The next morning finds Anna handing over two demerit forms to Joyce in the office.

"Two of them?" she shakes her head. "Tammy," Anne points at one of the forms. "Didn't believe that Josette would actually lock the doors at nine like she said she would. She talked the other girl into staying out after curfew."

Joyce shakes her head. "We always get one who don't want to obey the rules." She puts the demerit forms in a binder as Anna heads for breakfast. Josette's in her usual spot and Anna fills her tray and takes what's quickly becoming her spot at the table as the others arrive at the buffet line. Alexander and Michael come in from the direction of the boys dorm and Josette waves them to two of the free spots at the table, they nod and fill their trays before setting down. David looks over at the table and takes the last spot, they all start eating before turning their attention back to their class schedules. They all have history this morning and science after lunch.Josette tells them history is another class where they'll be assigned a group project, but Professor Druid assigns individual projects in her classes. Since they already know each other they decide to sit together in History and work on their project together. Michael and Alan have government with Josette and all three students have full to bursting book bags. Thankfully their history class is in the same building as their government class so they don't have to go far.

They move their seats around into a group when they walk into the room, pulling out their books and supplies for class when the teacher arrives. He starts handing out papers when the last student sits down and everybody goes over the syllabus for class, paper due at the end of the semester on one of the topics listed, and he passes out a sample final before they open their books and he starts lecturing on the first chapter, they end up having to read the chapter and answer the questions at the end of each section as homework with a quiz for the next class before they're dismissed.

Michael, Josette, and Alan put their bags over their shoulders and walk down the stairs to the first floor, setting down as the others straggle into the room over the next ten minutes. Professor Zeigler comes in pushing a cart filled with stacks of papers that he hands out before he starts lecturing. The class makes a mad dash for the door, Josette just chuckles and takes her time putting her books away before walking to the girls dorm. She puts her schoolbooks on the table and fills the bag for her afternoon class before checking the mailbox and walking to the cafeteria for lunch. The others are at the table and wave to her when she walks in, she nods and starts filling her tray before setting down.

"So you survived Government?" Abby asks her brother, grinning.

"I swear I've never seen so many students moving for the door at the same time." Alan shakes his head. "It didn't seem to bother him."

"Nope, Professor Zeigler is a real teacher, a room full of teenagers running when he releases them from class doesn't bother him in the least after dealing with politicians. He's proud of the fact that our first year government class is tougher than some university level classes." Josette agrees.

"Is everybody taking Spanish as their language class?"

"Nope, I'm taking French, the class is only half-full so the teacher has time to work individually with the students. The library has a whole selection of language courses on tape and computer, I might check them out and then sign up for the class later."

Alan shakes his head as Josette inhales her food and goes up for her second meal, but she sees she's not the only one who's doing the same thing. Professor Zeigler nods at her from the head table and she grins at him.

"You tormenting the students again, Toby?" Principal Madison chuckles.

"First year students, they always think that Government is an easy class." he smiles. "I get them coming back the following years though, even though they swear they never will their first class."

"So how was your year off to teach the university class former President Bartlett asked you to handle?"

"God, what are they teaching these kids nowadays? I had one of the students complain to the administration that the class was 'hard', the administration called me in and started talking about how some students were complaining and while they were happy to have me as a guest teacher for the year, I really should stick with the syllabus the other teacher used. I told them that was the syllabus the other teacher used, the next class I showed the students the syllabus for my government class and told them fourteen year olds took this class. And these were supposed to be graduate students. I'm glad that I'm home."

"We're glad to have you back too Toby." Druid says. "Now any chance of him returning the favor and teaching one of the advanced classes for us?"

"That depends on how much he pisses off Mrs. Bartlett by being bored since he left office." Toby snickers. "Well I'm off for my first second year class, lets see how much my students missed when I was gone."

The other teachers chuckles and shake their heads as Toby walks off. "Josette looks like she's making some friends." They watch as she fills her tray again and settles down to eat as the others put their trays away. "Josette looks like she stopped at the dorm before coming to lunch." Principal Madison says. "Yeah, she said she had history and government this morning, and her bag isn't straining at the seams with books. Does anybody know who she has after lunch?"

"Me." Druid says. Josette looks at the clock and finishes her third tray of food, putting it on the conveyer belt before heading to the dorm to brush her teeth before class. Heading to class, she finds the others settled in a group with a spot left for her, smiling in thanks she settles at the table when Professor Druid comes in and shuts the door.

