"Well what are you waiting for? She's by herself, now is the time to ask her?"

"Ask her what? Ask her to cheat on her boyfriend, ask her to go out with a freak?"

"She doesn't know you're a freak."

In fact no one Todd Mathews was a freak, no one except his best friend, Jason Green. The two had been friends for three years before Jason found out about Todd's powers. He was uncomfortable with the information for awhile but learned to live with it. Todd was still Todd, with or without green skin. "Nor does she know about your crush. Which is why you need to go talk to her."

The two were sitting at their usual table near the back of the Cafeteria. It was second lunch.

The girl whom Jason was asking Todd to ask out was Melissa Garcia, one of the most popular girls in school, and one of the most attractive, the exact opposite of Todd.

At five feet, eleven inches and 220 pounds, Todd Matthews was exactly the most handsome guy in school or popular. "She wouldn't go for me."

"Oh come on! It's not like you're a hunchback or something. You're not that bad looking Todd, not matter what you tell yourself."

"It's to much of a drop in social class. Not every one is as popular as you Jason."

Jason was part of the 'It' crowd no matter how much he wanted to deny it. As one of the leading players and scorers on the school's soccer team it was hard not to be. It was said that only Scott Summers was a better scorer than Jason. "Come on Todd. It's not that bad. All this high school drama stuff is crap. No one cares that much about social status."

"Go tell that to Melissa's boyfriend."

"Alright. I give up!" Jason threw his hands in the air. "There is just no cheering you up"

Melissa Garcia's boy friend was Bryan Long. Not only was he the leading football linebacker, but also one of the biggest anti-mutant supremacists in the school.

It had been a long time since Samuel had been to school. He despised the place. There were to many walls, to many people. He enjoyed the wild, the isolation from society. He loved to hunt, to kill. The smell of fresh dead meat was enough to get him to kill again. Thinking on these things was making him long for a hunt right then.

In a way that is why he was at the school. His new employer had sent to Midtown High to track down a mutant he had been keeping an eye on.

"I want to recruit him for the special team I'm working on. The same reason I recruited you."

Samuel's employer had told him everything about this recruit, his name, powers, and class schedule. He knew the specimen was in lunch right now.

"He sits in the back so it will be easy to spot him. I have sent him a letter explaining what to do. As soon as he spots you he is t get up and walk into one of the food lines. Get in line behind him.

I'm counting on you're powers of persuasion Samuel. I need him to join the team. If he doesn't join willingly, I trust you find a way to convince him of his mistake."

Samuel was hoping he would have to use force. He had been given orders not to kill if it came to that. He disliked that order, but at least it left the possibility of breaking a few of the specimen's bones if it came to that.

"So anyways you seem distracted, is something wrong?"

"Uh?" Todd spoke with a distance in his voice.

"I asked if something was wrong?"

"Nothing serious Jason." Todd was still glancing toward the Cafeteria's front entrance as he spoke. He finally saw what he was looking for.

A tall man with long hair entered the Cafeteria. He was wearing worn down blue jeans, several layers of shirts and a trench coat. He was also wearing a Visitor's badge so that no one would stop him. He looked like a homeless person, or even an animal. 'This must be him.' Todd thought to himself. "Excuse me for a minute Jason. I'm going to go get some seconds." He got up and left the table.

"Seconds?" Jason started. "You must not be eating the same food I am."

Todd ignored his friend's comments and got into the line that was serving Mexican Food. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the man heading towards him and enter the same line.

"Don't look at me." He spoke in a deep, scratchy voice. "You got my master's letter."

"Your master?" Todd began to question.

"Yes or No."

"Yeah I got it." Todd sighed. 'Not much of a sport is he.' Todd thought to himself.

"What is your answer?"

"Two tacos please." Todd spoke to the lunch lady. "Thanks." He handed the casher the money and walked out of the line. The animal man was still behind him.

"What is your answer?"

"I'm not interested." Todd spoke as he took a bite out of one of his tacos.

"I'm afraid that's not an acceptable answer." The man placed a hand on Todd's shoulder, stopping him from walking.

Todd could feel sharp fingernails already digging into his flesh. "That's not my problem. Your 'master' offered me the job. I said I'm not interested. This meeting is over." He pulled away from the man. The claws scratched Todd's flesh as he pulled away.

That's when he felt it, a sense of danger. The feeling people have when something bad is about to happen. Todd turned around just in time to see the back of hand slap him around across his face. The blow knocked him down immediately.

That's when the chaos started. A girl that was walking by Todd screamed when he was knocked down, causing all of the girls around her to scream. Soon the entire cafeteria was standing up looking toward the direction of the screams.

A security guard who saw Todd get slapped head toward the tall man who had down it. "Hey." He started. "Just what do you think your doing." He put out a hand to grab the man's shoulder. The guard didn't have a chance.

Samuel grabbed the guard's arm and twisted it, flipping the man over and slamming him to the ground. All who were close by heard the sound of snapping bones.

"STAY BACK IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!" Samuel screamed as he took out two more guards who tired to approach him.

Everything was chaos. Students were running everywhere trying to get to the exits.

'Melissa.' It was the run thought running through Todd's mind was it whirled around from the blow. He spotted her, a short ways of in the distance. Staring back.

Samuel noticed her to, as he turned his attention back to the boy lying on the ground it didn't take long for him to figure who he was starting at. "A bribe." He thought and started heading towards the girl.

"No!" Todd yelled as he leaped back up and pushed Samuel hard in the side. "Leave he alone!"

"So there is a fight in you after all." Samuel growled. "I was beginning to worry I had already defeated you."

"Todd! YOUR SKIN!" Jason called out from across the Cafeteria.

Todd looked down at his hands. They had already turned a dark brownish green. He could feel the rest of his body changing as well. His skin covered itself with a slimy substance. He could feel his tongue changing shape and size. His body started pumping adrenaline; his mutant strength was taking over.

"I won't let you hurt anymore innocent people." He yelled as he took a fighting stance.

Samuel smiled and moved in for the kill.