As Oliver sat down for his first-hour class, blazing his way through the homework he had failed to do the previous night, he began to get a pounding headache. He was the only person in the class, as school had not started yet. He asked to go to the bathroom, figuring that a little water splashed onto his face would do him good.

	He felt worse with every step he took towards the restroom. His head felt like hundreds of pounds of pressure were attempting to escape his skull. And whatever had been happening with his mind earlier that morning had increased ten-fold. It felt like his mind was racing at a pace he had never seen. And he ould hear voices, incomprehensible whispers that he swore belonged to the other students. As he stumbled into the restroom he looked at himself in the mirror. He was shocked to see that his eyes were almost bloodshot with a strange cyan color. He gasped and stumbled back as the pressure in his head came to a boiling point.

	He shouted and threw back his head the pressure leaking from his skull and shattering the mirrors above the sinks. He felt exhausted immediately afterward. He held his head in his hands for a moment, the pressure feeling as though it was now in invisible tendrils snaking out from his mind. The whispers had become louder and louder still. He could hear the thoughts of everyone in the school. He whispered under his breath.

	"Shut up!" And the voices ceased. Oliver was quite shaken up by these events. He walked out of the bathroom with pale skin and shaking hands, hoping his eyes weren't still looking freaky. Since he still had some time before school started, he headed to the cafe. The homework could wait, he needed some soda. On his way there he said "Hello!" to the wheelchair-bound girl, Carol. They played soccer together, or more correctly he tripped over his own feet while she played. Until her injury, at least. They had grown distant since then, and it bothered him. They had never been [i]friend[/i] per se, but she seemed pretty cool. Whatever deity was listening knew he needed some friends.