Third hour ended, and Annette found herself in the crowded lunchroom. People everywhere. So much noise. Ben was there, but the feeling of claustrophobia was still overwhelming.

"Hey, Annie," called Ben over the din. "Annie, you have lunch money?"

"Non..."

"Well, whatever. I'll get you something to eat. How's a bagel sound?"

"That sounds good, I suppose. Where shall we sit?"

"See those soda machines over by the ramp? Wait for me right behind the machines, in that window. I'll get us some food. Now don't move from that spot, okay?"

"Oui, mon amie."

Ben nodded and darted off. Annette gave a shiver and headed for the soda machines. It was much quieter there, and even though the window behind the machines faced a main set of doors, no one was leaving or entering the building during the lunches. She set her bag down on the heating vent that made up the windowsill and sat down behind the monster vending machines. It took a short time for Ben to get back, and when she did she had a heaping tray of food.

"Bon appetite, kiddo."

Annette politely accepted some of the food, deciding that the quality of the stuff was much better than convenience store food. Ben seemed amused at her reluctance to take anything, and in the space of a minute she had handed Annette a can of soda and a cookie along with her bagel.

"God, kid, you're skeletal! Have you even eaten this week?"

"Yes, I had those fries earlier."

"I mean besides that! Does your dad starve you or something?"

"No, but he isn't exactly the model father figure."

"Poor you. Eat fast, Annie. Lunch flies by pretty quick. In fact, finish that soda now, cuz we should really get going."

"I'm done. I never eat much at a time anyway."

Ben slipped the cookie into a pocket of Annette's bag and dumped the tray in the garbage. Then she was back at the girl's side, waiting for her to gather her things so they could leave.

"Come on, Annie. Let's go before they kick us out."

Ben led the way, dodging and weaving through the crowd in a manner much more graceful than anything Annette could ever attempt. It was all she could do to keep up. But at any rate, they arrived quickly to the place Ben had called the commons.

And Annette could tell that she'd come home. Everyone in the place either wore black or had their hair as freakish as it could get, and there were conversations going on about swords and murder and anarchy. She smiled and let the dark vibe of the commons wash over her.

"Welcome to the commons, Annie. We'll wait here for Wolfie; he usually pops up pretty quick. You need to make sure one of us is with you at all times, okay? A lot of people here would try to stuff you in a trash can if you're caught alone."

Annette felt a small tap on her head, and when she turned around, Wolfgang had somehow snuck up behind her. The small squeak of surprise that escaped her mouth amused him, if the scary grin on his face meant anything. Ben laughed and shook her head despairingly.

"Dude, you shouldn't sneak up on people like that! You're supposed to be the kid's bodyguard, not her tormentor! Eh, whatever. You gonna be okay, Annie?"

"Yes, of course."

"Alright. I gotta go. My next class is back by the cafeteria. See ya." Ben grinned at Annette's worried expression. "Don't worry, Annie. The boy might LOOK pretty freaky, but he'll take good care of ya."

And she darted off.

"Well, then, Annie-" Wolfgang's eyes were clear and friendly. "-let's get to class, shall we? Going up."

And Annette was sitting on his shoulders again, her bag slung over Wolfgang's shoulder. They started off with a speed that slightly startled the girl, as someone as tall as Wolfgang was not expected to move so quickly. They were at the classroom in a matter of seconds, though it was upstairs and halfway back down the skool.

"And just in time," was the teenager's comment when they entered the room. The bell rang as if on cue, and Annette grasped his hand tightly, not sure what to do.

"Class, find your seats. If there's a problem, talk to me." The teacher, an older woman who looked very bored, waved at a chart on the overhead.

Annette was dismayed to find that she had been placed on the opposite side of the room from Wolfgang. Her huge eyes threatened to overflow, and she refused to let go of her friend's hand. He noticed the source of her fright immediately and led her over to the teacher's desk.

"Mrs. Browning," Wolfgang called over the chatter, "there's a problem, here."

"What is it? Oh, hello, little girl. Is this your sister, young man?"

"No, she's a student, the foreign girl. Antoinette's her name, and she's freaking out. Can you move her over to the desk next to mine?" His cool gaze rested on the teacher's a foot below.

