A Little Bit Terrifying
Chapter 07
"So, what's the idiot done now?" Precia asked with a sigh, falling into her chair like she owned it. Glancing across at her daughter, who was now crouched in the corner and rocking/hugging herself while murmuring quietly, Precia shook her head and rolled her eyes. She glanced at the principal. "And how much is it going to cost me, this time?"
Signum had never hated someone so instantaneously before. In all fairness, the deck was stacked against Precia from before she entered the room, after all, anyone responsible for the mess of a girl that was Fate clearly wasn't a fit parent. But even aside from Signum's impressions before meeting the woman, Precia had been nothing but casually abusive to her daughter from the second she'd arrived.
"Uh, well, the school isn't in the place of fining the family of our students-"
He was interrupted by a rude snort from Precia. "I was talking about a bribe, genius."
Graham sighed, "Of course a bribe would be the first thing you resorted to."
Precia smirked at that, glancing over at the man. She stared at him for a second, before her eyes widened with recognition. "Gil Graham?" She burst out laughing. "I didn't recognise you, when did you get so fat?"
Signum's jaw tightened, and her knuckles went white as Precia went on to casually insult the man Signum respected most in the world.
"And you've gotten grey, and old! How nostalgic! This is almost just like twelve years ago, except," she jerked her thumb at Fate, "I didn't have the anchor back then."
"The anchor…?" Signum repeated, wondering why this thing that resembled a woman was allowed to exist.
"Yeah, the waste of my time and genetics, dragging the whole family down." Precia explained, before examining Signum more closely. "Have we… met before?"
"I think I'd remember that."
Precia shrugged. "So you're Graham's... mistress?"
Signum's eyes bugged, and she stood up, hand reaching for a sword that wasn't there, scarcely able to comprehend how easily this… this… Testarossa had insulted her, her father, and Graham's family name in one sentence.
"Fate!" Precia barked, the moment she saw the hostile action. "Attend!"
There was a blur, and Fate was suddenly between Signum and Precia, ready to fight. A lack of desire to hurt the child was the only thing that stayed Signum's hand. After a tense moment Signum sat back down, unclenching her fists.
Precia watched her for a second, before glancing at Fate and waving her hand dismissively. "Back to your corner."
And just like that, Fate was once again crouched in the corner and looking like she was about to cry.
"Sorry, I didn't intend any offense." Precia smiled at Signum thinly.
"Signum is my daughter." Graham answered for her, not trusting her answer to be civil.
"Oh?" Precia blinked. "I thought your wife died before you had any children."
"Adopted," Signum ground out.
"Ah, that'd explain the ridiculous hair." Precia nodded in understanding.
"Yes, yes, now that we're all introduced we need to discuss what to do about this incident." The Principal forestalled any further conversation. "First question I need to ask," he directed the question at Gil. "Do you intend to press charges?"
Signum answered for him. "No, it's clear that Fate's as much of a victim as anyone else exposed to this." She tilted her head towards Precia.
Snorting and rolling her eyes, the mother leaned back in her chair. "Then what am I even doing here? I have better things to do than waste my time with Fate."
The Principal frowned at that slightly. "As her parent it's your responsibility to fight her right to education."
"It's your obligation, Precia." Graham growled.
Sighing, Precia crossed her arms and muttered, "I knew I should have tried figuring out a way to abort one twin."
Silence rang loudly as everyone processed that sentence.
"Oh my god." Hayate said after a moment, before turning to face Fate. "I'm so sorry. I knew you were Precia's daughter, but it only just dawned on me what that actually meant."
Snapping her fingers loudly in annoyance, Precia forestalled any further conversation. "Can we please hurry this?"
"We can't just let what happened slide." The Principal said after a moment. "Assault is a very serious matter, and even if Fate wasn't at fault we need to take measures to prevent this happening in the future."
"Fine." Precia took out her journal. "I'll have Fate train seven nights a week instead of six, and I'll have her driven to and from her lessons so she has no time for anything else."
Signum blinked at this before frowning. Intense training six nights a week would be enough to exhaust and destroy any normal teenager. The only reason Fate wasn't suffering from it overtly was due to her being some kind of freak of nature. Seven nights a week would just be further unnecessary cruelty.
She opened her mouth to object but Graham replied instead. "Perhaps the solution isn't taking Fate out of social situations, but placing her in them?"
"What do you mean?" Precia asked. "I thought Fate was the problem."
"No one's saying that." Signum growled.
"I certainly am." Precia muttered.
