Disclaimer: I don't own Hetaoni, Hetalia, or Ao Oni. Lya belongs to Piezelle. Ruby, Kevin, Dakota, and Ginger are mine. You won't be missing a whole lot if you don't but if you want more background I suggest reading "Modern Hyrule" first. But like I said, you won't miss a lot if you don't.
High school is no picnic in general. High school before the big game for someone who doesn't give a crap about homecoming OR sports however, that's from Hades!
I was sitting in a meeting with my two best friends currently. The meeting was for our groups float design. The freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior classes each get together a few days before homecoming and put together a crappy float to celebrate. There's a big judging at the end for which grade had the best float.
You're probably wondering what I'm doing planning with a group of freshmen when I'm a sophomore. Well, your answer is that they asked me to help them out.
I've known these two since second and third grade and we've stuck together so when I stated that I had no desire to celebrate a football game, I swallowed those words and went to help these guys, expecting much hilarity to ensue during the course of the meetings. Surely enough, I wasn't disappointed.
The float was still in the planning stage. That basically means that we were sitting on a hard floor drawing on the largest sheet of paper known to man, which not only had our float design but several doodles of cats in airplanes crashing into buildings, courtesy of Kevin.
"So troops!" I said in a mock military officer voice, "What should we write on this thing?"
Dakota was to speak. "I say that we write 'roast the rams' in really big letters," she said.
I got out a piece of blank paper and wrote the suggestion down. "Anyone else?" I asked.
"Yes!" Kevin said, "Yes there is! Don't bother writing it down because that'll only slow down my genius!"
"Okay dude," I snickered, "What's your brilliant idea?"
Kevin got stood up and jumped on a nearby table. "I say we screw this float thing!"
"Screw it and do what?" I asked, sure that whatever followed was going to be ridiculous.
"I say that we get a goat that looks like a ram and then we get out at the game and sic it on the Rams!" he cheered.
Dakota and I fell over from laughter. It was a while before we got ourselves under control for long enough to look at him.
"A-A GOAT THAT LOOKS LIKE A RAM?" I howled with laughter.
"I agree with Ruby," Dakota gasped, not much better than I was, "W-why don't you just get an actual ram?"
"Fools!" he said, shaking his fist at us from on top of the table, "Do you think rams come cheap? Neither does paint!"
The last statement encouraged another fit of laughter from the two of us.
"Y-you're going to paint a ram?" we demanded.
"Yes!" he cheered, "White and Navy Blue!"
"Why?" we asked.
"Because those are the school colors!" he stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "But I agree! Green seems like a much better color to paint a ram!"
Just as we got ourselves under control for the third time, the teacher in charge of the project showed up to see how everyone was doing. When she saw Kevin she froze. I don't think she knew exactly what to make of this strange child dancing on a table.
"Kevin!" she said, "Get off that table at once!"
Kevin pretending to sulk. "Yes m'am," he said, hopping down and sitting on the floor like the rest of us.
"Now that that's settled, how's the planning going?" she asked us.
"Well," I said, "we've established that we're going to paint a ram."
"Goat," Kevin corrected me.
"I see..." she said uncertainly.
"Got any paint?" Kevin asked, "Oh and for that matter, do you have a goat in your car?"
"No, Kevin," she shook her head, used to his antics by now, "I don't."
"Awwww..." he groaned.
"I've got some other things to take care of," she said, turning to leave, "I can't wait to see your design when I'm come back."
We turned back to the paper and started brainstorming again.
"So I think we should-" I started. I was interrupted by my phone playing "Innocent Sorrow", the opening theme for D Gray Man, "Hold up guys," I said, "I've got a call."
"If it's your mom ask her to bring us a goat," Kevin chimed.
I shook my head and pressed the button to answer the call.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Yo, dude!" a familiar voice on the other end said, "It's Ginger!"
"Oh my god!" I said, it had been forever since I had heard form Ginger now that we were going to different high schools, "Dude, let me put you on speaker!"
"Hi Ginger!" the others shouted, now that the phone was set so we could hear her.
"Hey guys!" she said, "You're not acting up, are you? How many of your butts do I have to kick?"
"We're good!" we shouted.
"Ow!" she shouted, "Stop yelling! I can hear you just fine!"
"Okay!" we laughed.
"So, what did you call for?" I asked.
"Oh, you hurt me, Ruby!" she said, "Do you hear that? Just because I call, I MUST want something!"
"You knew what I meant!" I said, "You don't usually call."
"Well, actually-" Ginger started.
"And, there it is!" I said.
"Oh shut up!" she snapped, "I have a bit of information that I think you all might find interesting!"
"Oh really?" I asked.
"Yes really," she said, "I'd like to invite you all to..." she paused, trying to make whatever the moment was more dramatic, "...come with me to spend the night in that old rundown house outside town!"
