Chapter 10- Encounters
Randall sat bolt upright, his eyes two ring-stones of emerald green in the dark created by the bunk-bed above him. As he sat up, his whole structure shaking, his head hit the bunk above him with a sickening THUD, and he flopped back down onto the comforting warmth of his pillow, a headache already forming in his brain after only a few seconds of being awake. The dreadful, cat-like singing bursting out of the bathroom didn't help, either. Randall brought his top two hands over his forehead where he had been hit, and then put one back down his side, leaving the other to soothe his thumping headache. Why he had woken up so abruptly, Randall strangely couldn't remember, but he wasn't so bothered about it; it was a dream, after all, and, in Randall's experience, dreams NEVER came true.
Jerome came out of the bathroom, a whit foam moustache around his mouth as he brushed his teeth. He stopped brushing for a second to speak to Randall.
"You're awake, then, eh? Jay waited for you-a for long, long time, but you no come, so he goes to have breakfast. Fungus went too." He waved his toothbrush in the air accusingly. "You keep this up-a, and you won't be in the Professor's good books, ya know that?" Randall hadn't actually heard a word that Jerome had said, but he got the gist of it by his roommate's tone of voice.
Cautiously, he sat up in bed, making sure that there wasn't a repeat performance of what had happened before. He rolled out of bed, still massaging his forehead tenderly. Jerome dropped his toothbrush, mouth agape and standing stock-still at the sight of Randall. The lizard-monster gave Jerome a weird look, then bent down and picked up the toothbrush for him, seeing that he wouldn't be moving any time soon. He slipped it into his roommate's outstretched hand and then, stretching his arms after such a deep sleep, waved a hand in front of his face.
"Hello? Anyone there?" Randall folded his arms, thinking that Jerome was just ignoring him for some obscure reason. "I'd wash that toothbrush before using it again if I were you." Still Jerome stayed static, and after several seconds, Randall got impatient with him.
"What's the matter with you? Don't tell me you've suddenly gone brain-dead or something?" Randall shook his head and began to make his way to the bathroom. "Wouldn't surprise me, though." Jerome suddenly turned to face Randall once more, and started to shout at him for a reason unknown.
"You're a freak! I knew it! I knew you were one of-a them! Aaaargh!" He ran out the room, the toothpaste moustache making him look like a demented Lincoln, still shouting and waving his arms about, praying to his God to tell him that whatever's wrong didn't just happen, and leaving the door wide open. Randall just stared after him, taking a note in his mind to get revenge on Jerome's outburst, and went to close the door. As he passed the mirror which had been hung on a crumbling wall adjacent to the door, he paused for a second, brushing back his fronds to their usual position and admiring himself for a moment before reaching out to close the door. As he did so, he stopped in his tracks once again, and went back to the mirror.
Now it was his turn to gasp as a pale-blue Randall stared back at him. He looked down at one of his arms, rubbing it with another hand to see if it was real or just some practical joke that someone had played on him during the night. But it was real enough, and, as Randall rubbed his arms, his scales slowly faded back to their usual shade of purple with a bizarre sound as they shifted. Rubbing his eyes disbelievingly, Randall blinked several times and decided that he must not have had a very good night's sleep the previous night.
But, although he was, in essence, correct, what else would explain the way that Jerome had reacted to him? Subconsciously shaking his head to himself, Randall went to the bathroom to wash, looking around as he went to find someone hiding with a packet of blue powder in the shower, or behind the toilet. But, no matter how many random excuses Randall could come up with to explain this phenomenon, the large part of his brain dedicated to common sense won the battle every time, much to his annoyance.
He had a freezing cold shower (Jerome and the others had used up all of the hot water) and, brushing his teeth to infinity, Randall admired himself in the mirror for a moment, then spat out the toothpaste and went wiped his face before going down to the Hall to have breakfast. Once again, the Hall was packed to the brim, students bustling about here and there and enjoying their breakfast of cereal and toast. Randall spotted Jay with a group of their House-mates, seeming to be getting all of the attention. After an eternity of shoving and pushing, Randall managed to reach the table and leant over Jay's shoulder.
"Hey, Jay." The spike-laden monster turned around in his seat, grinning and giving a thumbs-up as his 'pose'' watched his every move, suddenly seeming so intrigued in this otherwise unpopular monster.
"Yo, Randall! Err...I don't think there're any more seats on this table- you know what my friends are like, takin' up too much space!"
"Friends?" Randall looked up at the group of monsters who, for some reason, had decided that Jay was their master, their leader, and that everything he said was true.
"Yeah!" one piped up- a short, little pink girl with a fish-like face and tentacles for arms.
