Authors' Notes
Hey everyone! My dear friend Kryptotheurgy and I have spent the past couple days binge-watching BNHA once again, and felt like working on our fic Falling From Grace, but decided it needed a fresh start, so we've decided to restart the fic!
As A warning, you won't see much of the anime in this fic. The two of us decided to play with the world instead and make a crapton of OCs. There will be some interaction with the UA and what not but...for the most part, this is just us playing with the world.
Ah. Enjoy, and let us know what you thinking?
DISCLAIMER: We own only our OCs, the plot of this story, the NABSTI...
One: A Bright and Shining Future
The North American Boarding School for Talented Individuals, NABSTI, was the most renowned school in North America for people with 'Talents'. In some countries, they were called Quirks, or Gifts. Either way, everyone with a power wanted to go to NABSTI. It was a dream all children shared. They would always exclaim how they would go to NABSTI, or U.A, or any of the other top fifty Talent schools.
The only problem with getting into NABSTI is that there's no 'entrance exam', no way to get in. No, they would come to you. They'd send scouts all over the continent and beyond to search for aspiring and promising students. NABSTI boasted a population of half a million, and sprawled all over the Amund Ringnes Island in northern Canada. Begging, good marks, and amazing Talents wouldn't be enough for students to get an invite in the mail.
The television babbled over the latest fashion trend, trying to tear apart celebrities for their life choices. It had been an hour of mindlessly watching the pixels dart around to the next dress colour. That was how she had spent her summer break. It was literally doing nothing but see through the eyes of others and sleep. The couch had her imprint by now. She gobbled down her soda. This was how kids were meant to live!
"Pey? PEY! Where are you?"
"Downstairs mom."
Her mother sounded exhausted, but it wasn't unusual. She ran a yoga gym down the road and was well acquainted with fatigue. Soon, Pey heard the familiar stomp of her mother's sneakers down the stairs. She had a grin stretched across her face. Pey adjusted herself up from lounging on the couch, and was sure to cover the bag of chips on the floor. She turned her attention back to the television.
"Pey! I have a letter for you! Read it, read it!"
Before she could react, a large manila envelope was dumped on her chest. It was pristine and gleamed with a crimson wax seal. Earlier, when Pey had possessed her cat, she noticed the mailman delivering more mail than normal. She hadn't thought that one would be for her. Her mother's expression baffled her on what it could be. Did she win a prize? Blatantly ignoring the wax seal, she tore through the paper. It read:
Dear Pey Devi,
It is with the utmost pleasure that we, the board office of The North American Boarding School for Talented Individuals, would invite you to be a part of our school body. You were scouted out by Herishen Daidjul. The….
It went on, explaining the location, contacts, and all other boring information. Pey's frozen face looked back up at her mom, and down at the page. There was nothing to suggest that it was a joke, no gimmicks or anything. This was the real deal.
Her mother broke her train of thought with a tight hug and laughter.
"They called me earlier and I got it arranged. You're going to NABSTI! I never thought our dreams would come true! Tonight I'm calling the family over, next week, we'll have a big feast! All 34 families!"
Tears began to pour out of Pey's eyes. She didn't feel overjoyed, not that much, but she cried regardlessly. It was amazing, like winning the lottery. In four years, she was going to be famous! The world would know her name!
The room was dark. Light poured in through the open doorway from the hall, illuminating a small sliver of the figure across from the teen. In the darkness, he could see the outline of a tall, imposing man seated in a throne-like chair. The light glinted off the man's ring as he gestured towards the boy. At the motion, the teen approached.
"Vincenzo, my youngest son," the man spoke, his voice cutting through the oppressive silence.
"Yeah, what ya want?" his tone was rude, and he could tell it bothered the men positioned around the room from the way they shifted. Like they wanted to hit him.
His father only laughed, "My son, I've called you here because your mother and I have made an important decision. In the fall, it's been decided that you'll be going to the NABSTI in Canada. I've spoken with some of my...friends up there, and it's been arranged-"
Rage, confusion and a touch of rejection bubbled under the surface as the teen cut off his father, "Wait, waitwaitwait. Ya can't be serious. You're sending me up to the middle of nowhere? Why?"
"Vincenzo, someday when you're old enough to join in the family...business, you'll learn just how easy it is to make enemies. Unfortunately, some of my enemies have made threats against our family. I'm sending you to the NABSTI where I know you'll be safe from harm."
