School Trouble
The story thus far: The protagonist Gemma is a 16 year old who was kicked out of her world's Church for failing to make a ceremonial orb glow, despite thinking she would join the elite like the rest of her family. Gemma was declared a "no-soul" because the Church says people with non-glowing orbs literally have no souls. Gemma was also kicked out of her home and sent to live in a group home for no-souls. She recently attacked her sister, who was visiting her home on a charitable outing, for being fake and self-serving. She also just got invited to an anti-Church party by an ex-friend of her sister and had a dimension-hopping misadventure.
This section takes place a little bit after the previous five. The six are kind of time-skips ahead of previous sections. They needed to be written, though.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14 (flashback - might not be canon), Part 15 (time-skip), Part 16 (time-skip), Part 17 (time-skip), Part 18 (time-skip), Part 19 (time-skip)
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Wren hadn't been speaking to me much after I had disappeared and wouldn't tell her where I had been. I wanted very much to tell her what was going on, but I had been sworn to secrecy by Dean Marins. There wasn't much I could do about that.
I had other things on my mind today, though. It was a new week for school, and we had a new student: Brandon White. He would be attending school as part of his cover. I thought bringing him to a public school when he was obviously not normal would be dangerous, but the dean explained having an apparent teenager living with them and not being in school would be even riskier.
Brandon stood next to me, looking at the crowd of students gathered on the shabby lawn in front of the school. “There's so many,” he said.
Before I could respond to that, Wren ran up to me and asked, “Hey, who's your friend?”
I responded, “So you're talking to me again?”
“Maybe.” She looked at Brandon. “So, what's your name?”
He said, “I'm Brandon.”
Wren offered her hand for him to shake. After a few seconds of apparent confusion, he took it and they shook hands. She smiled. “I'm Wren. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too.”
Wren asked, “You're new here? We've been getting a lot of new students, haven't we? First Gemma and now you. So, where are you from?”
I knew somebody would ask him eventually.
Brandon assiduously avoided making eye contact. “Out of town.”
Wren giggled. “'Out of town' is a big place. You'll have to be more specific.”
Why was she giggling like that? The Marinses had given Brandon a cover story, but I didn't know if he could actually remember it on the spot like this.
He said, “Mapleton. You wouldn't have heard of it. Small town. Not much to say, really.”
Wren giggled again. “There's something to say about every town. You'll have to tell me more sometime, but class is gonna start soon.”
* * * * * * * * *
By some strange coincidence, Brandon was in Dr. Francis' English class with me. Before we entered the classroom, I warned him, “Dr. Francis is...difficult to listen to, but he's not someone you want to cross. I already have, and it wasn't pretty. So please don't say anything unless called on.” It was advice I would do well to remember myself.
Brandon took the seat next to me, and we waited for the teacher to begin “enlightening” us on the newest fairy tale. He slouched in his seat, trying to be small. I was perfectly fine with this behavior and thought things might be alright.
Dr. Francis announced, “We'll be starting the new fairy tale today. I trust you all read it? It's 'the Trespassers,' and it's an excellent lesson to us all.”
I hadn't actually read it. Oops.
He paced back and forth. “Who would like to tell me the plot of this fine story?”
Charlotte, as always, stuck her hand in the air. She bounced in her seat. Apparently the story was just that good this time. Dr. Francis called on her, and she answered, “It's about two no-souls who smoked pot and stumbled into the divine realm by accident.”
Wait, what? Did somebody from the past travel to the present and then go back to write the story, changing minor details? I had read the fairy tales before as a child, but I didn't remember that one.
My teacher asked, “And what happened to these trespassers?”
Another student in the front row raised his hand and was instructed to speak. “They were killed, sir. Incinerated on sight by the first god they met. As it should be.”
Next to me, Brandon clutched his pen so hard I thought he might break it.
Dr. Francis said, “Yes, that is how it should be. Gods can tell if you have a soul or not, and as you know, any no-soul who dares enter the divine realm is thus killed on sight. Every single of one of them. The fairy tale serves as a warning not to try such a stunt.”
Brandon shouted, “That fairy tale is not accurate!”
I cringed and put my palm to my face. I had warned him not to say anything, but, as I knew, keeping your mouth shut in Dr. Francis' classroom wasn't exactly easy.
Dr. Francis' gaze fell upon him. “Oh, you must be Brandon, the new student. And have you ever trespassed into the divine realm?”
He had stunned himself with his outburst, but he managed to stammer, “N-no, sir. I-I haven't ever trespassed there.”
That wasn't technically a lie, either.
My teacher inquired, “Well then, how exactly would you know what happens there, if you haven't ever been? I think I know better than you, young man.”
Brandon retorted, “Do you? Is it really fair to think all gods are essentially homicidal maniacs?”
Dr. Francis said, “And who are you to think you can speak for the gods? I'll have no more disorderly behavior from another impudent no-soul. You're just like Gemma, thinking you're better than you are.”
