Ok everyone! Randall here. I know that all of you......ok a couple....ok one of you were waiting for this next chapter. This one, as in the next one too, will feature more on me and Strife. And to answer VJ.....trick me? Strife? Ha! On the contrary....he HELPS me. You'll see in the next chapter.

Enjoy!

Chapter 13 An Uneasy Talk

The place was, yet again, another free-way. Not that there was anything "free" about it or an easy "way" to get where your going. On the ceiling, I hope that I finally had some time to take a break. I was lucky enough to get the first lunch shift. A break in the middle of the school day seems like the best of the four.

I started down the hall, remembering the way to get there. I recalled how to get to the lunch room....or should I say mess hall.

Speaking of which, you all never really got to see ours in the company. Surprise, surprise, I never really actually saw it all that much either. I usually take lunch on my shift, or rarely wait until I get home. I was, unlike others, very dedicated to my work.

From what I could remember, the place was huge. Walls painted the same as the rest of the company. Rows of chairs and tables in the middle of the room. There were some snack and drink vending machines of varying types lining the walls beside the entrance, just incase. There were also the pictures of some of the Top Scarer. Notice no "'s". A picture of yours truly use to be there. Employee of the month. I don't think its there anymore. Probably in a garbage dump or being used for firewood.

Sometimes I usually step out to just relax for those brief thirty minutes. There were a few diners near the company, so it was easy to get there then back at the factory. We were aloud to go out for that period. Actually, only a few monsters head out to the other dinners. One of our perks is that we can get served first do to the time constraint and the fact we make the power, HA!

Anyway.....back to the past. I was currently measuring the length of the line into the cafe. No....literally. "(Jeez....can't help but imagine the other shifts)" I thought. As said, there's a variety. I quickly skipped the idea of getting food not, waiting till the line got small.

Surprising me, I saw Strife eating a sandwich at the table I was at yesterday. Heading over to him, I looked around to see the "condition". Me and Fungus......well mostly me.....had cleaned most of the mess. Sure enough, there were a few taunts passing around about me. The place still smelled like food, but hey...get use to it, that's what they serve here.

Strife noticed me and gestured the seat to his left. I figured why not, and took the seat. Strife took a moment to see if anyone was still taunting before he started the conversation he mentioned earlier. He moved his head side to side before setting down his half-eaten sandwich, thought keeping it in his hands while he talked.

"Not much of the aftermath is left here from yesterday" he said, taking another large bite out of his sandwich. "You can thank Fargus for that....." I mumbled. "...Hmph...I always thought he was a little rough around the edges....but never thought he would clean this himself..." he said, his eyes trailing the lunch room. Oh boy was he off!

"Actually...." I started, rubbing my hurt arm, which seemed healed already. He cut in quickly. "Ah.....so you did it......" he said. He didn't seem moved by it, as if he knew it already. "How did you...." I started again. "I was there remember?" he said, eyeing me for a second. Oh yeah....forgot that.

"Yeah.....Fungus and me had to do it...." I said, quietly. He chuckled. "Heh....seems like you, Sullivan, and Wazowski don't get along very well...." he said. Hmph.....he was even far far away on that one. "You have no idea...." I replied. "I think I have a small idea..." he said, seeming a whisper. He stopped for a few seconds before continuing.

"You shouldn't let cretins like Fargus and those two bug you.....sooner or later they'll be stopped...." he said. "Yeah...that'll be the day...." I mumbled. "Didn't your mother ever teach you that the windows of opportunity are always open?" he asked.

I think he shoved me into a corner. Strife, like everyone else, didn't know my....uh...."secret". I hate to lie......ok....maybe not as much, but I don't do it unless I have to...heh. Anyway, as much as I didn't want to lie to him, I had to.

"My mom....is....on a.....business trip......" I lied. He seemed distracted for a moment. "Heh....what a coincidence....so is mine...." he chuckled. Hook, line, and lied. I joined in with his laugh for a few seconds before he stopped.