"Why am I the only one? Why aren't Rob, Rapina and Mariolo being sent there too?"
His father was silent, and he could hear the men around the room all shift awkwardly, "'Enzo...your siblings are all older than you, and better equipped to protect themselves...You've yet to master your own Talent and...ah...yeah."
The son stared at his father for a moment, trying not to show the shame he felt at that words. It was true. Unlike his siblings, Vincenzo could barely use his Talent. His siblings had learned to use theirs in combat situations years ago. He knew he should be thankful his father had gone through all this effort. It must have taken to sneak him into somewhere like NABSTI.
Besides...maybe if he went to NABSTI, he'd be able to become a hero, like he always wanted?
The teen gave a frustrated sigh, "Fine. It's not like you're wrong..and it isn't like I have a choice."
The so called 'Talentless' teacher of NABSTI, Donith Avadarchi, remained silent as he took in the chaos around him. He hadn't quite been sure what to expect when he was sent to the the small, but well cared for house where one of the incoming students lived to deliver their acceptance letter and answer any questions the family might have. It was a common practice for students who were more...isolated.
This certainly wasn't what he'd expected.
While outside the house appeared normal enough, inside it was...it looked as though a bar full of villains had crashed a school field trip and had proceeded to duke it out with several high-profile superheroes.
Paint splattered the walls, broken fragments of plates, cups and other household items were carelessly swept to the side, and furniture was haphazardly thrown around, and this was only what he could see in the living room. Somewhere within the house, he could hear someone screaming bloody murder.
A woman with her back turned towards the door had answered, cheerfully inviting him inside. He'd regrettably accepted, and allowed her to show him to a seat. Within seconds, he'd been handed a cup of tea, and the woman seated herself (thankfully the right way forward) in a chair across from him.
"OI! WE'VE GOT COMPANY! GET OUT HERE!" The woman, Denatura, yelled loudly down the hallway leading further into the house. She then spoke in a much gentler, quieter tone to Donith, "My husband and daughter will be here shortly."
The screaming paused for an instant, like whoever was responsible had stopped to take a breath, before it started up again.
The brown-haired, brown-eyed man took a second to examine the woman. He often tried to figure out people's Quirks based on their appearance. Sometimes it was fairly easy to tell.
The woman appeared dangerously thin, with long, skinny limbs. She towered over Donith (who was not a short man, nearly six and a half feet tall) by at least a foot. She had lavender hair, tied back into a comfortable bun and magenta eyes that seemed to glow. The light they gave off was interrupted only by the woman's diamond-shaped pupils. She was dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a t-shirt, which hung off of her thin form.
The screaming stopped, and this time did not begin again.
"So, Mr. Avadarchi, might I ask why exactly you're here?" Denatura Law asked.
Before the man could respond, movement down the hallway caught his attention as the rest of the small family appeared. Restrange Law was shorter than his wife, but still a few inches taller than Donith. He had a regal presence, long pale blond hair tied in a low ponytail, and a guarded expression made of aristocratic features. The father's golden eyes stared Donith down as he approached. Despite the pupils of his eyes being distinctly heart-shaped, there was nothing cutesy or loving in the man's gaze.
The teacher could see what appeared to be a floating box shimmering behind the strict looking man, who walked ever closer with his back straight and in perfect posture. Within the box, the purpose for his visit to this strange household sat.
Her arms pounded against the walls of the floating box she was trapped inside before her eyes landed on him and she froze, suddenly relaxing and sitting there like she was perfectly fine and that being carried like this, trapped in a box, was an everyday occurrence.
The girl had her mother's lavender hair, and a build more similar to her father's. Her left eye was the glowing magenta of her mother, complete with a diamond shaped pupil, while the left was the same shade of piercing gold accompanied by a heart-like pupil that her father possessed. She wore what appeared to be pajamas that had been splattered with every colour under the sun and there was a single sock on her left foot, and nothing on her right.
Restrange snapped his fingers, releasing the girl from the box. She landed with a quiet 'oof' on the floor, but showed no outward sign of discontent.
"And for the last time, my little nut," Restrange said, looking down at the girl, one Altera Law, with a suddenly warm expression, "we aren't buying you a camel. They spit much too much. Why don't we try to get a another shark instead? I haven't bought anything dangerous in so long…"
The teen giggled, "Fine. Whatever you want, father."
