"DON'T LOOK like no psychopath to me." Willie pointed as we all stared at Marcus, who sat in a chair tied up with a bag over his head.

"Can't judge a book by its cover." Saya argued.

Billy then stepped foreword, his colorful mohawk being the highlight of attention, "But you can judge one by its smell." He then ripped the bag off Marcus' head, having him curiously look at all of us, but mostly me since I stood in direct viewpoint.

"He's cute." María commented as though he couldn't hear us.

"Yeah total 'hobo fancy' cover boy material." Billy remarked, but kept his voice at a minimum.

Willie then spoke up again, "What you say, mad dog? You the psycho that did the boys' home massacre?" I look at Willie, with furrowed brows. That's what he did? He massacred a bunch of kids?

Marcus scoffed, "Pretty tough barking at a dude tied to a chair."

"Untie this punk-ass bitch." Willie told Billy and he whipped out his knife.

"All right, but my money's on Hepatitis Harry."

"Forgive my students." Master Lin suddenly said, coming inside the room, making me move over to the side. Lin walked in more as Saya pulled out a chair for him, "They forget that viciousness serves only to make them look weak. Billy, if you'd be so kind," Billy then reach over to break him loose of his restraints. Marcus quickly rubbed his sore wrist as Lin took a seat, with his tea steadily in his hand, "Are you satisfied with your life?"

"Me?" Marcus wondered, sarcastically, "Yeah. I eat trash and I sleep in piss. Everything according to plan."

"Speak to Master Lin with respect." Saya threatened, going toward him, but Willie held her back.

"Master Lin can eat my shit." Marcus bluntly says, before looking around the room, "Who the hell are you people?"

"What's important is that we know who you are, Marcus." Lin said, sipping on tea, "And that we know what you've done. You're a killer," Marcus' face suddenly dropped, "Few value this particular proficiency, but I do. What if I told you there's a home for people like you? A school where you'd be surrounded by your peers."

Marcus clicks his tongue, "Only what? I dress up like a Viking so you can take tasteful pictures?"

"I'm offering you a chance to harness that fire inside you. To master the deadly arts." Lin explains to him.

"The deadly arts, yeah." Marcus whispers to himself, I guess, coming to the conclusion that we were all insane. He stood up from the chair and grabs his bag to toss over his shoulder, "That, uh- that sounds great. You know, this all seems really sane and normal, and y'all look like a fun bunch, but whatever this is-" He cuts himself off and walks through us, shoving Willie along the way, "Later, days."

"Master Lin, shouldn't we go after him?" I asked as he sips on tea and Marcus walks out the door.

Lin choose not to respond as Willie searched his pockets, "That son of a bitch stole my wallet."

⏦

I was surprised when Lin asked me to go find Marcus again, but this time alone. It made no sense to me as to why he asked me and not Saya or María, but yet again, I didn't question it. Before I left his office he told me to do what I need to do to get him back here. I had to get him back.

I followed him for the second time of today, the sky seemingly looked as if the world was having an apocalypse. He never noticed my presence stalking him until he chose to lay out on a park bench to nap.

I stood in front of him, and chuckled which made him open his eyes from his uncomfortable sleep, "How did you-"

"Are you hungry?" I cut him off as he continued to look at me confused, "Well.. are you?"

He hesitantly nodded and I walked off to have him trail behind me until we reached this small burger place. We took a seat in the corner of the diner, instantly be given our menus.

I sighed as I looked throughout the menu, "I am starving," I suddenly said before glancing at him, "Aren't you? After all this hunting you down and kicking people's asses to save you, I sure worked myself up an appetite."

"What do you want?" He asked me.

I raise a brow and smirked, glancing over at my menu, "I want a medium rare steak with fries and onion rings. You?"

He shook his head to himself, "I mean with me. What do you guys want with me?"

I place down my menu to lean over the table to give him my full attention, though all I could take notice of was the scar that went from his eyebrow down to his cheek. Wonder what he did to get that. I bring myself out of my thoughts and cleared my throat, "We want to recruit you. Lin thinks you'd be a great asset to our school."

"Bullshit." He abruptly says before the waitress comes over.

I smirked and slouched back in my seat, looking at the waitress, "I'll take a steak, medium rare, your seasoned fries and onion rings with honey mustard," I tell her as I hand back the menu. I then looked at Marcus, snatching the menu from under him and giving it to her, "He'll have the same with two cokes."

She nodded before walking off to tell the cook our meal as I looked back at Marcus, who seemed deep in his thoughts, "Say it."

He brought his eyes up to me, "Huh?"

"Say what's on your mind. It's not like I'm going to kill you," I assured him before holding a smug look, "There's too many witnesses here anyways."

His eyes crinkled up and his lips curled, finding my words amusing before he shook his head, "This all seems so unbelievable."

I chuckled lowly, "You have no idea, kid." Soon our food comes and he wastes no time to stuff his face.

We eat in silence for the most part until he gulps down his soda and wipes his mouth with his sleeve, "What if I don't want to go back with you?"

"Then I'm gonna have to knock you out and drag your limp ass all down the streets of San Francisco and make you," I answer honestly and he smiled again when I leaned back in my seat.

"I think I could fight you off," He said as if it were true.

I look at him with a raised brow, "Cockiness suits you, but it doesn't mean you should wear it all the time. Won't get you nowhere but in a gutter."

He rolled his eyes and tosses a french fry in his mouth, chewing slowly in his thoughts once again, "What can this Lin guy do for me anyways beside put my ass in a school with other killers?"

"He can protect you from the cops," I began to list, "Keep you off the streets, and give you a bed of your own to sleep in."

"And what's the catch?" He wondered and I furrowed my brows, "What does he get out of all of this? What's his purpose and why does he want me there so damn badly?"

I shook my head, "Does it matter?" I then slid my plate away, "He's giving you a chance to better yourself and despite how he shows it, he cares." Marcus bows his head and I sighed, "And not to seem like a stone cold bitch, but.. what do you have to lose?"

He kept his head down, now fiddling with his fingers, "...Nothing."

I huffed lowly before I reached over and grabbed his hand, causing him to look at me, "Look, I know that your life is shitty and you lost everything you can give, but Lin is giving you a new chance at life. Aren't you tired of running and eating off someone else's plate?"

He stares at me silently, processing my words, knowing I was right, "Since my parents died, I was only capable of relying on myself- only trusting myself. I have no one in this world."

"Neither do I." I assure him as he looks at me with a certain kind of emotion that made me feel sympathetic, which I haven't felt since I attended King's Dominion. Part of me wanted to just hug him to make his pain go away, but I couldn't. For some dumb reason, I just couldn't. Instead I crack a smile and lean foreword, close enough that our faces were inches apart. His eyes never leave mine and he doesn't move an inch as I whispered, "I guess we're just a bunch of misfit toys then."