---

---

“We say that the hour of death cannot be forecast, but when we say this we imagine that hour as placed in an obscure and distant future. It never occurs to us that it has any connection with the day already begun or that death could arrive this same afternoon, this afternoon which is so certain and which has every hour filled in advance.” The man began as he stood over the large crowd in attendance. Behind him stood the Man of Steel himself, Superman as the speaker cleared his throat to continue.

“Today we are gathered here to celebrate the life of Alexander Joseph Luthor, the forty sixth President of the United States of America.” He continued as the stern eyes of an older gentleman turned to the ageless looking woman beside him.

“It truly feels like the end of an era doesn’t it?” He spoke in a hushed tone as the woman turned to him with a smile.

“Indeed it does Bruce. But with the end of this era we can usher in a new one, one of hope, promise and most importantly peace.” Came Diana’s optimistic voice.

“You’re starting to sound like Clark.” Bruce whispered with a groan.

“Do not go gentle into that good night.” The speaker continued as Bruce and Diana turned their attention forward. Lex Luthor had been a thorn in the side of the Justice League for years but his terms as President had proven to them that Lex could have been a powerful ally had they all been able to put aside their differences. While they were there to ensure nothing happened to the body, the League was also in attendance to mourn. In the end it had not been a grand scheme, nor the League that had killed Luthor but instead his own stubbornness. The Kryptonite ring he wore eventually poisoned his entire body. It started with the loss of his left hand but eventually the radiation spread through his entire body, filling it with cancerous cells that eventually drained the remaining life from the man’s body.

“I’m surprised this many people turned out.” Came a younger voice as Bruce turned to his left, a small smirk crossing his scarred chin.

“Nice to see you Richard,” Bruce said as he extended a hand. “How’s my ‘granddaughter’ keeping?”

“Oh, she’s going through that rebellious stage.” Dick replied with a smirk as he tapped his own chin. “Joker really did almost put a smile on your face eh? Explains the new cowl, I don’t know why you didn’t go with a full face mask years ago.”

“This coming from the one who still wears a domino mask.” Bruce retorted as he began to stand, the funeral coming to a close as he held out his arm for Diana. “Those went out with fedoras and trenchcoats.”

“Man, you were never this chatty before.” Dick said with a slight chuckle. “Whatever you’re doing to him Princess, keep it up.”

“I will do my best Richard.” Came Diana’s reply as a smile floated on her lips while a glare emitted from Bruce’s face, albeit much softer than Dick had been accustomed to during his time in the cave.

“How’s Alf keeping?” Dick asked as he continued to walk with the pair as they each made their way towards the line of awaiting black cars. Hundreds of umbrellas held all around them as a gust of wind brought forth a cool autumn rain.

“He misses you.” Bruce replied solemnly, a sigh weighing him down as he continued his answer. “Damian is ensuring he’s comfortable, but I fear he doesn’t have much time left. His body can’t take much more of this life and I’m afraid the Joker’s last attack may have Alfred taking his last bow on the stage.”

“I’ll be by the mansion this weekend, Kori and Mari will be at my side. I would hate to not get a proper chance to say goodbye.” Dick said, flicking a tear away from his eye.

“Yes but enough death and sadness, tell us how is the school going this year?” Dianna intervened as Dick brightened up.

“Let me tell you Princess, Babs has the place running like a well-oiled machine...” Dick began.

---

---

The constant barrage of orange and black across the entire campus was enough to make anyone sick. Mariand’r Grayson shook her head as she floated across campus, her arms crossed across her body in an effort to shield any of her exposed golden skin from the cold fall rain. Like all Tamaraneans, Mari absorbed ultraviolet radiation through her skin, in some ways she was a lot alike a Kryptonian but nowhere near the power level that race possessed. Especially in Mari’s case since she was only half a Tamaranean. The daughter of Titans, the original Robin and his true love. It made Mari’s insides twist and bind as she thought about the weight of the legacy she was supposed to live up to. Her adoptive grandfather was the goddamned Batman for fucks’ sake.

Entering the mess hall, Mari’s stomach growled as she looked around for someone familiar to sit with. No sign of Freddie, so that wasn’t good. At least hanging out with Freddie warded off some of the guys who thought all Tamaraneans were sex hungry aliens. No, Tamaraneans simply enjoyed an uninhibited culture, and due to their abilities preferred less clothing. However her mother was the true Tamaranrean, Mari was of Earth, as such she had a lot more modesty and inhibitions than her mother, or hell than even her father given his reputation before he settled down with Koriand’r.

Wrinkling her nose at the smell of bacon, sausage and other fried breakfast foods, Mari made her way towards a nearby produce stand, scanning the various fruits there before making her decisions on what she wanted to eat for breakfast. Throwing a peach, pear and slice of watermelon on a plate, Mari made her way to a corner table before sitting down and placing her iPod’s ear buds in. The sounds of decades old music filled her mind with sweet release as it pushed back against the headache that last night’s hangover brought her. At least there was some perks to have a set of back breaking boobs and her father’s butt.

Pulling out the paper bowl that the cafeteria had provided, Mari began to absent mindedly slice her peach apart before leaning back in her chair.

_“Hey!”

Mari didn’t even flinch as the voice called towards her. The sounds of ‘Fight For Your Right’ drowning out the noise of the busy cafeteria around her as she closed her eyes and savoured the sweet taste of the ripe peach. If only it was Schnapps.

_{”Hey Nightstar!”}

The voice called again as Mari’s eyes fluttered open before noticing the girl waving a flyer in front of her face.

“What?” She asked flaty pulling an ear bud out.

“Are you going to the dance Friday? It’s sure to be a spooktacular evening!” She said smiling ear to ear with her own pun.

Social filter Mari, social filter. Her father’s voice haunted her thoughts as Mari rolled her eyes before letting out her answer.

“Fuck no.” She spat before seeing the girl’s face drop. “I mean, uh yeah I might make it.” Mari added as the girl perked up. Looking around desperately for a familiar face to save her, Mari’s face brightened as she saw her friend across the room.

“Hey!” She called. “Over here!” Mari added with a wave of her hand, quickly sitting down as some slight nausea began to introduce itself to her system.

Note to self, never try to outdrink an Atlantean again.

---

Freddie was feeling particularly gloomy that morning.

He was gloomy as he showered. He was gloomy as he allowed the near-scalding water to caress his skin as his body was enveloped in thick steam. He was similarly gloomy as he dressed for the day, fastening each button on the pale grey shirt with an air of disdain as he fixed a tie darker than his mood beneath the accented white collar. He looked at himself in the mirror, slicking back his hair into an sleek quiff with but an effortless stroke of his hand. He was certain that whatever godly coiffeurs were blessing him that morning were likely gloomy, too.

Light rain drizzled against the window with barely enough gusto to be heard against the glass. It was a fine curtain of moisture, falling lazily and without purpose from clouds that were not even grey enough to cast an ominous hue across the sky; nor that sense of anticipation that lingered just before a storm struck. No, the overcast today was simply... Gloomy.

As he left his dormitory, he withdrew his cellphone and attempted to call his father. The atonal chirping of the dial tone seemed to judge Freddie as he waited impatiently for an answer; he'd made this mistake before. Sure enough, he was soon greeted with the sound of his father's voice on the other end:

"Hi, you're through to Jonathan. I'm not around right now, give me a call later or try my assistant 0447--"

Freddie cut off the recorded message with a sour swipe of his thumb, scowling to himself as he headed downstairs. For a brief moment, a low rumble echoed through the skies just loud enough to be heard indoors... But Frederick knew better than to let his father's distance effect him so.

He had calmed himself as he entered the cafeteria, grabbing an apple and a black coffee before hearing the familiar voice that had been improving his mornings as of late.

"Hey!" Mari had called, "Over here!"

He smiled at her; a genuine warmth lighting up his eyes for the first time that day. Freddie had never been a morning person, but since moving to the school he'd found himself feeling particularly bitter. It was something about waking up in a narrow and uncomfortable bed, writhing beneath the flimsy duvet in an attempt to crunch out the aches and pains the inadequate mattress had brought about through the night. It was something about opening his eyes and finding himself in a room too small for one person to comfortably occupy, as far as he was concerned, and remembering that he shared it with a boy of a similar age. It was something about the way his alarm clock blared obnoxiously in place of his usual wakeup call: a gentle prodding from his beloved cat and the smell of whatever delicious breakfast the staff had cooked up that day. He sipped his coffee begrudgingly from the polystyrene cup. It was almost as bitter as he was.

But Mari had been a welcome distraction. That was the thing about her; the orange-skinned girl seemed uninterested in emotive confessions and moving conversation. She was content to gossip and shoot scathing looks at less favourable members of the student body, and that suited him just fine... It gave him a sense of home.

