“Good morning class!” Mrs Shlart called out with a commanding presence, as the Vivren surveyed the sleepy faces of her class, her gaze sweeping across the room at the many students still rubbing their eyes and yawning. Despite having been out of action for two weeks to heal the worst of her injuries from the Killer Klown’s attack, and though one of her arms was still held in a sling, she had not lost her enthusiasm for starting the day with her usual warm discipline.
“Good morning Mrs Shlart,” the class groaned back.
“Well, I must say it’s good to see you all again, despite some of you having to join us remotely,” their form teacher began, indicating several droids floating in place where several of their classmates normally sat. “I know we have a busy two weeks ahead of us, so let’s get right to it!”
She paused briefly as her piercing voice cut through the morning haze, allowing the students to fully awaken and settle into their seats, now paying attention.
“Firstly, we have your temporary timetables for the following two weeks that my assistant droids are now handing out to each of you. They have been created to allow all of you the minimum amount of sleep you require during each day cycle, though if any homework is set during this time you will still be expected to do it, under penalty of DETENTION!”
Many in the class groaned or sobbed to some degree as they discovered what the next two weeks would look like. Jack himself internally groaned as he saw what he would have to deal with. Their morning today heavily reflected how his first full week of school started, and would begin with a school assembly immediately after form class, followed by a large block of Art Class, followed by Chemistry, then a quick break for lunch…if there was enough time for one. Jack shared some worried glances with his friends, but knew better than to protest.
“Now….” Mrs Shlart began. “I know many of you have had difficult experiences, and these next two weeks shall be challenging, however, it is the Headmaster’s wish that we all move on from the recent troubles and get back to a sense of normalcy as quickly as possible. That being said, when we leave this room to attend the Headmaster’s assembly, I want to remind you all that despite these challenging times, your punctuality in attending class - and the respect you show your teachers and other staff - is non-negotiable. Understood?”
“Yes Mrs Shlart.” The class all nodded as one.
“Good.” The teacher nodded. “We have a few minutes before our class is due to make our way to the great hall, so you may talk amongst yourselves while I speak to a few individuals. Jack? May you please come to the front so I may speak to you?”
“Yes Miss.” He nodded out of reflex, wondering to himself if he was in trouble as he slowly put one foot in front of the other.
“Hello Jack, please sit.” Mrs Shlart smiled, indicating a chair to the side of the desk. “Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble. As your Form Tutor I simply wanted to catch up with you and make sure you are coping at school as a new student. I understand Mr Sparrel has been taking over my duties as your temporary Form Tutor, has everything gone well with him?”
“Yes Miss,” Jack dutifully reported. “I had already met him as my new History Teacher and he took all of us aside for a private chat when he needed.”
“That is good to hear.” Mrs Shlart nodded. “I understand this must be quite the adjustment for you, especially with everything that has been going on.”
No shit. Jack thought to himself, but he didn’t dare say that aloud. “It’s been more difficult than expected due to the attack, and these next two weeks will be hard, but my people are normally good at adapting to their circumstances.”
“That is good to hear, and I am pleased to see that you are contributing well to extra-curricular activities in the form of one of our Deathball teams. However, it is too early to report on your academic performance, but once I have obtained detailed reports from my colleagues we can sit down and discuss your progress. I have, however, received negative feedback from Master Kull on your attitude and behaviour during his class.”
“I-” Jack began, but bit back his angry retort.
“I understand that Master Kull’s teaching methods can be…challenging. However, they have been known to bring out effective results,” Mrs Shlart countered. “Though you are an Outsider to our realm of existence, it is expected that you behave in a respectful manner and do your best to learn. One day when you graduate, you shall need to think about your future, and what you learn today could define who you become years from now.”
“I…I shall try my best.” Jack finally nodded, doing his best to keep his face neutral and remain calm and diplomatic about the whole situation.
“I have not had negative feedback from the other Physical Education teachers, and droid tracking indicates that your performance is above average, so I hope this improves.” Mrs Shlart nodded, and actually gave him a little smile. “I also see that you have quickly made friends with many of your fellow students, which is encouraging to see. I hope this trend continues and that you may grow to be a positive influence on them, especially Miss Hawker. I’ll speak to you again once I get a better idea of your grades.”
“Yes, Miss.” Jack nodded respectfully as he returned to his seat, while Mrs Shlart called up Svaartal.
