Reina twirled and skipped alongside her friends. Felicie was doing the same next to her. Nun Sis always complained about her seemingly endless amount of energy and how much it tired her out. Reina thought that was crazy. How could energy tire you out? Nonetheless, she was glad to be friends with a girl who could finally match her energy.

The others.....not so much.

“Can you not skip so much?” Juliet asked.

“Yeah, I feel like I’m going to throw up from trying to keep up with you two,” Monica heaved. Reina grinned and sped into her private space. Before she could react, Reina tapped her nose, said, “Boop,” and retreated again.

Monica shook her head. “What was that for?!”

Reina nibbled on her lower lips and smiled. “Just curious.”

Monica shook her head, confused. “About what?”

Reina shot her a smug grin before dashing off, cartwheeling next to Felicie. “Where are we going?”

Felicie cleared her throat. “After many hours of strenuous research-“

Juliet scoffed. “More like 5 seconds.”

“-I have come to the conclusion we should head to the auditorium! Let’s go!” Felicie hopped over the word block smoothly. Encircling her arm with hers, Reina slowed Felicie down.

“I think you old slowpokes need some rest,” Reina whispered.

Felicie giggled. “I think so too.”

“We can hear you! And we’re not old, we’re the same age as you! Well, maybe not Reina but-“ Dawn began.

Reina slammed her foot down onto the ground in exasperation. “Why does everybody say I look young? I’m 14! Four-teen years old, get it straight!” Reina fumed.

“You’re picky about your age, you know that?” Juliet asked.

“Hold it!” Felicie snapped out an arm. “It seems we are in a very big predicament.”

“Can you stop saying big words?” Reina asked. “It’s making my head hurt.”

Dawn stared at her in disbelief. “Are you sure you’re 14?”

“Anyway-!” Felicie interrupted. “I’m lost.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” April deadpanned. Felicie immediately blushed.

“I’m not! We really are lost!” she insisted. Reina bit back a chuckle. It wasn’t nice to laugh at somebody, no matter how funny they may be. Arcturus and Xia had sealed that into her brain a long time ago.

“How do you get lost?” Dawn asked.

“It wasn’t my fault! There are too many hallways and stories and stairs!” Felicie complained.

“Don’t blame the Academy for your faults.” Dawn chastised.

“Um, the Academy is very big so I think that might be one of the reasons....” May trailed off and slunk back into the darkness when we looked at her.

Felicie snapped her fingers and pointed at May. Or where she’d been. “See? The Academy is way too big and this is my first day! You can’t expect me to memorize every single nook and cranny in this place during the first day, do you?”

“No, I don’t. I guess you’re right. This does mean we don’t know what to do.” Dawn said.

Reina smirked. “Are you saying you’re lost too?”

Felicie looked at Dawn with a betrayed look and Dawn was abashed. “W-well, we were following Felicie!”

“Don’t blame others for your faults,” Reina tossed her words back at her. Dawn whimpered and covered her face.

“She’s brutal,” Monica whispered.

“I like it,” Juliet whispered back.

“You’re weird,” April noted.

After Reina was done teasing the poor girl, the shortest of them promptly turned on her heels and walked away, clearly expecting them to follow her. They did so, albeit with some reluctance. After all, nobody wanted to be known as the girls who trailed after an “elementary student” like trained puppies.

Reina expertly lead them through the mass passageways of the Academy. She easily understood how hard it was for people to navigate here, and for newbies? Nigh impossible. It took her a long time to find the Academy’s secrets and she was willing to wager there were some things she hadn't even discovered yet.

Reina turned the corner and stopped. “This should be it,” she said, pointing to the door. Her friends crowded around it before giving her a worried look.

“Are you sure this is correct?” April asked.

Reina crossed her arms in frustration. “Of course it’s correct!” She spent hours here, she should know!

Monica tried the doorknob and it didn’t budge. “Care to explain that?”

Reina shrugged. “I don’t know everything. Maybe they’re doing renovations?” she suggested.

“Or maybe you got it wrong,” Juliet suggested.

“Look, the door needs to be forced open! Use your strength! Rah!” Reina flexed her muscles and imitated a monster. To her disappointment, her friends did not seem to be impressed much. Why was she so worried about what they thought? They were her closest friends so far here but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they got into an argument, right?

