Tommy sat in the bus, gazing out the window with his mind buzzing from the power nullifier. What the fuck was he doing there? Being a hero was dumb, but what else could he do?
If he’d stayed in California his gang would’ve tried to kill him. He was good but not ‘fight an entire gang’ good. The only family he’d ever known was somewhere far away in witness protection, he’d betrayed his gang for them and now he was all alone.
Ravenhold Academy? It was dumb, but what other option was there?
“Hi friend!”
Tommy blinked. Was someone talking to him? He turned around and came face to face with… Whatever that thing was. It was like a giant bird that someone had attached a human face onto.
Tommy just went back to looking out the window. He wasn’t going to deal with whatever weird shit this was…
However the bird-person shoved himself onto the seat, “I’m One Z! You can call me Onez! What’s your name?”
Tommy looked back at him, Onez offered a taloned hand for him to shake.
“Do I look like I want to talk?”
Onez tilted a hand to the side like a confused pigeon, “Yes?”
“You really are a bird brain then,” he sighed
“Thank you!”
“What do you want?” Tommy sighed.
“Your name?”
“Tommy, happy now?”
“Yes!” a lion’s tail happily swished behind Onez.
Tommy may not have noticed before but now he can see a lion tail swishing happily behind Onez. “Normally I don’t need ask to know people’s names but this.” Onez tapped the power control collar with a talon. “This makes the world very very quiet and I don’t know as much.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Ever since I was created I could hear things from people all the time even when their mouths weren’t moving! Sometimes they say two different things and it can be very confusing. There have been some people who I could only hear one voice from but this is the only time I can only hear one voice from EVERYONE. It’s very weird.” Onez waved his weird bird arms excitedly as he spoke.
“I didn’t actually mean for you to tell me about it, weirdo.”
“Oooohhh so your two voices were saying different things.” He nodded in ‘understanding’.
“It’s an expression, now buzz off.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Fuck off, leave me alone, go away.” Tommy says.
For once Onez’s dumb smile went away. “Why?”
“Because you’re bothering me.”
“Did I do something wrong?” Onez asked, looking hurt.
Fuck. He was being an asshole. Tommy sighed. “No… I just need to be alone.”
“Is that what your other voice is saying too?”
“Yes.”
Onez slowly got up and found an empty seat, leaving Tommy alone with his own problems.
Ravenhold Academy 
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