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Lyra's head throbbed; her feet ached; her hands clenched her stomach as it seemed to cave in on itself. Little snow flakes drifted down from the grey clouds in the sky, helping to build the mounds of sparkling white snow piled up all around her. Lyra's shoes were tattered and worn; her toes poked out at the tips, coloured an ugly blue, almost frozen solid. She wore jeans that were just as tattered and ruined as her shoes. A long-sleeve, woollen red shirt covered her torso, which was covered by a torn, black jacket with what used to be a furry hood. Her old, worn clothes hardly warmed her in the freezing cold weather. Lyra was sure she would freeze to death if she didn't find warmth soon.
Lyra pulled a still fresh, white envelope out of her jeans pocket with a pale, shaking hand. She opened the envelope and slowly pulled out a letter. But this letter wasn't any old letter; it was an invitation to a safe haven-an academy-for mutants just like herself.
She stared at the stamp that had been imprinted at the top of the page. Just that one, little stamp gave her courage and hope that she could reach this academy and finally be somewhere she belonged.
Lyra returned the letter and envelope to her pocket and continued to walk. Trees covered in snow and ice crystals surrounded her. Huge roots, vines and bushes suffocated the ground. Lyra looked ahead, willing a clearing to appear in the distance. She kept looking for that clearing for several minutes. Suddenly her foot caught on something, she fell into the snow. An evil chill crept through her face and down her neck as the cold, wet snow made contact with her cheek. And there she lay, her body absorbing the cold, freezing her body by the minute.

Lyra had no idea how long she lay there. It could've been minutes, hours, days even. She knew she had been sleeping, because she had just woken up from what had to be slumber.
Her fingers and toes were stiff and ghostly white. Her whole body was numb. She couldn't feel anything. But she knew if she stayed there she would die for sure. Lyra's eyes flickered, looking all around the forest. Suddenly a fairly large gap caught her eye, coming from her right. After further inspection, she realised it was a clearing, and not a long way away. How could she have not noticed it yet?
The sudden lifting of her heart, the hope that something warm could be beyond that, drove Lyra to slowly stand up. Her body was still numb, but she willed it move in the direction of the clearing. In around eight minutes she stumbled out of the forest and into open air. She was now standing on a road that stretched on for what seemed like miles beside the forest. And maybe ten metres away from where Lyra stood, the road split, one part leading off into a copse of trees. Lyra peered at the copse, curious as to what lay beyond. She shuffled forward, trying to ignore the agonising pain of frostbite.
Lyra finally made it to the copse. She walked along the road, surrounded by more trees. And then suddenly the trees disappeared to reveal an enormous building, a mansion, a school. There were huge double gates leading into the school, with a fancy sign that read, 'Maxwell's Academy for the Gifted'. A sense of pure relief swept over Lyra and her legs almost buckled grown underneath her. Finally, after days after days of walking, she had made it to the academy.

Scarlett had arrived here with Dean after four months of being alone, traveling together and escaping the scientists. It seemed now that they’ve finally found somewhere safe to stay. Even if she would never see her mother again, she was glad to have Dean. He was all she ever had anymore, no matter what. Sighing, she sat down behind the gate to the school, her long brunette locks swaying in the wind. The scent of spring was in the air, along with a few dandelion seeds that got caught up in the breeze and tickled her nose. She sneezed and frowned, leaning her head back against the black wrought iron so she could look up at the sky. It was something she hadn’t seen for years, the beauty of the outdoors. She was spending as much time outside as she could lately, just so she could catch up on what she’d been missing. Especially with her powers too. Being in the labs had made her outbursts of power uncontrollable, and she could blow up at the slightest upset.

The last job she had had involved a dead couple.
Apparently, someone had taken a very, very expensive jewel out of their safe, and the suspects had been narrowed down to the maid, the butler, and the cook- the rich pricks had it all. Charlotte had been told that it in fact was the maid, and she was actually a spy working for the US government. Their jewel was actually a precious artifact, and a stolen one at that. The father was also a US agent, but not a very loyal one. He'd stolen it out of their archives to give his wife, and unfortunately for him he got caught. The maid, needing to be kept as safe as possible as she was an important member, was taken into safe custody. Charlotte was offered a job disguising herself as the maid in order to take down the man and direct his wife elsewhere.
Well, obviously things went wrong, and he was killed in the process as was the wife. The cook was just a normal cook, and so was the butler (a normal butler, not a cook), but they'd somehow found out about the maid's secret identity and what the man had done, and wanted to take them down themselves. They weren't skilled and they screwed up big time. Charlotte was blamed and therefore not paid for her work. Outraged, she finally decided to take a break from that life for a while and attend the school she'd been told about years before. She thought it was a good chance to learn more about her mutations, other people's mutations, and maybe even find her brother- or at least get a lead or clue on where he was.
Presently, however, she was back in her true form and was traveling up a mountain in the freezing snow wearing nothing but heels, pantyhose, and the stereotypical maid outfit. She'd also gotten a ski jacket, but she was not dressed for the weather- she'd left the scene of her spy job and made her way to the academy immediately.
Wrapped in her hands was the stupid little maid hat, and strapped to her inner thigh was her gun. On her hip, under the dress, was the Bowie knife she'd planned to kill the man with.
Pulling the coat closer to her shivering body, she narrowed her minty green eyes at the sight ahead. She saw another girl a few yards away, and a huge building looming ominously in the distance.
"Damn, I'm freezing..." Charlie murmured to herself, picking up her pace to approach the younger-looking girl. "Hey! Hey, you!" She said, in her heavy French accent, "Are you..." her teeth chattered from the cold, "is this the school?" If it wasn't, she could easily say she was misinformed and leave. But she didn't want to do that- at all. Too cold to go back now- she could get hypothermia. Fresh snow fell all around her, snowflakes getting caught in her blonde hair.