Standing, the man decided to introduce himself. The sooner he gave them the news, the sooner he could leave.
"My name is Donith Avadarchi and I'm a teacher from NABSTI. I'm here to deliver this acceptance letter to Miss Altera Law."
The teen stared at him in shock, not moving to take the letter he held out to her. Her father took it instead, gently prying the envelope open. He read the contents out loud,
Dear Altera Law,
It is with the utmost pleasure that we, the board office of The North American Boarding School for Talented Individuals, would invite you to be a part of our school body. You were scouted out by Alison Hatter. The….
By the time he was finished, Altera still appeared to be frozen in shock.
Upon learning the family had no questions for him, Donith sighed, "Well, I must be heading out now. Many more houses to visit today."
"Of course, thank you so, so much for accepting our daughter." Denatura said, shaking his hand. Restrange followed suit before Donith made his way out of the house. Just before he left, he heard a quiet voice.
"Crikey."
The teacher made his way down the driveway, hoping there wasn't too much sand in his truck by this point. He also prayed that the next four years teaching Altera Law weren't as strange as the last half hour had been.
Cloverfield, USA was practically a ghost town. There were three hundred people in it, last time the welcome sign got updated. It was probably less than that. No one with even half a brain would stay in such a sad place. At least, that's what Felix's older brother said, anyways. Felix Cloverfield, great-great grandchild of the founder of Cloverfield, had high respect for his town. He cared for the land and the land cared for him. He and his family worked hard on the farm sunrise to sundown, and that was all he wanted in life. He viewed the hundreds of acres before him, bathed in the last golden light of the sun. The warm breeze brushed over the heads of wheat as a beautiful farewell. The stars faintly twinkled above in protest to the dreary scene. Not every night did such a sight present itself.
The sound of a truck pulling into the lot broke his serenity. Felix had to greet whoever it was; it was often that a lost traveller would have to ask for directions. He quickly brushed back his inky black, messy hair while making his way to the front of the house. On the dirt and dust driveway sat a cheap white pickup truck. White in a place like this wasn't too great of an idea, a dust devil could dirty it in every nook and cranny.
"Hello ma'am. Lookin' for someone? My Pa, Faustus, is out in town shopping. I can keep you company for a while though."
The strange phrasing took the lady by surprise. "Erm… uh… is Felix here? I have to deliver a letter…"
He raised an eyebrow. This young farm boy had no business getting packages from strangers, but that didn't prevent him from giving her a handshake. The guest reluctantly obliged. Her eyes darted around in awkwardness, she had never been out here before and didn't know this man.
"Yeah, he's here alright! You come in and make yourself at home, my sister Lucky is making dinner and we'd appreciate a visitor!" Felix said, practically dragging her inside.
A whistle of the kettle and a long list of introductions later, the meal was finally ready. The whole family had made their way to the table. The father had large horns, that was the only noticeable part of his Talent. The rest were…far more obvious. The seven children ranged from cat-human like to human, and all of them had horns. Their mother appeared more feline than the rest. Felix was the most human of the siblings. He had piercing yellow eyes and hair that was clearly from his momma.
"So, Felix… you didn't say that was you earlier…"
"Aww, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be like that. I just wanted to invite you over. But yeah, that's me! So, ma'am, what brings you to see lil 'ol me?"
The lady poked at her sweet potato in contemplation. All she knew was that it was a special message from some hero school. "It's a letter from a school or something. I'm sure you would know more about it if you opened it up."
"Absolutely! But we should do that later, after the meal!" Chesh, the mother, responded.
The youngest of the siblings eagerly snatched it up anyways, and ripped it open. "Dear Felix Cloverfield, ohh how formal!" "Put that down, Fortuna!" "-The North American Boarding School for blah blah blah would like to… OH! Ohohohohoh! You're going up north?"
"Well apparently! Hand that over and lemme take a look!"
Soon, the family was crowded behind him, glossing over the words again and again. The older siblings knew exactly what it was. Felix was going to be a part of something amazing. He never would have thought one guest would bring so much fortune to an already lucky family.
The short teen sighed, mouthing the words his father was saying over the cellphone he had pressed to his ear. 'Stay safe, trust no one, make the family proud' yada yada yada.
