#that class had barely any assignments. like there wasn't a final exam or anything.

[wasabikitcat]

community college is so funny because half of the teachers are like "For this class you need to use lockdown browser for all quizzes and tests. You need to buy this 70 dollar textbook, and all papers turned in must be in APA format with a title page even if they're only 500 words long. I will not accept late assignments. Also you have a minimum of 4 assignments a week." and the other half are like "you don't need proctoring for the final exam I trust you. here's a download link to a pirated copy of the textbook. as long as your writing is coherent and demonstrates an understanding of the material I literally could not care less what format you use. I can't figure out how canvas works so I'm not giving you due dates, just make sure it's turned in before the grading period ends. your only weekly assignment is a forum post with a minimum of 100 words."

[monscastle]

"you're still eating out of y/n's hands you know."

he choked, the only thought in his mind being 'no wonder this tastes familiar.'

pairing ; lee felix x gn! reader

for ; @writearctic 's chronicles!!

genre ; angst & fluff

warnings ; mild cursing, smoking

words ; 1.6k

author's note ; not today! just enjoy and feel free to give feedback!! sorry for any mistakes!! 

"hey, let's go eat." chan smiled while pressing up against the other australian.

felix hummed, not really listening as he gripped the remote in his hands and flickered the buttons with his thumbs. "where?"

"uh, that one restaurant that's like, thirty minutes away from here-"

felix glanced a glare at chan before turning back to the screen of the tv. "any reason?"

"they have a special." chan then proceeded to put he flyer in front of felix's line of sight, making the younger grunt.

felix paused his game, sighing and glaring at his friend. "alright, fine. but you're paying." 

chan grinned, "fine by me. get dressed and look decent, don't pull a jisung." 

"...i'm right here." 

______

"hello! table for three?" the host asked as soon as they walked inside. 

chan nodded, following the host with his two friends. as soon as they sat down they were handed menu's. 

"would you like to order drinks right now or when you order your food?" 

felix scanned the options, not seeing the special that chan had mentioned. he was gonna question the older until said man asked the host about it. 

"uh, i saw that y'all have a special on a flyer…" 

"oh! yes we do! we got the word out this morning, that's why it's still not on the menu. the special lasts until next friday. would you like to order that?"

"do you guys want it?" chan turned to them. 

"what's the special?" jisung rose a brow. 

the host smiled, "fettuccine alfredo pasta." 

felix hummed, thinking about it. "yeah i'd like that."

"me too." 

chan nodded, turning to the host who took out a notepad and pen. although she wasn't a waiter, she could take down orders and hand them over to the cooks. 

"great. any drinks?" she asked while tapping her notepad with the tip of the pen.

jisung nodded, "peach tea for me." 

"i'll take lemonade." 

"sprite if you have that." 

she nodded and scribbled it down before repeating their order to make sure she didn't make any mistakes. once everything was confirmed and settled,  she excused herself to order their assigned waiter to fetch their drinks. 

jisung followed her trail until she opened the kitchen doors, noticing something- more like someone, for a split second. 

"well, while we wait, let's catch up." chan sighed while staring at his friends.

"on what?" jisung asked while turning to him. 

the older thought for a second before shrugging, "i don't know, what have you guys been up to lately?"

felix propped his elbow on the table,  resting his chin on his palm. "nothing, i'm enjoying my break to the fullest."

"by being locked up and playing video games?" chan rose a brow, obviously disappointed. 

"at least he's doing something, i've been sleeping most of the time." 

"he only gets up when he needs to pee or eat." felix chuckled. 

chan frowned, "that explains a lot…" 

"anyway, what about you? changbin-hyung told me someone had the hots for you and vice versa." 

the older sputtered, "th-that's not true. and maybe it's just a new friend." 

jisung and felix rose a brow, sharing a glance before sighing. they had the habit of being synchronized without wanting to, which many found scary and or amusing. 

"you're bad at lying, you know that?" jisung chuckled, glancing at the kitchen doors that opened as a waiter came out with a tray with drinks. he smirked at his confirmation,  it's been a while since he's been this entertained. 

chan blushed, avoiding eye contact. "i know…" 

felix laughed, jisung was known for reading others. changbin was known for it too, and it was always funny when someone got exposed or confronted. 

the waiter walked up to them, placing down their drinks. "your food is ready and i'll bring it right now, i'm sorry the sudden delay in your drinks, we had a minor...issue." 

"no it's fine! thank you!" chan smiled as he took his drink and sipped from it. 

jisung stared at the kitchen doors, once they were opened he tried to find the familiar face, and he smirked to himself when he saw it. he wasn't going to say anything yet, he liked waiting it out. 

"so, who is it?" felix jabbed at chan, wanting answers.

"i- you don't know him, he's not in your major." chan nibbled at the straw. 

"and? i still wanna know." 

"it's probably someone older than him, maybe by a year? let me guess, he's also studying music production? and you met him in the cafeteria." jisung smiled when chan choked. 

felix stared at his roomate in awe, "holy fuck." 

chan gasped, staring at jisung with wide eyes. "you scare me. you're hanging out with minho aren't you?" 

"sure." 

"what do you mean sure-" 

felix grinned, "so he's right?" 

"...yeah… i'm amazed you even guessed the gender…" chan pouted, gnawing at the straw again. 

"thank you, i try." jisung sipped from his drink as the waiter returned with their food. once the waiter left he spoke again, "what's his name?" 

