Again, a late chapter. Hope this isn't getting into a habit of mines...anyways, here's Odette Megan Carter created by The Bloodiest Rose! Yay!

Chapter 3: My Turn to Shine

Odette Carter stood poised near the entrance of the Mulan Cabin's living room while a brunette girl rushed towards Sophie and hugged her like crazy. A blonde girl dressed in dark denim jeans and a red and black plaid jacket, perched on a cozy red armchair with her legs crossed primly.

She was rather pretty, noticed Odette. A bit of envy twinged through Odette. Back home, she had always been considered the prettiest – along with her twin sister, Odile, of course – but now, this girl was way too perfect. Yet she looked a bit familiar.

Another blonde with deep blonde hair and freckles leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. A hot pink tank top and light denim ripped shorts made up her ensemble as well as a beachy-style seashell bracelet.

Both blondes were stunningly pretty, yet one had pale-blonde hair that seemed to glow and capture the sunlight and dark navy eyes and the other had a darker shade of blonde hair, bordering on golden-brown honey-colored tresses, and bright blue eyes.

"Belle!" exclaimed Sophie in happiness to the brunette who had nearly tackled Sophie.

"Hi Sophie!" the blonde with the red and black jacket called out, waving at Sophie and giving her a pretty smile.

"You're both in my Cabin?" Sophie grinned happily while Belle nodded and bounced on her toes.

"Yeppity-yep! Me and Lily both! Yay!" Belle chirped gleefully. "This is gonna be awesome! And who are you, two? I'm Belle Piery, from Topeka, Kansas with an Alpha Track in Inventing, isn't it fun? I get to invent all so much cool stuff and the clicking of buttons and it's all so cool!"

Odette stared at the bubbly brunette blankly, trying to process everything that was burbled out to her in a very high, excited and slightly squeaky voice. Belle reminded her of that one hyper pixie vampire in…what was it called? Twilight.

"I'm Odette Carter, singer," Odette announced confidently, as soon as she was able to get her facial expression under control.

"I'm Sabrina Boyane, model," said the freckled girl with golden-brown hair. Figures, she's super pretty. Then again, the other blonde is, too, thought Odette with envy. Why did so many alphas girl have to look just as pretty as her? They made Odette look like just another average pretty alpha girl.

"I'm a figure-skater," Lily added. "Oh, and I'm Lily. Lily Mahone."

Mahone…..Mahone….Where have I heard that? Odette pondered over Lily's name for a brief second.

"Oh! You're Majority Leader Mahone's daughter!" Odette felt like she had a lightbulb dinging over her head, just like those cartoon characters. Usually the Odette didn't follow politics, but with an election was coming up soon in the USA, the majority of the population in the country knew the two main candidates.

"So you're Odette Carter," Sabrina asked. "The famous singer? Is it true that you and Jenny Tinsel had a cat fight because she got casted into Glee and you didn't?"

"Gawd, is this an interview?" snapped Odette reflexively.

Belle and Sophie blinked. Sabrina looked slightly taken aback and Lily's eyes looked at Odette knowingly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean that," Odette apologized grudgingly. She disliked apologizing, even if she was in the wrong. "I just don't like talking about Jenny Tinsel."

"Sure, sorry for mentioning it," said Sabrina with a shrug, though she looked at Odette dubiously and slightly warily.

Odette bit her tongue, regretting her outburst.

But she hated Jenny Tinsel like no other. Though her hatred might have been a bit biased, since both of them had been competing for the "top singer" title since they were three, Odette never liked the annoyingly beautiful singer. Others might have said that they were too similar, with similar goals and often clashed but Odette resented Jenny, bitterly.

She had loved singing ever since she was little and beat Jenny at numerous talent shows during their middle school years. Yet, Odette's mother never let her sing. Ballet and dancing were Odette's and her sister, Odile's, priority. Her mother had loved ballet and even went as far as to name Odette and Odile after the two main characters in the classic ballet, Swan Lake. A ballerina had always been the Carter twin's career since the second their mother had figured out she was pregnant.

