A long chappie for all you folks. A reminder that the Lee Estates is Rye's grandfather's property (Rye's father would have inherited it; passed to the oldest Lee male or only child) while the Empire refers to her mum's land, land she founded herself. As you all know, Rye is Melisande Lee, named after her mother, and father's last name. But for the purpose of this fic, she will usually be referred to as Rye, a name adopted to conceal her identity at Rene.
Righteo! Happy reading!
Euphrosyne's Fic III – 08
.:Bastard Academy:.
Gah!
He wanted to complain, he wanted to whine, but a true artist of words would never throw such tantrums (at least not in public), this mild case of writers block will not get to him! All he really needed was a little inspiration.
Wandering through the dimly lit carpeted halls with no real goal or purpose, Enrique listened to the whining of the radiators and it comforted him. He had been getting nothing but criticism for his recent works all term and it was starting to take a toll. How did everyone else do it? Take Brooklyn, Garland, and Rye as the extremes, they made everything look simple! Even Scarlett, now under the guidance of the famous, first-ranked, orange-haired genius was starting to make the ranks; why couldn't he just spark a piece of interest, an article, a biography even, anything to draw notable acknowledgment from the public. Just once.
It was late, half past nine if not nearing ten, and most people were either out- as in sleeping, out- as in clubbing, or out- as in wandering pointlessly because of their thick substanceless head!
The blond pounded his skull for stimulation.
Not really knowing if it were the pebbles juggling in his brain or actual footsteps in the halls, almost desperate on taking his mind off his work, or maybe because his curiosity had taken the best of him, the blue-eyed boy decided to follow the noise. Dramatically, he tip-toed towards the origins of the sound and was slightly taken back at what he saw.
Walking ever so casually in slacks and a tank top, Rye pulled her hair back with the elastic around her wrist, the handle of a small metal kit clasped between her lips. If the late encounter was not suspicious enough on its own, what added to the heat was the girl's strategic navigation through the halls. Females in the male corridors and males in the female corridors were definitely frowned down upon, especially during these hours. What struck the boy however, was the fact Rye was traveling nowhere near Brooklyn and Garland's dorm, in fact, she was traveling towards the lay-town district, the dorms of Rene's most bed-friendly males.
Dorm regions had a habit of developing reputations over the years. Enrique was a proud member of the paper-and-pen republic.
If only he could secure his position with some substance! Any story was a story at his current journalistic standing.
Pausing after gently knocking on the door, Rye bobby-pined a few stands of loose bangs before rubbing her eyes. She was clearly bed-ridden.
Rubbing her eyes…she wasn't wearing her glasses. Well, she has 50-25 lens, she doesn't really need'em, only to study. But hm, something about Rye felt different, yet naturally so, as if…
The door slowly opened, body barely recognizable from under the enormous comforter. The slate colored hair however, gave him away.
Kai coughed and sneezed painfully before inviting the girl in, guiding her by placing a hand at the nape of her neck, a rather friendly gesture, before adjusting the blanket on his shoulder, quietly closing the door.
Absorbing the scene, then playing it out in script form in his head, Enrique didn't understand. Sure, Hiwatari was obviously ill, but why Rye? They were of two different social groups, two feuding social groups at that! Should he be worried about her safety? Replaying the exchange between the two however, they seemed friendly, almost sibling-like if not more.
This was all too strange.
Not really understanding what took over, his body or mind, the blue-eyed boy found himself jotting the night's events in his handy-dandy notebook, starting from his own expedition in the hall. Whether it be the sudden spin on fortune that had taken him by surprise or the reporter in him that demanded answers, this little barter had given him an idea, and like his mother, the CEO and founder of Attitude magazine always said, 'no publicity is bad publicity…'
…Right?
Dotting his i's, Enrique closed the pad and waited for any final events. Biting his lip, he hesitantly turned, taking the first step towards the direction in which he came.
Turning on the water boiler as she walked by the trudging teen, Rye picked up the lukewarm cup of tea- teabag still dangling astray in the muggy liquid, shaking her head as she proceeded towards the washroom. Emptying out the day-old drink, she returned also, with a shallow pan of water to provide moisture in the air through evaporation.
Opening her little med kit, she took out a thermometer, flicking it in the air a few times before waiting for the teen to respond, "Open."