"why are you asking?" 

"cus it's about time you had a love life." felix rolled his eyes,  "you barely get sleep, and now you have the hots for someone? you need to go out and live a little. " 

chan scoffed, the tips of his ears still red. "yeah, look who's talking. you're probably staying inside the dorms and not going out cus you're still upset about the y/n situation." 

jisung gaped, amazed chan could strike like that. "not wrong-" 

felix growled, "y/n has nothing to do with how i'm spending my break. we broke up, that's it. nothing more nothing less to it. no hard feelings." he frowned and stuffed his mouth with some pasta, the taste making him pause and ponder.

jisung stared at the young australian, "you're still eating out of y/n's hands you know." 

and he choked, the only thought in his mind being  'no wonder this tastes familiar.' 

chan gave felix's back a few pats, " jisung stop joking around." 

said male frowned, "i'm not. y/n's in the kitchen, pretty sure y/n is the one who cooked the food." 

felix heaved, "it...does taste familiar…

"and to think you were over y/n.." 

"i am!" 

"are not, but we'll talk about this later. chan, you never told me the guys name-" 

"yah! i'm not telling." 

________ 

"you're not going back with us?" jisung asked as they exited the restaurant.  

the fact y/n was one of the chefs was forgotten once they went back to chan's possible love life topic. felix didn't really think anything of it until they got up to leave. 

"no i wanna check out that store. i'll go back on the bus." felix waved them off. 

chan frowned, "sure, ok… call if you need anything." 

"will do." 

jisung rolled his eyes, following chan to the older's car for the ride home. felix walked inside the store that was across the restaurant they had eaten at, he looked around, heart racing. 

he saw a small penguin plushie, smiling at it's fluffiness once he grabbed it. he made sure he had money before going to the register, paying and walking out. just as he did, he glanced at the restaurant and saw you. 

you stood there, lighting up a cigarette. when you glanced at him, you froze, both of you did. 

felix gripped the bag in his hand. it's been a month since the two of you broke up, quite a small amount of time considering everything. 

the reason the two of you ended things was no mystery to eithers friend group. you had suddenly gotten distant, claiming to focus on exams, which wasn't a lie. felix grew upset with the absence of you, and whenever he tried to reach out, you sounded uninterested.  

and it wasn't that you weren't,  you were just going through things. felix took it the wrong way, and the tip of the iceberg was when he saw you all touchy with someone else at a party you had said you wouldn't attend. 

instead of facing you, he played fire with fire. 

"hi…" your voice was soft, and you stared across from you, not wanting to face him. 

"hi." felix now stood next to you, staring across the street as well. 

there was a silence, and felix then glanced at the puff of smoke you let out. he was questioning himself, maybe he should go and wait for the last bus. maybe he should have gone back home with his friends. maybe-

"i'm sorry." 

felix snapped his head towards you, staring at you like a lost puppy. you were still facing across the street, cigarette in hand. 

"i'm sorry i didn't face you like i should have. i'm sorry i didn't talk things through with you… i really have no justifications for anything i did. maybe i was just confused, we were both just trying to pass our classes..you were just trying to make our relationship work… and i...i… " 

"you gave up." felix finished your sentence, now staring at the bag in his hands. 

you finally turned to look at him, "no... i got bored of trying. i got bored of us. of you."

each word made felix stagger, and you took a second to grab his hand, holding it gently. he blushed, staring down at your hand on his. 

"but i didn't want to let go of you." 

he swallowed, "then why did you…" 

"that's…a good question." you let go of his hand, and he was quick to take it again. 

"i'm sorry too. i think...we lacked communication." 

you smiled a bit, taking the cigarette in your mouth again.  "obviously...”

felix squeezed you hand, “do you think...we could try again?”

“you don’t hate me?”

he shook his head, “we were both at fault, do you hate me?”

“no....”

“so...wanna start from zero?”

you sighed, the puff of smoke intoxicating his nostrils. you didn’t pick up on smoking until after the two of you broke up, “yeah...i’d like that.”

“me too...and...jisung said you cooked our food, that true?”

“felix, i have no idea who comes into the restaurant. i just do my job.” you laughed softly, shaking your head, “but i’m the only cook today, so yeah, i guess i did. you enjoy it?”

he nodded, “i always enjoyed your food, still do.”

you tugged at his hand, “want a ride home?”

“yeah...”

[kookiepalette]

Geography Progect (Pt.1)

pairing(s): min yoongi x reader

summary: everyone has that one class that they hated the most and there was nothing in the world that could make that person like it. it was like a pain in the ass that wouldn’t just go away.

geography was that pain in the ass for y/n as it was a requirement for the junior to graduate the next academic year. with the help of her crush and countless of youtube videos, maybe geography wasn’t so bad after all.

word count: just over 3k

warning(s)/tag(s): love, pinning, one-sided, two sided, romance, procrastination, mean professors

______________

Starring at the mouth of the professor who just went on and on about the creation of rocks, Y/N sighed into the palm of her hands, wondering what she did to deserve this type of punishment.

This wasn't the first time that Geography was becoming a bore to her as time ticked on and her eye lids were becoming heavier, and it certainly would not be the last time she experienced it.

The class did not spark anything within her tired body and Y/N dreaded waking up on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and pushing herself to be in her seat by 9:00 am, with at least something to take her notes on.

