I quietly knock on the classroom door. If I had been there earlier, maybe the teacher of the class wouldn't be mad at me, because it's already 0430. Oh, well. Walk in, drop off stuff, walk out.

"Come in," a harsh voice says.

I open the door and push it opne with my back, tightly grasping the box.

The door shuts close as I walk into the classroom.

Professor Taling glares at me. "You were supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago, Miss Steller."

"I'm sorry," I reply.

Some of the kids in the class snicker, and I feel my cheeks growing hot as I head to the back table.

But a kid pushes his foot out, and I trip, landing flat on my face.

"Late and clumsy," the kid snarkily says.

But as I hurridly clean up the stuff, a girl leans beside me and helps. The one with the wings.

"I wouldn't help me if I were you," I whisper.

"Why?" she asks.

"Your professor doesn't like interruptions."

Sure enough, the class becomes quiet, and I can feel the professor's glare on the back of my neck.

"If you wouldn't mind, Miss Steller, I suggest you stop interupting my class and go back to your lab, or I will make sure you're punished during Battle History, The Science of Mutation, or the Science of Fear, or any other classes of your at that. Or when you take notes during Arena time," he growls. "Diana, please go sit down, or I will see that there are consequences." 

She hesitates but finally heads back to her seat while I finish picking up the objects. I then head to the back table and drop off the box, turning around and heading back towards the door.

I quickly open and close the door, and once I'm on the other side, I breath a sigh of relief.

I hope that the girl with the wings survives the Arena. She didn't seem bad. I should see her at lunch anyway. Maybe I can help her then.

I stare at Diana as she finishes the boys off. Funny. Just like the formula....

We head off to the next class when I remember the data.

"I have to stop by the lab first," I tell her. "I'll be there later."

"Okay. Have fun, I guess," she says.

"Thanks," I reply. But if the data won't load, it won't be any fun.

I arrive at the lab, and I head straight to the computer where my formula data, still loading for a day now, is at 88%. 

"Still working on that other formula?" Sadi, another intern, asks as she walks into the room.

"Yup," I reply, still focused on the screen.

"It should load any day now," another intern, Reya, says as she walks into the room.

"I hope," I say, tapping my fingers impatiently on the screen and then putting my hand down and tapping the table.

"Anyway," Sadi continues, talking to Reya. "You about the new person?"

I interupt. "Yeah, I know her. The girl with the wings, right?"

Reya and Sadi nod nervously and fidget.

"What?" I ask.

"You know her?" Reya asks.

"Yeah, why?" I respond, confused.

They look at each other.

"Look-" Reya begins.

"Reya!" Sadi hisses. She looks at me with a guilty smile. "Er-"

"Just tell me!" I say.

"She's your formula!" Reya blurts.

Sadi kicks Reya a bit.

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

"You see," Reya replies. "You know that one formula you were working on a while back?"

"Yeah," I scoff. "So?"

"Soooo," Sadi says.

"That formula has been used," Reya replies. "It's a mutant formula, but it was used to help that girl, Diana was it, to become the, um, mutant that she is. I mean, all you did was finish the formula the scientists were already looking for."

"Who is she?" I ask bluntly.

Sadi's at the computer, searching her up on the files.

"Um, let's see... Oh no," Sadi says.

"What?" I ask, walking over to her computer.

"She's a washie," Reya replies, looking at the screen.

It reads:

Past life terminated. 

Name: Maria Rachael "shadow" Brown

Species: Homo Sapiens

Formula for mutant used: SD-03176 

More information: Injected from before birth to now, parents terminated in order for SOCS to have complete control over Maria. Brother an experiment gone bad. Maria, a resistance leader.

Current life:

Name: Diana Loren Chase

Species: Homo sapiens Aves

Personal means used: Horse named Diana, number 13, more loading

Mutant ID Number: #4729475729

"We told you," Reya says. "I'm sorry they didn't ask for your permission."

But I can't hear them. All I'm thinking is that my formula ruined someone's life.  

I walk to my table, the one in the very far corner. I sit down, looking around at everyone else. Observe. That way you can figure out their weaknesses. It always helped to know beforehand how to defeat someone.

I stare at the table with the new-comer. She has wings, so naturally she attracts the gaze of all of the other students. It would be fun to fight her in the arena. An added aerial attack would help to figure out what to do.

