Victorea sighed. "I suppose that was going to happen sooner or later," she mumbled.

"Wait, I don't understand," Yao raised his chin up in suspicion. "What were you on the news for? You seem guilty about it."

"No, no," Victorea waved her hands defensively. "I assure you, it wasn't anything that need concern you."

"But, what-a happened, belle?" Feliciano asked, a rare frown upon his usual jubilant face.

Victorea just shrugged. Alfred thought some more. "Dang it, I forgot."

"Alright, leave her alone," Arthur snapped. "If she doesn't want to say, she doesn't have to."

"Well, mon cher, can I ask you something else, getting back to our previous topic?" Francis asked politely. Victorea nodded politely at him. "Do you have any siblings? And are they here?"

Victorea smiled sadly before shaking her head. "No, I'm an only child. The other girls at my orphanage are home schooled."

"Orphanage?!" Feliciano teared up. "Questo é terribile! (1)"

Victorea smiled at him. "It's quite alright, really." Arthur noted her quiet voice, as if she was afraid to talk any louder, much similar to Matthew.

"Can I ask you something in return?" she looked at Arthur, then Alfred, then Matthew. "Are your parents still together? Or did Arthur's mom divorce your dad?"

"No, they've divorced again," Alfred confirmed in a rarely serious mood. It seemed like everyone was immediately upset by their new friends fate.

"Oh that's a shame," Victorea thought for a moment, then said, "do you see your other half-brothers often, Arthur?"

He shook his head. "I don't see Alistor, Patrick, or Dylan often, but I see Alfred, Matthew and Peter just about every day."

Alfred coughed out the word "unfortunately," as if that would be indiscreet. Most of the others attempted to stifle a laugh, except Francis, who enjoys insulting Arthur.

Brrrrrriiiiinnnngggg. Brrrrrriiiinnnnngggg.

The school bell rang, and Victorea jumped a little again. She seemed obviously on-edge.

"Where are you going now, love?" Arthur politely asked.

"Ummm…" Victorea pulled her schedule out of her pocket and neatly unfolded it. "I believe I have World Languages and Cultures next."

"Wow, I have that, too!" Alfred fist-pumped. "And so does Mattie and Artie! You can be with us!"

Victorea smiled. "I also have you three in most of my other classes so far. I was in your Science, Math, Study Hall, and Art."

"Oh, I didn't notice you," Matthew apologized. "I suppose you recognized us from there then, huh?" She nodded.

"Well, why don't we escort you?" Arthur asked, and Alfred laughed at him.

"Escort? Dude, you aren't taking her to prom, you're just going to our next class." Arthur huffed at him, and Alfred laughed again, taking an exaggerated bow and saying, "After you, malady."

Victorea looked between the two for a moment, then shook her head. Bowing slightly back to Alfred, she followed Arthur as he lead the way, with Alfred and Matthew behind. She left the others with a 'farwell' and 'it was nice meeting you' or a grunt in her direction (Ludwig), or a hug (Feliciano).

The school itself was very strange, but overall, it appeared to be in the rough shape of an 'H' for the first floor and second floor. The bottom floor was a little different, which had the cafeteria, gym, and locker rooms. The school was built on a hill, however, so the side that had the cafeteria had windows, and seniors were allowed to eat outside.

The first and second floors were crammed with thin lockers and classrooms, but not as many people as a public school. This was at one time a public school, but it was changed after the owner left, which explains its massive size (or at least large compared to most private schools).

The four headed up two flights of stairs (which, strangely enough, left Victorea almost completely out of breath), and down into the horizontal part of the 'H'. There were four doors, two leading to either end of the computer lab, and the other two were the bathrooms. The computer lab was where the class was held.

"Why, may I ask, did you come here so late in the year?" Arthur inquired just before he opened the door.

"Oh, I just got put into the orphanage. This one was the only one that would take me."

"And why are the other girls homeschooled, eh?" Matthew asked.

"Because she likes them better," Victorea said simply. While the other three were shocked into silence at this, Victorea giggled. "Not the answer you were probably expecting, I know."

"Umm, alright. Let's go introduce you to Mrs. Figoni," Alfred said, for once at a loss for words.

"Sounds good. She isn't a mean teacher, is she?"

The other three laughed. "No," Arthur said, still laughing, "she's far from it."

"Well, who's this young lady?"

Victorea was met by their World Languages and Cultures teacher, Mrs. Figoni-Provos, at the door. The computer lab was very small, with about twenty or so computers packed pretty closely together, all on the sides of the rectangular room. In the middle of the long end of the rectangle was a teacher's desk with a larger computer, and opposite of that was a window with a view of the parking lot, and farther beyond, the elementary school. It wasn't a very pretty sight, but the mountains beyond really made up for it. The students were scattered here and there around the room, and you were able to tell who was friends with whom, because if they were your friend, you'd be sitting right next to each other, and if not, you were sitting at least one table apart. Some of the students were looking at Victorea quizzically; others didn't seem to care or notice.

