A/N: Thank you for the positive reviews, I really am grateful as I know a lot of people find it painful to review, hehe. Anyway, for you guys, I will continue to do my best to make this story's updates active. Thanks again. (Hey, I just realized I missed Futurama for this :P).
Oh yes, and pronunciation for the confused ('tis OK, I am often confused too).
Desirae = Dez-er-ay
Rae = Ray
-----
Dib didn't know what was going on. His eyes were still clenched shut. He knew the desk had thrown him to the ground and knew it had returned to the classroom… that was what was supposed to happen, after all, and he had heard a mechanical whir after he had hit the ground. There was a knot in his stomach, and it was tightening with fear with each breath he took. Dib didn't want to open his eyes and see—he was afraid to see. He was afraid to know and face what horrors lay waiting for him. The Underground Classroom… a tremor shook through his body as he thought of all those days he had roamed the Skool halls, unaware of the human life stirring beneath his feet.
At last a rough voice shook him from his stupor: "Hey, a new kid!" Dib's eyes snapped open and he righted himself, screwing up his eyes to better see in the darkness. A large boy was running at him, excitement portrayed in his bounding leaps, bright eyes, and wicked smile. He was short and stocky, with broad shoulders and a bald head, and his fleshy gut was hanging out of his green cargo pants… quite obviously his too-tight white tank-top couldn't keep his bulging tummy at bay. At last he stopped before Dib, panting and sweating profusely. He mopped the perspiration off his forehead with the back of his hand and with a final gasp managed to retain his composure, as other kids came and formed a circle around the sitting Dib, who flinched under their calculating stares.
"A new kid," a girl with long yellow curls and dark brown eyes (heavily made-up) crooned. "How nice to meet you." The others snickered, as if knowing this was part of a game… Dib swallowed heavily and gave a shaky smile. He began to stand, but the fat bald one pressed a meaty hand against his chest and shoved him back to the ground. The circle rang with sharp laughter.
"Going somewhere, new kid?" a thin, wiry boy inquired, greasy brown hair veiling his cool blue eyes. "Nah, he ain't going anywhere. We'll make sure of that," the brunette beside him answered, throwing her long straight hair over her shoulder with a quick snap of her head.
"Look, I'd love to stay and all, but, um…" Dib began, and the fat one gave a deep throaty laugh. He swung a fist at him, but Dib jerked away at the last moment, and the punch missed and threw the fat kid off balance. His girth carried him against the curly-haired girl standing beside him, and with a squeal she took a ride to the ground with him. Dib saw the break in the circle, so he leapt to his feet and ran. Voices and pounding feet clashed as they realized they had let their prey loose. The chase was on.
Dib didn't get very far, though. He didn't know this territory—he was still in awe of its existence!—and the darkness hindered his ability to maneuver around the place, especially since he didn't know where things were and of course couldn't see them very well. At last the gang caught him, and they had a purpose and a reason to mistreat him now—he wasn't just a new kid anymore, he was a new kid that dared to elude them and escape what was coming to him. They beat at him with a vengeance, swinging their fists and kicking their feet, until at last they stopped when a voice broke the air.
"Hey, what are you doing?! Are you badgering a new kid again?! Get off!"
The circle broke and opened to make way for a short girl with short raven hair and an authoritative look in her narrowed brown eyes. Her freckled face was barely visible in the dim light. "You heard me!" she said. "Leave him alone."
The fat kid, who had been holding Dib against his gut to increase his helplessness against incoming attacks, reluctantly dropped him to the ground. "We was just playin' around, Rae," he mumbled, as a small child caught in a shameful act would tell a parent.
"Playin' around, great, Tor," the girl called Rae laughed sardonically, "why don't you go play around and not hurt anyone this time." With an exchange of whispers, Tor and the kids threw resentful looks at Rae before scattering off. She looked down at Dib. "They didn't get you too bad," she said disinterestedly. "Why don't you get up, new kid."
Dib obeyed, standing on his shaky feet and saying, "My name is Dib, thank you, and I'd like to go back to my classroom."
Rae gave a short laugh. "Go back to your classroom, really? Well, Dib, I'm Desirae, or Rae as I am obviously known, and I'm here to tell you that you won't be going back to your classroom. Sorry."
"Why not?" Dib cried, his heart sinking like a stone. He could almost feel the weight of the world on top of him, being destroyed by Zim. "I have to go back. Where's the teacher?"
