A/N: I didn't plan for this chapter to be as dry and drama-less as it is. Really. But I had to carefully halve it and slowly introduce some more characters, so...

ANYWAY, Ban has a bit of a foul mouth - cause British people curse and Ban curses. Also, there is going to be some major drama in the next chapter. Oh I just love making people rivals in these sorts of stories...

Till next time,

D.L.D

Elizabeth's P.O.V

Class begins with another ring of the bell, a few students trailing into the classroom just as it fades into silent nothingness. Everyone stands at the back of the class, huddled into small social groups of friends or relatives, chattering as they wait for the teacher to explain exactly what we were going to do for our first tutor period. For the past few minutes, it's just been waiting around like this. All the teacher, Mr Hendrickson, has told us to do is stand at the back.

Biting my lip, I nervously tap the lid of the box Margaret gave me, watching as my classmates easily conversed. Normally, standing at the back of the classroom isn't stressful for me. Back in my old school, Danafor Prep, everyone was friendly and didn't split into smaller groups and subdivisions. Girls and boys alike spoke to everyone they met. Studious students and sporty students got along and bullying was a really rare occurrence. Danafor Prep was much more friendlier than Britannia Academy. But then again, Danafor was filled with students like me - wealthy heirs to family legacies.

"Alright, students," Mr Hendrickson finally spoke as he closed the classroom door. Everyone was here now, the latecomers trailing in five minutes after the bell. They all grumbled as they shuffled to join the rest of the class. "Now that everyone is here, we can proceed with the lesson. But before that, let me show you all the seating plan."

Pressing a button on a small remote, Mr Hendrickson changed the slideshow on the whiteboard into a simplistic seating plan of the room. At the top of the board was the front of the class and at the bottom of the board was the back of the class. Each row of tables between the front and back had two names on them, one boy seated next to one girl and placed in perfect alphabetical order. No doubt Mr Hendrickson thought this technique would force us to get along with each other.

"Please find your corresponding seat. I have placed a book with your name on that table," Mr Hendrickson continued, gesturing at the empty seats of his classroom. Easily, he made his way to his desk, taking a seat. "That being said, no swapping. You are seated in this way for a reason."

Taking his steely tone of voice as a hidden threat of authority, I scurried to find my seat. Luckily, it wasn't located right at the front of the class. Instead, Mr Hendrickson had seated me in the middle of the room, next to a student named 'Mael'. While everyone else sat down in their seats, I placed the box with the earrings into my bag and pulled out my pencil case and planner. As I did, another student pulled out the chair beside mine and sat down.

"You must be my seat buddy," He flashes me a grin, his silver hair a striking sight compared to the other hair colours in the room. He holds out a hand, offering it to me. "I'm Mael. And you must be... " He squints a little at the board. "Elizabeth?"

"Um... yes," I nod, feeling taken aback by how easily he introduced himself. I was never good at introductions, my shy nature always making me anxious. Blushing, I take his hand and shake it. "It's nice to meet you, Mael."

"Nice to meet you too," He agrees, still smiling as he lets go of my hand and proceeds to pull out his own stuff. As he does, I notice the wings sprouting from his back, feathered and definitely not like the thin and insect-like wings of the Fairies. My seat buddy was a Goddess! A Goddess! I had only ever heard of them through the media, their presence being extremely rare within the city as they preferred to inhabit the more coastal south of the country.

For a moment, I find myself unable to stop staring at Mael, fascinated by his wings and silver hair. But, only for a moment. Due to being raised as the daughter of a politician I am well-used to containing my own reactions. Whenever I find myself overwhelmed or intrigued by someone I meet, I remind myself that I have to act professional. Mayor Liones' daughter could not be acting like a fool. She had to be alert and awake. She had to be perfect.

After everyone was seated in their correct seats, Mr Hendrickson then went on to the next page of his slideshow. This one detailed a few fun facts about him, such as his favourite sports team and places in the world he had visited. He also revealed that he had been a member of the Holy Knights of his own secondary school and was holding trials to select Britannia's own candidates. Holy Knights were students who were known as the elites and protectors of the school. They participated in events, represented the school and often accompanied council members. In Britannia, being a Holy Knight was a huge honour.

However, after talking about Holy Knight trials and moving on to the next slide, things grew rather tense within the classroom. Traditionally, Britannia also had 'royals' to go along with the Holy Knights. The 'royals' were similar to councils and prefects, however they had no real power in swaying the school's pupil vote. All they could do was go over votes and decisions, remaining neutral in all matters. The mention of the royal system wasn't a great thing though, as many of Britannia's modern students didn't like the idea of it.

"The royals are a scam!" Someone called out from the back of the class, booing at the slideshow. A shock of bright purple hair. "It's just a human attempt to control the other races!"

