A/N: Sorry I haven't posted the chapters as often as I've liked, but to make up for it, here's a longer one! A bit more school drama coming up...
Also, hoping to get to update Intercom soon as well. :)
Disclaimer: Do Cartuneslover and I own Terracordis? Yes. Do we own Inside Out? Nope.
Mr. Orion, as it turned out, was very well-deserving of his name. He had a face, of course, but his body seemed as if it were composed of an assemblage of stars that formed a shape similar in stature to the emotions in the class.
His bright aura reminded Riley a lot of her family.
And that was the reason that Riley knew the others looked at her strange. Everything was bright and fantastic in this world, but concerning Riley it was as if brightness and life had been drained out of her, to them.
And Bitterness was in this class too. Great.
But Riley tried to ignore that. At least Mr. Orion didn't automatically call her. He did, however, ask each of them to stand and introduce themselves, saying a sentence or two about them and what they liked. With each introduction, Orion would send out a few pinpricks of light from his palm to shine on them like a spotlight.
Riley winced the moment that came up. Though the teacher had good intentions, this wasn't exactly helping her plan to try to stay invisible.
And when it was her turn, the same things happened. People whispering about her, wondering why she was there, even after her quick introductory sentences.
"Are we gonna make her be a presentation?" someone asked.
"Good one," Bitterness snickered.
"Absolutely not!" Mr. Orion exclaimed. His gentle yellow glow suddenly turned blue. "You are NOT to treat a fellow student like that!"
Riley cringed, her fists clenched and her teeth gritted. Now some of the students were saying part of the curriculum should be studying her?!
She fought back tears, not letting them fall, just keeping her head down and doing her work. Only looking up when Mr. Orion wanted them to all look up at the board.
But there were still the whispers of those closest to her. And her stability percentage dropped.
Language Arts went the same way. As did Math. And History. And the transitions between the classes.
Riley felt as if she couldn't even step into a room without other students whispering or freezing or running away.
She had wanted this day to be perfect. But since Joy had left it was crashing down. Even the fact that lunch and recess were next was only a small comfort.
Riley felt scared. And sad. And angry.
Anger wasn't a feeling that was all too familiar for her. But her physical stability was starting to wear down.
And her mental stability wasn't faring well either.
Riley couldn't help but look on forlornly, the hostile glares of her classmates still burned into her mind. But she wanted to at least try to make some friends now that it was lunch...
Biting her lip, Riley tried to talk to some of the other students around who she assumed were on their way to the cafeteria. But every time she tried to strike up a conversation, at best they would only give her half-hearted responses and avoided her. At worst, they flinched, called her a freak, or ran away.
Riley sighed, sitting on a bench near homeroom. She didn't feel like going to the cafeteria and being ignored or feared again.
She pulled out the lunch bag that had been given to her that morning, and found a folded piece of paper on top of the food. She unfolded it and read it to herself.
Have a great first day, Riley! I'm rooting for ya!
-Joy
"Having a pretty crummy day, actually," she muttered sadly, folding the note up and starting to eat her sandwich. But she could feel tears pricking at the edges of her eyes and her throat tighten, making it difficult to swallow. She suddenly didn't feel all that hungry.
"Hey," a voice suddenly said, "you okay there?"
Riley looked up, startled as she recognized the voice. It was Bing-Bong, her homeroom teacher. "Y-Yeah... I mean...". She paused. She had to talk to someone about her loneliness. "No...". She sniffled, turning away and closing her eyes slightly.
A concerned frown crossed Bing Bong's face and he sat down next to her. Riley scooted away a little and didn't look at him. She didn't want to see more unease in everyone at the school who saw her.
There was sympathy in the pink elephant 's eyes. "Look, I don't think it was right how the kids treated you in class today. They just..."
"They're afraid of me," Riley mumbled. She wiped away tears with her sweater sleeve. "You probably are too...". Maybe he had just waited until she was gone from home room, then started talking to others about her...
It hurt Bing Bong's heart to see Riley feeling this sad. And on her first day too. He looked thoughtful for a moment, choosing his words carefully. There had to be some way to help her. "Riley... I'm not afraid of you."
Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and slowly looked up at him. Unlike the others, he didn't look at her with mistrust or scorn. Just the same kindness that she had shown to everyone that morning. "You're... you're not? Really?"
