Apologies for the late and super long chapter! -_- There was just a lot that needed to be established. Well, the story's finally moving forward, at least! And from here on, things should just get more and more interesting! By the way, the story about the old school buildings belonging to a cult were purely imagination on my part *chuckle chuckle* I thought it was very clever. Anyway, thanks for reading!

~Crimrose

Chapter III

Where She Belongs

Don't faint don't faint don't faint don't faint…

I repeated those two simple words in my head over and over again, a mantra to try and make my legs stop shaking as I made my way up the north slope to get to Seiyo Academy. That morning, I sat up in bed, and nearly collapsed again from nervousness, shyness, and nausea that swam through my head and chest, drowning me in emotions that I was horrified of facing. A new school. With people I didn't know, and who didn't know me. What if I got made fun of? What if I made no friends? That seemed to be the basic recurring issue for me, since I had issues with being all alone.

Considering that the mantra was doing absolutely nothing to help my vision stop swimming, I decided to go over the school's peculiar system I read up on last night one more time. Instead of a student council, they had this fancy little group called "The Guardians". Their duties were implied with the name; defending and protecting the student body from any threats of prosecution, settling down skirmishes between the rival academy, and working to change the rules within the students' favour. They had four positions instead of president, vice president, and so on: the King, Queen, Jack, and Ace. I wasn't going to bother pondering over the card references, since this school was just a big, mushed up ball of whack.

Versus my old, apparently completely boring high school in Louisiana, this school had a huge event pretty much every month. For example, for this month of October, they had an athletic festival, basically a week of sports that permitted students to miss classes and just do all-day physical education. While having straight As at any other school, gym was by far my best subject, so this seemed very promising to me. I could run fast, I could jump high, I could spike volleyballs like a champ. My activeness was a complete mystery when you took a look at my diet, which basically comprised of fast-food and mint chocolate chip ice cream. Hooray for favourable metabolisms.

Thinking about food did something to ease my bumpy, restless mind, which gave me the opportunity to straighten my back and walk with purpose. I saw teenagers milling around me, wearing the exact uniform I was, but only with light coats over it. I, on the other hand, just opted for a long, violet scarf, since I was attempting to "fit in", but a coat wasn't really a necessity. Since being immune to the cold was apparently not normal.

However, I still caught the gazes of some students, males and females alike. Their gazes were snapping with curiosity, almost like whips that just kept coming to strike me. I could see them eyeing my white hair, probably assuming that it was dyed and I was just weird, when in reality it was just my very young father's odd, hereditary shade. I had it in its usual style, two braids at the side of my head that tied into one large braid at the back and keeping the rest down and flowing. Even at my old schools, and then the orphanage, I had been teased and mocked because I had "old lady hair", and I honestly didn't expect this place to be any different. So I just had to puff out my chest and put on a cool, ice-coloured mask that prevented people from seeing how much I was wavering on the inside.

That's the way it always was. Pretending I was someone else, and that I was indifferent to my surroundings. Always being polite and respectful, except for when something pushes me over the edge and my mind just goes blank. Before I knew it, crafting this oh-so-wonderful façade of mine had become a habit. I couldn't live without it anymore. Sometimes I really wished that I could show my true colours to everyone, but that hadn't really worked for the first five years of my life, especially when my "true self" got repeatedly sliced and diced by my own mother. What a lovely childhood I had.

I pulled my scarf further up to cover my chin and mouth, moving to shove my hands in my pockets, and letting them fall slack to my sides awkwardly upon realizing that I didn't have any. Maybe things would be different this time around. Maybe I wouldn't have to foolishly act like everyone was my enemy. But even if it wasn't, it would still be good training.

Considering that, when I was ready, I was going to visit my mother for the first time in thirteen years.

Now instead of focusing on trying not to faint, I was trying to pump myself up. You can do this, Snow. You can make a life here on your own, and you can do it without beating anyone at your school up. Pretend that your history of violence doesn't even exist. That your accent is so cool and people are jealous of it. This all would've worked out pretty well if I wasn't nodding and shaking my head to myself while all the other students were watching, and already I could feel people's gazes training on me like I belonged with my mother in an asylum. I coughed aloud awkwardly, and just hung my head.

"Hisayuki-san?" I heard a light, male voice say behind me, and it was like my entire day brightened. Was it God? Had He come to spare me from any more self-induced humiliation?!

I whirled around to see the blonde boy from yesterday, Tadase-kun, waving cheerfully with a comforting grin on his face. So that's why he and Kukai-kun had little smiles on their faces when I brought up that I was going to be attending Seiyo Academy; this was their school. I already had an acquaintance! Now I just had to make sure that I didn't make him hate me, and I would be good. Tadase-kun seemed like a perfectly nice and pleasant guy to be around, minus the little "Lock" thing from yesterday.

"Good morning," I said with a smile as he caught up to me, shoving down me rapidly beating heart that was practically screaming "FRIEND FRIEND FRIEND BE MY FRIEND". I could be cool about this. Smooth. "So, uh, you and Kukai-kun-kun attend this school, huh? You should've said something."

His expression turned from welcoming to a bit bashful. "Yes, well, I would've, but then I had to leave very suddenly. I'm very sorry for suddenly ditching you both like that."

Aww, he's so nice. "Really, it was no trouble at all," I sang while waving my hand dismissively, happy to be familiar with someone. "I'm sorry that I overreacted in the first place."

"This might seem like an odd question, Hisayuki-san, but have you been experiencing anything… strange, lately?" Normally I would've laughed the question off by stating that my life was always strange, but he seemed so serious about the inquiry that I was left groping for an appropriate response.

"Strange?" I repeated, and he nodded, his maroon eyes severe. "What do you mean by strange?"

