Kevin

Five Years Ago:

"I'm sorry can you both tell me your names again." Dr. Woods said.

Kevin's sister, Vanessa, sighed.

"I'm Vanessa, and this is my little brother Kevin." Vanessa said.

Dr. Woods smiled. "Right of course."

Kevin wasn't sure why he was here. He didn't need to be at the quirk doctor unless it involved getting rid of his quirk. Yet for some reason Vanessa thought it was a good idea to bring him here.

"May I ask where the parents are?" Dr. Woods asked.

Vanessa shook her head. "Our dad had to…work."

He nodded. "Anyway, we finally got Kevin's blood results back from the lab." Dr. Woods said as he flipped through a clipboard.

Dr. Woods stopped at the last page and held a concerned look. He looked up at Kevin and Vanessa and sighed.

"You should probably sit down." He said.

Now:

"Have you been up all night?" Kevin asked.

He awoke to the sight of Jarret pacing so hard that he was going to tear an even bigger hole in the ground. Jarret looked at Kevin, judging by how red his eyes were and how much he was fidgeting, Kevin was willing to bet he didn't get much sleep last night.

"I'm fine." Jarret said.

It was obvious that Jarret was lying, however Kevin didn't have the energy to call him out on it. Kevin groaned and looked at his his alarm clock. Class was going to start soon and he wasn't even ready. To be honest, after his new teacher nearly gutted him, he really didn't want to go to class. He was certain the rest of them felt the same.

"Kncok knock," A voice called from the doorway.

Kevin groaned and sat up to see Lex standing at the entrance in his room. He had two cups of coffee in his hands and a warm smile on his face. Kevin raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure the last time he had ever spoken to Lex.

"Can we help you?" Jarret asked.

Lex grinned. "I'm actually here to see Kevin."

"Why?" Kevin asked.

"I need your help." Lex said.

Kevin raised an eyebrow. He didn't see how he could possibly help Lex.

"Come on get dress, we got a long day ahead of us." Lex said.

Kevin turned to look at Jarret, who seemed just as confused as Kevin was. After Kevin changed into his school uniform, he walked out his dorm to see Lex was still waiting for him.

"How was your sleep?" Lex asked.

Kevin sighed and took the cup of coffee from the boy.

"Awful and plagued with memories of childhood trauma, what about yours." Kevin said.

"I slept like a baby." Lex said.

Kevin nodded. "So, you came to tell me you slept like a baby?"

"Not exactly, I need a favor." Lex said.

"From me?" Kevin said skeptically.

"So, I have band auditions after school and I kind of need you to come with me." He said.

"Lex, I think I've given you the wrong impression, I suck at all things music." Kevin said.

Lex shook his head. "I don't need you to play an instrument or sing. I just need you as backup."

"What, do you expect to scare the guy into letting you into the band?" He asked.

"All I need for you to do is show up." Lex said.

Kevin shrugged. "Sure, why not."

"Great, we can head to the auditorium after class." Lex grinned.


Jarret

UNKNOWN: Break into Sarah's room and steal her laptop. Your secret will stay safe.

Jarret reread the text on his phone at least a dozen times. All he had to do was take Sarah's laptop and he would be free. His secret would stay safe. No one would have to know what he did, especially Ms. Morningstar.

He knocked on their door and waited for an answer. A couple of seconds passed and there was no answer. Jarret slowly opened the door. Thankfully the room was empty. It was very easy to tell whose side of the room was whose. Sarah's side was pink and glittery mess, while Fouzia's side was tidy.

Jarret walked over to the small pink desk that was on the side of Sarah's bed. He opened the first drawer, in hopes he would find her laptop. Instead all he found was a was chest filled with makeup. He moved down to the next drawer. Instead of finding a laptop he was greeted with a chest of usless trinkets. One thing that stood out was a small necklace with a gem heart on it. Jarret wasn't an expert, but he could tell that it looked expensive.

He remembered he used to see Sarah with that necklace on all the time. He wondered why she stopped wearing it. His eyes went to the next thing in the drawer. It was a picture of her and Matt, the two appeared to be hanging out in the common. Matt his arm draped around Sarah's shoulder, and Sarah had her head rested on Matt's shoulder. Both were smiling happily at the camera.

Curiosity got the best of him and started to peek through the rest of the items. He stopped when he found a small crumpled up note.

Sarah,

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. It was an accident, I just lost control. I just want you to know that I still love you and I forgive you for how you've been acting. This experience has made me realize that we both need to work on ourselves.

Jarret stopped reading the letter and bit his lip. He didn't know much about Matt except for what the rumors said. However, he knew one thing very well, and it was fear. He knew when Sarah spoke about being abused by Matt she was telling the truth, she was as scared of him as Jarret was of his past.

"This is wrong." Jarret said aloud. "I can't do this."

He kept telling himself he wanted to be a hero yet here was rummaging through Sarah's things all because some anonymous asshole told him to. Sarah had put up with enough pain, and even if he didn't like the girl, his secrets weren't any bigger than hers. Jarret sighed and put the contents back in the chests.

He pulled out his phone and proceeded to text the number.

JARRET: Find someone else to be your pawn, I'm not doing it.

After he sent the text. He pulled out his phone and blocked the number.


Cleo

"Good morning students!" Quirk Killer greeted.

The students of Class Z eyed their substitute teacher as the man circled around them. They currently stood in the gym in their PE uniforms. Cleo gulped and crossed her arms. Being around Quirk Killer made her feel uneasy. She felt at any moment he would strike and try to kill her.

He frowned when he noticed the kids silence.

"Where is your spirit? It's Valentine's Day for crying out loud." The man chuckled.

"Forgive us if seeing a serial killer this early in the morning doesn't make us want to celebrate." Victoria said. They had all heard that Mrs. Zambiea would be gone for a week. Until then, they were stuck with a literal psychopath.

"Really, because I've been thinking about you kids all morning." Quirk Killer smirked.

"That doesn't sound creepy at all." Kaleb frowned.

Quirk Killer ignored his comment and looked the kids up and down. He stopped when he saw Jake. Walked over to the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder much to his discomfort.

"I see Jake's back, how was your time away? Read any good books? Have fun with your new roommate?" Quirk Killer asked.

Jake blushed. Cleo could tell from his face that he was hoping he wouldn't bring that up.

"Who is his new roommate?" Faith asked.

Addy perked up. "It's me."

The class groaned collectively. A part of her wanted to be surprised that Ms. Morningstar decided to let Addy bunk with Jake, however she felt like she was past being surprised at this point.

"Our room is like right across from theirs." Alexander gagged.

Jake frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means a lot of horrific noises are going to be coming from your room, if you know what I mean." Sarah smirked.

Addy grinned. "Oh, like how you and Matty used to be."

Sarah's face fell. "You little-"

"Okay just to make things clear, I did not sleep with Addy! Nor do I plan to!" Jake snapped.

Cleo rolled her eyes. She highly doubted that.

Quirk Killer chuckled at the scene.

"You know if you had put the same amount of energy you put into attacking each other into taking down Cyrus, you would've stopped him months ago." Quirk Killer said. "Which brings me to the first lesson of the day. You guys are going to fight each other."