Our lessons look to be in the same order as usual, only longer, Chiyo noted as Jack took his seat again. Though extra days at the weekend are filled with remedial lessons, presumably trimmed from the rest of the days to allow us time to rest, they are still unforgiving.
“Yeah, and we have an assembly today,” Nika noted with a sigh. “There’s never a time limit on them so they’re starting off strong with this shit.”
“Though they claim to have allowed us the minimum time requirement for sleep, that doesn’t account for time needed to do homework and get home,” Alora pointed out. “Though the end of next week looks like it lets up a bit, and we don’t have to worry about doing homework for the week after until we’ve used the weekend to recover, so the plan to book an all-inclusive night at the Aquaplex should be a go.”
“How’s the booking looking for that, Alora?” Sephy asked. “We can’t be the only ones having the same idea after this crap gets done.”
“Actually, it’s not a problem,” Alora noted. “I think most people in the city are more focused on recovery than going out to have fun, so if we book it, it’s probably just going to be us.”
“We can tell our friends and let them come along, right?” Jack asked.
Alora nodded. “That was the idea all along. And once word spreads we’re probably going to get other tag-alongs, which is fine. The Aquaplex is keen to get business returning so they’ll welcome us with open arms. The rest of the weekend we can recover, get homework done, and try and have some fun. We can also start looking for our next Run around that time, but not before!”
“I think we’re all cool with that.” Nika nodded. “Let’s just focus on surviving these next two weeks for the time being.”
For the next few minutes the group compared their timetables, noting who shared slots with who, with Jack happy to confirm that there would be familiar faces at each of his classes. He wondered what things were looking like for his friends in other Form Classes.
Still. At least he wasn’t being shot at.
“Alright Class,” Mrs Shlart spoke up, causing the room to go silent. “It’s time to head to the assembly. I expect you all to maintain the decorum that represents our school. Please ensure that your uniforms are neat and tidy, and that your behaviour is exemplary. Anybody that misbehaves will find themselves in DETENTION!”
Nobody dared talk or grumble as the students marched down the corridor in an orderly fashion, monitored by the teachers and led by the prefects. Descending several flights of stairs and being directed to their section, Jack’s class filed into the main hall. The moment they were no longer being monitored, they couldn’t help but exchange knowing glances and suppressed whispers as they mentally prepared themselves for the utter snoozefest that would soon be upon them.
Mrs Shlart led the way as she pointed, indicating the rows of seats they would occupy, and Jack was thankful to Chiyo that the Ilithii had worked out the optimal place in the line for the five of them to be, in order to remain unnoticed by the teachers when sat down. In the distance, Jack saw Luvia sitting down ahead of them with her Form Class, while behind them, they could see Vanya and the rest of her class led in by Mr Sparrel, and directed by Rena.
“Get what rest you need while you can, we’re going to be here a while,” Nika sighed.
“They could at least make the chairs more comfortable,” Sephy pointed out. “Also, the Headmaster got some bounties placed on him, could we-”
“No,” Alora interrupted the joking Skritta. “We’re not going to add our credits to the Headmaster’s bounty.”
“Maybe we could try and cash it in?” Jack grinned, causing the Eladrie to groan in exasperation. “How much is it worth, Sephy?”
“Jack! You’re not helping!” Alora sternly told him, while the nearby students within earshot began laughing, trying their best to hide it as the prefects snapped their fingers, or made other motions of disapproval, while more classes began filing in, quickly filling up the seats and allowing the group to easily blend in amidst a sea of bored students.
We should be in the clear now, Chiyo informed them once most of them had all settled. They were just waiting for the younger students at the front of the hall to be seated before the Headmaster began his speech. I really hope the double schedule doesn’t apply to his assemblies.
“He gave them when we were in the lecture theatre,” Nika noted. “I should damn well hope not, otherwise we might have a riot on our hands.”
“Shame I didn’t pack a drone to mark targets.” Sephy smirked. “It’d be the best time to cash that bounty!”
You do know he’s a lich that uses simulacrums to do these school assemblies, right? Chiyo rolled her eyes. I can almost guarantee the real Headmaster is most likely in his office doing paperwork, completely unaware of any complaints against him. Even if you were to find his true form, he would simply reform with his phylactery within a day. He’s extraordinarily powerful.
“A girl can dream.” Sephy sighed, as the last of the students filed in. When everyone was sat down, the simulacrum of the Headmaster promptly blinked up to the stage and walked up to his podium. “Good day Students, and faculty alike….”
