Chapter 5- New Beginnings
The sun beats down upon your head. After five straight hours of drills you are ready to tae a shower and change. Your group staggers behind you, but one person, your friend Nomi (X257N) walks beside you, chatting.
"The General was a bit harsh on D group today. Don't you think?"
"Yeah, but they deserved it. Talking back to an Instructor is not allowed."
"Uh, huh," Nomi agrees. "Damn, I'm sweaty."
"Me too!" At that, you shake your head roughly, your short hair spraying sweat on your friend.
"Oh, yeah?" she counters with an attack of her own. You two laugh as you were taught to in times of fun.
Then, Nomi doubles over, clutching her waist. "Oh, God!" she gasps.
"Nomi, what's the matter?"
"I don't know!" The group crowds around you, concerned and morbidly fascinated. "It hurts so bad!"
"Did you drink enough water? Not eat? Not take your Manna?"
Nomi nods in pain, "I'm so stupid."
"Taxen!" you yell, taking up your roll as Captain. "Go get a med squad now!" The gangly boy runs off. He's not going to make it in time, you think as you kneel next to your friend, holding her hand as her body jerks and twists with convulsions. She throws up a few times, moaning in pain. Then, her body relaxes, her eyes close, and her hand goes limp in yours.
"NOMI!" you scream as grief tears through your heart.
Sarian jerked out of sleep with a cry. "Nomi, why did you have to forget? Why?" she mumbled as she got out of bed. She stripped out of her borrowed pajamas, and found her towel. Wufei's door was still closed, but Sarian, with her enhanced hearing, could hear him moving around in his room.
Sarian thought about what she had said to the boy as she took her shower. "I was too harsh on him. I shouldn't have mentioned his wife, or that fifteen of my companions died. Now, he knows too much."
"Guess you'll have to kill me," came Wufei's voice from the other side of the shower curtain.
"Wufei! What are you doing in here?" Sarian gasped, surprised.
"Trimming my hair," Wufei answered leisurely. "It was all uneven after your star cut my ponytail off, and I want to look good for school."
Don't know who he thinks he's going to impress, Sarian turned off the shower and grabbed her towel, which was hanging off a hook near the shower. She dried herself off and wrapped the towel tightly around her body. Sarian stepped out of the shower and went around Wufei, who was hogging the sink, dressed in a towel and savaging his hair with scissors.
"Mika's in your room again. She's going to do your hair," Wufei chopped off a huge chunk of his hair. "Shit!"
"Great, I'll look like a stranger again," Sarian, said sarcastically.
* * *
Duo sat at the kitchen table. His head throbbed and there was a sharp pain that shot through his cranium when a loud noise interrupted the peaceful spring morning.
"I'm never drinking again!" he said aloud.
"I'll believe hat when I see it," Heero mumbled as he walked into the kitchen, fully garbed in the Atherton-Wexel Academy uniform for boys: purple/green vest, long-sleeved green shirt, and green pants. He hung his jacket and beret on a chair, and poured himself a glass of orange juice. "You've been drinking on an off since last year."
Duo told him to go do something Mika would have slapped him for.
"Language Maxwell!" Trowa snickered as he came into the room, dressed exactly like Heero and Duo. Mika and Quatre soon followed.
"Duo been a the bottle again?" Quatre poured a glass for himself and Mika.
"What did you drink this time?" Mika sat down beside Duo and began to drink her juice.
"1 liter of Jose Cuerpo Tequila that I had hidden behind the dishwasher," Duo cringed as Sarian stomped down the stairs.
"WHAT DID YOU HAVE HIDDEN BEHIND THAT DISHWASHER, DUO MAXWELL?" Sally Po, dressed in a business suit, raged into the kitchen.
"Nothing," he squeaked as he inched toward the garbage can. Sally saw him, and started towards it, but Duo would get there first. Heero stamped his foot hard against the floor, causing Duo to stop and grasp his head. With Duo distracted, sally got to the garbage can, reached her arm in, and pulled out the empty tequila bottle.
Sally held it in one hand, with her other hand on her hip, and gave Duo a look of disgust. "Duo what have I told you?" she yelled, making Duo's head feel as if it would burst. "You're only seventeen, and you're drinking like an old man! You'll never get anywhere in life if you keep up like this! You'll be cast out as one of Milliardo's wards and have Deathscythe taken away from you! Do you understand? LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M SPEAKING TO YOU!"
"I can't! My head hurts!" he whined, sitting down and putting his head between his legs. "That was a big bottle of tequila!"