"You mean like a sparring match?" Faith asked.

"Yes indeed, Ms. Ritter. Most of you can't fight for shit." Quirk Killer bluntly said.

Victoria growled. "How about you come over and I'll show you how well I can fight."

Quirk Killer walked up to her with a casual smile. Even when she had her guard up, it took three seconds for him to pin her to the ground lying on her stomach with his foot on her head and her face on the ground. He twisted her arm enough to not break it and restrained her. "If this is how well you can fight without your quirk, I genuinely question how I lost to you the first round. Go on, use your quirk, I bet you've never felt this humiliated."

Victoria wanted to kill him more than anything at that moment, everyone wanted to rush to her aid. However, Ms. Morningstar had told them that they were not allowed to kill him and Addy or hurt them severely for petty reasons or face expulsion.

Quirk Killer smirked and took his foot off her head and backed away as she stood up, glaring at him with eyes that could kill.

"Keep this in mind Victoria, your ego doesn't intimidate half as many people as you think it does, you should quit with the empty threats. Anyway, back to the lesson. I took some extra time to study all your fights. If you ask me, the only reason you all survived the attack on homecoming was sheer dumb luck. Too many of you rely on your quirks to assist you in a fight to the point where it's starting to become a crutch, so it's time for you guys learn the basics." Quirk Killer said. "Take me for example. I was born without a quirk, yet I've killed men and women that could lift cars over their heads or shoot laser beams out of their eyes. The thing about quirks is that they are not all powerful, they have weaknesses and limitations, ones that can be exploited. Heroes today think they are the same as Gods, but do you know what they all have in common, with villains and other people? Jarret?"

He turned to look at the boy who jumped when his name was called. "Um…I don't know." He said looking down to avoid eye contact.

QK narrowed his eyes at the boy and sighed. He walked up to the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. Jarret's face turned the same as paper and he felt like he was going to pass out. "The answer, they're all human." He turned to the class while still keeping his hand on Jarret's shoulder. "Take Jarret for example. He can turn into a powerful tornado and devastate a city, yet if I were to slit his throat, cut his head off, or stab him in the heart, he would bleed red and die just like any other human." He explained. Jarret looked like he was hyperventilating at this point. "And believe me when I say that my old associates wouldn't hesitate to do any of the above and worse to the lot of you."

"I can't believe our teacher is a villain." Fritz sighed.

"I prefer the term creative psychopath." Quirk Killer said dramatically.

He put his hand to his chin and frowned. "I think I'm going to break you off into groups of two, when I say go, go ahead and fight. No quirks, just an old-fashioned bare-knuckle brawl."

Kaleb raised his hand. "My arm's still recovering from what happened at the football game."

"Well then, use the other five." Quirk Killer shrugged.

Kaleb narrowed his eyes at the villain.

"What about my quirk? I can't exactly turn it off." Kaleb said.

Quirk Killer smirked. "Well, I call that an unfair advantage. Lucky for you the world is full of people that have unfair advantages."

He picked up a clipboard and began writing on it.

"Okay everyone, listen up, the groups are as followed: Victoria and Lex, Alexander and Fritz, Kaleb and Jake, Faith and Fouzia, Aerolynn and Jarret, Kevin and Aurélie, and lastly Maryanne and Addy." He announced.

Quirk Killer turned to face Sarah. "Ms. Smith why are you here exactly? I got a note from your doctor saying you were exempt from physical activity." He said.

Sarah frowned. "Ms. Morningstar said I still have to show up to class, even if I can't fight."

"Well get out of here, if you're not going to participate, you're a waste of space." He said.

Sarah smirked. "You're letting me skip class? Say no more."

The blond turned and walked out of the gym leaving the rest of the classmates behind. Cleo frowned and turned to face Quirk Killer. She was never assigned a partner, had her teacher forgotten about her?

"What about me?" Cleo asked.

Quirk Killer grinned and slowly walked towards Cleo.

"Well Ms. McScream, I'm going to be your partner." He said. She could see the bad intentions under his smile. "Don't worry, I will also only use my hands. I have to set an example after all."

Cleo gulped. She was going to spar with a serial killer? She was starting to hate Ms. Morningstar more and more. How could she win a fight against Quirk Killer without using her quirk? He would kill her, literally.

The villain walked to the ring and looked at Cleo expectantly.

"Hurry up Cleo, I don't have all day." Quirk Killer said.

Cleo sighed and slowly walked over to the ring. She tried to stop herself from trembling in fear, but it was no use.

She looked around, everyone was stepping into their own individual rings across the gym. Some seemed excited for a chance to work out their frustration, some seemed nervous, even scared.

"1….2…3, GO!" Quirk Killer yelled.

Before Cleo even had a chance to react the villain pounced. With one hand he grabbed Cleo's wrist and with the other he kicked her foot out from underneath her. When her balance was thrown off, he grunted and body slammed the girl, causing her to hit the mat hip first.

Cleo yelped in pain, she struggled to free herself from Quirk Killer's grip. She growled and tried to push the man off, however he managed to wrap his leg around hers and he had her left arm twisted behind her.

"Amazing Cleo, you really don't know how to fight." He smirked.

He pulled her arm roughly causing Cleo to yell in pain.

"You have a decent quirk but that will only get so far. You've been here for months and you are the same exact student you were when you got here." He said.

He let go of the girl's arm and hopped off of her. Cleo groaned and slowly got up. Her hip was in searing pain and she could barely move her arm.

"Hit me." He said.

Cleo frowned. "What?"

"I want to see if you know how to throw a punch." He said.

"I know how to throw a punch." Cleo defended.

"Then hit me." He said.

Cleo growled and lunged towards the man, her fist sailing towards his jaw. Just as she got close, he pivoted and dove under her fist. Using his free arm he punched Cleo in her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Cleo grunted as she roughly landed on the floor.

"If this was to the death, you would have been killed at least ten times already!" He yelled. "Come on Cleo, get angry!"

Cleo growled and jumped up. He was about to see how angry she could get.

"I read your file you know." He smirked.

"And?" Cleo asked.

He smiled. "You should be the angriest kid here. You were on the waitlist; Ms. Morningstar didn't even want you. On top of that your family has been struggling since your father's business went under. Yet you go here and practically all of your classmates are privileged. Your roommate Aurélie is filthy rich, Victoria and Alexander are children of pro heroes, etc."

He took a step closer to Cleo.

"Yet you Cleo McScream are nothing. And instead of proving yourself, you fade into the background." He said. "Forget being a hero, not even a bottom of the barrel hero would ask you to be their sidekick."

Cleo frowned. "Shut up."

"Why? Because I'm right?" Quirk Killer said.

His words pierced Cleo's skin like bullets. He was right and she hated that. She hasn't grown as a hero. She always relied on her quirk to win matches. She wasn't like the other kids, she had to fight to get into this school. She was going to have to fight to get her father's reputation back.

