The Dark Day Ch. 02

Chapter 1: First Day of School...Again

"This is it...this is the day," I say to myself as I stare into my reflection, my shoulder-length hair tied into a short ponytail behind my head, and my blue eyes filled with nervousness, "You can do this, Anthony. You waited until graduation like mom wanted, and now you can go to Ashwood."

Sighing and shaking my head, I take my hands off of the bathroom sink and glance towards the open door, practically giddy with excitement and nerves, "You just need to get on the dang bus...I really hope no one is a bully. I had enough of that crap in high school."

I step out of the bathroom and into the hall, then descend the stairs to the first floor of my parents' home, the place I have called home since I was born. Mom is standing inside of the kitchen, happily humming as she uses her fire powers to cook breakfast atop her custom-order stove, the smell of eggs and bacon flooded heavily through the room.

"Good morning, Mom. Breakfast smells great, as usual," I say with a cheerful smile, sliding my hands into my pockets to hide their shaking, "Did you put on makeup today too? It looks great!"

"Don't think that flattery will get you an extra serving, young man. You can't afford to overeat and wind up with a stomach cramp during your entrance tests, now can you?" Mom says with a playful grin, plating the food before bringing it over to the table, "Your father went to work already, so I had to make his portion first. Do you have time to eat with me?"

"I think so, yeah. It's only seven o'clock right now, and the entrance exams start at nine," I reply with genuine happiness, glad to be able to enjoy the last breakfast I will be able to enjoy with my Mom until summer vacation, "Can't wait to dig in. Kinda sucks that Dad couldn't be here though."

"Oh, it does. You know that your father can't go to work late though, the Hero agency doesn't wait for anyone."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," I say with a soft frown as I sit down, then chuckle a moment later as a thought occurs to me, "Didn't you say that we would be going to another country for summer vacation? You decided which one yet?"

"Not yet, but I'm still talking it over with your father. It's not going to be cheap, but your father is a high ranker, so we can afford it," Mom says after sitting down to join me, taking a bite of her food and swallowing before continuing, "We just don't want to find out the hard way that there are problems in the country we're paying to go on vacation in."

"That makes sense. Well, let me know which one you two decide on. Not like I'm going to complain either way," I remark with a nod of my head, perfectly happy just to be able to travel with them, "I'm excited to see what you come up with."

"That's good to hear, but you should eat your food before it gets cold. You still have to travel by bus for an hour, too," Mom says, then turns her attentions to her plate, peacefully enjoying her food.

"I guess," is my response, shrugging and starting to eat my breakfast, the rest of the meal only taking a number of minutes before I stand and bring my dishes to the sink, "I'm off, Mom. Love you, and I'll call you when I'm at the dorm!"

"Love you too, Anthony. Take care, and make sure you don't make any enemies on your first day. You don't want a repeat of high school, right?"

Scowling softly, I slide my hands into my pants pockets and shake my head, the unpleasant memories only mildly souring my mood, "I really don't, yeah. Don't worry, I won't start any problems, Mom."

"You don't know that yet, you know how strong your sense of justice is," she says with a chuckle, then sips at the cup of tea she prepared before I arrived, "I don't think you should have many problems at a Hero academy, though."

"Sure hope not," I halfheartedly respond, shrugging again and giving my Mom a hug before heading for the front door and grabbing the backpack leaning against the wall that I had packed last night, "Love you, I'll make sure to write to you!"

"Love you too!" are the last words I hear from Mom before I close the door behind me and begin my walk to the nearest bus stop. The trees swaying in the wind and rustling the loose strands of hair that I couldn't secure with the hairband, I stand and wait for the bus with a disinterested stare as I lean against the bus shelter.

Sighing as I recall the old memories of what happened at my old schools, I suppress a shudder of anger as my fists clench, a frown quickly growing on my face. Letting my hands relax and open a moment later, I take a deep breath before exhaling, counting to ten in my head before letting the negative emotions slip away. Just in time, as during my little anger episode, the bus had arrived and the driver is currently staring at me with concern.

"Uh...you alright?" the driver asks with worry, the door open and ready for me to get on, "I'm not late, am I? You're the first passenger on the route."

