(A/N: It's the second chapter and hopefully everyone is ready for it. This chapter will mostly just feature my OC getting used to her new surroundings at Duel Academy.
There won't be any duels in this chapter, just so you know, sorry if that's a little disappointing. I might dive into a little bit of Duel Academy lore regarding the Abandoned Dorm, but don't expect too much in that regard. Fair warning, I will be making a retcon to one key aspect of the island.
That's all I needed to say, a brief overview of what to expect from this chapter. Hopefully, everyone ends up enjoying what I have in store for you.)
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After her duel ended, she watched the other applicants for a while before making her way to registration. She got her academy uniform after signing her name to the required paperwork.
Once the duels were finished, the students were taken outside, where three shuttle buses were waiting for them with a teacher in front of each one. As she was boarding her bus, she heard a commotion at the one behind it. A teacher, who wore a blue uniform with pink frills, was yelling at the students and forbidding them from getting on.
"I will not tolerate this kind of disrespect! I have a PhD in dueling, I have earned the title of doctor! That's it! None of you insolent brats will be allowed on the bus!" She could almost see the vein in his forehead.
"So glad I'm on this bus," she muttered under her breath as she climbed up the steps.
She sat near the middle of the large transportation vehicle, setting her backpack on the floor. There was little inside of it, mostly just clothes, the school restricted what students were allowed to take with them.
'Obelisk Blue, huh?' she thought, looking down at the uniform still wrapped in plastic on her lap.
She knew she should consider herself lucky to have been placed in the highest ranking dorm, but a part of her thought she did not deserve it. She decided not to think too hard about it, the last thing she needed was to increase the anxiety she could already feel bubbling inside her.
No one sat in the seat next to her, and the bus started moving as soon as every applicant was on board. She leaned against the window and allowed her eyes to shut and her mind to relax, having had very little sleep the night before with her nerves and excitement too high.
Around her, students were brimming with confidence, boasting of their skills and their "natural talent", and fidgeting in their seats, nearly bursting into tears. It was almost impossible to relax, but she could tolerate the noise enough, her former classmates were much louder than this on a good day.
She opened her eyes when the bus came to a stop, realizing that she had managed to doze off. She was not sure how long it could have been, but she could not deny that she felt a little refreshed.
She grabbed her bag and uniform, exiting the shuttle along with everyone that boarded with her. People pushed, shouted excitedly, and tried to move in front of her or force her to move faster. It made her wish that she waited until she was the last one.
Upon setting foot on the ground, she discovered that the buses had taken them to the harbor, where a single ship was docked and a ramp was already set. The logo for Duel Academy was painted on the stern.
One by one, they walked up the ship's ramp and upon reaching the deck, everyone scattered. Some grouped with each other, while others chose to stay alone, it did not matter what they did, the teachers were not requiring them to keep together.
Unsure what to do or where to go for the time being, she decided to take out her deck and look at her cards. Ever since she and her brother traded their cards, she had a habit of looking at them several times a day. She missed him, but seeing his monsters and spells made her feel like he was there with her, even if they were hundreds of miles apart.
Her armored spirit guardian looked down at her with a sympathetic smile, "I understand how you feel. I miss him as well."
It took a couple of hours for the ship to arrive at Academy Island after leaving the harbor in Domino City. The students went down the ramp and were met by a large, bald man with a beard, wearing a dark red outfit reminiscent of the school's uniform.
"Welcome to Duel Academy, I'm the school's chancellor, Sheppard," the man greeted kindly, smiling at the new freshmen. "I hope for all of you to succeed and become outstanding duelists."
"That guy is in charge here?" a student remarked.
"I guess," someone else replied.
"He doesn't look like a duelist," another said.
She let out a sigh at the comments of her fellow students. She could only hope they at least took their studies and duels seriously.
If he heard what his students were saying, he did not show it, or perhaps ignored them, "Now, I'm sure you'd like to get settled in, so I'll leave you to your teachers."
