Music Theory was thankfully not a class Frankie was in.

The room had creaky wood floors, carpeted walls and a small stage in the front of the class that barely rose more than a foot above the rest of the space. The teacher he had met a couple times when Holt was renting a school instrument and Jackson had to drag it from his car to her class before school started.

She appeared to be a siren, the bird sort not the mermaid kind. Wings at least that looked small enough to be useless that she stretched while she looked over some papers on her desk. Either she had some sort of eternal youth working for her or she was a new teacher.

He cautiously sat in the front row next to Operetta since she had made eye contact with him as soon as he got in the classroom, and hadn't let up. Jackson guessed this was actually Holt's seat.

It felt like it, and sometimes he could tell that sort of thing.

Though Operetta wasn't talking to him. Actually the whole class sort of had an anxious muttering air to it.

No one excited or giggling.

Everyone looking through their folders and ohhhh… crap.

Jackson recognised this feeling.

When everyone else knew what was going on.

When everyone was hurriedly looking at their notes.

He looked to the chalkboard embarrassed he hadn't seen the large font circled. Test.

Then again he had to squint to see anything else on the agenda.

Abbey's reminder about them sharing a GPA came back to haunt him as he peeked at Operetta's notes and tried to find some in his bag that matched hers. Finding Holt's folder in his bag. Stuffed full of paper and horribly disorganised.

He was about to try and flip through that and attempt to glean any answer that could possibly helpful for this class he'd never been in before. When the bell rang and everyone started putting their notes away.

Silently he followed everyone's lead. As the scrolls were being passed out his teacher stopped at his. "iCoffin where I can see it Holt. You'd better not be listening to any answers."

Operetta scoffed pulling out a pencil "Like he'd need to…"

Jackson gave a weak smile trying to take advantage of the silence of an exam as he placed his iCoffin on the table, hoping he could think through the music.

Looking at the test though it didn't seem to matter.

His stomach dropped.

It was like a different language.

Starting with the one thing he could do he began to write a J at the top of the page. Before turning it into a badly written H.

Ok well he couldn't even do that.

He was over thinking how Holt wrote his name, in a panic caused by the exam, it wouldn't even matter. He glanced up to the teacher who was looking at other parts of the class.

Looking at the first question again. Identifying the vocab in the question he couldn't even identify. He wasn't even sure what this test was asking. Much less the letter symbols he had to match to it.

What does this even mean... he mouthed to himself. Feeling dizzy from being unprepared. This was why he overstudied for everything!

So he wouldn't get really bad test anxiety.

Skipping that question.

And the next one.

Icons of piano keys were brought up for the next four, a key highlighted on each one. Looking at the first one he wracked his brain for answers looking at his choice of A, B, C#, or G.

It was in there. If Holt knew it. Maybe…

The sound of a piano key played in his mind.

Looking at the paper. He.

Knew what it sounded like!

That was… actually incredibly unhelpful.

Great, so he knew what music was just not how to identify it on an exam.

Fang on a minute! This was a multiple choice test.

Chewing his cheek he looked at the teacher again subtly. Still not looking at him.

His eyes slid to Operetta's paper.

Quickly copying the first answers he could make out. Just transcribing at this point giving up entirely on knowing what this test was about.

He cared about scholastic integrity… but this wasn't his fault.

If he knew he had to study for this he would have. By the look of Holt's filled out folder… he technically had. But was just having a severe case of amnesia.

Medical condition amnesia.

Briefly wishing he could tell a teacher about their situation just so he could opt out of this torture.

Noting the giant hourglass ticking away at the front of class. The timed factor just making him sweat more.

Anxiously he dropped his pen when it started crinkling around his fingers. Looking at the partially damaged utensil, getting flashbacks of his personal desk littered in damaged pens and singed pencils always assuming his Dad had been borrowing his stuff.

Dad apologised and owned up to it after all..

Thinking about Dad was calming him down enough to regrip it without it melting.

About to finish up this page when he noticed the rustle of paper and Operetta flipping her paper to the other side.

He clenched his fist and realised he was going to need another pen for sure.

Sliding one out of his bag subtly he looked at the last few questions. Skipping them and flipping his test to just follow her lead when he glanced at the teacher looking at their area of the classroom.

Putting his head down he tried to look like he was looking just at his page.

And not look around the classroom too much.

Rereading the wordy multiple choice questions on the back of his test. His easily squishable new plastic pen was bending in his fingers again, but he tried not to pay attention to it, just attempting to read through the pounding beat in his brain.

There was a light popping sound before he had to drop his second crumpled pen to the desk, as it spilled ink all over, partially on his test too.

