An old, battered car slowly wound its way up the long drive toward the brick building. In most cars, teens were leaning excitedly out the window, chattering happily to their parents or siblings, and doing a good deal of pointing and exclaiming about the view. The atmosphere in this car, however, was quite dismal. In the font, the father sat in the driver's seat. His face was set in a hard line, and he paid little notice to the somewhat frail girl in the back seat. He glanced for a moment at his wife. "Nearly there, darling. Finally, we'll be rid of that girl." He spoke soothingly. His wife smiled for a moment through tears. She couldn't contain her excitement and relief at finally getting rid of the girl.
The girl's head swiveled toward the window, as if she could look out and see the school she longed to be at. She saw only darkness, but her heart felt lighter. Her father had said they were nearly there. 'I'm blind, not deaf.' She thought to herself. Sometimes, her parents seemed to forget that. Or perhaps they just didn't care.
After another five minutes or so, the car came to a stop. The girl, Cassie, felt the door open. Her father's rough voice barked, "Out." And she obeyed. Cassie climbed carefully out of the car, feeling her way. She heard a loud thud - her luggage landing beside her. Then she heard a screech as the car sped away. Cassie was appalled. She knew that her family was ashamed of her because of her blindness, but she had expected them to at least pretend to care about her as they dropped her off. Struggling to resist the urge to cry, she carefully bent down and picked up the heavy bag of luggage. She heard voices nearby, and started to trudge in that direction, hoping that the other voices were heading for the school.
Another vehicle, this one much nicer, pulled up in front of the school. This family, it was clear, had money, as did most AA families. The front door opened, and a man stepped out. He walked toward the back of the car, opening the door. The occupants stepped out. A beautiful blonde woman who resembled a model stepped out first, followed by her handsome, also blonde husband. The parents were followed by two young children who tottered out of the car. The little blonde girls peered around excitedly. Following the children was a teenager who very much resembled the rest of the family, with pretty blonde hair and blue eyes. She picked up one of the children and held her while she chattered excitedly.
The butler picked up the luggage, and the family were on their way. Together, they trooped toward the grand entrance of the school. The grounds were swarming with students and their families. Over the great oak front doors hung a very nicely painted banner that read, "Welcome students and families."
Rachel looked around at the school. This was her second year as a student, but the previous year she had studied at home, so it was her first time laying eyes on the grounds. She was pleased. She tucked a loose strand of her pretty blonde hair behind her ear as she approached the door. As she walked, she caught sight of another girl. Rachel frowned. Something seemed wrong. The girl was headed toward the crowd at an odd angle, and she was struggling with her luggage. Where was her family? Why did she seem so lost? The girl, Rachel noticed, was wearing old, worn clothes, and carrying only one bag of luggage.
As the smaller grounds of Aristocrat Academy began to fill with students, Barbarian Battle-station was abuzz with excitement. BB was bigger and, on the whole, more impressive-looking than AA. Where AA was a beautiful brick building, BB looked like a fortress for a war, and indeed that was what it was built to be. The building had a sinister shape, and every part of it spoke of chaos and evil. It towered into the sky, looming up over the smaller AA. Set on a hill, it was a great vantage point to spy upon the students of AA. To add to its impressive reputation, BB, unlike the smaller and more friendly AA, had a strict uniform. It was one of the few places in the world where the students were proud of their uniforms, which very closely resembled battle gear. They wore black suits designed to hold special weapons related to their powers. Thick black belts wrapped around their waists, a perfect place for them to stow their weapons. Their boots, too, were black. These uniforms made the students look most impressive. It was considered a high honor indeed to be accept as a student at BB. The school, the uniforms, the instructors - everything was in tip-top shape.
Arriving on campus for her third year, Ashley Kerns smirked to herself. It felt like returning home. At home, she was considered weak, but here, she was viewed as strong, especially by the younger and smaller students. She was a force to be reckoned with, she thought as she flicked back her hair and marched toward the school, holding a very expensive-looking suitcase. She made her way up the wide front walkway after passing through the iron gates. The gates, of course, were programmed only to admit students. As Ashley made her way up the walkway, she kept her eye out for new students who were small, scrawny, and weak-looking. They would be her first targets. First, though, she needed to assess the situation in her room. There was a line near the door. The crowd was listening to one of BB's instructors explaining rules, and other boring things that Ashley frankly didn't care about. Shoving past several younger students, Ashley situated herself at the front of the crowd. Bored as she was, she found herself "accidentally" manipulating the front doors open, causing them to hit the instructor and roughly push himself aside.
"Ashley Kerns!" thundered a rough voice as the instructor shook off the blow. Ashley stood tall and proud, unlike some of the weaker students, who were cowering. BB was famous for its image, its uniforms, its instructors, and something else, too. Its strict discipline policies were legendary. Although the school encouraged fights between students, viewing them as a way to help students grow in their abilities and "toughen up," messing with the school itself and the instructors was strictly forbidden. He gestured for her to come forward, and Ashley, holding her head high, stepped forward. He took her by the wrist and dragged her into the school, leaving the rest of the students in the hands of another instructor. He brought her down several flights of stairs, into a dank, dark, cold area. Squinting to see, Ashley looked around. The dungeons, of course. There were iron bars and chains everywhere. She felt herself receive a blow to her head, unseen because of the darkness. She tasted blood in her mouth, and when she felt less dizzy, she found that she had been chained to the wall.
Dressed in a typical bad boy outfit - leather jacket and boots, expensive pants - Maxwell Jordan turned into the school's drive. His motorcycle roared as he made his way up the hill toward the school. Maxwell loved showing off for the other students, particularly the ladies. He seemed to regard himself as quite important, and those who argued with him were very unfortunate indeed. He made one last sharp turn, and pulled into the huge grass lot designated for parking. When he arrived, he found that there was hardly a soul around. It appeared that he'd shown up late. Again. Oh well, he thought. That meant he could make a dramatic entrance into the orientation for the new students. Smirking, he set off toward the school gym.