The teacher who yelled and denied students access to one of the buses earlier stepped forward, "I'm Dr. Vellian Crowler, the vice-chairman of Duel Academy and the head of the Obelisk Blue dorm. I expect nothing but the best from my dorm! If you fail, I will not hesitate to drop you down to the slackers in Slifer Red!"
Several students who were placed in the aforementioned dorm protested him, including a large boy with a haircut reminiscent of a koala's ears, "Hey! That's totally not 'licious!"
"Crowler," Sheppard said in a warning tone, his eyes closed and his hands behind his back.
He cleared his throat, "Yes, well, Obelisk Blue students please follow me."
All of the students placed into the blue dorm, including herself, separated from the rest of the group and followed him from the docks. There were not too many of them, which was not too surprising to her since she heard it was for students who were previously enrolled in prep schools. She was one of the few exceptions, she did not attend a private school, she was only allowed into it because of a special program and the fact she was a girl.
The short walk came to an end upon arriving at the Obelisk Dorm. It was a large, stately building with several stories that resembled more of a mansion than a dormitory. It was primarily white with blue rooftops of varying sizes and features, such as towers, spires, and domes, which resembled those of chapels. Architecturally, it mirrored a combination of Greco-Roman, Byzantine, and Gothic influence. It sat merely one hundred yards from a lake, giving it an overall storybook-like appearance.
"Welcome to the Obelisk Blue dorm!" Crowler bowed dramatically before raising his arms. "The east wing is for the boys and the west wing is for the girls."
"Hello, everyone!" A beautiful woman with dark red hair in a ponytail waved to the new students. "I'm Miss Fontaine, I'm in charge of the girl's side. I'm also the school nurse, so feel free to come to me if you're not feeling well."
"I'd let her check me out any day," one of the boys said.
"No kidding!" another agreed. "She's a total babe!"
If she heard what the male students were saying, she ignored them. "Right!" she clapped her hands and gestured to the grand building, "Now, follow me, girls! We'll get settled in and then we'll have our welcome dinner."
Crowler nodded with his arms crossed, "And the young men will follow me. I'm warning you now, call me anything other than "Dr. Crowler" and there will be no welcome dinner for you!"
'Something tells me he's the kind of teacher who takes everything seriously,' she thought, her eyes closed.
The girls, whose numbers were much fewer than the boys, followed Miss Fontaine to the western side of the grand dorm, where she led them to the second floor. The first floor was a common area for all students, while the second floor and upwards were the dorm rooms. She carried a clipboard with a list, reading off the names and rooms of each student and taking them to their doors.
Many were on the second floor, though not as many as expected; likely because female students were never moved to other dorms, in comparison to their male counterparts. Just under half were placed on the third floor with the last one being her; it was not too surprising, her last name was very low alphabetically.
"Alright, Miss Amara, please come with me to the fourth floor," Miss Fontaine said, pressing her finger on the elevator button.
As they waited for the doors to open, she asked her with clear shock and confusion in her voice, "W- Wait, Miss Fontaine? The fourth floor?"
"There's no more room on the second and third floors," she answered, the elevator opening. They stepped inside and the doors closed, "You'll be the only first year, but don't worry, all your upperclassmen are nice."
"That's… very reassuring," she replied anxiously, her hands nervously playing with the straps of her bag.
They walked out upon the doors reopening and she followed the woman to her new dorm room. "Here you are," she said, giving her a key, "and here's your key."
"Th- Thank you, Miss Fontaine," she bowed her head slightly.
"Oh, please," she giggled, "I'm just doing my job. I'll leave you to get used to your new home now. The welcome dinner is at six, but please be downstairs by five-thirty for roll call and refreshments. Oh, and don't forget to wear your uniform."
"Uh, right, thanks again," she replied, bowing her head again.
The dark red-haired woman left and she turned to her door and unlocked it. She walked into the room, turning on a light near the entrance and shutting the door behind her. Her steps from the foyer to the rest of her new home for the next three years were slow and nervous, even though she was the only one in the room.