"Anyways, pops, I gotta go. They're telling us to get ready for the next flight- I'll call you and Ma later, okay?" With that, he hung up before his father could even reply and shoved the phone deep into the pockets of his baggy black pants.
He looked like a trouble maker. His shaggy brown hair puffed out from under a beanie. Under his heavy winter parka, he wore a white wife-beater, baggy black pants that hung low and worn out sneakers. Around his neck he wore several gold chains and a bandana. It was a far cry from what his family typically wore, but it carried just as bad a reputation. His face did little to hide the wariness he felt, his brow drawn and his electric green eyes narrow. He was in unfamiliar territory here.
With the phone conversation successfully ended, he took a moment to analyze the situation. They weren't actually at the school yet. After he'd gotten off the plane, he'd spotted a sign with his name on it held by a known staff member of NABSTI. They'd collected several other teenagers who would be attending that year, and they'd all headed towards a smaller runway where another plane awaited.
Vincenzo scanned the growing gathering of students. He wasn't sure what he was looking for. Maybe someone suspicious. Wearing a fedora.
So far, no one looked particularly mobster-like.
One of the teens stuck out like a sore thumb, or rather, like someone with a farmer's tan. His skin was bright red, you could feel the sunburn on him. But what was even more disturbing was his toothy grin. Despite the harsh winds that dominated the outskirts of Toronto, the kid seemed just fine wearing his flannel shirt. Did he even know where they were going? He caught sight of Vincenzo staring.
"Hey there stranger! You're a student too, huh? I'm Felix! Pleasure to meet 'cha!"
He held out a friendly hand, his golden cat eyes glistening in anticipation of making a friend. Even Felix's teeth were sharp and feline. Reluctantly, Vincenzo gripped his hand. Instead of a shake, Felix went into one of those man hugs that finished with a firm few pats on the back. He returned the gesture. Normally in his family, when someone went in for a hug, it was really to get close and whisper a threat. Imagine some poor farm boy looking kid telling you that your family is being held hostage and you have to cough up the money. Luckily, that didn't happen.
"Yeah, and I'm Pey. Over here, yo." Another, more sleepy voice announced. Pey, an average sized girl, waved in greeting. Her height was the only ordinary thing, compared to her shadow black eyes and spiked sky blue hair that appeared to… wisp away at the ends.
"Ah...just call me Grand Theft." Vincenzo said in a weak voice. He hadn't expected this many introductions at once. Most people already knew who he was. He didn't really want to use his real name either. Vincenzo. Ew.
"Okidoki, Grand Theft. I am Altera Law. Yes. My name is a sentence. A pun even. And an oxymoron. Ain't it cute?"
The three teens flinched at the fourth voice, which rang out from behind Felix. The black haired boy looked down to find a short girl standing slightly behind him, her hands clinging to the bottom of his flannel shirt.
How could they not have noticed her?
Altera Law stood in the chilly fall air, dressed in a tattered, white, knee-length dress and sandals. Her lavender hair had been pulled into two puffy pigtails that reached her shoulders, with her bangs pushed to either side, framing her mismatched eyes. The tiny girl offered them a grin that was slightly too wide to suit the current social situation.
"When in tarnation-" Felix's hair puffed up, like the hackles of a cat as he jumped away from the small girl.
"Is that a fucking gremlin?" Pey shouted, with a tint of fear but mostly disbelief.
"Last time I saw the doctors, it was confirmed that I am indeed a 'human being'. Apparently."
"Right. Sure they weren't quacks 'cause-" Vincenzo asked, a brow raised in scepticism.
"One had a duck head. If that helps," Altera said, giving a strange little giggle at the end.
Before more could be said, an adult's voice called out over the clammer of their fellow students. "Everyone! Please make your way onto the tarmac! We will be giving your seating arrangements as you get onto the plane. And remember, single file everyone. Please."
After much shuffling and pushing to exit the airport, the students were gathered outside a small plane. One by one, the teacher began calling people up by name and giving them their seat number. There was no particular order that could be seen, but the teacher appeared to be following a premade list of some sort.
Vincenzo felt his stomach drop when he realized that no, the teachers would not be referring to him as Grand Theft.
"Felix Cloverfield! You'll be seated in seat 13A."
With a cheerful wave, Felix left the group and boarded the plane, searching until he found his seat, right next to a window in the thirteenth row.
"Vincenzo Parrino!" the teacher paused for a moment, staring at the name, "Seat 13B."
