My Hero Academia: USA (SYOC Open)

by AnonymousAK

A continuation of the original story by Heroeschamp Everyone wants to be a hero. However, not everyone is ready for the cost. It's a new year at Morning Star Academy, an elite school for American superheroes, and 16 new students are particularly unique, even dangerous. As they travel through the trials of heroics and burdens of adolescence, a conspiracy is at work behind the scenes

39. I Am Not Okay

Chapter 39: I Am Not Okay

WARNING: This chapter features content that may be triggering or upsetting.

---

Aurélie

'Adrianna? Adele? Amelie?'

Aurélie wasn't sure how she could be in a room full of people yet feel so alone. Everyone in her science class was eagerly discussing their topic for their next lab. Normally Aurélie would have five other voices desperate to add their input. She had a hard time understanding when they all talked at once. Now, the silence in her head was deafening and uncomfortable. Something was wrong, her sisters were missing. She loved them dearly, but like all siblings, there were moments in her life where Aurélie craved for some time to have her mind to herself, a little privacy here and there. Now that she got what she wanted; she would do anything to get the chaos back.

She tried using her quirk to force them out, but it wouldn't activate. She couldn't split anymore.

'Allison? Adeline? Come on girls, please talk to me. Alice, say something dammit!'

The only conclusion she came to was Alice had to have been responsible. She was in control for far too long and did something while Aurélie was out of commission and now the people she cared about were nowhere to be found. This was one of the downsides of her condition, her sisters could take over wherever they wanted, whenever they wanted. A long time ago, to keep something from going wrong, all five of them made a general rule where they needed Aurélie's permission in order to "take the spotlight" as they liked to call it. While there were times that they disregarded that rule, they never got into any trouble that she didn't mind it too much. She had never been out of the driver's seat for this long though. If it was the others, she wouldn't have complained too much, but Alice was an entity she knew very little about, other than her violent temper. Another issue was that while all of them shared her memories and experiences, she didn't get the same luxury whenever they took control. Everything from the past month was a complete blank, like she just woke up from a long sleep. Aurélie had asked everyone in the class everything that Alice did during that period. Other than finding out she killed Orion during that training exercise, she never did anything out of turn. She attended classes and hero training, kept her grades up but brought her ranking down from #3 to #10. She didn't attack anyone in the class but she barely socialized and everyone steered clear of her. She never once brought the others out and there were times where she'd be gone for long periods without explanation. She never used her credit card once and all the cash from Aurelie's purse was gone. When she asked her parent's, her father told her that she only called once and it was before homecoming. However, he said that it was Aurélie's voice he heard. Cleo talked about how she was anxious and tense around her that there were times she couldn't sleep.

The sound of the bell ringing pulled Aurélie out of her thoughts.

"Class dismissed!" Mr. Ross said loudly.

Aurélie sighed and grabbed her bag, she just wanted the day to be over. Waiting for her at the door was Aerolynn, Jake, Cleo, and Kevin. Aurélie raised an eyebrow, she had been friends with Kevin and Cleo since the school year started by Jake and Aerolynn were new additions to the crew. She figured it was because Cleo and Aerolynn were dating now, and Jake and Aerolynn were a package deal. Plus, him and Kevin seemed to have bonded over whatever happened during homecoming.

"Are you guys ready for Mrs. Zambiea's class? I hope we learn something cool today." Cleo gushed.

"I hope she teaches us a new fighting move." Jake grinned.

Aerolynn nodded absentmindedly. Yeah that sounds great.

Jake raised an eyebrow at his best friend's lack of enthusiasm. "Are you okay?"

I'm great. Aerolynn said.

"Aerolynn's probably just nervous about the fact that my parents are going to be visiting." Cleo said.

Aurélie had never met Cleo's parents before, in fact the girl barely spoke of them.

"I can't wait to meet your mom; from what you tell me she seems so nice." Kevin said.

Aurélie chuckled. "Gee Cleo, I'm your roommate and I feel like I don't know anything about your parents."

Cleo smirked. "Trust me Duax, you're going to love my family."

And your parents are going to be okay with us dating? Aerolynn asked hesitantly.

Cleo scoffed. "Please I've been out since elementary school, my parents know that I'm strictly into girls." Cleo said.

"What coincidence so am I." Jake snickered.

Cleo rolled her eyes. "You're a pig."

"He's your brother in-law." Kevin joked.

Cleo ignored Kevin's comment and turned back to her girlfriend.

"So, if you were worried about that, then don't even sweat it. My parents are going to love you as much as I do." Cleo smiled.

Aerolynn nodded robotically. Great.

Her mood didn't seem to improve, yet Cleo didn't seem to notice. Aurélie had a feeling the dark-haired girl's worry had nothing to do with Cleo's parents.

"We should wait for Jarret." Jake said.

Kevin's face fell at the mention of his best friend's name. His eyes wandered to the middle of the classroom as the boy put his stuff in his backpack.

"Come on Jarret!" Jake called.

Jarret perked up at the mention of his name, his eyes instantly went to Kevin's. The smile that was once on the boy's face dropped when he made eye contact with the boy. Aurélie expected him to walk over to them instead he looked the other way and began to make conversation with Maryanne and Alexander.

"Did that little prick just ignore me?" Jake growled.

Kevin shook his head. "It's not you he's ignoring. He's been avoiding me ever since he remembered what happened during homecoming."

"What happened during homecoming?" Aurélie asked.

Everyone's face dropped to the floor in milliseconds. Aurélie had no memory of the last couple of weeks but it seemed like it had been eventful for everyone else in her absence.

"I made a lot of mistakes the night of homecoming," Kevin sighed.

"We should probably get to class." Cleo mumbled.

The blond girl was desperate for a chance to change the subject. As they were walking through the halls they stopped when they reached Matt's locker. Silence hung among the five teens. Aurélie still couldn't believe Matt was such a monster. With her last name being D and his last name being F, they sat together in most classes.

He was always so funny and kind. Granted she noticed he was rude to Lex, but other than that she never suspected anything dangerous about him.

"Where were you the day of the funeral Aero? I searched for you everywhere but couldn't find you." Jake asked.

If Aerolynn didn't already look distraught, she may have frowned at what the boy said. Aurélie wasn't used to seeing such a kind girl look so depressed. Aerolynn held out her hands, preparing to answer when the bell rung.

"We're going to be late!" Cleo whined.

"Last one there has to do my homework!" Jake snickered.

The boy took off in a sprint leaving the others behind, causing Aurélie to laugh. She turned back to the others. She needed something to take her mind off her current situation.

"You heard him!" She chuckled.

With that she took off in a sprint.

---

Maryanne

"Our class looks so empty now." Maryanne sighed.

She looked over at the two empty seats in Mrs. Zambiea's classroom. Matt and Hunter were supposed to be here. Even though she learned their darkest secrets, she couldn't help but feel remorse for the two teens. They were her age, and one of them was dead and the other was now a fugitive. It was just so sad.

Maryanne looked over at Sarah. The girl had large bags under her eyes and her hair was messy. Maryanne frowned as she idolized Sarah. The girl was everything she wanted to be. Pretty, blonde, popular, and confident. The fact that Sarah was just like her, an insecure girl who didn't have her life together, was a bitter pill to swallow.

She never even thought of what horrors Sarah was dealing with in her personal life. They had been doing cheer together for months and she never even suspected something was wrong.

Sarah must have been going through hell right now. She probably didn't know whether to feel relieved or sad over the loss of her boyfriend.

"You all suck!" A loud voice laughed.

Maryanne looked over at the door and was greeted with a smiling Jake running into the door. He cackled and grinned as he sprinted into the door and jumped into his seat.

"I win!" He grinned.

Victoria rolled her eyes. "It's a class not a playground."

Jake smirked and flipped the girl off. "Suck it Crown."

"Dick." She cursed.

"Bitch." He returned.

Maryanne frowned. "Hey, cut it out guys."

Jake stopped and turned to look at Maryanne. "Do you need to say something Hippo Hips?"

Maryanne frowned and looked down at her paper. Suddenly her clothes felt extremely tight. A thick lump started to build up in her throat, threatening to break out it in a sob. Maryanne shook her head; you're not going to cry in the middle of class…again.

Maryanne shook her head. Jake's opinion shouldn't matter to her. No one's opinion should matter to her. But they did, every single word mattered. She just wanted people to like her. Or at least respect her like how they did Victoria. No one dared to insult Victoria Crown.

Soon Kevin, Aurélie, Cleo, and Aerolynn ran into the room not long after. The quartet was red faced and out of breath.

"Sorry we're late." Kevin blushed.

Maryanne chuckled at the group as they took their seats. Mrs. Zambiea sighed and looked down at the fourteen teens. The atmosphere of the room shifted without the presence of their missing students.

"I'm sure you all are going through a lot. Losing your classmates is hard, no matter the circumstances." Mrs. Zambiea said.

"There's no reason to show any sympathy towards those two. Matt was a monster, and Hunter was a traitor. I won't lose any sleep." Victoria said.

Her words resonated with some of the students. How were they supposed to feel? Hunter and Matt may have been their friends, but they had done things to hurt the class. Victoria must have been hurting as much as Sarah. Matt was her childhood best friend and Hunter was her first love, yet Victoria was indifferent.

"Well then, I hope your new project will cheer some of you up, or at least distract you guys for a little while." Mrs. Zambiea said.

She walked over to the white board and wrote one word: Family.

"For this week's assignment I want you all to make family trees." Mrs. Zambiea smiled.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "I don't know my dad and I hate my mom, how is this assignment supposed to uplift me?"

"I second that, my parents suck." Jake said.

"Wanna switch?" Victoria scoffed.

Jake smirked. "Hell yeah, your mom is a total MILF."

Faith gagged. "You're disgusting,"

Mrs. Zambiea snapped her fingers, pulling the teenagers attention back to her.

"This assignment isn't just about your family. It's about you. I want you to take a look at your past to determine your future. I want you to focus on one relative that has made you the way you are and why that makes you want to be a hero." Mrs. Zambiea said.

Maryanne gulped. What was she supposed to say about her family? About her past? She couldn't tell people the truth? They would pity her. Or worse judge her.

"This sounds pretty fun." Kaleb smiled.

"Easy for you to say." Kevin said bitterly.

Maryanne looked over at Kevin. The normally positive teen was filled to the brim with melancholy. Maryanne glanced around her classmates and noticed most of them didn't seem eager to talk about their families. Maryanne sighed, perhaps everyone had a difficult past they didn't want to talk about.

"I don't understand why we're doing this project anyway. Or any project. We still don't even know if our parents are going to let us stay at the Morning Star Academy." Aurélie said.

Mrs. Zambiea frowned. "Until your parents have made their decision, it's business as usual."

---

Faith

Who are you texting? Aerolynn asked.

