Blood dropped off Bakugo's chipped knuckles, splattering onto the cracked concrete of the alleyway. The crisp wind sifted the flecks of tar-black dust around in a swirl that brushed past the grime encrusted in his hair. His own face, cut and blemished, scrunched up at the pain that zapped at his shoulder.

He dragged his bent ankle, throbbing with the bone jutting out of his torn skin, across the torn pieces of ripped polyester and silk that littered the needle-ridden alley floor. His breath seethed through his teeth as he bit down on his tongue to grip through the pain. His vision swam before him like an elusive eel in a gushing river. The dim auburn streetlights behind him cast a harsh shadow before him that fell upon the unfortunate soul writhing on the ground.

His bare torso drenched with blood and sweat that stung at his abrasions like a hundred wasps, the shirtless man tried to crawl away from Bakugo. He scampered back and strained to lift his body up with his arms.

Just as he rose to his knees, Bakugo jammed his foot into the small of his back from behind. He slammed the man down onto the ground, the person's grunt emanating over the dank brick walls of the alleyway. Spit sprayed out of his mouth as his bright eyes shut in pain.

"Why," a shaky voice coughed out from under Bakugo's boot. "Why are you doin this?"

"I'm sorry," Bakugo said. "You know too much."

Bakugo's hands sparkled into a flickering orb. Then, a larger one, then a brilliant beam of light encompassed his hands. With a final shout, Bakugo threw his hands up and then directed the beams of light right down onto the ground.

Right into his victim's back.

The snap of the lighter startled Lloyd from his slumber. The redhead shot up like a mechanical whack-a-mole on the velvet couch tucked in the corner of the large library. His head spun towards the bright row of candles twinkling under the sunlight pouring through the glass facade of the atrium area. Beads of sweat dabbled at the fringe of his bright red hair with every pulse of his sprinting heart. His eyes jumped to his chest with his hand squeezing at his heart. His brain felt discombobulated; not unlike a boxer being slaughtered in the face by a steel glove.

A flick of a lighter broke Lloyd from his reverie, and he scanned to his left over the sofa top to the display right next to his frame. On a white table next to a plastic potted fern, Robyn lit the candles as Blake babbled the day away next to her. Martel wobbled a golden star on top of the fern, a level in his hand as he tried to balance the large jewel on the weak plant.

"I didn't even know we had that many Jewish students here," Blake said. "Isn't that a little weird? I haven't seen one person wearing a yamakule or eating matzo ball.

"Maybe they're all secular," Robyn said as she lit the next candle on the menorah.

"Secular?" Blake asked. "So like casual."

"Yeah, casual," Robyn said. "They're Billy Joel Jews."

"They're what?"

"Billy Joel Jews," Robyn lit another candle on the menorah. "You know, they eat bagels. Go to temple on Yom Kippur. Listen to Billy Joel. Just causal Jewish people."

Martel pulled out a hammer from behind him and held it up to the level. "Does anyone else think this library is sloped? It's the only way to explain the energetic displacement of this mass atop the fraudulent foliage."

Lloyd got out of his seat and stretched his arms. He scooted his legs around to the edge of the sofa and heaved out a hot breath. The arms on his body felt alien, almost gel like as they hung limp with his hands folded in his lap. He licked his parched lips and stared out the bright window at the mid-afternoon sun. The rays coated his angular face, and his bright red eyes shown from the cast of gold raining through the glass.

"Hey, Lloyd is up," Blake bounded over and grabbed at Lloyd's shoulder. "We thought you were dead."

Lloyd flinched at the touch and let out a very un-masculine yelp. He held up his hands in a karate chop and panted out at the boy with the weird smirk painted on his face.

"You were out like a light, Lloyd," Robyn finished the last candle and scooted over to the other side of the couch. "I swear it was like you were asleep for about three months."

"Dehydration leads to increase in sleep," Martel leaned his head over the back of the couch right next to Lloyd. From his void space, he pulled out a flask and flicked the metal top open with his thumb. He held the object over to Lloyd who felt the cool metal edges kiss his bare face.

