"Attention! Do not read any further if you are either too young, not allowed to view this kind of content in your region/area/whatever, offended by this kind of material, or related to the author by blood!" Tim announced as he read off a piece of paper from his hospital bed. "In other words: Read at your own risk!"
"Master, can we stop now?" Eria asked as she poked her head out from under the covers.
"Someone might catch us, master," Rebecca added as she poked her head out from under the covers as well.
"You two've already been caught, see?" Tim replied as he pointed at you, the reader.
"Eek!" Both girls quickly dove back under the covers.
*****
The school rooftops gave a nice view of the whole campus. Since students weren't even allowed up there and the doors to them were locked, there were no railings at all. However, some students were known to find another way up there just for the view. As long as they stayed away from the edge and out of view, the chances of them getting caught were minimal at best. Going up there before and after school hours also decreased the chances of getting caught.
The entire east wing casted a large shadow on the schoolyard as the sun slowly rose up out of the horizon. A plethora of colours illuminated the dark clouds set off in the distance. The large bundles of grey clouds were immediately brightened by the light of the rising sun. As the sun rose higher and higher, the shadow cast by the eastern wing slowly receded. Atop the western wing, a lonely girl with short curly brown hair and string-like sideburns sat on the ledge.
"... hey," Synn said after watching the sunrise. "Click?"
"Synn," Click nodded as he approached the girl.
"I see John's managed to fix you up," Synn noted as she took a single glance at the android before turning her attention back on the sun rise.
"For the most part," Click replied as he stopped just a foot behind the cyborg girl.
"I see..." Synn closed her eyes and smiled.
The two remained silent for a long while.
Click looked straight ahead toward the sun.
Synn looked down beneath the sun at the school yard.
She studied the clock, which was in the centre of the yard.
Just an hour before school starts.
"It's not fair," Synn began.
"....." Click continued looking ahead.
"These arms and legs... I miss my real ones, but..." Synn tried to continue, but faltered. Taking a deep breathe, she pressed on, "Those homunculus out there. They're dangerous. The underworld. They're also dangerous. But I can take 'em. As long as I have these arms and legs, I can take 'em. That's what I believed."
"Were you wrong?" Click asked.
"I don't know," Synn replied, gritting her teeth. "You heard, right? That time... I met her. A human girl my age with real flesh and bone arms and legs. She... took on that... monster when I couldn't. She's a girl, like me. Seventeen, like me. Human, like me. She's like me... except she doesn't need metal arms and legs."
"... to fight?"
"Yeah..." Synn sighed. "It's just not fair."
*****
Title: WTF High's School Defence Force - Lesson XIV
Class: 4D
Room: 104
Caged
*****
"Monica Kurenai," Mr. Smith called out as he read off the attendance sheet. As usual, he was reading off the names at random.
"Here."
"Trent Bloom."
Silence.
"Looks like Rock's not here either," Mr. Smith noted. "Candice Spiegelman."
Ginger's eyes drifted toward the empty seat next to her. It's been more than two weeks since she and her friends were kidnapped by that woman with the metal mask and made to serve those... monsters. It was only by luck that one of those monsters decided to bring her along during his hunt. The red demon was killed and Ginger saved by her classmates, Tim and Monica. Her friends, on the other hand, were still in the grasp of that orange demon's hand. She wondered how they were doing. Obviously, they weren't doing well, but... she hoped that they could still be saved.
"Ginger Sacher."
"Here."
"You. Guy who's trying to sneak in after the bell. You're Rocambole today."
"Huh?" Rocambole blinked.
"Not clear enough? Fine, you're Lupin."
"Uh... okay," Lupin replied as he took his seat behind Monica.
Monica was too distracted to notice Lupin getting his nickname of the day for you see, she found a letter in her locker. No, not that kind of letter. It was a letter of challenge. It told her to meet inside the gym at 7pm sharp. It was type-written and left no name, so Monica had no idea who the challenge was from. She had some guesses, but the only way she was going to find out for sure was by going.
*****
"Hey, heard you got a buncha peepholes in the school?" Rock asked as soon as he found Trent high up in a tree behind the school.
"Yep! Every single room," Trent grinned as he hung upside down from a branch. His face ended up right in front of Rock's. Rock immediately took a couple steps back.
"Even the locker rooms?" Rock asked with wide-open eyes.
"Even the locker rooms," Trent replied as he dropped down from the tree. "Why? Wanna take a peek?"
"Course I wanna take a peek," Rock nearly exclaimed. Though he wasn't really all that loud, he decided to lower his voice anyway. "You gotta let me in on it."
"We'll hafta wait till third period, though," Trent replied.
"How come?"
"No one's taking gym for first."
"What about second?"
"Sera's taking that class," Trent explained with a devilish grin.
"Third it is," Rock happily agreed.
"Till then, let's check out the girl's washrooms," Trent suggested.
"Eh...? Not into that kinda stuff."
"What kinda stuff? Girls sneaking off tah meet up and make out in the washrooms stuff?"
"... washrooms it is!"
*****
Tina was troubled. She was very troubled indeed.
She was just glad her homeroom teacher always had his eyes on the board and almost never on the students. Half her classmates were sleeping. Almost all of them were bored out of their minds, so she was pretty sure that none of their eyes were on her. Why would she be worried about anyone having their eyes on her? Well...
