N o t P r e s e n t

C h a p t e r 5

T h e C o u n c i l o f M i c h e l l e R o n d

*dramatic spacing, eh?*

In which Joe seeks council, bad foreshadowing happens, and Goths unleash powers

If you've just been skimming through this fic, you might wanna start reading now, because this is one of those important boring dialogue chapters…

"Joe, come on," said Greg.

"Huh? What is it?" he asked.

"The Council is about to begin," said Greg, "and you should get there early. You will be the most important person there." Joe was surprised at that, but he realized it was pretty much true. The sticker was his. Of course, the other people there could have a big role to play in the events that happened to the sticker, but so far, Joe was the most important. Him, a small nerd, out of all these big people, Goths, preps, jocks, skaters… it was odd. Joe had never felt important, and he had never really been important. But now, the most vile, evil thing in the world was in his possession… it was almost too much. Sure, the feeling was great, but such great responsibility… Joe had sometimes feared responsibility. He didn't like people to entrust him with big matters, such as a digital camera, a cell phone, or the fate of the world. Pressure was tough on poor old Joe, but, hey, a nerd's gotta do what a nerd's gotta do.

The council was held in a circle of benches. It was rather magnificent, the sheer number of people there. He took notice of all the different people and how different everyone was. It was great, though, seeing everyone from different groups unite. Joe had heard stories of how the preps and jocks had a rivalry in past days. He hoped this wouldn't affect the outcome of the decision.

Then Joe wondered what everyone else thought of him. What would be their first impression of Joe if they looked at him? Well, they may not even know that Joe was a nerd if they first looked. He wasn't a very nerdy nerd, but he fell into the category anyways because he enjoyed the company and friendliness of the nerds. Joe thought of his hair. It was brown and uncombed. Joe didn't comb his hair. Why bother, he thought? He wasn't trying to impress anyone or look good, he just wanted to avoid hassle. As such, his hair was rather askew, with the back part sticking up. He was short for a sixth grader, but taller than most of the other nerds. He then thought of Dan. A bit chubby with a fat nose, he looked a bit comical, but it was one of those things that you get used to.

Then there was Jerry. He had dirty blondish hair that was even messier than Joe's. He didn't look nerdish at all. He could pass for a skater… if he weren't so short. At four foot five, he was rather wimpy in appearance, but his skinny arms were surprisingly muscular. Wikkin had a rather babyish face, which got big cheeks when he smiled big. He had rather large black-rimmed glasses, but even though he looked like a huge dork, it was unnatural without them.

He also saw Lauren, Rider's girlfriend. She was really pretty. Her hair was long and reddish-brown. She had dimples when she smiled. Really cute.

And then there was Greg. He was really tall, for one. He had black hair which was spiked with a lot of grease and almost gleamed. He wore a lot of necklaces, and his pants were really baggy. And black. His shirt, too. Joe didn't understand why all these Goths were obsessed with black. It was weird.

Finally, the time came when the council started. (Wow, I used a page already…) Some guy came up and hit a gong with a mallet. Joe wondered where the gong came from. Looking closer, he realized it was just a pan hanging from a stand. Lame.

"The council of Michelle Rond will now commence." He was stern, but had a knowledgeable face. Rather odd for a prep, but Joe didn't know much about them anyway. "To start off, I shall introduce myself. I am Michelle Rond, owner of Trippin' Dell."

Greg closed his eyes and waited for it.

"Hey! Michelle's a girl's name!"

Greg checked his watch. It took 1.24 seconds for someone to say it. A new record. Michelle closed his eyes.

"I am aware of that. What do you want me to do about it? Sue my parents?" he sighed. "Ok, well now that we've established my name and gender, let's begin." He stood up and started pacing. "Well, let's start with this sticker. This is a sticker originally owned by Saion, created by, shamefully, the preps. Now, this is no ordinary sticker. Whoever places this sticker on his forehead will blank. Completely. There mind spazzes out, and they just stand there, an empty shell. This sticker… it has powers. Strange powers. For one, it takes over you. Posses you. Controls your mind and body. Once this takes over you, you have the unbearable urge to put it on. It's nearly unstoppable. And if you put it on too much… well… let me tell you a story.