"No. No thanks," Lloyd said.

"If you insist," Martel said. "But your lack of hydration will lead to a very premature death."

"Cool," Blake tugged at Lloyd's shoulder. "Can you let me know when that happens? I wanna see!"

Lloyd pulled out his phone. When he saw the time on the face, he gasped and scrambled back up to his feet. "Are we missing class right now? Why did nobody wake me up! I had a perfect attendance all through primary school. I can't risk that!"

Robyn tilted her head like a curious cat and leaned closer to Lloyd's face. "But we just got out for Christmas break."

Lloyd froze. His mind filtered a strange scratching tone not unlike the dial-up internet connection of an old computer. "What?"

Martel whipped out a calendar and pointed at the date circled on the paper. He lowered it right into Lloyd's face. "Our last day of classes for the semester was twenty four hours ago, Mister Thomas. In fact, it is now the first day of winter which I believe is a sacred Holiday for Canadians."

"Yeah, it's like your Kwanzaa," Robyn said. "I figured our class president would know our schedule."

"Class president?" Lloyd asked. This title sounded completely foreign to him. His mind was still stuck in neutral as the feelings in his fingers began to vibrate with a strange sensation akin to limbs falling asleep from cut off blood circulation. He tugged at a frayed fabric strand on the couch and looked back down at his lap. For some reason, he had no recollection of any memories leading up to this unpleasant encounter with his classmates. He attempted to get his synapses to fire, but his mind was filled with an onsidian void at any recollections beyond this moment. He was an actor filling a roll, but...

Lloyd shrugged back his shoulders and tilted his head upward. He knew himself. He was Lloyd Thomas. Student in Class 1-A at USAHS. The Class President. A future Pro-Hero if anyone needed to know. It was around Christmastime. He was the leader his classmates needed to look up to, and confusion was the last thing a leader needed to project.

"Yes, yes I am aware," Lloyd said. "I must simply be disoriented from the sudden wake up. Thank you."

Lloyd stood up and turned towards the display on the holiday stand. He adjusted his red sweater vest and straightened out the white tie around his neck. He squinted at the menorah and examined the twinkling candles that danced on the edges of the black wicks.

"Aren't those supposed to be lit on different nights?"

Robyn looked up at Lloyd with the lighter in hand. "Huh?"

"Those candles," Lloyd said. "You're only supposed to light them on the corresponding day of Hanukkah."

Robyn looked down at her lighter. "But...isn't today the day of Hanukkah?"

In the dorm room, Austin neatly folded some of his sweaters into the case. He adjusted the guards on his forearms with some Christmas music playing on the stereo system in the corner. He had some reservations going on this trip. Not only was it last minute, but he had some strange feeling brewing in his gut like a cauldron of bad luck about to extinguish the fire of Class 1-A. He was unaware of the strangeness truly going on, but he continued to pack. He looked up at his pet snake which flicked out its tongue at him.

Lloyd entered into the Common Room. The first thing he noticed was the quiet sounds of the Christmas music playing on the speaker in Austin's room. However, he faced the rest of the lobby and squinted his eyes. The lobby was spotless save for a bag of Anton's potato chips on one of the tables. No television with game controllers were on the floor. Most of all, the music in the area was quiet and relaxed. It was as if the Christmas music was to replace any other music that normally blared out of the empty room next to Austin's open doorway.

Shrugging off the strange feelings, Lloyd faked a bright smile and rapt his knuckles on the oak door to Austin's room.

"Greetings, Austin," Lloyd's voice broke over the holiday music. Austin turned around to see the slightly shorter boy knock on his door unneeded. "Just wanted to remind you of our departure at nine tomorrow. And Mister Bakugo is adamant on leaving people behind if necessary."

Austin coughed and thrusted his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose. "Right, thanks."

Lloyd examined the boy continuing to pack and marched into the room. He scanned the bare walls of the room and blinked at the sight of the large snake underneath the warming light that beamed onto the creature.

"Are you well, Austin," Lloyd asked. "Being away from family isn't easy."