I watch as a group of boys walk over to their table. Henri is at the head as always. They start to taunt Alissa as usual. She was an easy target. Normal on the battlefield, but weak in school. I had beaten her a couple of times. Not in the Arena, though. Then the girl with wings stands up, and kicks Henri down. Chaos ensues, but soon the boys are writhing on the ground.

Surprising. I never thought that someone could do that, being a newcomer. Seems as if the Arena was going to be harder than I thought. 

"Hey Keavin, what are you looking at?" I ask.

I follow his eyes to see the new girl with the wings and Alissa being picked on by Henri's Idiots. But one word from Henri gets him sprawling on the ground along with the rest of the group. Alissa and the new girl, I think her name is Maria, walk off with the entire school staring at them.

"Who is she?" Keavin asks.

"Maria, I think," I reply as I finish off an apple.

"When's Death Day?" he asks.

"Tomorrow," I reply. "Hopefully we won't get put in a group together."

"You say that every time," he scoffs. "What are the chances?"

I shrug. "You never know. The Arena is unpredictable."

"Kingsly lost last Death Day to Rord. That's who I want to face," Keavin mutters.

I sigh. "Yeah, Kingsly. Poor guy."

"Rord cheated," Keavin says, clenching his fist.

I shake my head slightly. "I don't know, but that was an ugly fight."

Keavin stands up. "I don't want to talk about it."

I nod and we both head to class. 

(CAPTCHA says "find." Find what?) 

"Leva, where are they?" I ask. 

We're hiding out somewhere in Elliot's base. Of course I'm in one of the last places I want to be.

"I can't read them," she says.

We attached a small sensor to all of their clothes while they weren't looking, and Leva has the control.

Nira looks at the control and nods. "I can't either- Wait!"

"What?" Leva and I ask in unison.

She shoves the sensor at us, and Shadow's light goes off. She's near us. Like, in the same building.

"I'm going in," Leva says, getting ready.

Nira pulls back her scruff. "Oh no you're not. I am. I'm the oldest."

I shake my head and pull back Nira's scruff. "I'm going. I have the most experience."

"Guys!" Leva whines. "It's not fair!" 

"Don't pull that kind of hairball," Nira snaps. "Let Mina go."

"But what if they recognize her?" Leva argues.

"They won't," Nira replies. "They're used to the Mina with metal. Mina's not metal anymore, and she has a stronger pattern of tortiseshell. She looks different."

"How will I get in?" I ask. "I have to pretend to be a student and stuff, right?"

"Yeah," Nira replies. "I'll hack into the files to make one that says you're a new student. It'll be no problem, 'cause it'll look like you applied and they accepted. They have so many students that apply, they won't be able to tell."

She takes out a small device and connects it to another.

A few minutes later after several rock, paper, scissors matches with Leva, Nira unconnects the devices and sighs. "Done."

We slip through the hallways to find a long hallway between the two buildings- Elliot's base and, what presumes to be by the signs on the walls, the SOCS school.

"Good luck," they both say before crawling inside the ventalation system.

"I know friends in this part of the woods," Nira says, reassuring me. "We'll be fine and we'll be here for you."

I nod and hug them both goodbye.

It was all too fast, but then I find myself in a hallway of bustling students. Many stare at me as if I'm some sort of rare specimen, and others just glare. Whatever.

But then I hear a voice that couldn't have been more welcoming.

"Mina!"

I turn to see Shadow standing in the crowd with a smile on her face. 

"No, you don't understand," I say, suddneley changing my mind and turning around.

Shadow looks back at me. "What are you talking about?"

I sigh and walk over to her, avoiding the students. "I'm here to help you!"

She scoffs. "No way. They know who you are."

I glare at her impatiently and take out a picture from my little pouch in my coat.

It's a picture of me about a year ago. When I had metal, when they knew who I was.

Shadow looks at it and then looks at me.

"Besides," I say. "Nira gave me catacts."

"What?" Shadow asks.

"Um," I say thinking. What do humans call those? Oh yeah. "Contacts. I'll slip them on in the bathroom, but that's beside the point. Shadow, you need someone else with you. Someone that, if they figure you out, can bust you out of here."

"But how will you become a student?" Shadow exclaims. "You don't have a dorm, or classes!"

"Show me to the office," I reply. "Nira hacked into the files. I technically am a student here."