"No, sorry. I'm alright, just...working up my nerves for Ashwood," I reply with a friendly smile, climbing aboard and sliding my fare into the automatic sorting container, taking the transfer slip on the off chance something happens.

"That's the Hero academy that opened up a few years ago, right? I hear you have to be pretty impressive to make it in there, you must have some real power," the driver says with a chuckle, seeming to be trying to reassure me, "You'll be fine, you're a tough young guy. I've had three children of my own, so I know how it can be to deal with bullies."

"T-thanks. I didn't expect to be getting a pep talk from a stranger when I woke up, but I think that might have been just what I needed," I say with a soft smile, genuinely taken aback by the kind expression on the middle-aged gentleman's face, "I'll keep your words in mind, and I'll give it my all. I've only been accepted into the entrance exams, but I'll do my best and then help as many people as I can. No one deserves to have Villains terrorizing them."

"I couldn't agree more, kiddo," the driver says, closing the doors behind me and starting to drive down my neighborhood street at a sedate pace, "My son works at Ashwood, he's one of the teachers there. Maybe you'll be in his class!"

Taking a seat near the entrance of the otherwise empty bus, I smile happily at the thought of making a solid ally within the first day if I have the chance, "That would be nice, I gotta admit. If he's your son, he must be a kind and caring man."

I startle a bit in my seat as the drive begins to bellow in laughter, wiping a tear from his eye and sighing softly, "Not in the slightest! He's a loud, obnoxious, competitive dick! If you do wind up in his class, you better make sure to do your absolute best if you don't want to get sent home. I wish he would calm down a bit, though."

"O-oh," I stutter out, suddenly a lot less sure of my decision to join the academy, "Do you know what class he teaches?"

"1-A, if I recall correctly. Best class in the year, so that makes him the 'best teacher' in his eyes," the driver says, glancing back and giving an apologetic smile as he halts the bus, the bus sign clearly visible outside, "So while I wish you luck, I also hope you are as good as I think you are, kid."

A few more people enter the bus, and our conversation is cut off as they take their seats, and the drive continues for a number of stops in the same manner, the bus growing more and more crowded until only the seat next to me is available. Eventually, we reach another stop, and the doors open to admit a single person who appears to be a tad nervous as well.

His ice-blue eyes glance around the bus as he uses a hand to brush his dark-brown hair aside, long enough to hinder his vision. The blue jeans he wears are worn at the knees, exposing some of the pale skin below it, and the black t-shirt under his red and black plaid jacket makes him look like a local to the city.

The man soon reaches the same conclusion as myself; there is only one place left in the bus to sit down. Walking over to me and nervously fidgeting with his hands, the man opens and closes his mouth a few times, flinching back as I look into his icy-blue eyes, "You want to sit down, right? Go ahead, it's fine. We're all probably going to the same place, so might as well get comfortable for the drive out of the city. The name is Anthony, what's yours?"

"O-oh, um...my name is Lumar. Are y-you going to Ashwood too?" he asks me as he sits down next to me, offering a quick apology as his leg bumps mine, "Whoops, s-sorry. I swear I didn't do that on purpose."

"It's okay, don't worry. The bus is crowded, it's gonna happen. Yeah, I'm also going to Ashwood. Nice to meet you, Lumar," I reassure him with a soft chuckle, offering a hand to shake, "Maybe we'll be in the same class together."

"Y-yeah," Lumar says with a soft smile, hesitantly taking my hand before giving a soft shake, a shiver running down my spine as I realize that his skin is as cold as ice, "That would be fun. I just hope there aren't any bullies..."

"Long as we make sure not to pick any fights, we should be alright," I say in reply, chuckling softly and giving him a pat on the shoulder, "So, you a local? Can't say I've ever seen you here in Bellevue before."

"No, I...well...came from Canada," he says with a grimace, looking to the side and releasing the handshake, now resting both of his hands on his lap, "Things didn't work out up there, so...I applied to Ashwood and got an acceptance letter a week later. Not sure why, I thought I would be rejected right away."

"Why's that? Not that it's a bad thing, but do you mean that you have low power levels?" I ask with a tilt of my head, leaning back against my seat and resting my foot on my knee, "You seem like a nice guy, so it can't be cause of conduct."

