After a quick trip to see a nurse (for the growing lump on Felix's head) the quartet, and the large number of classmates that had followed them, made their way back to their residence hall.

"I still don't get how you know where we're going." Grand Theft muttered at the shortest member of their group. Bright green eyes scanned the hall for some sign that it was different from every other hall they'd walked through.

Altera turned mismatched eyes towards the boy, expression thoughtful, "This one doesn't necessarily...know...either."

Grand Theft let out an annoyed sigh, "Of course you don't."

Turning the last corner, the class was greeted with the sight of their homeroom teacher, Ms. Kindle, leaning against the doorway to their hall. The feline-featured woman smiled cheerfully at her students.

"Welcome back! How was the first day?"

Thirty two awkward teenagers shifted from foot to foot, mumbling vague answers. None were willing to be the first to offer up a definitive response.

Eventually, however, a single hand shot up and a cheerful voice declared: "This one does not like spiders."

A short pause followed before Felix responded in an exasperated tone, "Dagnabbit! How many times do I have to say I'm sorry 'bout the spiders! 'Sides...it coulda been worse. Like scorpions. Or earwigs."

There was a unified shudder throughout the gathering of ninth graders.

"It...sounds like you've all had an...eventful day then…?" She tilted her head and looked over the group, before giving a little shrug and continuing on, "Anyways! As its only the first day of school, and none of you have joined any of the extracurricular activities we offer here at NABSTI, I thought it might be fun if I took you guys out of the school and showed you around the 'city'!"

At this the gathering of students all began speaking at once.

"I didn't think they'd let us out so soon!"

"I ain't so good in cities. My family and I don't leave town that often…"

"...Wonder if there are any gangs in the area..."

"Oohhhhh! Maybe I'll run into mom!"

"Can I just stay in my room?"

"Can we go shopping?"

Ms. Kindle let them chatter away for a few more moments before clapping her paw-like hands. Their (mostly) excited attention focused back on her.

"Alright everyone! Get dressed in something a bit warmer and bring some spending money if you want."

At that, she stepped aside so they could enter their hallway, and the small mob of teens rushed forward to get their coats and cash.

The coffee maker on the counter was working tirelessly to provide the growing number of people with their caffeine fix. Several people were already seated at one of the large tables set up around the room.

On any other day of the school year, these people would be more focused on marking the homework their students had handed in, rather than the animated discussions they were currently engaged in.

"It was the cutest thing! I honestly think they were trying to kill me!" Jangso snickered as she sat down in a comfortable chair next to one of her coworkers.

"Pleeeeeeaaaaaase tell me you didn't tell them to all rush you at once. Not again…" Harmony Bose groaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "You already sent like...twenty students to the nurses this morning."

"Well it's hardly my fault they came at me with the intent to kill. They needed to learn to be careful with their Talents. That's all."

Across the table from the two women, a golden skinned man sipped from a coffee mug, "Jangso, dear...we all know you're a sadist."

They group was joined by a tired-looking Donith, who sat with two mugs of coffee in front of him. Harmony, Jangso and Len all shot him concerned and confused looks.

"The Alterror."

"Aahh," Jangso and Len both said, nodding.

Harmony looked between the three, more confused than ever. In a voice composed of a thousand whispers she asked, "What?"

"Altera Law. I don't know how long I'm gonna be able to handle her and her friends...I've only spoken to the kid twice and I'm done."

"She is a little...odd." Jangso agreed.

"Math in the art classroom. A travesty if ever I've seen one."

In response to the golden man's words, Donith pulled out his cellphone and pulled up a picture of Altera's desk, "She decided to decorate her desk during math class."

Len took a brief glance at the picture before snapping his attention fully on the rather admirable recreation of the Mona Lisa.

"She...did this in an hour and a half?"

"Bit less...but yeah."

"Damn," the art teacher said, but it was clear from his tone that he was impressed, "That's actually rather unexpected from her...although, not as unexpected as Parrino- he's quite skilled."

He took a long sip from his mug and then set it back on the table. Adjusting one of the gloves on his hands, he turned his gaze downwards, looking somewhat ashamed of himself, "I must admit that I was rather...narrow-minded in my expectations of the boy. I expected someone more...nefarious than he. It is only the first day of classes, and we should most probably be wary of him, given his upbringing...but I suspect he is not quite as bad as we might have assumed."

Several of the people in the room shifted uncomfortably in their seats. It was common knowledge that none of the teachers had been particularly enthusiastic about the boy's attendance.

Harmony was quick to fill the silence, "So...What do you guys think of Skarpson? I'd forgotten they had a son until I saw this year's class list."