Scarlett was violently ripped out of thought by some unfamiliar voice shouting across the wind. As she lowered her gaze and focused on the girl, she realised just how cold it had gotten. Scarlett of course hadn’t been affected by this weather, since she could shied herself form everything weather related. She hadn’t spoken to anyone except Dean since she’d gotten here, and she didn’t think that was going to change now. An amused look played across her lips as she noticed her maid outfit, raising a curious eyebrow at the slightly older girl. She got up, walking slowly over to the gate so that she could open it with a loud creaking noise. Turning back to face her, she gestured inside with that same sly smirk she’d put on when she saw her. Maybe I should soften up a little, this girl looks like she’s been through hell and back. She thought, glancing briefly up at the sky to calm the icy winds. Snow began to fall slower and with less snowflakes than before. She smiled for once before shaking the white and precious forms of precipitation out of her hair.

Lyra looked towards the others who had just arrived as well, but paid them no attention. She walked away from them, desperately wanting to go inside but not sure if she was allowed to yet. What would she do inside, anyway? Did she have to register?
Lyra slumped against the fence that bordered the academy, and closed her eyes. She drew long, deep breaths, and tried to ignore her aching stomach. Then she remembered she had a backpack-with food inside-so she shrugged it off and looked inside. There was an extra set of clothes, which were also tattered and torn; a half-full bottle of water; a pocket knife; a torch that had died years ago; a leather-bound journal; and a torn packet of food.
Lyra took out the journal and the packet of food. She opened the packet and found a bruised apple, a few pieces of stale bread and a mostly full packet of biscuits. Lyra chose the bread and stuffed it all in her mouth. She doubted she'd have to eat her own food anymore.
She opened her journal and pulled the pen out of its little socket. Lyra leafed through the pages until she found a blank one, and began to write.

Day 694, 26th of November

After days upon days of walking, starving and aching pain, I've finally made it to the academy. I was trudging along in the forest, my body freezing up, when I tripped and fell. I must have laid there for a few hours, because I remember falling a sleep.

When I awoke my whole body was numb, and that's when I saw the clearing. I willed myself to move towards it, and after a lot if pain I made it onto a road that stretched on for miles. The road split a few metres away and lead into another fairly large group of trees. Feeling curious, I forced myself to walk up that road. After a couple of metres, the trees suddenly parted to reveal an enormous building that seemed like a school. There is a long, black fence bordering the building, with a gate that had a sign that read, 'Maxwell's Academy for the gifted'. And that's when I felt a huge relief wash over me. I had made it.

Lyra closed her journal and packed it into her bag along with its pen and the packet of food. Then she leaned back and closed her eyes, wanting to rest properly, more than ever.

Charlotte dropped the little maid hat as soon as she saw the gate open and the girl smirk. Her hands were nearly frozen shut- she'd had them balled up into fists almost the entire way there, only removing them from inside her jacket pockets when she had to climb.
She ran up to the gates, watching the sky as the snow slowed. Based on the girl's body movements and facial expressions, she was the one causing this, and as such was...
"An atmokinetic," Charlie said out loud, directing it more or less towards the girl that had opened the rusty, snow-covered gates at the front of the academy. She still couldn't tell if this place was going to be as good as she'd been told or as bad as she had thought when she was first informed.
She was thankful for the snow falling less, but she didn't care why the other girl had done it. She wasn't as cold anymore and that's all that mattered. Lottie reached up and pulled her hair out of its stupid maid hair-do that had stayed (just like the clothes) when she turned back into her original form.
"And you are the greeter, out here standing at the gates? Or are you a student arriving like myself?" Charlotte asked, not caring as much as it sounded like. She needed to make conversation right now to keep her lips from sticking together.