"Oh, lighten up!" he said, teasing the alien as he pulled up a chair beside her. "Halloween is the best time of year. It's easy for you, you don't even need a costume!" he said playfully, winking as he took a small bite of the bright green apple. "Besides," he said, swallowing the mouthful of fruit. "You have to come. I need my wing-woman on hand, in case You Know Who is there." It was not a serious comment; the pair were both aware that Freddie would be too overwhelmed in the presence of his schoolboy crush to act upon his words... There was just something about the guy that kept pulling Fred in like a fish on a line; no matter how hard he tried, Freddie didn't seem able to remove the hook from his lip.

But still, it was this kind of jovial exchange that formed the foundations of his friendship with Mari; a camaraderie that sat at the very top of a sparse list of things keeping him sane at the school. "What lesson do you have first period?" he asked, smiling. To any whom might have watched him enter, it would seem obvious that meeting with Mari had brightened his mood considerably. And yet, that grey drizzle persisted outside, a gentle hiss murmuring across the campus lawns as the grass suffered the miserable spray.

Do you know what S'tann hates more than week days? Holidays. Especially Halloween. Seriously; humans had an entire day dedicated to gorging themselves on sweets and wearing the most ridiculous clothing they can find. So when Halloween rolled around and people started hanging up decorations for their so-called 'holiday,' S'tann made it a point to pop every balloon he came across. Sure, the guys putting them up looked at him like he was some kind of monster. But S'tann had accepted his role of asshole long ago. Now if only these homo-sapiens would accept their role as subservient members of society and allow extraterrestrials to rightfully rule over them, they would start to get somewhere. Legacy noticed that he was quickly approaching the side of one of the dorm buildings, shifting around his molecules and lowering his density to allow the Martian the intangibility necessary to continue on this course unimpeded. He stepped effortlessly inside the apartment-like living space of some poor college student, only giving the room a cursory glance before proceeding forward. A young blonde appeared out of a nearby side room dressed only in a towel, announcing her presence to S'tann with a horrified scream. "What the fuck do you think you're doing in my fucking room, you fucking creep?" She cried. S'tann's emerald green eyes flashed a bright red and the girl hit the floor, unconscious. It took a few minutes for the headache to go away but it had been necessary. He didn't need another breaking and entering on his record and he certainly didn't need sexual harassment on his papers either. "I was never here." He whispered, popping out of her room and back outside.

Well, that was a colossal waste of my time. He thought bitterly. I wouldn't have to do that all the time if people were less sensitive. Who cares if I saw you in a towel when I walked into your room uninvited?

Martian Boy soon reached the mess hall. The building was large, like many of the other buildings on campus. It house the majority of the food available for consumption. It also happened to house hordes of ravenous teenagers, who were most certainly being far too loud and obnoxious for S'tann to enjoy his meal. Ugh. Lunch always sucked. The only thing that could possibly make it even worse is if it started to-

S'tann felt a single drop of water land between his eyes, roll down his nose and pool at the tip. He watched as the droplet fell into the grass below, growing more and more depressed as he waited for it to splash against the blades beneath it. It wasn't long before a second droplet joined the first. And then a third. Soon enough, the campus was being covered in a light drizzle of rain that made S'tann's attitude even more sour. Rain. He hated rain. It made everything wet and slippery and blocked up his seventh sense. "Freddie." He mumbled. S'tann distinctly remembered the forecast for this morning had been cloudy skies, but no chance for rain. A quick psychic scan indeed confirmed the Martian's suspicions: Fredrick was sad today. "Oh boo fuckin' hoo." He muttered. S'tann crossed the lawn and grasped the door handle. He was about to pull it open, before he noticed the approaching jock. A devious smile crossed Legacy's face as his eyes glowed red. "Hey, thanks f-" The guy's thanks were interrupted by his face slamming into the glass. As far as that nobody was concerned, S'tann had opened the door for him. In reality, it t'was a simple trick of the brain. Illusions were quite useful for general dickery.

S'tann density shifted his way through the glass door and the student who was now clutching his bleeding nose. "Asshole." He growled, shoving the door open in anger. Martian Boy responded with a quiet snicker. Now, to find something to eat. S'tann hummed a simple tune, browsing the contents of the mess hall. It didn't take long for the Martian to find what he enjoyed and stack his tray high with various meats and vegetables. "A feast for a king!" S'tann announced. Next, he needed a table. One full-scan of the room later and S'tann found a group of people who would be the least annoying to sit with of all present. He hovered his way across the room, slamming his tray down on the table. A number of people jolted up, surprised at the sudden noise. "Hey ya bitches." S'tann greeted them. "Oh God, not you." One of the students immediately stood up and left. Unfaltered by her reaction, S'tann tore into his meal with a rare sort of fervor that he rarely shows. One of the things S'tann didn't hate was food. Earth food was delicious. Especially steak. Mmmmmm. It was as if heaven had descended upon this slab of dead cow flesh and blessed it with the flavor of a thousand worlds.

It wasn't long before S'tann was interrupted, however. A girl holing a flyer approached the table, looking at him specifically. Oh no. He thought. A social event. The bubbly brunette's mouth opened up and she formed a number of words in the English language that translated into blah blah blah, I'm a little blowjob princess with no friends please come to my lame party blah blah blah. "No. Fuck you. Kill yourself. Ect. Leave me alone." That made the plebs scatter to the winds. Well...And everyone else at the table...Whatever. They couldn't handle S'tann's greatness.

Hold on. Hold the phone. I have a brilliant idea.

S'tann glanced around, making sure that no one was looking. He quickly changed his appearance into that of a certain beloved hunk. Fenris Murray, specifically. The disguise was accurate down to the molecular level thanks to his Martian physiology. 'Fenris' stood up from the now-empty table and approached Mari Grayson and Fredrick Blackwell from behind. I'm such a prick. I love it. "Hey there." S'tann said slyly, taking a seat across from them. "You two wouldn't happen to be going to that party later, right? Because I'd love to see you there." He winked.

There was nothing better in the world than Halloween. People were literally giving away free stuff for nothing more than a few words! This was his favorite time of the year for that reason! It was amazing what people would do when they were culturally obligated to do so! Most people did not even know why they were giving out candy. To these people it was just a reason to add to the growing obesity problem. Still it meant free stuff so he would not complain at all. There also were a few exhibits he was meaning to break into. They had jewels just lying around to be taken. It was a crying shame.

Still he needed something to do and that party was not his idea of fun. Having to rub elbows with people who saw him as a thief and villain was not how he was going to spend his time. Most of them were heroes who saw themselves as mini versions of their parents and that meant Jack was second class at best. He was one of the untouchables at worse. Still it did not mean that he would not watch them, which is what he was currently doing. Jack had managed to shimmy up one of the pillars in the mess hall. There were beams up along the roof that someone could easily sit on. Luckily for Jack, he had brought his whip so he could get down easily enough. He could hide up there and eat alone. No one would ever see him and he had great line of sight on the whole mess hall. It meant he could get out should things turn south.

Jack figured that he could at least have some fun by writing in his journal. This month had been nothing but evidence that his mother had been horribly wrong. There was no reason for him to stay. Most of them just saw the thief or blamed him for things that he hadn't done. He would always return anything that he stole. There was no sport in just taking things from people he was supposed to be friends with. He did not keep anything he took but they still blamed him because it was easy? Jack just figured it was in their natures. He could almost hear his mother saying to meet them halfway but he did not think that he should.

Jack looked down as he saw his least favorite person in the whole world, that damn Martian. Oddly he was not his Favorite Martian. Marvin or whatever his name was currently looking oddly shifty. Jack kept his eyes from his hiding spot as he lost S'tann behind a crowd for a bit. Then suddenly he saw Fen walking through the Mess Hall. Now that was funny since Jack would have seen him come in. That he would have remembered. Then it set in.

Jack quickly repelled down the wall to get to the floor level. To say he sauntered over would be an understatement. Jack walked up behind Fenris and lay his hand on his shoulder. "Oh my god! I did not know you could be in two places at once Fen! I mean it's almost like this isn't really you!" He said focusing on the guy he hoped was S'tann. He was pretty much guessing right now but he hoped he was right. If he was wrong he would be even more of a strange person. "I am gonna say you are S'tann. Course the idea of two Fen's is not a bad one. " He said smiling at the man. Maybe it was a bad idea to mess with a super powerful Martian but he figured someone had to do it. He did not know if the two there would figure it out. Greyson still thought that he had stolen her makeup. She never had a good reason as to why he had done so.

---

---

---

On top of the Recreational Building was a group of teens. Three were standing at the edge, while two were sitting by the rooftop access. Participating in one of those big races that everyone frowns upon. It was simple, go around the school and come right back. Just to show off their speed.

"My money's on Lucky Lucy." The first boy said, leaning against the entrance of the Recreational Building, chatting to his friend.

"No, no... Last race Lucy got into the dumb broad tripped over her own damn shoes." The boy shook his head. "My money's on the Cannonball."

"But Lucy can use the Speed Force. She's like the Flash in all but name! Stripe ain't got the speed."

