Maliwan sorted through her ECHO, looking for notes of last weeks class that she knew weren't there. She was out sick on a day of major notes, and she was falling way behind. Her cheeks grew rosy red out of nerves. The longer she sat there, the redder her face got, until it was as glowing as her short, spiky hair. Her eyes darted to her left, where the twin brother and sister, Sam and Sam, sat working.
"Yo! Sam!" whispered Maliwan.
"Which one?" asked both of them. Although they were fraternal twins, they looked very similar. They both had the same cold gray eyes, strawberry blonde hair, as well as the same pointy nose and perfect mouth of shiny, white teeth.
"Samuel. Do you have the notes from last Thursday?"
"Nope. You got 'em, Samantha?" asked the first Sam, the boy.
"Sure don't. Have you asked Torgue?" asked the second Sam, the girl. "I don't think he knows how to read or write, but it's worth a shot."
"He doesn't have them. We were skipping together." sighed Maliwan. "Dammit, you sexy bitches! You're supposed to have my back for things like this!"
"Sorry, Mali. We weren't even here Thursday." said Samantha.
"That's right. We were out on a mission from Wednesday that went way over." said Samuel. "On the bright side, we're up by two levels."
"Thanks anyway, S&S." moaned Maliwan. "What am I supposed to do?"
"Is there something you'd like to share with the class, Miss Maliwan?" asked the history teacher.
"No thanks, Ms. Athena." said Maliwan. Athena spared Maliwan a sideways glance and rolled her eyes.
"Who here has the notes from last Thursday?" she asked. "Maliwan needs to borrow them."
"I got 'em right here, missus." said a boy from across the room. His hair was short, windswept and dirty blonde, his skin was tanned and his eyes were dull blue. He stood up and flexed his muscular arms in his denim jacket.
"Thank you, Jakob. Will you let Maliwan borrow them for a while?"
"Sure thing. Anything for Mali, ya hear?" said Jakob. He walked across the room and handed his ECHO over to Maliwan.
"The next person to call me 'Mali' is going to have their morning coffee spiked with a times-four Corrosive Charger." growled Maliwan. She snatched the ECHO and hastily began copying Jakob's notes onto her own device. When she was done, she shoved it back into his hands.
"Yer welcome, sugar-lips." said Jakob. Maliwan grabbed him by the shirt angrily.
"Come again?" asked Maliwan. "What'd you call me?"
"Sugar-lips, darling." said Jakob. "I ain't mean no disrespect."
"Enough, Maliwan." said Athena. "Get back to work. You have chapters to read and an essay to write."
"Since when?" asked Samuel.
"Since now. Get on it."
"What exactly are you trying to say?" asked Maliwan, ignoring her teacher. Normally, Ms. Athena was one of the few people Maliwan respected, but she forgot everything around her whenever Jakob opened his mouth.
"Uh… Nuthin, really. Just that your lips are sweet, I guess." said Jakob, shrugging his shoulders. Maliwan tightened her grip on Jakob's shirt, and balled up her fist. "If ya don't like me callin ya that, you could just prove me wrong."
"And how the hell would I do that?" asked Maliwan.
"Kiss me. If yer lips is sweet, well, I was right." said Jakob, smiling smugly.
"That'll be the day. And then it'll snow in The Dust, right?" asked Maliwan. "You're a real ass, you know that? Why don't you go fuck yourself, huh?"
"Whoa, nelly! Them's some harsh words for a pretty little lady like yerself to be usin." said Jakob. Maliwan's fist collided with Jakob's nose, shattering the bone and dripping blood down his face.
"Duel me right now, jackass, and I'll show you exactly how harsh this pretty little lady can get." growled Maliwan. Jakob wiped the blood from his nose and used his bloody finger to flick Maliwan on the forehead, accepting her duel. A small bubble of blue energy erupted from their ECHOs, creating a little cage around them and activating their shields. A large number 3 floated in mid air.
"Ya sure bout this, Mali?" asked Jakob, drawing a revolver. "I don't miss with this here six-shooter, now. Is your shield charged?"
"Doesn't matter. I'll have you beat before you can fire more than once." said Maliwan, pulling out a submachine gun. The clock ticked down to 2.
