The cool morning mist gathered in the low places throughout the neighborhood. It was a very nice and stylish part of town. Free from the worries of some less fortunate souls. The darkest part of night was right before the dawn. That was when Trinity wanted to scout out the neighborhood. When she was less likely to be seen. A few lights in a few homes were on. People up early getting ready for work or helping their kids prepare for the day. Trinity noted those places and moved on. Manicured lawns with bushes and trees decorating everywhere like a park. It made hiding places easier. Keeping to the shadows, Trinity scouted until she came across what she was looking for.

A house for sale stood dark and empty. Despite the well-groomed lawn, the place showed signs of little recent use. It would work perfectly. Sneaking carefully over the damp grass, Trinity's black heavy boots made little noise. Reaching the back door, she slipped a hand under her dark red jacket into the back of her black jeans. Pulling out her lock pick set, she unfolded it and made quick work of the door. Slipping inside, she did a quick walkthrough of the house. It was normal and thankfully had an attic.

It was up here that she settled down. The sky was beginning to lighten and she didn't want to be seen quite yet. Kneeling by the small round window, she kept an eye outside for activity and began planning. She would want to recruit, of course, but before that she needed funds. Just enough to possibly rent or buy this place. Her gang leader had sent out his best to form smaller groups that could come back his up however he needed it. Resources would be key to get. Whether that came in the form of money, manpower, or something else, she wanted to be able to provide.

First things first. She needed to reach out to some of the local students. Give them a place to belong. Find younger students to be mentored by them and for them to be leaders of. And this place would be their retreat. As soon as she could, she would make this place more permnament. Not without money. And all that couldn't happen without an inside source. Trinity's brown eyes gleamed in anticipation. This street was picked because of an address from a phone book. The name picked because it was a new addition to a school website. Right across the road was her target. And the lights on in his house suggested he was awake. Time to see just who he was.

He awoke before the sun but kept his lights off for the most part. He didn't have too many set up yet, plugged in, anyway, and he hated to ruin the morning's beautiful tones. Most of his small things were still in boxes---dishes, pictures, art supplies, even some of his clothes, not that he was lacking. Reid stretched and looked out his bedroom window, watching the sky and running a hand through his long, bright pink hair. He could still see stars. It was almost like home---calling this beautiful place home was hard to do. It was even harder to move away from his grandmother, the only person in his family that really seemed to care. But it was a small family, after all, and not many of them were left. He stepped back, going downstairs and turning on two of the small lamps in his living room so he could actually see. Despite one eye---which was a very pale blue as opposed to the other's light brown that made people think he was blind---he couldn't see in the dark.

His living room was well set up. A couch, loveseat, and two chairs that all matched, they were a bright red in tone, and the couch was draped with a bright quilt. It faced a fireplace, and above that a television was hung on the wall. Reid hadn't yet hung up his curtains, and had thought about doing that after the first day of school. It was a first day for everyone, really---the beginning of the year, a new school system, new students. He'd found the transfer easy, really. He was personable, kind, caring---it was what Reid heard, anyway. Smiling to himself, he bounded into his kitchen and sifted through one of the boxes on the center island, pulling dishes out of newspaper and bubblewrap he got from the local post office before his move. It was odd, now, being around so many other people. He used to live in such an earthy place; his nearest neighbor was his grandmother, and she lived several miles away. Now his yard was large and grassy, but it didn't have a lake or a forest.

It wasn't home, but it was a private school. They needed a new art teacher, and chose Reid because of overstaffing at his previous school. He was grateful for that, of course. From the box he pulled cups and mugs, and set them on the table before going around to the coffee maker he made sure to set up on the very day of his arrival, and started a measurement of several cups to go through. He didn't necessarily need coffee---his energy was palpable to anyone within a ten-foot radius, after all---but it felt good for the little extra boost he wouldn't have otherwise. While the coffee dripped into its pot, Reid went back upstairs, pausing in the hallway and pulling out several towels for his main bathroom. The window in this one faced his back yard, which faced a wall of trees, so he didn't have to worry about accidentally showing off to any early joggers or dog-walkers. The neighborhood seemed all-too welcoming, glad to have such a happy-go-lucky type living among them.