"Like…" He stopped talking to ponder over the question, thoughtfully holding his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "Any shifty characters hanging around? Asking you about… um, this is going to sound completely crazy, but… asking you about eggs?"

I stared at him in utter shock. What… the hell was he talking about? Eggs? Like, poultry? He was right, that did sound completely crazy. I shook my head while giving him the most wigged-out look, asking, "Um, should I be?"

"Ah, no, no, just forget I said anything." He began chuckling, though from the way his eyebrows were slightly drawn down, I could tell he was nervous about something. "If you haven't, then it's fine. It's good."

Well, he was a bit odd. I let my gaze stray away from his gentle face that was now ridden with worry, and suddenly noticed that the students around us (namely females) were glaring at me. What was with that? I wasn't making enemies already, was I? But I wasn't even doing anything! I was just walking with-

…Ohhhhhhh.

I understood what was going on with a crashing wave of realization. Tadase-kun was popular. Like, really popular. It seemed that everyone milling around us had stopped their chattering to steal a glance at him as soon as he entered their field of vision. Go figure. I mean, a guy with his looks and golden personality wouldn't go unnoticed anywhere, let alone high school. But did that give people any right to glare at me for simply walking beside him? Nuh-uh, I didn't think so.

Nonetheless, I heaved a sigh and dealt with it. I had been on the receiving end for strange glares for most of my life. And now I was feeling more insignificant beside this gentle guy, like his popularity was a hulking demon looming over me to mock and curse me until the end of days.

"Is something the matter?" He asked me, cocking his head to one side curiously, almost like a puppy with inquisitive eyes.

"Of course not," I laughed dismissively, shaking my head. "It's just… a new school and everything, you know? And I'm living on my own now, so things may get a bit tough at times." Before I turned to look at him, because I knew there was bound to be a pitying look in his gaze, I looked up at the sky, a crystalline blue that seemed so fragile compared to the masses of white clouds floating around everywhere. "But I know that things will work out. If I have a positive attitude, things will be positive, right?"

I did look at him then, and saw that he was smiling just like the sun beating down on us from the breakable sky. "Of course. That's a good way to look at things."

Surprisingly enough, a slight flush coloured my cheeks. I had to look away. He really was kind of cute. He was only just a bit taller than me, but I didn't care about things like that. Almost imperceptibly, I slid my gaze to the side just a tad to find him staring at my hair as a breeze blew through it. I automatically tucked that irritating cowlick in my bangs that I could never be rid of behind my ear, embarrassed about not being normal while surrounded by all these students. I needed something to look at so I wouldn't be embarrassed. I let my gaze travel up from my white hair to find that we had reached the gate of the school, in all its tall, twisted iron glory.

For a moment, I felt relieved because the walk was over and I didn't have to stand beside the vicious force that was popularity, but that quickly disappeared when I realized that the walk was over. Now I really would have to face my first day of school. Get over it, Snow, I told myself firmly in my mind for what felt like the thousandth time. You're eighteen now. You should be older than most of the kids here. They have no reason to threaten or scare you. You've been through worse. Oh never mind you're lying to yourself THIS IS GOING TO GO HORRIBLY.

I sucked at hyping myself up.

"Well, I have somewhere to be before classes begin," Tadase-kun told me, almost apologetically. "Good luck with your first day."

"Thanks," I said with a smile and slight wave, using up all the strength I had for that mask of false bravado.

When in reality, I was trying my very hardest not to break down into nervous tears.

}{

I hate my teacher.

To be honest, I didn't even know my new teacher's name. But what I hated about her, and her completely fake smiling disposition, was that she was making me stand in front of the entire class and introduce myself. Didn't she understand that all my nerves were blown to smithereens and that I could go into a hysterical fit at any moment? Well, I may have been overreacting, but from the pace of my pounding heart, that is certainly what it felt like.

Every one of the students in my class (and my eyes counted a total of twenty-five) was staring at me and my hair, and my height, and everything else about me because it was all wrong. People were dumb, with their stupid standards and expectations… I realized I was getting way ahead of myself and acting like the world was ending when all I had to do was say my name, and then a friendly greeting.

But my teeth were unconsciously grinding together. It would take physical effort to force the words out of me. So I nearly pushed myself into saying, "Snow Hisayuki." And then, I lifted my head from quivering and accidentally glared at everyone watching me, including the teacher. "Hi."

I deserve to go to Hell.

My walk was one of shame as I strolled down the rows of desks, people looking at me with almost amused gazes and others seeming offended. My designated seat was at the very back, next to an open window that let in the smell of crisp, fall air. Just as I was about to sit down, I caught the gaze of a girl who sat diagonally in front of me. Her posture was very straight and pristine as she sat in her red plastic chair, her near-gold eyes looking at me curiously. Her hair, the colour of black ink, was tied into a high ponytail that spilled over her shoulders in a waterfall of black. She smiled at me, a simple stretch of her pink lips, and I was luckily able to return the gesture (albeit shakily).

As was expected of school, the English lesson droned on and on. Nonetheless, I was determined to keep my high grade average, so I still paid attention while the teacher spoke and even took notes in a purple bound book I had gotten before leaving New Orleans. Every now and again, when I had finished copying down things before everyone else, I would let my gaze stray out of the window to a large, spacious courtyard. There were flower gardens blooming blossoms of autumn, like roses, and the thick statues called trees were exploding in the colours of a blazing sunset. It made me want to draw. Or write. Or even compose lyrics. But I couldn't lose focus, especially not on my first day.

A breeze blew in just then, stirring my white hair around my shoulders and enveloping me in the luscious scent of my coconut shampoo. That brightened my mood a little, and it was even more so when no students were turning around to gossip about me or even mock me. But, strangely enough, that pale, dark-haired girl's gaze would stray back to me every now and again, and she almost seemed… expectant.