"Yeah, most of time Humans get voted into royalty," Another voice joined them, sounding very unenthusiastic.

"Yes, that is true," Mr Hendrickson answered, his voice even despite the clear objections of the class. "But that's why here at Britannia, it will be unbiased. Anyone can apply and anyone can become a royal. All they need to do is apply and secure three good references."

Silence came over the class at this. No-one had any objections to Mr Hendrickson's suggestion. Not even those seated at the back of the class. However, I felt uneasy about this whole system. Having people apply and get three references surely couldn't secure them a spot as royals. They had to prove that they could remain neutral and calm, and make tough decisions even if it would upset the mass student population.

"Honestly, trying to please everyone is going to end this school..." Mael sighed, shaking his head as Mr Hendrickson flicked to the next slide. "Not everyone can be pleased and that's because no-one can accept things as they are."

"Do you really think that?" I ask, genuinely out of curiosity. Most of the time, people say my father is crazy for ever believing that everyone can get along. They call him the one who is wrong. Yet, unlike everyone else, Mael is calling out everyone else. He is saying that society itself is wrong. He is saying that we are all the reason why no-one will ever get along because no-one will ever accept everyone as they are.

And I've never heard of that before.

That opinion, that viewpoint, interests me. It catches my attention much more than the fact that he is a Goddess. Or maybe it adds fuel into why I am so interested by this Goddess with silver hair and blue piercing eyes. My sisters always said that my curiosity was too wild to ever contain.

"I'd like to say I think differently," Mael responded eventually, a hand lazily scratching at his chin. "But unfortunately, I've seen this sort of thing happen too often. None of Britannia's races can stand each other and that's why they always fight."

"Then do you think this school can work?" I blink, confused by why he would even attend here if he thought that Britannia was just another failure waiting to happen. If he believed that, then it would be better to leave. It would be better to leave and never think about this place. "Why come here if you don't believe in this school's mission?"

"Because I hope that this place will change that," Mael answered, his blue eyes connecting directly with mine. "I think your father was right to build this place. I just hope that external factors do not ruin his good work."

With that, he goes back to watching Mr Hendrickson's slideshow, his face unreadable. I can't help but smile at him, oddly comforted by his weird words and honest truths. Mr Hendrickson was right to seat Mael next to me; we are two like-minded people.

Diane's P.O.V

PE was nothing but stressful. Honestly, thinking that PE would be any different because of changing schools was a silly idea. With Matrona as my teacher, PE will always be a test of how far my mind, body and skill can go. Matrona will always push me to go beyond my limit. Matrona will always shout at me for getting my technique and form wrong. Matrona will always be there to tell me off. Always. I just need to remember that every time I have PE.

"You are such a good athlete, Diane!" Deldry, one of the more athletic of the Human girls, grinned as she placed a hand on my shoulder. Her pink scrunchie clashes with her bright green hair. "Honestly, I'm surprised that you even go to this crappy school. You could have gotten a scholarship!"

Yeah, a scholarship. Matrona tried to get me to try out for one of those too. Back in Megadozer, being a Giant meant that I was only good for sport. Running, jumping and tackling people on the field was what I made to do with my super-strength and killer speed. Giants are naturally born to be athletes. Giants aren't meant to be super smart or super savvy like the Goddesses. We aren't artistic and graceful like the Fairies. We certainly aren't all-rounders like the Demons and Humans. All Giants will ever be is meathead athletes. All we're good at is sports and brute force.

That's all I'm ever reminded of when I'm around Matrona.

"I didn't really want a scholarship, Deldry," I shrug a little in response, pulling off my now stinky sports socks. I'm so glad that I brought a sports bag today, otherwise I'd have to carry them in my normal bag. "Sports isn't that big of a deal to me."

"It isn't?" Deldry's eyes widen at my words, as if I had said something wrong. Oddly, her blue eyes are blown wide and she places a hand over her chest. "Well, isn't that a shocker? A superstar Giant athlete who doesn't care about sports?"

I'm honestly too tired to say anything else in response. Back in Megadozer, I dealt with a similar kind of outrage and shock at my own opinions and views toward sports. After helping my team to win a hockey game against Istar and being offered a place on a pro-team, I turned it down. Yep, I turned down my shot at getting out of the city's slums and becoming a famous athlete because I can't stand sports. And because of that decision, because I refused to take what I was given, everyone turned their backs on me.

For most Giants, sports was something that they took a lot of pride and joy in. Whole families dedicated bloodlines and legacies toward certain sports, their children and grandchildren being raised and reared to become famous athletes and superstars. Tons of my old friends are now signed to play semi-pro with teams - a few of them even making it into more well-known and prestigious organisations. Within Giant culture, sports was the make it or break it for many. People killed over sports.