"He's a bit...antagonistic, if I'm being completely honest…"

Again, the staff awkwardly nodded. None of them were willing to speak badly about the boy, given what his family had accomplished over the years...but they really couldn't deny that Shard was rather...quick to challenge his peers to physical altercations.

"So...this area here is mostly residential. The people who live here are either Pro Heroes, staff at the school, or they work in different parts of the city to keep things running around here." Kindle said as she gestured to the towering buildings around them.

The students, for the most part, seemed disinterested in the neighbourhood. They wanted to see exciting things! Pro Heroes or not...looking at a bunch of apartments wasn't really 'wow' enough.

Eventually, the mob found its way into an area more interesting: 'downtown'. Just as much as NABSTI was a city, it had stores and tourist spots… if one would call them that. As soon as the children saw the mall, there was no going back.

Before they students dispersed like the rats in Ratatouille, Kindle managed to holler, "Return here in two hours. If I find that even one of you are missing, I'll have to get a search party~!"

Naturally, the quartet bound together. "So… you guys have money? I don't think I have enough for anything here… maybe I'll get something at Ice Topics…"

Altera fiddled with a small white leather wallet, looking down at it with a concerned expression as she unzipped it, "This one only has several thousand on her...that is enough to purchase items from this 'Ice Topics'...yes?"

With wide green eyes, Grand Theft quickly grabbed her hands and wrapped them around the wallet, "Holy shit! Don't go saying that out loud in a fricken' mall! All ya need is one shady character to hear that and they'll all have ya marked."

"Heh, yeah I'll take you up on that when I know I can pay you back. I'd hate to be in your debt…"

"Well I ain't too sure what this fancy 'mall' is all about but if it's anythin' like a general store then I'd sure love a new pair of boots! These ones got a hole, something nasty I tell ya."

Sure enough, his big toe managed to wiggle out from where the sole and the leather should be bound. He brought those to Canada… Nunavut...

"Ya know those aren't the greatest things to be wearin' out in this sorta place...right?" Grand Theft questioned, looking first at Felix's worn leather boots, and then down to the winter boots he had bought specifically for when he'd have to go outside the school.

No one mentioned the fact that Altera was currently wandering around in flip-flops. It might be the first day of classes but they were quickly understanding that Altera was an exception.

"Well, 'Grand Theft', how about you? Any place you wanna hit up?" Pey asked while counting the money in her quite hefty coin purse.

"Uh…" he trailed off for a moment, trying to think of anything he might need, before he seemed to brighten, "Yo you think they got a gun store around here?"

The quartet paused, unsure whether or not the NABSTI would have something like a gun store. After all, heroes DID use weapons...but...did Canada even have guns?

"I do not think there is such an establishment here, Thief of Quirks."

"Yeah… it's a mall… wouldn't that like, ruin the mood of the place?" Pey added in, eyeing the nearest makeup store. "Well I know where I'm heading. Gonna get me a facemask. See ya." And she fell asleep.

"Yo Felix...uh...you're a gentleman or some shit like that, right? You wanna watch her?"

"Not really?"

"Eh. We tried. Meet here in like...an hour?"

"I think that is agreeable. I am sure no one will be rude enough to step on the Pey-child. We are all heroes here."

And with that, the three conscious members of their strange little group split up and made their way towards the stores of their choosing.

Lucy Kindle rushed into the room, quickly closing the door behind her, "Sorry I'm late everyone! I was showing my class around town and I lost track of time!"

The first of her coworkers to speak was a dark haired woman, "Ah! Lucy. We were just talking about your class! What do you think about them? Anyone with potential?"

A grin appeared on Lucy's face, "Oh it's such a good year! There are a couple kids who I think could be great additions!"

"Really?"

"Of course! There's one boy, Shard? His family are well-known heroes in both Canada and the United States, and I can already tell his Talent will grow with him. From what I've seen he'll need a bit of an attitude adjustment though. It's only the first day and he's already gotten into all sorts of fights. Especially with the Parrino Boy."

"I'd heard a rumour one of them was coming to NABSTI, but I didn't think it was true...Does the kid fit in alright?"

Lucy's grin gave way to a warm, caring smile, "He's made a few interesting friends already."

"Oh?" One of her male coworkers asked.

"Welllllll...there's Altera Law- her father made some of the barriers around here...you know for the training grounds and things? Her Talent is...a bit different from his. She's described herself as 'a god in a box'...whatever that means. I believe she can control what happens within a barrier? Something like that. Then there's Pey Devi- I believe she can possess others?"

