Author's Note: There is a reason Mia isn't the most likeable girl right now. I mean, she just left the only place she's known as home for the past sixteen years. She's all alone in New York City with people she only just met. She's used to a very different life and still has to adjust. That's what her story is in this...um...story (did that just make sense? I haven't a clue). As the story progresses you'll see her change, don't worry.

Oh, and she calls her grandparents Grandmama and Grandpapa because I decided that she does. Okay, I had just watched Anastasia and got into the mood. Remember, this is AU and that is why people have different names.

MIA:

"Oh dear," I said jumping back, embarrassed.

But not nearly as embarrassed as what was to happen next. The dog, um, Food (I have no idea what his name is, it sounds something like that...but that is odd, naming your dog 'Food'. Must figure out his name later), ran by and brushed past Michael's towel, making it fall to the ground.

I looked to the ground. I had totally just seen his...er...manhood.

He laughed as he went to the ground to retrieve his towel. "Whoops."

"I'm terribly sorry..." I said, feeling how red my cheeks were turning. Seeing his chest was one thing. The other part of his mysterious anatomy was a completely different topic.

"No one got hurt," he replied. "See you later."

I stood frozen in place. Lilly poked her head out her door, "You still haven't gone in?"

"M-Michael…"
"I heard him a second ago go into his room. Hurry up Mia!"

She was very bossy. Kind of like Grandmama. So I took a nice relaxing shower.

I couldn't look at Michael that night while we were eating dinner. How can he act so natural when I had just seen his naked chest and almost his other thingie. The thing that Grandmama says only gets girls into trouble so I better stay away from it.

"You were quiet at dinner," Lilly commented as we got ready for bed.

"I…I was a tad bit embarrassed," I admitted.

"Of what?" she asked.

"I…I bumped into Michael when he was leaving the shower. He didn't have a top on, you see…"

"Only a loin cloth?" Lilly asked.

"A…A what?"

"A towel around his waist," she replied.

"Oh, yes."

"And this disgusted you?" she asked, sitting on the bottom of her bed.

I really didn't want to admit it. But it didn't. Seeing that made me feel warm inside. "Of course not. I mean, I just have never…he didn't have anything on under the towel," I replied. I decided not to tell her about the dog incident. I know I wouldn't be able to hide a smile.

"Oh. Well, I'll talk to him about prancing around shirtless, okay?"
I nodded. Please don't! I like seeing that! Even if he is a heathen American! "Thank you."

I went on my knees and started to pray.

"What are you doing?" Lilly asked from under her covers.

"Praying," I replied.

"For what?"

"My family. And to thank God for bringing me to such a lovely family." I know I shouldn't lie. But I did anyways. Maybe I should thank God for a cute boy (albeit a non-aristocratic Genovian) to distract me from my real problems.

"Oh. Thanks. Night Mia."

They woke me up at an unGodly hour. "Time to get ready for school," Lilly explained. "Here are our uniforms."

She showed me a very short skirt, a blouse and a tie. "We wear this to school?" I asked, shocked.

"Oh, and this cardigan," she replied, throwing me a sweater. "But it's too hot out for that now."

"Why are these skirts so short?" I asked. Grandmama would throw a fit if she saw this. My parents would laugh at me though. Grandpapa would smirk. He was quite a bit like that Michael. Always had something to say at the oddest moments. But often kept to himself at the same time.

"They'll be longer once the war is over. They have to conserve all the fabric possible. Besides, we'll meet all the cute boys wearing these instead of potato sacks."

I smiled weakly. "You wore potato sacks to school?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes and I realized that she had been teasing. I'm such a moron. I can't even take a sarcastic tone. But was I really supposed to go around New York City wearing this?

Michael brought us to the trolley after we had breakfast. He was a senior this year, and therefore was not required to go so early, but he did anyways. "It's because of his libidinous feelings," Lilly explained. "My parents are going to be so proud."

"His what?"

"Lilly, shut up," Michael snapped as the trolley pulled up.

Michael got on first then pulled Lilly and I aboard as well. I was on the edge so he swapped places with me. The trolley was packed so we didn't have much room. "You won't fall off, will you?" I asked, alarmed at the speed we were going.

"Naw. I'm used to it," he replied easily. He looked handsome as the wind brushed through his hair. Yes. This was a very nice distraction indeed.

