[CENTER][h1][color=00FF7F][b]Ryan Mendoza[/b][/color][/h1][/center][hr][INDENT][sup][color=silver]Tuesday, August 21[sup]st[/sup], 2018 - 07:34 am[/color][/sup][/INDENT]As always, Ryan had risen bright and early in anticipation of the incoming school year, though her approach was made with just a little more trepidation than usual. Honestly, her enthusiasm had been dampened lately, and while she'd hoped the break would give her a chance to shut down some of the more inconvenient anxieties, her thoughts didn't seem to have cleared up any. It was frustrating, to say the least, and a distraction she didn't need. She paused, frowning uncomfortably as she fidgeted with the cord around her neck.

It really was confusing, though. She had no idea what she was actually doing wrong, only that she was failing to keep on track. Not that she would talk to anyone about the whole mess, of course.

At least she was getting these worries out of the way now, as she made the long-ish walk to school. Her dad could have given her a ride in his van, of course, but he had to work, and they certainly couldn't afford a car of her own. So, walking it was. Only a few miles, at least, and by now she'd gotten used to it. Like most things, it became part of the routine.

And routine was the word for it, first day or not. She'd already pretty much mapped out how things would end up going. She'd arrive maybe twenty minutes before the bell, enough time to find her classes without having to rush about it. Then there'd be an assembly, first day of school and everything, and she'd smile and nod and soak up whatever faux-inspirational speech they happened to come up with this time. It had never stopped her from playing along, but she'd always felt the time spent on assemblies would be better used doing something productive. Her classes would either be interesting or boring, but either way she'd appear enthusiastic and engaged like a good little student.

Lunch, well, she'd spend sitting at the corner of a table, head down and ignoring everyone else around her in favour of scribbling notes in her diary. If she kept her head down, she doubted anyone would pay her much attention, and even if they did she'd studiously ignore them. Not looking at anyone at all seemed like the best bet, honestly. Right now especially, people seemed unnecessarily distracting to deal with. Plus, she didn't want to go discussing murders. As far as she was concerned, it made sense for it to be a hyperhuman attack, so there was no point in letting herself worry all too much about the whole thing. After that, it was simply a case of returning to her good student role until the day ended.

Then she'd go home to recount the whole thing to her parents, and her mother would stand beaming in pride before suggesting she go to her room and and read ahead on everything she'd been introduced to. So she'd sit at her desk, on a chair that was broken, but not broken enough to use what little spending money they had on a new one, and study until her eyes hurt. Get called down for dinner, which would at least be good, mom being a pretty stellar cook, and if she was lucky she'd have time to read a few chapters of a book before falling asleep.

Either that, or she'd stop by the Harborview and do her studying there, depending on how stressful today turned out to be. Not that it'd ultimately change the routine all that much.

Rinse and repeat for the rest of the year. Easy enough, really.
[hr][INDENT][sup][color=silver]Tuesday, August 21[sup]st[/sup], 2018 - 02:26pm | The Loft[/color][/sup][/INDENT]And sure enough, that was basically how the day had played out. Utterly unremarkable, the only slight break coming from the assembly - which had at least been somewhat interesting. Something to do with seeing a new face, she supposed, though she had been interested to see who else had been picked out as having so-called exceptional potential. The people actually here were... a mixed bag, she'd say. Exceptional seemed to be stretching it just a little. She'd appreciated the praise in the spirit it was meant, but her initial impression had left her slightly unsure whether being included here was actually a compliment.

Beyond a slightly bemused expression, though, she hadn't felt any temptation to speak up. Like it or not, she was here now, so she'd just have to hold back her judgements until she'd experienced more of the class. And Mr. Lehrer - or Jonas, she supposed, although being informal with teachers had never come naturally to her - at least seemed interesting enough to hold her attention, rather than the type to drone on and leave them all half-asleep. The subject of the class was also intriguing, even if she wasn't entirely sure what it meant.

Nonetheless, a letter of recommendation and credit for her replaced classes was enough motivation for her to pay close attention. She glanced at the keycard, uncertain whether she'd ever actually use it, but grateful for having access to somewhere private. It was hard to find room to collect her thoughts around here. Whatever this class was, apparently it came with a few special privileges.

Smiling to herself, she finally turned her thoughts to the question on the board. Her classmate's answer was to the point, but also [i]way[/i] too cynical in her mind. After a couple seconds' pause, she tentatively raised her own hand. Better to answer as well as she could, if only to gain credit for making an effort early on. Teachers liked it when you answered their questions, right? That was what you were meant to do, so with that thought in mind she spoke up.

[color=00FF7F]"I guess... people have control over whether they obey their urges. Or, um, the capacity for it. We don't have to run on instinct, we can think about how our actions affect the wider world."[/color] There was a nervousness about her, unsure whether she was saying something wrong somehow, and her initial confidence quickly dissolved into worried clarification. [color=00FF7F]"What I mean is, uh, people do bad things, and just about everyone wants to do the wrong thing sometimes,"[/color] she winced a little at that, [color=00ff7f]"but we can decide to do the right thing too. It's being able to make that choice at all which makes us different, I think."[/color]