A burst of laughter cut through the silence of midnight, spilling into the tranquil campus air. The door of one of the lower dorms creaked open, causing a bar of light to play over the tree-lined path outside before the silhouette of two figures obstructed it, hoods pulled up against the brisk autumn chill. The one on the left yelled something cheerful over his shoulder as the two stepped down to the shady avenue, dappled with veins of moonlight through the leaves above. The other one firmly shut the door and gave the first a jab to the ribs with his elbow, both still laughing.

They set out down the path, banter flying between them as they made their way back to their own dorms. The moon was bright and crescent-shaped overhead, replacing all the colors below with a wash of silver, pooling in deep shadows beneath the hoods of the two figures. Just as they passed an alleyway a sharp crash shattered the calm. Both figures froze, frantically looking about to locate the source of the noise. The flicker of a moving shadow caught the eye of one of them, as he slowly crept towards the alley, his joking manner was replaced with one of unease and caution The little creature had apparently knocked over a trash can lid in its haste to escape the approaching figures, causing the unexpected clatter. He slumped in relief, shoulders easing, smile returning. “Just a rat,” he assured with the air of one who definitely didn’t look scared out of his wits mere seconds earlier. The other laughed, but the sound was clouded with unease. They moved on, teasing demeanor back up,

but the unsettled feeling still lingered. They continued walking, making a show of carelessness and mirth while the darkening fog of foreboding started to take hold in the back of their minds. Something felt… off. Every shadow swaying in the breeze was a stalking creature, every winking light were eyes watching from the dark. They stepped quickly past the narrow alleys between dorm buildings, their pace quickening, until one of them stopped suddenly in his tracks. “Do you… smell that?” he asked apprehensively “It’s not just me, right?” The other tilted his head slightly, the feeble rays of the moon falling on his face. He nodded slowly. “Is it the trash?” The air was heavy with it; the damp odor of something repulsive . The first shrugged his shoulders and continued walking. After a moment of hesitation, the other followed, hoping the scent would abate as they went on. It didn’t.

They had almost made it back to their dorm building when one of them inhaled sharply, freezing in place. He slowly lifted his foot and stepped back with infinite caution, revealing what he had just stepped in. The rotten smell was worse than ever. It was a pool of blood, streaked down the side of an alleyway and down onto the path, dried and black and flaking. The one who’d stepped into the gory puddle let out a shocked yell, grinding his shoe into the clean concrete behind him, trying to dislodge the sticky red-black mess. The other cautiously, carefully peered into the alleyway, dread boiling in his stomach. A cloud drifted over the moon, cutting out all light but the sickly rays from the widely-spaced streetlamps. The thin beams skittered away from the dark alley. He leaned forward, almost gagging as the wet-rot smell filled his senses. Time held its breath, waiting. He let out a startled cry as he finally discovered what was there

The light of the crescent moon shone through the windowpane of one of the upper dorms, peaceful and quiet. At least, it would’ve been if a collection of furiously bubbling and fizzing beakers weren’t amassed on the sill, clouding the air with thick smoke, or if the moonlight hadn’t been outshone by the bright lamp on a nearby table, illuminating a seemingly random assortment of sparking wires and welded metal. Cold metal racks of glass bottles, spare parts, spools of wire, assorted lab tools and other scientific paraphernalia wrapped around the perimeter of the room, encircling the long lab table, a tiny cot stuck in one corner, and a man in a lab coat leaning over the metal contraption with a pair of pliers. He bit his lip, squinting as he carefully wrapped two wires around each other when a sudden frantic knock sounded from his front door.

He delicately extracted the pliers from the device and stuck them on a shelf, leaning over to check on the boiling vials. Before he answered the door he just had to make sure nothing- More pounding, loud and insistent, interrupted his thoughts. “Oh, for the love of-!” he yelled, setting down the vial he’d been holding and stomping to the door, wiping the sweat off his forehead. He yanked it open, hands on his hips. “What? What’s so important that you had to barge in unannounced and interrupt my work?” His anger quickly left him, though, when he saw what his visitors had brought in.

