THE GIRL'S UNEASY EYES GLANCED OVERHEAD WHERE THE LARGE BUILDING LOOMED. The light breeze in the air gently tangled her vibrant, red hair across her face. Her heart palpitated within her chest, and she froze just before reaching out for the door's handles.

"I don't know if I can go in, Finn," the girl whispered with hesitance.

The small boy beside her raised an eyebrow. "You're deciding this now, Marina?"

She turned to look at the boy with fear in her eyes. "I think I acted too quickly. I was upset, and didn't stop to think."

The small blonde sighed. "Alright, let's just get back on the bus then."

Marina nodded her head gently looking back once more at the building she was so hesitant to enter before; however, she turned to find her friend frozen in place.

"Finn?" she asked with concern in her voice.

He slowly lifted a finger to point at a yellow gleam fading over the hill with the sunset. "It's gone."

"Looks like we're going in after all," Marina noted. The butterflies fluttering in her stomach grew with each passing second. She was petrified, but now that she had nowhere else to turn... optimism seemed like the next option. With uncertainty, she turned back to the boy at her side. "Maybe it's for the best?"

"What do you mean?" Finn asked with a frown. "A moment ago you wanted to leave as badly as I did."

Marina shrugged. "Now that an escape is no longer available, I suppose I've got to look ahead with a new perspective."

"Or..." Finn suggested. "We could wait for the next one."

Marina smiled and released a gentle laugh. "Come on, don't be such a guppy."

As she proceeded to open the doors to the building she could hear Finn mutter behind her, "I'm not a guppy."

Marina entered the building boldly—a confidence that had been lacking only a moment ago—while Finn followed behind meekly. Students inside filled the halls with noise and chaos as they socialized and interacted with each other. Suddenly, the bell overhead rang. Finn shrieked and dropped to the ground covering his head with his hands prepared to be stomped over, but to his surprise, no one moved. Marina smirked gently with amusement and stifled back some laughter as the noise levels in the room quieted. Finn sheepishly stood back up and glared at Marina with annoyance.

"Guppy," Marina whispered with a smile just loud enough for the smaller boy to hear.

However, before Finn could protest, a voice called out over the crowds, "Welcome! Welcome, each and every one of you! We here at the Walt Disney's Character Academy—now isn't that a mouthful—are truly elated to start this school year with all of you present. You'll find the privileges offered aren't like that of anywhere else you've ever been."

"However," a second voice added to the first. "Before you can partake of these 'privileges' that Headmaster Yen Sid speaks of, you must complete the enrollment process."

"Master Merlin Wyllt is correct. Before the school year can begin there are certain procedures we must complete." The headmaster nodded in agreement. "So the faster we finish the formalities, the sooner you can begin your next adventure!"

Marina noticed that the other professor seemed rather annoyed with the headmaster, and wondered what possible grudge rested between them. However, as the crowd around her began to shuffle toward the main office, she was pushed along with the current. In order to keep Finn nearby, she snatched the boy's hand. She noticed his face grew red with the contact. She elected to focus on the student body all around her. There were mixed emotions within the crowd, and it was detectable that each had their own opinion. Some were forced to attend while others seemed elated for the chance at this new life. Moments after this observation, she was sitting beside Finn in a small cubicle.

"Name?" the elderly woman asked, looking up from her computer.

"Marina Andersen," she replied before looking at the boy beside her. "And Finn Angelfish."

"Is he mute?" the woman asked, curious yet also concerned.

"Oh no," Marina said with a gentle smile. "He's just extremely shy."

"Ah, I see." The woman nodded her head with understanding, "I'm Miss Fauna Thistlewit, and I'll be your guidance counselor, Marina. So if you ever need anything my door is always open."

"Thank you," Marina replied with a smile. "What about Finn?"

"I believe his counselor will be Merlin," Miss Fauna answered.

Marina noticed Finn seemed to gulp nervously—and after what they'd seen of the elderly man earlier she could understand why. "Are there any other questions we need to answer?"

"Just a few more questions, dear," Miss Fauna smiled considerately. "Could I have your family history?"

