The sound of metal slicing through the damp soil broke the silence of the dark, quiet night. A thick fog hung low over the dark horizon, hovering just above the cool, wet grass. The stillness of the dark was suddenly broken as a dull thud echoed through the forest. Freshly overturned soil fell from a raised shovel before hitting against the dense moss-covered forest floor.

The faint call of an owl in the distance only helped to enhance the eerie atmosphere as the shovel dug into the freshly exposed dirt again. A muffled sob came from behind the hooded figure holding the shovel, interrupting the steady toil of soil against grass. Behind the figure sat a teenage girl, her mouth gagged and her hands bound. She sat on her knees, frozen in fear as her bloodstained face was forced to watch the hole grew larger with each additional strike of the spade while her captor continued to dig.

“Down in the valley,” The deep gravelly voice sung as he dug, “Valley so low.” More soil fell from the shovel as the girl began to sob harder, tears mixing with blood from a gash above her eye, staining the rag that muffled her dread.

“Hang your head over, hear the wind blow.” The hooded man continued to sing, the hole becoming deep enough that he could stand in it now, prompting the man to climb into the opening. As he stood in the hole, he lifted the shovel to widen the walls, all the while continuing to sing his lullaby.

“Hear the wind blow, dear, hear the wind blow,” His voice grew louder as the man climbed back out of the hole, his head turning towards the girl as the pale light of the moon illuminating a smile on his stubble covered chin. “Hang your head over, hear the wind blow.”

Taking a step towards the girl, a long thin blade slid down the hooded man’s sleeve and into his hand as he neared her. A gloved hand took a hold of the girl’s chin, lifting her eyes to meet his before he leaned down, whispering in her ear.

“Roses love sunshine, violets love dew. Angels in heaven know I love you,” The knife tapped lightly against the girl’s throat as her sobs became heavier. As he continued to sing, the man lowered the knife, its blade slowly moving down her sternum, opening her shirt and exposing her chest.

“Know I love you, dear, know I love you. Angels in heaven, know I love you.” Suddenly the man’s leather-clad hand moved from the girl’s chin to her neck, tightening around her throat as the blade dug into her skin. Her screams were inaudible as the gag staying firmly in place while the man carved into her chest.

“Writing this letter, containing three lines,” He continued to sing gently as the girl’s body struggled against her bindings. “Answer my question, ‘Will you be mine?’” Smiling as he pulled the bloodied blade back from the woman, the assailant stood, lifting the girl by her throat before turning towards the hole he had dug. Releasing the girl, the hooded figure tossed her inside all the while his haunting voice continued to echo in her ears as his resumed his song.

“‘Will you be mine, dear, will you be mine?’ Answer my question, ‘Will you be mine?’” The sound of his singing was interrupted by the sound of metal sliding through dirt. A shovelful of soil suddenly landed on the girl as she quickly realized was happening. Shovelful after shovelful began to rain down on the girl as she desperately fought against her bonds but it was to no avail. Her eyelids began to grow heavy as the taste of dirt saturated her mouth.

“Down in the valley, valley so low. Hang your head over, hear the wind blow.” The man smiled, resuming his song while continuing to bury the still living girl. Her head quickly disappeared as the dirt rose over her. The surface layer shaking as the last of the girl’s fighting spirit continued to struggle for air. More and more soil was piled on top until the man stopped, resting on the shovel as he watched the earth cease to move, a satisfied smile crossing his face.

“Hear the wind blow, dear, hear the wind blow.” He whispered before turning away and walking into the thick forest. His voice echoing between the trees as he vanished into the darkness of the night.

“Hang your head over, hear the wind blow.”

The morning sun shone over Mather Memorial Park as the American Flag blew proudly in the gentle Atlantic breeze. A new day had dawned on Crestwood Hollow and a new academic year upon Mather Memorial High School. The gentle lull of birds gleefully chirping was broken by the steady roar of an older motorcycle as it made its way towards the school. Pulling into the school parking lot, the rider made his way into the faculty parking spots before dismounting.

Removing his helmet, Dr. Jonas Lehrer ran a hand over his smoothly shaved head, tucking the helmet under his arm as he walked around to the rear of the bike. Unclasping a pair of buckles, Jonas freed his leather messenger bag, swinging it over his torso before entering the school as he pushed open the set of double doors.

Numerous students lined the hall as they checked through the various postings on the walls, looking for their name and assigned homeroom class. Though Jonas quickly noted that none of them seemed to be in any particular hurray as the hallway quickly grew crowded. Those who had found their names stood in the way of those who had come later, blocking their fellow students from finding their own homeroom assignments, while they caught up with their friends who they hadn't seen over the summer.

“Welcome back, Mather Memorial Ravens!” The student radio was clearly broadcasted over the din of noise in the hallways as the host continued to speak. “I hope you all aren’t having any trouble finding your room assignments if you are look for the Student Council members in the black and blue. They’ll be happy to assist in any way they can!” The student's voice said with a slight chuckle as Jonas continued to walk the hallways.

Unzipping his heavy leather jacket, Jonas noticed several of the students giving him a strange look. It was to be expected however, he wasn't a returning teacher, he was a new face and this was his first term at Mather Memorial. Turning into his office, Jonas took a seat at his desk, placing his messenger bag on the desk before gently running a hand over the embossed leather.

Opening the bag, he reached inside, pulling out a rather new laptop before logging into the school’s network. Loading the daily schedule, Jonas noticed he had an assembly to attend. A soft groan escaped his lips as he leaned back in the chair. 'Welcome Assemblies' were hardly exciting, and as a teacher, he didn't look forward to them any more than the students did.

“...And in local news, the search for Kaitlyn Stewart still has no leads. Local authorities are asking for any and all information that friends and family might be able to supply…” Jonas suddenly realized the radio was still playing as he began to listen to the student announcer’s words. A hand absently scratched at the five o’clock shadow on his chin as he rubbed his tired eyes with the other.

