Alright chapter 2 of my revisions! In case you came to this chapter directly through a link please take a look at chapter 1 as it has been rewritten ^^. Also, there you will find my author's note about my revision of Hating Hyuuga. I don't own Gakuen Alice or any associated places as people. Enjoy chapter 2!
Hating Hyuuga
chapter 2
Between Two Titans
At last I have made it to my room, my sweet, sweet room. I vaguely remember walking up a few flights of stairs and getting here, but really that's not important. What's important is that the carpet is fluffy, and I can smell apple pie. My stomach growls. I think I must've missed lunch. Actually, from those sounds I definitely missed lunch. I am torn between lying here in the entrance room and going to find this apple pie. Actually, why is there apple pie here? It is a standard school welcome gift? Such a great school I think to myself, but then I remember all of the humiliating things that happened to me in chapter one and hate it again.
"Is she dead?"
"She appears to be breathing."
Are they talking about me? I feel a hand pry one of my eyelids open, and I get a brief impression of a worried face before I swat at it and roll over. I groan, and slowly sit up.
"Are you okay?" Ask a worried look girl with bright pink curly hair. She hands me a glass of water and I drink it readily. Why do I feel like the survivor of some natural disaster?
"I had a difficult time finding my room." I say. Understatement of the century. The girl nods in understanding.
"It sounds like you had a rough time." Speaks another girl, this time with midnight blue hair that is as straight as the other girl's is curly. She's crouched down with her hands in the pockets of her white lab coat, inspecting me with interest. "Might you be our new roommate? Well of course you are, you managed to get in here." She beams and helps me up. "I'm Nonoko. It's nice to meet you roommate-san."
"She must have a name Nonoko." Objects the other girl. "What's your name?"
"Mikan Sakura." I say, a smile spreading across my face at meeting people who are friendly.
"I'm Anna." she says warmly. "Would you like to have some apple pie?" I'm sold. This is the best school ever.
Over apple pie and creaming soda I tell them the unfortunate story of my arrival. They make all the right replies to make me feel better, cooing in sympathy at all the right moments and best of all feeling my outrage. This is the second retelling of my story so by now I'm getting quite good at it, even adding little narrative flourishes. When I finish Anna gives a little applaud, and Nonoko joins in.
"I must say, I quite liked the part where you took down the pervert with the spinning kick." Nonoko says thoughtfully.
"It was very exciting." adds Anna, eyes shining as she wraps up the pie. "The look on his face must have been priceless."
"Oh he turned completely red." I say, laughing nostalgically before I remember he didn't actually. I didn't even kick him. Oops. Me and my mouth.
But regardless I am now satisfied, well fed and watered. For the first time I find myself taking in more about the room I'm in than the softness of the carpet and the smell of apple pie. We're sitting at a nice comfy solid wood table, and next to us is the marble kitchen bench, behind which Anna is putting the pie in the fridge. The entire kitchen is outfitted in new looking stainless steel appliances, and the backboard is tiled a glossy black. Behind me a light grey canvas couch spreads out in an L shape, facing a screen built into the wall. Does this mean I can watch high definition Doraemon? In the middle of the room on a slightly raised white wood stage sits a grand piano and a few microphones and amps. Down lights are attached to a black steel frame hanging from the ceiling.
"Wow." Is the only word I can find as I point at the grand piano. "Is this for real?" I step up on the stage and gently lift the lid, feeling the keys under my fingers.
"Can you play?" Asks Anna excitedly.
"No not really." I admit, sheepishly, playing a halting fur elise melody. "Just this. The piano in my old orchestra taught me. Well not the actual piano, the piano person." I correct myself. "I'm a viola." I add.
"Oh, so you're in the music program like Anna." Observes Nonoko happily. "I do like a bit of noise around here. Well…honestly there has been slightly too much as of late." Her eyes dart to one of the doors. I look at the door, and then back at Nonoko. She hesitates for a moment and then puts her finger over her mouth, indicating that I should be quiet. Slowly the tiptoes over to the door and silently opens it. It takes my eyes a while to adjust to the darkness and the thick aura of despair emanating from inside. I see a girl slumped on the floor, in the middle of a pool of sheet music, a cello leaning against the bed. All I can see of her are her tumbles of shining black hair. Nonoko quietly eases the door shut again.
"I like her cat pyjamas." Is my first impression. "Who is she?"
"Sumire Shouda." says Nonoko.
"She's one of the 'popular girls'." Anna mouths the word silently and draws air quotation marks.
"Oh." I don't know why I just mouthed that instead of saying it out loud. "Oh." I say again, but I feel like I have missed the correct window of response.
"Well it would be more accurate to say that she used to be popular." explains Nonoko. "For the past five years she's been the Queen Bee of sorts. But last semester she went on exchange to France and while she was gone…" She shrugs, as if to say 'not my problem'.
"I do feel bad for her though" says Anna.