Reid had gone through the entire street on the first two days of his arrival, introducing himself and making the residents smile. He met many of the kids that would be going to school within the week it began and after they met him they admitted that they were dreading it, but a little less now. It made his day, really, and now the first day had arrived. Many teachers dreaded the first day of school as well, but he was the one that hated the last day. At the school he'd requested his address be posted---like at his old school. He'd been a counselor there, and wanted to keep that tradition going. Before his transfer he had his address up in his classroom and in the office for troubled kids to find him any time, whether they wanted to talk or wanted to give him a letter. Pulling his long hair free of knots, Reid turned the light on and blinked, his rather bad eyes looking for glasses that weren't there but still in his room. There were still several hours before the beginning of school, but Reid was already more than prepared.

Sitting there in the shade of the attic room, Trinity pulled off her dark red jacket and laid it across her lap. Movement outside was still slow. She wasn't surprised. Mornings was not always the favorite time of day for most people it seemed. Where she came from, it was the parties at night that were truly living. Still, to do recon required a different schedule and she was determined to get used to it. Her gray short-sleeved shirt clung tightly to her letting the early morning chill raise goosebumps on her flesh. Trinity didn't notice. Her red jacket wasn't a bright hue and with the rising sun she was but a shadow, but she didn't want to take the risk that it might attract attention. This place needed curtains. Nice sheer curtains that let her see outside without being noticed.

Outside movement caught her eye. Kids were shuffling outside towards the end of their curved driveways. She let out a low whistle in appreciation for their outfits. These kids had style. Not the style of her gang where black pants were the way to go. But fashionable style with designer labels on everything they wore. From their shoes to their backpacks, these kids were good to go. Cringing, she decided that perhaps she needed an extra edge on those she would be keeping an eye on. Leverage so to speak. Trinity had not seen a picture of Reid, but he probably was dressed just like everyone else. She could imagine it now: hair with gel, three piece suit, and maybe a leather briefcase. Maybe her tactics wouldn't work here like they did elsewhere. Maybe there were not any lonely people here needing a group to call family. That wouldn't stop her from trying. She just needed something more to offer.

Watching the kids idly standing there waiting for the bus, she felt an inspiration. They all had safe lives. She could offer danger. They all wore civilized clothes. She could offer advice that kept their fashion but was more tougher. They might have their own cliques. But she would create an enemy to have her group unite against. And leverage for the adults. Leverage to keep their parents in line if they noticed something wrong as they went about their busy days. Next to Reid lived a man. Peter Myers. Peter had a son he pompously named Pete Jr. He owned this house. She would tail Reid to school, then spend daytime hours getting a little leverage on Peter. Maybe convince him to let her "rent" the house hassle free. Paperwork to be signed in case he tried calling the cops in the future.

As the bus came into view, Trinity rolled her eyes. It was a luxury bus. If she was those kids, she could totally just walk to school and get some exercise in before having to sit in a desk all day. These guys were about to learn a little self-discipline. She would empower them. Clenching her fists in anticipation, Trinity wondered if maybe it was possible to take her group and break off from her gang. Create her own... no, that was stupid. They owned her. She would own these kids in like manner. That was the way things worked. As the bus drove out of sight, Trinity stood in the low attic and stooped to the door. Crawling down the ladder, she went into an upstairs bedroom to look back across the street. Soon her target would come out. As soon as the few lights that were on were turned off, she would just have to tail him.

Out of the shower, Reid paused at the mirror to look at his hair. He had just dyed the roots to keep it up with its uniform bubblegum pink tone, and grinned at the perfect color. Drying himself, Reid turned the bathroom light off and bounced to his bedroom, pulling out clothing from his closet and studying each piece. All his clothes were dyed as bright as possible, mostly patterned, and nothing matched. After a silent contemplation Reid decided on a lavender dress shirt and a bright green-red patterned tie, Bright blue slacks and white shoes, and a loose-fitting jacket of orange, blue, and green stripe. Before leaving he grabbed his glasses from the bedside table, rectangular things with pink frames a little darker than his hair, and went back downstairs, filling a cup with coffee and putting the rest in a light yellow thermos, adding the necessary sugar that sweetened it to a wild extent.

Pausing only to take a drink from his cup, Reid gathered his things for the day. His planners, a few notebooks, pencils and pens and a few markers, one dry-erase. It was barely six-thirty, but he wanted to get going soon. The first day of school. Reid loved it! He wanted to organize his classroom, make it presentable, make sure he went over his student's names. He had four classes, two before lunch and two after. That left him with quite a bit of free time and that excited him---that meant he could have time to himself to help kids that might need to talk, or decide on tasks and lessons late into the year. The kids might not exactly love school but he wanted to make it as enjoyable as possible for just a little while, at least.