Bing Bong smiled gently and shook his head. "Not at all."
Riley carefully looked at one of her hands. "But Mr. Bing Bong... everyone else says—"
Bing Bong gently took her hand in comfort, looking at her with absolute sincerity. "Just because you're human-like doesn't mean they have to fear you. You were born into this world and you're part of it.". He put an arm around her shoulder. "Sometimes people fear things they don't understand, and the human world is strange to most of them. A blend of the two just... catches them off guard. They're not sure how to react."
Riley fell silent, thinking. Bing Bong's advice was similar to what Delight had said.
"They'll warm up to ya in time, kiddo. You'll see.". He smiled. "I promise things'll work out."
More tears were falling from Riley's eyes, though this time there was gratitude mixed with her sadness. For once, someone outside her circle of the families that had brought her into life was actually trying to understand her, instead of assuming she was dangerous.
"If ya ever need to talk, I'll be here."
Riley managed a small, almost teary smile as she looked at him. He truly was everything Joy promised and more. How could such a school full of terrible kids be so fortunate to have such a wonderful teacher? Well, all the teachers had been very nice, but Mr. Bing Bong was so different. Like a slice of Joy himself.
He smiled down at her, nodding with content. "Well, I got to get going. You should probably finish your lunch." He stood up. "But I'll be monitoring during recess. Teacher's job is never done, and teachers always keep eyes on their students." he added, giving her a wink.
She beamed a little, and suddenly craved for her sandwich this time.
"See you soon, Riley," he told her as he casually walked off, sending her a wave.
Feeling a little more confident, and happy, she waved back. Once he was gone, she picked up her sandwich and took a larger bite. She glanced at Joy's note.
Maybe it wasn't too late to have a good day here...
Eating her lunch alone was something that Riley found almost therapeutic. Maybe it was because there was no one around. Or she wasn't the center of attention.
Or by reading the note by herself she felt as if Joy was right there with her. She needed that comfort.
Either way, after finishing her lunch, the part-emotion had to admit that she felt a little better, like the sting of the earlier parts of the day had lessened. Maybe there was a chance that things could turn around after all.
She took a deep breath, walking to the outside playground at the back of the school. She was glad the hallways were mostly empty—perhaps being outside would help the other students to actually get along with her more if they were outside the school's hallways.
When she eventually stepped out, she found herself in an area as bright as the park, a small playground, and even a blacktop area off to the left where the students could play basketball and the like.
Some students who Riley recognized were all playing with some sort of ball. It looked almost like the kind of ball that she had played catch with, but there was a key difference—this one had a flame burning in it.
Riley bit her lip. True, they hadn't been very nice, but at least some seemed only a little wary of her. Plus, they had heard her paper. Maybe there was a chance that she could win over some of them.
But the moment Riley came over to investigate, the students abruptly stopped. The fireball nearly fell to the ground before Wrath caught it.
"What do you want?"
Even though Riley was taller, the gazes of the others had her feel small. "I wanted to play."
Several of them looked at one another before backing up.
"You want to play?"
"Why don't you just got back to your stupid lab where you belong?"
Riley swallowed. "Just because I'm—"
"Stop with your pleading," Bitterness said with a wave of her hand. "you're wasting our time."
Bing Bong watched from across the playground carefully. Riley at least seemed to be talking with the others, almost like a casual conversation. He wished desperately that the girl could make friends here, but at least things weren't coming to blows.
Riley sighed. Maybe she could find some others who wouldn't run away, somehow. She turned and started to walk away.
"Yeah, go ahead, R.I.!" Wrath called, using her experiment name with as much distaste as possible. "Bet whatever family you think you have would just abandon you in a heartbeat!"
Riley paused, turning around. "My family loves me."
"What family?! You're basically an orphan who has no parents or purpose!"
"That's not true!". Riley clenched her fists. They were basically accusing Delight and the others of not loving her. Well, Delight and Panic and Joy definitely did, and nothing could make her doubt that.
"Oh really?!". Wrath stepped closer. "Why do you exist, then? To be loved? To fit in with us? Or just to basically prove that something like you can be created and discard you like trash?"
"They wouldn't do that!"
"Then why do you exist?"
