This is one of those emotional chappys, but it was something that I had to
include to keep the storyline going. To be completely honest, I like those
little bits in stories which give you a sort of 'behind-the-scenes' look at
a character, so I've sort of tried to include a bit of that. Also, I'm just
gonna up the rating a bit to the next one because there are a
few...errmm...suicidal comments in this chapter- but don't worry, there's
nothing explicit or anything; I just thought I'd better be safe than sorry
concerning the rating, if ya see what I mean. Anyhow, now that I've
explained that, on with the chapter!
Chapter 13- Toughened Romance
Such a late night hadn't done Randall any good, especially as it had been a very busy, rushed and generally exhausting day- strenuous exercise with swimming, and then mental exercise with the mystery of the scream canisters. Everything over the last few weeks had been so hurried- in Randall's mind, at least- and it hadn't given him a second to think about what had just happened. Let alone the Prom. Which was just the next day.
A jolt of excitement and panic exploded and Randall as he rolled out of bed and stretched, and his face lost most of its colour. Fungus was the only one still remaining in their room, and he jumped in the air with surprise at Randall being awake, his glasses springing off his face and landing on the thin carpet.
"Nice to know that I'm respected around here." Randall smiled knowingly, shutting the bathroom door behind himself. He twisted the hot water tap of the sink, letting it run for a few seconds and gazing out of the patterned, half-open window before leaning down and splashing water over his face. Immediately after he had done so, he stepped back in revelation and slight pain- the water was absolutely boiling- and shook his hands dry. They had turned a deep shade of red, almost the shade of human blood, and were still shifting their colour from different tones as he towelled them dry. A saddening sob escaped from his throat, and before he had realised what he had done, Randall had grabbed the towel, thrown it out of the window to the unfortunate few below, and had wailed out something that he regretted soon enough.
"Why am I such a FREAK?!" He flung open the bathroom door, prowled into the room and flopped on his bed, coiling himself into a swirl in a way of comfort. Randall wasn't crying- 'of course not- why would I do such a stupid thing like that?'- but he felt like it. So much, in fact, that he thought about hitting himself to get those stupid, scary thoughts out of his head. And those images came again, as they had done many a time before, so familiar to Randall that he could conjure them up at any time, at will or not. These images would, for some, be blasphemous, even illegal in a few cases. This was because, as in the Human World, committing suicide was shunned upon by many. But what did they know?
The pictures kept coming back- the ones of Randall getting a knife and ending it all.
"No..." he gasped out, suddenly struggling to breathe. The tears came thick and fast, representing all the stress that Randall had been through over the past couple of days- and years. A minute later, he told himself to get a grip, but still remained unmoving, soaking his pillow till there was a damp patch covering nearly one whole side.
'Why me? Why do I have to put up with this? And why I'm even bothering to go to the Prom tomorrow, I don't know...It's not as though Zephyr's actually going to enjoy going out with a freak...." He took a few deep breaths to steady himself and eventually turned over, sitting up and crawling off his bed. His complexion was unusually pale and ghost-like, and the nauseating feeling that he got whenever he thought about Zephyr washed over Randall, making him feel slightly faint. He suddenly hated Jay, no, LOATHED him for asking Zephyr out for him, for doing something that any real friend would have refused to do. Or maybe he had it the wrong way round. Maybe it was RANDALL who didn't know how to be a true friend...
Someone knocked on the door and, wiping some stray tears from his face, taking another deep and jittering breath and folding his bottom arms, Randall opened the door, looking down at his guest. Xenon pushed Randall aside, a strained expression upon his face, and turned around. Randall's brow furrowed.
"What do ya think-"
"I'm sorry Randall, I know it's early, but this is really important." Randall shut the door softly and beckoned towards a pair of comfy armchairs. They sat down, Randall bewildered, Xenon uncomfortable and visually edgy. "Randall, I have something quite important and...well, disappointing to tell you." The Lizard-monster shook his head dismissively, a slight grin passing over his face.
"If this is some kind of a joke..."
"No. No...it isn't. It's about my sister." Randall was fully into the conversation as Zephyr was mentioned.
"What about her? Has something happened?"
"Well, you could say that..." Now it was Xenon's turn to take a deep breath. "It's also about the Prom. You know Zephyr's friends?" Randall nodded wordlessly. "They're planning something for you. Something...not too good." As he said this, Xenon felt his conscience growing angry. Why was he doing this? It was GOOD that Zephyr was planning something, especially since that Xenon was certain that she had lied through her teeth when she said she didn't like Randall. He might've met his sister when she was only fifteen, and he had been sixteen, but he had gotten to know her after only a few years, supporting her, being there for her, especially since what had happened, or NOT happened, as the case may be, when she was found only a week or two after the soon-to-be siblings had first met. No-one had known anything about her- what her name was, who she was, how she had gotten those dreadful, deep scars- and what was more, neither did she.