"But how about your name?" Shadow argues. "You were registered for Catastrophe and Co.'s army."

"I was assasin #5794201, and Ravage. Never Mina," I reply.

"Fine," Shadow mutters. "You win." 

"Death day," I mutter to Keavin.

He nods, obviously thinking.

The teacher draws out Robert the Jerk's name, and I smirk. Keavin and I have both beat him a couple of times. All muscle and talk, but terrible battle strategy.

Then they pull out the new girl's name. Diana.

Lindsey, the girl next to me, shouts in confusion.

"New kids aren't suppsoed to be picked!" and yada yada.

Looks like Keavin and I dodged yet another day to the death in the Arena.

Diana looks nervously at Robert but finally nods to herself and walks off with one of the teachers. Robert smirks as if it's no big deal.

We head out into the artificial sun, all of the students and base members cheering or placing bets. Pathetic vermin. They don't have a life so they make one out of taking someone else's.

Diana and Robert step out into the ring as the corwd raises to a roar. I take a seat beside Keavin and look nervously out at the crowd. Even with all this training, none of us really like Death Day.

Right as the match starts, a cat comes and takes a seat beside me. Her fur is in a beautiful tortiseshell pattern, and she has vibrant blue eyes. I wonder what experience she has.

She glances at me and notices that I'm looking at her.

I politely nod. "Hi."

"Hello," she replies.

"I'm Eliza," I say.

"Tate," she replies.

"Are you new?" I ask.

"Yes, but I know about this school. I applied and everything," she says.

"Ah," I reply awkwardly.

Suddenely the bell rings, and the match in the Arena starts.

Robert the Blundering Idiot charges at Diana and hits her so hard that she blows back.

Tate tenses.

Diana staggers to her feet and takes flight. She then dives at Robert and kicks him across the face, and he falls to the ground.

After a few blows by each side, Diana finally does the diving trick again. But this time, she acts fast enough so when Robert falls, she puts him in a head lock.

She hesitates as he struggles beneath her grasp.

"Go on, finish him off!" the announcer says.

She continues to hesitate.

"Or you'll both be dead," the announcer continues. 

She pauses and then finally twists his head to the side so hard that he goes limp and drops to the ground.

Robert's body is taken away, and Diana is headed towards the Recovery room.

We all file out of the room.

"Where is she going?" Tate asks.

"Who, Diana? Oh, she's going to the Recovery room," I reply as we walk out of the classroom.

"Can I see her?" Tate asks.

"Sure," I reply. "Follow me."

We head through the hallways in silence when we finally reach the Recovery room.

We open the doors, and there Diana sits on a white bed, having her vitals checked.

The doctor finishes, and walks out of the room. I follow wondering how know each other and what they'll talk about.

I think I may be a little lost... Last I checked, Mina was Ravage. Oh, well. I'll do some reading over the break if I can. And if anyone cares to fill me in, please do.

This is weird... XD Usually I'm the one telling people what's going on. Oh, and please let's all say what charrie we are at the beginning of an RP post. It really helps avoid confusion.

"Are they all gone?" I whisper to Shadow.

She looks around and nods.

I sigh a breath of relief and then look at Shadow. She looks pale.

"You're not used to killing for entertainment, are you?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "Would you be?"

I shake my head and sit beside her. "Nah. But we're in an arena of savage animals, so not much can be done about it."

"Oh. I guess you're right, Mina," Shadow replies.

I look around and then lean in. "It's Tate."

Shadow smirks. "Tate?"

I sigh and roll my eyes. "Nira thought of the stupid name."

"Well in that case, I'm Diana," she replies.

I nod and stand up, and we both walk out of the classroom. 

Wait, do we need to move this whole Sprocket/Mina/everyone else thing to another thread? Am I with you guys Mina?

Well. The Arena certainly was interesting. I did not expect that of the Diana girl. I would have to watch out for her.

I am buffeted along with all of the other students, heading towards my next class. I hated this place so much. All of the pain. The fighting. The loneliness. I had been trying to escape for a while now, but so far I had failed. I had a small part of me that wanted to have someone magically show up and say that they were going to take me out of here, but I knew that would never happen.

My next class was Fear. I definitely was not looking forward to it. Their "real life" simulation machines were a little to realistic. Lets just say it wasn't fun.