Ghost Academy IC

[XShy_OrchidX]

OCC

For the sake of the ghost humans of the world, several Ghost Academies were build in each continent. Our story takes place in the American Ghost Academy, your character it's new in this environment and was sent (or decided to come) either to learn to control it's abilities or to search protection within the walls of this haven for ghost humans.

It's now your turn to tell your story and the happenings of your life during your four year stay in the Ghost Academy.

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Airlea looked up toward the huge building and was left amazed. The place was amazing and like no other she had ever seen in all her life. The Ghost Academy, or GA like many people liked to call it, was an architectonic jewel. The Academy was surrounded by strong mortared stone wall and had four marble doors on each cardinal point, to grant better access to the place. Right now Airlea was standing in the principal South Entrance. As she walked inside, she noticed not only the other students who seemed to walk around her, but she also noticed the lovely scenery. The stone path that conducted anyone who entered by the South Entrance to the Central Fountain of the Academy was decorated, on the sides, by rows of oak and maple trees.

'This place must be amazing on Autumn!' An excited Airlea thought as she dragged her suitcases. After having arrived to the Central Fountain, Airlea opened one of the pockets of her backpack and took out her papers that were supposed to tell her where her dorm was. Thankfully the Academy had been kind enough to send a map together with her dorm name, room and key at the house of every student.

Examining her map, the light-purple haired girl started mumbling to her self:

"Okay... if I'm on the fountain here... then my dorm must be... Yes! Over there!" The girl put everything on her place and walked towards the girls dorm.

After a lot of walking, a tired and panting Airlea managed to find her room. 'Thank God for elevators!' She thought, without them her odyssey towards the third floor would have been impossible. After clumsily fumbling for her room keys and finding them, Airlea threw her bags on the floor and took in her new room.

It was a decent sized room. In front of her she saw two twin beds both separated by one nightstand. At the end of each bed, was a study table. The part closer to her and the door was occupied by a small couch with a small television in front of her. So far her room was nice. She would have to decorate it a bit and then it would feel like home.

Looking between the two beds, she decided to take the right one, and started to unpack her stuff. She put her clothes on one of the wooden closet of the room and after that she decided to walk around a little, perhaps even grab a bit somewhere. The map indicated that there was food court in the southwestern area, close to her dorm, and she wanted to try the food of that place. With a bit of luck it would make her forget the sudden and dramatic events of her life.

Before leaving the room, she took her black bunny hoodie and put it on,it was like her good luck charm and it never failed on cheering her up. Yes, this was a new place, and it was also the perfect opportunity to start over with her life.

[Zatory-Master]

Zion,with a curious look on his face, entered the massive campus through the beutiful north side. He strolled around the sparkling water fountain, looking in each direction for a shady tree to relax under. Luckily he found one in a corner between two massive buildings that seems to hold the crowded cafeteria and the massive gym.

He sat down with his back against the smooth bark, and sighed. He studied the fellow students that walked passed him. He noticed their unique looks, their diverse personalities, and of course, their special abilities that brought them to this location. Zion took out the small folded paper from the back pocket of his light blue colored jeans. "Room 206", he assured with a confused expression on his radiant face. He stood up with no rush, picked up his white colored back-pack and went on his way.

"Room 206..." Zion repeated while double checking the folded paper.

He entered the room with his defenses high,expecting someone to surprise him...but of course, the room was empty and he has yet to find someone to speak to in this academy. He took a small label with his name and placed it on one of the drowers marked "vaccant". He placed his white bag in one of the wooden hooks of the closet, and sat on the mattress of one of the two bunk beds placed in the room. He unfolded his information sheet, and took a look at the nearby places to eat. He had money lrft from his parents bank accounts so he did not worry much about the cost.

"very well, the cafe it is..." Zion said while grabbing his keys.