The teacher, however, was very sweet-looking. She was very thin and frail looking, not too tall, and appeared old, with wrinkled skin. Her brown hair was in messy waves, and her brown eyes were covered with large circular glasses that seemed huge on her thin face. She had a nice grey and white scarf on with a black shirt, grey pants, and sandals, so she seemed to have some fashion sense. She also appeared to have a kind aura about her; her voice was very soft, but not quiet.

"Madame Figoni, this is Victorea. She's a new student," Arthur told her.

"A new student? In this time of year? My goodness, that must be exhausting!" She exaggerated almost every single word in her sentence, so you could get that she was a little crazy, too.

Victorea giggled. "It's really no problem. I'm already up-to-speed on what's going on, so I should be fine for the finals and regents."

"Wow," Mrs. Figoni seemed shocked by this, and the four giggled at her expression; her eyes were wide and her mouth was open. It really wasn't all that exciting. "Well, my name is Mrs. Figoni. Figoni, macaroni, provoloni, however you want to remember it."

Victorea laughed. "Wow, that's a pretty neat name."

Mrs. Figoni touched her heart. "Why, thank you, my dear." Again, something was strange about how she amplified every emotion to make it seem comical. "Why don't you take a seat anywhere you want. It appears you're already acquainted with these three?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Oh, I love your accent, darling. Are you from Kansas?"

"No'm. Oklahoma."

"Wow, that's pretty far away. Do you miss your home?"

Victorea thought about it a little, then said, "Not at all."

~AMAZING TIME SKIP OF PRUSSIAN AWESOMENESS~

Arthur was glad he met Victorea, she was a very kind girl who understood things better than most of the dolts in the school did. But, as he walked to the bus, waving goodbye, he wondered what had happened to her.

They had literally every class together, along with Alfred and Matthew. Which was good, because, along the rest of the day, Victorea was introduced to the many teachers in her classes. Alfred waved like a maniac to her, while Matthew waved a small, quiet wave. "GOODBYE, DUDETTE! WE'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW!"

Victorea laughed at him from over at her bus, waved once more, and was gone.

As they climbed their busses, Alfred sat with Arthur, with Alfred getting the window seat, and Mattie sitting in his own seat next to them. This allowed them to all talk together.

Alfred nudged Arthur in the side. "Dude, she was something, huh?"

Arthur shrugged. Then he looked over at his American half-brother. "So you said you saw her on the news?"

Alfred looked solemn. "Yeah, but I don't really remember what it was for. I was walking downstairs, late a couple of nights ago, to get a snack, and Pa was watching the T.V., and it said her name. But something isn't right about it."

"What's that, eh?" Matthew inquired, hugging Kumajirou tightly.

"Well, she said her name was what again? Victorea Legge?"

"Uh huh. So?" Arthur asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, that wasn't the name I heard. I heard a color for a last name or something. Like, Red or Yellow. Blue?"

"Purple?" Mattie offered.

"What kind of names are those?" Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Silver…Pink…Green…" Mattie listed things off on his fingers.

Alfred snapped. "That's it!"

"What?" The two asked in unison.

"Green! Her name was Victorea Green on the news! I remember it because it sounded funny to me that a color would be a last name, so I peeked in and saw a little bit of it."

"What did you see?" Mattie asked, holding Kumajirou over his mouth in anticipation.

"Ummm…Something. I don't really remember…" Alfred scratched his head, thinking hard. He stayed like this for a while, before pushing up his glasses in defeat. "I don't remember. Something about a death or something."

"A death? Who's death?" asked Arthur.

"I don't remember," Alfred sulked. "Maybe I can ask Pa when I get home."

"You're no help, git."

…

Unfortunately, the boys didn't find out anything useful, because Alfred and Mattie's father (as well as Arthur's ex stepfather) couldn't remember, either.

"It's funny that nobody seems to notice her, even when she's on the telly," Arthur mumbled, defeated. He hated not knowing things, but just going out and asking this girl what was wrong really didn't seem like a good idea. Besides, they've only just met, why would you go around asking people about their personal things when you barely know the person?

Unfortunately, Alfred lacked that sense of restraint.

"We should ask her! I mean, she wouldn't lie, right?" Alfred asked the other two boys, now sitting on the morning bus.

"I really don't think that's a good idea, Alfred," Matthew said quietly. His voice was muffled slightly by Kumajirou's fur, which was covering his mouth a little. He hated rejecting an idea of Alfred's to his face, because either the American would pout until he got his way or never let the poor Canadian live it down.

"Awwww…Why not?" Alfred pouted. He was going for phase one.

"Because, something happened, and maybe she doesn't want to talk about it, eh?"

"I agree with Matthew on this one, Alfred," said Arthur. "I really think that going outright and asking a person you barely know why they are an orphan isn't a good idea. You might hurt her feelings."