We arrived at the school, and Michael showed us to the auditorium where the girls were to be orientated. Since it became co-ed this year all the girls had to be told the rules of the school. The boys were brought into the gymnasium to be told proper behavior around females.

"I will meet you girls here at the end of the day," he explained as he waved to one of his friends.

"You are leaving us?" I asked, shocked. For some reason I felt a kinship to him considering he was the first person I spoke to on American soil (or pier, whatever).

He half smiled, "I'm sure we'll see each other throughout the day."

He squeezed my hand and started toward the gymnasium. I turned to Lilly who was smiling.

"What are you smiling about?" I asked.

"You sounded so helpless. You like him, don't you?"

I shook my head, in shock "Of course not." Thank Heavens she does not know the telltale sign that I am lying. How I start scratching my ears. She just most likely thinks I'm nuts.

She rolled her eyes and waved to the girls we went to the picture show with. "You remember them, right?" she asked.

"I can't remember their names…" I said trying my best to remember….these were to be my American friends.

"The one with tan skin is Tina. Her family is loaded. Her dad owns a factory that manufactures machine guns for the war. The tall skinny one that looks like a film star is Sylvia. She wants to be the next Judy Garland. But she has no voice at all. The short one is Laura. She's really quiet but loves to paint."

(A/N: I didn't think Shameeka and Ling Su were very fortish names so I translated them to older sounding names)

"Okay, thanks," I whispered.

The five of us went in to be 'orientated' to a new school. Lilly explained that they simply closed the sister school and moved the girls into this one, John D. Rockefeller School for Young Men (and now Women).

We were given a schedule and the headmistress explained the lay out of the school to us. "I have geometry first," I told Lilly after she asked me about my schedule.

"Which lunch do you have?" she asked.

"The second one. Right after I have English," I explained.

"Me too. What do you have fifth period?"

"Gifted and Talented?" I said questionably. Great. Grandmama probably designed a class so I could be alone.

"Me too. Michael was in it last year. He told me that it's a time that some students use to hone in on their skills. He writes music. I work on designing war posters. What talent do you have?"

She had to ask this didn't she? I didn't really have a talent. I mean, I can carry a tune, play the piano, and dance, but those were not things a girl does in a class room, is it? "I have no idea," I replied.

"Maybe they put you in there because Michael and I are," Lilly replied. "There's your geometry class," she said pointing to a classroom. Everyone started scattering as the final warning bell went off.

"Oh, right. Thanks. I'll see you at lunch then?"

"Yeah. See ya."

I started fumbling through my bag for a pencil when someone fell into me and made me spill the contents of my bag. "Oh, sorry," a rude voice apologized.

I looked up and saw the most gorgeous blonde haired boy, walking away, and then Michael walking over to help me. "That guy is a jerk," he explained.

"Who is he?" I asked softly.

"Class president," he explained. "Josh Richter. He thinks every girl is going to want to be his. You should have heard him in the gymnasium. He has a girlfriend though."

"I can see why," I replied.

Michael rolled his eyes. "Don't fall for it, Thermopolis. He's a jerk. He uses girls."

I half smiled. It was kind of cute how Michael felt so protective over me, like a big brother. "How would you know?" I asked, standing up after we finished gathering all my things. Not that I was interested in that Josh guy or anything. No. Just merely kept up a conversation with Michael.

"Because I've known him my whole life. I just saw my sister. Lilly told me you're in Gifted and Talented?"

I nodded, "Somehow."

"Then I'll…wait, what lunch do you have?"

I told him and he smiled, "Me too. Maybe I'll see you then. Bye Thermopolis."

I couldn't help but watch as he sprinted to his class room down the hall. I hate that nickname, but liked how it sounded coming out of his mouth. "Out of the way freak," a blonde girl snapped, pushing me to the side.

"My apologies," I said softly. I was going to have to get used to being treated like a commoner.

"Whatever," she said as she took a seat in our classroom.

I sat in the empty desk next to her. "My name is Mia," I said extending my hand. Grandmama always says it is proper to introduce yourself even to those who you dislike upon meeting them.

She looked me up and down, "The European girl living with the Moscovitz dog?" she asked.

"You mean Food? Yes."

She laughed, "No, Lilly."