Looking down at the bareness of the first page of the designated notebook for the class, it was going on the third week of school and she still did not have any notes written down. It was a shame to say, but there was no motivation whatsoever on her part.

Every week since the semester started, she promised herself that she wouldn't slack off like she did the prior semester, but once she took a seat in her unassigned, but assigned seat, it was already game over.

This class was basically a bore to her and just another requirement for her to graduate on time.

If she could, she would have dropped the class in a heartbeat, but that would mean that she would have to take Astrology instead, and trust and believe, she didn't want to have that class either.

Why in the fuck did she had to learn about streaming discharge when ultimately she wanted to be a elementary school teacher? It did not make any sense to her, but then again, a lot of things was questionable in her mind.

Having that thought of leaving this forsaken place that she paid thousands of dollars for to a classroom that was hers, but filled with eager learning children, made her heart swell.

Matter of factly, the thought made somewhat of an impact on the young woman as she grabbed a pencil from her pencil pouch that resembled a panda and wrote down the last sentence of the slide before the professor went on to the next topic of today's discussion.

Of course, that determination only lasted for about a minute before the pencil once again found its home in the pencil pouch and that one sentence was all she wrote on that piece of notebook paper.

Focusing her attention back of the movements of Mr. Jackson, he was the epitome of a boring person. Having a pair of slacks as choice of style and a white buttoned down to compliment it with, that was what he wore every time she visited his classroom. There was never a different color shirt or even a pair of jeans whatsoever.

The gray-haired geography teacher never knew how to change it up and the colorful Y/N was frustrated.

Did he not have a wife or a husband to tell him to add some colorfulness into his wardrobe?

Sighing again for the umpteenth time today, Y/N moved her wondering eyes from the aging professor to different spots around the lecture room where other students made the cut of waking up this morning and having the energy to be present for today's class time.

Watching as some held pens in their mouths, listening actively to what the old man had to say, others were typing furiously on their laptops as they didn't want to miss anything for the upcoming exam that was in two weeks.

Which that reminds Y/N. She mentally made a note in her head that as soon as this class was over, she needed to go to the library and watch YouTube videos on Geography to ace her first exam this semester.

And lastly, there were students like her that wasn't paying any attention to the man who never sat down to teach, but just watch the clock above his head mocking them as it was ticking by slower than usual.

It was only Monday and those students, just like Y/N, wanted to call it a day and do nothing else that was deemed productive.

Drumming her painted fingers that were starting to chip on the table in front of her and keeping a hand on her chin, her tired eyes finally found what they were looking for, and the fire inside her cheeks could not stop spreading.

That something or that person rather, was no other than Min Yoongi and there was not a day that goes by that Y/N did not think about this man and what he brought to the table.

The way he tapped his pen on his composition notebook when he was also bored or to they way he puffed his cheeks when he wasn't done writing down the notes from the slide, but the professor only speeding to the next topic to fit everything in during class time, was fascinating to her.

She wouldn't say that she was in love with the dark-haired, browned eye man.

But she couldn't deny the jump in her chest when he was in her presence.

Taking in his appearance and what he wore that day, Y/N could only spread her lips at the figure below her.

The slender man wore a somewhat oversized brown sweater and paired it off with some dark jeans. With the countless of earrings taking a seat in the different holes in his ears to the Chelsea boots gracing his feet, who couldn't take note and at it to their Pintrest board later on?

It was simple outfit to say the least, but the way that he wore it and because it was Min Yoongi, it was the best outfit that anyone could have created.

And please don't let her get started on that hair of his.

It was back to his original black state at it has been blonde for the last couple of weeks, but the way he ran his slender fingers through it to create a disheveled look, made it so much more attractive.

But shit, anything he wore was attractive in the eyes of Y/N and she only had feelings for this man ever since this class started and that was three weeks ago.

She has been at the University of Stalworth for three years now and not once did she have to privileged of having this man grace her presence not once and she was still flabbergasted.

Feeling someone starring at the black of his head, Yoongi turned his hunched figure slightly to catch they eyes of that said person, but he cocked his head to the side as he was only met with his classmates focusing their attention to the lecture at hand.

Shaking his head while frowning, Yoongi turned around and focused back on writing notes to pass the time.

Feeling her heart petter patter at almost getting caught starring, Y/N thanked her quick reflexes as she focused her attention back on the man that was twice her age.

She really had it bad for the man that never said a word to her, but of course, she knew that this was only a crush that will probably disappear with time, just like the other ones that she had in the past.

Shrugging her shoulders at the thought of another crush being added to her list and nothing ever happening with any of them, Y/N new she was destined to live the rest of her life teaching and coming home to millions of cats waiting for her at her doorsteps.

And the worst part of that though that came crashing into her head at this time of day is that the fucking cats would probably not be happy to have her home, but more mad that she was invading their space!

As if they were paying the rent for her apartment and not her!

But now thinking about it as she cocked her head to side and actually thought about it.

How much would it cost to have that many cats in one apartment?

The cat that she already had cost her an arm and a leg every month! What about a hundred of those pesky little things?

Just thinking about it made her want to try even harder in life to not be in that situation no time soon.

Just a couple of years at least.

"Miss Y/LN?" Mr. Jackson stopped his lecture and looked up a few rows of the hall  and made eye contact to the person that was interrupting his teaching. "Is there something more interesting at the back of Mr. Min's head than listening to something that will benefit your grade?"