As the Headmaster began his opening address, the students couldn’t help but begin to slouch a little more in their seats, as any hope that the school assembly would be short died quickly. Well accustomed to the rambling thoroughness of the Headmaster, Jack listened to them touch briefly on the recent troubles, before somehow linking it to various topics that were completely irrelevant, and completely boring. As much as he enjoyed learning about alien cultures, he had his limits. The Headmaster having a one-sided debate about whether academic performance was linked to an economic downturn caused by a disagreement between two banks over a hundred years ago was not something the human particularly cared about.
Retreating into his mind, Jack began to daydream as Sephy leaned her head against his shoulder, having already retreated into subspace to allow her body to rest while her mind played video games. Trying to relax, his mind couldn’t help but be brought back to the hell their group had gone through, and the following weeks they had spent trying to navigate the aftermath. However, there was hope - once they made it through the next two weeks, things would be better. A waterpark sounded great, and he knew that there would be a trip to this…Temple of Merriment place once all their friends could attend. Maybe Alora was right, and there were plenty of good things to enjoy in this strange realm…
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
And speaking of enjoyment, he had somehow ended up with many alien girls interested in him, though he had no idea how to navigate that minefield. Deep down he knew he wasn’t ready to take that kind of thing to the next level, despite the hints from some of the girls that it would be okay. It just didn’t feel right to him while he was adjusting to this new realm with new people, and he needed to get his mind in the right place. That being said, it was made much more complicated by the likes of Vanya and Luvia displaying interest, and he really didn’t know what to do with that. He didn’t outright want to tell them ‘no’, but he also didn’t want to say ‘yes’ either. He was happy to be friends with all of them, and was happy to accept their ‘situationship’ as it currently was, which most of them seemed to accept and feel the same way.
However, he had promised individual dates in his immediate future, with each one promising to tip over the house of cards…
The prospect of dropping out of school to become a hermit monk was a tempting one!
Then again, the highly imaginative thoughts of multiple alien girls made for a much better daydream, so his mind keenly began to explore every single scenario his teenage mind could think of as the Headmaster went on and on and on…
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the headmaster wrapped up his droning address, and the students all across the hall released their collective sounds of relief as the assembly finally came to an end.
“Five hours…how could he keep going for five hours…” Sephy groaned as she slumped up beside him., rubbing her tired eyes.
There have been longer, Chiyo pointed out. Doesn’t make it any less painful though.
“We’ve still got lessons for the day. Jack, Sephy, I think you’re in Art Class with me,” Nika pointed out, the two nodding in confirmation.
“And Chiyo is with me in Planar Runes.” Alora sighed. “See you at lunch?”
“See you then,” Nika confirmed as they went their separate ways, moving on to their first lessons of the day. Making their way through the rest of the dispersing students, the buzz of conversations returning all around them as the various teachers that had chaperoned them went off to their classrooms. “Alright, hopefully this won’t be too bad. Art is kinda pointless, but Mx Cxilla is usually alright. Glad to hear they survived the attack, apparently they’ve been babysitting half of the freshman form classes for the last two weeks.”
“Well, hopefully it won’t be too bad.” Jack shrugged, as they headed to class.
“Good morning students!” Mx Cxilla cheerfully spoke up as they surveyed the class. “I am so glad to see you all survived the attack, though it saddens me to know many of you have suffered recent hardships, especially those of you who cannot make it in person.” They indicated several drones each representing a bedridden student, the toadstool-like alien smiling sadly. “It is for that reason that today, I want you all to tap into the power of art as a means of healing, as well as self-expression. I am giving you the freedom as you see fit to paint a scene that represents your most vivid memory of the recent disaster, whether it was a challenging experience, or a moment of warmth and hope.”
The fungal being sighed sadly as they looked at the students. “I have no desire to punish or overpush you when you have already gone through so much, so if something is too painful for you, you do not have to paint it if you do not wish. However, art has a unique way of helping us process complex emotions in ways words often struggle to express, so all I ask is that you try and take your chance to share your story.”
Several of the students looked to each other with uncertainty , nervous at the prospect, before Mx Cxilla reassured them, “There is no correct or incorrect path to approach this task, and you may choose whatever medium you wish to best convey your emotions. Please, begin when you are ready.”
Slowly and uncertainty, the students got up out of their seats to retrieve art supplies from the various trays and shelves dotted around the art room. Jack, being the new student, didn’t know what he could use, but Mx Cxilla quickly sensed his confusion and showed him where the traditional paints and brushes similar to ones used on Earth were located. With a medium-sized canvas and a series of paints on his desk, Jack stared at it for a while, trying to focus on a particular memory to focus on. What was his most vivid memory? What would he paint?
