Attention

We have moved the OOC to a brand new thread, where all activity is to be continued there.

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Act 0: Paradise Awaits::
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September 7th, 3:05 PM

After a painful, two hour boat-ride on what amounts to be a massive, high-class, cruise-ship, the students had finally arrived at the Academy 218 island. A paradise, that's as beautiful as it is hot. A jungle-like forest was seen surrounding the walls of the . Shortly the students were herded off the boat by the staff, and into the Reception building, without their luggage. Various members of the staff were taking the luggage off the boats to baggage claim in the Administration Building. With members of the staff greeting them, shaking their hands and parroting "Welcome" over and over again until they were all gone. The moment when all the students were in the reception building, all members of the staff walked inside.

All the newly arriving students, around thirty, were stuffed inside the reception building's auditorium. A large room filled to the brim with comfortable chairs and a large stage. Every student was seated, sitting waiting for the moment when something happened. Slowly walking onto the stage of the Auditorium, standing before the large group of brand new students, was Headmaster Darrell Dellamorte. He was large and portly, looked like someone who would be a principle alright. He wore a fancy black suit, which had to be in the thousands range. He walked up to the large microphone stand. He grabbed to, then conducted his grand speech to all the new students. It essentially was the same speech he gave every other group of students.

"Hello, I am Darrell Dellamorte, Headmaster of Academy 218. And on behalf of the school, I welcome you to the Academy. Here, our staff will explore your abilities and assist you in learning your true potential. However, we are not all about our gifts. We will give you an education much like a school would. Whether you are in high-school, college, or middle school. However, the staff here will not make you try to learn, as we know it's a wasted effort. That means it's up to YOU what you spend your time here doing. Work with the staff, and I guarantee that you will leave here fully educated. However, I will tell you the danger you pose when you refuse to control your powers. This is not a school teaching you how to be superheroes either. What you do with your new education and power training after you leave, good or bad, is not for us to decide."

"I will inform you all of the rules that all of you will have to abide... And the punishments. Theft, destruction of property, sexual relations, possessing illegal substances is not allowed. Students are expected to be back in their rooms by 10 PM. Fighting outside the is strictly forbidden, anyone caught fighting will be immediately and harshly punished. If you are repeatably caught breaking any of these rules... The 218 has a very durable detention center where all students who don't obey our rules will be staying. And if you continue to disobey the rules, you will be expelled from the island, and that will be the end of it."

"As we usually do, we are throwing a grand banquet in celebration of the newly arrived students - The staff will escort you all there. Take this as time to familiarize yourself with the school, and get to know your fellow students. But above all else; enjoy yourselves. After the banquet, head to the Administration building, and the staff there will give you your assigned room and roommate - Along with your luggage. And if you need anything, we have a fully equipped staff that will assist you all the way. Tomorrow morning, classes will begin. That is all, you are dismissed."

The Cafeteria had been set up hours before the newly arrived students were there. The main room was quite large, made to accommodate a larger group of people at a time. The place was absolutely cleaned to shininess. The building was filled with fancy and finely crafted tables and furniture, each with a set of utensils placed on them. On the left side of the building was where the counter was. All sorts of chefs were set up here constantly making any dish for the students. Students and teachers, of all types, were all over the place. Talking, eating, and having fun. With some of the more reclusive students away from everyone else.

Nikki Biyung, & Amanda Blackmore.

Like the wallflower she is, Nikki stayed out of the way of the other students on the boat as they mingled and got to know each other. She found herself a nice corner and stayed there for the duration of the trip. She was hoping for a brand new experience, hoping to actually make friends and meet some people. Her High School was too elitist and rejected her. Even if this school was no different, this could go both ways; go home or wait it out here. Unfortunately, she looked like the weirdo hanging in the corner playing with a roach. There weren't too many bugs on the ship, aside from some roaches and some flies, that were promptly killed the moment they were seen. She brought some insects with her. They were underneath her outfit, a sleeveless hoodie, athletic shorts, and sneakers, clinging to her skin. Years ago, having these things on her skin would have killed her, but it's something that's no longer... alien. Something that she is used to, and fine with.

People started shouting and cheering, it caught Nikki's attention. The school was on the horizon. She ran forward, trying to fight her way to the front of the boat so she can see. Jesus, the school was bigger and more intimidating than she thought. It might have been the massive walls, but yeah... Nikki's ear diverted to the wooded areas that could be seen from this angle. There must be tons of bugs there she can use. The boat finally stopped, and stairs were lowered onto the dock. Everyone began pouring down it, making it pretty preferable for Nikki to just wait it out for a second. When the stairs cleared, Nikki slowly walked down the stairs, and she paused for a second after she actually saw someone she knew...

There she was, Amanda Daisy Blackmore, Nikki's beloved cousin, standing at the bottom of the stairs, shouting out to her. Wearing a leather jacket, a T-shirt with a large black school on it, jeans, and a metric fuckton of metal jewelry. It's been awhile since Nikki has actually seen Amanda, and she really didn't expect to see her cousin here. And she really wasn't expecting what Amanda was going to do next. Her cousin rushed her, and gave her an extremely tight bear-hug.

"Oh, cousin! I didn't know you were coming!" Amanda loudly said as she jumped up and down,"I was hoping my dirtbag boyfriend would be showing up, but you're good too!"

It took a considerable effort to get out of Amanda's grasp. Nikki pushed herself free, letting out a breath of fresh air. This moment was incredibly awkward for Nikki, thus, she was struggling for words, "Nice to see you too."

It wasn't long before Amanda grabbed Nikki yet again, wrapping her arm around her shoulder, and she let out yet another yip. Amanda had closed her eyes and had a cocky grin on her face, "I know you livin' the loser life-" I'm going to ignore that... "- back home, Nikki, but here, you'll be living like a queen. Just stick with me, and you'll know the ins and outs of this school in no time!"

Personally, Nikki wasn't too keen on going along with Amanda's methods. Since, she is kind of an oddball, and Nikki doesn't want that kind of attention. However, she went along with Amanda, just for now, "Okay..."

"C'mon, we gotta sit through this stupid speech before we can have any fun." Amanda dragged Nikki along, in the same position as before. Nikki preferred being held from around the shoulder rather than bear-hugged, so she didn't protest. The two walked into the Auditorium, and found some seats. Amanda still had her arm wrapped around Nikki's, and that was awkward for the Korean girl, so she moved her cousin's arm and put it on the seat.

"... No sexual activity?!" Amanda said, almost like she was shocked and never heard this before, when she was only playing around for Nikki. "You know they stand a snowball's chance in hell of stopping it, but he's got to say it... I personally had sex with five guys before meeting you."

Nikki coughed very awkwardly, the moment just got really bad for her. "Tmi..." She groans as her face became red with embarrassment. She wasn't sure if Amanda was screwing with her or telling the truth. Really, just the risk of the latter being true was enough to keep Nikki's mouth shut.

Aside from that comment, Amanda (Fortunately) kept quiet. The speech was over, and everyone was being directed to the cafeteria. Nikki was unsure of whether or not she wants to share a room with someone else. But, fine, she would play by their rules. Nikki and Amanda were heading to the cafeteria, fortunately without any unnecessary contact.

Right before Nikki stepped into the cafeteria, she hesitated. She was unsure of whether or not she should send her the dormant swarm underneath her clothes away.  Though, she knew that it would be hard to get another swarm into the cafeteria, so just in case, she would keep her bugs under her clothes. Long as nobody saw it, all conversations should be less than awkward

It appeared that Amanda wants to find a table. Probably looking for some friends or anybody. For now, Nikki was following just because she had nothing better to do.

Theresa Sindel Obott, & Dana Lucille Alcott.

Theresa got off the boat, wearing a dark green dress shirt, and some jeans, along with a black scarf around her face to keep her power in check. It wasn't too big of a problem long as nobody shoved their face into theirs. Theresa had her hands in her powers as she walked down. She was looking for her friend, Dana Alcott, whom was a full time student. They rarely got to see each other, other than the few months they spend with each other at the school. Truthfully, Theresa had a crush on Dana, and enjoyed every moment they had together. The second he saw her, he grinned very wide.

"Tess!" Dana called out, as they embraced each other for a friendly hug, Theresa had to bend over a little bit. "It's nice to see you."

"You too. How was your time here?" Theresa asked

"Fine. You know, it's so hard getting around without you. My arms tend to get tired." Dana smiled at Theresa warmly.

"You don't have to worry about that anymore." Theresa got behind Dana, and held onto the handlebars of her crippled friend's wheelchair.