She narrowed her eyes at Quirk and howled like animal. She swung her fist to his jaw, something he was able to predict, unfortunately for him that was exactly what she wanted. He raised his arm to block her punch, giving her an opening to the right side of his stomach. Cleo rolled to the side and slammed her fist into the man's gut, causing him to gasp.

He stumbled backward and Cleo jumped back into a fighting stance, preparing for his worst.

Instead, he laughed. Not the psychopathic kind, but one of a personal trainer who saw their client achieve something. He looked up at Cleo and grinned.

"Now that's how you throw a punch." He said before taking his fighting stance. "Let's see if you can do it again." He smirked.


Jake

Jake felt his stomach drop. He knew he was going to have to talk to Kaleb about what happened eventually. He was just hoping that today wouldn't be that, and the circumstances would have been a bit better. He just got back, and he could tell that no one missed him. In fact, it seemed they were happier when he was gone. Aerolynn wouldn't even look at him. Jake knew one thing, he had to apologize to Kaleb.

Not just because he wanted his classmate's approval, but ever since the football game he felt such a gnawing pain in his stomach. He followed Kaleb to the mat, the boy made a point not to say a word to Jake.

"So how's your arm?" Jake asked awkwardly.

"Fine." Kaleb said briskly.

Jake frowned.

"Listen Kaleb, I just wanted to say…" Jake frowned.

He couldn't think back to the last time he truly apologized to someone. He wasn't sure how to start one. To be honest, he didn't feel guilty about a lot of stuff. This was uncharted territory for him.

"1…" Quirk Killer said.

"Wanted to say what?" Kaleb frowned.

Jake sighed. "I just wanted to say…"

"2…." Quirk Killer continued.

Kaleb sighed. "Jake I'm not in the mood for any more crap you're trying to pull."

"Look I'm just trying to say that-" Jake was interrupted by Quirk Killer's loud scream.

"3….Go!" Quirk Killer yelled.

The minute the word 'go' left his mouth, Kaleb's fist smashed into Jake's nose, causing the boy to howl in pain and fly several feet back. He felt like he just met the bad end of a sledgehammer. His head was ringing, and he could feel blood gushing from his nose. What terrified him was that it felt like Kaleb still held back enough to not completely smash his skull. He got back up and walked back into the ring holding his hand to his nose.

"I had that coming." Jake groaned. "I'm guessing that's payback."

Kaleb shook his head and stood in front of Jake. "That wasn't, this is."

Kaleb headbutted the boy, causing him to stumble, he used two of his hands to grab Jake by his arms, he grunted as he lifted Jake in the air. With one swift moment he tossed the boy like a baseball and onto the wall. Jake groaned as he picked himself up. He was aware that he deserved this, plus it was just an assignment. That didn't mean he didn't want to hit Kaleb back twice as hard.

"Come on man, can we just talk?" Jake asked.

Kaleb threw another punch, this time Jake was able to duck underneath, however Kaleb managed to use his other hand to punch Jake in his jaw.

"I think you're missing the point of the assignment." Kaleb said.

Jake growled. He charged at the boy, his shoulder slamming into Kaleb's chest. The two boys tumbled to the ground. While he had the upper hand, Jake punched Kaleb right in his eye.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry!" Jake yelled.

Kaleb grunted and pushed Jake off of him. He grabbed Jake's arm and flipped the boy, slamming his face into the mat. Kaleb jumped on top of Jake as he pinned him.

"I appreciate the thought, but I don't need your apology Jake, I'm done." Kaleb said.

Jake groaned and threw his head back, his skull slamming into Kaleb's jaw causing him to jolt. Jake used the distraction to push the boy off of him and frowned.

"Done with what?" Jake asked.

Kaleb ran toward Jake, Jake jumped out of the way, however Kaleb summersaulted over him. While he was in midair, Kaleb swung his muscular leg and kicked Jake in his temple. Jake groaned and stumbled forward.

"I'm done with you." Kaleb said.

He grabbed Jake's arms and roughly slammed him into the mat. Jake could hear Kaleb sigh as he pinned him.

"I'm just done." Kaleb said.


Fouzia

"Well, this is probably a dream come true for you." Faith said.

Fouzia frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm sure you've been waiting forever for a chance to hit me." Faith said.

"Still not following, why would I want to hit you?" Fouzia asked.

Faith frowned. "Fouzia, you haven't talked to me in weeks."

Fouzia crossed her arms. Is that what Faith thought was going on? She had not talked to anyone in weeks. If she wasn't in class, she spent her time in room. She slept a lot since Homecoming. She got tired of constantly dealing with her mind, so it felt better not to think at all. The only person she really talked to was Sarah and that was because they were roommates.

"Faith it's not about you." Fouzia said.

"What's not about me?" Faith asked.

Fouzia rolled her eyes. "The reason why I've been distant."

"Well, you've been pretty close to Sarah." Faith said bitterly.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Fouzia asked.

"What?" Faith asked.

"What does Sarah have to do with this?" Fouzia asked.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out! Sarah has been awful to all of us all year, yet for some reason everyone seems to be treating her like she's a helpless puppy." Faith said.

Fouzia shook her head. "She's been through a lot these last couple of weeks."

Faith's face darkened. She sighed. "I'm not saying she hasn't. What she went through with Matt was rough, but I just feel…"

"1…2…" Quirk Killer chanted.

"It feels unfair that Sarah gets to get all my friends okay, it doesn't feel good knowing I've been replaced." Faith said.

Fouzia understood what Faith was saying. It was never her attention to make Faith feel excluded or that she didn't care about her. No matter what happened she still was her closet friend. However, after what she did at homecoming Faith's complaint felt so trivial to her. She would kill to have her problems.

So Fouzia did something she wasn't proud of. She rolled her eyes at the girl causing Faith to frown.

"Did you seriously just roll your eyes at me?" Faith asked.

"3….Go!" Quirk Killer yelled.

The two girls stared at each other, neither wanted of them wanted to end their silent standoff first. Faith growled and struck. Fouzia had to admit, the girl moved fast, one minute she was standing on the other side of the next she delivered an uppercut to Fouzia's jaw.

Fouzia grunted and stumbled backward. While she was distracted Faith punched Fouzia in the jaw again. Fouzia rolled to the side and jumped back on her feet. She had to go on the offense. Fouzia swung her fist, however Faith blocked it with her arm. Fouzia grabbed Faith's arm and yanked the girl toward her, when she got close Fouzia headbutted the blond, causing her to scream in pain.

When she hit the floor, Faith kicked Fouzia's foot out from underneath her. Fouzia yelped as she landed on her back. Faith jumped on top of the girl and punched her in the nose. Fouzia grabbed Faith's wrist and rolled on top of her.

Fouzia held her left arm against Faith's neck and punched Faith in the jaw. Just as she was about to hit her again, Faith managed to wiggle her arm out from underneath her and blocked it. She growled and slammed her forehead against Fouzia's.

Fouzia yelped in pain and fell off Faith. Faith hopped on to her feet and got back into her fighting stance. Fouzia groaned and slowly looked at Faith.

"Come on Fouzia this isn't over yet." Faith said.

Fouzia slowly got to her feet and pulled her fists up. Then she charged.