This place was as strange as that note from the Headmaster.

I made it through second period, which was my elective course of art, without any problems. Though no one came to speak to me, and I was left with a seat in the corner to "draw what I felt", I was content. Art was a class I liked, where I could express myself with the smooth strokes of an ink pen or even a pencil. I drew an estranged mixed of things that made me happy to lighten my mood, like flowers, fireworks, and musical notes. The teacher didn't make me introduce myself. That meant she wasn't getting a special, very crude page of mocking drawings in my sketch book. Kudos to her.

And then finally, lunch came. I bought pizza from the cafeteria and the complimenting drink of chocolate milk when I realized that I had no one to sit with. Wow, my social life was sucking so far. I was about to call it a quits and go find myself a lone tree in the courtyard when I felt a tap on my shoulder as I was exiting the building.

I whirled around, straw stuck between my lips and sipping at my chocolaty beverage, and saw Tadase-kun standing there, smiling like he had found the person he'd always been looking for. And there was almost a large whipping sound as every pair of eyes in the foyer turned to look at us.

"Hello, Hisayuki-san," he greeted me cheerily, and I raised my pizza hand in greeting as I kept sipping. "How has your first day been going?"

Well, Tadase-kun, since I'm too socially awkward to actually talk to anyone… I internally rolled my eyes at my self-contempt and let go of the straw between my teeth. "It's been pretty good so far. I guess having a positive outlook worked." Even though I meant to state that, it came out more like a question.

He nodded, that ever-cheerful smile still beaming on his face. I wondered if his muscles ever grew tired. "That's great. Well, since it's your first day and all, I was wondering if you'd like a tour of the school grounds?"

My straw nearly stabbed my eye since I was so surprised at his sudden proposition that my body physically tensed while the milk was on the way to my mouth. Why would I be so surprised? Oh yeah, it's because Tadase-kun happened to stroll by my art room while on the way to the bathroom or something, I don't know, and things got a lot louder. The girls were yelling out his name and giggling, guys were bolting out and "fist-pumping" or whatever gesture the kids these days are doing now. Tadase-kun was popular, and that much was so clear that it was nearly blinding. And yet he was offering to give me a tour, the person who just nearly stabbed her eye with a straw. Should I have gotten on my knees or something and started bowing? Nah, that would've been taking it a bit too far…

"Hisayuki-san?" Tadase-kun was suddenly right in front of me, looking at me under his golden eyelashes that caught the light of the hallway and made it glimmer. He must've been calling me for a while, and I got wound up in my own thoughts again. My dyrexia is so terrible that I'm getting lost in my own mind.

"Sorry, sorry," I laughed, my eyebrows slashing down in a bit of embarrassment. "Yes, I mean, I'd love a tour! Thanks for offering."

Tadase-kun and I left the main building, and I tried to ignore the daggers of other students I felt stabbing into my back. Well, sorry, people, but he offered. As we walked all around the school during the hour-long lunch break, Tadase-kun rattled off facts about the buildings' history and uses while I munched on my pizza and tried not to look bored. The school itself was actually a renovated church that was taken over by more of a cult than a religion that worshipped the fact that each person has a "guardian angel", and they wanted to somehow summon those make-believe figments and use them for their own purposes and goals. They were quickly shooed out when the authorities discovered that they were kidnapping children because they had "unclouded eyes" that could see such creatures, and many years later, the current Headmaster of the academy bought the place no one went near out and changed it into a school. He remodeled the main building and later added more, like the state-of-the-art gym and library, but there were still some buildings that weren't being used and were off-limits.

That seemed like a classic set-up for things to go horribly wrong.

About half-way through, we came across the 'Royal Garden', a large greenhouse carved out of pentagonal pieces of glass where the Guardians had their meetings and, apparently, tea. And Tadase-kun even elaborated on their jobs, which made me wonder why he knew so much about them. Their job was not only to look out for the student body and fight for their rights, but also to maintain the school grounds and greenhouse, and mainly keep people from entering the old buildings because of the flimsy, old architecture that could collapse any day.

And then I started to crave ketchup chips.

I was about to say thanks and that I didn't need any further guidance (a total lie) when Tadase-kun's head perked up like he heard something. I cocked my head to the right to see if I could see what he could, and saw three people coming towards us. The dark-haired girl from my English class, the red-head from yesterday, Kukai-kun-kun, and then a very petite and thin girl with sunny skin, bright orange hair done up in twin pigtails with red ribbons, and large, brown doe-eyes.

"Tadase!" Kukai-kun called, a large grin on his angular face as he waved like a maniac. The girls beside him covered their eyes slightly and waved a little in return.

"Hello, everyone," Tadase-kun sang, and I caught a look on his face that I had never been on the receiving end of in my entire life. He looked like he was ecstatic to see these people, like they the people who lit up his world.

The students around us seemed restless from the way they were gasping and whispering. Only when I perked my ears a bit more than usual as the group of three were rapidly approaching did I hear what they were saying. Male and female people alike were whispering to each other, "It's the Guardians!"

I took a deep breath and held it.

Then, very slowly, I let it out as I sped away. Now I understood why Tadase-kun was so popular, why he knew so much about the Guardians, the school in general. He was part of the Guardians, along with Kukai-kun and the pretty pale girl who highly resembled an Asian doll. I guess it was kind of pompous of me to just obliviously take his offer and spend lunch with him. He probably had things to do and many people to see. Those were the people he belonged with. It was stupid of me to think we could be friends.

I felt a gaze pelt my back almost guiltily, and heard Tadase-kun call out the very formal version of my name. I didn't turn back, even though I wasn't running. I would make my own friends, with people that were around the same standing as me. It would be okay.

I couldn't be alone forever.