“You do it then.” Dawn challenged.

Reina drew herself up to all of her fearsome height. “Fine. I will.” Confidently and with purpose, she strode over to the door and laid a palm onto the oak. Taking a deep breath, she pushed.

The wood creaked and bent underneath her power but didn’t break. Really getting into it now, she dug in her feet as well. The door buckled and split in half, sending her falling through the shattered doorway.

“Reina!” her friends called in worry. Reina held up the victory sign to indicate she was safe. And better yet, she found the auditorium!

Her friends stood, slack-jawed at the marvel of the auditorium. Giving off the sense an old theater would emanate, the auditorium looked old, felt old, and was old. The entire thing was constructed out of beautiful white marble that illuminated in the sunlight, basking in its glory. Water trickled down from the top, drowsing the walls which were covered by greenery and flowers. The water then collected onto the ground and formed a miniature lake. There was a large pavilion in the middle of an island-like structure, with a huge dome roof and column supporting it. Fancy swings were on either side of the pavilion. There were four walkways into the island, and the nearest one was only a couple of yards away.

“Come on, we need to go!” Reina cheered, scrambling down the rocky side. Dusting herself off (she didn’t want to dirty her precious uniform), Reina walked confidently onto the walkway and began making her way over to the island.

Reina breathed it in. The air was so much better in here, so much more real. And the sound of water trickling would always be enough to soothe her, no matter what.

When Reina reached the island and turned around, she was crushed to find her friends were still on the shores with a glazed look in their eyes.

“Guys? Come on!” Reina called, becoming tired of being alone.

Felicie blinked out of whatever trance they were in first and hoped her way through. Dawn quickly followed her and then came Monica, Juliet, April, and unsurprisingly, May.

“What took you so long?!” Reina scolded. “I wanted to play!”

“Play? Here?” Dawn’s voice was laced heavily with disbelief. “But why?”

“Why?” Reina blinked. Why did she want to play? Didn't everybody want to play? Playing was fun! When she said this out loud, Dawn clarified.

“This place is so wonderful! It’s perfect, actually!” Reina was unnerved by the almost reverent look in the other girl’s eyes. April chortled.

“While I wouldn’t go that far-“ she said, ignoring the “Hey!” from Dawn, “-you have to admit it is a very impressive place. Not somewhere most people would think of to go ‘play.’”

Reina flushed. What did they mean? The more beautiful the place, the more fun you should have in that place to make it better for the next person to come!

Monica sighed. “Let’s just agree to disagree. I want to know how Reina even knows about this place? I didn’t read about its location on the pamphlet.”

“Pamphlet?” Reina repeated.

“You know, these?” Monica reached into her pocket and retrieved an envelope. Inside it was a pamphlet, the standard one the Academy sent out to students.

Reina beamed. This was an easy question to answer. “I didn’t get one.”

“What?!”

“I had to leave early and so never got one of those. It’s a good thing I came when I did, huh?” Reina asked. Of course, there had been a little more than luck involved…

Juliet shook her head. “Let’s not ask ourselves how she found this place all by herself. We’re here, so why don’t we enjoy ourselves?”

“That’s a great idea! And what I’ve been saying the entire time!” Reina exclaimed.

Everybody took a seat, Reina, Dawn, and Felicie on one bench and Juliet, Monica, April, and May on the other.

“What do you want to talk about?” Dawn asked after a long and awkward silence.

“I’m still curious about Reina, but I’m also curious about you girls. Do you have anything you want to tell us?” Juliet asked Dawn.

Dawn flicked back her hair and started. “My name is Dawn and I’m the daughter of a duke.”

Reina squeaked and latched onto Dawn, causing the bench they were on to swing back and forth precariously. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! You’re royalty? Or are you a duchess? Anyway, I’m so sorry if I offended you with how I ate. I heard nobles are super picky about that for some reason, very snobby, I think. Do you have money? Money your family probably took from other people long ago? Not that I’m blaming you or anything, or want to steal your money. I can’t believe it, I’m friends with a duchess! We are friends, right?” Reina gazed up at Dawn with big blue eyes.