"Jay-Jay is just telling us how his great-uncle is related to Fangs McDonald, and the days when he was his Scare Assistant! It's AMAZING..." Randall looked back down at Jay suspiciously.
"But you said that he was the guy that made tea-"
"Randall, Randall, Randall...ya see, I didn't want you feeling awkward, y'know, being friends with a celebrity an' all." Randall snorted incredulously.
"Sure..." He left Jay to his fantasies and fake friends, and looked around for a spare chair. There was one next to Xenon not too far away, and, as he seemed to be alone, it was ideal. After another period of pushing, Randall flopped down in the seat, already exhausted. Xenon noticed him and greeted him warmly.
"Hello, Randall."
"Hi. Could ya pass the cereal? Thanks." There was silence for several minutes between them other than a constant MUNCH, MUNCH, but then, for the first time since they had met, Xenon began a conversation.
"Where's Jay?"
"He's sitting with his 'friends'," Randall replied, playing with his food and stirring the now soggy 'Monster Wheats' (little green balls with toenail flakes drenched in prime slime). "Uh...I don't mean to be nosy, Xen, but who's your brother or sister? Coz I heard that Mr Stefani had two kids in South House." Xenon nodded, confirming that Randall's facts were right.
"I've got a sister, Zephyr." Randall dropped his spoon, and it clashed onto the floor, the prime slime and Monster Wheats that were on it spilling.
"Z-Zephyr?" he stuttered, not knowing why. "SHE'S your SISTER?!" Xenon nodded yet again, noting the panic in Randall's voice, and then carried on with his cereal. The dream rushed back to Randall, all of the events and happenings that previous night flashing before his eyes, and he suddenly realised how mush she meant to him. I mean, she was a piece of the puzzle, and ALL pieces were very important, not only Zephyr. She was nothing special. Just another piece of the puzzle. He didn't care about her. Not at all. Of course.
Randall repeated this over and over in his head. Why he had to, he didn't really know. Or did he?
******************
The large mirror in the girl's bathroom wasn't big enough for all four of them to put on their ridiculous make-up of lip-stick and eyeshadow, and all of the other cosmetics laden with chemicals that would, rather than making them easy on the eyes, would make them so hard on the eyes that being poked with a cocktail stick in your pupil, or even several cocktail sticks, really wouldn't compare. Luckily, one of the girls refused to wear any make- up, so the squabbling had turned down a notch.
"Come on, Zeph," one called to the girl who was leaning in the doorway in a what-is-the-point-of-this stance. "Don't you want to look nice for the guys downstairs?"
"No," she replied huffily, wondering why she had even chosen to hang out with this group. But, then again, it wasn't her choice. It was Cy's. "The git," she added, to make the statement more truthful. "And I thought I was manipulative..." She rubbed the back of her neck thoughtfully, then smiled as her three roommates were finally satisfied with their make-up, leaving the room before locking up. They wandered along the corridors, chit-chatting as they went in the manner that was stated in the book 'How To Be An A-Class Idiot'. Zephyr tried not to join in, as always, but she was dragged in eventually, like usual. But this time, she wasn't 'dragged-in' per-say. This time, for once, the whole conversation had revolved around her.
"Hey, Zephyr?" said Celia, the snake-haired gal who, in Zephyr's opinion, wasn't too bad. "You came back very late last night, and you've been missing so many lessons. What's been happening?"
"Having a father who's the Head of the Uni that you go to has its perks," she replied, not stuttering or faltering; she was a trained liar, and a situation escaper at heart.
"Perks, huh? What KIND of perks?" spoke another of the group, batting her purple eyelids.
"That's my own business." All of the girls giggled other than Zephyr, obviously, and, in unison squealed "ooooh!" Zephyr sighed, lagging on behind them, pleased that this conversation was over as the others began to argue whose lip-gloss had the sweetest scent. But at least she had rid them of their suspicions. She couldn't afford her 'friends' finding out anything, even though they if they had found out something, their little brains wouldn't be able to put the information to the best use. Well, she wouldn't let them, that is. But if anyone DID ever find out anything...especially Randall...the consequences really would be unbearable. Zephyr knew, and had known since the very second she had gotten involved with all of this, that her life was seriously at stake. The next few weeks were precious to the plan, and she couldn't afford to mess up...not now. No. She just couldn't let it happen. Anyways, there were too many people looking forward to the final results, and the Monster World would never be the same again.
They had made slow progress to the Hall and, as the large Oak doors came into view, Zephyr growled. Everyone was pouring out of the Hall after having eaten their breakfast, so she and 'the gang' had missed the most important meal of the day, just because of some stupid make-up.
