"Not looking forward to hiding the whole demon thing, honestly."

"Well I don't see why you have to hide it. You're a princess! How many girls can actually claim to be princesses? I mean sure their parents might call them princesses, but were I to die, you would become a literal queen. Queen of the Nightosphere!"

"Oh boy can't wait. I've always dreamt about getting to be the queen of a bunch of demons!"

"Marceline Abadeer. I never knew you were that excited to be queen! If you want we can forego this whole school thing and I can help you prepare!"

"Geez dad it was sarcasm. You'd think you would be better at detecting it."

"Awww Marce, don't disappoint me like that." Her father reached a hand over, gently slapping her arm. "Oh well I suppose, your brother's more likely to ascend to the throne anyway."

"If he doesn't die of something stupid first."

"Now now, that's no way to talk about your brother!"

"Whatever." An awkward moment passed.

"So uh. Marce. Are you excited for this whole school thing?"

"Am I excited for school?"

"I did ask that."

Marceline shrugged. "I guess? I have a music class, so that's cool I guess."

"I have never understood your obsession with music. I mean it's fine to have hobbies, but you take it so much more seriously! What could you ever even do with music?"

"Start a band?"

"How many bands are there in the Nightosphere exactly Marceline?"

"Don't know don't care, wasn't planning on starting one there."

"Where else would you start one?"

"Um. Earth?"

"EARTH?!"

"Yeah. Earth. I am half human dad."

Hunson gripped the steering wheel tightly. "That is a fair point Marceline."

The rest of the ride to school was awkward.

English was, as Marceline understood it, a largely pointless class. It's not that she had no interest in learning the subject, or reading, it's just that the idea of gleaning meaning from mundane and ordinary things didn't seem like her idea of a proper education. Regardless of her personal feelings towards the subject, it was her first class. She was also, much to her chagrin, the first one there. She had always hated being first in things. She picked a seat in the front row, plonking her bag on top before sitting down.

Her loneliness was not a problem for long, as soon a tall woman, she presumed to be the teacher, walked up and sat down behind a large desk in the front center of the room, setting her feet upon it. She noticed Marceline, her eyes going wide in surprise behind her glasses. She quickly removed her feet from the desk.

"Ahem. Hello."

"Uh. Hi."

"I've not seen you around before."

"Do you know all of the students?"
"I pride myself in knowing them." The teacher blushed.

"Oh. Well. I'm Marceline. I'm new."

"OH you're the new student." She beamed. "I'm Ms. Groff, your English teacher but you probablyalreadyguessedthat." Ms. Groff looked down blushing.

"Mhm."

Marceline nodded in agreement. The two sat there awkwardly until another student walked in. And then another. And soon, the class was full. Marceline was content on staying silent through class, unfortunately that idea was shattered when the kid sitting next to her leaned up on her.

"Hey. Psst. Heeeeeey."

"Ugh. What?" Marceline snapped her head to look at the kid, his blond hair obscuring his eyes.

"You're new here aren't you?"
"Is this going to be the discussion topic of the day?"

The boy shrugged. "Iunno. Probably. New kids are pretty interesting here, small town and all. Don't worry, it'll only last like. A week. Tops."

"I wasn't worrying."

"I'm sorry, is he bothering you?" The boy on Marceline's other side asked.

"Uh n-"

"Finn!" The other boy shouted. "Stop distracting her."

"Jeez, sorry Ash." Finn turned to his paper, his face plastered with grumpiness. Ash turned his head towards Marceline cooly.

"My name is Ash. It's a pleasure." He extended his hand. Marceline didn't take it.

"Uh. Hi."

Ash glared at her. "What's your name?"

Marcelline thought for a moment. "Mary."

"You've got a beautiful name Mary. It fits you."

"Gee, thanks Ash."

Ash placed his hand on his breast. "Anything for such a lovely lady like yourself."

"Oh stop it Ash, I just might get the floor wet." Marceline said in monotone, staring at the board ahead of her. She could see Finn in the corner of her eye trying to contain his laughter.

"Wha- Are you mocking me?" Marceline nodded. "Tuh. uh. Skuh. Fuckin' bitches." Ash resigned his look to his paper. Marceline smirked. She had gotten the perfect kind of rise from him. Good.

Sitting at an empty table in the middle of a lunch room was, as far as any fair soul could be considered, a fairly awkward endeavour. To add on to that being new, and knowing all of two, three people in the room, was something that was generally speaking inadvisable. Regardless, Marceline sat in such a situation now, her lunch bag in front of her at an empty table as she could hear the beck and call of all the other people in the lunchroom. It wasn't long however before a young lady plonked herself next to Marceline. Her hair was a vibrant shade of blue, something that immediately struck Marcy as odd.

"Oh right. Sorry." The lady said, as if just noticing Marceline. "Don't mind if I sit here right?" Her voice had a slight accent to it.

"Uh. Not really? Free lunchroom right?"

The lady smiled. "S'pose so. Names B-Mo."

"Beemoe?"

"Mhm."

"Is that like. Your birthname?"

"Hahahaha!" Her laugh was adorable. "No no no. It's like, my street name, ya feel?"

"Street name?"

"Hacker tag!" B-Mo tagged her fingers in a hash.

"Okay." Marceline smiled. "What's your birth name, if you don't mind?"

"Oh. Yeah it's Ffion."

"Beemoe is much better."

B-Mo got out a sandwich and began eating it. "I know right?" She savored her sandwich. "So you're new here right?"

"Yep. First day."

"I remember my first day. Don' worry, the gossip runs dry eventually."
"You're a new kid?"

"Well not now. But I was. What, did the accent not tip y'off?"

"Did the accent not what?"

"Tip y'off."

"Tip me off?"

"Yeah, tip y'off."

"Why are you saying it like that."

B-Mo smiled. "Like what?"

"Like it's a word the can be conjoined like that."

"Iunno. It's fun I guess. What uh. What's your name anyhow?"

Marceline's eyes went wide when she realised she hadn't given B-Mo her name. "It's Marceline." She extended her hand. "It's a pleasure."

"Pleasures all mine." B-Mo grabbed her hand, shaking it firmly whilst giving off a toothy grin. "You settling in okay? Meeting people?"

"Only a couple, but yeah I think i'm doing fine."

"Who've you met?"

"uh. Finn I think."

"Lanky, mopish blond hair?"

"Yeah that's the one."

"Eeyeah, he's a good kid. Fantastic at video games. Not much else, but hey, he's nice. Anyone else?"

"Ash."

"Ash DiMarco?"

Marceline gave an unenthusiastic shrug.

"Beach blond hair, total fuckboy?"

"Yeah that sounds about right."

"Ugh. What a terrible person to meet on your first day."

"What's his deal."

"He reckons himself a total casanova. Acts like he's the 'big dog on campus' and he's had all these conquests. He's had one girlfriend and she dumped him because he was a total tosser."

"Seems like a real ass."

"He is. Seriously."

"Yep."
"Mmhmm. Well you've met me now. So there's three."

Marceline smiled. "Two good ones."

"Hopefully the rest of your day will be as nice."

B-Mo tipped their head. "We can hope."