"That's the spirit, let's go." Dana said, as Theresa started pushing her into the Administration building along with the rest of the students. They didn't grab a seat or anything, since Dana was technically already sitting, and Theresa was fine with standing up. This speech was basically the same one they always get, changing the words around. Because the Headmaster thought he was clever like that. The pair were throwing sarcastic gestures at each other, and making funny faces the whole time. Their way of making fun of the speech.

Once the speech was over, they walked into the cafeteria along with the rest of the students. There were so many people here, but honestly, they would prefer staying out of any social interactions at the moment. They were sitting near the other 'wall flowers' in the corner, far away from them to avoid interaction. They've learned long ago that if you don.

They talked to each other. Just shared experiences.

Shannon Jacqueline Balore.

Shannon sighed. She was hoping that she wouldn't have to come back here, but she honestly can't stand her home life. This school? It was honestly full of psychopaths who thought they were God (God!) because they have a superpower. Fortunately, there were some people here that weren't actually braindead losers. Shannon stepped off the boat, with a long white sundress flowing in the summer wind, that had a picture of a night sky weaved into it, with her glasses white to match it. It was a few sizes larger without the risk of falling off of her. Shannon just felt like she was in a movie! It was obviously custom made, but so elegantly put together that she might as well be a professional. Actually, she was better than professionals, they just didn't match up.

During the speech, the young Irish girl briefly considered unraveling the glorious headmaster's suit and gave the new students a view of his underwear choice. Oooooh, he better not be wearing any goofy print underwear. Nah... Shannon would rather save that trick for anyone who gets on her nerves. That speech only elected a roll of her eyes. She was actually happy to walk out the room with every and head for the cafeteria. She was hoping that she could find someone here worth talking to. She wasn't afraid of talking to people, because if they reject her, or vice versa, she can always try the next guy. Now, all she would have to do is look for them.

There was that one group was forming by the table.... The one with the sharply dressed Hispanics, they were clearly rich. They could possibly be pricks. So Shannon was going to watch before making her approach.

Jake, Gabe, & Jaska Valos.

"Jesus Christ!" Gabe shouted at the top of her lungs as she shoved her way off the boat. Rudely jamming her elbow into whoever got into her way. She didn't enjoy that boat ride. Sure, she went on plenty of cruise trips, but having this many neck beards and low lives ruined the experience. The second Gabe was off, and out of the way of everyone else, she felt so much happiness that she was ready to jump for joy. She even smiled for a second. She wore an all white outfit today. White denim jacket, and a matching white shirt with black stripes under it, along with white jeans. Complementing her outfit, she wore matching white gloves (To obscure her burns) and white boots. To top it off; Gabe wore a white fedora with a black band on it. Stylish.

On the other hand, Jake calmly walked down the stairs, with a gentlemanly swagger in his steps. He was more calm than Gabe, and didn't want to piss anyone off. That's why he didn't rush through the crowd shouting swears. However, there was another reason for he preferred slow and steady. It was hard to describe, but Jake did a motion like he was taking off an invisible back pack, putting it in the bushes while no one was looking. "Yo, Gabe, calm down." He put a hand on her shoulder as he walked up. "We don't need to piss off anyone on our first day." He dressed much more fancily than Gabe. He wore a black pinstriped suit, a black overcoat, with a black fedora, and his usual round glasses. He had the chain to his pocket watch hanging out of a breast pocket.

Gabe took a step back, and pushed Jake away. "Yeah, yeah, I just wanted to get the hell up off that boat."

Preferring to avoid all the traffic, the younger Jaska took a simpler route. He jumped up on the railing and used his leg strength to propel himself off of it. He hyper-extended his wings and glided his way to next to Gabe and Jake. He landed with a skid, slicing the dirt underneath his feet with his claws. He was silent, but kept a cheerful smile on his face. Jaska also wore a suit, it was black with red pinstripes. It didn't look good on him, and it had a few claw marks here and there. He didn't wear anything else, not even shoes, because it was uncomfortable.

With the Valos siblings assembled, they continued on into the auditorium. They found a seat, sitting side by side. "Ugh, save me the bullshit you old fart. If I had a d...." Gabe was just about to say dick, but cut herself off. She can't curse around the child, can she?

"Hey, watch your mouth." Jake says, in a joking tone, implying he was playing around. When in reality he was half joking, and half serious.

There was a question lingering in the back of Gabe's head, "You got the goods?"

Jake tensed up obviously. He was shocked at how stupid what Gabe did. If anyone with enhanced hearing heard them... they could be in deep shit. He put a finger "Be quiet, someone will hear us, and yes. They're back by the gate. I'll grab it when I get my bags..."

"That's all I need to hear." Gabe grins as she goes silent.

It was like a gift from the heavens when the speech finally ended and they could get something to eat. Gabe and Jaska were a little hungry. Maybe the mighty Valos will make a name for themselves here. The three found a large table, just for the purpose of attracting people. Gabe leaned back in her chair, kicking her feet up onto the table. Jaska sat down on the table itself, relaxed, and got plenty of claw marks on it in the process. Jake... He just calmly sat down and put his hands together on the table.

There was an awkward silence as they waited for someone. "... How about I get us some food?" Jake suggests.

"Sure."

"Yeah."

Jake walked away, getting some food for his siblings. He already knows his siblings tastes in food, and he can already tell that he should get lots of chicken, because they all love some chicken. He came back a minute or two later with two plates of grilled chicken.

"Would'a preferred a salad, but okay." Gabe says.

Jaska never really got table manners down, despite living with a prolific family for awhile. It came from his more wild roots. So instead of getting a fork and a knife, Jaska just used his tail to pale the piece of chicken and non-graciously put it in his mouth. Eugh. This food is disgusting to him. He spit it out in the most classless way possible. He wanted to eat fresh meat, because of the instinctive thrill of the kill.

"Hey, Jask! Have a little bit of class, da-" Jake shouted, almost cursing himself.

"I'm sorry but, I didn't like that..." Jaska laid down on his back.

"But don't spit it out like that," Jake continued chiding Jaska, "Act like you have some training."

"Sorry." Jaska curled up.

"Yeah," Gabe said almost like she was agreeing with Jake... "This chicken tastes like ass."

Jake shot Gabe a look, almost opening his mouth to commentate on Gabe's filthy language, but choose not to at the last second. Letting out a sigh and rolling his eyes.

Red was quite dizzy during the cruise to the Academy. Not because of nausea, but from the vast amount of info he had absorbed from the other passengers. Random names, gossip, chit-chat and the like, along with their appearances, clothes and features. He tried to arange this collosal amount of useless info in one of the furhtest chambers in his mind, his "thrash can" rooms, so as to not mingle with the other information he has accumulated this far. That said, it was obvious that the ship's arrival to its destination was a huge relief for him. He wasn't in a hurry to disembark, knowing that by following the mass of students would only result in more unnescessary information and for him it would be a torture.

He waited patiently for the crowd to get off the ship and move a bit for him to disembark. It would seem that he was not the only one who had this idea, since another girl was waiting for the mass to clear as well. Red took a glance of the girl and subconsiously compared her to any info he had on his archive.

"Female, age ranges from 16 to 20, Asian-like features, most probably Korean or Chin....Damn, I did it again! Stop messing with other people's privacy, dimwit!" he thought, trying to fight his urge to find out about a person, which cost him a life without friends.

He waited for the girl to go down first, mainly because he somehow felt that this was his personal way of apologizing to her and then he set his own two feet on the shore. He was finally at the mysterious Academy 218, which he could not find anything about in his research, something that scared him. There were not many things that Red could not find out, so, when he couldn't, he couldn't help but be entraced...and scared of them, that being the main reason he accepted the invitation to the school. He cleared his suit off the dust of the cruise ship, because he thought that he should at least be stylish, to make up for this gruesome scar on his face, which he considered a curse. Being far enough from the crowd to not listen to anything except from a buzz, he headed for the Auditorium. It was chilly, so he regretted not taking the coat from his luggage, but he could not help it, since the staff would take care of it.

Upon arriving to the Auditorium, he once again suffered from more "thrash" information, since he was cooped up in a room along with every other new student. It was fortunate that at some point the Director of the Academy started his speech, introducing himself and familiarizing the students with the school regulations.

"Important info...The Director's name, a shared room with another student, main point of the Academy is for students to hone their powers (which, frankly I don't have the slightest clue about), there is a detention room, no fighting outside the Arena (not that I care, I suck at fighting), but most importantly no illegal substances...Which means that I can't damn smoke, because I am underage! I am screwed!" Red thought, with the last thoughts causing him a shock.

After composing himself from the initial shock of the restriction of his favourite vice, Red, along with the group headed for the banquet. He was starving from the trip and his brain required more energy to function than normal, making matters worse. He quickly examined the whole room to find a place to make himself comfortable. All the tables had people, others more and others less, so, if he couldn't help sitting alone, he should at least find a table whose occupants he could speak with if there was a need to. His eyes stuck to a group of people who shared the same table. Classy in their clothing style, even if one of them had his suit torn and radiating a form of elegance, probably from a noble family or something similar.