Standing up from his desk, Jonas moved into the Teacher’s Lounge, the rich, earthy smell of a fresh pot of coffee immediately drawing his attention. Pouring a cup for himself, Jonas took a sip from the sharp, black liquid before returning to his desk. Time seemed to have flown by as the bell rang suddenly, signaling not only the start of Jonas’ day but the start of a brand new school year.

Taking a deep, final swing, Jonas swallowed hard, gulping down the remainder of his mug before putting it down and standing up to leave. Rolling up the sleeves on his collared shirt, Jonas straightened his tie as he left the office and made his way towards the auditorium. The dull roar of students chattering to themselves filled the halls as the student body proceeded towards the auditorium. Taking his seat on the stage, Jonas looked out over the gathering crowd before he closed his eyes and gently massaged his temples.

With such a large gathering of people, there was no doubt in his mind that they'd be more than a few Hyperhumans among them. In fact, it was Crestwood Hollow's significant Hype population that had been one of the primary draws for Jonas when he had approached Principal Fitzgerald regarding the Hyperhuman Social Conscience Program.

Jonas had pitched the in-school program as a way to encourage ‘gifted’ individuals to grow and develop within their community, finding a way to contribute to society with their own gifts in their own way. Though if he was being honest with himself, that wasn’t exactly what Jonas had in mind.

"...And please give a warm Mather Memorial High School welcome to your new faculty member, Mr. Lehrer!" Principal Fitzgerald's voice echoed out through the auditorium. Leaving both his seat and thoughts, Jonas stepped forward replacing Fitzgerald at the podium overlooking the student body.

"Greetings Mather Memorial. I think we can all agree this year, the school will truly spread its wings." Jonas' gravely voice dictated, a slight chuckle appearing midst the traveled accent as he elicited a combination of groans, cheers, and laughter from the students with his reference to the school's chosen mascot.

The Mather Memorial Ravens.

"It's a pleasure to be joining the faculty here, this year. To some of you I'll be teaching physics, to others I'm sure I'll meet you later this year on the court as the new basketball coach. Still, more of you will be participating in my advanced calculus class but there is a specific handful of you I'm really looking forward to meeting." Pausing for effect, Jonas flashed a smile as he extended a hand towards Principal Fitzgerald.

"If it wasn't for the generosity and open-mindedness of Principal Fitzgerald I wouldn't be able to have founded my pioneering Hyperhuman Social Conscience Program here at Mather Memorial.” A slight hush fell over the crowd at the mention of the Hyperhuman-centric program as Jonas continued to speak, hoping to win their affection back with his following words.

“Despite the controversial topic, I am quite pleased with how many of you have opted sign up for the program in lieu of pursuing other credits, and I do hope all of you take the time to attend. Again, I want to express my deep felt gratitude to Principal Fitzgerald and my new home here at Mather Memorial High School for allowing me this opportunity!" He finished, raising the microphone into the air as the student body exploded into cheers before Jonas returned the microphone to the Principle. Turning away from the student body, Jonas allowed a small, satisfied smile to appear across his face before he took his seat, quickly returning to a stoic expression as he turned to face the student body again once sitting.

The rest of the assembly went by rather quickly, which was surprising given the events that followed his speech. The student council performed a rather awkward skit on the dangers of unprotected sex, sexually transmitted infections and the meaning of the word ‘no’. This, however, was topped by a closing rap performed by the school’s elderly librarian who somehow managed to twerk with a collapsed hip. Thankfully it didn’t go any further beyond that and Principal Fitzgerald hastily dismissed the students to pursue the rest of their day and the start the new school year.

Checking his watch, Jonas inwardly groaned at the agonizing wait he was still faced with until he could formerly meet the students who had signed up for his program. While he was sure there would be some who joined later, those who had registered in advance, Jonas had taken the time to look into and read their files.

Leaving the auditorium with the rest of the teachers, he took the stairs to the upper floor of the east wing, the air immediately becoming cooler as he entered the school’s newer addition. Heading to the physics lab, Jonas entered the room with the rest of the students before standing behind the podium and addressing the seated class.

"Welcome to introductory physics, please take your textbooks out and turn to page twenty. Notes will be posted online so please follow along and the first person caught on their cellphone…” Jonas stopped mid-sentence, his eyes surveying over the room with a steely edge as the excited students fell quiet.

“Will, regret it.” He concluded before his eyes fixed on a girl in the corner, her head hanging over her lap as a small smile crossed her face as the subtle clack of manicured nails against glass echoed through the tense room.

"That said..." Jonas paused as he ran his hand over the top of his bag before reaching inside and drawing forth a small object. Throwing it, the object ricocheted across the room until the girl in the corner cried out in shock as her cell phone clattered onto the floor, the eraser Jonas had thrown landing exactly on target.

"There is always one student who isn't listening." Jonas said with a cross smirk. "Now then, as I have all of your attention, I should explain that physics can be exciting. I can teach you how to do what I just did and we can do a lot of lab work that you will learn from and excitedly explain to your friends no matter how nerdy it makes you sound." Jonas took a breath, placing a hand on the course textbook in front of him. "Or, physics can be incredibly dull. Even painful to sit through and you'll dread coming to every class.”

“But that decision is up to you.” Jonas said as he extended his arms towards the class. “You respect me and my rules, I'll respect you. Disrespect me, and you'll do the time." Smiling, Jonas placed both hands on the podium as he looked at the class.

"So what will it be?"

As the bell sounded signaling the last break of the day, Jonas packed up his things and left the calculus classroom behind. An eager smile crossed his face, it was time to make his last introduction of the day, but it was also the introduction he had been most looking forward to all day.

Walking the aged hallways of Mather Memorial, Jonas made his way to the top of the main building. Unlocking the door to a musty, old classroom, Jonas coughed slightly as a cloud of dust met his nostrils as the door swung open. Entering the room, Jonas placed his bag on the antique desk as he turned and looked towards one of the school’s last operating analog clocks.