Trying not to curse or draw too much attention to himself; he slid the paper away from the splash. Though it was a bit damaged already.

Operetta made a vaguely disgusted face and scooted over so she wouldn't get any on her.

"Try this, hun" she mumbled under her breath, to the point Jackson could barely hear her over Holt's obnoxious playlist.

She slid a pencil over to him. Her pencil. Before standing. Going to turn in her test.

Jackson's stomach dropped as she turned in any possible way he could answer this thing.

Sweating nervously trying to swallow his test anxiety.

He knew Holt on his own didn't have an A in his two classes combined.

And Jackson didn't know how he did it.

He didn't know how he could just not care. Because that had to be the only explanation for his alter ego slacking. The only way… to Jackson's knowledge.. for Holt to not get an A in Remedial Swimming was to either skip or possibly ignore menial dress-out rules.

Music Theory, based on this Exam the class was collectively sweating over, was probably actually difficult, but Jackson was fairly certain Holt actually knew what he was doing in here.

His notes were the used kind of disorganised, that looked like he actually cared but maybe just stuffed back in a bad order.

Not to mention Operetta's pre-test comment. At a glance it seemed like Holt knew his stuff but was lazy.

And Jackson didn't know how he could…

stomach it!

To just, not turn something in?

Or whatever was preventing them from getting the highest GPA in their class.

Ghoulia took gold again in that department.

They really were quite opposite in that sense, because Jackson could easily see Holt turning in a blank test nonchalantly.

For a moment his panic spiked from the thought.

Quickly running all his classes through his brain in attempts to recall if he forgot a test in the classes he was absent from today.

Except for potential pop quizzes he couldn't think of anything.

Save for this looming GPA bomb waiting to get turned in.

Mentally counting how many questions out of 20 he had answered and multiplying them by 5, he could only think about how he'd get a 50% maximum on this thing.

Breathing harder he tried to calm down but, he was becoming a steaming mess on the verge of tears.

Parting his fingers away from the paper edges he was burning.

He could feel Operetta side glance at him with pity and confusion.

He could barely read the open answer portions much less fill in the blanks, guessing at any remaining multiple choice.

Raising his pencil to guess a response, the bell rang.

The hourglass was empty and Jackson sat back as the teacher stood to collect the remaining exams. She picked his up and held it at a distance as its crisped edges curled up and ink dripped off a corner. She gave an odd but sympathetic and confused expression at him.

At least it was over…

He was about to switch the playlist to something more calm… or as calm as one could get on his particular trigger time signature. Ready to pump up the volume and rush home.

When Operetta stood and smiled politely. Clearly waiting for him, as the teacher stacked up her papers and finished everything off at the front of class. Their peers filing out en masse.

"You bring the file?" she asked knowingly.

Jackson blinked.

Operetta grinned impatiently at his response.

"The file." he repeated.

"For our project, hun." she took back a charcoal pencil from his hand.

Then explained slowly and condescendingly "That you promised me yesterday we'd have another go at."

She shifted her weight crossing her lilac arms as Jackson picked up his things.

"I mean I know you have memory and reliability issues…But I thought we cleared that up that was just you moonlighting as a normie. Er… sunlighting… " While Operetta considered the right word for his double life, Jackson scratched his piercing and reached into his pocket.

Hand finding a flash drive.

"Of course I have it. Gooosh." he smiled trying to channel confidence again. Though hopefully Operetta would attribute that to post exam jitters… if Holt even got that.

"Great, get your pipes ready to record then, sweetpea~" Operetta started walking in an unfamilar direction, as the class slowly cleared out around them.

Record?

Jackson swallowed.

"Well… Maybe not today…"

"You said that yesterday." Operetta scoffed. "We need to do this now or you never will."

Jackson considered just leaving while Operetta faced away from him. Until she grabbed his hand and began to drag him towards a different door than the one he entered from. It opened to a closed off hallway with what Jackson recognised as practice rooms. Glass covered closets that contained the occasional student practicing an instrument. Based on what Operetta possibly expected of him he hoped wherever they recorded was more private… with a lock.

The he could kick her out of…

"Sooo I'm just going to say it. What was that in class today?"

Jackson's stomach hit the floor again. But he forced a smile. "Haha I don't know what you mean~"

"Hun, I haven't seen you melt a pen since Jackson skipped that gig last month."

Further stomach pain.

"Ow" she let go of his burning hand "See what's up with you?" She made a show of blowing on her inky hand that had been touching him "Fire elemental puberty?" she dropped sarcastically.

"My mind is just." he started "Elsewhere." well it was the truth.

