AN: Sorry...
"OTTO!" he jerked upright and saw Wing looking at him worriedly "Could you.." he trailed off and indicated where Otto was grasping his wrist
"Sorry, been around you for too long." Otto gasped heart pounding Wing handed Otto a glass of water which he took gratefully
"I thought you said they had stopped." Wing asked pointedly a few minutes later
"White lie." Otto groaned images still flashing through his head
"Did they ever stop?" the tall Asian asked
"No." Otto leant back against the wall trying to slow his pounding heart, he rested his fingers on his wrist and measured it, it was far too fast for him
"What is it?" Wing asked concernedly
"Ninety five. Its never been that fast as far as I am aware." Otto replied
"That's fast even for me." Wing added unhelpfully
"What the time?" he asked
"Three in the morning, Otto... do you want to talk about them?" he asked curious Otto sighed and lay back down shutting his eyes, Wing waited, this was strange normally he replied instantly with 'No, I'm fine.' which he obviously was not
"Yes..." Otto replied haltingly, he tried to sit up but his rib twinged and he curled up gasping
"Otto!?" Wing called, then rolled his friend onto his back and lifted up the top he slept in, it was black as everything else they owned at HIVE, wing winced, two of his ribs were practically fully healed but the other had been dislocated as well, in resetting it it had been re broken, it was taking that little bit longer to heal.
"I'm fine. Its healed." Otto batted his friends hands away, Wing glared at him and Otto lay back knowing complaint was fruitless, Wings hands gently probed his rib Otto stiffened underneath him, a curious expression covered his face
"What?" Otto asked noticing the change in expression
"You've popped it out again, it is fully healed but..." he pressed and Otto cried out
"HEY!" he exclaimed indignant causing Wing to laugh
"Feel better?" Wing asked amused Otto sat up slowly
"Yes. So am I healed?" he asked
"You should be, I can't feel any breakages but that rib may be more prone to dislocation than any others."
"Great." Otto sighed and resumed leaning against the wall and examining his nails "Wing." he finally spoke "If I tell you something, can you promise not to tell anyone else, ever?" he asked slowly and quietly
"You have my word." Wing promised and Otto knew he would not be telling anyone anything about this conversation
"Do you remember Overlord?" Otto asked quietly
"How could I forget?" Wing replied, his amusement faded as Otto didn't smile or laugh. Then Otto took a deep breath and told him everything. All about his past, the fact he was a clone, and his parentage and what had occurred on the ship with number one. It all came out, disjointed at first but then it flowed freely. When he was done Otto gasped, he had never expected anyone to find that out and he was shocked at how free he felt now it was out.
"Otto..." Wing trailed off unsure with how to proceed "I am so, so sorry." he eventually murmured Otto smiled a ghost of a smile
"Please don't think of me any differently." he begged, a smile flashed across Wing's face
"My father tried to kill you on multiple occasions, and you do not think of me any differently, we all have... how do you say? Skeletons in our past?" he asked
"Skeletons in the closet." Otto replied amused "Thank you." he added fervently
"Nay, it is I who should be saying thank you, you trusted me enough to part all that about your past." Wing replied
"Oh, by the way, I promised Nero I would not tell anyone, so you don't know." Otto added,
"Know what?" Wing asked Otto laughed
"I am so lucky to have you as a room mate, imagine if I had just told Franz that." now Wing joined in with a chuckle
"The entire stream from our year would know by breakfast and the school by dinner, then trying to comfort you." Wing shuddered "I do not want to go there."
"We should sleep, one day more then the weekend." Otto sighed content "I love weekends."
"New clothes on soon." Wing added
"Fifth year, I don't feel old enough." Otto admitted
"Otto, sorry for bringing this up again but, I am impressed."
"Huh?" Otto replied eloquently
"You kept that a secret since the incident with overlord, years with that big a secret." Wing whistled "I doubt I would have been able to keep it."
Wing's foil flicked up to Otto's neck, but he danced out the way, he moved fluidly and deflected the following blow, he hit Wing on the chest and spun out the way and Wing fought back, a few seconds later one landed on the floor with a thud laughing, he took off his helmet and held his hand up
"Well fought my friend, now would you be so kind as to give me a hand up?" Wing asked from the ground, Otto dropped his helmet on the floor along with his sword and helped Wing up laughing, they heard gasps and turned to see a small group of thirteen year olds in casual clothes, then a shriek.