Within the next fifteen minutes, those attending the Hyperhuman Social Conscience Program would be coming through the very door he had just unlocked. While originally the room had been set up with aged single piece desks, Jonas had arranged a more comfortable situation and instead the classroom was now made up of several large leather couches arranged in a ‘U-shape’ adjacent to his desk. Opening the pair of windows at the far end of the classroom in an attempt to make the room breathe, Jonas moved through the room, placing a passcard and syllabus at each seat cushion. Walking over to the storage closet in the back corner of the room, Jonas opened its doors as he found a new package of chalk before returning to the head of the room.

Turning to the blackboard, Jonas reached lifted the tab on the new box of chalk, pulling a piece out before quickly writing out a question on the sun faded blackboard. As the bell rang signaling the start of class, the students began to file into the class, taking their seats as Jonas stood leaning against the desk with his arms crossed as he studied each and every one of them. As the group settled, Jonas cleared his throat before he began to address them.

"Allow me to welcome you to the first class of its kind,” Jonas said as he extended with arms to add some showmanship to his introduction. “The Hyperhuman Social Conscience Program and as you should all be aware of by now, I am Mr. Lehrer but that’s far too formal for my liking.” Jonas stated as he shook his hand beside his throat.

”Please, call me, Jonas instead." He said as he boosted himself onto the desk, taking a seat on the edge while alternating between rubbing a hand on either of his wrists.

“Beside you, on your seat, you’ll find a passcard and a program syllabus. That card will allow you access to this room should you ever need it. I hope you’ll come to find this room to be something of a sanctuary.” Looking over the class, Jonas could see their minds at work, curiosity was a driving trait among them. They were just as interested in studying him as he was them.

“The syllabus, on the other hand, outlines our class and my expectations for you. Those of you who have taken have no doubt noticed that we’ll be drawing on a broad scope of subjects in order to find understanding of what exactly social conscience is and how a Hyperhuman can find their place in a world that so obviously doesn’t want them.” Jonas paused before continuing further. “I’ve also included some helpful websites and other information on the back, the Hyperhuman and Human Alliance or Triple ‘H’ ‘A’ as they call themselves is on there if you ever need a support line and can’t call me.”

“Now then, as some of you might have already noticed, I’ve written a question on the board that I want to use as an icebreaker and to begin to get to know a little about each other. It’s the last class of your first day of school, I’m not going to work you too hard today” He chuckled while pointing over his shoulder to the chalkboard behind him.

”If you were a Hyperhuman, what ability would you have?” He asked quoting the question behind him. “While some of you might already be Hyperhumans, that doesn’t mean you necessarily know or like your so-called ‘god given’ abilities. So I’m asking for what would you have wanted if you had the choice.”

Jumping down from his desk, Jonas began to pace the front of the classroom as he extended his hands in an open invitation. "So what brave individual wants to be the first to take a crack at answering the question? Any ability you want, I just want you to say it and a quick reason why." He stated turning the floor over to the class.

The morning sun peaked through closed, blue curtains and onto the eyelids of a very tired, teenage boy. As he opened his eyes to the harsh rays of sun, he winced, turning over to his alarm clock that was probably going off for the past fifteen minutes. His bare arm reached over to his crowded nightstand to try to operate the alarm clock, but without much luck of being able to turn it off with it's controls, he eventually grabbed it and threw it aggressively against the adjacent wall, falling harshly on his messy floors. In that small event of frustration, he became awoken with a dreadful reality crumbling down upon him, causing his stomach to churn uncomfortably. As the time to step back onto school grounds drew closer, his mind began to rush from one regretful memory to the next, haunting him worse than any experience he'd ever had. Laughing, name-calling, fist fights -- these echoes in his head are the usual morning reminders of who it is that he's become. After staring at his ceiling for quite some time, a resulting groan escaped his lips as he maneuvered towards his bathroom to enjoy a hot shower before school.

This morning routine was so familiar to him, but now that they're under much worse circumstances, he couldn't seem to find any appreciation in it like he used to. If anything, the motions seemed to only enhance his growing anxiety. Once finished, Felix found himself staring at his own foggy reflection, letting the discomfort of nervousness and stress boil within him in a taunting manner. His appearance didn't match that of last year since he wasn't proudly wearing his Letterman jacket, causing him to scoff pitifully at himself. In it's place was an expensive leather jacket that helped switch his identifier to match the trouble kids at school, whom didn't even bother to befriend him either. Underneath were simple dark-wash jeans, a plain navy long sleeve, and timberland boots. As always -- his hair was styled up and nice, freshly cut from the other day.

Felix left his room and proceeded through his brightly lit home, shamefully passing all the family photos that marked the hallway walls, each photo mocking him in a painful torment of his changing identity. It wasn't long before he'd reach the kitchen in which an instantaneous tension built bluntly within the room, forming between him and his preoccupied parents enjoying breakfast in the nook of the spacious kitchen. Felix made his time quick to save from any unnecessary comments, rummaging through the pantry and cupboards to find something small to eat.

His father broke the silence, choosing not to look up from his newspaper, "Your bracelet on?"

Felix didn't reply, choosing to ignore him as he scavenged a banana, a granola bar, and a cheese stick -- packing them within his pocket. His mother looked over, her highlighted hair flipping over her shoulder to reveal her heavy make up and blue eyes, heavily arched brows helping add to her sharp glare. She spoke under her breath, "He couldn't take it off even if he wanted to."

A taunting remark -- laughing at his inability to remove his bracelet without a key to the latch. The hindrance of his hyperhuman abilities was like a controlling power move in their eyes, seeing it as an opportunity for discipline and an example of ownership. To Felix -- he tried not to care, denying the disciplinary aspect of it since he had no appreciation of his power, blaming it for ruining his life. Without any comment back, he went out the door after grabbing his lightweight bag, slamming the door behind him and beginning his walk to school.

By now, Felix was used to the morning chill, ignoring the discomfort of his throbbing, cold ears as well as the numb, redness of his cheeks. Instead, he paid more attention to the rising sun that gave a welcoming ambiance within Mather Memorial's football field, creating a hint of warmth and solitude to help mask his fear of facing his fellow students. Felix would try to cast it all away one last time -- all of his regrets, his embarrassment, his constant agony -- dissipating with the gentle mist of the air. It felt comfortable and familiar, as if he's come back to his home away from home. He would hold onto the feeling for as long as he could until it was stripped away by yet another familiarity -- a voice that pulled his heartstrings with an array of emotions.

