Hello here is the next chapter. I have a good amount of the story written. I'm just going through and editing and posting while I continue to write, so updates will be frequent for a while. I'll replay to all my reviews so thank you for taking the time to make a comment. :) (also I finally figured out how to include breaks so the flow should be a little clearer)
That same evening the Cryo-team supervisor woke up exactly where he fainted in the cryo-room. He was devastated to find out he had missed the moment his angel had woken up. Immediately he ran to the surveillance room and demanded the night guards show him the footage from earlier that afternoon. The two night guards blinked at each other for a moment.
"Um, footage from where?" one asked.
"From the cryo-room," the scientist said impatiently.
"Uh, you had the cameras from that room removed," the other guard said.
The scientist opened his mouth to argue and yell in frustration, but stopped himself when he remembered that he had indeed done that. He did not want other unworthy eyes to gaze at his angel when he went to collect samples. He thought a moment then continued. "What about the cameras outside the room? The hallway ones?"
"Oh, we got those!" the first guard said cheerfully switching to that footage.
On screen the scientist watched as Professor Membrane exited the cryo-room closely followed by his angel. The scientist pressed his face to the screen as if doing so could get him closer. His angel's long white gown flowed around her, her silky black hair fluttering behind. The scientist watched the security footage until he saw her exit the labs and get into Professor Membrane's car.
The scientist leaned back once the feed ended. She was alive. His angel was walking on Earth once again. He didn't get to see her in person, but she had gone home with the most important man in the world. He supposed this was for the best, after all she was a creature above others, above himself. He would have to make due with what she had left behind. He found all of her Earthly possessions and relics in one of the back rooms and moved all of them to a separate unused room. There he kept them safe in a shrine he created for her. If he couldn't be with his angel he would make due with that. Yes, as long as he had his shrine he would be content with knowing his angel was once again awake.
"It's spelled wrong," Liz commented as Dib drove up to the Hi-Skool parking lot.
Getting out of the car he looked up at the sign thinking Zim had somehow messed with it, but it remained the same as before. "It's always spelled that way," Dib said. "Right, Gaz?" Gaz didn't answer as she had left the car and was already in the building. "I should take you to the office to get your class schedule," Dib said changing the topic. Liz nodded and followed Dib through the skool. As they walked down the halls the other students whispered and pointed to herself and Dib. When they reached the office door it swung open and a woman came out scowling at them.
"You're the horrible new student," the tall woman said. She wore clouded glasses and had a long black dress over her arched back. "Dib, go to your class, the new student has to take a placement test."
"But-"
"Now, Dib!"
"Yes, Principle Bitters," Dib said and gave Liz an apologetic look for abandoning her. Liz shrugged and followed the woman into the office and then the door slammed behind her. Having no other option Dib made his way to his first period class.
Not long after taking his usual seat in the front by the window, Zim proudly marched into the classroom. Upon seeing Dib he couldn't help but send a barb his way.
"I see you regained your filthy Earth attire, Dib-Stink," Zim said sitting in his usual spot by the door.
"I have more than one set of clothes, Zim," Dib rolled his eyes. "Humans have more than one set of clothes, which you would know if you weren't an alien!"
"LIES!" Zim stood on his chair and pointed at Dib. "THE FILTHY EARTH-WORM LIES!"
Dib and Zim continued shouting insults at each other as the rest of the students filed in and basically ignored the two as they had been doing for years. Soon after the teacher came in and threaten the two teens until they quieted down, then he began his lesson. It was halfway through class before Dib remembered about Liz. He had no idea how long the placement tests were going to take and found himself glancing at the door every so often.
...
Zim could feel the Earth-stink look over his way, but this time the teen's attention was on the door behind him and not Zim himself. Zim narrowed his eyes at the door, curious as to what was so amazing about it that it should draw attention away from the AMAZING Zim. Nothing about the door looked different but it still held a mysterious power over the Dib as he continued to stare at it. If Zim could harness this hypnotic door power he could easily control the stupid humans. "Your powers will belong to ZIM!" he screeched at the door.