}{

Tuesday and Wednesday passed by in an educational blur. I had a small quiz in English that I got near-perfect on, minus small misconceptions. My art teacher seemed amazed at my talent for being so young. The same went for my home economics and Science teachers. I managed to gather the nerve to converse with some classmates, and they were surprisingly not as evil as I had originally perceived. In fact, they told me that they thought I just liked to be alone, and wanted to talk to me all along. We laughed about it, though it seemed to resound in a sort of emptiness.

I didn't speak to Tadase-kun nor Kukai-kun again. I couldn't risk the normal life that I was steadily beginning to build. I called Mary each night, and she gushed over how much everyone missed me, and I returned her sentiments. Somehow it felt like I was just living life because I could. I wasn't making any progress with 'finding myself', or with gathering the courage to call the asylum and ask to schedule an appointment to talk to my mother. Was moving here useless, even after just five days? Would anything change?

Things began to on my first night of work, when we met again.

The work at East Side was busy, as expected. I was zooming here and there, hurrying to scrawl orders on a small notepad and give them to the cooks. The smells of pasta, tomatoes, and alcohol were permanently imprinted in my nose all night, from five until nine p.m. But I worked hard. I didn't want to disappoint the manager, especially with the way she was scrutinizing me while I was zooming around, my ponytail of melted titanium flying behind me the entire time. When I had a moment to breathe at one point, I dug my cell phone out of my back pocket and checked the time. It was six thirty. I still had a lot to go.

The friendly hostess from the first time I arrived here, Louise, sauntered up to me with a friendly smile. "You don't need to work so hard," she said comfortingly, reaching out to put a warm hand on my shoulder. "It's only your first night. Take it easy. Here, I just got a group of kids about your age at the booth near the front doors. They shouldn't be too much trouble."

I smiled at her, genuinely happy to have a nice girl working with me. Maybe we could be friends. But then again, I barely knew a thing about her. I shook my head before I got lost in my thoughts again, and said, "Thanks. I'll get right to it."

As I made my way across the aged wooden floors, surrounding by strange paintings of generations of managers and chickens, I saw the manager peering at me from her office. I pretended not to notice, and muttered "Badda bing" to myself with an eye roll.

I stopped my stride at the booth right next to the front doors, a group of four teenagers sitting comfortably and muttering about their menu choices. Their forms were reflected in the window, two girls and two guys. I plastered on my best server's smile, whipped out my notepad and pen, and rattled off in a monotone, "Welcome to East Side Mario's. My name is Snow, and I'll be your server this evening. Would you like to start off with something to drink?"

The girls recited their orders off to me, a bit snootily as they took in my hair and height. I waited for the guys' somewhat impatiently when I caught one of their gazes, the one sitting in the very corner like a shadow. I was met with deep eyes roiling like the seas, and they widened the same time mine did.

"Ikuto?" I breathed, and I could barely hear him whisper my name in return. The girl sitting beside him threw glances between us, then turned to him, her blonde hair whipping back to smack my arm.

"You know this girl?" She asked him. He let his shoulders rise and fall in a shrug, his countenance bored and uncaring once again. But I caught a glimmer of something in his eye- interest? Amusement?- before he let his eyes fall back onto his menu, biting back a slight smirk. He looked even more attractive now that I could see him in full light, the golden chandeliers throwing beams off of his dark hair like moonlight reflecting off dark water. I could see he was wearing a V-neck shirt that ran to his elbows and generously emphasized his form, and I honestly flushed a little before looking away.

"Your drinks?" I asked again, and I was satisfied to note that my voice didn't waver or tremble at all. The other guy opposite Ikuto clearly stated that he wanted a coke, but I was still waiting on the irritating guy in the corner who was clearly enjoying making me stand there and suffer.

"How do you know Ikuto?" The girl sitting next to him asked, narrowing her eyes at me. "He rarely speaks to girls. Why would he talk to someone like you?"

I simply shrugged at her while continuing to wait for his order, smugly making a mental note that he didn't really talk to girls. What, was he shy or something? Did he think he was too good and attractive for any girl to even think of speaking to him? What a douchebag.

"I mean, look at you," the little blonde continued, gesturing to my form and getting the other girl's nod of agreement. "Your hair's white, weirdo. And you're freakishly tall. What did you do to get him to speak with you, hmm? It took us quite a while to even get him to come here with us tonight." She was speaking of the rest of the group, who made noncommittal gestures of agreement.

How is she not embarrassed to say all this out loud? I wondered, tapping my pen against my notepad lightly. I was pretending that her words didn't sting, not to get a reaction but to keep myself from going crazy again and starting a fight, and effectively losing my new job. I knew I was weird and different from everyone, but to have it so bluntly said still hurt a little. But it was pointless to let people like that get to me. From the sounds of it, she was just jealous that I didn't blackmail Ikuto or something to get him to talk to me when she clearly went to a lot of work.

"What's with that look?" The girl demanded of me, and I snapped out of my trance-like tapping. I hadn't realized I was giving her any look. "What right do you have to glare at me like that? I'm just pointing out what's obvious. You clearly had to use your body or whatever to get him to even consider talk-"

A loud slam next to the girl caused her to cut off halfway and flinch. Ikuto had courteously slammed his menu on the table and stood from his seat, making a big show with no signs of any expression. I was probably the most surprised of all, considering that he… may have very well done that for my behalf. Or maybe he just wanted that girl to shut the hell up. Either way, he spared my from any further chirping, and I was both shocked and grateful.

"Nothing to drink for me," he said, even though it was quite obvious that he was done. "Can you move?" The girl that had been snapping previously mutely nodded, a befuddled and abashed expression on her face. She quickly scrambled out of the booth while Ikuto smoothly slid out and headed for the doors. The rest of the group didn't follow.