"I knew I'd find you here."

Felix whipped around as his heart skipped a beat and his stomach filled with butterflies. A blonde beauty stood before him with matching crystal blue eyes and charming features. Despite her relatively short stature, she was like a runway model with her tan skin and toned body, her face seeming to be sculpted carefully by the gods -- high cheekbones, sharp jawline, plump lips, and seductive eyes. Although Felix was familiar with her body and her charm like the back of his hand, he would always get the same butterflies like the day they first met. While his lips were already parted in this instance of awe, it took him awhile to finally form any words, "Claire." The name pierced hard through Felix's heart like an arrow fired from Cupid himself, only to remind him of the love story that he let fall from his fingertips. Claire was his highschool sweetheart, and their relationship topped every other in the whole damn school district -- hell, he thought it topped the whole damn world at times. However, a relationship capable of being broken by lack of popularity and the presence of oppression doesn't make for a stable one.

They exchanged a moment of silence as they shared the same expression of sadness, although Claire's was much more pitiful and Felix's was full of guilt and shame. Claire sighed, hugging a stack of books close to her chest and shivering underneath her cheerleading uniform. She spoke softly, "Every time something bad happens, you always get poetic and nostalgic. So I'm sure you're trying to remember back to when you weren't -- like this," she would move towards the railing of the bleachers to stand next to Felix before continuing, "I remember cheering for you on this field." Claire seemed to be taken by the same nostalgia as Felix, stirring up a faint smile to form on her face, "Out of all the people on the stadium, it was like it was just me and you -- the whole time."

The words resurfaced his feelings that he was previously trying to discard, feeling worse as he's become a person that Claire can no longer seem to love. Felix had no more words on the subject than what was already expressed the night of their breakup, so he tried to change the subject. He took off his jacket to expose his thick, toned arms and his protruding chest from his tight shirt, "And you never wear jackets. You're gonna catch a cold." He swung his leather jacket over her narrow shoulders, the jacket draping over her like a heavy dress that ran past her short, cheering skirt. Felix quivered for a moment as his hand accidentally touched the softness of her skin, trying not to react from the memory of her once-loving touch. "Why aren't you at the assembly anyway?"

He leaned over the railing, choosing not to look at Claire to save himself the sadness, but instead enjoying the presence of her for the short moment that they had. Claire spoke up shakily, "It's not like I'm going to be here for long. There's just -- there's something I need to tell you." Felix could pick out the shaking in her voice, matching it with underlying sadness that he was all-too familiar with. Without reply, he simply turned over to look into her eyes that stared blankly at the horizon as she spoke again, "I thought of you the other day. . . How I always put that weird cream on your chest and your forehead when you get sick. I swear my mother swears by that thing." She pauses with a light chuckle that died back down to her stern, pained expression, "But for some reason, it didn't work on me this time. It was like I couldn't shake off this damn flu, puking almost every damn day sucks. So I thought -- 'maybe it only works if you add a little love to the process'."

Felix interrupted in an attempt to get a little humor into the subject, a sly smirk forming on his lips, "You want me to rub cream on you again?"

Claire shook her head in disappointment, hoping he would catch on to what she was trying to express. Nevertheless, she spoke bluntly, "I'm pregnant -- Felix."

In this instance, his heart plummeted out of his chest and into the cold, icy ground of the football field where his grave already lies. It was hard to tell if it was beating really fast, or not at all, but regardless, it was like the words slit his throat resulting in a blood-filled death. Perhaps that's how he'd rather imagine the moment, a swift death to end all of his accumulated stress, but instead he stared with his eyes wide open at the girl he still longed for. Claire's tears fell heavily, crashing down like tsunamis onto his broken and bruised heart -- he couldn't bare to see her like this, but he struggled to find anything comforting to say as he was petrified by her statement. "Claire, are you- are you sure?"

Claire gathered herself to prevent herself from hyperventilating before speaking one last time, "I got tested the other day. This isn't just some fake pregnancy bullshit." With that, she tore off the jacket and let it fall to the ground, storming off towards the school while wiping her leftover tears from her face.

The bell rang through the air harshly like fingernails scraping across a chalkboard. The reminder to get to class, except Felix was stuck in his tracks, unsure of what actions to take next. He formed a simple word in hopes to kick-start his movement to face the student body, "Shit."

---

Walking through the front doors of the school was like walking through the gates of hell, expecting to be lit up in flames by the wrath of the student body, each student holding such a greater power than Felix could ever have, backed by justifiable oppression towards his new identity. Each dreadful step through the halls began every walk of shame he would undergo through his days of attending this school, keeping his head down to avoid eye contact, and his headphones in to ignore any hate comments yelled across the halls. Felix reached the front office, in which he was lectured for being late on his first day before receiving his class schedule with the numbered classrooms.

It took a moment of deep breaths and small pep talks to gather a carefree confidence to bear through the school day. While it would ease any torment he would face, he was pleased to realize that Mather Memorial was kind enough to place him in classes in which his torment was minimal to none. His schedule went accordingly: Statistics, Biology, Lunch, History, Spanish. The schedule was easy and the workload was kept small since the classes weren't at advanced levels.

The day dragged, with his mind stuck on Claire and what she told him in the morning. His mind rushed from possible inaccuracies of the testing, or perhaps a different father, but everything added up perfectly to really place the cherry on top of a shitty milkshake. As the school day would reach it's end, he would do his final walk of shame to a class that hopefully possessed something remotely good in it. As he ascended the stairs with little hope, he walked slowly through the halls with his music blaring in his ears and his bag slung on one shoulder.

Opening the door to a rather grungy room that actually appealed to Felix, he carefully eyed the room as he took out his headphones. The room had a stuffy feeling to it, but it also held a faint comfort of privacy and safety. The couches were a nice touch to the class and would hopefully be more comfortable for sleeping than his other classes' desks. Soon after his examination of the room, he realized he was late to the class. Felix walked slowly into the room and found an empty seat without paying much attention to any of the fellow students besides the red-head that was standing up. Looking down with his usual remorse, he made himself comfortable before trying to discern what the class was doing.

