Monday, August 17th. Or, to be more specific, the first day of school. And having failed a majority of his classes and forced to enroll in the alternative section of his school, Talon just simply does not want to wake up. In fact, he hopes some freak accident will kill him before he has the chance to get up. His dreams are literally destroyed as the knocking on his door becomes louder and louder, forcing him out of bed in a fit of rage.

Wearing nothing but his boxers, Talon grabs onto the door knob, and swings it open. He's met with the face of his non-blood related sister, Katarina, and a loud shriek. The surprise wail forces him onto the ground, covering his ears in hopes to save what's left of his hearing. When he's certain the screaming has stopped, or he's gone deaf, he removes his hands from his ears and looks to Katarina, who has her eyes covered by her hands.

"What the fuck is your problem!" he yells. Talon is slow to get up, and when he does, he leans against his door frame for support.

"Me? What's your problem? It's seven 'o' clock, and you're still n-n-n..." her fingers slide apart so she can take another glimpse of her brother's immodest self, but she immediately evades her eyes, "naked!"

"School doesn't start until eight!" Katarina sighs and shakes her head in disapproval.

"Of course you need to take into account the traffic." Talon, who looks to have had his limit exceeded in annoyance already, slowly backs away from Katarina, and heads over to his window.

"I would worry about traffic, if it wasn't for the teensy weensy fact that..." he then yanks his blinds open, revealing a high school right across the street, "we live right across the street from school you god damn lunatic!" Katarina scoffs and walks off, but still won't let Talon have the last laugh.

"Being prepared is the first step to succeeding in school." She then chuckles softly. "But in your case, no amount of prep time can help you."

Yep, that right there was Talon's limit for the day. Maybe he can find a freshman he can take his frustrations out on? No, no, no. That would be bad. Having already used up all of his 'second' chances, Talon is on thin-ice with the dean of his school. So, hopefully, no one does anything to piss him off. He then looks out the window, and stares at his school. The words on the school's electronic bulletin board say, 'New year, new you!'. 'New you'...they say? He decides to not dwell on it, and gathers some fresh clothes from his dresser.

"No point in going back to sleep since I'm already awake.." he thinks.

Talon piles his clothes under his arm, and begins to head for the bathroom to take a shower, but on the way out, he turns the corner and bumps into his other non-blood related sister, Cassiopeia (Cassie for short, Assie for when he's bullying her). Cassie falls to the ground, and begins to rub her eyes as she yawns and stands back up.

"My bad, Cassie. I'm still trying to wake up." She waves her hand, signaling that she accepts his apology.

"I see Kat woke you up, too?" Talon nods. "Going on about something stupid, like, being prepared is...is..."

"Is the first step to succeeding in school?" Cassie snaps her finger and smiles.

"Yeah, that's the stupid thing she was saying." She yawns and stretches her arms high above her head. "That damn perfectionist...she really needs a boyfriend." Talon can't help but laugh at that statement.

"Are you kidding me? That girl is a walking penis repellant!"

"True...true...which is sad cause she's got a pretty face, nice butt, and a nice chest." Talon nods in agreement, and then they both share a hearty laugh. However, a sudden chill overcomes the both of them as they fall silent for an unknown reason.

"What are you two discussing so early in the morning?" Talon slowly turns around and spots an angry Katarina with a knife in her hand. Memories of the last time she stabbed him pops into his mind, so he thinks quickly for an excuse.

"W-w-well, Cassie and I were just talking about-" Talon looks forward but drops to his knees and punches the floor when he notices that his sister has left him on his own. "TRAITOOOOOOOOOR!" His screams of anguish and pain go unheard to Cassie, as she purposely ignores them for her own safety.


8:00 a.m.

Having survived his stab wounds, Talon is positive that he has built an immunity to blades. Which sucks, since Katarina murdering him would have gotten him out of going to school. Permanently.

But that's not the case, as Talon is currently crossing the street with his sisters, marching to the beginning of another shitty year. Last year, Talon has set the new school record of consecutive ditching days, which is 175, meaning he has only been to 5 days of class. That was his only 'accomplishment' throughout the semester. Before the three of them step inside the building, Talon decides to beat his own record, and ditch every single day. The ingenious idea brings a smile to his face.

Ditching every single day is called dropping out, you say?

Talon will prove that you can ditch every day, and still manage to stay enrolled in school! He begins to cackle maniacally, as he makes a 180 degree turn, and heads back home. Things don't go as planned when a hand grabs onto his head and lifts him up into the air. The hand turns him around, and Talon's heart sinks when he sees an old man, with poor hairstyle choices and a cane, holding him back from leaving. The old man smiles and squeezes harder upon Talon's temples, causing him to scream in agony.

"Dean Swain, please! Have mercy!" Without warning, Talon is released. The old man pounds his cane on the concrete and wraps an arm around Talon's shoulder.