"Oh well. I don't get any sleep, so I might as well not get any food," she murmured to herself, setting her bag on the floor, kneeling down and retrieving her time-table. The others were all complaining now as well, saying that if they didn't have their grapefruit, they wouldn't be able to make it through the day. Zephyr, in all honesty, didn't actually care, but they didn't know that, did they?
"What's first...agricultural studies," Zephyr sighed, and looking at the number below the name of the lesson, she saw that she would be with Randall for...Zephyr mumbled as she worked it out...the first four periods.
"Great. I have to put up with Mr Why-Are-You-Staring-At-Me all morning." Right on cue, just as Zephyr was about to pack her bag away to catch up with her impatient friends, a purple, three-toed foot kicked it, its contents spilling out over the floor.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't see..." gasped Randall. But, as he whose bag it was, he immediately stopped apologising, and, getting his brain into gear, scooped to pick up Zephyr's belongings. She snatched them out of his hands, desperate for Randall to leave, and gave him a hard, cold look. Surprisingly, he grinned and folded his arms loosely.
"And I'M pathetic? Pfft." Over to his left, Randall could hear a bit of commotion, and he and Zephyr turned in unison to see Zephyr's friends coming over. But before they could start doing what they do best, Carmen stepped forward.
"Just leave Randall alone, or I might be forced to inform the Professor of your misbehaviour." Randall stared at Carmen for a second, pleasantly surprised, and then turned to Zephyr. She had returned to glowering at Randall, but for a second, her expression was blank as she remembered something important. Carmen was still battling it out with the other girls, so Randall decided to make his escape while he had the chance. He made his way outside to his next lesson, Xenon following behind him, not before striking Zephyr's bag again; this time, on purpose.
Zephyr had the urge to smack herself upside the head, realising what she had just done, and called out a desperate "sorry!" to Randall. But he had already gone. Zephyr's face crumpled momentarily, and, after a second, she looked as though she was about to burst into tears, for some reason. She shook the hurt out of herself before this could happen, though why she was even worried or upset was beyond her.
"I guess I'm just afraid of what Cy'll do if I don't keep Randall 'preoccupied,' as he put it so brutally. But since when did I care about what Cy wants me to do? But what else could it be?" The answer was painstakingly obvious, especially to Zephyr, but she couldn't accept it. No. Not now, not ever.
******************
The greenhouse was hot and humid, the air having a suffocating heaviness about it; quite a sickly, penetrating heaviness that made you feel as though you had eaten too much toffee. All of Crynferse's lessons and subjects seemed to have their own peeves, as did their Professors and Lecturers, and the expert on this particular subject, Professor Comoroy, a tall, lanky looking monster with one large eye centred in the middle of his forehead, followed suite. He had the inability to control a class and refused to make them quieten down, afraid of the students turning against him. After explaining this lesson's task, he crawled away into a corner of the greenhouse and let the students get on with it, even though many had no idea what to do.
Carmen came over to Randall and Jay, but not for the reason they had expected.
"I saw what happened earlier and in the previous days." Randall understood what Carmen was getting at, but, for a second, it was a mystery to Jay. "I have known those girls for several years now, as they had gone to my secondary school, and their reports are appalling. They are quite a troublesome bunch, but if you continue fighting for yourself as you have been doing, I believe we will win this war." Jay burst out laughing at this girl's mannerisms of speech, but Randall just smiled warmly.
"Thanks, but the one giving me the most hassle is Zephyr." Carmen was subtly shocked.
"Really? That's quite a surprise- Zephyr has a good report so far, even though she has been known to be quite antisocial. But her primary school life is a mystery, as is the start of her secondary school." Randall was interested by this statement and urged Carmen to continue. "If you want my humble opinion," Carmen said, Jay sniggering in the background. "Humble?" he murmured, sneering. Carmen shot him an angry look, and then carried on.
"As I was saying, in my opinion, I think Mr Stefani has a few secrets that he's rather ashamed of, but these only apply to Zephyr. Xenon, on the other hand, has a full school history, which is as most students have."
"And how exactly did you get this information?" asked Randall, shifting his body to a more neutral stance.
"I have access as South House's Captiness," Carmen replied haughtily, smiling proudly. Randall nodded and turned to dig up a Bagesquealer plant, as they had been instructed to do, handling it carefully so as not to damage its fine roots.
"May I join you?" Carmen asked unsurely, hope lingering in her voice. Randall replied without looking up.
"Sure."
"What?" Jay exclaimed, suddenly furious at Randall's answer. "NO WAY am I working with HER!"
"Jay-"Randall began, quite shocked himself at his friend's protest.
"No, no, it doesn't matter; I shall find someone else to accompany me rather than starting a dispute." Carmen turned around, but before she could go, Randall spoke to her.
