Strangers

2. Boy, ain't I Special? HaHa Nope

Dad forced me to get up early. Sitting in the school office, there's twelve of us. Most of the other students here with me are the normal welcome crew, the always too happy kind of kids. I know some of these kids are nice, but there's a one that I'm questioning. Mark Smith has never been a nice guy. I know from experience. I don't know how the school board would allow him to welcome anyone, let alone welcoming history making students. The girl sitting next to me won't shut up.

"Do you think they will like try to use their powers on us? What do you think they look like? Do you think they will look more like us or look weirder?" She bables nonstop. I'm tempted to tell her everything she wants to know, well a less nice version of what she wants to know, a lie version. My dad along with our principal and a few other government officials walk into the area that we're sitting in, thankfully shutting up the one girl. Dad is the only one who looks excited in anyway. The other officials just look like they are dying. I really hope dad isn't the one giving some welcome speech. In fact, I hope there's no welcome speeches. I hate that stuff.

"Stop looking so died. You guys are about to be a part of history, and you look like you're in morning," my dad jokes as they usher us out the front doors. "You're excited, aren't you Noah?" Yes dad I'm excited to do something that I hate doing which is interact with strangers. I smile and nod to fake him out. He takes the bait easily allowing me to shrink back to my normal shaddy self. Outside there's an armored bus surrounded by new reporters. Mixed into the crowds there's also protesters, and considered parents. There's a handful of cops on each side holding back everyone as well. As we exit the school, the bus door is opened and people all around start freaking out. One by one Alasworian teenagers walk off the bus. The girl that wouldn't shut up before now is stunned into silence. As each one reaches the sidewalk, an officer scans their right wrist with a handheld scanner.

For years people have tried to tell us that the Alasworians were monsters like the ones that frighten children from under the bed in stories, but they aren't though. Each of the students that walk off the bus like just like any other students. The only difference is they all have multi colored hair and none of them of the colors are normal. They all also have paper white skin. I've always been told I have a very pale complexion, but these guys make me look black. If it wasn't for the hair these guys could pass as normal all american teenagers. There's six Alasworvian females and five Alasworvian males in total. We have five girls and seven guys. Most of them seem chill. They don't seem scarred. Then again they don't seem confident either. I catch one of the girl's eye as they line up in front of us. She smiles back. Her eyes are gold, I realise. Dad steps forward and with a handheld mic.

"Welcome everyone to the first day of the future. Today we bring two groups of people together for the better of our world. We learn together. We evolve together. This is the first step. I've been working towards this day for twelve year, so students please greet your new classmates," dad says waving us forward. No one really jumps to shaking hands. Everyone just mozies towards each other. The gold eyed girl grabs my hand and grips it like she's no going to let go.

"I'm Ember," she smiles, "I'm happy to make your acquaintance." For a second, I forget everything around me. Ember and I are the only two people in a empty field. My feels like it's on fire, but I'm still just holding Ember's hand. There's a mist surrounding us so that we can't see anything around us. The air is cold enough that we can see our breaths. "You see it too," she whispers, letting go of my hand. Suddenly we are back in front of the school. No else seems to have been affected by what I just experienced. Dad is just about to take us all back inside the school. I fight the growing idea to run away from Ember and follow everyone else back inside. I keep my eyes fixed on the people ahead of me, but I can feel her staring at me. We are taken to the gym, where our principal has all of the Alasworvians' class schedules and other paperwork.

"Each of you will be given a partners of the same sex that will help you get around the school and help create a smooth transition," the principal says handing out packets. Dad has been given the task of assigning partners. He's not the best problem solver all the time. There's more girls than guy. I keep catching Ember staring at me out of the corner of my eye. Dad finally comes between us. I can see he's mentally panicking.

"Ember, we didn't know that you were coming, so we don't have enough girls so if you wait here Mrs. Jork will go retrieve another female," he stutters. She smiles warmly and places a hand on dad's shoulder. Ember then sets her face, staring at dad like she's staring into his soul.

"That's alright Mr. Harstrum. I'd rather be placed with Noah," she says. Dad doesn't answer for a second. He just keep switching his weight between his heels and his toes.

"I'm sorry the rules are that you have to be with a female classmate. Noah isn't able to..."

Ember cuts him off, "you will allow me to be partnered with Noah, Mr. Harstrum." Dad nods and repeats exactly what she said back. She breaks her stare and every human in the room collapses with the exception of me. The Alasworvians aren't paying attention to me though. They are all death glaring Ember.

"I can not believe you just did that. You're going to get us kicked out the first day Ember!" A girl with neon orange and white hair hollowers. Her red eyes are seemingly on fire. "We aren't supposed to use our power outside of our homes. Just because..."

Ember shoots her a look and fire eyes shuts her mouth. Everyone stays silent after that. No one really knows what to do, but at the same time no one has really realised that I'm not comatose. A girl with neon pink hair neals down to dad and checks his pulse. She lets out a large sigh of relief when she find one. It never occured to me that he could be dead, and I panic.

"What did you do?" I wheeze. Reality kicks in and I can't breath. "Ember what did you do?" The fire eyes girl snaps her stare on me, and once she does the other nine start looking at me too.

"She compelled everyone to do what she wanted. Relax they should wake up in a few minutes," a guy with Neon blue and green hair says. I nod, but I don't fully trust him. "I'm Tuck." He reaches out to shake my hand and I grip it. He basically crushes it. "Sorry, I'm still learning to control the strength thing." I'm trying to keep my cool, but everything has turned into a freak show.

"How was he no affected Ember?" Fire eyes has finally realised that this is bigger than just the dozen people passed out on the gym floor. "He should be out. He's human," she almost sounds scared, but I can't see her being scared of anything.

"Fury keep your mouth shut. I'm not that powerful," Ember says. "Noah maybe we should all get to class?" I would much rather figure out why I'm not passed out, but I agree. Ember grabs my hand. We are halfway to the door when Fury speaks up again.

"What do you expect us to do?" She yells. Ember looks over her shoulder and the room turns to ice.

"Problem solve, it's a school of six hundred. There's got to be another 10 that will help you guys out," Ember smiles flips her purple tipped white hair over her shoulder. Suddenly she pull me out of the gym and into the busy hallway. "Where to now Noah?" Crazy, that's where to; I'm pretty sure I'm going crazy.