Austin stopped facing away from Lloyd and stared down at his clothes. "It ain't easy, but they get it."

"It's just weird," Lloyd said. "Your a family man, so I'm surprised you are going on this trip with us."

"All of us are," Austin said. "Me, Drake, even Synaes. And you."

Lloyd nodded. "Right. Well...I couldn't abandon our class. If I have to sacrifice time with my family to become a pro-hero, that's what I will have to do. But...you just seemed a bit lonely lately. I noticed you are less attentive in class. Maybe you need a really close friend or something like that. It must be tough, no one to play video games with, no one living next door-."

"It's not your business, Lloyd," Austin said as he resumed packing.

Lloyd leaned on the door and crossed his arms. A small sting lashed into his heart, as if he had been rejected for a dance at the Prom. Regardless, he kept his cool and thought through what could get Austin to open up. "Well, have you noticed...Mister Bakugo has been acting weird lately. This sudden trip. Those weird phone calls he keeps having. Do you think there is some mystery there?"

"Nah."

Lloyd sighed at the indignation from Austin. "Fine. I hope you enjoy our time in Solvang."

The Canadian strolled away from the open doorway. Once he did, Austin stopped packing and looked over his shoulder. Seeing nobody there, he rushed over to the door and slammed it shut. Once he turned the look, he turned back around towards the bed.

"He's gone."

From underneath the bed, Synaes poked her head through the covers that draped over the edge. "Being blind has its advantages at times."

Austin smiled as Synaes crawled out of the opening under the bed. "Like detecting when certain people are climbing up the stairs?"

Synaes stood up straight and dusted off the pleats of her pants. She smirked and followed the yellow dots in her vision that marked Austin's outline. The outline appeared closer to her as he reached her frame. She wrapped her arms around his middle and ran a finger up his broad chest. "You know, I feel like he would be the only one that would truly snitch on us."

"I don't know," Austin hitched a breath when Synaes' cool fingers began to unbutton his shirt. "I think James would say something just cause he don't like me."

"He doesn't like anyone," Synaes said. "And besides, having close friends means less time for...this."

Austin, seeing things were about to get zesty, reached for the stereo remote on his nightstand. He pressed the volume button, and the Christmas music blasted through the speakers to overcome the other noises commencing in the room.

Bakugo slammed his fist on the desk in his office. Really, a small dingy closet with towers of cardboard boxes and dented office filing cabinets that stacked around the plastic desk he sat at like stone knights protecting a king's throne. His shoulders hunched over the mountains of paperwork that littered his desk. After signing the final paper in the folder open in his arms, Bakugo threw down his pen with a harsh clatter and grunted out in frustration.

"Is that it?" He shouted.

Izuku, sitting across from him, jabbed his finger down at the other pile of papers on the desk. "You still have these ones."

Bakugo smacked a stack of papers in the middle. With the swat, the papers flew into the air and danced down like flickering bits of confetti. "Why is there so much paperwork being a teacher?"

Izuku sighed and grabbed a random piece of paper the sashayed down towards his grasp. "Kacchan, you know what California is like. You have to sign a stack of papers to hang up a picture in your own home. Taking fourteen kids on a holiday trip is gonna require a lot more."

Bakugo shot up to his feet and grabbed his leather jacket from the back of his wooden chair. He twisted it onto his shoulders and thrust his arms into the stiff holes before grabbing the zipper and pulling it over his tee shirt. "Fine, then you handle the rest of it. Since you love signing your name on so many things," he said. He bumped into Izuku's arm and skimmed past it towards the door.

"The trip starts tomorrow," Izuku said towards him. "Where are you going?"

"Preparation," Bakugo growled before he whipped open the door. He stepped over the edge into the hallway before slamming the door shut behind him.

In the empty hallway, Bakugo stomped over to the window overlooking the parking lot before he turned around and thunked the back of his head on the glass. Cars strolled out onto the main highway as students crawled over the concrete oasis. He shoved his hands in his pockets and closed his eyes at the sound of pattering footsteps in the hallway above. Scrunching his black boots on the marble tile below, he took his phone out of his pocket and pulled up a contact. With a deep breathe, he grit his teeth before pressing the phone to his ears.

