Hello! This is my first fanfiction so please try not to be too harsh. I've seen a lot of High school and college AUs but not very many focus on the "bad students", so I thought I'd change that! I've also decided to use lesser known characters, even if it won't get me as many views. The paranormal part of this story will slowly increase in importance as it goes on.

This is mostly a small introduction to Scourge's home, still, hope you like it.

Texts will be italicized.

The worn stairs creaked angrily as Scourge made his way down to the basement, an irritating odor like fresh wood tickling his nose. He let a groan rumble in his throat and a scowl presented itself on his muzzle, blue eyes scanning the mess once his pulled the single chain to turn on the light. Dusty illumination revealed old crates and boxes somewhat neatly stacked on top of one another, causing Scourge to silently pray none would topple onto him. There was a rack of tools hung on the wall, hammers and screwdrivers gently used but they were now wearing blankets of dust. Other objects were dotted about the space, ranging from bookshelves and a table covered with random figurines and knickknacks, to a large piano stuck in the corner that clearly hadn't been touched in some time. Why did they even have that?

Scourge scratched his quills and knew he had to start on something. He wasn't sure why his father had decided to tell him to start cleaning the basement when school started back tomorrow, but there was no reasoning with him nowadays. His attention turning to the crowded table, the blue-eyed hedgehog figured he should start there. There was a pile of unused envelopes on the far side and some pens lying nearby, an odd vase stood proudly near the middle. It was white, but accented in a periwinkle color and some kind of flower was painted on two sides. He looked over the fragile figurines, the animals and angels staring at him with tiny eyes and unmoving faces. They were forever stuck in time, forced to stay motionless and watch. Creepy.

Scourge moved over to the boxes, hoping that if some were empty he could simply place the oddities inside. He peeled open the first box he could get to and was surprised when he saw there was absolutely nothing inside. Now he just needed to find something that would keep the things from breaking. Yet, he heard a buzzing sound and took his phone from his pocket. A text from Fiona.

A small spark of joy lit up his eyes, his grin showing off his jagged teeth.

Hey baby, ready for school tomorrow? :P

Scourge chuckled. She didn't seem very thrilled.

Not really, but what can you do? I hope Mrs. West isn't teaching anymore

He could have sworn the history teacher had something against him, even more so than the rest of the staff.

Same, that pheasant should be a hawk with how much she sees and hears! :0

Scourge felt his body shake with a faint laugh. Fiona was much more expressive over text than in person and he found it quite funny.

Haha! Hey, Nack and the others haven't left have they?

Uh I actually haven't heard from them most of the summer. Bean texted me for the first few days but then he just stopped

Aw really? Gee it won't be as funny without them if they left

When he managed to find room for the box on the table, his phone buzzed again and he quickly looked to see what his girlfriend had said.

Though, he didn't read it. There was a black figure in his peripheral vision, completely still and motionless. From what he could tell, it was right in front of the stairs. Thinking his father must have come down to check on him, he put up his hands and a nervous expression wiped away his confident one.

"I'm working, I promise!"

But, there was nothing there.

Scourge and his father ate in silence, the air rich with the smell of pasta and tomato sauce. The teenager caught glimpses of his pale blue father and noticed the sullen expression aging his face even more. He raised a brow, "Somethin' wrong, Dad?"

"No."

The reply was terse and to the point. It was unlike him. Also, he was a horrible liar.

Scourge thought for a few moments, twirling some more spaghetti with his fork before taking a bite. He chewed slowly and his hand twitched as a thought crossed his mind. He knew better than to bring it up, but his mouth acted on its own.

"Is it about Mom?"

A cold wind rushed by, freezing the air and settling uncomfortably over both hedgehogs. His father physically tensed at the mention of the woman who had run out on them at the beginning of summer break. Scourge knew he messed up but he couldn't bring himself to apologize. Still, nothing was said and he dropped the subject. Now he was the one being glanced at.

Scourge's room was dark, the lack of light causing the simplest of objects to become far more menacing. A jacket clinging to a chair could appear to move by itself or a meaningless mark on the closet door could grow in size if you stared at it too long. But Scourge didn't care, a small amount of light saved him from the creatures hidden in the shadows. He was still texting Fiona without caring about what time his phone read, laying partially on his side. Though, his friend Nack had also texted him after dinner, so at least he knew his purple weasel friend was still attending his school. Scourge kept his ears perked and alert, just in case his father woke up during the night.

So Nack, how's your sister?

Nic still bothers the hell outta me but she's fine

She won't stop annoying you until hell freezes over

While waiting for a reply, he wondered what all had changed over the summer. Had any of his classmates left or completely altered over those few months? He certainly hadn't changed, he was still the arrogant and impatient troublemaker he was known for being. Fiona was still clever and still in sync with his thoughts. He couldn't say the same for some of the other students he hung out with. Or, at least, he didn't know if he could. His phone vibrated, it was Fiona.

You should get some sleep, school starts tomorrow :/

The green hedgehog glanced at the time. 12:35. He mentally shrugged, it wasn't all that late.

You're still awake too, babe ;) Besides it ain't too late

There was sudden motion in the corner of his eye and a chill ran down his spine. He felt like something was watching him. He shot up and wildly looked around, expecting to see a figure staring at him from across the room or something to grab him. Again, there was nothing. Just his furniture. He tried to calm down and stop his heart from beating so hard. He was panicking over nothing.

Maybe Fiona was right, maybe he needed to get some sleep.