Day One (Open)

[Terry]

"This is going to be your school from today."

"You didn't have to come with me, sister," Terry replied as he looked ahead at the high school. She was right though; it would be his new school. His eyes narrowed at the sight of kids walking towards it, carefree. Did they have any idea the danger contained inside the concrete? Liars. All of them.

"I know, but I worry at times," Tracy said with a worried smile. She patted him on the head, to which Terry pulled away.

"Why couldn't mother come with me?" Terry asked, keeping his expression even. But inside, he was sad. He believed his mother now hated him after the incident, the reason why she "refused to see him."

You poor thing. Your mother is dead.

"She's sick, and can't leave the bed, remember?" Tracy said with a little hesitation, putting on an apologetic smile. "She told me to come with you, because she was worried."

That put Terry's mind at ease somewhat. With a small smile, he walked through the gates. "There's no need to come inside. You should go before you're late," he said, turning to his sister with a reassuring smile.

Before she could protest, he turned, and disappeared into the mass of students. Tch. School. His expression reverted to a cold one, and he looked around. "Was that your sister?" someone behind him asked.

"What's it to you?"

"She's quite foxy, you know. Maybe I oughta-" Without warning, Terry sent the tip of his Air Maxes into the kid's groin, sending him into the ground. Perhaps if he hadn't made a comment like that, Terry might not have cared so much. But the memories came back, and with a cry, Terry jumped onto the lad and began pummeling his face.

"DON'T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT MY SISTER LIKE THAT AGAIN!"

[Tash]

It wasn't a good day. It wasn't a bad day. There was sun out and a breeze, which was good. And class was starting in half an hour - Pre Calculus first thing in the morning. That was bad. So Tash dealt with the good and the bad the way she usually did. By sitting herself under a tree with her iPod and lighting up a reefer. She'd done the reefer over breakfast, taking care of her mood and the munchies at once (ingenious, she thought) and was now coming pleasantly down from her high when a kid and his - older sister? - came up to the school. She immediately pinned him as a new kid and a freshman to boot. He was the freshfaced type, looks wise, and she worried offhandedly for a second that he might get walked all over. Moral Crest was a pretty violent place. If you didn't know how to hold your own in a fight you either got pro at avoiding them or you learned how to - real fast.

The sister left and a pack of underclassmen milled through the gates. One of them made a remark she was probably glad she hadn't heard and the new kid forcefully introduced his shoe to the boy's nuts and then proceeded to pummel him. Well, so much for worrying about New Boy not fitting in. Normally she wasn't the sort to interfere. Usually this would be something she'd ignore but her curiosity got the better of her. She roused herself from her beloved tree spot, left her bag on the grass and sauntered over to the pair in time to hear New Boy exclaim something about his sister. He was protective, she thought. Cute. She could appreciate that. But it wouldn't do for him to get expelled on the first day of school. And jumping into a brawl like that annoyed her: she was the kind of girl to shrug things off that would normally infuriate the average teen.

She approached with caution, because as endearing as his apparently protective nature was, sometimes kids who jumped to a fight like that would swing at anyone, even if they meant to help. From the looks of those punches - she assessed him as she closed the gap - he was probably stronger than her but not as quick, she noted. He looked like he could take a hit too. She wasn't worried though. Natasha could handle herself.


"Alright gents, break it up. This place is swimming in testosterone already, okay? Okay." She called, sounding like a ref at a rugby match. The green eyed coffee skinned girl had brought over her metal canteen of water and just in case they ignored her statement, proceeded to pour it out over the two of them, like you would a pair of fighting mutts in the street.

[Terry]

"Alright gents, break it up. This place is swimming in testosterone already, okay? Okay."

Terry gave the douchebag a final punch in the jaw before he stopped and turned to face the newcomer. Quickly, he ran through his list of options:

But rationally, he knew he shouldn't do the first three. A and C could turn out the same way - if the girl was a bitch, and attacked people when ignored, then well, A and C was the same. Actually, she might step in if he'd chosen B as well. If she was willing to go as far as to try and convince them to stop, perhaps she was willing to get physical as well. And really, Terry knew nothing about this girl. And so...

