Queen Luana: Here we go, another chapter. I'm such an addict.
Part VIII
Gote goes into oblivion
Siska stared outisde her bedroom window, night had fallen hours ago but she could not get any sleep. Her thoughts were with Jentl, crying in her bed, and Zino, somewhere in a cell, taunted with insomnia. She sighed deeply and looked down at the picture, taken in front of their school, at the final day of their first year. A rather goofy image, Zino and Jentl had switched clothes, and Jentl had still been in her pink fase back then… And Luana had placed shades on her nose, while her hair covere dher entire face. And Siska had stuffed her clothes with straw. In the background you saw people rolling their eyes but they were Gote, and they didn't care.
But were they still the band Gote? Siska placed the picture on her desk with a sigh. Two days earlier, Zino had been sentenced to spend three months in jail. Three months! They had all withnessed the trial, done everything they could to defend there friend, cluthing to their oath. And they had failed. The judge had declared it indirect self-protection, and now he was sitting his time alone. They were alowed to visit them once a week, for fifteen minutes and they cherished those minutes, yet Jentl always returned sobbing loudly. Often, she didn't show up in school the next day.
Siska moaned and took another pill against her stomach ache. The stress in school and among her friends had made her ill, she was overworked and had little sleep at night. A knock came from the door and it opened. Her father stepped in. "Siska, you should try to get some sleep." She sighed deeply, an exhausted sigh and nodded. "Yeah. Good night, daddy." Her father tucked her in and a few hours later, when the first sunrays shone at the horison, she drifted off.
After another restless night, Jentl arrived at school. She had a hard time standing on her legs, since she was fysically and emotionally drained. Knowing Zino was sitting there all by himself, the small room slowly driving him insane, tore her apart. A car almost ran into her when she crossed the road without looking desently. She appologised softly and kept on walking, when she suddenly spotted the black car standing near the stairs leading to the school building. She froze when she saw the bumpersticker, carrying the three letters she feared so badly: A.M.A. Breathing in deeply she kept on walking, trying not to look directly at it. She noticed halfway the stairs, three guys dressed in black, surrounding a young girl who sat on the ground crying. "Please leave me alone!" she begged. "Do your little trick, sweety," a fat bald guy said, his fist tightening around the chain attached to his belt. "Show us what you can do." The girl shook her head in tears. "Please, don't…" "Show us!" the bald screamed as he raised the chain high above his head. "KNOCK IT OFF!"
Jentl had set her heart on staying out of this, on not being noticed by the gang, but the words had escaped her mouth before she was fully aware of it. The little gang faced her. The two others had black hair combed backwards, one was smoking and the other was wearing shades. The macho with shades chuckled. "Will you look at that, Marcus? One of them mutant-supporters," he said and looked at the bald guy. "You know what that means." An evil grin appeared on the so called Marcus' face and Jentl realised she had revealed her secret identity as a mutant.
Luana was startled by the sudden shouting outside. She and Siska shared looks, their jaws dropped as well as their books and they hurried towards the exit of the schoolbuilding.
"Come on, baby, just show us what you can do!" the shades laughed and punched Jentl in the stomach, she collapsed instantly, coughing and gasping for air. The mass outside had formed a circle around the event, some shouting supportivly, others watching in horror. Luana and Siska forced their way through. "What? Can you change shape? Transform? Is that what you can do?" Marcus asked as his two henchmen started beating hooks into the ground. "Jesus, Jentl!" Siska cried, but her voice was overwhelmed by the noise amongst the crowd. "Or are you telepathic? Telekinetic?" The shades and the smoker started tying Jentl's wrists and ancles to the hooks, using a thin thread to do so. Jentl, still gaining her breath muttered: "I can do… nothing!"
She received another kick in her stomach and collapsed again. "That's bullshit, girl, and you know it!" Marcus cried. "You know why I know you're a mutant, huh? Because mutants stink!" An approving shout emerged from the crowd. He untied the chain from his belt and twisted it around his fist, leaving about two yards hanging down. "Show us your little trick!" Jentl tried to get up, and Marcus raised the chain above his head. "NO!" Luana cried, but in vain.
Jentl cried out in pain as she got slashed by the hard chain and she smacked onto the ground again. "Because there ain't no party like a mutant-bashing party!" his comrads sang as the chain struck her again. "Jentl! LEAVE HER ALONE!" Luana cried, but no one responded. They all merely sang along with the mutant-bashing song, except for a few who looked horror-struck. And both Luana and Siska knew why, they were mutants as well. Luana forced her way through the shouting and jumping mass. "I'm going to help her," she said determined, but Siska stopped her at her hood. "No, Luana! They'll kill you!" "Remember the oath Siska!" Luana cried. "We would look after each other, no matter what!" "I know," Siska said, now crying herself. "But there's nothing you can do, Luana."