"Thanks for helping me out earlier on. It's nice to know who's on my side." Carmen nodded and went to the other side of the greenhouse, searching for a spare Bagesquealer. Now it was time for Randall to have a stern word with Jay.
"Jay-"Randall started yet again, and was interrupted as before.
"Class! Class, I have an announcement to make!" called out the Professor, waving his long arms around wildly. Somehow, he managed to catch most of the class's attention. "In only four days time is the beginning-of-term Prom," he said, reading the statement off of a piece of paper he had just received from a visiting student. "You will be expected to find partners and to learn the Sucerumbon Dance ready for the big evening, which starts at eight pm and finishes at midnight. Drinks and refreshments will be available, and there is no charge or fee. Oh, and Captains and Captinesses are automatically paired." Professor Comoroy sighed, happy that his little announcement was over, and called out one last thing to the already chattering students. "Okay, everyone, get on with your work. If you don't have your Bagesquealer pruned and potted up by the end of the lesson, you will have to work with me at lunchtime to make up for it." There was no point in saying this, though; many students knew from experience of their previous Agricultural Studies lessons that this particular Professor didn't stick to his word and was too much of a scaredy-cat to build up the courage to tell a student off.
"You were gonna say something?" Jay queried Randall. The lizard-monster shook his head.
"Forget about it."
"So, who're you gonna take to the prom?" Randall shrugged.
"Dunno. It's a bit weird, though, having a prom at the beginning of term."
"Yeah, I guess so. Maybe the Professors just want us to get to know each other or something."
"Maybe." Dusting his hands off, Randall turned to face Jay after having done what the Professor had said.
"Jay...I know you won't believe me...but..."
"Yeah? Go on, Ran, don't be shy!" Randall took a deep breath.
"Y'know I came down late this morning?"
"Yep."
"Well, I had had this dream or something- don't ask- and when I woke up...well..."
"Keep going!"
"It was as though I had shifted colour or something-"
"Randall?" A voice called out from behind him, stopping him in his tracks. He turned around, knowing who stood behind him, and prepared for the ice shower that he would experience the second he saw her face.
"Zephyr," he said in a darkly under toned voice.
"How did you find out my name?" she asked quietly, as though she didn't want to offend Randall.
"Your 'friends' told me." Randall narrowed his eyes, showing that he meant business. "Look, what is it with you? Why can't-"
"Randall, I'm sorry." The words had spilled out of her mouth before she could do anything about them, but she knew that she regretted them, even though, deep inside her heart, she was genuinely sorry. "I'm sorry for the way I've treated you. I..." Randall remained annoyed, and didn't reply. Zephyr, for the first time in a long while, let her temper loose for a moment. "Just take it or leave it, okay?!" She stormed off, flaring up momentarily. Jay leaned over the speechless lizard-monster's shoulder.
"We were talkin' about dates?" As he smiled cheekily, Randall grabbed his arm.
"Oh no Jay. I'm not letting her try and get on my good side. Not after everything she's done."
"Well, what HAS she done, other than just being cold towards you?" Jay asked adamantly. Randall let go of him, wondering why he had gripped him so roughly in the first place.
"More than you would think." He picked up the complete tray of Bagesquealers with his top two hands and made his way to the front of the crowded greenhouse. Dodging through and by his classmates, Randall weaved in and out of them expertly, his mind on other things. And, when Randall's mind was on other things, he wasn't concentrating. And, when he wasn't concentrating, accidents would happen. He bumped into a large monster, spilling putrid smelling compost all over his fur before realizing that it was the same monster he had bumped into and spilled acid over only the day before. Great.
The monster turned around and growled angrily at Randall, the little bald patches dotted here and there on his body making him look ridiculous.
"You again?" Randall visibly gulped and took a few steps back, as many as he could in the cramped greenhouse. The monster grabbed Randall by the neck, lifted him up onto his back pair of legs, and threatened him. "If you keep on annoying me like this, I'll hit you so hard that you'll go around the world in less than sixty days- without any help. Got that?" Randall would have nodded, but because of the situation, stayed motionless.
"And if I see you bugging my girls again, those ones over there," whispered the monster, pointing to the group of girls Randall knew all too well, "then I'll PULVERISE YOU TILL YOU AIN'T RECOGNISABLE NO MORE! UNDERSTAND?!" He let go of Randall, thankfully, letting him drop back down onto his fours massaging his red neck tenderly. "I SAID UN-DER-STAND?!" Randall jumped back, and nodded hastily.
"Sure...I'll er, just be going now, okay?" Randall sighed, scooting as far away from the bully, or whatever you want to call him, and calmed his thumping heart, thankful that this particular encounter was over.
