The Heart Disease of Doom
Chapter One: Lost in Translation
It was a seemingly ordinary morning. The September sun was out but didn't shine too brightly and the air was just starting to hold a coldness but it was not yet uncomfortable. The leaves on the trees had lost their green pigment and had begun to fall from their branches to the hardened earth. From the classrooms, the students looked on in quiet longing to be among nature, frolicking with the squirrels and playing their senseless but enjoyable games, instead of being locked in the prison that was Skool.
The shrill bell rang out, signaling the start of classes. Students scurried into their respective classrooms, hoping to avoid punishment.
"Take your seats now or face a life of pain and misery in the depths of the Skool's boiler room!" Ms. Bitters threatened, "That means YOU, Dib! You can glare at Zim from your desk!"
Reluctantly, the large-headed boy took his seat but continued to glare at the green-skinned boy known as Zim. Look at him! Dib thought to himself, He's just sitting there trying to look all innocent and they're all eating it up! How am I the only one to see him for what he so blatantly is!?
"AN ALIEN!"
"Dib! One more outburst and I'll send you to the Underground classes!" Ms. Bitters growled.
Dib remained silent but shot Zim a dark look to which he narrowed his eyes.
"Like I was saying," Ms. Bitters scowled, "It is my utter displeasure to announce that the Skool has allowed yet another walking cretin of imminent doom into my class- a foreign miscreant from Japan. I'm sure you'll make her feel welcome."
Their teacher snapped her fingers and the door opened, revealing a girl, that was indeed foreign, her fist raised, ready to knock. She froze, blinked once, and then stepped inside. The girl bowed to the impossibly tall shadowy teacher.
"You do speak English, don't you?" the Bitter one asked.
The girl looked up at her and hesitated. She cracked a nervous smile and nodded.
"Fine. State your name and any last words."
The girl bit her lip, staring out into the sea of eyes. The class collectively looked at her as though she were at a freak show. Aside from her obvious foreignness, she didn't look any weirder than they. She had long dark hair that hung down her back and brown eyes framed in spidery eyelashes. She wore a blue dress with striped sleeves, black leggings and pointed black shoes. The only thing somewhat odd about her appearance was the pair of white cat ears perched on her head.
Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth but to her horror, nothing came out. You look like a fool! Say something! Anything! "Uh… I… eh. Watashi wa Nakamura Mai desu! Sorry! I mean, Mai! M-my name is Mai, like your first person possessive word, 'my', only spelled M-A-I!" She cringed at how idiotic she sounded. "Gomen-nasai…"
Mai hung her head, embarrassed.
"To spare this horribly foreign girl any more humiliation, even though more is sure to follow, which one of you will forfeit your seat?"
The class stared back horrified, remembering what had happened to their previous classmates.
"You." Ms. Bitters suddenly pointed to a purple haired girl. "Zita! So uncharacteristically kind of you to volunteer..."
"Wha- No!"
In an instant, a gaping hole opened under the girl's desk and she fell screaming into the darkness. As quick as it enveloped her, the hole closed up, leaving the now empty desk for Mai.
"Sit down and don't say another word!" Ms. Bitters barked.
Terrified, Mai bowed quickly and practically ran to her seat. She stared at her desk as the teacher began their lesson. From what she could gather, they were learning about torture devices and mental anguish. What kind of school is this?
Feeling eyes on her, she slowly looked up. Only a few people were starring at her, mostly inquisitive glances but by the looks on their faces, she doubted they were intelligent or even respectful questions on their minds. Am I being too judgmental, too quick? One gaze caught her attention. A young boy on the other side of the room with dark hair, round glasses and… an abnormally large head was giving the most intense glare she had ever seen. Fortunately, it was not aimed at her. But at the person in front of her. Mai looked at the back of the boy's head and tilted her head to the side.
"Nyah?" she whispered to herself in a cat-like meow.
She would have first noticed his outdated hairstyle had it not been for the back of his neck. It was green. Having come from Japan, she was used to all sorts of wacky people dressing up, even she did. But... This didn't look like green paint or dye, even the expensive scrub-your-skin-off-to-make-it-fade kind. It was flawless. It was real. Her mouth formed a silent 'O' as she stared, fascinated at his skin. Is that even possible? And then, when she felt perplexed to the point of incredulity, she realized he didn't have any ears.
The boy suddenly turned around to glare at her and her jaw dropped. "Enough gawking! Zim is tired of your foreign eyes on his being! You do not have permission to look upon the ALMIGHTY ZIM!"
She stared at him openly, she couldn't help it. "Nani ka! No nose…"
His glare intensified. "I don't need a nose to smell your PUTRID STENCH, foreign stink-thing!"
"Stench?" she blinked. A strong scent… uh my perfume? Does he mean to compliment me? But… why so angrily then?
Ms. Bitters glared and seemed to stretch across the room so that she was in Mai's face. "Is there something you wish to share? In English." she leered.
