Walk

After the bell rang, Emilia entered the hallway with the three sisters. When they set out, Emilia walked in the middle of the pack while the others surrounded her. Each sister stood at five-foot-seven, with Cassia slightly taller. Thus, they towered over Emilia’s five-three frame. I’m like a dwarf to these girls. 

As the pack traveled, Emilia wondered why these runway models bothered talking to her. I mean, I can understand it's their first day and they don’t know anyone. But I’m sure the more popular girls would prefer to show them around. 

However, even with the thought in mind, the sisters did something unexpected while they walked. They greeted students and even made small talk. 

“Hi, good morning. Yeah, today is our first day. My name is Cassia. Hey, I’m Mina. I’m Angel, nice to meet you. I like your earrings, are they silver?”

This went on until the warning bell rang, thus forcing Emilia and Angel to ditch the pack and run to class. “Oh no, we shan't be late!” Angel said, pulling Emilia by the wrist.

Sister Angel

Once inside the classroom Angel went straight to the teacher and explained the situation. “Hello, Ma’am. Yes, I’m an international transfer from Norway. What’s that? Of course, I speak Norwegian, who doesn’t? Hahaha!”

While Angel spoke to both the teacher and other students, Emilia observed her. And like her two sisters, Angel was ridiculously pretty. She had light-brown eyes with perfect brows and matching golden-brown hair. Capped with a posh English accent. Like an actress from the old movies. 

But as she interacted with the other girls, Emilia noted that Angel had a forward personality that commanded both attention and compliance from the moment she stepped in the room. 

“Yes, Ms. Teacher, so I’ll be sitting with Emilia. Oh, that other student can move to the seat behind, I’m sure she won’t mind. You don’t mind, do you dear? How lovely of you.”

Moments later, the class started and Angel sat next to Emilia. “Excellent. Now I can read that heavy book you're carting around,” Angel said. 

“Heh.” Emilia chuckled. 

“What’s funny?” 

"Nothing. It's just that you flew in here like a whirlwind and started demanding things and got them.”

“I asked nicely, didn’t I?”

“Sure, I guess,” Emilia said. “But my point is your confidence is something.”

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean. Most new girls would be quiet as a mouse on their first day of school. Especially if they don’t know anyone. But you walked into both the homeroom and here like you owned the place. Then fearlessly started talking to people and asking for things.”

“Oh?” Angel sat back, wearing the perpetual scowl she seemed to always have. “Was I inappropriate?”

“Eh? No, you did nothing wrong!” Emilia said. “In fact, it’s quite empowering meeting a girl like you.”

“Empowering?” Angel’s eyes lit up. 

“Yes. And being like that is good within reason. But if you do it too much, people will think you're a bully.”

“Ah, I understand.” Angel nodded. “Thank you for the advice.”

“No problem.” 

From then on, Angel sat quietly reading the textbook and listening to the teacher's lecture. As for Emilia, her stress level calmed from the morning’s events. Her day started with a bad dream, followed by Rebecca coercing her plus-one ticket from her. She wasn’t nice about it at all. Until finally, tasked with chaperoning the idol-sisters who transferred into the school this morning. What a strange day. Emilia shrugged as the teacher continued the lesson. 

Pulse 

After the class ended, Emilia and Angel stepped out in the hallway. While there, Angel spoke with two of the smarter girls about student government in the school. But when the girls asked for Angel's contact, the confident sister was clueless. 

“Forgive me, I just received this mobile device yesterday. So I have no idea how information is stored in it,” Angel said. 

“Heh, heh, what?” Emilia chuckled at how Angel talked and didn't know how to use a phone. The average American girl had a phone glued to their hand. Yet Angel stared at it like it was a ten-part physics problem.

"Don't laugh. I'm just not used to this particular device, hmph!"

“It just takes practice,” Emilia said, demonstrating an app to Angel. “You can save names and numbers here.”  

“Well, look at that,” she replied. “These are fascinating machines, aren't they?” 

“Yes, they are.” Emilia smiled since Angel’s lack of basic tech knowledge gave her a grounded charm. Which made Emilia like her more. Hee, hee. Angel is cute. But still, the bell is going to ring. 

Emilia tapped Angel’s shoulder. “Hi, your next class is on the third floor. But I gotta go downstairs and put this textbook back in my locker.”

“That's fine. What do you have now?” Angel asked. 

“Math with your sister, Mina.”

“Ah,” Angel grinned. “In that case, please take care of her. She doesn’t have the textbook.” 

“I know, and I will.” Emilia then waved goodbye to Angel before hustling downstairs. 

Full

As soon as Emilia reached the wall-locker, the door handle wouldn't open. Please don’t do this again. She jiggled the mechanism to no avail. Then a voice spoke out.