"You!" Shelby flew across the cavern and hit Otto with her S&E textbook
"OWW!" Otto exclaimed confused "What?"
"I've worked out why you were so smug at breakfast you utter bastard!" she hit him again, then again and then a fourth time
"Ow, ow, ow!" Otto repeated with each hit
"What is this about?" Wing asked Laura, they were standing off to the side watching amused Laura opened her mouth but Shelby got their first
"You knew! You must have known he was coming!"
"Oh, that." Wing summarised Shelby turned to him
"You must have known as well." she accused, Laura smiled and helped Otto up
"Moi, no!" Wing replied with mock innocence quoting Otto, Shelby then hit Wing as well
"Why didn't you tell me?!" Shelby exclaimed
"You never asked." Otto replied straight faced
"How long have you known?" she demanded Wing cleared his throat pointedly and pointed to the group of newbies, led by Ms. Tannenbaum, the students looked slightly shocked and the teacher looked as emotionless as normal,
"Since we found out Faolin was coming, I thought I would check to see if any of your siblings were." Otto answered Shelby's question
"You said HIVE mind found you!" Shelby stated hitting him again with the textbook
"Stop it!" he exclaimed grabbing the book out of her hands which she promptly snatched back, then a mischievous grin crossed Otto's face "Technically I never said he stopped me, and anyway he found me after." Otto replied amused, though trying his best not to show it. He was glad, even though Shelby had hit him again, he knew it would have been harder had he shown his mirth
"Do you know what he did?" she asked Otto glanced over at the group which was still standing there gawking and raised an eyebrow at Louie, Shelby's younger brother, who shrugged shyly so Otto pulled out his Blackbox and threw it to Shelby who caught it and quickly found the information she wanted, surprise covered her features
"Impressive," they started walking slowly over to the group "What were you looking for?" she asked him when they reached the group, he shrugged
"You." he replied dead pan Shelby blinked shocked
"You know each other?" Ms Tannenbaum asked emotionlessly
"He's my brother ma'am." Shelby replied
"Any others?" she asked hoping to shoulder the tour responsibility onto them
"He is my brother." Wing stated indicating Faolin
"She's my sister." Laura finished hugging Elizabeth a grin on her face the teacher sighed
"Would you be so kind as to finish the tour?" she asked "As fifth year Alphas you should be able to manage a task as simple and menial as that." the four of them stifled sighs, even an ex Pol/Fi student disliked the Alpha stream
"Where else do they need to go?" Wing asked
"Changing area obviously, then to professor Pike, then accommodation block seven." she read off the clipboard
"Sure." Laura replied the teacher stalked off and the newbies turned to the older students something akin to awe on their faces
"You'd think at least the teachers would not be streamist." Shelby commented glaring at the retreating form of Ms Tannenbaum
"Lets get you jumpsuits!" Otto teased as every younger student made a face
"They're not that bad trust me." Shelby consoled them
"He beat you." Faolin murmured in Japanese too shocked to speak in English Otto and Wing grinned
"Aye, but he still annihilates me nine out of ten times." Otto reassured Faolin in the same language, the younger boy looked relieved and glanced at the older brother he had not really seen for four years
"If you are quite finished speaking in strange languages I really cannot be bothered to translate..." Shelby taunted
"Lets go." Laura led the scared group towards the changing rooms
"So, which of you is completely honestly unaware of the act they performed to come here?" Otto asked leaning against the wall outside the changing rooms, some were still changing, there was silence from all
"That's different." Shelby commented causing Laura to laugh
"Like you didn't know, you just told us you didn't." Laura teased
"And that lasted... what twenty four hours? Until our first S&E lesson." Wing added Shelby's eyes flashed
"Still not happy with Ms. Leon about that." she growled
"What did she do?" Louie asked confused
"Called me out in front of the entire Alpha stream first years."