"Three people, two of them Latin-American, the third one half Latin-American, the other half, I cannot determine. Their features indicate some kind of bond, probably brothers, although not so sure about the third one. Classy clothes, custom made for their bodies, indicator of high income. Yep, this totally suits my tastes!" Red thought, not realizing his urge took over him again.

He slowly walked to the group of three, not creating a fuss for his felllow students and upon reaching them, he introduced himself and said:

"Greetings...My name is Red Winston, pleased to make your acquaintance. Would you mind if I shared a seat with you?"

Cordelia Lynn Holmes

There's a first for everything. First kiss, first drink, first love, first time having sex.

Lynn was experiencing one of the less magical "firsts", that being her first encounter with seasickness. The girl had never been a boat before, and after about ten minutes of jostling around on the waves, was firmly placed at the back, a bottle of ginger ale clutched in one hand and some of the worthless drammamine tablets the boat's attendants had given her in the other. "Oh sweet merciful Christ," Lynn muttered, closing her eyes and fighting down another wave of nausea. "I swear to Christ I will do whatever it takes to get a plane ride out of this place." Staring at her white, scarred knuckles, she tried to ignore the rocking waves in her peripheral vision.

Egh. Another round of vomiting, which at this point was reduced to dry heaving. Lynn was extremely grateful no one else was around, because they'd probably try and offer to help her, and that kinda shit just annoyed her. What? Did they think she needed it? She figured every well-to-do fat cat that could afford the Academy (had they not offered her a scholarship...) probably wanted a pet project in the form of some kid from the projects, but Lynn wasn't about to play along. Still, if some kid had the power to prevent seasickness, she would've gladly let them work their wonders on her. Lynn had managed to avoid getting any vomit on herself, which was pretty good considering her...limited...wardrobe.

Cheers? Cheers and screams. The triumphant kind, not the "holy shit that knife's big" kind. Lynn turned her head to the front of the boat, not letting go of the side rail, and saw that land was in sight. Many thanks to a God Lynn wasn't exactly on the best terms with were uttered, and she managed to avoid sickness for the rest of the trip. Lynn gave it a few minutes, allowed the mass exodus of eager teenagers to vacate the ship before she followed along, moving somewhat better with the ship docked and (more or less) still. She wasn't one to care too much about her appearance, but Lynn was admittedly a little unsatisfied with how she had to look-hair laughably askew with the sharp breeze at the back of the boat, clothes all baggy and wrinkled...Lynn tied her hair back into a ponytail and followed along after the other happy campers, with the deep scowl on her face clearly showing what she thought of the damned ride over.

Eh? Jungle? Not what she'd been expecting. Lynn wasn't real familiar with jungles-urban sprawls, those were more of her element, but as long as they had toilets to piss in and food, she wasn't about to complain. She'd handled the roughest parts of Chicago, she could handle the jungle. As they walked, Lynn went back through her backpack, making sure her meager belongings were left unmolested. It appeared that, more or less, her supplies had all made it-she'd tucked some of the more questionable items on her person, and would ideally be able to keep them on her. Drawing a cigarette from a pack, Lynn clutched it in her teeth, lit it with her lighter (some beat-up old Zippo that looked ancient) and tucked it away.

Then they had some boring-ass seminar thing. It had been a long damned time since Lynn had sat through one of these, unless you count a couple of those sessions you could do to get time shaved off in juvy. A quiet, sinking fear began to run through her gut: she...she hadn't fully grasped that this was a SCHOOL. She'd known there would be classes, but she hadn't actually thought about how she'd manage to do that. Christ, she had to be years behind all these other kids. And Jesus, this other kids looked worse off than her. Some gaudy pirate chick was a hood away from the Ku Klux Klan look. Weird guy in a suit, staring everybody down. Maybe one of the feds? No, no, he looked way too young. Lynn did a subtle double-take at Jaska, who she could've sworn had a tail, but was otherwise unimpressed with her new classmates. This is going to be a long, long year.

...no cigarettes.

No cigarettes.

Lynn, who had continued smoking while indoors, let loose a string of not-so-subtle profanities. She dropped the cigarette on the floor and put it out with her shoe, grinding it into the ground. That was some serious bullshit right there. Serious. Bullshit.

Then food, which was really the only thing that had enticed Lynn to signing up for this freakshow. It didn't disappoint-the normally unshakeable girl had a moment of being totally dumbstruck. Christ, the smell. It smelled so damned good! Beyond that, there was more food than anyone could possibly eat-she...she didn't know where to begin. It all looked delicious! Lynn wasted no time in grabbing a tray and piling her plate up as high as it could possibly go, noting that there was no charge for food. All you can eat? Music to Lynn's fuckin' ears.

She sat down at a table, a spot or two away from the nearest person. Yeah, she didn't give two shits about making friends. There was food to be had. She gave the occupants of the table a subtle up-down. Hold up, that eyepatched bitch-she was Latina. One of the Kings? Maybe MS-13? Lynn studied those three intensely for a moment but decided against it. She didn't give off that vibe. Neither did the other two (holy hell, that kid DID have a tail), who appeared to be her family, just going off looks. There was the guy in the suit who was asking if he could sit down-just sit your ass down, this isn't a thing. What are you gonna do if they tell you no, anyways? There was some chick in a dress that cost more than everything Lynn had on her. Coincidentally, she annoyed Lynn already.

Eh. Sizing people up wasn't going to do shit. What was going to help Lynn, both in the short and long terms, was the plate full of ambrosia before her. Digging into she-didn't-even-care-but-oh-Christ-it-was-so-good, Lynn ignored her classmates and quickly began working her way through her meal.

Jake, Gabe, & Jaska Valos.

"... People are watching us." Gabe blatantly leaned in towards Jake and groaned. She didn't have the best vision, but she could definitely tell when someone was watching them. This time, she gave subtle nods of her head towards their observers.

Well, not that surprising since they actually were pretty notable. Nice clothes, fabulously good looks, and... Jaska, of course. Though, Jake had to say he wasn't liking the attention they were getting. There was a good looking guy wearing a suit, just like him, staring right at them like he saw something they couldn't see. He swore he saw the same guy giving people the same looks. It was quite discerning, but Jake was going to give him the benefit of the doubt. Another person Jake saw staring at them was a bonafide street rat, white trash plain and simple, and Jake wasn't saying that because he was rich. Dirty clothes, bummy demeanor, and ate food like she has never eaten before in her life. The girl was definitely looking at them, and Gabe was giving the girl looks back. He wasn't discriminating here when he theorized that she was going to try and rob them. In any case, Jake could probably handle her with his power, but he wasn't sure what she could pull.

"... Just your eyes on that one. Let's give everyone else the benefit of the doubt." Jake suggested. Getting an affirming nod from Gabe and Jaska - The latter was going to keep his eye on the girl - How could someone eat so much, has she ever eaten before...?

Looks like they're going have to directly interact with one of their new fans, the kid in the suit walked up to them, and asked for a eat. Getting a look from all three of them, as they all went silent.

"Eh, free country." Gabe lowly groaned.

"I don't mind." Jaska said in a more upbeat tone.

Jake was going to be the more proper one. He put a fist to his mouth, and loudly cleared his throat. "Hey there, I'm Jake Valos, and you sure can have a seat." He said in a open, friendly tone.

"... Kiss ass." Gabe quietly taunted him.

He ignored the comment and continued, taking a look at Gabe and Jaska mid sentence, "This is Gabriela, or Gabe, and this is Jaska. We're all new here. You?"

To most of those who resided on the island, Academy 218 wasn't big news anymore. But for those arriving today, it must've been a whole new adventure. He knew it was for him the first day he arrived when he was eleven. He was twenty-two now.

Dr. Henry J. Olin was an intern and a long time resident of the island. He was a smart man, enough so to have been able to graduate only six months ago with a PhD in Biochemistry. He was currently working towards getting a job on the island as a teacher. He knew he had the stuff for it. After all, it was no secret that the current Biotechnology teacher was on a paid break half the day. He taught, wrote tests, and graded things most of the week. So, as an intern, and technically member of the staff, he had been called upon to help out at the orientation dinner. Normally he would be out and about; partying and getting laid like every other person his age (it was harder for him, but there were some girls on the island that went for anything, and there was no shortage of drunk idiots who needed to be walked home).

