”This is stupid!” Carrick moaned as he walked down the hall to his science class one he didn’t attend in a while. He had been there a few times this semester however it was more to just pass an exam then sneak off after a bathroom break. His grades have all been just barely passing meaning he was doing something right. His parents were just happy he was attending classes again, it was better than him missing out on an entire semester after Liz left.

Classes, especially science class, reminded him of her. Which was the reason he liked to avoid them. He didn’t like thinking about her or the fact that she left the school after an incident during the riots that caused him to maul a bunch of people. Carrick still avoided that topic as well. Caused him to get moved to his own room, a much smaller one that he hated even more than living with Clyde. Cramped spaces weren’t really for him.

He held a piece of paper that said he got a new lab partner one that was supposed to help him learn more than he already had. His old lab partner ended up getting a new one because Carrick didn’t show to do any of the lab work. This kid was new supposedly or at least newer. Which meant he wasn’t really aware of Carrick or if he was it was probably stories how he could turn into a monster and eat people. That was partially true but the winged thief didn’t appreciate that kind of bad publicity. Not that he cared though, because everyone was stupid here. Everyone but Serena and Eve really, and maybe Kait.

His tail flicked behind him with irritation as he walked into the lab looking for the kid that was alone to be his new lab partner. The only reason he was here was to tell his teacher, parents and Eve he was attempting to get better.

Alex was, perhaps, a little too excited for class to start. But it had been months since he's moved in and only now was he able to join an actual class. The paperwork had been taken care of, there was no fear of being kicked out, and he seemed to be on the right track for once in his life. Things were finally stable for him. He could feel the construct personalities buzzing in his head, emboldened by his excitement and the new situation. It had been a long time since he's been in a class room, long enough that many of the constructs didn't even understand what was going on.

Still he tried to keep his excitement contained to the jittering of his leg and focus on the sheet the teacher had handed him. He was apparently partnered up with someone who's been having some trouble keeping up. With the both of them behind it probably made sense to put them together. Though from what the other students were murmuring his lab partner wasn't the greatest person. Apparently the failing grades wasn't just a difficulty with the subjects but an utter lack of trying. There was also some murmuring about the violence of this particular person. But he wasn't going to believe it just yet.

Maybe the guy just needed a shove in the right direction. With that in mind he focused on filling the sheet. Some of the answers he already knew, grateful this was biology and not something like chemistry. He was sure he'd be fine in chemistry but biology was definitely one of his stronger subjects. And his lab partner would probably appreciate someone with a good understanding of the subject to help them.

Everyone was pared up and he half expected to have the same thing happen before when Liz first walked into the same class as him but he looked behind him and no one was there. It seemed the class had already started. Carrick’s multi-colored cat like eyes roamed the classroom till he spotted someone writing on some paper by himself. The guy almost looked happy doing that kind of busy work. A low rumble in the pit of his throat voiced his irritation with a low growl. Two students closest him jumped from surprised before they realized he was there then went back to their work.

His tail flicked as he slowly walked towards the kid. He was probably younger than Carrick but he was taller and a bit skinnier than Carrick. The shifter’s wings made his shoulders and legs a bulkier than most kids. ”Bloody bajanxed this class is. Can’t leave no matter how hard I try.” Carrick said rolling his eyes and looking at the white board that had biology written on it. He hadn’t tried since Liz left and when she was here he didn’t even like trying then. It was just easier to focus on all the crap the professor spat out.

”Must be the new bloke they put me with.” Carrick said his tail flicking behind him in irritation. More likely he was the only one left seeing as most of the other kids liked avoiding him now. Carrick flashed the kid his fang like teeth then slapped his hand on the table top. ”Name’s Carrick.” he said not offering him a hand or much of a smile. It was clear Carrick didn’t want to be here.

”Must be the new bloke they put me with.”

He looked up at the new voice and smiled, opening his mouth to introduce himself only to be startled by the slam on the desk.