Faith blushed and put her phone on the counter. "No one in particular."

She had been messaging Edward non-stop these last couple days. Since she hadn't spoken to Lex since he gotten out of the hospital, she needed a friend she could vent too. She couldn't face Lex after everything's that happened. Lex saw the darkest side of her. The part of her so consumed with anger she did not care who she hurt.

'Imagine if he knew your real secret.' A dark voice said in the back of her head.

A lot happened at homecoming. Things Lex could never know.

Edward: There's a carnival in town next week. We totally need to go. You're buying me a funnel cake.

Faith giggled and quickly typed a response.

Faith: Yeah right. You need to win me a giant teddy bear.

Edward: That can be arranged milady.

Jesus Christ are you flirting? Aerolynn asked.

Faith gasped. Flirting? How dare Aeroylnn suggest such a thing. After everything that's happened the last thing on Faith's mind was romance. Of course, she thought of how cute Edward was, but that normal. A lot of boys in town were cute. Besides it's not like she was texting him because she liked him romantically. Lately she had just been feeling…lonely. Aerolynn was always with Jake, Fouzia seemed to ditch her for Sarah, and her friendship with Lex was a landmine. Of course, she was in the same friend group as Alexander and Kaleb, but the two were so close knit she would just be third wheeling.

She supposed she could have tried becoming friends with Victoria, although she doubted, they had much in common. Aurélie seemed to be in a world of her own. Hanging out with Jarret and Kevin was out of the question, if Alexander and Kaleb were close, Kevin and Jarret were practically married. She never saw the boys hang out with anyone except each other. Then again, they were on the more reclusive side compared to the mostly extroverted class.

She was always seen with Lex so it never occurred to her, she didn't make any actual friends at MSA who she could confide in. Edward was the first person in months to ask her how she was feeling and mean it. He was genuinely interested in her day. Talking to someone just felt nice.

"I still like Lex, I'm not trying to start a relationship." Faith said.

If you like Lex why have you been avoiding him? Aerolynn asked.

"I'm not avoiding him. I'm just prolonging out next conversation." Faith muttered.

With everything going on, she didn't have it in her to deal with the guilt inside of her.

It's fine. How's your family tree project coming?

Faith shrugged. She didn't find history boring; however, it wasn't the part of her training she signed up for. She wanted to learn how to fight, how was a history lesson going to help her one day be the number one hero?

"After the fact that my parents tried to go behind my back and pull me out of the academy, I'm not very eager to learn more about them." Faith said.

Aerolynn frowned. Maybe if you knew more about them you would know why they did what they did. Why they do what they do. Why don't you tell me about your family tree?

Faith grabbed the notebook she had stashed under pillow. She handed the book over to Aerolynn and sighed. "In there is my family's diary. Filled with pictures, dates, journal entries, whatever else the Ritter Clan thought was useful."

Aerolynn opened the book and began to study the pages.

Who are Hans Ritter and Gerda Schidmt? Aerolynn asked.

Faith shrugged. "My great grandparents on my father's side."

Her great grandparents fled Germany for the USA during the first world war. By the time the second world war hit they were already married and were raising a child, her grandfather, Jonathan. Aerolynn flipped through the pages and stopped at one photograph. She widened her eyes in shock.

Is he lifting a car with his mind? Aerolynn asked.

Faith looked at the page and smiled at the picture of her teenaged grandfather.

"Yeah my dad's side of the family are telekinetic. My father's skill is low level; meanwhile my grandfather had complete mastery of it. Pretty cool isn't it?" Faith smiled.

Telekinetic type quirks weren't rare, yet many people struggled to move objects that weighed more than they did. Some struggled to even do that.

Your grandma is so pretty. Aerolynn marveled.

Faith smiled. "Thank you. She was quirkless, so she suffered a lot of discrimination back then. She had to raise my dad by herself for a little while since my grandpa was at war."

Aerolynn sighed and closed the book. Her bright eyes were watery. Faith frowned; did she say something to upset her?

You're lucky Faith. It's nice that you have such detailed stories about your family. Aerolynn trembled.

Faith smiled weakly. "I guess. Family has always been important, we've always struggled a lot, so we had to depend on each other, maybe that's why my parents want me out of the academy. At the end of the family is all we got."

She looked over at her roommate. "What about your parents? Do you need any help with your family tree?"

Faith looked up and saw tears streaming down Aerolynn's cheek, yet she wasn't crying.

Actually, I have to meet up with Cleo.

She wiped a tear away and looked down at her feet.

Thanks for showing me your family.

---

Aurélie

"Yes papa, I'm doing fine." Aurélie mumbled.

She was currently on the phone with her father, the man was going off on a rant on how the Morning Star Academy wasn't the place for her talents to flourish. And once he started ranting, it was hard to tell when he would stop.

"Papa, I really need to work on my family tree project, can you just send me the photographs of you and mama when you guys were kids?" She asked.

She could hear her father scoffing on the phone. "Anything for you my lovely. Just know that you're too good for that school."

"I know papa, bye, tell mama I love her." Aurélie sighed.

The girl hung up the phone and sighed. She was finally in control of her own body and she was about to lose all her freedom again. She had to silent the notification ring as her parents were texting nonstop to make sure she was okay. The halls of the Morning Star Academy were busier than usual. Everyone was preparing for the big football game on Friday.

Because of the bad weather, the homecoming football game was cancelled. Even if it hadn't rained, the attack would have cancelled it anyway. After the events of homecoming the student body was eager for a win in any way they could take it. Posters were everywhere advertising the game. Monica and legion of cheerleaders were shouting words of encouragement to the student body.

She had heard rumors that there were razor blades hidden in the pom poms, something that made her more wary of Monica than she already was.

Aurélie just needed to make it to her locker and she would be out of Monica's radar. She stopped when she reached her locker. Her heart sunk at what she saw. It was the pictures. The pictures she sent Diego, they were taped on her locker, available for the whole word to see.

Her skin crawled at the sight of the photos. The memories of what happened at the beginning of the year pricked her skin like needles. How many people saw those pictures? How many people saw her body without her consent? Paranoia crept onto her; she couldn't look anyone in the eye without worrying that not only did they know about the pictures that they saw them.

And there was Diego. Alice had beat him so badly he was in the hospital for weeks and just recently became stable. What if people found out she had a hand in sending someone to hospital?

"Welcome back slut!" Monica cheered.

The blond skipped over to Aurélie and grinned. "I missed you so much. Alice is just not as fun as you are. Unlike you she knows how to keep her legs closed." Monica giggled.

Aurélie balled the pictures up and tried to keep herself calm. "What is your problem?"

"You mean other than you being a whore? None really." Monica shrugged.

Aurélie clenched her jaw and dug her nails into her fists to prevent herself from punching the cheerleader.

"Can you just leave me alone?" Aurélie asked.

Monica smirked. "And what fun would that be?"

Monica held up her pom poms and pulled a razor from the center of it. She walked over to Aurélie's locker and carved one word into her locker: Slut.

Monica grinned. "There you go, your locker was looking a little bland."

Aurélie growled and took a step closer to Monica. "Monica, I suggest you leave me alone. If you keep pushing me I'll-"

"You'll do what? Word on the street is your sisters are missing." Monica smirked.

Aurélie's face dropped. That shouldn't have been possible. "How do you know that?"

"That's not the question you should be asking. The question you should be asking is why should anyone care about what you have to say? Alice was the scary one, Adeline was the cool one, Allison wasn't the stylish one, Adele was the nice one, Adrianna was the fun one, and Amelie was the smart one. So without them who exactly are you? Sounds like you lost the only thing that's made you interesting." Monica smirked.

She flipped her blond hair and chuckled. "Anyway, I better get going, good luck on your family tree assignment." Monica grinned.

Aurélie looked down at her feet. Monica's words ringing in her head.

Without them who exactly are you?

---

Alexander

"Welcome to my room." Alexander said nervously.

He looked over at the four teens sitting in his room. Lex sat in Alexander's desk chair, his nails digging into the wood. Sitting on Hunter's bed was Sarah and Fouzia. Fouzia seemed to be doing better since the funeral. The bags under her eyes were significantly smaller and she seemed like she wasn't feeling as depressed. Then again there wasn't really a manual on how to cope with the guilt of murdering someone.

Next to her sat Sarah. The blonde girl looked exhausted. Her blond hair was tangled and worn in a messy bun and her eyes had more circles then Fouzia. Standing up was Victoria. She looked as composed as ever. While the others seemed like they were trying to cope, Victoria looked well rested, her uniform was clean, and her long black braids were tied neatly into a high ponytail.

"Is there a reason that we're here? I have things to do." Sarah sighed.

Victoria raised an eyebrow. "What do you have to do that's more important then this?"

"None of your damn business." Sarah snapped.

Victoria looked at Sarah closely. That's when Alexander noticed that that she wore a baggy t-shirt and loose pants.

"Are you wearing a boy's uniform?" Victoria asked.

"No." Sarah frowned.

"Are you sure? That really looks like a boy's uniform." Victoria asked.

"Well I wouldn't know Victoria, because unlike you I don't have a penis." Sarah snapped.

"Guys! We're not going to solve anything by arguing. Victoria, can you just tell us why you wanted to meet up?" Alexander said.

Victoria looked at Fouzia and sighed. She reached into her silver purse and pulled out an index card. She handed the card to Alexander cautiously.

"Someone left this in my room the day of the funeral." Victoria said.

Alexander frowned and took the card. He looked down at the card and his eyes widened after reading it.

"I know all of your secrets. Soon everyone will know what you did." Alexander said. "What the hell?"

Alexander's stomach dropped. Someone knew he lied. Someone knew what they did. A loud laugh pulled him out of his thoughts. He turned to look over at Sarah giggling with a smirk on her face.

"Is that it?" Sarah asked.

Victoria growled. "I'm sorry?"

"Seriously? You gathered all of us here because you were worried someone knew we lied, and this is all the evidence you have? I'm sorry, but should I be scared of some anonymous prick?" Sarah asked.

"It says they know what we did." Lex frowned.

Victoria nodded. "And the day of Matt's funeral, it's too big of a coincidence."

"Guys, think about it. If someone knew something and witnessed it, they would have spoken to the police by now. Not only that, they only left the card in your room. They would have shown some kind of photographic evidence to show they weren't playing. Maybe that warning wasn't about Matt, maybe it's just about you. After all, I'm sure you have plenty of secrets in your closet Ms. Crown." Sarah snapped.

Victoria's face fell. Alexander was surprised that someone as smart as Victoria didn't even consider the possibility that the card was just about her. The old Victoria would have mapped out thousands of different outcomes and figured out how to locate whoever this mysterious blackmailer was. Perhaps Victoria wasn't doing as well as Alexander thought.