He left the dorm making sure his room was locked, and headed towards the promising cafe. There he would hope to meet someone thatwould be willing to help him out with his schedule, for Zion was very much confused on what the diffrent numbers and words meant on the little folded paper tiltled "Classes"

[Drakkon]

Xander layed down outside. Looking at his schedule, and room number. He was in a nice shady spot away from everyone.. in his wolf form. Something that happened often when he was nervous. 210, was what he believed to be his room. His schedule was rather.. awkward. After a few years out in the wild he could barely remember what more then a few words meant, reading was still as easy as it was before, but didn't help him at all now. Growling a bit he picked up his stuff with his mouth and trotted over the the boys dorm. Or at least he did after five minutes of looking around making sure he was facing the fountain correctly. Some of the other kids pointed at him, others tried to pet him. While he didn't really wanna look like a jerk, he wanted to find his room first.

glancing up at the door he sat there tilting his head. Two-hundred ten yes. Opening the door was out of the question in his current form. Course he realized he was here for the ghost gene thing. Standing up he bumped his head on the door. Trying again he managed to phase himself through. Giving a yelp the tip of his tail was stuck in the door. Fortunately enough, it was only there for the wolf form and would regrow after he transformed to and from human. After phasing the rest of his tail in he dropped the paper on one of the beds. Which was unfortunate, if there was two that means Xander has to be forced to interact with someone. Maybe.

Hopping up on his bed again he laid down. He didn't want to leave just yet, nor did he want to really have to 'meet' anyone who walks in. Oh well.. in the end one person is far better then fifty plus.

[AlyKun17]

Charlotte started her journey walking along the stone path of Ghost Academy. "So many students. Did they all have a ghost gene like she did?" Charlotte thought to herself. She was a shy soul and didn't really trust anyone unless she could see that you really are trust worthy. She like to blend in most of the time but even that proved to he hard when she discovered she had ghost genes.

She sat down on the edge of the huge Central Fountain of the school as she parked her luggage next to her. she then brought out from her small body bag an envelope labeled. "Ghost Academy." It was rather weird and scary at the same time that you would actually be in a school call ghost Academy but they weren't ghosts... just... living people who have some how acquired powers like ghosts. She slowly opened the envelope to see which room was she about to be in. Along with that she took out the map of the school. she didn't really look for the girl's dorm just yet she just looked at the map and saw how big the school itself was. It was magnificent in it's self in the map what more when she went to see the building herself.

She then looked around to see lots of people coming and walking around the campus. They all looked very normal, they all did. It was like a normal school. she then thought of the ghost gene that they all had in common. Levitating objects and invisibility were some very common ghost powers but the ghost wail was something else. During an introduction Charlotte would always tell people not to surprise her as she was easily surprised but now that she was that ghost wail she needed to be clear to everyone that their ear drums might break if they tried to surprise her. They were all unique in more ways then one, unique from the world, unique from even each other themselves that had the ghost gene. Something told her that this was going to be interesting.

Charlotte then moved to the girls dormitory. It was a high building situated west of the Central Fountain. She then took the elevator up to the third floor. It was a good thing they had some elevators. she then turned the knob of room 170. It was a golden knob and it creeked as she twisted it. Opening the door she saw a normal dormitory room. A table at the foot of the bed, a closet to the side. she believed that all the rooms in the dormitory were like this. two bed faced her and so she took the left bed. It seemed that her dorm roomie hasn't come yet.

She then took out her scarf and searched the map for the library. A place of serenity for her. having found it in their massive school map. She folded up the map and put it in her body bag. Unpacking can wait, she really wanted to see the school library. apparently the school library was near the cafeteria. Figures, after a day of research in the library they put the cafeteria there so that the students didn't have to walk a long distance just to grab something to eat. She put on her scarf and headed out of the dorm.

she tried to enjoy the school she didn't think of her step mother for one second. She didn't want to waste her time one the old witch. Narissa had no right to touch the money left for her by her father so she would not be able to spend a thing. And when she turns 18 she will have full control of their riches and estate and she would throw out Narissa. As long as she was in Ghost Academy she would not be able to harm Charlotte, or so she thought.