"If it takes me more than one, I ain't really Jakob, ya know?" said Jakob. The clock dropped down to 1. Sam and Sam scooted back to avoid the incoming fire, and continued studying in their ECHOs. The clock dropped to 0, and the duel began.
Maliwan fired off a burst of five shots aimed at Jakob's head, which he dodged easily. He pointed his revolver at Maliwan's heart, and steadied his arm as Maliwan fired another six shots. This time, Jakob took the shots, which his shield absorbed. Jakob held himself still until he felt he had a shot. Finally, after Maliwan fired another seven rounds, Jakob pulled the trigger.
PLINK!
Jakob's bullet bounced off of Athena's blood-red energy shield, the Kinetic Aspis. It's inner ring spun slowly, from the energy it absorbed. Maliwan jumped to the side, aiming at Jakob. Athena threw her Aspis at Maliwan, smacking her wrist and causing her to drop her gun. The Aspis bounced from Maliwan's arm to Jakob's, causing him to drop his gun as well. The Kinetic Aspis flew into Athena's left hand, where it was deconstructed by the port on her wrist.
"That's enough!" she said firmly. "There will be no dueling in my classroom!"
"Dang it, missus! I think you broke my wrist!" said Jakob.
"Mine, too!" complained Maliwan.
"Good. If Aspis would've taken any more damage, I might've taken your hands off." said Athena. "Now, Maliwan and Jakob, to Nurse Anshin. Jakob get your nose checked and both of you need to get your arms wrapped. Then, head to Pangolin's office. One of the Sams, go with them."
"Which one do you wa-"
"I don't give a damn! Sam or Sam, I really don't care! Make it happen!" said Athena angrily. "Then get back here so we can plan your detentions."
"Detentions? As in more than one?" asked Maliwan.
"Truancy: Class IV violation, Insubordination: Class IV violation, Drawing a Loaded Weapon in Class: Class II violation." listed Athena. "Firing a Loaded Weapon in Class: Class II violation, Dueling on School Premises: Class I violation, Attempted Murder of a fellow Student: Class 0 violation. Should I go on? Because there's a whole separate list of minor infractions. Remember, five misdemeanors equal a felony. You have at least fifteen misdemeanors. Be glad I'm not sending you to INTERPOL. I have the connections to do so, too."
"Fine." muttered Maliwan. "Whatever."
"You or me, sis?" asked Samuel.
"You go ahead. I take notes faster than you, anyway." said Samantha. Her brother rose to his feet and grabbed his baseball cap, yellow with a black "S" on the front.
"That's mine." said Samantha. Samuel apologized and returned the cap. He grabbed his own hat, this one black with a yellow "S". Sam lead Maliwan and Jakob out of the room, and they began down the halls. When they were out of earshot of the room, Maliwan grabbed her ECHO and began sifting through her inbox.
"Oh my god! Did you guys get a message from Mox?" asked Maliwan.
"I don't ECHO wit that slut no more." said Jakob. "Last time I spoke to her, she cuffed me to a fence and stole my runner. I can't get no more cars, neither. Scooter won't sell to me."
"Well, if you would've kept ECHOing her, you'd know that there's a new kid at school." said Maliwan. They pushed open a door and took a step outside of the A Hall of Pandora High.
"Big whoop." said Sam. "We get new kids all the time. Hell, you're still a new kid, really."
"Okay, but this guy is the real deal." said Maliwan energetically. "First day here, right? Guy's fresh off of the shuttle. Speaks no English. So, new school, new language, new classes, he's overwhelmed right? He's super outclassed, a level one in a class of level tens and higher. So, what's the first thing he does? He shoots Hyperion in the fucking leg!"
"What?" asked Sam. "He did what?"
"You heard me, babe. He just shot the head honcho. Oh, I hope I get to meet him today!" said Maliwan excitedly. "Ya know, before Hyperion comes back and rips out the poor kid's lung. Oh my god, the balls of this guy!"
Maliwan buzzed with excited energy the entire time they walked across the orange sand, from A Hall to C Hall. C Hall was mostly devoted to Nurse Anshin, the life and soul of the school. On a planet like Pandora, injury was unavoidable, and it was important to have a qualified medical professional on standby at all times.