”Name’s Carrick.”

He blinked a few times, staring at his lab partner and taken in the aggressive body language. Bared teeth and dilated pupils, there were was also the slight flare of nostrils and the way his tail flicked back and forth. All in all he was reminded of an agitated cat, spiteful and annoyed that the situation. That was good though. It hadn't been him that caused this angry mood just the time and place. All he had to do was reinforce that this was a good place.

"Alex, nice to meet you Carrick." He extended his hand, still smiling, still eager for the class to really begin. Failing all else he wasn't about to let someone spoil his good mood. Though the name Carrick sounded familiar, where in the world had he heard it before?

His name was Alex and he was still smiling when he saw Carrick meaning either his appearance and reputation didn’t bother him or the kid was too new to know much about him. Either way Carrick saw this as a fresh start. The lips moved to cover his teeth as his tail went from flicking to more of a sway. He looked down at the hand that was offered and while he normally didn’t shake strangers hands unless it was to lift a watch Carrick reluctantly shook the guys hand but he pulled his hand away a quick second after he shook it.

”Sure…” Carrick said still finding it hard it was nice to meet anyone in a forced setting such as this. Looking down at the paperwork at his station Carrick glanced it over quickly then looked around from station to station hoping he’d catch a glimpse of Liz, someone he knew moved away. ”New are ya?” Carrick’s fingers started to tap on the table before him.

Carrick's hand barely shook his, possibly from a lack of trust or a lack of wanting to be touched. It wasn't completely clear. Still something to note, as well as the tails switch from agitation to calm. Somewhat comfortable then? He was actually grateful for Carrick's animal like features. They were easier to read that normal people, more physical tells to pick out. He shifted in his seat as Carrick settled in his, placing a hand on his own jittering leg to calm himself. Excited as he was to return to a normal school life, he was sure it seemed weird to other people.

"New are ya?”

"Yeah, finally getting back into class."he said, looking from Carrick to the paper in front of him. A third of the questions were filled out at random. Points of data he had been able to keep up with the last three years. It was difficult to keep up with all the subjects schools covered but he was able to focus on at least some of his favorites.

This was boring… Carrick’s mismatched color eyes shifted around for something more interesting that the paperwork before him. Pulling a pencil from his pocket he started to twirl it in one hand between some fingers. It didn’t matter that it was broken cracked in half from being in his pocket the second it broke apart from the twirling Carrick just put it back together.

”Seem a bit too excited about that, boyo.” Carrick said looking at his paper again and writing his name. That was at least a start. Probably more than he did in the past few weeks other than a few exams that he came in to do so he wasn’t failing the class completely. Last thing he needed was his mother or father getting involved.

A bird was starting to be drawn in the corner as he continued to talk to Alex, ”Take it yer one of them braininacs that only enjoy themselves if they are stuck in a shitehole such as this?” Carrick said not looking up his feathers on his wings ruffled as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Seem a bit too excited about that, boyo. Take it yer one of them braininacs that only enjoy themselves if they are stuck in a shitehole such as this?"

Alex gave a soft, abashed laugh looking from Carrick back to his paper. Perhaps he was a little too eager for school. What teen his age actually wanted to be in class? But he knew he had fair enough reason to be excited. Hell, he had been excited by the idea of having a bedroom to himself and free food and a shower. Yeah, he had nothing to be ashamed of.

"Well, not exactly, I mean I like biology because it's something I'm good at. But I'm more happy that doing something...I dunno, normal..."he explained a bit lamely, opening the biology book to see if he could find the other answers. "It's been a while since I've been part of normal civilization...There are worse places to be."

He grappled with the old memory, stuffing it down and hold it there. He wasn't going to think about the desert and he wasn't going to talk about his past. Not here at least and not in detail. Every time the past was really talked about it was like opening an old wound. He did that with the school counselor already, he wasn't going to do that in front of another student.