"Oh.....strange how reptilian strangers get along so well....then again....we're not totally strangers...." he said. Had to admit, he was right. "Wish I could say the same for the other.....species...." I said, keeping my voice low so only he could hear. "They just don't understand....they're fools really....." he said. Agree to that. Speaking of fools.....

"Which reminds me....where is Fungus?" I asked. "With his m......I mean...Ms. Knoepfel" he corrected, like he needed to.

"Speaking of him....I over heard you two discussing the C.A.T. test...." he said. I know.....they come up with crazy names. "Yeah?" I asked. "Heard we may take it soon...." he said. "What are you hoping for?" he added. I didn't want to reply, but then again I guess him and me had some degree of respect.

"Scarer....." I said, as low as I could so he would only hear. I thought he was going to laugh, but he didn't. "No surprise to me....you could do it.... he said. Shocked really, I became interested in what he wanted to be.

"How about you?" I asked. He stopped from taking a bite and smiled. "I don't know, perhaps law, maybe a judge....finally have a reptile in the court room.....judging instead of being sentenced" he said. I chuckled. "Finally some good law....I thought I would have to wait another century" I said. He seemed to not mistake it for a sarcastic remark.

"Ever been bitten by law Randall?" he asked. Never been asked that before. "......No....I don't think so...." I replied shaking. Honestly.....I don't recall law biting me in the tail before.

"Good....you shouldn't have to deal with it...." he said. I was about to ask him why he asked that, but he looked over at the decreased line near the entrance.

"Better get what you need....running out of time...." he said. "(What is he.....oh yeah....)" I remembered. A grumble from my stomach assured me of what he was talking about. "Be right back...." I said, getting up. I left my bag, knowing Strife would watch it for me. I could trust him....I think.

After getting lunch, things became silent between me and him. I learned that I could trust Strife, and that he seemed more comfortable talking to me than anyone. Maybe that's why I decided to follow with him to the other class. I'm going to try to skip some useless parts in the next two classes to speed things up.

Strife led the way and I followed closely to his....well....head. I'm not sure if he could or not, but Strife was just walking rather than wall climbing. But I watched him through, seeming nobody hit....nudged....him. I usually get pinned against a wall if I walked normally in these halls.

We got to the door and I hung back as Strife opened the door. I dropped down and followed him inside.

Fungus was already inside, placing thermos into his backpack. His mother was in too.

Strife took his seat first, then me. I felt that he wanted to stop the talking in this class. I sighed in relief that I wouldn't see Percy in this class. She seemed distracted in the Lunch room thankfully. But I was still going to be cautious. Outside school grounds.......uh......well.....both grounds anyway....I was a good target.

I pressed my back against the chair, crossing my arms. I really didn't want to deal with such things so early in the school year. I wasn't surprised, but I just hoped that I wasn't going to get a black eye for the year.

Fungus noticed me seeming to be a bit off-cue. "What's with you?" he asked. Guess he got a little more comfortable with his mom being the teacher. "Nothing....". I really didn't want to talk to him about such things. He should be thanking me for taking over yesterday and getting embarrassed by Sullivan and Wazowski.

My attention shifted to the doorway. Snitch and Betty came in first, taking their seats. Keenan came in next. Then......Uhh....Sullivan and Wazowski.

I starred at them as they entered, chuckling as they came by. I ignored their comments, even though I heard them and still remember them. "(Yeah....keep laughing boys.....just wait until your hanging)" I thought. Everyone else started in and class soon started.

It was back to normal boring life for a few minutes. Students came in late, the teacher starts telling their planned schedule, and then try to explain things in the easiest and most understandable way possible.

Mrs. Simperton was a little different than the other teachers. Taking in my assistant's account, I mean Fungus, I made the guess that she had recently began teaching. She seemed experienced in the field of Science, but....heh....like that helped?

Speaking of the Simperton. Maybe you should know a little bit about the "relationship" me and Fungus shared.

