Orion lowered his face into his hands as Hunter smirked. "What?"

"What, did you just say?" the teacher grit out. "Stand up."

Hunter knew he'd be kicked out if he wasn't careful, and he really couldn't afford the trouble at the moment so instead he cleared his throat.

"I wasn't talking about you or to you sir." He said with a shrug.

The man glared at him, "Seriously? Ask Orion— Orion, I was talking about your very obviously existent sex life right?"

Orion groaned but nodded. Kudos man.

Hunter bit down a laugh as the man's face twitched in rage, he could see him trying to find a reason to get him in trouble.

He wouldn't give him that chance, "what's your name sir?"

"Mr. Alforanza. Now, I want you to swap seats with.." he trailed off as he looked around the students which, Hunter noted, were all busy avoiding the man's gaze.

Hunter smirked and leaned back leisurely on his chair. "But I happen to like this seat."

"And I happen to not care in the slightest. Now, Reiba darling, can you swap with this young man please?"

The girl named Reiba wilted but otherwise showed no sign of disobedience, the same went for the two girls next to her.

Hunter picked up his bag and sighed quietly as he passed the girl, but he managed to whisper an annoyed thanks before she was out of ear shot.

He decided to use the walk to his new seat as his chance to survey the class and nail down the suspects.

...

None in this class either huh.. Good for me then.

Relieved that he wouldn't have to watch any one in this class he set his sights on the task ahead. Getting revenge on the son of a gun.

But before he could do that, the teacher cleared his throat, silencing the— already silent— class,

"Thank you for finally getting yourselves together." he said with a sigh, "And I apologize for the brash entrance— Hunter Sen please come to the front"

Hunter glared at the man but he'd already busied himself with papers, so with a growl he got up and stalked to the front with his hands in his pocket.

Making eye contact with Orion he watched as he mouthed the words, 'be nice' very obviously.

Hunter snickered inside at the thought that the boy believed he knew him well enough in just two days to believe he'd even think about being nice.

So he just opted to pull an eye and stick his tongue out at him. Orion phlaped his face onto the table with an inaudible sigh.

The class tried to hold in their laughter as Hunter pulled another face, then the teacher cleared his throat and looked up, and it was like a flip was switched on his face.


There was not a trace of laughter., not even in his eyes. Instead his face was full of contempt towards the man talking to him.

The man talking to him.

...

"Oh shit— sir, I didn't catch any of that, my apologies.." He said, genuinely startled that he'd managed to tune out so vehemently.

"Watch your language and next time don't expect me to be as lenient about zoning out. But this time considering it's your fist PDHPE lesson with me I will" the man said.

"Thanks."

"I asked if you could tell us a bit about yourself, and if there is any part in particular in this subject that you enjoy."

Hunter sighed and smiled politely. If the man could be civilised, then he could hold back his attitude.

"Yeah sure. Well first off, name's Hunter, I'm turning eighteen this year— not cause I repeated, mind you, but cause I started when I was seven, not six."

The class laughed and he continued. "I moved here cause of two reasons, one being that I had made some.. Say, problems there.."

The teacher frowned so he sighed internally and fabricated his story to melt the man's ice. "I had a scuffle with an ex partner. Not something due to happen anytime soon."

The teacher flared his nostrils and rolled his eyes but gestured for him to continue.

Hunter dragged his eyes away from the man with barely contained annoyance, forcing himself to bite his tongue.

"And two, because the school curriculum was far too slow for me. And no, I'm not saying this to boast or anything, it's the reason I'll probably be gone next year too."

He hadn't even finished the last word when the class came alive.

"Are the rest of us just too stupid for you?"

"I'll make sure I match your pace" — this from a girl making lewd faces at the back.

"Bet he's just saying that so he doesn't get embarrassed?"

"The fuck are you on?"

"What?"

"You just came, why're you leaving?"

The teacher tried weakly to stop the class, but Hunter caught none of his previous confidence and he couldn't sense a speck of fear in the class.

He smirked and cleared his throat, silencing the rowdy class.

"I'm not answering your stupid questions." he said sweetly, and then with a derisive glance at the teacher, he walked back to his seat.

"So you're Hunter huh?" the girl on his right asked.

