Disclaimer: I do not own the DC characters Hawk and Dove, whom I loosely based my main characters on.

When Dan opened his eyes, everything was not normal. In fact, everything was completely foreign. He sat up quickly, gasping, and took in his surroundings. The room he was in was almost completely steel save for a couple plastic chairs and a mirror on the wall opposite him. He grasped at the edges of the strange table he was on top of, and noticed he was sitting on a scratchy sort of cloth.

Dan raised his head and looked at his reflection. The skin under his eyes was noticeably purple, as if he hasn't slept for days, even though he just woke up. His hair was sticking up everywhere and after he tried to flatten it, Dan realized it was disgustingly greasy as well. He needed a shower. He needed a bed. He almost wanted to go home- and then he remembered his parents ratted on him and suddenly he never wanted to see them again.

"Is there any way I can get out of here?" Dan shouted into the void. He didn't see a door anywhere. There were no windows either.

Suddenly the wall to the right of the mirror slid open to reveal a rectangle of light. Dan jumped off the table. A woman walked into the room. She was tall, blond, and supermodel gorgeous. "Hello, Daniel," she said, her accent charmingly American, "Welcome to The School. Glad to see you're awake."

"The School?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

The woman smiled. "Yes. Here we will teach you to use your abilities safely. You do recall your abilities, right?"

"Yeah," said Dan, straightening his rumpled shirt, "I'm just surprised that a place like this doesn't have a more creative name."

She smiled again, except this time it was a different kind of smile. Dan couldn't quite place it. "I'm Jenna Mourey. I'm your case manager, and for today, your tour guide." she gestured to the door as if she were a flight attendant.

Dan self-consciously tried to flatten his hair again as he left the room. Jenna followed him, and the door slid shut behind her. When he looked back, it was just a wall, as if the room didn't exist at all. "So, what was that room?" he asked her.

"That's where everyone goes when they're new. They're hidden so the current students don't come snooping," said Jenna over the clacking of her high heels, "It was actually pretty entertaining. When you were first brought in, no one could touch you without special gloves. And you almost melted the table you were laying on, which is why we had to put a fire retardant blanket on it."

Dan had to laugh a little. He liked Jenna. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all.

"So we're currently in the basement of the building. There are quite a few rooms down here like the one you were just in, as well as a weight room, gym, and a music room." Jenna said as Dan looked around. The hallway looked very similar to the room that Dan woke up in, and for the first time maybe ever he felt cold. Not physically, but chilled. He hoped the whole school didn't look like this.

"Did you say music room?" asked Dan, catching up with Jenna as she walked quickly.

She nodded. "It's not used very often, but it's there. It's mostly just cabinets of sheet music but there's a piano and guitars and some other things."

Dan nodded appreciatively. He stopped taking piano lessons when he was about fourteen (mostly because it frustrated it him and he left burnt finger prints on the ivory), but he had been missing it. Maybe he could make that a way to relieve his stress about this whole thing now that he's grown.

Jenna turned a corner and started to climb a staircase. Dan wordlessly followed her and took in his surroundings. When they reached the top of the staircase, everything seemed to change. The walls were still stark white as if he were in a hospital, but now there were people around. There girls and boys, and they were chatting and walking and even laughing. Oddly enough, it had a very school-like feeling to it despite the aura of over-cleanliness.

"This is the main floor," Jenna said, pausing at the top of the stairs, "This is where most of your food options are. There's a cafeteria, an auditorium, and a library."

Dan stuffed his hands in his pockets and followed Jenna as she walked straight down the hall in front of them. They passed quite a few people on the way, and they all looked very normal. They didn't look tortured at all. As he continues through The School, he discovered that the rumors he's heard over the years might be wrong. This school just might teach him how to stop setting things on fire.

"Down this way you'll be able to see into the gym. This is where you'll be spending most of your time the first couple years you're here," Jenna explained, pointing to a wall of bright windows at the end of the hall.

"Years?" Dan asked, his eyes widening.