We.....weren't friends....not really. I kinda thought of us as friends....at the time. He probably didn't. I was probably just the last to pick for him. It was questionable whether he considered us friends or not. Guess he really wasn't, but at that time, I thought he was. Boy....what a fool I was....

Anyway, we were assigned to do an element on our Periodic Table. Our table consisted of the same elements in your world, however a few more for us. Actually, we don't know some of the rare ones you guys have, and you don't know any of the ones we have.

I really didn't get science as much, seeing as it was harder to understand than most things. Still.....I did want to know one thing.

I wondered what will happen when Simperton talks about the "toxins". You know what I'm talking about. That wasn't going through my mind currently, but still....

The period actually went kind of fast. First was the element description, which was actually pretty stupid, then a few notes on atoms, electrons, molecules, and protons. Real simple stuff. Then we need to take notes while watching a movie.

What? Oh yeah. I may have forgotten to mention the T.V. perched high in the top left corner of the room........Ohh....lets just say near Simperton's desk.

Its was about the same thing over again. I particularly hated movie notes. Why? I could hardly hear a thing thanks to those in the room. Like a mini-lunch room really.

Everyone finished rather quickly, either they finished it or they didn't even bother doing it. My attention was currently on Sullivan and the monster in front of him. Sullivan was currently copying his work, then giving it to Wazowski.

Sullivan didn't cheat all the time....heh...nice lie huh?

It was always sickening to me that monsters accuse me of being a cheater, never once thinking that its actually a little thing called intelligence. I was once accused of cheating on a final quiz in middle school. I had the same grade as another student, and they think I cheated. Of course, I didn't. What's the point to it anyway?

I mean, if you think about it, if you don't understand something, think of risks. I mean, say you don't know anything about medicine, but you got an A in all the classes that associate with it, by cheating. And say that was your dream. Would YOU like a person with no experience to operate on you? I don't think so.

Anyway. Third period went fast. And that's not just because I'm speeding things up. Now it was close to the end of the day. Doesn't it feel good to get into fourth period? So close to freedom. Not to me. I would get to the orphanage on time today, but maybe with a bleeding jaw.

I led the way this time, Strife and Fungus following close by my tail. I reached the second floor. Fungus was the farthest behind, having a slow pace that will always be with him, and Strife was a little faster. I turned back to the door, opening it, then meeting face to face with a female tentacle monster. After a moment, I took to the other door. The one I almost walked into just pushed me a bit by my left arms. I grunted in my head and got through the door.

The floor was nearly packed. We had to take a few minutes to get to the door. When we did, we entered quickly shut the door. "(Jeez.....)" I thought as Strife and Fungus took their seats. Riderson was already in writing something on the blackboard.

I took my seat quickly, trying to read his handwriting. Seems we would be doing studies on human animals first.

Classes like this were actually.....outspread. For some reason, there wasn't a whole lot to talk about, seeing as not much human info was told. For such purposes, this class won't be as important. All we had to do was copy notes and work on a few worksheets

Seeing as Dogs and Cats were the most known about, seeing as Scarers had to deal with them for so long.....the brave ones anyway....we would be studying those first. I wasn't fond of this class as much. Seeing as we don't know much about Humans. But its questionable in terms of elderly monsters. I've already brought an opinion of mine.

Anyway, I was more worried about after this class. I mean, school would be out then. Percy would be sure to grab me before I could leave. And I DID NOT want that at all.

I looked back at Strife our of reflex, our talk giving me sudden interest in him. He was currently writing something in his notebook. He seemed distracted too.

I think there was something else he wanted to talk about. And I was right actually. But....it was something he wanted to show me....or should I say someone.

And I was gonna be really shocked by what Strife does for me and what he shows me.

And if your all wondering. No...its not anybody I or Sean have mentioned yet. I sped up the classes to get to the end quicker.

Hope you enjoyed this! Let me know. Next chapter will be up as soon as Sean gets something ready....