[AlikaKamashi]

Ester road in the car, the windows down simply for the fact she liked the way the breeze felt on her face. Ester’s father had taken the day off work and canceled his date for the night with her current serious girlfriend so that he could drive for four hours straight just to make sure his daughter got to her new school safely. It was for the most part a quite drive, even though it had been a while since the accident ester hadn’t truly gotten over it. She had been living with her father while she was processed; once her powers became evident she was told to go here Ghost Academy. The car was packed with esters belongings and of course her father wanted her to be prepared.

After about five more minutes of driving her father’s car pulled up towards the south entrance of the school. He smiled a bit looking at the architecture something that Ester would just ignore. “It looks nice” He said trying to cheer up the distraught teen. Ester glanced at the building and nodded “It does” She was worried, this was a new place with different people and she wasn’t sure how most kids with the ghost gene acted. Ester tried to grab the door handle to let herself out but unfortunately for her; ester’s hand had become intangible. She glared in frustration but her father was one step ahead of her already out of the car he opened the door for his little girl. Being a bit silly he bowed and said “Common madam your new kingdom awaits” this simple term brought a smile to her face and a soft laugh. It was the same thing her father said when she started school in New York.

Getting out of the car Ester gave her father a soft hug, she was cold to the touch but her father still loved her. “Thanks for driving me dad” She said with a soft smile. Ester then opened the truck and grabbed one pull along backpack, two medium suitcases, and a small box. “Do you need any help?” Her father said with a concerned expression as he watched her unload so much stuff. “No I always take a lot when I go to your house for the summer” Ester responded, though she didn’t like to carry that much she was capable for short periods of time.

“Well before you load yourself up…I have something” Ester’s father said reaching into his suit pocket and pulling out a small piece of jewelry. “Ester sweetie this has been passed down in my family for three generations, it was supposed to be passed down to the first born girl but as you know your grandma didn’t have any” His facial expression changed to a serious but light hearted one “I was supposed to pass this down to you when you turned eighteen so you can carry on the tradition but I think you need it now…here” He presented his daughter with a locket. It looked old, and beautiful so Ester took it inspecting it before opening it; upon opening a smile graced her face. “It has a picture of your mother holding you as a baby in there, I know its not much but I want you to know you mother wouldn’t want you to be unhappy and neither do I okay?” Her father said giving his daughter one of the biggest pep talks of her life.

Ester nodded she leaned over to kiss her father on the cheek “Thanks dad, I will try to remember that” She said just before putting on the necklace she was just given. “Now I have to find my room okay?” She smiled something her father missed a big smile a bit of confidence returning from the kind gesture. Ester loaded herself up a suitcase on each shoulder, the roll along bag attached to one of the should straps for the suit cases so it would roll awkwardly behind, and in her arms nestled safe and sound the box. Ester walked off into the school yard looking at the fountain as she passed it but mostly set and determined to get to her room as fast as possible. What room was it….think think think…she thought to herself unable to actually get out the letter the school sent her. Oh I think it was 170, how many dorms do they even have? She wondered as she walked about the school noticing certain school landmarks that she saw on the map that she read driving here. “I think it’s this way” She said out loud and taking a chance with her memory. Each step she took a small layer of frost was left where her feet once were and layers of frost were now starting to form over the luggage she carried.

Luckily she guessed right and she made her way into the girl dormitory. Looking at each of the doors that lead to a room the golden numbers on them reminded her a bit of the apartments in New York how some of her friends lived in such small places. It was just something she would get used to. Finally she came across a door that read ‘170’ grabbing the golden knob and turning it she opened it to find her roommate had already moved in. “I hope we get along” Ester said closing the door behind her and placing the box down carefully before dropping the rest of her luggage.