Jentl supported on her hands and knees, waiting for the chain to hit her again. This time she didn't scream, she clenched her teeth and accepted the pain. The pain she had accepted as being a mutant. Supporting on both her elbows and shivering in pain she spoke through clenched teeth: "I can do nothing! I'm not a mutant!" Siska had slammed her arms around Luana, pulling her away but she fought fiercefully to get out of her grip. "You have to help her!" Luana said. "If you won't let me help her than do it yourself! Mind-control them! Make them stop!" "I can't," Siski whispered. "Be quiet." "Well why can't you!" Siska peeked at Jentl, the AMA-members were still harming her while she was still insisting on not being a mutant. "She can help herself but there's a reason why she isn't…"
Luana eyed her as if she were a ghost. What was she talking about? Their friend was dying! "I told you I'm not a mutant!" Jentl cried. "Leave me alone!" Siska clutched Luana's shoulder. "I get it!" she gasped. "I know what she's trying to do!" "Please just stop it!" Jentl begged. "Please!" Luana watched in pain how her friend was beaten to the ground every time by the chain, how she hardly found strength to get up in the end. "We have to wait a little longer…" Siska muttered into her ear. And she was right. A few minutes later, a boy stopped cheering, hesitated for a moment and then cried: "Hey! What if she really isn't a mutant!"
A few others lowered their hands as well and started whispering. Marcus kept slashing the chain, not noticing that Jentl had begun to smile. "Yeah! She doesn't look like one!" another guy joined in and soon the chanting had weakened. Marcus finally noticed, and the chain stopped in mid-air. "Leave her! She's just a regular girl like the rest of us!" a blonde shouted. The two henchmen watched the angry mass in fear. Marcus also didn't seem that much at ease anymore and he took a few steps away. "Let's move," he said trying to hide his fear and they all hurried towards there car and drove off with a loud shrieking noise.
Siska and Luana finally ran to help out there friend, who was still chuckling. "You're an idiot, you know that?" Luana said, picking the thin thread around Jentl's wrist. Jentl only smiled. "Just wait. It'll be in the news soon. How A.M.A. members beat up an innocent defenceless little girl. The news will spread like wildfire." Luana sighed frustrated. "Anyone got scisors or something?" "Yeah, hang on." A blonde rather handsome boy of their age kneeled down next to the trio and held out a pocketknife, which he slipped between the thread and Jentl's wrist and cut it loose. Siska blinked curiously and smiled. The boy cut Jentls loose in a matter of seconds and tucked his knife away.
Jentl tried to get up but could hardly support on her elbows. "You okay?" Siska asked and she shook her head. "No… N-not really…" "I'll carry you," the blonde said. He carefully picked her up from the ground and carried her up the stairs, Luana and Siska following at a steady pace.
"It's nothing serious," Jentl reassured Luana later in the Infirmary. "Just some bruises, I'll propbably won't be able to walk though. Just for a while." Luana smiled and nodded. "That's a relief," she said. Jentl sniggered and rested her head on the bed. The doctor had told her to lie straight the first days and she was not looking forwards to it. "How can you possible sleep without a pillow?" she had cried when the doctor finished his examination.
Siska walked into the room an excitedly plumped down into a chair. "His name's Briant, he's just as old as we are and his hobbies are playing the guitar and listening to music! Plus he's single!" She clapped her hands with joy. "Good for you," Jentl mumbled and closed her eyes. "Ask him out." "Oh, and another thing!" Siska looked at her two friends andthen leaned over. "He's a mutant too!" Luana raised an eyebrow. "He told you?" Siska nodded. "Yeah, he said he knew Jentl was one as well. He's got a sixth sense for picking out mutants. Well, that's his ability, actually. He can just sense what kind of people we are." Jentl laughed shortly. "Glad he's on our side."
Siska then cleared her throat and picked her T-shirt. "And I uh… I asked him to join Gote." Luana froze and looked at Jentl's face. This would be bad… Jentl shook with what she assumed was anger and clutched the sheets. "We are NOT replacing Zino," she hissed. Siska quickly shook her head. "I never said he was going to replace him," she said, trying to set her mind at ease. "But it's so hard for mutants nowadays and we need each other's help." "Get out." Siska looked up. "What?" "Get out," Jentl spoke again, her voice thick with anger. "Out of my face." Siska thrilled and Luana placed a hand on her shoulder. "We better leave her alone," she whispered into her ear and both girls got up and left the room.
"I didn't mean to upset her," Siska muttered back in the hallway. "I just… He hasn't got any friend since he's afraid someone will find out he's a mutant. I thought we might help him…" "I know you meant right, Siska," Luana sighed. "But keep in mind Zino is still a very sensitive subject. Let it rest, it'll go better. She's probably forgotten it tomorrow."
If there was a tomorrow…
Queen Luana: And three writer's blocks later I finally finished this! Phew! I know the writing is bad in the end, I just couldn't find the right words to phrase it. (bows head) Please forgive me.