Chapter 1: The Arrival, Annabelle's welcome to Death City?

After what had felt like days of travelling, she had finally arrived. Death City stood towering before her. It had been hard and tiring, but now upon finally reaching her destination, Annabelle felt overjoyed. For years she had dreamed of standing at these gates, and when a small apartment in Death City had become available, she just had to take it. It was small, but not too small. It was just big enough for one person to live in. At least that was how it had been portrayed. She had yet to see her new home, but that didn't matter. As long as Annabelle could be part of the hustle and bustle of Death City, nothing else mattered to her.

Looking down at her scuffed brown school shoes, Annabelle took her first step into the open arms of Death City. Clutching on to her suitcase, she made her way down the busy street. The streets were narrow, however they were absolutely packed with people who were just going about their day to day business. Everything was just what you'd expect from a normal city. However, Death City was anything but normal.

Death City, was home to the legendary Death Weapon Meister Academy (more commonly known as the DWMA) and Lord Death himself. Throughout the city, the meisters and weapons attending the school were idolized by the local human society which Annabelle, upon arriving, had just become apart of.

Other than the DWMA, a single smaller school resided within the walls of Death City. However this school was purely for the human population. The school lived in the shadow of the renowned 'DWMA', so not many people were aware of its existence, other than the students and the people living in the surrounding area. This school was simply known as 'Death City Academy' (or the 'DCA' for short). Better known as the school in which Annabelle will be attending from tomorrow onward. That was, if she could find her way home first.

The cobbled street welcomed Annabelle's footsteps as she moved through the surrounding rush hour mass. She kept a close eye out for street signs between the crowds of people, or anything that could notify her to her current location for that matter. According to the paper crumpled in her left hand, her apartment was located on 'Moon Crescent Square'. Now it was just a case of finding it.

As she slowly made her way through the narrow twists and turns of the city, the sun slowly began to sink into its nightly slumber. The number of people wandering the streets was becoming scarcer by the minute as the twilight hour made its debut. Annabelle was becoming increasingly nervous as night fell over Death City. She'd been wandering the streets for hours, her feet began to ache as she found herself hopelessly lost. All she wanted to do was find her new home and curl up in a comfy bed. She didn't have the nerve to ask anyone for directions and she constantly went out of her way to avoid being in the middle of big crowds, though that was becoming easier as the streets became gradually quieter.

Eventually, Annabelle came out upon a fork in the road. Looking one way, she could clearly see the DWMA in all it's glory, looming above Death City. She took a moment to admire it's beauty, as her eyes met the distinct features of the DWMA she was reminded that she had finally made it, the place where she'd always wanted to be. Even if she was lost she felt somehow reassured by the presence of the DWMA, it gave off a strong and safe aura, giving her the motivation to push forward in her journey.

Looking the other way, a larger street lay before her with many smaller streets leading off it, sort of like a maze. She decided to turn her back on the DWMA and walk the larger street, her suitcase purring behind her as she continued her journey.

Everything was starting to look the same. Every street light, every building, even the cats that occasionally ran by. After about half an hour of walking, Annabelle stumbled upon a brightly lit building. A closer inspection allowed her to see that it was a bar going by the name 'Chupacabras'.

"Thank God." she muttered quietly to herself.

She hadn't eaten all day and her stomach was growling like a hungry bear. Slowly, she moved closer and closer. She could smell food which tortuously teased her senses. She was no more than ten feet away when she spotted a group of older men hanging out at the door of the bar. Suddenly, the smell of food wasn't as appetizing to her and she started to back away.

She had hoped to get away unseen but one of the men looked up and met her eyes. Annabelle froze on the spot. The rest of the group turned and looked at her, but she couldn't take her eyes away from the one man. It was as if his dark eyes were holding her hostage. Annabelle hated confrontation. Her heart was racing, her mind was screaming at her with all its might for her to run. The man's eyes bore into her like daggers. Forcing herself to break eye contact, she closed her dark blue eyes and looked at the ground instead. A large gust of wind blew her stunning white hair behind her, almost urging her to leave.

"Well well well," one of the men said. "What do we have here?".

Annabelle panicked but didn't allow it to show. She kept on a calm face and instead turned to walk away. A quick glance over her shoulder confirmed that they did not follow behind. Instead they were laughing. And once again she found herself walking the quiet streets. Cold, hungry and most of all scared.

Her eyes scanned over every sign as she continued down the seemingly never ending street. Her shoulders were beginning to slouch as each step became gradually more difficult than the last. Finally the sign she had been searching for since her arrival in Death City made its appearance. The words 'Moon Crescent Square' printed on a small wooden street sign, beckoning her into the quaint apartments which were silently lying in wait for her arrival. It was almost midnight, there was no-one awake. Not a single light illuminated the area, which sent shivers throughout her tired body. But finally, Annabelle was home.

It took her no more than five minutes to find the correct apartment and then after another frantic moment of trying to locate her keys, she took a deep breath before slipping the key into the lock. She had never been so excited in her life. This was what she had been waiting for, the moment she stepped into the house, she would be a citizen of Death City. As she turned the key in the lock, she could hear the unmistakable sound of the tumblers releasing their hold on the door frame. Annabelle put her hand on the cold metal handle of the front door. Her front door.

"I'm home." Annabelle said quietly to herself with a smile on her face.

She was exhausted, but even that couldn't make her any less excited to finally see her apartment with her own two eyes. Opening the door, she took her first step into the dark room, her eyes instantly scanning for a switch of any kind. Leaving her suitcase by the open front door, she didn't dare close it until she had some kind of light to see by. Putting one hand on the nearest wall, she dragged her fingers along, searching for a light switch. Annabelle made sure to keep at least one light on around her at all time, darkness was not something Annabelle enjoyed.

"Come on light switch, where are you?" She asked nervously to the darkness before her.

Her hands met with a small square on the wall, she pushed down on it without hesitation. As a bright light flooded the room around her, Annabelle let out a sigh of relief for the darkness had finally vacated the room. Annabelle dragged her case in from the doorway, letting the door firmly close behind her, separating her from the unnerving darkness of the streets.

The room was quite small, which is what was expected of a small apartment for one. The walls were plain and bare leaving room for customization. In the center of the largest wall there stood a large, old fashioned, stone brick fire place with charred pieces of what looked like logs, residing inside from the previous owner. In the corner of the room huddled a small kitchen area, it was only little but it fit the room perfectly and it looked the perfect size for one person to move around in comfortably. The rest of the room was occupied with basic furniture, the kind of things that you would expect to find in any home. Two doors other than the main front door sat in the living area, one leading to a small, one person bedroom, and the other leading to a small bathroom. Even though it was small, Annabelle was more than happy with her new home.

At this point the only thing on Annabelle's mind was sleep, so she locked the front door, double and triple checked that it was locked and that there were no other ways into the apartment. Then she headed straight to her new bedroom. Annabelle unpacked a few essentials such as her toothbrush, pajamas and bed sheets from her suitcase. After a quick trip to the bathroom to change and brush her teeth, Annabelle turned out the bathroom light and ran into her room quickly to escape the darkness. Annabelle then unpacked a small night light and placed it on her bedside table before turning her bedroom lights off. Annabelle was content in her small house. It was perfect for her, she couldn't have asked for more. Curling up under her soft duvet Annabelle quickly drifted off to sleep, ready for her first day of school the next morning.