"No, I'm Sandy the snail from Narnia, how can I help you?" he replied without a beat, staring at the girl as she floundered in confusion.

Stifling a sigh he nodded, "Yeah, I'm Hunter"

"Oh okay I was worried for a second.. It's nice to finally put a face to the legend.. And can I just sa—" she was cut off by the girl on his left.

"—Your face does not disappoint. You, are hot." She said solemnly.

"Thanks." He said with a laugh.

"Son, you may have introduced yourself, but you didn't address my question." Hunter cocked his brow at the man's annoying attitude.

"And what would that be sir?"

"What's your fav—"

"—Oh right of course," he smirked, "Well, sex ed would have to be my favorite in that case, if you're still doing that here of course"

Hunter had to give the man some credit, he was completely unfazed. Then again, he did choose to teach PDHPE, so it'd be weird if he had low tolerance for such answers.

"Whatever did I expect.." He muttered with a sigh "Now, back to classwork."

And with that class commenced. Hunter managed to maintain his polite behaviour for most of the lesson, only dropping it when the girls next to him spoke too much.

"Okay so like I heard that there was a lot of people watching you? And that you beat the footy boys!" The girl on his left whispered excitedly.

She was a pretty Asian girl named Vinnie. And the girl on his right was a Hispanic chick named Lucia.

Both were really fucking annoying.

"Yeah and the teachers had to hunt you down?" Lucia gushed and then continued, "Apparently it was your blood that let them find you.."

Both of them sighed dreamily. "How mysterious.."

"Thanks, now shut up so I can work." he sighed through gritted teeth.

The girls laughed until the teacher told them to do exactly what he'd just said and then they finally stayed quiet.

The second the bell went Hunter stomped out of the classroom, leaving both his polite attitude and his energy behind.

...

"I want. To go. Home." he groaned when Orion finally caught up to him.

"Already? Damn, it's only third period, what happened to all the energy from this morning?" he paused, "Oh, in the class?"

Hunter blinked in surprise, he hadn't said that out loud had he?

"Was it the girls in the class, is what I was trying to say.. Sorry I spoke half of that sentence in my mind." Orion giggled.

Hunter snorted, "yeah, it was"

Orion laughed and they lapsed into a somewhat comfortable silence. Hunter still couldn't quite understand how he'd managed to warm up to the guy..

He'd tried many times to talk to someone, or to become friends with someone, but he'd never been able to genuinely feel anything towards them.

To him they were just another thing. A mass of organs with a voice in their head and a voice to be heard. Covered by intricately stitched pieces of cloth of all different colors.

And yet somehow, this boy established a name for himself, making him that little bit more alive to Hunter then anyone else in the school.

Caddy was close, she had definitely established a presence he cared to recognize, just not quite a name.

It doesn't matter, you shouldn't have had any connection to anyone here in the first place. This is all gonna be fruitless and you'll see.

They'll figure you out and they'll discover the evil inside of you. Let's see how long they stay after that.

...

That is if you leave them breathing long enough to leave you behind—

Hunter jerked away from Orion as he tried to shake him out of his reverie, "Don't touch me!" he spat, his fear radiating off him in angry waves.

Orion stumbled back in surprise, glancing around the thankfully empty hallway, "What the hell? What happened man?"

"Just, stay there.. And don't," he gulped down his maddening blood lust, "don't come near me.." At Orion's angered expression he hastily remembered his manners, "Please.."

At the unintended urgency in his voice Orion startled and worry laced his features, "What happened?"

Stilling his frantic heartbeat he quickly recomposed his facial expression to resemble his previous nonchalance, all in the blink of an eye.

Swallowing a lump in his throat he smiled, "Nothing nothing, don't worry about it."

The questions were written all over his face, but Orion knew better than to push Hunter at that moment.

Because he knew that if he did, the chasm between them would suddenly get a whole lot deeper.

"Okay, but well here we are anyway, Welcome to.. Algebra II.." Orion faded off with a despair filled sigh, "The class where all our dreams, are crushed.."

Hunter felt himself laugh and knew— with the most ravishing feeling of being complete— that he'd finally slipped back behind the mask he had spent years perfecting.

The mask he had stupidly fallen out of when he'd broken down that day. When he'd cried like a starved animal taunted with fresh meat.