But Cy knew. How he did, Xenon couldn't figure out- he might've just been lying. But it was worth the risk. So, if Zephyr and Randall WERE getting close, whatever Zephyr's friends were planning was ideal- it would separate the couple forever more, and save Zephyr getting a beating, which, by the looks of her face and pained expression that morning, she already had, by Cy. And, the added bonus was, of course, her getting much closer to the answer of her past as Cy would become more and more convinced of her loyalty towards him. But telling Randall what was going to happen would probably mean that the upset lizard-monster would cancel the date, and not go out with her.
In a sense, that was a good thing though, but one lover chasing after the other was known as the most prominent sign of true love, and if Cy's watchful eyes saw something like that...And Zephyr would most certainly chase after Randall. Xenon was sure of that, and it would be just stupidly obvious if he told her not to. Because Cy was always there, watching you, you could be sure of it. And he saw everything. Absolutely everything.
"They're going to do something at the Prom. I'm not sure what, but it's probably best you don't go." Now Xenon knew why he was saying this. It was because Randall didn't deserve this. He didn't need to get involved. He couldn't. Cy was on the same wavelength as Xenon on this, but was going about it in exactly the wrong way.
"Don't go?" Randall rested his head in a hand for a second before looking back at Xenon. The little monster's heart thumped, hands shaking and eyes wide and unblinking. "Get out." His eyes widened even more, his pupils shrinking.
"But Ran-"
"You just don't like the idea of one of your friends going out with your sister. I understand. But this is just low. Now get out."
"Please, I beg you-"
"BEGGING WON'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE! Y'HEAR ME?!...I beg, every single day, I plead, I grovel, yet no-one's heard me yet, no-one's listening, and y'know WHY? HUH?! WELL, I'LL TELL YOU- COZ NO-ONE CARES!" Randall stood up, panting. "That's what it's like in this world." He stepped towards Xenon. "We're all on our own." His eyes glared ferociously at someone who he had once considered a friend, burning like two, green glowing fires, scorching Xenon's face. "And your lies about Zephyr aren't exactly going to make it a better place. So just leave." Even though Randall's appearance in that moment of time was frightening, to say the least, Xenon remained quietly calm.
"Alright. But I've done my duty- I've warned you about what's happening. And you've chosen to ignore me, which is your decision. I just hope you don't regret it, because I was beginning to think of you as a friend, and I would hate to see you get hurt by someone you obviously care about so much. But then again, maybe you're not a friend. Because, correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't a true friend listen?" Xenon walked out of the room, leaving Randall to a dusty silence. His eyes became shiny once more, but this time Randall had more control of himself and brushed away the tears. He then went after Xenon, deciding that their conversation wasn't complete. He went down several corridors, turning every now and then. Eventually, he hid in a dark corner and stuck his tongue out to see if he was getting warm.
"Damn. Nothing," Randall said to himself as his Jacobson's Organ got to work. Forgetting about breakfast, he made his way to the Meeting Room to catch Carmen leaving a recent Captain/Captiness meeting of all houses. The double doors had just swung open revealing a lengthy table with hand-carved wooden chairs inside, all buffed and polished till gleaming.
"Good morning, Randall. May I ask of what you are doing?"
"I've got something to talk about with you."
"That is something of a surprise- I would've thought that that loathsome monster, Jay, would be the first person you would turn to."
"Yeah, well he isn't exactly the type of guy that you could have a good talk to, so to speak." As they continued to talk, Mr Stefani came out of the Meeting Room and stood between them.
"I would like to have a little talk with you, Mr Boggs. If you could follow me." The little monster swivelled on the spot like a sergeant in the army, and strode back into the Meeting Room. One side of the room was a stretch of full-length windows, all decorated with lace curtains, some with delicate patterns concerning the three houses. Mr Stefani continued past these beautiful works of art to the end of the room and stepped through a door marked 'Headmaster'. Randall could feel his hands getting sweaty- something inside of him was making him nervous. Mr Stefani sat down on a swivel chair on side of his dark wood desk, Randall on the other. The room was small, stuffy, like most of South House's rooms, but there was no fire burning or thick carpets or immensely decorated walls. Instead, the windows were open, letting in a refreshing breeze, and the only light of the room was from the sun.
But why had Mr Stefani chosen his abode to be here, in South House? It was tradition for the Headmaster to reside in North House, the only neutral house that was only used for lessons and was not occupied by students. Instead, all of the Professors and Lecturers slept there, and many did not consider North House as even a house. There had always been a stiff competition between the remaining three though, but South House was usually known to be the bottom and most incapable of all the houses. They just kept their heads down and did as they were told.
"I understand you've been nosing about in Crynferse's business." Randall squinted slightly, trying not to stare daggers at Mr Stefani as the Head leaned forwards and, resting his arms on the desk before him, steepled his fingers. "The Scream canisters?" Sitting back in his chair, Randall folded his arms.
