Hey ppls... I AM SO SORRY! I haven't updated in a loooong time.. I'm so sorry...my computer hasn't been working correctly... and it's been pretty hard to advance in the story.. anyway.. Absolute-Darkness and I are thankful to those of you who reviewed... thnx.. anyway...enjoy..

Chapter 1

The Contest

"Here are the daily announcements for today..." the principals voice rang through the

P.A. system. There were a few groans from the crowd, but they eventually subdused to hear the announcements.

"The school is offering students a chance to win a trip to Russia. If you would like to

enter you can fill in the form and put it in the box provided in the office..." he continued. By now the hallway had erupted to exciting chatter.

"We should try entering..." Michelle suggested.

"I heard that you're allowed to bring along as many friends as you would like," Zoe said thoughtfully.

"We can't enter now...we have to get to class..." Ozuma said.

"Fine, we'll enter during lunch time..." Kai rolled his eyes.

"Idiot..." Zeena muttered darkly as she joined the group.

"What happened to you this time?" Michelle laughed.

"Boys..." she answered simply.

"Its not that bad...I mean I have to go through it everyday too," Michelle shrugged.

"Yeah, but you have my dear step-brother there to protect you," Zeena rolled her eyes just as Michelle blushed and made sure Kai hadn't heard anything.

"Hey, all of us boys are trying to protect you two," Matt said.

"Well, hello, I just had to kick a boy's ass just now cause he was trying to hit on me,"

Zeena said in disgust.

Michelle shivered. She knew how agrecive Zeena could be when a boy tried to get close to her in a too friendly manner.

"You ok?" asked a masculine voice from beside her.

She looked up to see Kai looking at her concerned.

"I'm fine" she mumbled dropping her sight to her now interesting sneakers fighting to hide her blush which was riding up her neck to her pale cheeks.

Kai raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"Guys! We're going to be late!" Sam said looking a bit worried.

Michelle and Zeena both rolled her eyes. They knew how important school grades were for Sam.

"Yeah, we better get moving." Mumbled Shawn.

"See ya in lunch!" Michelle called to Zeena separating from her friends.

"Yeah, sure!" she called back without turning around to look at her best friend.

"This is so majorly lame..." Zeena mumbled to Kai and Matt who were sitting beside her in history.

The others were in different classes.

Kai grunted in agreement.

Zeena now had drawings all over her piece of paper. She had started doodling since class started.

The teacher was saying something about Greek history and what not.

Something similar was happening in Michelle's class too except that she was trying to listen unlike Zeena.

The Math teacher was talking about algebra which Michelle thought that he had just memorized from a text book or something since he didn't even bother making it any simpler to understand that her text book.

"Do you know what he's talking about?" a feminine voice said from beside her.

"No idea," she replied to Naomi.

"Okay...cause I'm already behind in math a little. I think I might need extra help or something like that," she whispered.

"Ask Zee to help you. She's always been good at math though she's a trouble maker in school. Well, actually it's not really her fault..."

"Okay, I think I'll ask her at lunch,"

"Michelle Robinson, Naomi Minokada! Do you know what I am talking about?" their teacher said strictly.

"Um..." Naomi gulped.

Luckily Michelle had her text book open and just read out everything it said on it since their teacher had practically said the exact same thing.

The teacher glared at them and returned to his teaching.

They both sighed in relief.

Zeena happily rushed out of class the minute class was over with Kai and Matt close behind her.

"I swear I am never taking history again!" she exlaimed.

"Yeah, the teacher is so boring...and so is the lesson," Matt said.

"Zeena! Kai! Matt!" they heard a voice call them from behind.

"Hey Zoe," Matt greeted.

She blushed and nodded.

"Have you guys seen the others?" she asked.

"No...we just got out of 'class boring'," Kai said.

Zeena had made up the name 'class boring' for the history class.

"Class boring?" Zoe questioned.