And I chose to turn my back on it.

When I had first told everyone about my decision to turn down pro hockey, they had thought I was joking. When I handed in the forms, uncompleted, and apologized to the agents, they all thought that I was just considering another avenue. A different sports career. But months passed and I didn't show any real change. Countless offers were left to pass their deadlines, I started to miss matches because I didn't want the pressure of being asked to sign with a pro team yet again.

That's when the bullying started. When I started to miss matches and the team was missing a key player, groups turned on me in masses. At first, it started with small things - being left out of trips and conversations - but soon it evolved into clear and obvious bullying.

In most school's bullying isn't tolerated at all. Bullies are punished and students can feel free to report them. In Megadozer, the bullying outlook was a lot different. If you were good at sports, at the top of your game, then you were spared from being picked on. When I was part of the hockey team, I protected both myself and Dolores from the cruel bullying of Megadozer's toxic environment. But when I quit... well, Megadozer wasn't a pleasant place to be. At all.

Months passed with the bullying. People began to throw stuff at me, steal my lunch and all that stupid crap. I became an angry person, a very defensive person, and I ended up in a lot of fights. Matrona blamed it on my negligence toward perfecting my hockey skills. My old friends blamed it on my stupidity, giving up the one dream that all Giants share. Everyone else - they left me to wonder why they continued it for so long.

By the time Britannia was first being built, I had had enough. Dolores was miserable, clinging to me like a lost puppy, and everyone else was just being horrible. So, after months of rejection and exclusion, I took my chance with Britannia. I saw it as a chance to be something other than the next Giant superstar. But I guess that's all people see when they know that I'm a Giant...

Why am I not surprised?

"Maybe everyone should stop thinking that Giants only care about sports," It was meant to leave as a low mutter, a harmless breath, but Deldry hears it loud and clear. She notices my tightened hands as I pull on my shoes, lacing them up. "We're not just brainless brutes, you know. Giants can be so much more than... silly children driven to win a game."

"Oh, I know!" Deldry agreed, nodding frantically at the bitter edge to my voice. Cautiously, she glances at Dolores, who is still silent. "Is she always like this?"

"Y-yes," Dolores nodded swiftly, quickly returning to packing away her things. Dolores was never one to keep the conversation going - not after being bullied for so long. Poor, sweet Dolores had seen the worst of it all, the bullies picking on her most because of her inability to play at her full potential.

"Geez, I didn't know that Giants were such downers either," Deldry shook her head, sighing. Green curls shift from side to side, twisting the gold of her hoop earrings. "Honestly, if you two are just gonna be negative all of the time, you should just not come to class. PE is meant to be a positive experience not- "

"I'm aware of that," I cut her off, my tone terse yet even as I stand up. Dusting off my skirt, I glare at Deldry, taking in the growing paleness that crept upon her face. If she was scared of me now, then she has seen nothing. Much worse has happened to others for so much less. "Oh trust me, I know. But maybe you don't know what it's like to have a truly shit PE lesson. Compared to what I'm used to, what you went through today is just a walk in the park. Megadozer - no, all Giant-predominant schools - drive us like mules!"

I am frustrated. I am angry. I don't even know what has ticked me off so much. I'm not sure if it's because of the fact that Deldry confirmed my fears about Giants only being seen as brainless brutes, or if I am just annoyed because nothing has changed yet. I don't think anything will ever change. Not when so many keep this stereotype going. Not when so many people teach us that each race has a role to play and that role must be upheld.

Tightly, I hold the straps of my sports bag, my schoolbag hanging from my shoulder. Deldry stands before me, quiet as a mouse, her features filled with uncertainty as Dolores stands between us, just as quiet but definitely not frightened.

"Diane!" Matrona bursts in, accompanied by a few worried-looking girls. Cautiously, they all look at me - as if I'm dangerous - their eyes judging and lips down-turned with judgement. Within them stands an enraged Matrona, the teacher heading straight toward me. "You have no right to take your own aggression out on students!"

"My aggression?" I raise a brow, shifting from looking at Deldry to glaring at Matrona. My enemy. The person who always has to see and think the opposite of me. Matrona never takes my side. Matrona is never supportive. All she ever does is nag and nag and nag. "You didn't say that a year ago, when I needed your help most! You didn't even stand up for me after the whole team kicked me out!"

"That was because you isolated yourself," Matrona responds, her mouth setting into a firm grimace. Unlike me, she is calm, unwavering, her arms folded across her chest as she spoke to me in a calm and even tone. "You chose to isolate yourself from your peers, Diane."