"Whatever, if this coward wants to do anything drastic, they'll show their face. I have too much going on to worry about this shit." Sarah said.

Victoria frowned. "This shit, is trying to make sure we all don't go to prison."

Sarah groaned. "I'm not the one that said we should lie. If I remember correctly that was both you and Alexander that made that call. Instead of wasting my time and dragging me into your problems, why don't you handle it yourself?" Sarah snapped.

"You had no problem working together when everyone here risked their life for you." Victoria hissed.

Sarah smiled. "Well, I'll make sure to send you a handmade thank you card. Now fuck off Victoria!" She yelled.

She grabbed her purse and marched out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Well she's moodier than usual." Alexander mumbled.

He looked over at Fouzia. He realized the girl hadn't said a word since they started the meeting.

"What are you thinking?" He asked the girl.

She laughed bitterly. She looked up at Alexander with watery eyes. "You want to know what I'm thinking? I'm wishing you didn't lie."

She sighed and grabbed her book bag and looked at the others with a sorrowful look.

"I appreciate you guys covering for what I did, but this my problem…I'm the one that killed Matt." Fouzia mumbled. She shook her head. "No one else should be dragged into this."

"Listen, Matt was too far gone to be saved. I saw the madness in his eyes. He was dead set on killing us all." Lex said in an attempt to comfort her. "Fouzia, no matter how you try to deny it, you saved us. None of us see it as being dragged into this. We want to help you because you're our friend." Lex said.

Fouzia frowned. "Friends don't bring their friends down with them."

No matter what they said, they couldn't get through to her. It reminded them of how Matt was.

"I got to go." She walked out of the room quietly and briskly, leaving the three alone.

"Well this meeting was doomed from the start." Victoria sighed.

Lex shrugged. "Give them some time. This is a complicated and fucked up thing we're dealing with. We're only freshman, you can't expect us to be as emotionally adjusted to this as you are."

Alexander nodded. "He's right."

"Excuse me?" Victoria growled and pushed Lex away from her. "I've known Matt since I was a fucking baby. Do you actually believe that I'm completely fine? Do you think this is any easier for me?" Victoria snarled.

Lex gulped and held up his hands in defense. "Calm down. I'm not saying you didn't care about him."

"That sure sounds like what you're saying!" Victoria yelled.

Suddenly, Alexander remembered the girl in the hospital, crying over the boy she loved leaving her. To the rest of the class, Victoria always seemed untouchable and in control. He had learned then, that she was just as broken and vulnerable as anyone else.

"I'm the logical one because you all chose to be the emotional one," Victoria frowned.

Without saying another word, she stormed out of Alexander's room leaving the boys alone.

"They sure do know how to exit a room." Lex sighed.

---

Aerolynn

Everything was too much. The students in the common room were too loud. Her girlfriend was too clingy. Jake always wanted to hang to out. There was too much going on. On top of that now she had to figure out what to do for tomorrow.

What family was she supposed to talk about? The one that abandoned her? Those nuns at the orphanage? She had to come to terms with the reality that she truly had no one.

The loneliness was consuming. It left her feeling like weights were pulling down on her heart. She just needed some place to think. Ever since she entered a relationship, she barely had any time for herself. Not that she didn't love Cleo, she just wasn't sure if she was prepared for the emotional responsibility relationships brought on.

She's never had someone to care about or to have someone care about her. She looked around at the students in the common room. Everyone seemed to have a place. Everyone except her.

"Hello?" A woman called.

Aerolynn sat up and turned to look at the source of the voice. It was a semi-tall woman with neat, neck length black hair, dark skin, and most prominently an extra pair of almond brown eyes and six slender arms. Her appearance alone was evidence of who she was the mother of. Unlike her son who completely towered over Aerolynn, she seemed about a foot or so taller.

You must be Kaleb's mom. Aerolynn asked.

She smiled, seemingly unfazed by the girl's style of communication. "And I take it you must be little Aerolynn?"

Aerolynn raised an eyebrow. How did you know?

"Well my son did say you are the shortest student here." Mrs. Rexavi chuckled. "He never told me you were so adorable."

Aerolynn blushed. Given the fact that she wasn't even five feet, Mrs. Rexavi was right to assume so.

"I'm looking for my son, and he wasn't in his dorm. Do you by any chance know where he could be?" She asked.

Is something wrong? She asked.

"Not at all." Mrs. Rexavi replied. She reached into her purse and pulled out a series of photographs. "He called me saying he needed some photographs for this family tree project. I was hoping to talk him before my husband and I have to leave." His mother frowned.

If I had to guess, he's probably at football practice right now. There's a big game Friday.

"Ah, yes. I have no idea where the football fields are. Do you mind showing me where it's at?" She asked.

Aerolynn nodded. It wasn't like she had anything better to do.

She hopped off the chair and lead Mrs. Rexavi out of the common room.

So, have you and the other parents decided if you're going to let the others stay here?

"That's still being decided. We're having meetings with Amanda to see what she'll do to ensure our kids safety." Mrs. Rexavi sighed.

Aerolynn gulped. All of the other parents cared so much about their kids. Even Kevin had someone that just wanted to make sure that he was okay. No one was checking up on Aerolynn to make sure she was okay.

"What about your parents?" Mrs. Rexavi asked. "I haven't gotten a chance to meet them."

Aerolynn paused for a second before she told her. That is because they don't know that I'm here. My parents left me at an orphanage when I was a baby.

Mrs. Rexavi stopped suddenly. All four of her eyes turned to face Aerolynn with a soft look of sympathy.

"I'm so sorry." Mrs. Rexavi said.

Don't be. You're not the one that abandoned me. Aerolynn said.

"I'm willing to bet your parents had a good reason; no parent would ever give up a child as amazing as you without one. Maybe they did it because they thought you would have a better life without them." Mrs. Rexavi assured with a comforting smile.

Aerolynn frowned.

Or maybe they did not want a mute kid, she thought bitterly.

"Now that I think about it, I don't remember you being at the funeral." Mrs. Rexavi suddenly said.

Aerolynn gulped. She never told anyone what happened at the funeral. The truth was she was there. She just did not sit in the stands with the rest of the families. She wound up watching from the balcony on the second floor by herself. She planned to sit with Jake and his family, yet when she saw her classmates and their families together…it felt like something had gripped her heart and squeezed it to the point it just became too much.

Even after finding out Matt was an abusive psychopath; he had his whole family mourning him. What if it was Aerolynn who died in the attack? Would anyone mourn her? If her parents found out would they even care?

I just couldn't go. Aerolynn sighed.

"Were you close with Matt?" Mrs. Rexavi asked.

Aerolynn shook her head. It was selfish of her to use Matt's death as an excuse to feel sorry for herself, but she couldn't help it.

The whole scene was just kind of too much, watching Matt's family made me realize how alone in the world I am. Aerolynn rambled.

She frowned; she was saying too much. Never mind, it's stupid. Sorry to throw all this on a complete stranger

"Never say your feelings are stupid," Mrs. Rexavi positioned herself on her knees so that she was at the girl's eye level. "And don't ever apologize for speaking what's in your heart."

Aerolynn smiled weakly. If only that were true.

Mrs. Rexavi stopped the girl and smiled. Her top hands were placed on Aerolynn's shoulders, and her middle hands gently grasped the young girl's hands. "From what I can tell, you are an amazing young woman. You are not the one missing out, your parents are. Anyone would be lucky to have you as a daughter."

Aerolynn tried not to but her eyes began to water. That was the first time she had ever heard those words. The first time someone tried to convince her that her entire existence was worth it. That it wasn't her fault that her parents abandoned her.

The words appeared in front of her before she knew it.

Can I hug you? Aerolynn blushed.

It was stupid to ask that. She was probably overstepping, just because Mrs. Rexavi was nice didn't mean she wanted to give Aerolynn charity. It was not her job to fix Aerolynn's mommy issues.

Mrs. Rexavi was surprised at first by the sudden request and then chuckled. "Of course sweetie." She smiled.

She outstretched her arms and pulled the girl in. The woman was strong and had an iron grip, something that Aerolynn appreciated, it felt as if she would never let go. Aerolynn sighed as she pressed her head against Mrs. Rexavi's chest. She wanted to live in this moment forever.

"Hey mom." A voice said.

Mrs. Rexavi and Aerolynn turned to see Kaleb, Jake, and the rest of the football team standing in front of the two.

Aerolynn blushed and let go of the woman.

"Hello boys." Mrs. Rexavi smiled.

"Practice is over, did you need to speak to me?" Kaleb asked.

Mrs. Rexavi nodded and motioned for the boy to follow her. The two walked away leaving Aerolynn alone with the football team.

Jake saw Aerolynn's watery eyes and frowned. He walked over to the girl and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

She smiled weakly. I will be.

---

Kaleb

Kaleb lead his mother to his dorm room; he was a little nervous for his mother to see his room. It was far from neat, with all of Kaleb's workout equipment and Lex's scattered sheet music everywhere, he worried his mother wouldn't even have a place to sit. He stopped when he reached the dorm room and gulped.

He opened the door slowly and gestured for his mother to enter. She walked in carefully and looked down at the messy room. She raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it's nice to know you've been yourself over here." His mother teased him.

"Sorry mom." He said sheepishly.

She looked around and found something odd. "Where's your bed?"

"Up there." He pointed up at a hammock ten feet from the floor held to the walls by his webbing. She recognized it as the hammock he's had since he was six. "I couldn't get used to a mattress, so I gave it to Lex. I like this better."

After pulling up a chair and sitting at the desk he and Lex used for their homework, she smiled and reached into her purse. She handed him a bundle of photographs and sighed.

"There's a lot of history in these pictures." She frowned. "Not all of them are pleasant."

Kaleb raised an eyebrow when he recalled something. "You or dad never talk about your pasts. Or your families."

His mother's smile fell at the mention of her family. She sat down on Lex's bed and sighed.

"Your father and I, our family lives were very complicated." She said.

Kaleb frowned. "Complicated how?"

"Both of us came to this country illegally seeking asylum. No papers, ID's or anything. As you know, I grew up in Ethiopia. What I never told you was that Africa looks at quirks very differently compared North America. What most of the world calls quirks, we refer to them as Gifts. We looked at them as blessing. Quirks were more than just powers; they were your purpose in life. Some even determine your social status. One woman could turn rocks and dirt into different foods, perfect for a famine. When there was a drought, a man who could summon clean water and rain would fill the lakes with a wave of his hand. It was beautiful." His mother smiled wistfully.

"Then why did you leave?" Kaleb asked.

His mother's jaw clenched. "Only the pretty looking and beneficial ones were blessings. Mutants like me, or those whose quirks made them appear inhuman were considered agents of the devil. They refer to quirks like mine as a Curse."