"After Saion was sent to detention, the sticker left him. It was stumbled across by a nerd. His name was Sam Egal (say it fast) and it took over him. He is now… a freaky kid. Yes, a freaky kid. The lonely, pitiful creatures who no one understands. No friends, no sense, he's just there, muttering to himself. He is now called Wallum.

"The sticker was then stolen from this Wallum by none other than Bill Bo here. He had it for a long time. But Wallum still desired this sticker. No one knew how threatening he could have been until now. Wallum was captured."

"Captured?" exclaimed a jock. "Who would want to capture him?"

"You see, Wallum has a lot of knowledge about this sticker. And where it is. Wallum was captured… by Saion. He has escaped detention." There was a loud gasp from the audience. "Saion tortured Wallum with the most painful methods he could. I'm talking about… titty twisters." Everyone shuddered. "Saion gave Wallum titty twisters until he gave any useful information. Wallum uttered one word: Bo. So now Saion knows that the sticker is owned by one of the Bo's, either Bill Bo or his cousin, Joe Bo. So Saion sent out nine gangsters on bikes to search for this. They were really close, but no cigar."

"But why does Saion desire this sticker so much?" asked a skater.

"Would you punch a retard?" asked Michelle. "That's what I thought. And you sure as hell wouldn't touch a spazzed person. With this, Saion can become an invincible fighter. Unstoppable. Joe, bring for the sticker."

Joe timidly stepped forth. He looked around. So many faces, all looking at him. Suddenly, he felt really small. He set the sticker on a pedestal. He ran back to his seat, eager to get away from the sticker for a bit.

"That's it?" asked a jock. "That measly piece of *censor* is the one thing which threatens to possibly destroy all of Paulmer Middle School? Why, I could rip it in half right now!" he walked up to the pedestal.

"Kim, don't!" but he didn't listen. Lifting it high above his head, he attempted to rip in half. His muscles flexed and bulged, he grunt and snorted, but then collapsed in a heap.

"That sticker is made from the highest polymers. The only way to destroy it would be to cast it into the furnace of the janitor's closet. However, that is the domain of Saion. So, now discuss, what shall be the fate of this sticker?"

"Before we do, I have something to say." it was Rider. "Some of you know me as Rider. But that is only a mask. Behold, I am Terry Gorn, heir to Harold." Lauren hugged him behind his back. He turned around and kissed her.

"Ahem," said Michelle. "Shall we continue?"

"Why don't we just hide this ring?" asked a skater. "I am Ben O'mir, the music player. I come from Ondur. As many of you may know, a giant fight is upon us. I seek allies for this brawl. As it is, out forces are diminished. This sticker business can wait. Will you accompany me on this more important task?" He had brown hair that was kind of shaggy. He needed a haircut.

"I am also the bearer of bad news," said Greg. "I am Greg. Recently, I went to see my good friend, Sam Uman, the Goth."

"Sam Uman?"

"Yeah, like Saruman, Sam Uman… ok, ok, really unclever. But that's beside the point. Well, here's what happened:

*flashback moment*

"Ah, Sam Uman. Good to see you again, old friend," said Greg.

"Yes, good to see you, too," said Sam, with a glint of evil in his eye (and the award for lamest foreshadowing goes to… Not Present!). "Come on up with me to me evil looking, inescapable tower."

"Sam, the reason I have come to you is to seek your council. What do know about the Not Present sticker?"

"Not Present? Quite a bit. Why do you ask?"

"Sam, I have left in possession of a nerd. I don't know what to do with it."

"A nerd, eh? Which one?" asked Sam. Greg paused.

"You have been very nosy. Why do you care so much?"

"Oh, just wondering. It would help me make decisions if I know more facts."

"Ok… his name is Joe Bo. He lives with…" Greg stopped. He looked around. All the doors, and every other meaning of escape from Sam's fortress were blocked. Sam grinned.

