**Akane**
Five a.m. and my alarm blared jarring me from peaceful dreams that disappeared with the real world’s intrusion. This was a school day, so I didn’t have time to waste as school started at eight, and I needed to get my daily workout in. Sliding out of bed, I threw the covers into some semblance of neatness and grabbed my workout clothes before heading for the shower. Fifteen minutes to clean up and get dressed before I spend five stretching my muscles out so that I can run. Then, after ensuring that I have everything I need to either get back into the apartment or into the Wards area of the PRT I jog down the four floors or eight flights of stairs to reach the street.
For the last week I had been running varying routes through town to the PRT building, learning both the shortest and fastest versus the longest routes so that I could vary my routine and path. Today was a long day, twenty-five blocks in an expanding circle from the apartment to the PRT offices. The short route was only five blocks, a good solid sprint that was good for the trip home, parkour style free running, or trying to beat some incoming rain, but the twenty-five block route was a 5k run, and at a little better than three miles, it would take me about a half hour to finish depending on traffic. Checking my phone, it was 0530 as I slipped the earbuds into my ears and started my running playlist to hear Pat Benatar start singing “Invincible” before taking off down the block and turning left. A good run would get my blood pumping and that would get my brain going for the day.
**
**Katie**
“Good morning everyone!” I heard Akane call from the Wards area hallway, “It is now zero-six-fifteen and school starts in one hour and forty-five minutes. This is to be considered first call, breakfast is on hand in the kitchenette and I will be providing eggs to order in ten minutes once I get showered and change clothes. Last call will be at zero-seven hundred at which point I will drag you from your beds and force you to get up so that you are not late for school. That is all.”
“Mphbt” I mumbled into my pillow but then forced myself to roll over and sit up. I hate morning people, I thought as I drug myself out of the bed and toward the door in my pajamas. Need clean clothes for school, my brain continued causing me to turn to the tiny dresser that currently held all my clothes. Pulling out a button-down shirt, undershirt, slacks and the necessary under-garments took a few minutes as my brain was slowly spun up by physical activity, regardless of its serious lack of caffeine. Finally, I was able to make my way down the hall to the showers only to be passed by Akane as she headed out of the shower and back toward the front of the Wards area.
“Morning Katie,” she said, “are you the only one here?”
“Yeah,” I answered. “Everyone else was gone when I got in last night from my date. Could you scramble me two with some toast?”
“Sure,” she answered, “bacon will be up as well.” I nodded and continued toward the showers even as my brain groaned, Mmm, bacon.
**
**Taylor**
I hitched my book bag a little higher as I stepped off the bus and looked down the block at the gates of Arcadia. Leaving middle-school my grades had been good enough for me to go here, but Emma’s hadn’t and for our friendship’s sake I had joined her at Winslow. Worst mistake EVER! my mind supplied even as I started walking toward the gates. The friendship that I had sacrificed my place at this school for died that summer, and then I ended up in the hell that had been my time at Winslow. Stopping outside the gate’s opening I took a large breath of air and then slowly let it out, centering myself. I have friends here, I thought, I won’t be alone in this. Another deep breath and a self-affirming nod and I was walking through the gates at a brisk pace.
“ID please,” someone said from my right, causing me to turn and look.
Realizing that the person my insects had picked up waiting there was a security guard caused me to blush. “Sorry,” I said softly, “Winslow you learn to clear anything that blocks your line of sight quickly lest someone uses it to jump you.”
The security guard was probably in his mid-thirties but clean shaven and sporting an almost shaved head. Not the Empire type skin head haircut, but a military cut with the sides shaved, and while his face was initially a bit harsh, it softened a good bit when he smiled. “I understand miss,” he said calmly as he accepted and checked my coded slip of paper against a list. “I went to a rough and tumble school myself, and then afterwards I joined the Corps. You learn the hard way that a little paranoia is usually a helpful thing.” After a minute of looking he seemed to find my number amongst his list and nodded. “They’ll have a school ID for you in your welcome pack, and if they don’t, they’ll probably take you to make one. You have a nice day now.” He finished as he handed me the coded slip back with a smile and I smiled back.