"Oh, you mean about last night. I'm sorry, but we didn't realise that we weren't allowed to leave the borders of Crynferse..."
"It's nothing to do with that, even though, yes, that is a rule." An idea popped into Mr Stefani's mind, the wind blowing about and rustling the papers on his desk from the open window, and he resisted the urge to smile, his face in a shadow created by the sun. "I'm willing to make a deal with you, Boggs." Randall looked down at the ground, then, for a second, glanced up at Mr Stefani.
"A deal?" He snorted. "You sound more like a mobster than a Headmaster." Mr Stefani ignored this comment and proceeded with laying down the line.
"Your wondering around outside this University's premises, along with your friend's, will be ignored. You will receive no punishment. IF you keep your end of the deal."
"Which is?"
"You don't mention a thing about what you saw to anyone. Not a word."
"What we saw?"
"You know what I'm talking about."
"Oh, the Scream canisters. But I thought that there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of that?"
"I never said that."
"But you were thinking about saying it," Randall said smoothly. Mr Stefani burst into laughter.
"My, my, you're quite a sharp one, aren't you?" Randall kept a straight face.
"To some in particular." The tone of the conversation, which had lightened slightly in the past few seconds, grew heavy once more.
"If you tell anyone-"
"There's no use threatening me. I didn't actually plan on saying anything in the first place, purely because I thought that there was a 'reasonable explanation'. But you've gone through the bother of calling me in here and talking to me about it, to tell me to keep my trap shut, and that makes me suspicious. Very suspicious."
"Just do as you're told."
"Or what? You're gonna tell of me for leaving the premises? Put me in detention? I feel SO bad. So bad, in fact, that I think a punishment would make me a goody-goody forever more."
"Or that date you're looking forward to with my daughter tomorrow night at the Prom will be cancelled." Randall looked up, glaring with all his might at Mr Stefani. But it was no use. He knew that the Headmaster would be true to his word. Mr Stefani chuckled.
"Looks like we have a deal."
"I guess," Randall replied reluctantly. He stood up, scraping his chair back with a screeching noise on the wooden floor and leaving a grey line along it, and strode out of the room. Just before he could slam the door open, Mr Stefani said one last thing.
"Remember, if you say a single word..." He didn't bother to reply and, in a huff, slinked back through the Meeting Room to its doors, where Jay and Carmen were waiting.
"Randall? What happened?" Jay asked, looking slightly worried yet sickeningly cheerful at the same time. Carmen also awaited an answer. Randall's chest heaved up and down as he failed to keep his breathing steady.
"We've gotta talk."
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The Games Room was practically empty, save a few monsters at a far end taking their chances with the Slot Machines. Jay chose the Caly table, which looked much like a Human World pool table, except slightly larger and with half red, half green surface. Another crucial difference was the dozens of pockets that lined all but two of the side of the octagonal structure, all of which were coloured differently. Carmen looked on as Jay collected the twenty two variably coloured balls and lined them up in their starting position. He took two cues from the stand and passed one to Randall, who hadn't really been concentrating on what was happening.
"Randall? RANDALL!" Randall jumped with a start as Jay passed him the cue. "You seemed a bit distant there!"
"Yeah..." Randall sighed depressingly, and looked down at the ground.
"Hey, buddy, what's the matter? Ya wanna break off?" As a reply, Randall shook his head without saying a word whilst Jay began the game. "So, what was it you wanted to talk to us about?"
"Yes," piped up Carmen, "you seemed quite desperate to talk."
"Well...I don't know where to start." Randall caught Jay grinning. "And don't you DARE say at the beginning!" He then went on, in slight reluctance, to explain all that had happened whilst he had been in Mr Stefani's office and the fact that all three of them had to keep their mouths firmly shut concerning the hidden secrets of the cave that they had found. "And if you don't, then my date with Zephyr will be cancelled," he finished, potting a long, angular green. Jay smiled cheesily.
"Since when was it a date?"
"Oh shut up."
"Randall's in lurve, Randall's in-"
"I said SHUT IT!" There was an astonished silence for a second as Jay and Carmen reeled from Randall's sudden outburst.
"I'm sorry, Ran, but it was only a joke..."
"I didn't appreciate it." The friends looked at the lizard-monster with growing concern and hurt expressions, and Randall realised he had made a mistake.
"Sorry, guys...it's just something Xenon said about Zephyr..."
"You're not obliged to tell us Randall, if it's not what you desire." He looked up at Carmen, the game of Caly having paused for a while, and half- smiled.
"Thanks...but...I want to tell you." Randall surprised himself as he said these words, but what shocked him even more was that it was the truth, and he believed in it. "Xenon said that he had heard Zephyr and her friends planning something for the Prom...for me. A joke or something."
