•Chitin: noun
-Definition: a fibrous substance consisting of polysaccharides and forming the major constituent in the exoskeletons of insects or crustaceans and the cell walls of fungi.
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Chapter 1: Natasha Xander
Her bedroom was mostly dark. Some light shone through her window from the street lamps of New York outside. But she didn't notice it.
Last night, the girl had not slept well.
It wasn't that she had bad dreams or a nightmare.
She was simply too excited for the next day to close her eyes. Bad mistake on a school night.
Finally her alarm clock went off at 6 AM, and the girl quickly turned it off, before stretching her arms and pulling the covers off.
The girl's name is Natasha Xander.
She is 17 years old, has short red hair, emerald green eyes, light skin, and stands at an approximate height of five feet, nine inches.
Her mother is Julia Xander, one of the NYPD's finest. Her father, well... that's another story.
Natasha was up on her feet fast and began happily getting herself dressed and ready for school.
Why was she happy?
It wasn't because it was Friday, in fact it was Thursday.
It was because Natasha had a date with her middle-school crush, Bastian Charleston.
After years of glancing at eachother when the other wasn't looking, Bastian finally summoned up the courage to ask Natasha out.
Wanting to look good for tonight, Natasha threw on a dark blue tank top and some black jeans after her quick shower.
After brushing her teeth and hair, Natasha checked her phone for the time.
6:27
Just enough time for her to grab breakfast and make it to the bus.
Natasha threw her bookbag over her shoulder and made her way downstairs.
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Downstairs in the kitchen, pouring herself some coffee, was Julia Xander.
She was already dressed in her Police Uniform and was waiting for to see her daughter's face before leaving. She was gonna be working a very late shift tonight as a favor, and needed the heart-warming image of a child's face to get her through it.
As she heard footsteps coming down the stairs, Ms. Xander set her coffee down and stood up.
Natasha reached the bottom of the stairs and headed into the kitchen to grab a muffin.
When she entered the kitchen, she saw her mother standing up from the table.
"Good morning Natasha." her mother said.
"Hi Mom. How are you today." she replied, grabbing a poppyseed muffin out of the cabinet.
"Oh, I'm fine. So just to check, you're going out with Bastian..."
"Yep."
"Okay. And Peter is going to stay the night at a friend's house today. I won't be home until around 11 PM, so please be safe." she said.
Julia then kissed her daughter on the forehead.
"Have a good day Natasha."
"You too Mom.
She then grabbed her things and walked out the door to go to work.
Natasha looked at her phone.
6:29
Time to go to the bus stop.
Natasha went out the door, slowly unwrapping her muffin. Her bus stop was only at the corner of the block. Not too far.
As she got closer to the bus stop, she saw her best friend, Samantha Oliver, waiting for her.
Natasha didn't always live in New York.
She used to live in Maine.
But once she moved to New York, she and Samantha became as close as sisters.
As she got to the bus stop, Samantha asked her,
"How's it going Natasha?"
Natasha raised a finger as she finished chewing her last bite of Muffin, before swallowing.
"Great Samantha! I couldn't sleep last night though." she said with a yawn, as she crumpled up the muffin's wrapper.
"What happened?" she asked.
The bus came around the corner and slowed to a halt before the girls. Natasha stepped onto it after Samantha, throwing her wrapper into the trash.
They picked their seat and sat down in their usual spots, about two seats from the back.
The bus driver shut the door and drove towards their next stop.
"Oh, I was just shaking with excitement about my date with Bastian today." Natasha continued.
"That's right! He asked you out didn't he? Shoot." Samantha moaned.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I was just planning on going to Hudson's Arcade tonight and was wondering if you'd like to come with. But I guess you hav-"
"Hudson's Arcade?!" Natasha squealed in surprise, making everyone jump.
"The one and only." beamed Samantha.
Natasha scratched her head.
"Well, Bastian and I have some time to kill before we go to the restaurant, I think we can stop by for a few games." she decided.