People shifted out of Vincenzo's way as he headed towards the plane. Once neutral expressions were now shifting to distrust and fear. Some gave angry glares. This was more his element. He stood up straight, giving a cocky smirk. They wanted the mafia? They'd get mafia.
His eyes shifted towards the pilot, who stood outside the plane while they all got on board. Knowing he was in plain view of the rest of his classmates, Vincenzo nodded to the man, who instantly nodded back, tipping a non-existent hat to the youth.
The teen then disappeared onto the plane to take his seat. The others stared at the pilot who pulled out a phone to text someone, Boss's kid's onboard.
"Oh God...the pilot's part of the-"
"Why'd they let a villain come to NABSTI?"
"Everyone! Quiet down! Would Marina Southbeach please board the plane. Your seat is 13C. Thank you."
With that, the listing continued.
"Mercedes Hart, 13D."
"Altera Law, in 14A. Pey Devi in 14B. Makana Malakeke, 14C…"
Eventually, everyone was seated, but many sent shifting glances towards Vincenzo. Everyone knew the Parrino family. They were notorious villains. Each and every one of them.
Fortunately, as the plane took off, Vincenzo found that the three he'd been talking to earlier didn't seem to be too uncomfortable around him. Altera was standing on her seat, messing with Felix's hair, although her eyes would shift towards his own head like she wanted to take his hat off and play with his hair too. Felix was enthusiastically chattering about something to do with pitchforks, completely ignoring the fact that Altera had at some point procured clovers and was braiding them into Felix's hair. Pey did look somewhat uncomfortable, but not nearly as badly as the other people around him.
She leaned forward in her seat slightly, "So...Why...areyouhereexactly?"
"Wellllllll-"
"I mean, if you want to be a hero that's great but...why?"
"Of course I want to be a hero. I mean, I don't get the same kick out of stealing that my siblings get, and I think there's something really honourable about the guys who come to try and arrest my father every once in awhile. I'm not suicidal like them, but I think it's cool that they'd risk their lives to help others."
Pey nodded in understanding. "Fair enough. I'm also pretty curious on why they asked you to…" She paused, not changing in expression. "Did your uhh, family, like, make them take you? Is that it?"
"Ah. Yeah. pretty much. It was dad's idea." He replied, deadpan. It was great going to such an amazing school, but still: his father forced him into it.
"Cool cool… Yeah, I think I'd go too, even in a situation like that…." She pulled her hood over her head and nestled into the seat. "I'm gonna go possess someone, see ya in a few minutes or something…"
'Possess?' Before the teen could ask, she was out. A moment of silence lingered, excluding the chattering of Felix and Altera. There was no doubt about it, everyone here was weird.
"So, enough about me. Vinny what about you? What's your Talent?"
"Don't ever call me Vinny. Like. EVER." He cracked his knuckles just to make an extra menacing look. Vinny was most certainly the worst nickname ever given to him.
"Okay, okay… don't get your knickers in a knot. Altera, what's your Talent? I'm excited to hear 'bout it."
Altera stopped braiding his hair and snapped her fingers. Suddenly things got… weird to say the least. There was a strange acid purple colour to everything within an invisible box surrounding them, and the four -Pey included- all stood up, followed by a vigorous amount of spinning. Following the few seconds of that mayhem, everything returned to normal. Students giggled at the scene, but turned away once Vincenzo gave a scowl.
"Okay what was that?" Grand Theft interrogated.
"My Quirk."
"Yeah, I figured as much."
"Okay, good. I was afraid that display might not have sufficed!"
"But what is your Quirk?"
"That was."
He let out a sigh. This wasn't going anywhere. Grand Theft turned his attention to the window. This was going to be a long trip. Back home, things were quiet -which he resented. But now that he got to see other kids his age who weren't tied into the family's line of work, he just wanted silence. What had his parents been thinking when they sent him off to a boarding school? Most of his childhood had been spent playing games with thirty-something year old bodyguards.
"Aw, do not tell this one you are pouting!" Altera cooed, patting the hat on Grand Theft's head, "I was only kidding around. My Talent is called 'Trick Room'. Within a certain area, random rules are made that must be followed."
That was...surprisingly useful. Maybe.
"What about you, Felix?" Altera asked.