Chapter one:

It was a warm August morning, and the crisp air was comfortable and refreshing. However, none of this mattered to Tobias, because it was 5:00 am on a Monday. He yawned as he sluggishly got up and stretched before going to brush his teeth. He looked in the mirror at himself, his dark blue skin contrasting his pale yellow eyes. He tried to fix his hair but to no avail, it looked like a lava lamp with its constant fluid movements. After brushing his teeth he threw on his signature forest green hoodie. As he trudged down the stairs, the smell of pancakes hit him like a truck. A soft smile grew on his face as he walked into the kitchen

“Mornin’ Ma, whatcha cookin’?” he asked as he took a seat at the table. “Good morning dear. It's your favorite, pancakes! It's a special day, you know!” she smiled, not looking away from the food. Tobias nodded. “I know, It's not like I usually get up at such an untimely hour,” he joked with a yawn. “Oh, eat your pancakes-” she laughed while placing a plate in front of him. “You can’t go to hero school on an empty stomach, you know.” Tobias laughed. “I don't think Kingslake is going to test me on that,” he joked while cutting his pancakes into slices. “Are you excited about Kingslake Academy? Uncle Pat says it's quite the prestigious school, you know-” She sat down across from him. “But I know you're a tough cookie,” she teased, nudging his arm. “Yeah, yeah, I know-” he took a bite of his pancakes. “These are some good pancakes.” “You and your pancakes,” she laughed, checking the time. “You ought to eat faster if you want to get there on time.”

Tobias nodded, deciding just to eat as his mother went on about Kingslake. He sat there and half listened, trying not to fall asleep. He soon cleaned up his spot and got his school stuff together. As he was putting on his shoes, he pulled out his phone. “Yo Rob, you up? We’re about to come get you,” he called “You who, what, in the where now?” A sleepy voice responded from the other line, clearly not awake. “Robby Whittles, I swear if you don't get yo ass up right now, we will leave without you!” “Alright Toby, I’m up! Jeez.” Robby responded with a stretch and a yawn. “Good, we’ll be there in 5.” He sighed, hanging up. “I assume Robby wasn't awake?” His mom teased with a smile, “Who would have thunk?” Tobias joked walking towards the car.

“You know-” His mom pestered as they pulled out of the driveway “Jimmathy and Sarah both can control water, pretty cool huh?” she pushed obviously trying to compare him to the other students. Tobias just nodded only half listening as he looked out the widows and watched his neighbors messing with their powers. It had always fascinated Tobias that peoples powers could range from deadly to completely useless. He didn't like to think about where his power was placed on that scale. He shook his head to rid himself of the thought, he looked at his mother as he wondered why she never did anything cool with the ability to transform liquids.

“Right Toby?” His mother asked, breaking his thoughts. “Huh? What? Oh sure yeah.” He mumbled, trying to remember what she was talking about anyways. It was probably more about Charlotte's kids. He laughed softly at the thought. “Don't talk too much m’kay?” She teased, nudging his arm. “I know it's early but you're awfully quiet, you nervous about becoming a hero?” Tobias shook his head with a yawn. “It's way too early to think about that Ma,” he muttered shifting in his seat “How long til we get to Robby’s?” He asked, looking at her. “Oh just a minute dear,” she replied, pulling into his neighborhood. Tobias pulled out his phone again and dialed Robby. “Time to face the music, Whittles,” he said in a half-joking tone. “Give me a minute, I gotta fix Daisy her breakfast,” he responded trying to multitask and failing at it

“Daisy can make her own breakfast, she's not a baby anymore Rob.” Tobias chided as they pulled into the driveway. “I'm giving you ‘til the count of three.” “Oh whatever shall I do? Tobias learned how to count!” He teased sarcastically. “One….” Tobias started, looking at his mother with an amused smile. “Oh shut up Toby.” He laughed. “Oooooooh, you said ‘Shut up’, that's a bad word!” a little voice butted in. “Oooh someones in trouble~!” Tobias teased. “You tell him Daisy!” “Don't encourage her! Don't you want to get to school on time?” Robby said with an exasperated voice.

