Jimmy and Kira Starr
When Ally woke up the next morning, there were still plenty of sleeping people scattered around the floor of the loft. She noticed a few empty spots, but it was safe to assume that most people had yet to see the daylight. She crept around the various bodies, stopping only once as she realized that Dez and Dallas had joined them at some point in the night. The pair were laying beneath the stairs in two separate sleeping bags, yet Dez was spooning Dallas with his arm draped gently over the boy's topless abdomen. Well. That fight apparently didn't last long. She tiptoed upstairs and let herself into a shower, despite the fact that they were supposed to wait until counselors were awake. If she got caught, she would take the heat for it later. As she basked under the scorching water her thoughts were joined again by the same question that had been buried in her brain all night.
Ally continued to ask herself that question every day over the next week as she saw little glimpses of Austin. Of course, she wasn't the only one. Everyone seemed to be caught up in the new kid. So much, that Ally was almost surprised people hadn't started taking bets over the possibilities surrounding him. It was customary for newbies not to show up to classes or group therapy their first week. It was the school's way of ensuring that they don't immediately overwhelm the fragile new minds that walk these halls. They had the option to go if they wanted, but it was of no surprise when Austin opted out. He was only seen in the dining hall as he grabbed his three meals a day, following Ms. Suzy into her office for his one-on-one therapy, or leaving the dorm's showers at night. He hadn't shown up to explore any of the school's activities or even so much as checked out the loft. He just stayed up in his room with the door shut. He would have to start his classes and group therapy next week of course; and everyone was waiting on the edge of their seat to see more of this mysterious new guy.
This particular day everyone at Ally's lunch table was mundanely picking at the whatever dish they'd chosen when Austin walked into the dining hall. Ally was too occupied with staring off into her peas to notice him at first. But Trent Quinn - who was seated across from her this time - nudged Trish, who nudged Mildred Bowen, who nudged Dallas, who made enough clamor as he nudged Dez to catch Ally's attention. She looked up to see Austin hurriedly making his way past their table and into the lunch line. Yet again all eyes were on him as Frank placed food on his tray and he briskly exited the dining hall. All students had the option to eat in designated areas outside. Usually only that group of the younger students chose to do so unless it was a particularly nice day. Everyone else usually ate in the comfort of the dining hall, where they didn't have to worry about bees and flies crashing their party. Ally began to turn back to her food but was stopped in her tracks by Trent once again. He cleared his throat and sat up in his seat, swiftly flicking his head towards the door.
There passing Austin in the doorway was a tall, middle aged black man that more than slightly resembled Ru Paul. His bald head shined under the overhead lighting but his dark eyes did not, even as he displayed his fake smile for everyone to see. This man is a special kind of evil named Jimmy Starr, better known as the school's dean and owner of the whole lot. Nobody really quite knew how to feel about Jimmy Starr. It seems as if his intentions are good - after all, he did start a school for troubled teens. Not very many ruthless monsters are out there trying to improve the lives of mistreated youth. But when you're under his power, Jimmy Starr really couldn't seem to care less. He only visits the actual school once a month, and even then all he does is walk the campus once and leave. The other 728 hours a month, he's in his fancy home just outside the campus swimming in the money he makes from the combination of running this place and his daughter's aspiring singing career. His home does include his dean's office, and in the event that a student has really screwed up hard enough they could be sent there. But unless you were caught breaking a major rule by one of the three actual security guards, it's very unlikely that you will ever see that dreadful place. When this school first started and Jimmy Starr had more control over it, it was a very different place. It looked the same on the outside, but inside resembled more of a prison-meets-mental hospital. The luxuries that students are provided now such as the lofts, activities, group therapy, and meal choices were only slowly integrated into the school because enough people complained. Jimmy fought to keep everything as basic as possible, claiming that "these children need more time to focus on recovering from their mental mishaps than having fun." But in the end it looked worse on his part to refuse and he reluctantly had to make some changes to the school. But this didn't stop him from putting more rules in place to prevent his students from having any more enjoyment than what was deemed necessary. Some staff agree that the majority of his rules are bull shit and will let you slide on a lot of them so long as they don't get caught or blamed. Others aren't so nice about undermining their boss, and stick to the rules like crazy glue.
Nipping at Jimmy's heels was his daughter Kira, a true example of teenage rebellion. Kira comes to the school when she can to give music lessons in one of the activity centers. She's also the biggest source behind the students misbehaving to her father's standards. Around him, she of course puts up a front as his lean, mean right hand girl. But when he's not around, the students can rely on Kira for just about anything. There's no lie she won't tell, no secret she won't keep, and within reason there aren't many rules she won't help you break. She's a sly little pistol- and everyone loves her. She would probably be at the school every day if she didn't have a budding music career to work on. But it's not a rare occurrence for her to wander on campus during her spare time and cause trouble. She's best known for sneaking items onto campus that the students aren't supposed to have. Her entire family has been blessed with wealth, so she doesn't usually bat an eye over such requests unless it's something completely ridiculous like hard drugs or weapons. In exchange for her help the students work hard to keep her actions a secret, thus keeping her dad unaware. So while he was around everyone looked at her with the same disgusted, piercing glares they shot at her father and tried their best not to crack a smile. She returned the gestures, only to come back on her next visit and laugh about them. Of course she's much more appealing to look at than Jimmy - with a smooth chocolate complexion, sleek black hair, and usually dawning a pair of hoop earrings large enough to shove your fist through.
As always Jimmy finished his circle through the dining hall and left without ever acknowledging any of his students, with Kira in tow. It only took about fifteen minutes for her to prance back in, a wide smile painted across her face. She slid into an empty spot at Ally's table, sitting on the end of Ally's row next to a boy named Jace Perry. Everyone was eager to greet her, pushing away what was left on their trays to give her full attention.
"Okay. My dad thinks I'm in here talking to music students. I couldn't resist. I had to get a glimpse of this new boy. I've been hearing so much about him."
Tension grew around the entire table instantly. Every lung was suddenly holding as much air as possible, and every heartbeat loud enough to hear. They all stared at Kira in astonishment, who's facial expression slowly became one of confusion.
"...What?", she finally questioned why everyone was gawking at her as if she claimed to be pregnant with Big Foot's baby.
"If you've heard anything about him, you're the only one.", Mildred was the first to speak with everyone quickly backing her up with head nods and their own side comments
"Really?!", she gaped back at them stunned before taking a slow deep breath, "Alright. I'll tell you guys what I know. But be warned, you're not gonna like what you hear."
A/N: Oh yes, another cliffhanger! Bet you guys are on the edge of your seats now! Who's ready to finally learn a little bit about Austin? I know I'm ready to spill some details! But you guys will have to wait till next time. In the mean time, you can always R&R! ;)
