[ C h . 1 ]

[ [ s o n g o f t h e c h a p t e r : S i r e n s b y F l e u r i e ] ]

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There were, I noticed, two elephants in the room.

The first elephant was the one that kept everyone in a constant suffocating silence. Everyone knew that there were both villains and supers in the class but you never really knew who was who. It made it difficult to trust anyone outside of your small friend group, if you had a friend group at all.

The second elephant in the room was an actual elephant. Some freshmen are still working on controlling their shape shifting abilities.

"Now Norman," my current events teacher spoke slowly. "I know you are a bit frightened- " Norman let out one of his elephant trumpet sounds, or whatever you call them, in response. I rolled my eyes. This is the fourth time this week.

"Get it together Norman," I mumbled. The faster we got on with the lesson, the quicker I could get out of this place that smelled like a sterilized hospital room. As I glanced up at the news displayed on the projector, I couldn't help but scowl.

SUPER VILLAINS OR JUST PLAIN SIDEKICKS

CITY'S SO CALLED GREATEST THREAT PLACED BEHIND BARS

WHEREABOUTS OF CHILD -- UNKNOWN

Now remember what I said about the second elephant? Well, it grew three sizes in the five seconds it took to read the headline. Like I said, everyone knows there are supers and villains in this school lets alone this classroom, so when news like this comes up, everyone is on edge. Apparently, a teenage villain with newly arrested parents is a ticking time bomb ready to go off.

No one knows when.

No one knows where,

No one knows who.

That may be the main reason why Norman is failing to shift back. I am on edge for a completely different reason. Yes, I don't know where and I don't know when, but I do know who.

That who is me.

Ten hours, twenty-seven minutes, and thirteen- I glanced down at my watch- check that, fifteen seconds ago, my parents, these "plain sidekicks", were sent to prison. 

Sorry, I forgot to mention. Photographic memory. 

However, at the end of the day that memory isn't going to bring them back home. Resting my head on my palm, I sighed. What a crappy way to start fourth quarter of senior year. Needless to say, my Spring Break did not end very well.

Pity party aside, Norman finally managed to shift back, although butt naked. Embarrassed and covering what he needed to cover with his notebooks, he hightailed it out of the classroom. Other than a nervous laugh coming from the area near the door, the room was silent as Mr. Woods took time to collect himself and straighten his glasses. I felt bad for him. He really didn't know what he was signing himself up for when he accepted this job.

"Alright class," he said finally, "today in current events, I thought it would be a good idea to address some of the stigmas that come with going to a super human high school." He cleared his throat. "I'd like to believe that the lot of you aren't as narrow minded as you'd like me to think but allow me to widen those minds just a little bit more."

Mr. Woods was my favorite teacher but I hated when he talked like that- all philosophical; just get to the point.

"The first issue I want to address is lineage." My ears perked up against my will. "The atmosphere in the room became pretty tense once I pulled this article up. Why do you all think that is?"

Silence.

"Corrrrrrrrrect!" He shouted, pointing a finger to the ceiling. "It is because you all are afraid of the unknown." He was pacing in front of his desk, in full on lecture mode. "You assume that the child of these villains might attack you at any moment because of who his or her parents are." I clenched my pencil in my hand.

I felt the air of a hand raising itself behind me and braced myself for what was sure to be a brutal impact from the living embodiment of everything frustrating in this world. " But Mr. Woods, we do know. This school has a history of letting unstable villains roam the halls."

Impact has been made. 

I bit my tongue so that I wouldn't slap the ever-loving mess out of him. "There have been multiple instances where innocent students have been attacked by a vill whose parents have recently been incarcerated. I'm just stating facts."

I scoffed internally. A vill? Did he really abbreviate the word villain?

"Miss Kennedy, would you like to expand on that thought?"

I didn't even realize I had raised my hand until I was called on. Once I got past the shock of clearly not being in control of my limbs, I smiled sweetly. "It would be my pleasure." Turning to face Kai with his arrogant smirk and all, I let it loose.

"First of all," I raised a finger, "your so called 'facts' aren't facts if you pick and choose what pieces of the story to tell. You call them unstable but you fail to mention the instances when they have been provoked." Kai rolled his eyes, seemingly uninterested as he fiddled with a sheet of paper. I yanked it from his grasp, smushed it into a crumpled piece of crap and threw it into the giant spider web forming in the corner.

Now I had his attention.

"Secondly, not every villain in this school is unstable simply because we different lifestyle that you. And third-"

"And third?" the mock coming from his upturned lips in an infuriating manner as he pulled out yet another sheet of paper. I liked trees, so I'll leave this sheet alone.

"You're an asshole." I whispered, turning back around to face the front. The whole class was watching us with vigil eyes, hoping to soak up all of the drama they could. I could see the wheels turning on how to best approach embellishing the story. My verbal and physical fights with Kai were often the talk of the school.