She was surprised by the size, it was easily at least a third of her family home. The furniture was quite large, a queen-sized bed, a nightstand with a lamp, a U-shaped couch in front of a flat screen TV, a couple of chairs, and a desk across from the bed; despite their size, there was still enough room for her to move about the room freely. The blinds were closed, allowing only cracks of sunlight to beam onto the carpet.
She opened the bathroom door, seeing that it was also relatively sizable with a separate shower and bathtub, both of which were approximately the same as what may be seen in a higher class hotel. In the shower and bathtub were soaps and hair products, and all were new and unused.
'This… might be a little much,' she thought, playing with her hair.
She went over to the bed and set her bag on top of the blanket, unpacking it. She looked to her side at the nightstand as she was laying out her clothes, noticing a blue device sitting on it. She picked it up and realized it was a PDA, something for students to be able to reach each other or their teachers for assignments or emergencies.
Taking out the rest of her things, she put them away in her closet and drawers. She looked at the clock on the wall, she had just under three hours before she had to be downstairs.
She turned her head to the closed blinds, she started walking towards the balcony door. Opening the blinds and pushing them aside, she pulled the sliding door open and stepped outside.
Immediately, she was greeted with a coolness that made her rub her arms as she shivered slightly. She had an almost dreadful feeling that she would be doing this a lot with Duel Academy being on an island.
Cold weather had always been a weakness for her, as she often became ill whenever the temperature dropped while growing up. Even so, it was not intolerable and likely something she could eventually acclimate to with time, something she would have plenty of.
Looking at the balcony, she realized that its craftsmanship mirrored the architecture of the dorm. For a few moments, she could not help but admire the dedication to the design and construction of her new home.
She walked up to the beautifully crafted wooden railing to admire and gaze upon the view she had from the height of her room. The side of the dorm she was placed in had a view of a lake that was fed by a river from the ocean and spilled back into it through a waterfall on the opposite side.
The water shimmered with the sunlight beaming down from its highest point in the sky, highlighting the lake's blue color. It was a sight to behold in the afternoon light and she could only imagine what it must look like at other times of the day.
She glanced to the side, looking at the forest that surrounded the school and dormitories, and noticed a pathway that led into the trees. Her eyes followed the path until it came to a cobblestone walkway, which came up to a lavish white building.
Because of the trees, it was impossible to see too many details, she could not even tell if it was a single story or multiple stories. All she could see was that it was smaller than the Obelisk Dorm, but the architecture appeared to be similar.
"What is that building?" she asked herself. "I wonder if Miss Fontaine would know?"
With just under an hour, it was time for her to get ready for the welcome dinner. She spent most of the last couple of hours outside on the balcony, somehow managing to withstand the gradually dropping temperature for some time before it became too much for her. After returning inside, she watched a bit of television, looking through channels as she tried to familiarize herself with it.
She freshened up by taking a shower, though she admittedly had some trouble with the shower trim and water temperature. She liked the soaps the school provided, they had a very pleasant scent that was not overwhelming and felt nice on her skin and in her hair.
Once she was done and dried herself off, she left the bathroom to change into her uniform. As she was drying her hair, she commented, "That shower was nice, maybe I'll try the bath next time."
The uniform was much more challenging to put on than she thought it would be. A light black sleeveless turtleneck had to be put on first, which was arguably the easiest part of the outfit, but it was still difficult with the material not stretching very well, though it was quite nice against her skin. A royal blue skirt was next and it was very hard to put on, the material was rather stiff and not very flexible at all. The white outer top was also sleeveless with blue trimmings and a collar that almost resembled a miniature cape. It was easier than the skirt with the more flexible material, but still a bit difficult with the two buttons and zipper. Finally, there was a pair of boots that matched the color of the skirt, which were fortunately fairly easy to slip on her feet.
