Two months goes by faster than one would think.
Before the girls knew it, a small hauling truck and limo with black-out windows arrived to pick them up. The driver informed the girls that it wouldn't take long to get to their destination, just a few hours. He also told the girls that the hauling truck was just a precaution and that they didn't have to fill it up if they didn't need to.
It only took a little less than an hour for the girls to pack everything in the hauling truck before they were on their way. Of course, after John had nagged his toughest daughter, Buttercup, to dress in something appropriate.
John had made sure to emphasize the importance of "first impressions" to his daughters. Blossom and Bubbles had each worn a dress while they best they could do for Buttercup was get her into a pair of black skinny jeans, black tank top, and a green shawl. While it didn't appear to be much to anyone on the outside, the Utoniums knew that even getting Buttercup into her current outfit earned a nice hoorah.
Their father seemed a little uneasy about the whole trip but he felt that it was best for his girls and best for himself. His daughters were dangerous to everyone and themselves, even though they didn't seem like it on the outside. These girls could kill someone without meaning to if they weren't careful.
After a few hours of small talk, listening to music, and sleeping, they arrived at their destination. The driver requested that they remain seated in the car until someone came to get them. After waiting a few minutes, light poured through an opened door. The girls all winced, not use to the sunlight after hours of a dimly lit back seat.
"Welcome!" A voice cheered. "We are very pleased to have you here with us." Their father exited first, Blossom, Buttercup, and Bubbles following soon after. "My name is Dr. Clara. Just Clara."
Dr. Clara was a rather tall, thin woman, dressed in a white pantsuit. Her short, brown bob framed her face and brushed against her odd grey eyes.
John introduced himself and held out his hand. "These are my girls, Blossom, Buttercup, and Bubbles." Each of the girls smiled when their name was announced. "They are a little shy."
Buttercup rolled her eyes. She wasn't shy. She just didn't trust people. She didn't like people. They excluded her and made her feel different. Bubbles was a little shy and Blossom just tended to keep quiet, much like Buttercup.
"It's nice to meet your girls." Dr. Clara offered a smile. "Please, grab your things and follow me, I will show you to your room."
The girls turned to get their things and glanced back between each other and Dr. Clara. They could easily carry all their things at once but they didn't know if it was safe to use their powers.
Dr. Clara seemed to understand their silent battle. "It's okay, you're amongst friends."
The girls smiled and grabbed all their things at once. Bubbles balanced six boxes, Blossom balanced four, and Buttercup balanced three. Their father averted his gaze and looked towards what was assumed to be the new dormitory.
"My, my, how strong you girls are. I cannot wait to see what you have in store for us. All set?" Dr. Clara asked, mainly to Bubbles. The girls responded with a quick nod. "Perfect! This way then."
The campus seemed pretty empty, no one even in the dorms. Blossom seized the opportunity of walking through the empty dorm to better memorize everything. It was a very modern building with all the latest things. The kitchens were very large and packed with all sorts of food; the sleek countertops were a polished marble and extended into a rather lengthy bar area with eight seats. The floor of the kitchen broke from wood to carpet as they entered the hallways leading to the dorms. The kitchen was placed directly in the middle of the dormitory and either side had a long hallway attached. In other words, the dorm altogether formed a rather large 'X'.
Across from the kitchens, Dr. Clara explained the set-up that they provided for their "residents" she called them. She said it was better for everyone to feel as though they were are home so the organization had placed many gaming systems within the large living area and provided many comfy couches. The living area served as a lounging area for their residents and also a studying area if need be. Buttercup seemed especially interested in the many games she saw lining the shelves against the walls.
Stairs were located at the very end of each hall and an elevator was placed directly in the middle of the hall. Everything was nice and polished. The inside of the dormitory seemed more like a high-star hotel.
"As you can see, everyone is roomed separately with their own bathroom attached." Dr. Clara spoke. "You girls will be roomed next to each other. Your father stressed the importance of having you three together."
The girls silently thanked their father. They had never been without each other and they didn't want to start now.