Blinking her eyes as if she was waking up from a trance, Y/N was confused as she heard her name coming from the older man's mouth as he tapped his foot as if he was for her to say something.

"Sir?" Y/N asked in confusion as her voice rose a few octaves than it normal was.

Why was he coming for her when she did not do anything to be a distraction to this class?

"Once again, is there something more important on Min Yoongi's head than what is on my PowerPoint because if it is, I would certainly like to know," Mr. Jackson gave the disbelief girl a pointed look as a frown made its way to his wrinkled mouth.

Inwardly, Y/N wanted to shrink herself as tiny as possible as she was being called out in front of the whole class.

And shit, it did not make it any better that everyone had their eyes glued to her face, including the Min Yoongi.

Now he most definitely knew that she was a fucking creep to stare at him so openly and she could not wait to end back at home and drown in her misery.

More specifically with a carton of Ben and Jerry that was sitting in the back of refrigerator waiting to be eaten.

"No sir," Y/N finally broke the deadly silence as everyone in the room was waiting for her to answer. "There's nothing more interesting than your lecture," she finished off as she downcast her gaze with shame spreading throughout her body like wildfire.

"Well, I would like to think so as well," Mr Jackson shook his head at the young child before clicking his clicker to the next slide which so happens to be the last one for the day. "Please do not let it happen again Miss Y/L/N. I do not want it to become a reflection of your grade."

"Yessir," Y/N could only squeak out as she was beyond embarrassed.

This was a blow to her self-esteem and how could she ultimately rebound from this?

The snickers from the people beside her made her ears ring and it didn't make it any better that the stolen glance she made at Yoongi was the final nail in the coffin.

Seeing the ghostly smile tainted his pink lips as if he was enjoying the scene that played out in front of him as well, Y/N knew that that one carton of ice-cream waiting for her at home would not be enough to drown her misery away.

She most definitively needed more than three and that was just being generous.

......

Pulling the pink bubble jacket with one of her cold hands and grasping the now lukewarm coffee in the other one, Y/N cursed herself for deciding that today was the day to get out of the comfort of her bed and be productive today.

Of course, every day was supposed to be a productivity day, but when the weather app on her phone says a ninety percent chance of snow for the entire day and as well as for tomorrow, her body wanted to go back to sleep.

That meant nobody was in her presence at any time of the day and she could be comfortable in her own home.

Away from wandering eyes and the likes of others.

Finding where she wanted to spend the next couple of hours at, Y/N sat down her things and pulled the coat that was a Christmas present from her grandma years back. She knew that the quicker she get started, the quicker she would be done for the day.

Plopping down in one of the library's chairs with and uncomfortable grunt, Y/N should have recommended the university to put more money into the well-being of its students and not into the pockets of the higher ups.

But who was she exactly?

She was just a student just getting by, paying thirty thousand a year to get an education for the job she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

Getting past the hardness of her seat and the way the air conditioning in the building had her fingers trembling, Y/N turned on the computer to jump start her studying for the day.

Despite not wanting to do nothing on this Tuesday afternoon, she knew she needed to prove to that stinking professor that she was allowed to not do anything as long as her grades were high enough to do just that.

Typing into the engine bar on YouTube, Y/N could not stop herself from rolling her eyes at what she was typing.

Remembering the debacle she had to face in yesterday's class made her shudder in annoyance, and trust her, it wasn't from the below freezing temperature that she was currently stuck in.

Grabbing more ice-cream from the convenient store that was in route of her apartment and creating a safety net in her full size bed, Y/N truly kept to her word as she ate in misery.

Again, how would she know that daydreaming about anything and everything was not only going to get her in trouble with a certain individual that should not be named, but as well as called out in front of her newfound crush.

How embarrassing could her life get, knowing that Min Yoongi knew she was starring at him like he was the last piece of meat in a scarcity world.

"Fuck my life," she huffed as she clicked on the first video that hopefully would give her answer on the different glacial landforms on the North America continent.

Plugging her earphones into the computer and shoving them into both of her ears, Y/N could already feel the drowsiness over washing her.

Poking her lips out and focusing on the countless of videos that played after one other, Y/N felt more confident on what was going on in one of her classes now.

Who knew that the Green brothers with CrashCourse was going to be the answer to some of her problems?

Writing down the necessary things--well what she thought was important--and highlighting the main points, the notebook that once had just a sentence, was now looking more like a textbook.

Of course, as time went on and her handwriting was turning into chicken scratch, the snow outside was becoming heavier and as well as the sky becoming darker.

But that did not stop the determined woman. There are not a lot of times where Y/N had this energy to take notes, but when she did, she wanted to get the most out of it.

Ending a sentence with a period and stopping the video before autoplay went to the next one, Y/N decided that it was break time, and took the last sip of the now cold coffee.

Cracking her fingers and giving her body a much needed stretch, there was time for her to check her emails before finishing strong with her notes for today.

Clicking the email logo and waiting for it to load, Y/N sighed in tiredness as she could already feel her bed calling her name.

"Let's do this for a couple of more hours and when can head home," Y/N spoke to herself as if she was talking to a child.

That was the motivation for her and it always led to positive things in the past, but when her email loaded, all she could do was close her eyes and pray that this semester would not be her downfall.

The very first message that was on top of the food chain and waiting for her to open it, was no other than an announcement from Mr. Jackson, the devil himself.