"Hey, what about her?" The boy pointed at the darkskinned teen with short hair, wearing an orange dress with green flowers on it. She had a green parrot on her fingers, she was talking to it - which would be a lot weirder outside the Academy.

"I don't know about her - she's just here because we were looking for a third speedster, and she piped up." The boy shrugged. "Probably going to get laughed at-"

"Hey!" Tanya shouted out at the boys, before she nodded at her Amazon Parrot - Kiwi - and the bird flew off her fingers, and found a nice perch. "Don't be talking about me." She looked back at them, wagging her finger at them. She took a step forward, and stood on the edge of the building with the rest of the racers. One was a blonde-haired girl with long, flowing, hair with a pink streak through it, wearing a blue schoolgirl outside. The other was a very tall boy that was very obese. Super chubby. Both were speedsters. Tanya is one, in a way, but she was something different.

"Alright, let's get this over with!" The boy shouted, he raised his hand up into the air, "Ready..."

That was the cue. Before he could say set, Tanya backflipped into the air. She was immediately engulfed in a cloud of a white gas, that shined with several other colors. It almost looked like a cloud of fire had consumed her.

"Whoa..." The two boys said.

When the gas faded, Tanya's talons landed on the ground. Revealing her changed form. It appeared ethereal in nature, her arms had been turned into glowing wings that had green feathers - shining with various colors - coating it. Her legs were turned into rough, keratin covered, talons, that were glowing with the same brilliance as her wings. Her eyes were now empty pits, all that could be seen was the white light. The feathers were lazily falling to the ground, before disappearing.

Taking one look around, Tanya said, "What?" She addressed her staring racers, "You said get ready." She shrugged with a carefree smile on her face.

"Riiiiiiiight..." The boy stared at Tanya for a moment, before saying, "Where were we? Get ready, set...."

The three racers got ready to charge forward.

The boy sliced the air with his hand, and shouted, "Go!"

The speedsters ran down the building. While Tanya had the virtue of flight on her side. All she had to do was jump off the side of the building, and she was flying high above them at high speeds. It took a little bit for her magic to kick in and allow her to move like a bullet. In the meantime her two competitors were getting a little ahead of her. Tanya looked down, and they had to zip through the crowds. They were shooting around students - but, because of their level of speed, whoever they went past could feel it. The sheer velocity launched books out of their hands.

Tanya had to laugh. Since she didn't have to worry about any of that. In fact, because they were wading through the crowd, it gave Tanya some time to catch up.

They quickly reached the Academic Quadrangle, and that's when they got creative. They ran along the walls of the building to avoid all the traffic. Smooth. Smooth. Tanya watched as the Cannonball whipped past her, with Lucky Lucy in hot pursuit. Tanya kept that grin on her face as she had to try a little harder. She pulled her wings forward, then shot them back, creating a gust of powerful wind that shot her forward a bit. It was a small push, but it allowed her to inch closer to the Cannonball. It got her in the lead when they had to jump off the building. Cannonball landed on his knee, and stopped for a moment before he had to keep going to stay in the race! Lucy jumped off a little early, and a lot further, in other to reorient herself.

The three passed a few more buildings before they were reaching the Adminstrative building - the point where they would have to start turning back. Tanya had to look behind her for a moment to see how her competitors were doing. She was in the lead, with the Cannonball in second, and Lucy in third-

Focusing on what's behind her, instead of what's ahead of her, was a mistake that almost cost her her life. She looked ahead, and loudly yelped, upon immediately seeing the wall right in front of herself. She reflexively pulled upwards, and flew upwards along the building. She let out a sigh of relief as she flew upwards.

Lucy and Cannonball whirled on right past her.

Bugger. Tanya reached the rooftop, and perched her way on the building. Before she eyeballed the two, and hopped off. Flying towards them like a bullet. Tanya flew a little closer to the ground than she'd like - but she has to show off a little! When she was above Lucy, the girl looked up, and Tanya flashed her a smile. Laughing before the bird of paradise whirled on right past her. Focusing on the Cannonball. Jeez. He is fast. He definitely lives up to that name, but Tanya had to be faster. She did the same trick as before, shooting blasts of air behind her to give herself a little bit more velocity. She reached the Cannonball, and did the same trick as before - flying above him, and shooting him a smile. However, the Cannonball was a little less receptive.

He flipped her off with both fingers, before he passed her.

"Oh, you an asshole, yooooo." Tanya laughed. She decided to playfully shoot an airblast at him. However, this went horribly wrong.

Horribly.

When she shot the airblast, it knocked him off course, and sent him careening into a lake. He landed with a splash.

"Oh shi-" Tanya immediately changed course and went for the fat speedster. She glided over the water, reached in, and grabbed him by the shoulders. She pulled him out of the water, and floated upwards (Though, she was weighed down a lot). When they reached land, she dropped him gently on land, and immediately shifted out of her alternate form. Her glowing features literally faded away and she hit the ground.

The Cannonball grumbled as she got up, wiping the water off his face. He walked off.

"I'm sorry!" Tanya said.

He flipped her off again, before walking off.

"... And the winner is Lucky Lucy!" One of the boys from before loudly shouted from the rooftop, standing with the winner of the race.

"I won, I won, I won!" Lucy said, shouting as she jumped up into the air. Pumping her fist.

"Oh - um," Tanya scratched the back of her neck. She could have won if she hadn't blown it like that. She looked around, and saw Kiwi flying towards her. She put out her hand. "Comfort me, Kiwi..."

She pet her parrot as she walked off to find a new adventure.

Kyle, unlike most normal people, couldn't have an automatic alarm clock. Thankfully a wind up one worked just as well. Though it was slightly more annoying. Kyle thought this to himself as he swatted at the clock, missed and knocked it onto his floor. Kyle cussed and floundered as he tried to remain in bed, yet still make it to his alarm.

On both counts Kyle failed. He ended up in an ungainly heap on the floor, limbs in the air like an upended cat. Kyle choose that moment to swear again and snatch at the infernal alarm. No snooze for him. In the blessed silence Kyle took a moment to look up at the ceiling and mentally prepare himself for his roommates. At least they had their own rooms. Kyle couldn't imagine what it would be like if he had to look the other boys in the eyes before they slept. He'd probably give them nightmares.

The depressing thought caused Kyle to grin. Not because he liked it. Nope. He hated that people feared him. However his mother always said, Even if you're sad; smile because eventually you'll start believing it. Even though it was proven psychologically that it was bad to lie to yourself, the alternative was to kill himself and he wasn't ready for that step yet.

Kyle unwound himself from his blue bed sheets. The only color he allowed in his room. Everything else was brown or white. The walls were bare. The desk, usually reserved for a computer and sometimes printer, looked odd with a typewriter perched on it. There was a filled bookshelf with journals stacked next to it on the floor. Even the carpet was a mundane cream color.

Kyle rapidly went through his morning routine. Due to being in the Town House dorms, he had to scurry down to the communal shower/bath. People scattered when he walked by. No one made eye contact. He thought he spotted one of his roommates, but didn't bother to double check. With that taken care of Kyle retreated back to his room and dressed for the day. Jeans, white shirt, black jacket and old sneakers.

Kyle snagged his backpack before leaving for the cafeteria. Or the Mess Hall as it was supposed to be called. Kyle rolled his eyes even as he corrected himself. It was October and he still wasn't used to this school. Then again, being fair to himself, this was his first time ever at a school. Until this year he had been exclusively home schooled. All he knew about schools prior had been second hand from his siblings.

Kyle carefully slipped between and around students. It was hard not to touch people on campus. Everyone in his Townhouse knew him and what he could, and couldn't, do. But not everyone knew. Some just plain didn't care. It was odd that on Kyle's first day he had to explain why he couldn't shake hands.

Kyle dodged an animated girl talking in another language. Kyle didn't pause long enough to listen. Usually he did, just out of curiosity but his stomach was demanding. He had stayed up late doing assignments. Papers took longer when using a typewriter. Any error meant he had to start that page over. And don't even get him started on typing up foot notes. Not that his professors seemed to care.

The Mess Hall was noisy this time of morning. Quite a few students were hurrying inside as the rain started. Kyle was just like everyone else, holding a binder over his head in a vain attempt to stay dry. A failed attempt because the drizzle permeated everything. Kyle shoved his binder back into his bag and stood in line to grab an omelet before stuffing it nearly whole in his mouth and running off towards the Quadrangle. Lately he had been eating twice as much. Which might be gym's fault because he was three times more active that he was before he came to this school. The school's excuse was it was supposed to help him control his powers. Which was BS in his opinion, but what could it hurt?