Ester opened the small box first it held pictures of her mother and father when they were a family and pictures of family reunions. A small bottle of her mother’s favorite perfume and some letters her mother wrote her while she stayed with her father during the summer. Ester placed the letters and perfume carefully in the unclaimed desk. The pictures were placed on the small bookshelf just above the desk. After that Ester unpacked her clothes placing them in the closet luckily there was a small dresser in the closet. Just big enough to fit in the small space; Ester placed her more dressy items on hangers and her typical stuff in the drawers. Unpacking her favorite blanket and placing it on the right bed along with her pillow. She pulled out her stuffed cat for a moment and looked at it, it wasn’t super fantastic or anything just a cat her mother attempted to make when she was a kid. “Thanks mom” She said out loud placing the item on her bed, truly setting herself up.

Lastly she pulled out her collapsible toiletry holder. It was meant to be used in dorms so your stuff just didn’t lay about, carefully she packed all her items into the holder and placed it underneath her bed where it would be safe and out of the way. Of course her suitcases and such also got hidden away underneath there simply to make it look a little tidier in the room. With that Ester looked at the room hands on her hips and smiled, “Time to explore” she said with self satisfaction grabbing her map of the school and heading out of the dorm room.

Ester wandered through the dorms towards the exit thinking about where on earth she should head. Library has computers it might be nice to check her email, of course maybe she should get a bite to eat. Shrugging she decided to go with checking her email, after all maybe her old friends messaged her since she sent the mass email. Running slender fingers through the white hair she now possessed, Ester wandered towards the library looking at the map and realizing once she was done there she could get a bite to eat.

[MykaShadow]

Damon entered with his sister the building that was going to be their home for a while. They both had their schedules and room keys and numbers. They didn't have much, but what they had, they held onto with a tight grasp. They split up when it came time to find exactly what room they would be staying in.

Damon took a right and headed down one of the halls. He worried for his sister's sake and sanity. This building was a place of protection, ad he hoped it would live up to that.

He had a gym bag filled with things like books, markers, pens, and pencils. Basically, things that would help pass time. In a duffle bag, he had clothes and other such needed things. He felt like he as the new kid in school, like, every time he took a step could be one more step closer to devastation. He really wanted this academy to live up to its reputation.

He looked down at his schedule to see what room he was in once he was in the right hallway. Room 206. He passed all of the other room before finally getting to 206. He put the key in, turned it and opened the door. He could see he had one roommate that had arrived already. He threw his stuff by a vacant bed and laid down on his bed. He looked at his schedule of classes. He was happy to be in a place of security but not proud of the reason he was there. Sure, he liked his new powers. He just hoped he didn't get them for the reason he thought he did.

Grace walked lightly down the hall. She was silent because she didn't know anybody, and frankly, strangers scared her. She had always been afraid of meeting new people. Keys in hand, she glanced at each door as she walked down the hall, looking for her room. Room 172.

When she found the room, she slowly opened the door for fear of being jumped upon by a excited roommate. She opened the door to see that for the moment, she was the only one that would be staying there. Her dorm was as she expected. Clean and somewhat small. She picked the one of the two beds in the room that was farthest away from the window.

Grace had a fear of the unknown. Windows and doors she has never opened before scared her. She didn't know what could be lurking beyond them. Even with her intangibility powers, it still creeped her out. She sat on the edge of her bed for a while, taking in all of her new surroundings, before she decided to roam the academy in search of food and possibly a quiet place to be alone.

[CartelSaide]

An was usually left at home with nobody to watch after him and nobody to talk to, so when his mother started spitting out words like bullets it left him a bit dazed and unsure. For the past week An's mother was telling him all about different things he'd never considered before, such as how to interact with people, what was alright to do in public and what wasn't, and even just what "public" was. An had not only heard an ear-full about the population he'd never once thought much of let alone interacted with, but also things such as dorms, schools, and the outdoors. It was so much information for him to take in that he tuned out of most of his mother's words, only listening when he was interested. He figured learning from experience would be best, and just looked out the car window, interested at all the new sights and change in surroundings.

"An...An? An, are you listening to mother?" An's mother asked in a tizzy. She was just as tired and thrown off as An, but had the added stresses of worry and saddness for letting her little boy go...well, mostly boy, but that was its own stress entirely.