"Leaving so soon, Mr. Du Couteau?" His grip around Talon's shoulder slowly turns into a chokehold. "If I remember correctly...you were appointed to the alternative classes in the lower levels, am I correct?" Talon swallows a lump that has begun to build up in his throat.

"Y-yes, sir. I was actually heading there right now!"

"Oh were you? What a coincidence, cause so am I! Lets walk together, yes?" Not given the opportunity to respond, Talon is dragged against his will to the lower levels of the school buildings where the alternative classes lie. Housing only those who truly loathe every moment spent at school, these lower halls have been through hell and back. Litter, graffiti, and stains of all sorts cover the hallways of the lower levels. And there's most definitely a rat infestation down here...

The Dean comes to a sudden stop and turns Talon to a door that has a note taped onto it that reads, 'Alternative Class, 11th and 12th grade'. He then pushes the door with his cane, and throws Talon inside the room and immediately shuts it behind him. So much for the plan of ditching every single day.

Talon massages his neck, and takes a look around the classroom. Most kids seem to be in their own world, doing an assortment of things that have nothing to do with academics; from sleeping, to rolling joints. Not even the bell, signaling the start of school, stops them from doing what they please. Noticing that there's no teacher in the class, Talon decides to just leave, so he heads for the door. He grabs the knob, and slowly opens it, and is met with a very...very...VERY large, mustached man in a suit. The man looks down at Talon, and smiles.

"Do you not wish to participate in class today, friend?" The man's accent is foreign, yet, friendly. It's also very satisfying to the ear. "Come, come and take a seat! We shall play games and introduce ourselves!" The man pushes Talon back into the class, and into a seat in the front row. Talon looks to his left, and notices a small guy, with a large, white Mohawk. He takes no interest in class as he just taps his fingers on his desk, while chewing some gum. Talon then looks to his right and takes note of a girl with pink dyed hair, and lots of piercings. She also has no interest in class since she is out cold, taking a nap on the desk. Deciding that this teacher will not punish an entire class, Talon pulls his phone out from his pocket with a pair of ear buds. Almost immediately, his phone is snatched away. Confusion becomes riddled on his face, so he looks up at the smiling, mustached man who now holds his phone in his hand. "No phones, sorry." The mustached man then grabs a trashcan, and places it on the Mohawk kid's desk. "No chewing gum, sorry." He then walks over and pounds on the pink haired girl's desk, scaring her awake. "And no sleeping, sorry!"

"So, no fun..." Talon mutters. This causes the large man to sigh and walk to the front of the room. He grabs a dry-erase marker, and begins to write out his name on the board.

"I, am Braum! Mr. Braum to you students!" Almost no one is paying attention. "Now, Braum knows you do not wish to be here labeled as problem students, but we shall not let the words of others hurt our feelings! We shall, in fact, ignore them and create an identity all of our own!" A sarcastic laugh from the back of the class catches Mr. Braum's attention. Everyone looks back, and finds the laugh to come from a muscular guy in a leather jacket and blue jeans. "Well, friend, it seems you do not agree with what I say, yes? What is your name?"

"Darius. And yeah, I'm sick of all the teachers trying to tell me that everyone is unique, yet they force us to conform to their stupid planned lessons, and curriculum." At the sound of logic coming from a fellow student, everyone is all ears. "Like, so what if I don't have good grades. So what if I don't enjoy coming to school. So what if I have no plans for college. I just want to enjoy being young!" In unison, all the students cry out in agreement. Mr. Braum, doesn't back down, and stands tall in the front of the class.

"Yes, but there are reasons for saying such things to-"

"Ha! And what reasons are those?" The pink haired girl interrupts. Mr. Braum isn't smiling anymore, and wraps his arms across his broad chest.

"Eight years ago, I left my home in a far away, and bitter land. Mother always said Braum must do his-"

"Pffft, a sob story...I'm bored already!" Darius yells out to interrupt, but Mr. Braum does not back down.

"Braum must do his best...so Braum did, and studied very hard to become a teacher. And when Braum came to this land, not knowing much of this land's culture or people, Braum felt he had no purpose here." This statement catches most of the students' attention. "I've been going through existential panic attacks almost daily for the past eight years. I've gained some insight from them; Braum will share it with you, if it's okay with you all?" No one objects, so he continues on. "Life is pretty meaningless, sort of like a dream. Like a dream, it is a temporary experience in which you are thrown into an unusual world where things actually exist. You meet a wonderful assortment of characters, and you choose to follow the story without questioning it. You do things that you like, you make generalizations, you try to construct an inner universe in yourself by recognizing patterns in order to make the world outside of you more predictable and under control. Many of these attempts fail. When the dream is over, it is gone without a trace. All of your friends, family, possessions, and the consequences and aftermath of everything that you've done cease to be. The world around you continues without you, but the world that you've made for yourself which includes your friends, family, and everything about the world that made sense to you, instantly vanishes." Silence. Absolute silence overtakes the room. Talon, intrigued by the man's words, speaks out.