Sally threw away the glass bottle and rubbed her temples. "I'm not going to talk about it anymore. You guys need to get to school. Go get your bags, Sarian; we'll buy you one at the school store. My, you look pretty in your uniform." Everyone cleared out of the kitchen, and ran to their rooms to get their school bags. "Where's Wufei?" Sally asked as they all headed out of the door to the waiting limousine. Being Peacecraft's ward has it's perks, thought Sarian as she climbed into the long vehicle.
"I'm here! Wait up! I'm not missing another day!" Wufei rushed out the door, pushing a slow-moving Duo out of the way.
"Wufei! What did you do to your hair?" Mika squeaked as he rushed inside the limo, and sat down next to Trowa, who was now sleeping.
"Sarian helped cut it for me," Wufei grinned evilly at the girl who sat stiffly upright. Sarian did not like what Mika had done with her head. Covering up the bruise on her face from Wufei's fist with make-up was good, but crimping her hair, and putting it up in a stylish bun was a bit far. Duo climbed into the limo, sat down, and the limo took off.
Sally sat with a handful of papers, and was filling in blanks: school forms. "Sarian, what's your last name?"
"I don't have one," she answered bluntly.
"Well, you'll need one for school. You have to appear normal. Don't want people to know you're . . . well . . ."
Sally did not know what to say.
"Give her Hero's last name," Duo remarked. "They talk just the same, and she has his personality!" Sarian looked at him, alarmed.
"No, Duo," Sally rebuked him.
"McCarthy," Sarian muttered. "I want my last name to be McCarthy."
"Sarian McCarthy sounds nice," Mika said, then elbowed Quatre in the back.
"Yes, it does," Quatre was trying to find something in his bag.
"Yeah, even if you look like a cross between an Irishman and a Spaniard than anything," Wufei grumbled. Heero peered at the girl intensely. There was something familiar about her.
* * *
Atherton-Wexel Academy stood on a tall hill, and behind it were level fields that were used for sports. A heavy, wrought iron gate surrounded the grounds. The actual building was enormous, definitely as big as the largest university. It was made out of reddish-purple brick. There were large square windows whose frames were painted white all along the sidewalls and about ten in the front, it being a three-story building. A cement road came up from the main gate and round in a circle to the front façade of the Academy. In the center of this circular drive was a huge statue of an ancient Greek soldier. A golden plaque below it read, 'Atherton-Wexel Academy- Home of the Spartans'. Flowers and decorative bushes surrounded the statue, and students lulled about on the school grounds, talking to their friends, and catching up on the latest gossip.
The limousine drove up the driveway, and up to the front of the school. After poking Trowa to wake him up, Sarian got out of the limo, followed by Heero. Sarian looked around and saw that many people were staring at her.
"Some people don't know how to leave other people alone." Heero remarked coldly.
"Heero!" Relena ran from a group of popular-looking girls towards him, absolutely crisp in her school uniform.
"Especially her!" Sarian grinned.
"Come on, Sarian," Sally said brightly. "We have an appointment with the Headmaster."
* * *
"We're so happy to have another of Milliardo Peacecraft's wars at our school," said the Headmaster, Dr. Gordo. An incredibly fat man, Dr. Gordo looked like no other man Sarian had ever seen. He was almost completely bald, and what was left of his black hair was shining, and plastered down to his head. "Normally, Miss McCarthy, you would have to take an entrance exam to even enroll at this school, but since you're . . ."
"I'm Peacecraft's ward," Sarian prompted.
"Yes. Well, you don't have to take the entrance exam. What you do have to take, however, is a placement exam," at this, he opened one of the drawers to his enormous desk, and pulled out a rectangular form and a sharpened pencil. "This will determine whether you will take regular classes, honors classes, or advanced AP classes. The test covers science, mathematics, literature, reading skills, cognitive skills, etiquette, and fine arts. You'll go into an empty classroom to complete it, and I will personally grade it myself. There's one hundred and fifty questions, so it may take one or two hours . . ."
Sarian listened to the odd man ramble on. This should be a piece of cake.
* * *
QUESTION 10: WHAT IS THE ORDER OF CLASSIFICATION?
PHYLUM, CLASS, GENUS, KINGDOM, ORDER, SPECIES, FAMILY CLASS, KINGDOM, SPECIES, FAMILY, GENUS, ORDER, PHYLUM KINGDOM, PHYLUM, CLASS, ORDER, FAMILY, GENUS, SPECIES ORDER, SPECIES, FAMILY, KINGDOM, PHYLUM, GENUS, CLASS"C," Sarian filled in the unmarked circle.
QUESTION 11: WHAT IS THE SQUARE ROOT OF 156, 893?