"Huh? Oh yes, yes mom." An spoke in a female voice, but he had adjusted it and for years had worked on making his voice sound more masculine. The tinge of female still arose though, what with him speaking so softly. "You were talking about what to do in a cafeteria. And to listen to my teachers." He repeated, but he wasn't really listening. He'd heard this same spheal three times today, and he was far more interested in seeing all of the people and trees whirr by him. He'd never known that the world was such a big place. This was exciting.

"Yes, yes, and you know that you're not-"

"-to just take the food, I need to ask for it and let the lunch person give me my tray. Unless it's a buffet, then the people are allowed to get it themselves." An rolled his eyes, wishing that he could turn on the stereo and listen to music, or at least roll down his window and hear the sounds of birds.

"Lunch man or woman, honey." An's mother corrected as she pulled up to the front gate. She took the keys out and told An to get out, then walked to the trunk to get him his luggage. "Alright so are you sure you packed everything?"

An got out of the car slowly, tapping his foot on the ground excitingly. He both wanted to stand there and take in the new sights and run around in the grass, rolling all over it to know what it felt and smelled like. He'd never actually known, and he was finally given the chance to. It was absolutely wonderful. As he walked out of the vehicle he heard his mother repeat her previous question and without turning away from the sight of the school on the outside, he said, "Yes mother...I'm absolutely sure. Wow..."

His mother rolled over his suitcase, then went to grab his shoulder bag. She tugged on the handle, but it wouldn't budge. "What the...?" She tried again, much harder, and grabbed the heavy bag out of the trunk of her minivan before she dropped it on the floor. "Um...honey...what exactly is in here?"

"My library." An replied so nonchalant it was almost unsettling to the poor mother.

"The whole thing!?" She yelled in shock, attempting once more to lift the bag.

An giggled, walking over to his mother and picking up the bag with inhuman ease. "Only the half I didn't read yet." He slung the bag over his shoulder, and though it was heavy, he was stronger than his mother and able to hold it just fine.

"Darling, are you sure you want that many books with you?" She reached out a hand to touch his shoulder. "I can take some back if-ow!" She was shocked slightly when she got about an inch away from the cloth. She looked at her hand. It wasn't too bad a shock, and didn't leave any singe marks. She'd forgotten that it had rained a couple days ago, and that An hadn't released all the energy he'd stored.

"Sorry..." He said, letting his voice fall naturally, making it sound very female. He quickly adjusted it, realizing the slip he'd made, then started walking forward, "Well I should probably get to my room now. 210!" He smiled a cocky smile to his mother, then continued walking. "Love you mom!"

His mother reached out to hug him, but realized that he was walking away so quickly so she didn't completely shock herself again. It was bad enough the first time it happened, it didn't need to happen again. "I love you too honey! If you ever need anything, you call that number I gave you!" She began to cry, "O-or e-mail me or your father on any of the three e-mails I gave you! Or-"

An smiled and yelled back at her, waving without turning around. "Or pray for my well-fare, and call for a cab to bring me home at the address you gave me, but only in emergencies! I know mother! I'll see you for Spring Break!" An continued walking, taking a paper out of his pocket. It was a map of the campus, and he'd pre-marked the path he had to take to get to his room. He turned the map over to see his class schedule as well as a note from his mom to get along with his classmates and roommate. An folded the paper neatly and slipped it in his back pocket, then started walking.

On his way he took in the many sights and smells of the campus, but more than anything he took in the amount of people and the size. "It's so...big!" he said, for lack of a better word. He then noticed that all the people were headed in two separate directions - some for the girls dorm, others for the boys. "Odd. Mom and dad stay in the same room. Why can't the people share rooms here?" He shrugged to himself, as he entered the boy's dormitory and headed up the elevator.