"Zim!" The teacher scolded from the board. "Sit down and shut up, or I'll send you to the underground classroom." Without word Zim sat back down placing his hands folded on his desk. "Good," the teacher said then turned back to the board.
Dib raised an eyebrow at Zim's outburst then narrowed his eyes. He was sure Zim was up to something again. Once Zim felt the Dib-thing's eyes focus on him again he turned to sneer at the door. He had defeated his woody foe. However, his victory was short lived as he had to defeat the hypnotic power of the other doors in the next few classes he had with Dib. When the bell rang for lunch Zim marched into the cafeteria and sat down at his usual spot next to Skoodge.
"Today has been one victory after another for Zim," he said drawing out his own name in a low voice. "I have defeated all the doors in this horrible learning prison that have dared to take away attention from the mighty Zim."
"Amazing, Zim," Skoodge said having learned a long time ago not to ask questions when Zim said things that made no sense. He pulled out their lunches from his PAK placing one before Zim then himself. "Hey, Zim have you heard that—look!" Skoodge said pointing to where Dib and his sister sat. At their table another student had joined them sitting next to Gaz. The student's back was turned so neither Irken could tell who it was, but they weren't the only ones surprised. No one sat with the Membrane siblings for two reasons: one, no one wanted to sit with Dib and two, no one dared sit with Gaz. And this student was doing both, sitting next to Gaz (without being inflicted with pain) and seemingly having a conversation with Dib. As shocked as the rest of the students, the two Irkens could only stare from across the lunch room.
...
Liz plopped down next to Gaz feeling a little shell-shocked, Gaz didn't react and continued to play her Game Slave, but Dib stopped his scowling at Zim and jumped when she sat, not having heard her approach.
"Where have you been?" he asked.
"Taking placements tests," Liz said with a shudder. "And I don't want to talk about it. I don't understand how school became so horrible. How can teachers act like they do? Why does it matter if I can escape from a room of rabid rats? How does that have anything to do with my academic ability?!" Liz exasperated utterly confused.
"You look fine," Gaz said not looking up from her game.
"Well, of course," Liz straightened up. "I can take care of myself just fine, but I still don't see the point in it."
"Don't be a whiner," Gaz retorted.
Liz opened her mouth to protest but closed it again and gave a little laugh. "You're right. I just can't believe how shitty-er the school, er skool, system has become in three hundred years." Gaz's lips tweaked in a small smile when Liz admitted Gaz was right, but besides that contributed nothing more to the conversation.
"What was it like before?" Dib asked.
"Better," Liz said flatly. "Not super great, but better," she said then turned her attention to the cafeteria. Looking around she winced at what she assumed was food that some of the other kids were eating. "The food here looks..." Liz groped for a word. "Not like food," she ended lamely.
"It's not," Dib said, "Here," he handed her the extra lunch bag he had made this morning. "I don't know what you like so I just made what Gaz and I usually have." Which consisted of chips, soda, and a pbj sandwich.
Liz took out the sandwich and took a tentative bite and sighed with relief, "It's good to know that not even time can change peanut butter and jelly." She then noticed the numerous stares directed at their table. One weird looking kid who grinned creepily at her caught her attention as he had wandered close to their table. "Why don't you take a picture, it will last longer," she snapped at him.
"Okay!" he said happily then took a picture of her with his phone. "Oh, wow, you look just like Dib," he said especially cheerful. "The two of you must be good friends."
"Go. Away. Keef." Gaz warned him in a low threatening voice when the stupid boy came closer once he started talking to Liz.
"Okay!" Keef said skipping happily away.
...
As the absurdly happy teen skipped by the tables a black gloved hand snatched at his shirt bringing him eye-to-eye with purple irises. "Oh, hi there bestest buddy."
