New and Exciting [Zahara]

[Caroline Mason]

Technically there wasn't supposed to be any running in the halls. Technically it was in the student handbook that had all the rules listed in the front. Caroline didn't care. As soon as the final class of the day was released she'd thrown her things into her bag, zipped it mostly closed, shed her shoes, and ran.

Dodging around other students, weaving in and out of the crowd the after-bell corridors provided and bolted straight to the girls dormitory and her room. She was getting a new roommate. After Kaytee had left Caroline had felt a little lost. She'd attached herself to the older girl and thought they'd had a sort of big/little sister companionship. Maybe they had. She liked to think so, but hadn't heard from Kaytee, the girl who'd been willing to answer her questions. The girl who helped her with difficult math problems and talked her down from high stress.

Her room was being taken, however. By a new face. A new someone. A new friend Caroline hoped. The main door to her five-room (four bedrooms, one common room) section of the dorm slammed open and Caroline burst through, her hair wild with the run and general tangles that happened through the course of the day, and her breath quick and panting.

There, just through the open door of the second spare bedroom in the process of being occupied was the new girl. She looked young. Almost the same age as Caroline. Maybe the exact same age? Biting down on her lower lip. It didn't help, Caroline let out an excited whoop and rushed to the door way to stick her head into the room.

"HI! Oh my gosh, hi! I'm Caroline, I have the room right next to yours! Oooooh I hope we can be friends!"

[Zahara Harby]

"You can't be serious?"
"..........."
"This is a joke right? I mean I know April Fool's came and went already but....you're pulling my leg right?"
"Zahara, you're moving to the eastern end of the Girl's Hall and that's final."
The younger girl sighed, "I hear ya, no big and yadda yadda. Can I at least kiss my door goodbye?"
The dean gave her a pointed stare, Zahara flinched.

"Take that....as a.....no?"


---

"Welcome Zahara, to the eastern end of the Girl's Hall, bringing you no sense of new surroundings since 1983." Zahara dead-panned as she tossed her bags unceremoniously to the floor.She scanned the room while rocking on the balls of her feet, her poofy ponytail bouncing as she did so. The room was pretty modest in size, with a twin-sized bed that was just about long enough for her long legs. The walls were a pretty shade of blue (a plus for her, seeing as that was indeed her favorite color), and a tall bookshelf complete with a large cherry-wood dresser stood off near the window with a cushioned chair. There were two desks on the wall opposite her bed and 3 windows.

While she was fine with not having a television in her room, Zahara was acutely aware that her 'chambers' lacked a lamp-post. "Well this bites," She grumbled and began unpacking her things, "Guess I'll have to make do with my potato-light until I can find a real lamp at a thrift store. In the meantime let's put some Sparky-ness to this room!" Zahara tackled her apparel first and just carelessly tossed them into the drawers for now. 'Eh I'll fold em later. Gotta TON of homework and it's already past 2:00pm. Organization can WAIT!'

She moved onto her toolbox and experimenting kits next. She placed all of her inventing instruments in one desk and then crammed her school supplies in the other. She'd been halfway finished when a random girl popped her head in and practically shouted her ear off.

"HI! Oh my gosh, hi! I'm Caroline, I have the room right next to yours! Oooooh I hope we can be friends!"

Zahara managed to give her a completely intelligent reply while falling backwards on her butt,".........glerk?!" Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates and her foot stuck in the air at an odd angle. The pounding of her heart was so loud Zahara almost thought she'd went deaf.

"Uh...er....I'm Zah......eh Hi?"

[Caroline Mason]

Oops!

Caroline hadn't meant to scare her new roommate, but it had happened in her over exuberance anyway. Shedding her bag and letting it fall to the floor behind her, the ladybug shifter darted forward and reached for Zah's wrists to help her up.

"I am so, so, so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! I should have knocked, or cleared my throat, or something. I just... It's so nice to have a new roommate, don't you think?" Helping the girl with the fluffy hair to her feet, Caroline sucked her lips in and tried desperately not to beam at her. "Do you have your class schedule yet? I bet we have some of the same classes. I can show you around if you want, do you already have a guide? Or did they give you one? Miss Midori showed me around, and I had a map, but it's so much better when someone else shows you around. Then you can ask questions. I probably won't have the answers, but I can try to help. And if not, I know Dr. Neville can help. He knows everything."

She had to stop chattering then long enough to draw a breath at the very least.

"Is your name really Zah? That's so cool."

It was hard to tell if Caroline was normally so full of energy or if it was punched up a few notches because of the excitement of meeting a potential new friend and classmate. She couldn't wait to introduce Zah to Ollie as it was, and said as much:

"You can have lunch with Ollie, my best friend, and me if you want tomorrow. She has a lizard, Bill. He's so neat, really friendly, and won't eat ladybugs." That was a very important point as far as Caroline was concerned.

[Zahara Harby]

The entire time little miss Caroline was chittering away Zahara raised an eyebrow and zoned out. 'Man she talks fast! And a lot, dude I thought I was Speedy Gonzalez when it came to yapping. This chick is giving me a run for my money....

And I'm supposed to be the energizer bunny!'

She leaned against her bed post and eyed Caroline before blinking twice, her expression going completely blank before popping back into focus. Zahara curled her toes inside her shoes and flared her nostrils slightly. The scare had spiked the electricity within her and the tingling sensation itched in her fingertips as she tried to suppress it. 'Kinda glad I don't have that lamp now, it'd be dead....and I'd be in trouble. Oh shoot!'

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA. Caroline it's cool, no big. See I'm still alive."Zahara coughed and winced, her heart was still racing from the shock. "'Guess it's sweet to have a roommate and all."She added coolly and nodded her head.

She frowned, 'Nope! No guide, the Dean just told me I was moving to the east hall and didn't even bother to give me a stinkin' map or show me around.'
"Nope, don't have a guide. But I've been here a while so I can get around pretty fine-Did you just ask me if my name was Zah?"

Zahara tossed her head back and burst into giggles, "Name's -snort- Zahara -giggle- B-but c-call me -snort- Sparky!"

She then collapsed on the floor and died laughing, rolling around in no particular direction whatsoever.

"Sorry" Zahara snorted and extended her hand, "Put'er there kid. Wait who's Ollie? And what's with the ladybugs?"

[Caroline Mason]

Okay. Okay. Caroline took a deep breath, trying to calm down, but having someone else her age around. And in her dorm was always cause for excitement. But she did acknowledge that she got over excited sometimes. It was part of being a kid though. Father Boe had always understood. He said kids should be kids for as long as they could. That what most adults meant when they said 'act your age' was something far closer to 'act like me' which wasn't at all the age of the youth in question.

"OH, well it's good that you've been here for a while. I guess we don't have classes together then. I would have seen you." With a school as large as Hammel not everyone the same age ended up in the same classes, but there was still that twinge of disappointment. At least Zah was going to be her roommate.

And then she started laughing and Caroline's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. It was quickly cleared.

"You said your name was Zah!" She accused but couldn't help but grin and then giggle with the new roommate. "Good to know the full name though, Zee." She didn't have a neat little nickname like that. Caroline was a little difficult to shorten and she really would rather not be called 'car'.

Clasping Zee's extended hand, Caroline gave it a shake. "Ollie's my best friend, and I'm glad Bill doesn't eat ladybugs because that's what I turn into. Though I try really hard not to. It hurts. You'll like Ollie, she's super smart and super fun. Would you like to have lunch with us sometime? Maybe on the weekend, we probably don't have the same lunch hour either."