Alfred sulked a little. "But I really need to know!"

Arthur sighed. "We all do."

…

During the first part of the day (the first five periods), Alfred, Matthew, and Arthur really got to know Victorea a little more, just by her actions. She really seemed to like learning, and was very intense on listening to the teacher, taking notes on just about everything, and was very, very quiet. She wouldn't talk to anyone, even the teachers, and kept to herself.

And she was really jumpy. The smallest sudden noise would send her three feet in the air, and just a touch would make her flinch away instinctively. She looked down when she walked, and didn't make eye contact with anyone, only very rarely Arthur, Matthew, and Alfred. She walked a little differently, too. It wasn't very noticeable, but it was somewhat obvious that she didn't take large strides. She walked with smaller steps, like her legs wouldn't move any farther. And she wasn't very fast while going up the steps, either. There was something physically wrong with her. She also didn't participate in gym, as they had gym today, and she sat out, watching everyone else run.

Alfred asked her why she didn't run, and Victorea said it was due to an injury, but she didn't specify, and Arthur grabbed his ear and pulled him back before he could press any farther.

She was, however, very friendly and kind. As the day went on, Arthur began to wonder how she got such mixed personalities. How is it that one can be friendly to everyone, yet afraid of just about every person in the world? Once you got to know Victorea, though, she was much more friendly than fearful.

Victorea seemed to take pleasure in talking to Mrs. Figoni. The two spoke constantly during the class, and Alfred, Arthur and even Matthew joined in. The class wasn't all that strict, you could work at your own pace, and you didn't have to work if you didn't want to – it was really more like a fun study hall than anything else.

That was the class that Arthur got to understand Victorea the most.

"So," Mrs. Figoni asked, "what do you like to do for fun?" She was addressing everyone in the little group, and Alfred spoke first (of course).

"I like drawing comics, watching movies, playing video games, sports, and…" he thought a moment, and Arthur finished for him.

"And eating."

"Yesh!" Alfred fist-pumped, a common thing for him to do.

"What about you, Arthur?" Mrs. Figoni seemed really interested in everything she did, even asking questions.

"Well, I like to read, write, cook –" Alfred made a face, and Matthew stifled a giggle under Kumajirou's fur – "and embroider, I think."

"Wow, that seems really interesting," said Mrs. Figoni, clearly appearing interested. She was a little eccentric, but somehow, talking to her made you feel like you were gossiping something juicy to another teenager. "How about you, Mattie?" She was also one of the few teachers that seemed to remember his existence.

"I really like to go outside, study, play hockey with Alfred, and scrapbook," he whispered.

"Wow, I love scrapbooking, too," Mrs. Figoni said. Then she turned to Victorea. "And what about you, buddy?" She calls everyone that.

Victorea thought about it for a minute. "Well, when I have free time…Hmmm…" A pause. "I like to play piano, guitar, or the Chinese flute, draw, write, read, or go outside."

Everyone else in the conversation stared at her, making her blush and shrink back. "What?"

"I didn't know you were good at musical instruments, love," Arthur said.

Victorea shook her head vigorously. "I never said I was good. I just like doing it."

Alfred stifled a laugh. "Just like Arthur's cooking," he whispered to his twin, who stifled a giggle as well.

Arthur shot a glare at them as Victorea went on. "But I really don't have free time anymore, so I really can't do any of those things."

Again, the other four stared at her. And again, she shrunk back. "What?"

"Why don't you have free time? I mean, sure the regents (2) are coming up, but you shouldn't even need to study for those," Alfred said. "I don't."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "That doesn't make it right, you dolt."

"Sure it does!" Alfred said.

Victorea smiled and shook her head. "No, I study later at night when the others are in bed."

"Why?" Matthew asked.

"Because it's easier, and I can study harder without any distractions," Victorea replied easily.

Arthur thought about this. She isn't lying, but something's missing…

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I know it's kinda short, but I'm low on motivation right now, and considering I have SO MUCH SCHOOLWORK TO DO I HAVE NO TIME LEFT TO BREATHE!

Sorry for the raise in font there.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I have a natural lack of motivation, and without reviews, I can't tell if people like this story or not. What should I change? Should I add romance between Arthur and Victorea? (I REALLY WANT TO) Should I do something different? PLEASE TELL ME! D:

The main reason for this chapter was really just so you can understand the characters a little more (especially Victorea). You will also find out that she does have a hobby that she constantly does, even if she 'doesn't have time'. Mwahaha.

But without reviews, my spirit is thrown in the trash. PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE!

And thanks to Bloodyrose1232 for favoriting! That was really nice of you! :D

Queso é terribile! – That's terrible!

Regents examinations, for those of you who may not know what they are, are really stupid end of the year tests in New York that I really don't like, cuz we have to do them on top of finals. I bet everyone else who doesn't live in New York has something like it, but it's a really important test that takes place during the last week of school. Look them up for the better definition.