And he did. He felt his bed rise as Rye's weight disappeared. The girl walked towards the bathroom where a metal kit, very much similar to her own, was nailed to the wall. Opening it, Rye found the interior bare, but this was expected. Rye could only imagine all the times Tala and the goons had arrived home drunk, empting the medicine cabinet of its goods. They were even down to their last Band-Aid!
Transferring the essentials from her kit to that of Kai's, she silently wondered what the slut would say if he realized this medical haven in the form of a tin, a simple carrying device he most likely overlooked as a life saver (or life preventor, given the redhead's sexual drive), was his cousin's creation. The mini kit, owned by members of their little group, had quickly adopted the name, nerd kit.
Shuffling of blankets sent her back to the boy where simultaneously, she took the thermometer from the boy's mouth, reading the stat, before brushing those slate-colored bangs away from his face, placing a hand against his forehead.
She shook her head, meeting his face almost patronizingly, "You look like shit."
"Tank cyou."
She could tell he was struggling not to make a fool of himself with his congestion, lack of articulation.
Placing the thermometer back in the kit, she began to question his day's activities, "Have you had anything to eat?"
"Kon dwopped by with thome thicken thoup and thome overly piicy crap."
She held it in. It was too cruel, making fun of the weak and vulnerable. She could always count on Ray, not only a chef at heart, but a reliable and caring friend, to do good. The Asian had all the right tricks up his sleeves.
She passed the boy a pill and a glass of water.
He accepted it.
"Zinc to reduce infection and fight neutrophils."
Waiting for him to swallow, she passed the boy two more pills to which he also accepted. "Vitamin A and E for the immune system."
Groaning, he swallowed. "How many pwills to cover the witamin B compwex?"
The girl only narrowed her eyes, "Don't get smart on me Mr. Kai Hiwatari. I'm still gonna pound on you a little bit after you get better for the whole pizza ordeal. Subtly hint to Tala for me, how he could be fathering a football team right now if it weren't for Brooklyn and his nerd kit. Plan-B is only 89 percent effective. Should he ever run out for his women, the nearest drug-mart is over 72 hours away. Let's see how he reduces pregnancy then."
Tala and kids. He dared not imagine.
"Hmph."
The boy turned in his bed. "He tinks I did it?"
No response.
That was good enough an answer for him. That was how it had always been. Tala hated Brooklyn, Brooklyn hated him, and he and Tala were best friends. Throw in a few family ties and the whole relationship gets rather messy.
"I've never figured out what it is exactly that B can't look you eye-to-eye for, but I've narrowed it down to your father."
Should've figured. Most things originated because of the old man. He accepted the straightforward deduction, when it came from her.
Sitting in thoughtful silence, Rye elevated his head with an extra pillow to ease his dry cough. A hand much cooler than his body softly moved towards his abdomen, its weight causing Kai to shift his gaze on his friend.
"Strip."
"Huhn?"
He had expected a memorable if not intelligent follow-up, but this was-
"I'm gonna rub your body like no other…"
The boy sprung back against his bed. What the fuck?
"Clothes. Off. Now!" The girl lunged towards him, roughly tugging his shirt over his head.
Kai covered his body with his arms, "I am still a bwoy!"
Playing along, the girl shifted her weight until she was sitting directly on top of his body. Leg on either side, she threw her head back in an evil cackle, a tiny brown bottle in hand.
The boy instantly recognized the container. "I knew wit! I knew this wuff play was too good to be twue. Eucalyptus oil."
"A decongestant for the chest. Now be good and this won't hur-"
He grabbed her wrist. He had been sick once before during his acquaintance with the Lee Estate heir and he vowed right there and then that he would never allow that foul smelling stuff to come between them again. He was much stronger than her, even in his current health, no way could that stuff make contact with his body-
Dwoop!
Fuck. Damn advanced mechanisms used to transfer the crap. Rye had squeezed the bulb, the peppermint-like solution burning his skin upon touch. Unconsciously, he released her arm.
Big mistake.
She was strong when determined and given their current placement, his body pined under her dead weight, he needed both hands to restrain her one arm from rubbing the lotion against his chest.
…Not that he was really complaining; he just didn't wanna smell like a woman.