Verbally I had the advantage but during sparring class, I was at a disadvantage most times.

"Say what you want Evie-"

"Don't call me that."

"But we all know that in the past-"

I frowned. "I'm sorry, I thought I was living in the present."

"-you villains don't have a moral code. So yes, that makes you a bit unstable in my book."

I refused to turn back around to face his annoyingly annoying face. "Why are you assuming I am one?" I questioned, looking at Mr. Woods. He was simply watching out heated discussion with a humored expression. Thinking back, I failed to find the humor in our argument.

"You're defending them aren't you?" He shot back quickly.

"I'm defending the basic human-"

"See and that's where I'll stop you," Kai sharply cut me off. "We aren't human, Genevieve. Its time to stop pretending like we are."

You could hear a pen drop. 

The excessive clapping that filled the otherwise silent room a moment later only added to my anger and my astonishment. "Very good points, both of you," Mr. Woods cheered, still clapping his ass off.

I thought back once again. All Kai succeeded in was making people more afraid and more eager to make assumptions and generalize. Where was the good in constantly trying to infect others with ignorant ideals? You could spot which side he belonged on from a mile away, but that's not the only thing you could spot from that distance.

There was something in the room that I forgot to mention is bigger than both of the current elephants combined:

Kai's overwhelming arrogance.

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"You know what I didn't miss about this school?" Poppy asked me as she rolled her tater tots around her lunch tray.

"Literally everything?" I grumbled watching her. Current events class from this morning had me on edge. Even now I keep thinking of better comebacks to Kai's 'we are not human' spiel. I wish I had continued arguing because I sure as heck have some more to say. She shook her head.

"Not everything. Just these school lunches." She made a face. "I should really petition for better vegetarian options." She tossed her fork down and took a swig of water. "Enough about that, though, how are you?"

She was the only person who knew my family's identity, though that will change at the mind melding ceremony during senior trials. "I don't know," I replied honestly. "Making it, I guess."

"I heard you and wonder boy went at it again." I shrugged in response. What's there to tell? She wasn't asking, she was telling me that she knew the gossip.

"It's the first day back to school from the break. You would think you two could hold off for at least another week." She didn't look at me when she said that but the slight lift in her voice got my attention.

I gave her my stink eye, knowing her too well. "You did it again, didn't you?"

She tensed up, like she often did when she was getting ready to tell a lie. "Did what?"She tried to act innocent but I know what game she was playing.

"You and Eden betted on us again."

The real give away was the hiccup that came barely a second after the word 'no' left her mouth.

I sat back in my chair, beyond exasperated. "Oh, c'mon Poppy!" I whined. "We talked about this."

She nodded. "Yes we did but you merely gave the suggestion that I stop. It was a suggestion."

"It wasn't a suggestion."

"Well that's too damn bad because I took it as one." I rolled my eyes. We were way too similar.

"You don't even win the bets." If you are going to bet on me, at least win. Poppy would have more luck finding the fountain of youth than winning against Eden. "At least try to win once every blue moon." I grumbled.

"Hey!" She yelled, "At least I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt! Technically, it's your fault I'm losing. I just don't understand why you and Kai can't get along but Eden and I can." She took another drinking of water.

I looked down at my nails, scraping of the remaining fingernail polish. "You and Eden are gross lovebirds who won't admit that you both like each other, because you are waiting for the other to fess up first. That's why." I lifted my napkin up to my face.

Poppy did her common spit take and I lowered the now wet napkin. "I tell you this everyday. I'm not sure why you act like its such fresh news every single time." I reached across the table and stole one of her tater tots.

She mumbled something I couldn't hear, a reddish tint taking to her cheeks.

"Why do you even like him? The first strike is that he is best friends with Kai." My eyes involuntarily scanned the cafeteria for the jerk. "Plus," I added once I found him, "I feel like Eden has only said five words," I paused.

"...In his lifetime."

Poppy scoffed but otherwise remained silent. My eyebrows scrunched together as I watched her pick apart her, um, dare I call it, lunch? "I think your salad is moving."

Poppy, with an affinity for nature and animals, is a hardcore vegetarian but even I can attest that the school's vegetarian choices are straight up deadly.

"Stop changing the subject-" she looked down. The salad wiggled.  "I think I just baby barfed," she said, forcefully pushing the salad across the table. "Anyways," she continued after a moment. "Yeah, he doesn't talk a lot but that only means he doesn't waste his breath saying pointless nonsense." She caught my eyes. "Kinda like the opposite of what you do," she smiled sweetly.

"I hope you know that I hate you." She reached over and attempted to pinch my cheek but I slapped her hand away.

