Arya woke up in an all too familiar place: the hospital.

It was actually rather alarming how many times she'd ended up on a narrow white hospital bed, staring at the incredibly white ceiling. Familiar grey eyes were soon peering down into her own, concern marring the man's expression as he stared down at her. Rian folded his arms, sighing somewhat in relief.

"Arya."

"Rian."

"You remember my name?" He smiled. "That's a good start." He was still worried, though. The amount of blood he'd seen dripping from her head when Blu had carried her into the room was enough to send shivers down his spine. It was a miracle that she'd woken up so soon. "Do you remember how you got here?"

"Nope." She tilted her head, her eyebrows knotting together. "Why am I even here? What happened this time?"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Jake..." She mumbled. "Jake dragged me out of my room at some godforsaken hour in the morning... It's still Saturday, right?"

"Sunday, actually."

"Oh."

"Blu carried you here yesterday after an incident with a light not properly attached to the ceiling." Rian explained. "Somehow, it seems like you don't have a concussion... and all that seems to be wrong with you right now is that you've misplaced your memories of yesterday."

"Oh goodie."

"Well I wasn't expecting you to come out completely unscathed, but to be honest, I thought it'd be worse."

Arya shrugged. "Just lucky, I suppose."

"Hardly." Rian snorted, sitting forwards in his chair. "You somehow managed to sit under the one faulty light in the entire school – not very lucky if you ask me." Flynn had already informed him of the strange cut that'd disappeared within minutes, and that rumour had soon been found to be incredibly accurate.

Arya didn't have a scratch on her.

It was a fact that both puzzled and amazed the man in charge of Riverdale High's hospital. She was a human. Not one of them... but it wasn't like that would make any difference. Even he wouldn't have healed that fast.

He didn't know a single person who could.

"Well, you're free to go whenever you're ready... though I think Flynn wants to have a word with you about your antics as of late." He said, staring at her with renewed interest.

"Ugh." Arya muttered, her shoulders sinking.

"Psst!" A familiar brunette head popped through the open window by her bed. "This way!" Velvet hissed, ignoring the way Rian's grey eyes widened at the sight of her in the third-floor window. "Quickly!"

"Get down from there!" Rian ordered, striding towards the Second Year, freezing when a black mass flashed passed him. He blinked, staring back at the empty bed, his head swivelling back around just in time to watch Arya vault out of the window with alarming ease... almost as if she'd practiced it many times before, and that didn't reassure the man in the slightest. "Arya! We're on the third floor!" He was by the window in a flash, hands slamming down on the sill as he watched the pair land safely on the ground. "ARYA!"

His shout made the girl in question smile. Since coming to Riverdale, hearing someone shout her name in a very angry tone had become rather familiar. It was nothing like it'd been back at her home, and yet she got the same vibes from the place.

Riverdale High was quickly becoming her second home thanks to all the people who'd welcomed her with open arms... especially the particular troublemaking Second Year who was, at that moment, sprinting along the courtyard next to her.

"That guy worries too much." Velvet laughed, only to be interrupted by an oddly familiar voice, followed by a worryingly familiar sight.

"She's over here!"

"Why, might I ask, do you have the entire Disciplinary Committee on you tail?!" Arya yelled, running frantically alongside her friend. "What the hell is going on?"

Velvet waved another file about, the white stamp informing her it was one of the White Division's files.

"Typical..." Green eyes rolled, knowing it'd most definitely come from a locked room which the girl wasn't supposed to have access to. "I could've guessed."

"I was just trying to find a quiet place to read it when they found me out." She said, listening to the sounds of numerous feet paved floor.

"They probably ought to reserve a cell just for you..." Arya grumbled, blinking in confusion when she continued to run. Her feet seemed to be on the autopilot setting, which seemed to involve running, much to her own surprise. "Wait. Why am I even running away with you?! I haven't done anything!"

"But they'll assume I've told you about the contents of these lovely files." Velvet smirked.

"You know, sometimes, I hate you, Vel." Arya said, her shoulders sinking. "So, seeing as how you've got me mixed up in this... would ya mind telling me about what info you decided to steal this time?"

"It's about the Five Power Spots located on Campus." Velvet ducked into a nearby room, with her partner in crime close on her heels.

The lights were off, a single small window at the back of the room casting light across the narrow room. Steps led up to the back of the classroom, which seemed as if it'd been built on a bit of a hill thanks to the wide stairs that each managed to hold a row of desks. The scent of polished wood filled Arya's sharp nose, but that was hardly surprising considering the amount of panelling and the old-fashioned desks and stools which littered the room.

