"Okay, this is so going on the internet." – Megan Parker
Episode: "Josh Runs into Oprah"
Show: Drake & Josh
Chapter 1 – Buzz Off!
Torrington Academy Boarding School – Sherebrooke, Quebec, Canada
Friday –11:12 AM – Martin Mystery's Dorm Room
Martin Mystery sat on the floor of his dorm room in front of his TV screen, which was also his computer monitor, playing a video game. There had been no classes today, some teacher's conference thing was going on right about now, and Martin was wasting all the time he possibly could on non-trivial stuff while out of class. Usually his best friend Java the Caveman and his stepsister Diana Lombard would be in here playing the game along with him, but Java was busy with his custodial job and Diana was too busy studying for some stupid test that was three or even six days away. She always made sure to study ahead of time when given that much of an early notice, but if he truly had it his way, she would be playing the video game with him no matter what else she really wanted to do. Those were one of the few times they actually got along and he liked it when they did. Unfortunately, she actually won that science fair a few weeks ago and has been bragging about it ever since. Moreover, ever since then she has been cooped up in her dorm room studying for the upcoming test in history. She was always so over-worried about keeping her grades up even though she always got straight As; she was such a keener.
Yet, even though Martin was in the same class as Diana that was having a test soon, he was just wasting time until The Centre called him, his stepsister, and Java on a mission – if they call that is. They are very unpredictable when it comes to handing out missions to agents and when those missions happen to become available for a set of agents to be called upon.
However, wasting time fooling around instead of studying would have his stepsister, Diana, bugging him about being a lazy failure. If it were up to Diana, he would be studying right now on a free-day Friday at noon. The operative word there is if, but in his humble opinion it was not up to her what he was doing right now. He would rather be doing this anyway.
It was not as if he could actually finish that movie that he was filming with Java a few weeks ago. He still could not think of an ending for it, or at least…not one that he would still want to use, and with Java working right now there was no one to partake any of the roles. Moreover, with the way things ended up last time, he was a little too afraid to use Java again. He would rather not have something like his best friend turning into a real, live radioactive swamp zombie all over again. Thankfully, Diana did not attempt to blame him for Java almost killing them both, even though he was very aware that if it had not been for his movie idea and casting Java as the villain – that near-death experience never would have come close to happening. Therefore, Java was not able to play video games with him right now, but he was definitely glad to have his best friend back to normal.
With nothing else to do, he silently thanked whatever was keeping Diana away from pestering him about playing video games when he, and these are her words not his, should be studying.
'Good thing D's off studying in her room and not in here bugging me about a test that is two days away,' he complained in thought and ran a hand through his messy blond hair, his gorgeous acorn brown eyes never leaving the television screen as he played his game.
Unfortunately, for him, just as he thought this, a girl with long brown hair with a slight red tint to it, two barrettes holding back one strand of hair in the front on the left side, and green eyes walked into his dorm room with a mission on her mind – to get him to put away the game and bring out the books.
'Oh please, do not tell me he is playing video games when we have that huge test coming up on Monday!' she thought, and then questioned his laziness aloud by asking a question she already knew the answer to.
"What are you doing!?" she disapproved accordingly, her hands on her hips. If she were not a few months younger than he was and instead quite a few years older, you would think she was his mother disciplining him, except that there was no resemblance between him and stepsister whatsoever.
She looked around his room to find the same dirty clothes, pizza boxes, and other disgusting objects scattered around the room as before. 'Eww,' she thought, as she scrunched up her nose. "And this room still looks as disgusting as it looked the last time I was in here. Seriously, do you ever clean this pig-sty?"
"Uh, I believe I'm playing video games," he answered matter-a-factly ignoring her last statement regarding his room, continuing to play his video game as if she were not even standing there glowering at him. "Geeze, chill out, Diana, studying is not my thing – you know that, so buzz off! I'm trying to play a video game here."
"Well, you need to at least attempt something productive!" she scolded, throwing her hands up in the air, then resting them in a crossed position over her chest. "You cannot coast through life on The Center, video games, and monster movie marathons. You need to make something of yourself – and the way to do that is to do well in school."