*****
It all started during the middle of summer when she browsed the internet for... stuff, when she came upon an erotic story. In the story, the main character was a young woman who experimented with a chastity belt. By the time Tina was done reading the story, her juices soaked right through her panties and made a really obvious stain on her seat. Since then, all she could think about was that story and how it'd be like to wear a chastity belt.
Tina was sure she wouldn't even last a couple days with that kind of thing on her. Well... normally she'd be able to last at least a week without touching herself, but having a metallic contraption like a chastity belt on her made it an entirely different matter. The thought of wearing a chastity belt made her hornier than usual. If she had that on, she would be denied access to her own pussy. The thought of not being able to instead of choosing not to touch herself was enough to set her heart racing. Ever since she read that story, she found herself masturbating to orgasm at least three times a day. A few days went by before she finally decided that she was going to go through with it.
Wearing clothes that didn't stand out and that she seldom wore along with a hat and sunglasses, she took a subway to the other side of town. She did a little research before making this trip. There was a place that sold chastity belts near where she lived, but of course she couldn't bring herself to go there. Instead, she chose the second closest place. A place where, hopefully, no one would recognize her. The chastity belt she bought was the kind that could potentially last forever. It was black with a shiny heart on the crotch. The key hole was inside the heart. There was a hole with a cover for her rear entrance. The inner part of the cover had a six inch butt plug attached to it. There was also a small hole in the front for pissing and menstruating.
The key that came with the belt was heart-shaped and from its size, looked like it could be for a mailbox. Having the key to her belt just wasn't the same as being denied, so she decided to do the same thing the protagonist from the story she read did. She mailed the key to herself.
Tina knew that her parents would get suspicious if she kept sending the key to herself, so she sent it somewhere else. She set up a post office box that was reachable by subway, but far enough that she wouldn't have the time to get there except on weekends (she had two summer jobs). Every week, she makes the trip to the post office box to retrieve the key. She would take the key home and wait until she was sure everyone else in the house was asleep. Only then would she unlock her belt and reward herself with orgasm after orgasm after...
The next day, she would put the chastity belt back on and mail the key to her box again. After three weeks of this, she got a little more daring. She went back to the adult toy shop where she bought the chastity belt. She bought two ben wa balls. One had a drop of mercury inside while the other had a tiny vibrating metal tongue. Since then, she found herself in a constant state of arousal, which she could do nothing about until she made her weekly trip. Even after school started, she continued this practice.
Then, one day...
"....." Tina stared at the open empty box.
The key wasn't there.
The key got lost in the mail.
The key was gone.
*****
A week went by.
It's been two weeks since her last orgasm.
She went back to the box to check again and wasn't surprised to find it empty. At this point, she was clearly panicking. What was she supposed to do now? Should she find a way to saw open the chastity belt? The constant rocking of the ben wa balls in her wet and hungry pussy made that solution more attractive by the minute. The belt could last forever, so she seriously considered wearing it forever. Not surprisingly, she decided that she couldn't do it. Despite this being perhaps her greatest and most erotic fantasy ever coming true, she knew she couldn't do it. She'd go crazy if she tried.
It was Monday.
More than two weeks had passed since her last orgasm.
She had tried to get one by stimulating her breasts.
She tried sticking things inside her asshole.
All she did was make herself so horny that her juices started spilling out of the tiny hole for her urine. In the end, she had to resign herself to her fate. There was absolutely no way she was going to get any relief until she found a way to get her belt off. Problem was, she couldn't do it alone.
Just like every day since school started, the day seemed to last forever. Every day she went to school, she had to endure and hide her own arousal. Every movement she made, no matter how small, set the ben wa balls to work. The most embarrassing moments came during gym class. Surprisingly, there were other girls who performed just as badly as she did, which almost made her wonder if they were hiding the same thing she was. She always changed in the stalls to hide her belt and waited until everyone else was done showering before she showered. After a week of this, she got used to it.
On Monday, during homeroom, Mr. Smith asked Tina to see him after school. The poor girl had no idea what the teacher wanted to talk to her about. Many questions ran through her head at once. The question that stood out the most was "did he somehow notice"? If he did, then is that why he wanted to see her after school?
Oh God!
"Mr. Smith? Did you want to see me?" Tina asked as she poked her head into the classroom. She nervously entered and approached her homeroom teacher.
"Yes, I did," Mr. Smith replied with that same indifferent grouchy look he always wore. "The thing is, I noticed you were a little... distracted today. More so than usual, of course. Almost like something was troubling you."
"Um..." Tina wasn't sure how to respond. Her face was red for more reasons than one. Despite this, she had to wonder how Mr. Smith could notice such a thing when his eyes were on the board all the time.
"I have a post office box I go to every other Sunday, see," Mr. Smith explained as he pulled out a very familiar looking envelope. He placed it on his desk in front of his wide-eyed student. "They must've accidently put your mail in mine. Ours is right next to each other's. That's probably why."
"Oh my god..." Tina couldn't help but shed a tear as she picked up the envelope. Tearing it open, she dropped the heart-shaped key into her open hand. Clutching it close to her heart, she softly sobbed to herself.
"It's important to you, isn't it?" Mr. Smith observed. "Since you've got what you wanted, you'll start paying more attention in class, right?"
"Yes... thank you... Mr. Smith," Tina sobbed as she wiped away her tears.
"It just wound up in my box by accident, okay?" Mr. Smith replied as he leaned back and crossed his arms. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Nodding, Tina exited the classroom and started heading home. She had a lot of... 'catching up' to do.
