It was my understanding that the rest of my day couldn't get worse. And I refused to give certain ghosts the chance to prove me wrong. For the rest of my day, I held my head in my hands and remained kept to myself. I ate lunch alone, avoided all of my classmates, and by the time my Support classes came, it was only spent going over lab safety. Cleo and Jack made several efforts to cheer me up, but I knew that their involvement would only cause trouble for me. Anytime I tried to stop them, I'd receive concerned looks from classmates that only made me want to avoid them more.

    I was lucky that the first day went by quicker than I had expected. I took the bullet train home and didn't make any effort to talk to Jack or Cleo. Jack took the hint and stayed out of my business, but Cleo was determined to turn my day around. She followed me out when our train pulled up to a stop, and she floated by my side the whole walk home.

    "Okay, so that first interaction didn't go too well, but surely the next day will be better," Cleo encouraged.

    "I don't know if there will be a next day," I told her. With the first class leaving me more mentally drained than I was used to, the last thing I could think about was going to school with those two for a whole year.

    As I made it up to the front porch of the funeral home, Cleo didn't let up. "Sure there will be! The next day always comes right after the last no matter how bad things get."

    "Oh, so now you understand simple patterns?" I walked inside and shut the door, almost hoping that would keep either of the ghosts from following me.

    "Hey," Cleo called and floated through the doors to follow me in. "At least I didn't throw anything." She crossed her arms and looked at Jack who seemed rather unapologetic.

    "That wench had it coming," he said as Marie and Edison both floated into the room.

    Marie looked between Jack and me, then asked, "Who had what coming?"

    "It's not important," I told her and turned my attention back to Jack and Cleo. "I didn't like having to keep you guys from causing me more problems all day. People must have thought I was crazy anytime I stopped either of you."

    Jack and Cleo didn't say anything back while they both hung their heads apologetically. From the other side of me, Marie spoke on their behalf. "I'm sorry to hear you had such a troubling first day."

    "Yeah, but that's the thing: I actually liked the school." Marie's attention pulled back onto me while Jack and Cleo just looked shocked.

    "You did?" They all asked. I gave them a nod and explained.

    "I didn't talk to anyone at lunch, but the food was really good. And even though we didn't get to use any of it today, the equipment they have over there is ten times better than the stuff I'm using here."

    Marie seemed unsure. "Then, that's good, right?"

    "It would be if I didn't have those two hovering over my shoulder all day." Even if I was the only one who could see Cleo or Jack, I still felt weighed down by having to keep track of them. Anytime I have been in public, my Quirk has let me see the hundreds of ghosts that roam around, and I normally would pay them no attention. But Jack, Cleo, Marie, and Edison were different. If they did something wrong, I had a feeling that it reflected me in a sense, even if no one else knew.

    "I suppose I understand that," Marie sympathized. "Maybe throwing you into a big school without much guidance wasn't the best idea."

    Out came a contended remark to Marie as Edison flew into the conversation from behind the wall. "Balderdash! I haven't had a bad idea since 1869. Besides, I thought we had agreed that this would be good for the boy. What's an adventure without a few challenges?"

   Marie had closed her hand over the bridge of her nose while Thomas ranted about how he was right. As much as I didn't enjoy feeding his ego, I didn't totally disagree with him.

    I looked back up at the two of them and spoke up before Edison spiraled into another life story. "Guys, I'm going to be sixteen soon, and I think it's time I start to try things on my own."

   "You want to go to school without us?" Cleo's worried tone broke her and Jack's silence. "Not that I blame you. We can be a bit. . much at times. We're sorry."

    "You all are still my family, and no matter what, I'll always come home at the end of the day. I just think this is something I can handle by myself," I told her. Hearing her apology did give me faith that the next time they went out with me, they might use their heads a little more. However, they deserved to know that I wasn't mad at them for what happened.

    Marie took the conversation back to herself, saying, "While I'm not thrilled with the idea of you being around those strangers without any of us watching over you, I understand that it isn't too much to ask." With her approval, I was allowed the opportunity to give UA one more chance.

    I just hoped it would be better the second day.

■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■

     With faith in my second try, I repeated my morning routine just like the previous day. I threw on my jacket over my school uniform and shouldered my backpack before heading downstairs. My family was already waiting for me by the door the same as yesterday. Marie met me as I walked over to them, greeting me with a goodbye hug that caught me just a little off guard. The ghosts didn't often do anything like that, so I guessed she was just that worried about me being on my own for the day.

    I didn't exactly hug her back, knowing my hand would just go through her, but I did pay attention when she started talking. "Make good choices, Mordecai," she told me. "If you ever get overwhelmed or anything, you're more than welcome to come home anytime. Don't talk to strangers, unless they're good strangers like teachers or heroes. And be careful around all the lab equipment, but don't freak yourself out about it. Just. . . Be safe."

    I pulled away from her cold hug and put a hand on the doorknob. "I'll be fine, Marie. You guys can trust me."