Riley shut her eyes, the question haunting her. "I-I don't know..."
Bing Bong noticed something was up, and started to hurry over. But even though he called out, it was too late.
"Exactly!" Wrath shouted. "So why don't you just accept that, you worthless experiment. It's not like anyone can ever love you—"
That did it.
"SHUT UP!"
With an almost savage fire in her eyes, Riley swiftly punched Wrath as hard as she could, causing Wrath to cry out briefly in pain as she clutched part of her face that seemed to now be suffering a burn.
An angry light seemed to be coming from Riley as she hit her again, and Wrath retaliated. "TAKE THAT BACK!"
Another flurry of punches. Riley cried out in pain as she felt a punch to her eye, but she heard a crack as her own knuckles connected with Wrath's jaw.
She had to defend her family's honor. Her stability bracelet was going up and down in percentage, but she didn't notice or care.
Other students screamed and leapt back, looking more unnerved than ever. Even Bing Bong's eyes widened.
Riley grunted as she tried to blink the pain away. She had never felt such physical contact before, and the pain was unlike anything she ever felt. She tried to blink the agony away, feeling as if a circle had lodged into the flesh around her eye. It was a little blurry compared to the other one, but she could still see the horrible expression that was Wrath's.
She looked scared, almost at Riley's mercy. Good...
Part of her realized that maybe Aggravation had a point. That school could only turn out so badly. "Badly" was an understatement because Riley had never met such despicable people. Joy, her mom, and the ones that truly accepted her made all these students look like the lowest base of a dirty trash can. She couldn't believe she actually hoped to make friends with these kids!
The blonde sent another punch toward Wrath, much harder as payback for her poor eye. Another one for humiliating her in class. A third just so the rest of the student body could feel that.
Forget trying to make this a perfect day. She could always make perfect for another day. That is, if she would still be even welcomed here after all this...
But all the kids were against her, just because she was different. Well, they were right. She was different.
So different that she could strike fear into every single one of them. Like right now.
Riley gasped as Wrath grabbed her by the shoulders. soon the girls tumbled onto the ground, practically rolling against each other's bodies as they went at each other. Riley being close to Joy's height gave her an adtantage, but Wrath was clearly no pushover.
While Wrath pinched and slammed her first into every inch available of Riley's body, the blonde practically ripped her hair out with every pull and yank. This was followed by some kicks right in the stomach. Due to her height, Riley's lanky legs stretched further than Wrath's, which proved to be a great advantage. Riley thought of the soccer ball whenever she slammed her heel onto Wrath's shin.
The emotion cried out furiously, rolling them over so she was on top of Riley. She shoved her hands away, then took this moment to slap her across the face. Students watched in both awe and horror. Some even rooted for the fight to get even more violent. Soon a circle formed around the two, cheers and shouts echoing through ears as it became pure entertainment to them.
Riley arched her back, feeling a blow to her chin while her knuckles slammed right into Wrath's chest. The blonde's eyes were closed, keeping back her whimpers as to not appear inferior.
She was done trying to be nice. If Wrath wanted to go this route, so be it. Heck, Riley almost wished she had done the same thing to Anger when he spoke cruelly of her!
Mr. Bing Bong watched, horrified that Riley's day had gotten so much worse. It wasn't enough Wrath had to make her like a freak show, she had to go so far as to tear her down when she was still raw from earlier. This was exactly what Delight had been worried about. What Joy had prayed would not happen.
Although he couldn't exactly see the percentage on Riley's band, he doubted it was of significance right now. He had to step in before worse happened.
Immediately he pushed through the wide circle of students as the fight grew fiercer. His trunk flailed as he barred his way further, hoping that no serious damages were made. Soon as he broke this up, not only was Wrath's parents going to be informed, she was sure to get a full week of detention, Maybe two if she refused to back down and apologize to Riley.
He finally made it inside the circle and rushed toward the girls. With his mighty hands, he latched them onto Wrath's thighs before yanking her straight off Riley. Her hair was a mess, and there were slight bruises on her face and around her eye.
"Let me at her!" Wrath screeched, wrestling as Mr. Bing Bong held her close.
"THAT IS ENOUGH!" he bellowed. "Honestly, Ms. Wrath! And on the first day of school!"
