A/N: Hi!!!!!! Well here it is!!! Chapter 2!!!! This is sort of a sad chapter a first, but it gets better. Sorry it took so long!!! I'm really busy andstuff so it will take longer for me to update. But untill then!!!!!
Chapter 2: Lunch and Orientation
Holly and Trouble walked down three flights of stairs and into the LEP lunch room. They got in line and bought some food. Holly walked over to a table and sat down. Trouble sat down across from her. "What does the 'LP' stand for?" Trouble asked nodding to Holly's shirt.
"A Mudman band called Linkin Park," Holly said.
"Linkin Park is awesome," Trouble said grinning and took a bite of his sandwich. Holly looked surprised.
"You've heard of them?" Holly asked Trouble.
"Yep," Trouble said smiling, "They're my favorite band."
"Mine too," Holly said smiling at Trouble, "I snuck topside to see them in concert once." Trouble laughed.
"I did that too. Did you get caught?"
"No. Did you?"
"Not by the LEP," Trouble said grinning. "When I snuck back into the house my brother woke up and he told our mom." Holly started laughing. "You got busted by you're brother?"
"Yep. And my mom grounded me for two months."
"My cousin almost ratted me out to my aunt once," Holly said.
"What for?" Trouble asked.
"I snuck out to a party while I was grounded. She heard me coming into the house and threatened to tell on me."
"Did she tell?"
"No. I threatened to call her boyfriend and tell him that she was seeing someone else and that she was going to break up with him the next day," Holly said smiling. Trouble laughed. "What did she do?" Trouble asked grinning.
"She said I was the most evil tomboy cousin she ever had. I told her I was the only evil tomboy cousin she had."
"That's harsh," Trouble said frowning. Holly shrugged.
"Heather and Crystal have said worst," she said and took a sip of her nettle smoothie.
"Who are they?" Trouble asked and took another bite of his sandwich.
"My aunt and cousin. I use to live with them," Holly said looking down at her own sandwich. "My mom died when I was 30 and my dad died when I was 59. I've lived with my aunt and cousin since then."
"My father died when I was 55," Trouble said quietly. "He was a major in Retrieval. They were taking a group of goblins back to Police Plaza when they got ambushed. He died trying to save one of his fellow officers." Holly looked up at Trouble. He was toying with a necklace around his neck. "The commander gave me my dad's dog tags when he told us what happened. I haven't taken them off since his recycling ceremony." Holly reached inside her shirt and took out a necklace.
"My mother got sick with the fever. She died a year after getting it." Holly whispered. "My father was commander. He was killed in a shoot out. He gave me his dog tags when he became commander. My aunt made me move with her and Heather to Atlantis after my dad died." Holly said looking down at the dog tags in her hand. The name Commander Brandon Short glinted at her. Holly remembered the promise that she made her father. "Holly I have something to give you," her father said picking her up and sitting her on his lap. He pulled out a necklace from his pocket. "I want you to have my dog tags," he said and put the necklace on his daughter. Holly looked down at the necklace. "Thanks Daddy," Holly said and hugged her father. "I'm going to become an LEP officer too. Then you can have my dog tags." Brandon Short chuckled.
"Holly keep you're dog tags and give them to you're child," he said ruffling her hair.
"Okay," Holly said smiling at her father, "I promise I'll become the 2nd greatest LEP officer there is."
"The 2nd greatest? Why not the greatest?" Brandon asked his daughter.
"Because you're the greatest officer." Holly said to him.
"Holly, if you try you're hardest and do the right thing you will become the greatest LEP officer the world has seen."
"Okay Daddy, I promise to become the best LEP officer there is!" Holly said. A loud crash jerked Holly back to the present. An elf was lying in the middle of the lunch room with food all over the front of his shirt. "Grub," Trouble growled and got up. He walked over to the elf and helped him up. Holly got up and walked over to Trouble. "What happened?" Trouble asked the elf. "I slipped on something," the elf said trying to brush off some of the food. "Mommy just got me this shirt and now it's ruined." Trouble rolled his eyes at the elf. Holly grabbed a few napkins from the table and handed them to the elf.
"Try putting it in the dishwasher. I don't know why but it works," Holly said as the elf cleaned himself off. The elf looked up.
"What? Put my shirt in the dishwasher?" He asked Holly. Trouble looked at Holly.
"Does that really work?"
"Yes." Holly said smiling.
"No it doesn't!" The elf said looking at Holly like she was crazy.
"It does work. If you don't believe me then I'll prove it to you." Holly said and walked over to the doors labeled Kitchen.
Trouble chuckled at the look at his brother's face and followed Holly into the kitchen. "Come on Grub." Grub muttered something about telling mommy something and followed Trouble into the kitchen. Holly was standing next to the dishwasher.