*****
Lupin was doing a lot of thinking up on the rooftop.
He chose to sit up on the rooftop because of... well... because of that. He just wasn't sure whether he should keep trusting it or not. Rock made a valid point. Could Sera be trusted? If she couldn't be trusted... then how could he trust her gift?
The youngster sighed. There was nothing he could do about it right now. Sooner or later, that orange demon was going to show up again. That creepy white haired guy with the nasty tentacles could show up again. Another guy like Derek might also show up again. He didn't want to admit it, but he was already getting used to the idea of fighting these super powered monsters. He had Sera's gift to thank for that. That much he was certain now.
*****
To say that Tina was relieved would be an understatement. She was rushing down the hallway, happily clutching the heart-shaped key to her modest chest. Her dyed blonde hair swished after her as she rounded the corner. She couldn't believe her luck! She was tempted to just rush into the nearest washroom and frig herself there, but she knew she couldn't risk it. She had to play it safe. She had to make absolute sure that she was going to get to bring herself off. Just a little longer and she'll be able to go into the safety and comfort of her room, lock her door, and satisfy her starving little pussy.
Her happiness was short lived.
Before she knew it, she found herself sprawled face first against the floor. Luckily for her, she was wearing jeans so her chastity belt wasn't exposed. Unluckily for her, her heart-shaped key flew out of her hand, skidding along the floor until it stopped several feet from her. Clambering on her hands and feet, she reached out to grab it, but...
"Tina! You should be more careful," Angela giggled in her usual mocking manner after stepping on the heart-shaped key. Standing behind her were Pamela and Heather. Tina looked behind her and wasn't surprised to see Nicole leaning back against the lockers with her foot sticking out. She turned her eyes back on Angela with fear radiating along her spine.
Angela Palmers. You know the type. Head cheerleader. Rich girl. Powerful parents. Used to getting anything she wanted. Had a snobby attitude and looked down on almost everyone, including teachers. Also so incredibly hot and sexy that despite her bitchy attitude, she was one of if not the most popular girl at Windroy Twelve Forrest Secondary School. Indeed, her natural blonde hair, ocean blue eyes, and curvaceous body was desired by every straight male, gay female, and bisexuals of both sexes who attended WTF High. She had b-cup breasts and a taut and flat stomach along with very flexible legs that seemed to go on forever.
Pamela was Angela's devoted second-in-commander and was just as much a bitch as Angela was in every way possible. She was also on the cheerleading squad; no surprise there. She had tanned skin, hazel brown eyes, and curly copper brown hair that reached just past her shoulders. Though she was used to standing in Angela's shadow, her cheerleader-built body and c-cup breasts did not go unnoticed by the general student population. Her popularity was almost as good as Angela's.
Nicole had dark green eyes and dark bistre brown hair just long enough to cover her ears. Out of all the cheerleaders, she was the smallest, lightest, and most flexible of them. She had an almost flat chest, but that just added to her cuteness factor. As a result, she had her own kind of popularity. She still had a rotten attitude, though, like all of Angela's 'friends'.
"See? It's clumsiness like this is why you'll never make the squad," Angela giggled as she crouched down to bring her face closer to Tina's. "Don't worry. I'm sure lots of guys find girls who easily fall on their hands and knees attractive."
"Oh please. You think she's into guys?" Pamela laughed behind her hand. "She was totally coming on to us during try-outs."
"So she's clumsy and perverted," Nicole put in with a grin.
Tina remembered the humiliation she suffered when she tried out for cheerleading near the start of the school year. Angela had arranged it so that applicants had to wear "try-out" outfits while trying out. The "try-out" outfit Tina wore was purposely picked out by one of Angela's 'friends' to be several sizes too small and easily rippable. The routine she was given was also designed to humiliate her, which involved a lot crawling on her hands and knees and doing very... suggestive poses. Several of the 'less popular' girls were given the same treatment and their humiliation was recorded and kept by Pamela.
Lifting the back of her foot, the blonde cheerleader picked up the heart-shaped key and waved it in front of Tina. "This important to you?"
"N-no... not really..." Tina tried to pretend that the key didn't matter to her, in hopes that Angela wouldn't use it against her.
"Then you won't mind if I... say... flush it down the toilet?" Angela grinned as she headed toward the girl's washroom.
"Wait! Please don't do that!" Tina clambered to her knees and grabbed Angela by the wrist.
Whap!
Tina was stunned after feeling the stinging blow from Angela's backhanded slap. Tears welled up in her eyes as she held her right cheek, where she was slapped. Angela slapped her? She was known for being mean and cruel, but an actual physical assault?
"Don't touch me, pig," Angela spat into Tina's face before going into the girl's washroom. Pamela, Nicole, and Heather followed suit.
"Wait! Please! Wait a minute!" Tina screeched as she ran into the washroom after the four girls. As soon as she stepped into the washroom, Heather and Pamela grabbed her by the upper arms, dragged it in front of one of the stalls, and forced her down on her knees.
"Are you asking or are you begging? If you're begging, it's only right that you do it properly and lower your head," Pamela sneered. "Isn't that right, Heather?"
"Right," Heather replied with a forced grin.
"What's the matter, Heather? Not into it today?" Pamela asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"Nothing's the matter. Just forget about it," Heather replied.
"Whatever," Pamela shrugged before returning her attention toward Tina. "So, you want your key back, pig?"
"Y-yes... please..." Tina whimpered.