“Having trouble?”

“Ah?” When Emilia turned, there stood Mina in her full form. A black-haired beauty in a slim, shapely body. And in her presence, Emilia shook. “H-hello again. And, no. I’m fine. My locker, just.”

"Right." Mina gently pushed Emilia aside, glared at the door locking mechanism, and then tapped it. “Try it now.”

“Hm?” Emilia jiggled the latch and it functioned like new. “Wait. Did you just fix it?”

“Yeah.”

“But how?” Emilia asked, opening and closing the door with ease. 

“It just wanted attention. Now come on. You don’t want to be late for class, do you?” 

“No." Emilia shut the locker. But when she turned around Mina had walked down the hall. "Oh, wait for me."

Math

When the girls made it to math, Emilia followed Angel’s example from the previous class. She went straight to the teacher and explained that, “Mina is a transfer student and she should sit next to me since she doesn’t have a textbook yet.”

“That’s fine. Take your seat,” the teacher replied. 

But when Emilia sat down, she noticed Mina standing and talking with another pretty dark-haired girl. Stephanie. Emilia’s heart sank. She’d forgotten Stephanie was in this class. And when she glanced up again, they were exchanging contacts while Stephanie giggled. Emilia rolled her eyes just as the late bell rang. 

“All right, class, let’s begin,” the teacher said. 

Mina sat next to Emilia and opened a notebook. Emilia then asked her a question. “Hey, Mina?”

“Yeah?”

“Why do you want to sit with me and not with, I don’t know, somebody like Stephanie?”

"Hm?" Mina squinted. “Who’s Stephanie?”

“Huh? She’s the girl you were talking to over there. I think you exchanged numbers.”

“Ah, that girl? Yeah, we were talking about the volleyball team. She said there are tryouts today after gym.”

“Oh.” Emilia faced forward. Embarrassed that she even asked the question.

“But why should I sit next to her?” Mina asked, clearing her hair from her face. “Is she good at math?”

“Um. No. Not particularly.” 

“Yeah, that’s what I figured. So sitting with you is best.”

“Heh.” Emilia smiled. She was happy Mina chose her over Stephanie. But now Mina had a question.

“Hey, Emilia. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Why do you have white hair?”

“Ah?” The question was a punch to the gut. The things Emilia could not change but wanted to. Being short, having bad eyesight, and having unnatural white hair. Worse, she hated having to explain her hair but had experience. “I was born with a bad case of Poliosis. It affects my hair pigment.” 

“Is that right?” Mina stared at the white locks. “Can I touch it?”

“Eh?” Red-faced and uncomfortable, Emilia shrank back. But she wouldn’t tell Mina no. “Sure, if you want to.”

Mina leaned in close. And with a smile, she caressed Emilia’s bangs. “Nice, I like it.”

“You do?” Emilia blushed. “Well, thank you. But before my grandma passed she said my hair was white because I was cursed.”

“Cursed, huh?” Mina squinted.

“That’s what she told me.”

“Yeah, but she’s dead. So what does she know?” 

“What? Pfft! Ha, ha!” Emilia burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. It’s just, I wasn’t expecting you to say that, heh.” 

Mina shrugged. “I call it as I see it.” She then sat straight and began working out the math problems on the board.

Meanwhile, Emilia noted that Mina was different from Angel. Whereas Angel had a deliberateness to her presence, Mina was easygoing. She rarely said more than: Hey, yeah, alright, and cool. And when she did walk and talk, she had authentic swagger. And Emilia adored it. 

Schedule

After a full period of math, the bell rang. But as the students entered the hallway Mina turned to Emilia. 

“You have gym with me at eighth period, right?”

“Yes,” Emilia squeaked. 

“I might try out for the volleyball team. What about you?”

“Me?” Emilia frowned. “No, I guess you can do that with your friend Stephanie. Since she also has eighth period gym.”

“Cool.” Mina nodded. “But hey, do you think you could teach me the rules of the game real quick?”

“The Rules? Of volleyball?”

“Yeah, I don’t want to look like a complete newb when I try out.”

“Uh.” Have you been living under a rock? “Sure, I can look up some videos and walk you through it later,” Emilia answered, displaying her phone. 

“Thanks. Appreciate the help.” 

Mina then squeezed Emilia’s shoulder. And when she did, that weird euphoria swept over Emilia again. Only this time, it touched her down below. Oh my. She badly wanted to reach under her skirt and adjust herself, but a wave of shame stopped her. What’s wrong with me? Why am I like this? She then glanced up at Mina and just stared at her. 

“Hm?” Mina looked back. “You ok?”

“I’m fine.”

“Alright. See you at lunch.”

“Yeah. See ya.”

And with that, Mina strutted off. While Emilia watched her.

…