Once at his room, he stopped. He heard the common shuffling of a person walking around, and knew that somebody was in the room. His hand hovered there above the doorknob, shaking like crazy. He hadn't ever met another person before, and he was just about to interact with the first person he wasn't related to by blood. "H-here goes...nothing..." he whispered to himself in his female voice, then grabbed the handle and slowly turned the knob. He slowly opened the door, and there his roommate was, lying on the bed they'd claimed. He stood there like a dolt, just staring at his new roommate. My roommate...isn't even human... After a long time of awkwardly just standing there, staring, An blinked and rolled his suitcase in. He noticed there was a desk and smiled, putting his bag of books on it. When it hit the wood of the desk it sounded like a pile of rocks and made a light bang. An then put his suitcase down by the closet and figured he'd unpack later. For now he planned to do as his mother told him and introduce himself nicely.

How do I introduce myself to a wolf? He wondered, only able to place the name on the animal because of a few books he'd read on the creatures. Are wolves even friendly? He shrugged off the thought, then sat down on his bed facing the beautiful beast. "I'm An, An Greer. Nice to meet you."

[XShy_OrchidX]

Airlea walked towards the food court as she hummed a lullaby that her mother once taught her when she was little. As she lightly hummed she looked around the campus, excited to see the people walk by.

The truth is that Airlea craved friendship, she had been a very lonely kid in her childhood, but not because she was some kind of loner, but because her constant family problems made it impossible for her to make friends. Every time she wanted to go an play or even talk with the other kids, there was always a mean kid who pointed out how her father was a drunkard or how her mother was stupid for letting all kinds of things happen to her without doing anything, and that made Airlea sad and made her want to punch them for their mean words.

Thankfully not only was people around her over that stage, but the people here didn't knew about her past. Here she was free to start a new life, make new friends and manage to find happiness. Airlea continued to walk until she saw a four-legged figure walk a few meters away from her.

'Is that a dog?' Airlea thought stopping. She stood there watching the dark haired animal walk towards the opposite direction of where she came from. 'What was in that direction? ...I think it's the boys dorm... Cool! A guy that can transform into a dog! Wait no... he's bigger than a dog, then a wolf?' Airlea continued to think while she walked, not paying attention to what was in front of her and, as it was expected she ran into a tree.

"Ouch!" Airlea said rubbing the side of her face where she hit the tree. When she looked around her, she saw a few people looking in her direction, some laughing other simply giggling. Leah grabbed the hood of her bunny hoodie and put it, making sure that no one could see her face, the blush in it and the sure bruise she would have the next day.

Airlea arrived to the food court a few minutes later, not only did the Academy had it's own cafeteria, but it also had small restaurant-like businesses. Airlea decided to eat in one of these restaurants. She sat down in a table outside and, after the waiter came, she ordered a tuna salad, a soda and a chocolate brownie for desert.

After having engulfed everything down, Leah took out her small wallet and left the monetary equivalent of all she had eaten, and a decent tip. Leah had to start thinking of getting a job, her grandparents had accorded to give send a monthly allowance for her every month, but she hadn't wanted to be a charge for them, she had to get a job and soon. Perhaps she could find a job as a waiter.

The purple haired girl got up and thought of what to do next. Maybe her roommate had come to her room already. Still Leah didn't feel like meeting her now, she hopped that she wasn't a mean or nasty person. Airlea raised her head in one direction and stopped there, she had unknowingly walked towards the library, which was weird because she didn't even knew there was a library here.

'Well.. it's a nice alternative to walking around the place like an idiot.' She thought as she entered the massive building.

[Zatory-Master]

Zion walked in a calm pace to the cafeteria. What was unusual was that there was a group of students giggling at something. He took a peek and saw a cute purpled haired girl with a bunny hoodie,walking away and blushing. She was rubbing her forehead bu zion had not seen what had happened.

"I wonder who she is..." he said to himself capturing a mental picture of the female. With his stomach in knots he headed to the cafeteria.

Zion,with his head slightly lowered, entered the vast cafe(cafeteria). It was around noon so the place was tightly crowded with unknown faces. Zion had no one to sit with, for all the tables where covered with students who had other students to call friends. Zion stood there an embarresed look, and tried not to make eye contact with anybody. His stomach begin to growl the same way a tiger does before pouncing on his prey.