"Take you're shirt off," Holly said to the elf. The elf looked at her and then at Trouble and back again,
"T-take my shirt off? In front of you?" He asked.
"Yes," Holly said crossing her arms.
"But I don't even know you!" He yelled. Trouble rolled his eyes again.
"Grub this is Holly Short." Trouble said gesturing a hand at Holly. "Holly this is my brother, Grub Kelp." Holly smiled.
"Is this the brother who busted you?" Holly asked Trouble. Trouble grinned sheepishly at Holly.
"Yea. He wants to be in Retrieval too." Trouble said looking at Grub. Grub looked at Holly.
"Well it's nice to meet you Holly but I'm not taking my shirt off." Grub said crossing his arms.
"Why not?" Holly and Trouble asked.
"She's a girl!" Grub exclaimed.
"Yes. I know that I'm a girl," Holly said grinning, "Now take you're shirt off. It's not like I haven't seen a guy without a shirt on before." Grub didn't move a muscle. "I can always put you in the dishwasher too, you know." Grub paled. Holly took a step towards Grub. "Okay! Okay! I'll take my shirt off." Grub said jumping away from Holly. Grub reluctantly took his shirt off and handed it to Holly. She gave him a smile and opened the dishwasher and threw the shirt inside. She started it up and turned back around to Trouble and Grub. "You're shirt should be clean in thirty minutes."
"Well I'm not standing around without a shirt on for thirty minutes," Grub said standing behind a rack of pots and pans. Trouble rolled his eyes and took his shirt off. "Here," he said and threw it to Grub. Grub quickly put the shirt on.
"Thanks Trubs."
"It's Trouble not Trubs!" Trouble yelled at his brother and ran a hand through his hair again. Holly grinned at Trouble. Frond he's cute when he does that, Holly thought as she leaned against a table.
"Okay Trouble," Grub said. "What dorm are you in?"
"Berkley Smith hall, room 15," Trouble said to Grub. "Why?" Grub was walking to the door.
"I'm going to get a shirt for you," he said and walked out the door before Trouble could object. Trouble sighed and turned to Holly. "That's my brother for ya," Trouble said and walked over to Holly. "Does the right thing without being asked." Holly jumped up on the table to sit. "What's wrong with that?" Trouble smiled and jumped up on the table next to her.
"It has to be the safest thing for him," Trouble said. "I'm surprised he hasn't started living in a plastic bubble yet." Holly laughed. "So what's you're favorite Linkin Park song?" Trouble asked Holly.
"Numb," she said without hesitation. "You?"
"Bleed It Out from their new album." Trouble said. "Have you heard it?" Holly shook her head.
"No." Trouble reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a blue wafer thin iPod.
"Want to listen to it?" Trouble asked offering her an ear piece. Holly smiled at him and took it. She placed the ear piece in her ear and listened to the song. They listened to a couple of songs. Suddenly the dishwasher buzzed. Holly jumped off the table and walked over to the dishwasher. She opened it and pulled out Grub's shirt. Trouble jumped off the table and walked over to Holly. "Well?" He asked Holly. Holly turned around and showed him Grub's shirt. It was spotless.
"Wow," Trouble said taking the shirt from Holly. "It worked."
"I told you so," Holly said grinning. The kitchen door opened and Grub walked into the room.
"Here Trouble. I got you that shirt mommy got you yesterday," Grub said waving a blue shirt in the air.
"Or you could take my shirt off and give it back to me and I could give you you're shirt back," Trouble said throwing Grub his shirt back. Grub held the shirt up and gasped. He looked from the shirt to Holly and back again.
"I-it's clean. Even the mustered stains are gone," Grub said in disbelief.
"I told you so," Holly said smirking. Trouble laughed at look on Grub's face.
"Okay Grub, she proved you wrong," Trouble said holding a hand out, "Now give me my shirt back." Grub took Trouble's shirt off and gave it to Trouble. Trouble put the shirt on and looked at his watch. "We might want to get going." Holly nodded her head and walked over to the door. Grub put his shirt back on and followed Trouble and Holly. They walked up the flight of stairs and down a hall to the auditorium. They took a seat in the middle of the room. Ten minutes later the lights dimmed and someone walked on to the stage. "Good afternoon Cadets," the elf said into the microphone on the stage. "I am Wing Commander Vinyaya and I will be teaching the shuttle training classes. Right now were going to go over some guidelines and rules of the LEP Academy." Vinyaya said and went into a long speech.
A/N: Well? Did you like it? I don't know if the dishwasher thing works or not. I should have the next chapter of 'Homecoming' up soon. It was really short and I wanted to make it a bit longer. It's still short though. Oh well!!!
Reveiw?
Much Love, Holly25Trouble