“Wow Sephy, this looks excellent!” Mx Cxilla praised the Skritta two hours later, as they made their way around the class to check up on her students. “What experience does this represent?”
“This represents my friends and I holding the line against the Klowns!” Sephy grinned. “We kicked their asses that night!”
“And I can see that the heroic poses you’ve chosen to place your friends in represents the bravery and courage of all those who did their best in facing their attackers,” The teacher noted. “An excellent showcase of hope in the face of despair!”
“And Nika, let’s have a look at what you’ve painted.” Mx Cxilla smiled as they moved on to the Kizun. “What does this show?”
“The chaos we’ve had to deal with since.” Nika shrugged. “There was a time when my friends and I got put in a rough spot on the night the latest CorpoWar started. I’ve tried to capture the mood.”
“I can see that.” The teacher nodded nervously. “I see some horrific monsters, and I recognise this symbol for Myrodin. Are these creatures Haemonculi constructs? I wasn’t aware that the Myrodin Pyramid had fielded them yet.”
“They haven’t,” Nika clarified. “These were unrelated to the conflict, but still a problem for us. We got away though, so it didn’t turn into anything serious.”
“And what does this signify for you?” The teacher asked.
“That there’s always going to be problems to face, I guess.” Nika shrugged. “Good thing I’ve got backup to deal with it.”
“Resolve in the face of adversity.” Mx Cxilla nodded wisely. “An excellent trait to have! Now let’s see what you’ve painted Jack, this looks very interesting…oh…this looks very grim.”
“Yeah.” Jack sighed. “That night was a living nightmare, and I was right in the middle of it. I took out a lot of enemies, and this painting captures all the ones I remember.”
“What about this one? He looks strange, but he’s standing…”
“I’m not much of a painter,” Jack acknowledged. “But Dr Grine was the one that got away from me despite my best efforts.”
“A scene of destruction, I can understand why such a memory would be vivid for you.” Mx Cxilla told him. “Such a challenging experience, as I know you must have had many of since arriving here.”
“Yeah.” Jack nodded. “And many more to come, I suspect, though I’m coping better and training every day to face them.”
“That is encouraging, and though your technique could be better, this is an excellent way to express yourself.” The fungal being told him. “And I hope that you are able to put this horror behind you and begin to heal. Aside from that, I think you have done very well!”
“Thank you.” Jack nodded, as the teacher moved on.
“Alright, I take it back.” Nika sighed the moment they were out of earshot another hour later. Their various ‘works’ had been hung up in a special room to return to during their remedial timeslot during the weekend to put the finishing touches on. “Art Class isn’t completely pointless.”
“I’ll admit that was pretty good,” Jack agreed. “I still suck donkey balls at art, but at least Mx Cxilla is cool to us, focuses on the positives and tries to encourage us. My previous Art Teacher just had a go at me for being shit whenever she could. I dropped that subject the moment I was allowed to, but I guess it’s fun to give it a go for three hours even when I completely lack the talent for painting. I couldn’t really think of anything else to do, though I tried to stick some 40K influences in it.”
“What’s ‘40K’?” Nika asked.
“SciFi from my world.” Jack grinned. “We had a bunch of interpretations of what the distant future would look like, and 40K is one of the wilder ones. I can always tell you about it later when we have time, but I can talk for hours about that!”
“Chemistry next!” Sephy grinned. “You’re with me, Jack, we’re meeting with Chiyo and Vanya.”
“I’m in a different slot for that.” Nika shrugged. “I’m stuck with Maths now, but at least Alora and I can get that over with earlier in the week.”
“Unless Mr Szarite decides to torture you with enough tests to mentally scar you for the rest of time!” Sephy grinned jokingly.
“Thanks for that thought,” Nika deadpanned. “See you later!”
“Alright class! We’re making bombs!” Lt Xcratho grinned, the badger-like teacher pointing at a heavily simplified diagram on the board. “Get yourselves into groups of three and pray to your gods you don’t end up destroying my classroom!”
“Sweet!” Sephy grinned as she, Jack and Chiyo formed their group as requested. Vanya looked disappointed at being left out, but quickly formed a group with Svaarti and Crill.