---

Fenris (Fen) Murray

~ October 28, 2025~

---

Fenris yawned as he rubbed his eyes, occasionally repeating the same thing as he continued he way down to the cafeteria. His mind was groggy for the most part, as the need to sleep whispered into his ears beckoning him to just shut his eyes for a second. But he knew better, and with a gulp of something nasty the sensation went away, looking at what was in his hands was an now empty can previously filled with some form of caffeine. 'Partying last night, and now probably partying again tonight. Ugh, I think I'll just stay home for today and besides it's drizzling!' Sighing to himself he looked at the rain that fell from the sky which he didn't mind, as long he was indoors or wearing something decent so he wasn't freezing. Unfortunately, he was doing neither, as his flannel did little to protect him from the chilling breeze that pierced his bones but at least he had a beanie meaning that his hair was safe, so I guess that was a plus?

Fen himself was a both a night owl and an early bird, so he had a disastrous sleep cycle. Whether dancing the night away or waking up early for the morning chill and having a cup of coffee, you could find him during the oddest hours of the day. This kind of life had its perks and downfalls, one being sleepy all the time as he decided when to sleep and what not. So, now he was facing the consequences the next day while his mind was still catching up to speed with the events. 'Ugh today is going to suck' He thought to himself as he continued walking forward taking a right until he reached the doors of the cafeteria. Rubbing his shoulders to try and gain some warthm as he placed his hands on the door.

Entering the cafeteria, he came upon something he didn't expect on his list of this to happen today, although it was Halloween... So he guessed he should of put it on there but he actually didn't think that someone would actually do it. The sight of another person looking exactly like him was interesting indeed, but he wondered who was impersonating him and he had to say they were doing pretty well. It was the perfect kind of medicine to be woken up to, grinning he began to creep behind his victim. 'Oh how great this was going to be... Hopefully, he doesn't kill me' He thought to himself mischievous. Taking a deep breath before he went along with his plan.

Coming behind his look-alike, he didn't hesitate, coming with his arms wrapped around their neck lovingly as whispering sweet nothings into their ears flirtatiously for a brief moment. As Fen's cold fingers traveled across their skin with a trail of goosebumps following, on their warm skin. Nipping their ear playfully before his hands moved down from their neck down into wrapping and pulling their body closer to his, the two grinding together for a brief second. Before, whispering back into their ears with absolutely no shame "Well, hello good looking. What are you doing with this handsome body of yours?" The show he displayed, he didn't mind and hopefully whoever was impersonating him like it as much has he did which he internally laughed to himself if that was the case.

However... there was a poor innocent Jack standing there and watching the whole entire scene awkwardly unfold infront of him. Looking from behind his look-alike's shoulder, he stuck is tongue out playfully at Jack. Playing the whole this as a joke, he came in front and gave whoever it was a quick peck on the check as he walked next to Jack. "So, who are you really? Cause If I am here, then who are you? I know it's Halloween and all, and you're dressing up as the one and only but there can only be one me and thats me." He asked nonchalantly with a small smirk on his face while his eyes hungered for a little bit more.

---

---

“Today we are gathered here to celebrate the life of Alexander Joseph Luthor, the forty sixth President of the United States of America.” The Preacher said, as he began citing the rite of death for Mr.Luthor. In the crowd, there were mixed feelings. Several of Lex's colleagues over the years – military people, even General Sam Lane was present, despite having retired more than five years ago. In the last seven years he had been in office in the white house, Lex had done a lot of good for the world, and thus, he was mourned as a hero – not as the villain he had been.

The red-haired boy's body shivered as he saw the man in his blue and red tights standing next to the casket. He couldn't blame the man from Krypton for Lex's death, it was Luthor's own stubbornness and jealousy that had cost him his life. The young man sat in the front row, next to the board of directors for Lexcorp and Ms.Mercer, the closest thing to an aunt he would ever have. Her eyes had dried out from crying at the passing of Lex, and Julian only felt.. Empty.

The funeral came to a close, Julian and Tess stood in front of the casket, Mercy crying on his shoulder, finding comfort in the fact that Julian had the exact same smell as Lex – same posture, and the same eyes. Julian stroked her hair and put his lips softly against his forehead. Superman approached the two, as Julian looked up at him. He could see the sorrow in Kal-El's eyes, despite all of the atrocious things Lex had done to him, despite all of the times Lex had tried to kill him. He still forgave him and felt genuinely terrible that he was dead.

“I'm sorry for your loss, son.” Superman said, his hand patting Julian on the shoulder. Julian nodded, looking down at Mercy and hugging her again. “Superman, could you escort Ms. Mercer to the car? I want to be alone with dad for a minute.” The man of steel nodded, as Tess held onto him and he walked with her to the car.

Julian dug into his pocket, getting into a level-cigarette and a zippo lighter. Putting the filter to his lips, he lighted the tobacco. The lighter used to belong to Lex's father, back in Suicide Slums so many decades ago. Julian thought back to one of the first times he had met Lex, a little more than a year ago, when it had been made clear that he would not have much time left.

Lex waited behind the tree outside of Luthor Manor for Julian, whom came walking out to him after his first ever tour of his new home. Julian was still hurt from his accident, all of his scars still fresh and the skin-graft on his face hadn't fixed his burns yet. “Hello, Julian.” Lex said, smoking his cigarette. Julian looked him up and down. “Mr. Luthor..” Julian said, hesitant, eyeing the cigarette – fully aware of Lex's condition.

“Oh, don't worry. It's not like I could get cancer, right.”

“Actually – you could still get lung cancer. But no, your diagnosis would still be terminal.”

“Heh. About as charming as me at your age.” Lex acted coy, his secret service eyeing Julian. At the time, Julian's head was still shaved and he looked a lot more like Lex than he would later. “You keeping the bald head, or will you go for something a little bolder?” Lex asked, trying to make conversation as the two of them walked the grounds. Lex offered him a cigarette and Julian felt like he couldn't say no. “Guess you did inherent a certain 'habit' of mine, after all.” Julian nodded, Lex gave him the lighter and he lit the cigarette, the strange sensation of the smoke going into his lungs was new – yet ever so familiar. “I guess I did. I've considered growing it out into a mullet, those things used to be pretty popular.” Julian responded, his tone not jaded enough to be clear if he was sarcastic or not.

“You know why I smoke, Julian? I smoke to grieve, to celebrate, or to coupe with being nervous. It started when my parents died in a tragic fire when I was about your age and the only thing I had left of them was my father's lighter and my mother's cigarette case. “ He explained, and Julian nodded. “So which one is it today?” and Lex scoffed. “I'm nervous. Meeting you made me more nervous than going toe to toe with the man of steel – or being help captive in Kaznia by Vandal Savage.” Julian nodded. “I get that.. Freak clone, and what not.” Lex stopped and looked him in the eye, before he spoke. “I smoke to celebrate too. I've never had a son before. I may be dying, Julian. But I know that my legacy will live on, you'll become a great man one day, Julian. You'll become greater than I ever was.”

Julian finished his cigarette, putting the lighter back in his pocket and tossed the butt to the side. A single tear rolled down his cheek. “Goodbye, Dad.”

---

---

Julian appeared before the board, wearing a different suit than he one he had worn at the funeral. His right hand was covered by a leather glove to not show the mechanical exterior, as he spoke to the board. “With the passing of Lex.. I've been appointed Acting CEO of Lexcorp. You have all read my reviews and know that while I may be smarter than everyone else in the room combined, I'm a 18 year old who's richer than god, I don't know how to run the company, Lex was busy running the country before he could teach me, and therefor, I'll continue my studies at Corrigan, and you will run the company, but have no illusions, I have final say in everything, and you don't move a penny of company money without my consent.” Julian talked to the board, his eyes piercing into them the same way Lex's did.

“Trust me. I may not have the same checkered past as Lex, but I'm just as brutal when it comes to disciplinary actions against insubordination. Are we clear?” Julian asked and the board nodded. “Fantastic. I've placed a few key objectives on all of your devices, I'm changing the course of the company ever so slightly.” One of the members of the board stood up upon reading the objectives, in protest. “You want to cut our pay with 40%?!” Julian nodded. “And open up ten new Lexcorp facilities all over the world, yes. Is there a problem with my business strategy – Mr.Tsung?” Julian asked and Mr.Tsung sunk down into his chair .”N-No Mr.Luthor..”

Julian smiled. “Fantastic, that's all for today, then.” heading for the door, when one of them stopped him. “Where are you heading?” they asked, and Julian grinned. “I don't want to be late for class.”

Kieran was glad that he didn't really need to sleep. It meant that he had all night to watch Netflix or do anything that he wanted to do before he would decide to go to sleep. Even if he didn't he could go on with his day as if he had the perfect eight hours of sleep without stress. He would have been watching his favorite show, Sherlock, all night but he decided to change it up this time. Instead he watched the show, Master of None. It was both funny and it showed how people found their way in the world while also dealing with relationships and friendships. It was perfect for him and he'd definitely recommend it to Julian. Julian... Julian was in Metropolis attending to the funeral of Lex Luthor. He had heard how the forty-sixth President had passed and he felt like he had it coming to him. That wasn't why Kieran wasn't in Metropolis with Julian right now, though. It was because his own father had "recommended" that he didn't attend the funeral. The world didn't know that Clark Kent's adopted son attended Corrigan and it'd make others wonder why Clark wasn't at the funeral with him. Of course Kieran doubted that anyone would care that Clark Kent wasn't there with his son, but he decided not to fight it. He'd talk with Julian once he got back to school and they started their next round of chess.