"I love you too."

Just then the bell rang to get to class, so we quickly tossed what we didn't eat, which was pretty much everything, and headed to the main gym for sparring class. We had a rotating schedule, but sparring was one of our fixed period classes so all of the seniors had it at the same time four days a week. One of the days, we get a free period in the place of it.

Poppy and I went into the girls locker room, changing into our athletic clothes and meeting the other seniors on the mats. We sparred in preparation for fourth quarter senior finals. They are different at our school, so I've heard. Since everyone is gifted in some way, shape, or form, we couldn't have normal high school exams.

Our exams were split into three different sections, and depending on your power, some sections may be more difficult than others. There was an intellectual simulation for people like me, where it wasn't only textbook questions but application; the kind that made you think. The questions ranged from history and english to more challenging application questions in classes like physics and calculus.

The second simulation was sparring; a physical test. Intellectuals were purposely placed with the physically equipped during practice and during the actual trials for two reasons. One, the higher ups knew kids like me could remember everything including battle tactics and fighting techniques. However, there is a difference in remembering and actually applying the information. Our reaction times are too slow because we take too long to remember the steps. Our opponents are meant to force us to process the information quicker in order to retaliate successfully.

The second reason, is that the stronger and more built teens have a quicker reaction time but often lack enough discipline to think through every move they make. They think about battle tactics and the small things too little. However, they make up for it in strength and speed. We, intellectuals are meant to force them to open up their minds and think about how to approach differently and in a more intelligent manner. All in all, we balance each other out.

The third and last trial is the one that people know about but at the same time know absolutely nothing about. Its the most best kept secret at our school and no one really knows what happens inside of the auditorium during the third trial. Its supposedly something extremely personal to you and something about finding your partner. To me is sounds pretty painful, whatever it is.

The mind melding ceremony happens during the third trial and although some don't end up staying with their partner for their entire life, most do. Its almost like finding your "soulmate" but in my opinion, it seems kind of phony.

Out of all of the places in the world, why, no, how could he possibly attend the same school as me? Of course, these are just rumors of what happens during the third trial. But if it is true, I'm not sure that I can handle that level of intimacy with someone so soon. Once the mind melding ceremony happens, you can pretty much say goodbye to isolating yourself in your thoughts; there will always be someone there from then on.

This is the reason why all the kids in my grade go crazy because for many, if it is true, its supposedly the last time you can make silly teenage mistakes in the arms of someone else or under freshly washed covers; it's the last time you can really be free.

My back hit the mat with a hard slam. I heard and felt a crack as I rolled over. Groaning, I pushed myself up.

Kai placed his hands on his hips. My eyes immediately latching onto his protruding arm veins. He's a jerk but I never said he wasn't hot. "That's the third time Evie," he reprimanded as I stood in front on him, positioning myself again. "Where is your mind?"

He doesn't get to ask me that. I've been distracted and in a foul mood all day and he definitely hasn't made it any easier. "Don't talk to me."

Punch.

Dodge.

Retreat and recover.

"But I want to talk to you Evie," He mocked as he dodged a roundhouse kick to the face.

"Quit moving," I mumbled, out of breath. Sweaty strand of hair were beginning to stick to my forehead.

"Oh okay," he went low, sweeping his leg around, catching both of my ankles, and sweeping me off of my feet in one clean move. Just as my head was about to smack the mat in what was sure to be a painful end, Kai cupped my head in his hand to lessen the impact of the mat. We both paused for a moment, shocked at his actions. Normally he would let me have it. The past three times I fell today, he'd let me eat the mat.

But right now the air around us shifted. It was slight, but for some odd nanosecond, it was there.

 I hated it. 

"Move," I mumbled, placing my hands on his shoulders.

He let out a small laugh flicking the hair out of his face. "Make up your mind Evie. Do you want to me quit moving or do you want me to move."

Instead of conjuring up a response, I jab just below his Adam's apple so that he knows I am feeling generous, and wrap my legs around his torso, sweeping both of his arms out from under him. With nothing to support him, his full weight falls on top of me but I try not to pay attention and gain the upper-hand as quickly as I can. Twisting my hips, I rotate us over so that I am on top.

"What I really want is for the bell to ring," I grunted as my elbow came in contact with his stomach. "So that I can get the hell out of here." 

I stood up, looking down at his form. "Feel free to stay down there for the rest of practice." 

I walked off the sweaty mat to get some water, my mind sprinting in millions of directions. I clenched my eyes and rubbed my temples. 

I needed to get my parents out before my mental state deteriorates anymore. 

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And first chapter is finished! I know it probably wasn't that interesting since I gave a lot of information but I hope you will continue to give this story a chance! I'm excited about where it will go! Please don't forget to comment and vote. :)

xx,

jean margaret