By: lornein.
************************************************************************
After looking myself over in the mirror for the final time, I got out of the house. Although I tried to be a lady most of the time but my feral genes acted up and today I felt like an intense sparring match with some of the holograms that daddy had programmed for the feral students. Oh before I forget to tell, daddy has bought me a great car that I love driving and it is the object of envy of all my fellow students who attended the school. Sure enough there's my car parked outside. I have got to pick up Nikki before I go. Nikki's my best friend. I guess we bonded over the fact that we're both ferals and kind of look the same. And also over the fact that every guy in the school swoons for us and every female is jealous of us. There's Nikki, although I hate to admit it but she does have a great fashion sense. Hey not as great as mine anyway!
"Hey Nikki, looking ok I must say." Although we were inseparable there was a healthy rivalry between us all the time.
"Looking not so bad yourself Shal." Nikki said with a smile.
"Get in the car baby, I am feeling like speeding today." I smile back.
************************************************************************
Okay just because ours is a special training center for gifted individuals it does not mean that this school is one unified happy family. The students are divided into groups. There are nerds, fashion victims, television and movie worshippers, losers and even the Italian mafia or whatever they called themselves. But one thing was common between all of us. We were all gifted with special powers that needed fine-tuning. Whatever! Nikki and I belonged to the popular crowd, the girls who every male wanted and every female wanted extinct.
"Ugh… Cliff's paging me again. I just got in. Could he be anymore possessive?" Nikki asked, a bit flustered.
Cliff is Nikki's boyfriend. They have a way too dramatic relationship and have been going out since two years ago. Deep down, they really care about each other, but you'd never know that since they practically fight every hour on the hour. And I advise Nikki to get rid of him exactly that many number of times.
"It's still a mystery why you're still with him Nikki. Why don't you just dump him?" I ask her rolling my eyes.
"Yeah why don't I. Oh great here he is." She replied with a sigh.
"Hey Nikki? Where were you all weekend and yesterday?" I hear that possessive tone in Cliff's voice.
"See you later Nikki." I just couldn't stand that bantering again. I head over to the training rooms.
*********************************************************************************************
In our school we are basically trained self-defense, medicine and biology and handling equipments like supercomputers and mutant databases. And also we have a special class for each of the mutant classifications. Feral, Elementals, Molecular and Psionic.
I head over to my first class, Medicine and Biology. I hated this class. The teacher was a stodgy old baboon called Mason Eckhart who had the tendency to give the worst marks possible in school. Still he was always a little generous to me, was it because I was the principal's daughter? I guess we'll never know.
As I take my seat I notice Jesse Kilmartin enter the class. He is a molecular who can phase and mass his body. Jesse and I were good friends when we were children, his parents knew daddy. But when we started going to this school he became a computer geek. So it was bye bye Jesse.Thus we fell apart. I smile at him as he gives me a little wave and sits down.
Nikki and Cliff come in next, bantering as usual. I give Nikki a little smile of sympathy.
Suddenly everything quieted down as Mr. Eckhert entered the class. He sat down in his chair with a little smile on his face.
A smile? On Eckhart's face? This is so not good.
"Miss Fox could you please distribute these annual assessment reports among the class."
Suddenly a dark cloud settled over the class.
"I want all of these to be signed and handed over in two days. No excuses. And no suicide attempts Mr. Callaghan. Not again." He pointed towards Cliff who wasn't looking very happy.
"Oh why do I have the report card of Mr. Richard Saunders in my hand?" Eckhart said.
"Sir I hear Richard lives in Boston. He attends the branch of this school there half the year and half the year he is over here. He has a transferable job for which he has to do this." Ashley Elliott, the class nerd and best friend of Jesse Kilmartin said.
I looked over mine. Everything seemed to be in order till I looked at the marks Eckhert gave me. Oh no. Daddy would kill me if he saw these. Considering the fact that he was the principal. I had barely passed. Good god. First that…that thing that I call ex stepbrother is coming and then I get these marks! What was this? Beat up Shalimar Fox day? God I need to hit something.
************************************************************************* *********************
After hitting the crap out of nine holographic simulations I started to feel better. Looking at Nikki I could see that she wasn't doing much better herself. She punched Cliff in the face twice and then hit him with the lunch tray when he was late in getting her a cappuccino. I just held on and waited for the moment when this torturous day would at last come to an end. And when it did I found myself facing daddy.
"Ready to go Shalimar?" he asked with a smile.
By looking at him I could see that he knew about the report cards. But I also knew that he wouldn't ask me for it till I showed it to him myself. You see he loves me too much to hurt my pride.
Daddy and I got into my car. Nikki and Cliff had left earlier and I was feeling too down so I let daddy drive. As we drove in silence I tried to figure out ways to tell him about the report card.
"Shalimar I hope you haven't forgotten Brennan's coming to dinner tonight."
I almost had. And thanks to daddy I was back to being miserable.
Arriving at the house I saw a Camaro parked outside. It could mean only one thing. My day was just ending on a perfect note. Brennan's here. Oh goody.