As his senses registered the hand that was traveling towards his ear, he set free an arm to swat it away.
She slapped him.
It was a pitiful excuse for a slap, but it took him by surprise nonetheless, which was probably the whole point.
With his face tilted to the side from the contact, she smirked triumphantly at herself as she rubbed the lotion behind his ear and along his neck. "All done."
"Dwirty twick."
"I had to conjugate new strategies after our last eucalyptus battle." She carefully pushed herself to a stand, grinning over him with a victorious gesture. "Kai Hiwatari," she pointed from him to her, "you just got bitch slapped, and whether you enjoy it or not, you now belong to me." Hands on her hips, she gave a sinister chuckle before jumping off the bed to pack her gear.
Normal women would have caved seeing his buttons undone, but Rye wasn't your typical girl. She didn't want him, and for that, he wanted her even more. She was oblivious to his needs and desires, and that was one of the sexiest things about her.
"I'm gonna grab you a clean shirt. I've labeled the vitamins on the counter and left instructions on which ones to take and when. There are three types of herbal tea. Drink it when you're thirsty, drink it to prevent dehydration, and drink it when you're bored; green tea loaded with antioxidants to rid your body of harmful free radical agents, lemon tea crammed with vitamin C, and hyssop, your favorite," he snickered at her sarcasm, "a member of the mint family for when you're bored of green tea and lemon. There's a cup of honey lemon water by your alarm," he turned and indeed found his mug steaming. Women and their magical maternal instincts, "and remember to gargle warm salt water in the morning if your throat feels swelly okay?" She paused to see if she had forgotten anything. Kai could see her mentally checking off items in her head. He cleared his throat for her attention. His voice was hoarse from their battle.
"Could cyou…could cyou stay the night?"
He could tell she had already pondered that option, for that reason he had chosen his words wisely. If he had asked "want to stay?" or "think you could stay?" she would have been given choice. He however, worded the question as a personal favor, and he meant it.
"I don't know. You know I want to, just look at you, you look absolutely pathetic," his lids dropped a little at the comment, "but what if Tala-"
"He and Ming Ming are wonna be out the woole night. Someving vabout VIP guests? Special wights? All night? I dunno. I think he's pwanning to stay over in your dworm anyways."
It was Rye's turn to drop her lids at the sentence, she shuddered. "I don't trust the sheets I sleep on." Hesitantly, she finally nodded before sighing. Untying her hair, she wildly shook the strands loose before hopping into Tala's bed. "I'm gonna be up and out early in the morning. I'll leave ya some soup. Remember to call me if you need anything like when you're too weak to bully Ray into cooking something for ya." Pulling the covers up, she gave the boy a teasing grin before clapping her hands. The lights shut. It was so like Tala to have a clapper installed in a school dorm.
"Night, Blue."
A hesitant reply.
"Thwanks."
She heard a sniffle and shook her head. As if she had a choice.
Gently running her hand over the dozens of frames on the display case, Rye's cheeks, even under the layers of powder and foundation, rose to form a smile. Lifting the picture to her face, she admired the natural stance of her mother, aunt, and father. The picture had been taken way before her parents got married, a copy, very much one of her favorite pictures, sat neatly on her desk in her room at the Lee Estates. Just by looking at the still, she could feel the ocean breeze run through her own hair. It had been a late summer day, the three were wearing light jackets. She often wondered how things would be if the two, her aunt and father, were still alive. Bringing the frame closer, she used her thumb to brush the dust away. Her mother had been the younger of the two. Rye's aunt, a nurse, had dull, soft features compared to her mother's naturally yet perfectly chiseled ones. Grey eyes, contrasting to Ms. Lovett's world renown blue ones, but very similar to her own, stared back at her. Amazing how two sisters could look so different. Genes had a way of skipping generations. Rye's eyes skimmed the smiling faces of her father, aunt, and mother once more.
Clicking of heels forced her to return the picture. As fast as two legs bound in a silk mid-thigh dress could carry her, she ran back to her place by the far door, bending over to strap the bloody heels back on.
The shoes were trimmed with diamonds. They were real, her mother would have settled for nothing less. More jewels meant less circulation. This was going to be one painful three hour get-together.