And so, there he stood, hulking and scaly, a giant reptile in a monkey’s suit, pulling at the collar with one of his claws to allow his neck more room to breathe. As a seasoned veteran of the academy, he knew for a fact that the meat orientation dinner was absolute shit, and while he wouldn’t care most of the time, he brought his own food, and lots of it. Fish he had caught, and filleted with his own claws. He had been doing it since he was about sixteen; he was pretty good by now. So, when he saw the young boy, who couldn’t have been that much younger than him when he first came here, although noticeably younger. He felt a pang of sympathy as the kid spat out the chicken, and finally snapped.

“Excuse me, I think I’m going to go and meet the new students.” He said, nodding and smiling to the English teacher that had been speaking to him, which he hadn’t been listening to. He grabbed a few dishes of fish he had caught that had been specially prepared by him for the dinner. Just because he wasn’t part of the cooking club as a full on member doesn’t mean he hadn’t picked up a few tricks. It wasn’t a fabulous, incredible dinner, but it was good, at least, that’s what others had said when he made fish for them. He preferred whole fish, but he knew he couldn’t just walk out of the water with arms full of fish like he did normally. He would have to be a bit classier for now. He related to the little kid though.

So, with a dish in each of his hands, one for the kid, and one for himself, he walked forward, and set them down at the table, at the head of the table. He pulled up a chair, which he briefly examined, hoping it would be able to hold his weight, but deemed it safe. He did not sit down yet though. He set his own dish down, and walked up behind Jaska and placed the dish of fish in front of him. He carried himself respectfully, but he wore a gummy, toothless smile.

“Welcome to the academy!” He said, his smile remaining on his face. “My name is Henry, but most refer to me as Dragonfly. I am an intern here at the school and, for some of you; I will be your science teacher. I noticed that someone wasn’t enjoying the food, so I brought some that I caught myself this morning for the teachers. It’s Mahi-Mahi. You’ll love it.” Henry said, sitting down finally. He had a lot of food on his plate, more than even the skinny girl at the end of the table. That was to be expected, he was much bigger than everyone else at the table. “I hope you all have enjoyed the academy so far, I know Darrel can be pretty boring, but he’s a nice guy. Sorry about that.” He said, his lips finally contorting out of their smile, instead taking the form of a good-hearted smirk. He looked to Red, and motioned for him to sit down. “So, what are all of your names? You know mine- Henry.”

Poppy Flanagan

The prospect of being on a boat like this would have been considered an impossibility only a month ago. Even though they were never around her parents limits on where she was allowed to go was very tight. In her early childhood she was scarcely taken anywhere. The first place she remembered spending anytime at other than her house was her first school. Since getting expelled from the private school she was planned to attend afterwards she'd been on total lockdown. This culminated in her father being hospitalized after his last visit. Worse was that she didn't remember a thing, and yet she was being blamed. Something told her that the view of her mother at his bedside would be her last memory of them. They hadn't even let her in to the room. Then there was the look she cast as the guards steered her towards the elevator to leave. A look of unbridled fear with a twinge of disbelief. Then the doors shut and with them the life she'd once had.

After a long ride in the centermost of three black cars with black tinted windows she'd been set up in a high class hotel. Her regular servants were replaced by suits with ear pieces. It was unnerving at first until she realized that whatever discomfort she was feeling they were ten times worse. Once she had the courage to make a demand seeing it followed was all she needed. Like usual though the one thing not allowed was for her to leave. Judging from the lack of outside noise they must have rented the whole floor, maybe even the ones above and bellow. For two weeks she lived much much like normal with the exceptions being a spacious residence and daily lessons. On the 28th of June she was without warning escorted to the airport, and the next day to this ship. All that she was told is that she'd be attending school with kids that have powers like the one she supposedly had.

So much for that. Nobody onboard seemed remotely similar to herself. People of all ages, nationalities, and walks of life. That's right people, there were even adults attending! What kind of academy is this? She answered her own question. One for freaks... Poppy found a secluded spot to sit out the voyage thankful that at least whoever was running this place had funding. The cruise ship of a transport alone was well in the millions. Judging by the temperature their destination was close to the equator. This gave her a new prospect considering she'd never been to a beach before. Not exactly how she envisioned it though. Soon enough the island came into view and before she knew it Poppy was one with the crowd filling in the remain seats for the opening dinner. To be honest what it all reminded her of was a modern version of Hogwarts. Just exchange houses for cliques and wizards for mutants. However, unlike Harry she didn't make any friends enroute. This left her frantically searching for a place to sit. Singling spots out by attire, age group, and as they were filled she started off in the direction of some well off Hispanics. The fact that one of them appeared younger than her put her at ease until she saw the boys monstrous features. Looking around a few others had the same thoughts and stayed clear, but nobody at the table seemed phased.

Summoning up a bit of courage Poppy took a seat a couple places down and across from them. When the lousy speech which she completely ignored concluded she realized how hungry she was. Naturally she loaded her plate with all the tasty tidbits and avoided anything green. While she was content to eat and mind her own business when the youngest of the trio used his tail to spear his meat only to spit it out. Then her gaze jumped to the girl among them when she commented on the chickens flavor. For such a prim and proper upbringing Poppy could be rather indecent herself, just her experiences at private school gave her some preconceived notions of what it might be like her. So far there was no correlation. In any case for good or bad she was stuck here for who knows how long. Sure enough others came and once a conversation started she could begin to access which way her year would go.

This train of thought was lost as a giant lizard in a suit introduced himself as a teacher. Poppy gawked How am I ever going to get used to this?!

Vespera Spindel

Against the wall to the side of the entrance Vespera leaned comfortable against the wall and surveyed the new arrivals. After attending the academy for so long she seen all types and knew that this initially analysis would be quickly invalidated. Still what she wanted to catch was how everyone carried themselves their first night in what to many of them was a strange new world. Picking out who among them might be worth her time.   Before they even entered she could make out the voice of Amanda Blackmoore and a new girl. Since she was one of the more eccentric students and her father, Adam, was one of the lead instructors she'd found her first target. Whoever this aquatic, friend, or relative was she was going to find out. When the duo crossed the threshold Vespera pushed off from the wall to get in closer only to stop in her tracks. She picked up the scent of her babies prey mingling with the new girls. Various species of lesser arthropods. If they were internal she wouldn't have been able pick up on them, but there were no creepy crawlies to be seen either. That left the only option being that she was concealing them under her clothes much in the way the she herself was harboring a host of spiders. Nothing like what this newcomer had going on though.

Vespera actually found the scent to be much more appetizing than what lay on platters ready to be served the vast majority of the students. As for herself she would eat later. Gorging herself while powered down like the rest of them was not befitting of one such as herself. Additionally she was acutely aware of how unappetizing her method of feeding was to most others and had no desired to be shunned.

Walking along the ends of the tables Vespera kept level with her subject using her peripheral vision, when they went in for a seat she'd preemptively start down the row as if she'd plan to sit somewhere nearby inconsequentially. Over the years she'd grown rather accomplished at lingering without drawing too much attention then getting in and out without seeming overwhelmingly suspicious. Of course people are going to think what they are going to think, and she did look rather shady. Just got to get her to relate with me in a positive fashion. Dispel any false or maybe true pretenses.

Her attention shifted for a moment as Henry went to greet what appeared to be another apex predator, albeit a much younger one. She made a mental note to introduce herself to the boy soon.

Red hastingly replied to the teacher's nod, by swiftly sitting on a chair of his own. He was completely oblivious to how school cafeterias work in general and, as such, he was unaware that he needn't have to ask for permission. At least he exhibited a good gesture to the teacher so as to not make a bad impression, at least to those who were ignorant of his presence. Not that it mattered to him, he mainly wanted to eat his food, get done with it quickly and find a place to light a cigarette, a desire that grew stronger by the arrival of another girl, who to a person judging by sight would be called a dangerous one, like a hoodlum. But to Red, the only thing that mattered was the faint smell of a recently burnt Zippo lighter oil, which made his senses go astray.

"God or whatever great power rules this universe is certainly messing with me today....From all the people arriving at the Academy, the one sitting nearby must be a smoker and remind me of my torture!" Red thought, but his thoughts changed when he realized that she was around his age, thus sharing the same problem with him, which could prove an asset, because now two people could co-operate to solve it. With that in mind, he decided to come up with this topic later, concerned that the teacher would be not so eager to keep it a secret.

Instead, he decidced to reply to Jake, after he took a quick look at the two women who took a sit afterwards, both of them having European traits, with one of them blending them with American ones, or so he thought.

"Same here...and there is too much to find out about. To be frank, there is so much mystery about this academy that the invitation was good enough for me to come and satisfy my curiosity, which is the main reason I came here. Little by little I am gathering pieces of a puzzle, only to solve them later. But enough about me, what brings you here?"

Gabe, Jake, & Jaska Valos.

