《Round of the Art Table》


 Chapter 1: The Space

    On a particularly rainy evening, inside one of many inconspicuous houses, laid Victoria on her bed, scrolling through a plethora of uninterested sludge. As thunder roared and lightning beamed, Victoria spotted something that caught her eye. A funny image of a cat displayed on her phone popped out, and Victoria jumped out of her bed and went to her desk. There, laid out on the table, were parchments of paper of varying sizes, a canister filled with supplies, and a medium-sized laptop placed in the center. She moved underneath to reveal a sleek, flat tablet made with art in mind. She grabbed her stylus, found in a locked drawer, and pulled a fresh new sheet to draw with. Suddenly, she remembered something she had forgotten to do.


    Oh shit. She got her phone and pulled up a familiar profile. Sure enough, her boyfriend had gotten annoyed with her lack of response. She read his texts, with a slowly boiling trace of annoyance and large quantities of squinting. ¡°Hey, you have kinda forgot about me today, so can I come by now?¡± She stopped reading and began typing. Hey, what did I say about personal space? And no, you can not come over, I don¡¯t know how many times I must tell you this, you idi-. Just as she was about to finish typing, she heard the doorbell ring. She quickly ran to the front door to check who it was, and sure enough, it was her parents, back from their weekly parties.


    ¡°Hey sweetie, how has your day been going?¡± uttered her mother.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s been good,¡± murmured Victoria. She knew it was a fake question, as her parents were, in her head, essentially machines who did not care much about her opinions or anything really to do with her. She thought they believed she was her prop, even.


    ¡°Good, have you eaten dinner?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I¡¯ve been fine this whole night.¡±


    ¡°Was there an outage earlier?¡±


    ¡°No, there wasn¡¯t,¡± Victoria groaned. Her mother was always nice, though it felt fake a majority of the time. Her dad was there, but he never commanded anything. He was always a bystander or a point to jump off of for her mother. She felt a bit guilty for thinking he was a prop. Suddenly, her mother snapped her fingers.


    ¡°Victoria! Hello!¡± her mother shouted, which was rather obscenely loud considering she was in front of her daughter.


    ¡°Um, yes!¡±


    ¡°Go back to your room, please.¡± She knew it was not a request. It was a command. Victoria eagerly went back to her room, and heard her parents go straight to the bathroom. She went back onto her phone to see a reply from her partner. ¡°You never want to spend time with me! This is unfair to me and you know it. I don¡¯t care if your parents are restrictive or whatever but aren¡¯t they gone?¡± She typed back a snarky comment. She had never really liked her boyfriend, but her parents insisted, mainly because he was Hispanic. They were all obstacles in her life, especially in her creative life.


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    She had been limited with time spent sketching, one of her few hobbies. Thus, she had to hide away, especially in this house, where many conservative ideas were held. Her parents even considered homeschooling her, possibly to isolate her from themselves for whatever reason they had. Either way, she was drawing a cat now, a Siamese, to be exact. She drew a large, fluffy body, with a feline head towards one end and a stocky tail to the other. She sketched the elbowed arms masterfully, as life-like as she could. She drew dilated pupils, pointed whiskers, and a small nose on to its head, pointed ears stuck on top it. She shaded the darkened spots on its body, and molded it to a correct shape.


    She suddenly stopped, realizing it was midnight now. How long have I been on this? She turned off her tablet and snuck it back into its corner. She got up, and moved towards the bathroom to do some teeth hygiene. She heard her parents, now in the bedroom, sleeping. She closed the distance quietly and locked the door. While brushing her teeth, she looked at her reaction, and gained quite a few thoughts. Why am I short? Why are my teeth so yellow? Was my hair naturally red? After finishing rinsing, she moved to the living room to get some water. She swore she saw a shadow in the corner, as she tiptoes to the counter. She gulped down her water, before rushing back to her room.


    Wait, my parents are asleep. And I am awake! But it''s midnight and it¡¯s school tomorrow . . . whatever. After deciding for quite awhile, she decided to stay up late to complete her drawn depiction of a cat. She completed the drawing already, but had forgotten to add shadows and shading. She made a large oblong towards the cat¡¯s bottom, and shaded in the underside. She drew a background of a windowsill, with light glimmering inwards from the warmth of the Sun. She began to droop and eyelids struggled to stay open, but her masterpiece was completed. She decided to check her phone just one last time.


    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t know if you are awake, but I have a big surprise for you tomorrow . . .¡± she read. She didn¡¯t understand what he meant by ¡®surprise¡¯, but she assumed it would be something lame. She got on top of her bed, closed the lights, and opened her eyes for the last time that day.


    She dreamt about a ghastly figure, guiding her towards a rift, full of felines. As she gestured towards it, the dream changed once more, showing an hourglass that had holes from both ends, leaking grains of sand that swirled up to the top. Once again, she was back with the figure and the rift. As she moved towards it, she noticed the cats were rather strange. They had many eyes, their bodies contorted violently, and their bodies were distorted. She couldn¡¯t dwell on this, for she was back with the hourglass. It had less sand in it, and it was leaking out towards her. She saw the rift once more, and the figure pushing her closer to it. The cat-like creatures became vile and gross, and were now twisting towards her in a manic fashion; their slimy grips amplified with each drizzle.


    ¡°Ah! Stop grabbing at me!¡± shouted Victoria.


    ¡°You have nothing to fear from me,¡± the cats shrieked, in perfect unison. Victoria tried to kick them away, but every movement seemed to drag her closer to the rift. The ghost continued to shove her into the writhing arms, and like a poltergeist, the figure could feel Victoria, but she could not feel it. Just as she was beginning to be consumed by the portal, she woke up. At the dead of night, she woke up to a horrifying visage over her. Her boyfriend had gotten into the room, and was staring directly into her eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s tomorrow now, and we have to talk.¡±

 Chapter 2: Dawn of Night

    Victoria screamed.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I said I was coming tomorrow, weren¡¯t I?¡± prompted Lucas. Lucas was a lover of botany, specifically about flowering plants that bore fruits. Even more specifically, about watermelons. He constantly wore clothing and accessories that showed the imagery of watermelons. Victoria fell in love with him mainly due to his love of watermelon, as she loved these watery, fresh fruits, as well, though she personally preferred strawberries. Lucas, himself, looked rather like a watermelon, a body of an oval shape, with a long, thick neck, connecting to a head with no discernable chin line. He had dark, wavy hair, with holes for eyes, and smooth, plump skin, with a large, thin nose.


    Currently, he appeared to be soaked to the bone, his watermelon hoodie being ironically wet. His hair drooped down with rainwater, and his face appeared to have been watered by a hose. Despite the appearance of having been drenched in water and it being past midnight, he still seemed as excited and energized as ever. It seems as though Victoria was too focused on his appearance and mood, as she had missed most of Lucas¡¯s monologue.


    ¡°Well, I kept my promises, now. Didn¡¯t I? So now I am here, and I think we have a couple of things to talk about. Mainly about the relationship. All about the relationship.¡±


    ¡°I have some things to talk about it, too.¡± stated Victoria, attempting to sound confident. Lucas has slowly gone from loving watermelons to honeydews, a fruit that Victoria believed was quite nasty, due to its desaturated, lumpy shape, even if she didn¡¯t have any experience with it. Not only that, Lucas had continuously slipped out of Victoria¡¯s favor, with his odd tastes, of which she didn¡¯t approve of, one of which being his odd taking to corn snakes, a type of rat snake. More importantly, however, was his slow slip into his true self; a nasty man with bad temper.


    ¡°Well, what is it about?¡± questioned Lucas.


    Victoria bluntly stated, ¡°It¡¯s about you.¡±


    ¡°What? What have I done that¡¯s ruined this lovely and consensual bond between us, bonding over the pure amazingness that is watermelons!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve slowly gone obsessing over honeydews.¡±


    ¡°Well, what¡¯s so bad? Honeydews aren¡¯t that different from watermelons, I mean, for one, they¡¯re both melons!¡± exclaimed Lucas. They weren¡¯t. ¡°I think we should actually talk about you secretly talking to other guys online! I bet some of them even go to the same school as us, you witch!¡± Victoria giggled at this poor attempt at an insult, but was rather more insulted that he had assumed this, clearly showing his distrust of her, no matter how warranted it may be.


    ¡°Well, um, can you prove it?¡± retorted Victoria.


    ¡°Give me your phone. Now. And if you won¡¯t, that shows that you are scared of me finding out, aren¡¯t you?¡± commanded Lucas. Victoria gave him her phone. She hoped all of this ruckus wouldn¡¯t manage to reach her parents'' room, where they were currently snoring like a bear hibernating. Lucas tapped on a few buttons, went into the texting app, and found one of her friends.


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    ¡°Aha! See this?¡± He pushed the screen into her face, showing her texting to a friend named Andrew. Lucas began to read off some of the ¡®sexually charged¡¯ things they had said to each other.


    ¡°Victoria says, ¡®Hey dude, can you grab some things for me?¡¯ Andrew says, ¡®Fine, but you¡¯ll have to give me something in return, Heart Emoji,¡¯¡± he finished. ¡°You see, this is why I don¡¯t trust you with other people. And Andrew, he¡¯s got something coming his way,¡± he angrily decided.


    ¡°He¡¯s only my friend! Is your head as thick as a watermelon?¡± Victoria said back. Lucas clearly took offense to this, as he stumbled back to some invisible force of pure shock. Such a showoff. Victoria knew she had severed his ability to articulate his words properly, as his face continued to be opened, jaws down to his shoulders. ¡°Also, I thought it was about time,¡± Victoria sighed.


    ¡°Time for what,¡± inquired Lucas.


    ¡°Time for us to break up.¡±


    ¡°What? You can¡¯t be doing this to me!¡± Lucas interjected.


    ¡°It¡¯s only been 5 months.¡±


    ¡°But, still-¡±


    ¡°Hey, may I add, you are trespassing on private property without any of our permission.¡± After saying this, Victoria began to push Lucas closer to the window, before pushing him out onto the soil behind her walls. Dirt matted his clothing and face, and he made a run for it, with an odd sobbing noise uncharacteristic of him.


    Before making a turn around the corner, he said, ¡°I will meet you tomorrow!¡± before tripping and falling on the ground. At this moment in time, Victoria stopped paying attention to him and went back to sleeping. Before she could do this, however, she remembered something she had just forgotten about: her new classes. The dry, hot summer was over, and over the break, she had started her new school year at a new school, this one being of secondary status. She had secretly applied for certain classes she knew her parents would be of a disparaging attitude towards. Aside from central, required classes, she also applied for a few elective classes, one of these being SDP, a class all about educating newcomers to the techniques of the brush. Despite not being exactly a newcomer to this, she still applied, hoping she would learn new pieces to add to her collective ability. Secondly, she also hoped to meet new, like-minded people.


    Unfortunately, however, she learned that Lucas would also be going to this school. Fortunately, she shared no classes with him aside from the main classes. She knew he¡¯d try to get back at her after breaking up so suddenly, but she had hoped that the school would protect a sort of way, like her last did with her bullies, who she wished she would not find in her new school. She knew that one of her friends, Andrew, older than her by a year, was already at the school, and was excited to meet him once more. Their contact had been severed by her parents, which was most likely due to concern about his age compared to hers, though the concerns seemed to be baseless. She had also just happened to remember the favor Andrew did for her, and the favor she¡¯d had to return. She knew what it was, as they had known each other since their youth.


    After pondering all varieties of subjects relating to tomorrow for a while, she began to become sleepier and sleepier, until she found it hard to rest her head on her shoulders. She began to get prepared into bed, laid spread out on her bed in an uncomfortable situation. One that represented tomorrow perfectly. She drifted off into a drowsy state, before closing her eyes one last time. This time, there would be no dreams, for tomorrow, it was for dreams to be shattered. The rain had stopped, the glum clouds had cleared, and the moon glared above.

 Chapter 3: Meet and Greet

    Beep. Beep. Beep!


    A new week was upon Victoria as she woke from her dreamless rest, and she was, to put it mildly, quite upset. She had gotten used to ordinary events that played out everyday during the hot months, where she woke by midday and was awake after midnight. Her parents didn¡¯t mind; they were luckily neglectful in this aspect of her life, similar to other aspects, but unlike the others, this was an upside. She did her daily morning tasks, before grabbing a small bag to store everything she needed during the day. Leaving from the front door, she walked to the nearest train station, one which appeared to have been underfunded, due to its dilapidated appearance. She waited for a couple of minutes, where a rush of light surged through a tunnel, and suddenly appeared a large metallic train, stretching for many meters along the metallic tracks, and boarded it.


    On the train, there didn¡¯t appear to be much to do, so Victoria went on her phone, where she noticed a large amount of notifications, numbering in the hundreds. They appeared to all be from Lucas, and from the start, it appeared that he was rather apologetic about him breaking into her house. The latter half, however, turned to him making thinly veiled threats, but the threats themselves were paper thin, as well. She decided to block him, right then and there, and begin a new chapter in her life. This wasn¡¯t her first breakup, and certainly wouldn¡¯t be her last, but she decided to hold off on romantic relationships, and focus more on platonic ones. Despite trying to keep it secret, her parents accidentally revealed that she had a couple of relatives, who she was interested in getting in touch with. She also knew Andrew had a couple of friends, and believed that they may be fine with her, considering her previous success with her only friend.


    After realizing the train had come to a stop, she got off, where she began to walk towards her new school. The school was no marvel, appearing to be a box, taped with steel beams and translucent windows. Today was a dry day, heated with the energy of the star, which shined harshly on the cracked asphalt. Upon entering the building, Victoria met a pantheon of wrinkly people, attempting to greet the people as they came through. She walked to the right side, before entering a series of hallways, shifting from brick to concrete. She walked past a rickety elevator, and found a large room, which swarmed with navy blue lockers. She saw her class past them, and began to shuffle towards the door, which clashed with the colors of the surrounding walls. Before she made it however, she saw someone who wore watermelon attire, who froze in place, similar to her. After a short moment, Lucas began to speak:


    ¡°Hello, Victoria!¡± and that was all.


    Victoria began to postulate that either Lucas had forgotten about his plan of revenge against her, or she had misunderstood him as a vengeful person. Either way, they made their way into the classroom, where the bell had rung seconds before. Victoria decided that she should forget about yesterday, and focus on her current surroundings. As her first class, Computer Science, even if she didn¡¯t know about the schedule, it was evident that this class was intended to serve this purpose. Lines of tables, with more lines of computers and even more lines coming out of the computers. There were posters hanging from the wall, half of which were binary related, and the half was something about basic knowledge of a computer. On the sides, there were yet more tables, lined with printers and other utensils instead.


    As Victoria looked around the room, a slight noise caught her. She turned around, and saw a man with wavy hair and eyes that popped out, not unlike a cyclops. His skin a milky brown, stretched over an imposing body of high stature and good posture, a sign he did not have chronic back pain. He wore a simple combination of a white shirt and some loose fitting pants. When Victoria noticed how he seemed to be smiling for as long as she looked, she was uneased.


    ¡°Hey! Nice to meet you!¡± Victoria did a literal jump backward when she heard this; it was rather loud. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± asked the teacher.


    ¡°Uh, my name is Victoria.¡± Victoria answered. ¡°What¡¯s yours?¡±


    ¡°You can call me Mr. Justin!¡±


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    ¡°Well, um, Mr. Justin, is this the Computer Science class?¡± As she asked, people began pouring through the doors of the makeshift classroom, forcing her to move.


    He quickly answered, yes, before attempting to greet the hoard of the students filing in. As Victoria sat down in one of the many seats, two people she had never seen before sat besides her. One was a cheery appearing girl with a rosy complexion. The other was a small boy with multicolored hair and lanky appendages. He stood out, oddly enough. Before she could introduce herself to them, the room was filled with people, new and old, as the ring of the class beginning signaled.


    ¡°Hello students! Welcome to the CS class!¡± Mr. Justin announced. Taking notice of their attention being directed at him, he continued, ¡°You may call me Mr. Justin, and let¡¯s get into it!¡± He then began to flick through a slideshow, full of saturated, bright, and noisy colors. A perfect mix to hurt Victoria¡¯s eyes. She began to doze off until noticing him announcing their current assignment. ¡°-tlizing a similar slide format to mine, you will make an introduction to yourself, of which inc-'''' after which, she stopped listening. Deciding to begin, she found the website he was using, and began to create one. She gave a name to it, and began to decorate it with her personal details. This hour, she had spent her time slowly polishing the product, adding some of her past art onto the slides.


    Once she believed she was nearly done, she began to spy on other people. She noted a few unique individuals. A person who was currently gorging themselves on fried, oily food; a frizzy haired person with glasses; and a very small boy with eyes not dissimilar to those of Mr. Justin. She also saw Lucas, who was sitting next to the person currently eating, deep into creating a few very red slides, with small black specks dotting the screen. After an hour of more spying on her targets, the time was up for people to start coming up with the presentations. The first person to come up was her first target, a large girl wearing a pink tracksuit, with thick orange braids atop of her head.


    ¡°First, introduce yourself to us,¡± asked Mr. Justin.


    ¡°Ok, my name is Malaya Droflaw, and here is my show.¡± She scrolled through slides populated with foods and a love for the theatre. Victoria didn¡¯t think much about it, thinking of her as a bit obnoxious, due to her propensity for performing arts. She had never gotten into them as much as she did with visual arts. After she left, a similar routine played out with the others who remained. Then one of the people beside her got up. It was the girl. She got up to the front of the room, before practicing a similar routine to the others.


    ¡°My name is Amalya Nelon, and here is my presentation.¡± Victoria was instantly enamored by her presentation; for it appeared that Amalya shared a love of art as well. She scrolled through like others before her, but the content found on these slides hypnotized Victoria is their sheer beauty. Victoria decided that befriending this person would be great, considering their similar interests, even if her parents may not approve. As Amalya sat back down next to her, Victoria excitedly introduced herself to them.


    ¡°Hey Amalya, good presentation you just had!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I guess. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°I am Victoria.¡± introduced Victoria. ¡°What are your hobbies?¡±


    ¡°My hobbies are cooking, specifically making scrambled eggs. There¡¯s just something so satisfying-¡±


    ¡°And? Oh, sorry! Didn¡¯t mean to cut you off,¡± apologized Victoria.


    ¡°No need to say sorry, I got a bit carried away there,¡± explained Amalya. With each second, Amalya was growing more likable, but also less relatable. She had an aura of perfection that Victoria did not think she could ever achieve. ¡°Anyhow, my other interests are drawing-¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Painting-¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    Amalya sighed. ¡°-and sculpting.¡± Once Amalya finished, Victoria squealed very high, in obvious excitement.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s all of my interests as well! Except for the cooking part.¡±


    As they continued chattering, the class continued on without them, and with a growing number of finished individuals, and a minority of people who haven¡¯t gone yet, it would be soon time for Victoria¡¯s other neighbor to go. As well as, unfortunately for her, herself.

 Chapter 4: The Rats Foot

    ¡°Oh wow, what type of egg do you use for your scrambled eggs?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just use emu eggs!¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see,¡± responded Victoria. Victoria was copying down these recipes from Amalya, believing herself needing some form of self sufficiency, especially if she wants to be separated from her parents. She slowly began to drift from Amalya¡¯s passionate speech about eggs, as she moved forth to noticing others around the room. She saw many wondrous people; a joyous appearing boy, with an old woman accompanying him, another girl, not unlike Amalya, but with darker, brown hair and wearing a cap with clashing colors, and a tall blonde, with strange umbrella shaped hair. While paying less and less attention on Amalya, and more on snooping on others appearances, she heard Mr. Justin, who had just called out a person¡¯s name who she had distantly recognized from her past.


    Either way, it was all in the past, and she hoped it would be swept by the winds soon enough from her memories as well, for it was a new chapter, and a more open mind would help with pushing through this dark chapter of their lives.


    ¡°Victoria? Hello?¡± Amalya realized at last that Victoria hadn¡¯t been paying attention to her, though her patience was admirable.


    ¡°Oh yes, um, sorry!¡±


    Amalya¡¯s face lit up once more. ¡°Ah, whatever, let¡¯s listen to Jame¡¯s presentation.¡± Victoria was, unsurprisingly, a bit shocked at that response.


    ¡°Uh, what?¡± Victoria asked, ¡°How do you know his name?¡±


    ¡°Well for starters, Mr. Justin literally just said his name.¡± Victoria¡¯s face bloomed into a deeper shade of red than her hair was. ¡°And secondly, he¡¯s my partner!¡± Victoria''s face once again changed, this time to an amused facial expression. She then quickly dropped it, hoping that Amalya didn¡¯t notice her mental chuckle at the idea of James having a girlfriend. Amalya looked puzzled at her face, but then shifted to a grin, clearly noticing her judgment of this idea. She, too, however, didn¡¯t press on. ¡°How do you know him? Um, like, outside this school,¡± queried Victoria.


    ¡°I, well, to tell you the truth, and I want you to promise you won¡¯t get angry with me.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Well, I kinda used to-¡±


    ¡°Ladies in the back, quit talking and listen to this presentation.¡± Victoria¡¯s head moved around the room to face Mr. Justin, but as she did, she saw everyone looking at them, even trying to peek at them through the computers. Everyone had heard their conversation. ¡°Let¡¯s continue, then.¡±


    And thus they were. Victoria kept giving weird looks to James as he presented, while Amalya didn¡¯t seem to recall their intimate talk about him. Soon enough, however, his slides ran out, and he left the stand. As everyone was pretending to be applauding at the grand scale of that perfect introduction, James sat down, right next to Victoria once more. His face was gaunt but full, and he appeared to be close to tears, though Victoria knew this wasn¡¯t the case. From his long, skinny body protruded two floppy appendages that mimicked the shape of an arm, and his legs didn¡¯t fare much better, either. He was pouting at her, simply to appear smaller and more cute, though Victoria knew what lay beneath his facade.


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    ¡°Hey,¡± said James, in a small, hushed whisper. His voice was a weeping, sharp voice, sounding both hollow and penetrating at the same time. His teeth showed pearly whites, with two large teeth sticking out above the others.


    ¡°Hey,¡± said back Victoria. They were both looking deep into each other, maybe to decipher the other¡¯s life after their departure from each other¡¯s lives. Amalya then broke them up.


    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s up with you two, but please stop. We have another person coming up, after all.¡± Victoria looked around the room, and she focused on the girl with the umbrella hair, shooting atop her head in place, as though she wore something underneath. She was so sure that she was going to go, in fact, that her head spun around towards the teacher when he said:


    ¡°Victoria, and something I can¡¯t pronounce! Come up here, and introduce yourself!¡± Victoria was now very scared. She hated presenting in front of others, especially in front of some many people who she had judged previously, simply based on their looks and quirks. Sure, she thought, I may be a bit of a hypocrite here, but maybe they were all nice? Victoria was going to find out.


    ¡°Hey, um, guys,¡± she laughed awkwardly. The audience did not reciprocate. ¡°My name is Victoria, and here¡¯s my show!'''' She cheered enthusiastically at the end, but there was no hope. The audience were already tired from the previous shows, and they weren¡¯t ready for another, especially after the thirtieth time. She went through her love of art and other activities, but no one cared. The only people who were remotely listening were Amalya, her new-found friend, and two people she really didn¡¯t want to see listening to her; Lucas and James. Both of them were snickering, and Mr. Justin didn¡¯t attempt to stop their heckling from getting out of control. When she got to her sketch of the cat, which in her eyes was the magnum opus of art, the only response was some giggling and pointing from those two. Even Malaya joined in. Amalya didn¡¯t have the heart or will to do it, however. She knew good art from art, and this was certainly it. Amalya¡¯s approval was enough to Victoria, as having one friend is better than having none. But what about Andrew? He doesn¡¯t really count, does he? Is he more or less of a friend to you? SHUT,


    ¡°UP!¡± screamed Victoria at the top of her lungs. The class was quickly awoken and their eyes pointed towards her commotion. ¡°Oh, sor-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± reassured Mr. Justin. ¡°Have a seat.¡± As she moved down the isles, she saw fits of laughter from the duo that had hurt her in the past. In her mind, she really didn¡¯t think they could talk about her eccentricity. Lucas was obsessed with one fruit, though his mind had been drifting from it, similar to his eye on woman. She saw him slowly stop talking to her, and talking to other girls instead. Her jealousy was intense, and it was mostly justified. Her life was an utter mess before she met him, and he ruined her trust in him, permanently, by committing such reviled actions, and he had cemented a reputation in her, forever.


    She would speak to James, personally.


    She sat down on her seat, with the floor covered in strings of reds and blues, and looked at James.


    ¡°Why were you laughing at me?¡± wondered Victoria. Jame¡¯s mouth began to utter nonsense.


    ¡°Well, um, uh, you looked funny and, um, you have red hair, and, uh, that¡¯s weird!¡±


    ¡°What is really weird is that I am talking to a trash-eating sewer rat right now.¡± Jame¡¯s mouth opened agape. Before he could say anything else, the bell rang again. The class began to disperse out into the hallway, as they each went to their designated rooms, filled with people of their own age. As people poured out, people began to pour in. She caught glances at children far younger than she was, rushing into the classroom. One caught her eye. One with large eyes, like a loris¡¯s pupils. One with a large nose, similar to a goblin shark. Her eyes widened, as did Victoria¡¯s. They looked into each other, and they split not far after.

 Chapter 5: Havens Collapse

    As Victoria traversed through the hallways, she knew where she was supposed to go, though she couldn¡¯t find a level of stairs to climb in a twisting labyrinth of concrete and cemented bricks. She once came across some unique landmarks, such as a lounge area, holding odd oily paintings upon its transparent, glassy walls. She also saw the entrance of the building , but from behind, and noticed a square, orange door, opening into a ¡®store¡¯, as an attached sign above the door proclaimed. She then walked further, ignoring the seemingly repeating routes she was taking, into a large hallway holding banners spouting buzzwords like ¡®resilience¡¯ and ¡®empathy¡¯. What pooey. She continued calmly sauntering through more doorways, before ending up in the rooms of the lockers again. I had gone in a circle?


    Before Victoria could question herself anymore, she saw a new pathway, leading to the edge of the school, whose walls were glass panels. She entered and noticed more portraits storing pixel art and even more inspirational quotes and texts. She then began to jog past an exceptionally long hallway, which gave the impression of being as long as the width of the main building. As she went past large rooms containing computers, not unlike her class she just had, she began wondering why there were so many art pieces stored in the building, considering the school consisted of 4 buildings, including one explicitly named the ¡®Art Building¡¯, why weren¡¯t they there instead? Either way, as she turned a corner, she finally saw a flight of stairs extending to the second floor, and possibly third, as well. She climbed, and climbed, until she saw the bridge to the Peace Building, a building dedicated to the art of mediation, or about that much. She couldn¡¯t remember much from orientation, maybe due to her not having a parent chaperone to come and hold some of her belongings so she could take better notes of the school. Or maybe because she couldn¡¯t remember the building ever being here at all.


    Crossing the glassy bridge, Victoria saw the streets below, black as night, with small cars crossing by and the autumn leaves laying on the sidewalks, shining with a collection of burning reds and yellows. The trees were dead and charred, their wispy branches cracking in the rays beating down from space. A green, lush grassfield, hidden from leaves, stood out amongst the decaying vegetation that surrounded it. As she walked towards the Peace Building, she noticed it had a second and third floor, but lacked a first floor; it was held up by large monoliths, connected to the building and floor. The first ¡®floor¡¯ of the building didn¡¯t seem to be empty, and the boundaries between school and the outside were clearly defined with a change in material from the rest of the road.


    After admiring the scenery, she began to pace towards her designated classroom, and met face to face with the steely door frame of her temporary abode. Instead of a door, a purple, silky curtain covered the entrance instead, beckoning excited newcomers into its foggy chamber, seemingly supplied by a large fog machine. Above the door, were a set of feathery dream catchers, splaying their odd attachments, not unlike rope, towards the ground.


    As Victoria entered, she sneezed from passing directly under one of the woven wheels, and people looked towards her a sudden interest, which quickly dissipated as they cured their boredom through use of screens. She was not surprised a majority of the people were inside already; she was rather late in her escapades. As she walked over to an empty seat, a haunting voice was summoned from the front of the room.


    ¡°Hello, may I ask what¡¯s your name?¡±


    Victoria turned to face an ebony table, covered with stacks of faded books, a pencil holder, though the pencils didn¡¯t seem quite normal; they were crooked and misshapen, stacks of velvet cards, and a gentrified computer, which looked deeply out of place. On a high chair, sat a prehistoric man, his skin clinging to his bones, and with white, swirling hair similar to a soft serve. He wore a rather colorful shawl, with a deep fuchsia dress spiraling down toward his feet, which were encased in a pair of sanded sandals.


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    ¡°My name is, uh, Victoria!¡± replied Victoria, who was looking at awe in the strange beauty of his accessories. As a couple new people came in, she quickly grabbed a seat next to a person she recognized from her first class; the tall blonde. Victoria decided to nudge her as she was staring intently into her phone, perhaps to introduce herself to new people for more acquaintances.


    ¡°Hey, do I know you?¡± asked the person, who was clearly confused at Victoria¡¯s handsy actions.


    ¡°Uh, s-sorta?,¡± Victoria stammered, ¡°We were in the same class last period.¡±


    ¡°Oh um, oh wait! I know who you are! You are that naturally red headed person!¡± Victoria wished they wouldn¡¯t keep pointing that out, even if it was an abnormality.


    ¡°Uh, yeah, my name is Victoria, and what¡¯s yours?¡±


    ¡°My name is kinda weird, too . . .¡±


    ¡°Well, if you can point out something as weird as my hair, why can¡¯t you do the same for your name?¡±


    ¡°Oh, fine, my name is Anterior.¡± She wasn¡¯t wrong, I guess.


    ¡°Uh, do you have an explanation for that, or-¡±


    ¡°Well, my full name is Anterior Cerebral Artery, which sounds even more bizarre.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk down about yourself like that, or you have low self-esteem,¡± hypocritically retorted Victoria.


    ¡°Well, my family life isn¡¯t the greatest . . .¡±


    ¡°Do you want to get into it?¡± asked Victoria, in a softer tone than she¡¯d usually use. ¡°Or no? That¡¯s fine, too, if you don¡¯t want to share. I¡¯ve got a few skeletons in my closet, too.¡±


    ¡°You do? If you don¡¯t mind sharing, I¡¯d be happy to listen.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my favorite topic, but here it goes: my parents are kinda deadbeat; both of them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kinda like my dad,¡± interrupted Anterior, though Victoria didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°Uh, why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cool with me, can I keep sharing?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Ok, so my, ugh, parents a-are-,¡± Victoria couldn¡¯t continue much longer, as she felt it was becoming rather awkward, for both parties. Just as she was planning to think of a quick way to diffuse and change courses for the topic, which was awfully personal for an introduction, the bell rang. People began to pack up in droves, and not unexpectedly, a mass exodus of students happened, pushing the heavy mist towards slower students. Victoria and Anterior were certainly one of them. As more smoke piled up around their nostrils, they began to cough, coughing out more of the misty air, as though the air inside them had been replaced with a vapory mixture. Victoria wondered how the gas, or any other items found inside this decrepit classroom, were allowed in a setting such as this. She pondered it for a few more seconds, but all she felt was becoming more drowsy; weaker in the knees.


    Victoria and Anterior agreed the best course of action was to simply leave as fast as possible, and thus they did, speed walking out of the classroom, creaking its crooked, wooden floorboards, as they left. Once they were out, they coughed out more gaseous material, and their senses returned to normal. After this, they parted ways, as they headed to their next class. As she turned away from Anterior to begin her descent down the Peace Building stairs, she noticed two people, one deeply familiar and another which had caught her attention in the first class. It was James and the small boy who had the eyes of the teacher who had taught that class. They held each other¡¯s hands, and stared into each other with a fierce passion; of intimacy. Before Victoria could report these findings to Amalya using her number, she realized her phone had run out of batteries. It was time to dash.

 Chapter 6: Snot Me

    She had found it quite difficult to wait.


    Inside her next class, Victoria was perturbed by the boredom which struck her soon after sitting upon a hard, plastic chair, fused into the desk in front of her. She could not only not be able to use her phone, which provided useful distractions, but she also couldn¡¯t report back to Amalya, her quickest friend, about her special news about James. She herself was rather shocked by the revelations his apparent cheating gave her, and the most striking thing wasn¡¯t even about the relationship¡¯s nature or that James was even participating in such scandalous activities with another person while in another one. No, it was rather that the person doing it was James, himself.


    Victoria, after all, already despised him and his antics, even though she had caused most of the rivalry to begin with, and being two years older, it was hard for her to feel comfortable in her position, being enemies with a kid. On the other hand, Victoria knew that deep down, he was destined to be enemies with her, considering their opposing personalities. Either way, in current time, she didn¡¯t like him, and he reciprocated those feelings. She now had dirt on James, and she wasn¡¯t going to let it come to waste, especially after the incident that had nearly caused Victoria her life, and payback was inevitable. It shall be orchestrated tomorrow noon, and I will finally come above this great foe. I will destroy his life, like he did mine. It will come to fruition by tomorrow.


    As she stewed over in her thoughts, people poured in by the droves, and at this point, it had already seemed repetitive and monotonous. Either way, once more, as though it were a chore, she observed the room for interesting faces, for perhaps intrigue, or a simple curiosity that her creative mind was famished to fill. She spotted some individuals, but none were interesting enough to continue investigating into. She also saw a couple of familiar figures; namely, the boy she had seen holding James¡¯s hands. Another one, however, piqued her interest. It was the person who she had seen filing into her room during last class.


    She observed her features more closely now, and noticed a few key features she had skimmed over, during the milliseconds she had spent time with this individual. Her eyes and nose, unlike what Victoria had suspected, weren¡¯t large at all. Instead, the reasoning behind these claims were behind her all along, literally. Behind her eyes and nose, sat a head that didn¡¯t seem to fit either completely, upon a small, thick neck. Her hair was extensive and hazel, not unlike the flow of diarrhea, and her flowing skin showed like a polished metal. After spying for a while, Victoria decided to do her usual routine of talking to the teacher of this class, but it seemed like they were already getting started for a while now.


    His eyes were radiant and warm, though there appeared to be a disturbance within them. Zooming outwards, Victoria saw he was wearing glasses, which went over his dark, towering hair. His limbs seemed nimble and stretchy, as though he were a mantis, and his smile was as real as his seemingly normal sense of fashion, or at least what Victoria thought was normal. He wore a vest over a plaid shirt, with a nametag on his fluffy vest. Francis Villegas. On his desk was a medium-sized laptop, decorated with colorful and cheerful stickers. Victoria didn¡¯t care much about anything else on his desk; she felt she had seen it all, however, one object stood out to her, like a moth to a flame. A ¡®booger mug¡¯ was situated on his table, with inscriptions she couldn¡¯t make out. She expected it to be explained away, soon enough.


    ¡°Hola, chicos! Buenos dias, and welcome to your clase de Espanol Uno!¡± energetically introduced Senor Villegas. Victoria was a bit stunned by the seeming enthusiasm, considering how early in the day this still was, but she accepted it nonetheless. ¡°My name is Sr. Villegas, and I will be teaching this class for this year! I hope by the end of this class, you will understand Espanol enough to be able to converse with others!¡± Victoria already seemed miffed at the energy he was bringing to this cold, dark, and disagreeable setting, but she accepted it. When will he talk about the booger mug?


    Instead of being omnipotent and understanding Victoria¡¯s request, he instead moved on to more introductions, like every other class before it. He explained how they would be doing it, and gave them a beginning sentence to say, though after repeating it twice, she still couldn¡¯t get how Sr. Villegas pronounced it perfectly, leading to some needless frustration on her end. She would be introducing herself to someone who sat next to her; in this case, a baby faced girl wearing a sports cap. After processing her face for a few seconds, she realized, once more, this was a person she had met in the Computer Science class. Gee, that class must be popular, or computer scientists think alike. Her appearance was unremarkable, at the very least, comparatively to everyone else she had met today. She also had a strange air that Victoria couldn¡¯t quite make out.


    ¡°Uh, como te llamas?¡± asked Victoria hesitantly.


    ¡°Me, um, llamo, uh, Audrey Renap?¡± replied Audrey. ¡°Y tu?¡±


    ¡°Me llamo Victoria,¡± confidently said Victoria.


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    ¡°Um, okay, that¡¯s a weird name.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing, I just think that sounds like an old lady¡¯s name.¡±


    ¡°Um, no?¡±


    ¡°Never mind, why do you have red hair?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± Victoria uncomfortably dodged the question, as it was rather personal, and she didn¡¯t want to share her secrets, especially with such a condescending person as Audrey. ¡°Why are you so rude?¡±


    ¡°No, you are the one being rude. Answer my question!¡±


    ¡°You are acting like a kid.¡±


    ¡°No, you are!¡±


    ¡°Leave me alone, Audrey. Or do you want me to ask why you have that stupid cap on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not stupid! You are the one who is!¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? And why should I care about your opinion, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Because, unlike you, I am cool and not a nerd.¡±


    ¡°A nerd, huh?¡± Victoria paused at this, before continuing onwards. ¡°Look, Audrey, I don¡¯t want to get into a fight in any form right now. You aren¡¯t scary, you aren¡¯t powerful. You are just another person here.¡± At this, Audrey opened her mouth wide open, showing off her crooked, yellow teeth in the process.


    ¡°Why did you just say something so mean?¡±


    ¡°You started it.¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, just leave me in peace.¡±


    ¡°N-¡±


    As Audrey was about to utter another word from her mouth, the teacher fortunately began speaking once more, shutting her up.


    ¡°Well, guys, I hope this was a good introduction for all of us! The bell is about to ring in 1 minute, so get packing!¡± served Sr. Villegas. ¡°Also, if you have any boogers, drop them off in this booger mug!¡± Victoria had completely forgotten about the booger mug, and as she was remembering the existence of such a potentially foul item, Audrey, with her foul mouth, began to speak again.


    ¡°You better apologize, right now!¡±


    ¡°No, and I was thinking, maybe you should apologize to me, instead.¡±


    ¡°I will not be taking this disrespect from you, a weirdo with red hair.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so weird, gingers make up a good portion of this country, you know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, only 4% or something, and you know that isn¡¯t what I meant! I am talking about how your hair is somehow a crimson shade!¡± Victoria wondered how much more Audrey could improve her social standing if she were more eloquent with her words.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your business, and you still haven¡¯t explained why you¡¯ve been wearing this hat the entire time? What¡¯s so important about it, huh?¡±


    ¡°Not your business.¡±


    ¡°So don¡¯t get in mine.¡±


    ¡°Why? You stand out like a sore thumb.¡±


    ¡°I could say you are not dissimilar to a watery celery stick.¡±


    ¡°I am not a vegetable!¡±


    ¡°Woah! Slow down, there.¡±


    ¡°Never, until you do!¡±


    ¡°What have I done to warrant this?¡±


    ¡°Everything!¡±


    ¡°Yo, guys, chill.¡± Victoria and Audrey turned their heads to face a stranger¡¯s voice they both hadn¡¯t heard previously. They turned to face an imposing figure, heads above theirs, and one with a face of disapproval.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± asked Audrey.


    ¡°Say it in Spanish. I bet you¡¯ve already forgotten it from your guy¡¯s bickering.¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± Audrey muttered, as she looked at a sheet Sr. Villegas had passed out not long before. ¡°Ok, coma te jamas.¡±


    ¡°I am not even going to comment on that one,¡± said the stranger, her eyes beating down at Audrey¡¯s, before turning towards Victoria. ¡°Well, my name is Kennedy. Nice to meet you, but I could say the opposite, really. Please, no more fights. This isn¡¯t fun, especially when you¡¯ve been so damn loud. Okay?¡± pleaded Kennedy.


    ¡°But she starte-¡±


    ¡°Nuh uh. I don¡¯t know who started it, but I know s¡¯not me. It¡¯s your problem and you need to settle it, right now,¡± dismissed Kennedy.


    ¡°Um, uh, s-s-,¡± attempted Audrey, groaning all the way through it. ¡°Sore, re-re-r-¡±


    ¡°Good first attempt, but it sucked, like your attitude. I could hear you all the way over there. Shut up. Goodbye,¡± and Kennedy wandered back to her personal fused chair and table.


    ¡°Well, um, uh,¡± Audrey mumbled, as Victoria had a smug smile plastered over her face. The bell rang, and Victoria was about to leave. Leaving behind Audrey, now with an even more stunned face than previously, she noticed how everyone was dropping off their snot in the booger mug. She decided to do it, all of courtesy, and almost left, before Audrey ran and pushed her out of the way. Annoyed, she decided to simply bottle it up to break it for later. This isn¡¯t important. As the last one to leave, Sr. Villegas asked her to close the door behind her as she left. She did as told, before snooping secretly outside the door, for maybe a clue about why the booger mug was there. After all, there didn¡¯t seem to be an apparent reason for it.


    There, she heard the teacher picking up the mug, before placing it down. She thought she could¡¯ve heard some chewing noises from inside the hermit classroom.

 Chapter 7: Head Space

    The rest of the day went past like a breeze. After Victoria¡¯s Spanish class, there was lunchtime, and she used it wisely; refilling on energy with edible delights. Afterwards, she went to more classes, highly alike to the last few she had. She introduced herself, she met a few new people, however, to her, they were not as interesting as the few she had met in her first few classes. She had deep thoughts swirling around her cerebrum, about James, about Audrey, and mostly importantly of all, Lucas.


    She had already been displeased with him since the beginning of their relationship; even before his blooming interest in honeydew, as she wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of watermelon, either. She had actually preferred strawberries, though from his passionate speeches, Lucas hated them with every fiber of his being, even if strawberries were rich in fibers. Lucas also wasn¡¯t the nicest person to be around due to his outbursts, often expelling hateful language around anyone he didn¡¯t like. Then there was the biggest red flag of it all; he was cheating on her with another person! After interrogating him, he confessed that he was dating another girl while they started their relationship, which completely shattered Victoria¡¯s boundaries. Finally, she also didn¡¯t particularly like how his misshapen face looked. I hope he gets what he deserves.


    As her final class, Health, ended, she got prepared to leave, carrying all her baggage out of the chamber. Health was located in yet another building, being the PE Building, which was a small facility which appeared to host a large underground network, considering the large quantities of stairwells, elevators, and even ladders, which seemed downright medieval in this point of time. She traveled across dark, glassy bridges and walked past pots filled with indescribable foliage and crossed and crossed a patterned path into the Academic Building. She went downstairs, along with hordes of people, dressed in various fashions, as they all rushed to leave this cramped school. Once Victoria fled through an exit, she was met with the blinding radiation of The Sun, with a crisp smell of fallen leaves and simmering flames. She quickly moved past children with their parents and workers leaving from their occupations towards the old, littered train station she had left from. A ubiquitous state for most stations like this.


    Victoria got on the train, brimming with people, and luckily found a seat amongst the growing numbers of disheveled, tired people, who she related to greatly. Tired and without a mobile device, Victoria found it hard to keep awake, but the social lives of those who surrounded her were enough company to stave off a quick nap. However, as her wits were lowering due to the comfortable surroundings, and soon she, too, would be dozing off like the others around her. Keep awake! There¡¯s only one more trip before we leave. But the warmth . . .  It feels so nice. Wouldn¡¯t it be a good time to just take one short nap? As Victoria yawned loudly, she could feel herself weaker than ever, and resisting the urge to sleep was going against her primal instincts. Thus, after an easy fight, her will sinisterly defeated her in an empowered state, and she slept soundly, aboard the modern train, flying above tracks using their magnetic powers. Goodnight, me . . .


    After what seemed like a few hours, Victoria woke up in a panicked state, fearing she might have missed her stop. Fortunately for her, however, the station that was coming up was the one she had chosen to get off at, and it had only been a few minutes between her initial nap. As she began looking out the windows, she saw something that seemed to be very illogical from her mental map of her city grounds. It seemed to be a forested landscape, with tiny hay huts, stationed in a circular pattern. She smelled the air; it was smokey and oily, as though it was a fresh oil painting from the Classical Era. She could even taste the air, and the mixture was almost certainly not of a pleasing taste, but instead of that of lead and another metallic substance she couldn¡¯t make out. She shuffled uncomfortably around the other people boarding the train, who had a shadowy, yet symmetrical appearance, with their hair flickering and clashing with the empty space around them. She then noticed how smooth and slick the chair was, now a painted mosaic, like porcelain with an oriental origin. Then the train began to screech to a halt, as it went into a dark tunnel, which was quickly replaced by a rudimentary, primeval area, badly lit with orange candles and oil lamps. She then started hearing chatters and whispers, pounding on her eardrums, and the door of the train had slowly crooked open.


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    Then, she began to run. She sped past seats made of painted terracotta and flimsy, skinny railings, and as she did, she noticed something odd. While a dirty train station was nothing out of the ordinary for her life, this appeared to have been destroyed, considering the broken walls, cracked as though it was left under The Sun for an extended period of time. There were white tents made of a wooly material, and people huddled around for warmth underneath large, knitted blankets. She saw two exits, though only one had an opening that suited her needs. The adequate tunnel for her was a simple escalator up to an unknown light, not too unlike the normal station she would¡¯ve got off from. The other exit was far smaller, and was made of a screen, connected to multiple futuristic cables. She decided to leave through the one possessing an escalator, though it, too, was extremely claustrophobic, and felt entrapping. She couldn¡¯t run past it, due to the constrained space, so decided to go against her preconceived notions, by touching the surfaces of the escalator. It seemed abrasive and blunted before touch, but afterwards, was as fine as a fresh silk. Its surfaces were emblazoned with yet more decorative pieces, chalk full of repeated symbols, but not unlike the rest of the area, it was also dilapidated and felt underfunded.


    As Victoria found her way to the surface, the air was somehow more polluted than before, and she struggled to breathe underneath the heavy, yellow atmosphere. She looked around her and spotted scaling skyscrapers, slowly crumbling away with its abandoned appearance and the foliage grew over it weakly, as the plants seemed unhealthy, as well. On blocks without the towering structures, laid a crumbled pile of molding material, no doubt once a majestic tower, just like the ones it was nearby. In one area however, were more tents, and she saw more life there than the barren landscape that surrounds it. She glimpsed upon some dark silhouettes, their being of a supernatural quality and their features seemingly sculpted. Faraway, she saw a large skyline in the distance, well lit, and clearly unlike the area she had found herself trapped in. In pure awe at the sight of this seemingly ideal world, another thought crept into Victoria¡¯s mind. Where am I? What is this place?


    As she began to walk towards the site of socialization, her lungs were stricken by a sharp pain that spread throughout her body, vibrating through each bone inside her. She tried to continue to walk normally, but fell onto the gritty ground below, covering her in more dust and smoke. She felt as though she was being smothered, and couldn¡¯t breathe. The haze surrounded her eyes, and she felt the ground becoming runny, as she realized the clay-like substance underneath transformed into an oleaginous terrain, and soon, puddles of pigments and liquid arose from either the ground, or from Victoria, herself. As she fell unconscious, she felt footsteps near her, pitter-pattering faster and louder, as they approached. Finally, she fell into an unconscientious sleep, and saw the face of a brunette man, with bright bay leaves stuck atop his cranium.


    ¡°W-who, are you?¡±

 Chapter 8: Refuge of Classics

    ¡°You are rather delirious, curious creature,¡± spoke the muted, bronze man.


    ¡°Uh-uh, um, huh?¡± slurred Victoria, barely processing what was happening to her, as she slowly sank into the colored mud that began to engulf her body in a tinged oobleck.


    ¡°Could it be . . . No, you aren¡¯t infected, or one of them, but then why are you sinking?,¡± the statue began speculating. ¡°Let¡¯s just get you to the nearest campsite.¡±


    And then the world¡¯s lights went off, as Victoria¡¯s eyes became shut after they began to feel as though they were blistering from the intoxicating fumes. The fumigations encircled her, though the statue didn¡¯t seem to mind the toxic environment he found himself presumably trapped within. During her unwanted coma due to the new, poisoned air that filled the empty space, she felt swift, gliding winds past her, as she was being relocated to an unknown place, that slowly felt more warm as she neared her destination. In her ears, she began to feel ticklish sensations, bouncing throughout her eardrums, as though flies swarmed in her, bumping around inside her flesh. Then her usually sharp senses went awfully quiet, as she fell fully into another ensuing sleep, within this fever dream of a distorted reality. A chunk of time flew by, slipping away from Victoria¡¯s hands, as she dreamt of nothing during her unexpected blackout; her limp body having been likely carried to the social site she had seen in her waking moments of this new world.