"What I'm suggesting," Gil cut in before Signum could reply, "Is that if Fate were to join a club, it would force her to work with her peers and perhaps teach her something about appropriate social interaction."
The Principal's eyes lit up at this. "She would definitely be an asset to any of the school's sporting teams."
"Ugh," Precia groaned. "So you want to detract from the only thing that keeps her from being completely mediocre."
Mediocre? Had Signum just heard that right? By what standard could Fate possibly be seen as mediocre?
"That sounds like a good idea." Graham said aloud, pointedly ignoring Precia. "Sports would give something to direct her excess energy towards, and a team focused sport would help her learn to deal with others."
Personally, Signum thought that anyone who already went through a grueling series of katas and strength building exercises every day of the week, and was still half as frantically wired at all hours as Fate was would never have enough things to focus her energy on. Even now the girl was practically humming with pent up tension.
"It'snotokaymothersangryBlueEyesiswaitingIwishlastnightneverhappenedthat'sthemanIpunchedinthecrotchgoingtotellmumtostopfeedingmeshe'lldoitbecauseshelovesme." Came a constant stream of English, far too fast for Signum who only knew a little of it to understand. The girl chewed on her knuckles, staring at the wall and hugging herself.
Part of Signum wanted to give her a hug. The rest of Signum reminded the other of half of herself that Signums did not do hugs.
Precia grimaced. "Ugh, I suppose Kendo won't detract from her existing skills too much."
"No." Signum cut across her, looking at the principal. "Put her on the Kendo team and she might kill someone." After a second she added, "Besides, it would be best if she decided what team she'd like to be on herself."
"Very well," Precia sighed. "Not like she has much potential to squander anyway." Turning in her chair, she barked, "Fate!"
"YES!" The girl squeaked as she shut up, turning to face her mother and looking once more like she wanted to run.
"You're going to join one of this school's sports teams. You were complaining that you weren't learning much on you Wednesday Karate lessons, so your new club days are Monday and Wednesday. Understand?"
"Yes." Fate swallowed, glancing at the door and shifting balance from one foot to the other. "Which sports team?"
"I don't care." Precia snapped. "Do I have to think of everything for you?"
"I'm sorry!"
"I don't want your apologies girl, just decide for yourself, surely you're capable of that."
"...What I want to know," Hayate whispered to Signum, "Is why she punched me in the face, when Precia's standing right there."
And then Mother left and Fate would've loved to say she took the tension with her, but the simple truth was that the woman was never that generous. Later that night, there would be words. Ones that Fate would regret hearing, and Mother wouldn't regret saying.
Oh, and how could she forget that it was club recruitment day? Worse, she had to join one of those clubs with sempais and kohais and so so many people with differing attitudes and ideas and all the different things that made people people which made Fate want to cry.
Speaking of people, but maybe she truly wasn't, Blue Eyes was once again seated next to Fate. Because Blue Eyes was always seated next to Fate. And why did she keep smiling and passing notes? Couldn't she tell that Fate was pretending not to notice the small piles of paper building in the corners of her desk? Didn't she care that people were staring?
Oh, people were definitely staring. They cast furtive glances between her and Blue Eyes, occasionally whispering when they thought Fate wouldn't hear, but of course she heard it. She just prayed that Nanoha wouldn't, because then she'd ask questions, and worse, she would get answers whether Fate wanted to give them or not. Want that, she did not.
"Testarossa-san?" Shamal-sensei called out to Fate in class, because apparently even the teachers were picking on her today.
"Y-yes, Miss?" At least they were in English, a class that Fate barely needed to try at all in, and where she could be forgiven for occasionally lapsing into other tongues.
"If you're not going to read those," Shamal-sensei indicated the mess on Fate's desk, "Could you put them in the bin?"
"..." Oh god, why? She was asking Fate to acknowledge the existence of all those small crumpled documents, which would mean that Nanoha would have confirmation that Fate had been ignoring her the entire lesson. Which meant when recess came about in a little under ten minutes, the girl/demon/blue-eyed-abomination would have ammunition in the inevitable abduction attempt. The girl already had an armory.
Fate had but one choice.
"...Read what miss?" Deny EVERYTHING.
Shamal blinked. "The notes."
"...There are no notes, ma'am." Fate said, swallowing dryly and absolutely not even coming close to looking at any of these notes that she only wished were fictitious.
"They're right there on your desk."
"No they're not." Fate insisted, and now she was ready to start hyperventilating.
