She was a blur as she passed by him, the only thing he could see was her long, scarlet hair. Behind her, were two large warrior-like creatures armed to the teeth. Before he could run after them, she whipped around, her magnificent hair flowing with the wind. Emerald green spheres of light formed from her palms and eyes. As they hurled towards the creatures, he could only wonder who she was. Her tan skin and curvy figure were complemented by her purple garb and she would tower over him if he were closer. Still, he had to question what he saw. Why was she attacking? Why where they chasing? He was a hero, shouldn't he help her? "Dude, what should we do? Do we help the chick or nah?" His green companion questioned, "The situation seems totally serious," "We should help, but be wary, either side could be our enemy," He responded. He turned around to see her about to make the killing blow, two cars pinned them to the ground, rendering them helpless. He began to question if siding with her was the right idea, "Wait! Don't kill them! That's not what we do around earth!"
"Hmm?" She left her prisoners and swaggered over, and before he could say anything she pulled him closely and kissed him, "By mouth to mouth contact, my kind can learn languages. As for your prior statement, now that I can comprehend it, they are possessed soldiers of my corrupt home planet. I am not killing them, rather I'm setting them free,"
"What?" The green one had his jaw hanging, "Woah, woah, woah. What?"
"Beast boy," He hissed, "What's your name? Mine is Robin."
"In your tongue, I would be called Starfire," She responded coolly. "Dude, I'm Beast Boy! You wanna grab pizza?" Beast boy asked excitedly.
"Ahem," Robin shot him a look, "We need to be leaving, we have to meet someone, it was nice to meet you," He grabbed Beast Boy and ran into another alley, leaving her behind. "What were you thinking? We don't know her!" "Dude, just trying to be friendly, what's wrong? You jelly? Cause she did kiss you,"
"I-I don't feel anything for her, we have work to do anyways."
SIX MONTHS LATER.
Hive Academy was the most prestigious school in the area, it only could be attended by those who could make it past the school's rigorous entrance exam. The first day was always the hardest; and being new to not only the school, but the planet as well, made things difficult. Away from everyone she loved, she held her breath and tried her best not to cry. She was here because it was safe and she needed to be safe. They said they would come for her when the time was right, and the only ones who knew she was here were dead by her hand. 'Fulfill your duty', that's what they told her and that's what she had to do. Taking another deep breath, Koriand'r walked into the school, letting go of her fears. Entering her home room, she saw nothing but a boy gawking at her. She gave him no notice and sat down, trying her best to fit in. Dick had almost forgotten the incident six months ago, or rather he would've had it not been for her eyes. Those emerald demons have been haunting him since he first looked into him. They were everywhere he went, and he had a blissful memory from when their owner had pressed her soft lips against his own. He'd never let it show though, Gar would never let it go. He was sitting in his home room awaiting the arrival of a familiar face so he could converse with someone. He didn't expect to see a knot of scarlet hair sitting atop of a young woman with those same emerald eyes. He rubbed his eyes, he blinked, he pinched himself. None of it worked. It was her. Didn't she recognize him too? Probably not seeing as he had had his mask on. Still, his curious mind could not be restrained. "Hey, are you new here?" He asked, trying to be subtle.
"Yes, I transferred from another school for the new year," She responded, but she wasn't looking at him and her mind was somewhere far away. "Oh, what was your last school?"
"Why does it matter?" She asked, with a tone that indicated that he shouldn't push it.
"What's your name? Mine is Richard Grayson, but you can call me Dick,"
"Kori Anders, that is what I am called. Why must I call you Dick? Is it your title?"
"No, it's just a nickname. Something only my friends call me. Do you have one?"
"No," she responded curtly, "I only go by Kori Anders. Does your prior statement mean we are friends? Which I believe are companions that enjoy each other's presence, yes?"
He smiled a bit, "Yes, Kori, you are my friend. If that's ok,"
To his surprise, she smiled back, "You're my first friend, thank you. Can you help me find these rooms? I'm afraid I don't quite understand this building's structure,"
"Sure thing," She doesn't seem to recall anything, maybe it was just a coincidence. Plenty of people had the same features. Their homeroom teacher had a similar shade of red hair and green eyes,"After home room I'll give you the tour,"
"I'd like that," Homeroom continued with forms being passed out and class schedules being clarified. After all of that was said, the teacher introduced herself as Ms. Isley, the school's award winning botany professor, "Now, I'd like to call roll. Kori Anders?"
"Present,"
"Richard Grayson-Wayne?"
"Present,"
"Roy Harper?"
"Here!"
"Rolf Jones?"
"Yo, here,"
"Vanessa Kapateli?"
"Present,"
"Garfield Logan?"
"I'm here!,"
"Gemini de Mille?"
"Present,"
"Artemis Crock?"
"Oh, I'm here,"
"Xavier Red?"
"Here and ready to learn,"
"I find your attitude pleasing, Rachel Roth?"
"Here,"
"Victor Stone?"
"I'm here,"
"Wallace West?"