Mai shook her head quickly.
The bell rang, indicating lunch and Ms. Bitters quickly retracting to her position in front of her desk as if nothing happened. The students jumped up and rushed out the door, Mai quickly following behind, not wanting to be left with her scary teacher.
The cafeteria was just as daunting. She nervously moved in line, holding her food tray, wondering where she would sit. The lunch lady slapped a mound of goo onto her plate and looked at her expectantly.
"Um… w-what food here?" she asked.
The beastly woman grunted and Mai quickly ran off. She sighed, looking out into the tables. Everyone in groups… that hasn't changed. Walking slowly, she scanned for anyone that seemed somewhat friendly. She didn't want to sit by herself unless she had to. She spotted the green boy talking to, well arguing with, the one that had been glaring at him. Her eyes fell on a girl playing a GameSlave. Mai smiled and went over to her table.
"You like GameSlave? " she asked the younger girl.
There was no reply. The purple-haired girl was obviously into her game. "I do as well." She continued. "May I sit?"
She waited patiently, and somewhat nervously, for the girl to clear the game level. With a few satisfying beeps and the sound of an explosion, the girl looked up from her game. "Whatever."
Mai smiled and gratefully sat across from her. "My father help build for GameSlave company. We come here to open new building."
She looked slightly intrigued. "Do you have any new games?"
Mai nodded. "Hai. Eh… he work on new type of console, not handheld." She pointed to her head. "Wires in helmet send brain signal and tell game player what to do. It's not ready for market but we have prototype. Would you like to see?"
The girl's eyes widened slightly then returned to normal. "Sure."
Mai beamed. "My name is Mai."
"Gaz."
"Nice to meet you, Gaz."
Mai breathed a sigh of relief. She finally, kind of, made of friend, or at least not an enemy. Too bad, she wasn't in her class. Gaz went back to playing her game while Mai poked at her food with a fork. "Is this… a traditional dish?"
"No." Gaz replied after a moment.
"Hm."
"GAH! I CANT BELIEVE THAT, THAT, ALIEN!"
The boy with glasses sat beside Gaz and continued ranting as if she were listening. "Does he really think that I'll just stand back and watch him destroy Earth! He's crazy! If no one else will help then I'll have to defend Earth single handedly!"
"Stop talking."
"I may be persecuted! I may be mocked! I MAY BE CALLED INSANE!"
"I mean it, Dib…." Gaz growled.
"BUT I WILL NOT GIVE UP! AHH!"
Mai's tray of food was suddenly thrown at the boy by an irritated Gaz. He groaned and picked himself up, ignoring the cackling laughter coming from his arch enemy. He wiped away the "food" and fixed his glasses. He sat down, finally seeing Mai sitting across the table.
He blinked. "Oh, hi."
"Hi."
"Uh… I'm Dib." He said scratching the back of his head. "You're from Japan, right?"
She nodded.
"Tell me. Have you seen any kappas? You know, the man-eating water monsters. I hear there's a lot of them."
"Kappa sprites?" she tilted her head to the side. "You believe in them?"
"Well…. Don't you?"
"I never seen one."
"That doesn't mean they don't exist. If everything was right in front of your face, there wouldn't any mysteries in the world!"
She nodded slowly. "Nyah. Yes. That is accurate."
"Not entirely…" Dib grumbled.
"What you mean?"
"That kid." he looked over his shoulder. "Zim…"
"Midori… green, huh?"
"You noticed he was weird, right?" he asked, almost pleadingly. "I saw how you looked at him in class. You MUST be able to tell he doesn't belong here!"
Uncertain on how to answer, Mai looked to Gaz for help. However, she seemed oblivious to their conversation completely.
"C'mon, Mai! GREEN SKIN, NO EARS OR NOSE! WHAT DOES HE LOOK LIKE TO YOU?"
"Uh…. Kappa?"
"A- what? No! Don't you see? ZIM'S AN ALIEN!"
The word clicked into placed and she gasped, looking over at the green-skinned boy who was scratching his head.
"An alien…. You mean?"
Dib grinned. "Yes! You don't know how happy I am that you believe me!"
Mai put a finger to her mouth in thought. "I guess it can be believed."
"Exactly! Its so OBVIOUS!"
"It is not uncommon too. There are good number of aliens in all countries."
Dib donned a serious expression. "What? There are?"
She nodded. "Yes, I almost become one."
His face dropped. "Okay…. You lost me."
Mai laughed, "I almost forget passport like Zim."
AN: First Zim fanfic! PLEASE let me know if someone is out of character! I know it's the first chapter but please review, I'll get out the next ASAP! (assuming you even liked this…) Oh and Mai's thoughts are in "Japanese" so that's why they aren't in broken English. Excuse any unintentional typos, ITS 4 IN THE MORNING! AHHH!