Fatal Fury, King of Fighters and its characters are property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games, or the animes.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Thirteen
Saturday, November 14th, 1998. Later That Day
Around the time that the girls of Clemency School were gathering for dinner, the clerk at the dollar store had finished closing up. After locking and shuttering the front door, she made her way down the sidewalk in a cold, rapidly darkening evening on her way to her meeting. In icy wind was blowing down the main street, and the woman turned her collar up around her mild Asian features as some small protection against it.
These days she went by the name Keiko Renzabura. She used to be known by a different name, but that had been another life. A comfortable one with a home, a family, a successful business. All that had been taken from her. So she'd started a new life, using her resources and the money she'd inherited from her deceased husband and parents to put together a team of professionals and learn everything she could about those responsible. Not as fulfilling as the life she'd lost, but it gave Keiko a purpose.
After a few years of dead ends, her search had led her here. To Burlington. Not as far from Osaka as some other places might be, but it still felt worlds away. The sun didn't shine as much as it did in Japan, and even the forests smelled too different. But Osaka wasn't her home anymore. Now, home was wherever her mission, her endgame was. And recent signs pointed to it being here.
She entered the Starbuck's shortly after six, and scanned the tables. Near the back, sat a black-haired man flipping through a magazine and drinking a bottle of Fuji water, dressed in a battered leather jacket, a pair of sunglasses perched on his nose despite the waning daylight outside. He raised his eyes (hidden by the shades) towards the entrance, and gave Keiko a nod. She returned it, and after placing her order at the counter, joined him at the table.
"Henriksen," she said with a nod as she sat down. "Thank you for meeting me."
The man so named gave a small shrug, tucked his magazine inside his jacket. "It's your money. You said you found something?"
She waited until her tall hot Sumatra Clover was placed in front of her and the barista had departed. Then she cast another glance over her shoulder, saw everyone else minding their business. "Let me show you," she said. She reached inside the pocket of her jacket and pulled out several stills from the security camera footage, which she'd printed out before closing the store. Turning them face-down on the table, she slid them over to Henriksen.
He lifted them up, quickly rifled through them, then set them back down. Keiko raised one eyebrow at him. "Well?"
His face was unreadable beneath his Ray Bans, as always. "I'd say that girl looks exactly like her, except miniature. And we've learned through our digging that the Organization has a lot of sway in this town, which is what brought us here. And we know that both they and Suzumebaki are connected to that school for gifted orphans."
Keiko smiled coldly, sipped her coffee. "And we've heard rumors about the Organization's little pet project, but you and the rest of the team haven't uncovered any proof. Until now."
Henriksen tapped one finger against the photos on the table, slid them back to the stern-looking woman. "I'd call this a very strong lead, not proof."
It always annoyed Keiko that the grizzled mercenary sitting across from her never took off his sunglasses. Even though he worked for her, she always felt he was giving her condescending looks under those shades. "What are you talking about, no proof? You saw the photos. That little demon spawn has the exact same EYES."
He shrugged, drank his water. "Look, you're the one in charge here. But if you want my professional opinion, we need to be sure about this, beyond a shadow of a doubt, before we move forward with what you're planning. So she looks very similar. That might mean everything, or nothing. But let's proceed with caution. These are kids we're dealing with, after all."
Keiko snorted. "Didn't stop that bitch back in Osaka. Women, children… she didn't seem to mind killing them all."
"Well, look at it this way. If we're able to get proof before we proceed, you'll have something concrete you can give to the press regarding this little project, something more than just hearsay. You might even expose the Organization, give your family true justice."
"What makes you care?"
Another shrug. "Wouldn't say I care, but I do respect you. Most of the clients who hire me and my guys prefer to sit back and let us do all the work. You're actually getting involved, playing an active part in your own plans. Plus, I'd rather not have 'child-killer' on my resume unless I have a very good reason."
She turned to glance out the window, took another sip of coffee. After a moment, she looked back at him. "I have a strong work ethic. My father taught me that. All right. I'll follow your advice. How do we get proof?"
"We get a sample of her DNA."
Suddenly she found herself feeling some doubts. "And how the hell do we do that?"
"Well, the girls go to that store all the time. And you're there a lot, now that you're the new Assistant Manager. I'm sure that eventually, an opportunity will present itself. Just keep your eyes and ears open."