"She started it!" the young emotion screeched, kicking her legs as the teacher held her up away from Riley.
"That's not how I saw it!" he retorted.
"Didn't you see what she did to me?!"
"Sometimes physical blows aren't the start of a fight."
He held her back before looking over Riley. She laid on the ground, curled in a fetal position. She was in even more tears than during lunch. His heart broke into another million pieces as he gazed at her.
"Riley—" he began gently, hoping to clam her down.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" she cried, immediately getting to her feet.
Before he could say or do anything, she was already shoving students aside to escape. That was proven easy as kids parted out of fright as she came near them. The teacher tried to call out her name, but she refused to stop or even listen.
Riley sobbed as she kept running. She should have listened to Aggravation and never attended this place. Kids her age were just cruel. There was just no happiness here like when she was with the ones she loved.
She rushed down the campus, further away from the playground. No doubt Mr. Bing Bong would try and go after her. She really didn't want that, even though he had been nothing but kind to her. She didn't want him to associate with the raging part-emotion she had been with Wrath.
She found herself further away from the school, but she still kept going. Soon she would be in the city, probably lost and it might rain.
But this time she would find home.
Riley kept running, her feet pounding against the ground with each step that barely touched the ground before it was sent flying again. She couldn't still feel a dim heat radiating around her, specifically on her hands.
In other circumstances, she might have celebrated. Part of her Terracordian nature had shown itself. She wasn't just a human after all.
But she seemed mostly human. THat was enough of a reason for their ridicule.
But she wasn't taking that anymore.
In the blind rage she had felt attacking Wrath, and running away afterwards, she noticed that the students regarded her with an additional kind of fear. Before, it had been the fear of what she was. But their new fear was fueled by their realization.
Riley could do things. She was potentially violent. She could hurt them.
How was it that so much had changed in just a few short hours?
Whenever she saw another citizen, she would turn and quickly run a different way. Word would no doubt get out about the attack and she didn't want to risk hurting anyone else.
She knew she was becoming more lost, but for now she didn't care. As long as the path eventually led her home.
Back at the Astar household, Delight's phone suddenly rang. She hurriedly ran to it, and her eyes widened. It was Bing Bong.
Feeling nervousness prick at her heart, she answered. "Bing Bong?"
"Delight...". He took a deep breath. "Did Riley tell you what happened at school today?"
His words automatically sent alarm bells ringing in Delight's head. "Riley didn't call me."
"You mean she's not there with you?"
The alarm bells rang louder. "She's not at the school?!"
"She ran off—"
Delight nearly dropped the phone in hands flew to her mouth, keeping in her screams of despair. She didn't think anything like this would happen with Riley. True, Delight had some certainties that maybe the kids would look at her a little differently...but she didn't expect this!
She dropped to the floor and hurriedly grabbed her phone. She quickly looked over her speed dial before slamming a finger onto a contact.
Another class had been finished, and Joy was lounging around in the recreation room of the university. Her books scattered around her, she laid against a chair while a big TV was one for resting students to be entertained. The smile remained on her face since she left Riley at school. She could only imagine how well her best friend was doing in class, especially with Mr. Bing Bong.
She felt a vibration in the pocket of her dress and reached for it. Checking and noticing it was her mom, she laid her ear against the receiver.
"Yeah?" she asked casually.
The smile immediately fell from her face.
Maybe Riley didn't entirely think this through...
She had been wandering the streets of the city for who knew how long. She had hoped home would just be around a corner or something. But this was just like last time.
At least it wasn't raining.
While she felt running had been the best solution to just escape the torment and everything that was school, Riley was without anything. Or anyone. For starters, she possessed no phone yet, so simply calling Joy or Delight was out of the question. And she was practically starving, the burn of her belly from the fight made her famished, and she had no money; Joy or Delight always paid for her meals. Worst, her jacket had been left back at school, and it was starting to get a bit windy out here.
Stopping to take a breath, she leaned against a nearby wall, the neon signs flickering over her eyes. She had no idea how long she had running, but hopefully enough that school already ended. After this she probably wouldn't ever go back there again.
She should have listened to Aggravation. He had constantly told her the troubles school would give her. He had been right; she had struck fear with her student body. Worse, she actually fought! She never even knew she could fight! She knew she could kick, but this was a whole new level!
