|  Author | Topic: 1st Hour Study Hall (Read 61 times) |
forebodingburger
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« Thread Started on May 21, 2009, 10:21pm » | |
Weiss pushed the door open as quietly as he could. He was ten minutes late, and didn't want to disturb anyone. However, that didn't seem to be much of a problem. The teacher was asleep, and most of the other students were chattering away, oblivious to him. He picked a seat, tossed his backpack on the floor, and put his head on the desk. He had a feeling that this wasn't going to be the best day of his life.
The previous night had been awful for him: the air conditioner in his room had decided to go on the fritz, choosing to make a delightful grinding noise rather than cool the air. As a result, he had one of those nights where he wasn't quite sure whether he had actually slept or not. He must have fallen asleep eventually, because he woke up with fifteen minutes until school started. Of course, he had missed his bus, so he threw on some clothes and bolted out the door.
Weiss crossed his eyes at the little half-sheet of paper that was sitting under his nose.
What do they expect me to do with a study hall first hour? he wondered. He always finished his homework at home, so there wasn't anything for him to do first thing in the morning.
I suppose it'll be good for a nap... He closed his eyes, trying to drown out the din of the other students.
A few minutes later, a girl's voice shook Weiss out of his stupor.
"Hi there!" she said. "What'chya doing?"
"Sleeping," he muttered.
"Why?"
"Because I didn't get any sleep last night." He opened his eyes and turned his head to the girl. "Now, if you'd kindly..." He trailed off, staring at her. The right side of her face was covered in a metal plate, with an eye that looked like a camera lens. Her arm was made of metal, and made a soft whirring noise when it moved.
"Woah," he stammered, "you... your..."
"Ah, yes," the girl said with a grin on her face, "You're stunned by my beauty, aren't you?"
"What? No, that's not it-"
"It never is." She sighed. "You're shocked to see my prosthetics, yeah? Wondering why I don't have normal fake body parts? Well, here's the thing: my dad's an inventor, and when I got in car accident and lost practically half of my body, he decided to replace it himself. Now, let's move on with our conversation, shall we?"
"I... If you say so..."
"Good. My name's Penelope, but you can call me Penny if you want."
"It's... nice to meet you, Penny." He held out his hand. "I'm Weiss."
Penelope took his hand and shook it eagerly. Then, after a long silence, she grabbed the schedule on his desk, scanning it carefully. Her face lit up when she saw his Student ID.
"Hey! Our IDs are just one number away!"
"Oh. That's funny, I guess. Wonder why that might be..."
"Did you just transfer here?"
"Yeah. Today's my first day."
"Cool, mine too." Penelope looked at Weiss's schedule once more. "Looks like we have French together. That'll be fun. But... that's the only class we have in common... guess I can't copy your homework."
"Why would I let you do that?"
"I dunno. One new kid helping another, or something like that."
Weiss groaned. "You're a senior, right?"
Penelope nodded. "Yeah. Kinda dumb, transferring schools in my last year..."
"Well, then, why don't you have any classes in common with me?"
"See for yourself." She pulled out her schedule from inside of her notebook and gave it to Weiss. A look of confusion came over his face as he read it.
"Attack and Evade... Weaponology... Disarming Bombs?! What are you planning on doing, taking over the school?"
"Hey! Quiet!" Penelope's voice fell to a whisper. "This is serious."
"Oh, what? You're not seriously considering doing anything like that, are you?"
"No! Listen, I came to visit this school before I signed up for classes, and I felt this... tension. I mean, you've got all these kids with supernatural powers and stuff like that... and then you have all the people transferring in... do you know what I mean?"
Weiss looked at her blankly. "No. I don't. Look, would you just let me sleep? I'm serious about not getting any last night..."
Penelope shook her head. "Fine, ignore me, but don't come crying to me when the war breaks out and you haven't prepared for it."
"Whatever." Weiss put his head back down on the desk and tried to get some sleep.
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i n k
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« Reply #1 on May 27, 2009, 9:54pm » | |
look, you, you're too uptight, you know?
z a n d e r
The skies were clear today, and Zander was confused as he tried to remember just how he and ended up in a first-hour study hall, when his was later in the day.
"Was it... No, wait... Did my class... Uh..."
His own train of thought, as hapless as it was, was suddenly cut off by a girl nearby mentioning some form of warfare in Cloud Nine. He scooted towards the two, new-ish looking conversing students, and smiled. "Well, hey. I'm Zander. You're new? And warfare, here, in CNH?" He barely laughed, his speech speedy and his breath light. "I doubt that'll happen. Sure, we've had a couple rough transfers recently, but they'll get used to it. I'm sure you'll love it."
He stared happily up at the Transformers-esque girl and her sleepy counterpart, unaware of the awkward silence he had just thrust upon their first day of learning.