Forcing down the insults that she wanted to scream from the top of her lungs to the pit of her stomach, Y/N clicked on it, knowing there was bound to be some bullshit spewing from his side of things.

Dear GY 103-011 students,

I hope all is well and you're guys are staying safe in this inclement weather. Per syllabus, this class has a project coming up that will be considered the first exam of this semester. I am reminding all of you now as the exam date is only two weeks away.

What the project is and based on is included in the link attached at end of this email. Because I am a nice professor, I am willing to let you guys work by yourself or with partners. Just to keep in mind, everyone should participate and I will know if it is last minute and or you didn't contribute at all.

Again, please stay safe as we are in the middle of bad weather and hopefully to see you guys tomorrow.

-Mr. Jackson.

Rereading the email over and over again, Y/N was somewhat content with having a project instead of an exam that was on paper. After realizing that she suffered from test anxiety after fainting during her ACT exam in high school, she always was thankful when she didn't have to take one.

Licking her chapped lips as she click on the link that told her the specifics of the project, the thankfulness for Mr. Jackson was starting to dwindle down once again as she read what she had to do to get a good marking on her first attempt of this class.

As clear as day, the project was basically collecting different types of soil around campus and determining what its type, its origin, and many other things that made Y/N more confused on everything.

Before this class, there was not a time that she thought that her small town, let along the world, had different types of fucking dirt.

Quickly reading the last part of the pdf, Y/N could only groan as the final thing to do was to write a lab report for her findings.

Remembering that all hope wasn't lost as she remembered the email, Y/N pulled her phone from her backpack and clicked on the GroupMe app for the class that was overtaking her simple life.

Typing into the chat, Y/N hoped someone in the class wanted to be her partner, and as well as teach her the different types of soil.

This wasn't a feat she wouldn't like to conquer herself and she was going to need someone to help her as well.

Not getting a response from anyone after awhile, Y/N just knew she was doomed from the start.

Knowing that she had her high school picture as her profile, they probably didn't want to work with her, knowing she like to stare at people.

Frowning at the words forming in her mind, Y/N decided that she needed extra time before going back to writing notes or starting on this project on her.

Typing in 'Funny Videos of Agust D in America" was the first thing she put in the search engine as she wanted to feel better and not cry in the middle of a library that barely no one used.

Before she could click on the video that she never seen, Y/N perked up when two GroupMe notifications popped up on her phone's screen.

Seeing that someone named Suga liked her message in the chat, Y/N could not help the smile forming on her face as he sent a private message as well.

SUGA: I saw that you're looking for a partner for the project and I was wondering if we could be partners.

SUGA: I also do not know shit about soil so I need help.

Hovering over her keyboard as she didn't know what to type exactly, Y/N was in the same predicament that he was in.

Y/N Y/L/N: What if I told you that I do not know anything about soil either?

SUGA: Well...

SUGA: Let's struggle together then.

Feeling like some type of weight has been lifted off of her shoulders, Y/N was glad that this person wanted to go with war with her.

Realizing that she didn't even know what this person looked like as their profile picture only showcased a cute, fluffy dog, Y/N wanted to know who was this person that she signed herself up to be partners with.

Not even wanting to delay anything, Y/N needed to finish the introductions and get started with this project.

Y/N Y/L/N: If you don't mind me asking, what's your name or is Suga your real name?

Waiting for the response to her question, Y/N decided to watch a funny video of her favorite artist.

Not even one minute into the video that she had gotten a reply and Y/N was ready to put a name to this mystery person.

SUGA: I'm the one that has the back of the head that you kept starring at in yesterday's class.

Dropping her phone onto the table and causing a loud thud that could be heard throughout the quiet room, Y/N could honestly say that her hear dropped to the bottom of her ass.

"Fuck my life," she mumbled to herself as she hit her forehead in annoyance.

How was she going to do a project with him when she can't even look him in the eyes.

But then again, she never had a one-on-one conversation with him to know that, but Hell, you get the point.

She was going to make herself look weirder without even trying around him and there was not enough Ben and Jerry's to go around for that.

Not at all.

[ask-ivory]

Chapter one: Welcome to Shade

Those hunk muffins earned it! I don't care what they thought. If they were so worried about their little dust company, then I would have sided with the Schnees.

"I'm done with dust." I told my stepfather, as we parted ways, "I want to be a huntress; a hero. And nothing is going to stop me!"

Those days were far behind me. Weeks of prepping and training were way in the past. I had passed the entrance exam, my real parents filled out the paperwork, my documents were handed in and I was on an airship bound for Shade Academy, in Vacuo.

My bags were packed the previous night (courtesy of my sand servents). I had barely slept last night, because questions like "what is Shade gonna be like?", "Who will be on my team?", "How many friends will I make?", And many more floated in my head. Now I was actually going there, flying at a hundred miles an hour towards my dream come true.

I wasn't the only one here on this airship. A hundred people, at least my age or older, were here on this airship with me. The Vacuo news was on the screen systems near the windows, (probably to keep the passengers from getting bored, because if so, things tend to get pretty ugly). The news was announcing the latest robberies from the technical laboratories in Vacuo. Normally the news doesn't really interest me, but now that I'm training, I'm beginning to wonder if a huntress fought more then just the Creatures of Grimm. If so, then I would also stop crime.