The penthouse suite lit up with a pleasant light, feigning sunlight before the curtains automatically pealed off the window and a soft melody with ambient forest sounds played. "It's a new day, Marcus. It is now 6:55, it's a pleasant 64 degrees outside. Mild breezes and no rain on the forecast. Good morning." The female, artificial voice announced as the pale teen turned over in his bed. His eyes shooting open, as the A.I went on to go over the relevant news since the night before, celebrity gossip and the stock market. Marcus crawled out of bed, the room decorated in gold and ivory, being a mostly clean area with a lot of open space, sans the king sized bed in the middle of the room, a desk with three monitors and a computer all in white, with matching keyboard, mouse and headphones.
"That's enough, Sarah." He softly cut the A.I off while it was reading the latest news, stopping mid-sentence. He wearily put on a pair of shorts and a tank top from the floor walking towards the entrance to the room where the doors slid open revealing the elevator.

Inside of the elevator where a pair of sneakers that Marcus groggily put on. He hit the lowest floor and would spend the next 30 minutes in the gym running and doing some strength exercises. The pull-ups were always his favorite part of working out and one of the few parts of his morning routine he really did enjoy.

From the Gym area, he quickly walked into the shower room in the neighboring room and walked out again some ten minutes later, now wearing nothing more but a towel around his waist, another in his hands drying his hair. He stepped onto the elevator again and went back to his room. He quickly changed and styled his hair. He was wearing chinos, a V-necked T-shirt and a blue sleeved sweater. Walking to the computer, he pressed the space bar to wake the computer up, and opened a GUI window called "Dronie". Pressing the start button, a small disc shaped drone began buzzing from the other end of the room and came hovering. Inside of the drone was a sophisticated camera.

"This is Marcus, day 22 of using my 'gifts'. Let's see what I can do today." He softly began, the drone flying next to him and panning towards where he was looking. His eyes began glowing with a soft golden hue as he moved his hand with determination. An empty water bottle on the other end of the room began to levitate without determination, going upwards and down as if it couldn't make up it's mind.
"Creating centralized gravity that matches Earth's own has become quite a lot easier over the course of the past three weeks. " He explained, as he visibly struggled a little and quickly pulled the bottle safely into the air, four feet above where it had been. It was no longer levitating, rather just standing flat upside down in the air. "Even exceeding earth's gravity become a lot more manageable. Even for heavier objects." His words cut short as he took a step forward, falling upwards. Walking upside down he took one step. "Levitating myself was tricky, and I've not yet fully gras-" He was cut short by his powers failing him - and falling down onto the floor, landing on his stomach. "Shit." He exclaimed in frustration, putting his fists to the floor with determination, pushing himself off the ground and climbing back to his feet.

He turned to the water bottle and opened his hand, almost grasping the bottle in his palm, and then curling his fist. The bottle was crushed together from the increased gravity. "Destructive capabilities still far exceed what my father expected when he thought my powers were telekinetic in nature. According to Weston Tech's Hyperhuman database, there are no known Hyperhumans who possess the same ability as me. I am the sole wielder of one of the four fundamental forces of the universe." He solemnly, not taking much pride in this observation, trying to remain as objective about it as he could. That's a lot of responsibility.

"Marcus, signing off." And with those words, the drone went back to it's hiding place, the video showing up on his computer screen to be re-watched at a later time.

Sarah's voice came back over the audio system. "It's now 7:50 A:M, and you are going to be late to school."
"Have Lambo pull up front." Marcus told the computer, referring to his driver as he walked towards the elevator which doubled as his walk-in closet. A compartment opened up and his leather jacket came out on it's hanger, fresh from the dry cleaner. His latest SMART-Glasses plus his 4,000 dollar watch came out of another compartment. The watch was a gift from his father - a Hyperhuman suppression device - and fashionable. He put on the black rimmed glasses and the gadget lit up, showing him his normal feed, synching to the phone in his pocket.

"Due to the protests outside of the school, thanks to the new program starting today, your father has deemed it unwise for you to arrive by car. Additionally, you shouldn't be late for your first day. The Helicopter's waiting on the roof." Sarah told him. "How gracious of the old man.." Marcus sighed, his father away on business - as always.

He arrived on the rooftop and walked towards the Helicopter with it's rotors running. It was an old army chopper that had been put into the private sector. The pilot was an old military Pilot - Gus.

"Morning Gus." Marcus told the grizzled old man who in his black suit, sunglasses and headgear smiled "Morning, Champ! You ready for a new semester in school?" He asked and Marcus nodded. The helicopter taking off for the couple of minutes worth of flight it would be across town to the school grounds.
At least as ready as he could be.

Arriving at the school, Marcus could peer out onto the parking lot where there were hundreds of people quite verbally protesting the new semester - in particular Mr. Leshner's Hyperhuman program. A bold move that hadn't been very popular city-wide, Principal Fitzgerald was certainly going against the grain on this one. Marcus for one was grateful - he needed all the support systems he could get right now. The protesters were holding plaques with different Anti-Hype slogans.

Some of the parking guards had cleared a spot for the Helicopter to land, gathering the appropriate attention from the students, protesters and people passing by.

Thanks, dad. I definitely wasn't planning on keeping a low profile.

"Good morning, Ronald!" Marcus waved to Ronnie, a fellow Jock, popular kid and one of Marcus's friends throughout the years. He was far from his best friend, but they still got along quite a bit. Ronnie envied Marcus due to his wealth and it certainly was one of the reasons the latter had become friends with the now-revealed Hyperhuman back in Freshman year. Ronnie didn't even respond to Marcus's greeting, only grimacing at him. Marcus knew Ronnie had a disdain for Hyperhumans, but he wasn't expecting quite this cold of a shoulder. Evan walked up to him and Marcus smiled slightly. "Oh, hey E. I was getting worried people wouldn't talk to me after uh, y'know.." He said, stretching out his hand for a high-five as had become tradition for the two, and Evan looked at Marcus's hand and grimaced.
"Don't touch me, Weston." He said, bumping his shoulder, the other four jocks in their letterman jackets, Ronnie among them, walked past and around Marcus, in passing leaving some snide remarks. Marcus was of course hurt - a little bit dumbfounded, too. But ultimately, not surprised. When he had made that ball float in the air and then pop like a balloon with his brain - he knew his life would be changed forever. He took a seat at a lone table in the middle row of the classroom.