Kieran finished the first season of the show and closed his laptop as he heard his roommate enter the shower. He slid out of bed and looked out of the window. It was drizzling outside. He didn't know if it was his roommate's fault or if it was just the natural weather. He made his way over to his closet to pick out his outfit for the day. The left side of his closet had some of his Super shirts hung up on a hanger. "Which one..." He removed two different ones and placed them against his chest and kept alternating before he picked one. He put the other back in the closet and removed the one he was going to wear from its hanger before placing it on the bed. He then went back to the closet to look at his pants.

"I wonder what I should be for Halloween... There's that dance this Friday and from what I've learned it's the perfect event for social interaction among teenagers. I'd go as Sherlock, but... would anyone get it if it's the one from the show and not the original concept? Probably not. I know I'm not going as anyone from the Super Family... I'll figure it out and then I could get Julian to get someone to make something." He finally picked out a pair of shorts and put it on the bed. He then grabbed his things for the shower and went to shower. The showers here were great. He loved the hot water against his skin. He could be in there thinking for hours if he didn't have classes and he sometimes thought about skipping them just to do so. Some of his best ideas came in the shower and it was just so peaceful in there. He didn't have to worry about anything. He didn't worry about his nightmares, his destiny, or socializing. He could be alone at peace.

After leaving the shower he dried off and went back to his room. He changed into his Batman boxers and put on today's outfit.



Kieran was now ready to begin his Tuesday. He texted Julian, "Good luck with everything today ." before grabbing his book and notebook. He learned that emojis showed emotion and that you really cared. He walked outside and noticed that it was still drizzling, but it didn't bother him. On his way to the Mess Hall he noticed a trio of students racing and thought about joining in one, one day. He arrived at the Hall and looked around to see if he spotted anyone. He wanted to get to know his roommate better so it might be best to sit with him this morning.

He found him, but he also saw that he was with Mari, Jack, and two Fens? That didn't seem right. He headed over to the table and looked at everyone when he arrived. He didn't speak up, but just looked. There was something about Fenris that intrigued him. He didn't really know what it was and now there was two of them. Though one didn't have the same appeal as the other did. "Am I interrupting something?" He had fortunately arrived after Fenris kissed himself on the cheek.

Richards eyes cracked open as a black, circular mark on his arm vibrated. Rubbing his eyes, he lazily placed his hand over it, muttering a word from a language long forgotten to the world, causing the mark to stop. Now starting to wake up, he rolled out of bed and waved his arms around lazily, causing his dresser drawers to open and clothes to fly out of them. A clean black t-shirt and jeans presented themselves in front of Richard, which he proceeded to dress himself with. Doing things like searching for clothes in the morning had become such a drag for him that he decided to automate the process a long time ago.

Now that he was dressed, Richard went over to his desk, and pulled out a magic marker. Already there were scores of sigils and markings up and down both of his arms, all for the purpose of doing different things. Some were wards for protection, others for comfort, like the symbols on his palms that kept his body comfortably warm or cool for when the weather becomes particularly unfavorable, and some were purely utilitarian, like his alarm marking that had shown it's usefulness not minutes ago. However, as they were impermanent and subject to wear, he retouched them almost daily to stop their abilities from degrading. Using the magic marker, he filled in any fading marks, ensuring that he'd be good for the day. As he finished and placed the cap back on the marker, he gave a light chuckle at the notion of a magic marker being used for real magic, and then proceeded to return the marker to its home. He then grabbed his wand from the desktop, along with his bag from the sidewall, and left his room.

Making his way into the bathroom, Richard would apply toothpaste to his toothbrush, and continue to open his mouth and snap his fingers. His toothbrush then promptly levitated to his mouth, and set about brushing his teeth for him. As this happened, Richard ran his fingers through his hair, causing it to shape itself to his standard look, which he dubbed organized chaos. It was short, pitch black, and jutted inwards on itself towards the front center of his head, while smoothing out on either side. The toothbrush then stopped, and suspended itself in the sink, waiting expectantly to be washed off. Richard then spit into the sink, and turned on the water to rinse. Finishing up, he left and headed out to breakfast.

As he left the dorm building, Richard saw a poster advertising the upcoming Halloween dance, and his stomach turned over. He winced as he thought of running into wannabe wizards, or even worse, Harry Potter cosplayers. There was a null chance of his showing up to that; he had much better ways of spending Samhain. There were a few spells he's been interested in for a long time that required casting on All Hallows Eve, and he was certainly not one to squander something that could only be done once a year. Granted, most of them involved communicating with the dead, so even he wasn't sure how much stock he put in them, but if there's one thing he's learned, it's that magic tends to defy expectations. This was all going through his head on his walk from the Dorm building to the Mess Hall.

He entered the Mess Hall, with the intent of getting his hands on coffee as soon as possible, but something else woke him up stronger than any stimulant ever could. He eyed across the room, and saw two Fen's. The hair on the back of his neck stood straight up, and he ground his teeth together. While he saw nothing wrong with Fen as a person, he was an anomaly that scared him way more than any dark thing he's ever dealt with. The first time he met him, the warding sigils he had on his upper forearm for protection against mental attacks were worn away like somebody took rubbing alcohol to them. Ever since then, he made sure to apply several of that ward a day. Until he knows what Fen is, he decided he needs to constantly be on guard.

Quickly regaining his composure, he exhaled, and realized the other Fen had to be some kind of person with transformation abilities, most likely S'tann knowing him. He then slowly made his way towards the group that appeared to be forming with a smile on his face, shortly behind Kieran. He then added to the Kryptonians comment, "I'd certainly hate to get between the two of you" with a wink. He had to admit that while Fen put him on edge, he was far from hating, or even disliking him.

---

---

“Oh y’know, nothing gets the day going like a slacker class with Miss Brown.” Mari replied to Freddie’s question with a roll of her eyes.

“Seriously, I can’t wait to be done with this place, every day is the same routine.” She grumbled as she turned her eyes back to her plate before the pair were joined by a familiar face that made Mari’s stomach turn more than her hangover already did.

“Speak of the devil and he shall come.” Mari muttered with a roll of her eyes.

Thanks a lot Freddie.

“You two wouldn't happen to be going to that party later, right? Because I'd love to see you there." The new comer asked with a wink as Mari rolled her eyes again followed with a fake gag.

“Well we were planning on it, then we found out you were coming.” Mari said, pushing her chair back as she floated to her feet. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I was having a hard enough time keeping my breakfast down without having to look at that thing you call a face.”
Turning to leave, it felt to Mari that all Hell had suddenly broke loose as it seemed Fen’s arrival at her and Freddie’s table was the invitation for every screw loose oddball in this establishment to show up. To make matters worse it appeared that the Fen who had initially sat down with them was none other than the dickwad of a Martian the school had picked up.

"Oh my god! I did not know you could be in two places at once Fen! I mean it's almost like this isn't really you!" The sound of Jack Kyle’s voice was like nails on a chalk board as Mari turned to glare her pupil-less eyes towards him.

“Your lips are looking awfully plump these days Jackie, whatever is your secret.” She asked batting her long eyelashes towards him with mock sincerity and a full range of malice. Mari was still convinced that her missing lip gloss was somewhere in the cat boy’s possession. One of these days she would get it back.

“C’mon Freddie…” Mari started but the arrival of the real Fen cut off any chance of that happening. Mari could almost see the drool forming on Freddie’s lips as Fen began to attempt a makeout session with his doppelganger.

“Nope!” Mari yelled. “That does it.” She quickly scrambled back from the table. “I did not ask for masturbation with my breakfast.”

"Am I interrupting something?" Came the voice of yet another newcomer as Mari gave Kieran a play pat on the back as she pushed passed him to escape.

“Just the start of a group orgy, feel free to join in and show them how it’s done Cutie.” Mari teased with a wink knowing full well the meaning of her words would escape Kieran. Teasing the true alien was a lot fun truth be told. Watching the Kryptonian, Mari nearly ran right into Richard as she danced around him last minute before he too joined the clusterfuck at her former table. With a sigh, Mari took a deep breath as she exited the building and headed outside.

“Sorry Freddie.” She muttered under her breath as quickly held her skirt down, a gust of wind catching it as she moved outside. Despite the crummy weather, Mari glared around her ensuring that the wind wasn’t the cause of another Meta. On this campus, the potentially for power perversion was far too high.