"Useful."

"That's what I thought! The last one is a nice boy named Felix Cloverfield. He said that his Quirk was 'Bad Luck'...but I'm not entirely sure what that would encompass exactly…"

"Bad luck to himself, or others?"

"I'm not entirely sure."

Grand Theft, having finished his (fruitless) search through the mall, had continued to wander around the building. He moved with a certain casual air around him that made it easy for people to not notice him. Perfect for casing places, or watching people.

In this case he was observing his classmates and future comrades.

He had first spotted 'Mercy', Marina and Makana making their way into Aria Dean's. They made a bee-line for the selection of stylish sweatshirts. Marina and Makana were both from tropical islands, so it was likely neither girl had been fully prepared for just how cold it was in Nunavut. Mercy seemed to know what she was doing and was writing out a list of things the other girls would need for the climate.

Continuing his walk through the building, he next came across Minties and another boy- Hugo. Hugo, whose Talent was called 'Microscopic' and gave him the ability to shrink, had shrunken down to the size of a toddler and was perched upon Minties' shoulders. The pair were animatedly chatting about Pro Heroes from their home countries as they made their way towards a Scrolls bookstore.

Minties was surprisingly buff considering his Talent was Telepathy, and had little to do with physical activity. He had wavy dark brown hair that was brushed back from his forehead, but not held there with gel or any other sort of product. His eyes were a pale grey, and from what Grand Theft could see, there was nothing out of the ordinary about them.

Hugo had dark skin and straight, pale pink (nearly white) hair parted on the right, which clashed with his electric blue eyes.

Grand Theft didn't have much longer to observe the pair before he heard an obnoxious (in his opinion) voice talking animatedly further down the wing of the mall he stood in. A quick glance around revealed Shard and his three companions making their way towards him.

Now, Vincenzo was no coward, but he was smart at times. If there was a conflict here, in a public place, the blame would naturally fall on him, given his family's reputation. It was the first day of classes, and while he was sure his father would find some way to keep him in NABSTI, the teen would much rather not getting kicked out on the first day.

Spinning on his heel, Grand Theft traced his footsteps and wound up back where he and his...friends(?) had split up. Pey was still on the floor where they'd left her, and it appeared as though Altera had found Felix while they were gone, and was clinging to the taller boy's back in an impressive impression of a koala.

"Hey Vinny! You find what you were lookin' fer?"

The dead look Grand Theft shot him was clear enough that even Felix understood.

A middle aged woman approached the group, wordlessly set down two bags next to Pey, turned around and left the gathering. When she was out of sight, Pey opened her eyes and sat up, "We all good to go now?"

"This one thinks leaving would be most prudent."

The quiet burble of conversations in the staff room soon became a rowdy din as more people filled the room. Teachers, secretaries, Proheroes, custodians and cafeteria staff all gathered around tables and sofas. Snacks were brought out more to keep mouths closed than to sate an appetite.

Mr. Clerici, a business teacher, was one of the first to steer the conversation away from students and onto more useless talk.

"Well, I finally got engaged. I hope it doesn't mean anything for my job…"

"OH CONGRATS! Luckily you should have about a year before marriage, right?" One of them said, forcing out as much interest as possible.

"God, by the time next year rolls around, I'm willing to bet half of those kids get their shit kicked in." Sneered another.

The chatter fell at the rude comment, if only for a moment.

"You know I think that Mercedes kid is gonna change career paths halfway through. Her talent is more of a 'support' kind of thing."

"Shard is gonna give a student a scar, I'd put 20 dollars down on that."

Betting on the lives of their students was frowned upon in every institution.

Donith stood up from his seat and approached one of the numerous whiteboards in the staff room, hastily writing up the bets already placed by his coworkers, before tossing in his own, "40 on the Alterror driving someone legally insane."

A good few minutes passed and the collection of adults found themselves staring at the whiteboard, now covered in bets, odds, and numerous likely (and unlikely) possibilities.

From one corner of the room, a voice quietly called out, "Does anyone want to bet one of them will die this year?"

Every head in the room slowly turned to stare at Kindle in disbelief. The feline-esque woman gave an embarrassed smile.

"Hm...perhaps on that note, we should call today's meeting to an end?" Harmony suggested, standing up from her seat to stretch out and grab her purse, "But I would like to put down 50 on that bet."

All the adults are awful role-models, honestly... Sorry for the wait, but chapter 4 has finally arrived! No promises when 5 will be out but we'll try to get it out a bit sooner next time? Let us know if you have any questions, thoughts or ideas!

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