"Look, you're already on thin ice after punching my sister in the face. Twice." Shamal said thinly. "I don't care what you're playing at, throw the rubbish in the bin." Then she rounded on Nanoha, and Fate wanted to scream a warning that she shouldn't do that because who knew what Nanoha would do. "And you, Takamachi-san. Stop wasting time in class, especially by throwing notes at someone who isn't even replying."
Nanoha pouted, "Sorry, sensei." Then she shot Fate a slightly grumpy look, oh god, why?
With that, the teacher was done harassing helpless children/poking bears with sticks.
Apparently these events proved adequately distracting, because Nanoha forgot to get a grip on Fate before the bell rang. No pulled down skirts this time! Fate was out the door faster than most people could blink, on her way to… wherever it was that people who escaped capture went? Freedom?
In any case, a place that wasn't with Nanoha felt like a step up from the norm. Ooh! Maybe she could eat her lunch in the bathroom? No one would bother her there.
Fate made her way to the nearest bathroom, looking forward to spending the next twenty minutes alone in a stall with only tense silence for company when all of a sudden her phone rang.
But that was okay! It was Alicia-onee-sama's ring tone, which mean bad things wouldn't be coming over the other end, probably.
"Alicia-onee-sama!" She answered somewhat eagerly, wanting at least one person to be nice to her today.
"Hey, Fate." Greeted Alicia as she leaned against the wall. "How're you holding up?"
"It was awful!" Came Fate's version of a shout, but the girl was usually so quiet voiced that it was more of a slightly raised speaking voice. Honestly, she was so softly spoken that having a conversation with her on the phone usually meant you had to strain to hear her. "Hayate, the girl I hit, was there and she told me that friends touch each others butts and then Mother came in and I had to stop Signum-senpai from hitting her then they said I had to join a sports club and people keep trying to make me join their clubs!"
"Huh, really?" Alicia was vaguely surprised. "The recruiters already know you have to join a club?"
"Oh, no, just on the way to homeroom they were all trying to give me flyers and I had to step on a few toes to get to class."
It took a moment for Alicia to realise where others might use the phrase, 'step on a few toes' what Fate really meant was, 'violently crush them.' "...Was it really necessary to hurt them, Fate?"
"Uh huh." Alicia could practically hear Fate nod. "They were being really polite… one of them even said I was adorable." The last part came as a kind of pained whimper.
"You know, I'm starting to think I could have saved myself a lot of stress and trouble by just going to the same school as you. I'm just as stressed as I ever was, only now I've less ability to do something about it."
"...Does that mean you're gonna be coming to school with me now?" Fate sounded so hopeful.
"No," Alicia answered without hesitation. "Anyway, Mother's quite angry with you."
"I know," Fate whimpered. "I wish Signum hadn't asked me to come to her house."
"...That's not really where all this started. You know, this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't attacked Hayate either of those times, right?"
"...I'm not sure what your point is?" Fate replied, sounding confused.
"...Never mind." Alicia sighed. "Look, Mum is very angry, and I don't think it's a good idea for you to come home tonight."
"What? But then, where will I go…?"
"You've made friends, right? Well, I guess they've made you, but could you just ask to stay at Nanoha's house tonight?"
"..."
"Fate?"
"..."
"Fate, answer me." Alicia scowled. "I know you're still there."
"...No I'm not," her twin replied in a subdued tone.
"Look, it doesn't have to be Nanoha."
"Oh, thank god." Fate murmured with relief.
"Anyway, I have to get to next class. I'll call you at recess."
"Um, okay bye." Alicia hung up, and headed to her next class.
As she was walking to her desk, the student in front of her pushed their chair out tripping Alicia by accident. Stumbling forward, her nose smashed against the edge of her desk. She fell to the ground, clutching her bleeding nose.
"Really? I mean really?!" She cursed. Putting a hand beneath her, she started to stand. "Goddamn piece of shiiiii-" Looking, up, she noticed the entire class and the teacher staring at her. "-iiingles."
The teacher gave an amused snort before sending her to the nurses office.
AN: Nothing to say this week. Hope you liked the chapter and hated Preccia.
See you next update!
Omake:
It was all Alicia could do but stare at the car racing towards her. Some part of her screamed JUMP! MOVE YOU FOOL! but the rest of her was just rooted in place. This might have just been the single unluckiest moment in her entire life. Tires squealed as the brakes were uselessly applied much too late to make a difference.
Then a hand grabbed the back of Alicia's jacket and pulled her out of the way. Rubber smoke stung her eyes as the car slammed into the barrier just ten metres away. Her knees shook so hard she could barely stand. Swallowing, and struggling not to hyperventilate, she turned to face her rescuer and was shocked to be greeted by… herself?