"I can't believe she responded to 'pig'," Angela laughed as she stood right next to the open stall and within tossing distance from the toilet. Nicole was right next to the toilet, ready to flush on Angela's signal. "Is that your name, pig?"
"Yes..." Tina conceded.
"Yes what? Say it properly," Angela commanded. "Actually, hold on a minute there. Pamela, you still got your camera on you?"
"You really think I can carry that thing around all the time? My cell phone cam should do, though," Pamela grinned mischievously.
"We've all got cams in our cell phones," Angela rolled her eyes.
"Not like this one, you don't," Pamela replied as she pulled out her cell phone.
"Is that...?"
"Works better than your average handheld cam," Pamela explained as she turned on the camera in her cell phone. "We'll get to watch the pig suffer in HD."
"How's that any different from what we usually do?" Heather muttered.
"Oh... nice!" Angela rubbed her hands and grinned evilly. "Is it recording?"
"Pig's not mean enough," Nicole said. "Why don't we go for... pervy cum-filled bitch slut?"
"Nice! It's a mouthful, though," Angela replied. "Let's go with slutty bitch."
"Hold... three... two... action!"
"So, Slutty Bitch" Angela smirked as she looked down at Tina with an evil look in her eyes. "That's your name? Slutty Bitch?"
"Y-yes..." Tina trailed off, paused for a couple seconds, and then added, "My name is Slutty Bitch."
"That means you fuck dogs, doesn't it?" Angela asked. "Do you love dogs, Slutty Bitch?"
"I... I love fuck... ing dogs..." Tina lowered her gaze.
"Hey, wait a minute. I can't see your face," Pamela said. "Look up here, Slutty Bitch, and say it again."
"I love... fucking dogs," Tina repeated, this time, looking into the camera.
"That makes you a dog, doesn't it, Slutty Bitch?"
"Yes... I am a dog..." Tina tried to look away, but decided not to when she noticed the look in Angela's eyes.
"Dogs don't speak, do they?" Angela asked as she leaned down to sneer in Tina's face. "They bark. Don't you think you should also be barking, Slutty Bitch?"
"Um..." Tina wasn't quite sure how to answer that. "Y-ye-"
Whack!
Angela slapped Tina in the face, again. Tears were flowing freely from the humiliated girl's swelling eyes.
"Arf... arf..." Tina managed to bark out weakly.
"Good girl," Angela cooed as she petted Tina on the head. Unzipping her purse, she took out a pink leash and collar. She placed the collar on Tina, then attached the leash before standing back up again.
"You walk around with a leash and collar in your purse?" Pamela raised an eyebrow.
"Best way to bring the freshmen down a peg," Angela replied with a hand wave. "Nothing like showing who's in charge than with a nice stroll around the school."
"Ah, yes," Pamela grinned. "The old 'video project' excuse."
"Not really an excuse if we're really doing a video project," Angela grinned back as she pulled Tina along out the washroom. "Besides, not like any teacher's dumb enough to mess me. They know who my parents are. Come along now, Slutty Bitch. We're going for a walk."
"Hehe," Nicole giggled as she ran up behind Tina to kick her in the ass. "Get a move on, little doggy."
*****
What happened that night that Heather and I couldn't remember? Sandra asked herself as she sat there in the library with textbooks piled up in front of her. Ever since that fateful night, she went around school trying to find out what happened. There weren't a whole lot of people who stayed after school, but there were enough to make asking worthwhile. The football team claimed that they didn't remember anything at all. One of them let slip that they were drinking, but Sandra wasn't sure that helped at all. She knew about hangovers and neither she nor Heather had it when they woke up in bed together.
Date rape drug? It was possible, but unlikely. She didn't remember accepting anything strange from anyone. Heather didn't accept a drink from anyone, either. Heather having a larger memory gap was also a strange factor. Considering the circumstances, she had to rule out the obvious: Drugs, alcohol, and trauma.
Trauma... might not be bad start, though. For some very odd reason, both she and Heather felt strangely uncomfortable whenever Derek was around. When she tried to ask Derek about that night, he just grew very uncomfortable, said he didn't remember anything, and ran off. Strange... but Sandra believed him. Besides, she didn't want to be anywhere near the guy for as long as she could help it.
Ms. Quartz was another dead-end. Since the last thing Sandra remembered was heading back to English class to get her notes. Like everyone else, the English teacher grew uncomfortable, said she didn't remember anything, and ran off. That really bothered her. What the hell happened that night?
Sandra lazily placed her head on her fist as she casually flipped through one of the random books she found on the table she was using. As she flipped through the pages, her eyes fell upon the title of one of the articles: Berserkers.
Suddenly, a disturbing image popped into her mind. In it, she saw bloody scenery of a defeated football team and a lone warrior standing over them all. At first, she saw only his back and the blood dripping from his battle-hardened fists. A murderous aura surrounded this bloody warrior, sending chills up and down the girl's spine. Then... she saw his face.
"Fallout," Sandra gasped after snapping out of it. Shaking her head, she rubbed her right temple and muttered, "Or... Lupin. Whatever. What the hell was that? Was that really him?"
The dark-haired girl's eyes fell upon the article about Berserkers, then decided to read about them:
The modern definition of a Berserker is that of a warrior who is usually gentle in nature, but becomes a bloodthirsty and will fight recklessly with no regard for even his/her own life in the middle of a battlefield. The original definition is that of a Norse warrior who wore pelts of wolf or bear and carried a spear into battle. They were believed to have fought while in an uncontrollable rage and trance of fury. Sometimes described as Odin's special warriors.