She gazed across the street. She was unsure if this was familiar or not. She wished Joy or Delight was here...
Riley drew her knees up to her chest, tears beginning to blur her vision even as her eye throbbed in pain. Her body ached all over from the fight, and she was utterly lost with no one to turn to. It seemed like whenever she saw something she thought was familiar, the next turns she took proved her wrong.
She began to wonder if returning home was even a good idea right now. No doubt Delight would have heard what happened, and she was likely worried sick. And Joy would be too once she found out.
The thought pained Riley greatly, but the emotion part of her that had shown itself was violent. She had succeeded in avoiding other citizens so far, but what if she lashed out and hurt Delight or Joy? That was the absolute last thing she wanted.
But at the same time, she didn't know where else to go. She had eaten her lunch, and she had no phone or money for food. If she stayed how she was now and didn't ever return to where she had safety, she'd likely starve.
She felt a drop of water fell on her head. Then another. She looked upward. It was starting to rain again.
At least then she could try to disguise that she was crying.
"What do you mean she's gone?!" Joy cried.
"Bing Bong told me Riley got into a fight," Delight explained tearfully. Joy could hear her sniffling. "The kids were all treating her badly and she ended up physically fighting one of them. After that she... she ran off and Bing Bong thought she might have come home, b-but...".
"We gotta go find her, Mom!" Joy exclaimed, gathering her things as quickly as she could. The sky was darkening with clouds, and rain could be heard on the windows.
Joy decided to email her teachers and explain. Finding Riley, wherever she was, was most important.
First day of school for her could be another day. Right now she needed to save Riley. Joy's only explanation through the emails were the words family emergency.
She rushed down the campus, trying not crash into people. Making her way to the parking lot to find her car, she could feel raindrops fall on her blue hair. She gasped in alarm; this was just like before!
She had sent texts to both Fear and Sadness, hoping maybe they would cover more ground. Joy almost wanted to text Anger and Disgust, but a bitter feeling was still present. And the last thing Joy wanted was her best friend associating people who might hurt her in some form again.
And even if she did call, they probably wouldn't want to help. Especially Anger...
Zooming straight out of the campus parking lot, Joy furiously wondered how Riley's day could have turned out like this. She had done nothing wrong, and all she wanted was a good education and to associate with kids her age. Well, kids were cruel, and Joy had a right mind to tell off whoever hurt Riley like that. She just hoped that once she found Riley, Joy would fix everything and help mend her wounds. Knowing her best friend, she would probably give up on school and refuse to associate with it after the horrid first day experience.
At least Mr. Bing Bong had been there for her, just as he had promised. He had done a great job protecting Riley. Now it was Joy's and Delight's turn to bring their family member home.
She turn on her windshield wipers as the rain began to grow heavier. She bit her lip as the plunking sound of drops became louder upon the glass. Riley was out there somewhere, and she was going to get sick at this rate! Worse, her band might decrease from being so upset. And from what Joy learned, it was a lot to be upset about.
She daringly rolled down her window, ignoring the water that splashed in her face as she poked her head out.
"RILEY!" she called toward the empty streets.
The blonde hardly blinked as drops slid down her forehead. Her hair was drenched with rain, and her clothes were ice cold from the air. Yet somehow the cold didn't bother her this time...
She didn't even bother to look over her arm band. It was obvious it was decreasing; this was just like last time anyway. Sighing, she closed her eyes.
She began to imagine back in her warm bed, in Joy's arms, nothing but just home...
The more Riley thought about home, the more she missed its warmth. Warmth and light that the increasing rain was jarring from her thoughts. If she ever got back home, she'd stay there.
But the questions began to haunt her mind. Could she really call that her home? After all, as much as she wished it, she wasn't Delights daughter in the same way that Joy was.
Was the lab her home? She had been "born" there, after all.
But all her questions kept circling back to one: why did she exist?
For little purpose, if what she had heard was any indication. She was just a way to see of combining life material from Earth and Terracordis could result in something.
Well, it had.
But was that the only reason for her to exist now? Just to be observed and talked about, with Aggravation wanting her kept in the lab as a showing of "We did this just to show we could"?
What if Aggravation and the others, even Delight, were just planning to discard her eventually? After all, they created her, good for them. Were they just wondering how long she would hold up?