Flashback

Odette Carter, age ten

"What?" screeched an angry voice. A young girl with deep violet eyes and a heavy curtain of midnight black hair jumped up angrily.

Odette Carter smiled prettily for the cameras and walked up to receive her shiny gold trophy. Ignoring the angry screams of a defeated singing rival, she posed for the pictures.

"I told you I would win," she said smugly at a raging Jenny Tinsel, after Awards.

Jenny glared back furiously and was about to slap Odette.

"It's ok, sweetie," Mrs. Tinsel immediately came up to soothe Jenny. "You'll win next time."

And with a dirty look at Odette, Jenny Tinsel marched of f the stage of the Youth Performing Arts Competition. Her silver medal glinted maliciously back at Odette from Jenny's neck and her mother scowled at the young ten year-old blonde who had stolen the gold from her precious daughter.

Odette Carter, age 11

"And in first place…Jenny Tinsel!"

Applause filled the small auditorium as a slightly older, slimmer and prettier Jenny Tinsel received the shiny gold trophy. A year had passed since the last Youth Performing Arts Competition.

Eleven year-old Odette Carter watched bitterly as Jenny beamed, blew kissed and posed with her golden trophy for the cameras. It should have been her up here. Not Jenny Tinsel. Instead, Odette was standing in a pale pink tutu, with ballet shoes adorning her feet and her hair twisted up in a neat bun. Her mother stood besides her.

"It's ok," whispered Odile, comfortingly. "Singing's not the great, anyways."

Odette glared at her twin, Odile, who was dressed in a white tutu.

"Yes it is!"Odette hissed back furiously. "I would have won! Jenny Tinsel's nothing compared to me!"

"Odette," their mother said firmly. "You're up right after the awards. Ballet's the first category in the competition right after singing."

"Good luck in the dancing category," smiled Jenny prettily as she walked by. Odette eyed the golden trophy with envy and anger clear in her crystal blue eyes.

Odette Carter, age 14

"I'm sorry," the casting man said regretfully. "We've casted Jenny Tinsel for the part."

"What?" gasped Odette in shock. She was so sure she would win. "But, I know I sing much better!"

"Ms. Carter, I really am sorry," the man said shaking his head. "but Ms. Tinsel has much more experience and training than you. Maybe next time."

Odette stormed out of the room, trying desperately to ignore the gloating face of Jenny Tinsel.

With rarely any opportunies to shine in Manhattan's singing community, Odette wasn't noticed as much as Jenny. Which meant Jenny had various opportunities to shine, show-off and sing to the world while Odette's talent was suppressed by her mother for years. It wasn't fair. And it definitely didn't help that Jenny hated Odette from the very beginning and relished the fact that Odette wasn't allowed to sing, even blatantly insulting her to her face. Thank god Odette had severed ties with her mother two years ago and ran off to her Aunt Annie's house to pursue her singing career. She took basic choir lessons at school, starred in all the musicals and even scored a sponsor or two to pay for the recording of her very first album. Running away from home had been the blast of fuel needed to kick-start Odette's singing career, even at the young age of fourteen.

That was all in the past, though. Jenny had upstaged her in NY, here Odette would kick Jenny off the stage.

"What do you think about Shira allowing boys here?" Lily asked, smoothly taking the subject away from Odette and Jenny Tinsel. Odette gave Lily a small grateful smile which she returned with a gracious nod.

The conversation turned to speculations about the types of boys admitted while Odette turned slightly away and examined the rest of the Cabin. Smoothing a hand down her neat skirt and stylish top that seemed close to one she had seen in Vogue, she moved over to take a seat in a red velvet bean bag besides Lily. Her blonde hair was neat, clean and perfect with its electric blue streak clearly visible.

"Well, I personally like the winteriness here," Lily was talking as Odette turned back to the conversation. "It's perfect for ice-skating. Ponds are really fun to skate on, too!"

"I thought the ice would be uneven or something," commented Sabrina.

"I like nature. Besides, I've been at more Olympic sized rinks than I can count. Boring, standard rinks get a little tiring after a while," Lily shrugged. "Ponds are much more fun."