And now fucking Godzilla in a suit and tie wants to be their friend.

This school is going to be fun!

Henry's odor was distinct, clearly reptilian. It immediately caught the young Jaska's attention among the myriad of odors. He was put on alarm, since his instincts told him that Henry was bad news. He retracted, and tensed his body up, ready for an attack. The second the raw, fresh, fish was presented before him, his other impulses overridden his hostile instincts. He smiled, and grabbed onto each end of the fish. Ungraciously bit into the fish, tearing off piece after piece of it with his razor sharp teeth. Eating it less like a human would, and more like a savage beast. He paused in gorging himself on the fish, looking up at Henry. He needed to be cordial, that's what Mommy told him to do, after all. "Thanks, Henry!" He loudly says, obviously thankful, "I'm Jaska." He appreciated the free meal that wasn't the greasy watered down crap that they're serving here. So that won Henry plenty of points in the young boy's eyes.

Both Gabe and Jake were thankful were thankful that Henry got Jaska food. That was a more preferable than him wandering the forest alone. The man was a massive lizard-man, larger than both of them put together. They knew of the existence of such Meta-humans with immense bestial traits, but they never seen such... mutations, up close. It was almost intimidating. But, the suit made him look goofy. Instead of fear or anything else, Jake and Gabe chuckled. This guy could be a badass war beast, but instead, he's wearing a suit like in some cartoon. The way he spoke didn't help either.

The twins had a brief exchange in Portuguese.

"É uma iguana porra de fato! Esta escola é cheia de surpresas!" Gabe started off, saying to Jake, deadpan.

"Ser cuidadoso Gabe, Godzilla zangas e tentar comer-nos!" Jake responded, equally sarcastic.

"Ele deve ter cuidado. Meu 'bafo atômico' wil arruinar seu terno." Gabe finished the exotic language exchange.

And again, there's two more people looking at them. Take a picture you motherfuckers, it'll last longer than you will. Gabe thought to herself as she returned the looks at Vespera. A creepy looking motherfucker, gothic, but dressily pretty sluttily. She smirked to herself, honestly the girl wants to look like a vamp, when in reality, she looks like someone trying too hard to look edgy. This put Vespera at the bottom of Gabe's priority list. The person that had to be at the top had to be the street rat a few tables down. There was another girl, one with red hair, had to be young. At least a few years younger than the twins, but older way than Jaska. She looked like a goofy barbie doll that they released to offend the Irish. Hmph. Nothing special in Gabe's book.

They stopped looking at their various observers, and focused at the scene at hand. Jake nodded at Dragonfly, and spoke to him very formally, "Thank you for that, Henry." Jake tipped his hat at Dragonfly. "I didn't mind the speech actually, I saw a long and stupid speech coming from miles away." He smiled, "The Academy so far... I actually look forward to it. A brand new experience, with brand new people. The way I see it." Though, some of the people here and making me wish I threw up something for privacy so they'd stopped staring...

"Meh," Gabe started off, "'Cademy is great n' all, but I rather be back home." She leaned back into her chair, playing with her jacket, "Being forced to come here does that..." Gabe finished off her statements with a roll of her eyes. "I would enjoy it better if some of the fuc- people would stop staring at us like we some freaks." Gabe nodded towards Vespera, Poppy, and Cordelia.

Heh, everyone here's a freak. Jake playfully rolled his eyes with a smile. Sometimes Gabe could be so painfully narrow minded. "Are you forgetting about something? We're fabulous! Everyone can't help but look." He made Gabe laugh a little, and bump him in the arm with her fist.

Then there was Red. They had forgotten about the young trust fund kid! How rude. The kid sat down at their table and started some casual conversation. His little speech made Jake roll his eyes with a smile. It was a little cute how he wants to 'solve his puzzle'. A real talker, eh? They were better off answering his question than indulge in his rambling. "We...? Umm... That's a tough one." Though, it wasn't that better off. If Jake told the real reason they're here; he would piss Gabe off for sharing personal information, and he would guilt Jaska about his problem at the same time. So he had no choice but to talk out of his ass. "Umm... We wanted to try this place. Everything about this place seemed like fun. I wanted to see new things, meet new people." He smirked at Red and Henry. "And I can say I'm not disappointed."

Unfortunately, their conversation was interrupted by a new party.

Amanda, Nikki, Jake, Gabe, & Jaska.

The sound of jingling jewelry had announced her presence long before she approached them. "Step aside, wannabe Godzilla." She said to Henry as she side-stepped him, "Ladies, ladies, ladies!" Amanda loudly announced her presence to the table as she walked up, hips swaying, and threw her arms in the air in a grandiose manner. "I saw that you newbs were all having a conversation and decided to spice it up a little bit." Amanda turned around and planted her behind, and both hands, on the edge of the table. She saw the plate of chicken that has been brushed aside by Jaska, and said, "You want this?" They all nodded, and Amanda just took a piece of chicken and took a large bite of it, putting it back down immediately. She had to introduce them, "I am Amanda D. Blackmore and this is my favorite person, Nikki Biyung."

Nikki herself felt embarrassed for participating in Amanda's extremely rude interruption of their conversation. Her face went red. She had inadvertently activated her power, flies in the room flew towards her started buzzing around her. Some of her flying insects started crawling out from out from under her clothes. It took Nikki a moment to realize, before calling them off. She awkwardly waved, "... Hi."

The Valos weren't as receptive to Amanda as Henry, or Red, they looked blatantly uncomfortable.

But, no matter how uncomfortable she is, Gabe will always be eternally snarky. "Oh, estou surpreso que você não está suando, Jakey." Gabe teased Jake in a foreign language, "Os asiáticos, seu favorito!"

"Oh shut up!" Jake retorted.

The jingling of Amanda's excessive jewelry annoyed Jaska. So did the buzzing and chirping of Nikki's insects - Weren't girls afraid of bugs? Well, Jaska hated them. They were disgusting, and far lower on the food chain than him. A downside to having such acute hearing was that he heard everything... Everything! But he thought the girls that approached were good looking. "Oh, hiii, pretty lady." He was told to always complement women. It's something they like after all.

Amanda used her power to create a tiny needle from her jewelry. She used the needle to pick her teeth. When Jaska complemented her, she chuckled. "Oh how cute," Amanda stopped for a moment, smiling, looking at the eight year old, "He's already a little gentleman." She looked between Nikki, Jake then Dragonfly. "So, Nikki here is a newbie, like I guessed some of you are, and really, really shy. So, I figured that I'd introduce her to some people...." She had a mouth wide open grin, "... So introduce yourselves."

“No problem kiddo!” Henry said smiling, as the boy seemed to brighten up. He would have to take the kid spear fishing some day if his siblings would let him. If he was capable of catching things on his own without the spear like he was, then he could ditch it, but that was a thought for another time and place. Not for orientation dinner. One of his eyes moved to watch Gabe and Jake, while the other focused on his food.

He was just as bad as Jaska was at eating, normally. He didn’t have a choice in doing so today though. Any other time he wouldn’t have cared, but for now he would have to play as polite as possible. He used his middle finger’s claw to cut the fish he had chosen for himself, a Speckled Trout, in half, and used the fork to pick it up. The half of a fish was far too large for the fork, and it looked comical, because it was bite sized for Henry. The lizard man allowed his teeth to fall into their normal positions, and two rows of teeth became visible. While he could look somewhat comical, in his suit, it suddenly became very obvious why he had been flashing gummy smiles before. The first row were large, thick teeth that looked like they belonged to a crocodile. The two-inch chompers interlocked with one another almost perfectly. The teeth behind those were many and shark like. Razor shark and meant solely for cutting. He shut his jaws on the first half of the fish, cutting and crushing it up. Inside his throat a third row of jaws came forward and pulled the mangled remains into the depths of his stomach, like an eel’s second set of jaws. The second half of the fish followed soon after, as with the other two Cod he had taken. He retracted his teeth, and unhinged his jaws for a few moments, resetting them and making sure they were all right, and returned back to his original position, with an empty plate. He had eaten most of the food he would need for the day earlier. However, he noticed that most of the fork was now gone, the front half completely bitten off. He panicked momentarily, and decided to do what he thought was best, which was destroy the evidence. That consisted of him throwing the handle of the fork down his gullet.

He had been watching Gabe and Jake while he had been eating, and had caught on to a few terms. The key phrases he had tuned in on being ‘iguana’, ‘Godzilla’ and ‘comer’, which meant eating in Spanish. This meant that they spoke a Romance language, most likely either Spanish or Portuguese. It wasn’t hard to figure out what they were talking about. He rolled his eyes, at their conversation. “Oh c’mon you two. If you’re going to talk about me at least let me in on it. I’ve heard much worse.” He said, flashing another gummy grin to show them he was indeed harmless and had no ill will for them.