"Well, are you sure it would make her distressed if she wasn't moved?"

"Please, Madame, I'm very frightened of all the people. May I sit by Wolfgang?" Annette bit her lip and moved a little closer to the boy.

"Well, I suppose so. But if there are any problems, be sure to tell me, okay, Antoinette?"

"Oui, Madame."

"Alright, then. Jake, I'm switching you to the desk over there. Go, hurry. We have to get started. Go sit down, you two. Are you happy now? You know, most kids would have wanted to get farther away from the teacher's desk."

"I don't mind, Madame. Thank you very much. I won't cause problems, I promise."

"Man, Annie, can you say conformity? 'I won't cause problems, I promise.' Are you planning on killing her or something?" laughed Wolfgang when they took their seats.

"I just want to avoid trouble is all. It wouldn't do to get on the teacher's bad side on the first day of class."

"Yeah, well, whatever works for you, I guess." Wolfgang had conveniently forgotten to bring anything to class, and a teacher like that one wasn't likely to give the class a free day because of the new skool year.

"Thank you for being kind to me. I hope I'm not a bother-"

"Can you quit the proper grammar crap? We're not in English, you know."

"My apologies. I am still learning English, and my...father speaks much like this. He curses more, though," she added as a sort of side note.

"You scare me."

"Thank you."

Wolfgang just shook his head and looked up at the blackboard. A muttered curse, and he dug in his pockets for a pen. Annette handed him one, and he proceeded to scrawl something on his hand.

"Looks like we've got textbooks." Annette glanced into the depths of her bag. "I hope all my things will fit..."

A boy seated across the aisle did a double-take. He peered closely at Annette, then grinned evilly and elbowed his friend. They both gave her a nasty look before starting in on the torment.

"Hey, little girl, you get lost on the way to daycare?" one asked, leering unpleasantly at Annette.

"You need help getting back?"

"Oh, wait, you're just a little freshie, aren't you?"

"That's a pretty serious offense. What'll we do?"

"How about find her a new home? A trash can, maybe?"

Annette grasped Wolfgang's hand again, and he turned to see what was wrong. The sight of the leering students was enough to let him fill in the blanks. The blank stare turned into a dangerous glare in under a nanosecond.

"Were these boys bothering you, Annie?" he asked evenly, still staring at the offenders.

"No, man, we were just having fun-"

"Yeah, we didn't mean to insult yer sister-"

"Do you want me to kill them for you, Annie?" A glance at an excitedly nodding Annette made him smile for a moment. "The lady has spoken. What're your last words, gentlemen?"

"Oh, God, please don't kill us-"

"We never meant to hurt her feelings-"

"We're sorry, kid-"

"My name is Antoinette, you bastards."

Wolfgang's expression slipped to shock for a moment before the cool mask returned.

"Oh, look. You've pissed her off now. Are you going to apologize, or do I have to teach you a lesson?"

"We're sorry!"

"Forgive us!"

"Whaddaya think, Annie?" The teenager grinned.

"You can kill them later if my father doesn't get to them first. But I don't want to disrupt the lesson, so leave them alone for awhile, alright?"

"Got it. No killing until after class. Seems fair. Enjoy your last hour and a half of life, boys."

Annette grinned and turned back to the front of the room, glad to have the situation defused. A moment's hesitation, and she let go of Wolfgang's hand. He seemed relieved and examined the marks left by the girl's nails. For a little kid, she had a strong grip-and TALONS.

"Are you really going to kill them later?" asked Annette awhile later.

"Probably not. I think Kayako's already got them on her list, anyway. It's not very smart to interfere with her little vengeance schemes."

"I believe I've taken a liking to this little group of yours..."

"Hey, kid, you got a ride home?"

"I can walk."

"No, we'll figure something out. Come to the commons after you get your stuff, okay?"

"I've already got everything I need with me."

"Good. Then it'll make things that much easier. Where do you live?"

"I'm not entirely sure. It's a street close here, and the house is 777."

"You mean that one with the boarded-up windows and the loose soil that people say dead bodies are buried in?"

"That would be it."
"Cool. Toni lives right near there. She should be able to give you a ride. Tom and Kayako already go with her. It shouldn't be a problem."

"Thank you very much for your help."