"Well get in the game, I wanna have the best project in class and show Catty she ain't the only decent vocalist in this school."

Then stopped in front of a room he thought was a closet.

"Oh." he blinked. As she did opened the door.

"Gross, you got my hand all blue..." she mumbled looking at her hands.

She turned on a light revealing a foam covered room with a computer on a small desk. No lock though… Certainly private.

It looked familiar though, he may have woken up in here in the past but not for long at least. One of those ghost memories that happened when he was aware long enough to know he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and someone knocked him out again if he didn't just give Holt the reins.

She started setting stuff up on the computer while he stood in there awkwardly thinking about how fast he could possibly run away if he got the chance… It was a project but it didn't sound like it needed to get done right away after all. Holt could deal with it when this was all fixed.

Though Operetta was looking at him again.

"The file?"

"Oh. Right." he handed her the flash drive. That was getting equally inky. And sticky. There weren't any tissues in here so he just made sure he didn't touch the white side of Holt's shirt.

"Shut the door." she instructed as she pulled up the recording software checking the already present mic to make sure everything was in check. Briefly testing it as Jackson slowly did as instructed.

Wishing he ran instead…

"Did you want to go first so I can harmonise with you or…?"

Jackson smiled intensely feeling like the test all over. "No… you can."

She looked at him expectantly, then rolled her eyes. "Well turn up your music then."

"Right." Killer voice in here. Or insanity inducing voice or.. well he wasn't 100% sure what Operetta's freaky flaw was actually… Just that he couldn't hear her sing live.

Leaning back and listening to his music loudly, it somehow soothing his bad feelings. Somehow. Since he didn't like the music trigger.

Watching Operetta sing "silently".

His own headphones were weirdly refreshing to him though. Maybe it was just a physical transformation thing like how the quieter it was, the closer to transforming he was, and the worse he felt.

He flinched at a loud beeping coming from his iCoffin pulling it out to see it was on low battery. But he could manage for awhile.

It took him a full song of waiting for Operetta who then played it back to herself and tugged on his sleeve for him to listen again.

Jackson removed his headphones this time. Still able to hear Holt's rock mix.

"What do you think?" she asked pulling his iCoffin out of his hand and pausing his music as well as pressing play on their project. He jolted at the switchover he didn't consent to. But listened. Hearing faint remains of Holt's voice on their demo that he was probably expected to do over.

Sounded familiar. But still felt weird and cringeworthy hearing, himself… rather Holt sing.

Operetta was good though. That was much more pleasing to listen to, sing he knew she sang and played piano or organ or whatever but actually hadn't heard that much exposure to.

"You sound amazing…" he breathed thoroughly impressed.

"Wow. Ok, not to turn down that compliment but we're more in a critical mode right now."

"Uh well." could he even speak for Holt on this project "Everything is good."

"It's not even done yet. Stop talking over it." she snapped.

Jackson rolled his eyes still somewhat impatient as his battery was low, Holt had mysteriously forgotten his iCoffin's charger and he was anxious to get home and see if there was a way to fix their problem whilst missing certain chemicals. Or just fix everything Holt had screwed up schoolwork wise today.

Speaking of iCoffin's. He fumbled with his seeing the song come to a close. Filling in the lack of playlist gap. Holt's trigger was tricky and felt like ambling across a trail of stones over a river. Constantly fearing slipping off.

Except the river didn't end and he was starting to wish their trigger was back to night and day.

"It's still good." he told Operetta scratching his neck.

"Great, then it's your turn. Was the volume ok? I don't want to get any reverb but well... Can't be too quiet.." she sighed clearly aware of the tendency of her singing partner to disappear in a puff of flame.

Oh that's where he'd seen this room before.

"Oh right uhm. Well you see, would you. Could you. Leave?" Jackson asked trying to think of a good reason for her to. There was no way he was going to sing. This.. song he didn't even know the words to.

Operetta crossed her arms "Excuse me?"

"Um. Please?" Jackson suddenly realised how scary Operetta could look if she wanted.

"I don't see why. And I don't take kindly to being told what to do by the slacker on this project."

"Yeah well. I had to turn up my music for your uhhh." ok she might take the term freaky flaw insulting "Issues. It'd be nice if I could have the room for. Mine."

She wasn't budging.

"I mean we kind of go to a school for.. issues. So I'd hope you understand it might get weird in here… what with accidentally pausing and finding the right volume and…"

"So wouldn't you rather have me in here to make sure your issue doesn't wake up from his nap~?"

Nap?

Most people didn't know that they slept in the back of their brain. How much did she know about Holt… how much did he tell her…?