Lex

"Don't worry Lex, I heard you had band auditions, so I won't mess your jaw up to badly." Victoria said.

Lex raised an eyebrow. Nobody but Faith and Kevin knew. He didn't even tell Alexander or even Kaleb because he would be even more anxious if they had shown up. "How did you hear about that?"

"Are you kidding me? Rumors spread throughout this school like wildfire." Victoria said. Lex had to agree and wondered how that was.

Lex sighed. "I guess I'll extend you the same courtesy, you can't cheer if you can't move your jaw." To be honest, Lex wasn't sure how he would fare against Victoria, who probably had extensive combat training as a child. Meanwhile, the only fights he ever been in were a few scraps whenever the neighborhood bullies harassed him, and he wasn't exactly a hands-on kind of guy.

"Well football season's over anyway, so by extension so is cheer season." Victoria said.

"1…2…3…Go!" Quirk Killer yelled.

Victoria dove toward Lex, her fist aiming for his jaw. Lex anticipated the hit and held up his arm to block. He then kicked Victoria in the gut causing the girl to grunt. Victoria spun around and delivered a roundhouse kick to Lex's jaw causing the boy to groan in pain. Something told him she was taking her frustration of being humiliated by Quirk Killer out on him.

His chin throbbed with pain and his mouth was filled with a coppery taste of blood. Victoria pounced again and tried to kick Lex while he was down, Lex rolled to the side and slammed his shoulder into Victoria's side, throwing her off balance. Lex hopped on to his feet and punched the girl in the shoulder.

"You punch like a bitch." Victoria growled.

She grabbed Lex's wrist and flipped him, the boy roughly landing on his back. He let out a groan and jumped back to his feet, putting his guard up. This time he decided to charge, Victoria sensed he was coming and tried to move out of the way, but Lex wrapped his leg around hers just as she was about to pull away causing both to fall to the ground.

Lex grabbed her arms and pinned her to the mat, sighing in relief.

"You're pinned." Lex said.

Victoria grinned. "No."

She thrusted her body toward Lex, roughly slamming into Lex, causing him to loosen his grip. Victoria rolled out from underneath and cartwheeled away from the boy. Just as Lex prepared to get back up, Victoria delivered a flying kick to his chest, knocking him off of his feet.

She jumped on top of him and roughly pushed her knee against Lex's back, holding his head down. Lex struggled to free himself from Victoria's grasp. With her applying so much pressure to the back of his head, he could barely even move.

A part of Lex questioned if he should use his quirk. All he had to do was glance at her just a bit and that would be it. No one would know and he would win. Even though it would be a cheap victory, it would be nice to wipe that smug smile off Victoria's face. Before Lex could make a decision, Quirk Killer yelled, "Time! End all matches now!"


Maryanne

"1…2…3, Go!" Quirk Killer yelled.

Addy charged toward Maryanne causing the girl to yelp. She rolled out of the way, however not before Addy delivered a smooth kick to Maryanne's gut. Maryanne howled and jumped back. Addy growled and grabbed Maryanne by her ponytail yanking her back to the girl. Maryanne howled in pain as Addy tightened her iron grip around her hair.

"Let go of me!" Maryanne hissed.

Addy smirked. "Make me."

While she had Maryanne's ponytail, she punched Maryanne in the bridge of her nose causing the girl to scream in pain. Blood trickled down her face and a numbing pain flooded her face. Maryanne tried to move but Addy's grip was too strong.

Maryanne snarled and slammed her elbow into Addy's face, causing the girl to grunt, her hand releasing Maryanne's ponytail. Maryanne sighed in relief and ran away from Addy, moving to the edge of the ring.

"Are you seriously running away?" Addy laughed.

"I'm trying not to get hit!" Maryanne defended.

Addy rolled her eyes. "And here I thought Jarret was the bigger coward."

"Excuse me?" Maryanne said.

"You don't fight like a hero; you fight like you're afraid of getting your ass kicked." Addy said.

Maryanne frowned, that was because she was afraid of getting her ass kicked. She had very good reason to be afraid. She wasn't the best at hand-to-hand combat, her quirk usually protected her from getting hit. She was out of her element.

"Are you a hero Maryanne, or are you a little bitch?" Addy taunted.

Maryanne put her fists up.

"I'm not scared." Maryanne lied.

Addy noticed her brave front and grinned. "Well, I'll guess we'll see."

She swung her fist connecting right with Maryanne's temple. Maryanne grunted and delivered a high kick to Addy's jaw, her head flying backward. Addy was right, she was scared. Unlike the others she didn't have a developed fighting style. She would have to play on her strengths. She was good at evading hits and she built up decent flexibility from cheerleading. The problem was Addy was just as agile as she was.

No fear. Maryanne said to herself.

She delivered high kick, which Addy was able to block with her arm. While Addy had her one foot, Maryanne, grunted and pushed herself off the ground, kicking Addy in the throat. Addy gasped fell backward, clutching her throat and struggling to breathe for a few seconds. She quickly regained her footing and tackled Maryanne. Maryanne growled when she landed on her back, using her back she pushed herself up, supporting her body weight with her hands and kicked Addy in the stomach. While she was disorientated Maryanne charged the girl slamming her shoulder into Addy, both girls falling on to the mat. Maryanne pushed Addy's face into the mat and used her other hand to pull her arms back.

"Time! End all matches now!" Quirk Killer yelled.


Fouzia

"Good job to some of you, the rest of you suck, but by the time I'm done with you, you all might actually start to look like pros in training." Quirk Killer gave a round of applause but most of them didn't feel the sincerity. He looked around and saw a lot of the kids were bruised and bloody, most, if not all of them didn't look like they had fun.

"Hopefully all of you got the chance to vent out your frustrations." He continued. "Go to the nurse or put some ice or whatever you do." He yelled as everyone was walking out of the gym in a dejected mood.

He turned to look at Faith and Fouzia, who were the last to about to leave. Fouzia had a black eye and Faith's lip and nose were bleeding.

"And it looks you ladies had a productive conversation." He said.

Their teacher walked away leaving the two girls alone. Fouzia turned to look up at Faith. Just as Faith was about to walk away Fouzia grabbed her arm.

"Faith, you know you're still my best friend, right?" Fouzia asked.

Faith sighed. "Maybe I don't deserve to be anyone's best friend."

Fouzia sighed. "I'm sorry I was talking to my friend Faith, not a big husk of self-pity. If you find her, please let her know I'm looking for her." Fouzia remarked.

"I'm serious Fouzia," Faith said.

"Look Faith, you're not the only one with a lot going on. I mean Homecoming was just a couple of weeks ago. I don't think any of us have been the same ever since." Fouzia said. She grimaced. She especially hasn't been the same since.

"So what?" Faith said.

"The only thing we can do now is keeping moving forward. We can't stay stuck in the past." Fouzia said.

Faith smiled weakly. "You're right. I'm sorry I got jealous of Sarah, I guess I'm just trying to figure out her appeal."

"I feel like if you get to know her, you may be surprised to find she's not…a complete pain." Fouzia said after an awkward paused. "Don't get me wrong she's an acquired taste."