"Ah, umm, well you see… My ma has a cat Talent and my pa is a very lucky guy. I'd love to tell ya more, but I'd best wait 'till we're on the ground."
Grand Theft slowly nodded, in part confusion. Perhaps it wasn't a safe Talent to talk about at the moment. He could understand that. His own wasn't particularly something one would promote in public, the same went for his entire family.
"So Vi- Grand Theft, how about you? You got some sort of awesome Talent, right?"
Grand Theft shifted his gaze away, looking anywhere but at the others, "I wouldn't exactly call it awesome." Most of the time, when someone commented on his Quirk, it was around the lines of 'Hey kid, nice Talent, your father could make good use of that'. "...It's similar to the Copy Quirk."
"Oh, that's p cool." Pey said. There was no guessing how long she was awake, but it was apparent now. "My Talent just got a guy to text all his friends about his secret love for Gossip Girl. I'm sure his phone plan will love that, but yeah that's what my Talent does… Uhhh I mean I take over people's bodies while mine falls asleep. Yeah. Happy times. I was also a fly that got on the plane. Lemme tell you memers what, those eyes are trippy."
"That's… not very nice." Felix couldn't help but mention. "Taking over someone? What would your mother say?"
"Uh… 'Hey Pey stop using your Talent and get some fresh air'? I'm just wasting time on this boring ride. Besides, normally I just… make the possessee walk around a bit. That was the most - and longest - I've ever messed up someone's day."
The group descended into conversation about their Talents, Felix and Grand Theft being careful not to bring up too much about theirs. One out of embarrassment and the other out of concern for causing panic. Throughout it all, Altera continued to stand upon her seat, trying to braid hair. After she had thoroughly messed up Grand Theft's hat hair, she attempted to braid Pey's hair, only to find that Pey refused to lower her hood, and when the hood was down, that wisps were harder to braid than originally thought. At the very least, it stopped her from giving further examples of her 'Trick Room'.
"So, handsome. Now that the plane has landed, will you tell us of your particular Talent?" Altera asked, practically skipping to keep up with the others as they walked away from the runway.
It was freezing cold outside now, and many students were rushing for the doors to the main NABSTI building in an attempt to flee the harsh winds. While Altera showed little sign that the below freezing temperatures bothered her (despite the fact she was wearing a knee-length, short-sleeved dress and sandals), Grand Theft found himself wishing he had another parka to wear overtop the first, as the wind still cut through the padded coat.
Grand Theft glanced towards his other companions, to see how they were fairing in the weather.
"Well shucks, this reminds me of winter back at home!" Felix said, grinning as he stood there in nothing but his jeans and flannel shirt.
In a blur of motion, Pey darted ahead of them, racing for the door, leaving the other three in the dust, staring after her. Pey was a Florida girl. She wasn't built for this cold shit.
"You sure her Talent ain't superspeed?"
"Who knows..." Grand Theft said, staring after her with wide eyes. Was it possible to move that fast?
"I was gonna offer to expand my Room for her but-"
"Is that why you aren't freezing your ass off?"
Altera grinned widely at Grand Theft, "Indeed it is."
"Mind expanding it over here?"
"Sure thing!"
Grand Theft was hit by a wave of blisteringly warm air. Instantly, he began to sweat under the heavy parka. He heard Felix give a surprised, but happy sigh as the Room expanded to fit him. Before he could comment on the heat, he felt something drip from his nose and reaching up, he found that the rapid change of temperature had caused his nose to bleed.
"Shit."
One student with watery hair caught sight of him, and began whispering to another. "Did he… did he get into a fight?"
"M-maybe, but who do you think...you know...punched him?"
"You don't think it was that Felix guy, I mean, he's the only one who'll go near Parrino-"
"No, there's those two girls."
"Truuuue…"
"And one of them ran off. Think he said something to her, and she lost it?"
"Ah! It's not that! He just got… a…" It was too late for Felix to fix this now, the gossip had spread like a plague. The teen turned to Grand Theft and shrugged. "I tried. But gosh, is everybody so rude around here?"
"Yes!" Altera chimed matter-of-factly.
"You guys think this is rude?" Grand Theft asked, actually surprised. Where he was from, it was more common to get flipped off by some old granny than it was to make eye contact with someone in the same room as you.
"Well, yeah. Back in Cloverfield-"
"Wait...you lived in a town with the same name as your family?"
"Sure did."
And Grand Theft thought he'd been sheltered.