Dawn laughed a little. “I don’t know if you were trying to insult me or compliment me,” she admitted.

“Definitely a bit of both,” Monica mumbled, starstruck. “I think I’m in love. I’m so sorry, May, but I’ve found another woman. Live on without me!” Her exclamation done, Monica fell backward in a swoon.

“Monica, are you lesbian?” Dawn asked gingerly. “Sorry if you don’t want to answer, I just thought-“

“No big deal, no big deal! Some people bothered me about it when I was younger but eh, what do I care about their opinions? And yes, before you ask, my May and I are together!” Monica snatched May up, plopped her onto her lap, and rubbed their faces together lovingly. May, for her credit, only squeaked a bit at the sudden move of affection.

“....didn’t you just say you were leaving May?” April deadpanned.

Monica gaped, horror written on every line of her face. “I would never! Now, if I could have both of them.....” she licked her lips and her eyes got a faraway look to them.

“What’s a lesbian? Is it a thing you do? Can I do it? Can I? Can I? Can I?” Reina asked. It sounded fun and Monica looked like she enjoyed it a lot.

For a second, she thought the air froze. Nobody moved or even breathed it seemed.

Juliet cleared her throat tentatively and croaked out, “Do you not know what a lesbian is?”

Reina took her time to consider this. She’d heard about the term lesbian before when she was younger while some adults had been arguing. One of them had said being a lesbian was something to be proud of and people were brave for not hiding. Reina wanted to be brave, and it sounded like such a cool word it had stuck around with her even till now.

“Um, no? Can you tell me?” she wondered hopefully.

Her friends huddled together into a group and whispered. Curious, Reina listened in.

“On a scale of 1-10, how innocent do you think she is?” Monica asked. ‘Innocent?’ Was lesbian a bad word? It didn’t sound like it.

“I’d give a rough 3. Reina, do you know what a kiss is?” Dawn asked.

Reina perked up. She knew about that! “Yeah! It’s where two people touch their lips together, right?” For some reason, they have her a disconcerted look before huddling back together.

“I suppose that was…..right,” Dawn said after a moment’s pause.

“I don’t see what’s the problem here,” Felicie admitted.

Monica groaned. “The problem is, Felicie, we can’t say the things we want to around her! We can’t risk corrupting her innocence!” A sly look descended upon her face. “On second thought......ow!”

May slapped her lightly, much to everybody's shock. “M-Monica! Don’t be like that!” she admonished.

Monica sighed, rubbing May’s head and causing her to whimper. “All right, all right, keep your pants on.”

“Anyway, I agree with Felicie. All we have to do is be careful of what we say around her! It’s not like any of us makes a habit of going around and talking about lewd things, right, Monica?” Juliet stressed her name.

Monica groaned. “All right, all right. I’ll rein in my raging hormones for Reina’s sake, happy?”

“It’s a bit weird, isn’t it?” April asked. When everybody looked at her, she clarified, “Sometimes she seems so confident and cool, and other times, she reminds me of a baby!”

“I noticed that too but I guess it’s part of her charm?” Dawn asked.

“I don’t care! I’ll love Reina with everything I have!” Felicie announced, grasping her heart. The girls looked at her incredulously.

“Let’s be honest, you’re almost as innocent as she is,” Dawn said after a while.

Felicie gaped. “I am not!”

Even May nodded in agreement with Dawn’s statement and Felicie swooned. Reina chuckled, catching all their attention.

“You’re funny! But Monica, if you want to say lewd things, I don’t care! I’ll feel awfully bad about keeping you from saying the things you want!” Reina said. After all, freedom of speech was everybody’s right.

Monica giggled and gazed her at with lidded eyes. “Of course, Reina,” she crooned.

Juliet groaned. “What monster have you unleashed upon us, Reina?”

“What? I think she’s hilarious! And adorable! Look at how she’s snuggling May!” Reina pointed out with a puff. Monica and May were the cutest things ever! How couldn’t they tell? They were so happy, hugging each other and cooing affectionate words. Love at its finest!

Even if May’s face was turning red and she was squirming around and Monica’s left hand was nowhere to be seen and Monica’s right hand was on May's chest.