He visibly shook, all the muscles in his body tensed. Angrily he said, “I may not be anything, but Gemma is my friend. Don't insult her.”
I was simultaneously flattered and worried as anything for Brandon.
Dr. Francis replied silkily, “I am merely speaking the truth. You would do best to listen to it.”
Brandon resonated with anger. “You know nothing of the truth!”
My stomach sank. This could not end well. Before I could get too nervous, all the lights in the classroom exploded, raining glass down upon us. I threw my arms over my eyes as adrenaline surged through me. What in the gods-damned darkness? I thought. Then I knew: it was Brandon. It had to be. I saw him out of the corner of my eye. He was the only one not ducking. Instead, he stared ahead, catatonic.
I shook him, desperate to get him out of the trance before anybody noticed he wasn't behaving like the others. He snapped out of it, sort of. “Huh, what's going on?” he asked. Brandon didn't remember? Oh no.
Dr. Francis stood up. He gestured wildly with his hands. “Everybody remain calm! There is no reason to panic.”
My friend may have been on the verge of outing himself as a god and there was no reason to panic? I heartily disagreed. The building itself disagreed, too, as at that moment, the fire alarms blared and sprinklers doused us all with cold water.
Everything went to chaos as students started running for the single exit, pushing into each other in their haste to get out. Only Brandon and I remained sitting. He was too out of it to move on his own. It took a lot of tugging before I got him out of his seat, and I had to pull him by his wrist in order to make him go where needed. I wanted to take him far away from any designated fire drill spot, but I thought our presences might be missed.
We arrived at the designated area. I saw Dr. Francis and my classmates. I also saw Wren. She ran up to us. “Shit, what happened to you two?”
From the way she was looking at Brandon, I somehow thought she mostly meant him. I said, “The lights in our classroom kind of exploded. Faulty electrical wiring or something.”
If you counted the electrical wiring in someone's brain, that is. Wait, did gods even have neurons like humans did when they were on Earth?
Speaking of faulty neurons, Brandon stared at the sky with a vacant look on his face. “Where are we? Why aren't we in class?”
Concern crossed Wren's features. “I think he got hit on the head by something. He should see a doctor.”
Brandon's vacant eyes met Wren's and lit up with a strange glow. “You're really pretty. Did you know that?”
Wren's eyelids fluttered. “Maybe you didn't hit your head after all. I think you're just fine.”
My brain broke. What was wrong with my friends? Maybe I didn't want to know. “Guys!” I hissed. “Now is not the time!”
Wren said, “It's a scientific fact that danger brings people closer together. Do you have a problem with flirting or something?”
My jaw dropped. “As a matter of fact, I do. When there is a fire drill after my classroom partway exploded is not the time.”
Brandon grinned. “Now is a perfect time.”
Now was the time to get friends who actually behaved like sane people.
This section takes place a little bit after the previous five. The six are kind of time-skips ahead of previous sections. They needed to be written, though.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14 (flashback - might not be canon), Part 15 (time-skip), Part 16 (time-skip), Part 17 (time-skip), Part 18 (time-skip), Part 19 (time-skip)
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Wren hadn't been speaking to me much after I had disappeared and wouldn't tell her where I had been. I wanted very much to tell her what was going on, but I had been sworn to secrecy by Dean Marins. There wasn't much I could do about that.
I had other things on my mind today, though. It was a new week for school, and we had a new student: Brandon White. He would be attending school as part of his cover. I thought bringing him to a public school when he was obviously not normal would be dangerous, but the dean explained having an apparent teenager living with them and not being in school would be even riskier.
Brandon stood next to me, looking at the crowd of students gathered on the shabby lawn in front of the school. “There's so many,” he said.
Before I could respond to that, Wren ran up to me and asked, “Hey, who's your friend?”
I responded, “So you're talking to me again?”
“Maybe.” She looked at Brandon. “So, what's your name?”
He said, “I'm Brandon.”
Wren offered her hand for him to shake. After a few seconds of apparent confusion, he took it and they shook hands. She smiled. “I'm Wren. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too.”
Wren asked, “You're new here? We've been getting a lot of new students, haven't we? First Gemma and now you. So, where are you from?”
I knew somebody would ask him eventually.
Brandon assiduously avoided making eye contact. “Out of town.”
Wren giggled. “'Out of town' is a big place. You'll have to be more specific.”
Why was she giggling like that? The Marinses had given Brandon a cover story, but I didn't know if he could actually remember it on the spot like this.
He said, “Mapleton. You wouldn't have heard of it. Small town. Not much to say, really.”
Wren giggled again. “There's something to say about every town. You'll have to tell me more sometime, but class is gonna start soon.”
* * * * * * * * *
By some strange coincidence, Brandon was in Dr. Francis' English class with me. Before we entered the classroom, I warned him, “Dr. Francis is...difficult to listen to, but he's not someone you want to cross. I already have, and it wasn't pretty. So please don't say anything unless called on.” It was advice I would do well to remember myself.
