A glitch: in a little bit, you might find the words "make a lot" in green print that leads to a Google page for job advertisements. I'd advise you NOT to click on it, because I don't know exactly what it is or where it ultimately leads. Just ignore it, if you see it. Thank you.

Chapter 7

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I hadn't expected to be so excited when Mama and Daddy left me at the school. It was a sudden feeling of liberation to be out on my own, making friends and learning new things in a structured environment. And so far everyone seemed pretty nice.

Of course, I had a feeling that I would also make a few enemies in time.

Goza and Monique had been sharing a large bedroom, and were more than happy to move a third bed into it for me. They were both so eager to be my friend, and I was eager to be theirs. Now I had three friends instead of just one!

"It's a big school," Monique cautioned, "but you'll get used to it. Goza and I met when we got lost our first year here."

"And we've been best friends ever since," Goza finished.

I laughed a little. "And Daddy said that everyone would be jealous of me and hate my guts. He's convinced that our family is better than everone else because our particular family was all high and mighty in Mysidia."

"He must be pretty embarassing sometimes," Goza gussed.

"Like today? Oh yeah. He barley lets me near anywhere or hang out with anyone. All the boys just want some, and all the girls want me dead."

"And wearing short skirts only makes everything worse, huh?" Monique added.

"Yeah. Crazy dads…"

"You'll make a lot of frends really quickly, if you just behave and act nicely," Goza informed. "I get the feeling that you're not like the other red mages."

"What do you mean?"

"You know how your dad thinks that all the students here are whores 'cause of the short skirts?" Monique asked.

"Yeah. And I'm still really sorry about that."

"Well, most of the red mages here really are whores. They're all no good and trashy; they'll cut their skirts short and wear spike heels and too much make-up, you know? They're just… trash."

"And they'll probably expect you to be the same, at first glance," Goza warned.

"…Ouch. What do you think I should do?" I asked.

"Stay away from them," Monique advised. "They've pretty much taken over the western courtyard. If you know what's good for you, stay away from there."

"Why the western courtyard?"

"All the dragoon squires hang around on the western side of the school," Goza answered.

"The dragoons are the country's land force, and it's been getting weaker and weaker since the airships became so popular. Those boys are idiots, and their traning has become a joke. But they're easy enough, just like our red mages; it's a match made in heaven."

"That's sad," I concluded.

"There is this one squire who comes around who's pretty nice," Goza put in. "He always comes to see that girl in my class, what's-her-name… Rosa, I think."

"I've seen him," Monique agreed. "Doesn't he usually have a firend with him? He's a knight squire, and his hair is, like, white? The knight is a cutie; he always smiles and nods his head respectfully when a girl walks by," she explained deamily.

"Do you even know his name?" Goza teased.

"I should, I suppose. You should ask Rosa; she ought to know."

"Actually…"

"What's the matter, Goza?" I asked when she hesitated.

"Rosa hasn't been doing so well lately. For some reason, a bunch of red mages decided to target and bully her lately. Oh, you guys haven't seen Rosa: she's beautiful, talented, sweet, charming, chaste, nice—complete opposite from the reds. She's been depressed by their bullying; I think she's leaving."

Monique made a sympathetic face. "Oh, that's terrible! Rosa sounds so nice. Where will she go?"

"Her mother is the court healer, at the castle. I think she's going to stay there from now on."

"Aw, that means that her cute friends won't come around anymore…"

"It's just as well; you don't need boys distracting you with semester final coming up."

Monique pouted sarcastically. "I'd just like to find that one guy, you know? The one who makes you feel all happy and snugly inside, but he doesn't get in your way? The kind who's always happy to help you study and never tries to squeeze in front of your schoolwork, but still makes you feel pretty when your hair's a mess and your shirt's unironed."

"Honey, do you know how hard those are to come by?"

"Yeah… Anna, do you have a boyfriend?"

"Sort of," I admited, realizing that I needed to write Edward a letter. Lowering my voice to a whisper I explained, "If Daddy finds out, he'll kill us both."

"Ooh, is he cute?" Monique inquired.

"In a goofy way. He's… a character, no doubt of that."

"Is he in Kaipo?" Goza asked.

"I'm not sure where he is; he's a player in a caravan."

The two girls lit up.