As quickly as he'd become angry, he suddenly became amiable, putting on a warm smile, removing himself from the body of the boy. Looking down at the boy, Terry bowed and apologized. "Sorry. I guess I overreacted a little there." The boy attempted to respond, but found he had no energy to do so. Ignoring whatever the boy and his cronies would try next, Terry turned to the girl with a smile, and a bow.

"Thank you, I must have lost myself for a moment there..."

[Tash]

Surprisingly enough, New Boy let up. She was pleasantly surprised but she wasn't about to argue. Proficient fighter though she was, it wasn't a pasttime she particularily enjoyed. His reaction though....that warranted as much attention as the fight.

Anyone who changed their mind like that, she thought, as she watched him display model manners, was worth keeping an eye on. Whether or not the alteration was a desired one was irrelevant. His mood could just as quickly turn sour in a moment. Her large green eyes surveyed him quietly with all the languid and razor sharp obervation of a Nile crocodile. The lucid gaze is not unfriendly. Just uncomfortably piercing. Without taking her eyes off the new freshman, she caught the wounded offender's hand and jerked him off the ground where he lay struggling and sniveling. He tottered to his feet and she gave him a solid smack on the back of the head to send him off while remarking. "Don't be crude about women. You will always and inevitably sound like a cunt." Neither he nor any in his party argued.

She turned her attention to the defender of his sister's honor and tucked one thumb into the waistband of a pair of cargo pants that were lowslung across full hips. Her well worn white wifebeater hinted in opacity that the bra beneath was orange. It also refused to cover her belly button entirely, displaying a small expanse of taut, milk chocolate colored skin. The other slender hand, one with a vicious crisscross of scars across the knuckles and a long white slash of a scar on her upper arm, pushed messy dreadlocks out of her face.


"No problem, New Boy. You got a name?"

[Terry]

"Don't be crude about women. You will always and inevitably sound like a cunt."

Terry stifled laughter as she whacked the boy upside the head as the group retreated. There was something oddly satisfying, but disgusting about attacking someone wounded. Yes? No? Terry's red gaze stayed glued to the boy, memorizing the details. Even if he was stopped here, Terry would hunt him later to finish the job. In order to really win something, you had to beat someone until they couldn't, or wouldn't perform the undesirable action.

Something told Terry the boy was going to be the same after his injuries healed. But his sinister thoughts and plotting were interrupted by the girl, who said, "No problem, New Boy. You got a name?"

"Yes, but it's not 'new boy,'" he said with a small smile. "Terry Cai. Yourself?"

[Tash]

She shrugs at the correction. "Well, I gotta call someone someone until I know their name. "hey you" is impersonal enough to be rude. To me anyway. But whatever." She extended one hand, the scarred right one, for a firm shake. "Name's Tash LaVeau. Short for Natasha. Need any help finding your classes, Terry?" As she made her offer, she surreptitiously surveyed his face, noticing the way his eyes followed the offender she'd broken him up from pummelling. Tash wasn't sure she liked that look, no she wasn't sure she liked it at all. However he was being polite enough to her. She'd do no more than keep it in mind: she had good instincts and they were telling her to keep it in the back of her mind. But just the back. "Or help staying out of trouble? Better me than the School Captain." She raises one eyebrow and gives a relaxed half smile.

[Terry]

"Well, I gotta call someone someone until I know their name. "hey you" is impersonal enough to be rude. To me anyway. But whatever."

"I was just joshing,'" Terry replied with a small grin. He took the girl's hand, noting the scarred tissue. His expression didn't change, but his impression of her had. What could, or would do that to a young girl? After a brief shake, he let go of the hand, allowing his finger to pass over the scar. Doesn't feel new. Maybe she's had it for a while. But he could make no judgment about when the injury had actually been incurred. All he knew was that he felt a kind of newfound respect and perhaps even fear of her.

"Name's Tash LaVeau. Short for Natasha. Need any help finding your classes, Terry?"

"As a matter of fact, I probably do...," he said with a slight nod. "Though, shouldn't you be more concerned with getting to your classes? I wouldn't want to trouble you..." Man, the garbage this boy was spewing out. He could read a damn map, and if he didn't, he could always ask someone for directions. Terry didn't need a tour guide to lead him around the school.