    Then, Victoria woke up. Her body could barely move, as it stung each time she attempted to position one of her limbs in a more comfortable position. She gently opened her eyelids, and was immediately blinded by the fluorescent lighting that shone lambently over her head, though it appeared warped and squashed. She had first believed that it was another hallucination from her recent exposure to the air of this plastered, fake universe, but she peered around her, turning her head slowly as to prevent aching, and realized that her head was encased within a glass helmet, as though she were an astronaut, speeding through a nauseating galaxy. It wasn¡¯t far off from her situation right now, however, being stranded after taking a quick hibernation from the busy ways of school life, even if it had only been the first day inside of that concrete complex. Her hearing quickly perked up, once more, and she began listening to difficult to listen to conversations that had been happening throughout her observations of this place, from a safer area to be in.


    ¡°Hey, Pearl, you don¡¯t think, she¡¯s, uh, dead, do you?¡± said a stranger¡¯s voice


    ¡°No, she isn¡¯t dying, though she may need some parts amputated; she¡¯s in a bit of a rough state, but this isn¡¯t that virus, so there isn¡¯t much to fear,¡± replied a voice who Victoria could only assume was coming from Pearl.


    ¡°That¡¯s great, but doesn¡¯t amputation, seem a bit, much?¡± asked the stranger once more. ¡°I mean, she is losing quite a bit of blood from internal hemorrhaging, but we¡¯ve salvaged worse without having to cut off a couple of limbs and digits.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s, uh, how do I put this exactly . . . uh, different,¡± decided Pearl, though she seemed rather unsure of her conclusion, even if Victoria felt like and believed she was indeed different, especially if the air of this world had managed to choke her out. ¡°She¡¯s very organic, even more than us, and that makes her more susceptible to the airborne diseases that those, freaks, sent to us,¡± stressed Pearl.


    ¡°Well, it''s not like she has, it, you said it yourself, but I still think keeping her in one piece, and not chopping her up is the best course of action, currently,¡± stated the stranger, who¡¯s head now hovered over her. She could see from her blurry memory, before her sudden collapse, that this was the bronze man who had come to her rescue, though she still didn¡¯t know who this exactly was.


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    ¡°Fine, Dante, but if I had my way, maybe we could finally experiment on that new idea I had, turning the bio-weapon against us to them!¡± ecstatically spoke Pearl, which made Victoria frown, though the speed of her mouth curling was enough to send another pain signal towards her brain. I am not your lab rat. I don¡¯t know where I am, but the only thing I hope is for this stupid nightmare to end now! Despite the outburst that she had experienced, the world did not bend down for her.


    ¡°Okay, but just don¡¯t harm this innocent person, they didn¡¯t want this, neither did we. Let¡¯s just leave it at that,¡± reasoned Dante, and as metallic clankings sounded, they slowly dissipated, signaling that he had left the room. She heard more of Pearl¡¯s muttering, though from the spherical glass her head was trapped within, Victoria couldn¡¯t decipher her, especially with such a low volume, though from her tone and what she was emphasizing, Victoria felt like she was rather mad, possibly at Dante. Due to her rather sensitive circumstances, she could feel vibrations fairly easily, though twinges of pain arose each time she sensed these sudden tremors, and she began to feel them, as the ground felt like it was quivering each time something shook it. Suddenly, Pearl¡¯s head looked through her glass headgear, and Victoria finally got a good look at the person who wanted to mutilate her for scientific gain and progress.


    The light skinned woman that she saw staring back through her eyes was wearing something oddly peculiar for an apparent surgeon to wear; she was wearing a large, flowing, yellow dress that covered nearly every inch of her body, and her ears were adorned with milky pearl earrings. She wore a turban, though not a stereotypical one, but rather one with more eastern origins, made of fibrous cloth, sporting a pale beige and a striking, deep blue, which Victoria greatly admired for her fashion sense. An artist knows another. But then, Victoria looked closer, and started to draw connections with the rest of this strange location that she had been left in after the slumber on that train. The oils that permeated the soil, and the waxy air; the metallic man, and now a girl with a pearl earring, but wait, no, it is! It¡¯s literally the girl with a pearl earring, oh my goodness! With that, Victoria recognized the world for what it was, but also knew at that point the nightmarishly horrifying scenario she had been in had transformed into something from her dreams, quite literally. It seems, however, Pearl had the opposite chain of thinking.


    ¡°DANTE!,¡± cried Pearl. ¡°Come back right now, or I will have your pedestal removed! Our patient is awake and lucid, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s for long! Look, and come here, now!¡± With that, Victoria¡¯s eyes averted to her shoulders, the base where her neck should protrude from. But, a viscous, dark liquid was all she saw, creeping its way up her head like a diseased culture finding its way to an escape. She began hearing audible thumps, approaching the room, as more of the liquid gushed out from nowhere, filling her up with the warm, oozing liquid. She saw Pearl stare with a frightened expression, before the substance reached her lips, then her nostrils, and before it made its way to her ears, she passed out once more.


    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± yelled Victoria, as the people who were mindlessly gazing into the depths of their screens turned to face the commotion. Victoria quickly noticed two things. For one, the movement of any part of her body no longer hurt as though it was a stitch unfolding. And for the second thing, she was back on the steel train. She looked at a digital sign embedded into the train¡¯s ceiling, stating that Station 7 was up ahead; the station that Victoria needed to get off at, coming ahead in thirty minutes. Victoria then soon apologized quietly for her disruption, and headed for the train¡¯s restroom, where she rapidly closed and locked the doors, to barricade herself in. She needed to process what had been happening those moments ago, and how vivid they were. They were so real. Dante, Pearl, those inky people on the train. Were they all figments of her imagination? As she was thinking, the train moved through the terrain and into the horizon beyond; a swirling mess of art.

 Chapter 9: Drunk Mind

    Victoria shuffled and shifted in her bedsheets, thinking of what had transpired a few hours ago.


    ¡°Was it, all, real?¡± questioned Victoria, to a cold, uncaring universe. ¡°Were, they, real? What was that? It was so, so, vivid. Though, I am starting to forget some key details . . . Maybe it was a dream, I think. I don¡¯t know!¡±


    Victoria''s frustration hadn¡¯t been answered by any higher beings, and it certainly wasn¡¯t one for others to want to dwell on, either. The oiled landscapes of that strange world, to her, was no longer real, being comparatively similar to someone like Helen Keller; someone who was real, but someone who seemed so unbelievably fake to the ordinary, feeble mind. She couldn¡¯t handle the knowledge given to her from the venture to the fallen urban landscape she had met in her twisted dreamscape; a choked battleground, and a shining metropolis looming far away. It had felt like her ever-changing creativity had forced this vision upon her, though the descriptor of the vision was herself, and that she had seemingly created this world from thin air; a whimsical world doused in hatred and horrors, and a reflection of her life. She, however, also had a counterpoint to her thoughts from before, of that this world was not made with her hands, but rather by another creator she had no knowledge of. That, or this colorful purgatory was just a fixture of another plane, far beyond or below her, that she may have never seen, and one, that to her, she wasn¡¯t supposed to see.


    Despite having technically slept during her short trip on the train, Victoria felt as tired as ever, and soon after lying on her bed, she collapsed into the soft fabrics beneath, cloaked in an ethereal sheet. During the night, she rolled and shook around the casing of the bed, as though she had been possessed by a demon. But that night, she was certainly not haunted by any paranormal activity, for her rest was dreamless and reenergizing. She woke up the next morning, sun dawning, to once again begin the cycle that perpetuated the story of her life, of that revolving around the tiring life of school. It was the same routine she had completed yesterday, which had already become muscle memory, engraved into her brain. This time, she decided to move faster; she wanted to talk with some of her new friends before classes had begun, but mainly, she wanted to tell Amalya about the scandal she had uncovered through careless spying. She boarded the metal train she had fallen into a stupor within, and later locked herself inside its luminescent bathroom, and started to recollect what had happened yesterday after the incident.


    What happened after the dream? Oh, right, I went into the bathroom and started making up dumb conspiracies. Great use of my time, body! Ugh, whatever, it¡¯s in the past now, and my phone is still dead . . . Wait, no, ugh. I didn¡¯t charge it yesterday! I am so stupid! At least I will probably see Amalya soon, and hopefully be able to rub it in James¡¯s stupid, vermin face. I may have instigated things, but he had no right to do . . . that. What a loser! It will be fun to finally get him again. How perfect! I started this beef, and now I end it! What is it, brain? You say bullying a kid two years younger than you isn¡¯t okay. Way to be the devil¡¯s advocate, though I don¡¯t think you understand me and him. What are you saying? You are saying that you literally knew that? I don¡¯t care, you use that information in an improper way! Yes, duh! I mean, obviously name calling isn¡¯t as bad as shooting my . . . Never mind. That¡¯s in the past now, and I can finally get revenge on him. Just a couple more seconds away to ruin both of his relationships, or more! Slapping that little swinger with the cold, hard truth of reality . . . delicious.


    As Victoria became entrenched within her thoughts, the mechanical behemoth suddenly came to a stop, and its glass doors began opening wide, letting the fresh, chilly breeze float inwards. With the warmth of summer disappearing, and with the transition into autumn, comes the frosty, gray winters ahead. Yet despite the temperature, she sported a clothing decision, one that didn¡¯t quite account for the cold, slow emptiness that autumn brings, and yet, she was emboldened by fervor and heat, ready to enact in vengeance against her greatest foe; the one that had harmed her on the inside. The one that shattered her life, and the one that irreparably changed her life forever, and for the worse, at that. She raced past a multitude of people, including some she had begun to actively keep a record of within her head, and with her trained, colored eyes, she spotted Amalya, walking briskly past the dead trees that lie in their wake. Victoria speedily catched up to Amalya, as though in a panic and rushed to see the few who had shown compassion to her. At least those who happened to be real.


    ¡°Hey, Amalya! Remember me, I am Victoria!,¡± beamed Victoria, as she slowed down rapidly to match with Amalya.


    ¡°Oh, hey, Victoria! What¡¯s up?¡± inquired Amalya, still oblivious to James¡¯s, interesting, double life.


    ¡°Um, hey, is it fine if we talk in the lunchrooms, but like, you know, before classes start. We still have 1 hour before classes begin.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, that¡¯s fine with me, but, you look, kinda, anxious?¡±


    ¡°Uh, no. I am just a bit nervous to share some hidden details with your ¡®boyfriend¡¯.¡±


    ¡°What you got on James?¡±


    ¡°As I said, let¡¯s talk in the lunchrooms, and also, to answer your earlier questions, yes, I am perfectly fine, thanks for asking! How about you?¡±


    ¡°Ah, ah, ah! I think, I will answer you in the lunchrooms,¡± teased Amalya, somewhat annoying Victoria, though endearing her to Amalya¡¯s quirks, like her love of eggs, which she oddly smelled like, as though she had eaten eggs for breakfast, though that wasn¡¯t unlikely, considering her origins.


    ¡°Well, then! Let¡¯s meet up in the lunchroom.¡± After they stopped their conversation, Victoria began to sprint towards her locker, which was conveniently placed on the first floor of this building, while Amalya¡¯s was placed with the faraway lands of the Art Building, which Victoria noticed was nearly as large as the Academic Building, the one she was moving across the halls of. After a short stop at her glossy, red locker, she managed to find her way through the twisted maze of the Academic Building, which had only applied for the first floor. Then, something blared through the halls, in a scratchy, broken voice.


    ¡°Everyone! Tomorrow will be Poop Day! It¡¯s called that because you will have both classes from Monday and today, in one day!¡± As its broadcast ended, she realized it was no monster, a fear now granted after the incident, but rather just a noisy, old school speaker, not unlike many other schools, which utilize these underfunded budgets, which had already seemed stretched. She then quickly moved up a flight of dirty stairs, some steps covered a trash, despite it having been only the first day, and came to the blue lunchroom, where she sat and waited for Amalya to appear inside her eyesight, and soon rough, she spotted her, and notice the her face took on the appearance of an egg, almost like an omen for what she enjoyed. As Amalya approached, she soon reduced her speed, before slowly backing up, while making a clear hand gesture asking for Amalya to follow, but it was rendered obsolete after she began to speak.


    ¡°Hey, stop sitting there! I have some friends you should meet!¡± gestured Amalya. Victoria got up silently, and began to follow her around this area of vast and messy space, colored a deep indigo or a navy. As Victoria followed Amalya around the ginormous premises of the lunchroom, she suddenly realized Amalya had sat down, and she saw two people having already sat at the table. One, Victoria didn¡¯t recognize, though she could tell from her body language that she was a decently quiet person, not unlike Victoria, but seeming to be healthier, especially with the lack of eye bags underneath her dark, hazel eyes. The other, however, Victoria readily recognized, for it was the person she saw in her Spanish class, and the same person she had happened to describe as a goblin shark within her mind.


    ¡°Hey, guys! This is Victoria,¡± Amalya pointed at her, oddly menacingly, ¡°and this is Giulia,¡± Amalya, using two of her fingers, this time, pointed at the relatively quiet one, ¡°and this is Raina!¡± finished Amalya, pointing directly at Raina¡¯s face. Victoria observed how Giulia and Raina both appeared to be older than Amalya, though still younger than herself. ¡°Make yourselves comfortable, I guess. Hey guys, guess what?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± quickly responded Raina.


    ¡°I met Victoria, the same way I met you guys yesterday!¡± stated Amalya, and made Victoria wonder what made them all connect with one and another. ¡°With good egg recipes, of course!¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, I made this silly, s-crump-tious omelet, and it was so preppy, guys!¡± enthusiastically shared Raina. ¡°What about you, Giulia?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I made, that one?¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡±


    ¡°The omelet recipe Amalya shared?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, that one. That was, like, so not, like, coquette.¡±


    ¡°Hey, guys, all of my recipes are good, right? Well, my egg ones, anyways. Speaking of, Victoria, what did you do last afternoon or night? Try out any good recipes?¡± asked Amalya. Victoria silently hid her embarrassment of making instant ramen that night.


    ¡°Oh, uh, I didn¡¯t get to try any of your egg recipes, I was too busy, thinking about James and my dream.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, James. Got any beans to spill about him?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he is kinda ch-¡±


    ¡°What are you four doing here?¡± Victoria¡¯s head turned like an owl to face the new speaker, who had rudely interrupted her reveal of Jame¡¯s nefarious evildoings. The new person was tall and imposing, with a resting face of anger and, equally, disappointment, perhaps at Victoria, or at something else. Her hair was cleanly braided into little, smooth threads of intricate designs and features, and her head was like an angel¡¯s; touching, yet with a dash of horror. ¡°Well? Are you going to speak or what?¡±


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Oh, uh, we didn¡¯t know you sat here.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe you should¡¯ve.¡±


    ¡°Ariannah! Is this any way to treat newcomers to this school? I told you, don¡¯t get into these predicaments, or you might be, oh, I don¡¯t know, punished greatly?¡±


    ¡°Malaya, why do you have to be so damn strict, this isn¡¯t a big deal! I can just scare these little kids away, and then we get the spot.¡± Malaya. That name struck a bell within Victoria¡¯s head, but she didn¡¯t quite connect the dots until a few moments, afterwards, where she, then, connected the person standing in front her with the person who had been eating in the Computer Science class, though she didn¡¯t quite know who Ariannah was, and more importantly, why she was so entitled to this spot.


    ¡°Well, look who¡¯s acting like the kid right now? We should just stop being friends, I can¡¯t associate with people, like you!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve threatened me so many times, I can¡¯t stand it! Go away!¡±


    ¡°No, you. Keep talking this attitude with this audience, and I think I might turn on you!¡±


    ¡°Well, fine, then! See if I care! I don¡¯t, by the way!¡± screamed Ariannah, and despite the seeming resolution her words have given, it seemed as though she wanted to continue throwing a tantrum of unjustified reasoning, and to Victoria, she didn¡¯t personally care if Ariannah or Malaya stayed; she wanted both gone. But then, as the argument that seemed to possess a long history, far before Victoria¡¯s time, considering how they both appeared to be more mature, in the physical sense, compared to her, though their mental maturity seemed underdeveloped, another party was to join the fight, for Victoria¡¯s side, and not either of the newcomers she had already found rude.


    ¡°Go away, both of you!,¡± said the new voice. ¡°No one wants to hear either of you having a shouting match, in the literal school, no less! You are disturbing their deserved time of peace, and you should take this somewhere else.¡± Victoria looked towards the sound emanating from her right, and saw Anterior, standing higher above both Ariannah and Malaya, as if daring them to continue their bickering.


    ¡°It¡¯s not me who¡¯s perpetuating this, it¡¯s her!¡± corrected Malaya.


    ¡°You know what?¡± prompted Raina. ¡°You guys can, like, pop off, or whatever, but just don¡¯t do it here, you got, like, a bad vibe, flowing around, like, here.¡±


    ¡°Shut your loud and obnoxious trap!¡± shouted Ariannah. ¡°You are the ones who took our seats first, so it¡¯s not my problem to fix; it¡¯s yours.¡±


    ¡°Okay, little bro. No one asked.¡± After Raina clearly announced her death wish for all to hear, Ariannah looked as though she was about to pop a vein, as her skin glowed with heat and pulsated violently, as though she was attempting to contain her anger, but it easily leaking out of her systems.


    ¡°Why, you, you-¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey guys. Stop fighting.¡± Victoria twisted her neck by ninety degrees to face Giulia, who had suddenly begun to speak.


    ¡°Stop fighting? You¡¯re the ones to start the fight! Wait until I get my hands on you,¡± threatened Ariannah.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it. I am going to banish you from bothering and insulting these people, once and for all!¡± clearly voiced Malaya.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that!¡±


    ¡°Well, I am about to.¡±


    ¡°Stop it, right now.¡±


    ¡°Nah. See you later, in Art Class, maybe. Goodbye, clown.¡± And then Malaya ran off, with Ariannah forgetting the questionable reason she had been in these scenes, and pursuing her. Victoria wondered if Malaya, in any way, could be endangered by Ariannah, though this wasn¡¯t quite important, at the moment, as Anterior was now awkwardly standing in the place where the heated debate had taken place, and was clearly now uncomfortable after the situation had dissipated, unsure of what to make of herself.


    ¡°Victoria, do you know her?¡± asked Amalya.


    ¡°Uh, yeah, I guess I do. Her name is Anterior,¡± loudly replied Victoria, due to the high volume of the table behind them, which, when she looked over, was the suspected age group; of that being little boys, shouting and being generally loud, with their tables dirtied and covered in litter. However, as she nearly forgot the reason she had wanted to talk with Amalya in the morning, she noticed one which had made her remember. It was the little, shrewish boy she had seen James with.


    ¡°Oh, you have other friends! Welcome, Anterior, you can sit opposite to me! Yep, yep, move over guys . . . stop with the groaning, it¡¯s not that bad, Raina. Anyways, introduce yourself to us, Anterior, and then I want to hear what secret Victoria has about James!¡±


    ¡°I am Anterior, I know that¡¯s weird or whatever, but it makes more sense if I state my full name. Um, anyways, I am cool, I guess, and I like not dying, I guess. Funny story, so like I once went to my friend¡¯s house, and like they were getting kidnapped by like this dude, and then like I pulled out my trusty ice pick and stabbed him, it was great, but then I got stabbed, but then, he got blown up by a bazooka, so it¡¯s all fine in the end, cause I got recovered by weird liquids from a burnt jar and some wacky ritual stuff.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh, you sure you aren¡¯t a bit loopy in the head?¡± questioned Raina.


    ¡°No, no, this actually happened. Pretty sure the dude who robbed my friends was named Jamal, or something.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay, well if it did happen, you ate that up, girl! Like, damn, you totally, like, destroyed that silly thief.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to particularly ta-¡±


    ¡°Okay, I understand and respect your personal space, girly.¡± After that, Victoria had begun to space out, and saw, by squinting at an analog clock, that there was ten minutes left before classes started. She also happened to be distracted by the table behind them; the one with James¡¯s personal paramour, all hidden behind Amalya¡¯s back.


    ¡°Hey, Victoria,¡± uttered Amalya, while she snapped her fingers rhythmically, ¡°are you there? We want to listen to your secret about James!¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, yes, so, like, do any of you happen to know a kid who looks like a mouse?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean my lover?¡±


    ¡°No, James is definitely more rat-like than mouse-like, compared to the person who I am talking about.¡±


    ¡°No! Victoria, didn¡¯t you know I have two lovers? James and Sebastian!¡±


    ¡°Who the hell is Sebastian? And why do you have two lovers?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know, one of the ¡®kids¡¯ behind you,¡± snarked Amalya. ¡°Hey, Sebastian! Come over here!¡± The kids behind Victoria started snickering, and as she turned around to see the commotion, it had already stopped, as when she looked back, Sebastian had already wormed his way there.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up, Amalya?¡±


    ¡°Oh, not much, did you see those two?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, they were pretty funny.¡±


    ¡°¡®Pretty¡¯ is too weak of a word to describe what had happened just a few minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it might be a bit tame. Anyways, what do you want me for?¡± asked Sebastian, chattering with his mouth as though it were an instinct, and his ears becoming rather red during the interrogating, though Victoria couldn¡¯t tell whether if it were his friends giggling behind her, him talking with Amalya, or the secret he¡¯s kept away from her, though Victoria couldn¡¯t believe that Amalya had turned out sinister, keeping a horrid truth, under locks.


    ¡°Oh, Victoria said she was going to tell me some secret about James.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, right,¡± nervously answered Sebastian.


    ¡°And then, the first thing she said was, ¡®Sebastian¡¯. Is there any secret between you and James?¡±


    ¡°Uh, well, yes, actually,¡± stuttered Sebastian, though Victoria quietly cheered, as she had believed to have busted his ruse. ¡°We were going to make, uhh, origami boats for you! Yes, yes, we were going to make origami boats, or hats, for you!¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s such a lovely surprise, but did I ever tell you that I am allergic to wood?¡±


    ¡°Oh right, um, we can use special paper, made out of, uh, rocks.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me!¡±


    ¡°Okay, cool, I guess. We only have like 1 minute left, so, let¡¯s just start getting ready.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my, gosh, yes,¡± blurted out Raina.


    ¡°Yeah, I think I will leave, too,¡± quietly stated Giulia, as Raina and her both left, soon after.


    ¡°Yeah, let me get out, Victoria,¡± as Amalya pushed Victoria¡¯s legs out of the way. ¡°Ok, good, we can talk later during Art Class, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Wait, we share the same period?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah! I guess we were meant to be good friends, all along.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Well then, goodbye, Victoria!¡± said Amalya and Sebastian in unison, as they departed along with Sebastian¡¯s friends, who made weird faces at him.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you feel it¡¯s weird that, you know, Amalya¡¯s a cheater?¡± methodically asked Anterior.


    ¡°Well, James and Sebastian are cheating on her with each other,¡± suddenly spilled Victoria.


    ¡°Oh, I guess the cats are out of the bag! I mean, of course it was, there¡¯s no way it could have been them making stupid origami boats.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, kinda crazy.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Victoria?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you hate all these unfaithful partners, lying everywhere, literally?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do, Anterior.¡±


    ¡°And then, they secretly start hanging out with other people, and then they start bullying you for things you can¡¯t change, like, I don¡¯t know, your preference for fruit?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do, Anterior.¡±


    ¡°And, like, then, they sneak into your house, and basically harass you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do, Anterior. Yeah, I do."

 Chapter 10: Of the Art Table

    Biology was, simply and utterly, no interesting affair.


    Victoria spent her time, doodling fluffy kittens, on her sheet absentmindedly, completely entranced by what had occurred a few minutes ago, of which it had already felt unreal, though she felt these anomalies were the norm, and she was the outcast. The dream that Victoria experienced, yesterday, almost made Victoria forget how she had made a new friend, during Health, through mutual humor and enjoyment.


    Eric was enjoyable to Victoria, mostly due to his eloquent stringing of words, of which Victoria often didn¡¯t even know how to repeat and pronounce, much less what they meant, though Victoria did have a small trace of ideas. They made some small talk, but it wasn¡¯t really too exciting, with the main topic at hand being biology, a class that Victoria couldn¡¯t wait to be over, with its nasty dissections, and studying of cultures of bacterias multiplying, which Victoria, unsurprisingly, didn¡¯t feel, too, overtly comfortable with. Though, just like with Andrew and Amalya, he was apparently scheduled for the same Art Class, at the same time, as he was. His demeanor and habits reminded her of someone, though she couldn¡¯t put her finger on it.


    After biology, not much happened, as Victoria simply went to her homeroom, the dream classroom, where Anterior told her that she will possibly go to the same Art Class, at the same time, too, which was another odd coincidence. Afterwards, she went to her Spanish I Class, where, similarly, Raina tells her, using the word ¡®like¡¯, a bit too often, that she may go at the same time, at the same class, as well, and after a few more classes, she gets to leave the cold grounds of the school, to experience the brisk crisp of the autumn breeze. She didn¡¯t consume much, in terms of nutrition, as she simply wasn¡¯t hungry, considering what lay ahead, of which her hype was skyrocketing past new, unthinkable heights, each minute she waited. She entered the school, once more, to obtain some consumables to eat, before leaving the doorway on the first floor, as she traced the Art Bridge, from below, crossing a cobbled street, made of dark chunks of earth, with a yellow line dotting the middle. Next to the Art Building, was a parking lot, enclosed with gothic, spiked fences, with a large, stained walkway, cutting through it, as though the path was made far after the fence''s erection.


    As she crossed, Victoria came across a grisly sight as she walked past the road; transfixed upon the site of a piece of watermelon, consumed with flies and their squirming children, laying asunder alongst the walk towards the Art Building. Other than that visage, however, nothing else peaked Victoria¡¯s interest during the crossing, and as she went through the door, she was relieved with reinvigorating air, that blew past her, outwards into the endless sky above, as she saw the entrance to her next class, with people slowly coming into the door, or which was sectioned off into an unremarkable corner, next to a metal gate, but it was still everything she had hoped for, and more. The door was decorated with many small hexagons, each made with the use of pointillism, using an assortment of varying colors. Next to the doorway, was a large easel, with a blank canvas mounted on it, next to a wooden table, covered in splatters of paint and oil.


    Victoria couldn¡¯t be more excited for this.


    This is it! My time to finally shine, like a radiant star, at my favorite hobby. I shall be the best, and no one else will even offer so much of a challenge. It shall be a glorious victory for me, for I am named as such. No longer shall I be constrained by the shackles of my parents; I shall be free as a hummingbird! At least, one that doesn¡¯t need 1000 or more meals a day. My talents shall finally bloom, and I can clip away at the wretched weeds that stunt my growth; that of Lucas and James, and I shall surpass them with every might! Ha, they probably picked something stupid as their elective, like Robotics or something, unlike me, who clearly picked the best ones! Maybe, one day, I can finally enact my retaliation! Lucas, and his dumb ugly watermelon hoodie that he wears everyday, will finally get it! And James, and his silly multicolored hair, will also get it! It¡¯s over for them. And, I am pretty sure Andrew¡¯s in this class, too. Yeah, I will succeed, they won¡¯t. Go, me!


    But as Victoria passed through the cheerfully decorated doorway of the classroom, she immediately saw things that shattered her cheery reverie, and things that churned her stomach to a sickening degree. She saw Lucas, sitting in the far back of the room, at a beautifully furnished table, adorned with paint splotches and a seemingly intentional pattern atop its surface, though barely visible. She then looked toward the left, capturing the details of the many shelves, stacked atop one and another, designed like old antique furniture, decorated with anthropological skulls and sketches, along with photographs of historical figures, along with some, slightly more, mythical depictions of certain people, such as the photo of Helen Keller, who wasn¡¯t even real. Above the shelves, she saw shiny, yellow, inflated balloons above the shelves, spelling out corny, encouraging phrases, such as ¡®You Shine!¡¯ and ¡®Keep up the Good Work!¡¯, as well as odd devices labeled in strange inscriptions, put on the dusty, webbed roofs of the mahogany racks. She looked further to the left, stretching her neck, and saw a tray containing drawing utensils of all forms, ranging from 6B pencils, to a palette containing watercolor paint, to a set of micron pens, all arranged into ordered, little sections, with a darkened closet behind the trays, as well as a paper cutter, lounging atop more shelves, made of a dark steel.


    As Victoria looked towards the right, another crack formed in her daydream, as she saw James, resting on a wooden stool, speaking to an unfamiliar figure. But as she processed his and Lucas¡¯s inclusion within this class, her brain went overdrive, as she started seeing more people she had met yesterday, and earlier today. She saw Amalya sitting next to Sebastian, happily chatting about an unknown subject, right next to James. She saw Anterior and Eric next to Lucas, and the other two people she had seen in Computer Science, on both sides of the room, with the jubilant one appearing with his caretaker. Behind them, there was a tank, of which contained a small wooden den, with a small pool of water, though no creature appeared within its enclosure. As she looked around the room more, using her peripheral vision, she had seen that all the stools of the lavish tables were occupied, except for one, at the center, and the entire table was stocked with old faces.


    Upon the last table, smaller than the rest, were 6 seats, with the one furthest back being empty, but from her current position, she saw 5 figures. At the front, the spacing was taken by Ariannah, the freaky one, though Malaya was nearby, sitting to the left. On the right side of the table, was, from the closest, Raina, to the most faraway, that being Giulia, the calm one. With that, she saw one last person, and despite having never seen him in real life, she could tell that Andrew, previously, her only friend, was sitting on the left spot, farthest away.


    ¡°Hey, um, what¡¯s your name?¡± suddenly asked a voice, snapping their fingers like a pistol shrimp. It was the teacher, and Victoria hadn¡¯t expected the teacher to appear like such, but was quickly numb to the feeling of discovery, as it followed the same lines and routine she had repeated for seven other classes. The teacher had a thin, short hairstyle, which seemed peculiar, since his auburn hair was stunning, and easily caught Victoria¡¯s eyes, if not some others, as well. He wore a flowery shirt, which contrasted with his basic, brown trousers, and his reflective shoes reminded her of those that clowns wore.


    ¡°Oh, my name is Victoria.¡±


    ¡°If you can please, Victoria, take that spot there,¡± gesturing to the man, approximately around the area Victoria had already chosen as her site. Nodding, Victoria walked quickly to her new table, and placed her bottom on the cyborg seating; half wood, half silvery metal, and looked at Andrew, up and down, as he looked at her, both grinning, as they had never seen each other¡¯s faces before.


    Andrew¡¯s skin was a clash between cream and sepia, and was spread across his rounded face, complete with two eyes, each with long, delicate lashes that covered his dark brown iris. His hair was jet black and straight, though curled into neat bunches, and surrounded his large ears, though they never met. His arms and legs glimmered smoothly, due to the hairs that matted thickly across his appendages. Today, he was outfitted with a black vest and a simple shirt, which reminded Victoria of Senor Villegas. Despite his appearance, however, she knew him to be quite timid and stoic, often to his own detriment, though his caring nature was what she wanted to emulate out of all. She also knew that, like her, he was getting adjusted to her appearance as well, as they kept their real identities quite secret, despite being close friends, though with online friends, Victoria couldn¡¯t be so sure.


    ¡°Alright, guys, let¡¯s depart from our digital and electronic devices and look at the board. My name is Mr. Acidiski, and I will be teaching you Studio Drawing and Painting!¡± announced Mr. Acidiski, of which was an odd name to Victoria¡¯s perspective, though it wasn¡¯t exactly uncommon, and had a nice ring to it. He had a soothing, soft voice, one more suited for a teacher of the Peace Building than one of the Art Building, which Victoria expected to be more assertive and punchy, in their voices, at least.


    ¡°In this class, we will be taking a close look at the use of drawing tools, such as pencils, charcoal, and pens, but we will use paint techniques, too. If you decide to continue next year, for the more difficult course of AP Studio Drawing and Painting, we will put more emphasis on painting, and trying out different mediums of paint, like acrylic and watercolor!¡± Once he finished for another breath, Victoria giddily squealed within her head, as she had never had such opportunities before.


    ¡°In this classroom, we have many supplies, and you are welcome to take any of them, but be sure to return them. Some of our supplies include the aforementioned tools, but we also have stumps that you can use for blending, tape, glue, scissors, and erasers! We have a pet snake named Jupiter, and she lives inside this tank!¡± he says, despite the lack of snakes within the terrarium, ¡°but she¡¯s currently getting her annual check-up, and likely won¡¯t be back this week, so sorry about that, but we have to move onward to our activity today!¡±


    ¡°For today, we aren¡¯t doing any art, but we shall introduce ourselves to our tablemates, since you will be with them for most of the school year, probably, unless you have any seating arrangements change requests, or I think you are being a disruptive force within the classroom. Otherwise, you should introduce yourself!¡± As Mr. Acidiski finished talking, the room was filled with chattering and whispers, cloaking the room in a thin mist of conversational cacophony, but their table became an outlier in their silence, though Raina soon broke it.


    ¡°Hey guys, my name is Raina, and, like, I already know one of you,¡± Raina said, as she looked in Victoria¡¯s general direction.


    ¡°Um, yea, and my name is Victoria and I like cats, because, reasons.¡±


    ¡°Ok, cool, but, like, who asked,¡± interrupted Raina. ¡°I, like, also know, like, a couple of other people in this class, like this person sitting next to me . . . Giulia, this is your que to start talking!¡±


    ¡°Oh, um, yes. My name is Giulia, and I am so happy to meet you guys,¡± quietly said Giulia.


    ¡°And, like, I also know this, like, super crazy, like, prepster.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to sit here, with all of you, uh, farts!¡± blurted Ariannah, though despite her previous attitude, she didn¡¯t seem to want to say it, this time around.


    ¡°Nuh uh, what did we talk about there? We don¡¯t use that language. We don¡¯t censor ourselves, we straight cut out bits, so stop with that attitude,¡± quietly threatened Malaya.


    ¡°What. The. Fart,¡± tempted Raina, likely to bother Malaya, who she had already seen prone to anger.


    ¡°Not you starting, too.¡±


    ¡°I will do, like, what I want to do.¡±


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t start with this, you already deciphered what happened to Ariannah, likely.¡±


    ¡°You, like, think, like, I am, like, that smart?¡±


    ¡°Girl, I am assuming your intelligence, in a good way. You shouldn¡¯t really contradict me.¡±


    ¡°Guys, can we calm down?¡± reasoned Giulia, though many sides were colliding within this table alone, as Victoria heard more arguments and needless drama that were currently happening within other groups, almost as though they were made to create spite and strife.


    ¡°Woah, you smell like cow feces mixed with milk regurgitated from a baby¡¯s mouth,¡± rudely asserted Ariannah, though Giulia¡¯s breath did smell off, with a distinct odor, though not at all unpleasant to Victoria¡¯s opinion. ¡°I think you forgot, the only reason I can¡¯t say what I wanna say, right now, is because you guys happened to sit at our spot.¡±


    ¡°Really, Ariannah? Didn¡¯t we talk about this in the office?¡± asked Malaya, and despite Victoria having had no knowledge of when they went to ¡®the office¡¯, Victoria had a good clue.


    ¡°Yeah, but do you really think I care? I am out now! I can do whatever I want!¡±


    ¡°Uh, can you pull out a knife or something?¡±


    ¡°No, but that¡¯s only because I didn¡¯t bring one. Remind me to bring one tomorrow, for self defense, of course.¡±


    ¡°Um, like, guys, like, you should, like, chill. Let¡¯s play the silent game, guys!¡± suggested Raina, though quite meekly, compared to her usual, confident demeanor.


    ¡°I think I shall not partake in this game,¡± decided Ariannah.


    ¡°No, no, I think, like, you should, cause, like, you are kinda ruining the mood and, like, the vibes, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°I think I don¡¯t know, so refrain from your blabbering, cause I ain¡¯t going to listen!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I know I am kinda a spectator in this, but like, Ariannah, please shut up,¡± snapped Victoria. She had enough of the bickering, especially when Andrew hasn¡¯t even introduced himself, yet, to the rest of the misfits that is the table. ¡°Andrew, introduce yourself to us!¡±


    ¡°Huh, like, why do you, like, already know his, like, name, like, oh my gosh, how, like, invasive!¡±


    ¡°Why do you feel the need to insert so many filler words? Also, aren¡¯t you the one being invasive? You are the one who keeps asking and pushing others into doing some uncool things.¡±


    ¡°No, I am, not!¡± Raina said, as a cast of bellicose anger settled over her eyes, and the baring of her unusually sharp teeth. Raina then began to make a strange set of noises, of which can only be described as deep growls and sharp roars, which was hysterical to the other table members, even to Ariannah. Victoria, then, began to feel uncomfortable, as she realized many eyes were on them, staring at the source of the commotion, and as she wondered how Mr. Acidiski still hadn¡¯t come to reprimand them, she looked towards his desk, which was decorated with a bonsai tree and a buddhist bell, but there appeared to be no sighting of the teacher, himself. With her realization, many others began to notice the discrepancy, and soon troublemakers would soon make themselves known to the wider masses. People began to move between the stained floors towards other tables, and they were migrating in mass numbers, but despite the odds, their table remained in one piece, though more were to be glued on.


    Victoria saw that most people she had recognized hadn¡¯t switched place, and though it was rather ironic that James, Sebastian, and Amalya were seated originally next to each other, almost as a hint to their deceit amongst each other, and Lucas was still ever present, behind her, almost as though ready to pounce and attack. Some recognizable people swapped, though it wasn¡¯t notable, and it was almost certainly to get a better angle of the front of the room, where presumably most of the action will occur, whether it be the lesson or the eccentric entertainment provided by the frontmost group, but it was likely too early to tell, for more activities occurred, now between multiple tables, and of the first to participate, was Lucas.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Hey, Victoria! What¡¯s your table been up to? Some drama, I see! What¡¯s it about? Something pointless?¡± mocked Lucas, though Victoria wasn¡¯t quite so susceptible to his shenanigans after his break-in.


    ¡°Not much, and I don¡¯t particularly like or want to discuss anything with or about you.¡±


    ¡°Victoria, like, who is this dude?¡± queried Raina, puzzled between their connection.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, I am Lucas, and I love watermelons! You?¡±


    ¡°Well, I am a watermelon enjoyer, myself, though I much prefer strawberries,¡± replied Raina, which gave her a slight bit of credit in Victoria¡¯s eyes, as Victoria was a connoisseur in strawberries; a self given title. Maybe Raina isn¡¯t so bad after all.


    ¡°Why do you like that weird red fruit?¡±


    ¡°Since I can, and watermelon isn¡¯t even that good, it¡¯s, like, literally, water, and, like, melon, so it¡¯s literally just a watermelon.¡±


    ¡°Does anyone else like strawberries?¡± polled Lucas. Ugh, this guy. Doesn¡¯t he know I like strawberries, too. I literally told him!


    ¡°Well, uh, I do!¡± said the person, but Victoria didn¡¯t even need to see to believe, for James¡¯s voice was rather unique amongst most others.


    ¡°Oh, my, like, god, hello, James! Like, where you¡¯ve been? You¡¯ve been gone, for, like, the entire summer! Where have you been, bestie?¡± chattered Raina, and Victoria rapidly lost her newfound respect for her, as it seemed the web James spun stretched far greater than she had first thought.


    ¡°Oh, uh . . .¡± sighed James, as he knew his gig was up, especially when his two partners sat close by, listening intently.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been making origami boats for you, Amalya, the, uh, entire summer! Me and James!¡± spluttered Sebastian, trying to not choke back on his own words, which seemed like the beginning of the end for this house of cards.


    ¡°We have? I thought we were doing something else during the summer!¡±


    ¡°Doing what?¡± dramatically asked Amalya, exaggerating the words to a comical degree, though despite the biases, Victoria knew that she was in trouble, too. ¡°I thought you guys were making boats, or hats, or whatever for me. What have you guys been doing?¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± slowly realized James, as his face began to light up in embarrassment and shock.


    ¡°So, like, do you all, like, like, like, strawberries?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, strawberries,¡± sighed James, though the other two sighed, too, as Raina had bought them each time. ¡°I do indeed like strawberries. How about you, Sebastian?¡±


    ¡°Why, yes, I also like strawberries.¡±


    ¡°How about you, Amalya?¡±


    ¡°I actually don¡¯t like strawberries or watermelons, though thanks for asking. I actually prefer eggplants,¡± giggled Amalya. ¡°Because, y¡¯know, the word, ¡®egg¡¯, is in eggplant?¡± James and Sebastian smiled, too, though Victoria questioned the ulterior reasoning to their response at the joke.


    ¡°Oh, um, you know, you kinda, shouldn¡¯t explain jokes . . .¡± explained James.


    ¡°Well, I am sorry if my poor joke was so bad. Eggplants aren¡¯t that bad anyw-¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, blah blah blah, well, Lucas, like, we totally beat you, three to, like I think, one,¡± scorned Raina, though no malice was behind the message.


    ¡°Actually, four to one, remember, Raina, I started this, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, right. Victoria, is right, watermelon dude.¡±


    ¡°I can make your face look like a watermelon,¡± warned Lucas, though he wasn¡¯t going to act on such a thinly veiled threat, was he?


    ¡°Hey, Anterior.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± responded Anterior.


    ¡°Do you happen to have a, let¡¯s say, sharp object, within your backpack?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I have my trusty ice pick, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Cool, can I have it for a sec?¡±


    ¡°What are you going to use it for?¡± investigated Anterior.


    ¡°Something.¡±


    ¡°Look, if you are going to use it to harm someone, you already know what will happen, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Lucas, if you don¡¯t put that down, I think I might have to do the same thing I did to Ariannah,¡± stated Malaya, who Victoria realized had been listening the entire time, though everyone else also seemed to have been silenced from the sudden commotion occurring within the center.


    ¡°And what did you do to me, Malaya?¡± asked Ariannah.


    ¡°Oh, I, uh-¡±


    ¡°I can say what you did, but it won¡¯t be pretty.¡±


    ¡°Now, now, I think we can talk this ou-¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Well, sorry if I had to act in self defense.¡±


    ¡°Wel-¡±


    And then we heard noises from behind. Anterior was now knocked out, on the ground, as Lucas held in possession, what seemed to be a screwdriver, though with no spike at the end, but with only a point.


    ¡°Time for my evil plan,¡± said Lucas, as he maniacally laughed in a voice that sounded like Mickey Mouse, before suddenly cracking. ¡°Ugh, whatever. Time to enact my revenge against all who wronged me! Starting with Anterior! And her friend!¡± finished Lucas, as he moved above Anterior, holding the ice pick in two hands, as though she was a sacrifice, though it was slightly more literal, as people began to shift in their seats, now covered in sunbeams.


    Lucas began to maniacally laugh, with a discordant tone, as he began to chant, ¡°Stab! Stab! Stabby stab stab!¡± The public¡¯s attention completely shifted towards Anterior and Lucas, as he was, indeed, stabbing her . . . bottle, full of water, as it splashed all over her. ¡°Who else wants to be drenched . . . in water, of course!¡± But for the next victim, there was no choice for him.


    ¡°Goodbye, Kenneth, for daring to prank me, that one time, with your fake names and whatever.¡± I wonder when he¡¯s going to target me, for, you know, breaking up and whatever. Honestly, in hindsight, I wouldn''t want to be dating this lunatic, either way. While Victoria didn¡¯t quite know who Kenneth was, she was pretty sure that Lucas was beginning to prepare the maneuver that had somehow knocked out Anterior, though before he could act, someone nearby made him pause.


    ¡°You''ll now not begin the action of taking Kenneth, my friend, out, thereby compromising his ability to perceive this realm, for in such a case, you shall not suffer the opposite effects of your maliciously planned action, Lucas, the watermelon person,¡± recommended Eric, who¡¯s complexion now seems somewhat reminiscent of another person nearby, though Victoria couldn¡¯t quite put her fingers on who or what it could be.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, Eric? You really think you can defeat me, the almighty person who controls the fruit of water?¡±


    ¡°The amount of delusions crammed within your cranium is rather astounding to note, Kenneth.¡±


    ¡°Well, then, I think you should try to defeat me, with what?¡±


    ¡°You know, Lucas, you¡¯ve created many adversaries within this room, already. Want to malform a greater amount of friendly faces into enemies of yours, or create new allies via beneficial choices that only you can choose to select?¡±


    ¡°You know, you are kinda confusing me, with, your, weird jargon.¡±


    ¡°Well, like you are, like, confusing me with, like, the reason you are, like doing this, cause this is very, like, un-coquette,¡± helpfully added Raina.


    ¡°Fine, then, Eric, I suppose this goblin appearing creature isn¡¯t a friend of yours, now is she?¡±


    ¡°No, I think, not, though friends of my friends also are my friends, indeed.¡±


    ¡°Good, good, I think this loris needs a lesson in playing the silent game.¡±


    ¡°Okay, like, anyone, like, help, I am in kinda of a, unpreppy situation, like, right now,¡± pleaded Raina for help.


    ¡°No one¡¯s coming to help you, lemur.¡±


    ¡°Hey, like, stop being, so, like, rude, cause, like, no one, like, likes you if you, like, do that.¡±


    ¡°Can you stop saying ¡®like¡¯ so much?¡±


    ¡°Well, like, I, like, could, but, like, I, like, don¡¯t, like, want to.¡±


    ¡°Alright, goodbye, Raina!¡± Lucas said, as Raina held her hands over her head, with fists, not high above. Just before Lucas could knock her out with his special move, a knife was held, pointed at Lucas; colored in multiple LED lights, like a futuristic dagger. Victoria looked at the person holding the dangerous weapon, and saw the dark plastic being held by powerful hands, gripping tightly onto the knife. It was Ariannah.


    ¡°Want to attack this table? I have a knife," Ariannah factually stated, as Malaya¡¯s mouth gaped open, her mind tainted with new information.


    ¡°Ok, and? I think you both need to turn into watermelons!¡± states Lucas, as he sounds increasingly insane with each word. Has Lucas really forgotten his phase with honeydew?


    ¡°Alright, if that¡¯s how you wanna play, then come at me, or are you too scared?¡± taunted Ariannah.


    Victoria thought it started off good for the opposing side.


    Lucas struck first, holding his stolen ice pick in a scary position, before lunging at Ariannah in a sudden fashion, catching Ariannah off-guard, before stabbing violently into her arms, causing an obvious reaction from Ariannah, as she shrieked violently. Ariannah, in response, as the ice pick was still plunged deep within her veins, her blood thickening and coalescing into a clot, slashed wildly into the distance, cutting Lucas¡¯s hoodie, perilously near his body. Lucas, like a frightened child getting spanked, fearfully ran away, though there wasn¡¯t much room in the classroom for a cowardly retreat.


    ¡°Y¡¯know,¡± fretted Lucas, ¡°maybe we don¡¯t have to do this! It¡¯s a bit barbaric and violent, especially in a school setting!¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve made up your mind when you punched Anterior out. You need to see the consequences of what you have sowed, for now, you¡¯ve got a bad harvest.¡±


    ¡°I swear I can change, just don¡¯t hurt me!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the end of the line for you!¡± But as Ariannah was about the end the fight, Lucas¡¯s seemingly idiotic fleeing turned out to be a strategic advance, as when Ariannah was about to go for the final blow, Lucas, pulled out the ice pick, and carved into Ariannah¡¯s stomach, and when it retracted, the pick was covered in fresh blood. Despite this, however, Ariannah continued, whether through perseverance or basic adrenaline, it was still over for Lucas, for he had triggered Ariannah¡¯s fury, and karma would pay him a visit.


    ¡°It¡¯s over, bitch!¡±


    And with that, it was over, as Lucas collapsed onto the ground, covered in a small pool of watermelon juice, dripping from his body. Victoria¡¯s stomach twisted as she saw the sight of her ex-boyfriend, now laying on the ground, but also with a sense of melancholy happiness, for he was gone, at least for now. But just as Lucas went unconscious, it seemed the source for Ariannah¡¯s energy ran out, for she, too, fell onto the floor below her soles.


    ¡°Um, like, should they, like, get, like, help?¡± asked Raina.