    She nodded. "I know that, but there is one thing I wanted to give you." She turned around to grab a small box from the end table and stretched it out to me. I took the gift and opened it up to take out the handheld gift.

     "A smartphone?" I asked. I never had one growing up; I didn't exactly have anyone living to talk to. I pressed one of the buttons on the side that caused the screen to light up, showing me all the convenient apps and features.

    "I've already set up the house phone number as a contact, so you can call us any time of the day. I just need to teach Cleo and Edison how to use it." While I didn't think I would need to call them while I was at school, I would admit that it's a comforting feeling to know they were right there if I did. I thanked Marie for the gift and said goodbye to her and the others before I stepped out of the house and started my way to UA.

    Taking the bullet train crammed with people was as nerve-wracking as I remembered. I didn't get a seat the second time, which meant I was forced to stand and hold onto the hand bars for the ride, feeling the taller people around me push and lean with every bump and turn the train took. I couldn't get out of there fast enough, and luckily, the rest of my walk left me alone.

     I stood outside the school and felt my tics push in the back of my head while I blinked my eyes at it. I didn't have any spirits close to vent to, which left me with nothing else to do but go in and get it over with.

    I walked the halls with my head down as students my age took up the space to stand around and talk to one another. It was aggravating, but nothing I would confront anyone about. After taking time to remember the right directions, I eventually found my homeroom class.

    This time, I wasn't one of the first to arrive. My classmates took up nearly every desk and waited around for our teacher to make an appearance. Across the room, I saw Remata take one look at me and turn to only glare at the space in front of her. At least she wasn't giving me a hard time.

    As I made it through the door, I felt someone gently push my back while moving by. Worried it was another angry student, I flinched back and turned around only to find a different face. The man who introduced himself as our teacher yesterday gave me an apologetic pat on the shoulder as he hurried back to his desk.

   Professor Quinton Q. Qonstance, or Professor Q, was in charge of class 1-H homeroom as well as most of UA's science classes. He was exactly what one would expect of a man with his job: crazy green hair that seemed to always stick up, thick round glasses, and the plain white lab coat to finish off his cartoon-ish look.

    As he made his way to his desk, I did the same and double-checked the order before I took the correct seat. Professor Q shuffled around various papers in his grasp before taking the center of the floor and raising his hands dramatically. "Good morning, marvelous minds of 1-H!" I couldn't hear the kids around me, but I looked around to see them give a less enthusiastic greeting. Q didn't let their lack of motivation get him down though.

    The scientist continued to extoll his morning announcements like he's been rehearsing it for days. "I welcome all of you back to what is in my opinion, the best class for creative individuals such as yourselves! I know that first day must have made a lot of you nervous, but fret not as it is all smooth sailing from here." He scurried over to the corner of the room and pulled out a rolling podium to the front of the classroom.

   "First thing on the agenda is something I usually plan for the first day, but with orientation and reading from the safety books, the time sure did skedaddle from me there. So, I suppose it's high time you all get to know one another, and I learn about the brilliant ones I'll be calling my students for the year." As Professor Q stepped aside from the podium, I could already tell I wasn't going to love this next part.

    "One by one, I'd like each of you to step up and tell the class your name, Quirk, and what you like about support," Q instructed and waved a hand to the first kid. I slumped back into my chair and thanked whoever could hear me that I wasn't first. I wasn't looking forward to getting up there, staring back at all those people, and telling them that I have the single freakiest Quirk there is. All I could do is not get in my head about it and pay attention to everyone else.

    The first few introductions were, in all kindness, forgettable. Things stayed fairly dull until a hyper girl with pink dreadlocks and bulky goggles announced her presence. She called herself Mei Hatsume, but I'd call her a walking fire hazard. She had the same enthusiasm for science as our teacher, and her lack of fear and eager attitude was both admirable and frightening.

    After Hatsume made it clear she loved support more than anything, and that was all we needed to know, she handed off the spotlight to the next victim. The student sharing a desk with the maniac took her turn as Mei slid back into their desk. This new girl matched Hatsume's pink hair, although hers was longer, curlier, and only on half her head. She leaned over the podium and told us who she was. "You all can call me Rose, and my Quirk is called Weapon." While she seemed uninterested in the moment, I could tell a lot of the class gave her their attention, especially when she moved some of her hair back and showed us the bioelectric prosthetic that replaced her arm. I made a mental note to follow up on how she designed that later.

    Rose quickly ended her introduction and the pattern continued. Most of my classmates were either crazy, antisocial, intimidating or any combination of those. On occasion, a student who seemed calm enough to pass as normal would come up. One being the kid I almost shared a desk with before Remata kicked me out.

    His dark violet hair hung in pointed strands with bangs that flipped over one of his hazel eyes. It took me a second to notice his other features after I could get past the white bandages that covered his dark skin like one of the mummies Cleo would talk about. He pulled down two of the bandages that covered his mouth while he talked and I read his lips. "Dainichi Dako; my Quirk is called Sand. I joined Support as a way to I guess fix some of the disaster costume designs I see first years parade around in." Other than the vast amount of confidence this guy had in his own skill, he seemed to be one of the very few sane people here.