"Handsome and here," He grinned, causing Ms. Isley to scoff, "Yes, well that's all of you. A rather small home room. Another announcement, due to a lack in funding, in order to continue on, Gotham High will be merging with Hive Academy. It will become the main campus. The other building will be used as a private dormitory for those who are year round this change will come into affect after the winter break during the second semester."
Dick looked over to Kori, and wondered what she was thinking about. She hadn't looked away from the window. Before he could ask, Xavier Red walked over to her and kissed her hand. They began to talk, but from his desk he couldn't hear the conversation. All he could make out was Xavier's smile and Kori's nod. As soon as the bell rang and Xavier was out of sight, Dick ran to Kori's side, "What did he want?" "I do not think he wanted anything other than to introduce himself. Although he did not call himself my friend, rather he called me a human infant. Is this a custom?"
"Not really, don't let him do that again. Where did you say you were from?"
"I'm from another country,"
"Which one?"
"So, you told me there'd be a tour, yes?"
Dick gave up asking about her origins and started to lead her out of the classroom.
(A/N: I know it's slow, but I promise it'll pick up.)
Kori's POV "Hey babe, what're you doing here? I haven't seen you here before," The boy with the midnight black hair and the cool, manipulative eyes asked me. He then reached for my hand and kissed it. I'd overheard people calling others they had feelings for the synonym for human infant, but it never made any sense for me. What did he want? Galfor warned me that earthen men were only interested in imtercourse, but he'd also taught me not to judge right away. "I'm new to this school, this is my first day," I responded, trying to sound uninterested. I'm not here to find companions of any kind, I'm here because this is a school for those with powers. Hive academy has a long history of being a place where those who are gifted take sanctuary (many villainous), I was here to get a better grip with my powers and also to blend in. The goal was to lay low and not be found. Xavier might ruin this by asking so much. "You need a tour?" He smirked. "No," I responded flatly, "I've already received an offer,"
"Oh, well I'll see you around." "Mhm." I nodded, waiting for Dick to come over so I could leave this conversation. As soon as the bell rang and Xavier was out of sight, Dick ran to my side, "What did he want?" He asked, he seemed annoyed. Not that he had a right to be. "I do not think he wanted anything other than to introduce himself. Although he did not call himself my friend, rather he called me a human infant. Is this a custom?" I asked, hoping to learn a bit more about culture, so I could understand Xavier's motives better. "Not really, don't let him do that again. Where did you say you were from?" Why is everyone so obsessed with my homeland? "I'm from another country," True, but also not. "Which one?" He questioned again. "So, you told me there'd be a tour, yes?" I changed the subject, no one can know anyways. The war had been raging for a long time, but now that the battlefront had moved closer, my siblings and I were hidden. I don't know why I chose earth, it just seemed peaceful. I don't know where Ryand'r or Komand'r went, just that we would all be together soon. I missed them, despite Koma's taunting she was still my older sister. And Ryan was always so sweet to me. "Yes, of course. Follow me," He led me down a hallway, and I followed. The hallway noise buzzed around, but we remained silent. Unintentionally, I absorbed gossip like a sponge. Ms. Isley was having an affair with the Nurse. Quinzel, even though she was engaged to some attorney guy. Rachel Roth is a know-it-all witch. Suddenly, Dick grabbed my arm and pulled me into a corner, and before I could protest he put his cold hand over my mouth, "Don't scream, I'm not going to hurt you, but I need answers." He lifted his hand and released his grip on me. "What is the meaning of this? What information do you seek?" I was frightened, was I so obvious that I'd already been figured out? I thought Tamaran wasn't well known. Curses, using my powers risks further exposure, so I'm rendered useless unless I can beat him at hand to hand combat. He's shorter, but also well built. I could take him, but it wouldn't be easy. "I know you're sizing me up, but I don't mean you any harm. I just need to know what you know about Hive Academy. How did you get in?"
"My admission was arranged by my guardian who is away on business. I interviewed and passed the trials necessary," I had practiced this response a thousand times. I rather liked its composition, but I could tell that he knew it wasn't the full truth. "Look, I know that part, but they've allowed 10% more students. They've always been brutally strict on numbers. Also, this 10% is made up of people who don't completely fit their standards. They have to be up to something, and I think you know. Why else would you be so secretive? Who are you with?"