The past few months had flown by to Bakugo with hardly any discernable memory. He recalled the debacle of the Sports Festival, the holiday charity showcase, the random attacks the school had to deal with, and the media circus that seemed to follow it. Some incredible action were displayed by the students, and some major milestones had been reached in the student's and their young careers.

Yet, as Bakugo heard the line pick up over the phone, he could not care to recall much of it at all.

"Hey," Bakugo said as the line picked up. "I was busy. I couldn't call sooner...Yes, I know I hadn't, but I'm calling now!...So, will you be there in time?"

More shouting over the phone. Bakugo squeezed the phone in anger.

"I'm doing my best, okay? What do you expect? I wish I could, but I'm dealing with some other kids of my own...No, I don't mean it like that. Stop it! Listen, I'm willing to pay double for it...No, triple. Triple! But you have to be there. I've been trying to track this down for years. I don't care if you have a Cheese Festival to attend. It's mine, and I want it back! How do I know you didn't steal that shit?

More shouting.

"Okay, okay," Bakugo waved his hand to calm down the caller. "I'll be there, I promise. I just need to...drop of my kids somewhere. But it better be authentic. If it's not, I'll fry you. And I'll know if it's real."

Bakugo slammed closed his flip phone and slumped over the windowsill.

"Mister Bakugo!"

Bakugo shouted and flailed his arms about like he was falling on ice. He twisted on his feet and came face-to-face with Lloyd who stood like a perfect little wooden shoulder.

"What do you want, poutine-huffer," Bakugo said.

"Mister Bakugo," Lloyd spoke unaffected by the comment. "I have all of the class prepared for the trip tomorrow. All fourteen students know our times and locations."

"Whatever. Just leave me alone till then, mkay," Bakugo said as he lifted himself off the windowsill and kicked his legs to start the trudge to the elevator.

"Mister Bakugo," Lloyd said. "I involuntarily eavesdropped on your conversation. And I wa-."

"Bwah! You little brat," Bakugo said. "How do you accidentally spy on someone?"

"Just hear me out," Lloyd said. "I'm gathering there is something very important for you to reach."

"I don't need to tell you anything," Bakugo said. "Now go back to the dorms and pack for tomorrow."

Lloyd frowned and took a step forward. Some strange force was commanding him to interfere with Bakugo's business. "I know you need help, and that should be enough for me to ask about the issue."

Bakugo balled his hands into fists and snorted through his nose. He turned and stared hard at Lloyd. He supposed telling somebody about his dilemma couldn't hurt, even if it was nobody's business but his own.

"I'm trying to get my kid something special to send back to Japan," Bakugo took a few short steps towards Lloyd. "But the dumbass seller is going on vacation to Alaska for the holidays. Which is stupid in of itself. Who goes to Alaska for vacation? Let alone a cheese festival around Christmas."

"Polar bears," Lloyd said. "They're cuddly."

"Anyway," Bakugo rolled his eyes. "The moron has my gift, but he leaves early tomorrow. So if I can't get to him tonight or in the morning, he's gone and I can't get this sent to him. I was gonna have it overnighted and everything. Ot would have been perfect, too. He happens to live where we are going for the holiday trip."

Lloyd hummed and squeaked his feet on the freshly-waxed floor. He saw his own reflection staring at his reflection. He noticed the slightest ghost of a stubble beginning to show on his sharp chin. A soft ringing echoed through his ear while processing his teacher's words.

"What was this object?" Lloyd asked in a trance-like tone.

"Tch. My old hero uniform," Bakugo said. "I auctioned it off for charity cause my agent said it would be good. Then, that charity got busted for tax fraud. The government sold it off to get its money back, and it winds up in San Francisco of all places."

Lloyd shook his head and refocused his attention to Bakugo. "But that's your hero costume! It bel-."

"Uniform," Bakugo shouted. "I don't wear costumes."