    ¡°Yup.¡± Heads turned and faced towards the new voice, though Victoria already inferred who it could be. Andrew had finally spoken, after the chaos had ensued.


    ¡°Well, then, like, can someone, get them, like, help? Like, call the, like, number, for, like, an ambulance?¡±


    ¡°Well, I, for one, think Ariannah deserved it,¡± decreed Malaya.


    ¡°So, like, what you are, like, saying, is that, like, she deserved it? After that dude, like, went psycho? Like, that¡¯s, so, like, uncalled for.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s maybe because you were scared of him getting you, after you kept nudging him!¡±


    ¡°Well, how was, like, I supposed, to know, like, he would go and, like try to injure me, Malaya?¡±


    ¡°He already knocked out this person next to him, you think he wouldn¡¯t go for another person?¡±


    ¡°Well, like, I don¡¯t think he¡¯d be dumb enough to do that.¡±


    ¡°He was out of his mind!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, if, like, I am not going to, like, take responsibility for him attacking me. Either way, he¡¯s passed out, like, right now, so I think we should just, like, say he¡¯s, like, the bad guy, cause, he can¡¯t, like, defend himself, right now.¡±


    ¡°¡®Passed out¡¯, sure, sure! He¡¯s bleeding out!¡±


    ¡°Ok, like, so is Ariannah! Like, why do you care about, like, Lucas, like, so much?¡± questioned Raina, which made Victoria¡¯s head begin to start turning, once more, as she had seen them sitting together in Computer Science, as though there were a secret kept hidden, behind her back.


    ¡°Because I am dating him!¡± And with that, the ball inside Victoria dropped.


    ¡°Ok, like, do I, like, care? This is probably, like, been only a few days, cause, like, you guys are, like, kinda too, like, young, to be doing this.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re seventeen!¡±


    ¡°Ok, like, does it look like I, like, care?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the age of consent here!¡± And just like that, another ball inside Victoria dropped. Lucas told her that he was only fifteen, the same age as her.


    ¡°Okay? You guys certainly don¡¯t act your, like, age, getting into, like fights, which is, like, super not aesthetic, which, like, kinda show that you can¡¯t keep these relationships, like, stable, if you, like, condone this sort of behavior. From, like, your own, like, boyfriend!¡±


    ¡°Look, we¡¯ve been together for a few months now, and Ariannah deserved it!¡± The final ball dropped.


    ¡°You don¡¯t, like, say ¡®they, like, deserved it¡¯. They could be dead, like, right now.¡±


    ¡°Look, if you care about Ariannah so much, then why don¡¯t you call an ambulance?¡±


    ¡°Could say, like, the same thing, between, like, you and Lucas! Why don¡¯t you call it for him?¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, I will!¡± said Malaya, as she pulled out her glittery phone, decorated with peeling stickers, before rapidly tapping on it, as a small voice began to emanate from its speakers. ¡°Uh, yes, I am Malaya, and, uh yes, I do have an emergency! Um, it¡¯s about this crazy person, yes, uh, their name is Ariannah, and she stabbed my boyfriend, like, yes, it¡¯s urgent, come now, yes, thank you,¡± she stated, as she clicked the ¡®end call¡¯ button. As though with coincidence, the bell rang, and Mr. Acidiski never returned, but it seemed that the dangerous fight was enough to stifle the critical thinking part of the brain, as mostly everyone simply began leaving through the door, though some stayed behind, to think about the heavy ramifications of what had just happened, though some had their own issues. One of them was Victoria.


    What just happened. Lucas was cheating and lying on me, the entire time? I thought it was all just a theory! A head theory, even! How did it all come true; what the hell? Please tell me this was a dream! What was that knife Ariannah pulled out, and did Luc-c, ha, he really want to harm Raina and me? This is just a fever dream, no, what is happening to my reality, she asked herself, as tears began to flow down her cheeks, of which no one left noticed, except for one person. It was Andrew.


    To Victoria, and her usual mouthy antics, Andrew seemed mute and unresponsive, though through digital text, it was another story. As she began to leak teardrops for her sockets, Andrew put his hand on her shoulder, perhaps to show solidarity, or some other form of reinforcement to endure the truth that had been given, but either way, it worked, as his hand stabilized her movements and slowly made her still as a rock. Although surprised at the lack of responsibility that was shown from Mr. Acidiski, who had still not returned, she was equally as shocked by the part done by the school, or the lack thereof, of allowing such violence to occur, especially when someone may have been in a moribund state. After a few minutes of Andrew comforting her, and his own, silent way, she quickly stifled herself, and wiped the remaining wetness that remained, stuck on her sodden, cracked face. Once her face was dried, she began observing the people who remained, at least those who were definitely alive; Eric and Kenneth, whose name she¡¯d only identify due to Lucas. It seems that they were leaving, soon, too, as they both raised out of their seats, before slowly walking towards the entrance of the room, though Eric stopped next to Andrew.


    ¡°Warmest greetings, eldest brother, me and my dearest friend desire that you and your friend complete your wanted objectives and obtain your desired items, but I sense as though we must depart, soon, or we will not be able to meet our scheduled time for the bus stop,¡± said Eric. ¡°So come with me and Kenneth.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± muttered Andrew, as Victoria began to see the connection between the two.


    ¡°Well then, I suppose it has been agreed upon. Let¡¯s move before help arrives for these two.¡±


    And thus they began to get up, along with Eric and his friend, as sirens began to blare and approach, and students watched in terror above, in their glass bridges, Victoria and her newfound acquaintances, as well as her old friend, all walked out, only their footsteps audible, like a snake¡¯s hiss.

 Chapter 11: Alone at Night

    ¡°If I go to sleep, will this become nothing more than a dream?¡± asked Victoria, and rightly so, considering the events of that day. She had been tired the entire day, and she had been yawning, ever since 5 P.M., and it was clear to see that she had been deprived of sleep, either that, or, she had been busy, processing the new people that already seemed ingrained into her life. Though only eight, Victoria thought it¡¯d be a good idea to take a short nap, in order to destress from the recent mayhem that ensued within the beginning and ending of that school day. Alone at night, with no one else to talk to, and her phone lethargically charging, as though its battery was shrinking, Victoria decided to snug into her blankets, and within a few minutes, she was sound asleep, and soon enough, dreaming.


    With her sleep, it felt as though only a moment passed, though a few hours had past before she saw the sight from two nights before; in the warped, velvet sky that had surrounded her completely, was the horizontal chasm, of which contained the irregular cats, that had tried to capture her within their depths, though, in this case, they stayed quiet, stalking Victoria, who was seemingly standing in the space below her. Seemingly through telepathy alone, the cats communicated to her of their one goal, of which was-


    ¡°To join us in the breathtaking view? Huh, odd. Wait, why can¡¯t I hear what I am saying? Whatever, this is a dream, after all,¡± silently said Victoria, as though her lips moved, the vibrations were silenced, soon after they sounded. From their tones, she softened slightly, though she was still on guard, as despite the knowledge of this having to be a dream, she was scared for what things she may see, and for what might be etched on to her memory, forever, though it wasn¡¯t quite as photographic as she¡¯d like. She reached forward, far away from the cats, and yet, the portal only appeared to be far away, as she could touch what it, along with felines, just from this far distance. Realizing she had been in front of her presumed threat, she simply accepted, and walked through the crack in the unworldly spacetime


    Victoria clasped her dry, flaky hands on her head, as though she was experiencing a pernicious headache, not uncommon for her, though in this case, it was rather the silvery hourglass that she had seen in her last dream, at least the one that didn¡¯t make sense, unlike, that, one, but the hourglass was only visible in the periphery of her vision. Victoria stamped her feet loudly, possibly infuriated by the trappings of this dream, or perhaps by the waves emitted from the glittering hourglass. Fortunately, this unearthly dream wasn¡¯t oscillating between the realm that contained the visible hourglass, with sand that swung in loops, defying gravity, with purple haze of the area with the furry aperture in space and time. She tried walking towards the glass, though the grayscale ground, seemingly by itself, altered its geography and temperature, which became apparent when she stepped on a particularly hot part of the surface, stinging her feet, and burning the bottom layer of her shoes. Ouch, what the hell!


    Despite her slow approach, the hourglass became smaller in her view, almost as though she has been moving away from it, or its general vicinity, though Victoria quickly remembered that this was only a dream, and hyperbolic geometry was to be expected, not unheralded, for the other odd details pierced into her mind. For one, she pondered how she could feel pain during her sleep, especially in such a setting, where the colors were muted, and shapes malformed and changed constantly, such as the very ground she had found herself stuck on. Despite the difficulty at sighting the muted hourglass, she spotted it once more, though she became confused, as despite the resupplying of the top with sand from the bottom of the pile, the top area was rapidly draining towards the side facing downwards, though it wasn¡¯t quite as steady as she had hoped, for it seemed that nothing in this illusionary area was predictable. Due to the unnatural properties of the region, she simply decided to wait for the glass to finish its unbalancing of the sands inside its stretched confines, which she only noticed after studying its shape for what felt like a few hours, though time didn¡¯t move on a linear path, either, when compared to the real world.


    At last, the top of the hourglass had been emptied into the lower chamber, and at that point, it had stopped refilling the top, and the sand remained at the bottom. When this occurred, Victoria heard a chime coming from each grain of shining sand, ringing like a bell, before mysteriously disappearing, eventually leaving a depression within the enclosed space. As she kept looking, the hourglass¡¯s base seemingly began to wane, before she looked at the larger picture of the glass; it had begun, though rather torpidly, tilt, almost as though to reset the ending of such a rotation. But as that happened, the hourglass¡¯s base no longer touched the ground, and as though it was sentient, the hourglass began to float and fly, rather erratically, like a hummingbird. Starting at a steady pace, the hourglass soared past the vast expanse of emptiness above them, of which it decided to move away from Victoria, who got up in the possible need to pursue the abstract structure, as it slowly leaned to its side. However, it only seemed to levitate, further, and further, into the empty abyss, aloft in the temperate void, at least, until it wasn¡¯t.


    It dropped suddenly, though due to the odd physics of this mystical plane, it fell straight down, in the same position it had once floated, high above, in. As it neared towards Victoria, she felt pulled towards the obtrusive object, as though it had its own gravitational field, and with her head¡¯s deteriorating status, she thought it was not the noises produced by the hourglass, but rather that it may have a strong magnetic field, as well. Along with the other properties and characteristics of the hourglass, it also seemed to violently fluctuate in size, which may have just been a quirk of dreaming. The quiet atmosphere of the area seemed to slowly become stronger, as she felt as though she was being crushed, as though she was in a cavernous ocean trench. However, once it had met with the ground, the silence was notably crushed, as it made a loud thudding noise, and with such an event came her ears¡¯ newfound sensitivity, as she heard distant humming, the passing of wind, and even her own breath. It wasn¡¯t the only thing that changed.


    ¡°Where- oh, huh? I can hear myself again, I guess. This is a weird place, though I guess I am kinda weird. What happened to the stenchy world with that ¡®Pearl¡¯ person?¡± gasped Victoria, as though she needed to manually respirate. In her new surroundings, she saw bleached rooms, full of relic furniture, though it was clearly modern, with fluorescent lights on the painted ceilings, and a large fridge, standing oppressively over her, though it only seemed to get larger, and everything else, too.


    ¡°Wait, what the heck! Why is everything . . . oh, wait! I am shrinking, but my features; they are becoming more childlike, almost as though I was . . . wait, I am! I am regressing in age, how the hell do I get out of this nightmare!¡± screamed Victoria, though no one was there to comfort or acknowledge her, except for her estranged parents, well, only one.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Victoria didn¡¯t like to think of her step-dad as anything else other than her real father, more so since she felt bad for him, though it was hard to pretend like it was the truth, especially when her real father was still alive, somewhere out there, and that he had entered her life when she was 9, by which time, she had already grown accustomed to the lack of a paternal figure. On the opposing side, she wished her mother wasn¡¯t actually her biological parent, for she was far more temperamental and nasty, when compared to her step-father. Though she didn¡¯t quite recognize the layout of this anachronistic structure in her new point of view, she finally realized for what it was, for it was-


    ¡°My old house. Before we moved. Before they, l-l-left,¡± slightly sobbed Victoria, and like a true predator, her mother struck when she was most vulnerable.


    ¡°Get up, Victoria, or do I have to count to three?¡± her mother impatiently waited. ¡°One, two . . . three, get up now! Or do I have to show you who¡¯s the boss in this household!¡±


    ¡°No, no, mom, I will now!¡±


    ¡°You dare raise your voice at me? I will not tolerate this disrespect! I made you who you are! I created you! You must follow what I say, unless you want to get out?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t,¡± fearfully whimpered Victoria, who had nearly forgotten the emotion of fear once she grew past her mother¡¯s height.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought, and now, y-y-you mus-s-s-s,¡± stuttered Victoria¡¯s mom, as though she was suddenly melting, though a few moments later, it was quickly proven to be true. As though she was artificially created using slime, her mother evaporated into a green vapor, as well as the entire house, crumbling and collapsing, as the beams that held the house¡¯s structure bended and snapped with a quick crunch, that seemingly echoed throughout the tumbling house, with the old, brown furniture at the slimy floor meeting the same fate as the dream version of Victoria¡¯s mother, as well. However, a stabilizing force sat silently at the side, and as Victoria looked back, the oversized hourglass had turned on its side, and it appeared that it had already reached its apex, for it was leisurely rotating back, right-side up. As the surrounding area melted into the slime, and sawdust and metals fell from high above, the hourglass sensed that it was time for a change of scenery. With sudden, powerful pulses emitted from the glass, the scene embraced what it truly was; a dream that began to unravel, as the stickiness of the slime lessened on Victoria¡¯s feet, until it could no longer be felt. Then, at once, the ground unsolidified, becoming holographic, and suddenly dropping Victoria, along with the glass, towards the bottom of a never ending crevasse


    Victoria ungracefully fell down the infinite ravine, who was stuck on the hourglass, now, due to its gravitational capabilities, and slowly wondered when she would be able to awaken from this liminal dream. Despite being perfectly lucid, she couldn¡¯t quite control much, aside from one singular trait, of which, from her limited understanding, only she had; her scarlet hair, of which she had changed to the hue of a deep viridian mixed with deep blues. Though it wasn¡¯t much, the feeling of control flowed through her body, reminding her of a better time that she yearned for, though what she had to painfully give up was equal in price; control. She wished to reunite with her siblings, even if she hadn¡¯t known that, one day, she would be nostalgic for such a past, full of terror, and as much despair, from all who were the weakest. And as she plummeted into the ominous depths, she saw the truth, as the hourglass started its journey to be upright, once more.


    As close as hallucinating within a Victoria saw a set of preternatural images, images of which were unspeakably terrifying and unreal, quickly freezing her in place, as she could only stare, stricken with curiosity. She saw her mother, berating her and her siblings, only in this case, she was wielding a knife, as though she needed self defense against her own children. Next, she saw each of her younger siblings, aside from the youngest, talking to her, as though they were creating a plan, before suddenly flashing to Victoria on her bed, hearing the creaks of the entrance door. She remembered bits now; after they had conversations with her other siblings, they would talk to her. Then, they would leave. Was she the cause of all of this, or had it been something more sinister? The next image appeared, of a particularly bad night with their mother, where she began to beat them, with her bare fists; an act of pure detestment, from both sides, and, perhaps, this was the reason they had left. But one, never left, but who could it have been? Then, another bright picture flashed, contrasting the darkening pit with the incandescent glow of the ethereal memories, forever captured in an image. This time, Victoria was inside of a hospital, and she knew well what it was.


    Life was a simple affair, back when Victoria was younger, for she still had a single sibling left, out of the others who had left, on no notice. She and him used to play together, despite them being only half-siblings, and the age gap between them, though it didn¡¯t obstruct their bonding, over the terror that might be inflicted in the night, as she had known them, and could see the signals that day, for she had teased James, again, and he made a vague threat, something about the usage of a firearm, though she didn¡¯t quite remember the details. However, something happened that was less predictable, for in one second, they were walking down the sidewalk, cautioning their approach back home, but they hadn¡¯t been cautious enough. For mere milliseconds later, and one of their lives was taken away, though, to Victoria, it was two. On that same day, during nightfall, he was gone. With this, the locked information kept away from her consciousness was unsealed, and with it, came the lowest point, quite literally, as they reached the bottom, and fell into a shallow pool. The murky waters were cool and refreshing, and as the hourglass chimed, Victoria couldn¡¯t help, but feel the water on her head. She submerged herself in the thin waters, and felt another lock removed, and when she reemerged, she came upon her new discovery.


    She, had at last, remembered; all of her siblings had ran away, and her remaining brother, the only one, aside from her, to have remained, was hospitalized, due to trauma to the skull and hemorrhaging of the head, though Victoria didn¡¯t quite recall how that happened, or any further details, as within her sleep, it was fuzzy and distorted, like the aberrant cats that guided her into this capsule of time. She wistfully imagined a world where she and her siblings had different parents, ones who were kinder and far more attentive towards their needs, and perhaps, her siblings had reached a better family, though she couldn¡¯t have known. As she looked back at the dusty hourglass, barely visible at the corner of eye, it was close to finishing its cycle, and she had but a few seconds left, before she was taken to a fresh, new sequence of indescribable sequences, strung out in an anomalous format.


    She quickly glanced back, and the hourglass finished its rotation, where the exiguous nature of her life, shown off by her own mind, tore her apart, as she began to shake and cry, where no one could see her tears. Then, she woke up, almost instantaneously, in a cold sweat, with each bead of liquid tingling on her body, in the middle of the dark, with tears slowly leaking from her eyes. And as the fog cleared, she ultimately became aware of what had happened, though pieces were missing. She had forgotten what had happened to him, though she remembered this: her youngest brother, Fabian, had his brain exsanguinated, due to the tissue ripped and torn to a fatal degree, like a wet sheet of paper. He was gone, forever. They were gone, forever.


    She sat, then, upon her cold bed, now uncomfortable, and equally as repulsed at what she had finally rediscovered. Alone at night, she laid back down, lowering herself slowly, and once her heavy head had met the cushions of her balmy pillows, she fell back into a deep sleep, with no more dreams to haunt her.

 Chapter 12: Recharge of Batteries

    After Victoria had sluggishly aboarding the metro system, of which drained her of more, precious energy, of which she didn¡¯t have, though due to her phone having been recharged overnight, she was able to pass through the day, without much trouble, as of yet, however, it would soon change, especially in her first class of the ¡®Poop Day¡¯. It was Computer Science class, again, and certain people already had knowledge of who Victoria was, from yesterday¡¯s fiascos, and who she was related to, whether in a platonic or romantic relationship, or even perhaps, familial, as well, if James had begun to snitch. A majority of those people also happened to be enemies of Victoria, now, even if their reasoning was flimsy, though, reasoning didn¡¯t come to the minds of many of her classmates.


    The second one that came to Victoria¡¯s brain was James, though he had already possessed intimate knowledge of who she was, due to their ancient rivalry, stemming from their built history. The third, however, was more surprising, and whether it was because her friendship with Raina, or their affair with Lucas, kept hidden from her, Malaya was certainly a behemoth of a foe, due to her size, and yet more surprisingly, her intellect, as well, judging from her well planned and systematic way of talking, though it did possess a slight accent to it. The first adversary Victoria had been thinking about, however, was nowhere to be seen, as it seemed the injuries dealt to Lucas, by Ariannah, were rather fatal, or at the very least, impactful, to some degree.


    Computer Science seemed less interesting than Victoria had first expected, to the point of being considered lame, for Mr. Justin seemed more interested in teaching them how to use the mouse, instead of something more, in her opinion, computer science, like something about binary, or snippets of code, or even how the hardware of an advanced technology, like the computer, worked. Despite Amalya nearby, she couldn¡¯t quite start a conversation with her, as she seemed more enthusiastic about speaking with James, particularly about the origami boats that James and her other partner, of which was illicit, but if they both knew, they¡¯d likely be fine with such an arrangement, as well as the third wheel, at least in Victoria¡¯s eyes. Eventually, however, Amalya looked towards her, possibly hoping to initiate a conversation with her, but Victoria didn¡¯t quite know what topic they were going to be talking about, possibly for the entire period, as Mr. Justin had to take a ¡®quick¡¯ bathroom break, of which it had, by this point, already lasted ten minutes. With this opportunity, the obvious site for the spark of a new discussion between her and Amalya set ablaze.


    ¡°So, uh-¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think I know what you are going to ask me about,¡± interrupted Amalya. ¡°You are going to ask me about what I thought about, y¡¯know, yesterday.¡± Are you reading my mind or what?


    ¡°Oh, yes, that,¡± bluntly stated Victoria. ¡°The main thing I am wondering is; is Lucas or Ariannah alive? Are they both dead? Did only one survive the petulant attitudes of yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a lot of big words, and whatnot, but I think that¡¯s what most people there are thinking about, too. That fight was hard boiled, no doubt about that, though Lucas was a bit runny . . .¡±


    ¡°Are you seriously making egg puns, right now?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah, that¡¯s how I am! I love eggs, even if this situation was a bit of a scramble . . . for life and death, though I don¡¯t think it would¡¯ve escalated to that point if you didn¡¯t ask us about whether we liked strawberries, or not.¡±


    ¡°That was Raina!¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. Well, either way, the fight wouldn¡¯t have come to such an extreme point if the bystanders stayed bystanding.¡±


    ¡°Well, Ariannah was a bit bloodthirsty, earlier yesterday, and I think it¡¯d be wise to ask some of her ¡®friends¡¯ about her current situation, right now.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I cannot participate, as I am in my own, deviled conversation with James, for he has not procured his paper boats that he was supposedly supposed to make.¡±


    ¡°About that . . .¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± questioned James, almost as though he still needed to protect his secret, which likely hasn¡¯t come out yet, nor the secrets of his unfaithful partners, though he wasn¡¯t much of a golden standard, either.


    ¡°Oh, nothing,¡± coldly responded Victoria, as even though she couldn¡¯t quite remember what happened to her brother, she could easily implicate James as a perpetrator, if need be, for her own purposes.


    ¡°Why such an attitude? I thought we had already sorted this out with the counselor of our last school.¡±


    ¡°Cause I finally remembered something that we didn¡¯t talk about, and, no, it wasn¡¯t anything light. It¡¯s pretty heavy, actually, and it was done, almost exclusively, by you. I could also tell Amalya something she doesn¡¯t know already, but I suppose Amalya wants to keep her secret, hidden, too.¡±


    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t know what you are talking about, Victoria. Maybe we should just stop?¡± nervously suggested Jame, which also made Amalya raise her eyebrow, either in suspicion or confusion.


    ¡°Well, I certainly don¡¯t remember what you did.¡±


    ¡°Phew, I guess then-¡±


    ¡°But I can certainly still connect the dots, and I believe you are certainly hiding something from me that I should know!¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I am supposed to be the one to keep a track of your memories! That is, very much, something that you are supposed to do, not me, since, well, you are you, and I am not you!¡± pointed out James, though it seemed redundant, at this point in time, as he already had knowledge of Victoria¡¯s strange amnesic altercations with her memories, ever since last year.


    ¡°Well, since you seem to be rather well informed about our history, so why don¡¯t you tell me, since I would be the only person who¡¯d understand your story, or are you scared of revealing certain details of what happened in front of your ¡®partner¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Uh, no? I¡¯ve already told her everything! Right, Amalya?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± responds Amalya, in a monotone tone of voice, as though she was in a trance from listening to gauge which side to choose, though, ultimately, she chose her partner over the friend she had made, only two days ago, a far shorter amount of time, that when compared to her time with James, though she didn¡¯t seem to know him that way, considering her composure during the conversation slowly dwindled, as time passed.


    ¡°You see, she already knows the full story! If you are going to make up blackmail, at least make it certain that the person you are blackmailing even cares! And, for the record, I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah? I could say something about you and Sebastian.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about,¡± delayed James, for he knew what he was attempting to postpone with such a statement, for he knew the consequences of Amalya learning the truth, though, he, too, didn¡¯t have the full truth, not with Amalya, at the very least.


    ¡°I guess if you don¡¯t admit to any wrongdoings, then I guess you haven¡¯t done any,¡± said Victoria, though it seemed James was already losing interest in such an exposing discussion, in front of his girlfriend, of which could soon be an untrue statement. But just as the conversation cooled down, and they began to focus on working, rather than revealing each other¡¯s secrets, in front of someone who they both had forged a relationship with, someone walked behind Victoria, and simply stood there, menacingly.


    Despite having been standing for a few minutes, Victoria hadn¡¯t quite felt her presence, though soon, she could feel eyes were watching her, dashing towards hers, from the behind. When she turned around, the person was immediately recognizable; the childlike face and clashing cap. Long, coarse hair flowed from her scalp, as though she had spent the night wetting, then drying her hair, violently sucking any moisture out of her, and her face cracked unevenly, in faint, yet vivid, light tones. Victoria has nearly forgotten about her, and that she also happened to be within this class, but Audrey Renap, the person she had argued with over trivial matters, when compared to those of yesterday, had reappeared, and seemed to possess an itch for matters that did not pertain to her.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, chump?¡±


    ¡°Woah, you learned new vocabulary since last time! I didn¡¯t know you were capable of such a task,¡± said Victoria, with a passive aggressive tone, though despite the seeming lack of intelligence coming from Audrey the last they met, it certainly didn¡¯t fly by her head, with her teeth baring, golden with forsaken plaque. Though she wasn¡¯t much intimidating, Victoria knew, that with recharged batteries, it seemed as though it was overdue for another duel, and this time, she wasn¡¯t sure who the victor would be, or if it would stay cordial.

 Chapter 13: Online Sea

    ¡°You fool! You dare to insult me?" Audrey laughed, as though she was driven by the highs of a villainous pretense. ¡°You do know what I¡¯ve been planning, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh . . . no?¡± wondered Victoria, thinking fully through, of what Audrey may have hoped for her to eventually reach, though due to Audrey¡¯s difficult and seemingly capricious nature, possibly spurred by the plague known as puberty, it was a difficult task to complete.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± gasped Audrey, as though shocked by Victoria being unable to complete her impossible request. ¡°It¡¯s rather obvious, uh-¡±


    ¡°Victoria.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right, Victoria! It¡¯s rather obvious, Victoria, what I have been concocting within the background, this entire time! Ever since the fight, in Spanish I, of course. Do you now understand?¡± Victoria shook her head, though it barely swayed.


    ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s my secret evil plan!¡± happily announced Audrey, with her foul breath wafting under Victoria¡¯s nostrils, flaring them up, though it wasn¡¯t the only part of her body to react defiantly against such an outlandish concept.


    ¡°Uh, did I, like, hear that correctly?¡± asked Victoria for some clarification, as it appeared to not compute within her system.


    ¡°Yes, you heard that correctly! My, and I think I must emphasize this; this is mine, and it is, my, idea, and, my, plan. My evil plan, that is! What do you think about that, Victoria? For insulting me on the first day of school!¡± Well, you kinda deserved it, but am I really going to sa-


    ¡°You deserved it, Audrey, just get over it! It has been two days since we last talked,¡± asserted Victoria, causing Audrey to gape open, as though a sudden shock went through her empty cranium. ¡°What even is your plan?¡± asked Victoria, followed by a long silence from Audrey, almost as though, perhaps, her scheme was rather childish and poorly thought out, for despite its title of a plan, nothing was planned out. ¡°May I also remind you, Audrey, that my friends are here, right now. You are alone. I think that should be enough to scare you, back to where you are supposed to be, in your seat.¡±


    ¡°Um, Victoria,¡± reminded James, despite his complete concentration upon his mobile device. ¡°We are not friends. In any capacity.¡±


    ¡°Ha, ha! So what you said was a bluff! I knew you were dull, but I didn¡¯t expect this amount of idiocy, when compared to my neurotic intelligence!¡±


    ¡°Do you even know what neurotic means?¡± questioned Victoria.


    ¡°Uh, it means ¡®smart¡¯, right?¡± uncomfortably asked Audrey, prompting a small chuckle from Victoria, giving all the information Victoria needed to know about her apparent ¡®intelligence¡¯. ¡°Well, um, you know what I meant! Either way, no matter how you think of me, my evil plan shall come to fruition!¡±


    ¡°Must I ask you, again, Audrey. What does your plan entail?¡±


    ¡°It entails a bloody, gruesome murder of your, uh . . . parents! Yes, it shall be done with a, um, can I say this in school?¡± asked Audrey, once more, as though she¡¯d be censored by some unknown entity, displaying her clear ineptitude, as per usual, though it would be short-lived, as the bell rang, not long after, along with Mr. Justin¡¯s reappearance into the undisciplined room. Despite the lack of a watchful instructor during the period of which he was gone, most students had completed their work, except for two people. After saying goodbye to Amalya, and glaring at James, everyone but Victoria and Audrey had left, as well as another kid, and Mr. Justin, who was preparing the room for Advisory, the next class they were meant to attend, where they were supposed to leave for their respective homerooms, but judging from current prospects, it seemed that they wouldn¡¯t be leaving, for much. She, despite the trivial task, wasn¡¯t able to complete her assignment of learning what a mouse does, in time, and now believed the only chance she had, left, to complete it, was to stay late. This appeared viable, considering the calm attitude of the teacher in the room, as of current, and of Mr. Leo, her advisory teacher, and Dream teacher.


    Victoria arose from her seat, the classroom now empty, except for her and Audrey, though Audrey, with her smug expression, seemed to already have completed her work, as though she was supposed to be here, and then it hit Victoria; she saw Raina come here, two days ago. This must be an advisory where the seventh and eighth graders come! That explains a, lot, about Audrey¡¯s and Raina¡¯s behavior, too. I wonder if I¡¯ll be seeing Giulia, too? I wonder who¡¯s this other kid, though. Is he supposed to be here, too? Victoria sighs. Who cares, let¡¯s just go speak to Mr. Justin about this assignment. Hopefully he¡¯ll say yes, and if not . . . Victoria, be brave. Just get this over with. Pushing her chair in, scraping across the floor with a loud sound, she began to walk forth towards the teacher, before facing towards him.


    ¡°Hey, Mr. Justin?¡± initiated Victoria, tapping him on the shoulder with her finger.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Well, um, I need more time to finish my assignment.¡±


    ¡°Well, okay, then. It is the first week of school, after all. I will be lenient now, but don¡¯t think that there will be an opportunity for this, every time. Go back to your seat, and finish your work, and, also, can you tell me what your homeroom teacher¡¯s name, is?¡±


    ¡°His name is Mr. Leo. You know, the Dream teacher, if you¡¯ve ever been to the Peace Building,¡± casually responded Victoria, though her lips quivered, and she visibly shook, as though the room was cold and icy.


    ¡°Oh, well, if he works in the Peace Building, he probably won¡¯t care, considering that I¡¯ve heard, certain, stories from past years, even if this is my second year working here. I will still contact him, mind you, so don¡¯t be surprised if you have to leave, but you can work at home, if you so choose. Now go to your seat; it¡¯s fortunate that no one sits that, at least not of current.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Mr Justin!¡± And as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, she suddenly hopped a tiny bit off of the ground, perhaps in relief of the removed pressure, or that she¡¯d be able to spend more time on her assignments, or even with her new friends, though Audrey¡¯s presence was an important factor to be concerned over, given her presence in the classroom costing Victoria¡¯s time, in the first place. But perhaps, with more friends, and their considerably different personalities compared to Amalya, they could remove Audrey from bothering her. Maybe, they already have a grudge against her, for whether it was small or not, it simply didn¡¯t matter to Victoria; as long as Audrey didn¡¯t annoy her with her characteristically noisy self, while she was completing her assignment, she¡¯d be fine. But it would be tested soon enough, as when Victoria became seated once more, the people outside of the wired classroom, moving rapidly past the doors, soon moved rapidly in, through the black doors.


    As Victoria sat back down, upon her chair, which had dark wheels upon its legs, like most chairs within this room, she saw a lovely piece of blackmail, though she didn¡¯t quite want to activate it, not yet, at least. It was James¡¯s phone, of which he had forgotten to take, while leaving the classroom, either due to the distance to his homeroom, or basic neglectful behavior, occurring due to the recent adjustment towards this new, spacious environment. She saw that it was fully charged, and ready to be used, perhaps, by a person who it did not know. Resist the urge, Victoria! Then, she saw many folks, diverse in their physical appearances, walk in from the thin entrance. Gargantuan kids, who were taller than her, by a long shot, to the miniscule skulkers, who she barely peeped, from behind her darkened screen, of which reminded her of the task at hand. Finish the assignment. She powered on the computer with a quick press, and in the same second, she no longer felt Audrey¡¯s presence within the room, causing Victoria to glance around the room, finding Audrey sitting quietly, as though she had ran out of energy from arguing with her, and rested nearby the old printer, which seemed like, it, too, could use a rest. Before she could focus completely on finishing her late mission, she saw a few notable people, stride in, that she recognized, rather easily.


    Firstly, she saw Raina walk in, who were too distinct to be oblivious towards their recent entry, as a few people stood up to greet her, before dawning on Victoria the fact that these may be her friends. Then, she saw Giulia, following shortly after her other friend, though her ingress was met with much less fanfare, which was none, at all. Finally, Victoria saw someone who she hadn¡¯t seen since the first day of school, and who broke up her fight between Audrey and herself, for Kennedy walked in the door. Kennedy¡¯s appearance didn¡¯t differ much from Victoria¡¯s first sighting, and unprompted meeting, of her, and today, she was wearing a basic t-shirt, with a large logo plastered across its smooth surface, along with dark jeans, similarly to the two days before, with another simple combination. Her charcoal hair was tied into tight ribbons of follicles that spanned the length of her head and neck, but didn¡¯t reach much further downwards. She was slightly taller than Raina, but Victoria was somewhat unsure, though she was certainly wider. Her skin was umber like a plantain¡¯s spots, and her eye¡¯s weren¡¯t much different. She quickly galloped towards Raina¡¯s sphere of friends, likely because she was her friend, as well. Their conversation was short-lived, however, as Kennedy walked away, towards Victoria, before sitting to the left of her position, but Raina chased, closely behind, but not to continue their discussion, since once Raina reached Victoria¡¯s spot, she stopped, and began to talk, as Victoria turned backwards.


    ¡°Hey, bestie!¡± greeted Raina, though her title for Victoria seemed rather ill-fitting, since they had only met yesterday, though their definitions of such a word may have been skewed by outside influences.


    ¡°Um, hey, uh,¡± Victoria looked at an identifiable part of Raina. ¡°Tarsier? I mean, hi, Raina!¡± said Victoria, catching herself before she makes yet another enemy.


    ¡°Um, what did you just, like, say?¡±


    ¡°I clearly said ¡®Hi, Raina,¡¯¡± lied Victoria, though this attempt of gaslighting was tactful; a white lie.


    ¡°No, you, like, said ¡®I mean, hi, Raina,¡¯ which, like, clearly shows, that you, like, slipped up. How, and, like, why?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t slip up, you did . . . at listening, that is. Let¡¯s just leave this; what are you up to, today?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing much, but I did see a funny dance on ShakeSound, so that was cool! More importantly, did you, like, see the news, recently?¡±


    ¡°Uh, no? Why?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, they were talking all about, like, yesterday. You know what happened, like, yesterday, right? Cause, like, that was, like, crazy! And they were protecting me, of, like, all people, just cause I like strawberries more than, like, watermelon! They talked about that watermelon boy, and that other guy that got, like, totally stabbed, though I wonder what happened to, like, y¡¯know, the dude who got, like, knocked out by a watermelon boy? Y¡¯know, the, like, girl who was invited by you to our, like, super aesthetic and preppy table? Wonder how she¡¯s doing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s, uh, probably doing fine.¡±


    ¡°What do you, like, mean, by, like, ¡®probably?¡¯ It must, like, be a, like, definite answer, or else, I don¡¯t, like, trust it, especially, like, from a rando, like you.¡± So much for being ¡®besties¡¯.


    ¡°Oh, um, yeah, also, I was wondering about your friends? Who are they?¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, like, y¡¯know, I am, like, super cool and stuff, so like, I¡¯ve got plenty of friends, want all of their names?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but can the names be people who are in this room, at this moment?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, like, fine. You already, like, know Giulia. She¡¯s, like, a total bookworm. Then, like, we have Kennedy, who¡¯s like sitting two seats away from us. You, like, know her, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah, sure, I know her.¡±


    ¡°Great! So, like, my other bestie is, like, not here, right now, so like, yeah, very unpreppy, but he¡¯ll probably, be back, like, next week, cause, like, he¡¯s still on vacay, y¡¯know.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I kinda only wanted info on people who are in this classroom, currently,¡± reminded Victoria, as she began to open her tabs back up, on her computer, to start on her assignment, which was the only reason she was allowed here, at this time, in the first place.


    ¡°Cool, so, like, the last friend I have, like, here, is Mia.¡±


    ¡°Who the heck is Mia?¡±


    ¡°Woah. What the, like, fart. Don¡¯t, like, use that language here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a damn high school! You guys wouldn¡¯t even be here if there wasn¡¯t a special program for you!¡±


    ¡°Woah. Watch your tongue. Anyways, like, Mia, is, like, super coquette, y¡¯know what I mean?¡±


    ¡°Uh, huh,¡± lied Victoria, again, as she simply didn¡¯t understand what any of the slang, used by Raina, meant, perhaps due to her limited access to the internet, for despite her parents¡¯ relaxed rules, it wasn¡¯t always the case. Perhaps, this was when she fell behind on these odd terms.


    ¡°So, like, yeah. Oh, and she, like, gossips, a lot. Don¡¯t say anything too secretive in front of her, or else, like, it¡¯ll spread like a wildfire, well, at least through our cliques. Maybe, it¡¯ll even spread to our entire grade, and the seventh graders below, too! We, don¡¯t, like, talk to the highschoolers, though, unless, you are, like, our friends, of which you are one. So don¡¯t worry about it spreading to your friend groups, as well,¡± assumed Raina, though Victoria wished what Raina was saying became true, for she had few friends in her life, before this reinvigorating experience, at this new place, though most people, even the newcomers, had found friends, like Amalya, though, she did have a few friends around and above her age, too, like Andrew, and more recently, Anterior, though they clearly had friends, too, outside of Victoria.


    ¡°Okay, got it. Can I see who Mia, is?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± replied Raina, before shouting Mia¡¯s name, towards the rest of the classroom, and, soon, one person was beckoned forth by the chant of their name, of which that person was Mia.


    Mia was milky white, and thin, though with not a brittle frame, and was certainly taller than Victoria, though not by much; by a few inches, at most. She had small, rounded glasses that appeared to have been glossed over, as though they were opaque, and they sat on her pointy, crooked nose, though small. Her hair was umber and lengthy, though most was tied up into a singular ponytail, that stretched from her stalk-like neck to the top of her body, where she wore a dark, oily shirt, with small accessories layered over. Her eyes were small and beady, squashed between her nose and obnoxiously large forehead, and her mouth was overtly large, as if compensating for her chin, for it was weak. With resting eyebrows sharply pointed and eyes tight and squinting, Victoria could tell Mia wasn¡¯t in a good mood, at the moment Raina called her, anyways.


    ¡°Hey, like, bestie,¡± Raina addressed Mia. ¡°How has, like, your day been, like, going? Never mind that, I got, like, another bestie!¡± Raina turned towards the back of Victoria¡¯s head, and as though magic was occurring, she could feel the stare, stamping on her red scalp. Victoria, now, desired that Raina, and the new arrival, known as Mia, went away, in order to complete the schoolwork she was meant to have been finished with, already, though like a styrofoam cup covered in electric charge, they kept sticking around, too close for comfort.


    ¡°It¡¯s been . . . fine,¡± responded Mia, though Victoria, despite her limited skill at deducing a person¡¯s feelings, merely on their facial expressions and speech, could easily tell that Mia had been lying, though perhaps, it might have also been the truth, but it seemed that Raina hadn¡¯t noticed.


    ¡°Oh my god, great! Anyways, wanna introduce yourself?¡± asked Raina, as she shifted her head back to Raina, as though in perpetual cycle.


    ¡°Oh, um, yes!¡± awkwardly answered Victoria, who was still very inept at the action of befriending another, as it was still rather foreign, due to how most of her new friendships were made through the assistance of others. ¡°My name is, um, Victoria!¡± Victoria laughed loudly. ¡°Also I have red hair!¡± blurted out Victoria, once more. ¡°Isn¡¯t it, uh, cool?¡±


    ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll go with . . . ¡®cool.¡¯¡± replied Mia, though with little inflection on her pronunciation.


    ¡°Ok, so, like,¡± segued Victoria, into trying to get them to leave, in order to finish her mouse related assignment, ¡°Um, can you guys go, for right now?¡±


    ¡°OMG, like, why?¡±


    ¡°Cause, I need to finish my assignment, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°Okay, but just so you, like, know, from these past few, like, days, Mr. Justin isn¡¯t even, like, around that much.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°So, like, y¡¯know how Mr. Acidiski left in, like, the middle of class?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± replied Victoria, unsure of where Raina was leading towards.


    ¡°So, like, basically, Mr. Justin has been like, leaving class, too. Like, a lot! I don¡¯t want to, like say it''s related, but I think it kinda is, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°Sure?¡± Mia tried to speak, but was quickly cut off by Raina¡¯s far more amplified voice, opposed to her weak and whispery voice.


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter, either way, cause, like, all that matters is that he leaves, which he¡¯ll, probably, like, do! But unlike whatever Mr. Acidiski is doing, he will probably come back.¡±


    ¡°Okay, and where are you going with this?¡±


    ¡°Simple! We¡¯ll wait until Mr. Justin decides to take his ¡®bathroom break¡¯-¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute. You mean he said that to you, people, too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Wait, did this happen to, like, you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and then the reason I¡¯m here right now is because Audrey decided to mess with me after he left for his long trip to the restroom!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s, like, cray-cray! Lemme see if I can, like, do anything. About the Audrey situation, I mean . . .¡± ominously reassured Raina, as though something would occur soon, with Audrey at the short end of the stick.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t planning for anything bad to happen to her, are you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no! I am totally planning for something bad to happen to her!¡± exclaimed Raina, who clearly didn¡¯t know how to control her voice, as it attracted many heads to her, even Audrey, sitting far front. When Audrey seemed ready to get up, into a confrontation with Raina, Mr. Justin got up, and began to announce something. Something which interested Victoria, very much.


    ¡°Hey, guys! Look up here, for a second!¡± dictated Mr. Justin, as he waited for heads to turn, of which he got most. ¡°Ok, so you guys know about how Advisory works already, don¡¯t you?¡± He waited again, for a raise of hands and comments of agreement. ¡°Anyways, do you guys know how Block X and Block Y work, exactly?¡± Again, he waited, this time, met with more shaking of heads, and the hands from before, hastily dropping, as though in a race for who could be in agreement with the freshest statement, most. ¡°Ok, so basically every week, it flips between two classes. Right now, you guys have Advisory, but by next week, it will be something different! Now, of course, it will be different for each person here, but be warned, there will not be an Advisory next week, but rather something else. Also, be warned that the following week after next week will be back to Advisory, where we will meet again, and get to know each other better. This is just a heads-up, for now. Anyways, I need to leave now, for a break! Behave yourselves!¡± As soon as he exited, everyone, large and small, immediately began to stop behaving.


    As though within a minute moment, the class¡¯s atmosphere vastly changed, from a calming, quiet, and formal place, to a loud place full of havoc and mayhem. Children ran around, and began to chase each other, as though they were in a game, and gossiping and talking increased, not only in volume, but in their volume, as well. And for one, Kennedy was certainly a participant of these new times, and took the chance to begin communicating with her friends, who seemed to be ravenous for the opportunity, though she was not restricted before from such activity, given the talk between Victoria and her newfound mates. It seemed, now, though, not only did a new friend come, Kennedy, but also trouble would soon arise in Victoria''s horizon. She saw Audrey getting up from her seat, and slowly crawling towards her location, as though she was missing her legs, like a creepy wraith. Audrey began to spray out mist from her dirty, yellow-toothed mouth, and finally reached her destination, and Victoria was not happy to see her face, once more. Audrey, once again, donning a sporty cap, began to vibrate her voice box in obnoxious ways, starting with:


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Hey, guys! What are you guys doing?¡± interrupted Audrey, breaking the spell of calmness, of which would be shattered further, as time went on.


    ¡°Uh . . .¡± thought Raina, seemingly formulating a good lie to tell Audrey, to scare her off, perhaps. ¡°We¡¯re just chatting with each other! There¡¯s definitely, like, no extra detail omitted!¡± Which was the truth, though the wording made them seem rather guilty of mendacious speech.


    ¡°Ok, I believe you,¡± said Audrey. ¡°Can I join in your conversation?¡±


    ¡°Uh-¡± attempted to say Raina, but she was quickly cut off by Audrey, who said:


    ¡°Great! I will join! Anyways, wanna hear about some juicy secrets about my . . . evil plan?¡± As Audrey said this, Raina tried to signal her other friends in the computer room, Giulia and Kennedy, to come, though only Giulia was inquisitive enough to notice, or perhaps Kennedy¡¯s nearness already put her nearby. As Giulia walked towards their location, with her steps thumping against the floors of the building, Audrey noticed, despite her usual ridiculous identity.


    ¡°Hey, guys. What¡¯s up?¡± asked Giulia, in a small voice. Raina secretively pointed towards Audrey, followed by Victoria and Mia, too, and Giulia soon knew what was up, as well.


    ¡°Yeah, Audrey, we would, like, really appreciate it, if you, like, left,¡± decided Raina.


    ¡°No,¡± dissented Audrey.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± As this pointless situation was happening, Victoria tried to get Kennedy¡¯s attention, forfeiting her assignment, even further. Unlike Raina¡¯s attempt, however, Victoria managed to get her notice, as the situation created by Audrey continued, limited in the background of Victoria¡¯s mind.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± asked Kennedy. ¡°Hey, wait a minute . . . weren¡¯t you that person who fought against Audrey, two days ago?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah, why do you ask?¡± interrogated Victoria.


    ¡°Oh, never mind. Why are you here, in our advisory?¡±


    ¡°To finish up an assignment that I didn¡¯t complete in class.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you complete it? I know it was about the use of a mouse, which should be pretty simple.¡±


    ¡°Well, uh, there were a few distracting elements.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡±


    ¡°Well, a major one was Audre-¡±


    ¡°Ugh,¡± sighed Kennedy, as though exasperated and exhausted from Audrey earlier. ¡°Audrey,¡± Kennedy chanted, almost as though it was a spellbinding name, ¡°I can¡¯t stand her. All she does is cause trouble. Last year, for one, she said she beat up, uh, I think a fifth grader named Paulina Naper? I don¡¯t know the full details, like what she did, or how she knew her full name, but I think that¡¯s really twisted.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± supported Victoria, though the cogs in her brain were turning. Didn¡¯t Audrey introduce herself as Audrey Naper? Did she . . . beat up her younger sibling? What a sick f-. Victoria couldn¡¯t quite finish that thought, as Kennedy soon realized the reason why Victoria had been trying to contact her. She saw Audrey, and her thick, yet long, eyebrows furrowed in the vexing aggravation that was caused from her little snippet about Audrey, though she, too, understood the consequences of attacking her, for it could result in her expulsion from the school, even if she hadn¡¯t seen the fight from yesterday. I wonder what happened to Lucas and Ariannah . . .


    Kennedy got up, and moved one seat towards Victoria, closer to Raina and Audrey, who were still in a loop of saying yes and no, in an infinitude, if not for Kennedy¡¯s appearance. As Kennedy got into Audrey¡¯s view, she quickly changed her tune, and began to agree with Raina, to not join the conversation, and an awkward silence soon followed, with them staring at each other intently. With this, gave Victoria the break to complete her mouse assignment, which was labeling what each part did; and a little quiz at the end of the section. There was a little memory section, where Victoria matched the terms and definitions, and she began to think about why this was required to have been taught. Hmm. Maybe I can use some of these techniques when making art, using a mouse. Ugh, when will I ever do that . . . my laptop is already touch-screen, and it already has a touchpad. Whatever. Let¡¯s just complete this. Lost in the mesmerizing task and her own thoughts, the others started to go into a trance, too, except for Audrey, who was just staring directly at Kennedy, as though waiting to pounce, once she left, and soon, she would, with an announcement that disrupted the flow that Victoria had gotten into.