Ginger might as well have just asked us to come to fairyland and hunt flying narwhals with her by the looks we were giving the phone in my hand.
"Geeze," Dakota said, "that's kind of a weird invite. Don't you think Gin?"
"Not at all!" Ginger said, "It'll be fun and creepy and-"
"And you were dared," I concluded.
"I was not!" she protested, "I was NOT dared! I'll kick all your butts if you say that again!"
"Hmmm," Dakota mumbled, "denial and defensiveness, me thinks she was dared."
"Shut up!" she protested, "Of course, maybe YOU'RE too scared!"
That was just the way to get the others.
"I ain't scared!" Dakota said, "I watch horror movies that scare the living crap out of most people! Do you really REALLY think I'm scared to go up to an old house?"
"Then prove it!" Ginger challenged, "Come out and spend the night there with me this Saturday. That's TOMMORROW, you guys!"
"No way I'M coming!" I told her, "Have fun falling through rotten floorboards you guys!"
"Ohhh, that's right," Ginger said, "Ruby's scared of ghosts, and scary stories, and daaaaaaark places!"
"Watch it, missy," I growled, "I happen to LIKE ghosts and scary stories!"
"Yeah," she agreed, "But you're still scared of them!"
"Screw you all!" I snapped, "I am not!"
"Then prove it!" Ginger said, "Come with us!"
"No," I growled.
"Scaaaaaaaaaaared," Dakota taunted.
"AGH!" I shouted, "FINE!"
"So that's a yes then?" Ginger asked.
"Yes FINE!" I snorted, "It's a yes!"
"Good girl!" Ginger said, "See you all tomorrow!"
(Time skip)
I grabbed my backpack off my desk chair. It was stuffed full of things I thought I might need. A flashlight (of course), a LOT of extra batteries, simple first-aid supplies, a change of clothes, my Ipod, a sketch book (because drawing calms me down), snacks, and water.
"Well," I said, "That should do it."
I hauled the heavy backpack onto my shoulders and walked out of the room, letting the door close behind me. I wish I had known then that I wouldn't be seeing my room for long while.
"Hey mom," I said, "I'm going to meet Kevin, Dakota, and Ginger somewhere."
"What's in the bag?" she asked, the ever suspicious mom routine kicking in.
"Float stuff," I lied.
"Oh, you're getting Ginger to help you with the float?" she asked. Darn, suspicious mom mode was still on.
"Yeah," I said, "She said that she could bring us some supplies she had so we don't have to buy them."
"Well," she said thoughtfully, "It would be nice to cut a bit of the expense out."
"Exactly!" I told her, "Without having to drop money for cardboard and paint, I can finally save some money!" That was the biggest lie in the world. I say I'm going to save my money then I go out and buy a bunch of manga. I never save a thing.
"You mean more money to spend on manga," my mom said, giving me an I-see-what-you-did-there look.
"Yeah, that too!" I laughed.
She heaved a sigh. "Go ahead," she agreed.
"Thanks mom!" I shouted, running out the door and allowing it to slam shut behind me.
(location change)
Leaving North Carolina to go back to New York was one of the hardest things I had ever done. Especially after all I had endured with the rest of the gang two years ago.
Ginger, Kevin, my cousin Dakota, and of course, Ruby, were all back there. And I was left to return to my everyday life miles away. I had to admit that after zipping in and out of a fictional land, dodging guards, and discovering hidden powers... normal life was like watching paint dry.
I heaved a sigh and tossed my backpack over my shoulder. No, I wasn't going to school if that's what you're thinking. I was going to find someone.
Yesterday there was a report on the TV that a kid had gone missing around the area outside town. A few minutes later a close friend had called in tears to tell me the kid in the report was her little cousin.
After several minutes of trying to calm her down, with absolutely no success, I had decided to search the area myself. I know I'm just a kid in high school and this was a case that had even the police stumped, but stranger things have happened. I was just going to have to try my best and see if I could find anything.
The kid had disappeared by this run-down house on the edge of town. I was prepared to comb the entire area both inside and outside the house to see what I could turn up.
"Well, I think that should do it," I said, feeling the weight of my bag.
Without a second thought, I stepped out of my room and allowed the door to shut behind me. My parents were out anyway so with any luck, I could be there and back before they came home and if I wasn't, I'd just tell them that I had gone to comfort my friend. It was as simple as that.
It might help me along if I let them know before I got home so I could avoid a ton of questions. I quickly grabbed a note pad and wrote a note. It was rushed and sloppy but legible none the less.
"Gone out to Kathryn's. Be back soon," -Lya
I put the note up on the fridge where they could easily see it before starting to head out again. This time, not going back for anything.
Well, that's it for chapter one! I'd appreciate a review, but of course, you don't have to.