"Uniform," Lloyd said. "It was yours. You should be able to get it back without any cost."

"I wish it were that simple," Bakugo said. "And my car is in the shop, so I can't leave there unless I buy a three hundred dollar rideshare."

"I'll take you," Lloyd said without any hesitation.

Huh? Why did I just say that? I didn't even intend on agreeing on this with him.

Bakugo scowled at Lloyd. "And what are you gonna do about it?"

"It's...it's yours," Lloyd said. He stepped forward to Bakugo. "You deserve it. And I can help you get it. In San Francisco.

"Yeah? And how do you plan on doing that?"

Lloyd flashed a tight smile. "I can drive you there, and then...I'll help you steal it back."

"What?"

What? Why am I...?

"I don't know, Lloyd. I don't normally entrust people with Ol' Reliable."

Moxie, wearing a bright red sundress that had a neckline that clinged to her otherwise bare neck, sat on the hood of her old Dodge and sucked on the strawberry popsicle that began to melt under the setting sun. James sat next to her with a suspicious glare in his eyes at Lloyd. It was strange enough to see him approaching them while they were relaxing on the car, but to then ask to borrow said car was incredibly weird.

"Moxie, I'm a very good driver," Lloyd said. "And you know it's for a good cause."

"Bakugo can get himself to San Francisco," James said. "Can't he afford a plane ticket or something?"

"That's not the point," Lloyd said. "Bakugo's soul is being crushed for abandoning his child during the holidays. If I don't provide him some salvation, he'll be damned to an existence of desecrated fatherhood status forever."

"Huh?" Moxie asked.

"He'll be labelled an asswipe by his son," James said. "But that's his problem for being a deadbeat."

"He's not a deadbeat," Lloyd said. "He's just hard-working and confused. And besides, he has fourteen other kids that he basically has to be like a father to."

James choked on his popsicle and banged on his chest. Moxie slapped his back and caused the piece of popsicle to melt away into his throat. James finished gagging and scooted closer to Moxie. "Listen, hombre, that guy is not like a father, and Moxie is not giving you her car to drive our teacher to San Francisco. You probably couldn't read the highway signs anyway with everything being in miles."

"It's not my fault America doesn't use the metric system," Lloyd said. "And don't you realize how important this is?"

Moxie lowered her graphite eyes away from Lloyd. "Sorry, Lloyd."

Lloyd sulked with his shoulders slumping. He turned around and mucked away over the asphalt. His heart dejected, he faced the ground and headed away. He heard James' snide remarks to Moxie as a few cars whizzed past in the parking lot. He was an actor in a strange film, but he realized that nobody wanted him to play his part. It was strange, but he knew this was his main mission in this chapter. If he didn't accomplish his goal, he was not sure if he would even exist in the next part of the story.

Wait.

Lloyd spun on his heels and darted for the car. He sprinted over the concrete and waved his arms at the couple on the hood. His ties flew into his face before he batted it down and slid to a halt in front of Moxie. He pointed at the girl's neck and seethed to catch his breath.

"Where...where is your necklace?"

Moxie blinked and grabbed at her neck. "What?"

Lloyd frowned and jabbed his finger towards Moxie. "Your necklace. You have a necklace, don't you?"

Moxie froze and looked down at her chest. "I...I don't reckon I know what you mean, Lloyd?"

"You wear a necklace," Lloyd said. "A bright crystal. Don't lie. I remember it!"

Moxie's breath skipped as she held both of her arms crossed over her heart. She felt a thin film glaze of her eyes with her brows furrowing in exasperation. "Lloyd, I wish I knew what you meant, but-."

"Hey, dumbass, what the hell is wrong with you," James said. "Stop saying this to me girlfriend. You're upsetting her."

"Where's the necklace, Moxie?" Lloyd asked as he got right up to Moxie's knees that swung off the hood of the car. "You noticed it's gone, didn't you."

"Lloyd, please. I don't wanna talk abo-."

"Moxie," Lloyd said. "Haven''t you noticed it's much...quieter around here."