He brought his huge arms up to the table, and rested his elbows on the piece of furniture, allowing his snout to rest on his hands. He briefly tuned into the conversation, before his long forked tongue flicked out. He smelt bugs. He REALLY smelt bugs. He had smelled them from a girl a little ways away, but now things were getting stronger. He shook it out of his head, before speaking up. “You want anymore Jaska? There’s plenty left, I don’t mind getting you mo-“

He was suddenly cut off by a loud girl, proclaiming herself to be Amanda Blackmore, and then introduced her friend to be named Nikki, who seemed incredibly embarrassed about the whole situation. He noticed the bugs crawling out of her clothing and immediately understood where the smell of insect was coming from. Bug powers. Nice. He fought the urge to say something, and instead look to his watch casually, while brushing his hands through the spines that went down his back like an iguanas. “Hey, it’s about time one of those people showed up.” He mumbled under his breath. “Fashionably late to the conversation. I like it.” He said, trying to make a pun off of Amanda’s clothing. He expected her to make fun of him for it, but hey, he would rather it be him. He was mature enough to not let his pride get the better of them. “Doctor Henry J. Olin, PhD. Pleasure to meet you.” He said, turning to the girl and offering his hand. He was about as tall as she was sitting down in his chair. He didn’t feel like standing would accomplish anything. “I’ll be your science teacher. Welcome, and welcome back, to Academy 218.”

Sydney was rather relieved to be off of the boat. She hated boats, she got seasick to easily. The poor girl had spent the entire boat ride practically hanging over the edge incase she threw up. Either that it she was asleep in one of the rooms in the ship. She had been one of the first ones off the boat since she had practically bolted to the exit as soon as they were docked. She absolutely hated boats with a passion and avoided them like they were poison. Though she also got motions sickness on pretty much any mode of transportation as well, though it wasn't nearly as bad as her sea sickness.

Sydney was then ushered into a building where the headmaster said a few words and then turned them loose. She sighed, odds are, with her ability, she would end up getting into trouble for blowing up part of the school. She really didn't want to have to deal with that. She was rather good at unintentionally destroying property when attempting to practice her ability. The short pink haired girl slumped against a wall outside after exciting the building and sighed. She was knew so she didn't know anybody at the school. Being sick the entire boat ride didn't help anything for her since most of the other students avoided her or simply didn't notice her. She let out a very visible sigh as she watched other students mingle amongst each other before heading to the cafeteria for the banquet. Really she had no interest in going into a place with so many people.

She stood outside for a while longer before her stomach growled. She had, after all, thrown up her previous meal or two. It wasn't a surprise to her that she was hungry. Sighing she pushed off from the wall. "Guess I should go in there, at the very least to get something to eat." She didn't plan on speaking to anybody unless she had to or she was spoken to first. The small girl wasn't very good at social interaction when it depended on her starting it. Calmly she walked into the cafeteria and headed toward the food. Simply grabbing a small plate and heading to a slightly secluded spot to eat in peace. If anybody wanted to interact with her they would and she wouldn't stop them, she just might seem a little unsure or scared at first.

The majority of Charlie's morning was spent in the jungle. Hunting the many creatures within in the Jungle always gave him a thrill like no other. It was bloodlust, true bloodlust, like of type that many wild animals are accused of possessing. Now to understand, this was not the kind of Bloodlust that you attribute to most psychopaths, at least not exactly. This was more of a thrill of the hunt. Like of the kind in the short story written in 1924. Most Dangerous Game. It's a strange comparison, but a good one. Charlie felt the rush of hunting. The knowledge that there was something running from him. Scared of him. Truly scared. It filled him with a strange euphoria unlike most of his time at 218. Unfiltered, pure primal rush. The game was a large deer that ran almost as fast as Charlie. Almost. After chasing for a bit, he quickly killed the animal and left it's remains for the other creatures of the Jungle. And while he wanted to hunt more, the Newbies were to arrive soon. It was general tradition, at least for Charlie to show up on the docks and see the waves of Newbies enter 218, bewildered and unknowing. Of course he couldn't do it soaked in blood, so he quickly made his way back to the dorms to change.

After changing into more, shall we say, clean clothing, Charlie made his way to the docks. The boat was big as always, showing off 218's unexplainable seemingly endless supply of cash. He wasn't looking for anyone in particular. It was simply part of a small ritual for him. A habit of sorts. Afterwards he made his way to Cafeteria where most students would go around that time. He scanned the crowd for a table that might present the most amusement for today. He spotted a table with a number of well dressed people, a lizard and a number of other people, who's types would seem to clash. "This might be interesting." He muttered to himself and plopped himself down at the table, wordlessly, and began to eat.

Red was one of the people annoyed by Amanda's blabbering. Arrogance was one of the things he hated the most, especially since his own arrogance was what killed his father and gifted him the scar. He knew that mixing up with arrogant people had it's price so he had an aggresive behavior so he would get on their bad side. That's what he did now too. So he turned to Henry and said:

"Teacher, I can understand the importance of teaching people to control their powers, but I see no point to that if your power is a super-ego"

His tone was obviously sarcastic and from what he knew it would cause trouble, since he was a newbie standing up against a senior. He took a quick look at Amanda.

"Small marks on the knees that indicate athletic activity, probably from a field sport, same marks on her fists, indicating experience in fist fights...add the fact that she might have a power with offensive capabilities and it's obvious that she would slaughter me. Well, consequences are the price to an action, so whatever..."

He also noticed the more composed and rather shy Nikki.

"On the other side, I see that polar opposites attract each other. My name is Red, nice to meet you, Nikki." He said and extended his hand in a friendly gesture.

He also gave a friendly nod to Poppy, whom he noticed earlier, but was unable to find a good way to start a conversation with her.

Amanda, Nikki, Gabe, Jake, & Jaska.

Gabe and Jake chuckled at Red's super ego comment that was directed at Amanda. Amanda was an attention whore, plain and simple. Nikki seemed like the cooler one, while Amanda was just a try-hard plain and simple.

The twins looked at each other with annoyed looks on their faces. Before reluctantly giving up their names to the girl...

"Jake Valos, nice to meet you." Jake awkwardly said

"Yeah, yeah, name's Gabe. Don't lose it. Because I'm only givin' it once." Gabe hissed.

"Lizard-man, I'm never late." Henry's pun went clean over Amanda's head as she kept her toothy grin going. "Because the second I arrive, it's automatically on time. Because that's when the party gets started." Poo. It seemed like little Red and his friends weren't too receptive of Amanda. Well, that wasn't the point of coming over here. What was the point is getting Nikki's name out there. Other that comment towards Henry, Amanda kept her mouth shut, and let her take the lead.

The situation wasn't going too well for Nikki. She's awkward! Everyone seemed to be taking jabs here and there at Amanda. Worst of all, one boy wasn't paying attention to Amanda and was talking to her. A cute boy, wearing a suit and all. The young Korean girl didn't know of Red's intentions, but she was going to be nice as she can. "Yeah... Nice to meet you too, Red." She shook his hand, very hesitantly. She whispered to Red, "I'm new here and... excuse Amanda, she's always been like that. But, I'm glad she helped me meet some people... In all the wrong ways..." Nikki topped off that statement with some awkward laughter.

Deborah Lillian Termellio, & Shannon Jacqueline Balore.

Along with some of the other returning students, Deborah was already on the island ahead of time to get ready for classes. She was already in her assigned room, idly brushing her hair. She was waiting for the speech to be over, because she was tired of hearing that speech over and over again. Fortunately, she knew when it was over, as she heard a mass of sounds not too far away from her, and made the connection that everyone is heading towards the cafeteria. Perfect. She put on the rest of her outfit, which consisted of rather tight black jeans, and a black low cut tank top. She was quick to head to the cafeteria, arriving a few minutes after everyone else. She knew Shannon would be here, and she would certainly want to hang with her friend.

Like she usually did, she slowly walked through the crowds of people, observing them one by one to get as much information out of them as possible.

Deborah walked by a young girl, easily in the fourteen range, looked rather perplexed. New student. Having a hard time adjusting to the Academy and it's people. A fish out of water. Craves attention, has been pampered and ignored most of her life. Not too interesting to Deborah. It was the typical reaction for people who were new here. Eventually they would get over it and blend in.

Another girl that caught Deborah's attention was a Gothic girl. Very vindictive, wants to go unnoticed while she schemes. Obviously a returning student. Not exactly the type she would associate herself with. She would keep her eyes open for this girl.

Finally, there was that trashy girl with what had to be more food than her stomach could hold. Didn't eat often before coming here. Lived a rough life. Does not care for anyone and wants to be left alone. Another person on Deborah's avoid list. She didn't want to cause any trouble with her.