"I would ask you to save your humanity for someone more deserving…but it is pretty hard to see her now…" Nonoko admits. "I offered her some of my special affect boosting pills but it turns out she doesn't take drugs." Anna nudges her.
"Not illegal drugs." she clarifies. "Just chocolate flavoured Panadol really."
"Does she ever come out?" I ask, curious.
"Sometimes after sunset I see her foraging for food." Now it's starting to sound like a nature documentary. "Not lately though. I think the start of term has been getting her down…" Anna wrings her hands nervously, looking again at the door.
"It's so dark in there, no wonder why she's feeling depressed!" I cry. "Maybe if we just opened a window…" I suggest. They don't look too pleased with the idea. Nonoko shakes her head.
"She has sharp nails." Oh dear. That does sound dangerous. Instead they show me to my own bedroom. It is well arranged, containing a single bed and a large study desk under the wide window. I get a beautiful lake view, although I think I would have appreciated it more if not for my long hike around it this morning. A modern vanity sits next to my bedside table, and in the wardrobe I find a few sets of the school uniform.
"Sweeet." I say, "Now I can be proper student." The material the shirt is made out of feels so silky and expensive, and I can't wait to try it on tomorrow. I must say my viola looks very happy nestled under the bed, and I give her a warm pat before I return to the living room with Anna and Nonoko for a low down on the school.
Anna points out our location on the map I hand to her.
"So here, as you may have figured, is the dormitory. It's got our rooms, our dining hall, the laundry, two libraries, various other things.." It is clear that she can't be bothered going through the entire list, but I see marked on the map a games room and cinema too on the second floor.
"What movies do they show?" I ask, finger on the cinema.
"Science documentaries." Says Nonoko at the same time that Anna says, "Cooking shows."
"Lilo and Stitch? " I ask, but they don't seem to know.
"You can check the program online if you like, and put in requests."
Anna points to another building.
"This is the arts building, it's where all your music classes should be. They've got all the music rooms, as well as fine art studios and a few of the drama rooms."
"And the technology building is here." Says Nonoko happily. "That's where my chemistry lab is. I don't think you'll need to go there for much though…"
"And the most important thing we need to show you the general skills building, all your regular compulsory classes like Japanese and Mathematics are here."
"And that concludes your crash course tour of Alice Academy Tokyo Campus." Announces Anna. "The other buildings aren't really important."
And then the lights flicker and I hear an empty, decidedly unmirthful laugh from behind me. A shiver goes up my spine and I slowly turn around. The girl who was slumped inside the room is now standing behind me, an evil glint in her eye. The dark aura is still protruding from her and the room feels a few degrees colder. Me, Anna and Nonoko all start to inch away from her.
"You call that an introduction to the school?" She asks, murderous intent behind her words. "That's why you two are such hopeless geeks." She spits out the word 'geeks' like it is a curse and shivers, muttering something inaudible to herself. She grabs a permanent marker and begins to scribble something on my map. I whimper, but am too scared to try and stop her.
"Here you go." she says, handing the paper to me, "Your new map to Alice Academy." Her dark aura has visibly lessened by now so I take it off her hesitantly. She walks me through it.
"You can forget everything that science geek and the space case here have told you. It's not important. What's important is this." she jabs at the circles drawn with lines between them, and a few names. Am I even going to be able to read this map now? "The Queen bee, Luna and her angels. They've got most of the jocks wrapped around her little finger, not exactly a surprise considering they don't have a brain to share between their entire team. She's a vicious, backstabbing bitch, and it's only a matter of time before people realise what a two faced weasel she is. She may be popular now but…" Sumire shakes her head viciously. She gives up and points at another circle with the word Natsume written in it. "And this is the other group you should remember, Natsume and his gang. Super hot, super rich, and so close to being within my reach…Why did I go to France?!" She blubbers on for a bit about this group, but most of it is incomprehensible so I find my mind wandering.
"Are you listening new girl? If you want to make anything of your time here at Alice Academy you have to get on the good side of at least one of these groups."
"Why is it so important?"
"Social networking, duh. The connection we make here will help us gain an advantage in the real world." She sees the blank look on my face and groans. "You don't care do you?" She asks. "You're just as bad as those two." She points at Anna and Nonoko. They pout. I think this is enough to send her into a mini meltdown. "Why. Do. I. Even. Bother." She says through gritted teeth as she shreds my map into pieces. I feel a bit of my soul die with it, and resign myself to having to get a new one from the office. "Just spend the rest of your school life in obscurity!" She shouts before retreating to her room and slamming the door shut.
"How do you live with her?" I ask, trying and failing to piece together my map.
"She only transferred to this room a week ago, so I guess we'll find out."
"A room transfer? Why?"
"Well she used to room with Luna. I imagine that must have been awkward when she came back." Anna hypothesises.
Later when we are halfway through a game of monopoly the deep tones of a cello make their way into the room in some decidedly minor key. It totally ruins the light-hearted mood we've been playing in.