Marcus kept mostly quiet during the Physics class. He liked Jonas so far. His little bit with the eraser was incredibly impressive and Marcus was fairly sure that there was no way in hell he could do that twice in a row - he wasn't gonna ask the teacher to try, though. Not after the rather sobering experience he had faced running into his 'friends' earlier.

Finally, at the end of the day, it was time for the class he had been looking forward to the past month - maybe finally all of the secrets of the universe would be unlocked. Maybe Mr. Lehrer would blow his horizons wide open. Instead, he was met with an after-school special spiel and the least interesting question about life as a Hyperhuman he had ever heard off.

Patience, Marcus... He thought. After the girls had spoken their peace - Esther had written hers, he, with surprising amount of uncertainty - a feeling he wasn't used to feeling - he hadn't been anxious for a test or a presentation in years. Yet now, he found himself wanting to not bring attention to himself. Had Evan and Ronnie really done such a number on his confidence? He wanted to challenge the Chloe's claim that nobody wanted to be a Hype - but even he had just been shown a very sobering reminder of what life's like as a Hyperhuman out of hiding - his 4,000$ watch wasn't gonna shield him from that truth. Not anymore.

Trying to block out these thoughts, the normally well spoken Marcus blurted out a half-cooked response"Technopath!" Letting the word linger in the air. "I'd like to be a technopath. They are the ones that have pushed civilization forward with their gifts the most. With technology, everyone can be super-powered. A Phone today would blow people from all parts of history away." trying to back-up what he said and regain some of his confidence.

The greenery of Crestwood Forest flew past the black dog as he leaped over a fallen log, landing hard on the ground as the leather bag hanging from his mouth fell against the mossy undergrowth. Tossing up leaves and dirt as the animal skidded to a halt, it turned around, open jaws scooping up the bag before it circled around again and continued to run. Dashing between the alternating oaks and maples, the canine skirted the base of an evergreen before emerging into Mather Park as it came into its second wind and bolted towards the school on the far side of the park.

Circling around the back of the school, the dog lowered itself, pushing through a thick shrub until it fell into the building’s boiler room. Landing roughly, the dog spread its limbs as it landed, staggering before it dropped the satchel in front of itself as it sat panting. Turning its head, the animal began to growl before being replaced by a faint whine as the room echoed with the sound of cracking bones. Paws began to spread out the toes lengthening as the fur receded, claws becoming nails as hands appeared.

The face compressed in on itself as the form of the black dog was replaced by the shivering naked body of Noah Gallagher as he quickly reached for his leather bag and pulled on a pair of boxers before continuing to dress. Gasping for breath, Noah slung his messenger bag over his shoulder as he braced himself against a nearby guardrail as he hobbled towards the door. Reaching behind the heavy metal door, Noah wrapped his hand around his hidden crutch as he pulled it out and tucked it beneath his arm before making his way up the stairs and into the school’s main level.

At this time of day, the school was mostly empty with only the instructors and the overzealous roaming its halls. Noah, however, was required to arrive early due to his commitments to the school radio. It would have been a lot harder to pull off his little stunt this morning had Noah not been granted early access to the school yesterday in order to run the radio booth through its pre-startup inspection.

Sliding into the booth, Noah placed his bag on the ground beside his chair before sitting down and placing the headphones over his head. Flashing a quick smile as his co-host, Kim Carlisle, took a seat beside him as Noah queued up the first of many playlists that would echo through the school’s hallways as the student body made their way to their lockers.

“How was your summer, Noah?” Kim asked as Noah looked up from his laptop.

“Never long enough, how about yours?”

“It was alright but like you said, never long enough.” Kim replied as she batted some loose curls away from her dark eyes.

“Did you see that Kaitlyn is still missing?” Noah asked pointing towards the list of approved discussion topics from Principal Fitzgerald.

“That’s really too bad, I didn’t know her that well but I mean she was still one of us.”

“Yeah, I just wish there was something I could do to help.” Noah lied, memories of the previous night floating to the forefront of his mind as he recalled searching the forest as ‘Shadow’. He hadn’t found anything yet, but he also wasn’t quite sure on how to make the best use of the dog’s senses.

If he could maybe get his hands on something that had belonged to Kaitlyn…

“You okay?” Kim’s voice asked as Noah snapped back to the present.

“I will be,” He answered looking at the time in the corner of the screen before turning back to Kim.

“Duty calls.”

Taking a seat amongst his peers in the previously abandoned classroom, Noah took a look around at the unusual seating arrangement as he tried to sit as close to Ivy as he could without sitting directly beside her. Listening as Jonas introduced himself, Noah pulled a leather-bound book from his back, opening it as he began to joint down a couple of notes. Copying the question from the board to his book, Noah started to write an answer beneath it.

Why would I want anything but what I already have?

Most of the students remained silent, one had even decided to read a book of his own choosing as Noah looked around the room. Allowing his mind to wander, Noah quickly found himself distracted by an enticing aroma as he realized he was smelling Ivy’s perfume. Shaking his head, Noah tried to refocus as Ivy opened her mouth to answer Jonas’ question.

”Uhm… if I could pick my own ability, it would be able to change into an animal.”

Noah felt his ears go hot as his face went flush. Did Ivy know that he was ‘Shadow’? Was this her way of calling him out. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Noah opened his mouth to answer the question only for another student to beat him to it.

"Isn't the whole idea that no one wants to be hype in the first place?"
It was hard to argue with the girl’s point but Noah had to admit that despite the harm his abilities had brought upon his body, he never found himself regretting them. Adjusting his glasses with the back of his hand, Noah moved to answer but paused as he watched another girl hold up her notepad to communicate a counterpoint to the previous girl.

