M O N D A Y

Seungmin stepped out, locking the door behind him. The night's still dark. It's early, just another day of high school. He stretched, raising his arms above his head, exhaling a soft groan.

Chan, from across the street, gave a wave, his smile bright in the contrasting darkness of the early morning. The younger boy walked over, seeing Woojin by Chan's side.

He did them each a small handshake. "It's too early to be up," Felix said, joining the three boys, Minho by his side. They walked along the empty streets, the lights of the neighborhood barely bright.

Soon, the rest of the boy's joined: Jeongin, Hyunjin, Jisung, and Changbin, were at their side, joining in on the conversations. It was always like this: the nine boys joking as they walked to their bus stop, their bright personalities making the crack of dawn way more fun.

"How did you fail that test, they gave us the answer," Jisung cracked up, slapping Seungmin on the back as he laughed. Seungmin gave a sheepish shrug, the others laughing along.

Felix went to lean on the bus-stop sign, a smaller figure slinking under his arm before he touched the pole. The koala-hybrid jumped back, his ears flattening on his head.

What the hell, he thought, sharing similar looks with Minho.

The girl glanced back, looking at the nine boys as she passed.
She sighed, turning the volume of her music higher to drown out the thoughts they produced.
"Just another day of school," she whispered, her words being audible to Seungmin.

As the bus pulled up, Chan turned to his friends. "Everyone covered up?" The group nodded: Hyunjin made sure his wings were comfortable, Chan slid his tongue over his filed-down fangs, the rest checking their ears and tails.

The girl tightened the tentacles around her body, zipping her jacket up. She was ready for another day of school — another day of hiding.

The boys watched as the girl gave the bus-driver a slight nod, taking her usual seat at the front of the bus. They followed soon after, each getting their regular spots.

The hours of school were same-old, same-old.

Every minuscule look the ten teens received was enough to make them double-check their cover-ups.

Felix made sure his hair fluffed up to cover his ears.
Hyunjin tucked in a feather that peaked out every so often.
Jisung and Minho checked their tails, making sure they didn't leave prints on their clothes.
Changbin fixed his ears under the beanie he wore, and Y/n used her left arm to cover the end of a tentacle that became exposed when she sat down.

///

It was the dull school day, nothing out of the ordinary; likes it's been for a good half-year.

Y/n stared at the clock just as it rang.
Finally.
She packed her things, carelessly tossing her bag over her shoulder. Along the way out, she passed two boys who each shared loud thoughts, their audible words equally as loud.

"I failed because of you! Why didn't you help me?"
"If I did, I would've failed too!"

The girl acknowledges the voices belonging to Hyunjin and Jisung but paid no mind as she strode past the two boys, her head down.
"Don't cause a scene, don't get caught," she silently pleaded once she claimed her seat on the bus.

///

Woojin huffed as he dodged the oncoming crowd of people swarming out of their classes.

"Where are they," Changbin asked from beside the older male. "I hear them, but I can't see them."
I.N. snorts. "That's because you're short, they're over there."

Woojin catches Chan's eye, silently communicating.
They can't cause a scene. Not here, at least

Hyunjin felt his wings flare under his leather jacket when Woojin grabbed his shoulder, whispering a demanding, "Not now."
Seungmin grabbed Jisung's bag-strap and tugged him along.
Jisung realized what could've happened, and he felt his stiff tail relax.

Unknowingly to the nine boys that quickly scrambled to their bus, a feather scraped against Woojin's claw. Being tugged from its pore, it fluttered to the ground before any of them could realize.

///

As the busses came to life and the hallways of the school cleared, a student made their way past the classrooms, desperately trying to catch their ride.

Sadly, the vehicle speeded past them, bringing a gust of air with it. Trash, along with other things, lifted into the air. The student caught sight of a light brown feather. It flowed past them, glinting in the sunlight.

With a shocked stare and shaky hand, they grabbed the feather, racing back into the school, shouting, "Hybrids!"

///

The girl tilted her head back onto the seat. With a puff of air, she groaned. She didn't know why her head hurt so much: there weren't any crazy thoughts, and the music she played wasn't loud.

The bus jolted as it went over a pothole, the girl's head pounding in sync with the movements. Y/n jumped forward, her hands reaching up to massage her head, a thought hurting more than it should.

This person wasn't talking loud; they were screaming.
"Fuck," the girl whimpered, hearing what the person was screeching.

Hybrids!