"This doesn't help me at all," Sandra sighed as she closed the book. "I guess I'll just have to... I don't know... investigate Lupin or something. I should probably tell Heather about this. Let her know that Lupin might be dangerous. Wonder what she's doing right now."
*****
"You know, this would be a whole lot more fun if we had a bigger audience," Pamela grumbled as she walked along, filming Tina crawling along the dark and creepy hallways.
"It's what happens when you've got a school bigger than the student population," Heather replied. "Higher-ups're still hoping more students'll apply here."
"Hush, you two," Angela said as she pulled Tina along by leash. "You're breaking the mood."
"You mean the dark and creepy mood?" Pamela snorted. "Even without the ghosts and chainsaws, this is looking more like a horror film than... whatever this is supposed to be."
"You're right. We gotta change something if we want this to turn out right," Angela replied. Turning toward Tina, she ordered, "Take off your shirt."
"Wh-what?" Tina wasn't prepared for that.
"Did I stutter or something? Take off your shirt," Angela repeated. "If you don't, we'll do it for you. We won't stop at the shirt, though. Unless you want to end up stark naked, take off your shirt."
Trembling, Tina obediently took off her shirt, revealing A-cup breasts. She absolutely couldn't risk letting Angela see her chastity belt! The leash was still in the way, but Angela simply had to slide the shirt off her end of the leash to remedy that. Smirking, the natural blonde cheerleader tossed the shirt into Heather's hands before going back to chastising her victim of the day.
"Smile for the camera," Angela taunted as she tugged on the leash. "Why don't you play with them? Show the world what a fucking slut you are."
Tina obeyed and started stroking her already hardened nipples, causing her to allow a moan to escape her lips. The frustration she had to endure over the past two weeks didn't help at all. Her mind was getting fuzzy as she desperately tried to hide her obvious excitement from the girls bullying her. She wanted an orgasm so badly, but she couldn't even if she didn't mind doing it in front of such an audience!
"Oh my god, she's enjoying this!" Pamela laughed as she recorded the entire sexual display happening in front of her.
"Ten bucks says she's wet," Angela smirked. "Slutty Bitch. Drop your pants. We wanna see if your panties're wet."
Tina froze at that last command. She couldn't. She absolutely couldn't! If she took off her jeans, they'll know! She furiously shook her head and begged, "Please... don't. I can't. I really can't. Please don't make me do it."
"Okay, fine," Angela shrugged nonchalantly. "If you don't want to do it, we won't force you."
"R-really...?" Tina asked, her voice filled with a little bit of hope.
"Really," Angela smiled sweetly at the other blonde. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the heart-shaped key and held it out for Tina to take. "Here."
"Th-thank you," Tina stammered as she reached out to take it.
Nicole opened up a window, which Angela threw the key through.
Tina screamed as she ran toward the window to catch it, but it was too late. The key went pretty far, since they were on the fourth floor and Angela had a good arm. The topless teen tried to figure out where the key landed, but couldn't spot even a glitter in the tall grass of the football field, just past the basketball court. It'd take hours, if not days, to find it.
"Have fun looking for it, Slutty Bitch," Angela laughed as she walked away. "Keep the leash and collar. The look suits you."
"This is what happens when you don't do as you're told, pervert," Pamela intentionally knocked into Tina as she passed on by to follow Angela.
"Silly little doggy," Nicole snickered as she smacked Tina in the ass before following Angela and Pamela.
"Do yourself a favour next time and just stop pretending you're not a slut, slut," Heather joined in as she dropped Tina's shirt before running off to catch up with the others.
"No... why..." Tina sobbed as she stared at the football field. Snapping out of it, she backed away from the window, grabbed her shirt, and ran down the hall, opposite of where those bullies headed. She was going to find her key, even if she had to search till morning.
*****
"You're lost, aren't you?" Rock grumbled as he followed along behind Trent through the narrow passageways. For a crawlspace, there was quite a bit of room to move around, but it was still cramped in there. Right now, they were making their way under the floorboards, which held a very neat surprise to the youngsters. They could see through the floors from the bottom while, obviously, no one could see from above. They had a fun time looking up at girls' panties. Unfortunately, far fewer girls wore skirts than they thought.
"I know where we are," Trent replied. "We're between the third and fourth floor, near the teacher's lounge."
"And the exit?" Rock asked.
"No idea," Trent answered.
"You're lost," Rock grumbled.
"Being lost means not knowing where you are," Trent replied with a grin. "We know where we are, therefore we are not lost."
"But you don't know where the exit is!" Rock exclaimed angrily.
"The exit is lost," Trent shrugged.
"The exit's not the one who's lost," Rock growled. "You're the one who's lost."
"If the exit's not lost, then how come we can't find it even though we know where we are?" Trent asked.
"YOU don't know where YOU are!" Rock shouted. "Stop saying we when we're talking about you!"
"I'm talking about how we're talking about me, which means we're talking about we," Trent replied.
"Oh for the love of...! I'm outta here!" Rock planted the palms of his hands against the roof of the passageway, then stood up.
Crash!
Creating a hole in the fourth floor floorboards, Rock tossed away the debris before climbing out of the hole.
"....." Sandra stared.
"....." Rock stared back.
"Whoo! I found a penny!" Trent exclaimed while still under the floorboards, drawing the attentions of both Sandra and Rock at the same time.
