pentagon alley - lined with shophouses stocked up with school supplies was riddled with teenagers rushing to prepare for the start of the new school year. freshmen were excitedly rushing through the alley, eyes bright and gleaming michieviously. the sophomores were chattering incessantly, picking a new year's worth of materials diligently. the juniors were much calmer, going around systematically marking off their lists and stopping ocassionally for banter. the seniors, on the other hand, were evidently more matured and went around engaging in serious exhanges about their future and dreams.

kymin was overwhelmed by the sheer capacity the alley could actually hold within the narrow corridor. she didn't know where to start. beside her, jongsuk was gasping in awe. both of them were seventeen and were considered freshmen, while heechul, at nineteen, was a sophomore in raven high. heechul nudged the two younger ones towards the nearest shophouse. "uniforms first!" "uniforms? I thought we could have casual wear?" kymin tilted her head as she frowned. "jace, you haven't been reading up on the code of conduct, have you? they stated that casual wear was allowed for special occassions and for times we had to go back to school but not for classes.. we'll be living in the dorms remember?" jongsuk shook his head in exasperation. "busted." kymin grinned. "wait.. we're living in the dorms?!" heechul and jongsuk widened their eyes in disbelief as the former gave a scowl. "YAH! kim kymin, you're an idiot. we would all be living in the dorms.. I've been living in there for three years already!" before heechul could grab her though, kymin sprinted to the nearest tailor and began the measurement. jongsuk followed along to get his measurements taken as well while heechul leaned against the doorframe, occupying himself with the full length mirror. a wail reverberated through the air as kymin complained about the length of the skirt. "it's so uncomfortable!" her older brother merely made wolf whistles as the younger glared daggers at him. a stray ghost joined in and kymin suppressed her urge to kick the apparition.

as they left the shophouse with their respective uniforms, the first snow fell. jongsuk and kymin immediately stuck out their tongues and attempted to catch the falling snowflakes. "hurry.. we've to get this done by today.. school starts in another three days!" heechul urged. "when were you the mature one?" kymin taunted. "it's too bad though.. we don't get to celebrate christmas together at home.." the three started at one another and jongsuk whispered under his breath. "we could always meet up secretly.. celebrate chrsitmas by ourselves.. and don't forget the presents!" he finished with a grin. evidently cheered up, the trio continued on searching for their schoolbooks.

hyusu was mesmerized by the snow. she was flanked by her brother and best friend on either side, standing right smack in the middle of the busy alley. as she stood there imagining the many possibilities of them building snowmen, snowcastles and snowforts, sungmin leaned back and whispered to zitao, "she hasn't changed.. still as much of a daydreamer as before.." before winking at the younger. as they led a still dazed hyusu into the various shophouses picking out her uniforms and books, hyusu stood by and checked off the list that she had conscientiously prepared. she may be a dreamer but she was independent and took pride in being organized. as she ticked off the last book on her list, sungmin came over with the pile of books and attempted to balance them on her head. hyusu swatted his hand away as she made a face. zitao simply chuckled and brought the books to the checkout. "do you need a school planner? the important dates in the school are all marked off in the calendar as well." the receptionist enquired. sungmin gave an approving smile and zitao gave a thumbs-up. they should know since sungmin was a junior at twenty and zitao was a sophomore at nineteen. hyusu was eighteen and a sophomore as well but she evidently didn't know the korean system as much as the other two. zitao looked to hyusu who gave a small nod and began moving in the direction the receptionist had pointed out.

as she reached for the planner, another pair of hands beat her to it. hyusu jerked back in fright as she half-expected a spirit to leer at her. "hey.. are you.. okay?" a girl, evidently younger than her, crouched down beside her. as hyusu looked up, the other girl gave a sheepish smile and passed the book over. "here.." she grinned as she reached for another. "t-thankyou.." hyusu blushed shyly. the other girl peered at her in curiosity before a shout from her brother pulled her away. "kim kyminnnn!" "I'm here! just give me a moment!" the girl gave a wave before turning on her heels and hurrying away. hyusu felt surprisingly warm. she was an introvert and was afraid of interacting with others, being prone to panic attacks. she couldn't even look a stranger in the eye. it had stemmed from her being bullied in her old school and thus had been trying to avoid everyone other than her brother and bestfriend. she was pleasantly surprised by the comfort she felt interacting with a total stranger. it made her feel.. normal. "hyusu!" sungmin hollered from across the shop. as she navigated her way towards her brother, he looked at her strangely. "were you day-dreaming again? or did anything happen? you're blushing.." hyusu hurriedly cupped her face in her hands. "I t-think it's the c-cold.." sungmin didn't seem convinced but nodded anyway. as they checked out hyusu's school supplies, zitao suggested that they go and get some grocceries. "we could have a small christmas celebration before we all leave for school in a few days.." "I'll cook!" hyusu volunteered earnestly. 

co-author's note:     heyyyy so this is the start! ^^ the girls will be introduced by pairs soon! :) take this as a filler while we choose the applicants >.< but  yes the chapter kick-starts the acceptance into raven high! do look forward to the next chapter! ^^