“Now, there are several different types of explosive devices we’re going to make!” The teacher grinned excitedly as she pointed to a cross section of what Jack suspected was a grenade. “And many of them follow a similar principle, igniting either by a chemical reaction or the application of heat. This first one involves a composition of metal powder and metal oxide. Can anybody tell me what this could be?” She grinned expectantly, looking over the class.
Nobody said anything for several moments as the students racked their brains for what it could be. Jack was beginning to recall his rudimentary knowledge from Earth about what it could be, but Chiyo beat him to the answer.
Is this…Thermite? The Ilithii asked unsurely, as Jack recognised it as the correct response.
“Very good!” Lt Xcratho clapped. “Now, somebody else can answer. What’s so special about Thermite?”
“It’s really hot,” Jack spoke up. “I’ve seen it melt through metal!”
“Excellent!” The teacher grinned. “I wasn’t sure if you would be able to answer that as an Outsider, Jack, so well done! Yes, Thermite is a pyrotechnic composition that undergoes an exothermic process when ignited, creating a burst of heat and high temperature in a small area. I did try to trick you all by talking about bombs and explosives, since Thermite doesn’t really explode unless you add a few specialties I’m not going to trust you all with!” She cackled. “However in a military context, it’s great for cracking your way through enemy artillery or for emergency destruction of enemy equipment if you know what you’re doing! It’s a cheap, reliable anti-material bit of kit that can be made in different ways. Today, I’m going to teach you the most common ones as you try them out yourselves on old bits of tank I requisitioned, and make your own Thermite Charges! Allow me to demonstrate…”
I suspect Lt Xcratho may have been utilising us for a side hustle, Chiyo noted once they were done with that class. She seemed very keen on moving to the practical stage and began moving our Thermite Charges into a crate.
“She’s definitely selling them off. Wonder who’s buying?” Sephy shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t mind, Thermite doesn’t seem too hard to make. We could even use it.”
“For the civilian stuff, I hope,” Jack pointed out. “Though my new ‘Toolsense’ should be able to do that for us if we need to weld anything.
“Oh come on!” Sephy rolled her eyes. “Thermite could probably break through locks or loosen metal grates or something!”
I’m just surprised you seem to be learning something. Chiyo retorted in amusement. I believe we have lunch now, I’m so hungry!
“I think it might be cut short due to the assembly.” Sephy sighed as she checked her timetable. “And we all have Sports Class afterwards.”
Curses! Chiyo swore.
*****
“Thank fuck Kull isn’t here.” Kritch sighed as the boys changed into their P.E kit. “I heard a rumour he’s been reinstated, but I guess he’s doing something else. I mean, this class has more than one Physical teacher, so maybe he’s just delegating to the others since he’s the Head of the Department.”
“I hope he isn’t here, but if he is, I’m better prepared,” Jack responded, as he felt the twin gauntlets on his wrists, which soon seemed to fade away as he willed them to blend in with their surroundings. It did take a little bit of energy to get them to do that, and though it wasn’t a bother for the human, he did vow to wear longer-sleeved t-shirts in future, just in case.
When they made it to the sports hall, they were surprised when one of the teachers simply shrugged and pointed to a box of sports equipment in the corner, simply allowing the students to do their own thing under the supervision of a few droids. Apparently, when Master Kull wasn’t around to play ‘Dictator’, the teachers could be chill and reasonable, though Jack still narrowed his eyes at two of them that assisted Kull’s ‘Gauntlet’ the last time.
In the end, Jack joined many of the students in playing a fun game that he would call a mix between badminton and volleyball, as a huge net was brought out for two teams with rackets to work together to keep three lightweight balls in the air, and trying to get it to hit the ground on the opposing team’s side. Many, however, were content to take it easy and relax, getting braver when they saw the teachers simply chatting and taking notes, with Chiyo comfortably using her powers to cheat, until Nika sent one of the balls straight at her head to throw her off course. Still, they had managed to tire themselves out by the time they returned to the changing rooms, happy to have had a reasonable Sports lesson for a change, though still thoroughly tired from the day’s events. They would normally be comfortable at home by now having dinner...
Cyber class was last, and though Jack was happy to learn more about working alien technology, even he was feeling the effects of fatigue as he tried his best to follow the instructions set out before him, but sadly faltering in the face of such unfamiliarity.
It felt like a blessing when they were finally allowed to leave and go home for the day, though they knew they barely had enough time to sleep before they would be making the same journey back the next morning. And the next, and the next…
They would be doing this for the next two weeks.