Kai stumbled through the halls of PinkShell Academy. He could feel his schoolmates’ ice-cold glares run to and fro across his neck. Oddly, their usual rejective gazes put him at ease, sensing a return to normalcy. At least now he could have some peace and quiet while he rested on the corridor wall.

“You look terrible.”

He slowly raised his head to see Jenny’s face staring down in confusion.

“Did you try to fight someone?”

“Hey, you should see the other g…”

She poked him between his ribs with her index finger. He grimaced as he jolted away from her.

“CRIIIIIINGE!”

He frowned momentarily, but eventually relaxed his face into a smile.

“Yeah…that was pretty cringe.”

“I won’t pry. If I did, I’d probably hunt down those responsible, and I don’t think either of us would appreciate what that would lead to...”

“Except you’re worried about harming our friendship, and I’m worried about the people you’ll put on life support.” Kai chuckled nervously.

“Anyways,” Jenny diverted as she stretched her hand to his face. She pinched the tip of his freckled nose slightly and smiled.

“Happy Birthday!” 

The girl held a small paper bag of homemade treats behind her back as she smiled at him.

Kai’s eyes widened slowly before drooping to a sad, foggy gaze.

“How did you know?”

Jenny removed her hand from his face and placed it on her hip triumphantly.

“As an S.H.F. trainee, I’m able to request files on civilians ever so often. I looked into yours a couple of months ago just to find out.”

Kai’s bangs hung in front of his face, obscuring his eyes. He leaned his back against the wall and slowly eased his staggered breathing.

“You should’ve looked further then. You’d see that my mother died ten years ago, the night of my sixth birthday.”

The shock slowly crept into Jenny’s face. She had made so many plans to ensure today was special, and Kai had shattered her hope in seconds. Her grip relaxed, and the bag of treats fell to the ground behind her as she hung her head.

“I’m so sorry. I’ve just been a nuisance lately, haven’t I?”

As she fought back the tears that slowly began to well up in her eyes, her nose was gently pressed together by something firm. She raised her head slowly to see Kai’s arm outstretched, his fingers tugging on her nose in retaliation for before. His eyes were slightly reddened, but his smile was the same gentle curve he had always shown her before. He released her nose and bent down to pick up the paper bag.

“Get a grip, you’re embarrassing me here,” he jested.

Once she noticed the genuine spark in his face, her smile slowly returned, and she nodded slightly. Kai scratched his head for a second, then sighed.

“Okay, how about this? Let’s take a picture.”

Jenny’s face lit up like missiles from a Sift Bomber.

“You're kidding me? You hate pictures!”

Kai shrugged slightly, and the girl laughed. From her skirt pocket, she removed a circular object and held it above them. Fass-Disks were more advanced than Fass-Tablets, and were typically illegal on islands associated with the ITCU. However, IHF and SHF agents in training were permitted to carry them as one of their many privileges. Usually, they were only to be used in the field during official Astian missions, however…

“Don’t come crying to me if you regret it later!”

She grabbed Kai’s arm and yanked him next to her as she tapped the screen. The boy almost stumbled from the pull and quickly tried to steady himself.

“Hey, wai-”

SNAP!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The two friends strolled down the corridors of PinkShell, lost in their ever-changing conversation. Kai was slowly recovering from his earlier confrontation, but was still winded and quickly found himself needing to rest on a nearby windowsill once again. As the two stared out at the school yard before them, Jenny suddenly remembered something she had heard earlier that day.

“Transfer students?” Kai repeated.

Jenny nodded her head.

“In PinkShell of all places, that doesn’t make any sense.” He eased off the sill and turned to face his friend.

“You have the money to uproot your entire life and transfer to another island…not to The Valley Academy or Cassodaum …but Pinkshell?”

“Maybe they’re a fishing family?” Jenny shrugged.

Kai racked his brain to find a logical justification, but ultimately, he found himself at a loss at every turn. Moving and starting life on a different island in the ITCU is no easy feat. It was almost as difficult as entering from the mainland. Not to mention the numerous clearance hoops and background checks you had to pass through before you even get to the other logistical problems.

“Could it be…” he pondered to himself.

The bell rang loudly, pounding into the ears of all the students.

“Welp, guess we’ll see soon. They’re in our homeroom after all,” Jenny informed him as she walked away. Kai frowned as he hoped in his heart that the teacher would not force them to interact with the transfers.

He entered his homeroom and sat in his seat adjacent to the southern window. His mom’s voice seeped into his thoughts,

“Guardians…” she said. She felt so close now. His cheek remembered the warmth of her palm. His nose tingled at the memory of her scent. He wanted to fade into sleep right  on his desk and hear her speak one more ti-

“MR. SMITH!”

He jumped up like a CHF in training. He turned to his teacher to see her face wrung with annoyance as her reddened cheeks puffed out towards him.

“This is the fifth time I’m calling your name for roll, young man! Wake up!”

“M-my bad…” he surrendered.

Mrs. Wikivich, a teacher deep into the profession, well past her usefulness… or enjoyment. Eternally bitter after her husband left her for a young Eastie girl he met on a business trip to the mainland. Still, she insists everyone call her ‘Mrs..’ in some manner of strange, deluded pretence.

She finished calling the roll and cleared her throat.