"Which one?" Monique asked excitedly. "There are a bunch that come through the city in the spring and summer."

"What's the leader's name?" Goza asked.

"Roland; Maestro Roland. He's a Troian," I answered.

"Oh, we know them! One of their players is a Sparrow's Wing alumn; students can get disounts and extra credit for going to see them," Goza explained.

"I just met them this summer; she and Maestro Roland recommended this school to my mother," I explained.

"And your boyfriend travels around with them? How exciting!"

"How romantic," Monique added. "He must be the blonde boy with the harp, then. Dresses like a clown and wears grren lipstick when he performs?"

"Yeah, that's Ed—Guilbert, alright. I've been meaning to write him a letter for days, but I've been so busy. He's probably somewhere near Damcyan by now, wondering why I haven't written him yet…"

"That is so sweet!" Monique squealed girlishly. "That guy plays the most amazing music in the world."

"Ignore her and her pining," Goza advised. "She's just a little boy-crazy."

I didn't mind the idea of a boy-crazy best friend at all. Actually, it made me feel more at home. For the first time in my life, I had friends that I could just be a regualr girl with. I wouldn't have to be anything other than "Anna, the normal person with normal goals and normal life" that I had always wanted to be.

"Curfew's pretty close; I don't think we have time to see much of the school," Goza said sadly. "We'll have to give you the grand tour tomorrow. There's a lot to see, but I think we can do it all in one day if we stay focused."

"Goza's the freaky-serious one," Monique added. "If she doesn't have a strict schedule, she's just not happy."

"Not true," Goza countered.

"It's alright; I understand," I agreed. "The whole school by this time tomorrow night: we can totally do that. But I'd rather steer clear of the western courtyard, if the red mages are as bad as you say they are."

"We'll run into our fair share of them anyway, but we'll avoid that area," Monique agreed.

"It's a shame," Goza lamented. "The western courtyard is the prettiest one in the school, and it opens up right onto a road with a pastry shop right across the street."

After talking a while longer, we finally went to bed. The other two fell asleep quickly, but I couldn't right away. So much had happened in one little day; I was too jacked up to sleep. And I still had an important letter to write. While my friends slept, I slipped out of bed and stole to my new desk, pulling a pencil and a piece of paper from one of my bags.

My Dearest Edward,

I'm sorry I haven't gotten to writing you back in so many days. So much has happened, and so suddenl;, I've been a little pressed for time.

I'm going to school in Baron now; I just met the headmistress and moved in this morning. Now I'm free, and can finally answer your letter.

My answer is yes! A million times yes, I would love for you to court me! Mama will explain everything to Daddy; if she says that something is so, it is so and he can't change it. I think we'll be safe from him, so long as we have her help..

In the meantime, I'll be in Baron. Write back, please!

—Anna.

As soon as the letter was Teleported away, I felt a bit of a burden lift off my shoulders. He'd probably get the letter in a few seconds but, due to the time zones, I wasn't sure if he'd be awake to read it. Now that this was done, I finally felt tired enough to sleep.

Goza's alarm clock woke us all at 7:30 in the morning. I was used to getting up earlier, but Monique complained that she'd rather sleep in until 8:00 on a Saturday during summer.

"We've got to get going," Goza insisted. "The school is huge; we've got a lot of walking to do. I'd suggest you wear walking shoes, Mo."

30 minutes later we wandered into the bg cafeteria where we had eaten dinner together the night before. Breakfast had started being served at least an hour and a half ago, and would continue to be served until 9:00. Even though there were no classes on the weekend for summer students like my friends, most of us opted to wear our uniforms or something of the color-equivalent. Most of the tables were occupied by a healthy mix of black and white mages, with an occassional red mage. Largely, the red mages had confined themselves to a table by the windows where the sun shone in the brightest. The most prime real estate in the room seemed to belong solely to them, and it made me a little mad.

"They do look like trash," I noted. Most of them weren't eating, concentrating instead on applying thick sticky make-up and chattering in an annoyingly high pitch. "I'm glad that not all of them have cloystered themselves."

"The few who are sitting with the other classes are really nice, actually," Goza explained. "They dress and behave more like you than the other reds."

"That's a comfort."

The other reds noticed me and kept an eye on me for the rest of our time in the cafeteria, but I ignored their staring. Once again, I was far too dignified to care what trash thought of me.