*****
"Ugh..." Lupin groaned as he sat up. He dozed off on the school rooftop while he was doing some thinking about the past few days. He immediately noticed the gloomy air and the orangey hue in the approaching night sky. He turned toward the sun and, with the start, realized that it was close to setting. Just how long had he been out for?
Jumping to his feet, he made his way toward the edge of the rooftop, careful to make sure that there was no one still around to see him. At least no one with the authority to punish him for being up on the roof, anyway.
Glancing about, his eyes fell upon a solitary figure out on the football field. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the figure was female and a little too busy looking for something in the tall grass to even bother looking up at all. He recognized her as a classmate from his homeroom, named Tina. He was quite to find her attractive, just like a lot of the girls from class. In fact, come to think of it, all the hottest girls seemed to be in his homeroom. Lupin wondered how he missed that, but realized the answer was obvious.
Grabbing hold of his umbrella and backpack, he jumped off the edge of the school building. He quickly opened up his umbrella and, defying physics, floated softly to the ground. Once his feet were touching the floor of the basketball court, he folded up his umbrella and slid it into a strap on the side of his backpack. He made one more look-around to make sure no one noticed his little stunt before heading toward the football field.
"Hi," Lupin said.
"Huh?" Tina jumped up a little before snapping her head up toward Lupin. A nervous tone could be heard from her voice. "H-hi."
"Um... you lost something?" Lupin asked as he looked away, a little embarrassed for startling Tina.
"Y-yes... a key..." Tina replied as she sadly looked down at the ground. Suddenly, she looked at Lupin with a hopeful look in her eyes. "Did you find it? It's heart-shaped and the size for opening mailboxes."
"No, sorry," Lupin shook his head.
"Oh... that's okay, then..." Tina replied as she went back on her search.
"....." Lupin turned around and took several steps away from Tina. Looking over his shoulder to make sure that his classmate wasn't looking, he pressed his hands together and began his technique.
*****
Several days ago...
"It's... it's glowing!" Spike (later to be known as Lupin) exclaimed happily as he held up his blue gemstone for Monica to see. He was waist-deep in water with only his baggy shorts on and the gemstone around his neck. "It's finally glowing!"
"I noticed," Monica replied with a smile on her face. She was sitting on the sandy beach with her knees pulled up to her chest.
It was night time in Sera's backyard. Well... not quite Sera's backyard. Sera's backdoor led to another part of the world; maybe even a different world altogether. Spike and Monica were selected to train at the beach, since their energy training was water-based. Monica was already adept at using water-based spiritual energy, so she spent most of her time training Spike. So far, Spike had only been able to create brief flashes with his gemstone, but now... it was shining as clearly as possible.
*Full moon's out... probably got somethin' tah do wid it*, Monica thought to herself as she looked up at the full moon. She turned back toward Spike, noticing the faint aura that developed around the young man's body. "Spike, you are glowing. That means you have an aura, now."
"Yeah... feels... a little like... water," Spike replied as he looked down at the faint glow enveloping his body. He lifted his hands up and stare at the glow some more.
"Spike," Monica got to her feet and started taking her shirt and jeans off, revealing her bandage-style swimsuit. She walked into the warm water until the surface reached her knees. "Come over here. I want to teach you something new."
"Y-yeah?" Spike wore a face of excitement as he sloshed over to where Monica stood. His face was red, since Monica's bindings were so form-fitting that she might as well be naked.
"Let us talk about territory," Monica grinned.
"Territory?" Spike blinked, snapping out of it.
"I guess you have not noticed it yet," Monica replied. "When I said 'territory', I was talking about your aura's territory. Now that you can produce it, you can learn to expand it and create a 'territory' of energy around you. You will also be able to 'feel' everything within your territory."
As though to demonstrate, Monica released her light blue aura, creating a healthy glow that put Spike's to shame. She expanded her aura until she created a sphere of energy large enough to encompass both herself and Spike. The first thing Spike noticed about the aura was that it was... soothing. It was warm. Hot, even. Kind of like a hot spring.
"Um..." Monica blushed as she covered her mouth with her hand. She immediately shook her head to get rid of her embarrassment. Before Spike could ask any questions, she said, "Put your hands behind your back and hold up as many fingers as you want."
"Um... okay..." Spike blinked, a little confused as he held up six fingers behind his back.
"Your right is holding up two fingers while your left is holding up four," Monica stated.
"Wow, that's ri-" Spike began.
"You are also missing a tooth from the upper-right and you have three scratches on the back of your ankle," Monica continued. "There are currently three fishes and one crab behind me. In fact, one of the fish is about to swim right by my left ankle."
"....." Spike looked behind Monica and, indeed, she was right. He also noticed that one of the fish was about to swim past Monica's left ankle. He got to watch as the fish was kicked out of the water and onto the sandy beach, where it flopped about uselessly before it passed out and died.
"We will continue the lesson tomorrow," Monica blushed as she turned around and headed back to the beach.
"Eh...?" Spike tilted his head in confusion, then realized that even if he was wearing baggy shorts, if Monica knew how many fingers he was holding up behind his back, then she'd know what else was... up. Blushing furiously, he used his hands to hide his erection and sank into the water until only the top part of his head was above the surface.
*****
The feeling was familiar to him. It was like a living dream. The aura that came out and surrounded him felt just like that dream. That dream where he found himself drowning in the depths of the ocean. That suffocating atmosphere was back, but this time he could handle it. He controlled it. He lowered the pressure as he expanded his territory, so as not to cause too powerful of an aura.