"I wasn't exactly popular, actually," Lumar corrects with a grimace, his brown hair covering his eyes from view as he hangs his head, "A lot of people liked to pick on me. I got mad one time, and tried to hurt one bully back, and he was hurt a lot more than I ever was...I didn't even mean to do it, it just happened."

"How bad was it?" I ask with a sympathetic tone, hoping that the man in front of me didn't kill anyone, "He's still alive, right?"

"Y-yeah, he did. He had to stay in the hospital for a few months to recover, and I had to move because of the rumors that started spreading," he rambles off, taking a deep breath to calm himself before continuing, "I had to get out of there. So now I'm here."

"Got it. Don't worry, I don't think any less of you for it. Bullies should mind their own business and leave people alone. Maybe he didn't deserve to be hospitalized, but he did deserve getting an ass kicking."

The bus stops, and the two of us jump to our feet as we realize that we have reached our destination, a smile splitting my face at the sight of the large academy. Tall brick walls surrounding the fence and barbed wire layered atop the large structure, the guards standing near the busy gates making this academy feel more like one of military design.

"This is the place...?" Lumar mutters with a soft frown, gazing up at the wire with scorn etched into his features, "Looks like a prison. I don't like the looks of this..."

"Probably to keep outsiders out, and make sure no one can intrude on the classes. Given what we're probably going to be learning here, it makes sense," I say with a shrug, giving him a smile and gesturing for him to follow with a hand, "Come on, we have to get up there and register ourselves. There's a decent line up, and a lot of the other students seem to have registered already."

"H-huh? Sorry, but...aren't we already registered? Or is this something that's just in America?" Lumar asks with a tilt of his head, following behind me and pointing at the open gate that is admitting students, "Aren't they just heading in? Or are they special for some reason?"

"Those are the Break Type students, Lumar. They're already registered and pre-approved because of the government mandate on Break Types being in the academies, they're all monitored by them and the government imprisons any that break the rules past a certain extent," I explain with a soft frown, the annoyance about their treatment clear in my voice as we join the line of students waiting to register, "It's so dumb. They're just people like you or me, even if they can do some really crazy stuff with their powers. I guess it makes sense to let them have their own classes though, it's really hard to compete with people that strong."

"Mm...I-I guess, but it still seems weird. We don't do that in Canada, we just expect everyone to get along and hope the problems go away," Lumar says with a surprisingly bitter voice, glancing around as if expecting to see someone in particular. This surprises me, since all I've ever heard about Canada is good things.

"I'll take your word for it, but here we have to register fully so that these guys know that we actually showed up. A lot of people flake when they realize the pressure of coming to a place like this," I say with a smirk, patting his shoulder and grinning at him a moment later, "You had the guts to come this far, and I bet you'll do great here. Don't worry about the what-ifs, alright? Let's register, get in there, and kick as much butt as we have to to graduate."

Meekly nodding his head, Lumar gives me a soft smile and remains in line with me until we get to the registry clerk, staffed by a woman wearing some rather luxurious jewelry, which adorns nearly every part of her clothing and body. Her dress appears to be made of red cloth, though it's difficult to make out just what kinds of gems are dotted along her dress. Tablet in hand, she gives Lumar and myself a friendly smile before holding the tablet towards me, "Welcome! If you could just fill this form out and hand it back to me, we can get you sorted for the entrance exam. It's just some basic information that will become relevant in the event that you succeed."

"Well, uh...thanks for the vote of confidence," I say with a chuckle, taking the tablet and looking it over, reading the text and quirking a brow as I come across something unusual. "'Hero name?' You can choose your Hero name this fast?"

"Yup! However, you can change it whenever you feel like, at least before graduation. After you graduate and receive your Hero's license, you would need to pay the academy to issue another one to you in the event of you changing your Hero name," the woman says with a smile, a wry smirk on her face as she leans in a bit closer, making me gulp and lean back, "Though if you come up with a good one the first time, you don't need to worry about that, now do you?"

"N-no, miss. I'd like to make something memorable and not embarrassing the first time," I reply, my eyes widening a bit and my cheeks flushing softly as I realize how my words could come across, "How a-about 'Baron?' That sounds cool...and makes sense with my powers."