Were they expecting her to die all along?
She glanced down at her armband, the numbers decreasing as a beeping started to sound. It at reached 85 and was dropping. She felt as if something, her structure, was starting to seem a little light. Her skin grew paler, and she felt like it was becoming harder to sit up. And not just from utter exhaustion in running.
She looked upward, her throat dry as she forced herself to speak.
"Why do I exist?"
The sound of thunder was her only answer.
Joy picked up her phone the moment it rang.
"Joy, any sign of her?"
Joy's expression fell, hoping Fear had called with knees that he had found Riley. "No! I tried looking over in the alleys where I found her last time, but—"
"Sadness told me she's not at the park," Fear said, sounding like he was out of breath. "I hope she's alright!"
"Last time this happened she nearly DIED!" Joy shouted. "And that was when just Anger said that... if what Mr. Bing Bong said was true...". Joy tried to hold back tears. "I-I gotta go keep looking, Fear!"
Joy hung up, the rain coming down even harder. She had parked her car and was running through the streets as much as she could, terrified at what might happen.
"RILEY! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
And what terrified Joy was the lingering thought that Riley was too far gone to answer.
Last time had been a close call. With time going by so fast, Joy feared for the worst. Deep down she had been worried about how Riley's first day of school would go. After all, the yellow emotion had met the worst it had to offer, although her bright attitude was able to win over so easily.
The positivity was hardly balanced for Riley, given that a lot of people still looked at her like a loose animal. Now people her age had said the worst, and Joy grew more frightened that this was an even more lasting effect than what Anger had done.
Her bare feet splashed through the rain, not caring how cold she was with the possibility of actually getting sick. A small price to pay when Riley was practically going to be at a much lower level by the time she was even found.
That is, if Joy could find her in time...
"Riley!" she called out once more, rain pouring over her blue hair, causing the upward style to fall.
Slicked against her head and shoulders, Joy furiously wiped rain from her eyes before peering at the empty streets once more. Deja vu...
Her mom was somewhere on the other side of the city, searching endlessly as Joy was. Panic had already been informed, and he knew under these conditions Riley would need another trip to the lab. It was cold, wet, and no doubt it added more weight to the depression the poor girl already suffered.
Once Joy found her, she would make things right. So would Mr. Bing Bong. She was a thousand times grateful for his trying in making Riley feel more accepted. He had done his best to make this a truly good first day for Riley, but kids with judgment just had to tear her down.
Joy believed in a little thing called karma. It would come very soon for them, she hoped.
"Riley!" she screamed higher.
The yellow emotion yelped as she tripped over her own feet. Landing face first into a huge puddle of water, she groaned, having hit right at her stomach. Wincing, she clutched herself, whimpering in agony. Not from the pain, but for Riley.
If anyone happened to her, Joy would never forgive herself for trying harder...
Slowly picking herself up, she wiped her face, which had been coated with a little mud. She bowed her head, on the verge of crying herself. She just wanted her best friend back...
A soft sob broke out.
However, that didn't come from Joy's mouth.
The yellow emotion's eyes widened, recognizing that familiar soft tone anywhere. She got to her feet, following straight, the nose guiding her.
Please be there...please be there... she thought drastically.
She skidded to a halt at a nearby closed shop, it's neon lights hurting her vision. She nearly tripped but she didn't care. She gawked at the sight with both relief and horror.
Her best friend. Leaning against the wall, head bowed. Band said 75.
"Riley!" Joy cried out as she dropped to her knees and crawled toward her.
This time the blonde weakly looked up. Her face was pale, yet it warmed a bit at the sight of the yellow emotion.
"Joy..." she murmured dryly.
Wasting no time gathering Riley in her arms, Joy held her close to her chest. Riley buried her face against Joy's barely glowing skin. Fresh tears fell along with the rain.
"It's okay...it's okay..." Joy assured her gently, rubbing her back.
"School was awful..." Riley whimpered. "I hate it..."
"I'm so sorry what happened..." Joy sniffed, stroking her head. "But I promise, Mom and I will fix things. So will Mr. Bing Bong."
Riley slowly lifted her head, looking at her best friend. A ghost of a smile appeared on her bruised lips.
"Y-you were right about him...He's the best..."