Fouzia hadn't forgotten how she asked if she was a terrorist the first time they met. Yet after getting to know her Fouzia found out Sarah was surprisingly sensitive and in very rare instances, kind in her own way. It didn't excuse all the terrible stuff she said and did to everyone, but it did make Fouzia find some sympathy for her. She was kind of like a bratty little sister, she made mistakes and she was far from perfect, but Fouzia felt it was her responsibility to protect her.

"You and Sarah are always going to be my friends, even if you two don't get along. It's not either or, we're all in this together." Fouzia said.

Faith grinned. "Good, now that we're back to being friends we can talk about the Valentine's Party tonight."

"Yeah, I'm definitely not going to that." Fouzia chuckled.

"Come on Fouzia, we don't get a lot of fun around here!" Faith complained.

Fouzia rolled her eyes. "I'll think about it."


Maryanne

"Hey Maryanne, wait up!" Jarret called.

Maryanne stopped walking and turned to face the boy. The scrawny brunette ran after Maryanne, his oversized gym bag flying behind him. Maryanne smiled and waved.

"Hey Jarret, how was your match?" Maryanne asked.

"Got my ass kicked, but I got a couple of hits in so there's progress." Jarret sighed.

Maryanne gave a questioned look. If she remembered correctly, wasn't he paired with Aerolynn? For the sake of his self-esteem, she decided not to say anymore and smiled. "Well good for you."

"Anyway, I just came over here to ask when the next cheer practice is." Jarret said.

Maryanne stopped and eyed him. "What happened to it being a onetime thing?"

"Well, that was before I knew I had a chance of getting with Cindy." Jarret claimed.

Maryanne smirked. She was starting to wonder if her ability to control boys was her real quirk. However, she really felt bad cause now it felt like she used him.

"I'm really sorry Jarret, but since football season is over, our season is over too." Maryanne said.

Jarret's face fell. "You're kidding right?"

Maryanne shook her head. "I mean, we don't have a team to cheer for. What, do you want us to cheer for the swim team?"

"Yes! Hell, we could even cheer for the chess team! I need this Maryanne, it's the only way I can make sure I can keep hanging out with Cindy." Jarret pleaded. Maryanne really started to feel bad for him as she could hear the desperation in his voice.

"If she likes you, you can just ask to hang out with her outside of cheering. Didn't she invite you the Valentine's Day party tonight?" Maryanne asked.

"That's just tonight, what about tomorrow?" Jarret asked.

"I doubt either of you will be around here for that much longer." A voice said.

The two turned to see Monica standing behind him. Like usual she was wearing her cheer uniform. As a matter of fact, Maryanne had never seen her without the uniform. She often wondered if Monica even wore the school's uniform or for that matter, owned any other clothes.

"Hey Monica." Jarret said.

Monica narrowed her eyes at the two. "Well, if it isn't the dump truck that stole my squad and her gay best friend."

"Hey!" Jarret frowned.

Maryanne crossed her arms and glared back at Monica. "What do you want Monica?"

"Can't I check in on the two people who got me kicked off the squad?" Monica frowned.

Jarret raised an eyebrow. "I don't even know yo-"

"Shut up scarecrow." Monica hissed.

She turned to face Maryanne and glared at her. She took another step closer to the girl and narrowed her eyes at her.

"You, your psychopath of a roommate, and this anorexic loser took everything from me." Monica snapped.

"You getting kicked out was your own fault for being such a horrible person to everyone." Maryanne defended. After what happened with Addy, she wasn't going to let anyone trample all over her again and push her around.

"I don't give a shit what you or the rest of those bulimic bitches say. You and Victoria fucking Crown ruined my life." She smirked. "But don't worry. Soon you're going to pay."

Maryanne swallowed the lump in her throat. Maryanne was sure Monica knew of a thousand ways to make her suffer and would not hesitate to inflict every single one on her. Yet for some reason Maryanne wasn't scared. She spent her entire year being scared. She was always worrying that someone would judge her that she usually just said whatever made people happy.

But after what she had been dealing with lately, a cliché mean girl didn't seem to compare. Maryanne thought back to her match with Addy. She would never be a real hero if she spent all of her time being afraid. At that moment, Maryanne smiled. "Have a good day Monica." She said.

Monica frowned. "Did you not just hear me?"

"I did, but also, I really just don't care. So if you don't mind moving out of our way, Jarret and I are going to go on about our day." Maryanne said.

Jarret smirked. "What she said."

Monica grinded her teeth and gave her a glare that could bore a hole through her skull. "This isn't over." She said.

At this point Maryanne and Jarret were already halfway across the hall. Maryanne smirked.

"You know Jarret, I'm proud of us, we've accomplished a lot this month." Maryanne smirked.

Jarret started to say something, however her phone ringing distracted her.

"Hold on a second." Maryanne said.

Maryanne reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. She struggled to breathe when she saw who it was from. He texted from a new number each time but, she could tell it was him.

UNKNOWN: That was a cute little show you did with Monica there.

Maryanne frantically looked around the hallway. No one else was there besides her and Jarret. Where could he possibly be?

"You okay?" Jarret said.

Maryanne forced a smile. "Never better."

Maryanne received another text, this time a picture. What Maryanne saw made her stomach do a somersault and made her blood go cold. It was a picture of the boy's locker room, a couple of boys could be seen changing in the background, however the camera was focused on one figure in particular: Alexander.

The picture showed Alexander changing into his PE uniform, he seemed to be in mid conversation with Lex. This picture had to be taken before they had their sparing matches. Maryanne grimaced at the sight.

UNKNOWN: Your boyfriend's cute. It would be a shame if something were to happen to him.

MARYANNE: What the hell do you want from me?

UNKNOWN: Simple, break his heart, or I'll break his neck.


Fritz

If Morning Star was any other school, a limo showing up every other day would've seemed suspicious. However, it seemed like the student body lived in their own little worlds. Getting to know what the school was like, Fritz didn't blame them considering everything Amanda was throwing at them.

A limo showing up at school was probably the sanest thing to happen all week. Fritz sighed as he hopped into the vehicle. As usual, the man was waiting for him.

"Good afternoon Fritz." He spoke monotone as usual, absolutely no emotion in his voice.

Fritz nodded.

"Any new information for me?" He asked.

Fritz shrugged. "Nothing much to report. The classes were at least normal. I would have forgotten that a serial killer was the one teaching the class. We did do some sparring lessons today, there appears to be a few hostilities amongst the class."

The man's ears perked. "Hostilities?" The man said.

Fritz nodded. "Ja. It mainly involves Jake Hyde. From what I surmised, he's not the nicest guy and he has a temper. Just a couple of weeks ago he attacked one of his classmates during a football game. He's also verbally bullies this girl named Maryanne."

"Jake Hyde huh? I remember reading about him." The man smirked.

Fritz frowned. He did not like the smile on his face.

"Jake might be exactly what we need to achieve our goal." He said.

Your goal. Fritz thought bitterly. "I don't see how. From what I hear, he reacts on impulse and is all anger and hormones." Fritz shrugged.