"Great! I'll walk you guys there." said Samantha.
Natasha looked out the window as the bus slowed to it's next stop. She saw who was getting on.
"I've been meaning to go to Hudson's Arcade for a while." she said.
"It's one of the few places from my childhood that Weyland Industries hasn't bought and torn down."
The bus door opened.
"Well, speak of the Devil!" laughed Samantha, as she saw who was stepping aboard.
It was Quinn Weyland, the most spoiled teen that hell could spit up. She had silver hair, and wore a tight, long sleeved black shirt, a black skirt, and knee high black leather boots.
Quinn was spoiled due to her father, Charles Weyland, being the CEO of Weyland Industries.
She was mainly disliked at school and the only "friends" she had were Call and Ferro.
And they only were her friends because she would freely let them borrow money and they sucked up to her because of this.
Quinn walked down the aisle before sitting in the seat behind Natasha and Samantha, her two followers sat in the seat across from hers.
The bus driver shut the doors and continued to school, his pick-up route finished.
"Hello, Natasha and Samantha." Quinn said, digging her sharp nails into the top of their seat.
"What do you want Quinn?" moaned Natasha as Samantha attempted to pry Quinn's nails out of the seat.
"Your mother has been writing my father a lot of tickets Natasha."
"So? Your father can pay them in a heartbeat." Natasha replied, turning around to face her bully.
Quinn smiled at her response.
"I'm well aware. It's just that... she seems to be targeting my father purposely. It's making him late for his business conferences." Quinn added.
Natasha sighed.
"Maybe your father should keep better track of time. That way he wouldn't have to be doing 67 through Times Square."
Quinn leaned farther over the seat and reached her hand into Natasha's bookbag.
"Hey, get your hand out of my stuff!" Natasha yelled, grabbing the other highschoolers' attention.
Quinn quickly pulled her hand out before Natasha could grab it, holding a piece of paper in her hand.
"Hello? What's this? Algebra homework? This must be important." Quinn grinned, before tearing it in half.
She crumpled up the halves and tossed them into Natasha's lap.
"Consider this a warning. If I hear my Daddy ranting about another ticket from Julia Xander that made him late, there'll be far more pieces than just two when I'm finished with you."
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Natasha didn't say anything the rest of the bus ride.
She knew to just keep quiet, and Quinn would stop bothering her.
Eventually they reached Nostromo High.
It was a nice High-School, with good teachers and a great principal as the head of the school.
The bus stopped and the driver opened the doors.
Natasha and Samantha quickly got up and fled out the door before Quinn could trip or push them.
They went through the school doors and made their way to the library.
"Natasha? Are you okay?" asked Samantha as they entered the library.
"Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine. I was just thinking." she replied.
"About what?"
"I was thinking that maybe one day, Quinn will get what she deserves." Natasha said with a smirk.
Samantha chuckled.
"I'm sure she will. And I know that we'll be there to see it happen."
The two put their arms around each other's shoulders as they walked to the comic aisle of the library.
"So? What shall we check out today?" smiled Samantha.
The two girls were somewhat tomboys, that had a love for comics that couldn't be matched.
"Maybe a little Batgirl, some Runaways? What do you think Natasha?"
"I think we need a bigger comic section personally. Like, where the hell is the New 52 Catwoman? But I could read the latest Batgirl. I've enjoyed the series so far." Natasha replied.
The girls walked out with their chosen comics and checked them out.
The school's bell rang and it was time for class.
Natasha and Samantha shared their first class, Algebra.
"C'mon Samantha. I need to get this taped together quick!" shouted Natasha as they ran through the halls.
They made it to Ms. Lambert's classroom and were the first ones there.
Samantha sat down at her desk while Natasha un-crumpled her homework and started taping it together.
"Good morning you two." said Lambert, as she stood up from her desk.
"Hi Ms. Lambert. Sorry about my crumpled homework." said Natasha.