Shuddering mentally, he followed Orion into the class.. Which went just as well as anyone could have possibly expected.

Which meant not well.. Not well at all..

...

He had managed to piss the teacher off ten minutes into the class, smacked a kid on the back of his head for blabbing about his mother, pissed off the teacher..

Did I mention I pissed off the teacher? Pretty sure Harrowood hates my guts.

...

"Well, that was bloody eventful" Orion snapped as they walked out of class, "You couldn't have made a better first impression huh?"

Hunter snorted as they walked to the cafeteria, "What did you expect?"

Orion opened his mouth then stopped, opened his mouth again with an even more frustrated expression and closed it again.

"Fuck it you' right" he muttered in exasperation.

Hunter grinned.

The two of them made their way to the table that had somehow become.. Their table. Hunter waved and smiled as he passed people, his mask doing its job flawlessly.

Now he could quietly die inside, knowing he was safe from prying eyes. The thought of his prior weakness made him grin and glare at— Jade?

She startled at the undiluted disgust he had mistakenly directed at her. "What??"

Hunter just blinked his anger away and smirked. "Nothing, I'm just surprised you're so hungry for attention you managed to get the nerve to sit here.."


Caddy joined the table and, catching the look on Jade's shocked face, did a double take, "Whoa, I came two minutes late and already a lovers quarrel??"

At the dubious expressions from the three of them she stammered, "Or not? I meant a— A funky quarrel! Psh, What did you hear??"

Hunter rolled his eyes at caddy and glanced at Jade, then with a wink he said, "No te preocupes amor, solo estoy jugando.."

Jade's eyebrows shot up to meet her hairline as a soft blush rode over her face. Then she let out a very unlady-like snort.

"I understood every— concerningly sexy my I add— bit of that.. So would anyone like to bloody fill a girl in??— Jade?" Caddy spluttered.

Jade just glared at the table so she turned desperately to Orion.

"Nah it's just Hunter being the little shit that he is and bullying Jade.." Orion said after he had swallowed the handful of chips that had miraculously appeared in his hands.

"Sure" Hunter scoffed as he snatched the bag from his hands, Orion just blinked, shrugged and pulled another packet out of his jacket pocket..

Before Hunter could mock him for it Jade stood up and stormed away from their table. But not before she glared at Hunter.

They all stared at each other for a moment then Hunter giggled "Oh her face, her face was gold.. Oh the anger"

Orion stared hard at Hunter with a look of disappointment, "Go to her. You did this and you really shouldn't have said that to her."

"What? No. See, I don't really care what I say to people, it's what makes me.. Me.. Okay? If I'm constantly worrying about what I say I'm not gonna say anything.."

"What is your point?" Orion deadpanned.

"I don't care about her," He said with a shrug. "Please, you really think your game of friends is strong enough to make me listen to you already?"

Caddy gasped and Orion let out a frustrated puff of air, crossing his arms as he cocked his head to the side, "And what, exactly, does that bloody mean?"

Hunter dragged his hand through his hair, bored. "It means that, I've only know you for two fucking days, stop acting like we're best bro's."

Orion glared at him and flung his hands down in annoyance. "Fine, you're right." then he sighed, his annoyance fading away, "Sorry man you're right."

Hunter just shrugged and sat down.

"Oh sacred poop we're still standing??" Caddy mumbled as she hurriedly sat down glancing around as if anyone was watching.

Aaaand they were.

Blushing she frowned and crisscrossed her arms onto the table. Orion gulped and sat down as well, apparently also embarrassed by the attention.

For some reason, this annoyed him. So he cleared his throat and waved his arm around in the air.

Once he had almost everyone's attention he grinned sweetly, "Hey, dickwads! Mind your fucking business thanks?"

Everyone that had been staring at them flinched and looked away, pretending that they hadn't totally been staring five seconds ago.

Then he cocked his brow at the two of them and smiled, "Better?"

The two nodded silently, completely amazed. Then Orion shook his head, as if snapping out of a reverie, "That wasn't nice at all man"

"Uh yeah, it was?" Caddy said, her whole body screaming from the excitement of what just unfolded.

Which— mind you— wasn't a whole damn lot.

