"Guys why am I doing this?" I asked the girls as I was struggling with a zip in the dressing room. They were all outside admiring dresses of their own in the floor length mirrors waiting for me to come out. "I can't even dance."

"Neither can half of the students at the academy." Liz muttered sarcastically earning a laugh from myself and the other girls.

"Come on out Hannah let's see this one." Maka encouraged.

I finished the zip on the moss green dress and stepped out. I looked in the mirror and the cut of the floor length dress and the bustle effect around my torso did nothing for my figure. I groaned. "This is the third dress and this does nothing for me." I slumped on the bench next to Maka. "I don't suit these dresses."

"Yes you will, we just haven't found the right one." Tsubaki said before she went back to looking through the racks.

"Yeah she's right Han-han!" Patty said cheerfully. She was lying on the floor swinging her heels. "We'll get you a super cute dress and Kid will be dancing with you all night."

My mouth just hung open until I could think of a suitable comeback. As I was struggling Maka came to my rescue. "Come on Patty, we'll get her a dress that all the boys will wanna dance with her." She gave me a sly wink. "Besides, Tsubaki got herself the perfect dress for Black Star didn't she?"

Tsubaki began spluttering about something that she was his weapon and such. I was secretly thankful at Maka for deflecting the attention off me but at the same time I was secretly hoping that I could make Kid look at me more than anyone else. I got up and shuffled to the racks of dresses and just couldn't find one for what seemed ages. I then touched a lacey fabric and pulled it out. It was a thing length plain black body-con dress, but over the top was a black lace mesh dress that went to the floor. It had a low cut front with long sleeves, and on the bottom was an intricate floral design mainly consisting of red roses. "Hey that's a nice one." Liz commented as she walked to me and held it against me. "Go try it on I think this may be the one." She lightly pushed me to the stall.

I unzipped myself out of the moss monstrosity and slipped the lace one over my head. It had a built in bra so I took my own one off and adjusted myself so everything fit as it should. I would need a pair of heels as it was a little long, but it suited me. I stepped out and the girls smiled. "I think this may be the one." I confidently said.

Tsubaki and Maka tried to share a sly look and I was about to comment on it before Patty began clapping and jumping up and down with a big grin on her face. "That looks so cool Han-han!"

"Oh yeah this is definitely the one." Liz said as she joined the other two and they all had sneaky looks that gave me a nervous turn. "I have a feeling this dance will be very interesting."

The girls never did expand on what they meant when they said 'interesting' and it had been bugging me all week. I was sat with Soul and Maka in the park, Maka was happy reading and Soul was happy listening to music with me. "I'm gonna get some drinks from the machine." Maka said before getting up.

"Can I have something fizzy?" Soul asked earning a nod from her and a look in my direction.

"You know what I like." I shrugged. I changed the track on the iPod we were sharing. "You excited for the dance tomorrow?" I asked him.

Neither me or Soul needed to talk all the time, he was happy to just let the silence go between us. Not to say I didn't like talking to him; he may boast about being such a 'cool guy' but he was always happy to talk to me about anything. "Yeah I guess, a cool guy like me will have girls queuing up to dance with me."

I chuckled slightly at his usual cocky attitude. "Well I hope you save time for your meister."

He seemed to think for a minute, trying to think of an answer to make me think he didn't fancy her. Though it was evident to all of us that she meant a great deal more to him than just a meister. "Well of course, if I don't dance with her then no-one else will. I guess I'm such a cool guy that I'll help her out." I gave him a look and he gave me a smile which we both knew he was lying.

"Uh huh, so you wouldn't care if some other guy sweeps her off her feet and into the sunset." I cocked an eyebrow at him as I saw him bite his cheek.

"As if I'd let that happen." He mumbled.

"You'd let what happen?" Maka's voiced suddenly appeared.

We both had a moment of panic as to how much she may have heard. "I was scared about Kishin Souls turning up at the academy one day but Soul says that's impossible."

"Well he's right." She agreed as she handed our drinks. "I mean we all have the ability to see souls so the chance of Kishins even lasting long in the city, let alone actually making it into the school."

"Yeah I'm still getting to how everything works here." I commented.

"You know you keep saying stuff like that." She said causing my head to whip around to hers. "I don't mean it in a bad way just… did you live in a sheltered life or something?"

I scratched the back of my head, I trusted them but I didn't know with how much. "I… I don't know how to explain everything."

"Hannah you look scared." Soul noticed as he lightly touched my shaking arm. "You don't need to be scared of us, we're your friends."

I sighed, better now than later. "You remember I said I'm not from here?" They nodded. "I don't know whether you'll believe me or not but I'm telling you the truth when I say I'm…" I swallowed, my mouth feeling very dry. "I'm not from here. Where I come from, this place doesn't exist."

"You're serious?" Soul asked. "So you're saying you're from another world?"

I nodded, not sure what their reactions were going to be. "Well that explains why you're so nervous all the time." Maka said with a small smile. "You were worried what we would think?"

I nodded. "Hannah that doesn't matter." Soul said.

I frowned. "You mean you believe me?" I asked.

"Hell, stranger things have happened around here." He said with a grin.

Maka hugged me. "We're your friends Hannah." She said into my shoulder as she tightened her hold. "Death trusts you so why shouldn't we? Have more faith in us… please."

I could feel the relief rush over me as I returned her hug in full vigour. We stayed like that for a few minutes before Soul cleared his throat. "Alright that's all the mushy stuff a cool guy can take." We broke apart. "So you really have no idea what you are and why you're here?"

I shook my head. I couldn't tell them my mother is a witch, I think that would be too much. "So what was your life like back home?" Maka asked.

"Very different to here." I said with a chuckle. "There's no such thing as demons or witches or kishins. Things like science and logic are more prolific there. Plus some people don't even believe in souls."

"Wow. Sounds dead boring." Soul deadpanned.

I laughed. "Well it is at times. At first I'd say it's safer back home but I think our dangers are just different to yours."

"So if you're not home, don't you have family looking for you?" Maka asked, her eyes looking sad. "Won't they be worried?"

I shook my head. "Since my mother walked out it's just been me and my dad. He's an alcoholic." I fiddled with my hands at the sore subject. "He'd hit me, shout at me, tell me what a useless person I was. I wanted to get out of that house so badly but without me he'd surely drink himself to death." I sighed heavily and saw them both give me sympathetic looks. "The last time I saw him was a fight. I told him the second I get a job I was leaving, I told him I wished he wasn't my father."

"That's rough." Soul muttered again. "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't all bad. I had friends I cared about and I was trying to set up a life for myself. Death is trying to find a way to send me home."

"What if he can't?" Maka asked.

I shrugged. "I'll keep trying."

She looked slightly hurt. "Don't you like it here?"

"It's not that… here's not my home. I don't belong here."

"Then make it your home." She said as she took hold of my hands. "We want you to stay with us."

I shook my head. "I don't know Maka… what if I'm something dangerous that you can't see?"