"Don't worry about it, Annie. We can't just leave a budding young Goth chick to suffer by herself. You must be nurtured and warped to your full potential."

"You are very kind."

The grin on Wolfgang's face was shared by Annette. They had a silent chuckle at the thought of warping the girl's mind before a sharp reprimand from the teacher caused them to abandon their conversation. Then it was all work and no play for the next hour.

"Hey, Toni, the kid doesn't have a ride home. She lives in the House of Death. That's right on your way home, isn't it?"

Wolfgang set Annette down on the top of a section of lockers. The teenager he had spoken to started and fell off of the pile of backpacks she had been perched on. A muffled curse, and Toni finally comprehended what had been said.

"Oh, yeah, sure. Man, Annie, you live in THAT house? Nice. But yeah, I'll take you home. Tom and Kayako should be here any second, and then we can get going. How was your afternoon, Annie?"

"It went rather well. Wolfgang was very nice and threatened to kill some bad people for me. The teacher is mean, but she's a good teacher nonetheless. I believe I'll actually learn something in that class."

"O...kay...Wolfie, you remember that Kayako's got dibs on those boys in your geometry class, right?"

"Of course. And Speaking of, Kayako and Tom are approaching."

Kayako had skittered across the banks of lockers around the commons, closely pursued by Tom. She stopped next to Annette, slowly brought her head up, and gave the girl a stare completely devoid of any emotion whatsoever. The dead eyes were unfocused, and a black-painted mouth gradually dropped open a fraction, allowing a hiss of air to be taken in. Then a flash, and Kayako smiled.

"Konnichiwa, Annie-san. Did I scare you?"

"Oui."

"Sorry about that. Ready to go, Toni?"

"Yeah, Kayako, we're ready. Annie's coming with anyway. She lives in the House of Death."

"Seriously?" Tom gave an evil grin and mimed hanging himself. "Isn't that where all those people went missing? They said the guy that lived there killed himself like, what, ten, eleven years ago or something."

"Oh, well, Squee said that Nny died once. But then he got better, so everything's okay again."

The silence that followed alerted Annette to the idea that maybe some things were best left unsaid.

"Well, uh, let's go, then, I guess..." Toni picked up her backpack and started off toward the doors. "Come on guys. See ya, Wolfie."

"See ya."

Annette smiled and jumped down from the lockers before following Toni. Kayako slithered down from her perch and darted after them, with Tom trailing behind. A moment, and when Annette looked back, Wolfgang was nowhere to be seen.

"So you really DO live in that house, right? You're not just messing with us, are you?" Toni's voice cut through Annette's reverie like a machete.

"Yes. Why are you all so determined not to believe me?"

"Well, that house is like, famous or something. It's just weird to think that somebody actually LIVES there, like it's a normal place." Tom's blue eyes were bright with an imagined idea of what life must be like for a girl in that house. "Are there a ton of severed body parts lying around?"

"Not usually. I clean the house at least once a week, though I have been slacking off lately...But I do not believe there to be any severed limbs lying about."
"Lovely," breathed Kayako, her green eyes unnaturally glowing. "May I meet this father of yours sometime?"

"I do not see why you wouldn't be able to. Be warned, however, that he may kill you if you irritate him. Hopefully not, as it would be a shame to have one less friend, but I suppose people don't stay around forever."

The chilling words effected a silence that lasted until the group was in the car and well on their way to Annette's home.

"So, uh, then...music, anybody?" Toni just had to break the silence.

"How about Zombie?" suggested Kayako.

"Yeah, your theme song, too, Kay."

"Shut up."

"Zombie it is, then." Toni slipped a CD into the stereo and grinned as the pounding bass started off the disk.

Then there was a perceptible shift in realities, and they turned onto Annette's street. Even the music dropped a notch in volume. It was like one of those horror movies where they turn off the sound just before something scary happens. So Toni just turned the volume right back up again.

The car pulled into the driveway, and Annette disembarked the wheeled vessel the second it came to a more or less complete stop. Kayako slithered out after her, presumably to make sure she would be able to get in the door. The others just waited in the car.

"Thank you for your help, Kayako. And thank your friends for me as well. I suppose I'd better go inside. Goodbye. I hope to see you tomorrow." Annette bowed and opened the door.