“Thank you, and you too,” I replied, and he just nodded before turning his attention back to the crowd entering. I turned and started walking toward the main doors of the building, looking around for any familiar faces. I probably have remembered to look up as well, if I had I wouldn’t have been surprised when I heard Vicky call out “Hey Taylor!” from above me and to my right, causing me to jump a solid six-inches into the air.
**
**Amy**
I bit my lip to keep from laughing at Taylor as she jumped, her head snapping around to spot who had called out to her. Vicky had risen above the crowd, (as usual) and I was walking in her wake as people cleared a path in case she dropped, which she did in Taylor’s direction as she called out. “Hey Vicky,” Taylor said with an embarrassed wave only to be pulled into a one-armed hug by my sister.
“Little jumpy there ain’t ya,” Vicky ribbed Taylor who smiled and shook her head.
“Old habits,” she answered with a shrug before gesturing at the school. “So, this is Arcadia huh?”
“Yeah,” I heard a voice comment from behind us causing me to spin in surprise at the red-headed prankster that had snuck up behind us. “Not quite as Durance Vile as Winslow, but it is still our parent’s preferred method of educational incarceration.”
“Taylor,” Vicky said smiling. “This is Dennis Dynamite, junior and prankster extraordinaire.” Dennis bowed at the waist, causing Taylor to giggle. “He is currently in the middle of a prank war with my boyfriend Dean.”
“Nothing destructive I swear,” Dennis replied holding up his hands as if surrendering. “And I’m also careful to not involve bystanders,” he smiled slyly. “Except as either a laugh track or with their permission.”
“Making a mess on the other hand, he will do,” I commented, earning a raised eyebrow from Dennis. “That talc bomb in his car didn’t get anyone but him, but it did ruin our ride home that afternoon.” As I spoke, I crossed my arms and gave Dennis a look that usually cowed Vicky on the spot. Dennis of course, was either made of sterner stuff, or just found himself that much funnier because he smirked in return.
“That said,” Dennis continued through his smirk. “I need to get inside though, because someone’s boyfriend is looking for revenge and has planned to set something up to get back at me, so I need to be prepared.” With that said he walked off towards the doors with a smile on his face and a jaunty wave to the crowd.
“Well that was something,” Taylor said wide-eyed. “What was this Talc-bomb that he got your boyfriends car with?” Vicky sighed, but then waved at someone else who was walking through the gates. Turning, I scanned the crowd to see Katie and Akane walk in with a boy of about the same age. He was a little pasty, and a little on the flabby side, but otherwise clean. Unfortunately, he also walked with the wary look of someone who was watching his back for the knife on a fairly regular basis. Glancing at Taylor I could see that she was a little wide-eyed looking at them. “Hey Katie, Akane, where did you meet Greg?”
“Greg was the reason I was at the mall Saturday,” Katie said with a smile as she pulled the boy into a hug.
“Only after she beat the hell out of a pair of idiots who were trying to beat the test answers out of me,” Greg said smiling. “She’s helping me get into shape and learn how to defend myself.”
Taylor smiled and it was an honest smile not a forced one. “That’s good you two,” she said with a nod. “Now, we just have to deal with the hell that is School.”
“It’s not that bad,” I said only to receive a look from the lot of them, Vicky included.
Akane snickered and then began to sing, “We call ourselves, Blake’s seven with pride,”
“Pride, confusion, backstabbing and pluck,” Katie and Taylor chimed in while Vicky laughed and Greg went wide eyed. Honestly, I just stared blankly.
“Though Blake is gone, and three of us died,” Akane continued.
“Amateur rebels, relying on luck,” this time Greg and Vicky both joined Taylor and Katie in singing. I just covered my face as all five of them broke into laughter.
“Where did you find that song?” Greg asked once they had all finished their laugh. Taylor and Katie both pointed to Akane while Akane and Vicky looked smug.