"Really?" Carmen exclaimed. "Well, I don't understand why you still want to go, especially if your presence, according to Zephyr, isn't welcome." Jay nodded.
"She's right. If Zephyr really likes you, she wouldn't even think of doing anything like that." Randall nearly dropped his cue in astonishment, mouth agape.
"You mean...you think he's telling the truth?" Carmen sighed.
"Well, I have to admit, neither of us knows Xenon too well, but he DOES seem like a trustworthy individual." Jay leaned on his cue.
"At least, more than Zephyr." The penny had dropped.
"You guys don't like her, do you?" For once, Jay and Carmen were silent. Randall's heart thumped rapidly, increasing every second as all the hatred and loathing he had kept inside of himself for so long was finally let out like steam from a kettle, except with the aftermath of a very big nuclear bomb. "Don't you two get it?! I really like Zephyr, yet you are just standing there, saying that she isn't trustworthy-"
"We never said that!"
"...and that you don't like her, and that I should believe XENON! Well, y'know what? You're just as bad as him. All of you, just a bunch of liars, all pretending to be my friends when all you care about are yourselves and ruining my life!"
"No, Randall-"
"So I don't give a stuff about you, y'know that!? Zephyr means the world to me-"
"But you've only just met her-"
"AND I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR OPINION! YOU MEAN NOTHING TO ME! NOTHING!"
---------------------------------------------
The scene was truly beautiful- the setting sun, the sea, the sand- but if you spend day after day, in the same place, with the same element and air of perfectness, even the same weather, all the while knowing that your life will never be as perfect or as enjoyable, let alone as valued as this scene, this moment in time, then suddenly you feel as though you really are worth nothing. Absolutely...nothing. It all passes you by, and you just don't care anymore, because if you care about something you are sure to be hurt. Especially if you know that it can care back, but it won't. And Randall was only just coming to terms with this. He obviously didn't know Zephyr very well, because if he did, he would know that she was thinking exactly the same things as he was.
Carmen had been looking around South House for quite a while, and had managed to find Randall sitting upon the hill, staring out into the sea with a bleak look upon his face. Jay hadn't bothered- Randall wasn't the only one that was angry with a friend at this point. Sitting down and trying not to interrupt him as he did nothing, Carmen curled up on the grass, also unimpressed by the setting in front of them. There was always the possibility of having too much of a good thing, and this had happened to most of Crynferse's students.
"It's tedious now, isn't it?" Randall acknowledged Carmen for the first time by replying.
"I guess. But that's what happens with anything perfect. People get bored of it. But, then again, I'm not exactly talking from experience. I don't think there's ever been a time in my life when I could just say, 'yep, I'm happy and everything's perfect'." He turned to face her. "Do you know how many questions, how many birthday wishes, how many dreams I have wasted on wanting my life to be perfect?" Carmen tried to smile, but gave up.
"That's a shame. But I don't know why you would wish for your life to be perfect...it hasn't been THAT unbearable, has it?" Randall carried on staring at the sunset while Carmen awaited an answer. He didn't give her one. "Has it?" she whispered tenderly.
"At times."
"I'm...I'm sorry about Zephyr. You do believe Xenon now, don't you?" Randall blinked rapidly several times- he couldn't let Carmen see him cry.
"I...don't know. I guess..." Putting her hand on top of his as a sign of comfort, Carmen smiled warmly, trying to make him cheer up, but he pulled away. "I don't know what it is, but I...whenever there's something new in my life," Randall began again, trying to make his feelings and emotions a bit clearer, "I try to look after it, to savour and make the best of it. But I know that it isn't going to last. It never lasts. If there was one thing I would wish for more than a better life, it would be for there to be just one good thing in it that would last more than a few months."
"But I thought you wanted a perfect life."
"Oh, I don't know. I can't seem to be sure of anything anymore..."
"And Zephyr?"
"I...It sort of hurts to say this, but...I think I love her..." Carmen smiled outright this time, but her smile soon faded.
"I wish I could be happy for you, but there is SO much more to Zephyr than what you see and what you love-"
"No, but I lo...like all of her- inside and out."
"But you barely know her!"
"I have a feeling that maybe- just maybe- she might...well, y'know, like me, and if she does, that just proved what you just said wrong." Carmen was confused for a second, and beckoned Randall to continue. "What I mean is, do you REALLY think that I'm some kind of a good guy, that I've never been in anything dodgy? Seriously?"
"The first impressions that I got of you was that you seemed to be a bit down on your luck, and you're just trying to recover from a life in its early stages that has been spoilt so terribly, without any remorse, by people you either really care about, or you don't know." Smiling, Randall brushed back his fronds, trying not to get stressed.
"You can really judge people's characters well, y'know that?" He laid back his shoulders. "Yeah...you're right."