She looked at herself in the mirror next to the closet and immediately felt self-conscious. The uniform was practically skin-tight and exposed a lot of skin, while almost seeming to emphasize her curves and the size of her breasts, which were not voluptuous to begin with, in her own opinion. The design of the outfit was not something she would choose to wear and made her feel awkward.
She remembered she brought a pair of leggings with her for exercise and personal time and a jacket for cooler weather. She considered putting them on, but wondered if she would be allowed to, or if it was a violation of the school's dress code.
"I guess I can just ask at the welcome dinner." She brushed her hand over her new skirt and leg.
She took her hairbrush out of the drawer she put it in and straightened out the tangles in her damp hair. She winced a couple of times, the knots were stubborn and required a bit of force, tugging at the roots in her scalp.
She glanced up at the clock, noticing how much time had gone by, "It's almost time for roll call, I better get downstairs."
Leaving the room and locking the door behind her, she walked down the corridor to the elevator. Pressing the lower button, she waited for it to arrive at her floor.
She stepped into the elevator upon its arrival and as the doors were closing, heard a voice call out, "Wait! Hold the door open, please!"
She did as requested and put her hands in between the doors to keep them from closing. The other person's hands pressed against one side and forced them open, allowing themselves to slip inside. She let go of the doors, and they finally closed, and the elevator started to move down to the first floor.
She looked at her new companion and she saw that they were a boy slightly older than herself, perhaps a second year. He was tall, around her older brother's height, if not a bit shorter, with an athletic build. His hair was a dusty brown color, slightly long but neatly combed, and his eyes were cadet gray.
A hand extended beside her, "Thanks for that. I thought I'd miss it."
She took his hand, shaking it, "It's not a problem. I'm glad I could help."
Still shaking hands, he asked, "You're a first year, right? I'm Ryan, a second year student."
"I'm a first year student, yes. I'm Amara, nice to meet you," she replied, letting go of his hand.
"You too," he responded.
For the next few seconds, they engaged in light conversation as they rode the elevator to the first floor. Most of it was him telling her about the duel-related and non-dueling classes, the latter of which were the majority as core subjects were still prioritized even at a specialty academy.
Finally, the doors opened and he jokingly bowed and gestured for her to step out before him, "Lady's first."
She laughed, "Thanks. What a gentleman you are."
Stepping out after her, he leaned forward slightly, his eyes almost meeting her height, "Nah, it's got nothing to do with that."
They walked out into the hallway, which led to opposite sides of the dorm. Since they could not leave for the same side together, their brief time in each other's company was over.
"Better get going, don't want to be late for roll call," he pointed his thumb down the eastern side of the hallway.
"It was nice talking to you," she smiled politely.
He nodded, "Yep, see you around." He turned around and started to walk away, and she did the same only seconds later.
Once at the end of the hallway, she found herself in the foyer of the west wing. It seemed most of the female students had already arrived and there were seemingly more than the freshman class. She figured some were likely the second and third years, it made sense that they would be there for roll call and the welcome dinner.
Sitting on top of a large table were glasses filled with some kind of drink. It was not water, it was a yellowish, transparent, carbonated beverage, almost like champagne, but she highly doubted that a school would serve alcohol to students. It was served in what resembled wine glasses, but again she doubted it was alcoholic.
She noticed that most people in the room held a glass, so she decided to take one for herself. As she did, another girl at the opposite end of the table had taken one as well and playfully raised her glass upon noticing her.
Looking around, she saw that nearly everyone was having conversations with each other. There were some, like her, that were not, yet they still made their presence clear in this social event. In some conversations, she noticed that some girls had their decks with them, showing them off to the others. Seeing that made her wish she had brought her own instead of leaving it in her dorm room.
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump slightly and nearly spill her drink. After a quick recovery from the shock, she turned around and came face to face with a girl.
