As I try to catch my breath in the surprisingly large hall, a wave of noise washes over me. It seems to be coming from all over the hall, which is divided into three sections. One section seems to be a cafeteria, with a few kids sitting at tables, chowing down on food that looks like it belongs in a three Michelin star restaurant. It definitely doesn't look like the mystery meat and tuna surprise my high school cafeteria was dishing out. Speaking of high school, it doesn't even look like there is a social hierarchy here. There are long tables where huge groups of people can sit and talk, not the circular tables that breed envy and popularity.

In another section, separated by the first by little half walls, is what looks like a coffee shop, just without the coffee bar. There are clusters of soft squishy armchairs dotting the carpet, floor to ceiling bookshelves lining the walls, and small tables with high chairs for people to sit and talk. And people are doing just that. I see dozens of groups of people just talking with their friends. Everybody looks so at ease that I bet they have known one another for years. It'll probably be hard to join a group if they are all this tightly knit.

And on the farthest wall that I can see, the last section seems to be a little training area. There are boxing rings (which I really think should be called squares, because come on, the "ring" isn't circular at all) and punching bags. A surprising amount of Alterations are over there. Fighting must really be important here. There are people fighting in the rings, a large crowd of kids are egging the fighters on, probably betting too by the looks of them, and a small few are just practicing on the bags. I guess the Alterations are a pretty social bunch. I don't see a lot of them alone, most of them are in groups of at least two. But even the groups of two are few and far between, I notice. Those groups are mainly couples, and by the looks of them, PDA isn't forbidden. I turn away from the particularly embarrassing couple in the corner and look at Will.

"Where are we going? Are there assigned seats, or do you have a group of friends you want to hang out with?" I ask, secretly hoping there isn't a group of friends. I can't take small talk this early in the morning when I haven't had any caffeine. I might be forced to murder them. And I'm pretty sure Will wouldn't appreciate that.

My question is answered when a girl starts jumping up and down by a table of people, her almost white hair bouncing along with her. "Will! Will! Over here!" Her actions are almost comical, and I see people from other tables turn to snicker at her. I grimace. I guess bullying is universal among teens. Will jogs over, and I reluctantly follow. Haven't we run enough for the day? I mean come on, that tour was by no means short.

"Hey Zoe!" Will greets the girl with a smile. "This is Kyla, she's new here."

At the introduction, Zoe looks at me, with a smile. "You must be new here! I'm Zoe." Her voice is bubbly and full of energy. From what I've seen, it matches her personality pretty well. "Let me introduce you to the rest of the group." She points to a boy with reddish-brown hair. He waves. "This is Travis. He's sort of like Will's brother. They act almost exactly alike, unfortunately. They are pretty much known as the twins." Travis grins at me.

"We aren't biologically related though." He gestures to his hair. "If you couldn't tell by the difference in our hair color."

"Yeah, yeah. We get it." Zoe looks exasperated, like she's heard this a million times before. "This is Sienna," she says. The only other girl at the table pops her head up from her pie.

"Di I ear mah nam?" Her voice is slightly muffled due to the bite of pie that's still in her mouth. She swallows it and tries again. "Did I hear my name?"

I laugh along with Zoe. "Yeah Sienna, I was just introducing you to the new student, Kyla." Zoe turns to me. "Sienna is a bottomless pit. She always seems to be eating, but she never gets full." She glares at Sienna, but not in a mean way. More of a mock glare. "And she never gains any weight. It's unnatural."

I bet she's Will's girlfriend. She seems like the type. Actually. I bet both of the twins are dating one of the girls. That would make sense. Except it would make the other guy sitting at the table a third wheel.

Zoe continues with the introductions. "Last but not least, we have Travis."

She points at the boy. His black hair is covering his eyes, and his nose is buried in a book. He doesn't look up at the sound of his name.

Zoe waggles her eyebrows at me. "He's Will's boyfriend."

Huh. I misjudged that situation. Gosh, Kyla. Not every boy who looks at you is interested. Some aren't even interested in your gender.

Will interjects. "Is it really necessary to tell her who's dating who Zo? Because if so she should know about your unrequited crush on-"

Zoe jumps in front of Will and covers his mouth with her hands. "That's enough of that mister. You're in time out now." Will slumps his shoulders dramatically. Zoe removes her hands and watches as he plops himself next to Travis. "You know that things said during the movie night stay between us."

Will just laughs and puts his arm around Travis. "Well she should know..."

"So who is it?" I ask, suddenly curious. "Is he our age?" I haven't engaged in "girl talk" since I had a best friend. And that was before my parents disappeared.

Zoe sighs. "Well, I guess that I have to tell you eventually, because someone," She shoots a pointed look at Will, "spilled the beans. It's not happening today though." She thinks about it for a second then claps her hands. "Ooh! I know. I'll tell you at the next movie night."

I smile, but it seems a little forced. The whole concept of friends is foreign to me. I've had one in my life. And that was before my parents died.

I suppose I can't be a loner forever though. Unless I want to turn into a crazy cat lady like the lady who used to come into Marley's store. I suppress a shudder. She always smelled like tuna fish and hairballs. I can't end up like that.

I try again, and this time the smile feels genuine. "I can't wait."