"No…" Kaleb shook his head. He faced mutant discrimination all his life, but he never expected his mother to have faced it in her home country. Why would someone be shunned for the way they looked? Why would someone hate his mother for the way she was born? Despite having a good idea of as to why, the thought of the cruelty she suffered made his blood boil.

"At least you had your family." Kaleb said.

"Honestly, I wish that were the case." His mother laughed bitterly. "My mother and her family all had elemental based quirks. I was the youngest of four siblings. Both my brothers and sister inherited those quirks. Everyone was shocked when I was born a mutant. They believed it was a recessive gene inherited from my great grandmother, as she could communicate with spiders."

"They didn't accept you?" Kaleb asked.

"My siblings didn't. They mocked me every day and looked at me with such disgust. My mother didn't do much. If it weren't for my father, they probably would have abandoned. He was the only one to see me as his daughter. My mother didn't like that and the two argued constantly. One day, he just left. After that, she was just a shell of a human. She probably blamed me for him leaving. My oldest brother, Damian, would beat me till I was black and blue and used his quirk to terrorize me. He said it was the only way to get the devil out of me." His mother said. Her voice began to crack, and her eyes were getting watery.

Kaleb growled. What kind of person would hurt their own family? Who could be so cruel?

"For the longest time, I told myself it was an accident to ease the guilt. But I think deep down, I just had enough. One day when my brother tried to hit me, I grabbed his arm, breaking it in the process. I never realized my own strength till that moment. By then, I was stronger then all the men put together." She said. "The next day the town leaders gave me a choice. They said that the devil convinced me to hurt my brother and that the only way to save my family was one of two choices…execution or exile. I waited for one of my siblings to stand up for me." His mother sighed. "They all offered to execute me themselves. My mother decided on exile. Thinking about it now, I assume she thought I'd wind up dead on my own. If I went back right now, they'd probably be shocked that I survived."

Kaleb clenched his teeth and tried very futilely to keep his anger from pouring out. His uncles and aunts just abandoned her like that? They were willing to let their own sister get killed just because she looked different than them.

"The next day I clung onto the hull of a ferry and set sail for America. Two months of having to hide and steal food. After I landed here, the only thing a mutant immigrant with no papers could do was manual labor for dirt cheap. Eventually the Ring Master found me and brought me to the circus. That's where I had met your father." She smiled.

"Mom, I'm so sorry that happened."

"Well, I'm not." She shook her head. A small smile formed on her lips. "What my family did was awful, and I don't see any chance of reconciliation. But if they hadn't, I wouldn't have met your father." She playfully placed a finger in between his four eyes. "And I wouldn't have had you. Two of the most amazing men I have ever met is worth the persecution I faced."

That didn't make Kaleb feel any better or changed how he had felt at that moment. "I hate them." He said aloud.

She saw the rage in his eyes and was concerned. Those words surprised her. He had never truly hated someone before. Even after what had happened with two of his classmates, although he could never forgive them, Kaleb could not bring himself to hate them in the end. Very few times, he lost his temper. But he's never felt a consuming rage that made him want to attack the source of his anger. He wanted to hop on the first flight to his mother's village and punch the teeth out of his uncle Damian.

"What you feel right now isn't hatred, but righteous fury. You may believe different, hating them for their ignorance is beneath you, don't ever sink down to their level. That's how they win." She said.

Kaleb shook his head. "But it's not right. They should pay for what they did to you."

"Only museums live in the past my love. My siblings and I will never see one another and I have made my peace with it a long time ago." She said. "Forgiveness is hard, but it's worth it. Hatred is easy, but it's toxic and only leads to more pain. I've always told you that. If I had held onto my hatred of them, I fear that one day, I would have taken it out on you. And I could never live with myself if that happened."

To Kaleb, his mother was a true pillar of emotional support. Not just for him, but for everyone in their family. She was so understanding and incapable of judging or hating someone for their past actions. For as long as he could remember, he was always taught to be the bigger person and learn to forgive rather than hold meaningless grudges against people who didn't matter. Kaleb wanted to be like that for his friends for everything that has been happening.

She handed him another photograph. Kaleb looked down and saw what looked like a preteen version of his father. If it wasn't for his monkey tail, his father could have passed for normal. In his father's arms was a boy who looked to be just a couple years younger than him. He noticed that their clothes were a lot baggier and their arms were noticeably thin.

"Your father always told me that you looked just like him. That boy in your father's arm was your uncle Desmond."

"Was?" Kaleb asked?

"Yes. He died at the age of ten." Nadia said.

The moment he heard this, his heart had dropped lower than it already was. "What happened?"

"Where your father lived, they were incredibly impoverished; a lot of people were. Your father told me how he'd see a body or two every week, collapsed from either disease or starvation. Your grandparents died of starvation when your father was only twelve years old. Your father began to steal to try and support him and his brother." Kaleb's mother said. "He was so quick and agile. No one could catch him."

His mother began to trail off. Kaleb frowned.

"Then what happened?" He asked.

"One day, your father stole from a member of a local gang. One of the gang leaders mistook Desmond for your father and shot him right in the middle of the street." She began to tear up and struggled to breathe. "Finding his baby brother lying dead on the street. It destroyed your father. To this day, he still blames himself. He hopped on a boat to the United States the first chance he got."

Kaleb did everything to keep himself together. His parents had both been through so much. He always thought they were like heroes, he never thought they could get hurt. All his life, he had always seen the two with bright and kind smiles. How much were they hurting inside under them the whole time?

"How do you guys cope with that kind pain? How do you not let all that anger consume you?" Kaleb asked.

"You don't really cope with it…you just keep going day by day, finding a way to survive. You search for those little moments of beauty that counteract all that darkness." His mother sighed.

"You don't want me to stay at Morning Star do you?" He asked.

Her silence had said it all.

His mother placed one of her six hands on Kaleb's head. "You are our moment of beauty, Kaleb. That's why we want you to leave the academy. Sweetie, we will always support your dreams, but that doesn't change how much we're scared of losing you."

Kaleb frowned. How could he stay at the academy knowing it was the source of his parents worries? They had been through too much for him to only think of himself.

Suddenly, the two heard distant screaming. A loud clattering noise shocked them both. His mother flinched and jumped, clinging on the ceiling. "What the hell was that?"

---

Maryanne

"Are you okay?" Maryanne asked her roommate.

The girl was fluttering around the room. Throwing around photo albums and old newspaper articles. Victoria's normally neat and tidy side of the room was a mess. A large poster board laid on her bed.

"I'm feeling fantastic Maryanne." Victoria said sarcastically.

"Why is our room a mess?" Maryanne asked.

Victoria stopped and turned to face Maryanne.

"I'm working on my family tree project." Victoria said simply.

She walked over to her dresser and yanked the drawer out and dumped it on the floor releasing a series of colored pencils, pictures, and miscellaneous papers.

"Can you do it without tearing our room apart?" Maryanne asked.

Victoria ignored her and grabbed the pictures that fallen on the ground, taking every few seconds to scratch her head in what looked like discomfort. She marched over to her bed and threw them on her poster board.

"I just have to make sure it's perfect." Victoria rambled.

Maryanne frowned and flopped on her bed. "Why? It's a stupid project."

The thing was Maryanne was dreading working on her project and was debating about taking an F for not doing it. The last thing she wanted to do was take a look at her past.

"It has to be perfect." Victoria repeated.

Maryanne raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because everything is falling apart!" Victoria shrieked.

Victoria screamed in frustration and ran over to her bookcase. Using an impressive amount of strength, she pulled the bookcase and slammed it against the ground. The wood shattered on impact, sending books flying everywhere.

"Jesus Christ!" Maryanne yelped in shock and jumped backwards. What the hell was going on? Had Victoria lost her mind?

"My mother hates me, I'm at the bottom of the rankings, my childhood best friend is dead, and Hunter is gone forever. Everything in my life is falling apart and no matter how much I try, I can't hold onto anything! That's why this project needs to be fucking perfect because I am Victoria fucking Crown and I don't make mistakes!" She screamed.

She grabbed one of the books on the ground and hurled it at the wall and screamed like a banshee. Maryanne took a step back in fear. Victoria was scary on a normal day, however in this state she was horrifying.

"Victoria calm down!" Maryanne yelled. One book was flying towards her and went through her harmlessly as she used her quirk.

Victoria growled. "I am very fucking calm!"

"No, you're not! What you're feeling is something the rest of humanity feels." Maryanne said.

Victoria frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You're feeling emotions Victoria. Grief and pain, and right now a lot of rage you've been bottling up. As much as you try to lie to yourself about not feeling anything, you're just as vulnerable as the rest of us." Maryanne frowned.

"So, you're trying to say I'm weak?" Victoria snapped.

"Caring about people doesn't make you weak Victoria!" Maryanne yelled. She took a second to calm down and continued. "Caring about people is one of the greatest qualities you can have. Victoria, you have right to be feeling shitty right now. Your mom is awful. You've known Matt since you were in diapers and he died, Not to mention you found out he was an abusive asshole in a two week span. You loved Hunter and he betrayed you…all of us. And now you're worried about where he is and if he's okay."

Maryanne took a step closer to her roommate and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay to not be okay. It's okay to want to scream. You've been bottling up your emotions for fifteen years. It's time for you to deal with them." Maryanne said.

Victoria wiped away a tear. Maryanne never thought she would see the confident girl she saw on the first day of school, to be a crying mess right now. It broke her heart.

"What if I'm not ready for that?" Victoria asked.

"That's okay too," Maryanne smiled weakly. "Remember the funeral? How we're like one big, highly dysfunctional family, and yet we're always there when one of us gets down. We accept each other's flaws no matter what. The only thing that's not okay is you being angry at yourself for not being perfect. Victoria, you're never going to be perfect and that's okay. No one wants you to be perfect, we just want you to be you."

Victoria chuckled. "I highly doubt that."

Maryanne outstretched her arms towards Victoria. "Can I hug you?"

"Touch me and I'll decimate you." Victoria threatened.

"I'll take that as a yes." Maryanne giggled, it was hard to take Victoria seriously when she still had tears falling down her face. Ignoring her roommate's threat, she pulled the girl in for a hug. Victoria went limp when Maryanne wrapped her arms around her. Victoria placed her head against Maryanne's temples, embracing the hug.

"Maryanne?" Victoria said.

"Yes?" Maryanne asked.

"I'm glad you're my friend." Victoria sighed.

Sarah

After the meeting, Sarah decided to get a day pass from administration. She needed a place to think, far away from Morning Star Academy. At first, she didn't know where to go. Sarah wasn't used to the Miami landscape; it was nothing like her home back in Brooklynn.

However, given that topic of this week's assignment was family, Sarah decided that one of the best places to go would be her aunt's house. Her aunt, Anna, lived just an hour and a half away from school. The fact that her aunt lived in Florida was one of the reasons why Morning Star Academy was so appealing.

