Chapter 1 – It's the morning of your very first day. Pt.1

As Greg Lestrade got ready for his first day at Baker Street Sixth Form College a wave of apprehension came over him. Unlike most of the others who would be attending, he wasn't transitioning with peers from his comprehensive. His mum had accepted a new job during the summer, which had culminated in their recent move from Dorset into Greater London. He didn't hold the move against his mother. After his father, a police constable, had been shot and killed whilst his mother was pregnant with him, she had worked hard to raise him single-handedly. Working unskilled jobs to make ends meet whilst Greg had been growing up, once he was in high school, she made the decision to go and get a degree. Sarah Lestrade did not regret her whirlwind romance with Greg's father, Christian, nor did she regret that marrying so young meant that she had put her dream to become a teacher on hold. Her only regret was that her time with her husband had been so tragically cut short, and that Greg had never got to meet his father. However, after Greg started high-school, she finally decided to get her PGCE and now she was embarking on her first teaching job. Greg was amazingly proud of his mum, and he knew that the upheaval was worth it when he saw her at the breakfast table that morning. Excited and nervous all at once.

Greg was feeling very similar to his mother. As he walked down the route he'd memorized which would take him to college, he wondered how his day would pan out. Whilst everyone starting Lower Sixth Form today would be new to the college, most of them would be moving up with friends from their relative high schools. Alliances, friendships, and cliques would already be formed for many of the youths. He paused briefly to send off a message in his iMessage group chat to all his friends from his old comp. They too would be starting a new Sixth Form College that day, so he wished them all luck, and internally thought about how much he wanted to be with them. Almost immediately a barrage of replies came back from the group, sending back the wishes of luck, and letting him know he was missed.

As he passed through the gates of Baker Street Sixth Form College, Greg took a moment to look around the grounds. The college itself was large but unremarkable, and was set on a plot with a sizeable carpark in front of the building, and a large grassy area off to the right, complete with a few shelters and picnic style tables. The map he received a few weeks ago, in the post along with his handbook and timetable, had shown playing fields to the rear of the building. A quick look at his watch revealed the time to be 8.20. The day began with 'sign in' at 8.30. The time meant that there were still a large number of students milling around outside – friends reunited after summer break. Rather than dwell on this, Greg pulled his timetable from his bag. His 'sign in' group was called Eagle and their room was 2a1. He'd read about the decision taken to name each sign in group after a bird of prey in the handbook, and whilst he thought it a bit ridiculous considering the students were all going to be sitting their A-levels this year, and could clearly cope with a numerical system rather than childish naming systems like houses at Hogwarts, he decided to put the thought out of his head and try and find his sign in room.

It was not as difficult as he had thought it would be. Despite not being present for the tours before the summer, which most of the other new students would have taken part in, the room number system was far more logical than the sign in name system. 2a1 was the first room of the A corridor on the second floor. He entered the room to find it already contained a large number of people. A few heads turned as he entered, but when they saw that he wasn't a friend of theirs, they quickly turned back. Here groups were formed much like they had been outside, with chatter buzzing around the room as people filled in their friends about their holiday, their summer romances, their timetable for the day and numerous other subjects. Only one person sat alone, in the farthest corner of the room, a boy with auburn hair and striking features, huddled over his mobile. Greg had thought for a moment that maybe he was also a newbie, and had contemplated taking a seat at the desk next to him, but then quickly decided that his friends just probably hadn't arrived yet, and so left a few seats before situating himself at a desk further along the back row.

Somewhere, a bell rang. The students that had previously stood around in little groups quickly found their way to seats. A brightly dressed young woman swept into the room with a dazzling smile. A few murmurs went around the room as the boys present appreciated the petite but curvy mid-twenties brunette who turned to 'Casey' on the whiteboard at the front of the room.

"Hello my little Eaglets, welcome to your first day at Baker Street Sixth Form College" said the bubbly brunette. "It's my first day here too, so we'll have to help each other along. As you know, things are a bit different here than in high school. First of all, what used to be form-time is now called 'sign in', and I will be your group's sign in leader. Secondly, tutors here go by first name, and as you can see from the board, mine's is Casey. Now if you could all sit tight while I do a quick attendance list, letting me know if you go by anything other than the name I call out, then we can have a bit of a getting to know you session."

Mycroft sat alone in the farthest corner of the room. Whilst waiting for his name to be called, he quickly surveyed the room. The desks directly around him were unoccupied. A few rows in front were some girls who he recognized as having gone to his high-school. However, as he had moved up a year early, having taken his GCSEs in year 10 rather than year 11, he wasn't acquainted with them. A group of boys to the girls' left also seemed familiar, probably for the same reason, and he noticed that all of them were looking at the tutor Casey with appreciation. As he scanned the room, he noticed that all the boys present were focussed entirely on her. All of them, except the other loner in the room, who was in fact staring miserably at his desk. He was snapped out of his reverie as he heard Casey call out "Mycroft Holmes".

"Here", he replied, as a few students turned to look at him.

He quickly turned his attention back to the brown haired boy sitting alone further along his row. He looked for a few minutes trying to figure out why the boy was sitting alone. Relocation for a parent's job – simple enough. And a more valid reason than that he was a genius and had progressed to Sixth Form a year early. Not that it would have mattered, because even back at his Comprehensive, his intelligence intimidated the others in his year, and he didn't have any friends. The boy lifted his stare from the desk as Casey called out the name "Gregory Lestrade".

"That's me, but I prefer to be called Greg", the brunette boy called back, before lowering his gaze again.

"That's fine Greg", Casey said before going on with the list.

After the attendance list was done, Casey proposed that they go through the list again and let each person say a little bit about themselves. Mycroft sunk a little lower in his chair. This was unnecessary humiliation. He did not want to stand up and tell his form mates what Comp he had attended and what his interests were, - as those were Casey's suggested topics -, and nor did he care about the others' responses to these questions. He zoned out.

The bell rang, bringing Mycroft's mind back to the room. They had only reached D surnames on the registers for introductions in the allotted time, and Casey assured the remainder that their turn would come tomorrow. 'Hopefully not', thought Mycroft, as he pocketed his phone and lifted his bag to head off to his first subject.

Greg's head snapped up as the bell rang, interrupting the introductions that Casey had started. Thank god they hadn't reached L on the list just yet. He wasn't ready to stand up in front of a bunch of strangers. As he gathered up his bag and his coat, he glanced at the auburn haired boy that he'd noticed when he'd first came in. Mycroft, that was his name. An odd name, in Greg's opinion. He headed off to his first class, which was English Lit, and was only down the hall in room 2a14. As he approached them room, he noticed that Mycroft was headed there too. Deciding to bite the bull by the horns, in the hope of uniting with another would-be loner, he turned to Mycroft as they entered the room.

"So, are you another newbie, not moving up from one of the local Comps?"