I pushed him aside with as much force as I could gather, "My name is Kori Anders, I'm 16 years of age and I came to Hive Academy to receive an education. I am with no one and I am unaware of any plots the school has. Please leave me alone, I'm not afraid to use force if I must," I think he was surprised because of the look on his face, but I didn't care. This incident made him an enemy. I knew I was being too harsh, but I can't afford to give up what little information about the school I know, it could lead to my identity being revealed. I'll just wait for Koma, she always knows what to do. Dick's POV Ok, so either she's in the dark or she isn't giving anything away. Why is she being so damn mysterious? Why is Xavier so interested in her, he never goes for girls like her. Always skinny blondes. I had to find someone who isn't the Hive's standard, I thought for sure she belonged there, but for the first time in awhile I was mistaken. Damn it, I was supposed to be leading the infiltration on Hive. Wally, Roy, and Gar are counting on me, yet I haven't found anything out. Bruce was already pissed after Jason, and he wanted Damian to do Hive. I had to find away to get back in his favor so I chose this. The JL had been curious about Hive for years. We knew Headmaster Blood's public description of the school, saying that it's a "Prestigious school for students who are both dedicated to their religion and studies,". Checking the TitM news feed, I saw that the war between the gordanians and Tamaranians had worsened to the point where the royal children had been sent away. Interesting, but it's not important. I needed info on Blood. There has to be something about Trigon, that's their goal right? It has to be. "Yo, Dick, you alright man?" Gar asked, breaking off a conversation with some blond, "I know you're over stressing on the assignment. Chill, it's a tough case,"
"It doesn't matter how tough it is, He wants it done. He won't accept any excuses and you know it," I responded a little too harshly, but it didn't matter. Gar has got to get his head on straight. "Dude, we gotta blend in though. Talk to some girls or join a team. Otherwise we're gonna stick out. Like I started talking to this Terra chick and she seems coolio. She has friends, one of them named Rose seems cute,"
"Fine, whatever. Just remember the mission is priority, not girls or teams,"
"What about the red head? Kori? You talked to her."
"That's different, I thought she'd be a weak link for interrogation, but she's not. She's just some airhead."
"Hey, be nice-wait, interrogation? Dick! Be chill!"
"Look, she probably just thinks I'm some creep and that's fine with me."
"Ugh! Be like Wally or Roy. They've already got fan girls and are trying out for football,"
"Yeah, but I'm not like them and I don't plan to be," After that, he gave up and left. Probably going back to Tammy or whatever her name was. I didn't mean to be mean, but I have to prioritize the mission. I did care about Kori's impression of me, but that could be mended later. I already had a girl to chase after anyways, I just had to get out of the friend zone. Kori's POV What a creep, I'd keep a watch on him. Why is he so obsessed with this school and I? I thought it was known that the school served as a sanctuary of those with gifts. I did know that we weren't allowed to talk about it in homeroom, maybe he's the reason why. The tour was clearly not going to happen so I decided to be brave and walk up to the first person I saw and ask for directions. "Pardon, but do you have knowledge of where this classroom is?" I questioned the blonde girl in the floral, pink dress. "Oh, I do, it's the same class I have this period. Strange way of asking though, what's your name?" She smiled. "It's Kori, may I ask yours?"
"Mine is Katherine, but nobody calls me that. I go by Kitten," It must be another nickname, like the one Richard has. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kitten,"
"The pleasure is mine, now I have a friend to sit with. Although I've heard Chiang's a hardass,". She seemed so much friendlier than Dick. Although, he called me a friend too. Nonetheless, I get a better vibe from her than I did from him. She grabbed my hand and started to lead me to the classroom. Her hand was much warmer, but not as soft. When we reached the classroom, I groaned. There he was, sitting in the front cluster with a group of guys. "What's wrong?" Kitten asked. I pointed to Dick. "Him,"
"Oh, yeah. People say he's a bit of a creep, but I know his friends are nice. Wally and Roy are huge flirts and Garfield is a sweet guy. Ooh!," She squealed, "Look! My boyfriend Fang is here! So is Johnny and Terra!" She pointed to a table where a lean, guy with dark eyes and hair, a built guy who dressed mostly in leather, and a girl with straight blonde hair that was pulled back by a silver clip in the shape of a butterfly. She grabbed my arm and dragged me over there. I caught Dick giving me a strange look, but I did my best to ignore him. I sat between Kitten and Terra, and waited for Professor Chiang to call on me for roll. "Now class, I will assign lab partners. These will be your partners for the rest of the semester so you'd better get a long. I do not make exceptions. We have Katherine Moth and Fang Arachnid Wallace West and Terra Markov John Rancid and Richard Grayson-Wayne Kori Anders and Gizmo Garfield Logan and Rachel Roth Duela Dent and Angela Hawkins Seymour Johnson and I can't pronounce this, so I'll just call you Mr. Wykkyd. Seymour, I trust you'll be able to accommodate Mr. Wykkyd's needs?"
"Yes, sir," The boy in the green shirt responded.
"Back to lab partners, the last pair we have is Klarion Bleak and Gemini de Mille," An assistant teacher whispered something in his ear, "There is a change, Mr. Rancid you are in the wrong class. This is an honors class, you belong in academic in room 509. Do I have anyone willing to work alone?"
Gizmo, my lab partner, shot his hand up in the air faster than anyone else could. Was I wretched enough that he didn't want to work with me? Not that I wanted to work with him anyways. He was the size of a small child and he was bald. Although he was the only one who looked like he belonged, seeing as he was dressed in a full lab outfit. "Alright Gizmo, that leaves Ms. Anders and Mr. Grayson-Wayne as partners. Please make sure you're sitting next to your assigned lab partner and remember I don't care if they stole your dress, boyfriend, or dog. I don't make exceptions. Prepare yourselves to learn about the history of xenothium. As Johnny and Terra left, Dick walked over to take the vacant seat next to me, "So," he began, "May I apologize?"