The other customers were munching and chatting away, to enveloped in their own business to have witnessed what had just happened. So I quickly ran out the doors to catch Ikuto before he left, and was mortified to see that a light rain was hissing down and splattering against the sidewalk, meaning I'd be wet walking home.

Ikuto had thrown on a black hoodie and was pulling his hood up, striding away from me with an almost predatory grace. I didn't bother to shield myself from the drizzle, and called out, "Wait!" To him. He turned slightly, enough for me to see the glint of his snapping blue eyes under the hood.

I had to make it quick; I didn't want to keep him standing around in the rain, especially since he probably wanted to just head home. So I jogged up to him and let my words rush out of me like rapid gunfire. "Thank you for what you did just now."

He simply shrugged again. "She was just annoying me. Girls are so irritating." He continued to grumble to himself slightly, rolling his eyes and shoving his pale hands into his pockets. Entranced, I watched as drops of rain rolled down his hard, grumpy features, getting stuck in his long eyelashes and running into his mouth.

Oh dear God, stop staring. I quickly gathered my wits and continued. "Even so, thank you. Also, I… I want you to know that I don't think you're that type of person."

From the way he snapped his curious gaze to me, I could tell I had his attention. "What?"

I lifted one shoulder slightly, embarrassed to even bring it up. "I mean, you know… to only talk to someone if you get something out of it, like, uh, their body. I mean, you saved me in that alleyway when I clearly had nothing to offer in return. So, um… ugh, I'm not good with words. I just wanted to say thank you and that I don't think you're that bad of a guy."

Before I could even catch my breath, he was suddenly dangerously close to me, casting a dark shadow on me and letting the cowl of his hood cover his eyes slightly. Without doing it consciously, I ended up holding my breath. "You know nothing about me," he breathed, his breath stirring my bangs. "You shouldn't make assumptions about a total stranger."

I tried to shove down my feelings of slight fear and barged on, looking straight up into his eyes. They were cold and unfeeling, yet I saw something deep inside of them, almost like… sadness. "Even so, I can tell. I'm a good judge of character, you know."

He snorted. "Says the girl who asked some guys who were obviously up to no good for directions."

"Shut up. That was one time. Anyway, thank you, goodbye, get lost." I turned around, embarrassed to even look at him after forcibly remembering being saved and indebted to him. I was about to re-enter the restaurant and get back to work when he called out, "Snow."

Ugh, why is he calling me so familiarly? I slowly turned on my heel to look at him and raised an eyebrow.

To my surprise, he used his index finger to point to a space directly above his shoulder, his expression carefully neutral. "Can you see anything here?" He asked, throwing me for a loop.

"Um… no?" I guessed, floored with the question. Should I be seeing something? Weird things were beginning to happen all around me.

"Not yet, then," he mumbled, almost to himself. He turned on the irritating smirk and swiveled around, starting his long, rain-ridden trek. "I'll be seeing you soon."

…Why did he always leave with such cryptic words? Man, he was strange. With a shrug to myself, I pulled open the doors to ask Louise to go serve his friends and get to another table.

}{

The worst thing that could've ever happened on my first week of school occurred the next day: I woke up late.

I barely even had time to get my uniform on, let alone put my hair in its usual style. So I settled for raking it into a high, somewhat messy ponytail, threw on some flats, and bolted out of the door, locking it as quickly as I could. I was just about to make a beeline to the elevator when I ran smack into someone as I turned around.

"Sorry," I said quickly, looking up to see… Oh great. The dark-haired creep. He was staring down at me in surprise, his bangs hanging across his face like the feathers of a raven. I tried stepping around him, but he followed and blocked my way. I was so freaked out and worrying about being late for school that I couldn't even muster up the strength to glare at him.

"Excuse me," he said, and I was surprised to heart that his voice was soothing and gentle, almost like a father's. "I seem to have made a bad impression the other day, and I apologize. May I please have your name?"

Impatiently, I began tapping my foot against the floor, the sound slightly muffled by the carpet. I wouldn't meet his gaze, and instead stared at the vase of elaborate flowers just down the hall. "My name is Snow."

"A pleasure," he murmured, and I did look at him then, only to see a gentle and warm smile spread across his angular and somewhat mean-looking face. I almost felt guilty for thinking that he was a total creep, but I was not in the mood to be regretting how I treated him earlier. "My name is Lee, and I do believe that we're going to be neighbours from now on. I hope we can get along."

I scratched my head nervously, making my already mussed hair come even more undone. "Yeah, so do I. I'm sorry, but I really have somewhere to be."

He assessed my appearance, taking in the uniform and messenger bag. "School?" He guessed. I nodded hurriedly. "In that case, please let me give you a ride, Miss Snow."

'Miss Snow'? Maybe this guy really was weird. I lifted one shoulder self-consciously and said, "I don't know. I really don't want to trouble you…"

"Please, I insist," he said, a pure and innocent smile on his face. I assessed him carefully, noting that his dark hair was so long that he actually had to tie it into a ponytail that cascaded down his back. He was wearing completely casual clothes, a loose-fitting white button-down shirt and blue jeans. He didn't look that old, now that I got a good look at him. And I didn't feel anything suspicious coming off of him. So, very slowly, I nodded in acceptance, and then we were going down in the elevator and making our way across the parking lot to his car, which was a sleek, black model that surely meant money.

The sun was beating down mercilessly today, making me highly uncomfortable, even as I climbed into the new-smelling, leather interior of Lee's vehicle. I had always disliked the heat, normally staying inside when the torturous summers of Louisiana rolled around. Seeming to notice my discomfort, Lee cranked the air conditioning, not that it'd help since I didn't feel any cooler. He seemed slightly uncomfortable with the weather as well, brushing the long bangs out of his eyes as he put the gear shift into Drive and peeled out of the parking lot.