    ¡°Guys, I am really constipated right now, so, please don¡¯t start any trouble, or else I might have to enact some toughness on all of y¡¯all. Peace.¡± Despite Kennedy¡¯s warning, however, because, once she got up, and left the room for the four of them, the peaceful, respectful atmosphere of the setting rapidly dissipated, replaced with a dour mood, due to Raina¡¯s loquacious and truthful nature. She began to tell a number of facts about her little sister.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, like, Audrey. You know, about, like, my little sis? Yeah, she¡¯s, like, a total, like, pain, to deal with, like, all the time! I swear to god, like, she can¡¯t stop bothering me with, like, the most trivial tasks, like ever! She also has, like, a pretty, like, dumb name. ¡®Suhana¡¯. Like, who, like, names their kid that?¡± rhetorically questioned Raina, who clearly was dumbfounded by the idea of such a name, though hers was equally as odd, and perhaps, a bit dumber. ¡°Anyways, like, the reason I was, like, telling you this, was because, like, you act like her.¡±


    ¡°I do not act like a toddler, for what toddler can come up with such an ingenious evil plan?¡± replied Audrey, seemingly blinded from her own hubris and comical insouciance.


    ¡°Yes, you do!¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t, primate.¡±


    ¡°Erm, did you just call me a primate?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and?¡±


    ¡°You know you are one, too, right?¡±


    ¡°I am not a primate! Primates are monkeys!¡± disputed Audrey, as though she didn¡¯t understand the idea that humans may be primates, too. ¡°And, anyways, how is that related to my evil plan? How dare you divert my attention to such . . . things!¡±


    ¡°Uh, you do know humans are actually primates, right?¡±


    ¡°Stop lyin-¡±


    ¡°We need to stop!¡± shouted Giulia, which surprised many people, even her friends, due to her usual passive and peaceful style of living. ¡°Guys, we should present our present present to each other; for I have a presentiment, due to my present omnipresent present, about the pre-sent present present that has presented itself to us, in a presentation of present. This sent present, presently present, has co-presented itself with an unpresentable present, for it, as the unpresentable presenter, presents and represents a future present where our presents will be most unpresentable, and this present situation represents our presentence! Pre-send our new present, now,¡± wisely stated Giulia, though it seemed as though most didn¡¯t comprehend her statement, not even Victoria, who not only enjoyed the visual arts, but the literature arts, as well.


    ¡°Uh, like, what did you, just, like, say, bestie?¡± asked Raina, though her attention couldn¡¯t be divided further, from between her clash with newly formed foes, and her attentiveness towards a now blithesome and carefree Mia, it seemed as though she was quickly unfocusing from the situations, though one would eventually stand out, above the rest, as he arrived to collect what he had forgotten. Victoria heard the door of the room creak, for it was soon the entrance for James, who was likely here to reacquire his device, once more, and as Victoria stood up to attempt to peek above the monitors, that sat on the blended tables, she got a better look at him, than ever before, and he was considerably different, than when compared to his past self. The past self who had done something to Fabian.


    James had dark, sleek hair, at least in the past, of which was still true in the current times, though his hair, at the thin tips, slowly changed from his natural hair color, to a bright, striking blonde, which was likely achieved through the use of dyes and other hair products. His eyes, as though an oxymoron, were narrow and large at the same time, though the colors of his pinprick pupils were the same; inky dark. He was of a decent height; around the same, or maybe a bit taller, than Victoria, though certainly thinner, given bony arms, and his overcompensating clothing, which was baggy, and much larger than he was, with an image of an orange, snake-like mascot, plastered over, though all his efforts were in vain, for he only appeared to be even more thin, with such fashion choices. His skin was milky, and speckled with freckles, and other unwanted nubs, and hung tightly around his neck, which had an appearance of fragility, connected to his small head.


    Victoria growled at James, like a feral dog, though with much less slobber, and visibly, what he said earlier stung her, deeply, though she couldn¡¯t do anything about it, if she didn¡¯t want to anger Raina for disgracing one of her ¡®besties¡¯. James appeared to be unfazed by such a gesture of hostility, though he certainly did appear to be aware of its occurrence, though the others surrounding Victoria seemed less keen-eyed to such passive displays of aggressiveness. Victoria, now in near possession of his phone, also knew exactly why he had appeared, once more, and he, too, knew that Victoria knew, too.


    ¡°Um, oh my, like, goodness! Hey, bestie!¡± encouragingly greeted Raina, though Victoria couldn¡¯t quite understand how she could handle such a person, though she knew that Raina had no ideas of the skeletons within his closet.


    ¡°Hey,¡± replied James, ¡°uh, bestie.¡± Ugh, he can¡¯t even keep up his disguise. Not even for his apparent ¡®friend¡¯! How can¡¯t Raina see this! Whatever . . .


    ¡°Hey, uh, James,¡± hesitantly welcomed Victoria, attempting to get the favor of Raina, though the reason was seemingly undefined. ¡°Why are you . . . here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, hey, Victoria. I am here to get my phone,¡± said he, as Victoria quickly grasped the phone, before granting it into his hand, rather forcefully, in order to make him leave as fast as possible, though this goal¡¯s cause was being toppled by James¡¯s own interests. ¡°Why did you hand it to me, so hard?¡±


    ¡°Cause,¡± replied Victoria, ¡°I can do whatever I want. And, plus, we both know why,¡± as she grimaced; her face distorted into a deep frown, and eyebrows pointed.


    ¡°Oh, are you still angry about . . . that?¡± said James, attempting to sound monotone, though undertones of laughter still came out, as though giddy of what he had done that Victoria could not remember.


    ¡°You dare laugh?¡± With that, James burst into laughter, as though like a depraved murderer, which was rather apt, for the situation.


    ¡°Erm,¡± whispered Raina, though she talked at the exact moment when the room suddenly became silent, ¡°what did you do, James?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it''s just that Victoria can¡¯t take it, when something bad happens to her, when she does something bad!¡± misconstrued James, in order to make himself appear favorable to Raina.


    ¡°Spill. The. Tea,¡± demanded Raina.


    ¡°Ok, fine,¡± conceded James, though how reluctant he was, Victoria wasn¡¯t quite sure. ¡°So, uh, did you know: Victoria used to bully me,¡± which sent shockwaves through Raina¡¯s mind, though Victoria wasn¡¯t as amused; though true, it wasn¡¯t the full story.


    ¡°Um, Victoria,¡± pointed Raina, ¡°you need to, like, apologize, right now.¡± Does she even know what happened to me . . .


    ¡°Ugh, fine . . . I, Victoria, hereby, sincerely apologize, to you, James,¡± apologized Victoria, though it was more transactional than sincere. ¡°Now, you apologize to me, and I won¡¯t have to spill the beans on you, James.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know exactly what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡±


    ¡°Stop playing dumb. This is serious.¡±


    ¡°I literally don¡¯t know what you are talking about,¡± James seemingly lied, though Victoria was still unsure about the validity, but regardless, she would soon give a short hint to guide him towards owning up to his mistakes. Or at least, Victoria hoped for, anyway.


    ¡°Come on, just, like, do it! You can do it, over, like, phone, or whatever. You do, like, have your phone with you, now, right?¡± asked Raina, even if she already knew it was true.


    ¡°Yeah, but, uh, it ran out of batteries,¡± which Victoria knew was a lie, but she didn¡¯t want to provoke him, especially when he was only here for his phone, even if she really wanted to hear him utter the words that Audrey couldn¡¯t muster.


    ¡°Oh, okay, then. You can go charge it at home, and then message me, bestie!¡±


    With a pause, Victoria said, ¡°if you don¡¯t have your phone fully charged, then what are you even doing in ¡®Computer Science¡¯? It¡¯s literally called that because it¡¯s the science of computers! We are in a room with computers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, James,¡± unnecessarily added Raina, almost as though she was trying to provoke a reaction from James¡¯s mouth. ¡°This is, like, unacceptable. We are in an age of computers. We are in a computer classroom; full of, like, shiny computers. You could even call it . . . an online sea!¡± exclaimed Raina, though James likely didn¡¯t enjoy how his friend sided with the enemy, as well as the oxymoron caused by computers near aqueous bodies.


    ¡°Okay, who asked, slow loris?¡± peevishly responded James, directed towards Raina.


    ¡°You, like, wanna, like, fight, huh? Cause I, like, hold, like, the knuckles of, like, fury, and, like, be scared! You may be my, like, friend, but this is going to toughen you, like, super up. Might, like, also roll out some inadequate behavior coming from, like, you. For I may be wonderfully coquette, but I get wonderfully crotchety, too! Fear, like, me!¡± intimidatingly announced Raina, though whether she could back this up, Victoria didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Well, Raina, I don¡¯t know if you can see, or not, but you are kind of in a two versus one match, you understand?¡± connived Audrey, silently joining James and cooperating with him to possibly bring down Raina, though that was hard to imagine, considering the circumstances; the chance that two fights happening, two days consecutively, and Victoria having been a witness to them, was also a fact that was hard to ignore.


    ¡°You know, like, what? Maybe, I, like, will! You ain¡¯t got, like, no muscles, or, like, much fat, either, twiggy, flairless, girl,¡± said Raina confidently, though Victoria personally prayed for this conflict to simmer down, to, perhaps, a shouting match, rather than it getting physical; she was already a bit sick of the sanguine mess left in Art Class, from yesterday, and still wasn¡¯t completely sure on the status of Lucas or Ariannah, considering real weapons were deployed. She was fairly sure, however, that neither Audrey or James carried any weapons, but their bodies were more than enough for Raina to take, for they were both of higher stature than her. Considering Raina¡¯s physique and posture, though, made it seem like she was more disciplined, in the art of fighting.


    ¡°What about me, bestie?¡± jabbed James, poking Raina¡¯s cheek, which likely only further provoked her, though, due to their friendship, she was likely more able to keep her emotions in control, for now, at the very least, though the strain made by Audrey was rapidly tearing them apart, with James joining Audrey¡¯s side, and Raina joining Victoria¡¯s. Victoria, however, personally sided with Audrey on one, singular goal. To get Raina, away from James, or the other way around. Either way, it seemed that this plan coordinated by both, though neither participated explicitly, would be foiled by an ignorant Mia. Mia tried to step in, between Raina and James, but was quickly pushed out of the way, by Audrey, despite the fact that she was the tallest person who was engaging in such a conversation.


    ¡°Like, bro, stay out of this. Anyways, Audrey, your attire is, like, so drab and flat, to be honest, like, how can you even manage such a, like, unaesthetic look?¡± rhetorically asked Raina, once more, though Audrey didn¡¯t seem to get the message, for she tried to speak, but was quickly stopped with a well-placed finger in front of her mouth; Audrey got a bit antsy, as though she appreciated her personal space, though with her previous actions, it was clear she didn¡¯t respect other¡¯s space. ¡°Anyways, what I, like, want to say, is, like, back off, cause, like, you can¡¯t handle my heat.¡±


    ¡°Can you show me an example?¡± rhetorically asked Audrey, with a smug expression, though Raina didn¡¯t seem to understand, or either, more likely, she pretended to not understand the meaning, for Raina quickly slapped Audrey, with a quick snap, who¡¯s face dropped quickly, afterwards, as well as James backing slightly away from Raina¡¯s vicinity. When Victoria looked at Audrey, again, her face was of one of begrudging happiness, grinning widely, as though she was trying to mask her true feelings at the time, which to most, was not a secret.


    ¡°Well, well, well. It seems like this aye aye and her ¡®friends¡¯ are more than just empty, threatening words. Well, if you want to fight like that, be prepared, for my evil pl-¡± Audrey¡¯s grand and beautiful speech was violently interrupted by a quick punch to the face, from Raina¡¯s hands. Audrey¡¯s nose began to excrete red droplets.


    ¡°I guess if my diplomatic part of my evil plan has failed, I shall activate the deadly part of it! You will regret this, Raina! Mwahahaha!¡± amusingly stated Audrey, quickly devolving the situation, further, into a fight of spite, though it wasn¡¯t quite physical, at this time frame. Not yet, at the very least.


    ¡°You, know, like, maybe the ¡®evil plan¡¯ that you¡¯ve cooked up in that overcooked brain of yours could be, like, super deadly, and whatever. For you, I believe!¡± boasted Raina, as she got in a defensive stance, waiting for the beginning attack. And it came, and came fast, and rapidly, as Audrey attacked, with intense heat, though her department in precision was certainly lacking. Raina masterfully dodged the mindless punches originating from Audrey, as though, with one punch, her body would become as soft as a potto, though, it seemed, that while she was great at avoiding the pitiful attacks from Audrey, her counterpart wasn¡¯t so battle ready. Audrey¡¯s face was scrunched up in pain, as gums and nostrils bled, and her ¡®immaculate¡¯ skin was bruised and purple, like a squashed, rotting grape. Raina, however, couldn¡¯t perfectly evade, forever, as the merciless punts from Audrey, though weak, but in mass, brutally challenging to upkeep a defense against, especially with no equipment on hand, other than her clothing.


    ¡°Hey, like,¡± huffed Raina, as she was attempting to take a breather, ¡°Audrey. If you, like, want to stop, that would be, like, super, like, preppy!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to stop! You attacked first! Your reckless behavior has led to this very moment!¡± screeched Audrey, though no one else seemed to notice, aside from Giulia and Victoria, who were seemingly hypnotized by another fight occurring, not even a day after the last, and the latter even seemed to have forgotten her main task, at hand, in the classroom covered in cables and wires.


    ¡°I mean, Audrey, if you didn¡¯t want to see, like, rings, around, your, like, eyes, then maybe you should¡¯ve, like, not messed with this ring-tailed lemur.¡±


    ¡°Mia! Help me! Raina¡¯s beating me up!¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± simply said Mia, as though she was waiting for a chance to start fighting, though it wasn¡¯t an impossibility.


    ¡°If you get any closer, Mia, I think, like, I will have to declare that our friendship is, like, a total, like, farce! So, like, back off, girly, cause, like, you¡¯re already in hot wate-'''' Which, as though as payback for what she had done to Audrey earlier, Mia slapped Raina on the face, with a loud, clearing snap, that began when her hands made contact with her petite face. The other reason, seemingly plausible, though Raina didn¡¯t know, due to a lack of context. For the truth that Mia had been holding inside her the entire time, was beginning to unravel before her eyes, but by her hands, as she was stepping in to protect her . .


    ¡°You know why I am doing this? It¡¯s because, number one, we aren¡¯t besties, anymore, and number two, I want you, to. Get. Away. From my family!¡± shouted Mia, making many students in the room turn toward the voice that pounded on their eardrums.


    ¡°Um, like, what? You and Audrey are related?¡± suddenly spoke Raina, as she opened her mouth, paralyzed by such a major revelation that seemed too beyond the bounds of reality to be true.


    ¡°Well, guess what?¡± snorted Audrey, as though the bottom half of her face wasn¡¯t covered in her own, raw fluids. ¡°We are also related to your bestie, also known as . . . James!¡± which, after finishing, made Raina¡¯s mouth open a tiny bit wider than before.


    ¡°Uh, okay. Be so, like, for real! Is this real?¡± asked Raina openly, to which no one responded, for not only did they know, they also understood that Raina had fully processed this, too. Giulia tried to interject, though was quickly silenced by the force of the others who surrounded her, but it seemed that Victoria had a bit more energy and power to back herself up, for she soon came into the dangerous fray.


    ¡°Um,¡± prodded Victoria, trying to worm her way into the feckless, foolish scene, ¡°may I just say, that, uh, regardless of what your affiliations with each other are, you should, like, maybe, stop this nonsense?¡± pleaded Victoria, as though her original mindset of completing the assignment was resurfacing, however unconscious it may have been.


    ¡°Well, it seems, like, I have friends, now, like, too! Now, scram!¡± bluffed Raina, which made Giulia frown, as though she wasn¡¯t trying to deactivate the malignant situation at hand, too. Despite the seeming emptiness of such a threat, James quickly fled, considering how he was likely only supposed to be there for a short duration, and the fact that everyone, there, was a grade level or more above him, giving the air of superiority and authority, to Raina¡¯s hand, as well as the benefit that James was also Raina¡¯s friend, as much as Victoria hated it. With the dispersal of James, Mia, who seemed to appreciate her already jeopardized friendship over continued drama, left next, leaving Audrey, there, alone, though it seemed she was rather confident, still, despite the loss of her lackeys, though she did try to motivate them to reappear back on to the region, though they left, faster yet, despite their apparent familial ties.


    ¡°Audrey,¡± voiced Giulia, ¡°if you could explain to me, how are you, and James, as well as Mia, related, if you all have different last names? Were you, perhaps, being untruthful about your relationship with them?¡±


    ¡°No, you fool! It¡¯s clearly due to the fact that I, Audrey, am an orphan, and so are they!¡± revealed Audrey, which quickly took the current happenings in a depressing turn. ¡°We all live at the same orphanage, and naturally, due to our tendencies, we bonded! Over our shared, and pure, malevolence! Mwahahaha!¡± Victoria could vaguely hear, from a distance, Mia shouting ¡®no¡¯, though it was deeply unclear whether she heard correctly, or not, for she had now become focused on her recent, or old, assignment, realizing that there were only five minutes left on the clock. But with that realization, soon came another; Kennedy must be returning soon, hopefully to deal with Audrey, once more. And as though on cue, Kennedy bounded back through the door frame, to meet them once more, with her expression souring as soon as she laid her poignant eyes on Audrey''s powdered face, with her mouth acting in accordance. With this advent, Audrey quickly shrank, and slinked back to where she came from, as though a worm, and silence quickly followed, with everyone looking at each other. Everyone sat in peace, as Giulia got up, to pack away her things, and Kennedy returned to her spot, though it was still within earshot. The assignment was almost complete. Everything was so quiet, even with the talking in the background. Raina would break the silence.


    ¡°Well, it feels like we just waded through, like, a sea, y¡¯know?¡± Kennedy, who remained near, turned her head to her, as well as Victoria, who was near complete with her assignment. ¡°But, like an online one, y¡¯know? Not like the one I was talking about before. But this one,¡± Raina spoke, with a minor pause in between. ¡°That type of stuff . . . it¡¯s, like, it almost always only happens in, like, the internet. Where people hide. But it seems like we were just in an ¡®online sea¡¯ before you came, Kennedy,¡± Raina said, with a nod from Kennedy, showing her approval. ¡°It just seems, like, . . . these people would be the ones to mask their utter . . . weirdness.¡±


    ¡°But, Raina,¡± said Victoria. ¡°They did hide. Mia hid as a close friend. James hid as an innocent. Audrey hid behind her seemingly friendly demeanor.¡±


    ¡°But . . . they all revealed it, didn¡¯t they? Do they have anything else to hide?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but I don¡¯t know the psyche behind people like them.¡±


    ¡°You know, like, they are still in this room. It¡¯s weird. We¡¯re all people, and none of us are no less ¡®people¡¯ by being rude or obnoxious, but, maybe the fact that these people . . .¡±


    ¡°I get what you mean, Raina.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Maybe there¡¯s been an online sea, here. The entire time.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Raina.¡±


    ¡°Also, I was wondering something. Can I ask?¡±


    ¡°You may.¡±


    ¡°What happened between you and James?¡±


    . . .


    Mr. Justin came back into the room. The bell rang, afterwards.

 Chapter 14: Golden Ratio

    As Victoria departed from the classroom, ridden with annoying children, of some who she tolerated, she quickly realized that, despite her short time, here, her familiarity with the school already shone through, easily navigating the twists and turns, up to the second floor, upon where the Art Bridge, was, towards the Art Building, hovering over a street, in translucent glass and pearly concrete. Keeping pace in order to reach her class, she sped towards the bridge, before meeting to the opening of the stairs. Once she reached one of the four lunchrooms, color coded with the unique colors of the primaries, with an addition of green, she turned a corner, upon where a board for advertising one¡¯s clubs, a group made for a specific purpose, to do extracurricular activities, was found, with a spot empty, possibly indicating room for one more. Crossing the bridge, Victoria noted the fading of summer once more, as autumn breeze struck the city, violently, chilling the leaves off of trees, quite literally. She walked further ahead, into the Art Building¡¯s second floor, of which was comprised of social science classrooms and math classrooms, with the Math Department at its end, and a single room for art; the fashion classroom, which was the first doorway, out of many, in a seemingly lengthy hallway, empty, if not for the paintings dotting the walls.


    Victoria crossed the cold, blank corridor, with delicate paintings of various topics, stuck within dark frames, hanging upon the white, brick patterned walls of its surroundings. As the Geometry Class Victoria took was at the end of the hallway, she had a plentiful amount of time to marvel at the artistry that went into each artwork, and as she slowed to examine the details of each one, she looked towards her right, and saw, not only entrances to other classrooms, of which were other math classrooms, as well as one themed around fashion, but also of the other students, around her height and, seemingly, age, as well, that were moving towards the ending of the glossy, reflective hallways, which ended in glass panes that lined the walls, and containing an opening towards the other side of the Art Building¡¯s second floor. Each painting had a different artists, all with imaginative names that she believed weren¡¯t the real names of these expert painters, and it showed in their design; streaky paint marks and layers revealing; flat, even paint that made for a more sleek and geometrical painting, of which was fitting for the section of mathematics; and a flowingly watery painting that was likely made with specific watercolors and its procedures, as well as more, split up by a simplistic, metallic water fountain.


    While surveying the premises, in front of her, Victoria saw a towering figure, continuously moving forward, indicating that they may have been headed towards the same class as her, or perhaps, they may have been heading there, for teaching purposes. They were amicable, enough, with draping, yellow hair that had been tied up long ago, and wearing a tight, striped sweater that kept their wrinkles from being as prominent, though Victoria could still spot the blemishes of age. Having the class everyday, she already knew who this was. Ms. Oni, who did, indeed, teach her Geometry Class. She also saw a few other people, who were likely more her age, wandering systematically towards her location of desire; the classroom, along with the aged teacher, who walked considerably guardedly and seemed to wobble slightly with each step they took. Despite having gone to the class for two days, at this point in time, she barely recognized anyone, except for one special individual, who she noted above the rest, and who she also saw in her peripheral vision, currently. A person with a similar stature, though darker complexion, Timothy was an outspoken person, comparatively to Victoria¡¯s reservedness for most subjects, and was noticeably vocal about his, oftentimes, incorrect opinions, intriguing Victoria due to his confidence, of which she wanted to inherit some of. She also knew another person of interest attended her class at the same time; Eric, Andrew¡¯s younger brother, who was about the same age as her, and appeared somewhat like Andrew, though somewhat more youthful, and perhaps, playful, as well, though with only two periods spent with him, she couldn¡¯t quite decipher who he was like, and if he had any similarities with his older sibling; the one Victoria knew, at least.


    Once she had stopped pondering about the people who she would soon sit with, in a room, for about an entire hour, she had approached the entrance, where she had seen that the room was noticeably empty, at least, until Victoria walked in. When she did, she took in the scenery, of curtain walls shrouded in rising sunlight, as the days dimmed towards winter, and glassy tables, made up of the simple colors of black and white, along with matching chairs, that were indented and gray, but she also made another discovery; there were people already in the room, though they were simply hiding from the preview of the open chamber. Gathered into a little group, there was a gathering of two people; both recognizable, from Victoria¡¯s point of view, with not only their appearance, but their equally contrasting personalities, which made them the antithesis of Victoria, though she, too, was rather off, too. Despite their familiar and identifiable traits, however, she couldn¡¯t quite grasp at their names, but, hopefully, she would soon remember such identifiers, for she would soon learn the thing that they would spend their time within this class working on, for a week.


    Once everyone had entered the room, class quickly started, as the bell chimed its hollowed tune as soon as Ms. Oni entered the room, and she soon began to turn on the class projector, of which would soon project what the class time was to be allotted towards, with Victoria sitting at her arranged seating placement, with the one person of the aforementioned duo, and Timothy, along with Eric. When the classroom¡¯s projector finally finished heating, it displayed a slideshow upon a glowing whiteboard, taken from the professor¡¯s computer, and, as the slow process of opening the computer to the correct document was taking place, Victoria spied on her other tablemates, though how secretively, was dependant on the perceptiveness of the others. She already had information on Eric, who she had made friends with in Biology, but not as much on Timothy and the one with hazel hair, who she only knew from a basic overview of their most remarkable attributes, and they, similarly, weren¡¯t too sure of what to make of the crimson haired person who had been sat in front of them, either, though, despite having been in each other¡¯s surroundings for awhile, it seemed the charm and allure of the hair still stuck on, especially after Victoria told them it was completely natural. The dwelling on this, however, would soon cease, when Ms. Oni finally managed to operate the slideshow to the correct slide for the correct class, and therefore, in sequence, began to speak, as well:


    ¡°Welcome back, class,¡± greeted Ms. Oni, though with a distant tone, ¡°I don¡¯t know how much time we have left until they issue another one of those mandatory, scheduled bomb drills, so we must go through this, fast,¡± she said, as she flicked through a few more slides, to perhaps get to the crucial info that she had been escribing to her listeners. ¡°Okay, so, today, we are going to start on a project about irrational numbers! Like pi, which we will begin discussing, about, say, in early spring? Or the symbol of phi, or the golden ratio, which we will discuss in a brief unit in winter, to perhaps help you on the English architecture project, made mostly by Ms. Cwena, who I am sure all of you have met, already,¡± which was, indeed, a true statement, at least for Victoria. Ms. Cwena was an elder teacher that Victoria suspected might have been older than her grandparents, before they died, of course, and held a patchwork walker around her during her hourly walks around the premises of the high school, or within it, as well, but despite having spent many years, here, she seemed to be wayward in her ways, perhaps due to senility. ¡°Anyways, today, you will begin this project, and, no, before you ask, your partners have already been decided. They¡¯re your table partners!¡± she announced joyfully, straining her voice, as though an octave too high out of her vocal range. ¡°You will decide on a fun irrational number to talk about, whether it be the two previously mentioned options, or any other that fits said description. Any questions?¡± Ms. Oni asked, and, near instantaneously, Timothy shook violently and hopped around in his seat confines, shaking his table as though an earthquake was occurring. Groaning, Ms. Oni asked him what the question was.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°So, um, like, can we pick any number? I mean, an irrational number?¡± responded Timothy, blissfully unaware of the perturbation and waste of time this question had been, for if only he listened when she had been speaking. Disappointedly, Ms. Oni answered with a simple answer: yes, and though as an omen, a few seconds afterwards, there was an almost stereotypical sound of a siren, blaring at the highest volume, signaling for them to evacuate the room, though, unlike the ordinary panic that would ensue if this was a true alarm, people orderly got up, before leaving the room, for one of the bomb shelters that littered the school¡¯s underground. Victoria, while moving about the school, had noted stairways that led downwards, upon the first floor, and with arrows pointing down and signs with the nuclear symbol stamped onto the plastic surfaces, it was clear what the intent or purpose of these shelters were. Using the school map, Victoria saw that, while the Art and Peace Building seemed to have none, the PE and Main Building had a few, to compensate, with three to four bunkers, each, amongst the two latter structures. These said bunkers were only small, reinforced rooms, packed with compact earth and strengthened steel, likely full of supplies of food and drink, and these small rooms were what made up the ¡®basement¡¯ area of the school; merely an archipelago of fortified, underground rooms, that were unconnected to each other, and only connect to the staircases, above. She wondered if there could¡¯ve been more bunkers that were covered up when staircases were remodeled, leading to them becoming forgotten and hidden forever; the perfect bunker, unless the supple amenities ran out. As their class was making its way towards the Art Bridge, she was standing next to the unnamable person, who would work on the project with her.


    A notorious perfectionist, Victoria seemed to watch as the person walked nearly flawlessly, though, perhaps, with a little bit of ¡®preppiness¡¯, as described by Raina, while attempting to explain her use of these words, though the source was clear. They were slender yet plump; like a distorted eggplant, and fingers creeping forward like stalks of a vine, and rose-like ears protruding from both sides, displaying an interesting repertoire of traits that Victoria had never seen, before, at least, in such a collection. Piercing, dark eyes that seem to see the depths of Victoria, they were upon a wide nose, upon yet another ornamental piece that seemed useless, though its appearance was misleading; her mouth was perfectly functional, seen from the talkativeness of the person. She was wearing distracting, iridescent woolen clothing, with reflective pinpricks studded upon the wool, and dark navy jeans that had small, intentional tears on its folded fabrics, tightened by a leather belt.


    Trying to make small talk, Victoria asked, ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± replied the stranger.


    ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡±


    ¡°Uh . . . Nop-¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh . . . I am Rose. Rose Flores,¡± she shyly said, as though she was uncomfortable, talking with Victoria, even though she ran her mouth constantly at their table, which made Victoria wonder what the purpose behind this behavior was, or perhaps it was habitual, though Victoria did notice her antsy attitude after befriending Eric, after Biology Class.


    ¡°Cool. I am Victoria,¡± responded Victoria, though it was somewhat stunted by the lack of confidence from Victoria, and the increased anxiety, from the increased traffic from the flow of people during the bridge crossing. ¡°So, like, uh . . . what is your favorite flower?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, my favorite flower is the morning glory.¡±


    ¡°Huh. That¡¯s surprising.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± asked Rose, making Victoria gulp a bit.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just pretty, and looks sort of like a trombone,¡± she responded, adding, ¡°Did you know I play the trombone?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cool, I guess!¡± Victoria shouted, as they neared yet another siren, blasting out powerful, irritating sound waves across the school, as they neared the ending of the bridge, where the Art Building connected to the Main Building, and also where Victoria and Rose¡¯s English Class was located at, along with the other two.


    ¡°So, Victoria,¡± stated Rose, as she scratched her skin as though to relieve pressure from the cacophony of noises; a mix of an alarm and other students chattering and their loud steps. ¡°Why is your hair red?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± apologized Victoria, apathetically, considering how nearly everyone she meets eventually asked the question of how she got her hair, with most assuming that it was dyed, which equally bothered Victoria, due to knowing the truth, but not the full extent of its creation. ¡°I kinda don¡¯t know why? All I know is that it is natural.¡± I bet she¡¯ll ask something else dumb, like ¡®how do you not know?¡± The audacity of some of thes-


    ¡°Oh, okay, that¡¯s fine.¡± Huh. As they turned around a corner, with the walls plastered with posters of club activities and achievements of the school, with one oddly empty area, without anything, they neared a stairwell, and with that, the hordes of children clambered down the stairs to the nearest bunker, as though an actual raid was occurring. There¡¯s no way they would attack Onaxago, right? Aside from the lack of concern, it seemed that their minute minute of talking amongst themselves was over, as they rushed to the shelters that Victoria was already familiar with, from elementary school. Crawling down into a stairway, there was a small, rusted elevator that seemed rather hazardous, were it not for its seeming condition of recent use, even before the drill had begun. As the teachers rallied up the students to take turns descending downwards, and others leading their population away to a different bunker to avoid crowding, it was greatly chaotic, to a degree.


    And as Victoria boarded the elevator, it was ridden downwards, covered with a pattern of snails, like the golden rectangle, made using the golden ratio. It got darker, and darker still, until Victoria suddenly felt as though the elevator had bumped onto a crevice, and then the door opened. With this, Victoria saw a large, subterranean bunker, with metal shelves lining the walls, full of daily essentials, such as stockpiles of food, water bottles, and most importantly of all, makeup products. But they weren¡¯t alone; for with not only her group, she saw a mass of people, and finally understood the reasoning behind the herding away of the other attendees of this building.


    As she surveyed the area, the elevator door closed behind them, and didn¡¯t come back, and with that, she saw a whole array of people of whom she knew. It seemed as though they had locked eyes with her, too. Staring at her, or at the golden ratio behind her.

 Chapter 15: The Grub During One

    Locked at the bottom of the school, Victoria wasn¡¯t exactly excited for the experience in the bunker, though there were some caveats to be had; namely, many people she had known, throughout the past few days, that she had interacted with, were there, and by many, it was actually all of them, grouped together in a massive congregation in the basement, creating cacophonies of noises. Despite the layers of dirt and metal that separated them from the structures above, the dampening effect was only somewhat noticeable on the sirens that screamed their sounds above, in an endless drone. Rust collected around the rails and bars of the room, of which was clearly past its prime, and the cold air streamed out in an endless drive from the piping that led oxygen to rejuvenate the space, though it likely only contributed to the quick aging of the hollowed room. Rather auspiciously, however, was the endless amounts of snacks and heavier foods, laid upon the shelves of which were thrice as tall as she was, at least, from her perspective, with barrels of oil huddled high, and medical supplies sheltered not too far below their area. For finish touches, there was a large machine, connected to the rest with comical pipes, and doors labeled as closets, at least from a first glance. As though as another miracle, the appearance of her long-time friend, Andrew, who was huddled in a corner, with some others, of whom Victoria recognized as Kenneth and Eric, the latter related to Andrew by blood, quickly came through to her vision, in a glorious limelight, and Victoria¡¯s other ¡®friends¡¯ laid, not too further, for she saw Amalya, and all the people she had introduced her, to, whether those people were amicable or antagonistic, and Anterior, who was a personal achievement of Victoria¡¯s, made by her own charm and wit, and someone who she certainly didn¡¯t expect to be there, due to Lucas¡¯s disappearance from Computer Science, but there she had been, shining like a beacon; beckoning forth Victoria for details about the fateful day, for it was Ariannah that stood there, stoically, like a grayed statue, with not a dissimilar posture and stance.


    Ariannah was far taller than Victoria, being of a complimentary combination of height and good posture, that was sorely lacking in Victoria¡¯s department, though of which she could control, it would not matter, as Ariannah was aided in a difference of inches; sporting quite a numeration more than Victoria had to offer. On the note of differences, Ariannah had far more in myriads to compare to Victoria, being that of a darker skin, twisted and lengthy hair, and also the use of glasses, supported by a sharp, small nose. Aside from the physical appearance, their senses in fashion was clearly on the opposite; Victoria veering towards a sleeker, more revealing choice of wardrobe, while Ariannah preferred the traditional clothing options of simple shirts and pants, of which was not an unusual choice despite the many other differences she had from her peers, which did not encompass her personality, at least from what Victoria had observed. Intense, moody outbursts over minor things were fairly blatant in Victoria¡¯s eyes, though she seemed to also have an atmosphere surrounding her; foreboding and admonitory. Needless to say, Victoria didn¡¯t find her to be a comforting figure, though saving Raina from an attack by Lucas was a kind gesture, regardless of the execution of said gesture, which had went bloody and possibly lethal for some involved, considering Ariannah¡¯s reentrance, and the lack of Lucas on the premises, of which likely signals his mortality, though such options were too grim for Victoria¡¯s consideration, no matter how hateable he could be. As she walked passed Ariannah to meet up with Andrew after the fight from yesterday, hoping for some form of interaction, it seemed that she would be greeted with none, as Ariannah¡¯s muted face and seemingly normal walk towards a gangly boy appeared to be normal and well-adjusted, completely contrary to person Victoria had made her out to be; within the mind. Though, in a similar comparison, Victoria didn¡¯t seem to hold up to the scrutiny of her own inner talk.


    Okay, Victoria, relax. This is basically the first actual time you are meeting him in real life, ignoring that time, cause, like, that wasn¡¯t the best intro, but you know what I mean. Get it right. Or else you might lose him as a friend, permanently. Then again, we did make friends with Eric, so maybe it isn¡¯t over for us if we make a mistake. Or what if Eric also falls out with us because of our mistake with Andrew? Calm down, this hasn¡¯t happened. Yet. Unless we have a plan or something . . . Oh, who am I kidding? We don¡¯t need a ¡®plan¡¯ to talk to a friend! This is a perplexingly anxious moment for us, so just realize that there won¡¯t be much to go awry if anything does, of course. But, then again, something could happen . . . Like what if Lucas shows up randomly and starts spouting rumors out of his watermelon head . . . or what if Andrew doesn¡¯t think of us a friend, though, then again, we did walk out, together, with Eric . . . or what if someone else does something dumb and we lose our, like, cool? Maybe Audrey. Maybe Ariannah. Maybe even someone like Raina, who might make us look dumb, or something? Maybe it could be James; after all, he did do that thing . . . well, how can he repeat that? There¡¯s that metal detector in the entrance of the school . . . but then again, we are doing this dumb bomb procedure, as if Seviliza would even dare to drop a bomb on us . . . ah, whatever, the future is grim, isn¡¯t it. Might as well get this trivial task out of the way. But, like, what if something does go wrong? Won¡¯t we look like a massive idiot? Look, Victoria, we are just walking to him. Nothing else, nothing more. Well, except for the greeting, and conversing, and . . . no! That¡¯s all just what might happen. We don¡¯t know what will happen. Yet. Might as well try now, so we don¡¯t look stupid just staring off into the distance. Okay, let¡¯s start walking towards him.


    With such a decision undertaken, Victoria nervously walked over to confront Andrew, and his possible other friends, which was another point of contention of Victoria¡¯s, frightened by the possibility of the other two having higher status in his mind than her, though that was a forgone conclusion, as one of his friends also happened to be a close family member; a younger sibling. Aside from the anxiety that creeped at the back of her troubled mind, many other things had seemed to come back, and to haunt her, in the form of people. Audrey and Mia were sitting along the cold, oxidized flooring which had once been reflective and awestruck with white and orange lights from above, and it seemed that time had long moved past them, too, and had been alone with the darkness for far too long. Nowadays, it seemed, they flickered plenty, and emitted an annoying hum that even upstaged the sirens from high above. Accompanying them in their meditative pose, was James and Amalya, along with a new figure, carrying with her a wavy, brown crown atop pale skin, which matched up neatly with the rest of the group, except for Amalya, and her yellowed hair. They leaned on titanic machinery that pumped out steam at a nauseous rate, and immediately next to their small camp, in a turn of the corner was Sebastian, staring oddly in the direction of James and Amalya, with Raina and her companions behind him, sitting in a small circle surrounding a vent. As their class began to spread out into their unique cliques, it seemed that Rose had joined Andrew in a conversation, and Timothy was busy speaking towards a neutral figure; Malaya, who has been benevolent against Ariannah¡¯s great malevolence, though her pacifism against Lucas during his outburst of violence was astonishingly uncouth for such an inane situation, though her affair with him, or rather, the other way around, was yet another nail in her coffin, planted in the grave of ¡®unpleasant people to Victoria¡¯. Luckily for Victoria, no one seemed to have caught her gaze towards them, and no suspicion was raised to start yet another fight, which seemed to be rather prone in the vicious environment fostered by the school.


    As Victoria walked near Andrew, he smiled, his teeth like shiny daggers and eyes like the barrel of a glowing gun; a vortex spitting out endless reflections of the world surrounding him, including Victoria. Finishing up his conversation with his friends, he came to meet Victoria¡¯s face, or at the very least, looked down at her, inviting her into their little group, of which consisted of many faces she liked, except for Rose. Despite their many similarities, Victoria had many glaring differences that, when added up, seemed to make her a far cry from compatibility. Rose¡¯s face was angular and sharp; a visual warning, as if her name didn¡¯t allude to further interpretations of Victoria and her being incongruent with each other. They did, however, seem to both be friends of Andrew, which was a trait that Victoria didn¡¯t quite appreciate; she thought Rose was quite snobby and rude, though more fiction than reality. Victoria was welcomed in, warmly and silently, by Andrew, and the others, and she greeted back equally.


    ¡°Hey guys,¡± enthusiastically addressed Victoria, happy for a moment of calm, after the event in Computer Science, and the current bombing drill.


    ¡°Greetings, dear Victoria,¡± greeted Eric, in a cheery tune, unlike the usual monotone voice he used. ¡°What problem has vexed you presently, dearest companion?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh . . . nothing? I just wanted to talk to you guys,¡± said Victoria, as Rose walked up, ¡°And, hey Rose!¡± Stay calm, Victoria!


    ¡°Uh . . . hi?¡±


    ¡°Oh, excuse my blood relative and other fellows of mine! They aren¡¯t much verbalizers, I¡¯ll tell you. Well, everyone except for Kenneth, who, as oneself prospectively imagines, is quite the contrast. I doubt that you two haven¡¯t met previously, affirmative?¡± Oh, why do you have to talk like this . . .


    ¡°Yep,¡± agreed Kenneth, ¡°I am certainly one talkative guy! And I¡¯ve certainly met Victoria! Who could forget that red mane of hers?¡± Why do they all have to talk about that? I mean, a lot of people have naturally occurring red hair? Oh, Victoria, you know that¡¯s not what they mean.


    ¡°Oh, it''s not that long.¡±


    ¡°Mayhaps, however, I do suspect that it could be quite a few inches shorter than its current extent.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Anyways, I am happy to catch up with all of you! Especially, you, Andrew,¡± Victoria stated, hoping for words to be espoused from his tight mouth, though it seemed to be silent, as per usual from the few times they met in real life, though she couldn¡¯t quite believe it, as he was far more talkative within the internet than he was in person. Either way, as Victoria left, she couldn¡¯t help but glance at the teacher who was tasked with the duty to watch over them, as she seem to be quite frail, and almost was certainly far too old to keep the job of teaching, though her stern personality certainly seemed to be mismatched with her appearance. Despite everything, however, she was usually quite upbeat, though she did seem to wear a grouchy mouth, today, that gave Victoria the impression that it was not today, perhaps due to the bomb drill, or the chatter of students, some of which she probably didn¡¯t like, or maybe it was due to the fact that she had other business to attend to, as was usual, from Victoria¡¯s comprehension of the school. And with that she got on the move; no notice to the students, as she approached one of the ¡®closet¡¯ doors, to only open to a winding hallway that appeared to be connected to a maze-like structure, not unlike the walls of the first floor of the Academic Building. Closing the door swiftly behind her, Victoria decided to not question such decisions, as perhaps it was important to the institution, in some form. As she stopped her viewing of the benign, usual activities of teachers, she crept her way towards Amalya, perhaps to finally tell her the truth about James, and possibly tell Sebastian, too, who wasn¡¯t far behind their area, but she was stopped by Kennedy, who had strided over to her, perhaps directed by Giulia, who happened to fit all the boxes, of being too shy to meet, and also not as oblivious as her peers, at least from a first look.


    ¡°Hey, wanna join our little gathering?¡± queried Kennedy, who appeared to expect a singular, immediate response, of which she did not get, from Victoria.


    ¡°Uh, can I come in a few seconds? I have something important to do.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡± Oh, just let me tell Amalya, this!


    ¡°Um, uh . . . Raina¡¯s friend, Amalya, over?¡±


    ¡°Okay, then! But you better come soon.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± complied Victoria, who was deeply uncomfortable conversing with a person who she believed to still be a stranger, yet, it was still nice for her to be so friendly, especially if Raina had already told her what Victoria used to do, though Raina did promise her that the secret, in her words would be as ¡®important to me to keep in my, like, little metaphorical reliquary, as, like, that very, like, preppy eyeliner I, like, use, like, everyday and put in my, like, IRL reliquary!¡¯ As Kennedy left, and Victoria was still reminiscing over the memory, her legs involuntarily moved forth, and into Amalya¡¯s vicinity, where she initiated a talk between James, to get Amalya¡¯s attention away, to her, so to spill the important information that she had kept for so long, though, given new, and conflicting details about Amalya¡¯s life, it seemed that it wouldn¡¯t be as important as Victoria had made it out to be within her mind.


    ¡°Hey, James,¡± poked Victoria, hoping to snap them out of the conversation they had, which seemed fairly usual by their age and standards, though she couldn¡¯t quite help but notice the glowing object stuffed within his backpack, though it wasn¡¯t very important to her task at the immediate moment. This had the intended effect of putting their chat to a pause, in order for Victoria to deliver the serum of truth to Amalya, even if she had participated in the sickening behavior, as she was far more likely to be less volatile than he would be, given the information.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± responded James, as Audrey and Mia snickered in the background.


    ¡°Can I borrow Amalya for a sec?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I guess.¡± With this, Victoria pulled Amalya into the corner where Sebastian sat, and told her everything she knew about James and Sebastian¡¯s relationship, with Sebastian unfortunately overhearing.


    ¡°Wait, what? So you''re telling me that James is dating Sebastian, right now? While I¡¯m dating James? And also . . . Victoria.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Keep this a secret, but I also am dating Sebasti-¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I already knew this.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Uh, from what happened yesterday? I don¡¯t mean the weird salacious tension between you and James like after the fight, I mean at the lunch table at the start of yesterday. You literally told me it, remember?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right . . .¡±


    ¡°Yeah . . . anyways, you should tell him about your findings.¡±


    ¡°I probably sho-¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Amalya and James turned towards the direction of sound, then looked down to find Sebastian, with an indignant look upon his face, as if it wasn¡¯t obvious enough he was snooping upon Victoria¡¯s attempt of persuasion, with moderate success. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare do it!¡±


    ¡°Why not? I bet you don¡¯t kno-¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do! I already know about your ¡®hidden¡¯ affair with him! It¡¯s been so obvious that I don¡¯t know how to break it to either of you that you both are with me, too.¡±


    ¡°Well, then, Sebastian, I don¡¯t know what to say. We should tell him the truth, shouldn¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°No! We should not. As much as I love him, I understand his condition, too. He¡¯s far too dangerous for us to tell him the exact truth. Maybe we should sugarcoat it, or maybe we should just not do it at all!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, no. I am going to tell him, and it''s going to be okay. I am going now! Bye!¡± departed Amalya, as she walked around the corner, with Sebastian chasing closely behind, warning her about his temper, and about the phosphorescent item inside his pack, but it was too late for him to stop her from her looming doom, for as Victoria was returning to the rest of her friends, she heard this, directly behind her:


    FWH-POW!


    A gunshot had been heard. With the turn of her head, Victoria saw Amalya lying on the ground, still blown away from impact, as James skidded across the corner, holding a neon gun, of the same coloration and attributes of Ariannah¡¯s weapon, and Sebastian running faster than ever, to the behind of the metal box, with Raina awestruck by the coincidence, and small streaks of wetness sprawling from her eyes, as she settled close to Giulia, with Andrew standing on the opposite side, near the dusty walls, and Victoria, at the epicenter of the quake to come.


    ¡°What the-¡± Then, another shot fired forth, hitting Kennedy squarely in the chest, collapsing on the floor afterwards.


    ¡°Oh, will you give me a break, Victoria. This wouldn¡¯t have happened if it weren¡¯t for you,¡± explained James, in a maniacal, insane tone that sounded as though his mind had broken out of its cage, and had flopped upon the ground in a comical sense; akin to a fish.


    ¡°What do you even mean? You shot her. You shot my-¡± Victoria was cut off by James aiming the gun near her head, then firing. Voices started to come, and noticed a large, void-like hole where a bullet could¡¯ve gone through, and as more came, another gunshot sounded, and their fears had been confirmed, as panic ensued.


    ¡°No. If you didn¡¯t exist, then I¡¯d still have two relationships, and maybe my childhood, too.¡±


    ¡°What does that even mean, James?¡± serenely asked Giulia. ¡°You can¡¯t be telling me your atrocious actions are justified, just because you were dealt a bad hand in life?¡±


    ¡°No. Well, yes, actually,¡± confirmed James, though his follow up would soon change the opinions of Giulia, and everyone who thought they knew Victoria. Then, a change of perspective came for James. ¡°I was dealt a bad hand. Orphaned by my parents . . . and now I have to live with those three. They¡¯re mostly nice, I guess, but I was the youngest . . . they picked on me sometimes, but it¡¯s okay, now. They are family, after all. But . . . Victoria made everything worse.¡±


    ¡°What do you even, like, mean, James? I thought I, like, knew you!¡± exclaimed Raina, in both a fit of lividness and negative astonishment, as though she was about to explode into a furious rage, though she knew better than to challenge an amateur ranger.