"Those types are the easiest to manipulate." The man shook his head. "You don't need to worry about that Fritz, it'll all make sense soon. So tell me, what about your roommate?" He continued.

"Ms. Morningstar paired me up with Alexander Aspida. His room was free because his old roommate is currently on the run." Fritz explained.

"Interesting." The man suddenly frowned. "Although, you're living with the boy whose quirk is literally being observant. That's not ideal for us. Does he suspect anything?"

Fritz shook his head. "I doubt it. He has a lot going on."

"Like what?" He asked.

Fritz frowned. If he had to guess, it was probably his issue regarding Fouzia and Maryanne. "I don't know that yet, I just met him."

"Well work harder, befriend him. I need this plan to work." He snapped.

"I'll do my best," Fritz sighed.

He grabbed his backpack and made his way out of the limo. The sooner he got away from him the better.

"One last thing Fritz, that Valentine's Day party you mentioned, I'm going to need you to go to that tonight." He said.

Fritz groaned. Parties were not really his scene. He considered himself a sociable person, but the idea of a bunch of drunk American teenagers in a cramped house did not sound appealing to him.

"Whatever." Fritz said.

"Don't screw this up for me Fritz. I need this. Our family needs this." He emphasized.

Fritz rolled his eyes when his back was turned. As if he hadn't heard that line enough.

"Love you too dad." Fritz said under his breath.

"What did you say?" His father asked.

Fritz forced a smile. "Nothing, I won't let you down."


Lex

"I'm still confused on why I'm here." Kevin said.

Lex chuckled. "Sorry, I kind of mislead you."

Kevin gulped. He was already bracing himself for what Lex was going to say next.

"So, the guy holding auditions kind of has a crush on you, so I brought you to help increase the odds of me getting into the band."

"Seriously?" Kevin frowned. "Did you say guy?"

"I mean he's a totally nice dude, and I'm sure you would like him." Lex said.

"Lex, I'm not gay." Kevin said.

Lex raised an eyebrow. "Really?...I mean I shouldn't have assumed." He placed his hands together to his face and pleaded. "Look, I'm sorry. Please, do me this solid and I'll owe you big time whether I get in or not."

Kevin sighed. "Whatever, I can pretend to be into the dude to help you with your band. It's the least I could do."

"I appreciate it-" Lex frowned. What did he mean, the least he could do? The two boys stopped when they reached the auditorium.

"I don't like that I was tricked, but I am wishing you luck." Kevin said.

Lex grinned. "Thanks bud."

Lex opened the door and bit his lip at what he saw. Standing on the stage was Lance and Victoria. Lex groaned. "You got to be kidding me." He didn't even make it on to the stage and Victoria was already trying to make it about her. "Victoria, what are you doing here?" Lex asked.

Victoria smiled sweetly. Lex knew better then to think she was being sincere. "Our little "talk" during our sparring match made me realize I need to expand my horizons."

"Or you could not do that." Lex said.

Lance chuckled. "You didn't tell me you were bringing Victoria Crown."

"Because I didn't know she was coming." Lex groaned.

Lance shrugged. "The more the merrier. Victoria got here first, so she can go first. After that Lex you can show us what you got."

Lex sighed and sat down. The band was supposed to be his thing. Now it was over before it even began. Victoria walked to the stage and grabbed the mic. She grinned with confidence and began to sing. At that moment, Lex thought to himself whether he should use his quirk, something minor like make the mic stop working or a have fly buzz down her throat.

The moment Victoria began singing, all of Lex's worries died faster than a fire in a snowstorm, however it came at a price. Victoria was bad, like horrifically bad. He thought back to all the times Cleo had used her quirk. This was possibly worse. Her voice sounded like a strangled cat in heat, Lex couldn't even make out the lyrics of what she was singing, all her words blended together into one tone deaf snarl. The addition of the microphone feedback blasting through the speakers made it worse. Kevin, who sat in the far back row, stepped out immediately.

Lex winced and covered his ears. At least he found out the one thing Victoria Crown couldn't do: sing. To add insult, her song was at least five minutes, Lex felt like she'd be perfect for torture. When she finished, Lance sighed in relief. He smiled weakly and clapped.

"Wow Victoria…you sure are…something. Alright, I think it's Lex turn." Lance said through gritted teeth.

Victoria smirked and walked off the stage. "I look forward to hearing from you."

"You'll be hearing from my shrink." Lance mumbled under his breath.

"What did you say?" Victoria asked.

"I said have a safe walk to your dorm." Lance grinned.

Victoria walked away. As she passed Lex, she bumped his shoulder. "Can't top natural talent, Dayton." She said.

Lex was bewildered. Did she actually think she was good? Did she not hear herself at all? At this point, he wasn't sure if she was trolling him or if she was selectively deaf.

The second she exited the auditorium, Kevin walked back in and Lance exhaled.

"Jesus, she was awful. No offense." Lance said.

Lex chuckled. "None taken."

Lance pointed to the stage.

"Whenever you're ready, you can go ahead and set up." He instructed.

Lex nodded and grabbed his guitar. He gulped as he made his way across the stage. Fortunately, Victoria's performance didn't set the bar very high. That didn't mean he wasn't nervous. What if he embarrassed himself completely?

A part of him hoped that Faith would walk through those doors and hop on stage with him. She was always there for him. Now he was all alone.

"Whenever you're ready." Lance repeated.

Lex gulped. He looked down at his guitar and took a deep breath. No one was coming to help him. He needed to do this for himself. He strummed his guitar, something he could do easily with his eyes closed. Closing his eyes, he finally mustered up the courage and sang:

They have calculated outcomes we just pray the numbers lied

It's all calm here on the surface but a war rages inside

And she lays still tonight…she lays still tonight

Pull me closer while I count the days

Until I see your face

Until I look into your eyes

When I'm tired you can carry me

Until I see your face

Until I look into your eyes

At that moment, Lex forgot where he was and why he was there. He was in his zone; ethereal, calming, nothing but the sound coming from his guitar and the lyrics flying out of his mouth.

We can fire back

Another plan of attack

Something to tip the scales in our favor again

If we're expecting less

We just allow the glass to drain empty through the cracks in the bottom

And wash away

Don't wash away tonight

Pull me closer while I count the days

Until I see your face

Until I look into your eyes

When I'm tired you can carry me

Until I see your face

Until I look into your eyes

Pull me closer while I count the days

Until I see your face

Until I look into your eyes

When I'm tired you can carry me

Until I see your face

Until I look into your eyes

This is life

And I am passing through

But this world has been caught lying about what it is I'm here to do

This is life

It's mine to waste or use

But it's time that I decided

It's time for me to choose

Cause who am I

That you would die to prove

That the worthless are all worth it

The curse has been removed

So this is life

And though I'm passing through

I wanna live as if I'm dying

Dying to get close to you.

Cause who am I

That you would die to prove

That the worthless are all worth it

The curse has been removed

So this is life

And though I'm passing through

I wanna live as if I'm dying

Dying to get close to you.

To you…to you

When Lex finished, he looked up at Kevin and Lance to gauge their reactions. Both boys stared at him in shock. Lex gulped. Did he completely mess that up? Lance slowly walked to the stage. He frowned and looked Lex up and down. He then shot him a wide grin.