"Focus on the task at hand," I told myself, "Train and prepare to be a huntress first, fight evil Grimm and other junk like that later."

I gazed out the window, thinking about my brother Basin. He was already at the academy, starting on his third year. He told me about how great Shade Academy is, and sent me pictures of the school.

He also sent me pictures of his team, Team BLCK (Pronounced Black), and told me about each teammate. On his team, he had a pair of fox faunus twins, whose names were Larry and Kerry Steel (get it? Steal? Steel? I just got that). He also had a another guy named Cade Blackstone. All of them were the same age and followed in Basin's leadership (well, most of the time anyway).

He even snuck some pictures of his classes that he had attended in his first and second years (spoiler alert, he got into detention for that, but with a semblance like his, that rarely happened).

Anyway, before the day came to move here, I looked at the pictures over and over again, memorizing the school grounds, my brother's teammates (just in case they decided to kill me with pranks), and teachers' mad faces when they caught Basin taking illegal pictures in class (heh heh).

I thought about pulling my scroll out again to look at the pictures again, but then the news shut off on the screens and a holographic image of a woman appeared. She was tall with long black hair. Her bare arms were adorn with golden bracelets and she wore a sleeveless dress that faded with purple to blue at the waist, all the way down to green at the bottom. In her hair was a golden headset, decorated with peacock feathers. She had a pair of, what looked like fans, strapped to her golden belt. She had golden high heels that were so ridiculously high that she looked like she had ballerina slippers on. Her face was beautiful but in a harsh mother-knows-best-now-don't-cross-my-path-or-i-will-have-to-step-on-you, kind of way. She wore blue eyeshadow, which matched her eyes.

"Welcome back all returning students and greetings to our new first year students." Her voice sounded stern, like she had spent her free time yelling at bad puppies. "I am Professor Hera Peacock, your combat trainer for this year. You are all very privileged to be attending this excellent institution. The world of Remnant is moving at an incredible length of pace, maintaining it's peace and prosperity. As future hunters, your training here will be vital to your future career. I wish you the best of luck"(I don't think she meant this part)" and welcome again to Shade Academy." The hologram turned off after finishing the welcome speech.

I looked out the window to find that the airship was just yards away from the landing docks. I ran to get my bags, but I bumped into someone.

"Ow!" I exclaimed.

"Ohff!" My accident responded. We both fell backwards.

"Sorry." I apologized, getting up, "I'm soo-" then my voice left me speechless. The girl I bumped into stood up.

The girl wore a sleeveless dress that started at gold and faded to orange and ended with blue. The dress itself was short at the knees. Her hair matched her dress, but only matched to the fading orange part. She wore a black belt, with pouches for dust on the side, and a pair of golden swords, that appeared to be folded in half, were attached to the back. She wore dark blue shoes with star patterns on them. Her eyes were a light crystal blue. But her wings were the thing that unnerved me.

On her back was a blinding white pair of wings. She was definitely a faunus, but she was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. In the few months that I lived in Vacuo, I had seen faunus of all types and traits: everything from ram's horns to lizard's tails. I had only heard of faunus with wings from the stories my father told me, the tales of the Great War. One of the things he said was that after the Siege of Vacuo, the winged faunus who fought with Vacuo just left and never returned. I heard people say that the chances of a faunus born with wings were pretty rare.

But here I was. And here she was.

"You can stop starring now." the girl said. "Just please, don't make any jokes."

"Oh no!" I protested "I wasn't planning on making jokes about your wings. It's just, I've never seen anything like this before. Their beautiful."

The girl seemed to brighten up at this comment, "You really think so?"

"Of course! I heard that having wings is a really rare trait. I've never seen it in person before."

"Yeah..." the girl muttered "That's what everyone thinks. Their not exactly right though...."

"Wait. What?"

"Nothing." the girl held out her hand. "I'm Lyra by the way. Lyra Phoebus."

"And I'm Aliar Ivory." We shoke hands.

"Oh!" Lyra exclaimed,"you are a first year student, are you?"

"Of course." I responded. "I'm so excited to start the year. But..." I hesitated "I'm also kinda nervous too. Even though my brother told me what Shade Academy's like, I still don't know what to expect."

"Is your brother a huntsman?"

"No, he's a third year. His name is Basin Obsidian, and he's the leader of team BLCK." I pulled my scroll out of my purse. "I've got pictures of him and his team. And..." I added with a smile, "He managed to sneak some pictures of the classes we'll be attending. Wanna see?"

She was about to respond when the speakers overhead turned on, "Attention students, we are about to land. Please bring all personal belongings with you as you leave the airship. Another reminder to reclaim your baggage and suitcases before you enter the school. For returning students, please meet up with your team leaders and move your things to your assigned dorms. For first years, once you have retrieved your items, please drop them off at the Great Hall. All students will meet in the auditorium for the ordination speech in eighty minutes. Welcome to Shade Academy."

People started flocking towards the exit. I could feel the ship landing slowly under my feet.

"Come on!" Lyra grabbed my wrist and started pulling me towards the door,"The pictures can wait. We're about to see the real thing!"

She dragged me out the door into the golden sun. The cool atmosphere of the airship turned to scorching desert heat in a heartbeat. Momentarily, I was binded by the shinning rays of the sun. When I adjusted to the light, I couldn't find the words to describe what I saw, or how I felt.