She rubbed her chin in thought, drank more coffee. It was true that ever since she'd managed to get a job there, she had quickly earned the owner's trust, got him to hand over more responsibilities to her. There had to be some way to use that to get some blood from the girl. They only needed a few drops.
"All right." She took up the photos, tucked them back into her jacket. "We'll do it your way."
"You got it," he said with a nod. "In the meantime, I'll pay a visit to the school and scope out the perimeter. So that if this girl is who you think she is, we'll have enough intel to form a plan when it's time to move. If that's okay with you."
"Hm? Yes, focus on that, I'll focus on the girl." Melanie, her friend had called her. Though, if she was who Keiko thought she was, her name would soon be irrelevant.
She smiled at that thought, drank her coffee. She would continue her to maintain her cover at the store, and wait for something to come up. She'd already waited ten years for justice. What was a little longer?
Tuesday, January 26th, 1999
"Pneumonia?" Joan Landy phrased the question to Gladys as if she'd read her own chart wrong. "You're certain of this?"
"Very certain," the older woman spoke calmly. "And will you please keep your voice down, Ms. Landy? I have a very sick young lady in here." She gestured to the cot where Melanie lay, buried under a thick blanket, her body still shivering and yet soaked in sweat at the same time.
Landy began to pace the infirmary. "I'm sorry, I understand the infirmary is your place of expertise. It's just… how does a child living in the United States in this day and age catch pneumonia?"
Gladys shrugged. "The last few weeks have been colder than our normal winters here."
Ms. Wallace was standing off to the side, looking with concern at the girl in the cot. "All I know is that yesterday mornin', she hadn't gotten out of bed when eight o'clock rolled around, so I was gonna give her my usual rude awakening. But when I pulled off her sheets, she looked pale as a ghost and her forehead was burning up. So I picked her up and rushed her over here."
"She came in a few days before that, with a persistent cough," Gladys added. "But she didn't have a fever, so I assumed it was a cold. Gave her a vitamin C shot and a bag of throat lozenges, and told her to drink as much fluid as she could, and to come back if things didn't improve."
Joan had been out of town on business for the last few days, arriving back this morning, and had come over as soon as she was able after getting the updates from her assistant. After assimilating everything the other women had told her, the matriarch walked over to the cot, ran a hand gently through Melanie's damp hair. The blonde girl looked up at her, the whites of her amber eyes tinged with red.
"Melanie, dear," Joan said in a soft tone that Melanie hadn't heard since the night they'd met. "Have you been wearing the winter clothing you were issued every time you go outside?"
The voice that replied was a weak rasp, with none of the usual defiance. "Yes, ma'am. I guess I was… just spending too much time in the snow."
This earned her a rare smile from her guardian. "Well, sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. I know you like the snow, but maybe you should limit your time in it after you get better."
"Yes, ma'am," came the whispered reply.
There was a knock at the infirmary door, and the three adults turned to see Kimberly standing there, bundled in her parka, scarf, and earmuffs, her legs covered by the thermal tights that were part of their school uniforms in the winter.
"Shouldn't you be in class, Kimberly, dear?" Joan Landy asked her.
"It just got out, Ms. Landy," the girl explained. "We have free time until dinner. I… wanted to see how she was doing."
Joan turned to Gladys. "How is she doing?"
"Better," said the older woman. "Slowly but surely. Thankfully, I have everything I need to treat her here, so she doesn't need the hospital, unless things take a bad turn, and right now, they don't appear to be. I've started her on some antibiotics, which she's responding to. Her last temperature reading was one-oh-one point six, down a degree from yesterday. When her fever breaks, I'll move her back to her own room in the dorms, but I'd still like her to stay in bed and keep warm until the antibiotic regimen is finished."
"Very well," Joan said with a curt nod. "Kimberly, when your roommate is feeling well enough to do schoolwork, I'd like you to collect her make-up assignments from the teachers and see to it that Melanie gets them. Can you do that, please, dear?"
It was an order, not a question, but Kimberly still nodded. "I'd be happy to, Ms. Landy."
"Thank you, child. Gladys, please do everything you can to get Melanie well enough to rejoin our community."
"You know I will," Gladys responded.
Still standing by the door, Kimberly fidgeted for a moment. "Um, is it okay if I see her, Gladys? I've been worried about her."
The salt and pepper-haired woman smiled warmly at the young girl. "You may, dear, but only for a short while. She needs her rest."
Kimberly smiled back. "Thanks."
