Stop the fight!

"Hey, hey!" I clumsily pushed myself between them, not even completely sure of what I was doing myself.

"Who do you think you are?" The catty girl arguing with Nyx spat at me.

"We shouldn't be arguing!" I sputtered. Onyx was blinking in disbelief at what I had just done. Still, somehow her delight in the fact that I was there seemed to shove aside anything else she might have been feeling at that moment.

"Kailyn! You're in my group!" She slapped my back a bit too forcefully.

"Oww!" I whined, trying to rub my shoulder.

"Look here, Rah-lee-lee," Onyx was apparently mocking this girl's name, "Kailyn here is my friend and she will back me up on anything. So, you just stay out of our way." Nyx folded her arms over her chest and stood in a smug sort of way, looking down her nose at the girl who clenched her teeth. I felt uneasy, not pleased with being thrown onto either side of this argument, whatever it had been about.

"Ugh, of course this loser would be your friend," She rolled her eyes. "Get it, girl!" She looked at me. "My name is Raleigh, not 'Rah-lee-lee' or whatever this witch wants to call me. You had better never do the same thing!" Then she stomped a few paces away from us.

"Kay-lee-lee~" Nyx playfully called me as she draped one arm around me. "I'm so glad you're in this group, too! If I'd been stuck with only Rah-lee-lee over there, then I don't know what I'd do." She playfully made gagging noises.

"You know her?" I inquired. "What did she ever do to you?"

"Ugh, what hasn't she done?" Onyx sighed. "I've known her since I was like five, and she has always just been the worst!"

"But it's kind of amazing that you both ended up at this academy, isn't it? Maybe it's time to start a new leaf with each other," I suggested. Onyx only sighed again, shaking her head as though it could never happen.

After our group gathered, our representative led us to our hall. The walk from the main academy building to the dormitory building was an insanely long one. This place was just way too massive. The dormitory building had at its center a huge atrium-like glass dome that loomed over a large hallway which broke into smaller hallways at different intervals. At either side of this large hallway were study areas with walls lined with bookshelves, and there seemed to be some sort of indoor garden there on either side as well.

Eventually, our trek broke off into one of the smaller hallways and then into our common room, fully decorated with comfortable furniture, a snack bar, a gaming area, and even a more secluded and quiet reading area. The common room had a large desk that sat before a glass elevator which appeared to lead up to the dormitories themselves. Our representative went behind the desk and called for our attention.

"As you know, I am Suzie, or Miss Suzie if you like. I'll be your representative and your 'hall mom,' as it were, during the day." She pointed across the common room to another large desk where a man stood speaking to a group of boys I didn't recognize. "That is Mister Grover. He will also be here during the day to help support you, as that group of boys over there and you girls here will share this common area. This evening when you are called down for dinner, you will meet your evening representatives, alright?"

Miss Suzie was young and softspoken. She was pretty small for an adult, but still looked like she could easily have a temper, so I needlessly felt a bit intimidated by her. She went over a few of the basic rules, like no boys in our dormitory hall and no sneaking out after curfew, the kinds of things you would expect. Then, she led us up to the third floor on the glass elevator, pointing out the staircases along the way. Once we reached the third floor, she told us to go and choose our rooms.

Choose our own rooms? Really? The idea was strange to me, but the other girls hurriedly ran to have a look at the rooms. Onyx rushed off quickly on her long, thin legs and was down at the very end of the hall before I knew it. I was at the same pace with another girl who seemed quite sweet. She went by Jade, though her name in her native language was a bit different.

Jade had a soft cyan color to her hair that went just past her shoulders in a gentle wave. Her bluish-green eyes were vibrant and inviting, though her shyness and mine probably would not have made much for conversation. She chose a room right at the middle of the hall and smiled at me as she came back out.

"You should choose the one next to mine," her grin was cute and endearing. But at nearly the same time, Onyx was waving at me and calling.

"Come choose the room across from me!" She said.

Which room should I choose, I wondered...

>>> The room next to Jade's.

>>> The room across from Onyx's.

Head straight for my rep.

Hesitantly, I started moving toward my designated representative like all the other students seemed to be doing. Still, I couldn't help but pause for a moment and take a look around to see where our telepathic speaker may have gotten off to. He was no where to be seen, so I began to worry unnecessarily about this person I didn't even really know at all.

Hyde DeLancie had already made his way to his representative while I had been distracted so I didn't have the chance to say any sort of farewell. But there was a familiar face in the group standing before my own representative. 

Nyx! I thought. There she stood, tall and slender, her straight black hair gracefully swaying across her back as she seemed to argue with another girl who I did not recognize. I rushed up to them, not sure if I even should, but something was telling me to stop the fight. 

The girl she was snapping at was just a bit shorter than me and she had fiery red hair and wore bright makeup, heavily caked on. Glossy red lipstick that you could spot from anywhere was slathered onto her lips and shone as she snapped back in a really catty way to Onyx Grell, the girl I had made friends with over my first lunch at the academy.