"Yeah, it would've been in perfect condition if it weren't for that spoiled little Princess Weyland." added Samantha, earning a laugh from Natasha.
Lambert sighed, "Quinn again huh? Do you want me to report her to Principal Ripley?"
"No, it's fine. That'll only escalate it" said Natasha.
The other students flooded into the class shortly after and took their seats as the lesson began.
As the class went on, Natasha started to daydream about her date with Bastian tonight.
Her thoughts were halted however, when a loud BANG erupted from under the teacher's desk.
The bang followed by some whistles, sparks, and a giggle from Drake, the pyromaniac.
"Score!" he snickered.
Ms. Lambert was not amused.
"Drake! To the Principal's office. Now!" she ordered.
"Aww man, Principal Ripley's gonna be pissed!" he moped and he got up and left the classroom.
The lesson ended soon after and everyone just socialized until the bell rang.
"So are ya gonna tell Bastian about going to the arcade after school?" asked Samantha as the went through the door into the hallway crowded with other students.
"Yep." Natasha replied, hoisting her bookbag over her shoulder.
"Okay, see you at lunch."
The two friends separated for their next 2 classes.
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Natasha went to Gymnastics with Ms. Vasquez teaching. This was her second year taking gymnastics, so it was a real breeze for her.
After that she had Biology and was learning about parasitic and symbiotic relationships with Mr. Holloway.
Finally, Natasha enjoyed lunch with Samantha, had one more class in Digital Media and the school day ended shortly after.
Natasha and Samantha walked over to Bastian who had just finished talking to his friends David and Bishop.
"Hi, Bastian!" piped Natasha.
"Oh. Hi Natasha. I was wondering where you've been. Are you ready for our date?" asked Bastian.
"I am! But since we have some time to kill, I was wondering if we could go to Hudson's Arcade with Samantha?" she said, putting an arm around Samantha's shoulder.
Bastian smiled.
"Sure that sounds like fun! I haven't been there in a while."
"Alright then, it's settled. Let's go." Samantha said.
The 3 then began walking through Manhattan.
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The walk to Hudson's Arcade wasn't too long since it was only about 4 blocks from Nostromo High.
The Arcade was named "Hudson's Arcade" for the man who owned it. Hudson was a very lively presence and wasn't your typical manager who'd stay in their office. He was always out and talkative to all the people who played at his Arcade.
The 3 juniors bought their tickets and proceeded into the Arcade, where their eyes and ears met the dazzling sights and sounds of hundreds of arcade games.
They began to make rounds through the arcade, playing various games as they went.
They played all sorts of games. From Air Hockey, to Centipede, and Donkey Kong to Galaga.
At one point, Bastian was playing Galaga and lost, when suddenly, a large hand landed on his shoulder causing him to flinch and turn around.
He was faced by the owner of the arcade, Hudson himself!
"It's Game Over for you man!" Hudson laughed, giving Bastian a pat on the shoulder before leaving.
Eventually, it reached 7:00, and the 3 had sunk over 3 hours into the arcade.
Bastian saw the time and told Natasha that they had to go, or his reserved table would be taken.
So Natasha and Bastian said their goodbyes to Samantha and left the arcade.
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"So, what's for dinner Bastian?" Natasha asked as they walked past Central Park.
"Oh it's a surprise." Bastian grinned, pulling out a black blindfold. "Do you mind?" he asked, showing her the blindfold.
"Oh, no. Go ahead." she said, allowing him to tie the blindfold over her eyes.
She began to carefully walk forward, hearing other pedestrians pass by, Bastian helping her stay on track.
"We're almost there." he whispered.
After a few minutes, he stopped her and yanked off the blindfold.
"Surprise!" he said.
Natasha gasped when she saw the restaurant.
It was an Italian restaurant that she had heard great things about and always wanted to go to.
However, her mother couldn't afford it.
"How on earth did you manage to get reservations here?!" Natasha asked curiously.