"Don't be late for dinner, Kimberly," Joan said. She gave Melanie another smile, rumpled her golden hair. "And as for you: focus on getting better. The school isn't the same without you." Then she and Ms. Wallace took their leave. When they were gone, the dark-haired girl walked to Mel's bedside, pulled over an empty chair, and sat down on it.
"Hey, Kim," Mel whispered hoarsely at her friend, a faint smile tugging at one side of her mouth.
Kimberly cast a glance over her shoulder, saw Gladys on the other side of the room, looking through her medicine stocks to make sure nothing was expired. She was ignoring the two girls, so Kim whispered in a low voice: "How you feeling?"
"Lousy, but not as lousy as I felt yesterday."
"Well, I'm not gonna say I told you so, but…"
Melanie gave a faint laugh, followed by a small, wet cough. "Well, you kinda just did," she rasped.
Kimberly leaned in closer to the cot, voice dropping even more. "Well, I'm sorry, but what were you thinking, Mel? Sneaking out to go to the shed this last week? It had to have been, like… below zero almost every night. Doesn't your workshop have a heater?"
"Nah, but I didn't care. I was too busy with the work to even notice the cold."
"Well, you scared the fuck out of me when I saw you yesterday morning. I couldn't concentrate all day at school. I got a forty-nine on the algebra quiz, so Coleman is probably gonna give me a make-up."
Another weak laugh escaped the blonde girl's lips. "Oh, right, I missed the math quiz. That's too bad."
"Mel, I'm being serious. I was… really scared for you. I mean, Gladys knows what she's doing, but still… whatever you're working on, it can't be worth risking your life over."
"Ah, you worry too much. This ain't gonna kill me. When I got sick in a foster home, I usually had to nurse myself back to health. And anyway, you should see what I'm working on. Which you will, when I feel like I've got something cool enough to…" Melanie was interrupted by an explosive fit of wet, hacking coughs from deep inside her chest, which brought up a substantial amount of dull green phlegm. She grabbed a tissue from a box laying next to her head and managed to get most of it in there, using another to wipe her mouth.
Gladys was instantly at her side with a glass of warm water, using one hand to raise the blonde girl's head while her other brought the cup to Melanie's mouth, tilting it just enough for a small swallow of water to slide past her lips.
"That's it, dear," she spoke in a soothing voice. "Slow and steady." Melanie managed another sip of water, which calmed her lungs. She gave a small sigh, her head sinking back on the pillow.
"Two more minutes, Kimberly," the nurse said. "I know you're worried about your friend, but it's important that you let her rest. The more she rests, the sooner she'll get better."
"Okay, ma'am," Kimberly said. When Gladys was out of hearing range, she leaned forward again and whispered: "Mel, can you promise me something?"
Her head turned slightly, looking at Kim through glassy eyes. "Yeah?"
"A real promise."
Despite her weakened state, Kimberly could see a look of impatience forming on her flushed face. "What?"
"When… when you get better, promise me you'll stay away from the shed until the weather starts to thaw."
The request nearly agitated Melanie to the point of coughing again. "But… that'll take at least a month, maybe two."
"Yeah, but what if you get sick again?"
"I wouldn't. I'll find more layers to wear. I'll steal a space heater or something."
"I'm sure you would, but let's pretend you do catch pneumonia again. Landy might buy that excuse about you loving the snow if you catch it once, but twice… then she might start to think there's another reason you keep getting sick. And if they find your workshop, then you lose everything. Please, Mel? Just take a little break? It'll make me feel better, at least."
Melanie saw the concern in her roommate's dark eyes. When she first got here, she'd have thought it was an act, but she knew from experience this was real concern from a real friend. "Okay, Kim. I… I promise." She managed to get one arm loose from the heavy blankets she was buried under and held it out to Kimberly, fingers curled into a fist.
Kimberly smiled, made her own fist, and slapped the bottom of it against the top of Melanie's. After the two girls finished going through the sequence of bumps that made up their handshake, the dark-haired girl rose from her chair. "I'll stop by tomorrow," she said. "I might sneak in some comics, if you're feeling better."
Melanie said nothing, because she'd fallen back to sleep, the damp wheezing sound of her troubled breathing filling the room. Kimberly smiled down at her, pulled the blanket up to her roommate's chin, and left the infirmary quietly.