Carrick scoffed at the word. Normal. Who was normal now anyways and why would anyone wish to aspire to be something as that. Normal. More like boring or plain. Carrick’s tail flicked at the word as if he was irritated with Alex now. Carrick was far from normal he was superb. He looked at his own wings for a few seconds as they stretched slightly then closed. Was Alex the type to hate anything that wasn’t deemed normal?

Scrunching his nose he looked down to his paper and started sketching in his bird possibly a little too dark as he releved some of his irritation at the word. ”and far better.” Carrick’s tail continued to twitch the more he thought about it. ”Why would anyone want ta be apart of something normal.” he waved his hand dismissing the word now verbalizing his feelings on it, ”Normal is plain and boring and yer in a school fer mutants! Ain’t nothing normal here, far from it!” Carrick’s wings ruffled. Why would anyone want to be normal, it was the one thing he never wanted to be… because it was the one thing he could never be.

”No one is normal here. Not even you. So there’s no point in trying to pretend eh?” Carrick said as his wings closed up tightly behind his back. ”Biology is stupid anyways.” he said as he stopped shading in the bird.

”Why would anyone want ta be apart of something normal. Normal is plain and boring and yer in a school fer mutants! Ain’t nothing normal here, far from it! No one is normal here. Not even you. So there’s no point in trying to pretend eh? Biology is stupid anyways.”

Alex winced under Carrick's aggression. His voice was getting rather loud, drawing the attention of not only the other students but the gaze of the teacher. Good god don't let his first day back in school result in a fight. "I wasn't talking about genetics. There's no denying the variety we have in this room alone. I wouldn't deny my own either. I was talking about situational normal. School, a roof over my head, talking to people, ya know." he explained, hoping the other boy would understand.

"Sorry if I'm excited to be in contact with the world in a situation that isn't survival based." He turned back to his own paper, figuring if he just concentrated on getting it done Carrick would take the hint to just drop it. He wasn't looking for a fight and Carrick wasn't going to wrangle one from him. He just wanted to enjoy his day like everybody else, for once in his life.

Carrick laughed slightly covering up his own misunderstanding, ”Thought I meant you hate mutants? No, normal is boring.” Carrick said taking his sheet of paper and crumbling it up into a ball. He didn’t do assignments anymore. Not since Liz wasn’t around. ”This is boring.” Carrick said recalling his time scraping for a penny more enjoyable than this. He’d always could have called his parents for money but still he enjoyed struggling to make a penny.

”Survival…” Carrick laughed, ”What’s the point of surviving if you aren’t living.” Carrick said simply flashing his teeth towards Alex now with a bigger mischievous grin on his face. ”Buncha sheep n’cattle” Carrick said rolling his eyes.

”Thought I meant you hate mutants? No, normal is boring. This is boring.”

"Well you did point out mutations specifically, so I'm pretty sure you were talking about that."he stated not buying that he was initially talking about situational normality. He was starting to get annoyed at this guy. He spoke big, like he was better than everybody else, like he was too good for this stuff.

”Survival… What’s the point of surviving if you aren’t living. Buncha sheep n’cattle”

"Hard to live if you don't survive and honestly where do you think everything that makes your life so cozy comes from. Those sheep, as you put it, made this building, which I assume you live in, made the A/C which you are currently enjoying, deliver the food you eat to the stores you buy from, pave roads you use, program computers you use, make vaccines that keep you alive, even study the genetics that make up you."he said pointedly, glaring back at him. That cocky smirk doing nothing but piss him off. "Sheep; normal, everyday people, both mutant and human alike, are what make everyday existence comfortable for jerks like you. Hell, they improve it every year because they work within a functioning society that encourages growth. But what do I know, huh? I'm just a geek."

He wondered if Carrick even understood, hell even cared, that he's been fighting for this. Looking for a place that was safe and normal and didn't come with the caveat that he might die or loose people after they become close to him. It was important to him and he felt insulted by Carrick's commentary.