"Oh, my Dad had some reservations for him and Mom for their anniversary, but Mom had to go on a business trip." he said.
"I'm sorry." she said.
"Nah, don't be. My Mom would want me using them for this anyway." he replied.
"Alright, well enough talk about the reservations. Let's just hurry up and claim our table." he finished.
The teens walked in and Bastian got their reservations.
"Charleston, table for 2." he told them.
The waiter showed them to their table and gave them menus. After a few minutes they decided on what they wanted.
Natasha had the Spaghetti with brown butter and Mizithra cheese, while Bastian ordered the Spaghetti with meat sauce along with sides of Garlic Bread and Mozzarella sticks.
As they waited for their food, they began to start a conversion.
"So, how are your parents?" asked Bastian.
"Oh, my Mom's fine. She's a Deputy of the NYPD you know." Natasha replied.
"And your Dad?" he continued.
Natasha hesitated.
"My Father is dead. He p-passed away early this past summer." she replied, seeming hurt by having to speak those words.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry." he stuttered trying to soothe the pain of what she had said.
*Sniff* "It's okay Bastian." she replied, wiping a tear away and picking herself up again.
"What happened to him?"
"Bus crash. There was a shoot out on the street and a bullet hit the driver and he crashed into a gasoline truck." Natasha explained, doing her best not to cry.
"My mother wasn't working when it happened and she blames herself. I'm a little worried about her. She seems to be fine on the outside. But lately she's been taking inhumanly long shifts all day and night. I can't help but think-" Natasha put her face in her hands and sniffed, letting out a few tears.
After a minute, she pulled her head back up and wiped her face with a napkin.
"Okay, enough of my parents. How are yours?" Natasha asked, playing cheerful again.
"They're great. My Dad's been a little nervous that Weyland Industries is gonna buy the company he works for. But other than that, they seem to be fine. It's just that lately they've been both leaving for business trips. I don't mind though. I'm old enough to look after myself." he said.
Natasha then decided to change the subject.
"What do you want to do when your older?" she asked.
Bastian took a sip of his water before answering her.
"Well, I kinda see myself becoming a doctor or performing some other important task in the medical field. I've already taken CPR classes and I've read many books about the human body and how it functions." Bastian told her.
"Wow. I didn't know you were into the human body." Natasha said.
"Well now you do. Not that there is any sexual obsessions behind it." he replied, causing a chuckle from both of them.
"So what do you think you'll do when you're older?" Bastian asked her.
Natasha was taken aback by the question. She started scratching her head, realizing that she'd never really thought about her future years as an adult and was always focused on enjoying her teenage years.
"I don't know what I'll do with my life... But, I'm sure something will come up." she said, looking out the window.
Bastian thought for a bit.
"I hear you're great at gymnastics. Maybe you could compete." he suggested.
"You think so?"
"Absolutely! They say you're one of the best at Nostromo." Bastian exclaimed.
Natasha blushed a little.
"I really am, thank you Bastian."
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Their food arrived shortly and they began to eat, deeply enjoying their meals. Continuing to talk about school here and there.
Eventually, they had emptied their plates and paid for the meal as they stepped outside into the street lamp covered streets of night-time Manhattan.
"So, would you like me to walk you home?" Bastian asked.
Natasha shook her head.
"Nah, I'll be fine. It's just on the other side of Central Park and then a few more blocks." she replied.
"Well, alright then. Good night Natasha."
"Good night Bastian. I had a lot of fun tonight."
"So did I." he replied.
They stood there for a bit in silence, both of them knowing what was coming, though neither of them knew who would start.
Wanting to put an end to the suspense, Natasha grabbed Bastian's shirt collar and pulled his face up to hers giving him a quick kiss before gently letting go.
"I'll see tomorrow in English." she whispered.
Bastian seemed to still be in shock from the kiss, but he calmly gave a smile and nodded.
The lovers then headed their separate ways as Natasha went across the street and started following the dimly lit trail through Central Park.