    ¡°You never did, Raina. Constant bullying made me like this. I guess this is the end of the road for you, Victoria,¡± exposited James, as he directed the final line at Victoria, staring at the pupils of her eyes. ¡°You got out of my last attempt at you unscathed, but now you bit on me more, and I think I should beat you; everything of you.¡±


    ¡°And also, how did you, like, get this in here, anyways? With all the, like, metal detectors, and stuff.I knew you weren¡¯t, like, above petty thieving, but this is, like, too far. Smuggling in super illicit items? Check. Attacking other people with it? Check. You are an insane criminal and, like, I can¡¯t believe, like, I ever thought of you in any vein other than as the trash human, you are!¡±


    ¡°Firstly, this gun isn¡¯t made of metal, it¡¯s made of a different substance. And, secondly, you don¡¯t even know why I did this.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I, like, do.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Victoria, like, told me.¡±


    ¡°Did she, now?¡± questioned James, as he turned his attention back towards Victoria, with a face filled with content malice. Diverted, the anger was, when Giulia interrupted his likely attempt on Victoria¡¯s life, though it was rather miscalculated for Giulia¡¯s own interests.


    ¡°James,¡± started Giulia, though it seemed that James did not care for her sage wisdom, shooting directly at head, though narrowly missing, and despite the obvious misfire and warning, Giulia continued forth, ¡°I know this can be hard to accept, but, that¡¯s in the past, now, and . . . we need to move forward with our lives in order to improve.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a kind sentiment, but it seems that Victoria has never taken that to heart. Moping about how sad her life is all the time. Who the hell cares if your parents got divorced or whatever, that doesn¡¯t give you the right, from the past, to now, it doesn¡¯t give you any right to embed so much pain into my life.¡±


    ¡°You. You. You,¡± stammered Victoria, unable to get the invidious words out to strike at James, for patronizing himself to a point of no fault; for joking about the situation he had made worse. And as her friends backed away from her, already taking what James had said to heart, at last, they came out, and in a surge: ¡°You abominable monster. You disgusting wretch! How dare you make these comments when you are in a position of knowledge! You know exactly what you did to me, and to my family.¡±


    ¡°I think rather on the contrary, Victoria. You do know, I have met some of your family, and are actually in a great deal of contact with them; friendly, mind you,¡± said James.


    ¡°I am not falling for your bluff!¡±


    ¡°Bluff, you say? Was one of their names, ¡®Isabella¡¯?¡±


    ¡°How do you know her name?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you everything you need to know.¡±


    ¡°You . . . manipulative freak! I know you are lying to me . . . you have to be. Why wouldn¡¯t you be if you . . . you . . . shot my brother with that gun!¡± revealed Victoria, sending everyone into a gasp, as though the air supply from the vents above had been running low, though they seemed to still keep the room below oxygenated and healthy. As James¡¯s sickly face became paler after the revelations of the others, perverting into a mangled snarl, Ariannah appeared behind the box, holding the knife with the same properties as his gun.


    ¡°So,¡± started Ariannah, with a dilation of her eyes, reddening, as though her skin covered her flesh boiling in intense heat. ¡°I guess we both have the same supplier?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I actually live with him.¡±


    ¡°You were adopted by him? What kinda lunacy is he on, having children so close to that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, your brain is probably a bit wacky if you even sell that.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t he work here too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and I bet someone like you is in his homeroom.¡±


    ¡°Nuh uh, his homeroom is only for freshmen. And his class is tailored towards either younger students or older ones trying to meet the requirements. Maybe someone like you.¡±


    ¡°I see, now.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, whatcha doing? Holding that gun, that white girl on the floor? I thought you guys were an item, if y¡¯know what I mean?¡±


    ¡°Not anymore. After she cheated on me with that boy hiding beh-¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up, James,¡± intruded Victoria, obviously annoyed by the fraternization of Ariannah with James, as though they knew each other, which, from their interactions, seemed to be clear; they did not know each other, apart from the one class they shared. ¡°Do you want to tell them the truth, or, uh, do you want me to do it?¡±


    ¡°What truth? The only tr-¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth, you know exactly what I mean. You were dating Amalya at the same time as Sebastian,¡± which made Raina fume in the corner even to a further degree, personified by the stamping of her feet, felt even by the shelves, far behind James, where the rest of the people stood, cowering in fear of an unqualified marksman amidst their presence, except for Audrey and Mia, who frolicked around the place, before settling on the wall opposite to James¡¯s back, as they watched Victoria and the others, held at gunpoint, quite literally.


    ¡°You know what? I think I should do the reasonable thing and just kill all of you, righ-¡± James would¡¯ve announced, if not for a sprint towards James, made by Raina, and her hands planted on to James, causing him to fall over, before getting back up far after Raina had left. ¡°Ugh! Why can¡¯t I have one thing in this dumb universe!¡±


    ¡°James,¡± called forth Giulia. ¡°You are outnumbered. Please, just stop . . . this. This nonsense has been continuing on a seemingly endless streak, and you; a witness to all of it. You¡¯ve seen the possibilities, and I¡¯d be remiss to not tell you the harsh; the brutal; the truth. Stop this, before we stop you.¡±


    ¡°Ha. You think you can stop me? Really?,¡± mockingly asked James, as his luminescent, cyan, and glossy firearm was likely enough to stop all of them, deep in their muddied tracks, with less than pacifist methods, rather easily, and, as always, James was the beholder of such a truth. ¡°If I can shoot Amalya, my own girlfriend with this, then-¡±


    ¡°Then you never loved her, you-¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Victoria. You can¡¯t be talking here, with your bullying ways, you disgusting worm. A squirming grub, during one o¡¯clock, thinks she can stop me, after she forced me down this path. And now you see the truth! Everyone sees the truth. And guess, what, Victoria? I am going to enjoy destroying you! You thought I changed? Well, I thought you changed, and I was wrong, it seems to me. A leech who ¡®makes¡¯ friends through passive means, and a parasite who sucked me of my youth. I don¡¯t think you know how much pain you gave me, throughout all those years, but eventually, I took revenge. Is that so bad?¡± monologued James, seemingly unaware of his own heinous actions, dealt against not only Victoria, but Amalya, as well.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°Maybe, like, not, but you didn¡¯t have to go, like, that far, cause, like, here, we don¡¯t, like, condone this violence,¡± preached Raina, with as much flowery language as she could muster to cushion both her newfound friends¡¯ beliefs, but also to appease her old friend, who had quickly shown his true colors, especially after such friend¡¯s response to a simple, benign, statement.


    ¡°Oh, Raina. I thought you were better than this. Playing for both sides, I see? All I really see is just you, trying to save yourself from any scrutiny. But let me tell you this. Once I finish off Victoria and her stupid face, I am going for you, next.¡±


    ¡°James. I, like, know what, like, you did. To Victoria¡¯s brother.¡±


    ¡°You do? How so?¡±


    ¡°Well, like, after that, like, fight in Computer Science, I was, like, totally vibing with Victoria and such, y¡¯know? But, like, then, she told me something, so, like, dark, and something that, like, totally, like, ruined my vibe. She told me that your revenge against her was to kill her brother. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you this. Come closer. Let me whisper in your ears.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± responded Raina, as she gullibly walked over to James¡¯s side, lending her ear to a cone structure, made with her shaky hands, as James spoke, and rather loudly, in fact, for Victoria, as well as most others in the bunker, deep below the school¡¯s buildings, to hear.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know ¡®why¡¯? Emotion must have gotten the better of me,¡± James excused, as he suddenly threw his free, flimsy arm around waist, before shoving her head to the muzzle of his handgun, clenching tightly around the metallic trigger.


    ¡°What the heck are you doing?¡± screamed Raina, shuddering and shivering, as though the cold of the shelter wasn¡¯t the only frosty aura that surrounded her.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing what my emotions are telling me to do. I am taking charge of the situation, and taking revenge, once more. I did it once to Victoria. It wasn¡¯t personal. This time, it is. I trusted you, as a friend, to stand with me. I guess not. Time to go, unless your friends have anything to say?¡± he paused, while muffling Raina¡¯s oddly sized mouth.


    ¡°She ain¡¯t trusting you cause you got a barrel to her head and Amalya¡¯s plausibly dead on the floor right now!¡± shouted Ariannah, as though ardent to save Raina, despite their singular meeting, of which was also under frightening pretenses, previously.


    ¡°You murdered Lucas,¡± plainly stated James, despite his lack of knowledge on such a subject, that no one, at the time, knew the end of. ¡°I am not about to reason with a murderer.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not about to reason with a soon-to-be murderer!¡±


    ¡°Ha. Ha,¡± exhaling James, as though blowing out the hot air that may have filled his mind, ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right about something, creature.¡±


    ¡°I am not a creature. I don¡¯t act on my instincts. My emotions don¡¯t control me. I know someone, however, who contradicts all those statements, and they are staring at me with those gimlet eyes! Look in a mirror, James.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t listen to an animal like you,¡± pouted James, as Giulia¡¯s face widened, and Ariannah¡¯s face scrunched, going in the opposite directions of each other, though with the same intent.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to beat the shit out of you, you nitwit,¡± began Ariannah.


    ¡°Well, then,¡± sighed James, as though a calm passed through his apoplectic body, before hatred reignited, ¡°Let¡¯s get on with this, then, raving beast.¡± With Raina slowly tearing up in the deep background, cascaded with the bellicosity of the situation, it was unlikely it could resolve in any other way, and with that, Ariannah pulled out her odd, glowing knife, a similar color and glow to James¡¯s gun, once more, as he readied his finger and fixed his aim, onto the group. Once everyone realized the danger, they began to prepare themselves, too, and the tension in the air was thick as the fog of the antique machinery that laid at these dank levels. Within a second, or two, James fired a shot, squeezing the slick, carbon steel that made up the gun in malevolent possession, near Ariannah¡¯s head, and though the intention was not clear on whether it was a true shot or a tease to poke the bear, it awoken, and Ariannah charged into his direction. As the crowds of students from past days looked on in their misconceived awe and wonder, and a mental duel had ended, the physical duel, had only begun.


    As Ariannah raced off into James¡¯s direction, her, bracing for the impact, James shot wildly into the distance, frenzied from the emotions of years long past, and throwing Raina onto the ground. Missing each bullet, Ariannah began to strike for impact as Giulia shepherded the crowds away from the violence, though a few outliers remained, firm in stance. James began to run, emptying his gun in crazed motions, as Ariannah attempted to dodge, holding the knife in a stabbing pose. But as James ran towards the side of the stragglers who refused removal, they revealed themselves, too. In the few who remained, one was Anterior, and she had half her mind made up, already, it had seemed, pulling out an ice pick, covered in the dried blood of her newly-made partner, as she violently drove it into one of James¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Ha! I guess this is one of the times where my name and knowledge on arteries did help!¡±


    ¡°You-¡± his retort was quickly stopped by a quick plant to the face, as he stumbled on to the ground, with the hordes of voices gasping in unison, mists of gas encompassing all. Ariannah slowly creeped up over him, but he reinstated his stance with a kick upwards, sending Ariannah back a few steps. With thick, viscous blood running out from a pore made by Anterior¡¯s ice pick, he quickly ran over to the shelves of materials and goods to find bandages. During the fiasco, Raina was helped back up by Andrew and Eric, who were both trying to distance themselves, in order to save each other. Contrasting such opinions, however, was Raina, jumping back up, menacingly, with fake nails on hands, to wipe her sorrows away. It was time for the dejection of her betrayal, to be converted to vengeful abhorrence of the one who made an attempt on her life. Now, it was pure payback.


    As James spotted some bandages of age, he began to ascend the metallic pipes that made up the shelves, with Ariannah and, now, Raina, in angered pursuit. Air pouring in from the tubes of the walls fogged the atmosphere above, blinding Ariannah, who had no climbing skills of which to speak of, though, as for Raina, it appeared it was an easy task for her to complete, as she swiftly scaled the towering wires towards James. As James reached for the thinly veiled clouds, highly elevated above, Ariannah was slowly backing away, to group up with the others. Raina, however, continued her pursuit, strange as it was, considering her usual quirky demeanor. After a few more steps, he quickly reaches a sector aptly named ¡®Medical Care Supplies¡¯, and begins to snake around the crevices of the steel maze as Raina climbs around the hardened bars as though a recluse. Finding the bandages, before he nearly bleeds out, he wraps around his shoulders as she intensely scales, while the gas around thickens with oxygen and primordial nitrogen. As Raina confronts him, James rummages through his filthy pockets to find his gun, still left with some ammo and scraps, before pointing it point-blank at Raina¡¯s head.


    ¡°Why? Why do you, you ghouls, continue to hunt me down? I spared your life, didn¡¯t I?¡± questioned James, as though euphoric to find his long time friend at the stumpy barrel of his mechanical weapon.


    ¡°If, like, Ariannah didn¡¯t initiate that attack, then I¡¯d probably be dead, already,¡± glared Raina, with ferocity in every breath she took, as though the chase to James was merely an exercise for her.


    ¡°Well,¡± began James, fingers tightening around the diabolical tool, ¡°I think you should be dead, already. Let¡¯s correct that, sho-¡± As James continued to run his mouth, Raina smartly took the gun out of his weakened hand, before pointing it back at him. ¡°Okay, woah there! We don¡¯t have to do anyth-¡±


    ¡°I am not, like, going to execute you, myself,¡± Raina caustically explained, ¡°But I might just rip off that, like, bandage you got there. I wonder how you got it?¡± With that notice, James scampered to the top of the iron shelves, as the people below observed in silence. Raina climbed further, reaching the mistiest regions of the dilapidated bunker that they found themselves, stuck within, with the teachers lost in the rusted doors; gateways to what appeared to be the network of basements that connected the buildings, running under the streets. At the top floor, the shelves held dusty containers of vegetable oil, and other cooking supplies, such as skillets and pans, with vents and airways leading the earthy, gaseous substance in, that permeated the space. All participants of the violence, gasping for air, but the two who climbed to the top, were the most supplied, and the ones who would be in most danger, with Raina¡¯s actions, that is.


    ¡°Ha,¡± laughed Raina, trivializing all that had happened in the past few days. ¡°We are here now, James. You made all of this happen, y¡¯know. The threats, and all of that, but, like, actually, all it has led to, is this. You threaten to shoot me? Now, I am in, like, possession, of your gun. You hurt my friends? Now you are, like, super hurt. You called me a slow loris? I might be a loris, with those, like, totally preppy climbing skills that I could totally post on ShakeSound, but I ain¡¯t, like, slow. You might be though.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Notice all this, like, air, everywhere? Notice these old, ugly, not aesthetic gallons of vegetable oil, everywhere? I bet time hasn¡¯t been too nice to them, sorta like your, like, backstabbing of me. You¡¯re such an op, may I remind you. Anyways, I got this, like, handy lighter here. I know it might look like a gun, but, like, trust me, cause, like, it''s totally a lighter.¡±


    ¡°And,¡± proceeded James, but not before coughing out the unfiltered air which surrounded them, ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡±


    ¡°I guess, like, it''s a final gesture for a friend who will soon depart from this world, if we¡¯re lucky.¡±


    ¡°How does any of the mat-¡± Within a few seconds of firing, the vats of oxygen diluted seed oils were set alight, with the ignition caused by the bullet of James¡¯s gun, now controlled by a friendlier face. With the correct heat reached, the flammable material within the plastic jugs reawakened, and blazes consumed a majority of the top shelves, like an uncontrollable wildfire, of which this was an apt comparison, though perhaps too similar to the subject. But with that, it wasn¡¯t the only impact dealt by the gunshot, as soon enough, the trapped gasses violent expanded, and with flaming oils and mixtures of vapors, the fleeing of the combination of these items soon exploded in size, literally, as the miniature explosion spread throughout the top of the environment, sparking in heavenly lights, and as the groups of people and Victoria watched on, it was fantastical, though for one individual, it seemed it was the finale to their short-lived terror, and the beginning of a new one, self-inflicted by oneself.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± screamed James rolling around the bumpy setting of the elevated tops, while Raina, in the background, was uncharacteristically calm, especially within this situation. ¡°Why . . . would you do . . .¡± His sentence was cut off, as the inferno scorched the inside of his mouth, crawling like ants with stingers for feet, right into every opening in his head. Screaming and confused, and rolling around madly, it was fairly obvious what the conclusion to these frivolous actions could be, as he neared the edge of the now fiery, burning racks, sizzling with the oil spill that had spread throughout the structure, all the way down to the very bottom, as James would soon meet the bottom, too. With endless seconds, the screaming shrilled, and not far after, faded, as he fell the entire height of the man-made construction, towering twenty-five feets high, his body crumbling at the bottom of the concrete base. The fire having escaped his figure, at this point in time, some curious folk went and investigated the charred body of James Semper, with the crowd including Victoria, as well as the maimers of him.


    His sickly, pale skin had been reduced to darkened, volcanic ash, as he flexed wildly in random ways, jerking and twisting like a cricket without its head. Skinny arms reduced to odd twigs, and fingers and toes reduced to stumps upon their burnt appendages, coal colored, with fleshy, red tones beneath; flesh appearing dark and sickly, infected by the hunger of the fires that had cooked his insides, seemingly. Skin sloughing off the blackened corpse, and teeth covered ashen plaque and inflamed gums, with eyes as white as the blinding sun, soon reaching its apex, before descending into utter blindness of the darkness that James could no longer understand or see. His clothing was now gray; smoking, torn asunder, being a quite unpleasant sight for all, when combined with the other obvious states of decay that he had undergone through in only minutes as a child, but despite everything, he could still breathe. Wispy and rapid, as an ash tree clutching onto its remainders of life, each inhale, and similarly, exhale, brought with another one, shortly following in a congregation of hellish torture, though an apt punishment, some in the crowd might have believed, including someone trapped, high above, as of current. Gasping for air, everyone turned their attentions towards the top of the flaming machinery, with air and mist, as well as, Raina, who was still stuck at the top, shouting for help from the people at the bottom floor, as she could no longer descend with the scorching landscapes that laid for feets below.


    As Victoria watched, turning her posture to look forth. towards the ceiling to see Raina, with her now squashed and gaunt face, staring back, amongst sparks and light of flames yet to extinguish, and soon, with the rest of the group following; people like Anterior more stringent in the act, quickly arose a clamorous noise that settled into the background, amongst the crackling body of James, still alive, breathing barely, and burning luster dancing amongst clouds of smog, high up. At first, with no one rising to rescue Raina, it seemed that James¡¯s condition would no longer be alone, as yet another gallon of yellowish substance soon crackled with a thunderous roar emanating, not long after, as the fire approached Raina¡¯s location, tailing close behind. The structure itself was already a treacherous journey, from bottom to top, with the top, especially, being an unreachable mirage to save another from the horrors seen, and with danger attached, not a single person could be brave enough to also brave the deadly task of saving their savior. Fortunately, however, despite everything, yet another cynosure had caught the attention of the young minds; who would help Raina down, though, connections there were, and selfless intentions, there may not have been, but who was to say, as Victoria certainly couldn¡¯t about any relationships, let alone healthy ones, as Giulia began, with her rock-climbing abilities, to liberate her friend from an infernal status.


    As Victoria watched on above, as everyone else simple continued to stare into James¡¯s broken corpse, Giulia rapidly scaled the inflamed rubble that was now buried in fits of darkening smoke and ash, as fire began to topple the very framework of the towering behemoth, itself, leading to more items falling into the famished fire that began not long ago; its perpetrator now unconscious amidst a sea of endless smog, encompassing all. Ghastly crackles screeched and whined throughout her ascent, with their voices radiating all the way down to Victoria¡¯s place, beneath the angered aura that Giulia soon found herself in. As Giulia climbed, however, Victoria heard slow and intentional thumps in the floor, as it stood still in silence for the walk of the mysterious ones, though Victoria could easily decipher their source, being that of the aged teacher, who was now beginning to return to the bunker, along with her coworkers, though they were unlikely to see such a disturbing scene. Thinking deeper ahead, she quickly came to the conclusion that if no action was taken, some criminal charges might be given, if no rash action were taken eminently, and of which she performed, by going over to Amalya¡¯s body, and hiding it in a corner near the boxes, above the ¡®Muscle Cat¡¯ poster that she has enjoyed so much; both parties. Perhaps this action was selfish, but to her, it was a necessary move by her, if she wanted to save her other friends; Ariannah and Anterior, from further scrutiny, for it was likely that James may callously blame them for his own derelict deeds, though what happened to him, wasn¡¯t precisely just, either, but Victoria thought otherwise, as her personal tormentor had finally felt the agony that he dealt. Despite them having only spent three days together, Victoria had already felt a great connection to her, whether due to James, or their friendship together, it was a melancholy, bittersweet ending to this short friendship, taken away by her reawakened bully, similarly to some of the other things that had been good to her, and with a farewell, Victoria moved on to the next step of her newly-hatched plan, though unfortunately, it seemed for her plans, due to the damage sustained by his body, it would be very hard to remove his body without attracting the attention of the people who she had formed roots with, and to do so would be a tactical death of any relationships she had sowed, and also an unlikely way to prevent any accusations of guilt thrown at her friends. Compromising with the devilish circumstances, she decided to simply tell a white lie, of which was probably far more likely to be palatable to her friends, as well as other students, though she couldn¡¯t help but feel something awry occurring due to presence of certain enemies that would likely sabotage this plan, such as Mia and Audrey, who also conveniently happened to be a part of his adopted family, as well as Malaya, though strangely enough, Ren huddled closely next to James, along with Mia and Audrey. But before she could crawl back to meet a shamed horde, she remembered about Kennedy, who she also dragged in a similar fashion, into the same corner as Amalya, where she encountered more difficulties due to the existence of another body in the corner, but Victoria didn¡¯t care. She simply stacked them, and buried the sight in a mound of cardboard boxes, and other miscellaneous items found in these depths.


    And as Victoria, fatigued and disgusted by what appeared to be a crime, was fumbling back towards the general direction of the numeration of other students, she watched Giulia, with eyes shined and squinting, to peer at her dangerous duel with the environment to save a shared friend. Fortunately, it seemed for both of them, her slow climb was met with few disturbances, as most of the fire had been smothered by the ashes of its own creation, and with the oxygen from the poor ventilation running out, it seemed that the inferno had ran its course, and left the charred remains of a multitude of things, of which stopped Giulia from simply climbing straight up, as was taught with her lessons. And as though the parallels to what she had been previously training for, the air was tightening around her throat; loud gasping audible, as Victoria made her way back to the commotion that had begun between Audrey, Ariannah, and Anterior. Giulia twisted and sharply turned in all directions, as though a sardonic remark by the world of James¡¯s demise, and of the opposite of Raina¡¯s situation, who was still peacefully resting at the top, inhaling every toxin that could be found up in the elevated reaches of the scorned steel. As Giulia reached the top, however, it seemed unfortunate that Victoria could not witness Giulia¡¯s saving of Raina, though whether that was possible, was up to the interpretation of Victoria, though due to Raina¡¯s shrunk size, it was likely that it would have been no more work than carrying a few weights during Giulia¡¯s climbing classes, if, of course, what she said was truthful. Though, from Victoria¡¯s biased perspective, it was pretty clear that Giulia¡¯s retelling was not full of dishonesty or rumors, though that could not be said for the grim situation that Victoria had calmly strolled into, due to her fixation on Giulia, as well as some decent amount of aberrant imagination.


    Aside from the periling situation they had faced only a few moments ago, it seemed that the sickening truth had gotten out, and into Victoria¡¯s brain; most didn¡¯t care about it, and simply continued to argue, like usual, though the escalations were far more languid than what had just happened, and even in comparison to previous fights, which, as though a scry to see forth to the future, was a rather harrowing view of the time ahead to see for the school, and onwards past the present. However, despite the forgone conclusion she had met by her own judgment, it seemed that due to the lack of care to voice said opinions, as well as the opinions held by the speakers of the opposite side, there wasn¡¯t many people to persuade in her crusade of aid, though rather, said crusade would be for something on a more minute scale than what she had hoped to accomplish. From what she observed, she could gather that Audrey was, as per usual, continuing to spout random, capricious lines that didn¡¯t seem to make much sense, at first, though it was likely nothing more than a distraction from the curious truth; she was quite unintelligent, at least in the department of speech. Thankfully, however, she did have opposition, and in large quantities, too, as her connections to other people were not ignored, not even by herself, who tended closely next to James, along with his fellow family members, plus Ren. She started to eavesdrop on their conversation, of which went as though two waves crashed against each other, with a violent splash to fuel to waning fire, both metaphorically, and somewhat physically, though Victoria was quite unclear on the fate of Giulia and Raina, who were both awfully silent, though perhaps drowned out by the unending drone of Audrey¡¯s voice, as she continued to yell at Ariannah and Anterior at their defense.


    ¡°Hey, you,¡± started Audrey, in her usual, eccentric voice, though directed at who, Victoria wasn¡¯t quite clear. ¡°Throughout this entire conversation, I still don¡¯t quite know your name, but, like, quite frankly, I don¡¯t even care. You two are like rabid animals for me, and I daresay I must report you as soon as Ms. Cwena waddles her old-looking body here.¡±


    ¡°Firstly, unneeded random insult towards someone who ain¡¯t even here. Secondly, who the hell cares?¡± asked Ariannah, though sarcastically, in her usual manner. ¡°We were acting in self defense!¡±


    ¡°Nuh uh! James wouldn¡¯t have even shredded a singular strand of hair off your ugly, twisty hair.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know how much I want to slap your dumb-looking, baby-powdered face right now.¡±


    ¡°Ooo, I am so scared,¡± which prompted no noise from Ariannah, as though to not give in to the bellicose rage of her mood right now, entertained by the adrenaline coursing through her visible veins.


    ¡°And, also, you didn¡¯t even use ¡®shredded¡¯ right! How dumb are you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s supposed to be my responsibility to be the smart and clear-headed one? After you did that to James? What the hell?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of questions,¡± correctly understood Anterior, ¡°And, yet, when we ask you questions, we can¡¯t fish a single answer out of you. That¡¯s an awful lot of hypocrisy, there, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Haha,¡± laughed Audrey, though it was more pitiful than what Victoria believed she wanted to pull off, ¡°You, first tell me about my hypocrisy by asking you a question, but then you go ahead, and then ask another question? What insane world are we living in?¡±


    ¡°This one?¡± succinctly replied Ariannah.


    ¡°Just shut up, you could¡¯ve killed him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s probably fine!¡± reassured Anterior, ¡°He¡¯s only a medium rare! Not burnt yet! Maybe we should keep cooking,¡± which may or may not have sent Audrey over the weak brink of her sanity, if not for the addition of two others to the conversation, one equally as youthful, and likely, just as idiotic as Audrey, but the other was far more likely to possess more kindred traits, though despite Victoria¡¯s thorough investigation into Ren¡¯s personality, she couldn¡¯t have quite parsed such particulars as easily as she did with Anterior, though that, itself, was a unique case of similar bonding; using each other¡¯s pasts.


    ¡°Hey, Anterior,¡± Ren calmly said, in a peaceful, strange way, as though it was almost too forward with its intent, though due to her slight maturity, it was possible that it would have affected her in a positive way. It was soon made clear to Victoria, the others, and incoming people, that it was far from the case, and perhaps, the case itself was a bit unhinged. ¡°I see . . . bones behind you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± jumped Anterior, looking behind her, seeing the only thing resembling bones of any sort being the metallic pipes that made up the backdrop of their campfire setting. ¡°Uh, there¡¯s no bones behind me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is! I see them . . . I can hear the ambient clacks; demonic crunches; taps and shutters; hollow rumbling; skeletal rings; and cracking of bone. All the way from here! And you can¡¯t see it?¡±


    ¡°Uh . . . no? Why would I, especially if it doesn¡¯t, y¡¯know, exist?¡±


    ¡°But it does! Ooo . . . it¡¯s dripping gross, nasty slime now! Positively disgusting!¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± began Ariannah, ¡°I don¡¯t know what your deal is, but you have to back up in the compartment you call your brain, and start thinking about what you just said. All of that. Cause I don¡¯t know what kooky world you live in, but I am pretty sure it''s not this one.¡±


    ¡°Yes! I see the fuchsia tentacles surrounding you; plant growth!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, guys, I think she¡¯s a little out of it.¡±


    ¡°We are all a little, like, uh, out of it,¡± interjected Mia, who simply pushed Ren out of the way as she collapsed onto the floor, lying with James.


    ¡°Okay, I don¡¯t see the need for your remarks, right now. And, anyways, what¡¯s all of y¡¯alls deal with him? Like you guys friends or something?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± quickly responded Audrey, ¡°We are family, which is something that you¡¯ll never have, you . . . uh, lemme think . . . hmmm, perhaps something mean, that¡¯s also an intelligent word. Yeah, I¡¯ll go with that. You are something mean, that¡¯s also an intelligent word.¡±


    ¡°First of all, that¡¯s the worst insult I¡¯ve heard in all my years in this world that you claim to have just figured out. And second of all, why are y¡¯alls last names different, then? Y¡¯all parents¡¯ divorced or something? Or maybe you are-¡± Victoria, unable to handle the weight of her actions, of which were greatly compounded by the constant annoyance of their childish bickering, couldn¡¯t help but add something of substance to the situation, as Ren kneeled over James, feeling something invisible in her hands above his body.


    ¡°Yes, Ariannah, they¡¯re adopted.¡±


    ¡°Well, this is the least surprising thing I¡¯ve heard all day. Of course they are adopted.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean, hmmm?¡± said Audrey, as she made an awkward face and gesture, before moving closer to Ariannah¡¯s position, and reaching towards her unblemished face with her own on the opposite spectrum, before giving an eyebrow raise, tipping over her sports cap, if only by small margins.


    ¡°Ugh, you idiot. I am trying to say all four of y¡¯all are like this because of your adoption! Or something else, I don¡¯t know. Either way, one of you is dead, and thus is dead to me and my memory, too. Let¡¯s all pretend this never happened, so when Ms. Cwena finally moves her old butt in here, we can just say something to the degree of ¡®an accidental fire broke out, Ms. Cwena! Please feel sorry for him even though he caused the whole thing and caused one of Ariannah¡¯s newly made friends to get injured!¡¯¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± agreed Victoria. Thank God, Ariannah, for your valiant sacrifice. Or maybe it isn¡¯t one at all? Who knows. Sighing at the action Ariannah took to allow herself to step away from responsibility, though her own actions were still rather questionable. ¡°Let¡¯s say something like that, uh . . . minus the murder and smoke inhalation part. Which, may I remind you, everyone, Giulia¡¯s still up there, trying to save Raina. Shouldn¡¯t we try to, uh, help?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am going to help her instead of talking to you, you, and uh,¡± listed Anterior, though her pointing at each of the members huddled around James stopped at Ren, for reasons uncertain.


    ¡°Yeah, me too,¡± agreed Ariannah.


    ¡°Ooo, ooo!¡± exclaimed Malaya, greedy for more action on her part, ¡°Me three! She sits at my table after all, unlike these two.¡±


    ¡°Uh-¡± began Ariannah, but the crowd no longer waited for their turn, as they simply motioned backwards, away for the molten creature before their feet, to spy and see forth the havoc left behind by the fire, and the light to rescue the salvageable parts of it; namely, Raina, but also perhaps including Giulia, who was having quite a difficulty in managing to remove her greatest friend from the rubble, which was still very elevated, despite the destruction of many of the beast¡¯s pillars and support.


    As they all slowly approached the tubular walling of the subterranean shelter, it seemed that their perception was being quite deceptive of the gravity of the situation, or rather, that lack of such, as Giulia seemed rather prepared for the unpredictable predicament, as though the ubiquity of these events almost made them less shocking. Raina, on a similar note, was also not in a moribund state as many had expected, though surprising considering the smoke and fire that stormed through the higher parts of where she once stood. Either way, both easily managed to save themselves from the evitable fire, of which was nothing more than a few wicks, strung about the iron maze, where Giulia and Raina soon landed at the feet of, with Giulia¡¯s face signaling one thing to all, and Victoria, as well. Raina is safe, alive, and possibly healthy. This optimistic conclusion satisfied most, except for certain enemies of Raina, though their influence on the rest of the population of children was little to none, while people rushed forward to greet Raina, as though to examine a cadaver. Everyone but Victoria. Meanwhile the celebration occurring behind her, and annoyed grumblings of Audrey and Mia, as well as a bit of nonsensical rambling from Ren, who thought there was small humanoid with a beige tortilla for a head and candies for hands dancing around the sight and mainly around Andrew, she was quite more worried and pessimistic than the rest, quietly tiptoeing towards the ¡®grave¡¯ that Victoria amateurishly built, as though concealing her was more likely to save the others from any responsibility than not, though, however, this questioning by her own inner voice was soon silenced, as the result of James¡¯s firearm was soon shown to Ms. Cwena, who burst through the door, toddling over in her oversized, denim skirt. As the lukewarm air that felt hollow and frozen was wafted inside the suffocating chamber, Ms. Cwena came upon a most horrendous sight; with James¡¯s charcoal corpse, and an unconscious Raina in Giulia¡¯s custody, it could frighten the most tough, such as Ms. Cwena, who observed the wreckage brought about by James¡¯s futuristic firearm, no less the wiser, and whose jaw dropped, despite her apparent stiffness. Despite her obvious hatred of the bomb drill, and it having ended, from Victoria¡¯s hearing, it seemed that there was an exiguity of joy from her part, having also been compounded by the questioning that would soon follow her evident displeasure.


    ¡°What has been going on here?¡± asked Ms. Cwena, clearly befuddled by the bodies strewn about, sparks beyond inky ashes, and burst pipes that may have spewed out noxious gasses, and still do, up to current time. Victoria stepped forward to tell her, but Malaya easily swept her away, before telling the teacher a falsified version, though not exactly as Victoria¡¯s planned edition.


    ¡°Oh, nothing, Ms. Cwena. There has just been a massive fire sparked by the oil . . . uh, that¡¯s why the shelves are all burnt up, I think James was near it . . . and the small primate one probably inhaled too much of the smoke.¡±


    ¡°I see now . . . thank you for your assistance. Alright, students. Since the drill is up, I hope I can entrust you in going up the elevator by yourselves.¡± With a resounding answer of ¡®yes¡¯. ¡°Well, then, that¡¯s just great, now, isn¡¯t it? The gates of the elevator have been unlocked, so just press the button. I think we have to go by twos. Uh, all of the people just attending Geometry can go in one, and the rest of you can go in another. Does that seem like an apt solution?¡± Silence ensued, blanketing the whole region. ¡°Good, then. Well, line up now! And the rest of you can sit in groups and wait until the elevator comes back down. I will see what I can do for James and uh . . . let¡¯s see here . . . Raina, yes! I will see what I can do for James and Raina. Get in now!¡±


    And as Victoria got into the congregation of other students, she squirmed around inside the metal containers, holding the pillars of the golden ratio. Like grubs, during one inside, it was fine and the air was still quite nice, though as more were packed in, it became insufferably stuffy, as though a punishment for Victoria. At least for her happiness, Erick and Timothy were stuck with her, and she made small talk with them. But, yet, however, during their creaky ascension, she could only think about one thing; no relations to her current condition.


    What would happen to Amalya and Kennedy?

 Chapter 16: Transparency

    Once her elevator had finished its ascent, Victoria was, needless to say, breathless, both physically and figuratively. Her mind was still profusely fixated on the hot topic at hand; the awesome burning of James, of had spread like wildfire throughout the school, even if Victoria had a sliver of thought from the rest of her similarly aged cohort about said incidence. Then, she noticed that it appeared quite a few teachers remained at the lowest depths of the facility, as when the second group arose from the depths, most were missing from the scene, and a few other individuals had disappeared in connected continuation. Raina was nowhere to be seen, even once the crowd cleared from the peeling gates of brittle iron, machinery exposed, as Victoria simply believed it was due to their short stature, that she could not be peered. Aside from her, James was quite obviously gone, for other, quite similar reasoning, though Ariannah disappeared, as well, into the tenebrous darkness, below. Regardless of their unfortunate circumstances, however, Victoria quickly made headway to the PE Building, as that was where her next two, demanding classes were located, but the reasoning behind their intense labor was rather different, but aligning, nonetheless. Arising from the stairs, she swiftly crossed the barren Art Bridge, before others disbanded their groups of chatter and gossip, as her target was twice away from where she arrived to the surface, once more. Fortunately for Victoria, however, she would not undergo such strenuous circumstances once her next class started, due to them sharing the same classroom; a dingy, shadowy room, cluttered with textured chairs and cramped desks, coagulating together, before assuming a larger form with their brethren. Aside from using the same room, however, there were not many other connections to be made between the two classes, aside from obtuse observations made by her.


    For her first class made within the chamber, which exclusively took place within, was Doomsday Prep, and exactly like the name itself, it similarly described the atmosphere and spirit of the instructor that lied within, or, rather, instructors, as there were more than one professor to host the gloomy event, and despite differing physical descriptions, the four instructors made up in sharing their odd attitudes, as well as seemingly being quite friendly with one another, even for faculty members. As for the latter, Physical Education was equally as self-ascribing as its former, forcing Victoria to be somewhat active, a state she wasn¡¯t comfortable with, though, luckily once more, they were teaching Health, currently, which was simply education on topics surrounding adulthood, such as pubescent growth and substance abuse. Aside from the obvious differences between the classes, their rosters differed wildly, with the former acting as one of the few mandatory classes to mix the grades of the school, together, with interesting results, while the latter only consisted of Victoria¡¯s age group, though, rather surprisingly, it seemed that the quartet teaching the former, were equally as qualified in the latter, the Victoria, as well as certain others, who were in a similar situation to Victoria¡¯s, did not agree with such invisible assertion. Their names, as esoteric as everything else that surrounded them, were, from Victoria¡¯s most tolerated, to her least, were Ms. Sako, Ms. Ruan, Mr. Ma, and the forsaken Ms. Hashberger, of whom was quite ill-tempered. And soon, such traits would come to fruition into reality once more, as she approached the PE Building, and the stairs towards the haunted room.


    As Victoria descended into the foyer of the rectangular building, she smelled aromas of bitter salts and oily sweat, fully unmasked, as she continued to stumble through the muted hallway that contained multiple rooms, not unlike the one she was approaching, both in appearance and utility. The passageway, itself, was lined with trophies of all forms and sizes, shifting from the stereotypical goblet to plaques fixed with sculpted pieces of fine art, equally ranging in colors and quality of cleanliness, with some covered in monotone dust and others gleaming brightly, despite their contrasting surroundings. Passing by metallic doors of beaming lavatories and the pool lockers, she eventually reached her destination; her Health classroom, and Doomsday, too. Made bearable with the presence of Erick and Kenneth, along with Giulia in the proceeding class, it wasn¡¯t all too insufferable, even with the stenchy heat that hung in the room. Even more auspicious, however, it appeared that three had disappeared, due to a sick notice that was quickly informed when entering. The problem; the teacher that was notifying them was Ms. Hashberger, herself, in an awfully uncomfortable, woolen sweater, which made her droopy face fall on to each itchy hair possessed by the outfit like a person caught on barbs. Ignoring this minor misfortune, Victoria waltzed towards her seat, which was claustrophobic, even to Victoria, despite her shortened stature.


    As the class crawled forward at a sluggish pace, Victoria found other things to do in order to distract herself, such as staring out of the greasy, yellowed glass that had long lost its transparency. Spying out, she saw her own reflection, and, perhaps, the combination of disgusted sensors had finally completed their mission, for she slowly reflected on the events undertaken by her throughout the week. Especially anything related to her longtime enemy, James, as well as her cheating ex, Lucas.


    Man, y¡¯know, despite the short time I¡¯ve been here, everything¡¯s been feeling longer than whatever came before. Maybe it¡¯s the new environment . . . well, of course it is. But, the things within! The smells, sights, and sounds, no matter how repugnant; the odd, yet relatable people who seemed to open up to me. All of this . . . is so bizarre. It¡¯s like this window before me. That was my life . . . before . . . now. And now, the old chapters have been closed, with Lucas and James, though, I feel bad for their endings. Maybe, even a bit guilty. Wiping the dirtied glass before her, she saw the smooth brick outlines that covered the walls, with blackened dots of grime and dust, over the background of cream mold, like a moldy melon.


    Y¡¯know. This school was advertised to be something big . . . if this school is the biggest one, then . . . what must be the condition of the others . . . the people who I¡¯ve left behind. The people who left me behind . . . my family. Well, I didn¡¯t know them that well, anyways. I wonder if James is dead, right now. He was closer to me than any of my family, or any of these new friends, or even Lucas. Or even . . . Andrew. He¡¯s always been here, and without him . . . maybe Fabian would still be here. I caused his doom . . . didn¡¯t I? No . . . maybe I was a bad person back then, but I¡¯ve changed! Then and now. The fog surrounds this building . . . maybe it surrounds me, too! Lucas did bad things, I¡¯ll admit. But perhaps, he didn¡¯t deserve that. Lucas and Malaya, though . . . still don¡¯t know how I feel about being on the side of Ariannah. She doesn¡¯t feel right. Then, again, I am glazing James. Right now. And the other antagonists of my life, too. He had his gun. She had her knife. Y¡¯know, then again, they did mention something about a supplier for that material. Apparently, that supplier is here, too. They could be one of the adults . . . but, judging from the nature of this place, it could be a kid, too. A kid, like me. Did I deserve to be cheated on? What about Fabian? No. He did nothing. It was my fault. Was it James¡¯s too? How did James get . . . that? He must¡¯ve known the supplier since . . . when was it? 4th grade. Yes. That¡¯s, uh, 5 years ago. Has it really been that long? Let¡¯s not dwell on the dates, who could it be? I forgot what they said. Even then, they were being quite vague about it. I wonder what kind of person would give a kid a gun. I wonder what kind of kid would shoot an innocent. Putting her elbows down upon the beige desk, with hands reaching for her crimson head, it soon fell into the dark recesses of her shaky palms, of not of rancor nor grief, but rather, attempts of realization.


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    What got into his head? Full of fog, I guess. What would compel someone to- Pausing there, mouth agape, as the voice of Ms. Hashberger droned on in the dampening background, full of a harbinger hum that surrounded the air, emitted from the mustard lights. Oh. Well, is this really a realization? I guess I have just gotten better at connecting the pieces. I did that. He did that, because of me. Well, of course he did it because of me. I guess it¡¯s not only physically that I¡¯ve got hands full of red. I¡¯ve never told Andrew about this. About James. About what I did to him. About what he did to me. A dry, cracked tear sneaked its way upon the ducts that conducted their entrance, though Victoria hastily wiped it away. I deserve it, don¡¯t I? No . . . no, I don¡¯t. There¡¯s also that. Was that a dream? Probably. Hopefully. I feel like it¡¯s watching me. For what I¡¯ve done. There¡¯s red everywhere now. In my hands. In my eyes. In my mind. Just red. Everywhere. I hear you, I really do. But I don¡¯t think I can forgive myself. Not now. I¡¯ve already repented and sacrificed enough. But who cares. My loss is mine. They can¡¯t see it. It¡¯s not transparent. I¡¯m not transparent. Have they? I don¡¯t know. I am a thing full of red, aren¡¯t I? Yes! I am. But, am I? The past is consuming me . . . and the future isn¡¯t here to partake. But, what can I do? Tell them? Tell . . . him? Well, his brother is sitting there, right next to me. Maybe I should . . . but I can¡¯t. I am a coward, yet not scared of being one. That¡¯s the truth, isn¡¯t it. Everyone else has been caught, but I¡¯ve been the only one caught . . . red-handed. I hear . . . something. Despite the darkness . . . all I see is red. Maybe I should stop holding my sockets so tightly. Well. There¡¯s always now. I¡¯ve been given another chance. But . . . what about them? Well, they did bad- Punching the table softly, she delved deeper, along with herself.


    No! I did . . . things, too. Don¡¯t be a hypocrite. That¡¯s what she is. No, no, no! Wait! It¡¯s her. And him. She did this. She caused them to run away! She caused me to drift closer to them! She caused me to suffer! And I did it . . . wait, wait. No. If that¡¯s true, then James wouldn¡¯t be responsible. But he is! Or is he? I don¡¯t know anymore. My parents . . . were they ever close? I don¡¯t know, dad left a while ago, and my step-dad . . . he¡¯s fine, but the fact that I even have to add ¡®step¡¯ to the front of his role is already telling enough. My mom . . . what would I¡¯ve been if they weren¡¯t here? If I had good parents? Would my life . . . be together? Would Lucas and James be alive? Would my siblings be alive? Would Fabian still be alive? Droplets condensed and fell like fish falling down a roaring waterfall, leaving their streaks of redness behind. Victoria could feel them. The eyes; the chatter; the voice. It was all condensing on her, like the fog surrounding the room. It was everywhere. The redness had spread, and she was its epicenter. Red everywhere. Red everywhere. Red everywhere. Red ever-


    ¡°Ahem,¡± said Ms. Hashberger, ¡°Victoria, do you hear me? If I were you, I¡¯d be wise enough to not answer, cause I know the answer already. No. Now riddle me this. What important element was discovered for use in world warfare that we just prepared for earlier?¡± She was silent, as the cold air gathered around her burning eyes and hands. ¡°No? Okay, let me give a hint. It¡¯s underneath Plutonium, and its atomic number is 126?¡± She waited for a few seconds, before her patience gave way, as it usually did. ¡°It¡¯s Rikenium, Victoria. Got that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Victoria agreed quietly, as shock flooded her system, and as she looked towards the window, once more, its cleaned state gave Victoria a bit of joy, as she saw, there were never specks of dirt upon the walls of the hallway.


    ¡°Okay, well. Can you give me 128?¡± questioned Ms. Hashberger menacingly, but despite the short time since her inquiry, Victoria had already spotted its name in a large, dark font that contrasted gratingly with the white backdrop, considering her previous activity.


    ¡°It¡¯s Ghiorsium.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your answer. It is indeed Ghiorsium. Can you now tell us what it do-¡±


    ¡°Uh, it¡¯s apparently highly radioactive, with a large number of neutrons quickly decaying, giving off a soft glow?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, but what industries use it?¡± Squinting a bit, Victoria presumed she had found the required response.


    ¡°The arms industry?¡±


    ¡°Correct. Anyways, class. It is almost time to go, so I hope you have jot down all this information, because we will be having a miniature quiz this Friday on the subj-¡± And as Ms. Hashberger droned on endlessly, Victoria could only focus on the cleared glass before her, and its properties. Wiping it, once more, with her soiled hands, she saw the beautiful reflection of herself, Erick behind her, and another individual, though, strangely enough, Victoria recognized her. Then, the rusted bell rang, of lower frequencies, when compared to the other buildings, and with a swift exit, she had disappeared. Victoria would be staying, however, to endure more, this time, with a new focus.

 Chapter 17: Surrounded by Grapevine

    As she sat at her desk, waiting for the asinine ringing to stop beating upon her eardrum, despite it having long stopped, she noticed someone near her desk, one of bored features. It was Giulia, possibly there to comfort the downtrodden Victoria, in her minute of need. And, indeed, that was the reasoning, with much sympathy from Giulia, who had been thinking over the situations of the past days, as well.


    ¡°Hey, Victoria. I think . . . I know why you are so sad. Sincerely, so, I say,¡± empathized Giulia.


    ¡°You . . . do?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think I do. Look, I know what happened an hour ago or a few hours ago wasn¡¯t the best first impression of me and the others. We¡¯ve barely known each other . . . so, if it''s any consolation, I¡¯ve been pondering the same things as well. The James incident . . . I know, it was bad of Amalya to cheat on her partners, though I will hold the other parties accountable, too, in the fallout of that situation. Sorry for all the trouble she caused.¡±


    ¡°Why are you . . . speaking for her?¡± questioned Victoria, who didn¡¯t quite understand the reasoning behind Giulia¡¯s motives, especially as lurid lights beamed upon her shining face. She could only have thought of another possibility, that of Giulia¡¯s simple benevolence, though, after the short, yet many events occurring in only a few days, it was needless to say that there was quite a large amount of apprehension with consuming Giulia¡¯s statement.


    ¡°Look, I have to go soon, but we¡¯ll see each other again at the Art Table, okay?¡±


    ¡°O-okay.¡±


    ¡°There, there, it¡¯s all fine now. I know there was some beef between you and James, and I don¡¯t want to pry, so . . . yeah. Thanks for being so open to discussion.¡±


    ¡°You . . . too,¡± warmly agreed Victoria, who was still in fits of violent sniffling, as her eyelids burned brightly with bloodshot tendencies. ¡°Thanks for comforting me, and . . . being so patient.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I have to go now. See you later!¡±


    ¡°You too!¡± And as Giulia left the room, with only a few remaining people left within the steamy room that Victoria could recognize, with one of them being her best friend¡¯s younger brother, of who was the same age as her; Erick Alvarez, or so she presumed, based on the basic knowledge of Andrew¡¯s surname. With a good chunk of time remaining upon the figurative clock, and his presence near, she decided to have a quick chat with him, despite his vapid dialogue that even Victoria struggled to understand, for he had to pair with an odd accent that was rather anatopic, considering his origins.