"Teacher!" Rae cackled. "Oh, you take the 'Underground Classroom' literally, do you? Well sorry, bucko. There's nothing here but kids and what we need to survive. The Skool doesn't have enough funding to give us real meals—at least they didn't back when I was up above—do you really think they'd have the money to fund a separate Skool or even 'classroom,' as they say, beneath it? You're not that stupid, are you?"
"No…! What do your parents say or do?"
"Nothing. They couldn't care less. Even if they did care, they're just told that we were such remarkable students that we were sent to a boarding school in Siberia. That usually works. People in this town are oblivious. They wouldn't notice if their house disappeared."
"I guess you're right about that," Dib admitted, feeling defeated. "How do you get your food, anyway?"
"Leftovers, garbage—any trash in the Skool is thrown down here through garbage chutes. We get by."
"Has anyone ever gone back…'up above?'"
"There's no way up besides the desks… some people have tried to escape by hitching a ride after a new kid is thrown down, but of course they'd be emerging in a classroom full of people, and they're always caught and returned. Once you're down here, you stay down here—they can't risk you going back because then you know and then you talk, and that gets the Skool in trouble."
"But I need to go back up! There's an alien up there, and he—"
Desirae laughed heartily. "No matter how many excuses you create, Dib, you can't go back. Come with me, I'll find you an empty bed… it's sleeping time."
"Sleeping time! But it's still day!"
"Dib, down here there is no day or night. We follow a schedule, and on this schedule's particular time, call it your 'night.' Now come on."
Dib felt a churning in his stomach—so it was no different down here. His "crazy" ideas still weren't going to be accepted, even by people who were in a rather equally strange phenomenon. He was stuck down here in this dark place he barely knew anything about, with people already out to get him and only one person who offered help… Dib thought it would be best if he made friends with people soon, to better protect himself.
"Thanks, Rae, for helping get those kids off of me," he said as he followed the girl, trying to match her quick pace as she went in search of a bed.
"Yeah, whatever," she muttered, "I do it for all the new kids the first day. After that, you're on your own, buddy." She stopped in front of a makeshift bed: a shredded comforter and a lumpy pillow lain across a row of rickety crates.
"Get some rest, Dib," Rae said as she began to strut away, checking to make sure the other kids were slipping into their beds too. "You're gonna need some good rest to learn some more about this place tomorrow—because there's a lot more to learn." Dib looked at his uncomfortable-looking bed, and then glanced back to see Tor grinning malevolently at him, lying on the bed beside his own. Dib gulped.
He was on his own.
Oh yes, and pronunciation for the confused ('tis OK, I am often confused too).
Desirae = Dez-er-ay
Rae = Ray
-----
Dib didn't know what was going on. His eyes were still clenched shut. He knew the desk had thrown him to the ground and knew it had returned to the classroom… that was what was supposed to happen, after all, and he had heard a mechanical whir after he had hit the ground. There was a knot in his stomach, and it was tightening with fear with each breath he took. Dib didn't want to open his eyes and see—he was afraid to see. He was afraid to know and face what horrors lay waiting for him. The Underground Classroom… a tremor shook through his body as he thought of all those days he had roamed the Skool halls, unaware of the human life stirring beneath his feet.
At last a rough voice shook him from his stupor: "Hey, a new kid!" Dib's eyes snapped open and he righted himself, screwing up his eyes to better see in the darkness. A large boy was running at him, excitement portrayed in his bounding leaps, bright eyes, and wicked smile. He was short and stocky, with broad shoulders and a bald head, and his fleshy gut was hanging out of his green cargo pants… quite obviously his too-tight white tank-top couldn't keep his bulging tummy at bay. At last he stopped before Dib, panting and sweating profusely. He mopped the perspiration off his forehead with the back of his hand and with a final gasp managed to retain his composure, as other kids came and formed a circle around the sitting Dib, who flinched under their calculating stares.
"A new kid," a girl with long yellow curls and dark brown eyes (heavily made-up) crooned. "How nice to meet you." The others snickered, as if knowing this was part of a game… Dib swallowed heavily and gave a shaky smile. He began to stand, but the fat bald one pressed a meaty hand against his chest and shoved him back to the ground. The circle rang with sharp laughter.
"Going somewhere, new kid?" a thin, wiry boy inquired, greasy brown hair veiling his cool blue eyes. "Nah, he ain't going anywhere. We'll make sure of that," the brunette beside him answered, throwing her long straight hair over her shoulder with a quick snap of her head.
