"Talking"

'Thinking'

Sounds

Exams loomed over the school the next day, mimicking the heavy rain clouds outside; terrible in their soul-crushing mission to drag students grade averages into Tartarus, screaming all the while.

But Penny saw no reason why she had to be worried, she had studied well all year and kept up with both her homework and the extra study sessions teachers forced on them, so she felt more than ready.

Grover, on the other hand, was becoming more and more nervous by the hour, he didn't even eat as much as he usually did at breakfast. Penny got what some might consider a sick amount of amusement watching the boy fall apart at the seams during exam season. The sound he made when their first exam was announced made people in the hallway laugh.

Penny set her pencil down and sighed as she stretched out her back, she much preferred movement to being still.

As Mr. Brunner took up the tests to be graded one of the Samanthas leaned across the aisle to mutter at her, "Hey Pen, how do you think you did?"

"Eh, I shot for something in the 70 to 80 range. But I'm really feeling a 78 today Manny." She hummed back, her Caribbean blue eyes wandering the ceiling as the class began to mill around the gym now that they were done. Do to certain students (e.i. Penny and the Sams) tendency to try and steal tests to either sell or cheat or both, tests were taken one grade at a time in the gym and they weren't allowed to leave until they were graded that day. Thankfully the Ninth grade class of Yaxley High wasn't large so it didn't take more than two hours.

'Manny' glared at her, "Jack I've told you a thousand times not to call me that, Manny is a little Mexican boys name, I'm female and Asian." The other girl deadpanned at her.

"There are 4 of you Samanthas' running 'round, I thought we already worked out who would answer to which nickname? Manny is perfectly cute. Just be glad you didn't get stuck with Samwise like Samantha W." Penny reasoned even as her gaze landed on the door right before Brunner wheeled himself in, graded tests on his lap.

"Please students, settle down, I have your grades right here and after you've gotten yours, you are free to return to your dorms to pack for the end of the semester or do as you wish for the rest of the day. With-in reason, of course." The graying man cautioned, eyeing those in the class that had bad reps, Penny in particular. She smirked back before focusing back out the window, following the lazy circles an eagle was making just below some really mean looking storm clouds.

"Issac Pinkus…, David Carter…, Samantha Joo…, Curtis Dale…, Aiden Jennings…, Blake Hobbs…, Penelope Jackson." Standing at the sound of her name, Penny made her way to the front to get her test from Brunner.

"Ms. Jackson I must say I didn't expect this, even of you," Her teacher spoke, something in his voice as he handed the paper over. "Few are awarded an opportunity like this."

"I'm sorry but what opportunity? What did I get on the exams?" Penny flipped the scantron over…. what?

"Um, Mr. Brunner there must be something wrong. Are you sure you didn't put someone else's grade on my scantron?" Mr. Brunner's words and the confusion in her voice got the attention of everyone in the classroom. What did the Little Queen of Yaxley get on her final exam that would make her respond like that?

She didn't fail, did she? …. Nah Penny was smarter than most adults, the day she failed a test and it wasn't on purpose was the day pigs started doing cartwheels in the sky.

"Congratulations Ms. Jackson, due to your truly impressive test scores this semester, you've been invited to a very prestigious private academy on a full scholarship. I must say this is an incredible opportunity, Ms. Jackson, I do hope you take the chance that's being offered to you. And may I add, that I am proud to have been one of the minds which helped you gain and hone the knowledge that helped you achieve this accomplishment." Brunner handed her a fancy looking envelope and patted her head like she was a good pet who'd pleased her owner.

Penny only remembered Brunner was more than capable of beating her skinny ass at the last possible second. Her Mother would be very upset if all their hard work was ruined simply because Penny couldn't control her temper. But the temptation to stab the old man was immense.

"... Thanks, Mr. Brunner." She gritted out, "I'm so very, uh, pleased to be offered such an honor. I guess I have some really good news for my Mom when I get home huh?" Her tone was too cold and her posture too stiff to be 'thanking' anyone but it was too late to fix anything. Hopefully, the old man would take the stiffness for shock instead of the ice-cold anger it really was. Penny turned and moved woodenly from the room. She needed to find Mandy and the rest of her girls. Now.

Whap! Whap! Whap! Crunch! The upperclassmen's nose broke like spun glass under Penny's gloved fist.

"Augh! Pwease I pwomise I won't eber sell ecstasy to widdle schoowers eber again!" She wailed, fat tears sliding down her ugly, blood-soaked face. Penny stopped her assault and sat up from the lean she'd briefly adopted to better pummel the older girl's face in, panting. Breaking someone's face sure was a workout!

