Flavia sat on the corner arms wrapped around her legs as she tried to become one with her wall. She felt defeated. This was the worst week of her life, first Julian saw her marks, then Haven Central was attacked, the images, and finally her brother saw her marks. She looked down at her now covered arms, she was never ashamed of them. They were a part of her.

But maybe she should be.

Maybe she should be ashamed of herself.

It would be so much easier, she traced the hidden marks if they just... disappeared...Her eyes landed on a pair of scissors, Maybe.

'No!'

Flavia froze.

'Fawn?'

'None of this is your fault, hatchling!' Fawn purred, 'Don't let them win! Fight, hatchling! Fight!'

Flavia glanced at the scissors before opening her door and going downstairs, her eyes focused on her bag ignoring everyone around her. Her father stood up to speak to her, but she moved past him and went back up to her room. Locking her door, she opened up her computer and downloaded the slip for the field trip.

She was going to fight.

"Flav?"

"Drake," Flavia grinned from her end. "What would you say if I told you I have a way of bringing our family back?"

"The other Riders? I'll call you our savior."

"Flavia the Savior will be my name then."

"You mean."

"My class is going to one of the camps in Miami," she explained. "It is highly suggested I go. I can sneak around to find the other Riders, I'll send you videos and everything."

"Flavia. If you do this–"

"It'll change everything. I know."

"Not just change everything. History can repeat itself."

"History always repeats itself. First was racism, Jewish camps and more, now Riders and LGBTQ+ suffer. It is our turn to revolt."

"We need a leader."

Flavia looked at her window, "You are right. What do you say, Drake? You've always worked better under pressure."

"Only if you are my right-hand woman."

Grinning Flavia printed the slip forging her parents' signatures before adding her own, "Of course."

-----

If anyone noticed Flavia's change of demeanor nobody questioned it. She didn't blame them really; of the many things she was known for one of them was that she didn't cry in school or didn't cry period. Hearing that she did shock many, but she ignored it and continued walking through the hallway. Students whispered as she walked pointing at her like she was an art exhibition.

"You ok?"

Flavia looked up to see Julian, "I've been better."

"Are you going to the field trip?"

"I need to keep my grades up."

"Are–"

"I'm fine Julian," she smiled at him, opening her locker. "It's not the end of the world."

He stayed silent for a moment, "Ok."

They stayed in a comfortable silence, and if either noticed the looks they were getting from passerby's they ignored them. Julian noticed Adam walk up to them staring at Flavia before looking at Julian and then turning back to Flavia. She ignored her brother's stare as she finished a text she was writing and looked up to Julian.

"Let's go, our friends are waiting."

Flavia brushed past her brother not sparing him a glance and urged Julian to follow. Adam grabbed his arm not letting go, Flavia stiffened at the gesture but stayed where she was accessing the situation. Julian looked between the siblings and noticed that Adam was avoiding his sister's eyes.

"Do you know?" Adam whispered and Julian stared at him, his eyes darted to his sister's sleeves.

Julian stared at Flavia wide-eyed who nodded.

"Yeah, I do."

"And you aren't–"

"No." Julian pulled his arm free from Adam's grip, "Let's go 'Via."

Flavia followed him to their class. Adam watched them retreat before turning around and heading to his own class. Julian noticed how tense Flavia was but he kept quiet as the two walked to their science class. She looked over her table and noticed that it was empty, she looked at the clock on her phone.

They were early.

Sighing she sat down on her chair and didn't look up when Julian hesitated to sit down on his usual table before sitting down next to her.

"My mother picked us up yesterday, they wanted to know why I cried." Her smile was forced, "I'm sure you know, but I have the reputation of not crying." He stayed quiet, "Everyone thinks I don't cry in school. Reality is, I don't even cry at home at least not around my family, Fawn, Drake, and Tribetron are always there for me so there is no need. Naturally, my parents were worried when Adam called them."

"Do they?"

"God no!" She laughed, but it was forced. "If they did I wouldn't be here. My parents hate us."

"Your brother?"

She stayed silent, "I thought I locked my door. My arms were uncovered when he saw me in the bathroom. I was using an ability too, y'know." She chuckled, but it was lifeless. It broke his heart. "Seeing him startled me. Before I knew it my bow was in my hand and my quiver on my back. I managed to lock the door to my room before he made a move to leave."

"What happened?"