"Aren't you going to miss your father's election, though?" wondered Sophie, tilting her head at Lily. "This year is election year! You'll be the daughter of the President."

"Only if he wins," said Lily, "Then I get to live in the White House once I'm done with Alpha Academy!"

"Lucky," sighed Odette enviously. Lily seemed like she had everything handed to her on a silver platter, so unlike Odette who had literally fought for every single cent, show and song to make herself the singer that she was.

"That really is cool," said Sophie, "I get to say I was roomies with the President's daughter!"

The other four girls laughed appreciatively while Sophie smiled. Their attention was diverted when a women with long flowing chocolate brown hair and a shimmering pearlescent gown entered the room grandly. A gentle smile graced her face and her skin was a pale creamy light color.

"Hello, girls," the woman smiled, "My name is Evie and I will be your house muse."

"Hi Evie," chirped Belle with a bright smile.

"Hello," said Lily with her charming smile as Sophie said her greeting and waved.

"Lovely to meet you, Belle Piery," Evie said. Evie reminded Odette of her aunt. Gentle, kind, motherly and welcoming. "And to all of you," she added graciously.

"I see you've all gotten accustomed to the living room. Now, the kitchen is right through the door of this room and my own bedroom is just down the hall. All five of you share the same bedroom located on the second floor as well as a bathroom. Each of you will have your own walk-in wardrobe," Evie began to explain the layout of the Cabin as she gestured around the room and pointed at doorways.

Odette noticed the doorway leading to a neat tiled kitchen complete with wooden cupboards, a gleaming oven, a pristine stove and a small island. A short hallway had two closed doors on either side of it. Odette assumed they were Evie's room and bathroom. Back in the comfortable living room, a set of wooden stairs curved up to the second floor and straight into the alpha girls' bedroom.

"Come on," said Lily leading the way up the stairs. Belle followed behind, bouncing up the stairs and taking two at a time. Sophie, Sabrina and Odette all followed.

"Do all the Cabins have a red color scheme?" wondered Odette. She had been wondering about that for a while. She liked red, but she thought that Shira would have used gold or silver.

"No, the Cabins are all color coded. There are seven colors used: red, pink, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. The Mulan Cabin was a red cabin," said Evie. "Shira thought it would give more variety to the academy."

"Look! It's so cute!" exclaimed Sophie happily, as she took in the rectangular room, the red velvet bedspreads, the fluffy white pillows and the deep plush cream-colored carpet. "I call this bed!"

Sophie tossed a small handbag on the red velvet bedspread and sat down. Lily took the one besides Sophie and Belle immediately claimed the bed besides Lily. Odette shrugged and picked the one on the other side of Sophie, leaving Sabrina to take the one closest to the door.

"This is way too coolio," said Sabrina as she skipped over towards the tall gleaming mahogany wardrobes and ran a finger admiringly along the handles.

"The touchscreen panels on the front of your wardrobe are for you to select several clothing options for everyday wear," spoke Evie as she followed the girls up into the bedroom.

"Really?" Sabrina immediately began tapping away at the screen as a Hologram Sabrina shimmered to life besides her closet and began to model a shimmery white Grecian goddess dress.

"This year's uniform colors are pale blue and white in correlation to Shira's new Alpha Academy location," Evie continued explaining, "The standard Alpha Academy uniform is similar to the old one, yet it has a few changes."

Odette stepped over the wardrobe labeled Odette Megan Carter inscribed over it in flowy script and watched as the touchscreen panel glowed to life. Hologram Odette shimmered to life besides her wardrobe and rotated slowly in what seemed to be the new Alpha Academy uniform. The gold and silver theme had morphed into a shimmery ice-blue color and a pearlescent white color. An ice-blue pleated skirt replaced the old pewter silver old and a silky pearly white top looked like an updated version of the old plain white blouse. The blazer had been replaced with a light gray fashionably cut jacket and the gladiator sandals were long gone. Instead, standard footwear consisted of dark grey boots with the slightest hint of a heel. The silver tie seemed to be the only thing to remain the same.