The car ride was lapsed into a somewhat comfortable silence, a cheerful smile on his face as he carefully executed turns as quickly as possible. My leg was bouncing up and down with impatience, not wanting to get a tardy slip- or even detention- just when I had started school. Lee pushed lightly on the acceleration petal, like sensing my need for speed. I wondered why he offered a complete stranger like me a ride to school. Hopefully he didn't turn out to be some creep after all. But honestly, I was desperate to make it on time, and he didn't seem like he had any ulterior motives. So I accepted the offer, and was now stuck dealing with sitting in a car with a complete stranger.

Not that he seemed to mind. He seemed almost happy with my company, always smiling to himself as he kept his eyes on the road and sped up the hill leading to Seiyo Academy. I quickly checked the time that was blinking on his car's radio. I still had a bit of time to make it. I nearly collapsed back in the seat with relief. He had really helped me out, even if he did it for no reason.

He pulled up to the gates of the school, where some almost-late students like me were rushing inside before they closed. I quickly leapt from the car and shut the door carefully, skirting around it to make a break for the gates. But before I did, I peaked in his open window, meeting his two jade eyes. "Thanks," I said, smiling at him as politely as I could. "I really owe you one."

Then I ran as fast as I could up to the marble steps leading to the school, feeling the tingle of his stare on my back even as the doors closed behind me.

Thanks to Lee, I made it to my homeroom just in the nick of time. I collapsed in my desk, letting my bag flop on the floor beside me. I caught the gazes of some people, most likely wondering why I was panting like a pig in the summertime. I tried my best to ignore them, and no one bothered to come up to me and ask what was wrong. But the Asian doll-like girl from the Guardians, a girl named Nadeshiko Fujisaki, was staring at me again, and when our gazes met, she surprised me by letting a small smile slip onto her lips. Before I could stop myself, I returned it with a grin of my own, then quickly reminded myself of my place and started pulling my materials from my bag.

Classes passed by in a blur, just boring conversation on To Kill A Mockingbird in English and studying art History in the subject. Lunch came before I even knew it, and I had planned on just getting a burger or something from the cafeteria, but I never got the chance. Because as soon as I left my art classroom on the second floor of the school, both of my arms were suddenly locked in two strong grips.

Completely shocked and abashed, I threw quick glances to my left and right, only to see Nadeshiko Fujisaki and Kukai Souma gripping my arms like I was their prey that they weren't letting escape no matter what. They both smiled at me, and while Nadeshiko-san's smile was somewhat comforting, Kukai-kun's was filled with mischief and scheming. Before I could even protest, they began forcibly dragging me down the hall, catching the attention of almost every student we passed.

"What are ya doing?!" I demanded, the anger in surprise bubbling up in me forcing out the major accent. "Lemme go!"

"Nuh-uh," Kukai-kun chuckled, an evil glint sparkling in his eyes like a villain. "Not until we get where we want you to go."

"I beg yer pardon? Where are ya taking me?!" Neither one of them responded, and I couldn't speak anymore from getting jarred up and down while being dragged down the stairs. How on earth could they hold me up, anyway? These two were a force to be feared.

I steamed my own broccoli in silence as they dragged me across the school grounds, out the back doors, around the old, dilapidated buildings, and right in front of the towering, sparkling Royal Garden. As soon as I saw it, I began to furiously struggle again, but that only caused both of their grips to tighten. I got that Kukai-kun was strong, from the way some girls gushed about him being the king of sports or something, but why the hell was Nadeshiko-san so damned strong? Her grip was like that of a man's! I couldn't even escape as they backed into the Royal Garden's tall glass doors, dragging me behind them.

As soon as we were inside, my senses were assaulted by a kaleidoscope of colours and smells. Sunlight was reflecting off of the spherical glass building, casting prisms across the small, man-made river running through the center of the building. Flowers were exploding with colour everywhere I looked, small little fireworks of nature bursting across the dark, lush grass. There were even some butterflies flitting about in the seemingly magical place, giving it life and wonder in the melancholy fall season. I could hear idle chatter coming from an ornate, white wooden gazebo straight ahead, and the trickling of the small stream water running throughout the place. I was dragged across a cute cobblestone bridge in shocked silence, stunned by the glamour of my surroundings. How did it stay this beautiful? Damn, these kids were probably living it up.

The chatter coming from the gazebo was the work of Tadase-kun, and the other, small girl I saw with the Guardians the other day. Her voice was very high-pitched and childish, the kind you can picture smacking bubble-gum with. They glanced over at me and my kidnappers at our approach, and Tadase-kun stood from his fancy-ass garden chair in one suave motion.

"Welcome to the Royal Garden, Hisayuki-san," he said to me, only earning a grunt and a glare for a response. His kind, welcoming expression turned slightly remorseful. "I'm so sorry for the force used to bring you here; it was just very hard to speak with you when you were avoiding us."

"I wasn't really-" I cut myself off at the sound of my heavy accent, cleared my throat, and tried again. "I wasn't really avoiding you."

"Liar!" Said the small girl, her pigtails and red ribbons bouncing as she bolted up from her seat and pointed an accusatory finger in my direction. "We've been trying to catch your attention all week! You've definitely been avoiding us!"

I shrugged my shoulders, a difficult feat when both of my arms were being held in vise-like grips. "Fine, so what if I was? It's not like I'd be of any interest to you, anyway."

"What are you talking about?" Kukai-kun demanded from beside me, letting my right arm out of his grasp. Nadeshiko-san followed suit, and I rubbed both tenderly. They easily climbed the small steps to the gazebo to stand next to their fellow Guardians, and seeing all four of them in a place like this was a sight to commend, indeed. "Of course you're of interest to us. You used to be at the top of your class back in Louisiana, after all."