"Well?"
you could laugh and kick it back and go-
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fonmasterreplica
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« Reply #2 on May 30, 2009, 9:50pm » | |
Marx walked in with his pass ready. Surprisingly, no one even saw him walk in. The room was full of no one. Save for an obnoxious girl in the corner with blueprints to the school, someone meandering around who was obviously lost, and an idiot who seemed to be sleeping.
Let's see what this one's up to...
Marx casually walked over and sat his books down on the table the other boy was sleeping on. He pulled out his chair, sat there, and waited until the other woke up.
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forebodingburger
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« Reply #3 on May 30, 2009, 10:02pm » | |
"Well, uh, I thought I..." Penelope looked around nervously at the two newcomers. Now three people probably thought she was insane. She shoved Weiss a bit roughly, trying to get his attention.
"Cmon, you can feel it, right? That... something in the air?"
"No," he said flatly. "I really think you're on the wrong track, and..." He noticed the two who had had joined them. He sat up and looked at Zander and Marx.
Great, he thought, More oddballs. I guess we'd better start a club...
"What's with the look?" he asked Marx. The boy was staring at him with what looked like disgust. "Is there... something on my face?"
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fonmasterreplica
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« Reply #4 on May 30, 2009, 10:10pm » | |
"I wasn't aware that I should put on a special face for you."
Marx ignored Zander and turned toward Penelope. His face changed from disgust to curiosity. He was tempted to ask her what the robotic limbs were for, but he turned back once again to Weiss.
"I could ask you about your tone of voice, 'whoever you are'. You know, the proper thing to do would be to introduce yourself. I'm Marx Hider, a senior. I hope we will learn to tolerate each other in the future."
Marx extended his hand to Weiss.
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forebodingburger
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« Reply #5 on May 30, 2009, 10:24pm » | |
"Weiss Wakefield," he said, smiling weakly and shaking Marx's hand. "Sorry about that. I didn't get any sleep last night, and-"
"Weissy's grumpy!" Penelope said with a grin on her face.
Weiss stared at her, dumbfounded. The strange thing about Penelope was obviously not her robotics.
"Are you serious? Weissy? I barely know you!"
"Would you rather I call you Weissy-poo?"
"No!"
"Okay then," she said as she grinned triumphantly. "By the way, Marx, I'm Penelope Materas. I hope you'll excuse Weiss's grumpiness." She decided to change the subject.
"You're awfully well spoken for someone our age. What's with that?"
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fonmasterreplica
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« Reply #6 on May 30, 2009, 10:37pm » | |
"Well Penelope, I guess this is just the way I was brought up."
He shook her prosthetic hand.
"If I speak this way, people generally treat me as though I'm more mature than a senior in high school. Since this apparently isn't the 'normal' way for me to talk, I also catch others off guard. It's so interesting to see how people act in different situations. Why do you think I just sat here staring at Weiss? The reaction he provided helped me narrow my conclusion as to what kind of person he is. With that and added information, I can piece together all I need to fully understand his strengths and weaknesses. But of course, that can't all happen right away. I still have time to spend with you all."
Marx took a deep breath.
"Now, enough about me. What about you two? Or rather... three. If you're paying attention at all."
Zander was staring blankly into an empty space.
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forebodingburger
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« Reply #7 on May 30, 2009, 11:04pm » | |
Penelope grinned widely, butting in before Weiss could open his mouth. She relished any opportunity to talk about herself: it was a rare occasion when people actually listened to her.
"Well, I just moved here. My dad had to move his laboratory here because there were some seismic disturbances back home, and some of his research would have been ruined by even the slightest vibrations. I love science, math... you know, that sort of thing. Numbers. They're easy, you know? Solid, immovable..." She trailed off, getting a faraway look in her eyes.
"You might not expect it," she went on, "But I don't make a lot of friends. Between my prosthetics, and the fact that my father and I move a lot, I don't ever get to be really good friends with anyone..."
She sighed and started to smile again. "Anyway, that's enough of my innermost thoughts. Weiss?"
"What?" he mumbled.
"Come on, tell us something about yourself!"
"Fine. I guess I'm interested in the more abstract stuff. I like to get away from this world... mostly through books. I've been reading a lot lately, come to think of it. As for friends, I don't really think much of them. I don't really see the point, they're so easy to lose..."
Penelope looked at him quizzically. "Really? That's too bad. What makes you think like that?"
"It's complicated, Penelope."
She saw she couldn't get through any further on the matter.
"Well then," she said, "Why'd you move here?"
Weiss looked pained. "It's... there's... Something happened, and... and I'd rather not talk about it..."
"Oh, I see. Sorry."
"It's... nothing."
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fonmasterreplica
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« Reply #8 on May 30, 2009, 11:26pm » | |
"Well, Weiss is no fun, but my thoughts seem to contradict Penelope's."
Marx stood up.
"Why work with numbers? There is always a predetermined solution with them. In some cases there may be more than one answer, but the human mind... that is something that can only be predicted."