He rolled his eyes at his 'stepsister' acting as if she were his 'mother.' "Just lighten up, Di. At least I'm not failing all of my classes – that should be okay enough."
'I wish she would stop bringing this up, it just reminds me of how Dad likes her so much more than me and I'm his own flesh and blood!' he thought, continuing to play his game pretending he was not even listening to her.
"Yeah, and the only class you are passing is Art," she incited, and then her anger over the situation took control. "Dad isn't just wasting his money to send us to boarding school so you can slack off! He's doing it so we can become accustomed to college life and do well in school so that we can get to a good college."
He only continued to play his game, rolling his eyes at her when she mentioned his father as if he were truly her own father too.
"Whatever," she took this chance to roll her own eyes. "Ruin your life and your future – see if I care." She began to turn around and leave, but paused for a moment considering whether she should say what she had intended on saying after telling him to ruin his life and future. She decided to go for it, maybe it would make him open his eyes and get to work.
"Just remember that Dad definitely will care." She then turned and began to walk out of his room in a fast pace. She did not care to see what his reaction would be; she knew the subject of his father was an issue that stung. She never used it before and knew better than to actually use it against him, but she was fed up with his lackadaisical ways about life. She could not help it if she was more concerned with schoolwork, doing well, being perfect, and keeping track of time. It is just who she is.
'That did it,' Martin thought, almost offended, not enough to be mad, but just enough to feel guilty. 'She need not mention Dad right now of all people caring about what I do with my life. I could do without thinking about how much he admires how studious and perfect she is.'
Surprised at how guilty he really did feel, Martin paused his game, laid his game controller down on the floor, and stood to chase after her.
"Hey, D, wait a minute!" he yelled to her, using one of his nicknames for her as he exited his dorm room, gathering the attention of their peers in the hallway, but he did not care. He and Diana were usually the center of attention in the hallway or in the lunchroom on more than one occasion during one of their quarrels so it did not bother him any. He had gotten used to it and most likely so had she.
She had not gotten very far, so it did not take him very long to catch up to her. "I'm sorry, all right? I know you are only trying to look out for me, Sis…," he admitted when he finally reached her his own voice trailing off when he realized he had no better excuse than that, and his words were not said as seriously as the situation truly called for. He tried again after finally coming up with an excuse for his behaviour. "But I mean, you know me – I'm lazy unless I'm on a paranormal investigation for The Center. Schoolwork and studying just isn't my thing, okay? I wish Dad could understand that, but hey, we can't even tell him about The Center and our job there!"
She had her back turned to him. She sighed as she tilted her head to the side in exasperation and turned around to face him rolling her head back to its upright position.
"Why? Why, why, why do you constantly have to make me try to talk you into doing your schoolwork and studying?" she was becoming hysterical. "Why do you make me try to make sure you genuinely become someone instead of wasting your life away playing video games and watching those stupid monster movies?"
"Because I wouldn't be me if I didn't and you wouldn't be you if you didn't?" he asked, smiling sheepishly, yet humorously. He was clowning around again and that was something that grinded on her nerves. He would have contradicted her assumption of monster movies being stupid, but he knew that right now was really not the time. She was madder than she had ever been at him and he did not want to make it worse. All though, he could not quite understand why she was suddenly so mad at him for something he always did – usually she would only be a little mad for a short while and then forget about it and move on to some other matter, but not today apparently.
'Why can't he just be serious when not on a mission? No, 'cause even then he doesn't even stay serious the whole time,' she thought. 'He usually starts spilling out some drivel about what he seen in a movie or a comic book and compares it to the mission.'
"UGH! When are you going to grow up?" She voiced her question of Martin aloud to herself throwing her hands up in the air, causing even more of a scene. "Why do I even try? I'm never going to accomplish anything from it. One and a half years of this I should know when to give up by now!"
