-13-

I tug at the UA gym clothes as we wait for the rest of the class to arrive. They take forever. I stare off into space in the meantime, missing most of the lecture. I only manage to zone in when they hand the blonde—explosion quirk—a baseball. He throws it in a fury of flames. The fire from the force burns against my face, the heat sweltering against my skin, the smoke lingering like reassurance in the air.

"You need to know your maximum capabilities. It's the most rational way of figuring out your potential as a pro-hero."

The class yips and growls, excitedly cheering. I frown at their enthusiasm.

The sound of Daddy's jaw breaking. The gray suits pull us away.

"So this looks fun, huh?"

It doesn't.

I lose focus again as he starts talking, quietly watching the others instead. The boy, his green hair messy, shivers—is it fear or excitement? Anxiety or anticipation? The blonde explosion boy grins ferally. Others stare incredulously. Glasses stretches out his muscles. It takes a moment to realize I probably need to stretch as well.

"We'll start with the 50-meter dash."

I do lunges as they line up. Each stands at the ready, blondie, the explosive one, throw himself forward in quick sporadic blasts. 4.13. Glasses, tall and broad-shouldered with engines in his legs, races forward in quick sprints. 3.04. The girl that looks like a frog leaps forward. 5.58.

I pinch my arm, the feeling sharp and painful, the skin already bruised and splotchy green. The shadows seep forth with their usual viscosity, I bite my lip to control it, to contain it.

"Hoki!"

I step forward, stand on the line, and let the shadows twist and curl across my forearms.

"Go!"

With a steady breath, I let the tentacles snap forward, dig sharply into the ground and sling me forward. That's the easy part. I land still running, the impact vibrating through my bones, my jaw snapping shut. I stumble, closing my eyes to recall the power, struggling to pull it in with the chaos of so many heroes.

"5.06," Aizawa-sensei says.

I swallow down the shadows and nod. His gaze is sharp and scrutinizing. I've no doubt he caught my stumble.

"Wow," a brunette says, coming over with wide eyes. "You did amazing!"

"T-T-Thanks?" I mumble shyly.

We separate a moment later when it's time for the next test. Grip strength. I let the claw squeeze it for me, careful to not crush the machine.

"396.0 kg," Aizawa-sensei frowns as he watches me focus. The exploding blonde glowers from the side. I shrink under both of their stares and retreat to the rear of the crowd. Red grins when he notices me.

"Damn Hoki, your tentacle things are super strong!" he says, stepping back to talk to me. Beside him, the tape guy laughs and joins in.

"Yeah, though it's kinda weird to know a girl's stronger than me."

"Hah, man, isn't it? Bakugou looks pissed!"

I feel my face burning at their words and I stare at my feet. Their conversation continues and I wait patiently for them to forget me. Strangely, it doesn't happen. Tape takes my silence as an invitation and leans near.

"So how does your quirk compare to Tokoyami's?" he asks curiously, gesturing towards the bird boy. I frown, watching the sandbox test begin. The bird uses his shadow bird to pull him forward in much the same way I did. "You both use shadows, right? But his seems more sentient. Do you have like an octopus or squid in you?"

I give him an odd look.

"No…?"

Tape's face falls and Red laughs.

"Hah, so you do talk!"

My face burns as I look away. I'm relieved when Sensei calls me forward, pinching my exposed arms to pull out the shadows. He makes a note on his clipboard and then, like the bird boy and in the race before, I throw myself as far as I can over the sandbox. I clear it without issue and glance back towards Sensei.

He nods and this time, I leave the tentacles out, standing away from the two boys from earlier and focusing instead on keeping the shadows in check. They writhe in my control as I wait my turn. I struggle with all the noise and distractions to control them. This time nobody approaches, and I'm silently grateful.

It's a repeated sidestep.