Scarlett eyed the girl who spoke to her, “I’m Scarlett. Student here.” She said quietly but decided to approach the other girl who was sitting outside. It was too cold to just be sitting here, even if she didn’t care much. She just didn’t want to be in charge of taking care of her frozen cold dead body if she stayed out here any longer. “Hey.” She said, kneeling down beside her. The snow finally came to a complete stop, the temperature slowly rising in the air. “You should come inside. Both of you.” She said, standing up as she glanced at the girl in the maid outfit. She crossed her arms over her chest, a sigh escaping her lips. Her breath fogged out in the cool air, but she decided she wouldn’t say much. It was the first time she’d really spoken since she’d gotten here. She’d figured it would be a good idea to keep to herself in case anyone planned on taking her or Dean again. She’d learned a long time ago that you couldn’t trust anyone but yourself.
Except maybe Dean... She internally groaned, confusing herself. Why couldn’t she just be independent and get along on her own? Dean had always been there for her and they had grown quite close on the journey here. She didn’t want to admit it, but he didn’t feel like a brother to her anymore. It almost felt like something more... Something more intimate. Shaking the thought from her head, she decided to just glance at the two expectantly, walking up to the huge doors that bared as an entrance to the huge mansion. “Well?” She said impatiently.

Charlotte waited a moment before responding with her true name, figuring that would find out anyway. "Charlotte. Our circumstances are quite similar." Charlie looked over at the other girl leaning against the fence, sitting in the snow, almost begging to get hypothermia. Figuring the other girl, Scarlett, would take care of it, she didn't bother with trying to help or anything.
Looking up at the sky, all she could see was gray. Oh, well, at least there wasn't anymore snow falling. Upon further examination, Charlotte figured that although the girl Scarlett could change the weather, she didn't have any control over mother nature.
Charlie started walking towards the large metal gates, which opened to a long, winding path up to the actual wooden doors of the academy.
"Well?" A voice rang out in the cold air, and Charlie turned towards the girl- Scarlett- who had spoken before.
"Have you been here before? It didn't seem like it when I first saw you. Maybe you should help the little girl over there sitting in the snow." She probably wasn't actually what Charlie would consider little, but she described her as such anyway.

Scarlett glanced over at the girl, raising an eyebrow as Charlotte seemed to think she was ‘little.’ “I already invited her in. It’s not like this is a prison.” She muttered bitterly before heading back inside, not looking back over her shoulder even once at the two. She’d done as much as she would at the moment, since she was still trying to adjust to life here herself. “Just find a teacher, or the headmaster. Then you’ll be set.” She said, her voice ringing out across the open space so that the other girl could hear.

The door creaked as she slowly opened it, her mouth pulling up into a grin as she walked inside the toasty warm building. It made her think of a toaster, at least. When you’re inside, it’s all warm and cozy. Though when you get out, you’re crisp and hard. She didn’t have many things to compare to, since she’d only been used to the white walls of the lab all her life. At this point she wanted to see Dean and maybe find out if he was okay. He was all she really had, and she needed to see him. To tell him things would be alright. To make sure he had a friend. So she walked into the building, her boots tapping on the wooden floors with each step.

Based just on first glance, the place did seem pretty...caged. For one, the exterior looked like it'd been that way since the 1800's. Two, they just expected you to walk right in. No security checks outside or anything, not even someone to greet you when at this point you're most likely dragging yourself here because you're half-dead. Nice place.
Charlotte didn't bother responding. Instead, she just continued down the gravel path, pulling open the large wooden doors to enter. Still, no introductions. But no way was she going to find some headmaster- not right now, anyway. If they didn't care enough to welcome their students and make sure they weren't psycho killers, then neither did she.
Charlie took the coat off, as, thankfully, it was much warmer inside. She still looked odd, however, in that stupid little maid dress and high heels that made her want to remove her feet entirely. She couldn't wait to change.

Lyra watched the pair walk towards the building. She was almost too cold to get up, but she knew she had to if she wanted to actually survive. Lyra used the fence her heave herself to her feet. She shrugged her backpack over her shoulders and stumbled slowly after the girls.
Once she arrived at the double doors, she heaved on them. They were heavy and almost immovable. Lyra was so weak she could barely pull the door open a crack. She pulled and tugged on the handles when finally one opened a little way. Lyra slipped her fingers into the crack and pulled the door open a little more, large enough so she could squeeze through.
Warmth instantly flooded trough Lyra's body as she stepped inside. She pulled the door closed and sighed with relief. A chair sat nearby, and Lyra slumped into the soft, red cushions that lined the chair, curling up in a ball, allowing the heat to warm her body. She rubbed her hands for warmth and rubbed her blue toes to get the blood circulating again. Then she closed her eyes and allowed herself to finally rest properly, in the warmth and comfort of the school.