Randall sat bolt upright, his eyes two ring-stones of emerald green in the dark created by the bunk-bed above him. As he sat up, his whole structure shaking, his head hit the bunk above him with a sickening THUD, and he flopped back down onto the comforting warmth of his pillow, a headache already forming in his brain after only a few seconds of being awake. The dreadful, cat-like singing bursting out of the bathroom didn't help, either. Randall brought his top two hands over his forehead where he had been hit, and then put one back down his side, leaving the other to soothe his thumping headache. Why he had woken up so abruptly, Randall strangely couldn't remember, but he wasn't so bothered about it; it was a dream, after all, and, in Randall's experience, dreams NEVER came true.
Jerome came out of the bathroom, a whit foam moustache around his mouth as he brushed his teeth. He stopped brushing for a second to speak to Randall.
"You're awake, then, eh? Jay waited for you-a for long, long time, but you no come, so he goes to have breakfast. Fungus went too." He waved his toothbrush in the air accusingly. "You keep this up-a, and you won't be in the Professor's good books, ya know that?" Randall hadn't actually heard a word that Jerome had said, but he got the gist of it by his roommate's tone of voice.
Cautiously, he sat up in bed, making sure that there wasn't a repeat performance of what had happened before. He rolled out of bed, still massaging his forehead tenderly. Jerome dropped his toothbrush, mouth agape and standing stock-still at the sight of Randall. The lizard-monster gave Jerome a weird look, then bent down and picked up the toothbrush for him, seeing that he wouldn't be moving any time soon. He slipped it into his roommate's outstretched hand and then, stretching his arms after such a deep sleep, waved a hand in front of his face.
"Hello? Anyone there?" Randall folded his arms, thinking that Jerome was just ignoring him for some obscure reason. "I'd wash that toothbrush before using it again if I were you." Still Jerome stayed static, and after several seconds, Randall got impatient with him.
"What's the matter with you? Don't tell me you've suddenly gone brain-dead or something?" Randall shook his head and began to make his way to the bathroom. "Wouldn't surprise me, though." Jerome suddenly turned to face Randall once more, and started to shout at him for a reason unknown.
"You're a freak! I knew it! I knew you were one of-a them! Aaaargh!" He ran out the room, the toothpaste moustache making him look like a demented Lincoln, still shouting and waving his arms about, praying to his God to tell him that whatever's wrong didn't just happen, and leaving the door wide open. Randall just stared after him, taking a note in his mind to get revenge on Jerome's outburst, and went to close the door. As he passed the mirror which had been hung on a crumbling wall adjacent to the door, he paused for a second, brushing back his fronds to their usual position and admiring himself for a moment before reaching out to close the door. As he did so, he stopped in his tracks once again, and went back to the mirror.
Now it was his turn to gasp as a pale-blue Randall stared back at him. He looked down at one of his arms, rubbing it with another hand to see if it was real or just some practical joke that someone had played on him during the night. But it was real enough, and, as Randall rubbed his arms, his scales slowly faded back to their usual shade of purple with a bizarre sound as they shifted. Rubbing his eyes disbelievingly, Randall blinked several times and decided that he must not have had a very good night's sleep the previous night.
But, although he was, in essence, correct, what else would explain the way that Jerome had reacted to him? Subconsciously shaking his head to himself, Randall went to the bathroom to wash, looking around as he went to find someone hiding with a packet of blue powder in the shower, or behind the toilet. But, no matter how many random excuses Randall could come up with to explain this phenomenon, the large part of his brain dedicated to common sense won the battle every time, much to his annoyance.
He had a freezing cold shower (Jerome and the others had used up all of the hot water) and, brushing his teeth to infinity, Randall admired himself in the mirror for a moment, then spat out the toothpaste and went wiped his face before going down to the Hall to have breakfast. Once again, the Hall was packed to the brim, students bustling about here and there and enjoying their breakfast of cereal and toast. Randall spotted Jay with a group of their House-mates, seeming to be getting all of the attention. After an eternity of shoving and pushing, Randall managed to reach the table and leant over Jay's shoulder.
"Hey, Jay." The spike-laden monster turned around in his seat, grinning and giving a thumbs-up as his 'pose'' watched his every move, suddenly seeming so intrigued in this otherwise unpopular monster.
"Yo, Randall! Err...I don't think there're any more seats on this table- you know what my friends are like, takin' up too much space!"
"Friends?" Randall looked up at the group of monsters who, for some reason, had decided that Jay was their master, their leader, and that everything he said was true.
"Yeah!" one piped up- a short, little pink girl with a fish-like face and tentacles for arms.