"It's going to be inevitable if I want to record properly…" he offered.

Operetta sighed "Well if you're going to be a giant baby about it fine." she started towards the door "But don't take too long. Make sure the dweeb knows we're doing important stuff here. I'll push him back in if he comes out."

Ok he'd definitely been in this room before.

"Thanks" he smiled waiting for her to leave. Closing the door before he let out a giant breath and leaned against the foamy wall.

Talking to people was getting exhausting. Operetta and Holt seemed closer than most people he'd talked to today too..

She'd noticed something was up but…

Well he hadn't been super obnoxious around her and Operetta hadn't called him out on it.

He wondered how Holt normally acted around her.

Then ran a hand through his stiff straight up hair looking at the project.

Sitting and looking for a text document on this computer. Finally finding one to suitably talk to his other side.

Operetta's outside just hurry it up this door doesn't have a lock.

If you can't tell it's your music theory project.

Also thanks a lot for warning me about your TEST today.

You better ask for extra credit after all this.

I need time to work on the potion formula and all the classes I'm positive you didn't take notes for today.

Also where are the chemicals for that? They aren't in my bag.

Casting a worried glance at his iCoffin he pressed pause. A small lag before it kicked in.

"Ah!" he grabbed the chair.

He was standing now.

Jackson blinked noting the time difference and the different sound squiggles on the recording software. Sitting back down. Different playlist too. Maybe this was what Holt was wishing he could listen to.

Noticing the text document was further filled.

there was a test today?

Jackson rolled his eyes. Ok figured why he had no warning on that one.

man you probs screwed it up jerk

u kno this is alllll ur fault right?

i dont kno y i let u talk me into this

also do you kno how hard it is to harmonize when you cant hear all of the song?

rllllly hard

so u failed my test and are messing up my project

not too happy with u jacklyn 3 3

science juice in locker

Well if Holt was done he could let Operetta back in…

Looking at the door he clicked on the last line of their notes to each other instead. Just a tiny bit ticked off he never got a warning for the test he could have crammed for during his library time. 2

Yes. There was a freaking test today, Holt!

I'm not a jerk for failing that, the whole separation thing was your idea.

So this is your fault for making me try and mad science our way out of our family history.

Which started from worse mad science.

That should have been warning enough for me not to try it.

Yes I wanted it too. But if you weren't such a buttwipe 24/7 and ruin everything in my life maybe I wouldn't want to cut you off of me like a tumor. To go live your own stupid tumor life that you could just ruin on your own instead of dragging mine into it.

Pressing pause he had second thoughts about transforming while angry, knowing it often-

-riled Holt up too.

Ow.

Ooww, what the heck? He rubbed his arm. Feeling his bicep tender like it'd just been slugged.

if u call me a tumor again itll be ur eye next time

Jackson opened his mouth wanting to shout at him, but he wasn't even surprised.

"It's…" he sputtered outloud "It'd be your eye too! Ughhh!" he stood up to kick the wall then sit back down and look at whatever else he typed. Which was actually nothing.

Ready to write out a witty response about Holt's self destructive attitude when Operetta knocked on the door.

Jackson quickly exited out of the text document, telling the computer not to save as she came in.

"Are you done yet? I've been waiting forever." she asked coming in. Looking at him suspiciously while he sat sort of alarmed and spazzy.

"All good." he didn't want to listen to check.

Operetta looked past him at the program "Well can I listen?"

"Uhhh I actually need to be home early but I'll fix it up and um send it to you ok?" Jackson explained starting to save the file and put it back on his flashdrive.

"It'll only take a minute" Operetta made a face.

Jackson wasn't sure what else to say but just held up his iCoffin to her possibly to explain why he was in such a rush.

She actually looked sympathetic "Oh. Hun, I'll bring my charger if you're going to forget all the time.." she offered giving him this weird pity look.

Jackson was appreciative of her concern, mostly because it was sort of scary running on batteries in a sense.

"Thanks but I'm good. Really" he told her shutting down the computer and removing the drive.

"Ok." Operetta put her hands on her hip watching him hurriedly gather up his stuff. "I'll text you ok?"

"Yeah that's fine. Thanks for uh. Yeah." he managed out. Before opening the door to go.

"Oh and Holt." she started. Jackson almost not stopping from the wrong name drop.

"Yes?"

"I'd rather us study together than you cheat off me next time, ok?"

Jackson swallowed "Ok."

Operetta smiled at him. Almost in that same way that Frankie used to.

"I have to go." he blurted. Hunching and scrambling down the hallway.

Operetta looked at her inky hand then grabbed her own bag. Turning off the lights on her way out.

He'd better text back.