"Oh, yes, I am living with her. She's very nice."

She rolled her eyes and tapped her pencil against the desk. "My name is Jill Weinberger. You aren't trying to be friends with that freak, are you?"

"With whom?" I asked.

"That freak, Lilly."

"She's not a freak," I argued. "She's very kind. So is her brother."

"Oh please. My boyfriend knows him. He's cute, but a weirdo too. If you want to be socially acceptable in this school you will have to get rid of them."

"I will do no such thing Jill Weinberger. They are very kind and have opened up their home to me in my time of need. If anyone is a freak, then it is you." With that I turned to face the black board. God. Grandmama would punish me if she had heard that!

I managed through the morning until lunch. I saw Lilly at her new locker and waited for her to catch up to me. "You really need to get one of them," she explained. "We'll go to the front office at the end of the day to find one for you."

I nodded, "Thank you for your kindness."

"How've your classes been?" she asked as we joined the lunch line.

"Fine. I met a rather rude girl in geometry, Jill-"

"Do not talk to her. She's a total witch. Has had it in for me since we were babies. All because I'm smarter than she is. Her mother has raised her to believe that girls only go to school in order to meet a man. That a female has no right to be intelligent."

I nodded and kept that in my memory. "Right. Michael has this lunch too, you know," I said casually, looking around.

"He is a senior," she explained, "He won't want to be around little sophomores like us."

I nodded again. I had a lot to learn about American high schools. Back home I had a private tutor so I never worried about mean blonde girls, or who sat with whom at lunch.

We met with Tina and Laura who had lunch the same time as us (Sylvia was in the process of having her schedule changed because she had mistakenly been put into a boys PE class.). They started talking about the new Judy Garland picture that was showing the next weekend at the theater when Michael appeared out of no where with some tall skinny girl lagging behind him.

"Mind if I take this seat?" he asked me, pointing to the open seat next to me.

"Go ahead," I said warmly. Why was my belly feeling so light? I should really try to eat more. Since I got to America, I had only eaten sparingly.

"This is Judith," he introduced.

What, he already has a girlfriend? I. Do. Not. Care.

"Hi Judith, I'm Mia," I greeted, gritting my teeth (or so Lilly tells me).

"Oh, this is the girl you were telling me about, right?" she asked Michael, ignoring my extended hand. Americans are rather rude. Michael wasn't really. But he was a boy and probably didn't understand the rules. Girls should though.

He blushed, "Yes, this is the one."

I smiled at him flirtiously (as Grandmama had taught me), then looked away. What did he mean, 'the one'?

It wouldn't be proper to smile like that for an extended period of time. It'd be too forward.

"How was your geometry class?" he asked me, making me turn back to him.

"It was fine. I don't find any mathematical subject too easy so I'm sure it'll be hard work this year."

"I could help you," he offered slowly. "I do really well in math."

"That would be nice," I said with a smile. Secretly I was beaming inside. I had a tutor now for a subject that I hated. Plus, he was rather easy on the eyes.

"Or I could," Judith offered cheerfully.

"I live with her," Michael countered. "It would be easier."

Judith smiled at Michael a little too flirtiously so I looked at her, "I had fun yesterday, at the beach."

"Oh good. I was worried you were bored out of your mind. I'm sure the Jersey Shore isn't anything like home."

"Of course not but still…I don't see very many people having fun back there," I said softly, thinking about Lars. He was now on a ship returning to the place I had escaped. "I can't remember the last time we went to a beach."

Michael looked at my geometry book during our Gifted and Talented class, "This will be easy," he promised.

"Good. Then you take my class for me and I'll be settled."

He laughed. He was handsome when he laughed. His hair was a bit longer than other boys so he had to push it behind his ears. He had handsome ears. Can ears be handsome? I think this American air is making me delusional. "I don't know about that. We'll see."

As he said that our knees brushed past one another under the table. Mine was totally bare because of the short skirt, so I was mildly embarrassed, "Sorry," I whispered.

He started explaining the first theorem to me when he had to scratch his own knee and by mistake touched mine, "Sorry," he mumbled. "Didn't mean to."

I smiled slightly, "It's fine. Maybe if we had longer skirts we wouldn't have this sort of problem."

"I don't see your short skirt as a problem," he said in all seriousness. Then he turned red. Was he flirting with me?