Chapter One
"In today's society, mankind revolves around their own self image. If you feel good, you are, if you think you look horrible, you usually do. Today, we'll see exactly how each of you see yourselves. After all, the way you see yourself reflects on the way you see everyone else. Dominic, you first."
The teacher paced the front of the classroom slowly, listening as Dominic, a young adult of 17, told the class proudly that he was the schools star athlete and felt young and fit and had a general positive outlook on life. He wasn't particularly bright, but unlike most of the stereotypical jocks, he was polite and friendly.
"That's excellent Dominic. Do you have any bad qualities you'd like to add? After all, if you can identify the dislikeable traits in your personality, than that only makes you a stronger person." Dominic smiled at this and thought for a moment. He chewed his bottom lip subconsciously as he pondered, little lines etching his forehead. He was really trying to think. The teacher smiled a little sympathetic at his lack of speed, but waited patiently.
Kyrie watched almost bored. Dominic was a tall and handsome boy, clean cut chestnut hair and attractive blue eyes. He had a sharp shaven chin and broad shoulders, and he often talked to Kyrie about their class work. Unfortunately, the rest of the football team that Dominic was quarterback in, didn't appreciate Dominic's kind attitude and often ignored him, until the game. But now, Kyrie watched Dominic in a manner of sympathy. She knew he tried. The teacher cleared his throat in an attempt to get a reaction and hopefully, an answer from Dominic. Only Dominic's brows seemed to furrow deeper. The teacher sighed and glanced at the clock.
"Don't worry about it Dominic. We all know that you have more positive attributes then negative. Perhaps, Maryanne, you could explain how you perceive yourself?" The teacher said, turning on a 16 year old girl with dark skin and curled onyx hair that hung tied back in a neat bun. She smiled that amazing smile and began…
Kyrie sighed and turned to her best friend Sen. She sat next to Kyrie, but at the moment, Sen was sketching something lightly on a piece of paper. Kyrie smiled at this. Sen was renown for her amazing artistic abilities. Mainly drawing and sketching. Kyrie waited for a moment until the teachers broad back was turned before she leaned over and silently tapped Sen on the shoulder. Sen turned to Kyrie, her amazingly unique blood coloured eyes focusing on Kyrie. She smiled.
Sen was one of the few people who were truly albino. She had blood red eyes and pure white shoulder length hair and a slender, curved frame. She had a rounded nose and cheeks that gave her a baby face. She was intelligent and often boasted useful advice to all who asked.
Kyrie paused for a moment, studying her friend before she indicated to the drawing Sen had been working on. Sen showed her white teeth for a moment before glancing at the teacher, who had moved to another pale and timid girl, to victimise. He wasn't watching and so Sen passed the sheet of paper to Kyrie.
Kyrie stared in awe at the picture. It was a detailed sketch of the teacher that looked almost exactly like him. It was far from finished, but she recognised it instantly. He was reading a book, and looking up over his half moon spectacles he used when he read. His face was innocent, and she even captured the olive tan in the shading. Kyrie glanced up at the teacher now, Mr. James Behari, the Indian immigrant. He was only young, recently obtained his graduates degree, and he was to be considered handsome enough. He had a firm build, similar to that of Dominic's, only a little leaner in the waist. His eyes sparkled flecks of green and brown on a pool of midnight black. He was often caught wearing Hawaiian shirts and a pair of black dress pants. His hair was neatly cut, and occasionally even slightly spiked with jell, as it was today.
Kyrie returned her attention back to the picture and finally noticed the captions at the bottom of the page. Sen was notorious for them. She drew hundreds of pictures of people from school in an attempt to have a sort of memorial of all the people of her high school days.
Mr. Behari. He's only 24 years old and he was born in Delhi, India. He is single as far as I know and kind of cute. He's very intelligent and kind, but not really my type. Helped me a lot with my maths. He has a really cute arse though…
Kyrie tried to suppress the laugh as she read the last line, but it escaped in a sort of gargled choke and she coughed, grabbing the attention of the teacher himself.
"Miss Graves. Since I was wondering whom would volunteer to go next, I suppose you will do nicely." Kyrie nodded slowly but coughed a bit more. She had choked on her own laugh.
The boy, whom at the time, was being victimised by Behari, finished as quickly as he could and Behari rounded on Kyrie threateningly but with a twinkle in those many faceted eyes that hid behind his glasses. Kyrie casually covered the picture under her book in such an obvious manner, that it didn't seem conspicuous.
"Miss Kyrie Graves. If you would be so kind as to enlighten the class with your boundless perceptions on yourself?" Kyrie grinned almost sheepishly and thought for a moment. How did she see the world? She was an orphan at best, but only since last year and now lived with her Uncle in his massive mansion on the outskirts of town. She spent most of her time with Sen in the city, shopping or dining on sushi or going to the movies. She wasn't really a pessimist but there was nothing fabulous about herself.