Before I could demand how he knew that, Nadeshiko-san picked up from where he left off with a small, elegant smile on her face. "You are also highly adequate when it comes to physical education, and you even have a strong taste for the arts."

"Not to mention that you play guitar," the other girl said while nonchalantly waggling her index finger in the air. "And that you're good. You work at East Side Mario's for about four hours every day as a waitress to pay the rent for your apartment."

As if my jaw wasn't dropped low enough, Tadase-kun continued. "You're actually eighteen, and you're only in grade eleven because you've been held back due to hospitalization. You love chocolate and mint flavoured things, and have never tasted alcohol or participated in any drug-related activities. A model citizen who is most definitely going places. And yet you have a horrible sense of direction, which often causes you to get into sticky situations."

They all finished telling me pretty much everything that made me an individual with identical smug grins. I gathered my wits and snapped my mouth shut, turning it into a snarl. "How the heck do you know all of those things about me? Are you a bunch of creeps?"

"No," Tadase-kun chuckled, his countenance irritatingly light and carefree. "You've simply caught our interest. You're not like the other students here, you see."

I narrowed my eyes. "What do you mean?"

Tadase-kun cleared his throat and looked to the other Guardians for a moment. They all nodded at him, then looked expectantly at me. I crossed my arms while glaring at all of them, when Tadase-kun suddenly announced, "Snow Hisayuki-san, we'd like to invite you to join the Guardians."

My eyes widened in disbelief, and I let out a scoff. "You're kidding me, right?" None of them laughed. "I have no qualifications for this, and I'm the new kid! I don't even know anything about you guys!"

"Formal introductions, then," Tadase-kun began. "My name is Tadase Hotori. I'm fifteen years old, and the King chair of the Guardians."

"Nadeshiko Fujisaki," said Nadeshiko-san formally. "Fifteen years old, and the Queen chair of the Guardians."

"Kukai Souma. Sixteen years old, and the Jack chair of the Guardians." He grinned at me with his pointy white teeth. "I'm also captain of the soccer team."

"Yaya Yuiki!" Said the perky little red-head. "Fourteen years old! I'm the Ace chair, and I adore cute things! So naturally, Snow-chan, I already adore you!" My face flushed from hearing those words from someone four years younger than me.

"But wait a minute," I stammered, avoiding each of their probing gazes. "If you're all younger than me, why are Tadase-kun and Nadeshiko-san in my grade? You shouldn't even be in high school!" I said to Yaya-san, who just waved me off dismissively.

"The Guardians are permitted to skip a couple of grades because of our duties to watch over the entire student body," Nadeshiko-san explained, an easy smile on her face. "Though you would remain as you are if you were to join us."

"Why on earth would I do that?" I demanded, backing up slightly. I didn't understand what was going on. They knew so much about me, an obscene amount of information no one else knew, and they were asking the new kid to join them. Was something wrong with them? I really didn't have any credentials for this position, especially since I had no experience and a very short fuse. "I'm not joining. No way!"

"Please, Hisayuki-san," Tadase-kun murmured, strolling down the steps and towards me like we were friends or something. "We need you. You're the only one who can take this position."

I tried (and failed) to control the flush that rapidly spread across my cheeks. "What makes you say that? Just because I get good grades?"

"Not only because of that," Nadeshiko-san giggled, and she held up something that caught the sunlight streaming in and sparkled like a star. "But also because of this."

I squinted at the object pinched between her forefinger and thumb, and was surprised to see that it was a small lock that could fit on a locker. Only it was much more ornate and grand, with four heart-shaped diamonds interconnecting in the middle like a four-leaf clover. The rest of it was a shining gold colour, and it looked incredibly valuable.
"Um, okay," I said, backing away from them even more but making sure I didn't collapse backwards into the stream. "What does that little lock have to do with anything?"

"It's not just 'a little lock'," Tadase-kun sighed. "It's called the Humpty Lock. It is incredibly powerful and valuable, sought after by countless people so they can wield its strength. But only you can, Hisayuki-san. Because when I first met you, I was carrying it with me, and it resonated very strongly in your presence."

"Resonated?" I repeated, suddenly remembering that odd wail-like noise I heard from Tadase-kun in McDonald's. He did leave rather suddenly after that. But this wasn't making any sense. How could a lock, an inanimate object, 'resonate' with anything? I turned to Tadase-kun, the question reflected in my eyes.
He smiled at me, and it resembled the sun beaming down from the sky. "That is no ordinary lock. The Humpty Lock carries strong magic, and it resonates with someone who has a strong heart. I have never heard it react that strongly with someone before. I believe you were destined to join us."

What the hell was the matter with these people? Were they crazy? They were trying to sell me some unbelievable story about a magic lock that reacted in the presence of someone with a 'strong heart'. How can a heart even be strong, anyway? They were clearly deranged.

However, for the sake of an explanation, I heaved a sigh and decided to go along with their crazy story for now. "Alright then. What does this lock's resonance have to do with wanting me to become a Guardian?"

"Now this is the part that's going to sound completely weird," Kukai-kun snickered, like this conversation wasn't odd enough already. "Well, here goes. Ahem. 'All kids have an egg in their soul'."

Countless moments of painstaking silence followed thereafter, me glaring at each of the Guardians in disbelief. Finally, I managed to choke out the words, "I beg your fucking pardon?" Kukai-kun honestly just told me that all kids have an "EGG" in their soul. Were they all on drugs or something? There was no way that there was nothing wrong with them after they just told me that.

Kukai-kun nodded, clearly sensing my disbelief. "I figured that'd be your reaction. But it's the truth. These 'eggs' are manifestations of our hearts' deepest desires and dreams, like what we want to be when we grow up, or the type of person we wish to be. They're your 'true self' come to life, and if your wish is strong enough, your egg will emerge and then hatch into a personification of your wish. We call those 'Shugo Chara', or 'Guardian Characters'. Everyone has an egg, but only certain people's actually hatch."