"Zeena made up that name during 'class boring'," Matt explained.

"We can find the others at lunch time. I got to go to my next class or I'll be late and get another detention!" Zeena exclaimed.

"I'm off to english," Kai muttered and said a quick 'good-bye'.

"Zeena and I have Gym next...where are you going?" Matt asked.

"I have Gym too," Zoe smiled sweetly.

"Come on...let's go already or else the gym teach will make me do 40 push-ups again!" Zeena literally dragged the two to the gym.

"Hi Ray, Ozuma!" Michelle took a seat beside Ozuma.

"Everyone listen up! There will be a pop quiz today!" the science teacher announced.

The sound of very disappointed students echoed in the science lab.

"...but I assure you that this test will be easy for you if you've been listening during class," he continued.

"What?!? Another pop quiz? I just had one last period!" Ray exclaimed.

Ozuma sighed, "Life is unfair."

"That will be 40 push-ups for each of you," the gym teacher said to Zeena, Matt and Zoe.

They had just came out of the change room in white T-shirts and black shorts a few minutes late.

"What?!?!" Zoe exclaimed.

Zeena sighed and went straight to doing push-ups.

"Come on Zoe...you'll live," Matt got down and started push-ups too.

"Fine...but only if you help me after you're done," she sighed.

Matt smiled encouragingly.

"12, 13, 14, 15..." Zeena muttered under her breath.

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Finally the lunch bell rang.

"Stupid teachers..."Zeena muttered as she pulled on her black finger-tip-less gloves up.

"My muscles hurt," Zoe winced in pain.

"Don't worry you'll live," Matt said.

"Let's go find the others..." Zeena said.

"Why? You're scared that they're dead?" Matt teased her knowing that she cared for the others except she hid it well.

"Shut up Yoshida or I'll make you," she snapped.

"Gosh, you're in a bad mood," he said.

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"Hey guys! Over here!" Michelle waved from their lunch table as soon as Zeena entered and the others entered.

"Careful Michelle, she's snappier than a snapping turtle," Matt warned.

"Am not!" Zeena retorted.

"So, what's going on?" Naomi asked from behind them.

"HOLY SHIT!!! We still have to enter the contest!" Zeena never answered Naomi.

"Zeena Hiwatari, please report to the office," the P.A. system announced.

Zeena grumbled, "Are you guys coming?"

"What? To get in trouble with you? No thanks," Ray responded.

Zeena rolled her eyes, "I mean so you guys can enter!"

"Yeah, we're right behind you, sister," Shawn followed her.

"She's mine and Kai's sister," Ozuma laughed good-naturedly.

"Um...right,"

"Ms. Hiwatari, Ms. Aizawa wants you in her office," the secretary told her once they had reached the office.

She nodded her group of friends.

Zeena knocked on the door and went in.

"Ms. Hiwatari, I assume you know why you're here," the principal was a tall, slender woman. Her mid-night blue hair spilled over her shoulders just a little. She wore a beige turtle neck top and a brown skirt which flowed till her knees. She sat down gracefully and gathered her papers into a neat pile.

"If it's about what I did to that boy this morning I just have one thing to say to you: he deserved it," Zeena said stubbornly.

"I understand and he will be punished for what he was trying to do to you...but what you did is still against the school's rules," she continued, "but since it was him that started it, I will lighten your punishment since whether or not you hat punched him you would've gotten in trouble,"

"You will have to stay in during break which is in between period 3 and period 4 to help out in the office for 30 minutes which is the whole of break. You will be starting tomorrow and I would like you to come here right after the announcements," Ms. Aizawa said strictly.

"Yeah sure, but what kind of punishment will that idiot get?" she asked.

"He will be suspended for 2 weeks," she replied, "you may go back out now."

Sam scribbled something down on the entry form and put it in the box.

"I'm done. Is everyone else?" she asked.

They had decided that each one of them would enter so the chances of their group winning would be higher.