"We talked. It... it wasn't a nice talk. H-he called me what everyone thinks we are; said he could help me. Said I needed saving. What I said probably did more damage than good, but I think I made him think. At least a bit."

"What did you say?"

Flavia looked up from her desk and met his eyes she opened her mouth to speak, but the sounds of chatter stopped her. She looked back down and began to open her notebook to answer the morning question of the class. Sighing Julian followed her example unaware of the looks he and Flavia were receiving from the class.

Nalia and Paula took their seats on the reaming two chairs of the desk. Nalia didn't bother to correct Julian on the unspoken rule of sitting on the chair of another. She had a feeling it would be best for Julian to take her seat for the class. María looked at her friends with a frown. Her eyes darted to Nalia who was sitting in her chair, the other nodded towards Julian. María narrowed her eyes before turning around and heading to Julian's chair with his friends.

"Do you know why Julian is sitting there?"

She turned to look at Will, "Nope. All I know is that I've been kicked out." She laughed at his face, "I'm joking. I'm sure there is a good reason."

There better be a good reason.

"So, Julian," Paula smiled at the boy in front of her as she handed him the worksheet. "What brings you here?"

"Well–"

"Geo and I were just talking and I invited him to sit with us." Flavia shrugged already doing the hardest questions, 'Geo'? Nalia mouthed to Paula who shrugged. "I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Nalia grinned. "Since this–" she waved the paper, "–is a group work activity, are you going to help?"

"Or will you give us all the answers?"

Flavia cracked a smile that brought a smile on Julian's face, "Or do I need to do everything, and then give it to the three of you?" Her tone was playful but her eyes told another story.

"I do my work, just don't give me the hardest part."

"That's the great thing about working with me!" Flavia grinned waving her arms around, "I always take the hardest things!" She tapped her pencil on one of the questions, "See? The rest of you can do the easy things and I'll give the answer to the rest."

"I hear that's the great thing about working with you, 'Via, is that your group never gets below a ninety percent."

"Obviously that is one of the many reasons, Geo."

"And what are the others?"

"Hanging out with me! Duh!"

"Of course."

She grinned at him, ignoring the looks her friends were giving her. The class continued on with Nalia and Paula occasionally talking with Julian, but most of the time the two girls watched the interaction between Julian and Flavia. Paula noticed that the two held a connection similar to Nalia and Flavia's, but something was different about it. She knew that the connection Nalia and Flavia shared was because of how long they've known each other and the things they knew about one another. However, for Julian to suddenly have a connection as close to that one out of nowhere baffled her.

There was something more going on and she wanted to know what.

-----

"You are telling me... What if–"

"How did this happen?"

Flavia heard Markus asked Nalia from their place in the table. Flavia wasn't sure what he meant, maybe it was the sudden growth of their friend group or how nobody else sat on the pavilion that was filled with their laughter and chatter. However, she had a feeling it was neither of these, but she didn't care. From the beginning of lunch, she and Julian hadn't stopped talking, and she found herself enjoying his company greatly.

"What?" She laughed, "Why would you do that?"

"I was five!" Julian protested, "How was I supposed to know that putting a spoon inside a microwave would cause a fire!"

Flavia laughed more imagining a little five-year-old Julian being scolded for setting fire to a microwave by accident. Another laugh only she could hear echoed in her head, it wasn't as loud as she knows it to be but it could still be heard. Flavia smiled at the whispered sensation of Fawn whose presence still resided in her mind no matter how apart they were.

"I thought you were smart!"

Julian pushed her playfully, "Like you didn't do anything stupid when you were younger!"

Flavia feigned hurt as she turned away from him, she could feel Fawn's amusement. "I wa–no. I am a brilliant child and would never do such things!" She smirked and flicked a piece of her food at Julian when she saw him roll his eyes.

"Hey–!"

"Don't you roll your eyes at me!"

"I wasn't–"

Their friends decided to ignore the two's banter and talk with one another. The moment their group grew they noticed that Flavia and Julian made similar friends, maybe that's how the two were getting along so easily. Nalia watched her best friend from the corner of her eye, she was worried about her. Very worried. Few things could get to Flavia, among them were anything about Riders. From the way she reacted at the touch of María from what she was told by Markus, it was clear it was Rider related.

But would she tell me? She placed her chin on her hands.

Markus noticed Nalia's sudden change of mood and before he could ask her what was wrong the bell rang.

Flavia groaned, "Math."

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~Dani