As soon as Cress had unpacked her things into the draws she escaped the room with Scarlet and ran back down the hall to Cinder and Iko's room. The two girls had already unpacked and were sitting on the top bunk chatting to each other.

"Cress?" Cinder smiled down at her, "how's Winter? I haven't heard from her in a while."

Cress climbed up onto the bunk with them. Joining them and forming a triangle out of their crossed legs.

"She's not here," Cress said, watching as Cinders face dropped.

"I thought she would have arrived by now," Cinder said.

"No, I mean there's another girl sharing with me: Scarlet" she said.

"That can't be right, my aunt Levana would have called me," Cinder said, looking to Iko for any suggestions. The blue haired girl shrugged, picking at her nails.

"Come on then," Cinder said, jumping from the bunk and waiting for the other two to follow. "I'm going to talk to this Scarlet."

"Cinder no!" Cress called after her, climbing down the ladder and following her friend down the hallway, "don't cause a fuss she said she doesn't know who Winter is."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Cinder yelled, but apologised softly to Cress and one of the girls that peaked out of her room to shush her.

"Call your aunt, but I'm going to have to share with this girl, don't make her angry," Cress said. Cinder sighed and grabbed the other girl's hand, pulling her back along the hall with her.

Back in their room Iko was still sat on the top bunk, flicking through a magazine she'd gotten from somewhere.

"Thorne texted you," Iko said without looking at Cinder.

"What did he say?" Cinder asked.

Iko picked up the phone and read the message once again. "He said: sup babe. You might have gotten rid of me today, but I'm only a drive away if you're ever feeling lonely."

"I am going to decapitate him," Cinder muttered, catching the phone that Iko threw down to her.

"Are you going to tell him that?" Iko asked.

"He already knows," Cinder said, pausing to read the message for himself. "And he put a winky face!" she exclaimed. "Iko why didn't you tell me he put a winky face? Decapitations too good for him!"

"Why do you hate him so much?" Cress asked, "He seemed okay."

"She loves him really," Iko said.

"No I do not!" Cinder said, defensive suddenly.

"Well I think he's pretty cool," Iko muttered.

"Iko!" Don't defend him!" Cinder said.

"Or just pretty, you take your pick," Iko said, obviously knowing how much she was annoying Cinder, and probably enjoying it.

"When are we going to meet Scarlet then?" Iko asked.

"I don't know, I'm staying here for a while," Cress said, lying down on the bottom bunk. Cinder sat down at the other end, toeing Cress's hand.

"Is she really that bad?" Cinder asked.

"I don't know, she just doesn't seem that... friendly," Cress decided.

"Well you're always welcome here," Iko called down from the top bunk, "and hey, Thorne might even let you stay on the weekends."

Cinder climbed up onto the top bunk and whacked her with her own magazine.

---

Cinder and Iko met Scarlet at dinner. She and Cress were sat next to other, eating in silence when the girls sat down across from them.

Cress gave Cinder an awkward smile and glanced at the red headed girl, not exactly what Cinder had expected. She didn't seem like she was about to kill any of them yet, and in all honesty she looked more nervous than she did threatening.

"Hello Scarlet, Cress told us about you!" Iko blurted out before Cinder could stop her. Scarlet looked up from her food and glanced over at the girl opposite her.

"Hi," was all she said before looking back down and stabbing a carrot – okay, maybe more violent that Cinder thought.

"She's not very talkative," Iko whispered into Cinder's ear.

"And she can hear you," Scarlet said. Cinder slapped Iko for her carlessness and swatter her away from her.

"Scarlet, this is Cinder and Iko," Cress said, offering the new girl a smile. Scarlet nodded and tilted her head back down to her food.

"What's up with her?" Iko muttered to Cinder, quieter this time.

"She can still hear you," Scarlet said.

There was an awkward moment of silence, before Iko started slapping Cinder on the arm and pointing to the other end of the dining hall.

Cinder looked over, her cheeks flushing when she saw Kai. He was surrounded by a group of a both boys and girls, all huddled together and chatting eagerly amongst themselves. The whole hall seemed to grow quieter as they approached, heads turning in their direction.

One of the boys, one Cinder didn't know, broke away from the group and sat down beside Iko, leaning over the table so all four girls could see him.

"Did crazy get too much for you all then, too bad, she was hot," the boy sneered, peering across at Scarlet who seemed to shrink back into her hoodie, "unlike her replacement, are you in there?" the boy called, pulling back Scarlet's hood.

Scarlet lashed out, slapping the boy across the arm as he laughed and pulled away.

"Wow, feisty new girl, perhaps that makes you a tiny bit hotter," the boy teased.

"Leave her alone Sean," someone said, pulling back the boy.

"I'm sorry about him," Kai said.

Cinder's whole body shut down, her face became aglow, her heart stumbling over itself. She relaxed, thinking that he was looking only at Scarlet, but when she got herself together she realised he was looking at all of them; she blushed even harder.

"Yeah, maybe I can take you out for a drink to apologise," the boy, Sean said, looking at Iko specifically who pursed her lips and glared him down.

"Go away," Kai told Sean. It was then that Cinder realised the dining hall was practically silent around them, all eyes trained on their table.

"Maybe I could take her out then," another boy said, eyes on Cinder "teach her to clean herself up a bit."

Cinder didn't know if she had dirt on herself, but knowing her she probably did; it was a really bad habit.

"You two, leave them alone," Kai said.

"When did you start defending crazy's friends?" Sean asked.

"Around about the same time he started crushing on –" the other boy started, but Kai cut him off.

"Will you two just shut up! Be a bit more mature, Winter's not here anymore you're wasting your time."

Both the boys gave Kai a look that Cinder was too busy experiencing heart failure to figure out, but they both backed off with Kai following after them. The group resumed their conversation, as did the rest of the dining hall.

"Wow," Iko said, turning to Cinder, "it's worse than I thought."

Cinder nodded, trying to hide her face in her hands, too embarrassed to look up.

"Have I just doomed myself by sitting with you?" Scarlet asked, seeming sincere.

"Probably," Iko said, seeming more cheerful than anyone, even Cress who – once again – had been ignored.

---

"Is every meal like that here," Scarlet asked Cress when they were back in there room. Cress had taken to her bed, leaning against the wall and opening her laptop.

"Unless we go out somewhere," Cress said.

"I guess that means I'm stuck with you three now then," Scarlet said. Cress didn't know what she was doing on the bottom bunk, but she could hear a clicking sound.

"I guess," Cress said.

They were silent for a moment, before Cress's phone beeped. She replied to Cinder quickly before setting her phone back down.

"Iko, Cinder and I are going to a friend's house at the weekend; do you want to come along?" Cress asked, suddenly excited at the prospect of seeing Throne again, however much Cinder might say she hates him.

"I've got nothing else to do," Scarlet said bluntly.

Cress texted Cinder back and lied back in her bed, thinking that if she woke up early the next morning, she'd be able to hack into the school system before anyone woke up.

---

A/N:

Second chapter only days after the first? Wow, I'm off to a good start!

Unfortunatly though school starts again soon, but I'll still try to update as frequently as possible, but it really depends on what's going on.

As I've said before I have other storys which I have to focus on as well, but I want to try and prioritise this since I'm really starting to enjoy it!

Thank you to everyone who has read, voted and commented so far, I really appreciate it, and really I just hope you're enjoying this!