“Buh bye! I love you!” Daisy waved with that childlike happiness. “Tell Mommy to bring me a treat for being so good this morning!” Robby scoffed jokingly as he walked out the door. He waved back to her as he got in the car. “Hey Mrs. Cadel, Sorry for the delay, Daisy insisted I do her hair before I left.” Robby buckled his seatbelt “Don't worry hun, I understand.” She smiled. “Do you want me to check on her while you're at school?” “Nah, she's a big girl,” he smiled a proud grin. “Besides, Mom should be home around four today.” She nodded, setting her GPS to the school. “Just say the word and I'll be there,” she smiled reassuringly.

As they continued their long journey to Kingslake Academy Tobias fell asleep. “Hey sleeping beauty, we’re here.” Robby nudged Tobias awake. “Who’re you, my prince charming?” Tobias joked as he stretched. “I can if you want me to be.” Robby laughed. “Ok lovebirds, get out of my car,” Mrs. Cadel teased, putting Toby's backpack in his lap “You can’t be late for your first day, right?” “Alright Ma, I get the picture-” Tobias opened his door. “Robby will just have to kiss me later,” he laughed, opening Robby’s door. “M'lady,” he teased, “after you.” He bowed playfully, stifling a laugh. “Thank you dear.” Robby laughed, turning to shut his door. Robby and Tobias waved at Mrs. Cadel. “Thank you!” they shouted as she drove off.

The front gates towered over them; it felt as if the school itself loomed over the two as they stood there. The school was huge and beautiful, the front gates closing the outsiders from the beautiful garden that sat in front of the front doors. The gates were open today, which on any other day would be concerning, but it was time placement exams. Children from around the world compete to see who gets to become a hero and who doesn’t. After a long silence of staring at the front gates expectantly the silence was broken by Robby. “Sheesh, It’s even prettier in person.” He put his hands on his head, looking over to Tobias.

“You said it dude.” Tobias looked up with an awestruck look on his face. They both stood there a little longer before Robby got shoulder checked. “Keep it movin’” The man growled as he walked past. “That dude didn’t even say sorry,” Robby scoffed, regaining his balance. “Who does he think he is?” “I don’t know, but if he does that again he won't live to see tomorrow.” Tobias hissed, annoyed that someone so rude thought they could be a hero. “Hey chill out man, I’m fine-” Robby put a hand on Tobias’s shoulder. “Let's just get to the assembly before we're late.” “It's too early for this.” Tobias sighed, putting his hands in his pockets.

Chapter 2: (I swear captcha wants me dead)

The assembly took place outside in the garden area of the school. It was unbelievably crowded, which wasn't unexpected due to the school's reputation but it still was jarring as Tobias and Robby entered the sea of people. As people filtered in, they were separated into groups, each having about 10 people. “TEN MINUTES!” a voice from the stage boomed as Robby and Tobias were put in a group. “How many minutes?” Robby whispered to Tobias in a teasing tone. “I’ll show you how many minutes.” Tobias replied, shaking a joking fist. Robby rolled his eyes and looked at his group members, deciding which to talk to first. A lady with four eyes seemed to peak his interest. She was taller than him for sure, her hair half up with a flower crown sitting atop it, and she wore almost all black and boots. “Good morning, beautiful-” He stuck out a hand for her to shake. “I’m Robby Whittles, and you are?”

The lady looked a bit disgusted by the fact that he referred to her as ‘beautiful’, trying to decide if that was a pick up line or not. After a few seconds of awkward silence she shook his hand. “Marigold Crona,” she said firmly, looking him up and down. “What do you want?” she asked coldly, although her body language made her seem more nervous than anything else. “Marigold? Is that why you have a crown of flowers?” he asked with a laugh. She was taken slightly aback by the comment as she absent mindedly touched the crown. “What about it?” she asked, folding her arms. “What's with your dumb scarf?” Robby touched his scarf defensively. “Chill out, dude, I just thought it was neat,” he said, slightly offended. “Where’d you get your tattoo done?” he asked, pointing at it. “Did it myself,” she muttered, looking at the tattoo. The tattoo was a collage of miscellaneous flowers with three bees buzzing about. “Does it have a meaning?” He asked, leaning in.