Marina and Miss Fauna continued this pattern of asking and answering questions before everything was finalized. She finished typing on the keyboard attached to her computer; then printed off the childrens' class schedules, roommates, and flyers for the extracurricular activities they'd been interested in.

"Thank you for all your help," Marina said with a smile, holding her folder of information close to her chest.

"Thank you for your cooperation, dears," Miss Fauna replied, equally as warm and inviting. "I'm glad you'll be joining us this semester here at Walt Disney's Character Academy."

Marina nodded her head and closed the door after Finn had exited. The two walked a short distance down the hall before looking at the information inside the folders they each held. Once she felt content with the classes, she looked up from the papers over toward Finn.

"I suppose this is where we part ways," Marina said brushing a piece of vibrant hair from her face. "I'm going to check out my dorm and maybe unpack."

Finn nodded his head; however, he still looked nervous as his eyes darted around the room. "Yeah, I suppose it is then... meet up with you tomorrow before class starts?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah, of course."

"You'll be alright?" he asked, the concern in his voice evident.

"Uh huh, I've got a map right here showing me the way." She smiled as she teasingly added, "Besides, it's me who should be worrying about you."

The boy smiled and released a quiet, but relaxed laugh. "See you tomorrow, Marina."

"See you, Finn," she replied before turning down the hall toward the girls' dorms.

She continued down the hall for a short while before stopping at a door painted solid white. Looking further down the hall, she could see each room from the outside looked identical. She pulled her room key from her folder and double-checked to make sure they showed the same number. She smiled seeing they were a perfect match.

"Time to make room 7 in Hall A seem more like home I guess," Marina said, inserting the key into the lock.

With a flick of her wrist, the door was unlocked. She stepped inside to see her bags had made it before she had. Looking around the room, she could see it was nice. Sure it wasn't her room back home in the palace, but the conditions weren't bad. She was almost relieved to find herself alone in the room. But seeing a foreign set of bags in the opposite corner, she realized she wouldn't be alone for too much longer. She set herself to work and gradually began to unpack her belongings. Hoping her roommate wouldn't mind, she claimed the bed to the left, closest to the window. She neatly spread her ocean themed bedspread across the mattress and moved onto the next thing that needed to be set up.

She was in the midst of finishing up when she heard voices from down the hall. She almost hoped they'd pass by but sighed when they grew louder just outside the door. The footsteps she'd previously heard had stopped altogether. She half-heartedly winced as she heard a fist knock on the door.

"It's open!" she called out to be heard and then started nervously playing with her hair.

The doorknob turned, and a girl with auburn hair—tied back into a high ponytail with a satin blue ribbon—stepped into the room talking to a girl with long, straight brunette hair. They continued to speak with one another as the auburn girl set down a few of the bags she'd brought with her. Marina looked to the opposite corner where at least three bags sat prior. How many bags did this girl have? She continued to play with her hair as she stood awkwardly in the background of the conversation. It was then they finally acknowledged her.

"Hi," the auburn girl said with a smile. "I'm Laura Brown. Since you're already set up in here, I'm assuming you're my roommate?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm Marina Andersen, your roommate."

"Oh!" Laura exclaimed remembering the other girl in the room. "This is Clove Doe, she's just helping me move in a bit."

Marina nodded her head, this time a bit startled by the girl's scattered focus. "Nice to meet you both."

Laura must've noticed the look Marina had given her because she quickly apologized, "Sorry if I seem a bit all over the place. I'm not normally this scattered, it's just been a really long day."

Marina relaxed as the girl released a light, but tired laugh. Clove only stayed a few minutes longer to help Laura set up before exiting the room and heading for her own dorm room. Marina quickly learned that her roommate was very excitable with lots of energy; however, her roommate also knew how to make people feel comfortable in unusual situations. It didn't take long for her to become comfortable around Laura. The girl made things easy to talk about. The two spent a bit of time becoming acquainted with one another, and any doubts or concerns Marina originally had faded away. She couldn't help but internally laugh at herself for being so worried about attending the school. As she turned in for the night, her mind temporarily lapsed to those she'd left at home. She bit her lip as she tried to convince herself that she'd made the right decision in leaving home without saying goodbye.