Joy's expression softened, laying a hand on Riley's cold cheek. She was practically ice in her arms.
"Joy..." the blonde moaned.
The emotion's eyes widened in shock as Riley leaned further against her chest, almost as if her weight was too much for her.
"So tired..." she murmured, closing her eyes.
Joy hugged her close, trying her best to keep her from the rain. She didn't have her jacket. Neither did Joy.
But she did bring her phone, and she immediately called her mom. The call was answered instantly, followed by a frightened voice on the other end.
"Mom..." Joy breathed, getting colder by the minute, "I found her. I'm going to bring her to the lab. Get Panic ready."
Quickly hanging up, Joy lifted Riley in her arms. The girl was practically light as a pillow as the emotion carried her through the rain back to her car. She would make sure the heater was on and the ride fast but comfortable as possible.
Riley struggled to keep her eyes open, fearing that if if she let herself sleep she would never wake up. The curled in on herself in the backseat, trying to stay warm as the heater was on full blast.
Joy's hands tensed on the wheel, afraid to look back and see what Riley's percentage was. She knew it was decreasing by the minute.
It pained her heart as she realized that her love and devotion toward Riley might be the only reason Riley was desperately clinging to life now. And she was more glad than ever that she and her mom had taken Riley in to give her a sense of belonging.
"Just hold on, Riley!" Joy insisted, wishing that every red light would turn green as they drew close. "We'll get you better soon!"
Riley murmured in response.
Finally pulling up to the lab, Joy opened the back of the car and lifted Riley out. She gasped.
Riley seemed literally light as a feather, but cold and pale and her outline was distinctly more fuzzy. Joy glanced at her armband and her fear fueled her speed.
It was at 59. With Riley's makeup nearly holding together at only a little more than half it's strength, she wouldn't make it past half-stability!
Pure terror gripped Joy's heart as as she sprinted to the front of the lab, then raced up the stairs. She hurried as fast as she could to the lab, where her mom and the others were frantically working at the controls.
"MOM!"
Delight swiftly took one look at Riley and just about screamed, hurrying over. "RILEY, NO!". She raced over, horrified at seeing her like this and noticing she wasn't even moving.
She cradled the stiff blonde's face in her hands, Riley's eyes barely open as she looked up at Delight.
"She's ice cold!" Delight cried.
Riley moaned, every movement a challenge for her. She managed to look up at Delight. She tried to smile, but that prove to be a challenge as well.
"M-Mom..." she was able to speak.
Delight as in tears as she caressed Riley's head. Wet and cold, two things a mother did not want to feel upon her child.
"It's okay, baby..." she cooed woefully. "I'm here...I'm here..."
Panic joined her, his eyes hitting the ceiling as he stared at Riley. He carefully reached over and took her from Joy, carrying her in his arms. He pressed two fingers to the side of her neck, checking her pulse.
"We got to get her into the container!" he said frantically before hurrying her over to the spot.
Delight was hard at work, glancing from the controls to her second daughter. Riley looked snow white, her links barely holding any pink to their color. The only part of her body that still shone was when Riley opened her eyes to look at Delight. That was the warmest she was able to muster, especially when she finally was reunited with the one she called mom.
Joy stood before the container, watching as Riley was hooked up to over more than a dozen wires. The emotion pressed closer, as the machine switched on. She didn't even blink as her best friend began to suspend as she had done before. The glow of the container indicated the charging had begun. Joy didn't even bother to look at the band on Riley's arm. She knew it was much lower than before.
Panic stared at the charts, then breathed a sigh of relief. "She's going to be fine..." He turned to a dismayed yet relieved Delight. "The charging will take much longer, however..."
Delight nodded at this before turning to Joy. The young emotion pressed her hand to the container, not breaking her gaze with Riley. No one had to tell her Riley needed to stay here overnight. Delight would get the sleeping bag ready.
"This is exactly what I had been afraid of..."
The mother of two turned and was surprised to find Aggravation beside her. However, his expression was neither callous nor stern. His eyes fell on the container, gazing at Riley with some very rare sympathetic details on his face.
"She tries to interact with the world, the world pushes her back..." he went on.
Delight averted her gaze. She hated to admit that he was right. But it had been Riley's first day of school, neither had thought it would be this bad!