"And I've noticed that your love for Zephyr has changed to 'like'."
"Yeah, well I'm not really sure what love is anymore. I've never seemed to get any of it, and I'm not too good at giving it either. But I know that I DO have...strong feelings for Zephyr, and as far as I'm concerned...it's...love."
Chapter 13- Toughened Romance
Such a late night hadn't done Randall any good, especially as it had been a very busy, rushed and generally exhausting day- strenuous exercise with swimming, and then mental exercise with the mystery of the scream canisters. Everything over the last few weeks had been so hurried- in Randall's mind, at least- and it hadn't given him a second to think about what had just happened. Let alone the Prom. Which was just the next day.
A jolt of excitement and panic exploded and Randall as he rolled out of bed and stretched, and his face lost most of its colour. Fungus was the only one still remaining in their room, and he jumped in the air with surprise at Randall being awake, his glasses springing off his face and landing on the thin carpet.
"Nice to know that I'm respected around here." Randall smiled knowingly, shutting the bathroom door behind himself. He twisted the hot water tap of the sink, letting it run for a few seconds and gazing out of the patterned, half-open window before leaning down and splashing water over his face. Immediately after he had done so, he stepped back in revelation and slight pain- the water was absolutely boiling- and shook his hands dry. They had turned a deep shade of red, almost the shade of human blood, and were still shifting their colour from different tones as he towelled them dry. A saddening sob escaped from his throat, and before he had realised what he had done, Randall had grabbed the towel, thrown it out of the window to the unfortunate few below, and had wailed out something that he regretted soon enough.
"Why am I such a FREAK?!" He flung open the bathroom door, prowled into the room and flopped on his bed, coiling himself into a swirl in a way of comfort. Randall wasn't crying- 'of course not- why would I do such a stupid thing like that?'- but he felt like it. So much, in fact, that he thought about hitting himself to get those stupid, scary thoughts out of his head. And those images came again, as they had done many a time before, so familiar to Randall that he could conjure them up at any time, at will or not. These images would, for some, be blasphemous, even illegal in a few cases. This was because, as in the Human World, committing suicide was shunned upon by many. But what did they know?
The pictures kept coming back- the ones of Randall getting a knife and ending it all.
"No..." he gasped out, suddenly struggling to breathe. The tears came thick and fast, representing all the stress that Randall had been through over the past couple of days- and years. A minute later, he told himself to get a grip, but still remained unmoving, soaking his pillow till there was a damp patch covering nearly one whole side.
'Why me? Why do I have to put up with this? And why I'm even bothering to go to the Prom tomorrow, I don't know...It's not as though Zephyr's actually going to enjoy going out with a freak...." He took a few deep breaths to steady himself and eventually turned over, sitting up and crawling off his bed. His complexion was unusually pale and ghost-like, and the nauseating feeling that he got whenever he thought about Zephyr washed over Randall, making him feel slightly faint. He suddenly hated Jay, no, LOATHED him for asking Zephyr out for him, for doing something that any real friend would have refused to do. Or maybe he had it the wrong way round. Maybe it was RANDALL who didn't know how to be a true friend...
Someone knocked on the door and, wiping some stray tears from his face, taking another deep and jittering breath and folding his bottom arms, Randall opened the door, looking down at his guest. Xenon pushed Randall aside, a strained expression upon his face, and turned around. Randall's brow furrowed.
"What do ya think-"
"I'm sorry Randall, I know it's early, but this is really important." Randall shut the door softly and beckoned towards a pair of comfy armchairs. They sat down, Randall bewildered, Xenon uncomfortable and visually edgy. "Randall, I have something quite important and...well, disappointing to tell you." The Lizard-monster shook his head dismissively, a slight grin passing over his face.
"If this is some kind of a joke..."
"No. No...it isn't. It's about my sister." Randall was fully into the conversation as Zephyr was mentioned.
"What about her? Has something happened?"
"Well, you could say that..." Now it was Xenon's turn to take a deep breath. "It's also about the Prom. You know Zephyr's friends?" Randall nodded wordlessly. "They're planning something for you. Something...not too good." As he said this, Xenon felt his conscience growing angry. Why was he doing this? It was GOOD that Zephyr was planning something, especially since that Xenon was certain that she had lied through her teeth when she said she didn't like Randall. He might've met his sister when she was only fifteen, and he had been sixteen, but he had gotten to know her after only a few years, supporting her, being there for her, especially since what had happened, or NOT happened, as the case may be, when she was found only a week or two after the soon-to-be siblings had first met. No-one had known anything about her- what her name was, who she was, how she had gotten those dreadful, deep scars- and what was more, neither did she.
