Arriving at the gates of Derse High, Karkat couldn't help but notice that it was a very… odd looking school. All of the buildings were made of a shiny, dark purplish material, sort of like obsidian. Immediately stepping onto the campus, Karkat looked around. There were very few people there, seeing that it was only 7:34 A.M. School didn't start until 8:30, so he had nearly an hour to kill before entering a different kind of hell.

Standing in the middle of the walkway proved to be a rather poor choice. A large, football player-sounding guy shoved him from behind, "Outta my way, freshmeat!" Karkat turned around, recognizing the voice. Oh God, please don't let it be him… Again, no such luck. Standing three feet away from him was one of his past tormentors, none other than Equius Zahhak.

From the looks of it, he hadn't changed much since Karkat last saw him two years ago. He was still grotesquely muscular, albeit more so. Judging by the odor wafting his way, the muscle-bound jock still hadn't discovered deodorant. Or showers, for that matter. Equius seemed startled to find his favorite punching bag at D.H.S., but wasted no time in reminding Karkat who was boss.

The first blow landed on Karkat's jaw. Fortunately, he was expecting it, so his jaw didn't break. Still, the force made his head spin and lights dance in front of his eyes. The second blow caught him right under his sternum, knocking the air out of his lungs. Karkat doubled over, gasping for air. Equius took the opportunity to strike him three more times: twice on his broken rib (though Equius didn't know it was already broken) and finished with a knee straight to the balls. He smirked as he walked away, "I had nearly forgotten how much fun the kid is."

Karkat passed out when the second blow to his rib landed. He came to lying on the pavement. Glancing around, he noticed that there was a steady stream of people entering the gate, and a large crowd around campus. As usual, no one paid attention to him as he made his way towards what he assumed to be the restrooms. Had he not been looking at the ground, he would have noticed a female figure detach itself from the crowd and follow him. But, seeing as he had not looked up at the sky for years, he saw nothing by legs and feet.

Once inside the bathroom, Karkat inspected the damage to his jaw in the mirror. Equius' fist had left four distinct lines on his face, and it was already an angry purple. Exactly the same purple, Karkat noted, as Derse High. Retreating to a stall, he lifted up his hoodie and shirt, to inspect his rib. As the fabric lifted, it caught on something and the pain from it nearly made him shriek. Moving carefully, he revealed the wound, now with a large white shard of bone protruding from his skin.

Oh, God. I can't go to the nurse with this, she'll ask questions that Dad will kill me if I answer. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a roll of medical tape, his life saver. Stuffing a wad of toilet paper in his mouth to bite on, he pushed the bone back into his torso, where it belonged. As soon as he touched it, the door to the bathroom slammed open, causing his hand to jerk in surprise. The bone twisted even more, and bright red blood began to make it slippery.

"Everything alright in there?" a deep male voice asked, evidently noting the dripping blood. Moving fast, again spurred by adrenaline, Karkat pushed the protruding rib back into place and bound his torso with medical tape. He removed the wad of paper from his mouth, wiped his bloody hands on it, and flushed it down the toilet.

"Y-y-yes sir, e-everything's fine. J-just a nosebleed." Karkat replied. His voice was hoarse from disuse, and fear made him stutter.

"Are you sure…? Seems like an awfully large amount for a nosebleed..," the voice replied. Karkat looked at the floor. His black Converse were planted in the center of a wide pool of hot, sticky blood.

Thinking fast, he replied, "Th-they do that with me. The b-blood mixes with mucus and makes it look like more…" he trailed off. He got a noncommittal grunt in reply. Karkat waited until the owner of the voice left before emerging to wash his hands. Finished with his ablutions, he exited the building.

Looking at his watch, he saw that he had 15 minutes left until class began. He pondered what to do before he was interrupted by a girl, another freshman by the looks. She was wearing a rather unique skirt that looked handmade. She spoke in a quiet, soft voice that made Karkat feel… something. Positive emotion had long since died within him.

"Um, excuse me for asking, but are you alright?" the girl asked him.

"What kind of a dumbass question is that, huh?" Karkat snapped, "I am fucking perfect right now, I've never been better. Now piss off!"

"Now we both know that that is a complete falsehood," the silky-smooth voice replied, sounding somewhat taken aback, "I saw you get beaten rather badly by that jock, no one is alright after that."

"Yeah, well, I AM FUCKING NOBODY! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Karkat was beginning to get scared. She can't keep asking these questions! Dad will somehow find out and I'll really get it. "Look, just go hang out with your friends, or something. I don't need you hovering over me like a mother hen!"

"There is no need to get upset, I'm just concerned for you. I can tell you are not alright. Your left jaw is swollen up twice the size of your right, and is the same purple as the wall. You are taking very shallow breaths, so I assume that a rib is broken. You were walking bowlegged earlier, so I assume that you were kicked in…" She paused in her monologue for a moment, "Well, if you suddenly decide to come to your senses, my name is Kanaya Maryam. Ask around for me."

Wait, what? Maryam? Like the owner of half the city's land? Oh, God, what pit of snakes did I land in? Karkat's terrified ruminations were cut short by a canned bell emitting from the intercom system. He looked up, his neck cramping from being faced downward all the time. He was stunned at what he saw. Kanaya was pretty. Very pretty. He quickly turned and slipped between two tall guys as heat flooded his face.

He followed the crowd, seeing as it was the first day of school. The flood of humanity swept toward a large building, presumably the gymnasium. So, an assembly of some sort. That was just fine by him, he could make himself invisible in the crowd. He allowed himself to be carried along with everyone else, taking care not to breathe deeply or walk too fast. He didn't want his rib to hurt him more.

The tide carried him into the gym, and he took a seat in the very back of the bleachers. Scanning the gym, he saw someone he assumed to be a faculty member talking with Kanaya. She looked around the rapidly filling gym and saw him. Their eyes locked, and he pointed directly at him. Oh, dear God please no.