Anna was the only relative that she liked. She wasn't like her mother. She was responsible, caring, and treated Sarah like she was her daughter. More often than not, Sarah wished Anna was her mom.

As soon as her day pass was approved, she hopped on the first bus out of Miami. She looked down at her phone and was greeted with a plain screensaver. Her screensaver used to be a picture of her and Matt. It was taken right after the first football game; Matt was in his black and red football jersey and Sarah wore the standard cheerleading outfit. It took her hours to do her makeup she wanted to make sure that she and Matt looked like the perfect couple. If only they were.

As if on cue Sarah's stomach began to ache. She winced and placed her hand to belly. Whenever she forgot she was pregnant, her body made sure to remind her. How did she end up here? At the beginning of this year she thought she would be popular and have the perfect boyfriend. She wanted someone that was the complete opposite of her parents. She wanted someone that liked her for who she was, she wanted someone who believed she was enough.

Instead she became the class slut and trapped in a relationship with Matt Freeman. Not that she didn't see fault in her actions. She brought this on herself. She alienated herself from the class since day one. She chose to stay with Matt. If she had left earlier, she wouldn't be pregnant. She thought back to what would happen if she didn't hit on Matt and actually got to be friends with everyone.

What was she supposed to do with this child? She was child herself. She didn't know the first thing about being a mother. Her life wasn't supposed to be like this.

"I think this is your stop." The bus driver said.

His voice startled the girl pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Sarah smiled weakly. A part of her wanted to say something sarcastic. Instead she settled for a simple, "I'm doing great."

With that she grabbed her backpack and walked off the bus. She sighed when she looked off the street she entered. It was a decent neighborhood. She grew up in apartments her entire life since it was just her and her mom, seeing an actual neighborhood with families was foreign to her.

She kept walking until she reached her aunt's neighborhood. Sarah heard stories about how sensitive a woman's body would be during pregnancy but she wasn't prepared for the level of pain her nerves would face. Her feet ached, her boobs felt like boulders, and she constantly felt like she was going to throw up her breakfast.

"Kid, you are just as difficult as your dad." Sarah mumbled as she rubbed her stomach.

She rubbed her stomach and kept walking. She stopped when she reached a two-story house. Sarah looked up in awe. The house was overly fancy, in fact it looked standard. Yet it felt so intimate. Like a family could live here. Sarah took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

She gulped in anticipation as she waited for the door to open.

"Coming!" A feminine voice said from behind the door.

The door opened slowly revealing her Anna Jones, her mother's little sister. Sarah had a sneaking suspicion that her mother and Anna didn't have the same father. While her mother was short and blond, Anna was tall and red headed. Her mother had porcelain skin, while Anna's skin had a delicate tan.

"Sarah!" Anna shrieked in delight.

The woman grinned and pulled Sarah in for a hug, before she could even object. Not that she would anyway. Sarah sighed in relief when her aunt hugged her. She wanted to melt in her arms.

"It's been too long Sarah. I love what you're doing with your hair!" Anna smiled.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. She hadn't even washed her hair in a week. Ever since the funeral she barely got out of bed. She missed most of her classes this week. Anna was just being polite, as always.

"Thanks." Sarah smiled weakly.

Anna smiled. "Why don't you come on in. I was just making some cookies."

Sarah chuckled. This is what she needed. An escape.

"Thanks Aunt Anna, I would love some cookies." Sarah smiled weakly.

Anna lead her inside, giving Sarah a tour of the house. Sarah didn't pay what her aunt was saying much attention. She was too busy looking at the pictures of her aunt and her husband. They looked so happy together.

"What are the cookies for?" Sarah asked.

"Roger is having some clients over, and I thought it would be a nice little snack. After all everyone loves cookies." Anna smiled.

Anna lead her to the kitchen, an area that smelled like heaven. Sarah's mouth watered at the smell of baked goods. Sarah paused suddenly she felt queasy. Her head began to throb, and her stomach began to rumble. The same food that looked so tasty before, made her want to barf just thinking about them.

Without saying another word Sarah bolted to the trashcan and vomited in the bin. Her lunch began to shoot out of her at a rapid speed. Sarah gagged and pulled her hair back. She had been vomiting nonstop lately. The thought of food was usually the trigger.

"Don't worry about that sweetie, your mother threw up all the time when she was pregnant with you." Anna reassured.

Sarah paused. What did she just say?

"You know I'm pregnant?" Sarah asked.

Anna blushed sheepishly. "Your mother told me about it when you were in the hospital. She was really worried about you."

"I'm sure she was." Sarah said sarcastically.

"I know she has a hard way of showing it, but Shaylin loves you with all of her heart." Anna said.

Sarah laughed bitterly. "If only she loved me more than she loved her boyfriends."

Anna didn't seem to have a comeback to Sarah's response.

"Why are you defending my mom anyway? You guys hate each other." Sarah frowned.

Anna shook her head. "I don't hate your mother. I admit sometimes we disagree on her life choices."

"By life choices do you mean being an irresponsible bimbo who screws married men and college boys?" Sarah asked.

"Sarah, you don't have to like your mother, but that doesn't mean you get to disrespect her." Anna frowned.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "I didn't come here for you to lecture me."

Anna sighed. It was obvious she wanted to say more, but she knew Sarah too vulnerable and stubborn to listen.

"Why are you here?" Anna asked.

Sarah shrugged. Why was she here?

"The official answer? I came to you because I wanted help with my family tree assignment." Sarah said.

"And what's the unofficial answer?" Anna asked.

Sarah frowned. "I wanted to escape from the fact that I'm pregnant and scared shitless."

Anna placed a comforting hand on Sarah's shoulder. "Sarah there's nothing wrong with being scared. You're just a kid, but you can't avoid this baby. It's going to be here eventually. At least it could be. It's still early enough in your pregnancy to do…"

Her aunt searched for the words. An abortion. Her aunt was suggesting an abortion. Sarah frowned. Would an abortion be easier? She couldn't be a mom, she didn't know how. She didn't have a good example. She would just fuck this potential kid's life more than her parents fucked up her own life.

"Can we not talk about that?" Sarah asked.

"What do you want to talk about?" Anna asked.

Sarah gulped and looked down at her backpack. She supposed she could try to do her assignment.

"Why don't you tell me more about grandpa and grandma?" Sarah asked.

Anna sighed. "Growing up wasn't easy for us."

Sarah frowned. "What do you mean?"

"On Shaylin's ninth birthday our mom died in a car accident." Anna said.

Her aunt's eyes began to water. "She was late for your mom's birthday party and she had the cake and she…she ran a red light."

Sarah's face fell. She knew her grandma died when Shaylin and Anna were young, but to learn the details was heartbreaking. She died trying to get back to her mother.

"Dad was in terrible shape. Shaylin was the oldest and she looked after me and our dad." Anna said.

Sarah gasped. Her mother helped raise Anna and helped looked after her grandpa? The woman that raised her struggled to remember to pick her up from school.

"My mom was the responsible one?" Sarah asked.

"Plot twist, I know." Anna laughed weakly. "Believe it or not, she was my idol."

"How did she go from that to a trashy bimbo?" Sarah asked.

Anna frowned. "Your father."

Your father. Those words hit Sarah with the force of a hammer. How could someone that she had never met play such a big part in her life?

"They met when they were about seventeen. She ran away with him and I didn't see her till again till a couple of years later." Anna frowned.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "A couple years later?"

Why was there such a big gap in between?

"One night she just showed up on my doorstep in the middle of the night. She was crying saying that she was pregnant and that she didn't have anywhere else to go." Anna revealed.

Sarah frowned. Why did her mother show up in the middle of the night? What happened between her and Sarah's father that caused her to act that way?

"What was my dad's quirk?" Sarah asked.

Anna shrugged. "I couldn't say to be honest. I never met the guy."

Sarah frowned. "Oh."

"At least you know you get your quirk from our side of the family. My dad had a quirk where he could freeze time completely, unfortunately your mother and I didn't inherit that gift, the most I can slow people down is to a crawl." Anna chuckled.

She looked up at Sarah. "You are way stronger than your mother and I, and I don't just mean with your quirk. You're really special Sarah Smith."

Sarah smirked. "I'm sure. It's getting late, I should probably go back to Morning Star Academy,"

Anna sighed. "Already? I had so much fun catching up with you. You should visit more often."

Sarah frowned. If she came more often her aunt would get sick of her, just like everybody else. Instead of saying that Sarah simply smiled.

"Of course." She smiled.

---

Kevin

"So what are you doing for your family project?" Jake asked Kevin.

Kevin gulped. His family? What could he do for his family project? Show the obituary for his dead parents? Kevin's stomach sunk just thinking about it.

"I don't really know. My parents died when I was young, so I don't really know my family history." Kevin admitted.

Jake's face fell. "I'm sorry man."

The two currently sat in the library, trying their best to do their family tree assignment. Kevin hated being in his room now that Jarret was mad at him, and Jake said his room reminded him too much of Matt.

"I knew you lived with your sister, I guess I just thought your parents were divorced or something." Jake frowned.

"It's fine," Kevin frowned.

"My mom died during childbirth, and my father died when I was ten." Kevin admitted.

Kevin frowned, every day he missed his parents. He missed his mother the most, even though it made no sense. How could you miss someone you never met?

"That sucks." Jake frowned.

"It is what it is, my sister is really amazing, so I guess that makes up for it." Kevin mumbled.

"Still, you're crazy strong for going through that. I don't know what I would do if I lost my parents." Jake frowned.

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "If I remember correctly weren't you cursing at your parents?"

"That's because they suck." Jake grimaced.

Kevin frowned. "They suck?"

Jake shook his head. "I don't ever want to be anything like them. They are the nicest people I've ever met. My father works for a company that overworks him and treats him like dog shit, and he doesn't even have the balls to leave or to stand up for himself. My mom donates to charity every month but that doesn't stop people from using her. My parents are weak. I don't ever want to be like them."

"It just sounds to me that your parents are caring. Your father works at the company to provide for you. Your mom probably allows herself to be treated like that to show you how to be the bigger person. Jake, from what I can see you are your parent's world, even though you think they suck, they think you're the best thing on this fucked up Earth. They love you for all of your flaws." Kevin said.

Kevin frowned. If he had someone like that, he would never let them go. Someone that could see him as something other than a monster.

Jake blushed. "They're probably not that bad."

"You know Jarret is missing out, you are a dope dude to hang out." Jake grinned. "I might make you best friend number two."

"Number two?" Kevin smirked.

"Well Aerolynn will always be number one." Jake chuckled.

Kevin rolled his eyes. If you asked him a couple of weeks of ago if he would be hanging out with Jake Hyde, he would've assumed that the person that said such a thing was legally insane. However, after their fight with The Butcher, they were finding out that they had more in common than they expected.