Lupin felt as though he could float through the air. All he had to do was jumped up a bit and let his aura carry him. However, he remained firmly planted to the ground. He reached out with his thoughts and feelings in order to make his expelled energy truly his own. If he lost control of his energy, his territory would be about as useful as clipped toenails. With this in mind, he increased his concentration and focused on searching for that key.
The further he expanded his territory, the less he was able to sense with his aura. Right now, it was a sphere of energy connected to his soul. Experimenting with it a bit, he changed the shape of his territory so that it was the shape of a dome with the top of it just over his head. The shape wasn't quite perfect for the aura was more gaseous than liquid, but it'll have to do. With this, he was able to increase his range until he covered half the football field. No luck. He took a walk to the other side of the field to check that part for the key as well. Still no luck.
Wha... what was... that? Tina froze as she felt the mass of energy envelope her. She found herself unable to move for she was overwhelmed by the slight change in atmosphere. If Lupin had not lowered the pressure, she would be on the ground writhing in pain right about now. Instead, she was frozen in place and afraid to looked behind her for the source. It didn't even enter her mind that Lupin was right behind her!
"Huh... no luck..." Lupin muttered to himself as he broke up his territory and stopped the technique. He returned most of his energy back into his body. Looking around, he realized that small fragments of his broken territory were cast into the wind, but a small amount like that wouldn't have any lasting effects. He decided to ignore the fragments and turn his attention back on the lost key.
It's... it's gone, Tina blinked as she felt herself able to move again. Getting up, she quickly looked around for the source of the really overwhelming feeling just now. Turning around, her eyes fell upon Lupin, who was still standing there. She studied his face to see if he also felt that amazing pressure just now. She was surprised to see her classmate's serious face.
"Maybe..." Lupin muttered to himself as he walked over toward one of the goalposts. That strange feeling returned. The one that told him what to do. Sera's gift was active once again.
He looked up.
"Hey, Tina! I think I found your key!" Lupin exclaimed as he pointed toward the top of the goal post he was under.
"R-really?!" Tina quickly rushed over next to Lupin as her eyes followed his finger.
It was there. Only the top part of the heart was off the edge and therefore the only part visible, but Tina was sure it was the right key. All she had to do now was get it down.
"Thank you so much, Lupin!" Tina wrapped her arms around Lupin and gave him a hug. After that, she went toward the pole and attempted to climb up. Unfortunately, it was not made for climbing. She barely touched the crossbar when she slid back down to earth.
"Um... wanna try hitting it? Might cause the key to fall," Lupin suggested as he gave the goalpost a kick.
Ding!
The goalposts vibrated, but the key didn't fall.
"It's... not falling," Tina said. A hint of sadness was evident in her voice.
"Huh... maybe a little harder..." Lupin blinked as he looked up at the key. He drew back his hand and gave the goalpost a good smack.
Vring!
"....." Tina continued staring up at her key with a worried look on her face.
"Oh shoot... I think I made the key go in more," Lupin said as he looked back up the goalpost. For the third hit, he drew back his fist and allowed spiritual energy to seep into it. As he launched his punch into the goalpost, he said, "Maybe it'll fall from the other side!"
Crack! Boom!
"Boom?" Lupin blinked.
The goalposts fell over.
"Um..." Lupin stared at the broken goalposts for a long moment, then turned toward Tina, whose eyes were wide like saucers. "You're not going to tell anyone, are you?"
Tina shook her head. No, she was not.
"Thanks!" Lupin replied with a nervous grin.
"Meow!" A kitten with grey fur suddenly appeared next to the broken goalpost. He was incredibly small, as though he could fit on the palm of your hand. His large green eyes stared up at Lupin and Tina as he sat down on his hind legs. He looked from side to side before rolling around in the grass.
"Oh look, a kitten!" Lupin crouched down to take a better look at the kitten. He reached out to pet the kitten on the head.
"Um... Lupin... I don't see the key anyway," Tina said as she walked around the broken goalposts to find her key.
"It shouldn't have gotten very far, though," Lupin tilted his head curiously as he continued stroking the kitten's back.
"It should be around here..." Tina muttered to herself as she continued her search.
"Right... around here," Lupin replied absent-mindedly. He stroked the kitten under the chin when he noticed something shining under the paw. He lifted the kitten's paw and there it was: The heart-shaped key. As he picked it up, the kitten grabbed it with his teeth and tugged. "Okay, little kitty. Just let go, okay? Tina! I found it!"
"R-really?" Tina spun around again to see the key in the kitten's mouth and Lupin awkwardly trying to grab it.
"Ah... he swallowed it..." Lupin blinked.
"....." Both Lupin and Tina remained motionless as they stared at the kitten.
"Hack!" The kitten spat the key out, then walked away.
"....." Both Lupin and Tina remained motionless as they stared at the key.
"Got!" Lupin declared with a huge grin on his face as he happily held the key up victoriously.
"Thank you so mu-" Tina began.
"Caw!" A crow interrupted Tina, swooped down, and snatched the key right out of Lupin's hand.
"....." Both Lupin and Tina remained motionless as they stared at the crow.
"Did you see that coming?" Tina asked.
"No... probably should've, though," Lupin replied.
Both of them ran off after the crow.
*****
"What the hell was that?" Sandra's head snapped toward the window as soon as she heard a large crashing sound.