He knew she cared about him and he cared about her too. It was mutual. They were not only stepsiblings but also best friends. In fact, she was one of his only friends, but he also knew how to get on her nerves and push her buttons and he took that to his own advantage on more than one occasion even though he knew better than to do anything like that to her. He still did it anyway – usually with bets or making fun of her or just being himself would sometimes set her off. However, not only could he get on her nerves, she also knew how to get on his nerves and would use that to her own advantage when he has been getting on her nerves for a while. However, they would do anything for each other and had even saved the other's life on more than one occasion during missions.
"Ugh…," she said more softly this time, catching the eyes of the onlookers as she tilted her head back and sighed in annoyance. Leaning her head forward again, she made sure, only Martin was able to hear her. "Oh, great, we've caused a scene that the entire school is watching. This must be so entertaining for them."
"It's never bothered you before," Martin whispered back mockingly. "What's the difference now?"
She ignored his question and turned her line of sight back to the onlookers, and yelled in annoyance not only from them watching, but from Martin's behaviour as well, "What are you looking at? Walk on, there's nothing to see here!"
'She has lost her mind…,' Martin thought, the sheepish smile returned while giving an apologetic look to the scurrying onlookers. 'I guess I was wrong about the rest of the school watching us have an argument not bothering her.'
"You're starting to scare people, D," Martin feigned seriousness, hiding his humour in the situation before him. "Including me."
"You are hopeless! Just do whatever you want, okay, Marty?" She softly said to Martin. "I give up!"
'I'll try again tomorrow to get him to listen to reason. Even if it's pointless to even try,' she thought, then thought better of it. 'Better yet, since The Centre has been so quiet lately, leaving Martin with nothing else to do…, at least the monster movie marathons he's been watching are keeping him busy enough to not pull pranks on me and Java…again.' She shuddered at the memory of the fake monster hand that he had hidden in her lunch not too long ago.
She would give up for today he understood this. It was her usual daily routine, but that did not denote that she would just give up all together – she was not a quitter. That was what had always gotten her into bets with this buffoon standing before her; she just could not stand down or completely give up on anything or anyone, especially school and Martin.
When he did not attempt to respond to her nor do anything at all except stand there, feigning interest in what she was saying she began her walk back to her own dorm room to get back to her studying. Not wanting to waste any precious time that could not be made up later when she might seriously need the extra study time. This time, Martin let her leave him still standing there in the school corridor thinking.
'Maybe I should study…,' Martin began to think with a thoughtful expression on his face that turned into a shake of the head as he decided against it. It would not do him any good. 'Nah, it's just not me.' He decided he might as well just go back to his video game. She had given up, for today and he was free to do whatever he wanted to do, and right now, he wanted to finish his game.
He then turned and made his way back to his own dorm room and when he arrived, he began playing his video game again, not even having a second thought to her incessant insistence for him to do better in school.
Author's Note: Date – Monday, September 25 – Sunday, January 21, 2007.
Chapter Totals: Approx. 6 pages, 2,894 words, 49 paragraphs, and 233 lines.
Remember, if you do not want to – you do not have to read the author's notes! They are really only here for if you become confused.
There was no LwD this chapter, sorry to everyone! This was more of a filler chapter just to introduce the Martin Mystery characters into the storyline. I tried to make it as detailed as possible for those of whom who do not know of this series and its characters, so I included descriptions of the characters (i.e., blond hair, brown eyes, etc.) and their localities (i.e., what their room looks like, etc.). The next chapter will be all LwD though.
This chapter was rather long and so will all of the following chapters be long as well. Therefore, I hope you like long chapters. In addition, chapter 8 or 9 will be about a character that you will least expect.
It looks like this is going to turn out being a lot longer than I first thought. I was thinking 2 – 3 chapters when I first started it…it may be more along the lines of 5 – 35 with the way things are going now. I have documents set up, ready for me to write at least 12 chapters so far. I am on a roll and have even come up with quite a few other ideas for this fiction. It looks like inspiration came knocking and gave me one too many ideas for this fic.
— Destini Jen Venturi —
–– Thanks for reading! Please review… ––