Walking across the campus, Mari pulled the hood up on her leather jacket as she quickly tucked her ear buds back in. Locking her eyes on the Academic Quadrangle, she flew towards the building before spotting her roommate below. Part of her felt she should go say hello since she hadn’t been in the dorm last night, but Mari didn’t really feel like doing a walk of shame in front of Tanya. The thing about Tanya was that she truly only wanted the best for Mari. In some ways she was the best thing to come out of Corrigan for the half-alien, but Mari really wasn’t interested in a motherly talk at the moment. After the events of the Mess Hall, she just need a few minutes alone with Eddie Vedder before class. Entering the Liberal Arts wing of the Quadrangle, Mari snuck into the back of Miss Brown’s class as the other students began to file in.

Putting her bag up on her desk, Mari laid her heavy head down on it. The effects of the hangover still ravaging her body as she immediately began to regret every decision she had made the night before. Hopefully she would be left alone for the next foreseeable hour.

---

Freddie was rather relieved to learn that Mari had theatre studies with Miss Brown. The teacher wasn't particularly special, as far as he was concerned; Freddie didn't quite understand how an American teaching Shakespeare could possibly be a good idea, but she at least seemed competent. And of course, the arts were his forte, and studying alongside Mari only sweetened the deal. If his memory served him well, they would be allocated their roles for Macbeth today, following last weeks auditions. Freddie had auditioned for the part of Macbeth himself, of course. He was always the lead, after all, and he expected it to be no different at Corrigan.

"Seriously, I can’t wait to be done with this place, every day is the same routine." Mari spoke up, and Freddie nodded in silent agreement. The girl already knew that he shared her stance on this forsaken academy, but even had Freddie wished to discuss it he did not get the chance. "Speak of the Devil..." Mari cursed, causing Freddie to look in the direction of her frustrated gaze.

Fen was heading right for them, smiling somewhat oddly. In fact, as he drew closer, Freddie's anxieties waned a little... Something seemed off about him, of that much Freddie was certain... Though he couldn't place what. In all the times he'd met Fen, he'd felt this strange, near-sinister pull, enticing him to draw closer like a moth to a flame. But now..? ...Nothing.

“You two wouldn't happen to be going to that party later, right?" Fen asked. As he spoke, Freddie only grew more intrigued... Why was Fen acting so... Different? "Because I'd love to see you there." he finished, winking at Freddie. Even without that strange aura of his, Freddie couldn't help but swoon silently at the gesture; the world smudged and melded briefly, and whilst it seemed that Mari was delivering a particularly sassy response, Freddie registered not a word of it. He barely noticed the arrival of Jack, though that much was not entirely unusual. The son of Catwoman was notoriously stealthy.

It seemed that Jack suspected 'Fen' of being an impostor; more specifically, he pinned the blame upon that troublesome Martian, S'tann S'tonn. Freddie's eyes narrowed in anger for a brief moment, ready to unload his various frustrations upon S'tann in the form of a venomous barrage.

"Why, you wretched bast--" he began, before being cut short as a pair of hands slid around impostor-Fen's body. Soon enough, the head of real-Fen poked over the doppelganger's shoulder; Freddie was certain of the authenticity this time around. The real Fen just oozed a certain magnetism that was... Well, it was completely unmistakable. Freddie gawped mindlessly, his mouth open ever-so-slightly as Fen shamelessly caressed himself, purring sultrily all the while. It was almost too much for the British teen to handle, his cheeks flushed with rosy pink.

"C'mon, Freddie," Mari insisted, though the boy was powerless. He was utterly transfixed upon the display the two Fens were putting on, that he hardly noticed her get up and leave the table. A short moment later, Fen kissed himself on the cheek and released his grip on the doppelganger, and Freddie began to regain composure. Wanting above anything to avoid conversation with Fen, especially following the heated scene, Freddie made his escape.

"M-Mari," he muttered, the girl already way out of earshot. "Uh, wait up!" he said, hastily rushing to his feet and hurrying out of the mess hall. Though, unbeknownst to Freddie, he had left more than a half-eaten apple at the table: his black leather satchel remained tucked beside his seat, forgotten in all of Freddie's flustered disposition.

When he got outside, Mari was nowhere to be scene. Freddie had learned that she had a tendency to move quickly, given her ability to float above the ground, so he was not entirely surprised. He was grateful in some ways for the cool chill of the Autumn air, but the persistent drizzle was simply ghastly. It was a fair walk to the liberal arts wing, and Freddie did not intend on being crowned as the production's lead role looking like a drowned rat.

Collecting his thoughts, Freddie focussed as much concentration as he could muster as he looked to the skies. It was a welcome distraction, for as he watched the dull grey clouds begin to part and dissipate, so too did the tempest within his own mind; allowing him to push aside those thoughts of lust and homesickness that had bothered him all morning. As the rain finally stopped, Freddie made his way across the lawns, the sodden grass squelching unpleasantly underfoot.

Upon arriving in Miss Brown's classroom, Freddie instinctively pulled up a seat beside Mari. He grinned sheepishly, trying his best to avoid the judgemental side-eye of disapproval that the half-alien was giving him.

"What?" he laughed. "What's a lad to do?" he asked, batting his eyes at her playfully. "I am a man of simple needs." he joked. Then, he grinned mischievously, recalling the events of last night. "Speaking of which! You vanished rather swiftly last night, madame." he jibed, his voice full of implicit ideas. "And a little birdy tells me she had the place to herself!"

Seeing Mari's reaction and knowing they had a short time before class began, he assumed the stance of a seasoned gossip: one leg crossed over the other and his chin resting upon his palm as he looked at her expectantly. "Come now, you saucy minx," he insisted. "Spill!"

Kyle would examine today over and over. Every second since he left the Mess Hall. Only twice in his life, after he gained his powers had he touched someone. The first was a former best friend who he caused to have seizures and nearly killed. The second was his mother, right after The Event. Thankfully Kyle's mother didn't hold onto him long enough to do anything but render her unconscious. For a small boy, that was still traumatizing enough. So when Kyle was told he was going to a school, kind of like a boarding school, filled with other kids, he panicked. Sure he'd kill someone on his first day.

Yet it didn't happen. First a few hours passed, then a day, then a week. After a few months Kyle began to relax. That maybe he wouldn't kill anyone. Or even touch anyone. But all good things must come to an end. As Kyle slipped out of the Mess Hall, cramming his omelet into his mouth; the way only a growing boy could, he managed to dodge two girls, one guy and what looked like a walking statue, his luck ran out.

Kyle had ducked around the walking statue right into the path of a blonde girl. Kyle had tucked his hands away and tried to dodge but they collided. Forcefully. They ended up sprawled on the ground. Kyle was on the bottom of the unhappy pile with blonde girl on top.

Kyle blinked at the spinning grey sky, water getting into his eyes. He tried to piece together what had happened when someone started screaming. Almost unconsciously he reached out and helped someone move the blonde girl off him before he realized he didn't have gloves on. Hadn't put them on this morning because he just hadn't thought about them.

Kyle recoiled in horror. One of the passersby had rolled Blonde Girl onto her back. It was quite obvious she was having a seizure. He could hear some one some where shouting at someone to get help. To get a teacher. To get someone.

"Oh God." The words dropped from Kyle's lips. Not quite a prayer but close.

"Oh God." He repeated a little louder as panic started to set in. This was it. He killed someone. He killed someone and they were going to lock him away somewhere where he could never hurt anyone again. Surprisingly that thought didn't comfort him. This school had given him a taste of what normal could be like. Had dangled it in front of him like water in front of a dying man. But then yanked it away, leaving only regret behind. Regret at what could have been.

"Oh God." Kyle repeated once more. He didn't want to go away. Which sucked because just a few months prior he would have been fine with it. But no.

"Hey kid, you okay?" Someone asked. Then, Kyle felt someone touch his shoulder. Thankfully he was wearing his leather jacket and a shirt under that. But his reaction was still violent has he jerked away.

"Don't touch me!" He shouted as he leapt to his feet. His backpack hit the ground and papers and books scattered in the damp. His black eyes were wide and wild. If he had a mirror he would have thought he looked slightly crazed. Still, the effect and the screaming worked because the growing crowd took a step backwards. Or maybe they realized just how dangerous he actually was.

"Miss Grayson, I'm hurt."

S'tann put his hand over his heart. Her choice of words were quite bemusing to the devious Martian, who had earned the nickname "Satan" partially because of how he acted and partially because of how his name sounded in the English language. He didn't give two shits what anyone called him. It doesn't matter what anyone says about you.

They can call me whatever they want. All that matters is what I choose to be. S'tann thought. And today I chose to be a dick. Like most days. It's a proven fact that dicks get to have all the fun.

The half-breed stood up and looked as if she planned to leave. Heh, he'd managed to get her panties in a bunch with only a couple of words and a disguise. Riling people up was so simple these days. S'tann chuckled. "Honestly, you'd probably smell better covered in vomit. So really, I'm doing you a favor." Things were going according to plan. Fredrick looked to be as wet as a hooker in a thunderstorm. Mari was moments from keeling over in disgust. Yes, things were going nicely. That is, until Catboy McThiefson popped up out of literally no where and started rattling off more bullshit than you'd find on a cattle farm.