**********************************************************************************************
I guess I should tell you everything about Brennan Mulwray, my ex stepbrother. Daddy went to a conference in Dallas six years ago and came back married to a woman who I might add was a nice lady. Unlike her son who was also part of the deal. That marriage did not last long, barely three weeks but for some reason Brennan hung around and even went to our school. But he graduated from there like two years ago and was now hunting for a job and haunting us I might add. I guess he could never fully understand what the word 'divorce' meant. I know he has a apartment somewhere downtown. He didn't have much going for him. Well except maybe his looks. Nikki said he looked like a Greek god. Hardly! So he was tall and muscular and had warm brown eyes…not like I notice or anything… for me he was just this annoying guy who loves to make fun of me.
There he was. Opening the door he gave me a toothy grin.
"Hi Shal. Miss me?"
"Like you were gone for long. How long has it been this time? Two weeks." I snicker at him.
"You're in a chipper mood today, who died?" He asked in that annoyingly over sweetened voice.
"Move over." I push him out of my way and enter the house.
I went upstairs to my room and threw my backpack on the bed. This day had been the worst so far this week. Who knows what horrors were ahead of me. But no, Shalimar Fox would fight. I won't let stupid teachers and annoying what's his name to spoil this week. After making a strong resolve face at my bedroom mirror I went to take a shower. The water always soothed me. As the water started flowing over my body I was reminded of how much Brennan hated water. He is an elemental you see. An electrical elemental. So him and water didn't exactly mix very well. Eww… was I thinking about Brennan in the shower. Seriously I needed to eat something. My head isn't working very well.
After I get out of the shower I put on a pair of pants and a tank top. It was very comfortable and stylish I might add. I go downstairs wishing that Brennan would be gone. But sure enough there he was chatting with daddy, wearing one of his weird t-shirts and some baggy pants and that weird leather coat making him look like he came from another planet.
"Can't you find something else to wear? It looks like you rented your wardrobe from the flea market" I ask him, quite rudely.
"Yeah. Some of us actually have better things to do than hanging around the mall all day, grooming ourselves." He replied.
"Kids let's have dinner." Daddy tried to stop a fight before it could even begin.
I kept quiet for most of dinner and surprisingly so did Brennan. It was daddy who tried once again to break the ice.
"Shalimar did you get your report card today?" God couldn't daddy wait.
"Yes daddy I did."
"So when were you planning to show it to me?" he asked again.
"Daddy I…I" I couldn't find words. Looking at Brennan I could see that he was trying to suppress a laugh. The nerve of that weasel.
"No need to stumble Shalimar. I have already met professor Eckhart and he has told me all about your grades. Try to do better next time okay? Come to me if you need help. Or Brennan. We want you to do better." Daddy finished.
"Absolutely. You know I'm here if you need me." Brennan smirked openly. God I could kill him now.
"Yes daddy." I replied quietly.
"So Brennan have you decided anything about your career?" daddy asked him.
"Actually I was thinking of going into teaching. You know helping others like me to control their powers better." He replied.
"That's a really good idea Brennan. You could start here. Will you be willing to accept a post at your old school." I choked on daddy's words. What was he saying. He was asking Brennan to become a teacher at our school?
"Sure that'd be great." There was that annoying smile again.
"Great, why don't you come by my office tomorrow. Shalimar will take you with her. Won't you honey?" Daddy asked me.
"Sure Daddy." I didn't want to push my luck after the report card incident.
**********************************************************************************************
After dinner daddy went to his lab where he usually worked and Brennan and I were stuck in the living room. And as if to spite me, instead of making a descent conversation he went over to the couch and started flipping through channels.
"Move over Sparky. This isn't your couch." I tell him.
"Its dad's and he isn't saying anything." He replies.
"He is not your dad. Why don't you torture someone else?" I ask him in an irritated voice.
"Looks like I might be moving here permanently. How would you like that goldilocks?" He tries to grab me but I move over.
"We'll see." I flash my eyes at him. He just laughs and changes the channel to a news broadcast.
"Turn it off. I want to watch the X Men cartoon." I tell him.
"Shalimar do you ever care what's happening to other people except you. All you care about is yourself. Try not to contaminate me with that. I'd really like to know what happened in the real world today. So please, go back to calling your airhead friends or something." Brennan said in an irritating tone.
Brennan calling me selfish really hurt. More than even I could admit to myself. Tears stung at the corners of my eyes.
He must have understood because the next moment he turned off the news and switched the channel to the cartoons.
"Shal, there you go. Cartoony goodness just for you." He tried to gently put the remote in my hand. But what he didn't know was that he had hurt the feral inside me. I jumped up from the sofa.
"I hope you are happy. You have just spoiled my entire night." I screamed at him and ran upstairs towards my room.
From the corner of my eye I could see him sitting dumbfounded on the sofa. He threw the remote aside.
**********************************************************************************************
Did you like it? Should I continue?
Feedback: lornein@hotmail.com