Jenna turned to smile at him. "It's part of the speech. It's really just how long it takes to get your powers under control. But at this point, with what I've seen, it might take you a while." she said.

Dan nodded. He had to agree. Even now, when he was just walking on his own, he felt heat rising under his skin. It seemed when he focused on it, it got worse.

"Take a look," said Jenna, nodding towards the windows.

Dan peered through the window and found himself looking into a large sunken gymnasium. Everything was white but the floor, which was black. The gym was peppered with people. As he watched, he pressed himself into the glass. There were things happening down there that he's never seen before. He watched a skinny boy make vines wrap around a pole and snap it in half. There was a girl standing on a balance bar, but at a closer look, she was actually hovering over it.

"Wow," he muttered.

"Pretty great, right?" Jenna said, "There are rooms surrounding the gym for more specialized powers so the others don't get hurt and the equipment isn't damaged." Suddenly a punching bag exploded in a cloud of white chalk. Dan stepped away. "Well, more than usual." Jenna added, "You'll probably be spending a lot of time in those types of rooms."

She turned down the next hallway and Dan followed her. "The next couple levels are offices. Trainers and our lovely government officials work up there. People like me also get their own offices," she said.

It struck Dan that he didn't know anything about Jenna other than her name. "People like you?" he asked.

"Let's see… we're kind of like school prefects," she explained, "You're British, you know what that is. I've been here a while. Since I was nine, actually. I got my powers under control a long time ago, and since I'm such a model citizen, they gave me the job of mentoring the newbies."

"So you have powers too?" Dan asked.

Jenna nodded. "Here," she held out her hand. Dan looked at her for a moment before taking her hand to shake. He suddenly felt a pulse of electric shock as their hands connected.

He pulled away, gasping. He was unused to such a burning pain, so similar to how a fire would feel, but completely different at the same time. Jenna was laughing. "You newbies always fall for it," she sighed, "Electricity, Daniel. I'm like a walking lightning rod."

Dan massaged his palm with the thumb of his other hand. "Dan," he corrected quietly.

Jenna grinned at him. "Dan, then," she said. She stopped outside of a set of wooden doors and placed her hand on a handle. "This is the auditorium. Here you and a couple other newbies will get the rundown of how your life will be here. It's lucky you woke up today. The next presentation isn't for another week."

She pushed the door open and showed him in. The auditorium was like nothing he had ever seen before. It was like stepping into a theater in the West End. There was a group of others sitting near the massive stage, so Dan assumed that's where he should be.

"Afterwards come find me out here. I'll have to show you to your room." Jenna said. Dan nodded and she closed the door behind him.

He joined the others at the front by sitting at the end of the last row. He was now hyperaware that he was dirty and pale, while everyone else looked fresh. He was probably the only one who looked like he was out of the ordinary. He sunk down in his chair and tried to focus on his surroundings instead of his intense need of a shower.

"Did you just arrive as well?" asked a voice to his left. Dan looked up and spotted a girl, smiling at him sweetly with glossy red lips.

Dan nodded. "Yes."

The girl sighed happily. "Oh, good. I woke up yesterday. Really gave me a fright, I remember falling asleep on the train here," she said, "I'm Zoe."

"Dan," he replied.

"Pleasure," she said with a smile, "You look around my age. How old are you, twenty? I'm twenty."

Dan blinked. This girl knew how to talk. "I'll be nineteen in June."

Zoe smiled. "Oh, good, you are my age! Have you noticed how young all the others are?" she added in a whisper, leaning over the arm of her seat.

Dan looked around. He hadn't noticed before, but most of their fellow 'newbies' were in fact children. One of them looked to be around twelve. He looked back at Zoe, startled.

"Apparently there are more even younger ones," she explained with wide eyes, "But because they're so young, special teachers come here to finish their required education until they're sixteen. At least that's what Alfie told me." Dan was about to ask who Alfie was when Zoe talked again. "My case manager," she said with a smile, "He's very nice."