"I guess, being an orphan, I should have a pessimistic outlook on life. The whole self-pity thing." Kyrie began half heartedly. She glanced at Sen who smiled, watching and listening before returning her attention to the teacher. "But in reality, I do enjoy my life. I think it's a valuable thing and if you only have one chance to live it, why not do it to its full extent?" Mr Behari smirked at this and glanced at Sen who was grinning up at him.
"I agree with you there. Is there anything else you'd like to add? Perhaps some bad qualities? Strangely enough, the majority of the class, seem to be lacking in a lot of them." Kyrie smiled as the teacher swept his eyes around the Social Studied class. A lot of the students smiled sheepishly back.
"Well if you're looking for bad qualities sir, your asking the right person." Sen suddenly piped up, laughing at Kyrie. Behari smiled and turned back to Kyrie.
"Really? Well then, perhaps one or two…"
"I drink too much soda and eat too much junk food." Kyrie began with a slight grin, following Sen's appealing idea. Why not have some fun?
"I spend too much time watching TV and playing games and not enough studying. I shop too much for stuff I don't need and never listen to what I'm told to do. I'm a little nightmare and often get carried away with my exercise. I'm bad tempered and rude on occasions…"
"Thank you Miss Graves, that will…"
"I swear too much and have a collection of rubbish bags, that I often forget to put away. I sleep too much in the mornings, and stay up all night. I bite my nails and when I've had too much to drink, I belch…"
"Miss Graves… Thank you."
"I'm way too loud with my music and I'm a bit of a feminist. I have a bad habit of contradicting myself on occasions, or giving up on some of the smaller goals I set for myself, like that time I said I was going to get piano lessons. I haven't yet…"
"Miss Graves, that's quite enough." Behari's voice grew stern, yet amused and so Kyrie silenced herself and stared innocently up at him.
"I do believe I just named a few extra bad qualities on behalf of the lack of them you were receiving." She stated calmly. Behari shook his head, grinned and glanced at the clock at the front of the wall.
"In light of miss Graves prominent revelation, I think it would be good for you all to write a 500 word essay describing yourself, good and bad qualities. I want that handed in before Tuesday…" The bell suddenly rung, drowning out Behari's next few words. Kyrie laughed and scooped up her bag, scraping her books into it. Only Sen's picture got flung along with them, and caught the breeze, slowly landing at Behari's feet. He glanced down at it, staring for a moment, before he picked it up, examining it.
He turned to Sen who grinned, a blush on her pink cheeks.
"You have quite a talent, Miss Ashes." He stated. Sen nodded slightly.
"I'm making a memorial of all my class mates and teachers at home. I sort of add captions that help me remember them for the future…" She let her voice trail off. Behari handed the picture back over to her and smiled.
"Seems like a good idea to me." He paused, a cheeky grin on his playful face before he turned slightly, glancing down at his own backside.
"It's good to know that my backside will go down in history as one of the way's I'll be remembered." He stated calmly. Kyrie couldn't help laugh and Sen blushed harder but giggled. The teacher waved them goodbye as he returned to his desk, looking pleased and gather his own belongings.
Kyrie and Sen left, laughing over what had happened and talking about the class and the essay they had been given.
The city of Mako was not initially massive. It was large enough though, and had a population of about six hundred thousand people. It boasted one of the largest observatories in the entire Spice District and a huge sporting complex at the heart of the city. The roads were well kept and the city itself was well funded enough to keep the streets fairly clean and the unemployment rate very low. It was usually full of polite people and the atmosphere was generally warm. The city itself was nestled in a valley and surrounded by a mountain range with a lake not too far away and a massive forest on the outskirts. Kyrie's mansion which she shared with her uncle and his servants was nestled on the border of the forest, only a stone's throw from the lake, on a hill ridge, overlooking the city. It was amazing and beautiful and Kyrie loved it. She didn't see her uncle much, as he was a busy man, but he was well mannered and a polite old man at the best of times.
Usually, Kyrie would spend the afternoon in the city with Sen and occasionally Dominic but, tonight, Sen headed off home to get ready for her sister's birthday party so Kyrie decided to go straight off home instead. It was a 15 minute bus ride and a 40 minute walk to get home. Her uncle often insisted on letting his driver go and pick her up, but she often refused, preferring the walk and the bus ride, unless it was raining.