"The Humpty Lock is linked to the Shugo Chara," Nadeshiko-san continued, and I was surprised that a level-headed and calm person like her was actually going on with this outrageous lie. They were clearly just messing with the new kid. I couldn't believe that they would do this, especially since they all seemed like nice people. "If someone is destined to hatch an incredibly powerful and strong Shugo Chara, it will resonate with them. Each of us Guardians have a Shugo Chara, you see, so naturally if you're destined to give birth to a powerful one, we want you among our ranks." She finished the explanation with a smile as graceful as the flowers swaying the light fall breeze.

I stared at all of them. That was all I could do. I was so shocked and dumbfounded from this story that I was at a loss for words. But then I swallowed the painful lump in my throat, and said, "Then… why can't I see them…? My voice came out strangled, which made me awfully embarrassed. I didn't want to show insane people like them how weak I was feeling right now.

Yaya-san shrugged. "You can only see them if you've actually given birth to one yourself. Yours haven't emerged yet, so it's only natural."

"This is crazy," I mumbled, backing away from all of them, across the bridge and towards the door. "You're all crazy. It's scientifically impossible for any of this to be real. Eggs inside of us? Please. Nobody's dreams are strong enough to manifest in the first place." I said the last part with a despaired glance down at my stomach, my scars gratefully covered by my clothes.

"This isn't science," Tadase-kun smiled. "It's magic. And it only comes true if you believe in it. I know it's hard to take in, but it's real. We're not lying, and we're not messing with you. These things really exist, and you're really going to give birth to one soon."

"I'm… I'm too old to have dreams!" I stammered, running out of excuses and just longing to escape. "I can't even have one of those… things if it were possible."

Tadase-kun gave me a look then, one that wasn't pitying, but almost sympathetic. "You may have aged physically, but I believe that all of our mental states are still that of a kid's. We all have the hearts of children. Haven't you wondered why you still get lost even though you're an adult now?"

My eyes widened in shock, my hands curling into fists so tight that my long nails drew blood. It was true. I never got lost before when Mom and Dad were with me. But ever since they both vanished from my life, I didn't know where I was going. Even though I grew older, and matured mentally, in reality…

…I hadn't moved forward at all. I was still a child, watching in horror as my mother brandished the sharpest kitchen knife she could find before me to destroy my life.

But even so. This was all impossible. I didn't need a bunch of mad strangers telling me a crazy story, or what I was really feeling. I knew what I wanted out of life. I wanted to find myself. I wanted to get stronger. I wanted to be heard, unlike when I was a child and no one would listen to me. I wanted to be Snow Hisayuki, whoever that was. But she most definitely wasn't an insane person who actually believed in eggs that popped out of our souls.

"I don't need to hear that from you," I said, eerily come despite the storm of rage and confusion roiling in my chest. "I have someone I want to be, and that's me, whoever that is. And that's someone that I can find on my own."

Despite all of their shocked and somewhat wounded expressions, I was able to maintain a calm façade. I had dreams. And I didn't need any small, make-believe eggs telling me what they were.

Even so, the last thing I ever expected to happen, happened.

I could barely believe my eyes as something suddenly began shining from my chest. My first reaction was panic, thinking that something was going horribly wrong with me. It was a light that resembled a sunbeam blooming from where my heart was beating furiously, and it just kept growing and growing, like a curtain slowly opening to reveal the light of day in an otherwise dark room. I stumbled backward and hit the doors, but the light continued to shine and blind me. I grimaced away from me, tears threatening to prick in my eyes from sheer fear, but then suddenly, the light began to dim. I opened my squeezed eyes to see a now comfortable, warm light coming from me, and right in front of my face was-

My jaw unhinged like a snake's.

This wasn't possible. This couldn't really happening. There was no such thing as magic, and there was no such thing as the heart's egg. It was impossible. It couldn't be. It didn't make sense.

And yet, there they were. Three eggs, each the size of my hand, floating in front of me, each with a different design. One was red with black, flame-like patterns licking up the sides; another was white with purple and black lace patterns encircling it; the last was midnight blue with the phases of the moon shining on it, from a mere sliver to a blooming moon as the pattern went around. I thought I was hallucinating. They must've drugged me on whatever addiction they were on. Even though I smacked my face numerous times, the eggs were still there, and they were floating in front of me. The light stopped bursting from my chest altogether, just leaving me, the eggs, and the Guardians, all staring at me in utter shock.

Then, to my distinct horror and disbelief, the red egg began shaking and cracking. I covered my mouth with my trembling hand and whimpered into it slightly. The egg was getting fissures in its side, like some cheap toy you'd find at Wal-Mart for Easter. My eyes felt like they were exploding from my head from pure surprise and disbelief, the Guardian's expressions mirror images of what mine must've been.

The fissures finally encircled the entire egg, and then it made a strange little pop! noise. The shell fell to the floor, not cracking even though it should've, and in its place was a floating little person in front of me. A deranged smile began to crack on my face. I was finally losing my marbles.

The little person was clearly female, with long, crimson hair done up in a high ponytail with a little clip that resembled bat wings. A long black scarf was tied around her microscopic neck, cascading down the short few centimetres to her feet clad in black ballet slippers. The only thing covering her was a red bikini-like top with a black flame pattern, just like her egg, and leather short shorts. But the most striking thing about her was her eyes, an electrifying gold that reminded me of flickering yellow flames. Her pupils were the almond slits of a cat's, and they dilated in recognition when they kept staring at me.

Just before I started to scream, she proclaimed in a high-pitched, smug voice: "Heya, Snow! My name is Lilith, and I'm your first ever Shugo Chara!"