Protected by the holy powers of Anastasie, the lippy solemn personal assistant and Ghita, the overly expressive Italian fashion diva, Ms. Lovett appeared, decked in a flowing knee lengthed white dress, scrunched in asset-emphasizing areas and smooth in other cheeky regions. Diamond slips, if possible, more painful looking than her own, graced her mother's feet, where sparking earrings, matching the plunging diamond necklace, drew attention towards her flawless face.
The theme of the night: Bling bling.
If her mother weren't a conniving bitch, she would admit the woman looked decent, if not deservingly beautiful.
Brushing her styled velvety black hair back with the tips of her fingers to look at Ghita, Melisande Senior's soft yet cutting voice soared through the empty room in question. "Is that a Francesca design?"
The man nodded, not completely sure if he was being complimented or scorned for his gown choice.
"Add her to the list. Have her send me her portfolio. Order another design in lilac, the color compliments her well." Peering through those thick lashes, her gaze landed on her daughter, scanning her over once more. "I like what you've done with her eyes, Ghita. Very good."
Slowly exhaling, the said man adjusted his collar modestly. "Thank you, Mame. I try my best for you." Waving a finger at Rye, he gestured her to walk. "Show her what we've taught you."
Rye resisted the urge to snap her heels and slot them through the man's eyes. This was against everything she believed in.
Walking to the end of the room, in the most demented of manners, but apparently "the correct way of moving," Rye mentally recited the instructions to where her feet and arms were to be at each step. If all women of their rank walked in this dangerous fashion, leg in front of the other, at least lessen the coats of eyeliner and mascara so she could see! She felt like Barbie with a rod up her ass, and that was underplaying the scene. The damn metric tonne bracelet on her right arm was seriously affecting her balance. Though Hilda and the other fashionistas had offered to snap a brooch on the left halter part of the dress to "even out the weight," she had wisely declined. This was silk, not plywood. The last thing she needed was a flash-trip. She was starting to fancy the feeling of having her so-called "non-existent breasts" pushed up against her lungs. The "push and lift," or so-termed, should have been more correctly named the "puncture and lift," but who was she to judge? It was amazing how fashion defied the laws of gravity.
Ms. Lovett nodded at the walk, pointing and whispering to Ghita on how her ankles were still weak from a lack of training in heels. Tasie took notes.
Reaching the end of the walk, Rye placed a hand on her waist, throwing her head over her shoulder before giving a barely noticeable yet smoldering smile.
Ms. Lovett raised a perfectly shaped brow.
Ghita quickly replied. "We felt she was ready for the pouty sex kitten look."
And Rye walked back. Clicking her heel for emphasis on the last step to pivot her body back towards the three adults.
Tasie and Ghita looked impressed. Her mother wasn't responding with any criticism, which meant-
"You may leave an hour early."
Cha Ching! She had hit the jack pot! One hour down, two hours of suffering to go. Take that! you filthy rich bastards with equally touchy, if not perverted sons.
The three made their way towards the hall entrance, pausing for Rye to join Melisande's side. Tasie unwilling made room for the girl by taking a step to the left.
Doors opening, as expected, more diamonds hit her in the face.
Rye fought back a choke. She felt her contacts melt from the light.
"I read she goes to some prestigious all girls school in Scotland-"
"-I heard she was sent there because her mum found out she got breast implants-"
"-Love her dress. Hate her."
Walking past the party of preaching girls, Kai felt their eyes transfer from the host's daughter to himself. These girls, though rich by birth, were always hungry for wealth and men. Sadly for Kai, he was, if not had, both.
Tapping his hand against the counter, he nodded at the bartender who took his order. As revenge for all the hardcore liquor he had made Rye guzzle over the years, Rye had introduced him to fancy, fruity, tiny-umbrella-styled chick-drinks. The shameful part: He enjoyed them.
Swiftly, he held the drinks by the bell, walking towards his friend's direction. He could sense her distress signals from a mile away.
Coolly, he slid the drink past her ear, to which she turned, smiled surprisingly, and accepted. With his one free hand, he found her waist, escorting her towards the private halls. More than half a dozen pair of angry eyes shot him in the back. This however, did nothing for his nerves. It was the rivaling number of eyes from the opposite gender, the eyes glued to his cheeks (nope, the lower set) that made him feel somewhat uneasy.
Cameras began snapping away. This was, at the very core, a show-and-tell.