"Or help staying out of trouble? Better me than the School Captain."

"And who might that be...?" Remember; Terry was at crazy school for a while, so he's been out of the loop. As of now, he has no idea of the "corporal punishment" system.

[Tash]

The girl shakes her head, setting her wild mane to dancing. The smile that adorns her lips suggests she finds concern for her studies to be amusing. "Nah. I was a beginning of the year transfer. School I came from was a year ahead of this shithole. I've already done this crap but they won't let me skip." Retracing her steps and gathering up her bag, she talks as she walks back over to him, a bit of surprise showing on her face at his lack of understanding. Where had this kid come from, not knowing about the Pillar system? Most highschoolers knew about it even if the system wasn't used for their particular institution. The administration used it as a kind of threat. If you don't turn your behavior and your grades around, we'll be forced to implement the Pillar system.

"42 goes by the Pillar system. Corporal punishment. Four student leaders to dish it out. The one I was talking about, the School Captain. That's a senior named Matrim Gallagher. Good guy - kinda tall, shaggy brown hair, blue eyes. Moves like a fighter. But not one you want to mess with. Fights like nothing you've ever seen and has a damn dangerous Qi."

She motioned in the direction of the main campus, knowing they gave out maps. And knowing that the maps were hard to read, often mislabeled, and sometimes outdated. Her stride is easy and swaying. She casts a glance over her shoulder, explaining as she leads the way.

"Now you can tell me what class you've got and what room you need to find. And how you ended up here. This isn't usually the most popular high school in the Bay Area, you know."

[Terry]

"Nah. I was a beginning of the year transfer. School I came from was a year ahead of this shithole. I've already done this crap but they won't let me skip."

Terry nodded, looking the girl up and down. "Impressive...," he murmured, though he was totally not looking at the girl in a freakishly perverted way. "So you boycott class?" he asked. "Or just go late?" He couldn't see the school allowing someone to do that. Then again, he'd heard that the school had a poor reputation. Perhaps people did what she did all the time? Though the probably were not as educated.

"42 goes by the Pillar system. Corporal punishment. Four student leaders to dish it out. The one I was talking about, the School Captain. That's a senior named Matrim Gallagher. Good guy - kinda tall, shaggy brown hair, blue eyes. Moves like a fighter. But not one you want to mess with. Fights like nothing you've ever seen and has a damn dangerous Qi."

"Sounds absolutely dreadful," Terry replied with a small laugh. If he was the "lao ban" of this school of misfits, he certainly didn't sound like a boss. From her description, he sounded well... like a model. Like a pussy. Sounded handsome. But then, in anime world, you'll never find ugly people unless you really go searching.

Terry then realized something. "What's Qi?"

"Now you can tell me what class you've got and what room you need to find. And how you ended up here. This isn't usually the most popular high school in the Bay Area, you know."

Terry sighed. "I actually haven't a clue. Am I supposed to pick my schedule up somewhere? As for how I ended up here, I don't know that either."

[Tash]

She catches his eyes, her own large green ones dead serious. "I'm telling you what he looks like so that when you see him, you know not to piss him off. The School Captain gets his title by fighting for it and he keeps it by winning everyone who challenges him. Matrim has been Captain for a while." She takes in his response about the classes and nods, changing direction so that they can head to the office.

"Qi....hm. You really are new here aren't you? A Qi is a kind of physical manifestation of your inner energy. Usually comes in handy in a fight. The stronger you get the stronger your Qi gets and the better you get at using it. A lot of people have Qi's around here. Their usually all pretty unique. Matrim can become the human torch."

They approached a much graffitied building with double doors and she pulled one open and popped inside, motioning for him to follow. A receptionist sat at the desk, looking bored as all get out and Tash rapped on the counter with her knuckles to get the woman's attention. "Hey. Miss. Incoming freshman, Terry Cai. Checking in. Needs his schedule and all that jazz." The woman rummages through her filing cabinet and pulls out a small stack of papers, pushing the across the counter at the pair.

[Terry]

"Hey, I figured that much."