"It's one of my many talents." 'Fen' replied, slapping Jack's hand away with enough force to hurt. "If I were really S'tann, I would have-"

Legacy's threats were cut short by an all-too familiar arm wrapping itself around his shoulder. Fenris stroked S'tann's neck, nipping at his ear in a display that humans were suppose to find pleasurably. S'tann wanted to vomit. Actually, he wanted to snap his own neck and jump into the nearest pit of hell fire and burn for all eternity instead of maintaining contact with that insufferable bag of garbage currently touching him. S'tann stood as still as a statue, only freed from his hypnotic stance by Fen opening his mouth and whispering into Martian Boy's ear.

"I'm imagining the most efficient means of torturing you to death if you touch me again. I'm thinking of flaying off your skin and shoving your eyeballs up into your ass. Perhaps I'll cut off your testicles and feed them to you while I'm at it."

Legacy glanced around at the rest of the group for a brief moment, who seemed just as perplexed as S'tann at Fen's raunchy and shameless display. It was basically masturbation, if you gave it a thought. Which Mari did. Of course, the girl didn't even consider the possibility that no one wanted to hear her say it out loud. The mere notion of being a part of Fenris' self-pleasure was enough to make S'tann physically sick. "God, I hate that guy." He muttered. Fenris wasn't done. Ooooh no. He just had to push one last button. The incubus sauntered over to S'tann side and DARED to put his putrid lips on S'tann's utterly superior face, and leave his poison drool all over the Martian's cheek.

"GGAAAARRRGGHHH!"

S'tann let loose a wordless cry of livid anger and stupefied frustration. He planted his hands around his own throat, whipping them backwards and snapping Fake Fenris' neck. S'tann's body hit the floor in what appeared to be a lifeless heap. He waited a few seconds, letting the image sink into Fenris' mind in an effort to disturb the bastard's sleep tonight. After a time, the Martian snapped his neck back into place and rose to his feet. He made the seamless transition between Fenris' body and his own human form, a scowl firmly on his visage.

"Fuck you, bitch. And fuck everything about you. Fucker."

With that little outburst out of the way, S'tann turned heel and walked towards the exit. That's when he noticed the arrival of Kieran and wizard with the stupid face. Richard something or another. He decided to reply to the Kryptonian's question. "Oh look, more beta males. You're late; party's over. Nothing to see here." S'tann's scowl deepened, giving the wizard a double take.

He couldn't read Richard's mind.

That was infuriating.

S'tann quickly made his escape, density shifting through a nearby wall and exiting the mess hall. He immediately noticed a group of people gathered around a convulsing girl. In his peripheral vision, he briefly noted a boy near the scene screaming bloody murder. The Martian shoved his way through the crowd. "Get out of the way. Move it, morons. Move!" Legacy bent down to one knee, examining the victim. "Don't touch her. She's having a seizure." A student wearing a dark blue shirt informed Martian Boy. The phrase EMT-In-Training stitched on the front of his clothing told S'tann that the stranger probably knew what he was talking about. But human medicine was less than nothing compared to the power of a Man from Mars. "Do not think to command me, fool. I have power beyond your imagination." That's the second time I've said that this week. Great, now I have a catchphrase. Only imbeciles have catchphrases.

Legacy gently placed a hand on the girl's forehead. His eyes glowed red, and his fingers density-shifted into her skull. Once inside, they grew longer, making contact with the brain. Direct mental contact made telepathy leagues easier than a simple wireless connection. S'tann face contorted in concentration. He fought to break through the intruding electricity that had done this to her. He needed to correct the electrical cause ways between the brain and the muscles before she accidentally injured herself. It wasn't long before the girl stopped moving entirely. It was better to shut down her motor controls than allow her to hurt herself or someone else. Roughly twenty seconds later, the girl's eyes shot open and she took a sharp intake of air into her lungs. S'tann removed his hand from her skull, helping her to her feet.

"Are you alright?" The EMT asked. The girl nodded. "Thank you for helping m-" She started to speak, but stopped when she noticed that S'tann had disappeared. "Where'd he go?" Someone asked. "Who was that, anyway?"

S'tann, now in his native Martian form, floated above the campus. His robes fluttered about in the wind as he turned and looked towards the terrified boy. That's the alleged perpetrator. He was the most likely suspect for the attack; based on S'tann's telepathic scanning of the witnesses compared to his own readings of the girl's nervous system. S'tann closed his eyes, scanning the brain of the boy. A minor headache formed in the back of S'tann's skull as he searched Kyle's mind.

Then he broke through Kyle's natural mental defenses.

A mind panicked, guilty and afraid, unable to decide what he should do. It seemed the poor kid thought his days at Corrigan's were numbered. Well, he's not wrong. Not if I have anything to say about it. Legacy took off through the sky, landing next to this 'Kyle Lancaster.' He needed to find out why this boy attacked the other student, and he needed to bring him to justice.

That's what Manhunters do, right?

The Martian Boy's feet hit the grass with a thump. He approached Kyle, his eyes glowing a dark crimson. S'tann shot an elongating arm forward, grabbing Kyle by the jacket and tossing him to the ground. His fists grew three sizes larger. S'tann planted a foot on Kyle's chest, holding his massive fists up in a threatening manner. "You have a grand total of three seconds to explain what the hell is going on before I break your nose and knock you out cold." Unbeknownst to S'tann, all Kyle had to do to free himself was touch the Martian's skin. Although starting a fight with the nephew of Martian Manhunter was not generally recommended.

That morning was fairly slow for Jason and he took a bit longer to rise out of his bed. Once he was finally free of his mattress Jason decided to take a long shower to get hydrated and let the liquid get in his skin to revitalize him. Unlike a normal person, he needed to stay hydrated more thanks to his weakness of needing more moisture in his body to keep from dehydrating. His shower was warm and refreshing, he could feel his strnegth rise back up to full with every moment spent under the stream of water. After he was finished, Jason then quickly got dressed and normally he would have put on his usual red aloha T shirt and shorts, but the weather was colder now that it was October. Back home in Hawaii it would still be in the 80s and warm enough to still wear summer clothes.

"I miss home" he said to himself with a sigh, not too long ago Jason had been relaxing on a beach chair enjoying the Hawaiian sun and not having to worry about how going to a school for superhumans would turn out. He was just going to have to deal with being out of his natural environment and look at the bright side of being in this school, here Jason would be able to perfect his combat skills and probably become stronger. After getting dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and cargo pants, Jason left the dorm and went in the direction of his first class, which was Criminal Law. That was not a subject he was too interested in, but that was among the important aspects of fighting crime and solving cases.

Jason didn't see himself as a detective and more of the heavy fighter who could pound the hell out of bad guys. He was sure that the staff of the school would probably give him a lecture of why it was important to be rounded out in their knowledge and educational learning. Once he got to the class he saw it was being taught by the Martian Manhunter as many called him, but asked them to call him Professor J'onn J'onzz and he took his seat as class began. It wasn't too hard and this class was having them go over the details in a how correctly identify and collect samples of DNA in a crime scene, as well as times when it was best use one's powers to aid in finding a clue.

When the bell rang for lunch Professor J'onn J'onzz gave them assignments to study and make two page long report on the process of identifying DNA and the proper procedures of handling evidence on his desk by Monday. This assignment would be a pain and Jason would have preferred to not have such annoying kind of homework. He still didn't let it get to him and he headed off in the direction of the Cafeteria. He needed some food in his belly and then he could start worrying about the paper or just hold off on them for as long as he could to relax. While walking over there he saw a few of the students with superhuman speed were racing and he was tempted to join, but decided against it since his stomach growled when he stopped to look at the races going.

Once he got into the Cafeteria Jason filled his plate with some fried fish and a fruit. This was one of things that he would eat for breakfast and he loved seafood. After filling his plate Jason went to sit next to some other students and started to eat his meal. People were talking about Halloween and Jason realized that he would need a costume and made a mental note to remind himself to get one before the festivities started. He was also intrigued by the sight of exact lookalikes showing up and he wondered if it had to do with a shape-shifter. Then one of them snapped their own neck and Jason was disbursed by the sight and then the body transformed back into its original form, which was a martian and he looked pissed. What followed was a slew of curses and him storming off.

"Damn,someone put jellyfish in his underwear" Jason said out loud, more to himself than anyone else, as he watched the martian take his leave. This school was bound to have several volatile and possibly violent students running around, which is why it was best that Jason keep up his guard in case something bad occurred and he would need to bust some skulls.

