Cara, the outcast

A train was speeding down the tracks towards Terminal City. The train was from Indus City, and the train itself had only been traveling for about an hour. The inside of the train was lush and appeared to be very comfortable. Velvet seats lined the corridors, and the food being served was top class. A voice came over the intercom. "We will be arriving in Terminal City in 45 minutes. Please be sure to recheck that you have all your belongings." The people in the train shifted around and began to collect their stuff. Even though it was still 45 minutes away, they would be crossing the Reux Lania soon, and it was always bumpy around there.

A girl in a seat near the back of the train shifted as the voice finished. The girl had short blond hair and dark brownish red eyes. The most interesting feature about her though was the fact she appeared to have cat ears that twitched as she yawned. She was wearing a low-cut shirt with a small jacket over it. For pants, she was wearing full long pants with a belt wrapped around her waist. The entire back of the train appeared to be deserted save for her, and she could hear pets shuffling around in the room behind her. As much as she hated how hard it was to get her ticket, she was just glad she wasn't back there like the last time she tried to get on a train.

She held up her arm and looked at her watch and saw it was 6:20 A.M. "Probably only about an hour left before we get there. I guess I have some time to do some proper reading." She put down her arm and sighed. Reaching into her small carrying bag she pulled out a small book. Opening it to the bookmarked page, she began reading. She didn't know how long it was when she heard a male voice state, "Excuse me miss, but your pet will need to wait in back."

Slightly mad, she lowered the book and gave the man a glare. He quickly seemed to have his demeanor change when he realized the cat ears he was commenting on where indeed her own ears. "I paid for this ticket and I damn well intend to stay here."

"I'm sorry ma'm I..." He quickly backed off and left. The girl sighed. At least I got the better reaction this time.... She thought as she heard the loudspeaker come on again.

"5 minutes until we arrive in Terminal City." The girl got up and gathered her belongings as the train began to slow. Eventually it came to a complete stop. The glass doors slid open and she was able to take her first glimpse of her new home. She almost had her jaw drop as she took it all in.

She saw nothing but skyscrapers that seemed to stretch for miles, and the various holographic signs seemed to be everywhere. She noticed in the center of the area was a huge globe, showing the entire world. She smiled and felt the need to point out to herself where Indus was, and laughed slightly. She noticed she was already receiving some looks from the casual passerby. Some were curious looks, others seemed to breed nothing but hostility. She even heard "what's a disgusting animal doing in our city" and other variations. She knew if she let it bother her, she would just simply be wasting her time. She pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it.

Dear Cara Suraius,

It is with great pleasure that I inform you of your formal acceptance into Terminal University. You have been accepted into this university for a variety of reasons, but chiefly is that you have a power you do not yet have full mastery over. We wish to change that. In our school you will find not only knowledge, but an environment to thrive in and become the best person you can be. Enclosed is a GPS unit. Turn it on, and it will give you directions from your current location to our campus. Once you arrive, please report to the assembly hall for an important announcement about your future at the university. I hope we will be seeing you arriving at our dorms soon.

Sincerely,

Alex Burke
Dean of Terminal University


Cara smiled as she finished reading the letter. Finally, someone appreciates me for what I can do, rather than berate me for who I am. She threw her bag over her shoulder and proceeded to enter the city proper.

Wandering through the city found Cara almost dropping her jaw at every corner. She was constantly amazed by the buildings and just sheer amount of technology she saw. She had always loved reading science fiction novels, but she never thought she'd get to see some of the stuff up close. She threw her eyes from building to building, trying to not wander off. While she was distracted, she ended up bumping into someone without looking. "Ow!" she fell backwards dropping her books as the person she bumped into was going rather fast.

She looked up to see a light blue haired girl with purple eyes bend down to pick her up. The girl appeared to be wearing a choker around her neck and had a full black outfit on. "Are you OK? Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going..."

Cara accepted the hand and got up. "It's fine. I just was caught off guard is all." Cara laughed a little bit. 

The girl nodded and gave her a warm smile. "What's your name?"

Cara was caught off guard. "Ummm, my name? Why would you want to know that...?" Cara subconsciously gripped her ears slightly.

The girl seemed to notice. "I don't care if you have cat ears. This city has a lot crazier than that. Tori by the way." The girl named Tori laughed slightly as she said that.

"Cara. It's a pleasure to meet you Tori." Cara let her wall down slightly. It seemed she might have actually met someone decent.

"Likewise." Tori said.

Tori said her goodbyes as she said she was busy and Cara watched as she walked off. Cara smiled wider than she ever thought she could. "Maybe this city will finally be good for me after all..." her voice trailed off as she was getting closer and closer to the University itself. She sat and wondered who she would meet, but she knew whoever she met, she hoped they were all like Tori.

A boy with spiky hair wanders around the area on his skateboard he starts wondering "What kind of first impression should i use when i get there?".

As he was practicing his introduction he then noticed a young girl just about his age with cats ears than human ones.He sees that she is holding the invitation letter thinking that she is like him a new student to Terminal university he decided to take a chance and talk to her.

With his skateboard on his right arm and his "cool on" he approached the cat eared girl and spoke "Hi do you mind if i talk to you?"

Cara noticed the spiky hair boy approach her. She turned and looked him up and down. "That depends on what you'd want to talk about."

The spiky haired boy didnt expect this reply but he kept his cool anyway "Well its just that umm i noticed you have an invitation letter to Terminal University so i thought i might as well say hi to a fellow student ya know". Rubbing the back of his head smiling sheepishly he said "anyway im Katama Hibiki,call me Hibiki ".

Cara debated whether to give her name, considering he hadn't made fun of her he seemed ok enough. "Cara Suraius. Cara is just fine though. You're going to Terminal too? Know anything about the school then?" She was walking along with him as they both strode towards where they needed to be.