AN: hey there! SparkleJohn here~! I'm bringing you my very first attempt at an actual fanfiction with chapters and a real plot. So don't expect anything great from the first chapter or so yet xD here we goooooo~!

I hummed quietly to myself, silently walking down the street away from school. I was blasting music in my headphones, with no warning from the glomp I was about to receive. With a yelp, I fell forward onto the ground with someone clinging to my back.

They ripped off my headphones and crooned into my ear with a giggle, "Hey Karkles~"

"Ugh-Terezi, get the hell off me!" My voice ended up cracking at the end of my sentence, which earned a giggle from the teal-blooded troll whom sat on my back.

"I have decided that you shall walk me home today! It's not much of a stretch anyways, we live on the same street ya know." Terezi declared rather loudly.

"Fine fine, alright, can you get the hell off me first!?"

With a 'hmph', she did, and I was able to regain what little dignity I didn't have before the surprise attack.

My name is Karkat Vantas, me and 23 other trolls came here from Alternia. Don't ask me how we actually managed to get here. It's a long and rather boring story for another time. Anyways. Living on earth has reaped rewards for certain trolls, not naming any names, and has acted as a curse for the rest of us. Society doesn't exactly greet us with open arms when they're all pale-fleshed monkeys without a sense of dignity.

A lot of us are social rejects, around here, school and otherwise. Of course there's still a few of us whom are so high on their motherfucking seahorse, they forget that we're all supposed to get along on this rock. Nothing has really changed from Alternia to here though. We all just try to get along better for the sake of the humans.

I was so deep in though I must not have noticed Terezi had stopped walking next to me and heaved a sigh annoyedly. "Karkat, you zoned out again!"

"Well sorry, I had a long and rather depressing day again." I tried to at least sound like I meant the apology, but she just sighed again and turned away.

"Well whatever, I'm home already. See ya."

I waited a moment after seeing her walk up towards her apartment block before turning and starting down the sidewalk again. It had started to get chilly right about now, so I shoved my hands into my pockets.

Some of us...Nepeta, Sollux, Tavros and even Feferi don't fit in well here. Nepeta was getting bullied so much, she had nearly attacked the kids. She stays home with Equius, since he's not allowed to leave his place because of his issues and all. We all haven't seen Feferi since two or three months ago. The last time she left her and Eridan's place, she got cornered in an alley by a bunch of brutes who tied her up and hung her upside-down by a fire escape and had put those stupid plastic things the humans use to hold beverage cans together. Whatever the fuck those are called. When Eridan found her though, most of us were genuinely surprised that he didn't go and try to kill the guys. But after that they both disappeared for a while. It's only recent that Eridan has been coming back to school. Sollux just gets shit about his eyes and glasses. Tavros, mainly because of his stutter and the horns. All of us get teased for the horns. And stupid humans don't know that 'stop touching my horns' means 'stop touching my horns'. Water under the bridge I guess.

Coming up closer to my apartment block, I noticed someone sitting on the curb. It took me a moment to notice that the person was familiar. They had grey skin? I don't see any horns.

"Hey," I came closer and kneeled down "what are you-"

The troll turned to face me-Vriska-and her cheeks were stained a blotchy grey/blue, from tears and bruises. Her glasses were broken and scratched, and her neck had sores and was oozing blue blood. One of her horns was completely missing, only jagged points of where it was were left. The other horn was badly chipped and cracked, a painful sight.

The sight was surprising and sickening, I nearly stumbled back in horror. "Vriska!? What the hell!?"

Before she could answer, pounding footsteps interrupted her, and Aranea came running towards the both of us. She instantly took up her dancestor in her arms and lifted her off the curb. "Thank gog you found her. I'm sorry but I need to take her somewhere safe," she shot me a worried look and hurried away.

Confused by her sudden appearance and disappearance, I stood.

Heaving a sigh, I again resumed my walk up the stairs to my apartment, which I shared with my dancestor, Kankri.

There was a note on the door, left by him of course.

'Karkar, I w9n't 6e here t9night, I'm 9ut with Cr9nus t9night. Dinner's whatever y9u want.'

Pompous asshole.

I stepped inside and turned on some music, starting my homework.