She was a bit older than her with dark red hair similar in color to Miss Fontaine's and green eyes. She wore the Obelisk Blue uniform a bit differently than she did with the top partially undone, which almost seemed to highlight her voluptuous figure. Her face was decorated with pink lipstick, mascara with a puce eyeshadow, and a light blush for a natural look. On her wrist, she wore a white bracelet that appeared to be made of acrylic, and she had a necklace with a simple silver chain and a pendant shaped like the Rod of Asclepius that fell just above her breasts. Altogether, she thought she was very pretty.
She spread a kind, warm smile across her face, "Hi, did I scare you? I'm sorry. I just thought you looked a little tense. I'm Elise Fontaine, I'm a third year student. It's nice to meet you."
"It's- it's alright," she smiled back, trying to hide her still-persistent anxiety. "Nice to meet you too, I'm a first year, Amara. Wait, did you say Fontaine? Are you related to Miss Fontaine?"
She nodded, "Yeah, she's my aunt. Some people say we look like sisters though."
A whistle rings out in the room and everyone turns their attention to the stairs that split into two passageways at the top, which lead to the first floor bedrooms, where Miss Fontaine stood with a clipboard. "Time for roll call. Raise your hand and say "here" when I call your name."
One by one, everyone's name was announced alphabetically by their last names. Unsurprisingly, Elise's was one of the first called, even if she technically did not need to with the two being related.
Finally, she came to her name and she raised her hand, "Here!"
No one else was called after her, not surprising with the other first years, but a part of her… hoped - for lack of a better term - that one of her upperclassmen would come after her. It felt nerve-wracking knowing that was at the bottom, it almost made her feel like she was in the spotlight, even if no one was looking at her.
"Alright, with roll out of the way," the red-haired woman picked up a glass from the floor of the stair she stood on and raised it high, "a toast to our new and returning students. I hope you all have a wonderful school year. Cheers!"
"Cheers!" many said in unison, clinking their glasses.
Elise clinked her glass to her own as she held it still in her hand, smiling at her junior, "Cheers."
She raised her drink slightly, smiling back, "Cheers."
She brought the glass to her lips and sipped her drink, tasting it for the first time. It was sweet and tasted like a combination of pineapple and apple juice.
"Welcome to Duel Academy," the older girl grinned.
Only a bit shakily, she smiled back, "Thanks!"
From their special dorm, Yusuke could see the bright lights of the main Obelisk Dorm as he stood next to a window; in his hand, he held a plate of curry. He could practically feel its liveliness, something that although was not lacking at their own welcome party, he was certain was calm by comparison.
"Hey, what's up, Yusuke?" he heard the familiar jovial voice of Atticus ask as he turned to see his two friends.
"Oh, um, nothing much," he replied, perhaps slightly embarrassed.
Looking out the window, Atticus chuckled, "It looks like they're having a good time over there. Wanna crash it and check it out?"
"Pass," Zane responded instinctively, walking to a seat with his food.
"Ah, c'mon, Zane!" he playfully whined, following him. "You should try living for once."
"You should know by now that parties aren't my thing, Atticus," he told him as he sat down. "I'm only here at this one because we're all required to attend."
He slapped his upper back as he took the seat next to him, "Always such a party pooper." When the brown-haired teen noticed that their friend had not followed them, he waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit with them, "What are you waiting for, Yusuke? Come sit with us."
Having unconsciously returned to staring out the window, he started walking over to them, "Coming!"
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(A/N: Phew! This took longer than I thought, but it's finally done. To be honest, I did want to take a bit further and have Amara meet Zane, Atticus, and Yusuke in this chapter, but I realized that getting there would've been at least another thousand words or so and I just felt like I'd done enough.
My favorite part about writing this chapter was describing the architecture of the dorm because I'm an art history major. Speaking of the dorm, I did retcon the separate dorms for the Obelisk students. I just felt that Kaiba wouldn't really bother with it, even though Obelisk is his pride, because it doesn't make sense for him to build a female dorm for only one group of students, especially since most of the female students are mediocre duelists at best.
Well, I think I've done enough, so I'll leave it here. Sorry this took a while and hope everyone sticks around for the next chapter.)