The trio stepped into C Hall and towards the infirmary. They entered and took a seat in the waiting room. Across from them were two girls, one of them nervously staring at the other. The nervous girl kept darting her eyes at her companion, her beady brown eyes flying underneath her square framed glasses.
"I am not angry, Tediore." said the other girl. While Tediore was a nervous wreck, the other girl was completely calm, near the point of boredom. Her hair was a bleached blonde dreaded ponytail, and it fell down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were light gray, almost white, and her skin was pale as though she had never seen the sun before.
"I'm so very sorry, Ms. Atlas!" said Tediore quietly. "I thought the safety was on!"
"It is okay, Tediore. You can go back to class, okay?" said Atlas.
"What happened here, Atlas?" asked Sam. "What could Teddy have possibly done?"
"Eep! Sam! You know who I am?" asked Tediore.
"Uh, yeah. You're like the smartest girl at Pandora High." said Maliwan. "Who doesn't know you?"
"Yer ma's that Dr. Tannis lady, right?" asked Jakob. "I 'member hearin that Tannis' daughter went here. You are 'posed to be real smart, ain't ya?"
"Oh… Thank you!" said Tediore with a smile.
"Ahem!" coughed Atlas. "I believe I was asked a question."
"Oh. Right. What happened, Atlas?" asked Sam again.
"It's Ms. Atlas, or President Atlas. Whichever you prefer." said Atlas. "And your dear friend Teddy here shot me in the back."
"Today is too good!" said Maliwan with a smirk. "The biggest douche and the biggest cunt in the school both took a bullet on the same day! It's… It's cosmic! I'm gonna go buy a lottery ticket."
"I will remember that at the next Student Government Association meeting, Ms. Treasurer." said Atlas.
"Dude, I joined SGA because my school on Artemis required me to have some extra-curricular to advance." said Maliwan. "I just assumed it was the same on Pandora, and nobody told me until after I won. If you want to 'relieve me of duty' or whatever, go ahead. I've really been waiting for somebody to call for my resignation, anyway."
"Why in god's name did Teddy shoot you in the back?" asked Sam. "I mean, we've all thought of doing it at least once, but I never thought Teddy would be the one to give in to temptation."
"We were paired together in Mr. Kincaid's class." said Atlas. "He teaches Proper Use of Firearms I at this time. We were supposed to have our guns on safety and aim at each other, just so we understand how to properly wield a weapon. Well, Tediore missed the part were he said to turn your safety on."
"I don't know what happened." muttered Tediore. She twirled the end of her navy blue hair nervously. "I could've sworn I turned the safety on. It just went off in my hands."
"If it wasn't for my shield, that bullet would have shattered my spine." said Atlas bitterly.
"Next!" called someone from the next room.
"You may as well go first." said Atlas. "I'm fine. I only came because Mr. Kincaid made me." Maliwan and Jakobs nodded and rose together. They walked side by side to the next room, which had two gurneys, a table of Insta-Health Vials, and a chair with a very attractive nurse sitting in it.
Her hair was faint cobalt, shiny and it covered her left eye. The eye that could be seen was deep maroon. Her nose and mouth was covered by a hospital mask, an accessory she was scarcely seen without. Nurse Anshin had a little something for everyone; Jakob liked her eyes, while Maliwan's eyes couldn't help but drift towards the nurse's generous breasts, barely held in by her tight, white button-down shirt.
"Ugh. You two again." groaned Anshin. "Come here, then. What happened?"
"Take a shot in the dark, Shin." said Maliwan. "Mr. 'One-Shot Wonder' here pissed me off."
"So you break his nose? Unbelievable. You guys are lucky I just got a new shipment of Vials." said Anshin. She reached to her table and grabbed a Minor Insta-Health Vial, which she stuck into Jakob's arm.
"I need one, too." said Maliwan. "Athena broke my wrist. Wanna help me out?"
Anshin rolled her eyes and tossed a Vial to Maliwan. She thanked her and buried the needle in her arm. She felt all pain in her body vanish, replacing it with a dull numbness.
