4. Fifteen, part two

"It looks like you'll be out of here within the next two days, Gantu," A doctor informed him as he was trying to show Gantu how to change bandages correctly.

Gantu didn't reply, only very mad on how his attempt to change the bandages looked like a mess and it made the very noticeable and slightly bleeding cuts hurt more. Another thing that got him mad was that his friends couldn't visit him, and his dad had. A doctor was in the room, unplugging a heart monitor next to him because it was of no use, so his dad obviously wasn't going to do anything. Anyway, Gantu didn't think his dad would to begin with. All he got was a lecture on what he did. No 'thank goodness you're okay' or anything like that.

After much time, Gantu finally managed to bandage them successfully, and leaned back, staring at the same gray ceiling that he had been staring at for the past week and two days. At least he was getting out.

-

The dark red craft turned a corner, and this caused Gantu to remember to put on the seat belt. Venes was silent and somehow managed to let Gantu put a CD in when he had found the case laying in the back seat. The music softly played, because Gantu learned the hard way that playing it loud caused Venes to have a serious headache. There was a long silence, when Venes said, "When I was in the hospital, your friends were in the lobby."

"Really?" Gantu looked up.

"Your friend Juska told me that she had something for you. I guess she knew you were going to be alright, but she couldn't visit because only family can visit you," he said, and, eyes still on the road, started to find something near the feet of his seat. He finally pulled out a stack of papers with something on the front, and he handed it to Gantu.

Before bothering to read the note on top of everything, Gantu slid his eyes to Venes, though with his pupil-less eyes you couldn't tell. "Did you read it?"

"Why would I?" Venes growled. "I don't care what goes on between you and her."

Gantu shrugged and began reading it. He could tell that she had written it in the lobby because of the cheap looking pencil lead, and how it looked like it had been scribbled on. He slowly read it, as if not to miss anything.

"Before I start, I'm just going to say that this isn't a note lecturing you on how what you did was wrong, even though I entirely agree on that. I signed up for the squadron in advance. Instead of going to normal high school, I'll be going to squadron battle craft academy. Flying starts once your seventeen. Anyway, I heard that suicide does a lot to people, and I seriously don't mean to make your mad here, but I didn't know if you did that because we (as in Brian, Avon, Valec and I) didn't really give you much attention, but I am so sorry if that is it and I don't want you thinking that, because we've been best friends ever since third grade and I love you like a brother. Because if you didn't like me, I decided that I should give you a form to fill out for the squadron or militia if you still wanted to. It was the last one, and therefore the last opening. A lot of people went this year. I guess it's because they don't want their son or daughter to be drafted. Anyway, I didn't know whether you still wanted to be in it or not, but I grabbed it anyway. I don't know where you'll be when you're reading this or when, I guess it depends on when Venes sees you, but my god you better get better or I will seriously find you and tear your dead corpse to pieces.

- Juska - -"

Gantu blinked. She signed up for the squadron in advance? He looked at the forms. It had to have a parents signature if younger than seventeen in millions of places. Gantu looked at Venes, who was concentrating on the road. Deciding not to bring up the subject at the time, he looked through the papers. Half of it was for the militia and the other the squadron. Gantu already knew that he wanted to be a part of the squadron, but didn't exactly know whether or not he wanted to. Juska was in it now, there was someone to go with, and she needed someone to know.

He set down the papers and looked out the windows and leaned his head against it. The horns on the sides of his head flattened against it. A craft nearby with a bunch of people his age in the pilots seat and clearly underage drove by, blaring music. The pilot gave him an odd look, and one acidic glare sent them speeding away.

-

"GANTU!"

Avon went flying across the yard and leapt up, her legs and tail wrapping him up in a hug and she was hanging on his torso and dangling there. Brian and Valec didn't seem to notice him until she screamed his name. Even though Avon didn't push him down, Gantu was near falling and trying to balance but her tail was wagging like a propeller and not helping at all. After much time he already fell, but Brian and Valec helped both of them to their feet.

The two guys had looks on their faces like they were expecting for him to say, 'I don't need you guys anymore,' but Avon was just crazy. They stood in front of Gantu's home, where Venes just simply walked past and inside. After much time of just talking and tem demanding an explanation (Gantu said no more than he couldn't explain) Gantu finally looked around and noticed something was missing.

"Where's Juska?" He asked, looking around as if expecting she would spring out from hiding.

"She said she was going to go and see if she was accepted into the academy. It's been about a week since she last turned it in. On your birthday, to be exact," Valec quickly informed him.

"Oh. I'm going to go and see her, then," Gantu answered. He knew where to go. Every time he passed the building a bunch of questions about the future would spring into mind.