Thursday, February 4th, 1999
After Joan's initial visit, Melanie spent three more days in the infirmary before her fever broke, and the following day, which was a Saturday, Gladys carried her back to the dorms wrapped in a heavy blanket while the rest of the girls were on their field trip. From there, it was a rather boring routine. She spent the days in her room in bed, either doing her make-up work from school, or trying to sneak down to the rec room to watch TV. Eventually, she was caught by Wallace for the latter, who reported it to Gladys.
"She needs to stay in bed," the nurse told the dorm supervisor. "I don't want her getting up unless it's to use the bathroom. Strap her to the mattress if you have to."
After hearing that, Wallace relayed that ultimatum to Melanie, and the girl knew from experience that the grizzled Southern dame would do just that if necessary. So she'd stayed in bed, hating most of it. Things got a little better after Monday, when Gladys told Nikolai's staff to start feeding her solid food again (until then, her diet had been consisting mostly of liquids; Farina for breakfast, soup for dinner, all the tea and Jell-O she wanted in between). Like in Solitary, her meals were brought to her on a covered tray three times a day, and she was grateful that she didn't even have to say grace.
Other than the more substantial meals, her only other high points were in the evening hours, when members of her circle of friends would come in and out of her room to say hello or hang out, and of course getting to chat with Kimberly in the hours before lights out.
Now she had only one more day on her antibiotics. Tomorrow morning, she'd go to the infirmary for a check-up, but she was expecting Gladys to deem her fully recovered. For now, though, lunch was over, and she was trying to get through the last of her make-up work. She'd managed to stay on top of that, namely because Wallace continued to keep a close eye on her and would check to see that the crafty blonde was not hiding comics inside her text books.
Though truth be told, a ruse wasn't really necessary, since her subjects continued to be more interesting than ever, with the exception of Math. Melanie had thought "Starship Troopers" was just a lapse in her English teacher sucking, but no… the novel after that had been "The Red Badge of Courage," which had also actually been pretty good. Not as good as Heinlein, but Melanie had still gotten a B on her book report, above average for her. Currently, she was up to date on Kelly's latest required reading, a novel from 1984 called "Armor," and had even read past the assigned chapters while she'd been bedridden.
History, Biology and Chemistry also continued to keep her attention. Santiago was still focusing on "underdog battles" throughout recorded human history, while Dr. Wong had assigned Melanie some reading on ligaments, tendons, and how they operated within a moving body. Pay close attention to the diagrams, Melanie, he'd written on a note slipped between the assigned pages. I know it's not the same as an in-class demonstration, but I have more than one piglet carcass in the freezer. So once you're better, if you have a day where you can stay after class, you can get a more hands-on demonstration regarding what you've read.
Melanie would definitely have to take him up on that. For now, though, she had to get through the rest of the reading. She was almost done when a knock on the door interrupted her. She looked up to see Kimberly standing there, one hand behind her back.
"You're early," Mel said with a smile, setting her book aside on the nightstand.
"It's Thursday, so no gym class," Kim reminded her. "And you still haven't been cleared for our usual sessions." Even though Mel had earned her weapon, she still liked to go one-on-one with her roommate in their free time.
Melanie sat up a little straighter, her back still against the pillows. "Well, you're not interrupting anything. I only have Math left, which would be great, if Coleman didn't insist we 'show our work.'"
"Yeah, that rots, doesn't it? Well, since we had some time to kill before dinner, there was something important we needed to do with you."
Melanie raised one bright yellow eyebrow. "I'd love to do anything with you, but Wallace would kill me if she saw me out of bed." She thought for a second, and the other brow went up. "Wait, you said 'we'. What's going on?"
Kimberly's smile grew even broader as she stepped into the room and showed Melanie what was behind her back: an eight-pack of cream-filled Hostess chocolate cupcakes. She was followed closely by Niko, Layla and Zoey, who had been hiding just outside the door frame.
The girls all took seats at the foot of the bed. "Almost forgot what day it was," Kimberly told her confused roommate. "Happy birthday, Mel!"
"Yeah, Happy Birthday!" Layla echoed.
"Many happy returns, even if you're stuck in bed," said Niko.
"But at least you're out tomorrow," said Zoey. "Happy thirteenth."
Melanie's cheeks had turned red, and she was smiling in spite of herself. "Girls, this is nice of you, but you didn't have to do this. You know my birthday is… not something I pay attention to."