"Dude, you're totally in the band." Lance chuckled.

Lex let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks," Lex grinned.

Although he sounded composed, inside he was celebrating. He got it. He got in! This was his chance to redefine himself.

Lance placed a hand on his shoulder. "You also get to be the one to tell Victoria that she got in." Lance said.

Lex's jaw dropped. "Pardon?"

Did they witness the same audition?

"Well, I'm not telling that girl that she's an awful singer." Lance shrugged.

"Why not!" Lex blurted.

"I've heard the rumors about her."

"What rumors?" Lex asked. Again, how did this school's gossip spread so quickly?

"That she's mentally unstable and that she bathes in the blood of virgins." Lance said.

Lex frowned. "You may be onto something with the mentally unstable part, but the last part is completely false."

"What about the fact she slaughtered a puppy for barking too loud?" Lance said.

"Most likely false." Lex said. As far as he was aware of.

"What about the one that says she sleeps with a handgun underneath her pillow?" Lance asked.

Lex swallowed his tongue. That one was probably true.

"Why can't you tell her?" Lex asked.

Lance shrugged. "She's your friend,"

Lex laughed. "No she's not! She hates me!" Lex said.

"Why?" Lance asked.

"She hates everyone." Lex groaned.

Lance shrugged. "Well, if you don't want her in the band, just tell her the truth. She can't sing to save her life...at all. Like I'm pretty sure I suffered brain damage."

Lex rolled his eyes; he was sure that was going to go over great. Tell a violent perfectionist that they're not good at something when they thought they were good at everything. What could go wrong?

"Don't worry bud." Lance grinned. "I'll say nice words at your funeral."


Kevin

When Lex and Lance finished talking, Lance hopped off the stage and walked over to Kevin. He smiled warmly and plopped down right next to the boy.

"Well, what did you think?" Lance asked.

Kevin shrugged. "Lex was good, Victoria was…anyway how is the rest of the audition process going?"

"Well, some kid in the support course agreed to be our drummer, so it's shaping up quite nicely." Lance said. "That Lex has some serious talent there."

Kevin nodded. "Cool."

He wasn't sure what to say in this situation. Overall, he felt pretty uncomfortable. Lex made it seem like Lance was into him. Which obviously was a one-sided attraction. Kevin wasn't into boys. However hypothetically speaking if he was, he would be into Lance. His eyes were his most attractive feature, a shade of blue that same color as the sky. It felt like Lance's eyes were looking right into his soul.

"So where's your other half?" Lance chuckled.

Kevin frowned. "Other half?"

"Well, it's Valentine's Day, so I expected you and Jarret to be spending the day together." Lance said.

Kevin was at his wits end regarding the rumor between him and Jarret.

"Can you please like put the word out that Jarret and I are just friends and nothing more. I'm sure he's spending Valentine's Day trying to figure out how to get into Cindy's pants." Kevin said bitterly.

"Sounds like you're free then. In that case, you should swing by the party tonight," Lance said.

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Why would I do that?"

"Because I'll be there, that should be reason enough." Lance said.

It wasn't until he said that did Kevin realize how close the two of them were. Their faces were just a couple of inches apart, Lance's lips close to his own. Kevin cleared his throat and quickly backed away.

"Yeah, I'll see if I can come." Kevin mumbled.

Lance smiled. "Cool, see you there."

Lance grinned and grabbed his backpack. He got up from his seat but made sure to brush past Kevin's legs causing the boy to shiver.

"See you later Odeymi." Lance said.

When he left the auditorium, Kevin buried his head into hands.

"Fuck my life." He groaned.


Aurélie

"Just in case I didn't make this one hundred percent clear, I think this is a stupid idea." Sarah said.

"For once, I don't disagree with you." Aurélie replied.

She and Aurélie were currently crossing campus, each with a different destination in mind. Aurélie was heading to the sophomore common room to meet with Diego, and Sarah was heading to the Ms. Morningstar's office. The two girls decided to walk together to help calm their nerves through solidarity.

"If Diego remembers what I did to him, he could make my life hell. I need to convince him that it was an accident and just tell him to leave me alone." Aurélie sighed.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Alice beating his ass to a pulp was an accident? If that's how the world works then I accidently forgot to do my homework. I accidently slipped and got pregnant."

"I get it." Aurélie groaned. She really didn't want to hear anymore of Sarah's "accidents". She wasn't ready to see how deep that rabbit hole would go.

"Listen Sarah, I have enough going on and Diego adds a whole new set of problems, I just need to confront him then go back to pretending he doesn't exist." Aurélie said.

"Well, I'd rather talk to Diego then Ms. Morningstar." Sarah said.

"What's the worse she can do?" Aurélie asked.

Sarah frowned. "Kill me. I thought we established that she was crazy."

The two girls stopped when they reached the sophomore common room.

"I guess this is my stop." Aurélie said.

She turned to face Sarah and hugged her, something that threw them both off. She remembered when the two first met and how horrible she was. Now the two were dare she says…friends. Sarah was stunned for a second before awkwardly hugging her back. She normally would have objected or made some lesbian joke, but considering everything that's happened, right now a hug was something she desperately needed.

She turned to Sarah and smiled weakly. "Good luck."

"You too," Sarah sighed. "If Diego gets handsy just go for the balls."

Aurélie sighed and made her way to the common room. A couple of kids bustled around, however all Aurélie could focus on was Diego sitting on the couch by himself. He looked considerably better than the last time she saw him. Alice had beaten him so badly he was unrecognizable. Diego's eyes stayed fixed on the TV in front of him, even though there was nothing playing.

Aurélie gulped and took a seat across from Diego. "Hey, Diego."

Diego slowly looked up at Aurélie like he struggled to process she was there.

"Aurélie, you came." He said softly.

Aurélie nodded awkwardly. "Yep."

"Thank you." Diego said quietly.

Aurélie frowned. What was wrong with him? He seemed like a shell of his former shelf. Like only his body was in the room with them, his mind was elsewhere.

"You look nice." Diego said.

"You don't get to say that." Aurélie said coldly.

Diego gulped. "Sorry I was just trying to be polite."

Aurélie tried to be the bigger person throughout this but she had never realized how much he had gotten under her skin. "Cut the shit, I don't want you to be polite, I want you to stop texting me." Aurélie said.

Diego nodded. "I understand. I just needed to speak to you. I needed you to know that I'm sorry." He sighed and continued speaking. "What I did to you was awful, I know that, and I knew it at the time. It's just…I'm at the bottom of my class rankings. There is a kid in my class who could probably move a mountain with his mind. I'm a nobody at this school. So, when you showed interest in me…it gave me popularity and I exploited that and you."

"If you asked me here so I could witness your pity party, I am not interested." Aurélie said. "The only reason you're sorry is because you got the crap beaten out of you."

"You're not wrong." Diego shook his head. "I just wanted to let you know, that I know I fucked up and I'm sorry."

Aurélie frowned. The apology was several months too late, and it seemed like it was more to clear Diego's conscience than to offer her any sort of remedy.