The first stop on the tour was the library, which was conveniently located in the dead center of the school. If one knew where the library was, one could figure out where just about anything was.

"Since classes end in a few weeks and you have nothing to do, you can spend your time here," Monique suggested. "The librarians don't mind it; they let people take study hall in here all the time, you know."

That was a good thing. I had a feeling that I would need as much time to get aquainted with the big library as everything else.

The next big stop was the training yard for the red mages. It was a gymnasium built as an indoor yard with various pieces of equipment arranged on the walls. Several other girls were already in the yard working with weights, swords of various lengths and shapes, and one girl even had a set of nunchucks.

"This place is awesome," I breathed, marveling at all the equipment.

"Red mages are required to train with at least three weapons every school year," Goza explained. "You can change them next year if you want."

"Anyone can take this class, but it's mostly for reds. They're notorius for mercilessly teasing any other class that dares take weapons training with them."

"That's cruel," I snorted, determined to fix this somehow.

As we strolled down a classroom-lined hallway and my friends listed the names of the teachers and the subjects they taught, a veryimportant question popped into my head.

"Is there a chapel somewhere?"

"Always," Goza answered proudly. "I acolyte every Saturday night."

"We both attend the service," Monique answered. "It's a little more modern than other services around the city, but I think you'll like it. Are you, like, into religion?"

"I'd sure like to learn more about it."

"We have a great religion program, if you're that interested," Goza suggested. "That's what white mages are required to take. Anyone's welcome, of course."

"Sounds fun. I'll have to sign up."

We returned to our room at the end of the day, exhausted but feeling pretty good. We had seen the entire school and even walked around the block.

"Too bad dinner isn't for another 30 minutes," Monique complained as we walked inside. "I'm pretty hungry."

"Me too," Goza agreed. "Hey, Anna, there's something on your desk."

I ran over to see that my dream had come true: Edward had answered me back!

"Who is it from?" Monique asked. "Is it from Guilbert?"

"Yes!" I answered, breaking the wax seal and reading hungrily as Monique continued to ask questions.

You think I wouldn't write you back? I wouldn't put it off for the world! But I understand how busy you've been. Metis and Roland told us about the 's it like? Have you made any friends yet? What classes are you taking? You can get extra credit to come and see us if you take a music class, you know.

We've stopped in Damcyan for a few days, to visit family and maybe do a show. I wish there was some way that you could be here for it; we're all going to miss you. Like I said: I have a lot of friends—especially here in Damcyan, where I grew up—but you're special.

There's a lot left that I'd like to say, but it doesn't seem right to say it in a letter. Now that you're really my girlfriend, I feel that I should tell you face-to-face. But then, maybe we should get to know each other a little better first. We have only known each other a few days, after all.

--Edward.

I must have read the letter three times over, absorbing everything he wanted to know, while Goza chastised Monique for being nosey.

"He's so adorable," I siged, reading it over once more.

"What all did he say?" Monique asked.

"He'd like to know how I'm doing here so far," I answered, incinerating the letter in my palm.

"Why did you do that?" Goza asked.

"It has his real name on it; it's private," I answered, dusting the ashes into a wastebasket beside my bed.

"You know who's really adorable?" Goza asked me. "You are."

"Thank you," I said with a sweet and unsuspecting smile.

"Have you ever worn make-up before?" she asked suddely.

"Did you meet my father at all?"

"Just a little bit of eyeliner and some eyeshadow—let's try it," Goza insisted.

"…On me? Really?"

"And lipstick and blush; definitely blush," Monique added from across the room, opening some of her desk drawers and pulling out several cases of different make-up.

"We'll just have to call it a full makeover," Goza concluded.

"…..Really?!"

"Totally, Anna. You'll love it," Monique assured me, examining palettes of eyeshadow and blush, shaking her head doubtfully, and returning them to their respective cases.

"Monique and I take a comsetology class together," Goza explained. "Putting on make-up is fun, but knowing how to do it really well is even better."

"You should take the class with us," Monique added. "A lot of people think it sounds like a sissy class, but it's a lot of hard work. You can really appreciate it when you're done. Plus, homework is usually buying make-up for class."

"Sounds pretty fun to me. I'll have to remember that one when I pick my class list," I agreed.