"Who is the worm-baby sitting with the Dib?" Zim questioned.
"Oh, you mean the new girl?" Keef said pulling out his cellphone to show Zim her picture. "She's really nice, she let me take a picture of her and Dib. Don't they look alike? They sure are great friends to look so much like each other."
Zim snatched the phone out of Keef's hand and scrutinized the picture with Skoodge peering over his shoulder. It was true the new girl looked a lot like the Dib, too much like the Dib. It was obviously some horrible new weapon designed by his enemy to only look like a new student, but Zim wouldn't be fooled he would find out the secret of this secret weapon. Zim shoved Keef away and threw his phone back at him. Sitting back down he continued to glare at the new head sitting at Dib's table.
...
"What a creepy-ass kid," Liz said when Keef left their table. "Is there something wrong with him?"
"Lots," Dib replied going back to his lunch. "Did they give you a class schedule?"
"Oh yeah," Liz said and dug out the paper from her black backpack. She slid it across the table for Dib to look at. "I'm pretty excited about my electives. I'm glad there are still art programs in skool, I know those are the first to get cut. 'Music Class' seemed sort of vague, but I can pick up any string instrument pretty quickly and I do know a little piano, so I figure I'm good."
"Hm, we only have one class together, music," he said frowning as he studied her class list, not really listening to what she was saying. Frowning deeper he noticed what other classes she had. "You have two afternoon classes with Zim, history and biology. The rest, English, math and art you have with Skoodge."
"Skoodge?" Liz repeated the name.
"There," Dib pointed behind her and Liz turned. "He's the taller alien."
Looking in the direction Dib pointed she easily picked out the two aliens and was surprised to see that Zim looked exactly how Dib said he would; super skinny, light green skin, no ears, no nose and really waxy looking black hair. However, there was one detail Dib failed to mention. Zim glared at her and she smiled and waved at them. The second alien, Skoodge, was about a head taller with similar features but had broader shoulders and his black hair was more scraggly. He waved back hesitantly, but Zim continued to glare.
"Dib," Liz said turning back to face him her voice somewhat chastising. "There's one thing you didn't tell me about Zim." At his raised eyebrow Liz continued, "how cute he is."
There was thirty seconds of shocked pause then, "WHAT?!" Dib shouted jumping up causing several more students to look up.
Liz chuckled at his reaction. "Come on, Dib, sit down," upon realizing he had stood he grumpily sat back down.
"He's an alien!" Dib hissed. "He wants to destroy the Earth!"
"That's besides the point," Liz pointed out. "He's green and cute."
"Watch out, Dib," Gaz spoke up. "You've got competition."
"Oh, don't worry, Dib, I won't go after him," Liz said.
"Yeah, Zim's mine," Dib grumbled looking away. At the silence that followed he glanced back to see that his sister had paused her game and both she and Liz were grinning wickedly at him.
"Oh?" Liz said knowingly.
Dib finally caught on and blushed deeply. "NO! No, no! I didn't mean it that way!" he protested fiercely.
"Yeah, right," Gaz said going back to her game.
Liz laughed. "Oh, Dib, don't worry you are pretty cute too." He blushed deeper and turned his attention back to his lunch to escape this new form of teasing. At least getting beat up wasn't this embarrassing.
When the bell rang signaling the end of lunch Liz sighed. "I have to go to the nurse then the counselor before I can go to classes."
"Why?" Dib asked.
"Apparently, your dad told the skool about my twitchy condition and I'm supposed to check in with the nurse periodically. Also in case the shakes are psychological from, you know, my brain being frozen for three hundred years or culture shock or something I'm supposed to go to guidance,"she said flippantly. She suspected the shaking was less psychological and more physiological, so having to go to the counselor seemed to be a waste of time to her. "So I guess I'll be formally introducing myself in music class. See you later, Dib," she waved at him then made her way to the nurse's office.