But Cy knew. How he did, Xenon couldn't figure out- he might've just been lying. But it was worth the risk. So, if Zephyr and Randall WERE getting close, whatever Zephyr's friends were planning was ideal- it would separate the couple forever more, and save Zephyr getting a beating, which, by the looks of her face and pained expression that morning, she already had, by Cy. And, the added bonus was, of course, her getting much closer to the answer of her past as Cy would become more and more convinced of her loyalty towards him. But telling Randall what was going to happen would probably mean that the upset lizard-monster would cancel the date, and not go out with her.
In a sense, that was a good thing though, but one lover chasing after the other was known as the most prominent sign of true love, and if Cy's watchful eyes saw something like that...And Zephyr would most certainly chase after Randall. Xenon was sure of that, and it would be just stupidly obvious if he told her not to. Because Cy was always there, watching you, you could be sure of it. And he saw everything. Absolutely everything.
"They're going to do something at the Prom. I'm not sure what, but it's probably best you don't go." Now Xenon knew why he was saying this. It was because Randall didn't deserve this. He didn't need to get involved. He couldn't. Cy was on the same wavelength as Xenon on this, but was going about it in exactly the wrong way.
"Don't go?" Randall rested his head in a hand for a second before looking back at Xenon. The little monster's heart thumped, hands shaking and eyes wide and unblinking. "Get out." His eyes widened even more, his pupils shrinking.
"But Ran-"
"You just don't like the idea of one of your friends going out with your sister. I understand. But this is just low. Now get out."
"Please, I beg you-"
"BEGGING WON'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE! Y'HEAR ME?!...I beg, every single day, I plead, I grovel, yet no-one's heard me yet, no-one's listening, and y'know WHY? HUH?! WELL, I'LL TELL YOU- COZ NO-ONE CARES!" Randall stood up, panting. "That's what it's like in this world." He stepped towards Xenon. "We're all on our own." His eyes glared ferociously at someone who he had once considered a friend, burning like two, green glowing fires, scorching Xenon's face. "And your lies about Zephyr aren't exactly going to make it a better place. So just leave." Even though Randall's appearance in that moment of time was frightening, to say the least, Xenon remained quietly calm.
"Alright. But I've done my duty- I've warned you about what's happening. And you've chosen to ignore me, which is your decision. I just hope you don't regret it, because I was beginning to think of you as a friend, and I would hate to see you get hurt by someone you obviously care about so much. But then again, maybe you're not a friend. Because, correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't a true friend listen?" Xenon walked out of the room, leaving Randall to a dusty silence. His eyes became shiny once more, but this time Randall had more control of himself and brushed away the tears. He then went after Xenon, deciding that their conversation wasn't complete. He went down several corridors, turning every now and then. Eventually, he hid in a dark corner and stuck his tongue out to see if he was getting warm.
"Damn. Nothing," Randall said to himself as his Jacobson's Organ got to work. Forgetting about breakfast, he made his way to the Meeting Room to catch Carmen leaving a recent Captain/Captiness meeting of all houses. The double doors had just swung open revealing a lengthy table with hand-carved wooden chairs inside, all buffed and polished till gleaming.
"Good morning, Randall. May I ask of what you are doing?"
"I've got something to talk about with you."
"That is something of a surprise- I would've thought that that loathsome monster, Jay, would be the first person you would turn to."
"Yeah, well he isn't exactly the type of guy that you could have a good talk to, so to speak." As they continued to talk, Mr Stefani came out of the Meeting Room and stood between them.
"I would like to have a little talk with you, Mr Boggs. If you could follow me." The little monster swivelled on the spot like a sergeant in the army, and strode back into the Meeting Room. One side of the room was a stretch of full-length windows, all decorated with lace curtains, some with delicate patterns concerning the three houses. Mr Stefani continued past these beautiful works of art to the end of the room and stepped through a door marked 'Headmaster'. Randall could feel his hands getting sweaty- something inside of him was making him nervous. Mr Stefani sat down on a swivel chair on side of his dark wood desk, Randall on the other. The room was small, stuffy, like most of South House's rooms, but there was no fire burning or thick carpets or immensely decorated walls. Instead, the windows were open, letting in a refreshing breeze, and the only light of the room was from the sun.
But why had Mr Stefani chosen his abode to be here, in South House? It was tradition for the Headmaster to reside in North House, the only neutral house that was only used for lessons and was not occupied by students. Instead, all of the Professors and Lecturers slept there, and many did not consider North House as even a house. There had always been a stiff competition between the remaining three though, but South House was usually known to be the bottom and most incapable of all the houses. They just kept their heads down and did as they were told.
"I understand you've been nosing about in Crynferse's business." Randall squinted slightly, trying not to stare daggers at Mr Stefani as the Head leaned forwards and, resting his arms on the desk before him, steepled his fingers. "The Scream canisters?" Sitting back in his chair, Randall folded his arms.
"Oh, you mean about last night. I'm sorry, but we didn't realise that we weren't allowed to leave the borders of Crynferse..."
