It had been a long, exhausting day for Mikara. She'd only arrived on campus this morning, and along with having a severe case of jetleg, she'd had to meet with an adviser, register for classes, get fitted for her uniform by a woman who was just a little too friendly, not to mention the fact that she decided she needed to measure Mikara about 5 times, especially for the bra and panties. Perv. But, there probably wasn't a lot of action at an all girl school, and the woman was only trying to get what little she could.

Still... Mikara hoped she didn't need to go back any time soon. Three uniforms should be enough, plus one swimsuit and two gym outfits. She wasn't exactly crazy about having a uniform, but conformity was a small price to pay for independence. As long as nothing happened to her clothes, she wouldn't have to go back to that pervert.

The girl stifled a yawn. She was ready to hit the sack. If only she could figure out where the dorms were, and once inside, which dorm room was actually hers. Most of her bags had be taken there already, and she would like to be reunited with them, as well as a bed. Bed would be very nice right about now. She hoped her roommate wouldn't mind that she skipped introductions and went right to sleep.

She had a map of the school, but between the jetlag and tromping all over campus, she couldn't read the damn thing. Hopefully someone might come along that she could ask, otherwise she might just find a nice bench or tree and have a nap, then try again later.

The birds sang their evening calls to one another as I practically skipped along the path from the music hall to me dorm. There wuz nothing like being able to play a bit ah piana to make me day. Everything wuz jus hunky dory in me book.

So to have sum body standing right in the middle of the sidewalk dressed all in black an not being in a school uniform came as a strange surprise. Humming out the tune for the “we are the pirates that don’t do anything” from veggie tales I closed the gap. The closer I got the more I noted . Yeap, girl, you could tell by the tight black top, even if the baggy black paints hid her well. Course the green an black doo wuz like a give away too. Kinda like she wuz making sum statement of sorts. But the paper in her hand and the set of her shoulders made me thing that perhaps she wuz new her. Like kinda lost an all in that foot tapping way I’m tired an not happy way. Yeap…fingers clenched, foot tapping, shoulders slumped, head up, then down then up, paper twisting in hands. Help me wuz written all o’er her.

Well, it just wouldn’t do to not be neighborly an all. Me parents raised me right. With the much to short skirt a bouncing with each happy stride an me red hair swirling in the light breeze I came upon her from the back an made me acquaintance.

“Hello, I’m Cassie…” the green surgical mask covered her face an all, made me think perhaps she wuzn;t feeling to well. “Um…Well, yah seem new an all, an If yah weren’t sick I’d give yah a hug an a big ole welcome to our home away from home. But then If I am mistaken in me assumptions an all let me know…cause there are a lot of girls here. An well, yah never know, but it is against the rules an such to be wearing yur street clothes on campus during the school week….an so I thought…not that them clothes is bad or nothing, but I thought It might be like yur new. Did yah get yur uniforms, yah gotta watch ‘um, like they seem to get sizes all mixed up but that is me battle with the uniform people an hopefully not yah….”

Her hands had slide downwards, the map falling. Those green emeralds so like mine seemed to breathe a sigh of relief an well…sum thing else under it. She needed a hug…I could tell. Me arms went around her stiff body, then broke off, all friendly like….

“Ohh, well don’t mind me, I can be real talkative at times an should probably give yah a chance to get a word in edge wise like. So what is yur name an how can I help, that is if yah really need any an if I really can an all.” Clasping me hands in front of me so I wouldn’t wave um all o’er tarnation no more. I smiled, a big ole friendly smile happy to wait an learn her name. Too bad she had gotten sick on the way here.

Her head lifted from the paper as someone approached her from the back, the tune of a song from her childhood being hummed. Turning her head, she saw the bright, bouncy redheaded girl who had already introduced herself and was speaking a mile a minute. Mikara could barely keep up with her, and the accent didn't help matters much either. She did, however, come to the conclusion that the girl was a student, and could probably help her find her dorm.

"Yeah, I know I'm supposed to be in my uniform, but I just got here this morning, and I don't really want to strip naked in the middle of campus to change." She eyed the girl for another moment before taking off the surgical mask and giving a slight smile, her lips painted the same color as her eyes. "Mikara. Most people call me Mick. I'm trying to find my dorm." She handed the girl the paper with her room assignment. "Do you know where this is? I'm horrible at reading maps." She explained sheepishly. "Maybe I should start carrying a compass."