“What does it matter? Go away, it's too early for this.” She sighed, walking away. “Rude,” he mumbled, walking back over to Tobias who was trying to figure out how to fall asleep standing up. “Hey speaking of rude, isn't that the dude who nearly knocked me over?” Robby asked, nudging Tobias as he gestured to a man with a lab coat on. “I dunno, probably,” Tobias yawned with a shrug. “Go ask.” “Aye aye,” Robby teased with a joking salute as he walked away. “Have fun.” Tobias mumbled putting up his hood and putting his hands in his pockets. Robby approached the man, his bleach blond hair pushed back by goggles that were sitting atop his head. As he got closer, he realized the man had no legs. How is he staying upright? he thought as he got closer. He shook his head to rid himself of the thought. “Good morning,” Robby said, sticking out a hand. “I'm Robby Whittles, you are?”

The man looked at his hand disgustedly before looking at his own gloved hand before he cautiously shook it. “The name is Benny,” he said as he looked Robby up and down. “What is your power?” he asked, his icy blue eyes boring a hole into Robby's soul. Robby was a tad uneasy but he wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to make a new friend. “Benny? M’kay, cool.” He nodded before looking at him. He seemed slightly shorter than when he first walked up to him. Did he make himself shorter to be the same height as me…? he thought to himself absentmindedly looking at Bennys legs, or lack thereof. Benny cleared his throat. “Is there something you would like to say about my legs?” he asked, annoyed. Robby looked back at him, slightly embarrassed. “Sorry-uhm, I can turn into a ghost!” he smiled proudly. “What's your power?” “Intriguing,” he muttered, “although I would have to see it to believe it.”

He fixed his posture. “I have a superior intellect. I can build things and process things at a much faster rate than you.” His voice had a hint of disdain. Robby was taken aback by the comment. “Ok smartypants, watch this!” Robby smirked, putting his hood up. As he did so his entire face changed color to a dark grey-blue, his eyes and mouth glowed yellow and his legs were now gone, replaced by the typical ghost tail. He floated around, practically circling Benny. Benny looked visibly uncomfortable as he simply scoffed. Robby looked down at Benny's legs again. “So what's with the shoes? How do they work?” he asked innocently. Benny looked up at him. “I lost my legs in an accident, so I made better ones,” he stated confidently. “Magnets allow me to adjust my height as needed.” He almost sounded like he was bragging.

Robby nodded. “Neat!” He smiled, proud that he made a friend. “I'll see you around.” He waved as he flew back over to Tobias. “Like you will get in,” he mumbled, waving back. “For such a dumb kid he was rather sweet.” He thought for a moment and then sighed, cleaning his hands off with a wipe. “And persistent.” “ONE MINUTE!” the voice from the front stage boomed again. Tobias jumped awake at the sound, groaning as he opened his eyes. "Robby?" he asked quietly, looking for him. Robby perked up, looking at Tobias. “Hm?” he replied, looking at Tobias.

Tobias just laughed as he shook his head, putting his hand on Robby's shoulder. “Nothing, don’t worry about it.” He smiled. “I’m so tired, bro,” Robby complained. He leaned on Tobias overdramatically, but Tobias took a step back and left Robby to stumble backwards. “OH SH-” he shouted. He grabbed Tobias’ shirt as he fell, bringing Tobias down along with him. “Such a drama king,” he mumbled as he got up. Robby stuck a hand in the air, gesturing for Tobias to help him up. Tobias rolled his eyes and did so.

Thats it for now Thank you for reading :]

Please note that all of this is subject to change!

Hehe

Ok best of luck :]

I'm glad :]

Hehe

Thank you so much! I've put alot of effort into it!!

Thank yous!

Thank you! I tried to make their first impressions good I'm glad it went through well!