"So...then why try if everything will vanish in an instant?" Mr. Braum smiles, and chuckles.

"We're all sharing this dream after all. Life is a temporary dream, and whether it becomes a dream or a nightmare is up to you. Why would you choose to ruin your dream, and decide to not take school seriously? Yes, it's not fun, but it's what decides your dream or nightmare. Why it is that way, Braum cannot say. It just is. And if you do not agree with how it is done..." Mr. Braum then holds a hand out pointing at the door, "there is the exit." Silence once again reigns over the classroom. Everyone sits, curious to see if someone is bold enough to leave. It's such a tempting offer for Talon, but for some reason...he doesn't take it. This man...no...Mr. Braum's words inspired Talon. To maybe...maybe just give this school thing a shot. Just this one semester though!

Once Mr. Braum is positive no one will leave, he smiles and grabs a piece of paper from the inside of his desk. "Now, let us get started, yes? We'll do roll call first, and when Braum calls your name, please tell us something that you enjoy doing!" Everyone groans. "Oh don't worry, it'll be fun! You'll get to know your classmates better!" Talon begins to think...what does he enjoy doing? He's pretty sure he just can't admit that he loves to commit thefts, and ditch. "Okay...ah! Our friend Darius is first on the list! So, Darius, what do you enjoy doing?" Darius stands up and tries his best to put on an intimidating face.

"Fighting. Can't get enough of it!" Mr. Braum raises an eyebrow.

"Are you sure that is all you do?" Darius smirks, and nods. "Are you really sure? Because on Braum's roster, it shows you used to play varsity basketball." Darius flinches, and nervously rubs the back of his head.

"W-well..." Darius sighs, "I used to be the best player on the team. But the coaches said I wasn't a very good team player and kicked me off. But that's fine by me! I was too good for that trash team anyways!" Darius angrily sits back in his chair and rests his head on his desk.

"It's okay, just keep playing without a team! Maybe with a friend, yes? Alright, moving on to...Ekko?" The Mohawk kid, sitting next to Talon stands. "And what do you enjoy doing, friend?"

"I do enjoy playing air guitar. I'm an expert at it I guess you could say! In fact, I got a concert I'm performing this weekend at the Air Guitar Memorial Hall." His sarcastic remarks incite a few laughs from the class.

"Oh? Well, Braum's roster knows all...especially the part where it says how you were the top scorer in the science portion of the National Education Evaluation Exam in all of the country." A few ooh's and aah's come from the class.

"Uhh...yeah, I guess. Don't worry about that stuff..." Ekko seems defeated as he slumps back into his seat.

"Why do you seem disheartened about Braum announcing your amazing achievement? Be proud! Be proud like my homeland's most amazing animal, the ram!"

"I can't exactly be proud of something my parents' forced me to be good at..."

"Ah...but you are good at it, yes? Be happy for that! Okay...next is...Vi?" Mr. Braum looks closely at his roster and then moves it away from his face. "Two letters? Two letters is hardly a name!"

"Well, sorry for not having a name up to your standards!" The pink haired girl, sitting on the other side of Talon stands. "The name's Vi, and if you have a problem with that, we can fight it out!" Darius cheers out from the back of the class.

"Ha-ha! Such amazing energy! Braum is sorry for his remarks." Mr. Braum bows his head quickly. "So, Vi, what do you enjoy doing?"

"Fighting. Punching. Boxing. If it involves my fisting skills, I'm all for it!" Most of the guys in the class can't help but laugh. Vi then sinks into her seat in embarrassment. "I-I...I don't know why I said that..." Mr. Braum tries to do what he did to the other students, and dig into her personal feelings.

"Surely, you enjoy doing more than-"

"Nope." Well, she shut him down quick. "Vi, stands for violence. Plain and simple." Mr. Braum blinks a few times, and shakes his head.

"Okay...next is...Talon?" Talon stands, and shoves his hands into his pockets. "Ah, hello! You're the friend who tried to leave early, yes?"

"Uhh...yeah."

"Tell me, friend, what do you enjoy doing?" Talon begins to shake nervously. He's still not sure what he enjoys doing, so he decides to sit back into his seat, and cover his head with his hood.

"My...uhh...lawyer has advised me not to answer that question." Mr. Braum is confused, but moves on. Unfortunately, the rest of Talon's class is so dull and bland personality wise, except for the four who were announced first, no one seems to remember them quite well.

A few minutes after the last few students introduced themselves, the bell ringing for second period has rung. Only a few students get up and leave, but everyone else is stuck in the alternative class for the whole day.

"But..." Talon thinks, "maybe with Mr. Braum, this class won't be so bad."