Kyrie's room was on the fourth floor, and she had chosen in because it was not overly massive and daunting, but still elected the feeling of style. It had its own adjoining bathroom and walk in robes. It even had a balcony which she often stood on, watching the cities lights from the distance. It was relaxing in a sense and she enjoyed it. She collapsed onto her four poster double bed and made herself comfortable on the little mountain of pillows she had and fumbled with her remote. Opposite her bed was a small TV unit with a small TV her dad had given her before he had died only 15 months ago.
She casually flicked through the programmes, annoyed. Kids show, dancing, fitness, foreign affairs, and the latest news. She settled on the news, deciding if they were going to announce that they had finally caught the serial killer that had wiped out the entire population of Nikki Town a few days ago. They had said that he had used a harmful chemical gas to do it. He had been scaring Sen a little as he had killed a friend of a friend's of her mothers.
Instead they were rambling on about the up coming election again. She sighed and stood to her feet, heading towards her little bar fridge she had forever stocked of lemonade and coke, to save her the three story descent to get to the kitchen. It had been her Uncles idea and she loved it.
She chose herself a Lemonade and sat down on the edge of her bed, sipping her drink and untying her laces at the same time as occasionally glancing at the TV. She wasn't really paying attention at the time so she jumped a few feet when the TV suddenly screamed a blood curling scream. She stared in wide eyed horror as the floor of the news broadcasting station tore apart and a huge man emerged. If you could call it a man. He was male definitely, but his skin was pure white, milk white and his eyes a cold stern pale pink. He had two shelled wings, like a beetles, and he wore green armour, with a helmet like thing with two split spokes that opened around a black shell that protected his skull. His chest and shins were protected by the same shell like thing. His face was smooth and his chin was square yet his jaw line was thin. Two indigo streaks down the sides of his face looked like war paint, but Kyrie would of have guessed, they were the actual pigments of his skin. A yellow strap for his helmet thing traced lines down his face and rested at a cup on his chin, making him look… almost dorky.
In short, he was an attractive man, if he lost the helmet thing and became a little more human like. Only, Kyrie knew, before he said anything, that he was evil and had only a grim purpose. The pride and confidence that burned in his pale pink eyes suggested that he was remarkably powerful and that he was not afraid. She knew there was nothing any human could do to stop him and what he was about to announce.
She sat there, clutching the can of lemonade, staring in awe, her jaw open slightly as he introduced himself as Cell, the serial killer of Nikki Town. He went on to explain that his ambition was to destroy the Earth but he wanted to give the humans a chance to survive, so he would be holding a tournament instead, in ten days time, to let the humans have a chance at defeating him. He was cocky, Kyrie noticed, although not without reason as he demonstrated what he was capable of, his hand arching back and blowing a gapping hole in the studio. Only the blast kept going and eventually destroyed a mountain in the distance.
He gave the co-ordinates of his arena and bade his farewells, exiting. Kyrie finally snapped out of her shock and stared as the channel cut out with 'technical difficulties'.
Kyrie stood up and hadn't even taken a step when one of the maids that worked in the mansion burst in, screaming hysterics. She had obviously seen. Kyrie couldn't understand what was being said, although she did catch Cell's name in there once or twice. Suddenly the maid scrambled out the door and as Kyrie made her way towards the stairs, she saw all the maids, butlers and servants leaving, obviously running away from Cell, or going home to be with their family. Only what Kyrie didn't understand was that Cell wasn't anywhere near here.
She sighed, as the doors closed, leaving Kyrie in silence. She knew that her Uncle was overseas at the moment on business. He wasn't due home for a few more days. If the airports closed though, in light of Cell's announcement, he wouldn't be able to come back.
"Great. I'm in a huge house with no one for company and an evil tyrant who wants to blow up the Earth on the loose. Yippee." She said to herself, flatly. She wasn't overly afraid of Cell, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that he could be a huge problem if no one defeated him in his tournament. Although it would be nice if the army would blow him up. Chances were that was what was going to happen.
"Oh well. Nice knowing you Seru." She said laughing at the nickname she had given him. It was his name, just in a different language.
She returned back to her room and pulled her school uniform off, slipping into a pair of baggy track pants and a loose singlet and heading towards the bottom floor where a gym was situated. Her mind felt numb and she felt stupid as she laid into her punching bag, in a mild attempt to work of her slowly growing anxiety. She didn't like being alone. It was unnerving to her.
It was late into the evening when she finally headed back to her room and into her shower, pulling off her clothes and washing away the disturbing smell of her own sweat. She dressed herself in a pair of silk boxers and a nigh singlet and stood out on her balcony watching. From here, the city looked normal, but car headlights were speeding around and she knew most people were scrambling to leave the cities, not wanting to risk what had happened to Nikki town, happening to them.
The world was falling apart, but Cell wasn't doing anything about it at the moment. He was standing in his arena waiting patiently for the ten days to tick away…