“One of the songs I picked up at a comic convention in Tokyo,” Akane responded before looking at Vicky.
“I actually collect filk,” Vicky answered smiling. “It’s one of my guilty pleasures that even Amy didn’t know about.” They all turned and looked at me and my response was to shake my head and walk towards the doors to the school. Its too early for this shit! I thought.
**
**Akane**
Walking into the school building Amy and Vicky led us to the office where I saw a couple of girls walk out followed by a stern looking woman with a meterstick in one hand and a scowl on her face. She then turned to look at us and nodded, “Are you more students from Winslow?” she asked.
“Yes ma’am,” Taylor answered offering the woman a slip of paper.
“That won’t be necessary,” the stern looking woman replied. “Vicky, Amy, if you would be so kind as to take them to Mister Wolfe’s classroom.” Vicky nodded and the woman turned to the rest of us, “Mister Wolfe will hand out your welcome packs and then bring you to the photo lab to have your school identification made. He will also, for today only, act as your homeroom teacher and ensure that you have everything you need including your class schedule and handling any drops or adds you feel need to be made. Please do not make his job exceedingly difficult as he has volunteered to do this for you.” We all nodded and then she looked at me, “Are you Akane Tachamachi?” she asked.
“Yes ma’am,” I answered.
She nodded, “Then let me inform you that your actions at Winslow,” she continued, “while appropriate for the immediate situation at that time will not be allowed here. If you find someone bullying someone, go get one of your teachers immediately, or watch the situation while sending someone else. Unless someone’s life is in immediate danger you are not to physically intervene, am I understood?”
“Completely ma’am,” I answered with a slight bow only to get a nod in return.
“Alright then,” Vicky said clapping her hands once to get all of our attention, “Mister Wolfe’s classroom is this way, and we have about a half-hour until we have to be in our seats so I can give you a short tour before class starts. Does that sound like a plan?”
“Sounds good to me Vicky,” Taylor said with a nod before looking at the rest of us. All of us nodded causing Vicky to smile.
“Excellent,” Vicky said bouncing on her toes, “This is the central hall where the offices are as well as a singular elevator for our physically disabled students so that they can get upstairs to their classes and a matched set of bathrooms. On the second floor is the school store in the place of the office while the third and fourth floors have classrooms in the place of the office. To your left is the east hall, and at its end is the cafeteria while to your right is the west hall and at it’s end the gym and locker rooms. Also at the end of each hallway is a staircase going up to the higher floors to match the one here behind you and to your left and right.”
Four staircases, two in the center of the building and one at either end, all with doors to allow easy egress in case of emergencies. I thought as Vicky started leading us down the east hall. Unlike any of my schools in Tokyo, there wasn’t a set of shoe lockers in the main entry hall for people to change out of their street shoes. A significant difference in culture my mind commented, Still, it is something expected. Another thing I had to keep in mind, as a cultural difference, was that I was expected to move between classrooms here, My school in Tokyo, you moved up a floor when you changed grades, and maybe changed classmates depending on how things were or were not shuffled in the week or two between classes in the spring. Here though, you could cover any subject you wanted in your scholastic time, and you while you would have to move around to do so, so did everyone else.
“What about when we learn to drive?” Greg asked breaking through my mental meandering while earning a lifted eyebrow from Katie.
“There is a student parking lot on the Gym side of the school,” Vicky answered, “but there are a series of rules that make driving your own car to the school a bit of a hassle unless you live far enough out that the bus is a pain.”
“Or you can’t fly and pissed off your ride by getting into a fight with them,” Amy snarked. “Besides, the rules for driving aren’t that bad, the school’s mechanics shop teacher has to inspect it and you have to have your drivers license and insurance verified by the office. Once those little issues are dealt with, so long as you can afford the car and the gas, you can drive yourself to school if you want.” We all nodded as we took that in before Vicky led us to our classroom and left us to go to her own day.