"Look, I'd love to stay and all, but, um…" Dib began, and the fat one gave a deep throaty laugh. He swung a fist at him, but Dib jerked away at the last moment, and the punch missed and threw the fat kid off balance. His girth carried him against the curly-haired girl standing beside him, and with a squeal she took a ride to the ground with him. Dib saw the break in the circle, so he leapt to his feet and ran. Voices and pounding feet clashed as they realized they had let their prey loose. The chase was on.
Dib didn't get very far, though. He didn't know this territory—he was still in awe of its existence!—and the darkness hindered his ability to maneuver around the place, especially since he didn't know where things were and of course couldn't see them very well. At last the gang caught him, and they had a purpose and a reason to mistreat him now—he wasn't just a new kid anymore, he was a new kid that dared to elude them and escape what was coming to him. They beat at him with a vengeance, swinging their fists and kicking their feet, until at last they stopped when a voice broke the air.
"Hey, what are you doing?! Are you badgering a new kid again?! Get off!"
The circle broke and opened to make way for a short girl with short raven hair and an authoritative look in her narrowed brown eyes. Her freckled face was barely visible in the dim light. "You heard me!" she said. "Leave him alone."
The fat kid, who had been holding Dib against his gut to increase his helplessness against incoming attacks, reluctantly dropped him to the ground. "We was just playin' around, Rae," he mumbled, as a small child caught in a shameful act would tell a parent.
"Playin' around, great, Tor," the girl called Rae laughed sardonically, "why don't you go play around and not hurt anyone this time." With an exchange of whispers, Tor and the kids threw resentful looks at Rae before scattering off. She looked down at Dib. "They didn't get you too bad," she said disinterestedly. "Why don't you get up, new kid."
Dib obeyed, standing on his shaky feet and saying, "My name is Dib, thank you, and I'd like to go back to my classroom."
Rae gave a short laugh. "Go back to your classroom, really? Well, Dib, I'm Desirae, or Rae as I am obviously known, and I'm here to tell you that you won't be going back to your classroom. Sorry."
"Why not?" Dib cried, his heart sinking like a stone. He could almost feel the weight of the world on top of him, being destroyed by Zim. "I have to go back. Where's the teacher?"
"Teacher!" Rae cackled. "Oh, you take the 'Underground Classroom' literally, do you? Well sorry, bucko. There's nothing here but kids and what we need to survive. The Skool doesn't have enough funding to give us real meals—at least they didn't back when I was up above—do you really think they'd have the money to fund a separate Skool or even 'classroom,' as they say, beneath it? You're not that stupid, are you?"
"No…! What do your parents say or do?"
"Nothing. They couldn't care less. Even if they did care, they're just told that we were such remarkable students that we were sent to a boarding school in Siberia. That usually works. People in this town are oblivious. They wouldn't notice if their house disappeared."
"I guess you're right about that," Dib admitted, feeling defeated. "How do you get your food, anyway?"
"Leftovers, garbage—any trash in the Skool is thrown down here through garbage chutes. We get by."
"Has anyone ever gone back…'up above?'"
"There's no way up besides the desks… some people have tried to escape by hitching a ride after a new kid is thrown down, but of course they'd be emerging in a classroom full of people, and they're always caught and returned. Once you're down here, you stay down here—they can't risk you going back because then you know and then you talk, and that gets the Skool in trouble."
"But I need to go back up! There's an alien up there, and he—"
Desirae laughed heartily. "No matter how many excuses you create, Dib, you can't go back. Come with me, I'll find you an empty bed… it's sleeping time."
"Sleeping time! But it's still day!"
"Dib, down here there is no day or night. We follow a schedule, and on this schedule's particular time, call it your 'night.' Now come on."
Dib felt a churning in his stomach—so it was no different down here. His "crazy" ideas still weren't going to be accepted, even by people who were in a rather equally strange phenomenon. He was stuck down here in this dark place he barely knew anything about, with people already out to get him and only one person who offered help… Dib thought it would be best if he made friends with people soon, to better protect himself.
"Thanks, Rae, for helping get those kids off of me," he said as he followed the girl, trying to match her quick pace as she went in search of a bed.
"Yeah, whatever," she muttered, "I do it for all the new kids the first day. After that, you're on your own, buddy." She stopped in front of a makeshift bed: a shredded comforter and a lumpy pillow lain across a row of rickety crates.
"Get some rest, Dib," Rae said as she began to strut away, checking to make sure the other kids were slipping into their beds too. "You're gonna need some good rest to learn some more about this place tomorrow—because there's a lot more to learn." Dib looked at his uncomfortable-looking bed, and then glanced back to see Tor grinning malevolently at him, lying on the bed beside his own. Dib gulped.
He was on his own.