[ Miss Jenny ]

I don't like this, thought Geoffrey.

He avoided standing out, but it simply wasn't possible.

His question was short and to-the-point. Everyone should've quickly turned back to the teacher for an answer, yet looks lingered.

Everyone notices the clown at a funeral, even if he stays quietly in the back...

"To answer your question," continued Jenny, "the disciplinary committee oversees enforcing student safety. They're the primary body taking care of enforcing the rules and voting new ones."

The bell rang, but hands raised rapidly. Half the class had follow-up questions, but Jenny's smile vanished. 

She took her folders in her arms and walked toward the exit, leaving the students with their hands up as if she couldn't see them anymore. 

Right before she reached the exit, she quickly added with a tone unlike anything she sounded until that point, "Your first assignment is choosing a class president."

She then left and shut the door behind her.

Quiet chatter ensued, students turning toward their classmates with scared looks on their faces.

That teacher might be a problem, thought Geoffrey.

"So, what's your name?" 

Geoffrey's neutral gaze went to the student who sat right before him. 

His short but vibrant yellow hair barely outshined his smile. Compared to Geoffrey that student looked extremely energized. 

His face showed no sign of exhaustion, while most seemed to tire out by the second from the sheer stress.

"I'm Geoffrey. What's yours?"

"I'm Jet. What's up with your hair? Why is it constantly changing colors? Your eyes as well... It's like a whirlpool of paint."

Straight to the point...

Jet had no undertone to the way he spoke. What he said seemed to be what he felt, simple wonder and curiosity.

The other students nearby stayed silent, casually listening to their conversation out of curiosity, too.

"I'm not sure. I didn't know my eyes had changed until you just said so. I thought more people would be the same way I am."

"Nah. You're the only one who's this colorful. Death did warn me my appearance might change, but I look a lot like what I did in the real world."

Geoffrey tried his best attempt at a smile that would hopefully show hints of 'uncomfortable', but his classmate either didn't care, or simply couldn't pick up on that.

"So, why did you kill yourself?" asked Jet.

Geoffrey arched both eyebrows in disbelief.

"That's enough. He's clearly uncomfortable."

The girl who approached was the one with green hair who spoke up earlier. Now that she had gotten closer, Geoffrey could tell she was a shorter than what he initially thought.

He could tell she was prettier as well.

"And who are you?" asked Jet.

"Emilia," she answered.

Jet studied her face for a moment but ultimately smiled. 

"Alright, Emilia, sorry for making you uncomfortable, Geoffrey."

Happy with herself, she smiled at Geoffrey.

"Ahem, sorry everyone..."

The classroom that was growing in whispers and chatter suddenly reverted to quiet, as someone was in standing before the classroom.

"I'm Peter. I'm happy to be with all of you in the A class. Before everyone leaves for lunch, I wanted to get to know everyone a little better. No need to go into details, just names would even work. We're supposed to spend next year together, and even vote for a class president, which will be hard if we're all strangers."

People nodded, agreeing with Peter.

The leader type. Not a bad thing, depending what kind of leader he is.

The classroom started introducing themselves. Some only gave their names, while others went a bit further into it. 

The one who spoke the most was unsurprisingly Jet, who spent half of his time describing what kind of food he liked before Peter stopped him, inviting Geoffrey to introduce himself.

Alright.

Geoffrey stood up, pushing his chair slightly back as all heads turned toward him.

"I'm Geoffrey. There's nothing special that I like or dislike. Good meeting you all."

He sat back down, his introduction letting everyone down. 

The price of standing out. Everyone should know what to expect, now.

"Alright," said Peter. "I'm the last one, so I'm Peter. Like you, I decided I would attempt having a second chance at life. I do not know what awaits us for the coming year, but I know we'll need to pull together."

Everyone nodded. 

His tone was calm and composed. He wasn't stressed, nor looking for his words, a natural public speaker.

"We need a class president. I was hoping maybe we could try to vote right now, so we don't need to worry about it later."

Geoffrey slightly frowned, while the room remained silent.

Jet was the first one to break the silence, standing up in one move.

"There's no point. We haven't even known each other for a day. I'd rather wait until I know everyone a bit more than vote right now for people I don't know."

He then walked out of the classroom, waving his hand while disappearing in the hallways.

"We can at least discuss it..." said Peter.

Two other students, however, got up and left.

Those who remained seemed unsure of what to do. 

"We can still try to come up with something, even without them," said Peter.

"I think he's right," said Emilia. "it'd be better to discuss with everyone present too. It's not fair if we do this with half the class absent, they'll feel left out."

A lot of people verbally agreed to what she said. Geoffrey noticed hints of annoyance on Peter's face that quickly faded into his smile.

"Alright, then, let's just enjoy our lunch break."

As he said that, a symphony of chairs being pushed back could be heard as the class started emptying, most leaving the classroom.

Eventually, Geoffrey followed everyone out, making sure to grab his black card with one last glance at those who remained behind.

Peter, with other students who most likely were too anxious to leave the classroom, remained behind to chat.

And just like that, the first faction is created, I guess.

Peter didn't seem too bad, and Geoffrey had no doubt he would pull together anyone who stayed behind in the classroom. 

Having people who trust you, that you're able to easily influence would be helpful for the trials.

If things keep going the way they do, I won't need to create a leader out of one of them.

With one last look behind, Geoffrey reached the hallway.

Trying to surprise him, Jet, who knew no physical boundaries, leaned on his shoulder with both hands, inches away from his ear.

"Hey! Oh, wow, that didn't scare you... So stoic... Let's eat together."