He grabbed the gray twelve by twelve rectangular tray and stood in line. The food look magnificent for a school cafeteria, but that was understandable since this is a special academy. Zion looked at the menu with great focus. He saw many options, Including Italian, chinese, hispanic, american and other cuisines. His mouth watered as the thought of the smell and taste of the food appeared in his wondering mind. He looked at it for a second time and made his choice.

Licking his lips first,then taking a breath, he ordered, " Rice, baked potato and an apple please"...his face quickly turned red. The Lunch female,with a warm smile and a hair net in her head, handed me the plate with my order contents on it. I nodded and and quickly said,"Thank you". He payed the cashier three dollars and fifty cents and stood out of the single filed line.

He looked around again for any open seats,but failed to find any. Suddenly a strong gust of wind passed outside and it took Zion's attention. There in the courtyard that was connected to one of the main halls he could see a table with six attachable sits around it. The table was placed under an old lonesome tree that bent and shaded the wooden table. He didnt know how he didn;t notice it before since you can see it clearly from all the cafeteria windows,but he did know that was his dining place until further notice.

He sat alone and watched other students laugh and share stories. He ate very slowly starting with the white rice, and wished somebody would join him,Even though he knew he was quiet,he would not mind having some company...

[CartelSaide]

"Ok then." An nodded once, and got up from his seat, walking over to his bag and unzipping it. He took out all of his books and stacked them in neat stacks all over the top of the desk. He knew wolves couldn't talk, so attempting to make conversation would have been a bad idea, and mostly ignored the wolf. "I, uh, I'm leaving now." He said, never having known what to say when leaving the house. "I'll be back tonight for bed...well I guess you knew that...um..." He just shook his head, grabbed a book off the top of one of his many stacks, then gave the wolf one quick wave before opening the door and heading out. He wanted to spend some time outside since he'd never been given the opportunity to ever before.

When he exited the dorms and took a step outside, he looked around to make sure that nobody was stopping him. "I'm...I'm allowed to leave, right?" He turned around and looked at the dorms, expecting his mother to run out and grab him, telling him he wasn't allowed outside. He just sat and stared, all the way up until he heard some giggles and laughing from a couple students who walked by hm.

"I know right? He's so funny! Maybe he'll teach us some more about the history of DNA tomorrow." One of the girls said, and An turned to look at her. He didn't care what she looked like, or what her attitude was, she was another human being that wasn't related to him that he could communicate with and actually see without the glass of a window between them. He smiled as he took a good look around and saw many others. They all seemed so friendly with each other, and so happy. He felt like imposing on somebody's group would be almost wrong.

So he just followed the girls, listening to their conversation and trying to find out where they were going. Maybe they'd lead An somewhere exciting. And exciting the cafeteria was! Until An saw inside. Oh my god, that's a lot of people... An thought, tilting his head to get a better view of the group. I didn't even know that many people existed... An blushed a little bit, feeling odd and out of place. He thought hard about what his mother was telling him all week.

His mother's voice echoed in his mind: Make friends. When you meet somebody who...is empathetic to you, let them show you the ropes.

"Just how do I make friends?" An thought out loud, then looked around. About ten feet away from him were the outside seating for the cafeteria, and though the day was nice not many people were eating outside. There was one table taken, though. Unlike all the other tables that An had seen, with groups of people talking and laughing, there was just the one lonely kid. "I guess it's a sign." An shrugged and took a deep breath. Act as normal as possible, An. You can do this. It's just another chapter in the book of life. You've got this. He pep talked himself all the way through the process of talking to another living being. He'd introduced himself to a wolf, so he could introduce himself to another human...right?

An was uncertain of himself, but decided to stay confident. He walked up to the table of one, sat down, and stared at the person. "Um..." An drew a blank. For some reason, with another human he couldn't seem to remember the introduction he'd memorized. He sat there dumbly for a moment, then looked down at their meal. He saw their apple, then smiled brightly and looked back up at this person. He said the only thing that came to his mind and hoped for the best, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away!" An smiled, finally remembering his rehearsed introduction. "I'm An, An Greer. Nice to meet you."