"Welcome to your first year science class students, as everybody knows from orientation I'm Professor Druid. This is science 101, one of the few classes that you have to take every year along with English and Math. This year will be a general guideline to science, the school offers specialized classes starting your sophomore year." She hands out the syllabus and guidelines for projects. "You've all been assigned projects due at the end of the semester in other classes, I'm doing the same thing. For those of you who haven't been assigned individual projects, the guidelines for the papers are in front of you. They're similar to group projects but you won't have to put all the information together in one paper. On the other hand, you also are responsible for the entire project so if you don't do your work, there's nobody to bail you out. Starting your sophomore year you are responsible for coming up with a topic for your project due at the end of the semester, this year I will be assigning topics. Please come up to the fishbowl on my desk and pull out a slip, on the slip is the topic you'll be writing your paper on."

The class comes up one by one and takes their assignment, Druid writing each one down in her course book before they go back to their seat. She then starts lecturing, going over part of the first chapter before the class ends. Homework is to finish reading the rest of the chapter and answering the questions at the end of the chapter for Thursday. Everybody heads to the library after class and half of them walk upstairs to look online for information while the others settle their bags at a table and start looking at books. Josette's gift to touch the books and find the information they need saves them some work and they have information for each of the three papers they've been assigned by the time they leave the library at six to go to dinner.

Dropping their bags at 'their' table, which magically seems to be empty, they swipe their meal cards and start filling their trays. Settling at the table, they start talking about how to work up the outline for their projects due at the end of the month. After everybody's eaten, they split up, Josette booting up her desktop computer when they get back to the dorm and starting on her homework, printing it out when she's finished and stapling the sheets together for class Thursday. Putting her math and language books in her bag for tomorrow morning she looks at the time and cleans the litter box before throwing the dirty litter, and her garbage from the kitchen and bathroom, in the dumpster down the sidewalk.

Checking the phone she sees its finished charging and sets up a tracfone account online, putting in the number from the phone card and sending her caseworker an e-mail with her new phone number before putting the phone in her purse before checking the time and walking out to make sure the girls are in for the night.

Once again Tammy seems to be deliberately ignoring Josette's instructions to be in before nine o'clock, Josette stands at the door filling out the demerit form as she storms in the dorm, ripping up the demerit when Josette hands it to her.

"Congratulations, you just got the first detention of the semester," Josette hands the third demerit form, with the word DETENTION written in all capital letters across the top. "for tearing up the demerit form. I'm sure Principal Madison and Professor Druid will love lecturing you all day Friday for your attitude." Tammy tears up the third form and heads up the door, the sound of a door slamming behind her making Josette sigh.

"Stupid little brat." Josette says under her breath as the girls walk down the hall to the dorm monitor rooms. "Always one who thinks the rules can't possibly apply to them."

"Oh not again!" Joyce complains when Josette brings the demerit forms to the office the next morning. "I'll tell Principal Madison, he'll call her in for a talk before classes today."

Tammy is smirking at Josette across the cafeteria, until Principal Madison and Professor Druid stand on either side of her, glaring down at her. "My office, NOW!" Principal Madison says and Tammy gulps, realizing that she might have bit off more than she could chew by acting like a spoiled little brat.

"Stupid twit." Josette mutters as she's led out of the room. "Attention all first year students, please report to the auditorium at twelve-thirty for a special announcement. It will only be twenty minutes, you'll be able to come to lunch afterwards." Professor Druid announces before she turns to the teachers. "Will you announce it at your classes for students who aren't here?" The teachers nod and she walks out of the dining hall.

"Any idea what's going on?" David asks Josette.

"Yeah, Principal Madison and Professor Druid are going to be laying down the law about listening to us dorm monitors when we say they have to be in the dorm by nine o'clock. Old Tammy is in a world of hurt and I'm afraid all the first year students are going to get blamed for her bad behavior. The teachers are not amused by her behavior and we all might be losing some privileges for it."

"What kind of privileges?"

"Not being allowed to catch the shuttle into town for at least two weeks unless its something like a doctor appointment. Being escorted to classes, the cafeteria for meals, and back to the dorms after dinner. Not being allowed to go to the library or bookstore. Worst case, being allowed to leave our rooms for meals and classes, but otherwise we're in our rooms 24/7 for up to a month."

Everybody shudders.

"Has that happened before?"