A sly smirk came across Carrick when Alex called him on his attempt to cover himself. Clearly he was more on the ball than some of the other kids here. Meaning he’d be more fun to annoy and mess with or he’d just be more annoying when Carrick couldn’t talk his way out of anything. Reminded him of Koga a bit.

His smirk widened when Alex gave him a speech about how everyone was to thank for everything he used. Most of the things he didn’t really use. A/C was overrated and it got colder the higher he flew so that if he was too warm he’d just fly or open his wings which allowed for him to catch some breezes. He stole whatever he couldn’t pay for and his parents paid for the room and board here. So he was lucky there he guessed. Carrick’s tail flicked angrily when he thought about his parents being those sheep and cattle then again his father probably did more stealing than he did.

”Glad you understand what you are ya geek.” Carrick said knowing he was annoying Alex which now was what he wanted to do more than ever. ”Case ya haven’t noticed. Don’t have much need for roads.” Carrick pointed to his wings as one opened up and brushed against Alex’s shoulder. ”Road’s are for the cattle. I have no need for computer’s either. Sure I can use one but wouldn’t be too upset if I never touched one again, and for the genetics, why do I care what makes me up? Doesn’t change what I am or what I do. Not gonna change anything.” Carrick snapped his wing back making sure he did it fast enough to cause some wind to ruffle Alex’s papers he was so concerned about.

”And this society does anything but encourage growth.” Carrick muttered more to himself in a low growl. ”You need to lighten up abit boyo. All wound up might cause ya to snap the rope.” he folded his arms leaned forward onto the desk.

This guy was getting really annoying, the hypocrisy was probably the biggest problem. Then he had the nerve to tell him he was wound too tight, as if he had nothing to do with it. Honestly, how could any one be so idiotic. He did his best to keep from getting visually angry and only rested his arm on the papers to prevent them from flying off. Carrick had his full attention now, he could feel the constructs in the back of his mind bristle with his tension.

"Out of curiosity, if your so above it all, why are you even still here? Why are you even bothering living here? Or going to classes? Or hell even staying in the city? The majority of the U.S. is cover in farmland and forests. Why not go feral and just leave society behind?"he pointed out, keeping his voice low as the teacher began to lecture, "Unless you admit on some basic level that you need other people and all the advantages society brings. That you can't actually survive on your own, that even if you have wings you're too afraid to use them. But of course you wouldn't because that would destroy your rep, the big bad monster that doesn't need anyone."

Usually he wasn't one to do things like this. Usually he'd avoid confrontation when he could. But unlike those other times where he could simply walk away. There was no escape route to plan. If he didn't want Carrick hounding him from now on, he'd have to face the problem head on.

Carrick smirked more when he seemed to actually be irritating Alex. This was far more interesting than anything going on in the class and it was one of the main reasons he stayed where he was. ”It’s entertaining.” Carrick said as his wings snapped shut behind him. If Alex was trying to frustrate him with the comments about him being feral or a monster Carrick tried to not let it bother him. Sure he could become a monster but he normally had to be pretty worked up to do so. Him not shifting into his usual form lately didn’t help much with the stress either.

”I stay here because I want to.” he shrugged his tail swaying behind him as he looked down at his desk debating on walking out of the class before things escalated more. He thought about it but then decided not to. Not like anything else was going on today. If Liz were here she would have interjected right away preventing anything else from happening. She might even apologize on behalf of Carrick. However she wasn’t here and the thought of her not being here made him more irritated.

Carrick arched his back a little and his feathers on his wings ruffled making him seem a little larger than before. ”Basic level, I enjoy seeing the struggles of everyday people such as yerself. Insignificant, but entertaining.” Carrick took a step closer to Alex and gave him a big grin showing off his elongated canines, ”Ain’t no big monster here. Just a kid who is shorter than ya. Don’t need anyone, that’s true.” it was a lie he liked having friends however scarce they were now.