“As some of you might have heard, we have two new transfer students joining our homeroom starting today.”

She gestured to the two individuals standing in front of the class whiteboard.

“Knew it…” Kai thought to himself.

Sure enough, the blonde boy he met earlier that day stood confidently in front of the whiteboard, stupid grin and all. Now that Kai was able to observe him more closely, he noted that he had a truly impressive physique. It was clear he trained his body daily, and his muscles were pushed to the point where he would be able to execute difficult movements easily, but not to the point where they would affect his speed. His stance was carefree as before, but above that goofy smile were two turquoise blue pools of eyes that were dangerously alert.

“He just seems like a hassle,” Kai thought to himself.

He panned his gaze to the person beside him. A young girl stood beside the boy. Her hair was also blonde, and her eyes the same transcendent blue. Her face glowed with kindness and put forth a gaze that made you forget all despair. She stood with a welcoming presence and smiled a soft curve that snared your heart.

“ Please welcome Jeremy and Jaliah Faels. If you didn’t already notice, the two are twins!”

Chatter moved around the classroom as the various students analyzed the pair. Kai couldn’t figure out why Ms. Wikivich was making a big deal over twins when there were like three others in the school. Still, the two were unusual. They were like the default character templates for an RPG…except blonde. He continued to look at them curiously.

“Well, as long as I keep my distance, I’m sure I won’t draw their attention.”

The girl waved at the class as her brother struck a goofy pose. Her eyes panned the room and opened wide as she spotted Kai and his annoyed face. She lowered her hand and began to move slowly. Kai watched her for several seconds before he sat up in shock, realizing that she was approaching him.

“Shoot, did I stare too long?”

The girl finally arrived at his desk with her gaze pinned down on his face. She leaned over slowly, Kai fully prepared to receive a verbal lashing for eyeing her down. He decided he’d apologize preemptively.

“Look, I’m sorry fo-”

*peck*

The girl gave him the faintest, but sincere kiss on his forehead before standing back up with a smile.

“Dalshun Dom, Rouuzen…” she whispered.

Kai’s face reddened slowly as his mouth hung agape.

The class burst into chaos as they witnessed this. The loner and the new girl? The monochrome views of social standing did not allow these two to blend, wrecking their minds. Noise and fresh gossip quickly spread around the room, and the chatter grew louder with each second. 

Kai turned and met eyes with Jenny, who’s eyes were just as wide as his. But he watched as her gaze tightened and her face turned sour. Without another thought, she arose from her seat and bolted to the classroom door.

“Quiet…Quiet!” Ms.Wikivich attempted desperately.

But the pleas were suffocated by the relentless chittering of excitable teens. Veins pulsed through her forehead and her brow wrinkled as her face reddened.

*WHAM*

Her wooden meter stick slapped as she slammed it against the board. Students jumped in their seats and sharply turned to face her.

“I SAID TO BE QUIET YOU INSUFFERABLE TURDS.”

Students scampered back to their seats while others hid behind notebooks, shielding their faces. Their teacher huffed for several more seconds before composing herself and clearing her throat.

“Ms. Faells, while I appreciate your affectionate nature, I must ask that you respect the sanctity of this classroom.”

The blonde girl bowed to the teacher in apology and walked to her seat two desks down from Kai’s seat. He watched her walk the entire way, but only when she was seated, he realized her brother had assumed his seat right behind him. He smiled with his hands behind his head and his feet perched on his desk.

“And could someone please find Ms. Hallecel and remind her that my classroom isn’t some zoo where you come and go as you please.” Ms. Wikivich requested.

One of the students volunteered and was dismissed to find her.

“Good. Now, with no further interruptions, I would like continue with the announcements.”

The teacher proceeded with a series of notices but Kai held his forehead and pondered on what could have possibly led to this interaction. She couldn’t possibly like him. They had just met and moreover, he was…well he was him. He racked his brain for several more seconds, but was abruptly interrupted by his headache returning.

“Guardians…”

He groaned quietly as Ms. Wikivich continued to speak. 

“ ….So please remember to avoid the NHF Skimmer wreckage or else there will be legal consequences that follow.”

She rested her back against the board and sighed loudly.

“Now, if there are no further questions, you little terrors are dismi-”

*BOOOM*

A thunderous burst of sound enveloped the room rupturing the senses of the students. It was quickly followed by a blinding flash of light so bright the teens could not see who or what was near them. The room shook violently causing Kai’s head to fly forward and forcefully slam into his desk. 

His head pounded even worse than it had before. He tried to collect himself but his vision and hearing betrayed him. Slowly, he could hear the panicked chatter of his classmates become clearer with each passing second. He wiped his eyes and they began to adjust, but his slow recovery was interrupted by the shrilling scream of a classmate. He whipped his head toward the sound and his vision cleared just enough to see his classmate, Bailey, exhausting her lungs and pointing at something near him. He looked back towards his desk and his eyes stretched in horror. Before him, laid a bloody hand, severed and twitching on his desk. He yelled loudly and leapt back, kicking the desk away from him. But as the desk fell over, his eyes landed on an even more terrifying sight. Their teacher, Ms. Wikivich laid decimated in the corner, her body blown apart mercilessly, still clutching her broken stick. 

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”