She glanced around the rest of the room. While she had been absorbed in the new uniform, Sophie, Lily and Belle had all drifted towards the wardrobes and five hologram alpha girls were shimmering in the red color-themed bedroom. Hologram Sophie was currently modeling a simple set of comfy sweats emblazoned with the AA logo. Hologram Lily was whirling on ice-skates in a sparkling silver skating dress. Were those tiny crystals making the designs? Hologram Belle also rotating in the regulation Alpha uniform while Belle looked slightly bored with the mini fashion show that was taking place.

"Isn't this so cool?" cried Sabrina. Odette glance over at Hologram Sabrina who was currently modeling a copper bikini. Figures. Sabrina would look that good in a bikini.

Lily raised an eyebrow, "Yeah."

"Remember, here at Alpha Academy, grades buy you clothing and food. The higher your grades, the more money in your Alpha Account and the more items are available to you in the Fashion Lodge," explained Evie.

"What's the Fashion Lodge?" asked Sophie with interest.

"The Fashion Lodge is comparable to a mall. It's a shopping supercenter with over fifty boutiques, makeup stores and accessory shops. It's the dream mall of any fashionista," Evie said.

"Can't wait to model all of them!" gushed Sabrina. Now that the topic was on fashion and clothing, Sabrina Boyane seemed more talkative than usual. Well, she was an Alpha Model.

"Classes start tomorrow, right?" piped up Belle. "I can't wait to start inventing!"

"Yes, Orientation is at seven sharp the next morning and classes begin immediately at eight," said Evie, "I'm glad you are eager for your inventing class."

A flicker of nerves danced quickly through Odette's body but she quickly dismissed it. She was the best. She was always the best, and nothing could stop her from ever becoming the best here. The only reason why Jenny Tinsel seemed better was because she had more popularity. Nothing that Odette couldn't shove aside. She glanced around the room. Lily, Sophie, Belle and Sabrina. A figure-skater, an actress, an inventor and a model. All of them had a chance to become the top alphas in their track, but Odette didn't know if they would all make it. All she knew was that she definitely was going to. She didn't even have to worry about it.

The next morning, the five Mulan girls were dressed impeccably and ready to go. Belle was bouncing eager on her toes, her chocolate brown ponytail bouncing along with her body.

"Wonder what all the other girls are like," said Lily as she walked besides Belle and Sophie on the snow dusted path towards the Main Cabin. A few tiny snowflakes rest in her hair which was loose and flowing around her face and her uniform hugged her body perfectly.

"I hope they're friendly," said Sophie hopefully, hugging her arms around herself.

"They're competition," frowned Odette as they passed the cute signpost pointed towards the biggest cabin on the snowy campus. She knew that she definitely wasn't going to be friendly towards Jenny Tinsel. When she had receive her Alpha Academy acceptance, she thought that she had finally gotten something Jenny never did. But then, Jenny announced her acceptance during some TV interview.

"Well, as long as they're not as pretty as moi," Sabrina flounced into the spacious building in front of the rest of the girls. MAIN CABIN was carved into an arch above the entrance.

Odette stared as she entered the cabin. Wooden rafters made up the pointed ceiling and rectangular tables were scattered through the room. A faint scent of pine lingered in the room along with smells of breakfast. Girls chattered away at their tables and a few glanced up and pointed their aPods at the Mulan girls as they entered the room.

She glanced around the room and blink. And blinked again. In the corner of the room, four tables were slightly secluded from the rest. Four tables, each with five boys. These must be the twenty males that Shira had allowed into Alpha Academy this year.

"Omigosh, look!" Sabrina nudged Odette and Lily before tilting her head towards the four tables. "Guys!"

"How about we sit?" asked Lily. "Don't stare, you'll look like some freak."

She slid out a chair from the table labeled Mulan and slipped into her seat gracefully, tossing her hair back in a smooth movement. With their table situated rather close to the four tables of boys, Lily garnered a few looks her way. Belle followed Lily's example and plopped in her seat cheerfully while Sabrina flicked another look at the boys before sliding into her seat.