    ¡°Hey, Erick!¡± greeted Victoria, though it was quite a facetious mask, though mostly faulty, as he had very likely overheard her breakdown, considering not only his position, but the words soon espoused from his mouth.


    ¡°Greetings, dear Victoria, I have both visually and aurally perceived that you have been stricken with a minor variant of quaint sadness. I question, what is the matter, precisely?¡± immediately questioned Erick, clearly not having been stricken with myopic symptoms, either, with Victoria¡¯s poor attempt to hide her true feelings. Maybe if I am more honest, people might like me more . . .


    ¡°Oh, well, um . . . uh, I just had a moment of reflection, maybe a bit more literal than you realize!¡± exclaimed Victoria, though her answer had a double meaning that Erick didn¡¯t seem to quite catch.


    ¡°I quite observed that, for I perceive that screen is far more pellucid than my previous catching of its melted exterior. I can discern, that, you appear to be quite wary of revealing your veridical feelings, so, apologies for my intense examination.¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s okay! I just don¡¯t feel comfortable talking about it . . . not here.¡±


    ¡°So, are you considering discussing this matter after our education is over?¡±


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    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine,¡± considered Victoria, before attempting to reassure Erick, ¡°I mean, if you are fine with it . . . so, are you?¡±


    ¡°Affirmative, I must confirm, though, I was quite wishing to bring alongside my elder sibling, Andrew, as well as his romantic partner.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh,¡± stuttered Victoria, clearly confused by this newfound detail of Andrew¡¯s life, that, once again, Andrew hadn¡¯t told her about. Man, and I thought I was the opaque one. ¡°Well, what¡¯s her name? Or his name?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a female individual, and her preferred designation is Y-¡± However, in a unpredicted arrival, though quite obvious, in hindsight, was the appearance of a eavesdropper that had already made his presence, known, with an unmistakable smell that was dragged along, as well as his platonic connection to Erick, who¡¯s name was Kenneth.


    Kenneth was freakishly lanky, to an unhealthy point, as his yellowed skin hugged his skeletal structure, and an iconic feature of showing bones, were all highly visible, even to Victoria¡¯s bludgeoned eyesight. Along with an unfavorable fashion sense, that was loose upon his thinning body, though, however, his skin was similarly covered by a thin coat of charcoal, wavy hair, that of which matted itself in the thickest clumps upon his angular face, made more apparent with near conical cheekbones. His eye follicles decorated his multilayered eyelids in a stunning fashion, though its effect had been lessened by a milky gloss filtering a black pupil. Along with the most noticeable parts of his anatomy, however, was a distinctly personal warmth that permeated those who came near him, of which was both in the physical realm, in the form of a deadly odor that assaulted the senses, but also a kindred spirit that contrarily cooled down the inner heat of Victoria¡¯s hellish mood. Aside from his slight smell, there was also his height, which made it far more difficult for his spying to work effectively, as, to Victoria¡¯s perspective, it was quite obvious there was a figure nearby, listening intently. But, eventually, Kenneth decided to spoil the entire mystery, as he jumped in, conveniently as Erick was espousing his response to Victoria¡¯s inquiry.


    ¡°Hey, dude!¡± cheerfully greeted Kenneth.


    ¡°Salutations, Kenneth,¡± responded Erick, with a stark difference in their tones, becoming more apparent to Victoria¡¯s perky ears with every dialogue between the duo.


    ¡°So, um, I wanted to ask you, bro, about what you¡¯re talking about!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple, Kenneth, we are just debating over options to choose after our time here has been concluded.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. So, Victoria¡¯s coming along, right?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°How ¡®bout your bro?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be notified shortly, if this is performed.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± interjected Victoria, who wanted to start a small conversation between her and Kenneth, considering their social networks intertwining, ¡°Um, yeah, we''ll be taking a short walk, discussing things.


    ¡°Oh, that sounds cool! Who are you, again?¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, my name is Victoria. I am a friend of Andrew¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Andrew?¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Do you know hi-¡±


    ¡°Of course I know him, he¡¯s Erick¡¯s bro-¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± interrupted Erick, ¡°We needn¡¯t announce that private information in our current circumstances.¡±


    ¡°What circumstances? We¡¯re just in a classroom, and it¡¯s not like anything will happen if this gets leaked.¡±


    ¡°Wel-¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± snapped Victoria, being frustrated with the seemingly typical arguments the two seemed to spontaneously generate, ¡°I just want to know this; where¡¯s the meetup point?¡±


    ¡°It shall be around this edifice¡¯s vicinity, specifically, nearby the greenhouse, of which is within its harvesting season. You may easily spot it, by way of the greenery¡¯s takeover; it has been surrounded by grapevines, en masse.¡± answered Erick, as Victoria noticed a sneak of his eyes towards Kenneth¡¯s direction, of which was in the least affable sense, though considering the preceding events, it wasn¡¯t an extremely unnatural response, by any means. ¡°Any more inquiries before the toll chimes its hollow tune?¡± Victoria stayed silent, and propelled herself back within her dull chair. With the bell ringing, once more, Victoria had a few thoughts swirling within her mind, though, by now, they had all but settled. Except for one. My next class . . . it¡¯s . . . Art.

 Chapter 18: The Corpse

    And, thus, as Victoria had predicted, it was indeed her Art class, of Studio Drawing and Painting, for the official name, and she was a few minutes early, as despite the tight requirements placed on the titular ¡®Poop Days¡¯ to contain every class for that week, the passing periods between each education session was unreasonably long, though for most students, it was quite an acceptable term. I wonder if Ariannah is coming . . . then again, did they take Anterior, too? I mean she had a weapon on her, and she did kind of use it on James . . . Eh, I don¡¯t think we should dwell on this for too long. They¡¯ll either be here, or they won¡¯t. Wonder who else will come, aside from Kenneth and Erick, of course. But, there were already people within the room, aside from her, and the other two, who had followed her. Well, I actually kinda followed Erick . . . There also happened to be Malaya, who Victoria was still rather unsure about the status of within her network, Andrew, who had bumped into their small group, as they strolled quickly past hordes of people, making headway to their next class, and finally, there was Ren, scrawling away on a sheet of printer paper, likely borrowed from one of the wooden containers next to Mr. Acidiski¡¯s desk, who seemed to be still conspicuously gone. However, his collaged laptop was on, and its screen had been reflected upon a silvery cloth, using the power of a shiny, new projector that appeared to have been installed recently, and what it showed was simply the activity to be completed, today, though its name was rather ominous to the imaginative mindscape. Today¡¯s work . . . bring in a signed syllabus . . . yeah, I forged that . . . complete the quiz . . . done that, too . . . and, uh, a-a . . . corpse? What is the meaning of that? I bet he found out about what happened yesterday . . . ugh, still weird to think about, especially with Malaya still being here . . . I am going too soft on her, did she know that Lucas was cheating on me with her? I mean, class hasn¡¯t started, yet, might as well ask now . . .


    ¡°Hey, Malaya!¡± shouted Victoria, as she turned her entire body, to face Malaya, whose hair was stringed up into various braids that filled out her rounded head. As Malaya noticed Victoria¡¯s presence, there happened to be quite a distinct change from what her previous expression was, to what it was now, that she has noticed Victoria¡¯s existence; souring rapidly.


    ¡°Oh, hey, what was it?¡±


    ¡°Victoria.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, right. Victoria. Y¡¯know, Lucas talked lots about you, if you didn¡¯t know,¡± explained Malaya, a statement that deeply infuriated Victoria. So . . . she did know. Despite the bitter gift of knowledge being given to her by Malaya, she continued onwards with a fair amount of grace, though for its longevity, it was quite an unsure topic, even to Victoria.


    ¡°So, uh, Malaya?¡±


    ¡°What.¡±


    ¡°When he told you that he was having an affair with you, didn¡¯t you, uh, feel bad for the person getting cheated on?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Why should I care; I don¡¯t even know you,¡± responded Malaya, fueling a further respite amongst the middle table of the congenial room, though the degrees of anger that she would soon go through would quickly outnumber the optimistic thoughts within her head that lended any sort of doubt to Malaya¡¯s vileness.


    ¡°Oh . . . okay, then, so how did it go?¡±


    ¡°How did it go? Can¡¯t answer that, girl, cause it¡¯s still going, and also, if you were interested, no, he ain¡¯t dead.¡±


    ¡°How, did you get that information?¡± And why don¡¯t I have it?


    ¡°Well, you see, I got his phone number on my phone . . . right here,¡± she said, as she raised her phone up to the eye level of Victoria, where she peered that she, in fact, did have his phone number saved. ¡°And, well, you see, he¡¯s been talking to me about his procedures, n¡¯ such. We¡¯ve been going through a little chat about what happened yesterday, and how¡¯s he been healing. And man, it¡¯s so refreshing to hear a dude other than me, finally realize that Ariannah is no good. Well, he didn¡¯t have much time to think, but it¡¯s my thought that counts. So, yeah, that¡¯s how he¡¯s been doing, if you were interested.¡±


    ¡°I was . . . did he talk about-¡±


    ¡°Nope. He didn¡¯t mention you. Not one bit.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay, then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Anyways, nice talking to you.¡±


    ¡°You, too, I guess . . .¡± I wonder if she¡¯ll actually believe that . . . she seemed fairly gullible, after all, especially after that Lucas incident, which he started . . . oh, right, I know someone I can talk to. ¡°Hey, Andrew. How¡¯s your day been going?¡±


    It took awhile for him to speak, though he did eventually respond with a simple ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Nice to hear that. Uh, aren¡¯t you shocke-¡± As Victoria kept discussing events in rhetorics, Andrew simply held one of his finger to his mouth, and when Victoria noticed the gesture, she became still, before watching his hand trail to his phone, clueing to what Victoria needed to do, in order to gain any trace of speech from his personal voice, though an disturbance was to be had, with Ren placing herself within their small conversation.


    ¡°Oh, hey guys!¡± exclaimed Ren with an equal parts jubilant and mania.


    ¡°Um, hey, Ren?¡±


    ¡°Oh, hi, Victoria! Are you talking with Andrew?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I guess? I wouldn¡¯t really call it talkin-¡±


    ¡°But weren¡¯t you just talking with him?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, we¡¯re typing to each other now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still talking in my books, and, I must ask, why? You guys are next to each other, after all.¡±


    ¡°Well, um, it¡¯s because I, uh, well, he doesn¡¯t really like talking too much.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is he mute, or is he just shy being around you? I learned sign language for a reason!¡±


    ¡°Well, according to Erick, he doesn¡¯t talk much to anyone.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Erick?¡±


    ¡°The guy sitting behind you?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s two of them, however! How must I choose?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I think it¡¯s very obvious which one it is. They look alike?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± exhaled Ren, as she stared into Erick¡¯s eyes, of which were the same color as Andrew¡¯s. In fact, they seemed to share most components, except for their hairstyle, and for Erick, it was bowlcut, rather than the flowing, natural hair of Andrew that never seemed to require any attention of grooming. ¡°It¡¯s that one! Are they twins?¡±


    ¡°Nope. At least, I don¡¯t think so. They¡¯re just brothers.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Erick?¡± asked Ren, who was now at an uncomfortable distance towards Erick, as she leaned forward a rather generous amount, and as she did, Giulia came in, gasping for air, as though she had just been in her Physical Education class. As it turned out, she did have it, though, unlike Victoria and the other two, she actually did have to exercise; a sit-up and push-up test, according to her, as well as a test of flexibility, though as a learning rock climber, it wasn¡¯t as hard as she first presumed. Along with her, came the smiling young man, once more, also accompanied by his usual partner; the middle-aged lady.


    ¡°Greetings, may I avail you of any troubles?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you may,¡± courteously responded Ren, using Erick¡¯s odd manner of speech in strides, though the replica was still quite aways from mimicking, it was likely far better than Victoria¡¯s impression could ever be. ¡°Are you and your presumed shared sibling authentically related in both blood relations and temporal, as well?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I must decline the latter, I am afraid.¡± Turning around, to answer Victoria¡¯s question, as more people poured in, of which included notable folks such as Sebastian, and others who she did not know the name of, including the kinky haired boy, who she knew from her Computer Science class, Ren repeated his words, though back to her normal tone, fortunately. I like Erick. He could be a cool friend, but his voice is . . . a bit grating. And the choice of words is a bit, inappropriate, sometimes. Oh, well. Guess I can¡¯t change how he talks. Hopefully this doesn¡¯t spread, but then again, it is just Ren being herself . . . haven¡¯t seen any bizarre shenanigans emitted from her mouth, at least of now. Hopefully it stays-


    ¡°Oh. My. Godness,¡± gasped Ren, as her mouth audibly gaped open like an automaton''s.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Look behind you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Victoria turned around, but only saw the presence of Sebastian, sitting alone amongst two other, emptied seats, due to his fault, though it couldn¡¯t be fully given to him. Man . . . I wonder how he¡¯s feeling about this . . . His whole life just probably fell apart . . . and it¡¯s my fault. Damn it, why can¡¯t I, ugh, and anyways, where¡¯s this thing behind me? Is this just a dumb gag that a second graders wouldn¡¯t even fall for? Turning around, it was clear that Ren was still petrified by a mixture of wonder and trepidation, though for what, Victoria clearly was unable to perceive. ¡°Okay, um, Ren?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± prompted Ren, still noticeably fixated on the invisible diversion.


    ¡°There¡¯s . . . uh, I don¡¯t know how to break this to you, but there¡¯s nothing there.¡±


    ¡°What? There clearly is something! There¡¯s an orange vine, warping around your throa-¡± but before she could finish, Ren took a deep breath, and began to speak once more.¡±Ugh, don¡¯t you understand, Victoria?¡±


    ¡°Uh . . . no?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s growing all sorts of autumn crops, like watermelons and grapes? There¡¯s a big, pink flower growing on it? It kinda looks like a leafy, dried corn snake? Do you not see any of this?¡±


    ¡°And, starting from right now, I am going to take a pause from this conversation,¡± and thus, she simply tuned Ren and her ramblings out, with the task made easier with the large gathering of voices, now present in the room, the hollow, reverberating footsteps of Mr. Acidiski approaching, as well as the convenient timing of the bell ringing, signaling the beginning of learning. Mr. Acidiski walked in, with no theatrics, which Victoria expected, considering that he was an art teacher, but he was far more strict with his time, than the other teachers she had met, thus far.


    ¡°Alright, alright, since this a ¡®Poop Day¡¯, we have less time today to get things done, so let¡¯s jump in right away!¡± announced Mr. Acidiski, now having everyone¡¯s attention, but Ren, who was still looking forth, in the vague direction of Victoria. ¡°Okay, starting off, if you have a syllabus signed, turn it in now. If you don¡¯t have it signed, turn it in by Friday, and if you don¡¯t have it, grab one from my little tray over here,¡± he stated, splaying out his hands towards a metal tray, containing the essential art supplies, but also a few unconventional, yet handy items, such as a few first aid supplies, period items, and even snacks, though he did warn us to not take too many of the snacks, as they were for people who happened to be extremely hungry. Of course, however, everyone appeared to have forgotten such a rule¡¯s existence, and its contents have been emptied, long ago in the times of yesterday. ¡°And also, if you didn¡¯t fill out my little digital quiz, you can do so, later. But don¡¯t do that, right now, since we¡¯re going over what we are doing today; corpses!¡± happily declared Mr. Acidiski, though with no surprise, wasn''t given much fanfare.


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    ¡°Uh,¡± began Sebastian, ¡°What exactly is a corpse? And how do we exactly ¡®do one¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Great question, uh, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Sebastian.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright. Anyways, Sebastian asked a great question. ¡®What is a corpse?¡¯ Well, it¡¯s a bit misleading, because that¡¯s not the full name. We are making exquisite corpses, not actual corpses. This is how they work: they are tri-sectioned pieces of art, where one artist contributes to one portion of the corpse without seeing the other''s art! Then, at the end, everyone gets to see the final results of all three portions combined, into, say, an exquisite corpse.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see, now,¡± contented Sebastian.


    ¡°Yes, okay, then . . . let me get attendance for everyone. Just say ¡®here¡¯ or ¡®present¡¯ or, honestly, whatever you want, if you are present. And, please, correct me if I got your name wrong, or if you have another name you prefer to go by. Alright, so, starting off with: Victoria?¡±


    ¡°Here,¡± muttered Victoria, too tired to trifle with basic classroom matters, considering the numerous tribulations having occurred. I can¡¯t wait to go home . . . Maybe, I¡¯ll draw some cats. Then, a good rest . . . Yes, that sounds nice . . .


    ¡°Alright . . . Lucas isn¡¯t here . . . uh, Andrew Alvarez?¡±


    ¡°Mmm,¡± mumbled Andrew, before articulating a simple ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Sebastian Amora?¡±


    ¡°Present.¡±


    ¡°Mmkay. Dia Maniscalco?¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Ariannah Sable?¡± Victoria, due to an unknown force, had been grabbed by an unknown force of which compelled her to speak for her acquaintance, even if dishonest methods would be performed, though, it seemed that, someone else, wanted to speak on behalf of Ariannah, though whether their relationship was as amicable, or even neutral, was an entirely opposite concern.


    ¡°Oh, sir,¡± voice Malaya, with her intentions clear to those who were at their lunch table, yesterday, though it seemed that most, including Victoria, had shifted sides, after the fiasco of previous hours, and the duel of present¡¯s past.


    ¡°Yes, uh, what¡¯s your name, again. Sorry, I am bad with names,¡± chuckled Mr. Acidiski.


    ¡°My name¡¯s Malaya, and Ariannah¡¯s gone cause she gone skipped this class.¡±


    ¡°Really? How so?¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, she told me that she thinks this class¡¯s pretty dumb and she¡¯s only doing it for the art credits.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s exactly true, but I¡¯ll check in with her,¡± demurred Mr. Acidiski, where Victoria easily saw through her thinly-veiled lies, though, whether Victoria could tell if he could, was, rather, on a different tier, that Victoria could not achieve without more socializing, though it seems that with his sudden aversion to negativity, it seemed like Mr. Acidiski was in the know of the actual truth, too. ¡°Thanks for telling me this information, uh . . . Amalya?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s a different kid. I am Malaya, alright? And you¡¯re welcome.¡±


    ¡°Alright . . . so, uh . . . Kenneth Su?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m right, here, yo.¡±


    ¡°Malaya Droflaw?¡±


    ¡°Present,¡± said Malaya, with a distinct tone of sassy indulgence.


    ¡°Giulia Casus?¡±


    ¡°Oh, um, here.¡±


    ¡°Ren Kiel?¡±


    Distractedly fidgeting, Ren didn¡¯t appear to respond to her prompt, though it was well anticipated by Victoria, and similarly so, the professor¡¯s leniency was, also, to be rather expected.


    ¡°Ahem. Ren Kiel?¡± asked Mr. Acidiski, and on this, Ren replied:


    ¡°Oh, hi, Mr. Acidiski.¡±


    ¡°Uh, hi to you, too, Ren! Um,¡± replied Mr. Acidiski, disoriented to the unwary retort, though considering her strangeness, at least, from Victoria¡¯s perspective, it shouldn¡¯t have been wildly off-putting to him. ¡°Okay. Up next, Magnolia Chang?¡±


    ¡°Present and ready!¡±


    ¡°Alrighty . . . who¡¯s left . . . okay, uh, Anterior Cerebral Artery?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Erick Alvarez?¡±


    ¡°I am currently residing within this spatial and temporal location, as of current.¡±


    ¡°Uhh, okay? So . . . Grey Stamper?¡±


    ¡°I am present, and, uh . . . I prefer to be called Silver.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then,¡± remarked Mr. Acidiski, as he paused from calling out names temporarily, to scribe his name down, upon his stiff, cork-like cardboard that has seemed to slowly weather over the years that he may have been here. ¡°Alright, so . . .¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have a question,¡± asked Malaya.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Can I go to the bathroom?¡±


    ¡°Yes . . . and, also, people! I think I should make this clear; you can get out of the room, for whatever reason. Whether it¡¯s to go grab a drink of water, or use the restroom, which, might I add, I don¡¯t personally recommend. It feels like they get cleaned at the start of the year, and then, they just slowly degrade throughout the rest. Anyways, students, if there¡¯s an emergency, or whatever, just go. Don¡¯t, uh, ask when I am teaching, and just go. If it¡¯s studio time, which is when we are just drawing, or painting, or doing whatever, you may ask, but I¡¯ll probably just say you can go. But, please come back in, say, ten minutes or less. This isn¡¯t because I don¡¯t trust you guys, but more because I might get in trouble if I let you guys out for too long. So please, let me reiterate; don¡¯t ask, just go, and come back in ten minutes, or less. Got it?¡±


    Only one person made an audible squeak, that being of Malaya, ¡°Okay, well, then, can I-¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± sighed Mr. Acidiski in a fit of frustration, ¡°You may go.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± and thus, she fled the classroom in a sturdy fashion.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get back on track . . . Sol DeMar? Oh right,¡± said the teacher, as he looked towards the smirking teen in the corner, with his older companion, and it was at this moment, Victoria finally connected the dots together, and in hindsight, from her perspective, it was quite evident, all along, as he signaled to him via hand gestures that she couldn¡¯t quite read, but he easily could.interpret and translate them into a language of intentionally soundless design, though it was short-lived, made transparent, when Mr. Acidiski then said:


    ¡°James Semper? Oh, right . . . absent, then. Uh, Amalya Nelon?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh,¡± explained Victoria, quick to explain her friend¡¯s mysterious disappearance, though honesty was certainly not a priority for her, and for her own sake, it was understandable. ¡°She isn¡¯t here, due to, uh, well, she said she was sick today.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay. Be sure to tell her to excuse the absence via the attendance office, when she comes back tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yes. Coming back tomorrow," hastily agreed Victoria, fidgeting wildly with her dried fingers underneath the sculpted surface of the painted table. ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Okay, anyways, Raina Kosher?¡±


    ¡°Oh, um, may I explain?¡± interjected Giulia, and rather uncharacteristically, quite confidently, as well, possibly from the supportive people who were amongst her midst, grinning and watching her, due to the eccentricity of her behavior, though not too surprising, considering the time spent together between them, as she explained the reason why one was absent, of current.


    ¡°Uh,¡± paused Mr. Acidiski, who was still decently surprised at the severe change in atmosphere to the search of Raina¡¯s whereabouts, from Giulia¡¯s part. ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s why: Raina dared to care, searing fearsome James, where she endured a severe severing to her oxygen reserve. However, I persevering, due Raina¡¯s endearment to me, neared towards the austere endeavor of veering to the searing pier, of whatsoever care, like steering a lever. Clearing the way with mere, clever techniques, and steering clearly with ears, peering at my peers being everly grievers to James below, never besmearing nor jeering, I should add, with several forevers appearing, as I peer the appearing Raina with sincere fever. I cleared blurily, due to the stirred atmosphere, and adhered to the bottom, with zero fear.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± stated Mr. Acidiski. ¡°Anyways . . . um, yeah. That should be everyone. Anyone who was marked absent but is here?¡± With no response, he handily replied with, ¡°Well, okay then, let¡¯s get started. So, let¡¯s go by table order. Table one, aka, the table closest to me, may stand up and get their materials. I also need a volunteer to hand out the papers-¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh,¡± beckoned Anterior, who was rather antsy and shifty, shivering despite the warmth of the sunlights glistening from the thin panes embedded into the glossy walls. ¡°Can I pass out the papers?¡±


    ¡°Yes, uh . . . Anterior, right, you may pass out the sheets.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± cheered Anterior, as she rose, along with the others from the first group, to obtain and grant the other teams of paper, as the rest simply went to the materials table, littered with nearly everything, except for the acrylics and watercolors. Then, as though a sudden shift came, throughout the whole world, as dark nimbostratus blanketed the sky, depriving it of sunlight, and just as instantaneously, the speakers began to speak, once more.


    ¡°Hey, students and faculty members! We are loving how our first ¡®Poop Day¡¯ has gone, but we have some unfortunate news.¡± Is this about the rainstorm, or is it . . . ¡°As some of you know, we had our first bomb drill today. It went great for most, and we are thankful for the cooperation of safety from all of our staff and students, alike. Unfortunately,¡± continued the intercom, and as most of Victoria¡¯s classmates stopped what they were doing, to listen in, they also knew exactly what was going to soon be stated by the announcer. ¡°Unfortunately, one bomb bunker appeared to have a catastrophic error, as reported by our dear teachers of Mr. Villegas, Ms. Oni, Mr. Acidiski, and most importantly of all, Ms. Cwena, where they initially stated that a large fire likely broke out, caused by a random spark to some of the vegetable oil, which grievously injured one of our students, James Semper.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, students,¡± calmly, yet nervously, told the teacher, ¡°That¡¯s why James is missing. If you didn¡¯t understand what Giulia said.¡±


    ¡°However, with further investigation, it appears that this is not the case, as found by investigators, just now.¡± Oh, did they find the stash of . . . bodies . . . that . . . I put there? ¡°Firstly, yet another student was harmed in the incident: Raina Kosher. She was found to have been poisoned with dangerous levels of CO2, causing her unconsciousness. She was fortunately found to be alive, unlike James, though doctors are currently operating to save his life. Unfortunately, however, it was found that Raina was in possession of a firearm. We are extremely sorry for this oversight in our school¡¯s safety, but the firearm was made with a highly dangerous element known as Ghiorsium, a superheavy element that is used in the military and highly expensive, but has found its way into illegal markets. We are currently investigating any pieces of evidence as to how she has a hold of this illegal item.¡± Victoria looked around her, and saw Giulia biting her lips, as though attempting to not speak, which was highly unusual, though in this highly unusual situation, it was rather not abnormal. Well, I mean, at least it¡¯s not what-  ¡°But, we have made another disturbing discovery.¡± Oh . . . no. ¡°We have found two bodies with open gunshot wounds in the facility that had caught on fire. Firstly, let''s give condolences to the families of our two, dear students. Their names were Kennedy Latiker and Amalya Nelon. Our gross negligence has led to their unfortunate demise, and for that, we are truly sorry. However, this leads us to believe the student in possession of the firearm, Raina, had shot two of the students and caused the fire to start.¡± Welp, that just happened.


    ¡°What?¡± asked Mr. Acidiski, as he faced Victoria with a furious look in his eyes. ¡°Remind me of your name, but why did you lie about where Amalya went?¡±


    ¡°Uh, um, huh.¡± Come on, think, you idiot!¡±


    ¡°However,¡± the intercom continued, with no care for petty matters between students and teachers, ¡°There is another suspect in this case. The suspect¡¯s name is another student: Ariannah Sable.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, I did not know this,¡± evidently said Mr. Acidiski, ¡°Malaya? Why would you lie to me, too?¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, um, maybe she meant skipping this class as in hoping for more bloodshed?¡± suspected Malaya.


    ¡°Yeah, sure . . .¡± as Andrew stared at Victoria, with an equal look of hurt and disappointment.


    And finally, the intercom said ¡°Due to this troubling news, we must announce that school is suspended for the remainder of the week, and for everyone to not step foot in this building until next week begins, due to the corpses found.¡±

 Chapter 19: Dream in Rain

    ¡°Okay, so, Victoria. Why did you lie?¡± questioned Mr. Acidiski, right after the announcer went silent.


    ¡°Oh, um, uh,¡± Victoria attempted, as she searched for the answer to her blatant lie.


    ¡°Okay. Okay,¡± reassured the teacher, to himself, as he announced a new order: ¡°Okay. So, everyone. As you can hear from the announcement, you are dismissed from this class, and classes are canceled on Thursday and Friday. Do not, and I repeat, do not come to school on Thursday and Friday, as there will not be classes on those days. Anyhow, if you want, you may take some of the art supplies back home to finish your artwork, but I will not expect you to complete this. You may complete this for extra credit. So, if you have anyone to work with, such as family members, or a few friends, you can bring this back next Tuesday.¡±


    ¡°Oh, um,¡± questioned Malaya greedily, as though wanting to acquire more points for her own purposes, ¡°may I ask how much extra credit it¡¯d be?¡±


    ¡°It will be an extra . . . three percentage points to your grade!¡± stated Mr. Acidiski, and judging from Malaya¡¯s sudden droop, it was clearly not appealing to her wants.


    ¡°B-bu-¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Mr. Acidiski started, cutting off Malaya, ¡°Well, what are all of you doing! You can leave!¡± With this, everyone began packing up, and rushed out in a rapid stampede of children. In her basic anxiety, Victoria stayed and waited until the crowd thinned, and she watched as nearly everyone, including Giulia, usually reserved, surging out of the dual entrance and exit. However, she saw that one particular group began to consolidate into a small group; of Erick, his brother, and his friend. She walked near them, and initiated a conversation with them.


    ¡°Hey, guys, how are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing awesome,¡± replied Kenneth, with a similar response from Erick, though ever so slightly more complicated, and Andrew only nodded, though whether in agreement with Kenneth and Erick, or in responding to Victoria¡¯s question of a positive manner, she could not tell, though the answer at the end was the same, anyhow.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s great to hear!¡±


    ¡°By what emotion are you experiencing upon this fine, inclement day, Victoria?¡±


    ¡°Well, uh, I think, uh . . . I think I am doing great!¡± smiled Victoria, though she was only masking her true feelings to make herself appear more presentable.


    ¡°Well, that is positively splendid to aurally perceive, Vi-¡±


    ¡°Okay, since class is dismissed, can you please take your conversation, outside?¡± requested Mr. Acidiski, who was still in the classroom, now completely emptied of its students, aside from them.


    ¡°Oh, um, yeah. Will do,¡± responded Victoria, as the group awkwardly shuffled out the doors. ¡°Hey, so, uh, Erick? Remember the plan?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Hitherto, my elder sibling has been rather unaware of our plot, haven¡¯t you, Andrew?¡± Andrew merely tilted his head in a weird position, as thought to feign confusion. ¡°Well, dearest brother, myself and Victoria have orchestrated a proposal to return to our residences together. Do you accede to such an arrangement?¡± Andrew nodded, though there would be an unexpected, though minor, betrayal from Kenneth, as he stated:


    ¡°Yo, dude, I am sorry, but, I kinda can¡¯t come with, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°I was of the knowledge that you only acquiesced to my offer, but I didn¡¯t quite expect this level of disagreement.¡±


    ¡°Look, I gotta catch the train for my football practice, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°But,¡± Victoria interjected, ¡°It¡¯s about to rain. Kenneth, you really think they¡¯ll be forcing you guys to play in the rain?¡±


    ¡°Gotta sacrifice comfort for a better chance to go against those other schools!¡±


    ¡°Well, Kenneth, I must vocalize, I am rather disappointed, but am not in deprecation of your decision. I grant, you, my prosperity, Kenneth.¡±


    ¡°¡®Ight. Well thanks guys for letting me go off the hook this time. I¡¯ll promise to talk to you another time, Erick!¡±


    ¡°My agreement has never been more,¡± agreed Erick, and with that, Erick bounded into the hallways, made a sharp turn, and became invisible to Victoria¡¯s sight.


    ¡°We must evacuate from these premises, at once, for I suspect the school wished for us to depart.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I agree. Let¡¯s go,¡± and thus, they pushed open one of the Art Building¡¯s many entrances, or exits, depending on its usage, and once Victoria felt the fresh winds of the upcoming tempest, she recoiled in its chilliness, though she spotted many others sitting nearby the bus stop, waiting for one of the many public transports to arrive, in order for them to reach their destination at a faster pace than normally accomplished by feet. Victoria, Andrew, and Erick huddled next to each other, as gales blew past them with increasing intensity, and with each warning, came another group of their peers leaving on one of the many mechanical vehicles; none of them were the ones that Victoria, nor her friends, wanted, however. As they kept waiting, the sun slowly came to a draw with her scope¡¯s end, and whether it was from nighttime¡¯s creep, or the clouds of thunder rolling in, she knew it would be troubling if the correct bus didn¡¯t arrive sooner than later, as she envied those who had gotten on other buses, no matter their density.


    As Victoria saw the sunset beyond the thickening mist, and as the clear eventide came near, the density of rainclouds grew ever closer to its horizon, and as Victoria knew, if the bus wouldn¡¯t arrive sooner, they would soon be drenched. Victoria, Andrew, and Erick were now alone, as most of their fellow classmates had already boarded one of the many cramped transportations, likely due to the lack of time, or had gotten their guardians to retrieve them from the growing thunder that amplified exponentially with every strike, and some had even obtained their driver¡¯s license, and could freely roam the streets in with most unlikely precaution. With the strike of the first raindrop; one touching Victoria¡¯s bulbous scalp with incredible delicacy, yet with no warning, she would soon rue the times where she could¡¯ve simply checked the weather report within her device, though she was reminded by herself of the events taken place, shortly after, and excused herself from such responsibilities. Then, unlike the invidious rainfalls that were born as quickly as they withered away, with great force and an insane repertoire of water crashing down at once, Victoria could sense this would be a sluggish rain that came with thin zephyrs of wind, and mild, yet a constant drizzle that would envelop most of the region that she had immigrated to, with a eternity long past since. In an odd stroke of luck, completely uncharacteristic for today, the ride they were waiting for had arrived, and completely empty, it seemed. Opening its doors with a blossoming breeze spreading throughout, they quickly entered its insides, with the welcoming¡¯s finish signaled by the start of the anticipated pouring.


    Coming within, Victoria paid the travel¡¯s fees, and rested upon a woolen, colored seat, and Andrew followed shortly after, resting beside her. Erick, on the other hand sat further away, still tapping away on his phone, on a higher level of the bus, and once he had perched himself, the bus¡¯s apertures came to close, and it slowly moved across the rainy landscape, at first, as fog collected outside in quaint amounts. Victoria scouted the vicinities with her eyesight, and noticed the bus was almost completely empty, aside from them and the driver, except for two young children. Outside, the rain had picked up, along with the squalls that once brushed lightly upon her skin, and as the bus began to pick up speeds of which not achievable by mere teenagers, the bus announced:


    ¡°All activity on an OTA vehicle is monitored by on-board cameras, and any violation of Onaxago¡¯s law is subject to punishment ranging from a fine to imprisonment up to ten years.¡± Just a random, useless warning for nothing . . .maybe I¡¯ll talk with Andrew to pass the time; there¡¯s nine more stops on the way, and the rain will probably slow everything down . . .


    ¡°Hey, Andrew!¡± excitedly began Victoria, attempting to provide levity in such a depressing situation. ¡°Wanna . . . talk about what just happened?¡±


    ¡°Sure . . .¡± moaned Andrew, in a muted voice, though even with such a restrictive range, Victoria could make out that he was fairly uninterested in talking to her at the moment.


    ¡°Hey, um, I just wanted to tell you something,¡± said Victoria, with no response from him. ¡°Ok, so . . . uh, I didn¡¯t mean to lie, alright?¡± reassured Victoria, as she looked at his smooth face, where a faint nod was detected by Victoria. ¡°Look . . . I really didn¡¯t want to lie . . . I wanted to protect my new friends . . . and . . . James.¡±


    ¡°Is this . . .¡± asked Andrew, in a more enthusiastic tone, though Victoria could barely spot it, ¡°The James . . . you were . . . texting about?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡±


    ¡°So . . . why would you . . . protect him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know? He¡¯s . . . I don¡¯t like him, really, but he¡¯s, like, the only person who I''ve known for a really long time, in person. I just feel obligated to . . . I don¡¯t know, support him? I don¡¯t know how to say it.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°You . . . do?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Look . . . I don¡¯t mean to be . . . argumentative . . . but . . . can we just agree that he¡¯s . . . bad?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t . . . know what he did But, I know what he did . . . today, and . . . that was . . . he is dangerous, Victoria. I get . . . you. I get you, now, perfectly.¡±


    ¡°I-I-I don¡¯t know what to think of that,¡± muttered Victoria, as the bus spouted out another random line about prohibiting certain activities like smoking while on the vehicle. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I don¡¯t have much insight into this . . . as I thought I did. I just . . . well . . . I don¡¯t know anymore. James is bad . . . but . . . what about me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t . . . think you¡¯re bad. Are you?¡±


    ¡°I . . . don¡¯t know, either.¡±


    ¡°Look . . . even if you are . . . that doesn¡¯t justify what he did . . . to you . . . to us. All the . . . stress . . . that was unfair . . . to us.¡±


    ¡°I suppose there¡¯s merit to that . . . but, I just . . . I bullied him into being like this. Maybe his homelife is bad; maybe he was made into this horrible person . . . by me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t . . . blame yourself . . . for his . . . misdeeds.¡±


    ¡°I-I . . . no, I won¡¯t say it again. I¡¯ll sound like a broken record if I do . . . but . . . yeah, I really don¡¯t know what to do anymore after yesterday.¡±


    ¡°I know what he did was . . . I know your connection to him; you are welcome to . . . tell me your thoughts on him . . . if you¡¯d . . . like.¡±


    ¡°B-but . . . okay . . . no, I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±


    ¡°Hey, remember,¡± inspired Andrew, in a continued, rare stroke of garrulous speech, as though possessed by his brother¡¯s manner of complex speech, ¡°Victoria. I know . . . I know I don¡¯t talk much, outside of texting, but . . . I just wanted you to know. I am here for you. We . . . all are. I just want you to know that . . . it¡¯d probably be healthy to move on from . . . him.¡±


    ¡°You can say his name.¡±


    ¡°You can move . . . move on from Lucas.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s just . . .¡±


    ¡°No, listen. You have just . . . just one life. If you keep burdening yourself with . . . him. Then, you¡¯ll end up wasting yourself . . . on someone who¡¯s already moved on. Didn¡¯t you tell me . . . tell me, that he cheated on you? He¡¯s already . . . forgotten . . . you.¡±


    ¡°I-I guess . . . it¡¯s just that, I don¡¯t think he has moved on, especially with how sudden I just broke up with him . . . I j-just, don¡¯t think he¡¯s gone from my life. Not yet, at the very least,¡± Victoria breathed, with a nearly invisible nod from Andrew.


    ¡°Look . . . if push comes to shove, then . . . I don¡¯t think it¡¯d be unreasonable to report him to the main office,¡± reasoned Andrew.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°You . . . don¡¯t know? It¡¯s where all the main faculty members reside.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I¡¯m guessing you want me to talk to them, or what?¡±


    ¡°Yes . . . talk to them. About, about, about Lucas. Tell them that it was his fault he got injured . . . that he needs help . . . and that we may require some.¡±


    ¡°B-b-but-¡± bewilderedly attempted Victoria, attempting to counter a direct confrontation with the authorities, as, even though Victoria felt that such personal matters should be handled with a correct scale of solution, she, unfortunately, could not find a trivial solution to the twisted problem.


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    ¡°No more ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ or ¡®but¡¯, Victoria. You need to deal with this . . . or else it will haunt you. Sometimes . . . your best isn¡¯t good enough. That doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s . . . failure. Understand?¡±


    ¡°Um, yeah. I-I guess. But, like, what do I do when I go there? Just tell them to tell him to leave me alone? Where¡¯s the proof; the evidence; t-t-the . . . anything!¡± stammered Victoria in a panicked fit of explosive thinking.


    ¡°Tell them to . . . tell them that he attacked everyone . . . with an ice pick.¡±


    ¡°But . . . it was Anterior¡¯s. I don¡¯t want to implicate her or, for that matter, anybody into this.¡±


    ¡°Not . . . even . . . Ariannah?¡±


    ¡°Look, I know what I said about her wasn¡¯t the nicest, and what she did . . . wasn¡¯t in good faith, either, but, especially after what happened, today, I¡¯d think to maybe change my perspective of her, even if it¡¯s only a tiny bit!¡±


    ¡°I understand your . . . newfound . . . appreciation of her, but, please. She brought a dangerous weapon to school today. In a row. If that stuff can¡¯t be detected by metal detectors, then . . . what other things could she be bringing?¡±


    ¡°Look, I know it¡¯s, uh, probably not the smartest thing to side with someone who has possibly killed my ex, or has possibly injured and killed an old acquaintance of mine, but-¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no ¡®buts¡¯ to this. I already said this. You need to . . . need to stand your moral ground. Sure . . . she did something ¡®heroic¡¯ in your mind . . . but think about the perspectives . . . of others. Like Ren. Or . . . that person . . . in the hat.¡±


    ¡°Audrey?¡± clarified Victoria, as stunning raindrops pierced upon the mixed ground, illuminated outside the soaked vehicle with the public transport¡¯s radiant headlight. Should I tell . . . them?


    ¡°Yes . . . Audrey. What about their feelings? They do have their own lives . . . lives and experiences, you know?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, but why do they matter?¡±


    ¡°Your ¡®friends¡¯ . . . your ¡®savior¡¯ . . . they killed their . . . brother.¡±


    ¡°Well . . . we don¡¯t know if he¡¯s dead yet!¡± excused Victoria, though her scarlet scalp became rather itchy after such a brash statement, especially from her usual meek voice. ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand, Andrew; after all, you were in that large crowd, so, uh, yeah. You weren¡¯t in any sort of danger, so I-¡±


    ¡°Am I . . . hearing you right? James, quite literally, walked up to us . . . his gun in hand . . . if it weren¡¯t for Anterior . . .¡±


    ¡°Okay, well, if you are going to excuse what Anterior did, why can¡¯t you excuse Ariannah for protecting all of us?¡±


    ¡°Cause . . . Raina did . . . not her. Her bravery . . . she could¡¯ve died.¡±


    ¡°Yo-you . . . you don¡¯t understand; she stood up to James before he started to attack us. Without her delaying, the situation could¡¯ve been worse! You already seen what happened to Amalya and Kennedy-¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Andrew asked, as the vicissitudes of Victoria¡¯s fortunes of today charged onward, as their ride announced that the next stop would be upon the street of Myriad Avenue; decently shallow within its clutches, with four blocks in, containing Andrew¡¯s and Eric¡¯s home.


    ¡°Oh, uh, the girl standing chatting with Raina?¡±


    ¡°Oh . . . right,¡± remembered Andrew. Isn¡¯t he supposed to get off?


    ¡°Hey . . . uh, aren¡¯t you getting off at Myriad Ave?¡±


    ¡°Oh . . . I was planning on talking to you more.¡±


    ¡°I mean . . . my stop is the one after the next one, so . . . you can follow me back home, then walk back. Are your parents home, yet? Mine aren''t, by the way.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t . . . and I guess . . . you don¡¯t have an umbrella, so I guess it could work . . .¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so, uh, do you accept?¡±


    ¡°Sure . . . let me text my brother, first.¡±


    ¡°Mmk,¡± answered Victoria, as Andrew reached into his pocket to obtain his mobile phone, before speedily typing away upon the glossy screen; reflecting the endless rain falling upon the trembling sky. Why does my mind keep coming back to this . . . to James . . . I know I didn¡¯t do anything wrong in the situation . . . so, why . . . why do I keep coming back to this . . . it¡¯s eating me alive . . . slowly . . . I wish I could just get confirmation that he¡¯s alive . . . judging from the last time I saw him . . . probably unlikely. Man . . . I am talking to Andrew . . . not by way of some text . . . but in the flesh . . . he¡¯s the same as he is online . . . but he seemed confident . . . now, he seems awfully shy . . . maybe it¡¯s just a problem with me . . . according to Erick, he at least talks to him at a fair rate . . . we¡¯ve almost never argued . . . before today, I guess . . . then again, today¡¯s circumstances are quite out of the ordinary, anyways . . . maybe it¡¯s just a little bit out of his comfort zone . . . he¡¯s right, though . . . he could¡¯ve gotten hurt . . . I could¡¯ve . . . maybe both of us would be dead . . . but we¡¯re not . . . so . . . Sighing for breath, Victoria calmly watched as sodden buildings passed and warming waves splashed about the bus¡¯s tires; the clouds denser than ever, coating the monochrome sky in an eerie shade of gray, as fog disguised the imminent nearby. The silence, she quite enjoyed, as the bus happened to be quite empty, except for the two young children Victoria had noticed, earlier, appearing to be around Raina¡¯s visual age, though she suspected that unlike Raina, they looked quite their age. Considering their ragged clothing improper for the current weather, and them appearing to be the quintessence of the population residing in Onaxago without shelter, it was quite obvious to her that they were alone, without adult supervision, though she wouldn¡¯t quite intervene, though she did wonder. How are they using the bus if they don¡¯t even have the most basic necessities? Maybe the welfare system isn¡¯t doing as bad as I thought it was doing. . .


    As the vehicle announced its stop at Granazul Street, she knew she would soon arrive at her designated destination of her residence, most likely accompanied by the presence of Andrew, though she was slightly fretful, as even though their acquaintance and friendship had lasted through many seasons, she had never quite revealed the location of her home, though it was likely a quite easy task for the vigorously curious, as they only lived a few blocks away. This was only a revelation for Andrew, however, as Andrew was rather reckless with his privacy, withholding his location for only the first few months before spilling his most important secret of all. As the squeaking doors of the bus flung open in a planned manner, the unusually reticent children left Victoria¡¯s and Andrew¡¯s company, as the two sat alone in the silvery, luminescent carrier. Despite the physical emptiness, however, the bus, itself, was still teeming with distractions; small ponds of dirtied water, violent bursts of noise from cars honking, and the never-ending, cacophonous drizzle of the rainstorm kept Victoria alert, though Andrew¡¯s eyes fluttered around in the ethereal reality of the starlit darkness outside.


    ¡°Hey . . . want me to carry the umbrella? I am . . . taller.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± agreed Victoria, and thus, they walked into the rainfall of Victoria¡¯s street, until they met the entrance of Victoria¡¯s house, of which was seemingly deserted, lacking anyone else within its bricked walls.


    ¡°Well . . . see you later.¡±


    ¡°You, too,¡± said Victoria, believing that he would be leaving soon, though he would leave one small, yet huge, penultimate message for her on that day, in physical form.


    ¡°And . . .¡± Andrew added, as an addendum before saying his farewell, ¡°Victoria . . . I love you . . . as a friend,¡± which made Victoria, for the first time of that particular day, surprisingly, genuinely smile.


    ¡°You, too, Andrew . . . you, too . . .¡± muttered Victoria, in a fit of happiness. ¡°Well, then . . . goodbye, then, Andrew! Do you think we can hang physically anytime soon?¡±


    ¡°Maybe . . . this week?¡± suggested Andrew.


    ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s talk about this over the phone, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°See you, then!¡±


    ¡°See you . . . too!¡± rasped Andrew, as it appeared his voice was far too soft to create an audible noise, especially as he was ankle deep within a pooling surface of water, with wetness drowning out all noise surrounding him. She watched him go further, and further along the winding gravel path, until the fog obscured his body, and soon enough, he was swallowed by the drifting clouds of the surface level, as rusted stars burned into the unknowing boundaries of the rain¡¯s origin, high above. Watching the raindrops come from above, for a while, and listening to the tingling pour, Victoria clutched her bag closer to her, as she fiddled with the zippers of her backpack. There, she collected her keys, as the wind grew stronger, and the clouds continued to loom over, and decided to enter her house.


    It was then, to Victoria¡¯s dismay, as she turned around, to put her house keys within their slots, as the double doors¡¯ guard lowered, and creaked forth open, that she saw rather visibly that the house had others within its gloomy halls. Wispy streams of grayed steam wafted over the house with an uncomfortably saline odor, and metallic pots clanked within the kitchen, with the unmistakable noise of water boiling and flames sizzling amongst the other uncanny sounds that would be mute if the only current resident was the person entering, and Victoria knew exactly who it might have been. In an almost crouching position, Victoria saw, and tiptoeing despite her location, Victoria¡¯s mother was there, preparing dinner. As their eyes met, Victoria readied for her involuntary penance for an arrival that she had never agreed upon, and with that, her mother soon noticed, too, and began to speak in an angered manner that was certainly a proclivity of her¡¯s.


    ¡°Hello, Victoria,¡± her mother said, in her usual, bothered tone, of which Victoria didn¡¯t appreciate very much.


    ¡°Ugh . . . I don¡¯t want to talk to you, right now.¡±


    ¡°Why not? Dinner¡¯s almost ready, Victoria,¡± taunted Victoria¡¯s mother.