"We away from the public eye yet?"
Kai made some kind of haughty noise.
Instantly, Rye keeled over, grabbing the banister for support. Eyeing the pretty pink drink lusciously, she examined the glass. "Once I Exacto knife myself outta this dress, I'm gonna inhale this beauty. What percent?"
"Ten."
"And yours?"
"Forty."
"Let's trade."
And so they did.
Taking a sip of the liquid, Rye made a face. Blah! The girls were right; the boy had to have a body of a god to inhale this stuff. She had only been at it for an hour, chit-chatting with the men, and sigh, the women; only half the battle, and already, she was pooped.
Taking a turn past a few modern art pieces, the two arrived at a curtained entrance. Pulling one side of the twin topaz fabric up to wrap around a hook, Kai did the same with the other. Walking into the vacant and dark hall, the sounds of their footsteps were absorbed by the carpet, aware of the others' presence solely by the heat emitted from each others' body.
Taking off her shoes, Rye heaved herself onto the velvety cushioned window ledge, crossing her ankles as Kai joined her. This private tea room had been built especially for Rye's grandfather back during the early days of the Lovett marriage. After Rye's father had passed away however, the room was rarely, if ever used, most likely forgotten. It had been Kai and Rye themselves who rediscovered the place, cleaning it up for their own use.
She looked absolutely beautiful tonight, no matter how she complained about how the weight of the earrings gave her detached earlobes. He did wish however, that he could see more of those eyes, the makeup did nothing but emphasize the shape, drowning out those grey depths he had learned to love over the year.
"Thank you for coming by the way, though you should be in bed- Don't-" He had opened his mouth to counter, "If you can manage to hold back all sniffles and coughs, any wheezing that would hint illness, I will not preach."
Snickering, he shook his head with a soft smile as she tilted her gaze towards the window.
The Empire grounds were lit with millions of tiny white lights. Quite an elegant scene actually. Rye's mother had always been a woman of image, of sophisticated class.
"Very nice pouty sex kitten look back there by the way."
Ah, victory was sweet indeed. Though the two hated the business world, they both loved the competition.
Reaching into her dress, one hand against her chest to prevent the fabric from riding, she shuffled in her seat.
"Moving a little fast here, are we not?"
"Zip it." Pulling out what appeared to be a thin booklet, Kai accepted the mini stack of cue cards.
"I'm not even gonna ask."
"Mass weapons in here."
Kai rolled his eyes at the double meaning.
"These are the notes for the upcoming competition against Le Marc. You said you were willing to take over my business section, freeing me up to cover Garland's Lit and B's Sciences."
The blue-haired boy raised a brow. "You? Sciences?"
"I'll have you know I can recite a few good evolutionary theories. I'm all about trade-offs and the marginal value theorem."
"What ever makes you happy. There ain't no next time if we lose."
"Pfft."
He always knew which buttons to press.
Grabbing the cue cards roughly from his hands, she skipped a few to reach a particular highlighted point. "You're the underdog here, Hiwatari. Lets see, touching on recent developments on microstructure-"
He gave the answer, swift, brief, yet complete.
"…"
She skipped to another card. "That one was easy. I see you have a nice grasp on the basics."
As the two sat, an arms-race for maximum intelligence, Kai had a feeling the competition was no longer between schools but within schools. That was how it had always been. He was always either fighting against the girl, or fighting for her. The latter proved to be more difficult…
He smiled.
…but so much more rewarding.
If only they could stay stationary like this, feeding off each others' nature with him silently questioning how a woman of her stature could overlook the feelings men, him included, had developed for her, or better yet, why the lights outside even bothered to shine when against the girl's beauty…
He couldn't take his eyes off her, and not wanting to creep her out from his constant staring, he decided to shift his gaze towards the window, stealing glances of her off the glass's reflection.
Almost time for the big, "who should Rye up with?" tally. The choices are either Tala (I lurve him!), Brooklyn, Kai, Other (!), or None. I'm curious to what your reflections are right now, though as events unfold, your perspectives may change, who knows! (I've met the Brooklyn supporters, lol). I shall announce the tally at the beginning of one of the upcoming chapters.
Read and review! Read and review!
(Someone compliment me on my slick three day update! Whoot! Lol.)