Stack of medical school application portfolios and interview notes sat next to a name tag that read “Dr. Edward Shaw”. The owner of the desk traced a symmetrical scar with his thumb and forefinger in a thoughtful gesture all the way from the corners of his mouth to the edges of his jaw and finally to the place where they met under his chin. Then, he started the gesture again.

His three colleagues across the desk were still discussing the peculiarities of one of the medical school candidates in particular.

“Most unusual,” it was not the first time Dr. Mortensen had used that particular phrase today.

“He's got an excellent school record, if it weren't for that odd date,” Dr. Stevens pointed out. “You don't suppose that he meant to say he graduated from Harvard in two-thousand-seven rather than nineteen-o-seven?”

“I find it interesting that he claims to already be a healer and yet wants to go to school to learn how to heal people,” Dr. Piepe added.

“He certainly looks very interesting,” Mortensen fanned herself with a manila folder that held someone or another's credentials. She couldn't get over how strange it had been to sit on an interview committee across from a unicorn man. It was like something out of a bizarre fairy tale.

“Even without all his oddities, I'd still say he's borderline,” Stevens remarked. “Honestly, if he didn't have a horn and a tail, there really wouldn't have been anything that really stood out about him in any way.”

“He seems motivated and his test scores were very good considering his bachelor's wasn't even in pre-med,” Piepe stated,trying to keep this meeting professional, despite Dr. Mortensen's gushing comments about the man's oddness.

“You don't suppose he'd cause a distraction for the other medical students, do you?” Mortensen looked to Shaw, still waiting for him to answer. She knew all the rumors about how he felt toward mutants, especially the visually interesting ones. He was the top surgeon at the Church of Humanity, for heaven's sake.

Edward Shaw was the only one who hadn't yet spoken, either for or against accepting Mr. Csendes. He wasn't really listening to the banter, either. He was remembering the last time he had met the unicorn man with a slight smile on his face. To have him in a classroom, to observe him as he interacted with people under normal circumstances would certainly be interesting. To find out what his abilities could do combined with medical knowledge, even more so.

“Let's take him,” Shaw's low voice crackled as he spoke.

Mortensen shook her head in amazement, “Most unusual.”

New York University, School of Medicine
1775 York Ave
New York, NY 10128

Sebastian Csendes
1375 6th Ave. #101
New York, NY 10128

Dear Mr. Csendes,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to New York University Medical School. Registration takes place at the Hollingsworth Student Union building on April 26th-28th at 10:00 am until 4:00 pm. Photos for university identification cards will be taken at this time. Parking permits for the university will be on sale during this time as well.

Enclosed you will find a list of classes from which you may choose, along with the recommended course order for your particular field of interest.

List of required texts will be made available a week after registration and can be purchased at the college bookstore any time after May 3rd for summer classes. All textbook sales are considered final without an official notice from the registrar's office that a student has dropped a class within the first two weeks of the new semester.

Congratulations,

Dr. Edward Shaw, MD.

Professor of Medicine and Admissions Coordinator
New York University, School of Medicine