    ¡°Why are you even here so early, anyways?¡±


    ¡°Cause, I am taking a sick holiday, today, Victoria. Didn¡¯t you hear me earlier, or were you too busy, thinking about your arts and whatever other garbage you think about, instead of studying!¡±


    ¡°Oh, please. It¡¯s the first week.¡±


    ¡°First week, or not, I better not see you do poorly in grades, or you will end up hurting yourself.¡±


    ¡°¡®Hurting myself¡¯ . . . sure, whatever. Just . . . please stop talking.¡±


    ¡°Why, Victoria? Have I . . . perhaps . . . annoyed you?¡±


    ¡°Well, you-¡± Victoria would¡¯ve continued her train of thought, but was stopped in its tracks by her mom¡¯s sudden interruption.


    ¡°Shh . . . you don¡¯t get to talk to me like that, you hear me? You hear me?¡±


    ¡°Yes . . .¡±


    ¡°I am the boss of this house. You don¡¯t get to talk back to me, or use your dumb tone of voice against me. If you don¡¯t like me, move out! After that, I don¡¯t care what you¡¯ll do with your life. Become an artist? Ha. Don¡¯t kid me.¡±


    ¡°How about you look in a mirror, mom. Y-you . . . you are such a horrible person!¡±


    ¡°If I am so bad, why are you my child, Victoria?¡± snarked her mother, in a condescending tone, as she stepped forward, menacing at Victoria. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that imply that you inherit all of my traits as well? And, anyways, I am your mother. You simply do not talk to the person who continued their bloodline just so you can exist, just for, and may I emphasize this, you, to come here, and insult me, for what I consider to be good parenting. I provide food, water, and shelter. Just for you! I, even provide electricity and wi-fi, just for you to come here, and complain about how I am a bad parent. You are just an ungrateful brat, for constantly bemoaning how rude I am to you. But, you simply never realize, that, you, are the reason I am rude to you. You, simply have too much of an attitude and ego to understand, that, what I am doing for you, is honestly better than what most children get. So stop talking about how much I suck, because you are only talking about yourself, you disturbed child.¡± Needless to say, Victoria struggled to keep silent as her mother droned on, and eventually, once she finished, Victoria cracked open, to retaliate.


    ¡°Okay, I don¡¯t even know where to start. Firstly, just because you provide me with the basic necessities does not automatically make me love you. Instead, by saying such hurtful things all the time, it eventually becomes a part of my psychology, which states to dislike you, if not despise you. What you say . . . it affects my health and the way I think, don¡¯t you know? No matter what, whether you are putting me in high stress situations or in a relaxing environment, I don¡¯t feel safe around you, and I definitely do not feel ¡®grateful¡¯ for you to follow the laws of not breaking the child negligence laws. All the things you did to me have changed me, in ways you don¡¯t even seem capable of understanding, and all of your behavior towards me, has eventually shaped and redefined my personality and mental health for the worse, and it does not make me enjoy you, in any way. You are lucky I have stuck by you, you know that? Everyone else left, and they are probably living perfectly healthy lives! Without you! Except for Fabian, which was caused by your gross negligence of being unable to watch a literal two year old for just a few seconds. From my many years with you, I have concluded that just because I happen to carry your genes, does not mean I carry any of your abhorrent traits of pure narcissism and spite, that I can not understand, towards your own children, nor any of your fundamental traits like your dumb, snarling face that turns somehow angrier when I am nearby. I don¡¯t understand how you can even dare to insult me, your own kid, for so long, without realizing that everything you said magnified upon yourself, tenfold. Goodbye,¡± and with that, Victoria stomped out into her room, and locked the door.


    ¡°Well,¡± said Victoria¡¯s mother, ¡°That just happened.¡±


    As Victoria dwelled within her room, she slowly thought of the transgressions that had just been exchanged by Victoria and her mom, and started to feel a new emotion well up within herself. Hate. I hate her . . . so much . . . why can¡¯t she understand . . . I guess that¡¯s what comes with being a narcissist. As Victoria sat dejected upon her unmade bed, she remembered something that she had brought back with her, within her luggage. The art supplies from Mr. Acidiski. That was when she had decided to open and peek into her backpack, in order to find her necessary equipment. There, she drew up a few color pencils, two markers, and a few dark pens; she already had the number two pencils within their room, along with a menagerie of all other pencils in various thickness and design.


    There, she drew the first section of her exquisite corpse, and of excellent composition, she believed. She masterfully brushed the tips of her graphite pencils in different positions, to achieve her goal of differentiating tones, highlighting the creature¡¯s head in magnificent shadows. She wobbled her usually steady hand to create puffed, furry textures upon its delicate skin, and lightly sketched out details to give her creation great depth. She then, with great elegance and ease, contoured the beast¡¯s eyes upon its whiskered face; each line of hair so thin, yet sturdy and rigid, though with the right amount of flexibility, given its shape. There, Victoria began to draw its gaping mouth, open, yet tightly clinging upon its surface, with wrinkles and detail unmatched by her old rival, and shiny, serrated fangs that lined its wet gums, though with the artist¡¯s interpretation, Victoria had only given her animal, a few, teeth upon its shaded crevice. After finishing the monster¡¯s facial features, she moved on to its tapered ears, and with each slash of her lead tool, she carved out its ear in a resplendent manner; each patch of fur clearly denoted upon its wary ears. After finishing her piece of the exquisite corpse, she decided to add hues of colors upon its body, before layering upon outlines with her black, inked pens. With each gentle stroke of her molded pen, she drew, upon the creature, its definition, of which now stood out from the negative space Victoria had set out. After giving the colors its values and colors, the piece on top was nearly complete, though Victoria believed it had been missing something. Then she remembered. The space. To give the next drawer a guide. She quickly, yet carefully, drew out a blueprint for her wanted recruiters to follow, and hoped they would be of some help. Andrew seemed like an easy target for the task, though as for the other . . .


    Ding! It was then that Victoria heard a notification from her unsilenced phone, and though she hadn¡¯t seen who it was, she was hoping they might be of help for her optional assignment. She swiped on her phone, the password, that being of zero, four, zero, eight, one, nine, one, and seven, and, directly afterwards, went to her messaging application to check for the signal¡¯s origins. But, to her shock, it wasn¡¯t anything nor anyone she had been expecting to randomly message her. In fact, she believed that she had actually already blocked him on all social media, though it appears, that she had nearly forgotten her phone¡¯s battery running out, for yesterday and parts of today. It was Lucas. With this, she decided to not look at the message, and decided to come out of the temporary hermitage from her mother, who was now sitting down upon the dining table, consuming her own fruits of labor, as the rain continued to drench the outdoors. She left her phone sitting down on her desk, and walked out, into her mother¡¯s territory.


    But, curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she went back into her room to check his message, and what she read was an odd sense of familiarity. And with what she read, she quickly locked the door once more, and stayed in for the rest of the day, for it had read:


    Hey, I don¡¯t know if you will read this, but I have a big surprise for you tomorrow . . .

 Chapter 20: Doom Before Reverie

    Hyperventilating in her room, she read the message sent by Lucas, once more, just to check if it was, indeed, real.


    Hey, I don¡¯t know . . . you know what, I know it¡¯s already real . . . Breathing heavily, she mainly hoped it was nothing more than a figment caused by the events of yesterday, though, in Victoria¡¯s mind, she already knew the truth of the matter. Horrified by the latest message sent by him, and the previous one, of which, creepily mirrored the oddity of the last, in a near verbatim, almost as though it were planned to be. However, Victoria dwelled within another subject, for aside from the strangeness of the message, of which would almost certainly be a warning for what¡¯s to come to her, because, for her, she believe the possibility of such a message popping up as a sinister notification, was null, as she believed she had blocked him, shortly after the encounter in Art, yesterday, though it seemed that it was reflected upon her attempt. Confused and evidently scared, she closed and locked every orifice that would allow him to enter in a similar manner to last, though from witnessing his unhinged attack of fellow classmates, it was merely a speed bump to his inevitable entrance, though Victoria hoped otherwise. After the complete lockdown of her quarters, she rested upon her bed, staring at her phone, still laying upon her table, as though it were sacrilegious to hold and read what lay within. But she had, and now knew who would soon come for her, at midnight. Unless . . . it was all a cruel prank? Whatever . . . let me block h-hi-him . . . no . . . it might agitate him . . . I mean . . . better to live in ignorance than be confronted with the harsh truth, right? Is that how the quote went . . . I don¡¯t quite remember. Ugh . . . actually, let¡¯s just block him, Victoria thought, as she got up, out of her desk, to check the text, though it was proven a false plan, after Lucas suddenly began to respond to his previous message.


    Hey, I¡¯ve seen you¡¯ve read it. Victoria¡¯s heart was thumping with unpredictable beats of panged thoughts flowing through her mindscape, though soon, it was soothed with the next message from her ex-boyfriend. I am not coming for you. Relief. Yet. More panicked breathing, and with that, Victoria couldn¡¯t help but leave responses to his next calls for her attention.


    Hey. R u there?


    Yes, Victoria. I¡¯ve been here . . .


    Why are u typing like that?


    Because, well, actually, I don''t know.


    K, whatever. Why are u here rn? Talking to me, I mean.


    Because . . . I miss you, Victoria.


    Ok, but like I dumped u. Remember that?


    I miss you.


    Alright. After typing such a message, and being in a quite exasperated position, Victoria was considering a more serious method of disposing of his continued bothering of her, but she was, quite simply, bored, and believed it would be fun to continue to talk to him, if only to get crucial information behind his motive on that day, and, certain, other things that had bothered her, for a while.


    You can block me, if you want.


    I promise I will!


    Well, thanks for putting it bluntly.


    Will you just shut up and let me talk?


    I guess so.


    I am guessing u r coming back on monday?


    No, I am planning on coming back tomorrow.


    You know schools out tmrw, right?


    Wait, why? Last time I checked, their wasn¡¯t any holidays, tomorrow, is there?


    There. Also like check ur news or whatever u use. Cause you¡¯ve missed out on some important news lol. Waiting for Lucas to respond, and likely to check his subscribed, local newsite, before his equally likely, shocked response, Victoria came upon her exquisite corpse, once more, to finish up some details, with each erasure of straight skin, replaced by scratchy, sketched out lines, more befitting of fur upon a feline subject as that of Victoria¡¯s. Believing it to be near her standard of adequacy, and reaching an impasse of imaginative creation, she decided to check her phone, once more, for any signs of activity from Lucas, before he left on his minor hunt of informing himself on the latest topics, that of which appear to be caused by Victoria¡¯s acquaintances, or, perhaps, possible friends. However, rather unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on the second of Victoria¡¯s decision, Lucas hadn¡¯t responded, quite yet, giving her ample time to think about the most recent dialogue between the two exes, and to search for people, of whom she knew, of which wouldn¡¯t lead anyone to begin to create a satirical polemic about her continued association with them. Pursuing for fellow classmates on ShakeSound by typing in their names, one by one, led to multiple, ambiguous results, though only one option seemed apparent for one friend who she had searched up; Raina Kosher, who had likely saved many people from another controversial figure¡¯s wrath, whether warranted, or not. Checking out her riveting content output, Victoria found a multitude of minor dances that were ubiquitous on ShakeSound and nearly generic to the point of nauseating, though it wasn¡¯t quite so surprising, learning this tidbit about Raina, for Victoria at least, though the newest video caught her eye; a video where Raina proudly proclaimed her recovery from a traumatic incident, though of what, she didn¡¯t say in the short video, though Victoria, and likely others, knew of what transpired to create the mar that lied on her forehead, and of what occurred to force doctors to shove sterilized tubes down your throat, though in Raina¡¯s case, quite literally. Choosing to follow her, Victoria quickly closed out of the application, and placed on phone, face down, and off, and began to bemoan the woes, and philosophize about the interaction between her and Lucas, before its abrupt ending.


    I mean . . . he does seem . . . sort of out of it . . . then, again, he did cheat on me with Malaya . . . I¡¯m sorta conflicted about her, too . . .  maybe I should ask him about her . . . it feels wrong, though . . . I just had a talk with Andrew . . . this is all wrong . . . or maybe, it¡¯s right . . . that Lucas must answer every whim I may have . . . serves him right . . . for doing that . . . to me . . . his own . . . girlfriend . . . god, he¡¯s getting worse with every thought about him . . . but, maybe I can squeeze a bit more out of him . . .  let¡¯s see if he¡¯s back . . . Despite the generous amount of time given, he had not responded, yet, which prompted Victoria to decide to take a short nap, though its miniature duration would be challenged by the intense pressure of the continuance of sleep, after its taking place. She decided against it, and merely rested her body upon the softness of her fitting bed, though with each breath, she could hear the exhalation and inhalation grow more audible. Choosing to tough out the feeling of drowsiness, despite its requests of confrontation, especially in such an environment, she would simply wait, until he responded, just so Victoria could drain the last, tantalizing bits of info from him. Her body would continue to fight, however, in its endless resistance towards her requests, though she, despite her history, could resist the deleterious allure of sleep, that had very much faced her; she alike, though, fortunately, the light radiating from her phone kept her will stronger against the efforts of her rebellious brain. She would be awake, for the whole night, waiting for him . . .


    . . .


    Snoring restfully on her bed, Victoria wobbled and shifted within her patterned sheets, with a face of ease and comfortability, and all as her phone sat, in a similar mood and fashion, to her; peacefully. The lawn grass flowed softly, outside, as fresh air of past rain supplied the room of a smell of petrichor; an ubiquitously loved smell, especially by Victoria, though she couldn¡¯t smell, in an unconscious trance. Her beddings softened her back, and her unfinished, and unannounced corpse, laid on her table like raw, crimson meat; ready for the taking of another artist¡¯s, or perhaps, artists¡¯, hands. Though for now, the scene lies quiet, as outside Victoria¡¯s mother has gone into a similar position of rest, along with her meek husband, as they dreamed of lucid otherworlds, strange and amorphous, with details unclear. The vision Victoria saw, however, was far different from theirs, of a world of realism parallel to theirs, yet completely alien, as well. A world of muddy gorges and painted forests; where the atmosphere is thick with dust and brown fog, suffocating those who dare intrude, but this time, it would be different. Though more or less, the same, as Victoria ventured into a familiar land of her many dreams.


    Naively, when she awoke from her position of down, she believed herself to have just woken up, though as lights glared menacingly into her eyes, she would understand her transportation to an unfamiliar place, though the people within were rather familiar, needless to say; vividly remembering their terrifying procedure on her during the dream on the metro. Feeling around, she similarly realized the fact that she was neither in her bed, though with the previous revelation, it was far less shocking, though its synthetic surface gave her a feeling of uncomfortable openness, which caused her some decent panic. Whirling past yellowed, segmented walls made of a fibrous material, possibly bamboo, but judging from the heat and sickening smog that rushed passed her as she flowed through a labyrinth of hallways and rooms, she was in someplace alien to the life of her planet; she knew what this place is, though she didn¡¯t know its location relative to that of where she lived. It was the wrinkled, yet greasy landscape of the mysterious dream she had, not long before this new instance, and, it seemed, that it was populated by the same people, though she was rather unsure on their status of personhood, considering Dante¡¯s unoxidized surface of bronze material. The last she had recalled, she was lying upon a medical chair, prepared for unearthly surgery; at least, that is what she believed they had performed on her, for she fainted before their actions could be complete. Despite the last meeting of the two, not having ended on amicable terms, it seemed they were more trained on the objective of moving Victoria to a new place, but of where, she didn¡¯t know, and of the gargantuan, botanical nature of the structure she seemed to be in, she didn¡¯t quite know, either, though physics may have worked here, differently, relative to her room.


    ¡°H-huh? Where am I?¡± questioned Victoria confusedly, in an appropriate manner that belonged only to her, though soon, it would be kept away with the answers provided from the two artisans.


    ¡°Oh!¡± yelped Dante, surprised by her sudden period of lucidity in this universe. ¡°Well . . . you¡¯re here! In our main building; where we conduct all of our business and announcements, from. It¡¯s peculiar you haven¡¯t heard of us before; then again, artisans aren¡¯t always the most updated in recent topics . . . even if it should reasonably be expected of them.¡±


    ¡°Apologies for . . . his speech,¡± said Pearl, appearing to glare at Dante with a medium of mental anguish forming in her voice, and though she suspected it to be true upon her features, as well, she was facing opposite to her; unable to examine her features, as she has done, previously. ¡°Dante . . . we have spoken about this. Even if we do have . . . some superficial features between us, it doesn¡¯t mean you can judge them for simply existing, as they are.¡±


    ¡°Superficial? I¡¯m sorry, but I believe they¡¯re fairly importan-¡±


    ¡°Please be quiet with our patient, Dante. They¡¯re in a decent amount of stress, and though we may have reason to stress, similarly, they are all issues that can be ironed out, with time. So please don¡¯t be . . . irascible. With our patient, I mean,¡± clarified Pearl, before she looked down at Victoria, as they continued speeding forth into the blurry complex of their headquarters. ¡°Speaking of it . . . we still don¡¯t actually know your name . . . we conducted a survey and documentation of the locals . . . we don¡¯t seem to have recorded you.¡±


    ¡°My name i-¡±


    ¡°Wait . . . Pearl, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s more than a coincidence that she was found near the train station? She could¡¯ve come from other locations . . . like, say, for example, Cr¨¢nevita?¡±


    ¡°No, Dante. Why would they come over to Onaxago if they knew this was a restricted area?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, they wanted to check if a family member was safe?¡±


    ¡°Fair assessment, I guess . . . wait, didn¡¯t we conduct a survey of the people, there, too?¡±


    ¡°Yes . . . wait, Dante, you¡¯re a genius! This could solve this debacle of ours . . . and yours, too!¡± said Pearl, looking down at the face of Victoria, where she snuck another good image of Pearl. She wore an exotic turban on her head; one that Victoria had never seen, before, other than the famous Dutch painting that she was nearly sick of seeing, considering its popularity, even with people who didn¡¯t look deeply into the visual arts. Her eyes were an ochre brown, with snowy, smooth skin filling her face into the shape of a small, toy doll. Stretching her neck to a painful degree, she could observe that she was cloaked in a tannish dress, and within, a stereotypical lab coat, usually worn by medical professionals, at least from Victoria¡¯s knowledge, and such a descriptor seemed befitting of Pearl, considering her current position in the aid of Victoria.


    ¡°Hey, like, by the way, do you guys still, like, want to know my name?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± replied Pearl. ¡°That¡¯d certainly be helpful in our pursuit.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Victoria. Victoria Whitney.¡±


    ¡°Well . . . if that isn¡¯t . . . you know, Victoria; thank you for saving Bartholomew a headache, later. I wouldn¡¯t like to see him lose his temper . . . not again.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome? I guess?¡±


    ¡°Yes . . .¡± said Dante, as they seemed to be slowing down, and with it, the coolness dissipated, similarly, as uncomfortable heat and smokey air closed in, upon Victoria. ¡°Well . . . we¡¯re here,¡± announced by Dante at the precise moment they had abruptly stopped, and the motion flung Victoria a few centimeters, along with her cranium, giving her a feeling of giddiness in her head. Thanks for giving me a headache, instead . . . ugh . . . Turning her pained head over, Victoria could see an imposing sight before her eyes; akin to a Victorian hotel lobby, though it lacked the distinctive indent in the wall. Decorated with dried, crusty plants that yearned to quench their thirst, the bloodied door in the wall was anything but inviting; a fact not helped by the appearance of a vicious image of polar bears tearing apart a ship, with ribs in the background, that seemed to suggest a gorey image of fate for the bones, when they were alive. Victoria, on the other hand, was fascinated by the painting, for she had recognized it, amongst the many items of her craft; both sentient and inanimate.


    ¡°Hey! Victoria . . . can you get off the stretcher, for me? I need to haul it to another sector.¡±


    ¡°Sure . . .¡± hastily replied Victoria, as she violently scooted off the acclimated transport, and onto the burning floor that lay below, and though perhaps an exaggeration, it was similar to the genuine truth. Wondering about the possibly nefarious plans of Dante, she decided to entrust in Pearl, of which was a decision made easier by his sudden, and swift, departure.


    ¡°Hey, Pearl?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What are we doing in front of this, like, ominous door?¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re going to,¡± sighed Pearl, as though bracing herself for the entrance of this room. Victoria also got a better look at Pearl, at began to wonder how she could layer the numbering of articles of clothing on her body, without melting into a fleshy puddle, though for her, it seemed more likely that she would melt into some form of paint, instead of the meat Victoria was obviously made of. ¡°We¡¯re going to enter . . . the room of him.¡±


    ¡°Who is this ¡®him¡¯, you¡¯re, like, speaking of?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait,¡± asked Victoria, ¡°Why are we, here, in the first place?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re here . . . to be checked for if you are in our records.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Well, enough stalling, then. Let¡¯s go in,¡± confidently said Pearl, though her voice had hints of shakiness, though from rage or fear, Victoria couldn¡¯t quite decipher, though it would soon be pertinent to understanding who would soon appear from behind the carmine entrance.


    As Victoria walked within the symmetrical, yet dubiously breezy room, compared to the rest of the complex, though it wasn¡¯t a surprise, considering the man who comfortably sat in an oversized chair had a rather important and imposing feel to him, though on why, Victoria couldn¡¯t figure out, for he was scarily assembled into a small, crooked form that appeared to contain his whole height and weight, though, how, was a similarly unsolvable question to her. He had pale, white skin; that of which resembled the skin of a human being, though there was a unique texture, upon getting closer, for he appeared to be sculpted with lighter, softer parts of a wood, possibly of a conifer, though Victoria wasn¡¯t quite sure. His hair was pushed back, into a refined position, and a groomed, diaphanous beard sat rigidly upon his chin, as though it was made of the same material as his skin, though upon even closer examination, it was made of rich leather that had the color of venetian red; burning with great saturation, and softly laid in layers. He seemed quite small, and rather unassuming, thus, it was to Victoria¡¯s surprise, but also to her vindication of her assuming his nature, that he had a deep, powerful voice, that seemed hollow, at the same time.


    ¡°So, Pearl, who is this you have brought into my office? She doesn¡¯t seem familiar . . .¡± droned the man, as he checked his cabinets, with hues similar to his hair. ¡°My paper containing the data for the census of the nearby refugees from Onaxago . . . doesn¡¯t contain any info on this . . . weird individual you¡¯ve brought in.¡± Onaxago?


    ¡°Well, Bartholomew-¡± So this is him.


    ¡°Call me Bart,¡± said Bartholomew.


    ¡°Well, Bartholomew, this girl was found at the site of wreckage in Onaxago, amongst the debris, nearby the train station, y¡¯know, that one?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes! Please do continue.¡±


    ¡°But, I am not sure how she got here.¡±


    ¡°Well, beats me, too. She seems,¡± Bartholomew examined, reaching forward with a shaky hand, to feel Victoria¡¯s arm, which sent slicing tingles that burrowed through her nerves, ¡°. . . organic, which, as you and I know, isn¡¯t exactly common around these parts.¡± Ugh . . . thought Victoria, clearly and easily made uncomfortable by the unwarranted touch.


    ¡°Yes . . . Bartholomew, I¡¯ve already fed her the decomposition droids, so, hopefully she¡¯ll be safe without the suit on, as you can see, right now.¡±


    ¡°Well, what is she doing here, then? Do we have any more space in the tents?¡±


    ¡°Firstly, we are kind of at our max capacity. But, also, according to her, she wants to join us.¡± This was not what was advertised . . .


    ¡°Pearl,¡± suddenly said Victoria, clearly confused by the happenings of this room, ¡°What do you mean by ¡®join us¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s our organization, of course!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± merrilly agreed Bartholomew, chuckling along. ¡°If you want to join, then, I suppose . . . you must register, on this little form,¡± where he reached into the stack of papers, littered with important data, and from whence his hand emerged, appeared a small, short form, containing only a single line for Victoria to participate in; the part where she will sign her name. ¡°Welp, here it is. Sign it, then we¡¯ll start discussing any . . . plans for you,¡± he said, handing her a small pen with most of its ink missing, with Pearl grimacing in the background. Man, it¡¯s like everything he says is laced with sinister intent. Here goes something I¡¯ll probably regret in the very near future . . . I mean if this is a dream . . . and it feels like one . . . wait . . . the town I was at, before . . . it was Onaxago? That¡¯s . . . a really weird coincidence. Taking her hand on to the contract, which couldn¡¯t be bothered to include any obligations she might have, once signed, as though it was the devil¡¯s deal, minus any positive bonuses it might¡¯ve had. Once it was done in fresh, dark ink, he snatched it from the table after Victoria¡¯s hands were off its form, and read it hungrily, with a smile capping off his experience of reading it. ¡°Victoria, eh?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Well, Victoria . . . let me talk to one of our, more . . . let¡¯s say, esteemed members, before I come back to you, alright?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± answered Victoria.


    ¡°Good, good. Pearl, can I tell you what I have in store for her? I bet it¡¯ll excite you!¡±


    ¡°Sure . . .¡± unenthusiastically responded Pearl, as though this was a common event, which made Victoria feel an ounce of sympathetic emotion towards her, despite the force feeding that finished, not very long, previously. As the two people of fickle nature talked, Victoria gandered at the the sights taken in the domed room, of which there were an innumerable amount to surmount, if only using her eyes for the short duration given. Breathtaking, and likely painstakingly handcrafted, paintings rested the walls in a symphony of arrays, and ironically so, as embellished instruments in glass casing fitted themselves on the bottom of the beautifully painted walls, with frescos of freshness unseen by Victoria, and likely by a majority of people she knew, in the real world, with the dome completed by a crystalline chandelier; each gem making up the furniture shining brighter than the previous, and crowned with tiny, yet detailed statues of mythology from times before Victoria and her generations. Pupils frantically darting amongst piece after piece, in frenetic nature, had led Victoria down a spiral, of which she had forgotten the main matter at hand, though a reminder would soon be handed to her. The two split from each other, and squinted towards Victoria, who had still been transfixed with a zeal of artful wonder, but, however, the period of childlike whimsy would soon end, as reality faced her, like Bartholomew did.


    ¡°So . . . I was just proposing a simple task for you to complete with Pearl, and I do believe, that, we have negotiated to a point of charitable agreement between us-¡±


    ¡°Wait, what? I thought the whole point of that was for you to constantly meander about what you really had planned for her. By the way, Victoria; I wouldn¡¯t have agreed to it.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t need to! You are simply just a medical consultant,¡± snarked Bartholomew.


    ¡°Just a ¡®medical consultant¡¯, you say? I don¡¯t even need to tell you all my credentials, and whatnot, because you¡¯ve seen it, first hand!¡± Pearl said back, in clear anger of which Victoria hadn¡¯t predicted from her, considering her usual, soft-spoken voice, and often patient demeanor that held back her soothed rage against Bartholomew, though the barrier had become shattered; broken, it seemed, with the helplessness of her situation, all more, for Victoria¡¯s sympathy, but also, in a similar, yet more negative light, her pity. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember that time I saved you?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t recall,¡± he snidely replied, with a distinct cheer inside his voice, as though he enjoyed toying with her, knowing his authority over hers.


    ¡°Maybe, I should tell Lisa about that incident . . . if you catch what I¡¯m saying.¡±


    ¡°About, what?¡± said Bartholomew, his smug masquerade disintegrating before Victoria¡¯s ears, as he attempts to pronounce his words out of the earshot of Victoria, though years of experience, from spying on her parents, had given her an upper hand in the arms race of the present. ¡°You know . . . if she finds out . . . we¡¯ll be in trouble . . . right?¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Ugh . . . I wish we could get those over with, sooner, than later, because . . . well, because I can¡¯t stand being in this room with you, right now. You know it was improper, and, more importantly, illegal, to have copulated with a-¡±


    ¡°Shush! Can¡¯t you see who else is in the room?¡± he rhetorically asked, turning his spinning chair, delirious and nauseous as it may be, for Victoria, to her position, staring right into the souls of her retina; right through her lens, as though cataloging her with artificial ones, though imprecise, they might be, within the rustic world she had found herself, trapped within. She began to wonder whether if the other, though, likely destructive, decision, that of choosing to rebel against him, and select to not sign his parchment, may have guided her to a new realm, of which hopefully did not include melodrama, of any sort, especially not at the levels only seen in her reality, though as seconds passed, she realized that the building she stood within was likely realer than fiction could be, as unwrappable to her mind, as that may be. Perhaps, Victoria thought, that the delirium she was slowly experiencing was caused by the intense heat, though, at this point, she wasn¡¯t quite sure of any option to lead to this place¡¯s continuance, and her place within its confines. ¡°As I was saying, we have a task, that we require you to fulfill, before, say, we start considering allowing you into our society.¡±


    ¡°You know, Victoria, it¡¯s not that its all cracked up t-¡±


    ¡°Be quiet! Please stop adulterating my conversation with a new member, with your poor attempts at threatening me, which, might I say, in your words, is quite ¡®improper, and, more importantly,¡¯ very rude, subordinate. And, anyways, doesn¡¯t this benefit you?¡±


    ¡°Yes . . . but there¡¯s no need to trick her. If you were doing this for me, there would be a noticeable lack in your plain deceit.¡±


    ¡°Well, then, I suppose I must be more sneaky with my dishonesty, then. Anyhow, as I decree, y-¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up; yes, I can!¡±


    ¡°You shan¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Well, why not? If she¡¯s to join our organization, she has to put in some effort; more incentive for you . . .¡±


    ¡°You . . . okay, never mind, I can¡¯t find another word that rhymes.¡±


    ¡°Well, then, if there¡¯s no objection to my order,¡± defiantly announced Bartholomew, as though he was genuinely upset at the lack of opposition, though he had already sorely crushed any possibility of their existence. ¡°Then, Victoria . . . procure me . . . some amphibian genitalia!¡± said Bartholomew, with a rather extreme look of pity from Pearl; as she turned away slowly, clenching her painted fingers, shining with a lustrous texture, before walking outside to meet the hazing, stellar body that shined with greater intensity than of which the sun bombarded Ceres with. Walking out already?


    ¡°Uh . . . what?¡± Victoria said.


    ¡°You heard me, didn¡¯t you? We need it for . . . something we¡¯re brewing.¡±


    ¡°L-like a . . . um, elixir of some sort?¡±


    ¡°No, no. We aren¡¯t any sort of alchemist or the such. We¡¯re as real as one can be!¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Sure,¡± doubted Victoria, and though the sowing of heretical thoughts against the world had already happened, only one day ago, while aboard the maglev, it seemed that every inconvenient problem with its existence had been cleared up, and hitherto, she had been, without difficulty, understanding such a concept of this otherworld, though it didn¡¯t seem that the residents understood such a notion. Now, however, after being thrown within such a spontaneous, and equally outlandish, task, she could¡¯ve thought that this place shared much more with this task, outside their setting, though, she would soon note the perilous nature of the situation that made it more realistic.


    ¡°Anyhow, these specimens are quite different from your regular, old frogs. For these have been laced with poisons enough to terminate quite a few people,¡± Bartholomew turned to Victoria, ¡°Like you.¡± Well . . . this isn¡¯t threatening at all!


    ¡°Okay, so . . . I am assuming you¡¯ll give me protective articles of clothing . . . right, about-¡±


    ¡°No, girl. You need to learn the ways of our society . . . against them.¡±


    ¡°Okay . . . you still haven¡¯t answered who it wa-¡±


    ¡°Anyhow, good luck! Hopefully, you return alive.¡± Yeah, to do more of your dumb errands . . . As Victoria obliged to the demands of the main coordinator, she walked, sullenly, throughout the searing stone steps of the painted hallways, wondering how she would complete her impossible request, though perhaps, by gathering help from other experienced members, who may outrank Bartholomew, in order to assist, or possibly, even prevent the grave situation from occurring, in the first place. Walking to Pearl¡¯s doorway; the medical consultant for the leader for the retaliation administration, as she walked past emptied portraits, where their focus was missing from the embellished frame. Slowly crawling into Pearl¡¯s office, she heard the soft glow of the heating star sizzle the bamboo floor, with each straw shuffling with hot ruffles of discordant crinkling, with wind softly blowing upon the lighten floor of the central building.


    ¡°Hey, Pe-¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, Victoria. Look. I am sympathetic to . . . what you¡¯re being put through. I don¡¯t agree with it, and you don¡¯t need my confirmation to understand that if I was the second-in-charge, you¡¯d likely never have gotten into this predicament in the first place,¡± explained Pearl, clearly attempting to explain her decision to not help her, with plenty of sugarcoating, beforehand. ¡°However . . . Bartholomew is right . . . unfortunately. The sexual organs of the frogs contain important chemicals to what I¡¯ve been trying to study and replicate  . . . remember the reason you had to be in that suit, yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Uh . . . it was because of a . . . disease?¡±


    ¡°Yes . . . a viral disease, though very unlike any seen here . . . or from where you came.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Well, you see . . . we cannot create a vaccine for it . . . as it is not biological in nature; no. Unlike a virus, which exists to proliferate its DNA within its protein shell, these viruses that plague us are robotic, bioengineered to be as enduring, yet as painful, as their capabilities, allow.¡±


    ¡°So . . . they are . . . robots?¡±


    ¡°I guess you could say that. Though their programming is far complex to what we thought, previously, though considering their technological capabilities, I would say hindsight helped . . . open our vision of their limits.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but, you guys still have n-¡±


    ¡°Anyhow, I believe if you outfit yourself back into that suit we gave you, the frogs will probably not gore your skin, and cause any . . . terminal symptoms, to occur,¡± said Pearl, as Victoria¡¯s face suddenly drooped into a similarly upset position as she was, when she was with a previous member of the institution, likely due to either their immense ignorance to Victoria¡¯s limited knowledge, or their intentional design to prevent more comprehension from falling into the hands of a new stranger, who may have been a member of the opposition, masquerading as a confused newcomer. Despite either option, however, Victoria was far more annoyed at the required chore to be completed, rather than the possibility of animosity from the seemingly friendly allusions to her favorite pieces. ¡°Hey, Victoria!¡± yelled out Pearl, just as Victoria would leave from her room.


    ¡°What is it?¡± sighed Victoria; exasperated from the dreamlike world of art.


    ¡°I have . . .¡± she said, as she was searching in one of her many decorated drawers for an item, likely to be given to Victoria, and equally as likely to be the aid for Victoria¡¯s minor quest. ¡°Aha! I have this for you!¡± Upon first examination, it appeared to be a functional wooden watch, which, oddly, managed to fit upon Victoria¡¯s arm. However, it was obvious from the second observation, that, it was very different from any other watch; at least, found on her own planet. It supported two tiny clocks on the top, moving at a different speed than that of the main face. The bezels of the watches supported ornate frames, which seemed tailored for this world¡¯s artistic touch, over utilitarian design, and the crystals of the glasses were stained with saturated colors. And, despite its condition as a carved item, it was pristine in shape; smooth and even on Pearl¡¯s fingers. On top of the interesting additions upon the watch, there also happened to be two hexagonal slots, parallel to the secondary clocks, being completely vacant of accessories; Victoria thought they were only there for aesthetic purposes, though she would soon be refuted by the giver of this particular gift.


    ¡°Okay . . . so . . . I have a lot of questions,¡± said Victoria.


    ¡°Go ahead; not like I have anything better to do, right now,¡± reassured Pearl.


    ¡°So, firstly, where did you get . . . this thingy?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you think this is an artifact, or something? Victoria, this is mass produced for the populace; most households have this sort of watch . . . minus the extra faces, of course. Maybe a little bit less . . . extravagant, and perhaps not in mint condition, either, but it¡¯s basically the same.¡±


    ¡°Okay, and also, like, what¡¯s up with the extra faces, anyways?¡±


    ¡°Well . . . that¡¯s for you to find out, silly! It¡¯s a bit too complicated to explain, right now. Just know that they have to do with dreams. Real . . . weird dreams . . . of another universe.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Like . . . y¡¯know? A world with their devices, everywhere! And us . . . relegated to little prisons in what are basically mausoleums. At least the people there seem to worship us. You know . . . they look an awful lot like you. Perhaps, except the hot pink hair . . . though I could¡¯ve sworn in one of my dreams . . . there were a few curious people with reddish hair, too.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about . . . Ceres?¡±


    ¡°Ceres? Like the ruler of-¡±


    ¡°Ruler? The only Ceres I know of are the planet, the ancient goddess, and the painting.¡±


    ¡°What? If there was a planet named after that stuffy lady, I would¡¯ve found out the day it was discovered. As for goddess? Her? Really?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was sleeping there, before I was magically transported here, after falling asleep.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± simply uttered Pearl, ¡°That¡¯s . . . a tall tale, if I¡¯ve ever heard of one. A planet named after her, of all people, that you were ¡®magically¡¯ teleported here, or whatever, and . . . and . . . wait . . . what were we talking about before this tangent?¡±


    ¡°Uh . . . the watch.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right! So, I guess . . . if you really believe, that, you came from this mystical place that no one has ever heard of, then, I guess it might be useful for telling time, there.¡±


    ¡°Uh . . . we have digital clocks already embedded into our phones.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s . . . a phone?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like a small, transportable computer that can perform a myriad of tasks.¡±


    ¡°Well, Victoria, that¡¯s literally what our watch does! Well, except for the fact that it¡¯s a small computer, unless you really want to think of it, like that.¡±


    ¡°So . . . how do you work it?¡±


    ¡°Simple, really. Place one of these fuel minerals into the slots,¡± instructed Pearl, holding a small, teal jewel, glowing with power, as two were slotted individually into both slots of the clock, though after placement, never appeared to have changed.


    ¡°Uh . . . is something supposed to happen?¡±


    ¡°Well, check out the back of this watch,¡± said Pearl, handing the watch to Victoria, as she cupped it into her hands. The decorated watch felt sleek yet primeval in nature. Turning the accessory on its front, Victoria saw a hatch, opening to the insides of its mechanisms, and on top, a caramel button with a peculiar hole, unlike the rest of the object¡¯s colored surface.


    ¡°Go on. Press it,¡± requested Pearl, and upon activation, a crank popped out to the side of the watch, and another came out from the other side. ¡°When you crank it, the watch will start melting the crystals, and inside the watch, the combination of the minerals¡¯ composition will create a blend of new energy, discharged from the hole in its backside.


    ¡°Oh, okay. I understand.¡± I do not understand.


    ¡°Y¡¯know, these minerals aren¡¯t natural. Only recently, were we able to synthesize the crystals through breaking down the natural jewels we used to place into the slots. Of course, the watch didn¡¯t double as a time counting device, at the start of its history, either. It used to be an amulet . . . only worn by kings and queens of the distant past. And . . . not so distant present.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing monarchies are still prevalent.¡±


    ¡°Yes . . . especially that . . . uncouth ¡®queen¡¯ of Glacondia . . . that just so, coincidentally, happens to be the name of that dream world you call home.¡± Huh . . . the queen of Glacondia . . . that¡¯s odd . . .


    ¡°Well, then . . . Pearl, thanks for this watch, and, uh, yeah. Goodbye!¡±


    ¡°Farewell, then, Victoria. Good luck on your errand!¡± wished Pearl, as Victoria slowly stepped out of the steaming room, out into the steaming hallway.


    After waving before departing Pearl¡¯s domain, Victoria continued to stumble through the melted layout, before climbing down a bamboo pole; in freefall as though weightless, as segments prodded her brittle hands and pressure built from below, before suddenly landing gracefully upon the humid grass covered with shiny dewdrops. Brushing off the coats of dusted paint that coated her dark sweatpants, she arose from the now abraded field of fresh, viscous color, and attempted to dredge through the landscape of endless mud. Just as Victoria was settling within the familiar, and constant scenery, however, the watch began to shake violently; a signal for her that, despite the unassuming, rustic appearance, that it held more modern usage than first observed. Cranking one of the wind-up keys, a spot upon the back of her hand felt oddly warm, and soon, she saw the reason why, for the mineral was steaming, and slowly melting into a liquid form, before vaporizing into the air; seafoam green smoke floating into the hazy sky, far above, as it was consumed by the static of the atmosphere. Victoria believed nothing had occurred, but, just as quickly, the two subordinate clocks flickered wildly, and before long, they held a stable light, and eventually, the lights combined to form an image. A moving image of Pearl, and noise would soon be emitted from her limb¡¯s end.


    ¡°P-pearl? Is that you?¡± said Victoria, in an incredulous tone.


    ¡°Yes! Thank goodness it worked; it¡¯s been in there for quite a while . . . well, it¡¯s nice that it is working, so while it is, let me accompany you on your . . . little . . . test.¡±


    ¡°Test? I thought it was just a random chore you guys sent me to do.¡±


    ¡°Well . . . it¡¯s a little bit of both. Anyhow, I don¡¯t think he told you where to go to find the frogs, but . . . they should be in our enclosure that we built for them.¡±


    ¡°Then, where to?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s head to your right. Also, where¡¯s your protective suit? Remember, the frogs are very poisonous, and are quite good at their job of deterring . . . potential predators, like you and I!¡± said Pearl, with a smug expression on her face upon the lagging, blue screen, of which Victoria easily read, as she struggled to stave off a short burst of laughter.


    ¡°Uh . . . what¡¯s so funny? Just wondering . . . cause, like, I could die!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you came from that dream land, or whatever you said?¡±


    ¡°Yeah . . . but, like, y¡¯know, I could, and let me emphasize that, real quick, in case it wasn¡¯t going through your carefully sculpted, thickly layered skull. I could, very, much feel the pain of choking on the air while I was on your guys¡¯ little operating table.¡±


    ¡°Well . . . even if you do die, you¡¯ll return back to your world! And if you can interact with our society, with, such, incredibly simple methods, then I¡¯ll bet I could interact with you in your land . . . if you come to my painting in the museum, of course.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it in . . . the Netherlands? Wait, sorry, I shouldn¡¯t be asking you, that . . . you don¡¯t even know what that is.¡±


    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s in the Netherlands, then you should simply visit there! It shouldn¡¯t be that far of a trip, I must say, considering what we do, on a near weekly basis.¡±


    ¡°Okay, woah. Slow down; that¡¯s a lot to unpack, there. Firstly, it is literally a planet away from us, on another planet that is, quite literally, on the opposite side of the sun . . . wait, sorry, that¡¯s the name for our star. But you get what I mean, don¡¯t you? You are, quite literally, a scientist, after all?¡±


    ¡°Y-you . . . you know, what? I think we are being a bit sidetracked; let¡¯s rendezvous back to our headquarters to outfit you back into the protective gearing,¡± said Pearl, clearly sidestepping Victoria¡¯s believed to be prominent question, though not surprising, to Victoria¡¯s lens of suspicion towards the strangers, of which similarly share a sentiment like hers, it appeared.


    Either way, for the two of them, Victoria would soon reunite, in person, with Pearl, as she hypothesized the possibility of death within this world may lead to nightmares, instead, and she quite preferred the former¡¯s approach of passing the night. On top of this, however, was the possibility, that, this was indeed a new world, accessible to those, when they dream, but it seemed rather unlikely, in Victoria¡¯s point of view, if not purely an unfeasible thought, though the detailed regions of this place, environed with ornate additions, seemed to be a counterpoint to Victoria¡¯s notion, with the unique technologies and inventions, as well as a possible threat, it seemed that this universe was a mixture of warped dreams and bent reality, but in Victoria¡¯s opinion, more time was needed to investigate the scene. Climbing upon the wild pole of the facility, Victoria struggled to climb, as Pearl¡¯s muffled giggles accidentally seemed to come out, but eventually, Pearl¡¯s location changed upon the hologram, and soon, it wasn¡¯t the only place Victoria could spot her.


    ¡°Hey! Victoria!¡± assisted Pearl, as she showed Victoria a handy lever next to the doorway, ¡°Look what happens when I pull this!¡± As she pulls it, a miraculous event occurred; a luscious staircase unfolded from the bottom of the balcony entrance, slowly growing and twisting upon the yew tree that made up the foundation of the building, until it eventually reached the bottom, with a defiant squish of the muddied floor. Needless to say, Victoria¡¯s progress from the door, rapidly decreased in accelerated fashion, before similarly increasing up, until she reached the finale of her short-lived quest; arriving back within the walls of the drowsing heat.


    ¡°So . . .¡± began Victoria, as they were both walking, ¡°Where exactly is my suit? You never exactly told me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just down this hall, to the left, then to the right, then take a stairwell up, then turn around and walk left, then enter the middle door.¡±


    ¡°Wait . . . what?¡±


    ¡°When we get there, we¡¯ll get there,¡± reassured Pearl, as they walked forth into the atmospheric construction of the wooden superstructure. Victoria continued to marvel upon the decorated halls; each filled with memorabilia of some of her personal, favorite pieces of art, all of which were mostly made of inks and paints, though some were sculpted into the third dimension, though all of which possessed one singular oddity with their design: their central focus was missing. With each one, Victoria wondered where the humanity in the paintings had gone, and, for that matter, the life, as well, though, using her quick brainpower, soon understood the location of the absent subjects, for one was next to her, of the current.


    ¡°Hey . . . Pearl?¡± asked Victoria.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Why do you guys, like, even need the frog¡¯s . . . parts?¡±


    ¡°Well . . . we need certain, special chemi-¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I got that, already, but why? Why can¡¯t you, and the others, synthesize the chemicals, instead of committing horrible things on frogs.¡±


    ¡°Well . . . they are, indeed, frogs . . .¡±


    ¡°And what? That gives you the abi-¡±


    ¡°Look, Victoria, I am not like the others. Well, by the ¡®others¡¯, I mean the regular folk of our planet. Me, Dante, Bartholomew; we are all the same in some way, but the normal artisans? They are . . . anything, but us. I do, somewhat care about their safety; they¡¯re sapient beings of art, similar to us, but . . . they aren¡¯t really, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°Can . . . you elaborate?¡±


    ¡°Sure . . . so, basically, I simply believe, that, we are just . . . of a higher level of power over them, is all. I don¡¯t mean this as in . . . we¡¯re superior to them morally or physically . . . or intellectually, you¡¯ve seen that first hand, no?¡± asked Pearl to Victoria, with responses of slight laughter. ¡°But, you must understand that we have powers they do not have, such as our passive ability to transcend time, itself.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, by that?¡±


    ¡°Basically . . . we¡¯re immortal, and . . . they aren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Are you . . . a god?¡±


    ¡°Nope. The only thing divine about our existence is that death by age is an impossibility. We can die from all the other forms of blight and tearing, and we do not have any . . . you could say, magical abilities, at least of what you believe to constitute, such.¡±


    ¡°So . . . from what I can glean, from, of course, what you said, is that basically you and the others are normal, except for the fact that you all happen to be immortal, as a bonus, right?¡±


    ¡°Correct? So-¡±


    ¡°Okay, so, just because, say, that your lifespan is possibly infinite in a passive environment, that makes you . . . better, than them? Cause, that¡¯s what I am hearing, and that¡¯s . . . kinda weird, to be honest, with you.¡±


    ¡°Well, okay, to be fair, they are technically immortal, as well, though their age is determined by factors . . . beyond our current knowledge, as of current.¡±


    ¡°So, then . . . why do you harbor such beliefs? This seems like it¡¯s a bit of a, like, systemic issue, no?


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s other things, too. For example, we do not have parents, nor can we bear offspring, of any sort.¡±


    ¡°So . . . you just popped into this world, on a random day?¡±


    ¡°Maybe . . .¡± confusedly murmured Pearl, clearly lost within her own thought of retraining her own conception. ¡°I do remember, that, I was born . . . no, that is the wrong word . . . created in . . . the seventeenth century.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s, like, a really long time, ago.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say.¡±


    ¡°Well, like, you know what I mean. It¡¯s a really, inconceivable amount of time. Also, if you were born in the seventeenth century, then . . . never mind, let¡¯s head to the location of my armor, or whatever,¡± said Victoria, with Pearl smiling, as they walked up the stairs foreshadowed by Pearl, a few moments ago. As Pearl kept on blabbering about the intricacies of this place, Victoria began to theorize. If this Pearl person . . . was ¡®created¡¯ in the seventeenth century . . . then, that matches up with . . . the creation of the painting . . . of ¡®her¡¯? What year was it in . . . can¡¯t recall, god, even in my field of expertise, I fail to remember . . . it¡¯s at least . . . a couple of centuries ago, . . . seventeenth century . . . yeah, it¡¯s like . . . a millennium, ago . . . that¡¯s a long time . . . to live for . . . how can someone, live like this . . . for . . . so long?