The table full of people was what made Deborah stare. All of them was a hotpot of information, being able to be read like a card.

The first girl was the daughter of the esteemed Adam Blackmore. Deborah has read the girl like a card time and time again. So many times that she probably literally knows the girl inside and out. This time, there was something clearly different. Enough. The Asian girl is her cousin, and she took herself to introduce the girl to some people. Amanda wants to be the center of attention. But legitimately wants to help her cousin.

Deborah turned her attention to Nikki, catching the flies swarm around her. Shy, definitely uncomfortable with being here, and even more uncomfortable around other people. Has a control arthropods, possibly only lesser arthropods. Maybe this girl will be interesting to Shannon. She did want to practice with spider silk, and maybe make an outfit. I wonder how I would look in a dress made out of spider-silk...

There was the boy with the obviously animal features, claws, teeth. His power has made him primal in his thought process. He has a touch of the wild in him, and is innocently ignorant to social norms - but just wants to have fun. Is in the process of domestication. Hm. People like him pop up in the Academy every now and then. The bestial types that actually become animal-like in their mindset. The boy started off young, and is fighting the impulses in his head. Perhaps once he gets older, he'll get over them.

The boys in the suits, one white, one Latin American, certainly caught her interest, but there was one problem. Fuck. They're both Cerebral types. Deborah cursed in her head. She couldn't read them as clearly as other people here. Merely because they produce a mental 'static' that interferes with her own ability to read them. Well, they looked like more reasonable people in this crowd.

The Latina girl was missing her eye, and looked like she's been in more fights than she could count. Scars and other injuries imply a very violent background. Either she's a violent one, or there was an unseen conflict. She shows a bit of contempt towards everyone. Supports either theory.

By reading all of them, she managed to come to one final conclusion. All three are siblings, and new here.

Then there was a giant lizardman who was basically a teacher. Deborah has seen Henry for herself a few times, but never interacted with him. She managed to pick out his motives. Wants to be the cool guy among the students. Really just a tool.

Hmph. That was all the students that really caught her eye. It was about time that she moves on before anyone starts asking question. She reached into her jeans and pulled out her handkerchief, the one given to her by Shannon, and cupped it with both hands, closing her eyes and focusing. She was reaching into her lover's head, and contact her....

Heya. Deborah's voice appeared in Shannon's skull, it was so unexpected that it nearly rattled the redhead. It took her a moment to realize it was Deborah and not anyone else.

Shannon returned the message, I told you to warn me next time you start poking into my head, Deebs. It startled me.

And I told you that was the warning. Deborah replied with a chuckle. Where are you? I want to talk in person.

Shannon raised her hand up into the air and started waving it around. It didn't take anymore than a second for Deborah to catch it outside her peripheral, and make the instant connection that it was Shannon. The two girls walked over towards each other, and met at a small table not too far away.

"So, what did you get on the newbies?" Shannon leaned forward on the table, folding her hands together in front of her face.

"A few things..." Deborah started her explanation.

The two girls talked alone with each other for the duration of their meeting.

Theresa Sindel Obott, & Dana Lucile Alcott.

At the corner of her eye, Dana spotted a girl sit down alone. Obviously a new girl, since Dana has never seen the girl before in her life, and Dana has seen plenty of students. Either most of the new kids stay here, or leave. "See her? We should go talk to her." Dana pointed at Sydney.

Which made Theresa look at Sydney, and say, "Sure."

Theresa rolled Dana up to Sydney's table, and the wheelchair bound girl was the first one to speak, "Hey, can we sit down here? I'm Dana, and this is my friend Theresa."

(Crappy POV, I know. I didn't have much steam left)

Cordelia Lynn Holmes

Yeah, the stares. She was used to the stares, given that she typically attracted a lot of them whenever Lynn left "those" parts of town. A quick look at the others seated at the table-one dude in a suit, the chick in the Michael Jackson get-up, creepy Goth lookin' lady that reminded Lynn of Morticia Addams, yet another rich kid...she could identify somebody's class with a couple of seconds' watching. Wasn't too hard once you got the hang of it, really-besides, years of...Robin Hooding...had honed her natural prejudices.

There was, however, one thing that absolutely broke Cordelia's gluttony, and that was the motherfucking talking lizard. Okay yeah the kid with the tail she could roll with but this was...this was unlike anything she'd seen. An almost childlike curiosity worked its way through Cordelia's usual outer mask and she watched the...supposed human...for a few seconds before catching herself and resuming eating. What, that guy was a teacher? Did they have a flamingo as a janitor or something? She noticed the suit eyeing her cigarettes, too. Oh, oh some serious shit was gonna go down if he tried to take any of her stuff. Given that you could literally fit all of Cordelia's earthly possessions into a backpack, she was perhaps understandably protective of her stuff.

Christ. The lizard ate a fork. It didn't impede Cordelia's appetite at all, but still made her question what, exactly, she'd gotten herself into. Then a pink-haired "deer-in-the-headlights" meandered on by. Was there anyone with a semblance of normalcy at this school? Literally, anyone?

Cordelia realized she'd emptied her first plate, which had done nothing to fill the hollow that was her stomach. She hardly needed an excuse to go get more, but now everyone was introducing themselves. Apparently, because this place wasn't fucked up enough, they were hiring Teenage Mutant Ninja Lizards that had Ph.D's named "Henry". Cordelia, however, never being particularly good with names, did a quick up-down of the table and assigned a nickname to all the people breathing her air and filling her ears with asshole-sounding noises. Henry, he was Scales. Gabe-Michaela Jackson. Jaska-Fucker with a Tail. Jake-....Aerosmith. Because the dude looks like a lady. Sydney looked like a rabbit that wandered into the wolves' den. Henceforth, to Cordelia, she was "The Local Prison Bitch". Whatshisface with the mullet and teeth....hmm...well, she couldn't think of anything snappy, but he resembled your average West Virginian-and, come to think of it, was probably a virgin, so he got the flattering moniker of "Virgin". Tall, dark, and bitchy got Morticia. Anyone above "casual" dress level was "Suit", and she didn't need to get specific because the assholes who try and show off how rich they are and wear a suit to the first day of school? Don't need to bother learning about them. There was Sir-Scarfs-A-Lot and Ironsides over by The Local Prison Bitch. The others all at her table-because the table was, undoubtedly, Cordelia's. This series of pneumonic devices helped Cordelia to recognize people without having to go through the bullshit process of learning their names. She figured she would, likewise, be profiled pretty quickly, so she didn't feel too bad about it. Besides, if these people all had a touch of the supernatural, she wasn't about to risk playing too nice. Cordelia wasn't the type to tolerate people's crap on the normal level, much less on the superhuman level.

Cordelia got up and returned with more food, an honest-to-God smile on her face. You know, this place may have been comprised seemingly entirely of the world's rejects (and Cordelia was fully aware of the irony there), set in the middle of what looked like Vietnam, and literally run by lizardmen (which made Cordelia briefly question the legitimacy of all that Illuminati bullshit, and just as quickly remember there was food to eat and global conspiracies to unravel later), but hey, the food was delicious. So much so, in fact, she felt inspired to speak up just a tad bit. Cordelia wasn't a social butterfly-however, Suits and friends were already getting pretty chummy, and while Cordelia always had her guardian angel watching her back, it never hurt to have a few people who didn't outright hate you-you know, friends. "So," Cordelia muttered in-between bites, glancing at Doctor Scales, "How much silverware do you have to eat before you shit out a complete set?"

Two hours on a boat? Well, others would be content with waiting it out, maybe talk to the other passengers. Not Aislin Rose. She was in one of the cabins below, door shut and blinds drawn. She sat on a bed, lighter in one hand and a joint in the other. A mischievous grin spread across her lips as smoke created a haze in the room. 

By the time she ventured up to the main deck two hours were up. Aviators, perfume and a pack of gum disguised whatever smell still lingered. The island was in sight, and it was beautiful. School at a tropical destination? It was like a vacation at the same time! Aislin spaced out as the island grew closer, going with the flow as the wave of bodies made their exit onto dry ground. 

She brushed a hand through her brown hair, hoping the wind hadn't messed it up too much. As they entered the school Aislin briefly considered removing her Aviators... But she thought better of it and sat in silence through the speech. Her eyes were likely red. But her paranoia didn't stifle the excitement bouncing around her chest. Finally, she was here. And so far, the Academy was very impressive. 

The moment they mentioned food, Aislin's stomach roared. Oh yeah, munchies. She made a beeline for the cafeteria, breathing in all the delicious scents. However, a sample of chicken tasted like chalk. She stuck to the leafy greens and veggies, half-drowning her plate in salad dressing. 

