House of Mirrors.

DeeDee nonchalantly ducked under the yellow-tape barrier that prevented any unauthorized admission to the fairgrounds. She was going to have an impromptu meeting with those chosen – the ones she had seen in her dream – even though it wasn’t technically “impromptu” anymore if it was premeditated. Before anything, of course, DeeDee had to clear away the tedious police tape. She extracted a pair of scissors from her tote bag before attempting to penetrate the barricade.

DeeDee closed the blades once, twice, thrice, over the tape, but it refused to fray. “Stupid safety scissors.” Snipped once, twice, thrice. “Oh god.” This was going to take a LONG time.

▄▄▄▄▄▄

“Muse.”

A peculiar name for a school, but a school nonetheless, opened to those ranging from 16 to 23 years old. A private school containing students with godly appearances. The school is, in fact, always polished and tidy; you could practically see yourself in the tiles. Its exterior is sprinkled with potted plants of every color and variety. It’s a sugar-coated heaven there.

Lunch period is spent outside, as the school’s authorities want their kids to embrace the beauty of nature and all that. Occupying a picnic table under a cherry blossom were six of Muse’s inhabitants. They were a group consisting of both males and females, who, despite their contradictions, just clicked together like designated pieces of a puzzle.

Kim Mi Na “Alice,” otherwise recognized as the juvenile of the group, conspicuously snatched French fries from Jung Ji Hwan “Ichigo’s” tray. Sedately sipping on a carton of strawberry milk, he swatted her hand away as she posed, hand hovering over the fries like a hawk pinpointing prey. “No touch,” he added, voice laced with tedium, but the others knew it was just for show; once he had his strawberry milk, all was well. He was decked out in a white graphic t-shirt, skinny jeans, and black converses he had slipped on this morning.

“Meanie.” Pulling up the sleeves of her oversized white hoodie and adjusting her thin arctic blue scarf, she reached across the table to her next victim. Before the girl could even react, her target tilted his head up to peer at her from behind his bangs.

He inhaled wearily before opening his mouth. “Mi Na. We go through this every day. Why can’t you get your own fries for once? I think there are more things for us to worry about that have us pulling our hair out, like world hunger or somethin’.”

“BUT RENNIE! I like French fries. And I know my friends’ food always tastes better,” Mi Na added with a giggle, waving around the shanghaied good to emphasize her point. It flew from her fingers and landed on said ‘Rennie.’

He flinched, and with a startled “shriek,” jolted up from his seat when the fry slid down his shirt. “OH EFF!” He began to skitter in spastic, ridiculous movements until it flopped on the grass. Grabbing his leather messenger bag, he foraged through it for his faithful bottle of hand sanitizer.

The others gaped at him when he finished scouring his hands with the sanitizer and he cleared his throat uncouthly, brushing away his bangs. “Wow, Renzo,” – snicker – “that was really graceful. Planning on joining the performing arts soon?”

“That’s what I would expect from you, Soo Hyun.”

It was reticent for a few heartbeats, not including the distant buzz of chatter, before they burst into puffs of lighthearted laughter.

“That’s funny,” Mi Na stated the obvious, swiping a finger across her eyelids.

“That WAS funny. It happened already, so it’s WAS.”

“SURE, Chaekyung.”

Ji Hwan set down his carton of flavored “drugs” and turned to his friend with a smirk. “Yes yes, enlighten us, Ms. Kwon-Hayami! Or should I say, sho—”

“Don’t say it. DON’T SAY IT,” she threatened with mock malice. If he was crammed into the available space next to her, she would have jabbed a finger on his chest. “I DO, after all, practice taekwondo.”

“Shortie,” Ji Hwan taunted, drawing out the word with another smirk.

“Ahem,” Jang Sohyeon “Mikayla” ( “Don’t call me by my full name!” ) raised an eyebrow, attempting to cool down the commotion. The oldest of the group and the most indifferent, Sohyeon was more about actions than words. Always eyeing others dangerously when they frivolously discard a used tissue on the floor; observing the sky with a distant look in her eyes; taking snapshots of miscellaneous items; and stashing a bottle of hand-sanitizer somewhere within her reach, this soft-spoken maiden was basically the female version of Renzo. “Are we going to Ji Hwan’s house today?”

“Well, Jessica isn’t going to be home today, and Hime needs some company.” His house wasn’t technically a “house,” it was more of an apartment, but everyone got into the habit of calling their habitats by that name; it stuck permanently. “Oh, and Sohyeon; where do you buy that strawberry milk? It was awesome.”

Chaekyung interrupted with a wag of her finger. “Where DID you buy that strawberry milk.”

▄▄▄▄▄▄

‘Kay. ;]
These six are the main ones. The minors will appear in the NEXT chapter. Don’t worry minors, you’ll still get your partner. ;]
I had a difficult, excruciatingly painful time choosing the characters. T.T”
To see who you’ll be partnered up with, check the forewords. There was ONE predicament, I believe, where two people chose the same person with no other choices, so I’ll have to work something out.
If you didn’t get chosen as main, don’t be sad. ;[ The minors have significant roles in this story also, so don’t fret.
Sorry if I messed up on the characterization. It’s harder than it sounds.