With that comment, Moxie felt the tears prick at the edge of her eyes. She coughed out a cry and felt the saline trail down her cheeks. She spat out fragments of words with the beginning of her cry. James, taken aback at the sudden outburst, reached his arms around her middle and held her close to him. He brushed away some of tears and held her close.

"Moxie, what the hell is wrong?" James said. "Why are you crying?"

"I don't know," Moxie said with more tears tracing her now puffed cheeks. She sniffled and wiped away some of them from her face. "I don't know. I just feel so stressed for some reason. Like something is really missing from us."

"Because it is-."

"Basta!," James shouted. "You're making my girlfriend cry."

"I'm sorry," Lloyd said. "Both of you. But...there's something I need to help Mister Bakugo with. And...I think it has to be me."

The three stopped talking with only Moxie quietly crying in James' grasp.

Moxie wiped away her remaining tears and bit her lip. A harsh tugging at her heart tightened a strict knot that twisted her guts like a knife through her body. She tried to control her breathing, but air seemed to evaporate in her throat and avoided her lungs entirely. She felt like her body was about to be erased from Earth, and she gripped onto James like he was a life preserver in rough seas. Why was she thinking this way? Why was she feeling so sad for no reason? She was confused, but most of all, she felt fear rip through her mind like a lightning bolt. Among two other things.

A pair of loud headphones.

And a crystal.

Then, calm. It washed over her like a smooth wave on a calm beach. The warm waves shushed her into a deep calm, and before she knew it, the calm morphed into resolve.

She got off the hood of the car and stood upright in front of Lloyd. She straightened herself and brushed hair from her eyes. She adjusted he red bow on the top of her head and tightened her bottom lip in resolution. "I've...I've been feeling something strange, too. Like I'm in some sort of play or something. I felt it since I woke up this morning. And I feel like I miss somebody. More than one. People that have been very kind to me that I want in my life. And I don't know if God is trying to say something to me, but...I think he wants you to help Mister Bakugo, too."

Moxie grabbed the keys from her pocket and thrust them over to Lloyd. He grabbed the keys and clenched his fist over them. He smiled at Moxie who returned the grin. With a quick nod, Lloyd punched his shoulders back in confidence.

"I won't let you down."

Moxie grabbed James' hand and pulled him off the car.

"Let's go," Moxie said with a sudden burst of energy.

"Wha? What the hell," James said. "You just gave your car to some Canadian weirdo! Are you gonna explain any of this to me?"

Moxie sniffled again and beamed at James. "Nah, I don't think I will."

James looked back at Lloyd as Moxie dragged him across the parking lot to the dorms. He dug his heels into the ground to slow Moxie's surprisingly strong pull. "You expect me to just go along with this?"

"Nah," Moxie turned back and winked at James. "But I reckon I can distract you for long enough in my room."

James' mouth flew open to the size of a tunnel. Suddenly, he stopped digging his heels in and allowed himself to get pulled away by the weird Cajun girl. Impulsive, maybe, but an impulsive he could live with for now.

Lloyd, grateful for Moxie's sudden understanding, raced over to the driver's seat and threw himself into the chair. He adjusted the mirrors and cranked the engine on. With a few pumps of the gas, the engine roared to life and shook the car like a dragon ready to charge at a knight. As luck would have it, he saw the spiky hair of a certain Pro-Hero and honked the horn.

Bakugo dropped the stack of papers on the the ground, the forms flowing around in the light ocean breeze. As he screamed in agony, he heard the horn honk again. His head shot up with a furious expression etched into his face.

"Mister Bakugo," Lloyd stuck his head out of the window. "Time to save your Christmas!"

Bakugo rolled his eyes and headed for the car. "Do you even know how to drive a manual, dummy?"

Lloyd looked down at the pedals in the vehicle. "Oh. I was wondering why a third pedal was down here. But I'm sure you can teach me real fast."

Welcome back! Doing something a bit different. Tell me what you think is going on! Make sure you review! It means so much to me!

Thank you all for supporting me. Please continue to do so. I value each and every one of you. I'm so grateful for you. Thank you!

See you soon!