"Jay-Jay is just telling us how his great-uncle is related to Fangs McDonald, and the days when he was his Scare Assistant! It's AMAZING..." Randall looked back down at Jay suspiciously.
"But you said that he was the guy that made tea-"
"Randall, Randall, Randall...ya see, I didn't want you feeling awkward, y'know, being friends with a celebrity an' all." Randall snorted incredulously.
"Sure..." He left Jay to his fantasies and fake friends, and looked around for a spare chair. There was one next to Xenon not too far away, and, as he seemed to be alone, it was ideal. After another period of pushing, Randall flopped down in the seat, already exhausted. Xenon noticed him and greeted him warmly.
"Hello, Randall."
"Hi. Could ya pass the cereal? Thanks." There was silence for several minutes between them other than a constant MUNCH, MUNCH, but then, for the first time since they had met, Xenon began a conversation.
"Where's Jay?"
"He's sitting with his 'friends'," Randall replied, playing with his food and stirring the now soggy 'Monster Wheats' (little green balls with toenail flakes drenched in prime slime). "Uh...I don't mean to be nosy, Xen, but who's your brother or sister? Coz I heard that Mr Stefani had two kids in South House." Xenon nodded, confirming that Randall's facts were right.
"I've got a sister, Zephyr." Randall dropped his spoon, and it clashed onto the floor, the prime slime and Monster Wheats that were on it spilling.
"Z-Zephyr?" he stuttered, not knowing why. "SHE'S your SISTER?!" Xenon nodded yet again, noting the panic in Randall's voice, and then carried on with his cereal. The dream rushed back to Randall, all of the events and happenings that previous night flashing before his eyes, and he suddenly realised how mush she meant to him. I mean, she was a piece of the puzzle, and ALL pieces were very important, not only Zephyr. She was nothing special. Just another piece of the puzzle. He didn't care about her. Not at all. Of course.
Randall repeated this over and over in his head. Why he had to, he didn't really know. Or did he?
******************
The large mirror in the girl's bathroom wasn't big enough for all four of them to put on their ridiculous make-up of lip-stick and eyeshadow, and all of the other cosmetics laden with chemicals that would, rather than making them easy on the eyes, would make them so hard on the eyes that being poked with a cocktail stick in your pupil, or even several cocktail sticks, really wouldn't compare. Luckily, one of the girls refused to wear any make- up, so the squabbling had turned down a notch.
"Come on, Zeph," one called to the girl who was leaning in the doorway in a what-is-the-point-of-this stance. "Don't you want to look nice for the guys downstairs?"
"No," she replied huffily, wondering why she had even chosen to hang out with this group. But, then again, it wasn't her choice. It was Cy's. "The git," she added, to make the statement more truthful. "And I thought I was manipulative..." She rubbed the back of her neck thoughtfully, then smiled as her three roommates were finally satisfied with their make-up, leaving the room before locking up. They wandered along the corridors, chit-chatting as they went in the manner that was stated in the book 'How To Be An A-Class Idiot'. Zephyr tried not to join in, as always, but she was dragged in eventually, like usual. But this time, she wasn't 'dragged-in' per-say. This time, for once, the whole conversation had revolved around her.
"Hey, Zephyr?" said Celia, the snake-haired gal who, in Zephyr's opinion, wasn't too bad. "You came back very late last night, and you've been missing so many lessons. What's been happening?"
"Having a father who's the Head of the Uni that you go to has its perks," she replied, not stuttering or faltering; she was a trained liar, and a situation escaper at heart.
"Perks, huh? What KIND of perks?" spoke another of the group, batting her purple eyelids.
"That's my own business." All of the girls giggled other than Zephyr, obviously, and, in unison squealed "ooooh!" Zephyr sighed, lagging on behind them, pleased that this conversation was over as the others began to argue whose lip-gloss had the sweetest scent. But at least she had rid them of their suspicions. She couldn't afford her 'friends' finding out anything, even though they if they had found out something, their little brains wouldn't be able to put the information to the best use. Well, she wouldn't let them, that is. But if anyone DID ever find out anything...especially Randall...the consequences really would be unbearable. Zephyr knew, and had known since the very second she had gotten involved with all of this, that her life was seriously at stake. The next few weeks were precious to the plan, and she couldn't afford to mess up...not now. No. She just couldn't let it happen. Anyways, there were too many people looking forward to the final results, and the Monster World would never be the same again.
They had made slow progress to the Hall and, as the large Oak doors came into view, Zephyr growled. Everyone was pouring out of the Hall after having eaten their breakfast, so she and 'the gang' had missed the most important meal of the day, just because of some stupid make-up.
