SHAWN WALKED DOWN THE HALLS AFTER LEAVING THE INTRODUCTION MEETING. His teal eyes contained golden flecks expressing how irritated he was. He constantly looked over his shoulder with an unnecessary amount of paranoia. Despite the contrary, it felt as if every pair of eyes in the hall rested on him solely. Memories of the past flashed across his mind in bursts. Pain. A mark not soon to be forgotten. Fear. A pair of terrifying, glowing, yellow eyes.

He did his best to tear the thoughts from his head, but as before, running didn't solve any of his problems. Yet, he ran anyway. His clouded mind overwhelmed his senses to a point where they couldn't even process what was in front of him. He and a small figure collided with one another and landed in a heap upon the ground. He lifted his hair from his face revealing the scowl beneath while meeting a similar expression directed at him. Relying on his predatorial senses, he could tell the girl before him was of prey descent.

He finally addressed her with a snarl, "Watch where you scamper, Mousey... you might make some unpleasant enemies."

She stood dusting herself off and returned his snide comment with a sneer, "Like who? I doubt I would call you much more than an annoyance, Kitty."

He remained calm on the exterior, but within, he was raging. "I've come to realize heroes don't seem to understand this, but I might as well remind you that real villains don't find themselves upset over the names they're given by others."

"I'm no hero," she contradicted, crossing her arms defiantly with an expression to match.

"Sure... keep telling yourself what you'd like, Mousey," he said while a malicious smirk formed at his lips.

He could see he was slowly getting to her as her face turned a shade of crimson. "I'm serious, I'm not going to tolerate being defined as one of those goody-two-shoes stereotypes."

Shawn looked the girl over. "Who're your parents? Mice I presume since you have been responding to that title."

She raised an eyebrow, assuming he had changed the subject altogether. "I never knew my mother, but my father is Octavius; otherwise, known as Gus."

She suddenly understood what he was implying and turned around, crossing her arms as a grin flashed across his face. "Just as I had presumed, the daughter of a mouse; furthermore, the daughter of a hero's sidekick."

"And your point being?" she asked despite knowing the answer to come.

"You were born with the title 'hero' wrapped atop your pretty little head with a bright, pink bow," he says with a chuckle, providing humor to the situation.

"Well who are your parents?" she whipped her head around and snapped,"A pair of helpless kittens no doubt about it."

"That's cute, Mousey," he said with a chuckle. "Try Shere Khan."

He noticed the fear of her expression only lasted a second before a haughty look replaced it. "He's pretty cool, I guess."

"Shere Khan is one of the most fearsome predators you could ever encounter." He scoffed as his face twisted with distaste. "You guess."

The girl shrugged her shoulders. "I mean whatever floats your boat."

"Oh, so what makes a villain great in your opinion?" he asked with a high level of personal annoyance.

"A plan that works for starters," she answered with a smirk, seeing that she was beginning to return the favor of getting underneath his skin. "I mean even Lady Tremaine got along further in her ploy than your father."

"Back off, Mousey," Shawn snarled. "The way you're headed it's going to be one short game of cat and mouse."

"If we're judging one another on family experiences, I doubt I have much to worry about," she said with a smirk. "I mean your father couldn't even catch a kid, what makes you think you'll catch anything?"

"That's it!" he snapped as the golden flecks expressing his annoyance spread its hue to the entire iris of his eye.

He snarled releasing some of his pent up anger as he transformed back into his natural form. The academy allowed each student to enjoy their experience in a humanoid form while still permitting them to transform at will. Orange tufts of fur spread across his form, complemented by a series of black stripes. His teeth sharpened into fangs, and his nails sharpened into claws. He whirled around with rage flashing in his feline eyes, searching for the source of his frustration.

The girl's eyes widened with alarm, and almost like a defense, the girl morphed into a small mouse with a light brown pelt. Her tail was what caught his eye though since its white tip whipped through the air as she scampered off. Trying to catch her before she got too far away, he lunged while slashing his claws at her. Unfortunately, his momentum was too great to slow himself down. His body slammed into the hallway wall as his prey slipped into a mousehole not far off. A low growl formed in the back of his throat as he prowled outside the hole in the wall impatiently. His eyes glowed a brighter shade of gold as his frustration and anger grew. As if to make matters worse, the memories returned.

A young tiger pounced at a small cluster of mice that lived along the jungle floor. The rodents skittered in all directions having sensed the eager predator earlier. Several kicked dust up into the cub's face before scampering off to join the rest of their kind. The cub growled in frustration before freezing at the sound of soft laughter.

"You rush things far too quickly, boy," the large tiger said slinking from out of the shadows. "Anything within a mile radius would've not only heard but seen you stalking them."

The young cub frowned as his father laughed at his misfortune. "How am I to catch anything if you refuse to teach me?"

"No son of mine will require assistance to fulfill natural instinct," the tiger said turning to match the cub's expression. "But since you clearly struggle to complete the simplest of tasks, I suppose I will have to tolerate your insolent behavior and show you how to perform the basic traits of our nature."

The cub winced as his father verbally degraded him. The large tiger rolled his eyes before crouching in a position to prowl. The younger immediately followed suit, matching his father's position exactly. His father gave him a look that implied the cub was to simply watch and learn as requested. The tiger crept into the underbrush without a sound as the hunt began. The cub raised an eyebrow with confusion as he watched the small and unbearably slow movement that was hardly detectable. The cub had been too quick to assume the action of a chase is what made a hunter great, he would soon realize that finding prey without the need of a chase was what truly made the success of a hunt. This wasn't the first lesson he'd been taught by his father, but it was definitely the only one he could recall in good spirits. He managed to stop his mind from wandering before any of the other lectures surfaced from the back of his mind. He'd found all that he needed.