Brandon took the seat next to me, and we waited for the teacher to begin “enlightening” us on the newest fairy tale. He slouched in his seat, trying to be small. I was perfectly fine with this behavior and thought things might be alright.
Dr. Francis announced, “We'll be starting the new fairy tale today. I trust you all read it? It's 'the Trespassers,' and it's an excellent lesson to us all.”
I hadn't actually read it. Oops.
He paced back and forth. “Who would like to tell me the plot of this fine story?”
Charlotte, as always, stuck her hand in the air. She bounced in her seat. Apparently the story was just that good this time. Dr. Francis called on her, and she answered, “It's about two no-souls who smoked pot and stumbled into the divine realm by accident.”
Wait, what? Did somebody from the past travel to the present and then go back to write the story, changing minor details? I had read the fairy tales before as a child, but I didn't remember that one.
My teacher asked, “And what happened to these trespassers?”
Another student in the front row raised his hand and was instructed to speak. “They were killed, sir. Incinerated on sight by the first god they met. As it should be.”
Next to me, Brandon clutched his pen so hard I thought he might break it.
Dr. Francis said, “Yes, that is how it should be. Gods can tell if you have a soul or not, and as you know, any no-soul who dares enter the divine realm is thus killed on sight. Every single of one of them. The fairy tale serves as a warning not to try such a stunt.”
Brandon shouted, “That fairy tale is not accurate!”
I cringed and put my palm to my face. I had warned him not to say anything, but, as I knew, keeping your mouth shut in Dr. Francis' classroom wasn't exactly easy.
Dr. Francis' gaze fell upon him. “Oh, you must be Brandon, the new student. And have you ever trespassed into the divine realm?”
He had stunned himself with his outburst, but he managed to stammer, “N-no, sir. I-I haven't ever trespassed there.”
That wasn't technically a lie, either.
My teacher inquired, “Well then, how exactly would you know what happens there, if you haven't ever been? I think I know better than you, young man.”
Brandon retorted, “Do you? Is it really fair to think all gods are essentially homicidal maniacs?”
Dr. Francis said, “And who are you to think you can speak for the gods? I'll have no more disorderly behavior from another impudent no-soul. You're just like Gemma, thinking you're better than you are.”
He visibly shook, all the muscles in his body tensed. Angrily he said, “I may not be anything, but Gemma is my friend. Don't insult her.”
I was simultaneously flattered and worried as anything for Brandon.
Dr. Francis replied silkily, “I am merely speaking the truth. You would do best to listen to it.”
Brandon resonated with anger. “You know nothing of the truth!”
My stomach sank. This could not end well. Before I could get too nervous, all the lights in the classroom exploded, raining glass down upon us. I threw my arms over my eyes as adrenaline surged through me. What in the gods-damned darkness? I thought. Then I knew: it was Brandon. It had to be. I saw him out of the corner of my eye. He was the only one not ducking. Instead, he stared ahead, catatonic.
I shook him, desperate to get him out of the trance before anybody noticed he wasn't behaving like the others. He snapped out of it, sort of. “Huh, what's going on?” he asked. Brandon didn't remember? Oh no.
Dr. Francis stood up. He gestured wildly with his hands. “Everybody remain calm! There is no reason to panic.”
My friend may have been on the verge of outing himself as a god and there was no reason to panic? I heartily disagreed. The building itself disagreed, too, as at that moment, the fire alarms blared and sprinklers doused us all with cold water.
Everything went to chaos as students started running for the single exit, pushing into each other in their haste to get out. Only Brandon and I remained sitting. He was too out of it to move on his own. It took a lot of tugging before I got him out of his seat, and I had to pull him by his wrist in order to make him go where needed. I wanted to take him far away from any designated fire drill spot, but I thought our presences might be missed.
We arrived at the designated area. I saw Dr. Francis and my classmates. I also saw Wren. She ran up to us. “Shit, what happened to you two?”
From the way she was looking at Brandon, I somehow thought she mostly meant him. I said, “The lights in our classroom kind of exploded. Faulty electrical wiring or something.”
If you counted the electrical wiring in someone's brain, that is. Wait, did gods even have neurons like humans did when they were on Earth?
Speaking of faulty neurons, Brandon stared at the sky with a vacant look on his face. “Where are we? Why aren't we in class?”
Concern crossed Wren's features. “I think he got hit on the head by something. He should see a doctor.”
Brandon's vacant eyes met Wren's and lit up with a strange glow. “You're really pretty. Did you know that?”
Wren's eyelids fluttered. “Maybe you didn't hit your head after all. I think you're just fine.”
My brain broke. What was wrong with my friends? Maybe I didn't want to know. “Guys!” I hissed. “Now is not the time!”
Wren said, “It's a scientific fact that danger brings people closer together. Do you have a problem with flirting or something?”
My jaw dropped. “As a matter of fact, I do. When there is a fire drill after my classroom partway exploded is not the time.”
Brandon grinned. “Now is a perfect time.”
Now was the time to get friends who actually behaved like sane people.