    And just as I was getting comfortable with my classmates, the next student had the power to ruin my day within the minute. My first-day bully didn't give Dako time to leave the stage before she was running the show. "I'll make this short," she said, and I hoped she would keep her word on that. "My name is Siri Remata. My Quirk, Program, lets me reprogram any electronic device in my hold. Normally, I wouldn't use it to interfere with someone else's work, and as long as you all can stay out of my way, I'm sure we won't have that problem." As she finished her speech/threat, she sent one last harsh look my way and took to her desk.

    If I wasn't already worried about my turn, Siri Remata made sure I wouldn't be able to get up there easily. I almost just stayed where I was if it wasn't for the twenty pairs of eyes urging me to get on with it. I hid my hands in the pockets of my jacket and walked up to the podium. I moved my hand up to try and sign, but then felt myself just rub the back of my head realizing no one but Q knew the language. My tics were picking my head apart while I just stood there behind the podium made for someone way too tall and pretended it didn't bother me.

    From my left, I could see Q clear his throat and motion to the chalkboard behind me. Taking his subtle hint, I stepped back and started writing my introduction.

    "My name is Mordecai Rockefeller. And I see dead people. . ."

    I saw no reason to sugarcoat it. Sooner or later, this class would know my power, and as strange as it was, I wanted it to be on my terms. I looked back to the class as they stayed dead silent. From the middle row, I did see Siri Remata smile to herself and put up a clenched fist to her mouth as if she coughed. Shortly after, I saw her mouth the word "creep" to the kids around her.

   I didn't have to look hard to get the idea that her comment caused most of the class to quietly laugh. I saw Q wave his hand to retrieve their attention again while I just went straight back to my desk. I faced my head down to the table before I could see anything else they had to say. The next couple of students went up to introduce themselves, but I paid them no attention. As soon as I turned up though, I felt something lightly graze the back of my head.

    Looking behind my chair, I saw a poorly crafted paper airplane sit on the floor. No other kid was looking down at it, so I could assume the letter was for me. After reading the note, there was no doubt that the message was meant for me. Written in thick black marker were the words, "Nice to meet you, walking dead," above a terrible drawing of a zombie with its arms out and X's over the eyes. Just when I could find peace in being out of the center of attention, someone was there to prove me wrong.

    I couldn't be more isolated from my classmates, and to make things worse, I didn't have anyone nonliving to have my back either. There was a second where I began to regret having pushed away my family from me because being without anyone at all had a bitter feeling to it.

    I put my hands back over my eyes and tried to drown out the rest of the class. But after a minute or two, I felt someone from my left tap my shoulder. Nervous that it was another round of teasing at my expense, I slowly pulled my hand down to face the kid whom I've been sharing a desk with for the past couple of days. I watched him mouth something to me while pointing at the paper airplane on my desk.

    "Tough break," he said. "I guess I had hope that kids at a hero school would be a little— a little nicer about stuff like that." I wasn't sure how to tell him I agreed, so I just nodded along before crumbling the note up and throwing it in my bag.

   Even after that though, the kid kept talking to me. "My name's Washiro Yuu—Yuu." He held out his hand for me to shake, but I just gave him a confused glance and signed the letter U twice to ask if that was really his name.

    He laughed and shook his head. "No, sorry. My name is Washiro Yuu. It's a— It's a stupid stutter that I've had since I was a kid. You know, a lot of kids call me— call me Double. I choose to think it's because–because of my Quirk, but a more realistic side of me knows it's—it's the stutter." Seeing that this kid was more into poking fun at himself than I was a huge relief. He had a carefree yet cautious feeling to him that was a good change from Siri Remata's intense hate.

    After we shook hands, Double mouthed something to me asking for my name. I didn't blame him for not paying attention to the twenty introductions we sat through, so I started to sign my name to him. Double stopped me halfway through and nervously looked down, saying, "I'm sorry, but I don't know sign language all that well. Could you write it or something?" It seemed like a reasonable request, so I did what I could.

    I took out my notebook and flipped to a random page, pointing to it saying I would write there. What I didn't know was that I had already taken notes on the page across from it, and while I tried to find a pencil, Double assumed I was referring to the writing there.

    He commented, "Cool, rocket science. Wait, is that like—like a nickname for you? Rocket?" It was close enough for me, and ten times better than Walking Dead, so I went with it.

    Double and I talked for most of the class. He probably only mouthed what he wanted to say while I wrote it down and just slid him the notes. He told me about his time in middle school and everything he loved about support. His specialty seemed to be anything working with electricity, and that's something I admired as I always struggled with it. Overall, he was pretty nice to me. So much that I didn't pay attention to the meaner kids in the class.

    After finding one kid in the school that didn't want me out, the rest of the day was looking positive, and I had hope that it would stay that way.