No lights were on inside. It was deathly silent-except for the occasional scream of overwhelming pain and despair, but you get the idea. Kayako peered around, wondering if anybody was even home.

"Back already, Annette?" The sudden noise made Kayako jump. "Well, I suppose it is three in the afternoon. Who's your friend?"

"Her name is Kayako, Nny. She and a number of her friends were assisting me today. Please refrain from killing them, as I've taken a liking to them." Annette turned back to Kayako. "Goodbye."

"Jaane, then. I suppose. See you tomorrow." She turned to leave, then stopped. "By the way, do you guys have anything wickedly sharp that I can have? My parental units confiscated my katana."

Annette pulled a pair of daggers from the other side of the door. "Here you are. They work quite well. Now you should go. Your friends are waiting for you."

"Hey, kiddo, they're your friends, too."

"I know."

Kayako finally took the cue and left.

"How was skool, Annie?"

Now it was Annette's turn to jump. Nny was standing directly behind her, completely stationary, almost inanimate. He glanced down at her expression and managed a small smile.

"I repeat. How was skool?"

"Oh. I made some friends. They helped me find my way around the building and kept the bad people away. One of them even threatened to kill some boys that were bothering me. And I have Squee's old French teacher, so I am fond of that class."

"Do you want me to-"

"No, that girl who came to the door already has plans to kill them. She can take care of it."

"You're certain?"

"Yes."

"Alright, then. Do you need food now or something?"

"Non, I already ate today."

"Whatever. I'm going downstairs. Care to join me?"

"Maybe later. I have much homework to complete."

"Fair enough."

And Nny drifted off to the basement.

Annette was left to herself once more. She had started to convince herself that perhaps this time would be different, that today might be a day when Nny actually held a decent conversation, but no. That was too good to be true, and she knew it. The rational part of her mind was telling her that Nny would never be able to hold a conversation with another human being without going completely psycho.

"Now what?"

Annette sighed, dropped her bag onto the ground, and turned back toward the door. She grabbed the house key from the nail on the door and left. Where would she go? She had more than enough money to get her by for a long time, and Jack and Sally were clutched in her hands. There was nothing on the planet that could threaten her now.

So where DID Annette go? The pet store, of course! She entered the noisy shop with a large smile on her face, and immediately the entire place went silent as the grave. Annette went to the cages full of cats and browsed, not in any particular hurry.

Oh, my God! cried one of the cats to another. It's another one!

Another what, mother? mewled another, a kitten.

One day, more than ten years ago, a skinny giant who looked like he didn't eat enough came in here and bought a rabbit. THAT WAS NOT A GOOD DAY! And this female looks just like the evil one! Hide, my children! If any must die, it shall be me! Your future it too bright! You have much to look forward to! Save the future!

"Hey, Jo, we're gonna put those cats down tomorrow, right? They been here too long. You wanna do the honors?" drawled one of the kids working at the store.

"Those poor kittens? No! You kill them," cried Jo.

"Those cats are gonna die tomorrow?" screeched Annette.

"Yeah. They're too old and they're loud."

"I'll take them."

"ALL of them?"

"Yeah. Even the mother. I think the kittens will be happy to be with her."

"Uh, okay. You got enough cash on you, little girl? And where's your parent or guardian? We gotta check with them before we finalize any sales."

"Is this enough?"

Annette threw a wad of money at the cashiers. They counted it, their eyes widening steadily at every hundred.

"How about you take that much and forget that I'm not twenty-one, eh?" Annette's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Uh, yeah, go ahead. Take em all. You want anything else?"

"Are there any other animals slated for euthanasia soon?"

"Uh, well, there's a couple Chihuahuas and a ferret that were gonna be put down next week."

"And that boa constrictor."

"Yeah. Uh, did you want-"

"Yes, I believe I'll take those, too. I won't be paying any more. Is that alright with you?"

"Y-yeah, go ahead. Take em all. Did you need help getting them home-"

"I'll manage. Give me some leashes and harnesses, will you?"

And so five minutes later, Annette left the pet store with ten shivering animals under her protection. The boa gave her some trouble, but a quick meal of rats calmed it down enough to be worn around the girl's shoulders. She walked home quickly, as it was slightly brisk out and the snake was very sensitive to climate.