"Oh well. I don't get any sleep, so I might as well not get any food," she murmured to herself, setting her bag on the floor, kneeling down and retrieving her time-table. The others were all complaining now as well, saying that if they didn't have their grapefruit, they wouldn't be able to make it through the day. Zephyr, in all honesty, didn't actually care, but they didn't know that, did they?
"What's first...agricultural studies," Zephyr sighed, and looking at the number below the name of the lesson, she saw that she would be with Randall for...Zephyr mumbled as she worked it out...the first four periods.
"Great. I have to put up with Mr Why-Are-You-Staring-At-Me all morning." Right on cue, just as Zephyr was about to pack her bag away to catch up with her impatient friends, a purple, three-toed foot kicked it, its contents spilling out over the floor.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't see..." gasped Randall. But, as he whose bag it was, he immediately stopped apologising, and, getting his brain into gear, scooped to pick up Zephyr's belongings. She snatched them out of his hands, desperate for Randall to leave, and gave him a hard, cold look. Surprisingly, he grinned and folded his arms loosely.
"And I'M pathetic? Pfft." Over to his left, Randall could hear a bit of commotion, and he and Zephyr turned in unison to see Zephyr's friends coming over. But before they could start doing what they do best, Carmen stepped forward.
"Just leave Randall alone, or I might be forced to inform the Professor of your misbehaviour." Randall stared at Carmen for a second, pleasantly surprised, and then turned to Zephyr. She had returned to glowering at Randall, but for a second, her expression was blank as she remembered something important. Carmen was still battling it out with the other girls, so Randall decided to make his escape while he had the chance. He made his way outside to his next lesson, Xenon following behind him, not before striking Zephyr's bag again; this time, on purpose.
Zephyr had the urge to smack herself upside the head, realising what she had just done, and called out a desperate "sorry!" to Randall. But he had already gone. Zephyr's face crumpled momentarily, and, after a second, she looked as though she was about to burst into tears, for some reason. She shook the hurt out of herself before this could happen, though why she was even worried or upset was beyond her.
"I guess I'm just afraid of what Cy'll do if I don't keep Randall 'preoccupied,' as he put it so brutally. But since when did I care about what Cy wants me to do? But what else could it be?" The answer was painstakingly obvious, especially to Zephyr, but she couldn't accept it. No. Not now, not ever.
******************
The greenhouse was hot and humid, the air having a suffocating heaviness about it; quite a sickly, penetrating heaviness that made you feel as though you had eaten too much toffee. All of Crynferse's lessons and subjects seemed to have their own peeves, as did their Professors and Lecturers, and the expert on this particular subject, Professor Comoroy, a tall, lanky looking monster with one large eye centred in the middle of his forehead, followed suite. He had the inability to control a class and refused to make them quieten down, afraid of the students turning against him. After explaining this lesson's task, he crawled away into a corner of the greenhouse and let the students get on with it, even though many had no idea what to do.
Carmen came over to Randall and Jay, but not for the reason they had expected.
"I saw what happened earlier and in the previous days." Randall understood what Carmen was getting at, but, for a second, it was a mystery to Jay. "I have known those girls for several years now, as they had gone to my secondary school, and their reports are appalling. They are quite a troublesome bunch, but if you continue fighting for yourself as you have been doing, I believe we will win this war." Jay burst out laughing at this girl's mannerisms of speech, but Randall just smiled warmly.
"Thanks, but the one giving me the most hassle is Zephyr." Carmen was subtly shocked.
"Really? That's quite a surprise- Zephyr has a good report so far, even though she has been known to be quite antisocial. But her primary school life is a mystery, as is the start of her secondary school." Randall was interested by this statement and urged Carmen to continue. "If you want my humble opinion," Carmen said, Jay sniggering in the background. "Humble?" he murmured, sneering. Carmen shot him an angry look, and then carried on.
"As I was saying, in my opinion, I think Mr Stefani has a few secrets that he's rather ashamed of, but these only apply to Zephyr. Xenon, on the other hand, has a full school history, which is as most students have."
"And how exactly did you get this information?" asked Randall, shifting his body to a more neutral stance.
"I have access as South House's Captiness," Carmen replied haughtily, smiling proudly. Randall nodded and turned to dig up a Bagesquealer plant, as they had been instructed to do, handling it carefully so as not to damage its fine roots.
"May I join you?" Carmen asked unsurely, hope lingering in her voice. Randall replied without looking up.
"Sure."
"What?" Jay exclaimed, suddenly furious at Randall's answer. "NO WAY am I working with HER!"
"Jay-"Randall began, quite shocked himself at his friend's protest.
"No, no, it doesn't matter; I shall find someone else to accompany me rather than starting a dispute." Carmen turned around, but before she could go, Randall spoke to her.