"Greg… old friend…" he chuckled to himself. Then, raising his arm, a black beam of energy shot out of his hand and hit Greg, causing him to hurl into a wall. Sam pinned him with his dark Gothic powers. "You should have known, Greg. Didn't you read the crappy foreshadowing a few paragraphs up?" Sam then made Greg slam into the floor.

"So… you switched sides, eh?" said Greg. "I hope you know that I am not the only one with hard core Gothic powers." He shot a beam that made Sam fly into the back wall. He slid down onto the floor. Greg shot a blast, but Sam deflected it with a blast of his own. Scrambling back up, Sam pinned Greg to the wall, and continued to bombard him with magical blasts.

*end of flashback*

"That's awful," said Michelle.

"Afterwards, Sam Uman kept me at the top of his fortress. I was trapped there for a long time. Eventually, a gust of wind extended a tree branch towards me. I grabbed on, and managed to escape from there. But Sam Uman is not to be trusted. He and Saion are now allies. Together, they are almost indestructible. They are the biggest threat. With the sticker, they will be bigger. To end this threat, we must destroy the sticker. The question is… *dramatic pause* who will go on this perilous quest?"

"I shall take the ring," said a prep. His name was Lego Lass, or that's what everyone called him. It was from an extreme obsession with Lego's as a child, and the name just stuck with him. He was tall and blonde hair that was parted like Leonardo DiCaprio's. Girls swooned at him.

"We cannot trust this matter in the hands of a prep!" yelled a jock. It was Kim, Kim Lee, the one who tried to rip the sticker. He was burly and muscular, with brown hair in a crew cut. Suddenly, everyone jumped up and started yelling and bickering all at once.

"I shall take the sticker," said Joe. No one heard him. They just kept on arguing. "I will do it!" still no answer. "Don't make me revert to caps lock… Ok, you asked for it. I WILL TAKE THE STICKER!!" Everyone stopped. There was a huge silence. No one seemed to move. They all just stood and stared at the nerd. "But… I do not know the way."

"I shall accompany you, Joe," said Greg the Goth.

"As shall I," said Terry.

"Me too," said Lego.

"I will go, too," said Kim.

"I shall journey with you for a time, until we reach Ondur," said Ben.

"I'm not leaving your side, Joe," said Dan.

"So far we have seven against the nine. We still need two more," said Michelle.

"That's us," said Jerry and Wikkin. "We're coming with you guys."

"Four nerds? What is this, a science fair?" Asked Michelle.

"It would take a billion seventh graders taking my lunch money for the next 80 years to stop me from going," said Jerry.

"To stop me, you'd have to punch your fist through my stomach, pull out my liver, drink the toxins, spit them back in my mouth, suck out my eyeballs through a straw, deposit them back up my—"

"That's quite enough," said Terry. "For battles, you have my skateboard."

"And my dark Gothic powers," said Greg.

"And my rubber bands," said Lego.

"And my fist," said Kim.

"And my boom box," said Ben.

"So it is settled. The fellowship shall depart to save the Middle School from annihilation. Best of luck to these brave warriors," said Michelle. "I can foresee very little of your road; and how your task is to be achieved I do not know. The Shadow has crept now to the feet of the Mountains, and draw nigh even to the borders of the Greyflood; and under the shadow all is dark to me. You will meet many foes; some open, and some disguised, and you may find friends upon your way when you least look for it. I will send out messages, such as I can contrive, to those who I know in the wide world; but so perilous are the lands now become that some may well miscarry, or some no quicker than yourself." Everyone looked at Michelle shocked that he made such a powerful speech off the top of his head. Michelle put down his copy of The Fellowship of the Ring.

"What? Haha, the Fellowship of the Ring! How did THAT get there? Hmm, well I sure know I WASN'T reading that speech from the book! Definitely not! Haha! The Council of Michelle Rond is now… closed!"

Whoa… Michelle, Kim, and Terry are all guys… that turned out odd… that was a big chapter, eh? Guess which character shares a name with moi.

Peace.