"We know," Kimberly said with a shrug. "So, if you want, you can look at it as… we're celebrating the fact that tomorrow you'll be out and about again. And it just happens to be on the same day as your birthday."
"Plus, it's an important one," said Layla. "You're officially a teenager now!"
"I wouldn't know it by looking in the mirror," Melanie said, blowing out a sad sigh. All the other members of their group were showing signs of development. Zoey had gotten her first period a few weeks ago, and even Kimberly's hips were starting to widen. Melanie, however, still remained featureless. But when she saw the smiles fading from the other girls' faces, she shook her head. "Sorry, girls, I don't mean to be a downer. I… I really do appreciate this."
"I'm sorry, Mel," Layla said with a groan, knowing what a touchy subject it was. "I shouldn't have opened my mouth."
"Um, if it's any consolation, Mel," Zoey added with slight hesitation. "What happened to me was pretty embarrassing. Jaclyn hounded me about it for a few days after." The brown-haired girl recalled how she'd been sitting in English class when it happened, and she'd been unprepared, so she bolted from the classroom, locked herself in the nearest ladies room stall, and had to wait almost twenty minutes for her roommate to show up with a bag containing some hygiene products and clean undergarments.
Somehow, the ordeal of her friend's first period did little to raise Melanie's spirits. So Kimberly cut through the tension by ripping the top off the box of cupcakes and holding it out to the small blonde. "You know what? Do-over! This is just a happy you're getting out of bed tomorrow party! That's it. No thirteen-year-olds in the room. Right, Mel?"
Melanie looked up, and the sincerity in her roommate's eyes made her forget her puberty woes. She smiled, took a cupcake from the box, and started to unwrap it. "Right, Kim. Thanks. Now, who wants cake?"
After that, the mood in the room became a bit more cheerful. The girls ate cupcakes, talked about things that were important to preteens, and gave Melanie her "get well gift," which was Athena's newest album. Layla also had the most recent issue of "Teen KoF" magazine, which they all flipped through. It was the only other time Melanie's mood briefly went south, as the main article was an interview with members of the Sakazaki family.
"Her butt is way too fat," the blonde girl grumbled as she looked over Yuri's spread, which included a photo of her in her trademark sleeveless gi and purple spandex tights, taunting the camera with that "spanking" move she liked to do. Instead, Melanie flipped ahead several pages to Ryo Sakazaki's interview. "Now, her brother on the other hand, his ass is just right."
Zoey couldn't help but giggle. "You actually think he's cute?"
"I wouldn't mind going one on one with him," Melanie said indignantly.
"I gotta agree with Zoey," said Kimberly. "Did you read the interview? He doesn't seem to have much of a life."
"He doesn't need to have a life as long as he's got the right equipment down below," Melanie said with a chortle.
"Guess it's fitting that he and Yuri are related," Niko said. "She's got a big butt, and he's got the personality of a butt."
All five of them had a hearty laugh over that, and then Melanie asked: "Okay, Kim, so who do you think is hot?"
"That Tae Kwon Do guy," the dark-haired girl answered. "I think we'd make a good couple. Kim and Kim."
"You know he's already married," Layla pointed out.
"I'm aware," Kimberly said with a shrug. "Still wouldn't stop me."
"Weirdo," Layla rolled her eyes. Then she asked her roommate: "How about you, Zo? Any fighter you'd want to spend five minutes in a closet with?"
"That shirtless guy, Hon Fu."
Melanie giggled. "Really? He sounds like an even bigger stiff than Ryo."
"He's got a nice chest," Zoey countered. "I wouldn't mind oiling it up."
"Neither would I, honestly," Kimberly conceded.
"I'll take Billy Kane any day," Layla said. "He's got a bigger stick."
"Oooh, Layla going for the bad boys," Melanie teased.
"They're more fun."
The smaller girl nodded. "I'll give you that. And he's cute. If anyone could make me dump Ryo, it'd be him."
"I blame you for this, Mel," Layla joked. "Before we started hanging out, I'd probably have crushed on someone more boring, like Kusanagi."
"You're welcome," Melanie said, and everyone laughed again.
Niko had been quiet through most of this, silently munching a cupcake. So Kimberly asked her: "Hey, Niko, who do you think is hot?"
The freckled blonde girl was silent for a moment, and then she said simply: "Iori Yagami."
Everyone else did a double take at this. Layla spit several crumbs onto the bed in shock. "Yagami? That's a little too bad for my taste."