"Um... that would be... Lupin breaking the goalposts?" Rock replied as he looked out through the window toward the football field.
"Aw... no fair. He promised we'd break stuff together," Trent grumbled as he rested his chin on the window sill.
That's... that's him! That's the guy from that weird vision I had in the library! Sandra exclaimed in her head. She blinked for a second, then snapped her head toward Rock and Trent. "Wait a minute! First thing's first! Why were you two under the floorboards?"
"We got lost," Rock shrugged.
"No, the exit lost us," Trent corrected.
"What he said," Rock agreed.
"Ah, I see," Sandra nodded her head in an understanding manner. Suddenly, she burst angrily, "That tells me nothing!"
"Uh huh... kind of the point, actually," Rock explained. "We're telling you nothing."
"How... how's he able to do that?" Sandra asked, pointing toward the broken goalposts. "Is he some kind of monster or something?"
"How'd you know he broke it?" Rock asked with a raised eyebrow. "Lightning could've struck there. Maybe a van crashed into it."
"I'm not stupid, you know," Sandra replied. "You really think I'd miss a giant flash of light right before those goalposts fell? And a truck wouldn't be able to get away so quick! There aren't even any tire tracks!"
"That girl could've done it," Trent offered.
"....." Rock didn't have anything to add to that.
"With a baseball bat," Trent added with a grin.
"Anyway, you seem awfully calm for someone who just saw two guys pop out of the floorboards and a third guy break a pair of goalposts with his bare fists... or feet," Rock observed. "What do you know about us?"
"I... well..." Sandra stammered as her face reddened. She couldn't mention that awkward morning when she woke up next to Heather. She promised she'd keep it a secret. "I... I saw... him... on the football field... with blood all over him... and the football team... on the ground... all around him..."
"Oh..." Rock blinked. He realized that Sandra was talking about that time when Derek took control of the Ms. Quartz, Heather, Sandra, and the football team. He was surprised that Sandra remembered, though, since he was told that they didn't remember a thing.
"You know something about that, don't you!" Sandra exclaimed as she pointed at Rock with an accusatory finger. "Tell me what you know!"
"What else do you know about us," Rock growled threateningly. He wasn't about to let this girl boss him around.
"I told you already," Sandra replied angrily. "Now tell me what you know!"
"Like hell I will!" Rock growled back. "You don't actually know anything, do you?"
"I know enough to be suspicious," Sandra shot back. "Your reactions already tell me you're hiding something and I wanna know what!"
"We're not hiding anything!" Rock barked.
"Like hell you're not!" Sandra barked back.
"Even if we are, it's none of your business!" Rock shouted.
"I could get both of you kicked out for that damn hole in the floor, you know!" Sandra shouted back.
"You threatening me? Go the fuck ahead! Tell everyone bout the damn hole!"
"I think I won't?!"
"They'll let me off with a week's suspension or two!"
"For a damn hole in the floor?! Get real!"
"Hey, isn't that the hot chick we saw in the girl's washroom?" Trent asked as he pointed toward Tina. "You know, the one who got bullied by those four other hot chicks?"
"....." Both Rock and Sandra stopped arguing after what Trent said.
"Chick seems like an old word, though. Maybe I shouldn't use it, after all," Trent scratched the back of his head in confusion. "Let's see... maybe... chick + babe = babick? No... Chibe? No... maybe a completely new word, like bi-"
"You idiot!" Rock smashed his fist against the back of Trent's head, causing the window in front of Trent to shatter.
"What? Bitch means female dog, so it can't be a bad word," Trent replied as he rubbed the back of his head.
"I meant bout letting slip bout what we saw!" Rock shouted.
"We were gonna report it anyway, right?" Trent shrugged.
"Anonymously, Trent," Rock grumbled. "Anonymously."
"Oh ho... peeping, hmm?" Sandra was grinning quite sadistically at this point.
"Shit..." Rock muttered under his breath.
*****
It was 7:00pm sharp.
Monica double-checked her watch as she walked into the empty gym. The sounds of her footsteps echoed throughout the hollow darkness. Her sneakers squeaked as they made their way across the polished floors. Her left hand gripped the sheath of her shinken tightly and securely. Her eyes were used to seeing through darkness, so she was quick to make out the shape of her opponent standing at the opposite end of the gym. She couldn't say she was surprised.
"Glad you came," Synn smiled gleefully as she presented her metallic tonfas.
"I take it you want to finish what we started?" Monica asked as she flicked the hand guard on her sword with her thumb so that a sliver of blade was exposed.
"Our last fight was based on a misunderstanding, so no," Synn replied. "That's why I sent you an official challenge. This isn't a continuation. This is a fight between two people. That's all."
"Fine by me," Monica agreed.
Both girls rushed at each other.
(To be continued)
*****
Character Profile Section:
Name: Richard 'Rock' Cross
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Species: Human
Height: 6' 5"
Weight: 107kg
Occupation: High School Student, Diner Cook, Summoner-In-Training
Miscellaneous Information:
-Likes cooking, drawing, crossword puzzles, and listening to music
-Favourite drink is Labatt Blue
-Favourite season is Summer
-Has a Zippo lighter with the symbol for marijuana engraved on it.
-Favourite subject is Home Ec. and Science
-Least Favourite subject is English and Math
-Hobbies include hanging out with friends
Estimated Physical Statistics (before Sera's training):
Strength: 4900lb dead lift
Speed: 8m/s
Stamina: 440 miles