Letting the two of them bicker amongst themselves he slumped into the chair with a quiet sigh. His head was pounding and it felt like his body was floating away from him.

"Ugh stop it.." he whispered to no one in particular. Then he slapped himself slightly on the face and rolled his eyes.

Deciding he wanted to distract himself, he blinked away the barriers of his mind and allowed the sound of hundreds of different voices float into his head.

Shuddering he held back his gasp of— surprisingly— pain.

...

It had been a long time since he had last opened his mind to let in that many voices. And it made him feel like his body was about to implode.

This was dangerous.

If he went on with that many concentrated thoughts in his head, the result would not be good. No, definitely not good at all.

Stupid school cafeteria.. He mumbled in his head, using his own thoughts to anchor him and not allow him to pay attention to everyone.

He just had to find one person..

...

He had sifted through the voices in a one hundred meter radius and found nothing, so he shifted to a two hundred meter radius.

Instantly feeling the toll it took on his breathing.

He glanced at Orion and Caddy, who were both too busy looking at something on Orion's phone to notice Hunter.

Which, for him, was perfect. And again he couldn't catch her thoughts anywhere. Damnit, where and how far did you go?

Carefully he shifted to a three hundred meter radius, this time watching his vision flicker as his mind raced to keep up with hundreds of individual minds.

Augh.. As good as this feels.. I don't know how much more of it I can take. So where are you!? Fucking damnit.

Suddenly he felt himself brush against her mind, only managing to catch a single word as she floated out of range, '.....meet......'

Frustrated, he shifted once again, sliding out to a four hundred meter radius. Unfortunately just as he caught her mind again— fuck is she running?? Holy shit!

He'd only managed to catch just a few more words, '......refill for the magazine......' —he felt his body jerk as he semi-convulsed.

Blood trickled down his nose, he felt his eyes brim with it and worst of all, he could feel it dripping out of his ears.

With a jolt of panic he quickly shut out the voices. Moaning from the relief as silence flowed throughout his head and body.

That's when Caddy and Orion decided to look at him. Oh of course a moan caught your fucking attention. Horny shits.

"WHAT THE FUCK HUNTER!?" Orion yowled, jumping up and running to his side. "What HAPPENED!?"

Before he could speak, Orion had grabbed his face in his hands and was scanning over his features in furious concern.

"Oi fuck off.." he snarled, pulling away from the boy's caress. But Orion was determined to keep him still.

"Nah man!. The fuck happened!?" He whispered angrily, understanding that the world didn't need to know.

Caddy joined Orion with a bunch of tissues, and she made a move to wipe his face but he snatched them out of her hands instead.

"Thanks." he mumbled still in Orion's surprisingly vice-like grip. Then he made direct eye contact and smirked, "You a dom now huh?"

Startled Orion loosened his grip, "What!?!" he yipped, "What?? No?? But why do you care"

Hunter glared at the boy and said, "Okay then leave my fucking face alone!?" Orion seemed to get it and dropped his hands with a laugh.

"Oh my how are you boys joking at this time!!?" Caddy screeched, snatching the tissues from Hunter and wiping his face, completely ignoring his growling complaints.

Once she was satisfied she flopped back onto her seat. But not even two seconds later the blood started again.

"What happened to you!??" then she froze, and whispered with theatrical fear, "Are.. Are you p.. Possessed??" 

She snorted, then slowly blinked. "Oh, that's how you guys were laughing, this panic huh.."

Hunter grabbed the tissues back from her as he felt bloody tears drip down his face, his whole body was trembling from the pain of it.

...

Blinking his eyes hard and fast he felt the blood flow slow and then completely stop. Which also meant he was about to black out.

No.! At least not here damnit.

Then he got up— Orion had disappeared somewhere— and told Caddy he was going for a walk cause he needed some air.

He smacked down her complaints and changed the topic, "Where will I be for Spanish? Do you know?"

"Uh wait let me check hold up.." She drifted off, searching through her phone.

Ugh, please hurry..!

Maintaining consciousness is harder than I make it look. A whole lot harder. And I could really use the information.

"It's in the language department, so near Block F, I think.." Then she squinted at him suspiciously, "But.. Why?"

"I might be late."