I imagine the tentacles as spider legs jutting from my back and solid. They form like a nightmare, splitting and growing from my spine with sickening cracks. Someone makes a noise and I cringe. Whoever comes in last will be expelled. I shiver and try not to think about their stares, try not to flinch at the disgust no doubt staring horrified in my back. I try to copy the purple one, bouncing back and forth, but I'm slower, sweatier, and my control waivers. Claws grow grotesquely from the ends, dark hair sticks to my face and neck. They lose their hardened state, loosening and turning to thick snakes mouths open and biting the floor.

"Time."

I clutch my flashlight and heave deep breaths, forcing the shadows to recede, slipping back into my back. The snakeheads turn into claws, dull nails scratching lines into my back.

I'm at my end, I won't be able to call them again. Not with control.

"Good job," Sensei says as I step away.

I glance back, confused. Me?

He meets my eye and I quickly look away. Something strange churns in my chest. Teachers never look me in the eye, not after seeing my shadows. Why?

I don't ask.

He doesn't offer.

.

.

.

We finish the rest of the test quickly. There's a small incident with Green and the Explosive guy where the teacher has to step in, but beyond that, the tests finish quickly. I want to change in the bathrooms again, but Sensei leads us all to the lockers.

I frown.

Amongst the six other girls, I reluctantly remove my clothes.

Like always, someone gasps.

I hurriedly pull on my shirt to hide the scarred marks that burn their way up my back, chest, and arms. The scratches from today are likely there as well. Thick, hideous welts that crisscross my back from my loss of control.

"Hoki-chan! Oh my god!"

"That looked really painful," says the frog girl.

I shrink at the attention and pull on the rest of my clothes faster. The other girls have all stopped changing to stare at me.

Freak.

I swallow down the lump in my throat.

"Asui-chan is right," the pink girl says with a hand on her hip. "Those scratches look awful, they're from your quirk, right? That must be really painful, you should tell Sensei. I'm sure he'll let you see the nurse!"

I tug on my shoes as quickly as I can before stuffing the uniform in my locker. I close it and quickly turn away, walking towards the door.

"It's fine."

The girl with a ponytail blocks my path.

That's new…

"That's not fine! If you're hurt, you should see the nurse. There's no reason to walk around all day in pain. We should at least let Aizawa-sensei know!"

I blink as she grabs my arm, her upper torso still in the gym outfit and the bottom one in her school skirt. I jerk out of her grasp without thinking, flinching.

Her mouth opens.

I turn my head away.

"I said it's fine," I say a little more forcefully. Then, realizing how rude I've been, I stare at my feet, fingers curling into fists, and dip into an apologetic bow. "I'm sorry, I… I need to get to class. Th-th-thank you for your concern."

The other girls stare and I step out of the bathrooms. I make it to homeroom, grab my things, and head towards our next class.

.

.

.

UA, despite being a hero school, is just like every other high school.

My first class, English, is with the Voice Hero, Present Mic. I make it there in record time and he raises an eyebrow as I take the furthest seat in the back. The others follow suit soon after and I bite my lip when the ponytail girl walks in with Eraserhead.

I stare at my books, shrinking in my desk.

"Yo! Eraserhead, what's up? Come to check your students all made it to class?"

The dark-haired hero's eyes cut across the room and landed on me before he frowned.

"I need to borrow one for a moment. Hoki, come here."

My face burns as every eye in the class falls on me. I stand and walk over, trying to ignore them and their curious gazes. Aizawa-sensei steps outside the door and gestures for me to follow. Still holding the chalk, Present Mic, follows him out.

"Everything okay?" the blonde teacher asks, eyebrow raised. One hand settles on his hip the other settles on Aizawa-sensei's shoulder.

"That's why I'm here," the dark-haired man says shortly. "Hoki, were you injured in the test?"

I frown and stare at my feet.

"I'm fine."

There's a pause.

"Alright," Aizawa-sensei says. I look up and blink in surprise. He raises an eyebrow and motions for me to return. I nod, turn around, and return to my seat. Present Mic remains outside for a few more minutes talking before he returns.

I only glance once at the pony-tailed girl, but she stares resolutely forward. The others glance between us. I open my journal and pour my attention into copying down notes.