Marc had spent so long loitering outside that the bell rang before he was even in the building. He half-ran across the courtyard and somehow found his way to the corridor which he was supposed to be taking his first class in. Outside the door there was a girl who looked as though she had been crying, and another girl who introduced herself as 'Darian' before walking away. Marc felt a lurch as he looked at both of them, but had no idea where it came from. Something, however, called out to him that they were ... the same as him.

But that was ridiculous. He'd only just met them. Actually, he hadn't even met them at all. Shaking his head, he followed the timid girl into the classroom, where the teacher immediately picked up on their tardiness.

"And you'll be the new student, will you?" he asked him. "Marcus Thorn?"

There were a couple of sniggers at his name. "I'm Marc," he mumbled, taking a seat at the back. He didn't want to be here. After the events which had got him expelled from his last school, he was very scared that he would lose control all over again.

"Where are you, Scott?" he whispered under his breath. Scott was his twin brother, who had died when they were found in a cardboard box outside the police station. Marc had stopped mentioning it, because he knew it upset people, but Scott visited him all the time in his dreams and sometimes even in the waking world.

"...Mr Thorn was expelled from Brookborough High and is joining this school as of today." Marc tuned in as the teacher finished off his introduction and caught the glances of several of his classmates. No doubt they were interested in why he had been expelled. He certainly didn't look the type: he was small and very skinny, and the clothes he was wearing hung off him. He kept his brown eyes down on the desk, willing himself not to snap.