Patience was key. He calmed his breathing, and his golden eyes cooled. The original teal color slowly returned as he allowed his anger to recede. His orange pelt retreated and he regained his human appearance. He crossed in front of the small hole before pressing his back along the wall to prevent from casting a shadow. He closed his eyes to listen and concentrate on remaining calm in the midst of his frustration. It didn't take long for the little mouse to grow curious, and stick her head out from the hole in the wall. She slowly scampered out unaware of the trap set for her. Taking advantage of the element of surprise, he quickly scooped her up into the palms of his hands. Refusing to give her an opportunity to escape, he clamped his hands into the shape of a cage.

"Got you," he said, smirking maliciously. "It appears like curiosity didn't kill the cat after all."

"Oh, let me go!" she exclaimed with great irritation before transforming back into her own human appearance.

He folded his arms with a look of smug accomplishment. "Perhaps that phrase needs to be updated."

She shot him a look and then snapped, "Obviously, or you'd be dead!"

"However, I continue to live without failure," he added with a haughty chuckle.

Annoyed, but knowing the subject wouldn't drop until addressed, she asked, "Then what would you change it to?"

As if he hadn't actually expected the question to come, he halted entirely in thought. "I'm not certain actually..."

In a manner that was both sheepish and annoyed, she lightly made a suggestion, "How about 'curiosity led the mouse into her trap'?"

"I suppose that will work," he agreed with a chuckle that changed in demeanor as the tension slowly melted between them.

"I suppose it will," she repeated as a small smile formed at the corners of her mouth.

Uncomfortable with the turn of the situation, he allowed his expression to grow mischievous. "I never did catch your name, unless you find that the nickname 'mousey' suits you."

She rolled her eyes but didn't rush to answer either, "Serina. And yours... Kitty?"

"It's Shawn," he answered quickly as if the words wouldn't leave his mouth soon enough.

"Alright then," she lingered a moment on his name as if getting used to the sound of it, "Shawn."

Eager to change the mood that was quickly turning sweet, he elected to bring up a topic that presented an issue earlier, "Prior to our introduction, you declared you weren't a hero. What are you then?"

Taken aback by his blunt question, she answered with mild annoyance, "How about a member of the neutral party? I have no need to be anything but myself."

"Not dark enough to be a villain then?" Shawn asked, hoping to perhaps gain another rise from the girl to change the attitude of the atmosphere.

However, the opposite occurred as the girl sheepishly smiled. "I've been told I smile too often to be taken seriously as a villain."

"That much I can see on my own," he nodded in agreement then confusion as she seemed to grow a light shade of pink in her face. "So you really don't wish to be a hero?"

"Goodness, no." She shook her head with a light expression of distaste. "Don't get me started on how boring the 'Heroism 101' course is."

"Then I should be thankful that 'Villainy 101' is offered," Shawn said with a slight smirk.

Serina frowned with mild confusion and disbelief. "You mean they offer a class that teaches kids how to divulge in evil?"

"Of course not," he replied shaking his head. "The class is actually called the 'History of Villainy', but from what I've heard the course will go further into depth than most of the staff knows."

"Really?" her eyebrows rose with interest. "Who's teaching?"

"I'm not entirely certain, but there have been rumors that the class will be taught by the Evil Queen's Magic Mirror," Shawn replied, lowering his voice as if the information should've been a secret.

"I've actually been looking into adding that class into my schedule, and it certainly seems worth it now," Serina noted aloud.

"Well if you do decide to try tackling the course," Shawn added on to her comment, "Maybe I'll see you around sometime."

To his surprise, a smile formed on her face. "Maybe you will."

"Well, it was definitely... something... meeting you, Serina," Shawn said looking at the ground while breaking the awkward silence that was beginning to form. "But I should probably get my dorm organized before classes officially start."

"Oh, yeah," she nodded quickly looking toward the ground with a face that had turned bright red. "Sure thing."

To avoid any other awkward situations within the rather bizarre scenario, Shawn immediately turned to leave without as much as a wave. As he walked down the hallway toward his dorm, he replayed the events of the last hour over repeatedly in his mind. How did such a hostile situation end with a friendly parting?

His thoughts were again interrupted as he reached the end of the hallway. He looked at the number plastered to the door and pursed his lips in the slightest after realizing he'd reached his destination. He pulled his dorm key from out of his pocket and unlocked the door to room 13 of Hall D. He proceeded to hesitantly enter the room as if expecting something or someone to jump out at him. After finally deciding that the room was safe enough to enter, his expression changed to one of distaste. He was not overly fond of the idea of remaining trapped indoors, especially throughout the night. Spotting a sole window along the far wall, he tossed his bag onto one of the open beds and briskly walked toward the window before throwing it open. He then realized that he'd been holding his breath up until that point and released the tension he'd been holding within. He quickly inhaled the sweet air from the outdoors.

With his eyes closed and head sticking out from the window, he could finally formulate his thoughts. After everything, he could only think of the word 'okay'. The dorm itself wasn't grand, but it would do. He hadn't had many run-ins with other students, but from the knowledge he did possess they were of little threat. Meals were the only thing he could think of that he'd need to look into further. Content with his thoughts, he finally opened his eyes of his own accord. He pushed the sleeve of his jacket above his elbow and looked at his forearm. Three large scars looked back at him. The slash marks served as a reminder of why he'd sought refuge in the beginning. Before the more traumatizing memories could surface, he pulled the sleeve back down to his wrist. He turned around, leaving the window open, and took a moment to survey the small room once more before he unpacked.