Noticing the look Grand Theft was giving him, Felix frowned, "Why, where are you two from?"
"New York."
"The desert."
At this, both boys looked down at the pale gremlin. She grinned what was becoming a familiar too-wide smile. It appeared that the three were on varying degrees of 'sheltered lifestyle'. As they slowly made their way to the building, Grand Theft began to truly understand the intimidating grandois of NABSTI. The structures weren't tall, but wide. They expanded forever, far past what he could see. The inside was even more impressive.
First, was the lobby. It was chock full of teens waiting to be escorted to their dorms, but ignoring that, it was a vast place. No hotel could compete with the inlays, the gold trimmed counters, the marble floors, the coffee tables, fireplaces, and so much more. Various hallways shot off of the main lobby, leading into the labyrinthian city that was NABSTI.
Various teachers stood throughout the room, calling out to one another, asking if any changes needed to be made to the room plans. One of the teachers rushed towards the group still slowly making their way inside the building.
Lucy Kindle was a woman who appeared nearly completely feline. Her body was covered in fur that bore the markings of a snowshoe cat, from the tips of her cat ears to the end of her long tail. Her face was almost human, but extended into a muzzle with a cute little kitty nose. Dark markings surrounded her icy blue eyes, and her white fur was dotted with patches of dark brown and tan-rose. She wore a pink dress and white kitten heels.
As she approached the students, she smiled warmly, "Hello everyone! My name is Ms. Kindle, and I'll be your homeroom teacher. For now, I will be calling out names. When you hear your name, please gather around me. I'll be showing you to your dorms as well as taking you to our homeroom class in the morning after breakfast."
Ms. Kindle began listing the names of students, and one by one they moved to stand with her until around thirty students had been gathered. It was noisy and nearly impossible to hear over each other. One or two of the students were just about ready to wander off before the tour had even begun. After taking a minute to count and attempt to silence the crowd, the cat-like teacher motioned to the group that the trip was starting. The mass left the lobby and into a large, but busy corridor. If empty, a drag race could be held. Maybe even three cars could fit.
The four teens found themselves somewhere between surprise, frustration and relief that they were all in the same homeroom class. They followed after the woman who lead them down one long hallway, talking quietly amongst themselves along the way. Some students were desperately trying to memorize the hallways they took as the group passed room after room, hallway after hallway. Each hallway was nearly as grand as the lobby had been, built from the same polished marble throughout.
"How long do you think it's going to take us to learn our way through this place?" Grand Theft asked.
"Four years, give or take." Altera giggled, "Maybe a couple decades if one stays."
Eventually, the teacher stopped at a wide wooden door, with a gold plaque reading: Class of XXXX
"This will be your new home for the next four years! There are thirty-two of you in this class, with an even number of boys and girls. This is because the dorms are shared, two students to a room."
This caused a burst of noise from the students. Some looked forward to sharing a room with another, while others seemed to shrink at the idea. A number of children began reaching towards others, having made friends on the plane ride out to NABSTI from Toronto. This was exactly according to the plan, it seemed.
"The dorms are assigned based on the seating plan for the flight out here. We use the flight to see if students are able to get along. Unless conflict occurs on the flight, then the person you sat beside shall be your roommate for the next four years."
"Great!" Felix said, shooting an excited grin towards Grand Theft. The green-eyed teen wasn't so sure how he felt about sharing a room with Felix. As far as he could tell, Felix was fine with him, and he didn't look like the type another family would hire to take out someone, so it was likely to be safe but...Felix was...Felix.
Of course, Felix seemed like he'd be easier to handle than other students. He almost felt bad for Pey, who would be sharing a room with…
"Look, Pey-Child. We get to spend every day together. Is this not fantastic news?"
"Fantastic."
All luggage was in the rooms already, according to the confirmation emails sent out a week ago. That left Grand Theft to set up his side of the room, and to get his binders in order. He wasn't studious, no, but he had no intentions of being unprepared for whatever the school had to throw at him. Felix had already made his way into the dorm and was marveling at the simplicity of the place. Grand Theft's eyes dragged themselves to the digital clock on the wall. 22:13. That explained a lot. The trip was tiring, sure, but the sun was still up. It would take years before his mind would adjust to the idea that for days on end it would be daylight, and for the other days, pure darkness. First things first: sleep. He could organise in the morning.