"You two are friends now, that's great." A voice said.

Jake and Kevin looked up to see Jarret glaring at them. The boy wore a white shirt and black basketball shorts. Strapped over his arm was a duffel bag.

"Jarret what the hell are you doing?" Jake asked.

Jarret frowned. "It's a library, last time I checked it was a public space."

His eyes darted between Kevin and Jake. "I guess I'll leave, wouldn't want to interrupt this bromance."

"Are you high Jarret?" Jake snorted.

Jarret ignored his question and marched off. Kevin frowned. What was up with Jarret?

"I'll be right back." Kevin said.

He got up and chased after his roommate.

"Jarret!" Kevin yelled.

The boy stopped and turned to face him. "What do you want Kevin?"

"Maybe an explanation of why you're acting so weird? I'm sorry for what I did to the Butcher, it's fine if you don't want to be my friend anymore, but can you not treat me like a loaded a gun?" Kevin asked.

Jarret frowned. "I'm sure you would love if we stopped being friends then you can hang out with Jake and the rest of the jocks. I was holding you back. You were just searching for a way to get rid of Jarret the Coward."

Kevin's face fell. Is that what he really thought? That he was abandoning him?

"You stopped being friends with me first. Ever since you found out what happened with The Butcher. You can't look me in the eye and you're always sneaking off with that damn duffel bag!" Kevin frowned.

"That's because I feel fucking guilty!" Jarret yelled.

Kevin frowned. "Guilty?"

Jarret sighed and looked down at his feet.

"My memory is shit after what happened with Ms. Morningstar. It's like my mind is made up of thousands of puzzle pieces and I can't figure out how to piece them together. I remember a little bit from that night." Jarret admitted.

He looked up at Kevin. "I remember the fight with you and the Butcher. You killed her to protect me. I'm the reason you took a life."

Kevin frowned. Jarret felt guilty about what happened. He was holding himself accountable for a crime he didn't even commit.

"That's not your fault. I made that choice…what happened with The Butcher was my fault. I lost control." Kevin sighed.

He was a monster. Everyone knew it.

"You couldn't control your quirk, that's not your fault." Jarret frowned.

"I just…" Jarret trailed off searching for the words to say.

"I just didn't want to be the reason you would kill someone, I'm not worth protecting." Jarret sighed.

"Says who?" Kevin asked.

Jarret frowned. "The entire MSA student body."

"Forget about them. You're my best friend Jarret, I would do anything to protect you." Kevin said.

Jarret smiled weakly. "You're better off without me."

Kevin shook his head. "That's a lie. And I would never ditch you for the jocks, their boring as hell." Kevin laughed.

Jarret chuckled. He looked down at the duffel bag.

"There is something else I should tell you…the reason I'm always sneaking off is because…I do ballet." Jarret said.

Kevin smirked. "Are you serious?"

Jarret blushed. "I took dance classes when I was younger to help deal with stress, and ballet also helped me develop my quirk."

As hard as Kevin tried not to, he burst out into a fit of laughter.

"You do ballet?" Kevin laughed.

Jarret frowned. "Ballet is very manly."

Kevin continued to laugh, something Jarret did not find amusing. "Stop laughing."

"I'm sorry it's just so funny!" Kevin chuckled.

Jarret rolled his eyes. "You're ridiculous."

---

Aurélie

Aurélie was seriously considering taking her parents offer of transferring to UA. She wouldn't be able to get into a hero course this late in the year, but maybe she could try general education studies. Anything to get out of the Morning Star Academy. She thought by now people would have forgotten about the pictures.

It seemed like everyone remembered. Everywhere she went people would stare at her. Boys would catcall her. Girls would judge her. Intense paranoia followed Aurélie. She was always worried someone saw the pictures. On top of that she was all alone. She didn't have her sister to turn to, not even Alice. Ms. Morningstar said she would figure out a way to bring them back, but her headmistress hadn't done anything yet. She had talked to her parents but they had no idea considering there was no one in her family with a quirk like hers.

Aurélie sighed and made her way to the bathroom. Other than her room, the bathroom was the only place she could go without being judged.

When she walked into the bathroom, she suddenly heard sniffling. Aurélie stopped and frowned. Was someone crying? She walked over to the stall and knocked gently.

"Are you okay in there?" Aurélie asked.

The stall door opened slowly revealing the one girl Aurélie expected the least. A red-faced Sarah Smith shooting her a glare.

"What the hell do you want Duax?" Sarah sighed.

Aurélie looked back and forth between the girl and the stall she was crying in.

"Sarah? Are you okay?" Aurélie asked.

Sarah frowned. "I'm crying in the girl's bathroom, how do you think I feel?"

Aurélie gulped. She didn't want to say the wrong thing. With Sarah however, anything could set her off. She and Sarah were never close, in fact at the beginning of the school year she thought the girl was the most irritating human being alive. Even though Aurélie had beat her in the combat matches, she still comforted her when Diego sent those pictures around. She felt like she owed the girl a shoulder to cry on in her time of need. Especially after what she learned about Matt.

"We can talk about it if you want." Aurélie offered.

"I had no idea you were a licensed therapist." Sarah said sarcastically.

Aurélie bit her tongue. As much as she was trying to be a good person, Sarah's attitude was testing her patience. And right now, she was at an all time low.

Sarah reached into her purse and pulled out a tube of red lipstick. She examined her reflection in the mirror and began to apply it to her lips, coating them a bright blood red.

Sarah noticed the girl standing there and felt uncomfortable. "Why are you looking at me?" Sarah asked defensively.

Aurélie frowned. "You were there for me that one day, and I want to be here for you now."

Sarah rolled her eyes as she pulled her lipstick in her purse.

"Let me guess, you feel guilty we never hung out now that you found out my boyfriend was abusive? Newsflash Mother Theresa, I don't give a shit. The reason why I comforted you that day was because you're an ugly crier and looking at you was making me sick." Sarah snarled.

She turned to face the indigo haired girl. "Don't think I did it because I care about you, or I'm secretly a nice girl with a big heart."

Aurélie shook her head. Something in her gut told her that not even Sarah believed that. As many insults Sarah threw at people regularly, Aurélie felt like the person she hated the most was herself.

Sarah grabbed her purse and made her way to the door. Aurélie sighed and looked down at her feet. Maybe she wouldn't be able to help Sarah. Her eyes stopped when she saw her lipstick sitting on the counter.

Aurélie grabbed the tube and walked over to the girl.

"Hey Sarah you forgot something." Aurélie said.

She tried to be helpful and slide the lipstick in for her. However, Sarah was turning to face her at the same time and their hands hit the purse at the same exact time. Her purse slid off her shoulders, hitting the floor, it's contents spilling out.

"Don't touch anything!" Sarah yelled.

Aurélie stopped and turned to look at the floor. In Sarah's purse was everything Aurélie would expect to be in the girl's purse. Her phone, makeup, tampons, candy wrappers, scraps of homework, and a disturbing amount of condoms. However, there was one object that caught her eye. A small white cylinder. The end of it was purple and in the center was a gray screen with a plus sign on it.

"Oh my god, you're pregnant?" Aurélie said without thinking.

Sarah gulped. She tried searching for a lie, but none seemed to be believable enough. Instead of saying something the girl leaned against the wall and sighed.

"Yeah, no use hiding it at this point." Sarah said.

Aurélie crouched down next to the girl. She placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She wasn't sure what to do in this situation. She had never been close to anyone who was pregnant. What was she supposed to say? Was there anything she could say?

"Is it Matt's?" Aurélie asked.

Sarah laughed bitterly. "It is. I may be a whore, but I'm not a cheating whore."

Aurélie frowned. "I don't think you're a whore."

Aurélie couldn't help but be sympathetic for the girl. Not only did she have to deal with Matt's demons when he was alive, but now she was going to have to raise his child. Even dead, she would be stuck with Matt for the rest of her life.

"I just wanted to be…" Sarah stopped, as if she was going to say something to personal.

"You just wanted to be what?" Aurélie asked.

Sarah frowned. "I just wanted to be different than what everyone thinks of me. Everyone in class sees me as some heartless slut. Matt saw me that way, that's probably why he picked me. He knew that out of everyone else in class I would never fight back because what everyone says about me is right. I am a slut. I am a bitch. Even my mom knows it. I deserve everything that's happened to me."

Tears began to fall down the girl's face and she burst out crying on her hands. Aurelie sat at her level and tried to hold back her own tears. "That's not true all, any of it. What Matt did was horrible."

Sarah continued.

"Even my dad knew it. That's why he left. He knew what a fuck up I would become." Sarah sobbed.

Aurélie pulled the girl into her arms. The blond girl sobbing into her shoulder.

"Sarah, you're not a fuck up. Granted you're not a saint either. You've made some mistakes…okay a lot of mistakes but it's nothing you can't come back from." Aurélie reassured.

For a moment Sarah was silent. She didn't do anything except cry into Aurélie's shoulder. Aurélie didn't know what to say to make it better so she just let the girl be. Then Sarah finally said something.

"Please don't tell anyone else…I think I want to get rid of it." Sarah sighed.

Aurélie gulped. Did she just say what she thought she said?

"You mean an abortion?" Aurélie asked.

"A part of me doesn't want to. They did nothing wrong. But I'm just not ready to be a mom." Sarah cried.

Aurélie frowned. That made sense, Sarah was still a kid herself. What kind of mother would she be? Even if her age wasn't a factor, she wasn't mentally ready for a child.

"What about the state law? Aren't you going to need your parent's approval?" Aurélie said.

Sarah sighed. "I'll talk to my mom."

"And this is something you want to do?" Aurélie asked.

Sarah looked up at Aurélie, her blue eyes devoid of emotion. The girl looked crushed. The look on her face broke Aurélie's heart.

"Aurélie, do I have a choice?" Sarah asked.

---

Amanda

Amanda anxiously tapped her fingers against the plastic table. She sat in an empty classroom, patiently waiting for the parents of Class Z to show up. They wanted a reason to allow their kids to stay here. Kevin's sister had already filled out the paperwork for him to transfer.

This was it. This was her only chance to make sure all fourteen kids stayed at the MSA. She needed them. Each and every one of them. Each of them was a different piece to the puzzle.

She heard a soft knock on the door, she looked up to see her assistant standing in the doorway. The boy looked nervous, granted with someone like her for a boss, he had every reason to be.

"Preston, are they here?" She asked.

Preston nodded. "They're impatient. I think most of them plan to pull their kids out."

Amanda smiled. That's what they thought. She knew by the end of today all fourteen kids would be staying at the academy.

"Let them in." Amanda instructed.