**
Five a.m. and my alarm blared jarring me from peaceful dreams that disappeared with the real world’s intrusion. This was a school day, so I didn’t have time to waste as school started at eight, and I needed to get my daily workout in. Sliding out of bed, I threw the covers into some semblance of neatness and grabbed my workout clothes before heading for the shower. Fifteen minutes to clean up and get dressed before I spend five stretching my muscles out so that I can run. Then, after ensuring that I have everything I need to either get back into the apartment or into the Wards area of the PRT I jog down the four floors or eight flights of stairs to reach the street.
For the last week I had been running varying routes through town to the PRT building, learning both the shortest and fastest versus the longest routes so that I could vary my routine and path. Today was a long day, twenty-five blocks in an expanding circle from the apartment to the PRT offices. The short route was only five blocks, a good solid sprint that was good for the trip home, parkour style free running, or trying to beat some incoming rain, but the twenty-five block route was a 5k run, and at a little better than three miles, it would take me about a half hour to finish depending on traffic. Checking my phone, it was 0530 as I slipped the earbuds into my ears and started my running playlist to hear Pat Benatar start singing “Invincible” before taking off down the block and turning left. A good run would get my blood pumping and that would get my brain going for the day.
**
**Katie**
“Good morning everyone!” I heard Akane call from the Wards area hallway, “It is now zero-six-fifteen and school starts in one hour and forty-five minutes. This is to be considered first call, breakfast is on hand in the kitchenette and I will be providing eggs to order in ten minutes once I get showered and change clothes. Last call will be at zero-seven hundred at which point I will drag you from your beds and force you to get up so that you are not late for school. That is all.”
“Mphbt” I mumbled into my pillow but then forced myself to roll over and sit up. I hate morning people, I thought as I drug myself out of the bed and toward the door in my pajamas. Need clean clothes for school, my brain continued causing me to turn to the tiny dresser that currently held all my clothes. Pulling out a button-down shirt, undershirt, slacks and the necessary under-garments took a few minutes as my brain was slowly spun up by physical activity, regardless of its serious lack of caffeine. Finally, I was able to make my way down the hall to the showers only to be passed by Akane as she headed out of the shower and back toward the front of the Wards area.
“Morning Katie,” she said, “are you the only one here?”
“Yeah,” I answered. “Everyone else was gone when I got in last night from my date. Could you scramble me two with some toast?”
“Sure,” she answered, “bacon will be up as well.” I nodded and continued toward the showers even as my brain groaned, Mmm, bacon.
**
**Taylor**
I hitched my book bag a little higher as I stepped off the bus and looked down the block at the gates of Arcadia. Leaving middle-school my grades had been good enough for me to go here, but Emma’s hadn’t and for our friendship’s sake I had joined her at Winslow. Worst mistake EVER! my mind supplied even as I started walking toward the gates. The friendship that I had sacrificed my place at this school for died that summer, and then I ended up in the hell that had been my time at Winslow. Stopping outside the gate’s opening I took a large breath of air and then slowly let it out, centering myself. I have friends here, I thought, I won’t be alone in this. Another deep breath and a self-affirming nod and I was walking through the gates at a brisk pace.
“ID please,” someone said from my right, causing me to turn and look.
Realizing that the person my insects had picked up waiting there was a security guard caused me to blush. “Sorry,” I said softly, “Winslow you learn to clear anything that blocks your line of sight quickly lest someone uses it to jump you.”
The security guard was probably in his mid-thirties but clean shaven and sporting an almost shaved head. Not the Empire type skin head haircut, but a military cut with the sides shaved, and while his face was initially a bit harsh, it softened a good bit when he smiled. “I understand miss,” he said calmly as he accepted and checked my coded slip of paper against a list. “I went to a rough and tumble school myself, and then afterwards I joined the Corps. You learn the hard way that a little paranoia is usually a helpful thing.” After a minute of looking he seemed to find my number amongst his list and nodded. “They’ll have a school ID for you in your welcome pack, and if they don’t, they’ll probably take you to make one. You have a nice day now.” He finished as he handed me the coded slip back with a smile and I smiled back.