In front of me was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my entire life. Shade Academy was a huge palace-like building, maby eighty years old, it was several stories high, surrounded by a tropical court yard. It looked really good which is saying alot because nowadays, it's hard to find beauty in Vacuo. Now I'm not saying that it was perfect, because it wasn't. Some of the sandstone benches were broken, and the marble memorial wall was well worn. Not to mention the entire courtyard had a decent layer of sand covering it, but this was Vacuo, so there wasn't much they could do about that, (but that kind of thing doesn't really bother me very much.) Despite all it's flaws, I loved it. It was even grander then Atlas.

"This place is great!" Lyra exclaimed.

"And packed." I added, "come on. Let's get our things."

One thing I learned the hard way about Vacuo: all sence of order and organization is tossed out the window.

There was no line or anything. Just a crowd of people trying to get to there things before any of it got stolen. We squeezed through the crowd and barely managed to get our stuff (not-so-cool fact: it took us at least twenty minutes, which is generous because it probably took longer.) The airship wasn't too tightly packed, but other airships were coming in, some had even more people than our airship. All of the luggage was delivered in a big package mess of chaos, so we had to shuffle through hundreds if not thousands of bags and hope we didn't grab the wrong luggage. It was so crowded that at one point, Lyra said that she needed air. So she climbed on a random guy's back while he was leaning over to grab a suitcase, and leaped into the air,(yes, dear readers, we somehow managed to stay together the whole time, though, I'm still not entirely sure how.)

Much later, we finally stumbled out of the crowd. I was sweating so hard, I wondered how I didn't faint. We collapsed on one of the stone benches. Small groups of students (probably teammates, probably friends) were walking around the courtyard talking about their vacation time, or maybe some of them were new students becoming friends. Most of the students were trying desperately not to trip and fall as they hauled their things indoors. A few managed, but others had no such luck. One poor guy accidentally opened his suitcase while he was pulling it out of a sand dune, and all of his things fell out. Another guy, maybe a friend or family member, dropped his things too help his buddy out. It made me glad to see that, even though it was a rough start for everyone, the school and the students still kept the same respect that Vacuo had for it's people.

Well... almost everyone.

"Hey! Your in my seat!"

Startled, I turned to see a tall blonde girl barely managing to stand straight and tall in her fancy clothes. And when I say fancy, I mean something a casual Atlisian citizen would wear: a sleeveless pink dress with a faint flower print towards the bottom. She wore a pair of hot pink high heels that were so ridiculously high, that I thought she was going for the floating princess look. Her face was covered in a super heavy layer of makeup. Her blonde hair was streaked with pink all over the place, and she was oviously wearing hair extensions, because there was no way that her hair was long enough to touch her butt.

"I'm sorry," I said as I looked at her sideways, "you must have the wrong bench."

"And the wrong school." Lyra added.

The blonde gave Lyra a distasteful look. "No one asked for your opinion, weirdo. By the way, are those pillows on your back? Or are you supposed to be some kind of 'rare' species or something?"

Lyra's face burned with hate "They're wings. And before you ask, yes, they are real."

"Well," the blonde sneered "I don't know what kind of trash is going through the headmistress' mind, recruiting freaks like you into one of the most famous combat schools in the world. You're definitely not worthy of even being here."

I was so mad that I got to my feet in an instant. "Well at least this is the most friendly kingdom in Remnant. In Atlas, they don't give a dime about anyone unless your rich. They definitely don't like faunus. And because of that, I think that Atlas is a crappy kingdom. I bet that you come from a rich, spoiled, ignorant, family who only cares about themselves. I wonder what would've made them hate you so much for them to send you to place that's to low for your standards."

She was so mad, that I thought she was going to blow a fuse. "What?! How dare you just assume..."

"I'm not assuming!" I snarled. "I was raised in Atlas. And I know first hand how awful the people are."

"You traitor!" She shrieked. "How dare you betray your home kingdom like..."

"Like what?" A taller girl walked up. She had deep red eyes, which shone behind a pair of circular spectacles. Her long brown hair was tied back in twin braids, and her bangs with red streaks were parted. She mainly wore dark red and brown colors, with gold as an accent. The only thing I could say was different about her, besides her clothes and her neat appearance, was her accent. I wouldn't say she sounded atlesian. Maybe she was half and half? I don't know. I couldn't tell how she felt because she looked pretty emotionless, but my guts told me she was far from pleased. I could tell because her position was rather tense and her tone was rather stiff.

"This little brat is talking trash about her home kingdom! She needs to be put in her place!" The blonde shook her head, flouncing her overdyed hair. The other girl rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her hip. She used her other hand to push her spectacles in place.

"Sounds more like you need to be put in your place. If you wanted people who looked, walked and talked like you as friends, then you should have gone to Atlas. You made a poor choice in Academy chosing. Your physic doesn't even look huntress worthy. It's a surprise you even passed the Shade academy entrance exam." The girl bluntly stated, causing the blonde to glare daggers right through her newfound enemy.

"I-it's not my fault I was sent to this garbage kingdom! I was forced to! By my parents!" The blonde protested.

"Huh, how fun. It's a shame really. If this is an Atlesian tradition, then it must suck like crazy. What forced your parents to send you here, when you could have been at home, spoiled rotten to the core?" The girl grinned wryly. Boy, there was no end to the shame this girl could endow upon that blonde.

"And besides," I added, "Technically, I was born in Vacuo. So that gives you no valid excuse to call me racist."