Preston gulped and walked over to the door. He opened it carefully and let the parents and guardians find their seats. Sitting in the front row was Kevin's older sister, Vanessa. She was pretty young to be taking care of kid, being only eight years older than Kevin. She had curly black hair and a mocha colored complexion. Judging by the irritated expression on her face she did not want to be here.

Next to her sat Jarret's parents, the Hans. Amanda was surprised to see Jarret's father. He was a muscular man who seemed sporty. Was it possible he was the stepfather? Or maybe Jarret was adopted?

Jarret's mother, Linda, was desperately trying to start a conversation with Vanessa.

"So you're Kevin's sister? My boy will not stop talking about your brother. I can't wait to officially meet him." Linda gushed.

Vanessa smiled weakly. "Kevin talks about Jarret a lot too. He gets at least two paragraphs dedicated to him in the letters he writes me."

Linda turned to face her husband, Peter. "Pete isn't that just the nicest thing you have ever heard."

Peter didn't even look up from his phone and instead just nodded.

"Yes honey." He said robotically.

Next to the Hans, was the Ritters. Faith's mother, Laura, was reprimanding her husband, Jonah, for using his telekinesis to try and levitate Peter's coffee mug. Judging by the anxious look on his face the man didn't seem to like sitting in one place for too long. Amanda had a good theory on where Faith got her impulsiveness from.

Next to him sat a tall blond woman with her hair tied in a bun. She wore a business suit and had her attention focused on her phone. Amanda was surprised to see Lex's mother, Samara Tess-Dayton. She figured she would be on a business trip. From what she could gather she and her husband worked a lot. As a result, Lex spent some nights at the Ritters while they were away. Other times it seemed like he had to raise himself.

In the row behind them was Sarah's mother. She was checking her makeup, while occasionally stealing glances at the muscles on Peter Han's body. Amanda rolled her eyes, with a mother like Shaylin, Amanda wasn't surprised that Sarah turned out the way she did.

Next to her sat Aurélie's parents, Arthur and Momoka. They were probably the oddest couple Amanda had ever seen. Arthur was slim and silver haired with piercing green eyes. Amanda couldn't help but think the man looked both nineteen and thirty-five at the same time. Momoka on the other hand was slightly taller and elegant. Her brown hair was tied in a ponytail, she sat perfectly poised and postured on the chair with a humble, yet refined air. Given the fact Aurélie and her sisters all had French names, Amanda suspected Arthur got to name the kids as opposed to their mother choosing traditional Japanese names.

Amanda watched Arthur Duax closely. She would hate to assume but judging by the feminine and exaggerated mannerisms Arthurs possessed she couldn't help but think the man was a closeted homosexual. Him being a renowned fashion designer didn't help his case.

Next to them sat the Crowns. They did nothing but sit quietly and brood. They definitely raised Victoria Crown. Janelle seemed less than thrilled to be here. After all she had no problem with her daughter being at the academy. Amanda looked at Janelle closely. It was hard to imagine the girl she knew in high school turning into something so heartless. Granted that was ironic coming from her, but she expected better from Janelle. She was cruel in high school, but she never expected her to be so wicked.

Maurice seemed to be trying his best to put some space between the two of them. It was obvious the man was terrified of her. If Amanda had to guess, the woman probably had unleashed her quirk on her family in fits of rage.

Next to the Crowns was Zambieas. Fouzia's father, Emir, was a burly man with strawberry colored skin. He had several burn scars on his arm that Amanda guessed came from his quirk or from his job as a fireman. Next to him was his wife, Rina. The woman had skin like coal and wore a beautiful red hijab.

They were speaking in hushed tones to the Rexavi's.

Amanda was able to make out Emir whispering, "She's not good at her job,"

To which Kaleb's parents, Nadia and Joseph agreed.

In the row behind them was a tall nun with pale skin and greying hair. That must have the representative the orphanage sent on behalf Aerolynn. She didn't speak a word to another one of the parents.

Next to her were the Hydes. They were discussing the possibility of having a bake sale at the Morning Star Academy, much to the delight of Alexander's parents, Phillip and Maria.

Cleo and Maryanne's parents weren't here, something that didn't surprise Amanda.

Amanda cleared her throat. "Hello everyone."

The room was silent. No one wanted to deal with her pleasantries. They just wanted a solution.

"Ms. Morningstar, everyday I'm wondering why I let my daughter go here. She's gotten attacked by villains twice!" Laura hissed.

"Your daughter is still alive, stop complaining." Janelle groaned.

Laura growled. "Excuse me?"

"I think you all are being dramatic; our kids are fighters. They came this far and I believe we should have some faith in them." Janelle said.

Phillip snorted. "Or maybe you care more about your daughter being at a fancy private school than her actual well-being."

"Well maybe if you actually caught Rey Tigre, he wouldn't be beating the shit out of your son and terrorizing our kids." Janelle smirked.

This comment caused the room to erupt into a fit of arguments. Amanda sighed and held her hand.

"May I have everyone's attention?" Amanda asked.

Amanda turned to face Vanessa.

"Kevin is one of the most compassionate people I have ever met. He isolates himself because he's afraid that he might hurt others, and I think that's one of the bravest and most admirable things a person could do." Amanda said.

Vanessa blushed. She nodded slowly. "He's been through a lot."

Amanda turned to face the Hans.

"Jarret's hope is inspiring. He has faith in the hero community despite all of it's flaws. He's recognized his own failures and is trying to move past it, I truly believe one day Jarret will be a great hero." Amanda said.

Peter scoffed. "Is that statement supposed to make us forget you tortured our son? My wife and I plan to sue."

"I didn't torture Jarret. I gave him intensive training to help him get over his fear and realize that he has great potential." Amanda said.

Peter stayed silent as Amanda moved on to the next family. She smiled at the Ritters.

"Faith has a fire that I find remarkable. Even when a threat outclasses her, she never stops fighting. You raised an amazing daughter." Amanda said.

Laura raised an eyebrow. She seemed confused on whether to slap Amanda or thank her. Amanda turned to face Lex's mother.

"There is a reason Lex is number one. He's resourceful and makes the best he can with a quirk like his. I am proud that he is my student." Amanda said.

Amanda looked at Shaylin and silently groaned. What nice things did she have to say about Sarah Smith? The girl that seemed to be a part of Cyrus's master plan. The girl that was destroying everything Amanda was working towards.

Amanda sighed. She supposed she could think of something.

"Sarah is far from perfect. But she is one of the strongest kids at this academy. She survived a messed-up childhood, having no friends, an abusive boyfriend, and emerged from the ashes like a phoenix. You taught her that her only value was her looks, but she has so much more to offer than that. She's funny, emotionally intelligent, and even though she hates to admit she cares about every single kid at this school." Amanda said.

Shaylin gulped and looked down at her feet. "I know I haven't been a good mother."

"You're right you haven't." Amanda scowled.

Amanda had never been a mother, but she was sure she could have done a better job than Shaylin, Amanda's eyes went to Arthur and Momoka.

"Your daughter is a breath of fresh air to this academy. She's exciting and good hearted, and on top of that she can overcome adversity. Her entire life she's had to share her body and her mind, and instead of letting it get her down she's learned to roll with the punches. Even when Diego destroyed her world she still got the courage to fight another day." Amanda said.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell is Diego?"

Amanda smirked. Next to Janelle, she was aware that Aurelie's family had more money than they knew what to do with, enough money to ruin someone's life. The Duax's weren't someone you would want as an enemy. God help Diego.

"I'm sure your daughter will tell you in time." Amanda said.

Amanda turned to look at Janelle and Maurice.

"Your daughter is one of the smartest people I have ever met. She doesn't fight with her quirk, she fights with her brain, a skill most pro heroes haven't mastered. Instead of treating her like a weapon or an accessory, you should realize how amazing she is." Amanda said.

Janelle frowned. For once she didn't have anything to say. It looked as if she took her words to heart.

Amanda walked over to the Zambiea's and smiled. "You have raised an excellent daughter. She's loyal, protective, and will do anything for her friends. Hell, even for her enemies. She and Sarah hated each other, but from what I can see she's been there for her since the Matt scandal."

Emir smiled. "We are very proud of her."

Amanda turned to Nadia. "Out of everyone in this room you probably hate me the most."

"That is true." Nadia smirked.

"However I want you to know that I think your son is truly one of a kind. He is caring and genuine, despite the fact the world sees him as a monster he treats everyone with a kindness that sometimes they don't deserve. Even though he failed the entry exam I let him in this academy because I knew he was meant for great things." Amanda said.

Nadia smiled weakly. It was clear she still hated Amanda, but she appreciated the comments about her son.

Amanda turned to look at Jake's parents.

"Your son is an asshole." Amanda said.

His mother's face fell, and his father gasped.

"Wow…that took a turn." Shaylin mumbled.

"Just when I thought you were on a roll." Linda scowled.

Amanda cleared her throat. "Let me finish."

Amanda turned back to face the Hydes and continued speaking.

"He's an asshole because he thinks that's the only way he can maintain power. Jake has a lot of flaws, but he also has a lot of strengths. He fought to protect Jarret with everything he had in him, even though he barley knew the boy. He could have ditched Aerolynn in the Black Church, but he stayed with her to fight the villain. He helped the other team in the Rescue assignment even though he already lost. Jake may be one of the most selfless kids in my class. That's why it doesn't matter he's an asshole, he's the big brother this class needs." Amanda smirked.

Jake's mother smiled. "Thank you."

Amanda walked over to Phillip and Maria.

"Amanda there's nothing you can say that's going to make me change my mind." Phillip said.

"So I suppose telling you that your son is my favorite won't make you feel any better? The fact that his quirk would be considered weak yet he fights with everything he has is the reason why I believe he could one day be more than a hero. I believe he has the potential to be a symbol."

Phillip sighed and looked down at the desk. Amanda smiled; her words seemed to resonate with him.

Amanda looked at the nun next to the Aspida's. The woman looked at the rest of the families awkwardly.

"I don't really know Aerolynn, the orphanage just sent me to see if I would need to pull her out of the academy." She said.

Amanda smiled. "That won't be necessary, but I just want you to know that Aerolynn is ray of sunshine that this class needs. She's creative and tough, she's going to get far in life."

Amanda looked at the families before her. She meant everything she said about these kids. She may have chosen them to be soldiers against Cyrus but that doesn't mean she didn't think they were special. All of them were special. She even wished Maryanne's and Cleo's families were here, so she could tell them what made those two girls so important.

"All of that was nice, but how is that supposed to make us feel any better?" Laura asked.

Amanda chuckled. "Because you all are right. I am a heartless monster."

Phillip cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow. The man was confused on where Amanda could possibly be going with this.

"I'm a heartless monster and even I realize how special these damn kids are. They belong at this school so they can learn how to be heroes and one day show the world how great they are. They can't do that if you stop them now." Amanda said.

