'Democracy for Beginners' was the name of the class, not that any of its students could really be referred to as beginners in politics after almost twenty years of votes and campaigns. But the class was compulsory for all first years, and covered the history of democracy over the centuries rather than an introduction to the modern political system.
Athena, who'd always enjoyed history at school, had been looking forward to starting the class this term until Cress had begun to complain about it. The other girl's assertions that the class would be dull and unnecessary had left Athena apprehensive.
"It's all so basic," Cress complained from their shared kitchen while making herself a cup of tea - even though the class was due to start in fifteen minutes. Athena, who'd been waiting by the door for her friend for some time now, shrugged.
"This is our first year - the basics were what I expected to be covering."
Cress rolled her eyes, a gesture which looked less menacing than she intended since her glasses were fogging over with steam. The pink rims she'd acquired over Christmas were gone, replaced by an old pair with thick black frames while the repairs took place.
"Surely they could give us credit for some level of intelligence. This is our second term - they should know by now that we're not all idiots."
Athena decided that it would be prudent not to answer that one. Five months had taught her that Cress was never wrong. Arguing with her was rarely worth the effort. Cress took a long, slow sip of her green tea before glancing at the clock on the wall behind her.
"I'm not going to rush for this one, but you should go ahead - I know you're looking forward to it."
Athena nodded. It wasn't just that she was looking forward to the class; she didn't like arriving late to lectures due to the turned heads and curious stares it prompted. Cress enjoyed the attention, but Athena tried to avoid it at all costs. "I'll see you in there," she told her flatmate, zipping her coat before she opened the door.
"Save me a seat!" Cress called as Athena stepped out into the corridor.
The New London University of Politics was based in the original political centre of the capital: the 'Houses of Parliament'. Although the exterior remained the same, inside it had been gutted and replaced with modern lecture theatres and seminar rooms.
The girls' halls were only five minutes away, but the fierce wind made the brief journey torturous. Athena hugged her arms to her body, tucking her head to her chest as she marched through the chill.
The NLUP was well heated this term and Athena stripped off her extra layers as she took her seat in the lecture hall. She took a new notebook - pink, of course - out of her bag, along with a pen which she tapped against the desk while waiting for Cress to appear.
There was a thud as a bag was thrown down on the bench beside her. Athena turned, assuming Cress had changed her mind about arriving late, and was shocked to discover that the bag was inky black with luminous turquoise piping. Cress' bag didn't look like that.
The girl who did own the bag had blonde hair with multiple braids running through it that jutted out at odd angles. She was dressed in head-to-toe black, without a spot of pink in sight and her blue eyes were smudged with smoky eyeshadow.
"Sephy Taylor," she said, smiling at Athena. As Sephy spoke, her name appeared in plain black cursive above her head, her influence rating - 9 - hovered beside it. Two small boxes hovered below it, one offering more information, the other offering Athena the opportunity to send Sephy a friend request. Wary of the black and the low influence rating, Athena dismissed the option.
"Athena Mills," she told the other girl, even though her own name and rating would be appearing on Sephy's glasses in soft pink font. This morning, Athena's rating was at 89, which was nothing to be embarrassed by. But 9... How could Sephy have let her rating get so low? "I don't think I've seen you before," she added when the other girl didn't say anything further.
Sephy shrugged. "I didn't make it to many of my lectures last term," she added with a sly smile.
"So you're starting fresh this term?"
"Something like that. And I've been looking forward to this module - I prefer the history of politics to the theory behind the modern day variety."
Athena blinked. It was as though Cress had a polar opposite twin and she'd decided to sit beside her; the two couldn't have been more different.
Athena ran her hands through her bobbed brown hair. She was about to ask the other girl where she was staying when another figure caught her eye: Cress had entered the lecture hall, her nose as pink as her coat and her glasses fogged with the sudden warmth of the room. She glanced in Athena's direction but, seeing that the seat next to her was taken, sat at the back of the room.
So much for saving me that seat. Athena could picture the eye-roll that was no doubt accompanying this message. Never mind, I'll fill you in on my gossip after this snore-fest. Ciao, Athy. Cress
"So where are you living?" Athena asked Sephy. She could worry about Cress and her attempts to guilt trip her later.
"Technically in the first year student halls on Downing Street."
"Me too! I'm on the fourth floor - I don't think I've seen you there before though."
"That's where the technically part comes into it. I spend a lot of time elsewhere, staying with other friends and my boyfriend. I didn't like the feel of the halls."
Athena wasn't sure how to respond to that. The energy and enthusiasm of the student voters permeated the walls of the halls. There was always something going on and Cress was usually pulling Athena to the centre of it. There was nowhere else she'd rather be.
Sephy waggled her feet, which were encased in heavy looking black boots. "It's okay, you don't have to agree with me. I can tell that you're one of those. It's a pity, I was hoping to find someone in the class who wasn't pop-vote obsessed."
Athena's eyes widened. Sure, she liked the pop-votes, but obsessed? She wasn't any more involved in them that anyone else she'd met in New London. She was saved from needing to answer by the arrival of the lecturer.