Isolation is never chosen. Even when you isolated yourself, subconsciously, you force yourself to stay away. Back in Megadozer, I didn't choose to become a victim to its bullies. I didn't ask for Dolores to get dragged into my mess either. But I toughed it out anyway - like a true Giant. Despite all the comments and laughs and relentless teasing, I came into school, my head held high and a spark of stubbornness in my chest.

That will never change for me: my unwillingness to just surrender. Just like everything else, that was always stay the same.

"I didn't choose isolation," I huff, pulling my schoolbag more firmly onto my shoulder. I'm leaving. Now. I can't take any longer of Matrona. I can't take anymore of the silent judgement from my peers. "I just thought that - why can't everyone else see that Giants can be so much more than brute force?"

At my words, something softens in Matrona, something small, "Diane..."

"Just... forget it," I sigh, shaking my head as I walk past the teacher. "Forget I ever said anything about it."

I then leave the changing room, walking right out into the mild September air and heading toward the canteen. I don't wait to see if anyone follows.

Ban's P.O.V

"Ban Russet."

Honestly, it's no surprise that I get called out as I walk into class. Turning up to school late gets you a whole lotta stares from everyone else. Turning up to school more or less halfway through the day makes you a freaking criminal. Trust me, I've had my fair share of first days in all sorts of schools all over the city. Every single time, I end up making a memorable impression. Whether it's because I turn up late or just don't turn up at all - well, that question's for the day, not for me.

"The one and only, teach," I grin, winking at them as I close the door behind me and slump down into my seat. Right at the back of the class. Right where I expect it to be. I wouldn't have it any other way.

"Do you have any idea how late you are?" The teacher, some lady who didn't look much older than most of us, frowned as she watched me stretch. Something strained. Damn, I must've pulled a muscle or something. I guess I pushed it too far running this morning.

Lazily, I let out a yawn, letting my eyes drift around the room, "Relax. I'm only like... two hours late."

No biggie. If anything, two hours was kinda a record for the earliest I've ever been to school on a Monday. Usually, I end up coming just in time for the final period - and that's if I bothered to show up at all. Mondays were always a drag after the weekend, especially if I had a killer hangover from all the drinking and partying. So, instead of going, I'd stay at home or go make some quick cash with the DK gang. I mean, it is a better way to kill some time.

"Two hours is a lot of time, Russet. This year is crucial," The teacher huffed, shaking their head as they turned back to their slideshow. No doubt she was told about how I was a 'special case'. Due to my behavioural issues, I got a little bit of a free pass with this sorta stuff. "That being said, you'll just have to catch up with this as we go along, Ban. Now, class, can anyone quickly recap what we have been learning for the past ten minutes?"

A few hands shoot up straight away, mostly Fairy, Goddess and Human. Those races tended to be the rule followers of the masses. Everyone else, well they kinda did their own thing. Demons didn't give a damn about what most people said. Yeah, they were a crafty lot, but they were smart too. They just didn't like people knowing that. Giants just didn't priorities class, they saw it some kinda chore compared to anything to do with sports. And the leftovers were just rebels. Outcasts.

"Harlequin!" The teacher grinned, nodding toward some short stack sitting at the front of the class. He looked like a year seven*, a blue raincoat hung around the back of his chair and pillow sticking out of his bag. No doubt he skipped a year or something. "Why don't you recap this all?"

"Ok," The kid nodded, flipping back to a page in his notebook. Easily, he begins to read, talking about something to do plants and rocks and water and shit. Honestly, I wasn't really listening anymore. I was too damn tired. So damn tired.

Stifling another yawn, I let my eyes lazily flicker about the class. I didn't even have a clue about what lesson this was. From what I could see, it had something to do with nature and most likely other countries cause that's what the posters and displays were indicating to me. Most likely, this was geography. A shit subject. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like thinking about the world and how big it is, but I sure don't like learning about how mountains are made and lava flows. I don't see how that would benefit me.

By the time I finish scanning, that Harlequin kid is still speaking. All the goody-two-shoes students gawk at him like he's a god or something, worshiping his egghead brain. I, on the other hand, take this as the perfect opportunity to take a quick nap. For someone as awesome and badass as me, sleep is impossible to get. I always have to get something done or beat up some punk. I think the last time I slept properly was... god, I don't even know when I last slept properly.

A yawn escapes, my eyes feeling heavy. Yep, I need to sleep.

Stretching once more, I let out another yawn before settling comfortably on my desk. If I've missed ten minutes of this class, I can afford to miss the rest. It's not like I'll ever use this junk later, after all. Geography is for all those nature freaks out there - a way for them to explain the world in fancy ass terms that we don't really need.

As the kid continues to explain and I close my eyes, I think about eating some good grub. Some real good food. Agreeing, my stomach grumbles. Hopefully lunch is better than the crap I had for breakfast. Otherwise, I might just walk out of this shithole.