"How are we supposed to know things are going to be different? What are you going to do make sure our kids won't be attacked again?" Linda asked.

The rest of the parents nodded in agreement.

Amanda reached into her purse and pulled out a stack of papers. She walked to each desk and began to distribute the sheets of paper.

"In my hands is our new policy, we will have pro heroes guarding the school around the clock." Amanda said.

The parents began to flip through each page looking at the different security measures.

"We will have trained specialists who specialize in the psyche of villains oversee the campus and make sure everyone every student is safe." Amanda said.

Peter raised an eyebrow. "These are big promises."

"Promises I intend to keep." Amanda said.

The parents began to exchange glances with each other. They were looking for each other on advice on what to do. Amanda gulped. This was it. The moment that would determine if her students could stay at the academy.

---

Lex

"Do you want to get pizza?" Kaleb asked.

The two boys decided that they needed a snack break from working on their family trees. Lex wasn't sure what happened with Kaleb and his mother, but whatever she told him, he seemed less then thrilled to talk about his family.

Lex's mother was able to email him all the pictures and facts he needed, so he was done for the most part. All he needed to do now was actually glue the information on the poster board. His least favorite part of the project.

"I don't really know." Lex sighed.

As the two were walking into the common room they noticed Aurélie and Sarah walking from the other direction, both of the girl's eyes were red and it looked like their faces were covered in dried tears.

"Since when are Aurélie Duax and Sarah Smith, friends?" Lex said aloud.

"Didn't Aurélie beat Sarah in the combat matches, like badly? I was expecting them to have this big rivalry." Kaleb admitted.

Lex smiled when Sarah got close. It had been a while since the two had been able to talk about something other than a murder. Lex turned to look at Kaleb.

"Do me a favor and stall Aurélie for a bit, I want to talk to Sarah." Lex said.

Kaleb raised an eyebrow. "You actually want to talk to Sarah?"

Lex rolled his eyes. "Yes, as hard as that it to believe."

"Good luck." Kaleb chuckled and walked over to Aurélie, proceeding to talk to the girl about something Lex had no interest in. He turned to look at Sarah.

"Hey." He said quietly.

Sarah smiled weakly. "Dayton."

Lex looked between Aurélie and Sarah. "I never knew you two were friends…"

"Well it's not like I have people falling over themselves to talk to me, so I take what I can get." Sarah said.

Lex frowned. "I enjoy talking to you."

Sarah sighed and looked down at her feet. "You don't have to do that anymore."

"Do what?" Lex asked.

"Be my hero. I know guys like you Lex. You like to save pretty broken girls to help escape from your own problems. I'm the perfect target, I have no friends, daddy issues, low self-esteem, and on top of that I have-"

Sarah stopped herself and gulped. "I mean had. I had an abusive boyfriend."

Lex shook his head. None of that was true. He didn't become her friend just because he thought she needed saving. He knew Sarah was capable of taking care of herself, and when he thought of her the last thing he thought about was her being helpless.

"You're going to deny it, because you're a good guy and good guys don't help people because they have an ulterior motive. They do it because they want to." Sarah said.

Lex nodded. "Exactly."

"Lex, but that's not the truth. I'm your fucked-up maniac pixie dream girl and whatever this friendship is needs to end." Sarah said.

"Why?" Lex asked.

"Don't you think our friendship has caused enough problems?" Sarah asked.

Lex frowned. Suddenly he thought of Sarah and Matt's fights. He thought of Faith teaming up with Matt. Was their friendship really the cause of all that pain? He would do anything for Faith, could he be friends with Sarah if he knew it was tearing Faith apart in the inside. At the same time, he didn't want to let Sarah Smith go.

"Believe me Dayton, with everything I'm dealing with right now I would do anything for you to come and save me, but that would just leave to more pain for everyone." Sarah said.

Lex frowned. "So, what happens now?"

Sarah smiled weakly. "Now we say goodbye Dayton. I'll never forget you."

With that she turned and walked away. Aurélie stopped her conversation with Kaleb and turned to look at the blond leaving.

She raised an eyebrow once she saw the sad look on Lex's face.

"You should probably go after her." Lex said to the indigo haired girl.

Aurélie nodded. She chased after the blond girl.

Kaleb walked over to Lex, placing a hand on his shoulder and frowned when he saw how crushed he was. And that's how Lex felt. Crushed. He lost Faith. He lost Sarah. It seemed like he was losing everyone. He couldn't let them go. He just couldn't. A part of him wanted to chase after her and say he would never give up on her. A part of him wanted to go to Faith's room and beg to be her friend again.

"I'm sorry man." Kaleb said.

Lex knew what Kaleb thought. Sarah the mean girl probably insulted Lex. Maybe even mocked him. He wished it was the simple.

Before Lex could answer Ms. Morningstar's voice was heard over the school's speakers.

"Attention Class Z, your parents have made an official decision about your future at the Morning Star Academy, please come to the auditorium immediately." She said.

Lex gulped. Today could end in two ways. He and his friends could stay together and ride off into the sunset. Or it meant that the hero course was disbanding and that they would all have to go home.

---

Jake

Jake's couldn't stop his palms from sweating profusely. His parents made a decision. This meant that he would either stay at the academy or be gone forever. It meant he could lose Aerolynn.

"What do you think our parents decided?" Jarret gulped.

Jake was walking with Kevin and Jarret, trailing behind them was Cleo and Aerolynn, the two girls were walking with their hands linked. Behind them was Sarah and Aurélie. Jake wasn't sure how Sarah got there, but she and Aurélie kept whispering in hushed tones.

The seven teens stopped when they reached the auditorium. Each of them let off a loud gulp.

Cleo gulped. "God my parents aren't even here, and I'm nervous."

"Where are your parents by the way?" Sarah asked.

Cleo sighed. "They couldn't afford a plane ticket."

"Oh." Sarah said quietly.

Cleo looked at Sarah expectantly. "Go ahead."

"What?" Sarah asked.

"Go ahead and make fun of my family about how poor we are." Cleo sighed.

Sarah chuckled. "Trust me, I'm not in the position to be judging anybody."

Before Jake could ask the girl what she meant, the door swung open revealing the rest of the student body and the kids' parents. Jake scanned the crowd to search for his family. He had to get to them and convince them to change their mind. They needed to know that the Morning Star Academy was his home.

Aerolynn tapped Jake's wrists, causing the boy to look down to the ground.

Hey, no matter what happens you will be always be my best friend. Aerolynn smiled.

Jake grinned and wrapped his arms around the dark-haired girl's shoulders. "Likewise, Aero,"

The seven teens walked into the room and took a seat with the rest of the students.

Their parents and legal guardians stood at the center of the stage, looking down at the fourteen teenagers.

"Hello, students of Class Z." Ms. Han said.

Jarret smiled and waved.

"Hi mom." The boy said enthusiastically.

Jake rolled his eyes. "Mama's boy."

Kevin growled and elbowed Jake, motioning him to stay silent. Jake grunted from the sharp jab and looked down at his feet. Kevin may have been one of the nicest guys in class, but Jake had seen first hand what he would do to protect Jarret.

"We have come to a decision about whether or not you guys will be allowed to stay at the academy." Mr. Aspida said.

"Keep in mind we just want to you be safe." Mr. Ritter said.

Jake gulped. This wasn't looking good. They were going to pull them out of the school. Jake looked over at Aerolynn and frowned. Becoming friends with Aerolynn was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Now he was going to lose her. Aerolynn smiled weakly. She was holding Cleo's hand with her left, her right hand outstretched towards the boy. Jake smiled and took the girl's hand.

Once their fingers interlocked Jake understood what Aerolynn was trying to do. He turned to Kevin and held his hand out to Kevin. Normally Jake would thinking holding another dude's hand would be gross, yet Kevin had to become somewhat of a brother to him.

Kevin smiled and took Jake's hand. The boy turned to look at Jarret, his red eyes meeting Jarret's brown. Jarret understood what the others were trying to do and took Kevin's hand wrapping his fingers around Kevin's fingers. He smiled at his best friend and turned look at Aurélie. He offered his hand to the girl.

She kept her attention of the parents, however she still managed to take his hand into hers. She turned to Sarah and held her hand out. Sarah raised an eyebrow.

"What the hell are you doing?" She asked.

Aurélie chuckled. "Just hold my hand Sarah."

Sarah rolled her eyes but took Aurélie's palm. She turned to look at Victoria. Victoria looked at the chain of hand holding and frowned.

"Did any of you use hand sanitizer?" Victoria asked.

"Jesus! For once, get off your high horse and get in on this Crown." Jake snapped.

Victoria sighed and took Sarah's hand. She squeezed it tightly almost as if she wanted to reassure Sarah she was there for her. Maryanne giggled and took Victoria's hand without asking any questions. Alexander was already holding her hand so all he had to do was ask Lex if he could hold his hand.

Lex smirked took the blue haired boy's hand. The boy then wrapped his fingers around one of Kaleb's hands. Kaleb grinned and turned to face Fouzia.

"Give me your hand" Kaleb said.

Fouzia didn't seem to understand what was going on. She frowned and looked between the teens.

"Get in on this Fouzia it's symbolic or something." Sarah said.

Fouzia grinned and took Kaleb's hand. She turned to Faith and took her friend's hand. All fourteen of them sat together holding hands, linked together physically and emotionally. Aerolynn was right. No matter what happened today she would still be his friend. They would all be his friends. Even if they weren't together that didn't mean they wouldn't be there for each other. They had been through too much together.

Jake's parents' eyes began to water once they saw the chain. They seemed taken aback by his sign of unity. The other parents looked at their kids with watery eyes, desperate not to cry.

"We've been talking to Amanda about her new security policy and her plan to keep us updated." Mrs. Rexavi said cautiously.

All of the parents looked between each other, they seemed uncertain if they were doing the right thing. Jake gulped and squeezed Aerolynn's hand tighter.

Mr. Zambiea smiled. "We have decided to let you stay at the Morning Star Academy."

"Fuck yeah!" Jake said in excitement.

His outburst caused the others in the auditorium to jump. Jake blushed and looked down at his feet. Aerolynn chuckled and rested her head against his arm.

You're ridiculous, but I love you. She smiled.

Jake grinned. "Right back at ya, kid."

He looked around and saw the rest of his classmates rejoicing. Kevin and Jarret were cheering, Kaleb hoisted Lex and Faith on his shoulders, and Alexander and Maryanne were exchanging quick kisses. However the most surprising thing was Sarah pulling Aurélie and Victoria in for a hug.

The parents smiled as they watched their kids celebrate. Jake grinned as he made eye contact with his parents. After his talk with Kevin, Jake realized he was lucky to have parents that loved him despite his flaws. He was lucky to have parents that would always be there for him no matter what.

Jake grinned mouthed to his parents three words: I love you