"It's nothing to do with that, even though, yes, that is a rule." An idea popped into Mr Stefani's mind, the wind blowing about and rustling the papers on his desk from the open window, and he resisted the urge to smile, his face in a shadow created by the sun. "I'm willing to make a deal with you, Boggs." Randall looked down at the ground, then, for a second, glanced up at Mr Stefani.
"A deal?" He snorted. "You sound more like a mobster than a Headmaster." Mr Stefani ignored this comment and proceeded with laying down the line.
"Your wondering around outside this University's premises, along with your friend's, will be ignored. You will receive no punishment. IF you keep your end of the deal."
"Which is?"
"You don't mention a thing about what you saw to anyone. Not a word."
"What we saw?"
"You know what I'm talking about."
"Oh, the Scream canisters. But I thought that there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of that?"
"I never said that."
"But you were thinking about saying it," Randall said smoothly. Mr Stefani burst into laughter.
"My, my, you're quite a sharp one, aren't you?" Randall kept a straight face.
"To some in particular." The tone of the conversation, which had lightened slightly in the past few seconds, grew heavy once more.
"If you tell anyone-"
"There's no use threatening me. I didn't actually plan on saying anything in the first place, purely because I thought that there was a 'reasonable explanation'. But you've gone through the bother of calling me in here and talking to me about it, to tell me to keep my trap shut, and that makes me suspicious. Very suspicious."
"Just do as you're told."
"Or what? You're gonna tell of me for leaving the premises? Put me in detention? I feel SO bad. So bad, in fact, that I think a punishment would make me a goody-goody forever more."
"Or that date you're looking forward to with my daughter tomorrow night at the Prom will be cancelled." Randall looked up, glaring with all his might at Mr Stefani. But it was no use. He knew that the Headmaster would be true to his word. Mr Stefani chuckled.
"Looks like we have a deal."
"I guess," Randall replied reluctantly. He stood up, scraping his chair back with a screeching noise on the wooden floor and leaving a grey line along it, and strode out of the room. Just before he could slam the door open, Mr Stefani said one last thing.
"Remember, if you say a single word..." He didn't bother to reply and, in a huff, slinked back through the Meeting Room to its doors, where Jay and Carmen were waiting.
"Randall? What happened?" Jay asked, looking slightly worried yet sickeningly cheerful at the same time. Carmen also awaited an answer. Randall's chest heaved up and down as he failed to keep his breathing steady.
"We've gotta talk."
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The Games Room was practically empty, save a few monsters at a far end taking their chances with the Slot Machines. Jay chose the Caly table, which looked much like a Human World pool table, except slightly larger and with half red, half green surface. Another crucial difference was the dozens of pockets that lined all but two of the side of the octagonal structure, all of which were coloured differently. Carmen looked on as Jay collected the twenty two variably coloured balls and lined them up in their starting position. He took two cues from the stand and passed one to Randall, who hadn't really been concentrating on what was happening.
"Randall? RANDALL!" Randall jumped with a start as Jay passed him the cue. "You seemed a bit distant there!"
"Yeah..." Randall sighed depressingly, and looked down at the ground.
"Hey, buddy, what's the matter? Ya wanna break off?" As a reply, Randall shook his head without saying a word whilst Jay began the game. "So, what was it you wanted to talk to us about?"
"Yes," piped up Carmen, "you seemed quite desperate to talk."
"Well...I don't know where to start." Randall caught Jay grinning. "And don't you DARE say at the beginning!" He then went on, in slight reluctance, to explain all that had happened whilst he had been in Mr Stefani's office and the fact that all three of them had to keep their mouths firmly shut concerning the hidden secrets of the cave that they had found. "And if you don't, then my date with Zephyr will be cancelled," he finished, potting a long, angular green. Jay smiled cheesily.
"Since when was it a date?"
"Oh shut up."
"Randall's in lurve, Randall's in-"
"I said SHUT IT!" There was an astonished silence for a second as Jay and Carmen reeled from Randall's sudden outburst.
"I'm sorry, Ran, but it was only a joke..."
"I didn't appreciate it." The friends looked at the lizard-monster with growing concern and hurt expressions, and Randall realised he had made a mistake.
"Sorry, guys...it's just something Xenon said about Zephyr..."
"You're not obliged to tell us Randall, if it's not what you desire." He looked up at Carmen, the game of Caly having paused for a while, and half- smiled.
"Thanks...but...I want to tell you." Randall surprised himself as he said these words, but what shocked him even more was that it was the truth, and he believed in it. "Xenon said that he had heard Zephyr and her friends planning something for the Prom...for me. A joke or something."
"Really?" Carmen exclaimed. "Well, I don't understand why you still want to go, especially if your presence, according to Zephyr, isn't welcome." Jay nodded.
