6 V

"Black! Black!" I groaned as Dragonfly tackled me trying to shake me up. It was not dawn yet, the sun had yet to appear over the horizon. "You're gonna be late for school!" I felt for my shades and put them on, opening my eyes drowsily. He grabbed me once more by the front of my shirt and shook me up.

"Fine! Fine! I'm up!" I shoved him off me and made my way to the washroom to wash up.

"Say, Black? Think I can tag along?" He asked from the living room. He had slept on the floor next to the couch, though I had offered him to take it. He declined, forcing me to take the couch either way. He proclaimed it was because of my injured back, but the floor would've been a better choice.

"Eh? But I thought you said I deserved to suffer?" I pointed out; his face heated up flaming red. He sputtered indignantly.

"Of course, you deserve to suffer! After you put me through...!" He trailed off. "You know what?! You go on solo today! Let's see how you handle humans that aren't your prey." He crossed his arms and threw himself against the couch, like an angry toddler. I rolled my eyes at his act.

"As you please, brother. As. You. Please."

===

I took off to the school solo, the next day, paperwork already mailed (electronically) to the principal. They called it Skyline Highschool since the main building of the school was one of the highest peaks in the district. It was also one of the biggest and best schools around.

I entered the campus - enclosed by a "decorative" fence, that was no doubt electrically charged.

As I turned to leave, I noticed a girl sitting alone on one of the bleachers: her black hair fanning around her slim shoulders. She appeared to be writing something with a pencil and a notebook both of which did not appear to be electronic.

It was especially strange, since any form of art, craft or writing (unless done on a computer) was considered useless knowledge and a waste of time. The third district believed that humans are flawed, very much so. They believed that human error was inevitable: that humans were incapable of completing a task without having something go amiss. Instead, they believed in "modernization" as they referred to it. Most of the things - all of them - were done on either by an AI or sent to the districts' database. I stood there examining her posture; her eagerness.

Keep going. I ordered myself, but I couldn't. There was something... amiss? Familiar?

I did not know what it was.

The girl, was in uniform, wearing a straight skirt in scarlet that reached down to just above her knees, her socks were white and reached just above her calves; she wore running shoes: scarlet and navy. Like the boys, the girls wore the same jacket thinly striped with the same colours as her shoes and skirt.

I sidled towards her. Her face was obscured by a curtain of her black hair appearing to be golden in the intense light from the sun.

Don't! Go away! Move on! She is not important. My mind screeched at me, or maybe they were the silhouetted people. I moved on anyway: a moth drawn to a flame. The dead flicker in and out slightly as I moved closer to her until I stood right next to her. She didn't seem to have noticed.

"What are you doing?!" It came out a lot harsher than I meant: an accusation rather than a question. The girl was startled as she jumped out of her chair in fright and spun to face me, her notebook and pencils discarded on the ceramic pavement.

Her eyes were a striking golden and she narrowed them on me. I took the chance and picked up the notebook and the pencils discarded. As I rose to my feet, I realised I was mistaken. she was not writing rather what I held in my hand was a perfect rendition of the scenery in front of me. It was perfect. Every line captured to the slightest of details without a fault... almost.

She snatched the notebook away from my hand, her face flushed.

"What's your problem?!" I stared at her: Flabbergasted.

"The sun was drawn wrong," I answered as I walked off towards the main building, trying to push the girl with the golden eyes out of my mind.

===

The bell rang, signalling the end of the first period. Students rushed in from all directions hurrying and scurrying to their second-period classrooms, wanting desperately to avoid detention and the hall monitors. I entered the main foyer and glanced around me for a sign of my target, but no such luck. I sighed deeply.

Guess I'll have to do it the hard way. I followed the crowd of students and took a deep breath for the patience it's going to take not to slaughter any idiots on the spot.

Keep it cool, no need in labelling yourself as a psycho when trying to fit in.

I advanced inside as the doors opened to let me in the school grounds, which reminded me of a 21st-century airport. The walls were polished to perfection, but lack of windows and natural light made it seem almost cruel and uninviting much like league facilities.

No wonder they call it an institution.

The teacher, much like in League facilities was an AI with the name of Mrs Walker. I walked in, realizing how badly I really stood out, especially considering my choice of wardrobe. I was decked out in my usual black slacks and with my leather jacket, leather boots, the shades, and the cosmetics used to disguise the horrendous scar (a gift of Selene). I looked... like an assassin.

Well, so much for blending in.

"Okay, students. Before we start the class today, I'd love to introduce a new student to all of you. I imagine you'd be polite and kind to him, otherwise..." The robot trailed off. "Come in, child." I did.

"Would you like to introduce yourself, Mr Anderson?" The "teacher" asked me. I looked around and inclined my head to the substitute.

"My name is Alexander Anderson, though feel free to call me Lex for short," I said absently, keeping my voice and tone detached and smooth.

"Ok. Thank you, Lex." The robot said as she turned around to face the other students. "Mr Lex here had gotten perfect on every test. He's also quite unique and I expect you all to give him respect and kindness, understood?" The class nodded, and a couple of the students also muttered a "yes".