"What shall I name you all? Mother cat, I believe you already have names for your children, correct? Care to let me in on the secret?" She stared at the cat for awhile before giving a small grin. "Alright, then. The black one is Midnight? All of them are black, cherie. No matter; I'll find out soon enough. The dogs are a different matter. I'm thinking Madness and Chaos. And the ferret should be Slyther. How about you, boa? Do you like...Warp?"

The snake gave an approving hiss and settled its head down into Annette's hair. The other animals gave sounds of general approval and acceptance, though the mother cat was still a little uneasy. She gave a small purr and snuggled closer to her offspring in the box in Annette's hands.

Nny still wasn't upstairs when Annette returned. She carefully deposited the box onto the couch and unwrapped the boa, looking around at the dark, dreary place.

"Well, Mother Cat, there are plenty of rats for you and your children downstairs. Please don't let them roam too far, though, alright? There's plenty down there that would spell trouble for a young chat. Hmm...Mere is a good name for you, I think. Alright, Mere, care to tell me their names yet?"

Mere just gave an irritated mew and snuggled with her kittens. Annette smiled and turned to the dogs, who just shivered at the sight of the huge snake a little ways off. The ferret was glaring daggers at the dogs, who had probably been cruel to her as an infant.

"Oh, come now, cheris. You are unreasonable. You can all catch rats and insects downstairs. Do not squabble already. If you insist on being this way, I'll have to separate you. Is that what you want? You want me to separate you? Because I will. I WILL separate you if you cannot get along? "

At this, the animals fell silent. There was the sound of footsteps going up the stairs, and Nny reappeared at the basement door.

"What the hell are these things doing here?"

"Er, well, they were going to be killed, so I took them in...I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. They'll be good for catching rats. Damned things nearly swarmed me once today. Have you named them yet?"

"Well, er, the snake is Warp, and the ferret is Slyther. I've named the dogs Madness and Chaos. The mother cat is Mere, and she hasn't told me her kittens' names."

"Midnight, Ebony, Darkness, Death, and Fear."

"Pardon?"

Nny gave her a level stare. "Those are their names."

"Oh. Er, thank you."

"Are you sure you don't want to come downstairs?"

"...Actually, yes, why not?"

"Good girl."

Annette washed her arms and face much later, wondering if the bloodstains would come out of her sweatshirt. She hadn't killed the cheerleader. Nny was the one who had driven a screwdriver through the girl's head. All Annette had done was remove the limbs that insisted upon flailing around while punishment was being dealt. Still, it was enough to get her fairly covered in life. She took a moment to admire the beautiful red painting her skin, marveling at the perfect color produced by such vile creatures.

"Annette, are you hungry? It's late."

"No, I already ate earlier today."

Nny appeared in the doorway. "Annette, you're a child. You should be eating more. Come on, let's go out for dinner."

"Why the sudden change of heart, Nny? You feeling like you haven't been doing a good enough job on the parenting end of things?"

"No. I haven't eaten in a week. I assumed you'd be hungry as well. Shall we?"

"Yes, just give me a moment to change into something else."

"You look fine. Let's go before I pass out again."

"Fine, fine. Don't rush me, father." Annette straightened her choker and left the bathroom.

Walking was much preferable to driving. Annette kept two paces behind Nny at all times, clutching her dolls tightly. Of course, her attempts at looking innocent didn't go over too well, what with the blood and the black. At any rate, they walked down the street. And stuff.

And they passed a crowd of people who were running the other way. And screaming. Annette stared after them wonderingly, but Nny barely gave them a glance.

They found what the people had been running from at a taco place. Blood splattered the windows, and the sounds of screams and groans permeated the air. Annette found this to be quite interesting...

"What the hell happened here?" muttered Nny. "Did I black out again?"

"It looks like somebody's inside."

There were strains of a song coming from inside the restaurant. Closer inspection revealed a young woman seated at a table, eating a taco and murmuring to herself. She looked up when Annette approached.

"Oh, hello, Annie. Care to have a taco?"

"Who is that?" Nny stared distastefully at the girl. "And why is she holding one of my daggers?"