Guess she wuzn’t sick an all as she removed the mask, but then If I’d have had a problem with me lips painted like that I might have hid um too. I tried not to stare an all, it not being all that neighborly.

“Well Mick, guess today’s yur lucky day an all. Like I know right were that ole place is, seems to be the same dorm I got a room in an all. Now, give it a bit ah time and yah’ll be running all o’er the island without a care in the world no silly lil ole compass necessary, no sir’ee. An since yah jus got here, well there is the beach all round us….an a swimming pool, an some nice lil streams if yah don’t like no salt water an account it taste funny when yah get it in your mouth like. An if yah want I can take yah by the nurse, she’s really nice an takes good care of us girls in the dorm, she could probably give yah sum thing to take that green paint of a yur lips an all an then yah wouldn’t have to hid ‘um hind that mask. But I’m really glad tah make yur acquaintance…oh…yah, like if yah ever want on Sundays me an a few girls have a lil ole bible study going on an yah’d be more an welcome to come like.” I kinda looked at her sideways not sure that sum one with all that black on would want to come, but the lord does work in mysterious ways an all. It wux too bad about the green paint on her lips. That had to be kinda embarrassing’…I suppose it’d be best to do sum thing ‘bout that if she wanted. Best not talk ‘bout it though.

“Well come on…” taking her hand in mine an starting off down the path, “Well get yah to yur room an all settled in like. If the uniforms don’t fit yah right, yah can try an take um back, but so far I’ve not had much luck an jus had to get used to the fact the skirt is shorter than anything I’d ever worn ‘fore coming her an the blouse wuz a bit snug. But then in this heat it ain’t half bad, an there’s like no boys no how so nothing to get too embarrassed o’er, well….except sum of the girls is like boys I suppose, they kinda look at’cha all funny like. Not that I think its necessarily bad an all…not no more, but Yah don’t need to go lusting after ever new kid on the block now do yah?” I swung our arms, happily stepping out for the dorm an home.

“Though it is mighty nice to get new students here. So many different places they all come from…an you, were you from?”

Mikara blinked at the girl, looking much like a deer in headlights. She really had no idea what to make of this overly friendly chatterbox who had no idea about fashion and spoke with a drawl. And if referring her to the nurse for her green lipstick wasn't enough, the girl (Her name was Cassie, wasn't it?) invited her to a Bible study. Did she look like someone that went to Bible study? Ahh, but she was probably just trying to be polite.

"I've already been to the nurse, actually. Mandatory physical and all." She said, then nearly jumped as Cassie took her hand, following a few steps before pulling her hand away as she continued to walk. "And if any of those girls who look like boys have the right equipment, I might be half interested." She chuckled a bit before sliding her mask back into place. She didn't think it would stop her from staring, but it was worth a shot.

"California. About an hour from L.A." She replied when asked where she was from. "How about you?" Not that she really wanted to know, but she still had some manners. It would be rude not to ask.

The hand left mine…which I reckoned wuzn’t really a bad thing. I mean I could understand us having jus met an all. Somebody might get the wrong idea. An that would be a bad thing.

Kinda like that off hand comment ‘bout girls looking like boys an having equipment. I hadn’t jus fallen off the turnip truck yesterday….maybe a year ago, when I hadn’t understood that Linny wuz a hitting on me an me roomie had to tell me, but not yesterday. No, if she really felt that way bible study jus might do her sum good an all. California….or wuz that californication. Either way they did things a bit different out that way. Hollywood an all them actresses that went from man to man like a hussy. I really hoped she wuz different, had learned the lessons bout being good an all. Still never judge a book by its cover, an treat people like you’d like to be treated.

I had to admit she had real spunk to be all dressed like that an with her green an black hair she’d stand out in a crowd.

“From one of them small hic towns in the Midwest as the city people used to say. But I did love it, got to do all sorts of things like take care of them chickens an cows at me uncles farm. There is a whole lot yah learn ‘bout life when yur doing that. But then, I suppose I did miss out on things from the city. Yah ever meet one of them movie stars. Ma an Pa used to let me watch a few TV shows with um. Like yah ever meet Lucy Recardo…I mean Lucile Ball?”

Chickens and cows? How... mundane. But then, her food did have to come from somewhere. But to be honest, she'd never seen a real live cow or chicken, unless you count pictures and television. Maybe it was more interesting to deal with them in person. She didn't think it would be, but one never knew.