"Thanks, Shin." said Maliwan, dropping the empty syringe to the ground, where it burst into fragments of blue light.
"Much obliged, Missus Anshin." said Jakob, massaging his nose. The bone had completely healed in the span of a second.
"It's no problem. Actually, no. It is a problem." said Anshin. "I'm tired of healing you two because of some stupid issue that you have. You guys are friends. Maybe you should try acting like it."
"Tell Jakob to stop being such a douchebag." said Maliwan.
"And please tell Mali to quit usin such foul language." said Jakob. "It ain't right for a little lady to be cussin the way she does."
"Maybe I ain't such a little lady." said Maliwan. "Ya'll don't seem to understand me 'less I talk to ya like a hillbilly, backwaters retard."
"Look, I don't like how yer makin fun of the way I speak, ya hear?"
"Look, I don't give a damn what ya like, ya hear?" said Maliwan mockingly. "I can make fun of how you talk til I'm blue in the face. Here, I'll do it some more: Banjos, roadkill, pecan pie, incest."
"Enough!" shouted Anshin. "Geez, you guys! What is wrong with you? You know what you need? You need to find yourselves an extra friend or two. Someone to buff you out, so that you might actually start to act like you like each other."
"But-"
"No 'but's! I'm not going to keep healing you two for your own fights that can be easily avoided. Just try not to murder each other, okay?" asked Anshin. "I want you two to shake hands and make up."
Maliwan and Jakob locked eyes, leering at each other with contempt. The more they stared, the more ridiculous they felt. Maliwan awkwardly extended her hand. Jakobs took it in his own and they shook.
"We cool?" asked Maliwan.
"Yea. I was bein a prick." said Jakob.
"Only cause I was being an ass."
"Well, you said it, not me." said Jakob, shrugging his shoulders.
"Baby steps." muttered Anshin. "Baby steps."
"Hey, Shin. Can you do us a solid?" asked Maliwan. "Can you write us a pass to our next class? Pangolin is going to chew us out, and then we'll be late."
"Already on it. It's in your ECHOs." said Anshin. "You guys are good to go."
"Thanks. Well, Jakob? Ready to get slaughtered?" asked Maliwan. Jakob let out a sigh and, with Maliwan at his side, pushed open the door.
Atlas, Sam and Tediore had disappeared, replaced with Vladof, Dahl, Hyperion, and the tall, muscular figure of Pangolin. His arms were like tree-trunks, thick and chocolate brown. As soon as he saw Jakob and Maliwan, his piercing gold eyes gleamed in rage.
"Just the two I was looking for! As soon as Dahl and Antakov are done, you're next." said Pangolin.
"You want me to apologize?" asked Vlad. "Nyet. I won't apologize for defend self. He pointed gun to head! He is… What is word in English?" Dahl whispered something into Vlad's ear. "Da. He is scumbag."
"Ya know what, asshole?" said Hyperion. "You don't need to be here. Why don't you beat it, douchebag?"
"He's the douchebag?" asked Dahl. "You pointed a gun at him."
"He was in my seat!"
"He totally wasn't!" shouted Dahl.
"Hold on just a second!" said Maliwan. "This is the kid who shot Hyperion?"
"Da." said Vlad. "Vladof Antakov. And you are?"
"Your new best friend. I think we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other, since we're all serving detention at around the same time." said Maliwan. "Might as well make the best of it."
"Next!" called Anshin. Hyperion rose and limped to the door, followed by Pangolin.
"Move and it's double detention!" he shouted over his shoulder as he disappeared into the back room.
"So, how're you liking your first day at our shit-hole school?" asked Maliwan. Vladof turned to Dahl, who whispered into his ear.
"Ah. It is… different from Promethea." said Vladof. "At New Moscow, detention was stacking bricks and painting school. What is it here?"
"Killing skags and bandits for donatable loot." said Maliwan. "It's pretty much the best thing ever."
"I look forward to it." said Vlad. He turned to Dahl and whispered. "I don't want to sound fool in front of pretty girl. What is skag? What loot?"
"You'll learn." whispered Dahl. "We'll help you out."