April coughed into her hand. “Right. Cuddling.......”

Reina tilted her head. There was an awkward silence now and she didn’t like it one bit. That had to change. “Where are you guys from? I used to live in San Francisco! It’s the best over there!”

Juliet hummed thoughtfully. “Isn’t that where the crab monster attacked a few weeks ago?” she noted. Reina nodded, laughing softly at the memory.

Felicie latched onto her. “Reina! Did the big bad monster hurt you? Lay a single scratch on you? Because if it did, I’ll crush it into nothingness!” At the last words, Feliice’s face changed into that of a bloodthirsty woman. Reina backed away the slightest bit.

“No, I’m perfectly fine! A hero took care of it!” Reina chirped.

“Hero? What hero? Aren’t there about 50 in San Fransisco?” April mused.

Monica grunted, holding onto May tighter. “I don’t like the hero system. Think it’s a bunch of bull.”

Dawn gasped, scandalized. “How can you say that? The hero system was put in place so everybody can live in peace and have a functioning society!”

Monica yawned. “That’s what they teach you, but is any of that true? Sure, heroes are doing good, but I don’t think they should be looked upon as the solution to all the problems in the world. I prefer to think of them as police officers.”

“Police officers, who constantly battle people who threaten a city?” Dawn challenged.

“Strap a bomb and there! A random civilian is also somebody who poses a threat to the city. Besides, a lot of the bigger villains are created solely because of the fact there are heroes. I bet if heroes never came to be, there wouldn’t be any supervillains! As they said, you can’t have one without the other.”

“Heroes needed to be formed so we weren’t all destroyed by the Arias!” Dawn snapped.

Reina stilled. The Arias. She remembered them. Felicie noticed how she’d stopped moving and nudged her gently. “Are you okay, Reina?”

Reina offered a shaking smile. “I’m great! Just......a bit shook up, that’s all.”

“Oh, so you believe in the Arias as well, Reina?” April asked. Reina nodded dully. Of course, she believed in them, she’d seen one less than the distance April was sitting away from her now. Reina agreed with Monica. It hadn’t been a hero who saved her that day....

May raised a hand. “I’m sorry, what are the Arias?”

Felicie took her hands and locked gazes, her own eyes shimmering. “Nobody knows where or how the Arias came to be but they’re these monsters who kill anything living! Apparently, there are a lot of different types, over 140 recorded! Some can fly, some can swim, and others can drill underground! Oh, and normal weapons don’t work on them, so humanity was basically defenseless. Something about existing in a different plane of existence.” Now, her eyes practically shined and it was evident this was something she was very outspoken about. “Then in our darkest hours, the Precept Prime rose and created the heroes! Only those with circuits could combat them, and she went out on a mission to find everybody with circuits and recruit them or grant them sanctuary. Little by little, thanks to these heroes, humanity was able to take back the land stolen and tada! Neverstien!” Felicie did jazz hands.

“Wow.....” May was mesmerized but Monica scoffed. She glanced up at her. “Monica?”

“Don’t let her fool you. The heroes were formed because the higher-ups made some mistakes and they wanted figureheads to divert the public’s attention.”

Felicie glowered. “That’s not true! The Arias do exist! They forced humanity to come together!”

“You keep on believing in these fairy tales, sooner or later, the real world is coming to bite you and when it does, it won’t be pretty. Those “Arias” are just freaks who let the power go their head and transformed into something hideous, nothing more, nothing less.” Monica said.

“I think that’s enough,” Juliet said. “We’ll probably cover that in history later on. Right now, it’s a break, so why don’t we have some fun and cool off?”

“What did you have in mind?” April asked.

Reina saw this as the opportunity to get everybody to focus on the important things again. Discreetly pooling some water into her cupped hands, Reina dumped it down Dawn’s back.

A shrill shriek pierced the air and Reina’s body racked with laughter at the way Dawn did a funny dance. That is, until she gazed at her with inscrutable eyes and reached down into the water as well. Before Reina could react, she got doused with the liquid.

She screamed. It was cold! Pretty soon, the auditorium was filled with the sound of laughter and splashing as everybody got into the spirit.

This, Reina thought, watching April dump water over May, was the way to celebrate the first day.