"Whatever." Aurélie said. "I'm out of here."

"Wait, there's something else. The reason I texted you because I wanted to tell you I didn't do it." Diego said.

"Didn't do what?" Aurélie said.

Diego sighed. "I didn't send those pics of you around."

Aurélie rolled her eyes. Of course, he called her here to lie to her.

"I got to go." Aurélie said.

Diego frowned. "I'm serious! Look, I went to bed early that night, and when I woke up, my roommate and the boys in my grade were congratulating me. I had no idea those pictures of you were sent around until I woke up. I'm not making this up."

Aurélie crossed her arms. "Then why didn't you say something earlier? You humiliated me in front of all your friends."

Diego grimaced and hung his head in shame. "Because I liked how my classmates looked at me." He sighed. "So I just went along with it."

Aurélie didn't buy Diego's story for one bit. However, she did see the boy in a new light. These past couple of months she had built Diego in her head like he was some menacing monster. She feared what he would do to her as payback. Now, seeing him today she didn't see a monster. She just saw something pitiful and destined to be a loser forever.

"I'm going to go," Aurélie said.

Diego frowned. "I understand why you hate me and you have every right to, but I meant what I said Aurélie, I didn't send those pictures around."

Aurélie ignored Diego and kept walking until she was far away from the common room. She was frustrated at the nerve he had to try to make himself look like an innocent victim. She would never forgive him. Despite this, the idea now nagged the back of her head. The slim possibility that he was telling the truth. If he really didn't send the pictures around, who did?


Faith

Four Months Ago:

"Jesus Christ, this costume is itchy." Matt grumbled.

Faith watched as Matt tried to readjust the red, white, and blue spandex that covered his body. It was Halloween and Matt decided to show off his patriotism by dressing up as Captain America. Faith rolled her eyes and turned to face Fouzia.

"I can't believe you invited him." Faith grumbled.

"You said invite everyone I assumed that included Matt." Fouzia shrugged.

Faith shook her head. "He hates Lex, he shouldn't be at his Birthday Party." Faith said.

Not only was it Halloween, but it was also Lex's birthday. The irony was not lost on the class. Right now, Faith had Alexander, Hunter, and Kaleb distracting Lex until the rest of them had the common room set up.

"I just can't believe he brought Satan." Fouzia smirked.

Faith turned to see Sarah showering Matt with kisses. And of course, Sarah was dressed in a costume that showed off as much skin as possible. Based on the catsuit she was wearing she was either dressed as a black cat or a stripper. Faith was leaning towards stripper.

Faith decided to dress up as X-23 and even bought a black wig to complete the costume.

"When do you think the boys will get here?" Fouzia asked.

Faith shrugged. "No clue."

She reached into her backpack to get her phone she frowned when she noticed that her bag was empty.

"I don't see my phone." Faith said.

"Where's the last place you had it?" Fouzia asked.

"Science class." Faith sighed.

"Then it's probably still there." Fouzia said.

Faith sighed. "You're right. Can you and the others finish setting up, I got to go to Mr. Ross's room." Faith said.

Fouzia nodded. "Of course, try to hurry back."

Present Day:

"Faith, are you okay?" Cleo asked.

Faith was pulled out of her thoughts and smiled weakly. "Yeah, I was just thinking."

I was thinking too. Has anyone else been wondering where Land Mine is? Aerolynn asked.

Cleo frowned. "He was at Homecoming, right? Do you guys think he escaped?"

Ms. Morningstar would have caught him. Aerolynn frowned.

"Like she caught Hunter?" Cleo said sarcastically.

Faith shook her head. She didn't have the energy to think about Land Mine. She turned to face Aerolynn and Cleo.

"Are you guys ready for the Stoplight Party?" Faith asked.

Both girls were sporting matching red outfits, to signify the fact that they were in a relationship.

"I'm kind of excited, I don't remember the last time we had fun." Cleo said.

It was homecoming, although all of us almost died. Aerolynn said.


Sarah

"Ms. Smith, what have I done to deserve you showing up here?" Ms. Morningstar said.

Sarah sat before Ms. Morningstar, trapped in her office. Sarah gulped and tried to focus on the paint splotch on the wall behind Ms. Morningstar. She felt like if she looked her in the eyes for too long, she would snatch her soul out of her body. Sarah gulped and reached into her purse. She pulled out a folded-up piece of paper and handed it to the headmistress.

"My mom's pulling me out of school." Sarah said.

Ms. Morningstar smirked. "Oh really?"

Sarah nodded awkwardly. The sooner she got away from this psychopath the better.

"Next Friday will be my last day at MSA." Sarah said.

Ms. Morningstar sighed. "I suppose it's for the best."

"Really?" Sarah said.

"Of course," Ms. Morningstar said.

Sarah sighed in relief and grabbed her purse. Now was her opportunity to leave.

"One last thing Ms. Smith." Ms. Morningstar said.

Sarah frowned. "What?"

"I just wanted to know if it's a boy or a girl," She smirked.

Sarah's face fell. She knew. She fucking knew.

"I'm sorry?" Sarah asked.

"I wanted to know if you're having a boy or a girl. If it's a boy I hope you name it Matt, it's only fitting. Or maybe you can name him after your father. Oh wait you don't know who he is." Ms. Morningstar said.

Sarah gulped, trying to regain the rhythm of her breathing. How on earth did she know? The only people that knew were her mom and Aurélie, and she doubted either of them would have told. Ms. Morningstar had to have been watching her. She took a deep breath. She knew she couldn't bluff her way out of this. Her initial shock probably gave away too much.

"Since we're asking questions, where's my student file?" Sarah asked.

Ms. Morningstar's smirk fell and was replaced with an annoyed snarl. "What?"

Sarah forced a grin; she was going to have to fake confidence if she wanted to go against Ms. Morningstar. She couldn't let her know how terrified she was.

"I'm sorry bitch, did I stutter? I said where is my student file? You have everyone else's except for mine and Matt's, so I'm guessing that's in a special hiding place. So, let me repeat myself, where is my student file?" Sarah said.

Ms. Morningstar sat up and glared at her with eyes that could kill. "Do I have to remind you who you are speaking to?" She growled.

Sarah leaned over the desk so she could look Ms. Morningstar in the eyes. "Do the police know that you used to date Cyrus? I'm sure they would love to hear that. Or maybe they'd like to know how you're not trying to create heroes you're trying to breed soldiers that you can control." Sarah continued.

Ms. Morningstar growled. "Watch it or I'll-"

"What track my location to death? Sweetie, no one's scared of you. You're a washed-up hero who controls teenagers, because she feels like she has no control of her life. When I leave this academy, you're going to leave me alone, or so help me God I will take this whole school down brick by brick." Sarah threatened.

She pulled away and looked Ms. Morningstar up and down. She saw the look on her headmistress's face turn cold and damn near emotionless, all the while she was probably thinking of a hundred different methods to kill her followed by a hundred places to bury her corpse. Despite the uneasiness she felt, Sarah didn't stand down.

"So, what is it going to be?" Sarah asked.


The song Lex sung at his audition was Closer by Philmont.