Well, herself wearing a black trenchcoat, about twenty years older and carrying a big ass black axe over her shoulder.
"...Wha-"
"Come with me if you want to live." The older her informed herself, as the axehead split apart and a scythe made of energy burst out just in time to deflect a pink ray of energy.
They both turned, and stared as a hand clutching a white and pink staff floated just beside the wreckage of the car. As Alicia stared, pink motes of energy started to float out of the car, and formed into a tall woman wearing a white dress with an absolutely delighted smile on her face.
"Oh, hi, Fate!" she called out eagerly, waving one hand even as she fired a beam with her other.
"Hey, Nanoha!" The Older Alicia greeted her, before shooting a blast of thunder of her own.
As 'Nanoha' blocked the attack with a shield, the older Alicia grabbed the younger Alicia and threw her over her shoulder before turning around and running.
"W-what is going on?!" Alicia shouted in confusion, half wanting to struggle but too afraid for her life to do so.
"Sorry, this must all be very confusing to you." The older her replied. "My name is Fate. I'm from the future and I'm here to save your life."
"F-from what?" Alicia stuttered.
"Well, that car was actually meant to kill you. When I stopped it from doing that, it created a big enough hole in the space-time continuum that Nanoha, the woman in the white dress, could step through it. She's come here to kill you and preserve the future that she's from."
"Wait, then who are you? And why do you look like me?"
"Oh, I'm your genetically modified clone from the future."
"...Wait, who cloned me?" Then Alicia blinked. "And does that mean my clone grew up to be older than I was?"
"Oh, well no, not really." Fate sent a reassuring smile back at Alicia. "You were thirteen at the time of your death, and I'm a clone of you from then with all of your memories. So, even if I look like I'm twenty, I'm only technically eight years old."
Alicia's mind boggled. "Seriously, who cloned me?"
"Your mother. After the accident, she went insane and made me to replace you, but when I didn't have your personality she went insane and decided to destroy the world. But then figured out how to time travel while trying to figure out how to rip a hole in time and space. Then she got arrested, and I went to live with someone else."
"Wait, there's no way my mother would try to destroy reality! She's the nicest person alive!"
Fate grimaced at that. "If you say so."
Alicia frowned. "So, that person who was trying to kill me, she was… some kind of timeline enforcer?"
"You mean Nanoha?"
"Is that her name?"
"Yeah, Takamachi Nanoha. And no, there's no such thing as time cops when I came from."
"Then who was she?"
"My girlfriend." Fate winced.
"Then why is she trying to kill me? And how come you're both shooting lasers around? There's no way we have technology like that anywhere within this century." Then she had another thought. "Wait, your girlfriend? ...Does that mean I'm gay?"
"I don't know about your sexuality, but you're right. We're from a hundred years in the future."
"How does that-"
"Okay, that's enough questions." Fate came to a halt and lowered Alicia to the ground. Then she ran into the street, stopped the first car she saw, threw the driver out of it, and then stole it. It also happened to be a DeLorean.
"Get in!" She shouted at Alicia, before jumping into the driver's seat. As they took off, Fate said aloud, "I could probably fly us faster than this, but come on, I'm a time traveler in a DeLorean. How is that not perfect?"
Then a bolt of pink and white slammed into the road in front of them and Fate only just managed to avoid hitting it. She hit the brakes as the car spun out and came to a stop.
"Huh," Fate wondered aloud, looking at Nanoha as the woman turned her pink staff towards them. "Would've thought she'd try to keep a low profile. People of this era aren't supposed to know about mana yet."
"Can you defeat her?" Alicia asked, staring in terror at those icy blue eyes.
"Eh, we're pretty evenly matched." Fate said, opening the car door. "The problem is if we have a fight here, we're gonna end up destroying a lot of the city."
"Does that mean you're gonna run?"
"Nah." Fate answered as she stepped out, adjusting her cape and trenchcoat combination. "Timeline's ruined anyway, right?"
And then they fought. And half the city was destroyed. It was pretty awesome. It was just about the time that the two of them were done fighting, and we're making out in the middle of an Uminari City sized hole in the ground, when a woman wearing a white beret and with black angel wings opened Alicia's car door.
"Alicia, right?" She asked, smiling at her.
"W-who wants to know?"
"I'm Hayate, and I'm sorry about this mess." She said apologetically. Then she reached forward and tapped Alicia's face.
Instantly Alicia fell unconscious.
Then she woke up in the future. And there were adventures. And it was awesome.