Before they could get in any more words, a woman appeared on the stage before them. She had dark hair in a tight bun and was wearing a pantsuit. For the first time since waking up, Dan felt intimidated. "Welcome to The School, everyone. I am Dr. Susan Hurley, and I run this facility. I'm here to tell you what your life will be like here. It's about to change for good."

Dan glanced around at the others. He wasn't the only one squirming in his seat.

Dr. Hurley resumed after a dramatic pause. "Here at The School we strive to teach every young person with special abilities to harness their power without endangering themselves or the country. Once they are under control, they will be assigned to a government position to help out young people just like them." She paced the stage as she paused again. No one made a sound. "The School is now your home. Your fellow students are now your family. Here, no one will tell you that you are strange. You are all alike. And one day, you will all do some good for the future generations.

"Now, upon your arrival, your things were taken to your assigned room. Depending on space availability, you will all have at least one roommate of the same sex that we have on file from your report. If you'd like a change, let your case manager know," Dr. Hurley paused again, "I'm sure you all will be very at home here, just like our current students. Thank you for your time. Your practice begins tomorrow."

Dr. Hurley left the stage promptly. Dan looked around and waited for someone else to stand up before he decided to take his leave. He was about halfway to the door when he noticed that Zoe was walking behind him.

"Hey, so, I'm curious," he asked her, "Did you say you fell asleep on the train here?"

She nodded. "Yes. I'm from Brighton, so when two of the officials came to collect me, we drove from my house to the train station and we rode in to London. I don't remember how I actually got here, though. I fell asleep on the train and woke up in that funny room on a table."

"So you weren't freaking out, or angry, or anything?" Dan wondered.

"I knew they were coming," said Zoe, "I turned myself in."

"Why?"

"I wanted to be with others like me, and I wasn't doing so well at university anyway," she replied.

Dan looked at his feet. At least she had the chance to try. "What can you do?"

"What can you do?" she echoed. Dan looked over and stopped in his tracks. He was looking at himself. Greasy brown hair, dimples, leather jacket, everything. Dan stared, stunned, and his clone started to laugh. His image shimmered a bit and shrank, and then it was Zoe again.

Dan took a breath. "Why do people keep doing that to me?" he said.

Zoe walked over and took his hand, leading the rest of the way to the door. "I'm sorry, I've only gotten to do that a couple times. It was fun though." she said, "I'm a shapeshifter. I can morph myself into anyone once I've had a good look at them."

"That's actually really cool," said Dan with a grin.

"Thanks! What can you do?" she wondered. They had made it to the hallway now. Jenna was leaning against the windows looking into the gym, watching the people practicing below.

"Oh, I don't think there's a word for it, but -"

"Yes, there is," said Jenna without looking away from the window, "Pyrokinesis."

"Is that a word?" Dan asked while Zoe just looked confused.

Jenna nodded and finally looked over. "Stephen King invented it, I think. It means you can control fire," she replied.

"Wow," said Zoe, "That sounds fun."

"It would be if I could control it, I'm sure," Dan muttered.

Jenna looked at her watch. "Well, come on, Dan. I have to show you your room. I'm sure you want to clean up," she said.

Dan nodded. Zoe quickly hugged him around the neck. "Great to meet you, Dan! I'll see you around." she said with a smile. She turned and headed the opposite way, presumably looking for her version of Jenna.

"This way," Jenna said, nodding down the hallway, "We have lots of stairs to climb."

Dan groaned and followed her, preparing himself for tasting blood. He's never been in shape, because he spent lots of time being lazy, and he had a feeling this would be painful.

As Dan puffed behind her as they went up the stairs, Jenna said, "I see you made a new friend very quickly."

"She was sitting next to me," he claimed, "She was very animated. She turned herself in and was really excited about this entire thing. Her name is Zoe."

"What's her power?"

"She's a shapeshifter. She can turn into anyone she wants as long as she knows what they look like," he replied, "Pretty cool, right?"

Jenna paused for only a second before continuing up the stairs. "Very." she said simply. Dan didn't reply and tried to focus on not passing out.

