at the people who said that. The boy was bald except for two pointed thick strands of hair coming out of the sides of his head. He wore glasses and seemed formal with his straightened uniform. I couldn't see the other boy. They ran into the room. "She got the scary look down." Laughter. I sighed.
*-.-.-.-*
"Class, class, settle down!" Stein's voice rang. No one filled in through the doorway, but the door was left wide open. I twirled a strand of my hair. The class's laughter ceased, and everything became deadly silent.
"Now, the rumors are true." He said blankly. "We are getting a new transfer student." I heard the sound of his wheels squeaking. Stein popped his head through the doorway. He held out his hand. I took it, and he lead me into the room.
The room was large, with windows up near the ceiling. The desks were on raised rows, looking like stairs. There was a platform where there was a desk and a chalkboard. Stein rolled up the ramp, and I followed. I tried to look head on, simply twirling a strand of my hair, but I couldn't help but stare at my shoes.
"This is Alice, the newest meister at the Academy. Treat her nicely." I held my backpack behind my back now. "Alice, you'll be sitting where Tsubaki is." I looked up to see Tsubaki wave. She was in the exact middle, with Kid to her left and an empty spot on the right. Roxas was directly in front of the open seat. As I slowly got down from the platform and up the stairs, I noticed a foot suddenly stick out in front of me. I tripped over it, falling flat on my face on the steps. Pain filled my arm, but I didn't care as I slowly got on my knees to look at the person who did it.
It was the bald kid.
He smirked as he pulled his foot back in. I got up and kept walking up the stairs, past Kid and Tsubaki, and finally sitting down. Laughter and giggles flew across the room making me uncomfortable as I pulled out the handbook, pencil, and binder. My ID card shown, but the only things you can see were my age, birthday, and ranking.
A note flew from the back of my head and landed on the bald guy's desk. He unfolded it and read it. I wondered what it said.
Hey dude the new chick is a level 3 meister… she's the same rank as Kid!
The bald guy flipped his head around to stare at me. I ignored him and went back to scribbling notes down.
I wondered when I'd need to know how to dissect a Kishin.