Now, where to sit... The cafeteria was filling up fast, and empty tables were few. A couple tables piqued her curiosity, like the one with a lizard-dude and expensively dressed students. There was a shiz ton of activity going on there, so Aislin moved her eyes elsewhere. Ooh, a girl with luscious pink hair sat by herself, maybe she'd be down for company. But as she moved in that direction, two others sat by her. Hmm. Maybe not then. 

Aislin noted a quiet table with only two ladies, both older than her. One had glasses and red hair, the other was black. Automatically cool. "Mind if I sit here?" Aislin put her plate down by the red-head and took a seat. 

"My name's Aislin. Both of you look like return students, you excited to be back?" She said with a casual grin, popping a cherry tomato in her mouth. 

"And you also never get the joke..." Henry said to himself, resuming to his earlier position of simply sitting there, with his chin resting on his knuckles. He contemplated getting more food, but decided against it for the time being. He wasn't feeling hungry, and he only ate when he was. He was about to excuse himself back to the teacher's area and socialize with the director, or maybe the current head of the science department, when another person called upon him to speak. It was the dark, thin girl who had as much food as he did. His lips curled up into a smile when she spoke.

"Well," He began, scratching his chin. "Depends on the set amount. For the average twenty piece it normally takes about 75 troy ounces. Or, 2,625$, if you dont include tax, assuming we're talking silver here." He said. "I would say the 107 piece, but I'm certain you don't care much for that." He declared, giving a smile. He actually had no idea how much it took, only how much the average silver twenty piece weighed, another thing he had learned from the cooking club. He might as well become a full on member. No harm in doing it. He decided to finally respond to Red's comment. "I dont know, but I'm glad I'm not a power instructor." He said, giving the other young man a smirk. "So," he said, leaning forward in his seat. "What is your name, and where did you come from?" He said to Lynn. He heard the high pitched squeaking of a wheelchair and immediately knew who it was. Dana, and undoubtable Theresa as well. Friends of his. He resisted the urge to get up and talk to them, see what they were doing. But he knew he couldnt do that! He was in the middle of a conversation with the slender girl. If she shut him down, he would get up and move, but until then, he would play nice. He had no reason not to. He was a dragonfly, not a social butterfly, but he would try.

"Hesitation to my gesture, supports that her cousin helped her meet new people, meaning she doesn't easily make contact with new people, a few subconscious looks at her cousin when I and the others responded negatively to her attitude, which comes from sincere concern for her, possibly love too, but level-headed enough not to make up a fuss, indicating that Nikki knows of her cousin's bad attitude. Conclusion up-to-now: Nikki is an introverted person. Not good at socializing with people, but does so if she has a chance. From what happened previously, she is somehow related to insects, maybe her power, not sure about it. Amanda is the only person on the island she can rely on, being her cousin and a senior." were the thoughts that stormed Red's head.

Nikki's kind and hesitant response wasn't something surprising, not with the quiet and calm personality she has shown so far. The insects that gathered were obviously attracted to her, but Red didn't mind. For God's sake he was eating with a lizard-man who could eat him if his diet was different. At least he wouldn't have to pay attention to Henry's lesson, he probably had all the studying material somewhere in his head, fortunately for him. He couldn't find a single scenario in which he could focus with a bipedal reptile teaching him.

Leaving his imaginative scenarios aside and returning to reality, Red replied to Nikki:

"I hope that your support for your cousin does not make me a devil for not liking her...Being a new student myself and not the extroverted type, I might add, I am not very familiar with such a forced way of socializing...You can say that you are on the few people that I took the initiative to talk with."

He faintly laughed. His tone was friendly and a tad bit playful. Not in a provocative way, he wasn't flirting, but he tried to make Nikki feel more comfortable, because, introductions aside, everyone was a stranger. The not-so-willing-to-speak ones made matters worse. And unfortenately, when they did speak, it would be in an aggresive way that only worsened the situation. At least he should try to make acquaintances, since it would be essential if he wanted to make it at the Academy.

His attention was diverted for an instance to Cordelia. It didn't matter what she said, or that she spoke rudely to a teacher (even if he was of the poikilotherm species), but the fact that she reminded him of her presence and from that his need to smoke.

"Do me a favor and don't speak for the remainder of our meal..." was what Red thought when she spoke and gulped, but to no avail.

Poppy

At the girl how'd been introduced as Gabe made an outburst about getting starred at Poppy turned sharply. "And who says I was looking at you?" Her gaze tore between Henry and Jaska before she settling back on one eye hot headed. Then she decided that she better not offend anyone, even if their mutations made them stand out. "No offense... I didn't even know mutants existed before getting sent here." Like the others she was cut off by a group of others filling in the gaps of seating left at their table.

Out of the corner of her eye Poppy noticed one of the more attractive guys nod in her direction. Aside from that giant scar... I wonder how old he is. She raised her hand weakly in acknowledgement and smiled nervously. There was so much going on here it was overwhelming. There was so many people, and not even ordinary people. Inside everyone here was something terrifying and powerful. After seeing Jaska and Henry there was no doubt. Looking at the dark hair boy it was hard to believe that he wasn't normal. What was an even harder pill to swallow was that she was.

What kind of power to I have? I don't even remember anything... What am I supposed to say to these people? Hopefully I'm not the only one. That wasn't even the worst possible question. What if somebody asks why I'm attending the academy? Poppy realized it must look like she staring again so she looked away.

Vesepera

Vespera caught that the vision impaired Hispanic had somehow caught her gaze drift across her seating. She winked and puckered her lips a little in jest. Based on her smile they'd managed to amuse each other, though when she complained about it she was sure she had the better deal of it. She made a scolding clicking sound to herself as converged on the opposite side of the table from where Amanda and her first target of interest were preparing to sit. Amanda was as boisterous as ever, Nikki as she was introduced seemed like the quiet type. So what can you do sweetie? While they were already intrupting she took the opportunity to introduce herself since it'd happen soon or later. "Hello Amanda." Henry was acknowledged with brief nod. "Professor." Now looking around to everyone she said "hope I'm not intruding, I'm Vespera." With that she took her seat.

All those bugs... Surely Henry took notice of it as well, wasn't a surprise that he didn't care. As long as she kept them to herself that is. In her case though it was unsettling. If she could get that many insects to travel peacefully under her clothes what else could she do?

Sydney silently ate, simply happy to put food in her stomach. She hadn't been expecting anybody to come talk to her which is why when the two asked if they could sit next to her she was a little shocked at first. She eventually gained her composure and simply nodded at answer the girl who spoke. Part of the reason she didn't say anything was because she still had food in her mouth. She didn't want to be impolite and speak with her mouth full. She examined the two who had came up to her. Eventually swallowing her food she introduced herself though her voice would probably barely be heard at all if it was, she was never a loud talker. "I'm Sydney." She said before taking another bite of food. She then waited for the others to say something else. She wasn't to good at starting conversations and would rather sit in awkward silence than attempt to start one.

(Sorry this was so short. I just got done posting this long ass thing for another site. I also didn't have much to go off of.)

While the two hour boat ride might have been boring or nauseating to the normal student, Alex wouldn't have called herself a normal student. For the entire duration of the boat ride Alex was outside on the deck, soaking up as much sun and fresh air as possible. And damn did it feel good on her skin. Alex, being in a great mood like usual, hovered around the deck, her feet quickly touching back down whenever an adult was looking at her. The last thing Alex wanted to do was get in trouble on her first day of school, and it would be worse to get in trouble before even hitting the shore.

Alex, not being one to shy away from a conversation, found herself talking to many students on the ship as they headed towards their destination. It was normally the kids who were sitting by themselves or who were looking particularly lonely or nervous. The boat ride was fun for Alex, sharing and giving smiles were one of her favorite things in the world. Her parents always taught her that when you give a smile to someone, you are bound to get one in return.

As soon as they arrived on the island Alex was on the shore, happily greeting each staff member or returning student near her. She wore a smile the whole time. The only time her smile faltered for a moment was at the assembly. The head master here seemed cool, but he seemed a bit stiff. And the whole no drinking, smoking and sexing rule kinda bothered Alex. She had no problem with any of those things as long as they were done responsibly. Whatever, she would live.

Going right into the dining hall quickly returned her smile, eating was one of her favorite pass times. Once she loaded up her tray, picking a spot to sit was easy. She decided to sit near the person who looked like they could use some joy. She scanned the dining hall, eventually picking an empty seat next to a girl near a giant, and slightly strange looking guy. As she approached the table her glow was rather noticeable, even in the lighted room. “Hello!” Alex spoke with all of confidence of a kid in a sandbox. “My name is Alex! I'm new here!” She happily sat down, not needing an invitation. “What's yours?”