"She's right. If Zephyr really likes you, she wouldn't even think of doing anything like that." Randall nearly dropped his cue in astonishment, mouth agape.
"You mean...you think he's telling the truth?" Carmen sighed.
"Well, I have to admit, neither of us knows Xenon too well, but he DOES seem like a trustworthy individual." Jay leaned on his cue.
"At least, more than Zephyr." The penny had dropped.
"You guys don't like her, do you?" For once, Jay and Carmen were silent. Randall's heart thumped rapidly, increasing every second as all the hatred and loathing he had kept inside of himself for so long was finally let out like steam from a kettle, except with the aftermath of a very big nuclear bomb. "Don't you two get it?! I really like Zephyr, yet you are just standing there, saying that she isn't trustworthy-"
"We never said that!"
"...and that you don't like her, and that I should believe XENON! Well, y'know what? You're just as bad as him. All of you, just a bunch of liars, all pretending to be my friends when all you care about are yourselves and ruining my life!"
"No, Randall-"
"So I don't give a stuff about you, y'know that!? Zephyr means the world to me-"
"But you've only just met her-"
"AND I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR OPINION! YOU MEAN NOTHING TO ME! NOTHING!"
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The scene was truly beautiful- the setting sun, the sea, the sand- but if you spend day after day, in the same place, with the same element and air of perfectness, even the same weather, all the while knowing that your life will never be as perfect or as enjoyable, let alone as valued as this scene, this moment in time, then suddenly you feel as though you really are worth nothing. Absolutely...nothing. It all passes you by, and you just don't care anymore, because if you care about something you are sure to be hurt. Especially if you know that it can care back, but it won't. And Randall was only just coming to terms with this. He obviously didn't know Zephyr very well, because if he did, he would know that she was thinking exactly the same things as he was.
Carmen had been looking around South House for quite a while, and had managed to find Randall sitting upon the hill, staring out into the sea with a bleak look upon his face. Jay hadn't bothered- Randall wasn't the only one that was angry with a friend at this point. Sitting down and trying not to interrupt him as he did nothing, Carmen curled up on the grass, also unimpressed by the setting in front of them. There was always the possibility of having too much of a good thing, and this had happened to most of Crynferse's students.
"It's tedious now, isn't it?" Randall acknowledged Carmen for the first time by replying.
"I guess. But that's what happens with anything perfect. People get bored of it. But, then again, I'm not exactly talking from experience. I don't think there's ever been a time in my life when I could just say, 'yep, I'm happy and everything's perfect'." He turned to face her. "Do you know how many questions, how many birthday wishes, how many dreams I have wasted on wanting my life to be perfect?" Carmen tried to smile, but gave up.
"That's a shame. But I don't know why you would wish for your life to be perfect...it hasn't been THAT unbearable, has it?" Randall carried on staring at the sunset while Carmen awaited an answer. He didn't give her one. "Has it?" she whispered tenderly.
"At times."
"I'm...I'm sorry about Zephyr. You do believe Xenon now, don't you?" Randall blinked rapidly several times- he couldn't let Carmen see him cry.
"I...don't know. I guess..." Putting her hand on top of his as a sign of comfort, Carmen smiled warmly, trying to make him cheer up, but he pulled away. "I don't know what it is, but I...whenever there's something new in my life," Randall began again, trying to make his feelings and emotions a bit clearer, "I try to look after it, to savour and make the best of it. But I know that it isn't going to last. It never lasts. If there was one thing I would wish for more than a better life, it would be for there to be just one good thing in it that would last more than a few months."
"But I thought you wanted a perfect life."
"Oh, I don't know. I can't seem to be sure of anything anymore..."
"And Zephyr?"
"I...It sort of hurts to say this, but...I think I love her..." Carmen smiled outright this time, but her smile soon faded.
"I wish I could be happy for you, but there is SO much more to Zephyr than what you see and what you love-"
"No, but I lo...like all of her- inside and out."
"But you barely know her!"
"I have a feeling that maybe- just maybe- she might...well, y'know, like me, and if she does, that just proved what you just said wrong." Carmen was confused for a second, and beckoned Randall to continue. "What I mean is, do you REALLY think that I'm some kind of a good guy, that I've never been in anything dodgy? Seriously?"
"The first impressions that I got of you was that you seemed to be a bit down on your luck, and you're just trying to recover from a life in its early stages that has been spoilt so terribly, without any remorse, by people you either really care about, or you don't know." Smiling, Randall brushed back his fronds, trying not to get stressed.
"You can really judge people's characters well, y'know that?" He laid back his shoulders. "Yeah...you're right."
"And I've noticed that your love for Zephyr has changed to 'like'."
"Yeah, well I'm not really sure what love is anymore. I've never seemed to get any of it, and I'm not too good at giving it either. But I know that I DO have...strong feelings for Zephyr, and as far as I'm concerned...it's...love."