"To enter your room, you will create your own numerical password, something that you and only you will know. We have this instead of the key system because in this 'school', keys can be easily lost as well as broken." Dr. Clara showed the girls how to enter their password and gave them a few minutes to get it set. After the passwords were created, the girls were instructed to go ahead and drop everything in their rooms.
Dr. Clara turned and faced the girls' father. "Now, this is where you say your goodbyes. I cannot guarantee when you will see each other next but you will be able to communicate on the phone during certain times of the day. I will step aside and give you a few minutes to yourself."
Bubbles bottom lip stuck out as she was close to tears. "I'll miss you, daddy."
John pulled his daughters into a tight hug. "I love you girls and I want you to know that this is for the best. This is my way of helping you girls have a better life than what you've been living. I'll miss you three."
"We love you too." The girls whispered, accepting a kiss on the forehead given by their father.
After a few more minutes of hugging, their father was escorted away by the limo driver.
Dr. Clara turned to the three girls. "I'm sure you girls have been wondering where everyone else is, am I right?" The girls nodded slowly. "Well, we have a training simulation that I'm sure your father mentioned. To make things more exciting around here, we like to hold a contest of sorts. The simulation is held once every week and everyone gathers in an arena of sorts to watch any one person or group of persons perform and demonstrate their power. Of course, whoever shows they are the strongest or have improved the most will win bragging rights and possibly other things, depending on the week. Now, I'm going to ask you to change into the suits I had fitted for you and follow me to the arena."
Blossom's brow quirked. "How did you know our sizes?"
Dr. Clara winked in response and turned. "Please hurry, I'd like to introduce you girls and place you in the arena and see what you've got."
After a few minutes, each sister stepped out of their room one-by-one in tight, fitted black body suit armor. "Oh dear, you won't be needing those contacts anymore. You're amongst friends."
Blossom had forgotten she put those in. Her brown contacts masked her unusual pink eyes and she always wore them when she knew she'd be around different company, although it was a rare occasion. Blossom reached up and casually took them out, tossing them in a contact case inside her room.
"Perfect! Follow me!"
The girls followed Dr. Clara into the next building, which seemed just as empty as the dormitory. This building obviously held a lot of classrooms but the girls followed Dr. Clara past all of them, straight into an elevator located in the middle of the building. The tall woman hit a button titled "Lowest Level" and the elevator whirred to life as it moved all four women below ground level.
The farther down the elevator went, the louder it seemed. There was a loud roaring noise that seemed to get closer and the girls had no idea what to expect. The elevator finally dinged open, but that could barely be heard because of the chanting and cheering that was almost too loud. Once the doors opened, it revealed a large, titanium platform that circled around a clear dome located in the middle of the floor. There was railing circling the dome but some people were still perched on top of the clear, glass-looking surface. The dome was sat deeper into the flooring to provide a rather spacious training ground.
To put it simply – the place seemed rather packed. There were people of all shapes and sizes lingering around, everyone was focused on whatever was happening within the dome.
The loud cheering that erupted once more indicated that whatever training was just going on had ended. Dr. Clara seized the opportunity and motioned for the girls to follow her onto a moving platform that lowered itself into the arena. As the girls moved through the crowd, all eyes were on them and the crowd's voices dropped to hushed whispers.
The tall woman directed the girls into the middle of the arena while she hushed everyone. "As you can see, there are three new girls joining us today! These girls were never allowed a chance to explore their unique abilities and will be demonstrating what they know of themselves for us today!" The crowd broke into a loud cheer.
All three girls exchanged looks with one another. None of the sisters could see very well outside the dome due to the lights shining brightly and none of the girls were given a good chance to look around since Dr. Clara had rushed them around.
"Now! Let me explain something to you three. You will be participating in this simulation together, to see how you work as a team, but do not be afraid to break off and battle on your own! Show us what kind of powers you girls have!" The crowd cheered. "And remember, while everything is fake in these simulations, treat it as though it were real. You will feel pain if you are struck and you can die if you are not careful. Let the match begin!" Dr. Clara had quickly rushed to the moving platform.