She was cute and Noah couldn’t say he had noticed her before which led him to assume she must have been in one of the younger grades. He quickly found himself nodding in agreement to her written sign as a smile crept across his place as he watched her silently express her desire to fly. He couldn’t help but agree. While he hadn’t spent near as much time in the form of a bat as he had as a dog, flying was a sensation that Noah didn’t see losing its appeal any time soon.

Opening his mouth to finally answer, Noah quickly found the words trapped in his throat as the Prince of Hyperhuman Destruction himself joined in on the discussion. Sneering at Marcus’ answer, Noah retorted with a thought of his own.

“I guess the Hypes can count themselves lucky that you’re not a technopath.” He muttered, “Your dad would have turned you into a weapon.”

“That sort of talk isn’t productive towards acceptance.” Jonas intervened, “Did you have an answer of your own, Mr. Gallagher?” Jonas asked as Noah felt his face flush further.

“I don’t know,” He muttered, “Uh, what Ivy said sounded good to me.” He hastily added as Jonas looked back to the rest of the class, his gaze quickly focusing on Benjamin as he cleared his throat.

“Mr. Hope, if you aren’t interested in participating then perhaps there is a better use of your time.” He snapped as he massaged a temple. “Otherwise, perhaps you’d like to answer the question on the board.” Jonas added, tapping a finger against the board.

“And I don’t it’s an issue of nobody wanting to be a Hype, Miss Bronse,” Jonas continued as he turned towards Chloe. “I believe it’s an issue of no everybody being a Hype. We live in a world that is obsessed with inclusivity and creating equality where it can’t. But the minute society feels insecure they create walls to exclude that which it does not understand.” He ranted. “We’ve done it for years, the Crusades, the Witch Trials, the Holocaust, the list goes on and on.” Taking a deep breath, Jonas paused.

“So we need to be better.” He continued. “Social Conscience is defined as being a sense of responsibility or concern for the problems and injustices of society. As Hyperhumans, you more than anyone else have to be responsible and more than anyone else in the last fifty years, you have suffered the worst of society’s injustices. I’m hoping this program can be the first step in changing that.” Turning to the class, Jonas addressed them again.

“If just one rule surrounding Hyperhumans could change today, what would you like to change and why specifically that?” Jonas asked before looking directly at Benjamin. “Mr. Hope, as I so rudely prevented you from answering the previous question, why don’t you start us off?”

"Isn't the whole idea that no one wants to be hype in the first place?"

Chloe Bronse. Now that was a sight formidable enough to get his mind off of things. Chloe matched Claire's beauty, but in more mysterious ways that Felix longed to explore, partially for the sake of rebounding from Claire, but also to, perhaps, enjoy a friendship again. Chloe's appearance opposed Claire's bright, girlish features with a tall, beautiful body that Felix could only seem to find in magazines or Pornhub. While his main intention is to sexualize the girl, he's become curious of what personality lies underneath the mystery that was always rumored among his old popular friends. Before he knew it, Felix could be caught eyeing Chloe while lost in thought, remembering back to all the times he tried to contact her over the summer out of pitiful desperation. Felix shook his head lightly to break out of his creepy stare, looking down towards the ground and cupping his forehead with his hand to massage his temples with his thumb and forefinger. 'I should probably apologize for that after class. . .' he thought to himself; a confrontation to not just apologize for being a persistent creep, but more for the sake of having an excuse to have one last chance at trying to talk to her.

In contrast to the dark, beautiful amazon, a girl with a perceived, similar edge, in which came off more innocently, caught the attention of the class. In reaction to fast, foreign hand gestures, he gave a confused look with an added touch of his constant agitation, letting out a rather hostile, "What'd she say?" As she stopped, he began to wonder if she was actually unable to talk, or if she was one of those weird kids that just don't talk. Regardless, he took this moment to draw in her appearance -- rather short, probably a freshman, dark hair and eyes, notably thick thighs. She has a cute figure that somehow attracted Felix, stirring up ideas of seducing her to have a girl for potential hookups. He did miss the attention he used to get from girls.

The next few responses happened too quick for Felix to comfortably get any words in, so he let it be. Felix found that all the answers given were all powers that he'd choose over his own. In addition to his parents imprinting that 'hyperhumans are today's biggest problem' within his head, he associates his power with the worst mistake he's made in his life, leaving him the way he is today. Although, Noah's response to Marcus caused Felix to let out an uncontrollably loud "Ha!" while snapping and pointing at Noah as a 'good one' gesture.

After Jonas lightly reprimanded Noah's remark, Felix actually gave him his attention as he lectured. Jonas' words actually laid out the beginning of a potentially heated debate, which made Felix wonder who in the group was Hyperhuman and who was not. As he implied that the class should work towards the acceptance of hyperhumans, he couldn't help but disagree on the matter. While Felix's own self-hatred added to his belief that hyperhumans have no place in the world, he did firmly believe that this scenario of inequality was much too extreme to try to fix by means of acceptance. He agreed that equality is much too fine of a line to try to follow, but Felix believes that hyperhumans go past that of any other previous issue of inequality since the race of hypes could serve as a threat to humanity. As his next question would've gave an opportunity to speak, he gazed over to the student he called on.

The student was oddly familiar to Felix, and the feeling was strong enough to let him lose his train of thought. The spotlight of the class was clearly cast onto the so-called Mr. Hope, but Felix interjected immediately to try and save the guy from any embarrassment, "Yo teach," he paused, waiting to make eye contact with Ben in an attempt to recognize him before turning back to Jonas. While the spotlight was shifted to Felix, he didn't actually have any response to his question. He sat silently for a moment before someone came through the door.

A short, Asian girl came in with an underlying spring of joy in her steps. Felix could recall the tardy girl and her known optimism vaguely, thinking back to the times she tried to contact him with intentions to comfort him. He was always short with her, trying to show that he wasn't interested in any form of comfort or pity, but he did feel somewhat guilty for rejecting the help from such a sincere girl. He scooted over slightly as she found a spot next to him, but his wide stance still made his legs brush up against hers.