"And I've visited Atlas in the past." Lyra said in a sour tone. "Do you want to know what I think of Atlas? It's an illusion. An illusion to all the people outside and in. People look at Atlas and think it's the best and most advanced kingdom of the present. But like any illusion, it can shatter in an instant. If you think Atlas is a great kingdom, then you can believe that if you want to. Nothing lasts forever."

"I've been born and raised in Atlas, and I will say that my lifestyle sucked, which is why I left to live in Vale. My only friend was a faunus, who was beaten and discriminated because of her faunus traits and family status. I agree with the standard that Atlas is nothing more then a mere fantasy. You can enjoy your beliefs, but watch where it will lead you, because it may lead you straight to your doom." The dark girl joined in. She wasn't even fazed by the Barbie girl's reaction. She just glared laser eyes through her plastic frame.

The blonde girl was looking at all of us with a murderous glare, "Well, I can't stand for any of this trash. I'm heading inside to find more sensible people to talk to. I think you all are a bunch of a..."

Her cuss word ( I'll let you guess which one,) was cut off by a squeal of joy that was so loud, that I almost had to cover my ears. It came from all the way across the courtyard, where the students were being dropped off from the airships. I couldn't see who exactly screamed, but she was definitely loud enough to silence the whole courtyard.

"Wow." I said in a small voice, "Someone's definitely excited."

"I bet even the people inside heard that, too." Lyra added. The dark girl nodded in agreement.

After a moment of silence, the blonde said, "Let this be a warning to you. If I see you ever again, then I will beat the stuffing out of you."

She gathered her four hot pink colored bags, and started struggling to get her things to the academy.

"What a jerk," the dark girl said, "I hope I'm never on a team with that girl."

"Um..." I looked more closely at the stranger and instantly realized something: the only luggage she had was a leather backpack. "Hey. Where are your bags?" I asked.

"I dropped them off at the Grand Hall." She said casually, "I kept my backpack on me just in case."

"Huh." Lyra nodded, "ok, who are you?"

"I'm Dracella. Dracella von Burgundy."

"Hi, there." I said "I'm Aliar Ivory." I helt out my hand. Dracella took my hand, and we shook.

"And I'm Lyra Phoebus. " Lyra shook hands with the new girl.

"Are you an Ivory?" asked Dracella.

"I am." I responded, "but I'm not into business, I'm a fighter."

"Interesting." Dracella said. "My uncle told me about the Ivory family. My parents don't like you guys."

"Um... Does this make us enemies?"

"No. In order for us to be enemies, we have to hate each other. I don't hate you."

Lyra let out her breath like she was relieved, "Thank goodness. Cause I thought you were gonna..."

"Take a selfie!!!" A squeaky voice behind me exclaimed.

I almost jumped out of my shoes. Behind us was the girl with the exact same voice that echoed throughout the courtyard. Except, she wasn't a girl, she was a faunus. She was wearing a vertically stripped skirt patterned with black and white. She wore a magenta colored shirt with short puffy sleeves, and a darker purple button-up vest on top of that. She had a pair of dark purple high heeled boots on. Also, she was wearing a tie across her neck. I usually thought that ties were worn by business workers, but she wore it like a practical joke. Her crazy, purple colored hair and matching colored cat ears only made her look more unprofessional, but in a good way. Maybe it was her black gloves that gave off the message that she wasn't here to mess around. With a folding fan on her belt, a scoll in her hand, and a look of pure craziness on her face, she looked like she was ready to fight an army of Grimm, then take a bunch of selfies of herself right next to the decaying corpses. Then, she'd probably take selfies with her scroll on every inch of the campus.

All in all, she looked like someone from the lower classes of Atlas, or maybe someone from Minstral.

"How did you get here?" Asked Lyra.

"I took the scenic route." She sounded like a girl who was living the life of a party. "Oh! And my name is Catness Magenta."

We all exchanged names. Then Dracella said that she had to go text her cousin before the welcoming ceremony, and she ran into the school.

"So," Catness asked, "Why aren't you two inside the building?"

I face palmed myself. "Right!" Then I turned to Lyra, "We should get our bags to the Grand Hall."

"Well if you wanna talk later, then I'm always available." Catness offered. Then she smiled, flashing two rows of shiny white teeth, and disappeared.

For a minute we didn't say anything. Lyra piped up first. "Huh. That was a thing."

"We should probably go drop our stuff off." I suggested. I picked up my black duffle bag and slung it over my shoulder. Then I grabbed my two white suit cases by the handles and got to my feet. Lyra grabbed a golden suitcase and a blue duffle bag.

"Yeah," she agreed, "We don't want to be late."

I amplified my Aura and the sand beneath my feet solidified, creating a solid ground for me to walk on.

"Lyra," I told her, "I may have just met you and I think you're a good person. I hope maybe we can be on a team together. Or at least be friends."

Lyra smiled. "Well we can be friends. And I think I could definitely live with you on the same team as me. But..." Her smile faded, "I don't know how they pick the teams. Let's just hope the system's friendly enough to at least let us make a choice."

"One can only hope." I muttered. "Wanna meet me at the auditorium after we drop our stuff off?"

"Sounds fun to me." Then she took off, flying over the scorching sand, with her suitcase dangling in the air.

"Oh yeah." I smiled as I walked towards the Grand Hall. "This may be a tough first year, but it's gonna be fun."

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