"Er, Father, this is Kayako. Kayako, this is Nny. Er, what exactly happened here?"

"Oh, some freaks just pissed me off. Those kids in your Algebra class won't be bothering you anymore." Kayako smiled. "Did you want those knives back, Nny?"

"Go ahead and keep them. I've got more. So is this one of your little friends, Annette?"

"Oui, Monsieur."

"Good. I like this girl. She'll be a good influence. Tacos, Annette?"

Annette smiled and nodded. She watched Nny disappear into the back kitchen thing and reappear seconds later with a handful of tacos. They sat down across from Kayako and began to eat.

"So, Annette, Nny, how have you been recently?" Kayako's eyes glanced with a friendly air between the two. "Anything out of the usual happen?"

"Not really. Annette brought home a few pets, but other than that..."

"Yes, I found out that some animals were to be killed soon, so I bought them. Six cats, two dogs, a ferret, and a snake. I wonder how they're getting along?"

cut to house-

The cats snuggled closer to the ferret while their mother roamed the basement in search of food. The boa had already consumed a few rats, and the dogs were currently huddled in a corner, shivering.

back to the story-

"How fun. I wish my parents would let me have a pet. But after the incident with the cat, they decided that I wasn't fit for taking care of anything."

"What happened?"

"Er, well, I found out why it was that cats don't like water. I'll just leave it at that." The green eyes closed for a moment, and her fair skin darkened.

"Oh. Nny had a similar experience with a rabbit. Except instead of water, it was a hammer and some nails. Poor thing. Oh. Maybe I should keep the kittens away from..." Annette gave Nny a sideways glance. "Oh, nevermind. How about you, Kayako? Anything going on with you?"

"Not really. I'm still in therapy. My last psychiatrist had to leave suddenly. They still haven't found the body. Anyway, other than that, I'm still just as screwed up as ever. Thank you for asking. Oh, by the way, Nny, Annie told me that you kill people a lot. Care to explain?"

"Not especially. Those vile sacks of dung don't deserve that amount of attention. It's simple. I kill them because they're the scum disguising themselves as humans."

"Fascinating. I kill because they hurt me. Or because they annoy me. It's all the same once you really get down to it. They're still dead either way. Oh, Annie, it sounds like the police are here. You'd better get going."

"What about-"

"I can handle it. I've been through this before. Jaane."

"Um, goodbye. Come on, Father, we should go."

"I'm coming. Kayako, if you need weaponry, don't hesitate to ask. This could get very interesting."

"Many thanks. I could always use a good knife or two."

"Father!"

"Don't call-"

"Just come on."

Annette dragged her father away from the restaurant, looking for all the world like a terrified victim.

"Hey, Annie! Come on over!"

Annette cautiously approached the small group located in the very center of the commons. Toni grinned and gave her a small hug, welcoming her back into the circle. Kayako was nowhere to be seen, but she soon popped up directly behind the girl and announced her presence with a death rattle. (aka the Grudge noise)

"Hello, everyone. How are you today?" Annette was quickly lifted up onto one of the stone blocks in the commons, therefore reducing the height difference significantly.

"Bien, merci." Ben grinned. "Et toi?"

"Tres bien, merci. Everyone else?"

"Good."

"I'm okay."

"Intact."

"Alive."

"Tired."

"...o...kay? I think."

"Lovely."

"Hey, Annie, whatcha listening to?" Remi grabbed at Annette's headphones, and the girl handed them to her.

"It's this cello-rock group called Rasputina. They're a Goth chick duo right now with a Goth dude as the drummer." Annette wrapped her tongue around the strange syllables, all-too aware of how ridiculous they sounded coming from her mouth.

"Awesome. Never heard this stuff before. Where can I get their CDs?"

"Pretty much any music store."

"Nice. I hafta remember to check them out."

"I've got their debut CD at home, Remi. You can borrow it if you want to burn a copy," offered Eric.

"Sweet." Remi handed back the headphones and put her own over her ears. "I got 'Tallica on now. Mix CD of their old stuff."

"Zombie," breathed Kayako, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"Of course, Kay. Green Day for me today." Ben tapped her headphones.

"Drowning Pool," was Tom's input.

"Flogging Molly," laughed Ben.