"Yes, last year as a matter of fact. The idea is that by punishing the whole grade, the student causing the bad behavior is supposed to see how their bad behavior affects their peers. It's some of our school psychologist's mumbo jumbo new age crap about how to punish unruly students without actually punishing them. All it does is make everybody in their year turn against them because they keep pulling their shit."

"Kennedy?" Susan asks.

"Yep," Josette says. "She thought she was so damn special and started walking around like the head rooster at the henhouse, when I gave her a demerit for being late after the first day students got off lockdown and everybody started yelling at her, she snapped and turned against me. Unfortunately for little Miss 'I'm so special because my Daddy's rich' her strength didn't do a damn bit of good when it came up against my mixed martial arts fighting skills."

"Wipe the floor up with her?"

"Oh yes, and everybody was laughing at her because I'm not exactly muscle woman here."

"I didn't know you were a mixed martial artist, don't most of them have years of training?" Susan asks.

Josette looks at them and nods. "I didn't tell you the entire truth the other night. For those that don't know, I'm claustrophobic. My mother and I were trapped in our car during the freeway collapse in the Pasadena earthquake a couple years ago. My mutation emerged because of the trauma, that's why Druid had the other dorm monitor room until I started school, her own mutation emerged due to trauma too, in her case fire. She was able to help with the nightmares I had the first few months I was here."

Everybody nods. "I told the twins that my mother died in the accident. She did. . .but she didn't. When my mutation emerged, during the accident. . . I. . .I absorbed everything from my mother, her memories, her martial arts skills. . . everything. My mother was in a persistent vegetative state after the accident, she died over a year later in a nursing home, she never recovered." Josette finds herself being hugged on all sides by the girls, and when they release her, the boys. "For a while I was terrified to touch anybody because I thought it might happen again, but something happened and I realized that whatever had happened, it wasn't my fault."

"What happened?"

"Everybody knows that Principal Madison has the gift to absorb and throw electricity, right?"

The others nod. "Unlike a lot of mutants, he's not immune to his own powers. If he absorbs too big of a jolt, it will stop his heart. He got a large jolt last summer and the doctor was knocked unconscious in the same accident. I . . .I had to absorb the doctor's knowledge to use the defibrillator to shock Principal Madison's heart into beating again. He and the school doctor was sent to the hospital in Boston, Principal Madison has a pacemaker now to jolt his heart back into beating if it stops, the school doctor recovered with nothing more than one hell of a headache and fancy new hairdo to cover the five stitches in his scalp and I finally believed what everybody had been telling me, that it wasn't my fault."

"Should we be worried?" Professor Eppes asks Professor Fletcher quietly as he sees all the students embracing at Josette's table.

"She just told the others about her mother's death, they're comforting her, that's all. They're too young to be thinking about sex, at least not yet."

Tammy whimpers as all the students in her class, both boys and girls glare at her as she's led to the auditorium. After leaving the dining hall, she'd been taken back to the dorm where the demerits she'd ripped up the night before were still lying on the floor and told to pick it up and put it in the garbage by Professor Druid. Then she'd been taken to Principal Madison's office, where she was lectured by him, all the more effective by the fact he'd never raised his voice once, then he'd called her parents. And they definitely had raised their voices, telling her how disappointed they were she couldn't follow the rules for three days, she'd been warned there was a curfew and learning she'd deliberately ignored the rules had made her father swear for ten minutes, Tammy shrinking in her chair when he railed about having a stupid fool for a daughter.

Her whimpered explanation that 'but she's only a kid' had gotten her yelled at again, her father telling her that no matter how young the other student was, if she was in the position to have authority over her, she should damn well listen to the student.

When her father had learned about her weekend-long detention, he'd laughed as his daughter whimpered. Josette had told her what would happen but she had figured the girl was just trying to scare them. Then she thinks she's finally being allow to escape, only to find the rest of her freshman class waiting on her when she's led to the auditorium. '

"As everybody has no doubt heard by now, one of your yearmates decided that she knew better than the dorm monitors and deliberately stayed out after curfew two nights in a row. When receiving a demerit, she ripped up the form and threw it on the floor, thus getting her third demerit and detention for this weekend. To further hammer in the fact that this behavior is not acceptable, all of you will be confined to your dorms until Saturday. You will be escorted to your classes. the dining hall, and you will not be allowed to leave your rooms without the permission of the security guards who will be patrolling the dorms."

"What about the dorm monitors?" somebody asks.