Was Terry scared? Maybe a little. But then, he was a skeptic - he didn't believe things these people said. She was making him sound like he'd beaten up the school so people looked at him and went, "Oh yeah, that's the school captain." Although, it probably was - that's the funny thing. With a sigh, Terry listened to her explain the whole Qi thing. Wow, so people could have like, superpowers? That's pretty cool.

"Qi....hm. You really are new here aren't you? A Qi is a kind of physical manifestation of your inner energy. Usually comes in handy in a fight. The stronger you get the stronger your Qi gets and the better you get at using it. A lot of people have Qi's around here. Their usually all pretty unique. Matrim can become the human torch."

Terry now began to doubt the wonders of "special effects." Could it be possible all those shenanigans were real? Goddamn, it'd be sweet if there were real Transformers. "I see...," he murmured, nodding his head, stroking his chin like Confucious. "So how do you get these powers?" Before he knew it, he'd been lead inside the building, to the administration.

"Hey. Miss. Incoming freshman, Terry Cai. Checking in. Needs his schedule and all that jazz."

"One moment please," the lady said, and motioned for them to sit down. "You're helping the new kid around? That's so sweet of you," she commented with a smile, and walked away.

[Tash]

She took a seat in one of the hard plastic chairs that were strewn about the lobby, stretching out her long legs and crossing her arms over her chest. All they had to do was wait for the necessary files to be retrieved.

"I think everyone's a little different. You get them when you're strong enough for whatever your Qi is. Some people never get them at all."

She eyed him, remembering something he'd said earlier. "So you have no idea where you came from? Where you went before this?"

[Terry]

"I think everyone's a little different. You get them when you're strong enough for whatever your Qi is. Some people never get them at all."

"Aww geez," Terry commented, frowning slightly. Was this like, one of those things you showed signs of early in life? If that was the case, Terry was fucked, because he'd shown no signs of extraordinary powers, unless being batshit crazy was a power. No, I suppose that didn't count. But maybe it would manifest itself when he really needed it... like, the summer day was so hot, and suddenly Terry had ice powers. Yeah, that would be cool.

"Do you have any of these 'Qi Powers?'" Terry asked, curious. She sure seemed to know a lot; it'd be a bit strange, perhaps even funny if she didn't.

Tash then asked Terry a question, a question he hoped he wouldn't have to answer. But since he was a liar at heart, I suppose this was an easy situation to get out of. "So you have no idea where you came from? Where you went before this?"

"...I came from a well-maintained facility down south...," he said with a small smile, neglecting to mention the words "school," and "mental institution." There, he'd been forced to admit he was crazy - he'd lied through his entire time at the damn place - he knew he wasn't crazy.

But Terry was just deluding himself.

[Tash]

Man, getting answers out of this kid was like pulling teeth. She abandoned that. He obviously didn't want to talk about it and she had better things to do then reenact the Spanish Inquisition, when she was not Spanish and he was probably not Jewish. Tash uttered a small, Mmm and let his vague answer slide.

"I don't know." She replied to his question after he answered her own. Come to think of it, she had no idea. For all she knew about Qi's she didn't know how to tell if you had one or not. Did you feel different when it was unlocked? Or did it just explode one day and take you completely offguard? She had no idea. So his question was as puzzling to her as it was to him. The thought of her having a Qi and not even realizing it yet inspired her to huff out a little laugh. "I wouldn't know how to tell if I did."

[Terry]

"I don't know."

"Oh." Terry's face fell slightly. Well that's a little disappointing. For all I know the thing could be a hoax then. He looked upwards slightly as he began to ponder the possibilities. Seriously, what were the chances of kids having these powers? Since when was this place Mutant Academy? Nah, it's not real. She's just pulling my leg. But he let the matter drop, knowing it was best to just let these things slide.

"I wouldn't know how to tell if I did."

"Maybe one day you just feel it," Terry suggested, though he himself had no faith in it. At this point, he was just making small talk. He also began to wonder why the lady was taking so long. But precisely as he thought that terrible thought, the lady came back, and presented to him his very own schedule!

"Well, here it is...," Terry whispered, looking through it. Though his face didn't show it, he'd already figured out roughly where the classrooms were, seeing as how almost all schools followed a common structure. Nevertheless, misery loves company.

"Will you be further assisting me?"