"Look," she nudged Odette. "He's cute." Sabrina tilted her chin towards one of the boys lounging carelessly in his chair. His shaggy dark hair fell into his dark grey eyes and his tie was loosened in his uniform and his hair rumpled. Sabrina batted her eyelashes and shot a wink towards him while Odette felt slightly awkward. He was cute, Odette thought. But she thought him glance at Lily with more interest than Sabrina. A boy with honey blonde hair and a cowboy hat sat besides him laughing at something the dark-haired boy just said.

"Who?" Sophie leaned into their conversation.

"The guy with the dark hair sitting next to the guy with the cowboy hat," whispered Sabrina, the three girls didn't notice their breakfast appear on their table as if almost by magic.

Lily looked up and turned slightly to look towards where Sabrina was gesturing. Her navy eyes shot open in shock.

"No. Freaking. Way." Lily said, slightly shocked. Recognition flashed in her navy eyes. The dark-haired boy grinned back.

Odette frowned, feeling lost and aimed her aPod at the boy, and pressed the Alpha ID button. The screen of her aPod turned into camera mode with a bright green square in the center of the screen. She shifted it until his photo was centered in the bright green square and pressed the IDENTIFY button.

Scanning Alpha Academy Database scrolled across Odette's screen. Seconds later, an page popped up with the boy's Alpha ID Photo and a complete biography on him. Wow. Shira wasn't kidding when she wrote that the aPod had new updates.

Alexander Brian West. Alpha Track: Skateboarder/Dancer. Hometown: Los Angeles, CA (USA) Bio: Alexander goes by the nickname Alex and has participated in numerous dance jams and skateboarding competitions. He likes bboying as a side hobby and was first introduced to break-dancing by a few friends in middle school. He loves extreme sports and has gotten a brief feature in the top skateboarding magazines. He plans to become a professional athlete one day. He also has a reputation for a being a major player back in his hometown.

Hmmm. A skater and a dancer. Interesting. Yeah, he was cute, but Odette didn't really see the draw.

At that very moment, Lily's aPod buzzed. Instead of checking her message, Lily looked over at the guy. He gave her a lazy grin and nodded his head towards her aPod. He had his own in his hand.

Odette looked over at Lily whose cheeks seemed slightly flushed as she read the aPod.

"So you do know him?" asked Odette, raising an eyebrow.

"I met him on the plane," admitted Lily. "He sat next to me."

"You do know him!" squealed Sabrina excitedly. "What did he say?"

"Nothing," Lily switched her aPod back into sleep mode and turned back to her breakfast after typing a quick reply.

"Well, I think he's cute," Sabrina declared, "But if you want him, Lily…."

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the hushing of the entire Cabin as Shira Brazille herself strode up to the small stage situated at the front of the room. Her auburn hair was gleaming, voluminous and she wore her usual black maxidress which cut an impressive figure in the Main Cabin of a hundred alpha girls and twenty alpha males.

"G'day lollies," she announced grandly, her voice seemingly amplified in the spacious room and rang clearly all the way to the back of the room.

Odette shifted in her seat to give Shira her complete undivided attention as well as the rest of the Mulan girls. No one looked away from Shira Brazille or chatted when Shira was talking.

"As you all very well know, all of you have been accepted to my second year of Alpha Academy. My first generation of girls have graduated and now, with the island remodeled as a Brazille holiday home for my family, Alpha Academy is now here on Mount Everest, the top of the world. I expect the very best from all of you as all alphas should be. Here at Alpha Academy, As are a requirement. I will tolerate nothing less from you all, any sign of losing your alphaness, you will be immediately place on probation and expelled if necessary. Any breaking of my rules will also result in expulsion," Shira's strong voice rendered the entire Main Cabin silent and girls held their breath waiting for her next sentences.

"Remember, all female and male interactions are strictly forbidden, here at Alpha Academy. Girls, boys are a distraction. Boys, girls are a distraction. Nothing must distract you from your studies. You are here to study and become the next generation of alphas, not to flirt. If you're looking for dating, there is something called . At the end of the year, several alphas will remain. One in each alpha track. Yes, girls will compete against boys. May the best alphas win. G'day, dah-lings."

Shira exited the stage, leaving a few whispers trailing behind, a few silent alphas and brief smattering of applause.

