OK Then

Chapter 2

She brushed her hair. She washed her face and made her bed. She buttoned her shirt, zipped her skirt, slipped on her blazer, put on her thigh-high socks, and neatly stored her notebooks inside her backpack. Juvia looked herself over in the small dresser mirror by the door. She looked like a student, that's good; a grey skirt, navy blazer, white button-down, black socks and shoes. She could fool anyone off-campus, at least. But most everyone attending this place knew one another since elementary school, came here as freshmen, or spent summer courses on campus. And all the newer juniors or seniors were mostly in the Sabertooth dorm, so Juvia couldn't talk to them without a long trip there and back. Juvia would stick out, she wouldn't be able to blend and might even make a spectacle of herself because of it, gaining her a bad reputation on top of everything. Juvia looked out her window, swallowing back the bile biting at her throat and grabbing her brown(school-issued) pack, taking hold of as much determination as she could muster as she exited her room. Juvia locked up, turned down the spacious hallway and exited the building.

Juvia walked on for about a good twenty minutes before she reached the main campus, and trekked another five to get to her first class. Juvia sat at the front, a good spot. Perfectly avoided by all the other students as they opted for the back rows and aisle seats. And, as a bonus, any students who chose the front showed they were approachable and good partners should the ill-fortune of group projects come to pass. Juvia looked over at her folded schedule slip. She then glanced toward the clock at the far front of the room, a big thing labeled with Roman numerals that hung behind a large desk and podium. Its hands were placed 7:48, showing that only 2 minutes would be given to every student, custodian, and teacher before school started. Really started. She had to know at least most of her classes by heart before then. Juvia smoothed out the paper on her desk(a podium in itself the way it looked) and skimmed the text:

1: Advanced Celestial and Astronomical Study (7:50 a.m. - 8:50 a.m.)

2: Arithmetic and Calculative Placement (8:58 a.m. - 9:58 a.m.)

Break- (10:00 a.m. - 10:12 a.m.)

3: Literature and Spells Writing (10:20 a.m. - 11:20 a.m.)

Lunch- ( 11:22 a.m. - 11:52 a.m.)

4: Universal Sciences and Chemistry (12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.)

5: Combat & Strategy (1:08 p.m. - 2:08 p.m.)

6: History of Magic (2:16 p.m. - 3:20 p.m.)

Juvia glanced at the clock again; 43 seconds to go. Juvia quickly slid the slip into her blazer pocket, turning her head to look at the back of the room. Oh, it seems the entire room was covered in clocks, big and small, up until the domed ceiling started stretching out around and above them(the planetarium they were in was an intimidating sight, being in the room as big as that was like placing a grain of sand next to a watermelon). Juvia took out a thick, black journal, jotting down the date as she waited out the remaining 21 seconds. 17 seconds. 3 seconds.

A bell sounded, loud and short and almost coated with the sound of nervous energy. Juvia turned her attention toward the teacher striding toward the center of the classroom. A big fellow, he leaned against his dark desk and thundered his voice across the room, "Welcome, welcome!" he shouted as he looked around the room. "I am your teacher, Mr. King," he said, spelling his name out on the board behind his desk, tapping the chalk to it before he continued. "I welcome you all to a new school year and a new class! This particular class, as you already know, will study the universe, its wonders, the magic surrounding it(both literally and figuratively speaking)," he chuckled, stroking his extraordinary white mustache as he did so. "Now," he said "let's learn the names of the students who chose this elective. Anyone who's having second thoughts about this course leaves now, because as soon as your name is called, you can't switch out." he called. "Now..." Mr. King said, picking up a clipboard and blue pen. "Is there a Ab--"