    ¡°Hey, Victoria,¡± prodded Pearl, waving her arms in a diminutive manner, as Victoria was lost within the depth of her thoughts, though soon enough, she would snap out of her numerous trances, back within the reality that is most certainly unbefitting of such a title.


    ¡°Oh . . . yes! I am here.¡±


    ¡°I had a feeling you weren¡¯t listening to what I was saying, a couple of seconds ago, but, whatever. And, yes! We are indeed here; it¡¯s where we stored your suit! Want to take a closer look before you put it on?¡±


    ¡°Sure . . .¡± droned Victoria, staring at the oxidized helmet that resembled that of a blend between a diving helmet and an astronaut¡¯s helmet, though it didn¡¯t fully resemble either. The armor was a faded, canary yellow, and despite its description by her new acquaintances as a protective garb, the suit was very obviously tattered on the arm assemblies, and the helmut¡¯s tempered glass had a visible crack forming on the edge of it and the plastic material that seemed to make up the main body of the suit. Eyeing the unfashionable, welded armor gave Victoria an insight into the inner workings of this society, even amongst the powerful, which gave a grim sight of this world¡¯s trajectory, indeed, however, it would not be as harrowing as the experience she would soon endure, before being able to equip on the suit.


    ¡°Wait,¡± announced Victoria to Pearl, as the air began to feel more viscous, similar to before. ¡°Something . . . weird¡¯s happening, again!¡±


    ¡°What are your symptoms, Victoria? Do you feel like the air is getting thicker? Do your joints feel stiff . . . perhaps, like it¡¯s gunked up?¡±


    ¡°Yes . . . it¡¯s, like, it¡¯s, like . . . last time!¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose, then, it¡¯s better than never, to tell you what the final face does on your watch.¡±


    ¡°W-well,¡± stuttered Victoria, as though her larynx became hardened like pressurized ore in her planet¡¯s mantle. ¡°W-w-what . . . does it do?¡±


    ¡°You see . . . the final face is supposed to be able to feel the concentration of nanobots through measuring the static surging within your body! The choice of a clock is more for . . . cohesiveness, than anything. We¡¯ll have to supply you with more of that mixture that your body seems to receive well . . .¡±


    ¡°W-w . . .¡±


    ¡°Do me a favor . . . please be silent, for your own sake. Anyways . . .¡± Victoria stumbles over the empty nothing that surrounds her, falling face first into the creaky, hot floor of the building. The suit looked longingly down at her, in a superior position now, though, despite the location of her vision, she could still see Pearl¡¯s hand visibly jamming a teal crystal into the antique mechanism, before smoke billowed forth from her wrist. ¡°Dante!¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, Pearl?¡± squeaked Dante, clearly surprised by the sudden appearance of Pearl, and the graveness that had stricken her voice, once more, that Victoria had once heard, when they were outside.


    ¡°Dante . . . come over to Hallway 001, right away. Victoria¡¯s supply of her air has run out, once more, so come over! And, please make it quick! It could be terminal, this time.¡±


    ¡°Will we design a new ta-¡±


    ¡°No questions; just come over!¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± sighed Dante, clearly disappointed in the rejection of his ideas, which seemed to not have been the first occurrence of his unfortunate streak, though Victoria¡¯s mind clouded, and eventually, as the world seemed to slow, and his vision became warped and tenebrous, and, before long, her sight froze at a final frame of the medical consultant staring into her, in the seeming motion of shaking her, at a concerning rate, though all suggestion of such a thing had been removed, when the termination of animation of her form had happened.


    Everything transitioned into darkness, before once again moving to a lighter tone, and eventually reaching its destination of the pure glow of whiteness. Then, she returned back into a world of time; where it was nighttime, and where she could feel the entanglement of her sheets warming her colorless skin, though the hues returned to her, with eternity to be evitable, of her current rendition of a still-life of actual reality. She looked over to her mobile phone, and picked it up with a swift, yet frantic motion, her hands shuttering, as she took a deep breath of the fresh air that seeped from her window. No longer withering from the lack of air, she took a second glance at her wrist, and from there, she had found a miraculous discovery. The arcane machine; the watch, was still intently attached to her wrists, and had its flimsy cranks popped out, as though ready for action, which was, perhaps, rather ironic, considering the situation passed, only a few minutes, ago, though she suspected it would be of little use, here, considering the lunatic idea of such an invention, and the redundancy of its seeming existence, especially, when, the other machine held in her hands held much greater esteem amongst the general population of her planet, and possibly the entire solar system, and high function, at least to her knowledge.  A doom before reverie, she began to detach it from her hands, and as she opened her phone, she saw the numerous messages; sent by Lucas to her. Shit.

 Chapter 21: Sleepwalkers

    Awakening from the tormented slate that had cursed her, yesterday, Victoria realized rather suddenly that she had boarded the station of transportation that had driven her home, rather than her usual entrance upon her familiar train, of which had, likely, already arrived at the customarily typical time. Fretting over her major predicament, scouring for the keys to escape, she soon came upon the conclusion that she unfortunately was trapped within the bus¡¯s confines. Luckily for her goals, however, it appeared that she had, at the very least, taken the vehicle towards her destination, rather than the opposite direction, that she had first believed to have taken, before awakening from her deep mental fog of the daybreak. As her cognitive functions began to return, she sought to understand the relic, or rather, ¡®modern¡¯ invention that had been given to her; from a fictitious reality to her strifeful one. In a similar vein, she pondered the happenings of last week, and wondered, too, upon the reality of their existence.


    No . . . all of that . . . certainly did happen. After all, if it didn¡¯t . . . then how could I have completed this extra credit assignment? That . . . all certainly did happen. With James . . . Ariannah . . . Raina . . . Lucas . . . wait . . . oh, right! Lucas . . . after I responded to him after waking up from . . . ugh, I forgot to check if he responded or not . . . he probably did, considering his mindset, which is not . . . ideal. He¡¯s going to be back, isn¡¯t he? Well, he did apologize, so, there¡¯s that. Hopefully the hostility has worn off . . . after these few days. At least he won¡¯t be back . . . wonder how Raina¡¯s friend and Amalya¡¯s families are holding up . . . can¡¯t imagine the pain they¡¯re going through . . . or maybe, I can? No . . . that¡¯s just the selfish side of me, speaking . . . why did I bring the corpse here, anyway? I¡¯m not seeing him until tomorrow. Um . . . let¡¯s look on the bright side of things . . . no Doomsday Prep, this week . . . one less class with those teachers, though, I suppose walking there might be more cumbersome than if I were already, there. It feels like I¡¯m just a sleepwalker; sleepwalking past life . . . but, then, who are the ones who are awake?


    Dwelling on the nature and woven patterns of her life, she had become, once more, lost within her own thoughts, as the bus drove past the familiar landscape of her city of birth, or, more accurately, the streets and neighborhoods of her birth, all of which were located within the perimeters of Onaxago. The second largest city, stationed within the confines of Almascitisa, Onaxago was a majorly industrialized area that consisted of the groundworks of numerous generations that spanned a many millennium, before reaching the technological prestige it is often associated with its contemporaries. According to Victoria¡¯s limited and fading memory of the events in her elementary history class, it began, like other civilizations on Ceres, on 1 ACE, or the first year after common era. It is said that their ancestors had seeded the imprints of life upon each terrestrial body of the solar system, before it departed beyond the reaches of the Oort. Before the process had begun, however, the planets and other minor bodies of the system likely had modifications done to their surfaces and other features, to create a more suitable environment for human fertilization and colonization. Due to its nature as an elementary course, however, Victoria believed that it likely missed the nuances and details of the foreign time, especially within such a deep, unobtainable past between them.


    After much tribulation and searching within the furthest reaches of her brain, Victoria has shockingly arrived to school, though with seconds to spare, before the noisy bells began to signal the students to their designated rooms of education, though it would only be the most studious to arrive on the bell¡¯s exact chime. A position that she would not bother to even make an effort towards. Unshockingly, however, it seems that misfortune would prey upon the weakest and most pitiful ones, and its ravenous eyes looked greedily on Victoria as a main target; yet, it would stalk, before its quiet pounce. She had been nervous of approaching her Computer Science room, though, clearly, a sullen mood had befallen the cables and wires that entrapped the room in an unforgettable atmosphere. The only point of interest that struck out upon Victoria was the ceremony, beginning with the commemoration of Amalya, with a solemn silence from Sebastian, and a wishful, secular prayer towards James¡¯ safety in his journey towards recovery. Shouldn¡¯t have pulled it out, then. The rest of the class was followed by a similar trial of events; the riveting clacking on keyboards and motionful strokes of the computer mouse, as well as the occasional cold glance from Audrey.


    Despite the mundanity of the circumstances of the day before her second class, the events of which followed would be of a much different story, mostly due to the change in Victoria¡¯s schedule. This mainly consisted of the replacement of two classes in separate times of the day with new classes, which unfortunately meant the search for the new room was upon her, once more. It seemed, that, auspiciously for her, the next class she would take, after Computer Science, was found within the same chambers in the Peace Building as her Advisory class, which had mostly consisted of frivolous espousing of information and discussions of shared interests with Anterior, who, surprisingly, despite her actions in the previous chapter of their school year, had not been suspended for this week, unlike Ariannah. Coincidentally, they would share such upcoming class, together, and, furthermore, it was also doubly opportune that teacher teaching their class would be none other than Mr. Leo, the seemingly ancient figure within the leagues of Ms. Cwena, who doubled as one of the primary philosophy teachers, as well as his role as a dream teacher. In spite of the pseudoscience background of Dream Class, it seemed that, not only was it supported with other, more scientific facets, but its title was rather deceiving, as well, as it included unimportant bits to Victoria, such as the psychology bits, as read from the syllabus she had received the week, earlier, and the more tantalizing sections, such as the units based on socialization.


    As she walked past the perfumed shawls that hung forebodingly above the silky doorway, she saw familiar faces and sights, though they brought vividly original installations along with their entrance into the understandings of Victoria. Octagonal, hazel tables that replaced the rectangular constructions, of which has become lined upon a discrete corner of the hauntingly still room, with smoke, from new, enigmatic teacups, filled with a dark substance, shooting forth into its impossibly high ceilings and sprawling designs that appeared to have been created by incorporeal floorwork. Despite the major yet minor passages of time that had occurred since Victoria laid her eyes upon such grandeur decorum that dressed the room in a faint, notable scent, it was apparent that a majority of the population of the class, mostly made up of the younger grades and years, had never been to the Peace Building for a class, much less visiting it for pure enjoyment, as it was lacking in functionality, greatly. If it wasn¡¯t for my Advisory, I think I¡¯d likely be in a similar situation . . . And yet, the room had life breathed in, in more ways than one, with the presence of both the professor and other, more experienced navigators of the halls. Anterior likely had a class nearby, for she was already seated on one of the geometric stools that followed their larger counterparts, and her eyes were wide open; her constitution of the fumes likely stronger than Victoria¡¯s, whose eyes were thin slits amongst the sea of brine that had formed suddenly. Alongside her, was the older interpreter and the deaf child, who were seated in a further corner of the room, though his description as a child was rather unapt, considering it was his final year at this school. Sitting down on a nearby side of the table, she met her blurry vision to Anterior¡¯s focus, and engaged in a decently particular conversation.


    ¡°Hey, Anterior,¡± attempted Victoria, covering her face with hands before unsubtly readjusting her unruly hair, which she did not have a time for, namely due to her poor scheduling and mistakes, such as the one of the transport, earlier today.


    ¡°Hey, Victoria! How¡¯s your weekend?¡±


    ¡°Uh . . . fine. I guess. How about, uh, you?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, about the same . . . the only really notable thing was an altercation between me and my dad.¡±


    ¡°Mmm. Something similar happened between me and my mother, and, uh, I think I handled it pretty well, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°You know the usual; she screams a bit at me, then I scream a bit back. It¡¯s basically a routine we follow at this point. And, um, sometimes I scream at her first. That¡¯s basically the only notable difference between most of our fights.¡±


    ¡°Does it ever . . . get physical? Like she hits you, and you smack her in the face, or something?¡±


    ¡°She stopped doing that when I became around her height; she¡¯s just, uh, like that, you know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, definitely! My parents used to be sometimes . . . difficult, to manage. Has your dad done anything, recently?¡±


    ¡°Um,¡± nervously said Victoria, as even though she had already known the state of Anterior¡¯s parent¡¯s marriage, she had never had the courage to stage her own, though with the drowsy nature of her current decisions, and the mellifluous tones of her voice that Victoria enjoyed listening to, it was likely to spill out, if not for the class beginning, and the noting of a plethora of new classmates, dotted around the room, and, specifically, one particular iconoclast to Victoria¡¯s ideals; Mia. who was seated on the perpendicular to Anterior¡¯s, yet on the side of Victoria, nonetheless. Learned that from Geometry! As Victoria saw Mr. Leo rising from his lounging chair, it appeared he was much taller than he first seemed, likely due to the hunching of his back to an excessive degree. Despite the smooth transition from the passing period to his class, however, his minor movements were shaky and brittle, as though he was near collapse, at all times.


    Opening his full lips, he began to speak, ¡°Welcome, welcome, everyone . . . to Dream I!¡± With a minor pause, as though he was awaiting applause of some form. ¡°I am your teacher, Mr. Leo, though I think some of you might already know me from the other courses I teach,¡± he winked, directed in the general direction of Ren, who was shuffling in her seat, as though it were covered in tacks and nails. ¡°If you¡¯ve taken the likes of classes or those in the same field such as stuff like, say, Psychology or Astronomy, you¡¯ll likely hear about me, from your fellow students, and perhaps, even be taught with me!¡± he chuckled with a giddy twinkle to his image. ¡°Anyhow, about this course. If you weren¡¯t aware, there was a syllabus posted last week, which goes over the general stuff about what we¡¯re going over this semester, next semester, and my general grading policy. Please take it and get your parents to sign it by this Friday, and if you¡¯ve gotten it signed already, you may give it to me at any time during class. Of course, I doubt many of you have-¡±


    Almost appearing to be telepathic, Mia began to finish his train of thought in a most awful manner; obnoxious to a fault, announcing to the whole class, ¡°Well, I¡¯ve turned it in! Can¡¯t we just get to the, uh, highlights?¡±


    ¡°Well, Mia, of course you have,¡± he unexpectedly responded to, in an eerily similar fashion that mirrored Mia¡¯s; that of plain happiness, which was odd, considering Mia¡¯s recent loss in a relative, though he hadn¡¯t quite stepped past the somber state of moribund, which would likely cause greater suffering within her mind; to have oneself trapped in a form not yours; both in body and mind. Sorta like sleepwalking. Figures. I wonder how she¡¯s been holding up . . . wonder if she¡¯s deluding herself on his heinous actions . . . to witness a friendship fall apart, like that, too . . . wonder what she thinks of me, considering I¡¯m cozying up to an ex-friend of hers . . . actually, I wonder if she¡¯s even here, today, come to think of it. ¡°Anyways, without further ado, let¡¯s introduce ourselves . . . through some basic tea! I¡¯ve been brewing them since the last period in preparation for this. They have quite powerful odors, and I¡¯ve picked quite the variety of leaves and other herbs and foliage to wither and dry; and this is perhaps one of the final weeks before major tea productions become a bit . . . more slow; rather irritating, yes? Anyhow, it is said that scents can trigger deep emotions hidden within you, and possibly more. I must warn you, however; the tea is not to be drunk. I don¡¯t want your mouths touching my porcelain wares; I also doubt many of you would appreciate the bitter flavors that they contain. Got that?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± everyone hollowly replied, as though zombified into silence with Mr. Leo¡¯s calm, and authoritative voice, even with the occasional hiccups in his speech.


    ¡°Good, good. I¡¯ll be passing them out now; beware the heat.¡± He strolled in a manner of a careful hush, being stuck in a constant style of a reserved ostentation; confidence exuding every step, despite his unassuming demeanor. Pacing nonchalantly around the decorated enclosure, the talkative students, namely, Ren, began to chirp like a flailing bird with an unscrewed head, towards peers that would prefer to be left to their own devices, though Victoria didn¡¯t mind, at least, until her nerves were struck.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Hey, girl!¡± attempted Ren, trying to catch Victoria¡¯s loose attention, split on Anterior, her, and the newly placed, aromatic cup that had been placed in front of her; disrupting airflow with a noxious, yet attractive steam. However, it seemed, whether intentional or not, Anterior noticed, and engaged with Ren in a most abhorred expression on her face, as though pitying Ren.


    ¡°Hey, uh, Ren! What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know, not much. How¡¯s your life been? Has it been alive since the last time we¡¯ve seen?¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± blanked Ren, clearly made uncomfortable or dumbfounded by the astonishingly strange question proposed by Ren, ¡°What do you mean by that? My life¡¯s been great, if you are asking me, that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, no. I was just wondering . . . if karma had caught up to you. Cause, y¡¯know, everything has some amount of moral weight to it. At least, I think it does!¡±


    ¡°Karma . . . has, what? I haven¡¯t really been doing anything wrong . . .¡± said Ren, as she sighed loudly, before its transformation into a curious yawn.


    ¡°Well, your spirit . . . oh, wait, sorry, loomkeep . . . your birth loomkeep was behind you, after your act of shedding blood!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what astrology pseudoscience you¡¯re trying to sell to me, right now, Ren.¡±


    ¡°Remember the thing?¡±


    ¡°What thing?¡±


    ¡°That was standing behind you! I thought it was rather disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Going to disengage now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on, Anterior. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know about the skeletons in your closet . . . both figuratively, and literally . . . I mean, I can¡¯t be the only one who''s seen it, right?¡±


    ¡°Okay . . . look, Ren, I don¡¯t know what your deal is, but can you please leave me, alone. Please, and thank you.¡± The silence between them lasted for a full ten seconds, before restarting, once more.


    ¡°Anyways, y¡¯know . . . my dad¡¯s quite well connected with your family, didn¡¯t y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°Okay, what? That¡¯s . . . just factually wrong? I¡¯ve never heard one peep about you . . . My,¡± she said, as she gulped down a volley of tears through her sinuses, ¡°¡®Father¡¯, as he likes me to call him . . . I know what type of person he is . . . he¡¯s always quiet around his new ¡®family¡¯, but can¡¯t keep his damn mouth shut when talking with me. Not once has he mentioned you! Can you and your jolly gang of obnoxious freaks go bother someone else!¡± Anterior was now in tears, with saline droplets frothing from the edges of her eyelids, and despite her lack of interest in approaching Ren after her traumatic event, it was a needed sacrifice for Victoria to confront Ren about her unrespectful nature towards her new friend. Maybe she¡¯ll appreciate this . . . have to try . . . what¡¯s up with her, anyways? Ren¡¯s always . . . off. I wonder if being the oldest and having to deal with the likes of Audrey and James had fried her brain a little . . .


    ¡°Hey, Ren,¡± Victoria calmly explained, ¡°My friend, here, doesn¡¯t enjoy you taunting her. I understand that may not be your intention, but, uh, I feel as though you¡¯ve overstepped your boundaries a bit.¡±


    ¡°Overstepped boundaries,¡± repeated Ren, before humming as though contemplating what next to say, as smoke poured from their cups into the surrounding air, of which was similarly coated in a distinct powdered scent. ¡°I¡¯d you say you might have when you attacked him, like that.¡± Really brought this up . . .


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m usually a bringer of slight unfortunately news, but who attacked Amal-¡±


    ¡°Oh, no! Not James. I saw you were talking to this other guy next to James, and then he ran afterw-¡±


    ¡°You mean Sebastian?¡±


    ¡°The running, vaguely whiskered one?¡± What¡¯s with these descriptors . . . I guess I did call Raina various marsupials . . .


    ¡°Yes. That one. Anyways, uh . . . did you see who he was running away from?¡±


    ¡°Well, he kinda went away from where you were, and then you were chasing him, or something.¡±


    ¡°No . . . I was running from Ja-¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, my brother. Yeah, he¡¯s a bit wacky, sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± A bit wacky . . . are you kidding me . . . she really has a death wish, or something. ¡°Hey, look; I didn¡¯t really like him attacking us while wielding his little firearm.¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯know . . . dad gave him that for his . . . I think it was his ninth birthday?¡± So it is the same . . . can¡¯t believe . . . ¡°Anyways, why do you care? I don¡¯t think he hurt you? He only got hurt cause he maimed a couple of dummi-¡±


    ¡°Are you really about to sit here and call Amalya a dummy?¡±


    ¡°I mean, of course! Why did she run towards him if he was having one of his wacky moments?¡±


    ¡°Can you please stop calling it a ¡®wacky¡¯ moment? It¡¯s anything but.¡±


    ¡°Sorry . . .¡± she stifled a gasp of air, as though she was preventing herself from laughing. ¡°It¡¯s just that . . . I think it¡¯s kinda adorable. Like . . . he¡¯s just so . . . mysterious, even though I know everything about him!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it was adorable for him to shoot someone in the face.¡±


    ¡°Oh, please! He hasn¡¯t ever done that to anyone else . . . I think.¡± The . . . irony . . . is actually infuriating.


    ¡°If you knew what I knew, I wouldn¡¯t think this is so funny!¡± said Victoria, raising her voice by a decent number of decibels.


    ¡°Well,¡± she said, clearly unaffected by Victoria¡¯s new volume, ¡°I don¡¯t. Gotta tell me your secrets, or I can¡¯t know them!¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Victoria said, attempting to keep her composure, as she shook with a purist form of rage, as Anterior sat silently, staring into the boiling goblet, as though she was sleepwalking, and had just seated herself upon the chair; face in hands, as Victoria¡¯s was. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have t-to tell my secrets . . . for you to understand that shooting, not one, but two people is a very bad thing to do! Where¡¯s the karma justice, or whatever you said to Anterior, there, huh?¡±


    ¡®Well, he is in the hospital. I think that¡¯s a pretty clear sign he¡¯s served his karma. What about you? You seem awfully upset, like your spirits got into yo-¡± Victoria stood up as Ren continued, mid-sentence, staring down her table, of which oddly only contained her as the sole resident of its seats.


    ¡°Excuse me, but what are you implying?¡±


    Unbothered, Ren stated ¡°Oh, y¡¯know, you¡¯ve done some bad deeds in the past?¡± Imagine saying that . . . that my friend dying and my parent¡¯s rudeness and ¡®punishments¡¯ are just . . . that my brother dying is just . . .


    ¡°Guess what! I don¡¯t think you heard me back in that bunker, Ren! I don¡¯t think you heard, anything, given your deluded thoughts on the events that happened, down in those depths! Y¡¯know what your brother did to mine. I¡¯m pretty sure he corroborated it. Maybe, my payback was finally granted to him, all at once! I hope he¡¯s punished for all of his wrongdoings, and I hope you and your family can take a hike!¡±


    ¡°What if . . . your family was related to ours, too?¡± proposed Ren, in another ridiculous experiment of thought, that was rather unneeded at the current moment of heat that both had felt within their cores.


    ¡°Ha. Haha. You are one strange person, Ren. Y¡¯know that? In fact, I don¡¯t know why you even started this. Just to mock us for what . . . he did to us? And what¡¯s with these tricks you¡¯re trying to employ? I don¡¯t get you, or how you peo-¡±


    ¡°Can you people shut the fuck up; do you know what you¡¯ve done to me and my family, you egocentric idiot!¡± suddenly ejaculated Mia, who, given her solemn yet fierce expression, had clearly premeditated intentions and was rather ready to strike at their faces, causing both Ren and Victoria to jump back in fright, though Ren quickly resumed her scheduled decisions. ¡°Do you know how entitled you have to be to think that your suffering is the most important? Guess, what? Your brother died however long ago! Maybe, you should move on, instead of moaning about how we ¡®disrespect¡¯ you! You know how hard our lives are? Maybe, you don¡¯t, because you are so deep into your own rectum to be unbothered by everything we¡¯ve gone through. James has told me . . . everything! Everything about you, on . . . what is essentially his deathbed!¡± said Mia, as she stood up with Victoria, nearly equal in stature, before Victoria rose down in the sudden explosion that was Mia¡¯s temper. ¡°How you¡¯ve bullied him. How you¡¯ve creepily watched his movements in the school. How you and lackeys made fun of him in unison. And how he doesn¡¯t want to come here, anymore, because of all the things that were done to him, here! And I¡¯ve seen, with my own eyes, how your ¡®supposed¡¯ friends act. Stabbing two people in the first week is . . . totally . . . justifiable in your decrepit eyes. How morally bankrupt do you have to be to . . . to . . . to do and say such things!¡± Then, in a whispered tone, ¡°You¡¯re lucky, that, I haven¡¯t reported you for hiding the bodies.¡± Despite her enmity towards Victoria and Anterior, however, it would be unceremoniously stopped by the sudden appearance of Mr. Leo, who slid towards them on his perennial sandals, of which was unbefitting of the coming climate in the following months.


    ¡°Hey, Mia,¡± calmly articulated Mr. Leo, as he smoothly descended upon their table as though an angelic form; created to shield Victoria from the harms she often inflicts upon herself. ¡°I know . . . what happened to your brother is hard, but that¡¯s no reason to take your anger out on Victoria, okay?¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°And, anyway, he isn¡¯t dead, yet. Don¡¯t mourn his loss without his absence, alright? Look at how Ren is doing,¡± he said, gesturing vaguely in Ren¡¯s direction, who was currently in the motions of drinking the tea that he distinctly said to avoid consuming, all with an oddly cheerful grin plastered over. ¡°We can only hope he makes it through this.¡± And I wouldn¡¯t really mind, either way.


    ¡°Yes, d-d-Mr. Leo,¡± gulped Mia, holding down the floodgates of violent streams of saline liquid emanating from her eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± he reassured, ¡°We can talk after class.¡±


    ¡°N-no . . . you don¡¯t have to.¡± Mia stopped her train of defiant speech, to stare pointedly at Victoria, as though looking at her believed, corrupted soul.


    ¡°It¡¯s really fine. I don¡¯t have to teach until . . . around the fifth period; or block A.¡± Why is he being so kind to her . . . of all people.


    ¡°P-please . . . I need some space, right now, d-dude.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine . . . call me if you need me, alright?¡±


    ¡°Whatever . . . sure,¡± said Mia, in a despondent tone, as she continuously look on at Victoria¡¯s general direction, while Mr. Leo backed off into the corner where his desk was comfortably situated; far from the needless drama that they had already developed, since the previous time their eyes had met. The guilt insidiously began to unload; and Victoria soon felt the emotions, that, were equally palpable in their tear excretion and snot production, to Mia¡¯s; an awe striking display. Anterior sat awkwardly amidst the dramatic showcase from both parties, unable to soothe either with her acquired registers, as the stale tea in the teacups sat, sullen and cooling. Despite seeming as though an eternity since Mr. Leo approached Mia, if it weren¡¯t for his sudden, though rather predicted announcement, his forgotten status would likely be sealed within Victoria¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Hey, everyone!¡± He resumed merrily with a slight charm, as his voice became, once again, much less emotionful and adenoidal than it usually was, though the continued rising of heat may have contributed to the slow thawing of such a distinctive, yet displeasing, way of speech, at least in Victoria¡¯s opinion. ¡°This class is about to end, so I¡¯d really appreciate it if you took the time to pour out the contents of the teacup, and place them neatly stacked in the middle of each table! Thanks, and see you on Poop Day, where we¡¯ll be looking at, ack, at how certain scents are received by the human brain, and how it may affect our moods! I hope you¡¯ll be looking forward to it, and that I wish for you the best of the rest of the day,¡± he stated, of which for the final sentence, even Victoria had a confused look within her smeared face.


    As Victoria looked at Mia¡¯s spot, she had already packed and was ready to head to her next class, which she told Victoria as her final remark to her, before the bell rang.


    ¡°Hope you¡¯re ready in Spanish. Cause I¡¯ve got some more things to say to you . . . Victoria.¡±

 Chapter 22: Return Of Slime

    Nimbly striding towards her destination, VIctoria had but moments to think about the altercation that had transpired between Anterior and Ren, though it was decently unrelated to the sudden outburst of Mia, even if tangentially related. With each bassy step she had took upon the clean concrete, she was a few seconds away from her next class, that being of Spanish I, of which she had dreaded; though, not for the obvious reason of the misanthropic acts that circulated the halls, of which spoke of the professor residing within having collects students¡¯ snot and other nasal secretions, to devour for his own perverse wants, but rather the threat that Mia had tacitly proposed to Victoria¡¯s face. In spite of the demurs in Victoria¡¯s mind of the next period being that of anything peaceful, it was of fortunate news that she would soon be meeting up with one of her new acquaintances; Raina, the one who had brought down her own friend. Mulling over such a hasty decision from her, Victoria¡¯s mind similarly began to brew thoughts of Raina¡¯s own odd behaviors that had landed her with such a bunch, and the quick betrayal that lay at both of their feet, not long after the deed was complete. Having a week long past since the incident, it was still of pertinent order within her mind, even far surpassing her likely unfriendly reunion with her ex-boyfriend.


    Entering the dingy room that was artificially shaded with curtains and excessive bookshelves, as though a plague of the gloom had overtaken and usurped the lights, of which never seemed to be on, Victoria found a laminated sheet of paper that appeared to describe the seating arrangement from the previous days. In a continuation of events, for the week, thus far, she was rather unhappy to discover that she was still seated near the vociferously minded Audrey, who, likewise to Mia, has an awfully loquacious nature that Victoria had found difficult to understand, though unlike Mia, Audrey had no obvious signs of rigor nor intelligent thoughts to bestow upon Victoria¡¯s vast knowledge. Well, that¡¯s what I like to think. Due to the circumstances, it was most blessed that it seemed to only be temporary, though it was a hapless situation, that, the person who had once sat behind them was gone, likely with permanence. The listing of names was rather misleading for the present, however, as the classroom was currently empty, with the defiant exception of someone who likely had the poorest of respiration after the events of Wednesday, as she sat behind Victoria¡¯s current accommodation, chewing on what appeared to be minty bolus of gum; lodged between her teeth. It was Raina. And she looks . . . recovered? At least the very least . . . less tired than me. After standing awkwardly for a few seconds, and watching as Raina chewed her fingent mint with the grace of a goblin shark, she looked away from her phone, screeching towards the hazel eyes of Victoria¡¯s, as though a reflection of her own, with the only difference being that her pairs were bloodshot, like exposed tendons.


    ¡°OMG! Victoria; bestie, how are you, like, chilling on this, like, totally fine day?¡± drawled Raina, with her distinct way of speech that was equal parts endearing, though seemed decently superficial, though, in this specific instance, it appeared she was restrained by a manner of something invisible that Victoria could not penetrate the meaning of; passing it off as a mere discrepancy.


    ¡°Um . . . uh, good! Yeah, sure. How about you?¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯know, ever since, like, that thing happened; y¡¯know what I¡¯m, like, talking about, right?¡± said Raina, preceding a nod of both acknowledgement and understanding from Victoria. ¡°So, like, after that very, like, unpreppy thing happened, if you know, you know, like, I¡¯ve been taking it very demure; very mindful.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s . . . it?¡±


    ¡°My life, y¡¯know. I really, like, gotta consider who I keep around as besties, you know? Like, yeah, even before that, James was giving me, like, a lot of, like, beige flags; like, it wasn¡¯t lowkey bad, but, it was, like, already giving me that ick, y¡¯know, bestie?¡±


    ¡°Sure . . . how was your stay at the hospital?¡± asked Victoria, a question that seemed to be substantiated with the slow stream of pictures from Raina¡¯s social media accounts that displayed her stay at the hospital, stretching over the entire weekend, including the extended portions.


    ¡°OMG, no, I didn¡¯t stay at the hospital. That place is, like, so drab and boring.¡±


    ¡°Um . . . then why did-¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just, like, posted them throughout the week, cause I took a lot of very preppy pics, in my opinion, while I was, like, staying there. I really only, like, stayed there for half a day, cause the doctors, like, just yapped a bit; said my symptoms kinda just disappeared, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°I see . . . how do you feel about Ja-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about that, like, total opp. If he has, like, any business talking with me, with his toxic attitude, then he can kiss my knuckles, cause, like, I¡¯m not letting him hurt my besties again.¡±


    ¡°Well . . . actually, I think I can just infer what you think, so never mind, I guess, but, um . . . what about Lucas?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°The dude who stabbed people with Anterior¡¯s stuff?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. Him. Well, I don¡¯t really, like, care about him. He¡¯s probably, like, in prison, like, foreve-¡±


    ¡°About that . . . he¡¯s actually . . . probably in my World Studies class . . .¡±


    ¡°Wait, like, really? Also, you take World Studies, too?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s AP World Studies.¡±


    ¡°Oh . . .  I see. Anyways, what¡¯s, like, your beef with him? Is he like a major opp, or only like a minor one?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Raina . . . I, uh, kinda don¡¯t know what an ¡®opp¡¯ is? Can you . . . explain?¡±


    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re basically, like, rivals, y¡¯know. Big meanies; your biggest enemies?¡±


    ¡°So . . . James is your opp?


    ¡°Yas. Thanks, girlie. Period. Do you have some sort of-¡±


    ¡°Can I explain my situation with Lucas, first?¡±


    ¡°Sure, bestie! Go for it.¡±


    ¡°So, basically, he used to be my boyfriend-¡±


    ¡°¡®Used to be¡¯. That¡¯s, like, totally a big red flag, in my books. I mean, like, who could possibly, like, hate you? You¡¯re, like, so cool and awesome and stuff. Y¡¯know?¡± If only you knew . . .


    ¡°Yeah, so long story short, he basically cheated on me, with Malaya.¡±


    ¡°Wh-¡±


    ¡°Malaya is the . . . how do I put this in a nice way? Um . . . she¡¯s the rotund one; the one who doesn¡¯t like Ariannah?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, her. Anyways, Ariannah is, personally, in my possible bestie list, after what she did to that toxic meanie, though she needs to, like, respect my boundaries. It wasn¡¯t cool of her, to, like, get aggressive at me over that, like, table. It was pretty, like, uncoquette, anyways. So, like, what¡¯s your beef with Malaya? Like, I know you just told me, like, why, but, like, why? If you don¡¯t want to tell me, I won¡¯t pry further.¡± But you already did.


    ¡°Oh, um, but I alre-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to, like, spill the tea, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°Sure. I won¡¯t spill the tea,¡± said Victoria, relieved to be given the rare largesse of the freedom from Raina¡¯s loquacious nature, even if only for a few seconds. Focusing in the silence; temporizing the solace, coming from events that sandwiched her, Victoria became aware of the newly occupied room that replaced the originally soundless room that had lied so still. Though, however, the quiet peace between the two wouldn¡¯t last, for its unexpectedly gradual removal was from that of the booming gremlin; now, oddly, churned to a sad congealment of somberness of the atmosphere, and a realization of wayward sonder from the one who had judged others¡¯ speeches for as long as terror emanated. Raina was subdued with sobbing, and only, then, did Victoria notice the clues that she had previously been unable to uncover. What . . . should I say?


    ¡°Uh . . . I¡¯m sorry for asking, but . . . I know a lot¡¯s . .  been going on, but . . . why are you crying?¡±


    ¡°B-because,¡± Raina mumbled, as though each uttered syllable was an insurmountable task that required the clear processing of her indignation towards the improper situation that she had found herself within; Victoria knew, all too well. ¡°W-well, like . . . um, it¡¯s because . . . of a friend . . . ¡°


    ¡°James?¡±


    ¡°No . . . not him, but . . . k-Kennedy.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± recalled Victoria, as her dried hands sank with a deepest blight of shame; shrinking to clasp an unknown entity that had crawled from the spry abyss that lied her hidden memories. She was so cold. ¡°Right.¡±


    Raina let escape a heavy sigh, with her face covered in red lashings, as though through an anguished maelstrom, and said ¡°Y-you . . . like, knew how long we were . . . knew each other for, right?¡± Her hands streaked of inks of cosmetics and makeup, as they flowed vicariously through Victoria¡¯s mind, and the air, as her regularly unusual histrionic behavior transformed into one of a rightful method; a dramatic expression. ¡°I¡¯ve . . . like, like, known her for . . . since elementary . . . like, bro. I c-c-can¡¯t talk to her anymore. Vic-ctoria . . . I¡¯m, like, telling you this b-because, like . . . well, I don¡¯t know, okay! But . . . you probably . . . have good ways . . . to deal with this, right?¡± That¡¯s a lot of descriptors that you are ascribing to me, Raina . . . I don¡¯t know if I can fulfill . . . many of them.


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Well . . . um, I don¡¯t know how to break this to you, b-¡±


    Before either of them could digest the resonations of yore, that had become melded with their apprehension, of that, of which, could translate into their reality, it had already reached, and would soon apprehend them with the shuffle of the distributions. Due to the ire of the sour eyes that seeked their attention, so, like an open flame to a moth, it was reeled towards the source, and with it, came into the holistic focus; calling forth upon their attention, Sr. Villegas, whose hair had become discordant with the passions of public perceptions, and that of stressful state of affairs that was most unfavorable to a regular conditioning of emotions, though, perhaps, his mundanity had not been so, on a second examination.


    ¡°Hola, chicos; buenos d¨ªas! Today, I hope we can get to some of the vocab that I¡¯ll give you; via a handout, but, before that, I have some words to say,¡± said the teacher, as his face notably dropped further within the abstracted scale of positivity that dictated Victoria¡¯s thinking; further diluted with the emotionally ill Raina, whose sniffles could be heard from behind Victoria¡¯s seat. ¡°Firstly, I think we should all take a second . . . to remember Kennedy.¡± Despite a majority of the classroom having not a minor propinquity to the individual who had lost their life, the sudden exhumation of their loss had led to a shocking silence amongst the adolescents who were normally of a rambunctious nature; it was not for long, however, that his strident voice could once overpower the moment of reflection. ¡°Entonces, I hope she is within our hearts, and that she lives on in our memories, si? Now, I¡¯ve spent a bit working on this, chicos, but I have completed it! It¡¯s your new seating chart! If you were looking at the old one, don¡¯t worry; I should have announced it on Hanlei,¡± he said, with vague discussions of the online application that was approved and the standard of Onaxago¡¯s school board, and most other school¡¯s around Almascitisa¡¯s periphery. ¡°Pero, I should¡¯ve removed the sheet out on the desk, anyways. So . . .¡± he droned, on the vowel, as he moved his computer mouse in shaky patterns and accompanied with sporadic clicks and clacks of the keyboard and segments of his source of computer movement. ¡°Aha!¡± He projected the new seating chart via the projector, of which used light to show the images, rather than an actual, mechanical machine displaying his computer screen; a common feature of the older regions of the school. ¡°So here it is! You may get up, and move to your spot! Oh, and, by the way; if your nose is a bit congested, feel free to leave something in the mug; I¡¯ll clean it up after class.¡± Sure . . .


    Upon her removal from a previously recumbent position, of which was most strenuous with the twisting of her neck to meet the front of her occupied friend, she peremptorily headed towards the front of the room, as though enthusiastic to be, yet not to being of quite a mood, at all; rather reluctant to leave Raina to her own feckless tumult towards an inability to function within the class¡¯ dictated rules. Despite this, and the weight of the iniquitous matter placed on herself throughout the earliest of the semester, however, she struggled to fight against her urge of conformity and eventual consummation into a greater, concordant hegemony by the greater society that had tossed her enemies and friends so. Awaking to the blinding of the projection, of which its lustrous and incandescent nature reflected harshly upon the tenebrous backdrop of the faint classroom, as the grayed skies were darkening from the approaching seasons of chills. It would not be the only case of unpropitious happenstance for Victoria, as when her eyes had augmented themselves to sharp light that illuminated the room, it had come to reveal a seating chart that appeared to equate to a near form of mockery at Victoria¡¯s attempts to stave off the melodrama that followed her frequently and unjustly, for on the chart listed her new position to be amongst the company of the ilk of James; Mia and Audrey, with one besides, and another behind, with a stranger sitting on the other side of her cramped space. Dredging alongst the silenced shuffles of the other participants, as Sr. Villegas looked with avarice, as the return of his slime-filled mug of nasal discharge had, somehow, gained a significant volume for his excitement to be readily read by Victoria, who had already become pressed with the exhaust that such exigencies had called upon her to fulfill. Along with the miserable state she found herself in, she was now greeted by some of the most unfriendliest faces she had the displeasure of meeting.


    Mia looked towards the endless unfocus in a dazed trance, frowning and jittering with the help of nettled adrenaline, and when Victoria turned her head to gaze behind, Audrey sat in a slouching position, grousing under her breathe, and looking away from Victoria when their eyes eventually dawned on the others¡¯. To her other side was the stranger, though she happened to be upon a similar mood to the others; that of a bout of seeming frustration and sadness, though how Victoria could tell, was a puzzle upon herself that she couldn¡¯t quite concoct a solution, to, and neither to the ones which plagued the people who surrounded her. She hoped to get by the class without disturbing the others, though it seemed as though the teacher had more nefarious intentions, cavorting around the frontal of the classroom before coming out of the shade that contrasted the light that hit so near.


    ¡°Entonces, chicos, I would like to announce that we¡¯ll be taking a quiz on the greetings and common phrases we¡¯ve been learning since last week, which we¡¯ll take on Wednesday. So, today, we¡¯ll be studying for the quiz, by talking to others in Spanish using some of the terms we¡¯ve learned! We¡¯ll be continuing this tomorrow, so don¡¯t worry if you can¡¯t find a partner, today. I will, however, be grading your participation and usage of Spanish, so please talk to me if you have any questions or concerns about this activity. You may start now!¡± Ugh. With a heavy sigh, as though destitute of options, though in simple reality, it appeared to be, Victoria marched forth with her plans of becoming more social, though the fruition of the plan came to be seen with impediments of the impassible nature that she withheld the opinion her deepest recesses, and her utter inability to reach past the peak, though presented with no choice in the matter, or risk falling deeper within an inescapable pit, became now repeated to the finality of banal. Her disturbance would be met with the predicted consequences, as anxiety¡¯s prophecy seemed to come true.


    ¡°Hey . . . uh . . . como te llamas?¡± she said to her left; opposite from Mia.


    ¡°Me llamo Lorene,¡± Lorene said, in a groggy tone, with her eyes as veiny and bulging as Raina¡¯s average standard, though surprisingly to a higher degree, even if it were not normal for her possession of this trait.


    ¡°Me llamo Victoria, y como te sientes?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know . . . can we just . . .  talk, tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Uh . . . no me siento muy feliz, sino si muy desanimado. Tal vez . . . como tu?¡± No response. Muttering under her breath, Victoria said rather unwise words for someone in a compromised position, being that of, ¡°Man . . . why is everyone so grumpy and crass today . . .¡±, of which Lorene quickly responded to, in a similarly unwelcoming fashion that misted them in unwarranted hatred.


    ¡°W-well, maybe it''s because I¡¯m in the presence of someone who cannot read how another person feels!¡±


    ¡°Hey! Uh . . . that¡¯s not true . . . I think.¡±


    ¡°Well, to me, it clearly does seem to ring true with you. Such annoying pest.¡± Despite the clear efforts made by Lorene to segregate herself from Victoria¡¯s line of focus, her stalwart motivation could not hold against an opposing force; especially one of immaculate will, despite first appearances.


    ¡°Ahem. Anyways . . . Dormiste . . . yes, I know we were only supposed to go over the present tense . . . but,¡± added Victoria, with a preachy addendum to her overly positive mask, of which was likely to poke at the bear that should not have been, for soon, she would realize that she had realized, far too late. ¡°Dormiste . . . bien . . . anoche? It means-¡±


    ¡°Say . . . what was your name, again?¡± Please don¡¯t make this difficult . . . my mother . . . ugh, fine. Let¡¯s continue.


    ¡°Can you . . . say that in Spanish, por favor,¡± said Victoria, with a hint of a giggle lying in the wake of the ending¡¯s tone.


    ¡°No. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you, unless you say it in Spanish,¡± of which was likely a mistake that she would soon learn to regret, dearly, as Lorene rose from her cramped compartment in a twitchy manner, growing in height, until she towered over Victoria¡¯s seat in a frightful manner that made Victoria act uncharacteristically pusillanimous, though in reality, she was rather used to this condition of life.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you another chance to tell, me, your name. Go ahead.¡± What the hell did I do to you?


    With a sigh, Victoria responded with, ¡°Victoria . . . Whitney,¡± and, rather unexpectedly, Lorene backed away with a jittery jump, before bursting into a wry grimace; a seizing smile, of which was not the least bit pleasant in thought.


    ¡°Of. Course. You. Are. Victoria. Whitney. It¡¯s almost like life is trying to string me in-into t-this death spiral. Ha ha! Of course. As if things couldn¡¯t get worse.¡±


    ¡°Uh . . . you know me?¡±


    ¡°I know you? No . . . I wouldn¡¯t say so,¡± said Lorene, while shaking and flailing as though possessed by a poltergeist consumed with utter lunacy. ¡°B-but. I have been . . . yes. You¡¯re now in the damn flesh; of course I can ask you all the questions now!¡±


    ¡°Can you phrase them in Spa-¡±


    ¡°How does it feel . . . to have been with a cheater?¡±


    ¡°Um, uh, what?¡± I¡¯ve never talked to her; why does she know this? I guess the incident, last week was pretty . . . large, to say the least . . . ¡°How do you know this?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t sly, Victoria, you know that? Maybe you should start caring now, cause guess what your cruel . . . cheating . . . little . . . boyfriend did to my . . . brother,¡± she said, without a gasp of air in sight.


    ¡°Uh . . . what? If you mean, Lucas-¡±


    ¡°So you do know him. Drop the act. You know what you did; eloping in the limelight, while my brother wasted away in the background. Do you not have shame for what actions you¡¯ve inflicted on others?¡±


    ¡°Sorry if this is insensitive, or whatever, but . . . I literally don¡¯t know what you are talking about. I¡¯ve already broken up with Lucas, so if you have any grievances, go grouse at him, for all I care. Maybe he deserves it, for all I know. I, at the very least, have not a clue about your brother, and his relationship to Lucas. Sorry to burst your bubble.¡± Upon the ending of her explanation, Lorene exploded into a sinister bout of mocking snickers.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry . . . but . . . you expect me to believe that? What do you take me for; an idiot?¡±


    ¡°Uh, no?¡±


    ¡°You know what; I¡¯m happy you got dumped by him, but I think you should actually grovel at his feet so he can talk about how ¡®cool¡¯ watermelon is. With you. Everyday. Maybe, then, you¡¯ll also get to destroy another relationship, y-you prick!¡± Despite not being of a contemptuous person, herself, Victoria¡¯s tempest of anger only grew, from there; deviating significantly from her original plan of staying halcyon and rigidly dedicated to study and judgement, and it seemed that the storm had created an updraft, that only carried more problems along, by the minute.


    ¡°Well, maybe,¡± Mia distantly said, in the near distance, ¡°You deserved it. Considering the complete lack of respect for others, I think this should be a time to reflect on how much of a failure of an empathetic person, that you clearly strive so hard to be. But, I think you won¡¯t ever reach it.


    ¡°Can you please not, Mi-¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah,¡± Audrey chimed in, from behind, ¡°She¡¯s a big hypocrite, and not even a good one! She literally ruined everything, and is now crying about it! I say: keep crying, you big baby. I¡¯m sure more of your . . . schlock, will come and give you hugs, and whatever other things you do.¡±


    ¡°Do you guys, know Vic-¡±


    ¡°Yeah . . . Lorene, was it?¡± asked Mia.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± sighed Audrey, in a rather gratuitous manner, ¡°You don¡¯t even know how much trouble she¡¯s been in.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± Okay, I know this seems bad . . . but if we can just . . . control the situation . . .


    ¡°Can you . . . all, please stop?¡± A pause followed, before Audrey broke the silence, with:


    ¡°Can you say it in Spanish?¡± followed by chortles that reverberated painfully on both sides of Victoria¡¯s ears. She had enough, and with the return to the slimy, painful reality of the school, she miraculously broke out, and with her unshacklement, she rode out freely, into the open light, beyond.


    Victoria ran out of the classroom.