"There she goes again." Nonoko sighs. "I wish she'd play something happy for once. I can feel my brain cells melting." After a while I start to feel my own melting (this is assuming I have any brain cells). At this point I am desperately trying to think of things that will cheer Sumire up. Does she maybe like Doraemon? No, it seems a bit far-fetched.
The three of us ask her if she wants to come down to the dining hall for dinner with us, but she snorts and looks at us like we're crazy, not even dignifying us with an answer. We descend the stairs talking about possible ways to improve her mood. The general chatter of the corridors is louder than when I came up, probably because everyone is getting hungry. Someone pushes me as they pass by, and Nonoko looks outraged.
"Well that was rude of him, he didn't even apologise."
"He must be even more hungry than I am." I muse. Someone else shoves me, it's not even that crowded as far as I can tell. The smell of the food wafts up, bringing to mind thoughts of spit roast beef and freshly baked bread rolls. My stomach growls and mouth starts to water, and I begin to conjecture excitedly about what sort of food will be served. Anna joins in, eyes sparkling. She uses so many technical terms and talks about ingredients I've never heard of; clearly not even my passion for food can measure up to hers. Someone else bumps into me, and when I think he's going to turn around to apologise he instead calls out "Loser!". Clearly not an accident then.
"What's with the people here?" I mutter angrily to myself, but all negative thoughts disappear when I catch sight of the tables laden with food. Potato salads and plates of rice and egg soup and towers of roasted chickens, plates of shredded beef, platters with whole steamed fish. I think I've died and gone to heaven. But then as my eyes scan over the tables and catch sight of a glint of honey blonde hair. My nostrils flare, I hand the plate of takoyaki I'd picked up to Anna and storm towards the girl like a bull. She's sitting surrounded by people like a peacock again, clearly pleased with herself. I brush off the objections from Anna and Nonoko and slam my fist down on the table in front of the girl.
"You!" I say furious. She looks up with her perfectly curled eye lashes, a delicate expression of shock on her face.
"Yes?" She asks tersely, looking at me as if I am some uninteresting bug. I slam the bench again.
"There is no second dorm! You LIED!" At this point I become aware that some people have grabbed my arms and are prying me away from her table. "Do you have any idea the hell I went through this morning?!" I am fully prepared to go into the third retelling of my story, even struggling against a pair of burly soccer players as I am. "This crazy frog tie teacher dragged me to detention and there was a pervert! He saw my underwear!" My story has been boiled down to something more succinct than I had originally planned, but I am being dragged farther and farther away from the girl's table. "I totally had to take him down with a spin kick!"
Suddenly I am released and someone taps by shoulder. I open my mouth in horror when I see said pervert standing right behind me, a terrifying smile on his face.
"So we meet again Polka-dots." There is something evil about his eyes, and I'm sure it's not just because they're red. One of his cronies then proceeds to tip the entirety of a vat of fermented beans on me. Now I like the occasional natto on toast for breakfast, but having an entire vat of the smelly, stringy beans slowly glooping down my hair and dripping off my chin is a completely different matter. I stare at him open mouthed, too stunned to even speak. But then all hell breaks loose. I blindly lurch at Hyuuga, trying to get as much of the sticky beans on him as possible, shaking it free of my hair, reaching out with my gloopy hands. He dodges out of the way, laughing, and backs off, as does the rest of the student population. Now there is a circle of cleared seats around me, with people backing away from me like I'm infectious. I scream in frustration, grabbing the nearest plate and lobbing its contents into the crowd. I miss, of course I miss. I let out a string of curse and threats as Anna and Nonoko hurriedly lead me away, tugging at the parts of my sleeve that aren't covered in natto.
When we are back in our room Nonoko pushes me into the bathroom, throwing a change of clothes in after me. I hear Sumire's voice.
"Who's eating natto? I hate that stuff." Evidently she opens the door because a second later she screams in horror. "Why is it on the carpet?!" The smell is starting to bother me now too, I swear I will never eat natto again. Not even waiting to strip I step fully clothed into the shower and turn the faucet on as far as it will go. I untuck my shirt and a bunch of the stuff falls out with a wet thud. Gross.
The bright side to this is that Sumire seems to find it funny at least. This I know because the instant I step out of the bathroom she starts laughing at me, and cannot seem to stop.
"I-It's just that.." she forces out in between her laughter, "your very first day….you manage to pick a fight with both Natsume and Luna…." Once she has calmed down she flops on the couch and exhales. "I feel so much better about myself now." she says with smug satisfaction.
"Better enough to help clean up this natto?" I ask, looking up dully from my picking at the ground with chopsticks.
"Eww." I'll take that as a no. What a way to end a day.
"I really stuffed things up didn't I?" I ask at last. Even Anna nods in agreement.
"Now that's an understatement." Laughs Sumire. "Your life from now on is going to be total hell."
And she's right. School hasn't even officially started yet my social life is already beyond redemption.
I feel like such a sadist doing so many mean things to Mikan T_T
But things will get better for her...eventually XD
Tell me what you thought of the chapter in the reviews :)