"Damn right you won't you ugly cerdo. Selling to fucking children! Even the real drug dealers don't do that kinda fucked-up shit!" She spat, pulling on the girl's oily bottle blonde hair. The bitch squealed like a stuck pig.

Samantha M., otherwise known as 'Mandy', grinned at the sound, "She's like one of those toys I had when I was little. Pull the cord and noise comes out." She laughed.

"The fat piggy goes oink oink oink!" Three quick yanks filled the air with more of the pig-like noises. Penny and Mandy laughed, and the girl began to cry even harder, huge body shaking sobs. None of the other 5 girls in the bathroom cared enough to even twitch a finger to help the sobbing girl.

Samantha C., otherwise know as: Jekyll, was a chemist, with award after award for first place in science competitions and an uncle making rocket fuel for NASA. Cooking up some of the low tier drugs like ecstasy, LSD, and codeine was child's' play for her. One of her moms is a radical political activist responsible for more than a few protests turned riots, and her other mom helped run the third largest counterfeit purse ring in the US. Both were relatively high on the FBI's watch list but thankfully had yet to make the wanted list.

Samantha J. aka Manny was the tallest of all the Samanthas', Asian, and a genius when it came to knife work. Her dad owned a sushi shop and she was studying under him to take over when she was grown. But in the meantime, she was truly graceful with a tonto in her delicate hand. Penny had seen her gut both people and fish like it was nothing and the slashes she left behind were always beautifully done.

Samantha W. aka Samwise, or Wise if you didn't want to get punched in the face, was the numbers geek of the group. She was the mathletes prize problem solver and the spoiled rotten apple of her parent's eye. Wise's dad was a high paid attorney at a prodigious law firm and her mom was a high roller gambler who placed regularly in the professional poker circuit. She kept track of all the money that moved through their hands: protection money, bribes (taken and given), and debts. If they made money off it, Wise knew who owed who, how much, where it was, and where it was going.

Finally, was Penny's lovely Left Hand. Samantha M. aka Mandy, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a slender figure she looked the part of some innocent marshmallow brained stupid little girl. This image was almost purposefully reinforced by her unironic love of pink. Shown in her pink crop top, black skirt and skull choker. But Mandy's own ruthless and uncaring personality, and of course her tendency to be extremely sadistic made her a demon with an angel's face. Penny really admired how unforgiving she could be.

Wise's phone buzzed three times in quick succession with a text, "Hey update on the new alcohol shipment Boss," Penny cocked her head to show she was listening but didn't turn from where she had started drawing on the older girl's face with a marker Manny had handed her with the quite request to write 'piggy' on her forehead, "We got vodka, rum, whiskey, tequila, gin, beer, wine, and even some soju." She listed off.

"Did they put plum wine on the list like I asked?" Mandy asked hopping up from her perch on the sink to look over Wise's shoulder.

"Yeah they did, I made sure this time," Wise answered.

"Cool," Mandy smirked. Wise rolled her eyes at the typical dispassionate response and went back to texting her mafia connections.

Penny was drawn away from her very important face graffiti by the school bell.

"Wrap it up please dear leader?" Jekyll barely looked up from the scientific article she had her nose buried in.

Penny tsked but conceded the point with a huff (she did have a few more things to pack) and leaned over to cup the back of the girl's neck almost tenderly, the dumb blonde made a brainless huh noise and barely had time to process the fist she had raised before three quick punches to the face knocked her out. Penny heaved herself to her feet, ugh she was too old to be kneeling on the ground and stepped from over the girl's unconscious body and started stripping off her black leather gloves.

"Wise?" Penny leaned over the counter and grabbed a paper towel to wipe at the little spots of blood on her face and unzipped her windbreaker after wiping it off too. Making sure her little kingdom was running smoothly sure was rough on her wardrobe. The other girl hummed an affirmative to the wordless order as her fingers flew over the keys of her expensive-as-fuck smartphone.

"All set big bad!" She chirped, riotous curls bouncing as she hopped down from the counter, Penny loved when she wore her hair natural.

"Well ladies, you have fancy ass cars and homes to get back and I have a sweltering city bus to catch." She stuffed her gloves in the back pocket of her jeans and all five walked out of the bathroom leaving the girl behind to be found exactly 8 minutes from now when an 'anonymous' tipper would tell the school nurse someone had been found 'passed out' in the top floor girl's bathroom in the East wing. And if the dumb bimbo's bag full of ecstasy just so happened to be laying right next to her with its contents spilled across the floor, well Penny was just being business minded and eliminating her competition. And there was nothing wrong with that.