"Yeah," Zoey agreed. "There's bad, and then there's dangerous bad. Why the hell would you wanna do Yagami?"
Niko gave a small shrug, popped the last bite of cake in her mouth. "Well, I wouldn't say I wanna do him. But I think he's cute, and... you know how I like to figure things out. I've read Yagami's interviews, and he's a total enigma. No, more than that, he's an enigma wrapped in a riddle wrapped in a black jacket. And so, I guess… I wanna figure him out."
"Have at it," said Melanie. "He is cute, but he's one bad boy I'd wanna stay far away from."
The other three stated their agreement. Melanie was about to turn the page when they heard footsteps coming down the hallway. They quickly scrambled to hide both the remaining cupcakes and the magazine, just as Wallace appeared in the doorway.
"What's goin' on in here?" She asked the girls. "Seems like yer all havin' a party."
"We were just talking, Ms. Wallace," Kimberly said. "Niko, Layla and Zoey just wanted to tell Melanie how glad they were that Gladys was gonna be taking her off bed-rest tomorrow."
"Just talkin', huh?" She folded her arms in front of her breast and focused her keen eyes on the chocolate cupcake crumbs littering Melanie's blanket, spit up by Layla a few moments ago. The others all saw what she was looking at and sagged their shoulders in defeat. A smile spread across Wallace's lips as she held out a hand. "Okay, ladies, hand 'em over."
The next day…
For once, Melanie did not mind waking bright and early before the other students. After showering and putting on her uniform, she let Wallace escort her to the infirmary, where Gladys's exam only took a few minutes, and Melanie was deemed okay to resume all her normal activities.
Now she was in the dining hall, in her usual seat next to Kimberly. The eggs on her plate tasted reconstituted, but Melanie hardly noticed. Not because she'd added ketchup, but because it was just good to be out of that accursed bed. This did not go unnoticed by her roommate.
"Feels good to be up again, huh?" She asked Melanie as she went through her usual breakfast preparations of slicing a banana into her bowl of cereal.
"What do you think?" Mel answered around a mouthful of eggs. "I don't even care that we can't go into town tomorrow because Wallace busted us with contraband. I'm free of that stupid bed."
Kimberly set the now empty peel down on her tray and started to add milk to the bowl, taking a moment to mix it before giving herself a large spoonful. "Here's hoping you don't have to go back to it."
"Maybe I do need a little break," Mel conceded, remembering her promise. "But hopefully I won't have to wait long. I heard the groundhog didn't see his shadow."
Kimberly raised an eyebrow. "How'd you know that?"
"Well, after Wallace barred me from the rec room, I was desperate for something, anything to do. So on Tuesday, she gave me her newspaper after she was done with it. I mostly just read the funnies, but I spotted that other little tidbit too."
The dark-haired girl had to suppress a giggle. "So, you don't believe in God, but a rodent can predict the weather?"
Melanie shrugged, and stuffed more eggs in her mouth. "Maybe I'm just trying to be positive. Because I'd like to get back out there as soon as I can."
Any further conversation was interrupted by a familiar shadow that suddenly loomed like a harbinger over their table. They turned to see Regina standing there with her trademark sneer. "Hey, braless," she said. "Glad to see you're feeling better. I hope this means we can get back to our old routine soon."
Melanie frowned. Though the Alpha still called her "runt," she'd also started using a new nickname, well aware of how self-conscious the smaller blonde was regarding her total lack of development. Usually, those words didn't bother Melanie, but as she'd just turned thirteen, today it almost resonated. But she managed to compose herself and say: "You mean where you kick my ass because you're jealous of the fact that I'm a genius, while you still struggle with words longer than one syllable? Yeah, it's a fun routine, isn't it?"
Regina scowled at that, and for some reason, her hands went to the swell of her developing bosom, which poked at the front of her blouse and vest. She fidgeted for a moment, rubbing her chest as if it were uncomfortable. Then she composed herself. "You know, you missed paying me tribute last Saturday. So that means you're gonna owe something extra tomorrow." She grunted then, rubbed her chest some more. "God, this itches."
"Everything all right, ladies?" All three heads turned to see Joan Landy walking towards them, her own hair and clothing smart and precise, as always.
Regina, still rubbing her chest though trying hard not to, answered: "Sure, Ms… Landy. I was urgh just… telling… gr Melanie that… I'm glad… she's better."