“Thank you, and you too,” I replied, and he just nodded before turning his attention back to the crowd entering. I turned and started walking toward the main doors of the building, looking around for any familiar faces. I probably have remembered to look up as well, if I had I wouldn’t have been surprised when I heard Vicky call out “Hey Taylor!” from above me and to my right, causing me to jump a solid six-inches into the air.
**
**Amy**
I bit my lip to keep from laughing at Taylor as she jumped, her head snapping around to spot who had called out to her. Vicky had risen above the crowd, (as usual) and I was walking in her wake as people cleared a path in case she dropped, which she did in Taylor’s direction as she called out. “Hey Vicky,” Taylor said with an embarrassed wave only to be pulled into a one-armed hug by my sister.
“Little jumpy there ain’t ya,” Vicky ribbed Taylor who smiled and shook her head.
“Old habits,” she answered with a shrug before gesturing at the school. “So, this is Arcadia huh?”
“Yeah,” I heard a voice comment from behind us causing me to spin in surprise at the red-headed prankster that had snuck up behind us. “Not quite as Durance Vile as Winslow, but it is still our parent’s preferred method of educational incarceration.”
“Taylor,” Vicky said smiling. “This is Dennis Dynamite, junior and prankster extraordinaire.” Dennis bowed at the waist, causing Taylor to giggle. “He is currently in the middle of a prank war with my boyfriend Dean.”
“Nothing destructive I swear,” Dennis replied holding up his hands as if surrendering. “And I’m also careful to not involve bystanders,” he smiled slyly. “Except as either a laugh track or with their permission.”
“Making a mess on the other hand, he will do,” I commented, earning a raised eyebrow from Dennis. “That talc bomb in his car didn’t get anyone but him, but it did ruin our ride home that afternoon.” As I spoke, I crossed my arms and gave Dennis a look that usually cowed Vicky on the spot. Dennis of course, was either made of sterner stuff, or just found himself that much funnier because he smirked in return.
“That said,” Dennis continued through his smirk. “I need to get inside though, because someone’s boyfriend is looking for revenge and has planned to set something up to get back at me, so I need to be prepared.” With that said he walked off towards the doors with a smile on his face and a jaunty wave to the crowd.
“Well that was something,” Taylor said wide-eyed. “What was this Talc-bomb that he got your boyfriends car with?” Vicky sighed, but then waved at someone else who was walking through the gates. Turning, I scanned the crowd to see Katie and Akane walk in with a boy of about the same age. He was a little pasty, and a little on the flabby side, but otherwise clean. Unfortunately, he also walked with the wary look of someone who was watching his back for the knife on a fairly regular basis. Glancing at Taylor I could see that she was a little wide-eyed looking at them. “Hey Katie, Akane, where did you meet Greg?”
“Greg was the reason I was at the mall Saturday,” Katie said with a smile as she pulled the boy into a hug.
“Only after she beat the hell out of a pair of idiots who were trying to beat the test answers out of me,” Greg said smiling. “She’s helping me get into shape and learn how to defend myself.”
Taylor smiled and it was an honest smile not a forced one. “That’s good you two,” she said with a nod. “Now, we just have to deal with the hell that is School.”
“It’s not that bad,” I said only to receive a look from the lot of them, Vicky included.
Akane snickered and then began to sing, “We call ourselves, Blake’s seven with pride,”
“Pride, confusion, backstabbing and pluck,” Katie and Taylor chimed in while Vicky laughed and Greg went wide eyed. Honestly, I just stared blankly.
“Though Blake is gone, and three of us died,” Akane continued.
“Amateur rebels, relying on luck,” this time Greg and Vicky both joined Taylor and Katie in singing. I just covered my face as all five of them broke into laughter.
“Where did you find that song?” Greg asked once they had all finished their laugh. Taylor and Katie both pointed to Akane while Akane and Vicky looked smug.