"What did you do?" a brave first year asked, a wicked grin flashed across Shelby's face and her brother sighed
"Alice, let me introduce you to the Wraith." Louie sighed, they entire group gasped
"The thief?" one asked shocked Shelby bit back a laugh
"Nice to know after four years they have not forgotten me." she glanced at Otto "Unlike they probably have you." Otto laughed
"I had no idea what I had done to get here," he continued when Shelby raised an eyebrow disbelievingly "The incident with the prime minister happened seconds before Raven got me, it is impossible to link that with me and get me a place." Otto replied realisation dawned on Shelby's face
"Has it taken you four years to realise that?" Laura asked shocked
"Well if you remember correctly I only found out about the Prime Minister a couple of weeks ago. Whereas you all found out on the first day!" Shelby retorted
"Technically it was only Laura who found out on the first day." Wing corrected raising an eyebrow at Laura who shrugged
"We had time to kill in S&T." Laura took Otto's Blackbox
"Oh dear, look at one and five." she sighed passing the box to Wing
"Oh, wonder when they will find out?" he mused
"Now." Otto replied looking at two Alpha stream students coming their way
"Hey you four, why do you have the new- Heidi!" Franz Argentblum stopped dead and stared at the girl in front of him who's jaw dropped and she barrelled into her brothers arms, so did another girl,
"Clara!" Nigel Darkdoom exclaimed as his sister barrelled into him Franz and his sister started babbling away in German and Nigel and his sister did the same, just in English
"How many others are related with others?" Shelby asked amazed, Otto glanced at the list and ran it through his mind, noting family links and surnames
"Fourteen, including you three." Otto replied slightly shocked "That's high."
"Who?" Nigel asked
"Five Alphas, you five, seven Pol/Fi, two Sci/Tech." Otto replied
"You be having siblings?!" Franz exclaimed
"Aye, but we could be saying the same about you." Laura replied
"I have a sister and a brother." Franz replied "As you can see the sister is thirteen and the brother is nine."
"I just have a sister, who you can also see is thirteen." Nigel added his Australian accent made all the stronger by the contact with another Aussie
"Ah, lucky, I have two sisters and two brothers, the brother is thirteen, and twin sisters at seven then a three year old brother, but I only found out about him recently." Shelby told him
"What about you two?" Nigel asked Wing and Laura
"Three brothers, thirteen, ten and eight." Wing replied
"Lizzie, she's thirteen." Laura flashed a grin at her sister "Then a brother at six, so I barely know him, then another brother at three, so I don't know him." horrified looks covered the thirteen year olds faces
"So when they say we can't leave, we can't leave." Alice asked her voice faint
"Well, depends on who you is being," Franz answered looking at Otto, Laura, Wing and Shelby pointedly
"But being in Sci/Tech stream," Shelby interrupted Franz before he gave them any ideas "You get to leave on trips, none in your first year whatever the stream but in your second year you have two off island trips, in the third year the main one is the ninety three percenter, but two others, in your fourth year you get four trips, fifth year five, then sixth year five as well then the one where you leave." She summed up
"What do you mean 'depends on who you are being'?" Clara asked her brother
"Well, some of year has seemed to spend more time off island than others..." he replied looking at the four other Alphas
"And moving swiftly on..." Shelby started to lead the way to the labs
"Where are you going?" Franz called
"Professor Pike's lab, apparently that's where they need to go." Laura replied
"Can we come?" Franz asked at the same time as Nigel;
"Why do you have them?"
"Yes, and because Ms. Tannenbaum dumped them on us when she found out she had three relatives in the group." Shelby answered both questions,
"Ah, the new students. Lovely, lovely!" the professor ushered them in he glanced at the five alphas
"You can go now if you want, they are accommodation block seven am I right?" he asked Otto nodded "I will take them," he glanced at Otto "That's a nasty cut Mr. Malpense, you may want to have that looked at, I thought you were off the TE list for now?"
"I am, back tomorrow though." he sighed "It wasn't received in TE sir." he added Selby blushed
"I didn't mean it." she mumbled
"No, you just hit me repeatedly accidentally." he retorted, Shelby shrugged
"I had my reasons." they left the room
"What happened?" Franz asked
"OW!" Shelby had hit Otto again
"He lied to me." Shelby replied
"Moi, no!" Otto replied Wing grabbed the textbook and slipped it under his arm as Shelby went to hit him again
"He didn't tell us about our family getting admitted," Laura explained slipping her hand into Otto's "Come on, we need to get that cut looked at." they parted in the corridor.
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