"Well, we all are, dear," Joan said with a nod. It was then she noticed her student fidgeting in place, trying to rub at her chest with both hands. Melanie was confused, but managed to mask it. She glanced at Kimberly out the side of her eyes, saw the other girl focusing on what was left of her breakfast.
Regina grunted, scratched her chest some more. "Regina, dear," Joan asked her. "What are you doing?"
"I… I'm sorry, Ms. Landy," she grumbled. "I just… I feel funny, for some reason." She rubbed her chest some more, clearly agitated by something.
The headmistress tsked at the popular girl. "Now, Regina, I know we've been discussing the changes your bodies go through in Life Skills class. It's natural for a developing young lady to want to… explore those changes. But there's a time and place for everything. This is clearly not it."
"Yeah," Melanie couldn't resist firing one off. "At least when I finally grow tits, I'll have more self-control."
Joan fixed her with a stern glare. "Enough, Melanie."
The small blonde smiled sweetly. "Yes, Ms. Landy," she answered, and took a bite of her apple. "Sorry, Regina."
By now, several other girls in the dining hall were staring at the school's Alpha, fidgeting in place next to Joan and pawing at her own chest while trying to look like she wasn't. Regina's cheeks grew flushed and she quickly said: "Sorry, Ms. Landy. I… I think I need to go change clothes."
"Perhaps you do," Joan answered. "Though, you're sure you don't need Gladys to…"
"No, I'm fine," Regina insisted, and left the dining hall quickly, still fidgeting with every step.
Joan Landy stared at the exit for a few moments after the girl had gone. "Now, what do you suppose has gotten into her?"
"I don't know, Ms. Landy," Melanie answered truthfully, and took another bite of apple. "I haven't done anything to her." Kimberly remained oddly quiet, picking at her cereal.
The matriarch shrugged. "I know you haven't, dear. How could you? You've been confined to your bed all week. Ms. Wallace saw to that. Well, I have a schedule to keep. Don't be late for class, girls."
"Yes, Ms. Landy," the whole table spoke in unison. After Joan had left the dining hall, Melanie let herself laugh. "Okay, I have no idea what just happened, but it was definitely entertaining."
Kimberly, who'd been oddly quiet throughout the entire exchange, finally spoke. "Well, I did feel bad about Wallace crashing your party yesterday."
"Hey, shit happens," Melanie said with a shrug.
"So, anyway," Kim went on. "Remember how in Chemistry class, we've been learning how to isolate and extract that chemical from Pacific Poison Oak leaves? The one that makes your skin itch?"
"Yeah," Melanie answered.
"So, yesterday, after the party ended, I snuck into Regina's room, and… poured some of that stuff on the inside of her bras."
Melanie's look changed to a mix of elation and confusion. "Why would you do that?"
Kimberly shrugged. "Um… Happy Birthday?"
The blonde girl laughed and gave her friend a hug. "Thanks, Kim! You always know just what to get me!"
"You're welcome!" Kimberly said with a laugh of her own.
After they separated, Mel reached for her apple, took another bite. "Oh, just out of curiosity, how did you manage to get that stuff, anyway?"
The other girl's voice dropped lower, then. "Well, let's just say that… maybe Layla's not the only one you've been a bad influence on. I slipped a vial into my pocket after Chemistry class one day. Figured it might come in handy."
The blonde gave a cackle of joy. "Cool! I'm expanding!"
"I mean, I'm not gonna make a habit of it or anything," Kimberly said. "But it was a special occasion."
A wicked smirk flashed across Melanie's face. "Yeah, you say that now, but you've gotten a taste. I'm sure you're hooked."
Kimberly laughed and raised her small cartoon of orange juice. "Good to have you back, Mel."
"Thanks!" Her friend said, and knocked her own small cardboard carton against Kimberly's. She might not be developing much physically, but at least her thirteenth year had gotten off to a decent start.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
So… Henriksen. Even though this is a fic-verse inspired by "King of Fighters," Henriksen's character trait of never taking off his sunglasses is actually inspired by Albert Wesker from the Resident Evil series, not Clark Still.
Also, the groundhog did not see his shadow in 1999. I looked it up.
And thanks once again to my friend Illyrilex. Being both a middle-aged male and childless, I wanted to make sure a conversation about boys and sex between pubescent girls sounded natural, and not creepy. She was once again invaluable for bouncing ideas and lines of dialogue off of.
And that's all for now. Until next time...