Finishing his coffee, Reid set the cup in the sink and went around to turn the lights off. He left his car in the garage---he didn't have to drive to school since it was so warm, and he did love to watch the sky brighten with the sun as he walked. And leaving early gave him plenty of time to get to where he was going. Closing and locking his door, Reid pulled back his hair and put it into a ponytail low on his head. As he walked, slinging his bright white-blue-pink bag onto his shoulder, Reid passed other students waiting for their bus. It wasn't necessary to wait, and some of the teens actually did walk to school, but parents here seemed to be fearful. A large city was just nearby their cozy little hamlet. The school was outside the city's confines as well, a large, beautiful place. Wood floors, beige walls, light that was easy on the eyes. It was a comfortable place, warm and inviting and calming. Dark, perhaps, but beautiful nonetheless.

Rubbing her eyes in shock, Trinity looked again out the second-floor window. There was no mistaking it. It was a guy and he had pink hair. Was she back in the inner city or something? Surely not, because his outfit was smooth without patches or tears. It baffled her. Despite his clean appearance, there was no getting over how... colorful... he was. Shaking her head to clear the bewilderment, she realized that he was walking and had a good lead. Not a problem though. Spotting him would never be difficult apparently. Letting out a frustrated "damn", Trinity took to the stairs.

Landing at the bottom with a thud, she raced towards the kitchen and let herself out the back patio. The door she had picked earlier opening and closing smoothly. Boots thumping as she sprinted across the back yard, Trinity lifted her arms in front of her as she reached the fence. Vaulting over it, she landed on the other side between bushes. Luckily. Crouching down, she rushed quickly across the neighboring backyard around to the far side and inched along that house. Slowly reaching the front, she looked out at the street. He had passed by already. Sighing, she vaulted over the next fence and paused behind a tree. There he was, walking almost... joyfully. Shaking her head at his brightly colored outfit and apparent mood, Trinity settled for following him one yard at a time. Careful to stay out of site of pedestrians and vehicles alike.

As they neared the school, Trinity paused to watch him as he reached the school grounds. He seemed very friendly and interacted easily with the students he met. He would make a very good inside man. Now she just had to convince him to follow her instructions, with or without that pleasant air of his. Turning, she walked along the sidewalk back. The morning sun felt good on her arms. She irritably remembered she had left it back in the attic. Time to plan. She needed intel on Reid and on Peters. Glancing back to make sure Reid wasn't changing his mind (or more likely being kicked out of school) and coming home, Trinity grimaced. So... bubbly. He had an aura of bubbly.

Reaching Reid's house and walking up the sidewalk like she belonged, Trinity kept going right up to and around the house. A nice and decent place. He had a good eye. Reaching the backdoor, she slipped out her lockpick set and within seconds was stepping inside. Time to get to work. Routing through the kitchen and living space downstairs was a simple task. The man wasn't completely unpacked. It gave a girl some room to work with elbow room to spare. His bathroom was equally uneventful, though she had had some hopes. Then the bedroom. The prize. She found it hidden in a nice little box in the back of his closet. As if he couldn't live with it but couldn't live without it. Going through and seeing her leverage, Trinity picked up the box and left a note in it's place.

"I'm blackmailing you. Tell anyone and these will end up on wikileaks.com. Call the number below to redeem them.

Grinning, Trinity headed out the way she came. Oh yes, he could redeem them. Every last one. Favor for favor one step at a time. Locking up behind her, she took a scenic route to the house across the street and up to the attic. Looking at the attic space, she realized it would be too easy for him to figure out where this box was eventually and get it back. Putting her jacket back on, she carried the box back outside and to the back fence. Slipping two letters from the box into her back pocket, she buried the box into the ground and covered the area with leaves. Now to see about Mr. Peter...

Reid couldn't help but say hello or good morning to anyone that passed by once he got on the school's grounds. It was a beautiful place with well-kept lawns and huge, old trees, and from the outside it looked inviting, like an old, friendly manor. He met several teachers that he hadn't on his other visits and they seemed rather shocked by his initial appearance. One was sure to comment that she knew art teachers to be eccentric but Reid was definitely a unique kind of eccentric. Then there were the students that stared at him, smiled, said hello in return. Quite a few were interested in his eye. While one was a perfectly normal shade of brown, the other was a blue tone so pale it was nearly white, and it caught attention easily. It was a simple enough case of heterochromia with a plain enough color palate---brown and blue were often the colors associated with the condition. But it seemed the students that were on the grounds early had never seen it before.