"Yep,"

"The only person that has to fill in a form now is Zee," Ozuma replied.

"Speaking of devil..." Matt said as Zeena stepped out of the office.

"So what happened?" Michelle asked.

"Oh, that, I have to come to the office to help out during break..." she shrugged.

"Here," Zoe gave her a form to fill in and a pen.

"Thanx," Zeena quickly scribbled down some information and carelessly stuffed it in the box.

The bell rang once more idicating that school was over.

"Yes! Finally school's over!" Michelle smiled.

"I hope I got a good mark on my test," Sam said nervously.

"Don't worry, seeing as you always get good grades I'm sure you'll ace it," Matt winked at her.

Sam blushed.

Suddenly the slamming of a locker door was heard.

Zeena had slammed her locker door shut mumbling something about how a teacher was picking on her.

"Come on, sis. It's not that bad. I mean other people got in trouble too," Ozuma tried to calm down his sister,

"Yeah, I got in trouble too," Kai added.

"What happened?" Ray came up from behind with his backpack on his shoulders.

"Oh, she thinks the teacher was picking on her...so now she's in a bad mood," Ozuma explained.

"When do they announce the winners?" Naomi asked coming up from behind Ray.

"I think right about now...oh by the way, I heard you needed help with math. Do you want to come over to my house and do homework together?" Ray asked.

"Yeah sure," Naomi blushed.

"Be quiet! They're announcing the winners!" Michelle shushed.

"And the winner of a trip to Russia is...Samantha Anderson," the P.A. system announced, "Please report to the office along with all the people you want to bring with you."

Sam scowled.

"What's wrong? You should be happy..." Michelle said.

"They called me Samantha," she answered disgustedly.

Michelle sighed.

"Don't worry, she'll get over it," Kai put a hand on her shoulder and Michelle blushed and nodded.

"Can we just go already?" Zeena growled.

Sam sighed and started towards the main entrance of the school. The office was located right beside it.

"How may I help you?" the secretary asked.

"Um...I'm here about the trip to Russia..." Sam said nervously.

"Ah, yes, Ms. Aizawa is in her office," she smiled.

"Thanks," Sam nodded and procceded to knock on the door of the principal's office.

"Come in," she shouted from inside.

The group opened the door and stepped inside.

"Well, Sam, looks like you have a lot of people you want to bring with you," she laughed lightly, "You'll have to share rooms with someone else too because the school can't afford getting all of you a separate room."

"That will be fine," Sam said happily because Ms. Aizawa had called her by her nickname.

"You will have to wait one second. I have to check all your report cards to make sure you are not failing any of your classes," she turned to her drawer which was full of student records.

After a few minutes she finally spoke, "Well, I've checked all your report cards and Zeena is the only one who's failing a class. So I'm not really sure if she should go..."

"Please! She has to go or else I'm not going either!" Michelle pleaded.

"Yeah, same goes for me," Matt said.

"Can't she catch up after the trip?" Kai shrugged.

"Yeah, I mean she's already doing her best this term," Ozuma added.

Ms. Aizawa took a deep breath and finally decided, "Fine, but she has to promise that she will do better this term and after she comes back she has to do her detention too."

"Yes score!" Matt exchanged a high-five with Zeena.

Kai smirked.

"Since that's settled may I procede to explaining everything to you?" she asked.

Everyone nodded silently.

"You will be staying at the Moscow Hotel. After you land in Russia you will receive a call from the school informing you about where the bus is that will take you to the hotel. Of course, as I have said before, you will be sharing a room with someone. You will be allowed to go anywhere in Moscow that you want but you must remember to stay safe and not cause any trouble. You will be staying there for as long as you want except that you must learn something and when you come back you will have to share with the rest of the school what you have learned." She concluded.

"Here are your tickets...you are too inform the school to let us know your status," she said.

"Okay, thanks," Sam took the tickets.