"If you think so, kiddo. Remember, that name is how you're going to be introduced to the other students and the public. It's an important part of a Hero's identity," the woman says with a wink, leaning back and looking over to the one of the nearby guards to request a bottle of water, "It's way too hot out here, dang it! Can someone bring me some water?"

Turning my attention back to the tablet to hide my rosy cheeks, I gulp again before typing in all of the information it requested of me and holding it back towards what is likely a teacher at the academy. Pushing a few more buttons on the tablet, she takes the bottle of water brought to her with a quick word of thanks before chugging the entire bottle, "Ahh, much better. Alright, you're good to go Anthony. Just head on in through the main gates, and wait at the front doors until you hear the announcement."

"Got it, and thank you. I'll wait for you up ahead, Lumar," I say with a wave to my new friend, the man seeming nervous about us parting, "Don't look so worried! I'm gonna be only a few dozen feet away, hehe."

Leaving Lumar to register with the registration woman, I take the time to look over the inside of the grounds, the large, shaped hedges and statues of famous Heroes quickly drawing attention. Whistling softly as I look over a dragon shaped hedge, I walk to the other side of it to get a better look, and freeze as I notice someone crouching next to the plant.

"Don't worry, little buddy. It's okay, these people won't hurt you, I promise," the teenage girl coos softly to something unseen, the colors of her tie-dye t-shirt faded from the age of the dye, and the fabric somewhat ratty and stained. Between her black sweatpants, along with the black snapback cap atop her head, and her long, black hair pulled back into a ponytail, I immediately pegged her as someone from out of town, and immediately brought to mind a number of videos that friends have sent me on TokTuk, "Seriously, stop hiding in there and let's get going. No one can see you out of the shadow anyways, so why are you-?"

She noticed me. She has stopped talking, and is now staring me dead in the eye with the same expression of a deer in headlights, eyes wide and jaw dropped. Adjusting herself to obscure something even more from my vision, she gives me a distrustful glare and scoots further away with whatever she is holding. I'm barely able to make out a faint wisp of smoke before the girl's hand waves in my direction, scattering the wisp and drawing my attention to the irate teenager, "Hey! What are you staring at, you weirdo? You got a staring problem, or you just got a dirty mind? I'm only seventeen, you creep."

"N-no! Nothing like that, I swear!" I practically shout with fear, hoping no one overheard such a statement. After all, I had just arrived here, and I did not need any labels like that wrongfully attached to me, "I just...liked the dragon and wanted to see more of it. You were kneeling down, and...well, that's a bit odd when everyone is heading to the entrance tests or gawking at the decorations."

"Hmmm..." she hums as she stands, seeming to almost stuff something up her shirt before putting her hands on her hips and staring into my eyes with a more scrutinizing glare for several seconds, making me grow even more nervous. Her frown disappears in an instant, replaced with a cheeky and mischievous grin that makes her seem almost like another person entirely, leaning to one side and maintaining eye contact the entire time. She reminds me way too much of a cat with a mouse, come to think of it, "Fine. I believe you. But you better not think that means you're off the hook. You saw someone you shouldn't have, and that means you owe us. The name's Lissa Groves, you're going to help me get into the top class."

"Uh...two things wrong with that statement, kid," I say, lifting two fingers on my hand and bringing them into view. Lissa clearly dislikes me calling her a kid, a soft scowl growing on her face as she waits for me to continue, "One, I didn't see anything, and therefore don't owe you. Two, I have absolutely no clue what the entrance exam is going to consist of, and any written work will take too long to memorize before we start."

"Okay, so you didn't see it. Big deal, I still need some help, alright?" she says, effortlessly switching to a sad expression and pleading with her hands clasped together, causing this to look more like me bullying a high school girl than her blackmailing me for a favor, "I'll help you out too! I'm strong, I can help you with anything that you need! I just...can't afford to screw this up..."

Gazing down at the crestfallen girl, I think over my options for a few moments before sighing as I come to a decision, nodding my head softly, "Alright...I get that you have your reasons, so I won't pry. I'll try to help as much as I can, but I make no promises of success. Heh, that makes a team of three now, doesn't it?"