One student, the same girl from the bleachers stared at me as if I baffled her. Something was off about her and she was so lost in thought that she was startled when I took the seat right next to her and caught her staring at me. I cocked my head as I studied her, raised an eyebrow and said:

"Something the matter," Her student card was discarded on the desk, "Katarina?" I added her name, giving her a tedious smile. She shook her head and then blushed slightly feeling embarrassed at being caught, perhaps. It was a... I don't know what it was, but she reminded me of Grace whenever I'd catch her stealing cookies at the middle of the night. It was the kind of blush that would make you smile back and hold them close or tease them to death about it. She faced the front of the classroom, toying with her pencil as if she needed the distraction to talk.

"Nothing. We just don't get a lot of newbies around here. Especially not dressed like that." Her voice was soft and low, lyrical perhaps. I could feel her regret over the words; it was evidential in the deep depth of her golden eyes. She looked away through the window. I didn't comment as I scanned the rest of the students.

"Katarina..." The raven-haired girl stared up from the sketch she took out startled. She got startled easily as if she was paranoid someone was going to jump her, but why? "You wouldn't mind showing Mr Anderson around, would you?" The girl looked at the teacher and then at me and gaped.

"But... I-" It was hopeless, and the girl was cut off by the AI (Artificial Intelligence) making the decision for her.

Poor thing,

I turned and gave her the sincerest sheepish grin I could muster as she returned to her sketching of the raven birds. I didn't listen to the lecture, but neither was I focusing on the task at hand. Instead, I kept sneaking glances at the girl's sketch and her talent. The perfection of the drawing in front of her and the precision at which she drew. It was oddly mesmerising.

The class finished with not much of anything, just the usual welcoming for the new mysterious kid and the never-ending questions. The place was a living hell, how do people stand it? But then again, it was the law that anyone under the age of 18 must attend high school and wasn't even considered an adult, which included myself, being that I was barely 17 years old at the time. I sighed,

I would love it if I can get out of here by lunch, but I knew it wouldn't be that easy. It was why I dragged Darling along. Even though he was a mere lazy 19-year-old idiot most of the times, he was the best at tracking people and reading them. Unlike me, he knew how to act around them, what was acceptable and what was not, how to charm the ignorant, how to influence, how to get information without the other person even realizing that they are offering it in the first place. Sadly, much like cooking, diplomacy was not one of my fortes.

"Mr Anderson," I glanced away from Katarina's sketch and towards the AI. "Mr Lex Anderson, shades are not allowed in the classroom. Please take them off."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because it is not allowed, Mr Anderson." The voice of the AI was more rigid.

"Well, I can't take it off." I shrugged.

"Why not?!"

"I have a disease." I countered: the kids laughed.

"A disease? I am not aware of any diseases that will require someone to wear shades indoors."

"Then a defection perhaps?"

"Do you have a defection in your eyes?"

"Yes."

"Show me."

"I will not."

"Mr Anderson!"

"Mrs Walker," Katarina's soft, lyrical voice interjected. "I believe that Lex is correct. It states in the code of conduct of our school that if one's parents are informed about it and with a doctor's note, a person can do what they please regarding any sorts of defection, and/ or illness." The AI turned to face her.

"Very true Miss Drakos." The AI gave what appeared to be a smile. "How would like it to join Mr Anderson for detention today?" The girl's eyes were lit, blazing with anger: a fire so deep it took my breath away.

Katarina opened her laptop and started typing. A few minutes later the "teacher" AI was in a very different mood.

"Oh. Mr Anderson! I really like your shades."

The entire class stood up, clapping as Katarina got up and gave a sarcastic bow as if she just performed the greatest show of all time.

"Thank you!" She said blowing sarcastic kisses to the "audience". I was highly amused: my jaw was slack. She glanced at me with a devil's smile that somehow made her even more appealing.

I just found the hacker!

She bowed to me last.

- "You're welcome."

- "Where did you learn to do that?" I asked, and she shrugged.

- "Maybe it's none of your business."

The bell rung, it was lunch time and so our tour had begun with the cafeteria of the school. She was all but dragging me after her, arm in arm. The weird thing was that the silhouetted people were gone whenever she touched me.

How very strange!

"Okay, welcome to the school's cafeteria!" Her voice was again full sarcasm.

Damn! She could give even Darling a run for his money!

We took a seat closest to the window; she left to grab us "some" food. The moment she left the dead came back with a vengeance. They were so loud my ear bled as I frankly wiped at it, hoping no one had noticed. Katarina came back with a lot of food: a lot of it. She handed one of the trays to me. She took a seat next to me and the voices immediately quieted down.

What the hell was wrong with them today? With me?

Katarina took out her notebook again and started sketching while simultaneously shoving food in her mouth. I hadn't even realised I was staring until she let out a long-suffering sigh.

"You..." She shook her head in annoyance. "Why are you staring?" She accused. I glanced at the food she just attacked and the amount of sugar, then at her slim figure.

"Cause you're weird." I shrugged: my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Says the guy that looks like an assassin!" She accused stuffing more chocolate in her mouth.

You have no idea!

The rest of the tour included a visit to the "library", which was more of a computer lab filled with hypercomputers that would automatically connect one person to selective databases that the students can use as resources. It was one of these computers that were used to hack into one of the League's databases. One of the generals, Poseidon (the general of the third district), claimed that it was how they located the hacker in the first place. I didn't believe that. I was more under the idea that she might've done it on purpose. Though why would she want to expose herself as such? I studied Katarina intently as she spun on and continued the tour, showing me the labs next. The labs were more for observational purposes rather than actual hands-on experience as such more AI littered the space and it held no allure to me. Therefore, the two of us concluded the tour, entering our next period classrooms.