Ajax Macleod, rating 265. Pink font. Plain text. Perfectly respectable. Athena was relieved. Ajax was in his late twenties, his glasses balanced on the top of his head. He was wearing well-worn jeans and a light pink jumper. Sephy giggled, then glanced in Athena's direction, her eyebrows rising as she took in Athena's own pink sweater.
"Have you noticed that it's only the people like her who actually look good in pink," she jerked her head behind her. Athena followed her gesture and discovered that she was indicating to Cress, who did indeed look a lot better in her pale pink blouse and rose coloured jeans than Athena did in any of her new outfits.
"I hope that it's purple next month," Athena confessed to her neighbour in hushed tones.
Sephy smirked at that. "And who exactly is stopping you from wearing purple now?"
"Because pink won the vote... The majority chose-" Pop-votes on clothing colours had been a relatively recent trend, aimed at minimising differences, and helping narrow down consumer choice. They were designed to make life simpler. Athena may not always have liked the colour choice, but she believed in the system that chose them. Arrive at a lecture in the wrong colour and she may as well have arrived in nothing at all. She didn't know how Sephy could stand all the sideways glances and wrinkled noses her appearance was attracting.
"Maybe, in some circumstances, the decision of the majority doesn't suit the needs of the individual," Ariadne replied cryptically.
"Miss Taylor?" A voice called from the front of the lecture theatre. "Would you like to stop talking for long enough for me to begin, or would you rather the whole class listened to your voice instead of mine?"
Athena froze in shock. Two minutes in and she was already attracting the lecturer's attention for the wrong reason. Maybe she should have moved to sit with Cress. Sephy wasn't proving a prudent partner so far.
Sephy, who looked un-phased by the chastisement, waved a hand in the lecturer's direction, as if giving him leave to proceed. Athena could only stare at Sephy in amazement, but the lecturer chuckled before launching into his speech.
"Sephy, since you are so keen to take an active role in my opening lecture, would you care to tell me where your full name comes from, culturally?"
"Persephone. It's from Ancient Greece," she answered without skipping a beat.
"Precisely. And you?" Ajax directed at a girl in the front row, even though her name must have appeared on his glasses. "What's your name and where is it from?"
"I'm Medea; it's a Greek name."
"Hmm, do I detect a pattern?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
"What about the girl sat next to Sephy; what's your name?"
Athena felt her cheeks colour as a room full of faces turned to listen to her answer.
"Athena."
"Aha!" The lecturer shouted, making her jump. "The Goddess of Wisdom and the patron of Athens: the birth place of democracy. Which brings us full circle to our module topic: Democracy for Beginners.
"Have any of you ever stopped to wonder exactly why Ancient Greek names are so popular? Why we stopped calling our children Sophie and Jack and opted for Pericles and Daphne? It is a homage to our forefathers - the people who created the system that has given the power to the people.
"Demokratia: it was an ancient Greek word meaning 'rule of the people'. In Ancient Athens," he nodded in Athena's direction as he said this, smiling. "Anyone could vote - provided, of course, that you weren't a woman, slave or child. If you were a freeborn man of age, you had a say in the way the polis was run. And thus began democracy. It changed dramatically over the intervening millennia and that is what I will be covering with you over the next term, giving you a full, rounded view of the history of democracy."
***
"Wow," Sephy said, exhaling, as Ajax finished. "That was even better than I expected."
Athena nodded, finding herself readily agreeing. "I didn't know any of that. Imagine having to individually count 6000 coloured stones to decide the outcome of a vote!"
Sephy was getting to her feet and swung her bag onto her back. "This class might actually be worth attending." She winked. "See you next week?"
"Sure," Athena said, surprised by how sure she felt. She and Sephy had conversed over the feed throughout the lecture, commenting on everything from the Greeks to Ajax's penchant for stories in which people met a gory end. Her low rating and colour choices aside, Sephy had been really fun to talk to.
The other girl paused for a moment, before adding: "Look, this was fun. How about we go for a coffee tomorrow?"
Behind Sephy, Athena could see Cress walking towards them, eyeing the girl in black suspiciously. Cress and Sephy were as likely to get on as a seal and a killer whale. But that didn't mean she couldn't meet Sephy again. University was supposed to be all about new experiences, after all.
"That sounds good."
"Excellent." Sephy grinned. "I'll message you the details. Right now, I've got a lecturer to catch up with." Without further details she darted out of the pew and worked her way against the out-going traffic and down to Ajax's side, where he pulled her in for a hug and ruffled her hair.
Athena blinked.
"I guess she'll be getting top marks," Cress said, sounding less than impressed.
Athena hadn't got the impression that Sephy cared about grades, particularly not to the extent that Cress did, but she kept that to herself. Cress would never like Sephy: something which had nothing to do with her friendship with their lecturer and far more with the distinct lack of pink on her person.
Cress linked her arm through Athena's and steered her out of the room. As they were about to leave, Athena glanced towards her new friend, only to discover Sephy and Ajax were looking back at her.
{Is Athena making the right decision, or should she be staying as far away from Sephy as she can? Let me know what you think in the comments, and please vote if you enjoyed this chapter. PS: if you read A&I you'll already know Sephy by a different name!}