"We're in the same damn boat as the rest of you, thanks to Tammy being a spoiled little brat." Josette snorts. "Security will be securing the dorm and shutting off the lights because Tammy decided I was just a kid and deliberately stayed out after curfew to try to show us who's the boss."

Everybody glares at the girl on the stage, Tammy trying to hide behind Druid until Principal Madison says something. "Okay everybody, security will be escorting you to the dining hall. You'll be allowed to return to your dorms for ten minutes to get your books for your afternoon classes. Josette, I know you have classes Friday, you'll be escorted to your classes after breakfast and lunch."

Everybody scowls at Tammy as they walk to the dining hall, the dining hall is quiet as the students glare at Tammy who ducks her head and slowly eats.

"Guys, our school e-mails are our first and last names at the school name dot edu. We won't be able to talk with each other outside of class until Sunday, but we can e-mail each other about our assignments."

The others nod. "And go to the snack bar before security escorts you to the dorms if you haven't had a chance to catch the shuttle into town. You can fill a bag with stuff to eat in your room."

"Thank you."

"This ain't my first rodeo living through a situation like this." Josette sighs. "And it could be worse, it's only three days." she looks at all the other tables angrily glaring at Tammy or hissing at her if they're sitting at the same table. "I just hope that stupid bitch learns her lesson from this, some of the other girls look like they're ready to rip into her."

The others take her information to heart, heading to the snack bar after lunch and filling a bag before returning to the table. They're escorted to their rooms, Josette quickly putting her bag of snacks in a cabinet so Samhein doesn't investigate it and grabs her English book and homework, walking into the hallway and joining Susan and the twins to be walked to English. Their homework is handed in, a quiz passed out, and homework assigned again before the students are walked to the dorms.

Tammy stares at the wall when she's put in her room, what the hell had she thought she was doing when she decided to show Josette who was boss by staying out after curfew. Her yearmates hate her now, and she can hear the other girls laughing on the bottom floor as they loudly talk about the stupid newbie. And while the other girls would be getting out of this in three days, she still had detention to look forward to this weekend.

Abby and Anna settle at the table and desk in their dorm room, starting on homework until a knock on the door tells them that they're being taken to the dining hall for dinner. Settling at the table, they see all the other students are ignoring Tammy and from the quiet way she's eating she realizes how badly she's alienated the other students.

"David, Michael, why don't you go tell the other boys about the snack bar? Anna, you and I tell the girls about it and if they need any feminine supplies for that time of the month to ask the security guards to take them to the bookstore? Nobody should need any school supplies this early in the term but if they do, they can ask to be escorted to the bookstore."

The four split up, Anna going to one table and Josette the second filled with first year girls.

"Girls, don't forget to get some snacks in the snack bar if you haven't had a chance to get into town to go shopping yet. There's bags you can fill and if you need any stuff for that time of the month, tell the security guards and they'll escort you to the bookstore."

"Josette?" Tammy timidly asks.

"Yes Tammy,"

"The school takes our security very strongly don't they?"

"Oh yes, Mutants still aren't widely accepted in the world, a lot of our students have been rescued from bad situations. The school wants us inside the dorms by nine unless you have a job or a night time class, so that if there's trouble they know where everybody is and they can quickly get us to safety if needed. Having you deciding that 'I don't have to obey the rules' makes them go looking for you and then somebody can get hurt."

"I. .. I never thought about that." Tammy says quietly. "I just figured you were trying to be a bully and make us do what you wanted."

"Did you have a curfew at home?"

"Yes," Tammy finally admits.

"Why?"

"Because we lived in a rough neighborhood and my family. . . wanted me safe."

"Same thing here. You've had your only warning from the school, get over your attitude problems. I've been a Dorm Monitor for three years now, ever since I arrived at the school. There's rules for a reason and I don't like new girls thinking they can do whatever they want because they might be bigger than me. Ask any of the older girls what happened to Kennedy when she tried, they'll tell you the entire story in graphic detail."

Josette walks away from the table, walking over to the table Anna had left to make sure Becka's dealing with the situation okay and walks back to the table, seeing Professor Druid smiling at her.

All the students walk to the snack bar, filling bags and coming back to the tables so they can be escorted back to their dorms. Back in the dorm, Susan begins putting things away in the refrigerator and the containers she'd purchased at the superstore Monday before settling at her desk and picking up her schoolbooks, getting a head start on her assignments for next week. Putting down the book, she opens the bag and pulls out a salad, ripping open a packet of dressing and drizzing it over the salad, adding croutons and picking up a plastic fork.