As I made my approach, their little spat was revealed to be a bit more intense than I cared for. Should I intervene?

>>> Stop the fight!

>>> Let them get it out of their systems.

The person I've been hearing in my head!

I recognized his voice instantly. Ever since I arrived on campus, I had been hearing his voice in my head. I thought I had been losing my mind. I thought things might have been all over for me. But there he was on that massive stage inviting us to sit and listen and introducing us to our new lives at Romana Scientific Academy.

I remembered all the negative things I'd heard him saying earlier inside my mind. I can't believe it's happened, and This is all my fault! All these students are here because of me! He had sounded desperate and angry, as though some elusive danger awaited us here upon our arrival. But I couldn't figure out why I had been having those thoughts.

Now, the very voice behind those intrusive thoughts stood before me as a real separate human being. How? All I could do was stare in awe at this person as he spoke. He sounded so composed in front of the few hundred of us first students of Romana in the audience. I could still somehow feel the turmoil within him despite it all. So I wished with all my heart to send him pleasant, encouraging thoughts. You're doing great! Don't give up!

You. I heard his voice in my head, even while he was speaking. You are different than the rest, somehow. Your power... He never finished that thought. My power? What power?

"Are you okay?" I heard a whisper and looked to my right. It was Hyde, with a concerned look on his face.

"I'm okay," I whispered back, and tried to remove any trace of worry from my expression as I listened to the rest of the speech.

Once the speech was over and we had been officially inducted as students in the academy, people began to get up and disperse. We were supposed to head to our common rooms and would be led by the representative we would have met when we first arrived. I decided to...

>>> Head straight for my rep.

>>> Make my way to the speaker.

Kailyn in the Auditorium

I opened the doors to the auditorium. The room was massive, with two great wings of seats on either side of the main middle-stage seating and a balcony above my head, held therein a number of seats I could only imagine. There also appeared to be box seats separated from the rest, just like at some fancy opera house.

The stage itself was also really impressive, but my thoughts turned elsewhere as I was sliding into a row to find myself a seat when someone bumped into me from behind.

"Excuse, I'm so sorry," I heard his perfect voice for the first time and turned to see that perfect face of his onto which gorgeous golden locks carefully fell, slightly obscuring his incredibly virid green eyes. He was so perfect, I almost hated him instantly. Still, my breath was gone and despite all that time I spent psyching myself up to overcome my anxiety and shyness, I was suddenly more timid than I had ever been.

"I-it's okay!" I managed to squeak out. He seemed amused by my stutter and chuckled. I was so embarrassed and I could feel the heat practically burning my cheeks as I blushed.

"Is it alright if I sit here?" He asked.

I then realized I had basically collapsed into one of the chairs instead of moving farther down. And he was requesting to sit beside me. What should I do??

>>> "It's no problem, go right ahead."

>>> "I'm sorry, you'll have to sit elsewhere."

"I'm sorry, you'll have to sit elsewhere."

I wanted to say the words, I really did. I had every intent of saying them, but when I opened my mouth to speak, nothing came out. So, I did the best I could under the circumstances.

Nothing. I couldn't even manage to shake my head.

I felt like an idiot.

"My name is Hyde. Hyde DeLancie," He introduced himself confidently. Why he felt the desire to introduce himself to me, however, was more than I could wrap my tiny little pathetic baby brain around. Oh, wait, he was holding out his hand. I fumbled. Trying to move only my hands.

He reached over and took my hand for me, smiling brilliantly all the while. What was this? Is this guy mocking me? I wondered.

"M-my name is Kai," my voice was failing me once again. I couldn't even finish my own name.

"It's nice to meet you, Kay," he replied, going with the bit I managed to get out. Well, at least Kay was partially correct, as it was a nickname others had for me before. I politely nodded, but the entrance ceremony began before I could actually manage to speak again. And the person speaking was none other than...

>>> The person I've been hearing in my head!

>>> The actual person of my dreams!

"It's no problem, go right ahead."

I wanted to say the words, I really did. I had every intent of saying them, but when I opened my mouth to speak, nothing came out. So I did the best I could under the circumstances.

I nodded emphatically. He laughed at me.

I felt like an idiot.

"My name is Hyde. Hyde DeLancie," He introduced himself confidently. Why he felt the desire to introduce himself to me, however, was more than I could wrap my tiny little pathetic baby brain around. Oh, wait, he was holding out his hand. I fumbled. Trying to move only my hands.

He reached over and took my hand for me, smiling brilliantly all the while. What was this? Is this guy mocking me? I wondered.

"M-my name is Kai," my voice was failing me once again. I couldn't even finish my own name.

"It's nice to meet you, Kay," he replied, going with the bit I managed to get out. Well, at least Kay was partially correct, as it was a nickname others had for me before. I politely nodded, but the entrance ceremony began before I could actually manage to speak again. And the person speaking was none other than...

>>> The person I've been hearing in my head!

>>> The actual person of my dreams!