"Five Power Spots?" Her voice echoed around the quiet space, making her want to whisper. They were trying to hide from the Disciplinary Committee, and shouting loudly would be a bit of a giveaway to their pursuers – like lighting a beacon in the wilderness.

"Have a seat." She said, pulling up a tall chair under the door. "This'll take some explaining... seeing as how I'm going to have to go from the very top if I want you to even believe me."

"OK..."

"Have you ever heard of magic?" Velvet asked cautiously, her eyes darting around, making sure they were alone before she continued.

"Yeah. The stuff you read about in those books... Fiction." She shrugged. "That's what you're on about, right?"

"It exists." Velvet said, plopping down onto the desk with a loud sigh.

"I'm sorry..." Arya blinked. "I don't think I get what you're on about..."

"Magic exists. Vasilith exists. Etcetera, etcetera." She said, her face completely serious. "I'm not lying to you. I wouldn't joke about something as serious as this."

"Umm..."

"I bet you need me to prove it to you." Velvet folded her arms. "Well, I suppose it's a good thing my speciality is water." She muttered, more to herself than anyone else. "I doubt the Disciplinary Committee would be too happy if I wrecked one of their precious classrooms."

"You're just messing with me, right, Vel?"

A globule of water formed in her hand in answer, shimmering in the few rays of light that managed to make it through the window. "Does it look like I'm messing with you, Arya?" She tilted her head. "You wanted to know the truth about this school, and this is part of it."

Her mouth dropped open. "So it's a school full of Mages..."

"Hardly." She snorted, laughing briefly at the girl's confusion. "What is it with you humans and looking ridiculously stupid when the truths about this world are revealed to you?"

Arya sat there, stupefied, a look of abject confusion written across her face. Even in her muddled mind, though, some small part of her could still use her brain. "You speak as if you aren't one..."

"Ding, ding! We have a winner!" Velvet said, a wide smile forming on her lips. "Correct." Sharp fangs dropped down over her lower lip. "Want to guess again?"

"Vampire?"

"Nope."

"Werewolf?"

"Seriously?!" Velvet scowled. "You think this beautiful body turns into a giant mutant dog on the full moon?!"

"I take it that's a no..."

"Duh."

"What else is there...?"

"Want me to give you a hint?" Velvet sighed, looking rather exasperated as she sat on the desk, answering only once Arya nodded her head. "Our kind are normally associated with forests in common mythology and legends."

Arya's face twisted. "Elves?"

"Wow... You still haven't got it, but you're getting closer, I'll give you that."

"What else is there?!"

"All of us who attend this academy are flightless."

"Wings..." Arya mumbled. "Fairies?"

"Take off the iries and add an e instead."

"Fa... e..." She spoke cautiously. "Fae?"

"About damn flipping time." Velvet muttered. "That was painful."

"You're Fae?" Arya said, but it came out as more of a question as her eyes fixated back on the floating water which had now formed into the shape of two clapping hands.

Magic was apparently mocking her, but Arya was beyond the point of caring.

"Yes."

"Everyone at this school is Fae?"

"Not everyone, but most people are." She said, shrugging slightly. "It's rare that a human ever gets selected, and if they are we aren't supposed to reveal this fact until they're in their second year otherwise..." Velvet trailed off. "Oh. Oops."

"You're gonna be in trouble, aren't you?"

"Meh." She waved her hand. "The worst they can do is send me to the West Woods for the rest of the year."

"The West Woods?"

"Oh, I keep forgetting you're ridiculously clueless about this fine institution of ours." Velvet grinned. "The West Woods are where the Disciplinary Committee send the annoying troublemakers who are deemed too troublesome to keep on campus. They've even got some ex-Disciplinary Committee Commanders still working there." She said. "Fun for everyone, I know."

"Wait..." Red hair popped out from behind the curtain, grey eyes fixing on the pair of them as the only other First Year whom Arya knew seemed to materialise on the wide windowsill from behind the partially drawn curtain. "You mean Arya's human?"

"Lexie Crow, correct?" Velvet turned to her in surprise. "And yes, Arya is as human as it gets."

"Velvet." A brunette appeared opposite the First Year, matching eyes meeting Velvet's own. "Fancy seeing you here... Hiding from the Disciplinary Committee, are we?"

"You guessed it, twin."

"Who's that?" Arya turned to her.

"My self-proclaimed twin, Everly Stone."

"Oh."

"Nice to meet you, Arya Cross." Thin pale lips twitched up into a smile, brown eyes boring into Arya's green ones. "I've heard a lot of rumours about you."

Arya buried her face in her hands. "Oh, for the love of all that's holy..."