396.0972103 410.67 390.559837 425.3"Hard one," Sarian mumbled, ", but nothing I can't do in my head. The answer's 'A'"
"Did you say something, Miss McCarthy?" The spare that Dr. Gordo had told to watch Sarian take the test looked bored out of his mind.
"No, sir," she stared blankly at him.
"Don't talk. I'm getting to a good part in my book," the young man, Professor Gingko, put his feet up on his desk.
Sarian turned back to her test.
QUESTION 12: WHO CARVED THE STATUE OF DAVID?
LEONARDO MICHELLANGELO RAPHEAL DON ATTILOUmm . . . Day was right. I should have taken a World Arts class. I thought I wouldn't need it. I'll pick 'D'" Sarian bit her lip in frustration. Had Heero or Wufei stumble through this test, or were they well rounded, and passed with flying colors?
Sarian pondered this many times through the rest of the exam. Okay, last question . . .
* * *
Dr. Gordo sat behind his desk, Sarian's completed exam in front of him. Sally and Sarian were sitting across from him in poofy, leather chairs.
"I've graded your test, Miss McCarthy, and you did exceptionally well on all the sections," he smiled at the girl, ", except fine arts. Now, we at Atherton-Wexel Academy believe our students should be well rounded academically. We have several fine arts classes here, as you can see from the murals and paintings in the hallway," Sarian had seen these colorful pieces in the hall, but had thought nothing of them. Students had painted them? Impossible!
Dr. Gordo handed both Sarian and Sally a piece of paper, and on it read:
FINE ARTS CLASSES:
ART I, II, III, IV
INTERPRITIVE DANCE
BALLROOM DANCE
SCULPTING I, II, III, IV
HORTICULTURE
CONCERT BAND
CONCERT CHORUS
PERFORMING ARTS
CREATIVE WRITING
WORLD ARTS & CULTURE
"Now," Dr. Gordo continued, "you'll have advanced AP Calculus, AP Physics, AP Classical Literature, and AP Space Colony History. You'll also have a physical education class, and a mandatory etiquette class. As well as two fine arts classes. Which will they be?"
Sally leaned over and whispered into Sarian's ear, "How about Ballroom Dance and Culture? The Cherry Blossom Spring Ball is coming up, and, if you turn out like the guys career-wise, you'll need World Arts and Culture when you're a diplomat or political leader."
"But I already . . ." Sarian began, but was cut off by Sally confirming her two 'choices'.
"Very good," Dr. Gordo commented as he tapped and clicked the computer keyboard and mouse on his desk. He gave Sarian a printed out copy of her schedule. "Its almost fourth hour, so you'll have Ballroom Dance. Do you need someone to show you to your classroom? We have student helpers here in the office."
"No," Sarian said, standing up and picking up the school bag Sally had bought for her while she took the placement exam. "I'll be fine," she walked out of the open door, and into the hallway.
Dr. Gordo turned to Sally, "Dammit! I should have told her who she'd be in Ballroom Dance with. She's going to go in there all nervous."
"You don't know Sarian," Sally smiled at the now relaxed, suddenly improper man. "It would take more than a new school to faze her. And it was best that she didn't know whom she's going to be dancing with. She'd go wild,"
* * *
Thank you, Delta, Sarian thought as she walked down the hall. She had heard the conversation between sally and the Headmaster, and for once she was thankful for her enhanced, super hearing.
Sarian walked up a flight of stairs. A bell rang, and soon students filled the hallway. Sarian was not used to being in a strange, crowed place, and she got pushed around a lot. When the students finally got to their rooms and Sarian was left standing alone, the bell rang, and she was late for class. She looked at her schedule again, and found that she was right in front of the classroom she needed to be in. After taking a deep breath, she opened the door.
Sarian stepped into the classroom. There were no desks, and the floor was polished, but scuffed in places. Posters of dancers filled the walls and sunlight shown on them from the giant windows overlooking the playing fields. The students all stared at her, and so did a short, elderly woman whom Sarian assumed was the teacher. The students were evenly distributed from girls and boys, and all the class years (freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior) were represented. One person Sarian knew, and shock filled her stomach. She did not expect to see him here.
It was not Heero, not even Quatre.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: could I have done a better cliffhanger? *Claps and applause from the audience; suri-chan bows* thank you, thank you! I promise, the next chapter will be up in a week.
My kitten, Hunter, is currently climbing up my leg. It hurts like hell. Please send help. NNNNOOOOWWWWW! OH, GOD THE PAI N! GET HIM OFF! GET-HIM-OFF! AAAAAAHHHHHHHH! He's off now. Thank God.
Anyway, see you in the next chapter!