Felix moved in closer to her to whisper back, "Um. Well, I was about to answer a question, but I kinda forgot." He chuckled, stirring up a cheeky smirk that revealed the dimple on his left cheek.

A soft knock echoed from the otherside of the Loft’s door as Jonas paused holding his tongue as he moved his gaze from Chloe Bronse towards the interrupting noise. Pushing himself off of the desk at the front of the room, Jonas opened the door as he looked down at the blonde haired student who patiently waited on the other side.

“Hello Mr. Lehrer,” The older teen started as he took a step forward as if to enter the room only for Jonas to step in front of him, intercepting the student from advancing any further. “Uh, oh right, you’re new here.” He muttered, running a hand through his well groomed hair before continuing.

“My name is Elroy Bain, I’m the student body president.” He smirked before brushing off his shoulder, “Returning actually, probably was the youngest in Mather’s history.” Elroy continued to brag as Jonas looked at him unimpressed.

“Oh, you probably know my father, he’s-”

“Mr. Bain, if you could please explain why you’re interrupting my class, I’d appreciate it.”

“Well, like I said, I’m the student body president-” Elroy reiterated before swallowing hard as Jonas motioned for him to get to the point.

“I have a community announcement I’d like to make to the class and since I can tell that you’re a man who values efficiency, I’d rather just address the class instead of repeating it twice.”

“Mind that attitude, Mr. Bain.” Jonas replied with a small smile as he stepped out of the student body president’s. “It’ll get you in trouble one day.”

“If you knew who my father-” Elroy retorted before cutting himself off. “Ah nevermind, you won’t last long enough around here to be worth the trouble.” He muttered as he walked into the room, giving his head a shake as he wiped away his frustration and replaced it with a political smile.

“Hey guys,” He exclaimed, tugging at the collar on his polo before sticking one hand in his pockets of his jeans as he flashed a perfect smile at the small class. “I’ve got two little announcements for you coming hot off of the student council’s desk, Gallagher there knows what’s up.” Elroy smiled as he nodded towards Noah who half heartedly waved back.

“First order of business, as you all are no doubt aware, a fellow Raven is missing. So on the behalf of the Crestwood Police Department and Mr. and Mrs. Stewart, I’d like to invite any willing volunteer out tonight at six, to Mather Park to take part in a community wide search. The more eyes, the more likely we are to find Kaitlyn and bring her home.” Elroy stated as he rubbed his hands together as his somber expression changed back to his million dollar smile.

“Now, in more school related news as you know all know, here at Mather Memorial we like to kick the year off right and traditionally that means ‘definitely not getting drunk’ and definitely dancing our asses off.” Elroy stated with a wide smile and a wink as Jonas coughed behind him.

“So in Mather Memorial tradition we will be holding our first themed dance of the year, this month’s theme is ‘Danse Macabre’ because I’m an impatient bastard who couldn’t wait for Hallowe’en.” He continued with a smug shrug.

“I expect each and everyone of you there.” Elroy added making ‘finger guns’ with both hands as he ‘shot’ each member of the Hyperhuman Social Conscience class. “No excuses, I want to see you all let loose.” He smiled before turning around to Jonas.

“Class is yours again, Sir.” His sarcastic tone didn’t go unnoticed as Jonas quickly closed the door and turned back to the gathered class only for the bell to ring as it signaled the end of the day.

“Saved by the bell then,” Jonas smiled as he walked behind the large desk at the front of the room before running his hand over his messenger bag as the clasps released before he opened it. Watching as the class began to leave, Jonas cleared his throat to catch their attention before speaking again.

“It would be, *ahem*, responsible to attend the Community Search tonight.” He smiled before resuming packing up as the class was dismissed.

Noah could feel Ivy’s eyes on him as he packed up his belongings before bracing against his crunch. Taking a hold of it, he stood up from his seat on the couch, quickly looking away from the beautiful redhead as he did so. His cheeks flushed red as his mind wandered to the idea of asking Ivy to the dance before he quickly dismissed the thought as the fantasy that it was.

The first day of the Hyperhuman Social Conscience Program had been interesting to say the least. If the class he had just experienced was anything to go off of, this was going to be an easy credit and a complete fluff class. A bunch of high school students weren’t about to revolutionize Hyperhuman rights, but hey if Jonas wanted to sit in the dustiest classroom and talk philosophy then Noah had no problem with that.

It was interesting that Elroy had brought up the proposition of the search party to the class in the school mostly likely to be able to help and less likely to care. Kaitlyn Stewart had been a member of the cheerleading squad, a real ‘Raven’ try-hard and among the school’s popular clique. She wasn’t exactly the kind of girl to go out of her way to be kind to someone outside of her clique, let alone a Hype.

Still, Noah had already been looking for her and he wasn’t the type to wish ill on anyone so he’d be showing up to help. Though it wouldn’t be as himself, Noah Gallagher was far from athletic and the woods were not the best of places for a man who hobbled along with a crutch. However, ‘Shadow’ as Ivy had named one of his other forms was far more equipped for the woods.

The large black dog quickly padded along the outskirts of Mather Park as it lifted its nose into the air to take a whiff at the various smells surrounding the park. It would have helped if he had more of a reference to go on for Kaitlyn, but Noah was relying entirely on his memory of her sickly sweet perfume.

The air was filled with the smells of the various volunteers but overpowering all of that was the enticing aroma of hot chili and freshly steamed hot dogs that some of the community restaurants had come together to produce for the volunteers. Sticking to the pines, Noah skirted the outside of the park as he avoided the K9 Units the police had brought along to aid in the search.

Looking for a familiar face in the crowd, Noah felt his stomach growl as a fresh whiff of hotdog wafted in front of his sensitive nose.

Why not?

Running forward, Noah put his front paws up on the table as people gasped at the sight of the wolf-like dog, frozen in surprise as Noah quickly woofed down a couple of hotdogs before dashing off into the crowd again with a playful bark as he headed towards the St. Betran’s Church.