Into the Shadows...

A Clock and a Man

Mei arrives at the train station, finally, after an hour and a half walk. She hated this already, maybe she should steal a bike. No. Fuck a bike. That's stupid. Her ego is too big for a bike to hold.

She steps onto the platform, still somehow arriving before the train. Her mind wanders as she waits. Was it just a coincidence Dabi recognized her school uniform as UA's? She guesses it's possible since it's one of the top hero schools in the country. Maybe his 'family shit' has something to do with UA. A hero? A student maybe? Or maybe he used to go there? She dismisses the idea, simply making a mental note to keep an eye out for similar features and quirks.

A bell sounds notifying Mei of the train's arrival. Mei looks at a large clock on a far wall of the station. 7:30 a.m. The first class bell rings at 8:45 a.m. As long as there are no delays she should make it to class on time. Her stop isn't far from the school so she can take her time walking there.

The train approaches with of screech of its breaks, causing her to wince slightly. She patiently waits as the heavy doors slide open mechanically and the other passengers file out briskly. Normally, she'd just squeeze through, maybe trip someone just for the hell of it, however, Onyx brought up a valid point the other day after she opened the acceptance letter. That a hero school as dignified as UA would likely be diligent in maintaining a good reputation. Possibly going as far as monitoring the students in their everyday life outside of school. You know, 'plus ultra' style. Regardless of whether it is true or not, she decided to be on the safe side for once and act like the eager student-hero they expect her to be.

Which means...she shivers at the thought...being nice.

She mentally gags at the thought of being nice to people. All the time? Sounds exhausting. This mission surely has its fair share of obstacles to hurdle.

She makes her way through the crowd of passengers boarding and fortunately finds an open seat. She sets her backpack on her lap, holding it tightly. Although, she found the thought of a villain mugging another villain on her way to hero-high school very amusing. Ironic as well.

She leans her head back on the seat and closes her eyes as the train jolts into motion.

She stares blankly at the wall clock. She didn't understand what it said. No one taught her how to tell time. She only knew it to be night from the open window in the living room. She would normally be putting herself and Kyo to bed but, tonight was an exception. She heard the muffled voices of a conversation in the next room, but she didn't bother to listen.

Some men in dark uniforms escorted her father to a black car after he came home from work. He yelled at them and fought while they place metal cuffs on his wrists behind his back. She could hear the thumping of his fists on the car window, even from their shabby second-story apartment. She found it funny for lack of a better word at the time.

The sticks in the clock ticked by. One tick. Two ticks. Three ticks. Maybe that's how you do it, she thought, tell time. Four ticks. Five ticks. Six ticks. No that's not quite right. They all move. The red one is the fastest though.

"The girl saw everything."

She heard the voices in the next room getting louder as footsteps approach the door.

The long one ticks every time the red one passes it, she noticed. There are so many lines. So confusing, she thought.

"He claims he didn't kill his wife, that the girl has a bad habit of lying."

"Even so, there's something wrong going on here."

The short one is on the 'eight' now. The long one is between the 'five' and the 'six'. She thought whoever made the damn thing was dumb. There are too many lines.