After about eight flights of stairs (it was really only five, but to Dan it felt like agony) they reached his floor. The hallway was lamely similar to the rest of the building, and he had a sudden fear that the room he would be living in for the rest of his life would be stark and boring as well. He didn't think he would be very happy with that.

"Let's see," said Jenna as she pulled an index card out of the pocket of her blazer, "Room 519, double. Looks like you got lucky and only have roommate. He is… oh, you get Phil."

Dan raised his eyebrows. "Phil?"

"Great guy," Jenna replied with a grin. Dan followed her down several more hallways before they paused in front of a door with the number 519 in silver over the top. Jenna turned over her index card and untaped a silver key from the back of it. She handed it to Dan. "There you go, it's all yours. I'll be in touch, okay? You'll get your schedule at breakfast tomorrow."

"Thanks," he said with a nod.

Jenna nodded. "Good luck." She grinned at him once more before turning to leave, her heels echoing all the way down the linoleum.

Dan unlocked the door and tentatively pushed it open. The lights were off. Once he found the switch and could see everything properly, he discovered that room wasn't as hospital-esque as the rest of the building. In fact, it looked like a very small apartment or maybe a large dorm room. There was a tiny room to receive people in, where there was a small counter with a microwave and a tea kettle on it, as well as a couple black sofas. The door to the left was closed; the door to the right was open. He checked out the right room first.

Inside was a bed with the covers all in a ball, a wardrobe, a bedside table, and a desk. His roommate Phil must live here. It sure looked like a boy his age lived in this room, Dan thought as he surveyed the pile of dirty clothes at the end of the bed. Even the shades on the window were closed, making the room look incredibly dark and small.

In the left room was the exact same thing, except his suitcase was sitting on top of the bed and it was immaculately clean. First thing he had to do was take a shower. Dan opened his suitcase and pulled out a t-shirt and a new pair of jeans, and hoped there was shampoo and things provided because he didn't have any.

Once he reached the adjoining bathroom, he was glad he was right. There were two bottles in the shower labeled shampoo and conditioner and one labeled body wash. Dan didn't know what else he was going to do, so he took a long shower. He took his time scrubbing his greasy head and massaging in conditioner once it started to curl. He even sung a little. Shower singing was serious to Dan.

Once he was done in the shower, he headed to his new bedroom on just a towel. He was glad the room was still empty save for him. After he was dry and clothes, Dan decided to start putting his things away. Living out of a suitcase would just prolong his getting used to being there. So Dan put away all the t-shirts his dad thought to pack him, as well as a couple jumpers, and then all his jeans. His laptop was there as well. As Dan pushed his curls from his forehead, he had a terrifying thought.

His dad didn't think to pack his hair straightener. Oh god. He would have bedhead forever.

When he reached the bottom of the bag, he found a framed picture. It was of his family, from when they went to India on vacation.

That was before they knew about Dan's abilities. They looked happy. Dan sat on his bed and sighed. No matter how upset he felt with his parents for turning him in and getting him sent away, it still worried him that he might not be able to see them ever again. Would he miss his brother's graduation? Probably. Would he get to see them for Christmas? Who knows. That was so far the worst part of being at The School; all the uncertainties. He hardly knew anything about his "new home".

When Dan placed the photo on his desk he heard the door open and slam. And then humming. His roommate was back.

Dan got up and opened his bedroom door a crack. He peered into the lounge, and spotted a boy with black hair turning on the kettle. Dan pushed his door open a little more, causing it to squeak, which caused the guy to turn and look.

"Hi," he said with a smile, "You must be Daniel."

Dan pushed his door open all the way and nodded. "Dan," he replied.

"Hi, Dan. I'm Phil," he said, approaching Dan with his hand out.

Dan reached out to shake his hand, smiling a little. "Nice to-" Suddenly he heard a loud hissing noise, as if someone had pressed a hot iron against a wet sponge. Dan looked down to where he was shaking Phil's hand, and at the same time they both seemed to notice the fact that their hands were steaming.

They jumped apart quickly. Dan looked at Phil with wide eyes. Phil laughed awkwardly. "That's never happened before," he said, "Usually people just complain that I've given them frost bite."