Ruhi had finally finished with the first part of her day and was guiltily walking towards the Grand Feast, which would mark the first day for everyone joining the Academy, and the start of a new year for everyone else.

The halls were lined with pictures upon pictures of "our successful Acadamy Alumni, who have changed the world". Two minutes ago, it would have been exciting--inspiring, even--but now it just seemed shallow, and fake. This discrediting was partially due to the Educator, but was also, now, due to the Headmistress herself. The words being spoken were exactly this,"...and now let us welcome, Ruhi of the Light Clan, daughter of our most famous, and most successful, Alumni, Hastina of the Light Clan!" She was used to these types of pretentious speeches, given by people who cared for nothing except the power her father possessed. And his being an Alumni made her the target. She sighed, put on her Media face, and walked towards the stage.

Upon reaching the podium, she waved to the crowd. "It's truly an honor to be here, and I thank the Headmistress for her wonderful introduction. Yet, as students here, we all are equal. So treat me as not a princess, but a friend. Once again, thank you all!" The only good part of that little speech was the Educator's expression. She winked at him, while walking back to her table, and smiled at Amar, who nodded and smiled back. She looked toward the Headmistress, who, if she was dissatisfied with the speech, did not, at least, show it

The hall erupted with polite applause, and she sat in a small corner, alone.

She heard the shuffling of feet, and looked up from her meal. It was a girl with dirty blonde hair and blue glasses. Her eyes were sincere, as she asked, "Can we sit with you? We've got nowhere else to sit, and you seem nice." Momentarily stunned, Ruhi replied, "Y-yeah, sure."

It was only when the other, brown-haired girl sat down as well, that she realized that there were two people at her table. Besides herself. No one ever did that. They mostly kept their distance, thinking she'd be another tattletale. This was the first time someone had actually sat with her, and talked freely. "You excited for the school year? By the way, I'm Ava." Said the girl with dirty-blonde hair.

Ruhi was in the middle of a reply, when the other girl, Pearl, perked up. "Oh, look! More people!" Three other students were walking towards the table.

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I think I'm finally liking it here. Such friendly people! Ruhi thought to herself.

And so, 3 people became 6, and then 6 people became 8, and 8 people became 12.

Ruhi had some trouble at first, but she gradually learned more about them, and by the end of the hour could successfully describe them to anyone, if needed. Ava, the dirty-blonde, was a fellow lover of music (as was Pearl), and enjoyed sports like soccer. She wasn't much for beauty though, which Ruhi could identify with, as she herself had just put on a plain pair of black pants and a plain yellow tunic for the day, and hadn't packed anything different. Pearl, was a lover of music and books (Ruhi loved books, too), a player of many instruments, and overall very intelligent as well.

There was also Matsya, her name literally translating to "fish" in the Ancient Tongue. Her dark hair and eyes complemented her reserved, yet peace-making personality. In the span of 30 minutes, several arguments had rolled, of which she played peacemaker, resulting in the nickname "Master-Fish". Then there was Claude, the masterful artist, who wielded the brush, as Ruhi would wield the sword: Expertly. Next was CC--short for Char-Char, which was her nickname. Her real name? God forbid someone utter it, she would burn them alive. Yet, it was common knowledge: Her name was Charlotte, not named after the woman who burned down a city just because lost a chess game--a story for another time--as she liked to remind everyone who asked.

Then there was Amar, who she'd already met. He had a certain knack for inventing that even she could not refute was...extraordinary. Out of seemingly nothing, a device would appear.

Then...J.A. James Anderson. He, a boy of many inventing talents (like Amar), was especially gifted at one seemingly innocent art: The art of creating bombs. Thankfully, those bombs never did anyone any damage. Allegedly.

And there was Al, a cocky, funny, little guy, with a love for pranks. His main talent seemed to be pranks and evading punishment for them, his charm being his trump card in every situation.

Then there was Klarisse, an outgoing, artsy, and crafty girl who could turn even the most ugly dress into the most fashionable gown, along with Yamper, a shy, quiet, yet funny and cleverly-witted girl with a love for crafts.

She liked her friends, and they loved her back, leading to her friends nicknaming her within ten minutes of meeting her--"Kitty". She didn't understand why, but everyone thought the name suited her, and she rolled her eyes, letting the name be.

She didn't care about the name, but she cared about the friends who'd given her it, and she hoped, just as the name had stuck, they would stick with her, too.