His classroom was on the second floor, and looked out onto the front grounds. When he stepped into the room, Reid was glad to see that it was a large room---more than enough space to spread out for work when it was necessary. A desk sat in the corner nearer to the door and beside it a metal locker. In front of the window a series of counters sat, no doubt containing art supplies. He hadn't specifically taken a look yet. There were fifteen desks---more than plenty---and a large amount of room to shift them and move about comfortably. Turning on the lights, Reid stepped inside and put his bag on his desk, smiling and staring around the room. Bright, airy, with an entire wall of windows that let in the sun. And plenty of wall space to show off art.

He watched earlier buses arrive for a moment, the students stepping off, finding their friends and approaching the front doors. He turned, intending to begin organizing, when a student entered. Reid was to be teaching juniors, and she looked like one, probably seventeen years old. "Mr. Seridano?" She stepped inside and away from the door and Reid smiled brightly at her.

"Good morning, dear! What's your name?" He bound across the room to his desk, pulling one of his books out.

"Jasmine... Jasmine Haun." The student put her hands in her pockets, looking down a ways as Reid went through and noted her on his list.

"What a beautiful name, Jasmine." Reid smiled, putting the book down and sitting on his desk. "Are you allowed to be wandering through the school, though?"

"We can come up to the classrooms early... Any room with a red mark above the door is off limits to students without a teacher present, though." Jasmine smiled. "I'm in your first hour class."

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you, dear." Reid grinned. "If you don't mind me asking, how are new teachers treated around here?"

"Really good." Jasmine replied, looking around the room. It was her first day in this particular room as well. "The kids here are pretty well behaved. And they like new teachers so they can get good marks for the school's reputation. I think they'll all love you."

Reid laughed. "I hope so!" He replied lightly. "I intend to make my classes as enjoyable as possible for everyone."

He left Jasmine, trusting the rather shy teen alone as he did a round on the second floor. Meeting the other teachers was one of the first steps on his list, and he wanted to get that done before classes began.

((I'm just gonna speed up a little on my end. This will be my last post before your guy walks home...))

Life was going pretty peachy for Trinity. First her big score in Reid's house, despite his strange wardrobe, and now this. Standing in Peter's office with a manila envelope in her hands, Trinity wondered why anyone would tape precious documents to the understand of a drawer. Didn't they know that was one of the first places people like her looked? Peter had been blackmailed before and had paid the blackmailer off for the evidence she now held in her hands. Influential people in society really shouldn't have affairs much less multiple affairs. If they did and had evidence, then they should really consider burning them. These pictures and handwritten letters were all she needed.

Kneeling down, Trinity wrote on a sticky note the same message she had left next door. Then putting it where the envelope had been, she continued her search of the house. Most particularly, the boy's room. Pete Jr. was kid of singular tastes that bordered between technical and science fiction. She saw influences of this in the very way he decorated his space. Shrugging as such a lifestyle and momentarily wishing it was hers, Trinity got to work. Searching for loose boards, between furniture, and any good hiding spots... she came up empty handed. Still, it wasn't a complete loss. On his desk was the yearbook from the previous year. Judging by the signatures and notes inside, the kid was a leader who hadn't realized his potential yet. He would make a very good steward under her. She would have to talk to him too.

Placing the yearbook back, she opened his desk and pulled out a blank piece of paper. Writing on it, she said, If you want to be a leader in this community and have some adventure, venture across the street at midnight and see what can be seen. That should do the trick. If she was lucky, he would bring someone with him to back him up. Giving her a good start to a crew. Leaving it under his keyboard with a corner showing, Trinity did a sweep of the rest of the house. Not much else she wanted to do for now. Best see how the fruits of her labors grew first.

Walking outside and working her way around the neighborhood, Trinity soon found that the living spaces her new community sported. Anywhere she wanted to eat was expensive as well. As least she had pillaged some money from the Myers place. Peter wouldn't miss it. Finding a suitable cafe that was near the school, she settled in to wait. Having skipped breakfast, she generously ordered two sandwiches. In order to try to fit in, Trinity left out the pop and ordered tea as well. People watching time!