-

Juska was inside, leaning against the wall and bored as ever, waiting for the guy inside to tell her whether or not she was accepted. Just about everything had been looked at about her. Her grades, courses and everything in school. The guy working returned and gave her another one of those looks whenever his one eye laid on her. He had three tentacle-like legs and an annoying antennae sticking out of his head. First, she was a girl. And second, she could be considered a punk or gothic girl.

Gantu walked in and spotted her before she did see him. The guy working there said something really quick and she answered with a simple 'yeah' and turned. She almost walked right into Gantu. She was ready to apologize, not looking where she was going and then saw Gantu. She smiled crookedly. "Are you mad?"

"No," he answered. "Why would I?"

"I don't know. You never tell anyone anything so I didn't have that much of an idea," she answered. "Did you decide whether you're going to be in the squadron or not? I made it."

He pulled out the forms from his pocket. "Yeah."

Juska shoved him towards the counter and so he could turn them in, her eyes lingering on the bandages around his wrists. After a few minutes of that one-eyed guy questioning him, they turned and left.

-

Within two weeks, you guessed it. Rumors of Gantu's suicide spread, somehow. It lead from slitting the wrists to slitting his throat. He was in his room, just wanting to be alone. Even though they were just trying to be nice, his friends spent a little too much time with him. He sat on his large bed trying to find something to do by going through magazines and taking those quizzes. So far, he was determined a loner for the 'what group do you fit in' quiz. He wasn't having too much fun, when his eyes saw something from the corner of his eye. That lady from the hospital, Dr. Wagner was coming. He exhaled. He forgot. His first scheduled appointment was today.

Gantu got up and walked downstairs, and opened the door before she even knocked. Her arm was in the air and her hand in a fist as if ready to, though. She smiled. "I guess you've been waiting?"

"Yeah," he murmured and turned to face the stairs. "I have to go with the doctor!"

The reply from Venes was a simple 'fine' and they left. The car-ride to the office wasn't exactly fun. First, she tried the radio and listening to what he liked. For a forty year-old, it appeared as though she thought she was sixteen again and kicking. Gantu came up with some sorry excuse not to listen to that, and the rest of the ride was silent. Upon arriving there, they went in the building and up an elevator.

It just occurred to Gantu that he was very tall compared to her. She reached about his shoulders. He didn't know why, but that made him not want to go through with this even more. They finally entered her office. It was clean. TOO clean and very suspicious.

"Go ahead and sit down," Dr. Wagner suggested, and he answered by noisily flopping down in that classic couch you always see the patient lying in on TV and whatnot.

"Have you been doing okay since you got back?" She asked, and pulled a notepad out from seemingly nowhere.

Gantu suddenly didn't want to sit on the couch anymore for some reason and went into a sitting position instead of being sprawled across it. "Yeah, I guess," he answered.

She wrote something, and Gantu wanted to break the mechanical pencil she was using because the lead squeaked. She didn't seem to care at all, though it was driving him crazy.

"Let's get started," she said and flipped unto a new page on her notepad.

'No,' Gantu thought, not enjoying this too much.

"Anything you want to talk about?" she asked.

Silence. "Uh, not really," Gantu replied.

Since his eyes had no pupils, she probably didn't notice he was staring at that aggravating pencil, eye twitching every time it squeaked much louder than necessary.

"Alright. Then I'll ask you some questions, just so I could know you better," Dr. Wagner stated. "What's your favorite color?"

"Black," he quickly replied.

She didn't seem too surprised. "Alright then. What is your best talent?"

"I don't have any," he once again answered, not wanting to tell her every bit of information about himself.

"Everyone has one. Just think for a minute," she said.

Gantu really didn't want to be doing this all day. Might as well go along with it. "I have a good memory," he answered.

At the time, having a good memory was pretty great. But later, it wouldn't be when he'd be forced to remember events that would haunt him forever. Gantu twitched when the pencil squeaked.

TBC

A/N - WHAT A BORING CHAPTER! I can't wait until the next one, because that is when action starts happening! Boo-yah! Review answering time -

BlueFox Gantu's Lover - I read your story, and it was great. I recommend it to EVERYONE! BWAH! Anyway, my best wishes on you successfully capturing Gantu and making him become your boyfriend or whatever your fantasies are. (

PurpleJoy6 - Your story wasn't bad, it was good and I loved it like a sandwich and 625. . . without eating it. Out of your favorite experiments, mine is Felix and Spooky. Bonnie is cool, too, she has an accent. I'm Jealous.

TurtleGirl - I know he said that, but friends make a better plot, does it not? I rhymed! And Gantu does need a big, fat and juicy hug, except if he hugged back it would probably break a spine. Or two. Strong Gantu. . .