“One of the songs I picked up at a comic convention in Tokyo,” Akane responded before looking at Vicky.
“I actually collect filk,” Vicky answered smiling. “It’s one of my guilty pleasures that even Amy didn’t know about.” They all turned and looked at me and my response was to shake my head and walk towards the doors to the school. Its too early for this shit! I thought.
**
**Akane**
Walking into the school building Amy and Vicky led us to the office where I saw a couple of girls walk out followed by a stern looking woman with a meterstick in one hand and a scowl on her face. She then turned to look at us and nodded, “Are you more students from Winslow?” she asked.
“Yes ma’am,” Taylor answered offering the woman a slip of paper.
“That won’t be necessary,” the stern looking woman replied. “Vicky, Amy, if you would be so kind as to take them to Mister Wolfe’s classroom.” Vicky nodded and the woman turned to the rest of us, “Mister Wolfe will hand out your welcome packs and then bring you to the photo lab to have your school identification made. He will also, for today only, act as your homeroom teacher and ensure that you have everything you need including your class schedule and handling any drops or adds you feel need to be made. Please do not make his job exceedingly difficult as he has volunteered to do this for you.” We all nodded and then she looked at me, “Are you Akane Tachamachi?” she asked.
“Yes ma’am,” I answered.
She nodded, “Then let me inform you that your actions at Winslow,” she continued, “while appropriate for the immediate situation at that time will not be allowed here. If you find someone bullying someone, go get one of your teachers immediately, or watch the situation while sending someone else. Unless someone’s life is in immediate danger you are not to physically intervene, am I understood?”
“Completely ma’am,” I answered with a slight bow only to get a nod in return.
“Alright then,” Vicky said clapping her hands once to get all of our attention, “Mister Wolfe’s classroom is this way, and we have about a half-hour until we have to be in our seats so I can give you a short tour before class starts. Does that sound like a plan?”
“Sounds good to me Vicky,” Taylor said with a nod before looking at the rest of us. All of us nodded causing Vicky to smile.
“Excellent,” Vicky said bouncing on her toes, “This is the central hall where the offices are as well as a singular elevator for our physically disabled students so that they can get upstairs to their classes and a matched set of bathrooms. On the second floor is the school store in the place of the office while the third and fourth floors have classrooms in the place of the office. To your left is the east hall, and at its end is the cafeteria while to your right is the west hall and at it’s end the gym and locker rooms. Also at the end of each hallway is a staircase going up to the higher floors to match the one here behind you and to your left and right.”
Four staircases, two in the center of the building and one at either end, all with doors to allow easy egress in case of emergencies. I thought as Vicky started leading us down the east hall. Unlike any of my schools in Tokyo, there wasn’t a set of shoe lockers in the main entry hall for people to change out of their street shoes. A significant difference in culture my mind commented, Still, it is something expected. Another thing I had to keep in mind, as a cultural difference, was that I was expected to move between classrooms here, My school in Tokyo, you moved up a floor when you changed grades, and maybe changed classmates depending on how things were or were not shuffled in the week or two between classes in the spring. Here though, you could cover any subject you wanted in your scholastic time, and you while you would have to move around to do so, so did everyone else.
“What about when we learn to drive?” Greg asked breaking through my mental meandering while earning a lifted eyebrow from Katie.
“There is a student parking lot on the Gym side of the school,” Vicky answered, “but there are a series of rules that make driving your own car to the school a bit of a hassle unless you live far enough out that the bus is a pain.”
“Or you can’t fly and pissed off your ride by getting into a fight with them,” Amy snarked. “Besides, the rules for driving aren’t that bad, the school’s mechanics shop teacher has to inspect it and you have to have your drivers license and insurance verified by the office. Once those little issues are dealt with, so long as you can afford the car and the gas, you can drive yourself to school if you want.” We all nodded as we took that in before Vicky led us to our classroom and left us to go to her own day.
**
Wolf wins every fight but the one where he dies, fangs locked around the throat of his opponent.
Currently writing BROBd
Currently writing BROBd