"Disturbed," added Wolfgang.

"Yeah, you are," teased Remi. "I'd have thought of you as more of a Rammstein kind of guy."

"My kid sister stole my Rammstein CDs, so I stole this one and her Linkin Park CDs." A glance at Annette's questioning expression, and he added "She's well on her way to being a Gothic punk. Her name's Kenza, and she's in eighth grade. You'd probably like her."

"Fascinating." Annette checked her watch. "Not to interrupt anything, but the bell is set to ring in two minutes."

Eric swore and darted off, not even bothering to say goodbye. It was well-known that his first class was all the way across the skool and on the second floor. Kayako bid a hasty farewell and slithered off into the crowd. She too had class across Skool. The others drifted off one by one, not having to travel quite so far. Ben and Annette were the last to leave, sprinting to the English classroom and diving through the door just as the bell rang.

"And-SAFE!" crowed the teacher, laughing and nearly falling off of her chair. "Get to your seats, girls. We have to start class."

Annette bowed and hurried to her desk, which was conveniently situated next to Ben's. Her friend followed close behind, giggling silently to herself. The teacher just shook her head and began writing the day's lesson on the board.

"That teacher talks too fast," muttered Annette, struggling to record what the woman was saying.

"Yeah, but she's nice. Just ask her to slow down a little. I'm sure she'll understand."

"Perhaps. Er, Ben?"

"Yeah?"

"Are we going to be in the same classes next term?"

"We'll worry about that when next term rolls around, okay? Just concentrate on today. Don't even give tomorrow a thought, and give yesterday the finger. It's me philosophy, and it works wonders." Ben grinned. "So don't worry, okay?"

"Okay. Why is everyone getting out their textbooks?"

"Turn to page 34, Annie."

"Oh. Alright."

Annette sat through the rest of class with a somewhat stupefied look on her face. By the time the bell rang, she was unsure whether the teacher was speaking English or some strange form of Japanese. Ben had to nudge her to get her to stand up and go.

"Erm, Mrs. Stevenson, er, I'm, um, having some trouble in class," stuttered the girl, assisted by pokes from Ben.

"Really, dear? I thought you were doing very well."

"Er, I'm sorry, could you please repeat that?"

"I said I thought you were doing very well in class."

"Oh. Er, well, you see, I cannot quite manage to..."

"She don't understand the words that yer jabbering at two hundred miles an hour. She needs you to try to slow down or write on the board more or something." Ben, who was quickly growing impatient with Annette, explained the sitch in the only way she knew how: direct honesty.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Antoinette. I didn't realize that you were the foreign student the principal mentioned to me. Of course I'll try to slow down."

"What did she say?"

"She's gonna slow down."

"Oh." Annette turned back to the teacher and smiled. "Merci beaucoup. Er, Ben, we should probably..."

"Yeah. See ya, Mrs. Stevenson. We gotta go. Thanks a ton."

And they were out the door in a split second.

Author's note: whew! it's been awhile since I've done one of these. I just felt the need to address one very irritating issue. Two of me fics were deleted because i put meself in the story and had non-story-related notes. First off, Raven in this story and in Along Came a French Girl IS NOT ME. Raven is her own character, a chick working at Hot Topic. In fact, Raven's probably not even her real name! If it makes the administration happy, she'll be known as...I dunno, KARASU from now on! Would that be better?

And as for non-story-related notes, how the hell do they figure that? Every note in me fics pertains to the story! Even THIS one! I address issues in the stories and tell background on certain scenes! For GODDESS'S SAKE, PEOPLE!

But SERIOUSLY, what the hell have I had on me fics that's so damned horrid? I don't even CUSS like some people do in their fics-no offense, as I loved a lot of those stories. I mean, yeah, there's a lot of killing, but WHAT THE HELL DO YOU EXPECT! I mean, come ON. "JOHNNY THE HOMICIDAL MANIAC." Yeah, there's a little kid assisting in murder, but that's why it's rated PG-13, BAKAS! er, i should go before I get people pissed at me. anyway, I think Raven will be referred to as "Karasu" from now on, and until next time, enjoy "gone the way of my sanity."

raven (note: all content in this note pertains to the story, so PLEASE don't delete the damned thing.)