His eyes were gleaming.
"You may even learn more about me as life goes on. But I'll make sure I learn more about you. All of you. So Weiss, you're reason for moving here. How will I be able to get it out of you? Usually when people are grumpy, they are prone to say things they wouldn't normally. Do I need to make you grumpier? Perhaps I should lull you into a sense of security so you will confide in me?"
Marx stopped for a moment.
"Let's make a deal. I'll tell you why I moved here if you tell me why YOU moved here. I promise you, my story is an interesting one. Take it or leave it. It's your only opportunity to get a glimpse into my mind."
He sat back down and stared at Weiss.
"However, if you choose not to tell me, you'll never see these again."
Marx held up a set of house keys and jingled them in front of Weiss.
"Lesson one: don't leave your things unguarded while you sleep."
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forebodingburger
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« Reply #9 on May 31, 2009, 12:05am » | |
"What the hell?! Give those back! I need..." Weiss trailed off, seeing that the malicious resolve in Marx's eyes wasn't going away any time soon. He didn't want to tell these complete strangers his story, but it looked like he had no choice. He sighed, steeling himself against the inevitable flood of emotions.
"Alright. You win, I'll tell you. I... I'd better start from the beginning. You see, I'm an orphan. My parents died when I was a little kid."
Penelope gasped, her face falling. "Oh no! I'm sorry..."
Weiss shook his head. "Don't be. You've got nothing to do with it, so there's no reason to be sorry. Anyway... I went to a lot of different orphanages and a lot of different foster homes, but nothing seemed to work for me. I would never accept my life with them. My life seemed to be spiraling down into a deep, angry depression, and keep in mind I was only about eight at the time. One day, the social worker I had become all too familiar with told me about this one organization that was setting up these experiments for orphaned children.
"The premise of these experiments was that certain children just couldn't live with any other family than their own. Their first experiments involved just having the children living by themselves. The only problem was that they tended to get into really awful accidents. The solution was to introduce a sort of buddy system: having two children living together greatly reduced the chances that something terrible could happen. The pairings were selected through a careful examination of each child's personality and background. My social worker signed me up for this program almost as soon as she heard about it.
"About a week later, I met May. The social worker assured me that we'd been paired perfectly and that we'd get along together like bread and butter, or some dumb saying like that. I didn't believe her, because I completely hated her at first. She was so needy... she could barely do anything on her own. I suppose that's why we were paired. Me, I was really independent and resourceful, so I was able to care for her. I didn't think it was very fair.
"Our life was pretty good together after we worked out all the kinks in the program. We got a steady stream of money from the organization that was sponsoring us, so food and entertainment was no problem. We learned a lot of life skills really early: how to wash clothes, keep a house maintained, cook...
"Of course, over the years, she grew on me. Although she was kind of needy, she was always very nice and polite about it. She never got angry, never blamed me for things that were clearly my fault... she just smiled and went with the flow.
"We became better and better friends, until one night, the summer before we were Freshmen... she told me... that she loved me. It was a shock at first; I hadn't ever considered her to be anything more than a good friend. I didn't return the gesture, not right away at least, but our relationship quickly intensified. Everything seemed wonderful between us, and we were so, so happy.
"Until... oh... half a year ago, when May was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. She declined so quickly, even her doctors were surprised. Of course, although we had enough money for food and everything else we needed to live comfortably, we hardly had the money for expensive medical procedures, so there was nothing we could do to extend her life. I tried so hard to keep her going, to give her a bit of hope... but she just gave up. She died... about a month ago..."
Weiss wiped a tear from his face, embarrassed. "I... I couldn't stand living in that house... so I took all the money I had and bought an apartment here just to get away. Now... can I have my keys back?"
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fonmasterreplica
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« Reply #10 on Aug 1, 2009, 9:11pm » | |
"Of course! Here you go!"
He threw back the keys.
"Now I guess you want my part of the bargain... My story? Well, it has yet to be written... Interesting enough for you? I suppose it should hold you over until the end of my days..."
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forebodingburger
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« Reply #11 on Aug 22, 2009, 10:22pm » | |
"What?" Penelope stood up, staring Marx down. "What sort of story is that? You promised something interesting! You put poor Weiss through all those memories, and now you leave us hanging?"
"He gave me my keys back..."
"Don't defend him, for heaven's sake! Don't you have any sort of ideals, any pride, any spine? I aught to teach you both a-"
The bell rang, and all of the students got up, crowding the door in their rush to leave. Weiss grabbed his backpack and got behind the great mass of people at the door, silently cursing their idiocy. Penelope gave Marx a final glare, then gathered her things and waited next to Weiss. After a few moments, they were able to push through the door and enter the hallway, each heading to their next class.
Excitable girl, thought Weiss after they parted ways. I think I'm going to have to stay out of her way...
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