Jack

---

The mess hall always was a source of such fun these days. There usually was some sort of fight or argument breaking out here. Then there was the super fun issue when one of the people there got mouthy. Usually this source of delightful fun came from one Mari Greyson. His mother used to tell him all about the Batclan and their weaknesses. Batman was the total package because Mother still kept her crushes close and was a bit biased. Nightwing/ Robin One was never known for his intelligence and brains. No, Nightwing was known more for his heart than his brains. That would explain a lot with his daughter. For some reason Mari Greyson was so very similar. She did not seem very good at the old detective skills. “Your lips are looking awfully plump these days Jackie, whatever is your secret.” She said to him with some sort of smirk on his face. Jack faked looking hurt before he answered her. "Aww Cheeto, you wound me! Why, pray tell, would I steal your lip gloss? I am good looking already. I do not need your makeup to help me look better. " He said as she walked off. He really did not like that girl. She never really thought with the old grey matter.

Jack would have kept thinking like this except for he was having that dream again. The one with two different Fen's making out. He could not look away as they did what they did. He would have broken into Fort Knox just to be the object of that attention. He watched as the Fen did all of that. It was shockingly sexy as he did what he was doing. Jack could not move which was not a terrible thing honestly. Sure it was not like he could be stopping it but that was amazing. He smirked at Fen when he stood next to him. "So Wolfie," He said using his new nickname which was oddly fitting since Fenris meant Wolf in old Norse. Yes Jack could read and he did it often."What would it cost me for that kind of attention?" He said only half joking about that. It would have been nice to be in position. "So now that everyone here wants to jump your bones, what are you going to do?" He asked as joke. He then watched that insane Martian kill himself to try and freak out Fen. Oddly, it did not really affect Jack. He had spent his entire life in Gotham and that meant he had seen some things that would turn a grown man white. But to Jack it was Tuesday.

"Ignore him Fen. He once "showed me" throwing myself off of a building. It was fun to see my own death. Course I am from Gotham and just about nothing scares me." He said as the Martian pouted and left. "He was jealous about that all that attention." He said jamming his elbow into Fen's side.

Jack looked over at the new guy who had come over. Jason was his name. "Why kill a poor jellyfish just to punish him. Course your idea is better than what I would have. "Also I would not like to see his underwear. He would probably kill me if I did that." Jack said smiling at Jason.

---

RICK ALLEN Star City; Corrigan School for

---

Rick had since made his way back to his dorm and changed into a different shirt, to compensate for the previous incident. Normally Rick would wear something patterned, or embellished, but changing into a plain white one seemed best for breakfast - he'd heard of these events people called "food fights", and it shook him greatly. It were as if humans were getting in touch with their ape side - only they flung food instead of excrement.

He mused about this as he walked through the campus with a camera strapped to his belt and a beanie on his head. Rick's jacket and skateboard had been stolen by the goons who chased him, so protection from the rain was out of the question. Instead, he pulled goggles over his face at the door, and got in touch with his speedster side. He managed to weave between people alright, getting a quick look at the demonstration of a certain kid's powers. The kid seemed quite shocked about what he'd done, making Rick wonder if they were like him - unable to control their powers, and trapped in a bubble of isolation.

Rick carried on, reaching the Mess Hall door as somebody tried to walk through the door. Perhaps they were trying to practice phasing through solid objects? The person on the other side, however, seemed to have perfected said power, as they shifted through both the door and the student with a snigger. Rick opened the door for the poor boy, and allowed him through, before pulling off his goggles and walking inside himself.

The speedster kept his guard up at all times in the Mess Hall, anxious as to whether a "food fight" might commence or not. Regardless, he piled up all the high-nutrient foods on his plate, along with a few little treats, and grabbed a can of Dr. Pepper. He'd recently learned that it was supposed to be fruit flavoured, and had been clearing his mind to try and figure out what fruit it actually was. He still didn't know, and was planning to do some tests on this one. But his thirst decided otherwise, and he ended up sipping at the can. He sat down at a random table, with a disregard for any dirty looks he recieved, and starting chewing down on his second breakfast. He was burning up calories by the dozen with how many times his superspeed decided to take him on a wild goose chase. But he was so full.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when there was a fuss going on at another table. He decided to watch, seeing as there was a certain Mariand'r Grayson there - a half-Tamaranean student that was the daughter of the famed Richard Grayson. There appeared to be just a conversation taking place, but soon an exact doppelganger of one of the students walked over. Rick was quite confused as the doppelganger then began to- oh, god, no. No way.

Rick turned away in disgust as not only was the doppelganger going into full-on pleasure mode with himself, but the students at the table had their eyes fixated on the scene. And one of them was drooling. Rick shook his head.

Some people are disgusting. He thought.

---

---

For a moment, Tanya wondered what Mari and the others are up to. Usually, people hang out in the Mess Hall in between classes. That's where she was going to go. She quickly waltz over to the Mess Hall, and stepped inside. Sporting a confident, care-free, smile on her face. Ready to spread that Jamaican sunshine! However, the second she stepped into the room, that smile turned into a confused look of pure horror. Because she had no idea what was going on. Fen was taking "screw yourself" to a whole new level. There were a bunch of other kids there - people she's seen before, but not enough to convince her to enter this scene.

"Oh hell no, girl." The words left her mouth as she gazed upon this glorious shitshow. Mari and Freddie left, and Tanya felt that she should do the same. She then turned around, and muttered, "Don't want none of that shit. Call me when shit stops being weird."

With that, Tanya was back in the Academic square. She was probably going to find some place to sing. Kiwi perched himself (?) on her shoulder, and she felt like a pirate! Well, she could find her way on top of one of the buildings-

A piercing scream caught Tanya's attention. Oh no... Curiosity was overwhelming Tanya. This could just be another shitshow, but she had to investigate. She ran up to the scene - Kiwi flew off her shoulder and landed on top of a nearby bench - and raised her eyebrow when she saw Kyle and an unconscious girl. She had no idea what happened, but going off the look of horror of Kyle's face (and his mantra) it was far from good. Tanya ran up to the blonde-haired girl, and rolled her on her back.

"Sweetie, you okay?!" Tanya asked, getting no response. She then raised a hand, and shouted, "Someone go get a teacher!"

"Don't touch me!" Kyle shouted, and the crowd got back. Like Kyle was some crazed animal. There was a certain level of understanding - this was just an accident, and the boy was shook up a little bit.

"Kyle, sweetie," Tanya turned to him, "Breathe. Just calm down."

People left just as quickly as he came. If Mari hadn't called him a cutie when she was leaving he would have started to think he was the reason. Though she did mention something about him joining in a group orgy and showing them how it's done. The meaning was lost on him and he'd definitely have to look it up later. He lingered on the word cutie. The meaning of that wasn't lost on him, but it could have meant a lot of things. When Superman first found him and showed him off to the rest of the Super clan Supergirl called him a little cutie. The meaning was lost on him then until his first day at Corrigan when a girl called him a cutie as she winked. He could tell their use of the word was different by their tones and expressions. He learned to read them pretty well. After that he began researching and found out that it had many different meanings and it seemed that Mari liked him? He mostly doubted that, but it did cause him to smile and think a little.

Freddie and S'tann left after her and Kieran recognized the former's black leather satchel where he was sitting. His attempt at getting closer to his roommate and his friends seemed to fail, but if he were to deliver his bag then surely it could open up more of a connection. He made a mental note of helping people with minor things like that. It wouldn't make him a boy scout, would it? It does sound like something the Man in Blue would do. He didn't want to be just like him. One of the reasons why he agreed to come here was to be able to find his own identity. He'd make an exception in this case though. It was his roommate's bag. His internal questioning was interrupted by the sounds of screams outside of the mess hall.

Kieran walked over to the satchel and put it on. He looked to the remaining few, but mostly Jack. "I'll see you all around. I have to go." He gave them a nod and a smile before speeding off. Well, he wouldn't say speeding off. He didn't use his super speed, but just ran normally towards the situation. He arrived in time to see... S'tann help someone? Maybe he fell asleep and didn't realize it. This had to be a dream right? If it wasn't he was really glad that the girl was safe, but S'tann disappeared for a bit. He didn't know what was going on so he used his super hearing to listen to heart rates and the people around whispering to figure out what was going on. He noticed a lot of fear among the crowd still showing that the problem wasn't completely over.

And then the real S'tann showed up to make that even more true. He grabbed a kid and tossed him to the ground. He didn't really recognize him, but this whole situation focused around him. Kieran finally stepped in once Manhunter Jr. started threatening him with a larger than normal fist. He used his super speed this time and ran to Kyle's side. Running into possible battle with a satchel slung across you probably wasn't all that heroic, but that didn't matter to Kieran. He wasn't going to let this clearly scared kid get pummeled.

"Stand down, S'tann. Before I make you. He's clearly scared out of his mind." Kieran couldn't have explained it to you at that moment, but he felt a... rush. It was something that he never experienced before. It was a different set of adrenaline than the one he was used to when it came to fighting. He had done quite a few training missions before coming to Corrigan and none of them made him feel like this.