A few forewords; first off, this is my maiden work, my first one so please feel free to comment on my writing. Second, English isn't really my mother tongue, so please correct any grammatical mistakes if you see any. Third, this is mostly based off of the TV version of Young Justice and loosely, X-men: Evolution set sometime after both series with some minor changes. Thanks and Enjoy!

Beep! Beep! Beep!

I heard the alarm clock go off, it didn't wake me up. I was already awake. I couldn't really fall asleep. It's been tiring lately. My dad sent me here to this apartment in a town called Bayville. He also enrolled me in the local high school. I wouldn't normally find this special, but what just happened was hardly normal.

A few nights ago, my dad snuck me on a bus on its way here. He told me to wait inside and get off at where I am now. These military official-looking guys came up and talked to him and, unbelievably, arrested him. I was shocked and worried, of course, but I couldn't exactly throw a fit on a bus I wasn't even supposed to be on. Besides, my dad was strong and I doubt he did anything wrong. That, however, wasn't enough to soften the blow of his last, longing look at me as the bus sped away.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

I finally shut off the alarm clock. It was my first day of school, too and I wasn't in the mood to even drag myself to the shower. I managed to get into the bathroom, strip out of my clothes, and hop in the shower. The water was cold as it ran down my skin. It was welcome; I was from Phoenix, after all.

After showering, I assessed my wardrobe. It was diverse for what I could manage to bring, along with some other possessions. I settled on a maroon shirt and a denim mini skirt. I threw on my black hoodie and a lighter maroon scarf; they both went well with my long black hair and brown eyes.

I decided to have a little toast before going, so I headed to the kitchen and made some. I was surprised at how high-end the place was, at least for our budget, when I got here. I suspected a benefactor of sorts. Which reminded me: I was supposed to meet this guy named Lance after school. A letter yesterday had an address on it and just the signature, Lance.

It's baffling, really, I thought while having some toast. How calmly I'm taking all this: separation from my only parent, being shipped of somewhere alien to me, and this Lance person.

I paused for some more toast. No, not calm, just quiet. I continued to have my breakfast in silence. I decided to leave. 7:14. School starts at eight. I sighed, because this fucking sucks.

The walk to school was irritating, noisy. Impatient drivers, spoiled children, construction. I hoped I was going to get used to this. I had to pass by a park and several blocks of shops before I rounded the corner to school. It was filled with students on their first day as well. I was not eager to go mingling like some airhead, which my father always suggested.

A handful of students eyed me. They were mostly just perving jocks and maybe some others who probably just noted I was new. But this one girl though, this redhead looked at me like I just slapped her boyfriend, whom I assumed was Mister Shades over there next to her. I tried shaking it off, what a freak. She looked like a higher up, too. I was just a sophomore so I guess she was queen bee or something.

In my reverie, I nearly tripped on the stairs. Luckily, I caught myself without anyone noticing. I continued to climb and made my way silently to the principal's office. Principal Kelly. Before I could even knock, the knob twisted and the door opened to reveal this dude who reminded me of a frog. Ugh, he smelled like one, too. I assumed was being told off, he didn't look like a model student.

"Hey there, baby cakes." He said to me. I noticed that his tongue was green! What the hell is this guy?

"I'm not a cake you want to cut." I began. "So why don't we hop along? Ribbit."

He muttered something I couldn't understand, but I was sure it wasn't anything flattering. Thankfully, he left. I knocked on the open door before entering.

"Principal Kelly? Excuse me, I'm the new—"

"Student? Yes. Please, have a seat." He said. Principal Kelly looked like the kind of principal that detested children, yet worked in a school. I did not like him so far.

"Miss Noire, is it? Hope Serena Noire?" the Principal asked.

"Yes." I responded, taking a seat in front of the man's desk.

"Well, we've had quite the number of new enrolees lately. You are human, aren't you?"

What a question. Was that the norm here? "Uh, yeah, I guess."

"Good, because we've had some debacles in the past, mutant debacles, and I'm not too keen on having any more of them in my school right now."

"Mutants?" I asked reflexively. I didn't hear of any power plants or anything around here. And everyone seems human, no deformed sludge monsters or whatever. Although there was that jerk with the green tongue. What is it with this place?

"You haven't heard of them?" Principal Kelly asked, somewhat shocked. So this mutant thing was a commodity. "They're everywhere right now. Have you been living under a rock?"

My face tightened, that was a bit aggressive.

"I apologize." Principal Kelly said, regaining composure. "Mutants are just a very big...loose end to tie up. They're unstable somewhat. I hope that you can understand why I would be worried. Your classmates should fill you in if needed." He searched through his drawer and brought out a sheet.

"This is your class schedule."He said as he handed me the paper. "Have a nice stay at our school."

I checked my schedule after being waved off. My first class was English. I started off with some difficulty; the school was a bit hard to navigate. I eventually got there, first even.

I took a seat near the back and next to the window. After a while, I took out a notebook and began drawing. I was fond of art and drawings. I was a fan of heroes and comics, too. The drawing began taking shape as a girl, just about my age and size of a teen. I imagined her as a superhero. I wasn't a fan of those tight spandex, so I drew an outfit more down-to-earth.

"Hey there!" I flinched. This girl just came up to me, excited. She had brown hair tied into a ponytail. There was a really visible exuberance to her, too. "You're new, I think. My name's Kitty." She held out a hand.

"Hope. Hope Noire." I shook her hand in response.

"So Hope, you liking it here?"

"It's just my first day." I said nonchalantly. I was kind of eager to end the conversation.

"Oh. What's that?" She said, eyeing my drawing. "Cool. You're really good, you know."

"Yeah," I said, closing my notebook. "Thanks."

Fortunately, the bell rang and class started. Students started piling in. Kitty said goodbye and all and took her seat. The teacher came in and started rattling on. I was already tuning him out. It was gonna be a long day.