"Thanks for helping me out earlier on. It's nice to know who's on my side." Carmen nodded and went to the other side of the greenhouse, searching for a spare Bagesquealer. Now it was time for Randall to have a stern word with Jay.
"Jay-"Randall started yet again, and was interrupted as before.
"Class! Class, I have an announcement to make!" called out the Professor, waving his long arms around wildly. Somehow, he managed to catch most of the class's attention. "In only four days time is the beginning-of-term Prom," he said, reading the statement off of a piece of paper he had just received from a visiting student. "You will be expected to find partners and to learn the Sucerumbon Dance ready for the big evening, which starts at eight pm and finishes at midnight. Drinks and refreshments will be available, and there is no charge or fee. Oh, and Captains and Captinesses are automatically paired." Professor Comoroy sighed, happy that his little announcement was over, and called out one last thing to the already chattering students. "Okay, everyone, get on with your work. If you don't have your Bagesquealer pruned and potted up by the end of the lesson, you will have to work with me at lunchtime to make up for it." There was no point in saying this, though; many students knew from experience of their previous Agricultural Studies lessons that this particular Professor didn't stick to his word and was too much of a scaredy-cat to build up the courage to tell a student off.
"You were gonna say something?" Jay queried Randall. The lizard-monster shook his head.
"Forget about it."
"So, who're you gonna take to the prom?" Randall shrugged.
"Dunno. It's a bit weird, though, having a prom at the beginning of term."
"Yeah, I guess so. Maybe the Professors just want us to get to know each other or something."
"Maybe." Dusting his hands off, Randall turned to face Jay after having done what the Professor had said.
"Jay...I know you won't believe me...but..."
"Yeah? Go on, Ran, don't be shy!" Randall took a deep breath.
"Y'know I came down late this morning?"
"Yep."
"Well, I had had this dream or something- don't ask- and when I woke up...well..."
"Keep going!"
"It was as though I had shifted colour or something-"
"Randall?" A voice called out from behind him, stopping him in his tracks. He turned around, knowing who stood behind him, and prepared for the ice shower that he would experience the second he saw her face.
"Zephyr," he said in a darkly under toned voice.
"How did you find out my name?" she asked quietly, as though she didn't want to offend Randall.
"Your 'friends' told me." Randall narrowed his eyes, showing that he meant business. "Look, what is it with you? Why can't-"
"Randall, I'm sorry." The words had spilled out of her mouth before she could do anything about them, but she knew that she regretted them, even though, deep inside her heart, she was genuinely sorry. "I'm sorry for the way I've treated you. I..." Randall remained annoyed, and didn't reply. Zephyr, for the first time in a long while, let her temper loose for a moment. "Just take it or leave it, okay?!" She stormed off, flaring up momentarily. Jay leaned over the speechless lizard-monster's shoulder.
"We were talkin' about dates?" As he smiled cheekily, Randall grabbed his arm.
"Oh no Jay. I'm not letting her try and get on my good side. Not after everything she's done."
"Well, what HAS she done, other than just being cold towards you?" Jay asked adamantly. Randall let go of him, wondering why he had gripped him so roughly in the first place.
"More than you would think." He picked up the complete tray of Bagesquealers with his top two hands and made his way to the front of the crowded greenhouse. Dodging through and by his classmates, Randall weaved in and out of them expertly, his mind on other things. And, when Randall's mind was on other things, he wasn't concentrating. And, when he wasn't concentrating, accidents would happen. He bumped into a large monster, spilling putrid smelling compost all over his fur before realizing that it was the same monster he had bumped into and spilled acid over only the day before. Great.
The monster turned around and growled angrily at Randall, the little bald patches dotted here and there on his body making him look ridiculous.
"You again?" Randall visibly gulped and took a few steps back, as many as he could in the cramped greenhouse. The monster grabbed Randall by the neck, lifted him up onto his back pair of legs, and threatened him. "If you keep on annoying me like this, I'll hit you so hard that you'll go around the world in less than sixty days- without any help. Got that?" Randall would have nodded, but because of the situation, stayed motionless.
"And if I see you bugging my girls again, those ones over there," whispered the monster, pointing to the group of girls Randall knew all too well, "then I'll PULVERISE YOU TILL YOU AIN'T RECOGNISABLE NO MORE! UNDERSTAND?!" He let go of Randall, thankfully, letting him drop back down onto his fours massaging his red neck tenderly. "I SAID UN-DER-STAND?!" Randall jumped back, and nodded hastily.
"Sure...I'll er, just be going now, okay?" Randall sighed, scooting as far away from the bully, or whatever you want to call him, and calmed his thumping heart, thankful that this particular encounter was over.