Lucile Ball? Of course she knew the name, the woman was a legend in the entertainment industry, but that had been years ago. Was she even alive? Mikara had no idea. But it made her smile, even if the mask hid the smile, it was still showing in her eyes. This girl was cute. Very behind the times, almost painfully so, but still cute. Maybe she would catch her upon the times.

"No. I can't say I've ever met Lucy. But I saw Lindsay Lohan trashed and leaving a bar once."

Lindsey Lohan….? Oh yeah….I think I member her from a show.

“I think the original herbie the love bug wuz much better than the one she did. An that mean ole guy deserved what he got in the end.” But I wuz a bit confused ‘bout the trashed part. That didn’t sound like too much fun. Not at’all.

“What does trashed mean? Like that don’t make no sense, I can recall from history ‘bout tarring an feathering. I do hope she wuz ok an all. Did yah help her out an bring in the police to sort out the mess. Nobody should be treated like that at’all.” I really hoped she helped her out. It jus wasn’t a right good an neighborly thing to not do. SO many things I needed to learn ‘bout. Sometimes I jus felt like the world had gone right on by me an me folks. But then I reckon I wuzn’t really missing nothing. Well, maybe I had been…I had learned more ‘bout love an that had been a good thing.

"Sad thing is, I think Herbie the love bug was her peak. I never saw much of the original, and never really saw more than a few previews of Lindsay's, but I knew it was a remake. It's all Hollywood does lately." She commented as they walked, wondering if it was much further to the dorms.

Another smile crossed her lips when Cassie asked her what trashed meant. "It means she was drunk. Completely and utterly drunk. She might have been on something harder than alcohol too, but I didn't get close enough to ask. I just kept walking. She had her friends and bodyguards and whatnot with her." But she did regret not having her camera with her. She could have made some money that night.

Girls came an went from the large double doors before us all of them in their school uniforms.

“SO like she got drunk? That’s not good, I mean she didn’t seem like that kinda girl in the show an all. Yah just don’t know ‘bout people now a days.” Pausing while me mind shifted gears back to the task at hand. “ Well….here we are, yur dorm…my dorm…. What floor yah on….I’m one the third floor. Yah know three is like a sacred number….its really special.”

Mikara looked down at her paper again. "Uhm... 614. I think I can find it from here. 6th floor up, right?"

"Three, seven, and forty, right, Cassie? Is your room 347? That'd be super." I smirked, sitting outside the building nor far away. I wore a lighter blue version of the typical uniform, in my dare to be different manner. I ran a hand through my short hair, today not actually adorned with animal ears of any type, and smiled armly at Cassie. "How are ya, Cass? And who's your new friend? She's pretty pretty, if I do say so myself."

"Yes, Linni, 347 is me room", Yelling back at the young lady swinging her legs as she sat there all innocent. Oh...I knew her game. Knew she probably took a fancy to the new girl cause well, Mikara wuz new. That would be enough to Linni, for the life of me I didn’t understand it. I mane the scuttlebutt round the place wuz she had sum sort of promise ring. Sum things jus didn't seem right an all. Well she wouldn’t get me all flustered, no sireee.

"Now Mikara, yah might wanna hurry to yur room an lock the door. Enjoy the Dorm, there is lots of good whole sum stuff here to keep a girl entertained. No need to be paying much attention to linni, She can be real friendly an all. An a Really good friend….but you, being a good descent girl, an I can tell you is one right to the core, jus leave that one alone. Jus wave an be neighborly, cordial like….." I jus couldn’t talk too rotten of linni, I mean she really did have a good heart, it just shared itself a might to much in my estimation I reckon.

I waved….then turned an headed in…still trying to figure on why Linny wuz a yelling me room number so loud an all…..beat me….Once inside the door it would be all o’er an I would be free of whatever mischief she might be cooking up for me.

"Cassie," I laughed, walking over toward them, a sway to my hips with each and every step, "You're lucky. I was joking about the room number, but that makes it a combination of all the sacred numbers, doesn't it? Forty days in the desert, seven days to make the world, and the Trinity?" I tossed my hair with one hand, "Just because lust is my sin of choice doesn't mean that I don't know a thing or two. And it doesn't mean I'm some malicious force," I looked to the new girl ,now, offering a hand, "I'm Linnis Van Ryan. Call my Lin or Linny. And I don't bite... much."