When the dinner bell rang and everyone flooded back into the cafeteria, we three came in the first wave of people. For the first time in my life, I was actually wearing make-up and it felt great. For my eyes, my friends had selected a light shade of brown that looked nice with my red outfit and seemed to make my blue eyes stand out; my eyeliner was a darker brown with just a little glitter in it so that it made my eyelids sparkle. The lipstik, gloss, and pale blush were all in shades of light red and pink. Somehow, it made my skin look rosier and warmer than ever before.

So I walked into the cafeteria that night feeling like a star. Every red mage at the window table stopped to stare at me again and this time I had the audacity to stare them back. Life was simply great!

"You certainly seem to like your new look," Goza noted halfway through dinner.

"I feel glamorous for the first time in my life," I agreed. "Not just cute, not just pretty, not just beautiful: I feel drop dead gorgeous! This is so great, I don't know how to say it."

"You don't need to. We're happy that you love it so much," Monique smiled.

"I've got to take cosmetology with you," I said decidedly. "But I do feel kinda bad for messing up the lipstick…"

"It's color-stay," Monique informed. "The gloss does wear off after a few bites, but the stick won't. It's a new formula; it lasts for hours."

"Really? That is fantastic! I love make-up!" I answered, taking another bite of cheesy lasanga.

"So we can see," said a voice behind us. We all turned around to see a bunch of trashy red mages hoovering above us. The leader of the bunch certainly didn't seem to have taken cosmetology; her face had practically been plastered over with gaudy, noncomplementary colors. It looked like she was wearing a mask.

"What do you want, Mel?" Monique demanded. "Quit liking the best table in the cafeteria, decided you needed ours too?"

Mel ignored her and focused on me. "Why are you hanging out with these losers?" she asked. "You should be hanging out with us reds. We're your class; it's where ou belong."

I snorted a laugh at Mel. "Why would I want to hang out in a dumpster with trash like you? You may be my class, but I don't need to stand 100 yards away to know that I don't belong with you. Now get lost; I'm eating."

Mel seemed confused at first, and then utterly disbelieving. "Did you just snub me? Nobody snubs me!"

"We'll I do."

"Oh, you have no idea who you are dealing with, sister. I am the red mage class president, and you have to do what I say when I say it!"

"On which planet?"

By now, Mel and her yelling had caught a lot of attention. I didn't really care though; she was just calling a lot of attention to herself, and I was going to stand firm and calmly deflect whatever she said. When everyone started laughing at her for losing this fight, it was going to be her fault. As it was, she was lowering her voice and trying a new tactic.

"We reds are the coolest group in the school. Not only do we look better and have better stuff, but our magic has a better range and we're stronger. Don't you want to be a part of that?"

"I am a red mage," I agreed, demurely sipping my milk.

"So come and sit with us," Mel insisted. "You're better than these people. Don't sit with them."

"I think I'll stay right here, thanks."

"How would you like the hottest, richest guys in the city drooling for you?"

"That sounds really gross."

"If you come and hang with us, they'll adore you. You can date, like, two or three and they won't be able to get enough of you."

"I've got a boyfriend."

"So what? You're a red mage now; he'll understand. We can't be held responsible for being so hot and magnetic—unlike some," Mel explained, the last comment directed at Monique. Now I was a little angry.

"Go away," I demanded. "I'm not interested. Life is way too short to spend it with slimy people like you, Mel."

Once again, Mel changed her tactic. "Fine," she said in a hoity-toity tone. "We don't want you anyway. No one who hangs out with the loser classes is allowed to hang out with us."

"Great. So you'll stay away from me from now on, right?"

Mel snorted at me. Her answer was probably no; from now on, she'd give me all the hell she could.

"Let's go, girls," she commanded her army of followers and they all walked back to their own table at last. If she thought that excluding me from the club was a surefire way to make me jealous, she hadn't gotten my point yet.

The rest of the cafeteria had come over to watch the scene; until me, no one had ever really challenged Mel before, so it caused quite an uproar.

"Brace yourself," Goza warned me. "You're going to be very popular."

Not bad, for my first day alone.

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Author's Notes…

Mel is based on Regina George, from Mean Girls, by the way. And Anna isn't intent on tacking any of her flack.

The name Goza means "rejoice" in Spanish, by the way.