"Well that was…..interesting," commented Sophie. "No boys and top alphas in each track remain. Ok."

"We'll kick all their butts!" declared Belle brightly.

"Of course we will," stated Odette, like it was common sense. Why shouldn't they?

"I can't believe she's doing a whole no dating policy!" cried Sabrina. "How can she expect us to stay an entire year without any flirting or dating?"

Sabrina shook her head tragically. Odette personally thought she was a bit melodramatic.

"Who needs boys? We're all here to be alphas, aren't we? We can be alphas without guys!" said Sophie.

"Yeah!" agreed Belle.

Lily shrugged and said, "Alpha girls don't go after guys, guys go after us."

"Which is why a certain Alex West is looking at you and sending you cute little aMessages," remarked Odette smartly.

"Shut up!" Lily poked Odette's side playfully and shook her head, her pale golden blonde hair tumbling around her face.

"So if you have dibs on the Alex guy, who's the cowboy guy?" Sabrina said. "They're both total ten hawties!"

Odette looked over at the other guy. He was cute. She felt a brief flash of some strange emotion directed towards Sabrina but shoved it to the back of her mind. She scanned the blonde Texan-looking boy and eyed his bio. So Bobby Cadall was from Texas and had an Alpha Track in horse training and horseback riding. Nice.

A clear clanging bell rang through the Main Cabin and girls all looked up.

"That's the class bell," said Evie smoothly. "You all have five minutes to travel to your next class. Any tardiness will not be tolerated by Shira."

"Alright!" Belle jumped up from her seat. "Let's get this party going!"

"Where's everybody going?" asked Lily. "I have Cutting the Ice: For Skaters, at the Amphitrite Rink."

"How fun. I've got Strike a Pose," answered Sabrina. "Ciao!" She blew a kiss to the rest of the girls and skipped off, with her golden-brown hair swishing behind her. Odette noticed her catch up with Alex West on her way out.

"Basic Drama 101," answered Sophie, with a hint of nervousness. "I hope I don't suck on my first class!"

"You'll be fine," smiled Lily encouragingly.

"Yeah! You'll do awesomely awesome!" Belle chirped. "Well, I gotta rush! The Mechanics Lab is like a gazillion miles from here! Bai!"

She rushed off with her chocolate ponytail bouncing behind as she skipped-bounced-ran towards her next class. She was just so adorable, thought Odette.

"I've got Musical Theory 101," Odette said in response to Lily's questioning look.

"I think that's in the direction of the Amphitrite Rink, want to walk with me?" Lily asked as Sophie dashed off to walk with a red-haired alpha girl from the Madonna Cabin.

"Sure," agreed Odette easily.

The two girls walked together out the entrance of the Main Cabin behind a flood of other alpha girls and several alpha guys. Lily folded her arms across her chest as she stepped out in the cold and Odette found herself doing the same thing.

A few minutes later, the main path split and Lily took the left fork with the signpost labeled Amphitrite Rink and Odette headed off towards the Apollo Studio. It was a tall wooden structure with at least three floors. The Alpha Handbook in her aPod reported that it housed all musical related class, from singing to drumming. Basic Music Theory 101 was located in room Apollo 121.

She stepped into the lobby of the Apollo Building and scanned the rows of classroom doors for room Apollo 121. Golden plush carpeted the hallways and wide windows let sunlight stream in. Golden plaques labeled each room and a shining white water fountain was built into the wall. A few girls walked by Odette on their way to class.

Finally locating the room, Odette swung the door open and came face to face with a gorgeous girl with silky black hair, deep violet eye and a look of disdain on her face.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the illustrious Ms. Odette Carter, herself," sneered raven-haired Jenny Tinsel.

Hope you like Odette and how I wrote her!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You all keep this story going. Now...here's a new chapter, which means new reviews! Review, please! (:

A story worth checking out: Only Girl in the World by The Bloodiest Rose. It's an AA SYOC just like this one...and I KNOW she's going to do a great job, so go check her story out! And submit a character! I know I did (:

I don't have a beta so all the mistakes are mine (:

-The Lovely Psyche