Aggravation sighed, rubbing his head. "I know you mean well, Delight," he said. "You're the one who's been able to keep this team together when we nearly wanted to rip each other's faces off."
She finally looked at him, surprised by this completely mellow side of his. Given his usual demeanor, it was easy to forget had one to begin with.
"I know you really like that kid," he went on, "and I know you're trying to do Ri some good here."
He still wouldn't use her new name. That didn't surprise her.
"But see what happened? This is the third time she's been like this. The world is dangerous, but she doesn't know it until she puts herself there. You know that, we've all been to the same school."
Panic overheard this, his heart deflating a little as she kept eyes on Riley's stability levels. It was making its way very slowly, but they had all night and the next morning.
Aggravation finally turned to Delight, his expression solemn with a hint of pity.
"I think the best thing to do is pull her out of that dang school," he told her. "That way no one will hurt her. And she won't hurt anyone."
Delight looked from Aggravation to the container, her gaze resting on her second daughter suspended in the container and her first with her hand pressed up against the glass. All she and Joy had wanted was for Riley to help get an education, make new friends, and experience more of the world.
For Joy, it would help Riley be more social. For Delight, it would further prepare Riley for her life on Earth.
But this first day had gone awful for her. She had been ridiculed, shunned, and had gotten into a fight with a classmate.
Delight knew that if they pulled Riley out of the school, there was a chance she would become more withdrawn and more dependent on her and Joy. And it would be that much harder for them to let her go when the time came. But if Riley stayed in the school, her physical and emotional state could get worse due to the treatment of the others.
It was best to give Riley the happiest chance she could.
Delight looked at Aggravation again and nodded. "I'll call the administrative office and let them know." She sighed. "Perhaps I could homeschool her."
Aggravation nodded. "That would be best." He paused, glancing quickly over at Joy and Riley before gesturing for Delight to follow him. He wanted to make sure Joy didn't hear. Once he was certain they were out of earshot, he spoke again. "Did you show her that book on humanity that you have?"
She nodded. "I wanted to... ease her into it. Better to take it slow at this rate." She felt a pang at her heart at the thought of having to send Riley away, but they had taken an oath as part of the project. It was better to slowly introduce her to the world rather than breaking the news to her all at once.
"And?" Aggravation sat down. "How did Ri react?"
Knowing how firm Aggravation was about the name, Delight didn't bother correcting him. "She seemed a bit intrigued since they looked like her, but she seems a bit..." she searched her mind for the right word, "unsettled. She likes it here."
Aggravation frowned deeply. "That's a problem. I had hoped that seeing others who are more like her would convince her to go. You're telling me it's only pushing her further away?"
Delight nodded, a bit regretful. "Earth unnerves her, and now with the way she's been treated here, she seems to just want to stay with me."
"It doesn't matter how fond you are of her," Aggravation insisted, his voice a bit more firm. "You'll have to let her go."
Delight shut her eyes, hearing Joy quietly talk to Riley about the holidays in the later part of the year. To think Riley might not even get to experience them... and Joy had no idea.
She didn't want to imagine the look of betrayal and heartbreak on their faces when she eventually broke the news.
"Your daughter brought her into too much interaction with this world, so she got used to it," Aggravation said. "Now it's time to amend that and continue to ease her into it."
"Can't she at least stay til New Year's?" Delight found herself pleading. She always loved those latter holidays best, and wanted Riley to experience them as anyone on Terracordis did.
"You're delaying the inevitable, Delight!"
For a moment, the two stared at each other. Finally Delight turned away and sighed, walking to get a sleeping bag for Joy.
"... I know."
The red-orange emotion watched her walk away as if from a fight. Ri could have done the same thing at school, but instincts told her to show her true worth.
Of course, Aggravation understood what the mother of soon to be only one felt. He couldn't imagine what would happen if he had to give up his own child.
She loved Ri like she loved Joy, that was the thing about this project. In fact, she fell in love with the child before she had even been "born". Shortly before the project had been proposed, Delight and her husband had often talked about having more children. Straight after they married, they had a hard year trying to have their first one.
Joy originally was to be named Miracle. But their "bundle of joy" meant the world to them nevertheless.
Delight often told the others how she and her husband had recently thought of perhaps adopting. But so far public homes were, unlike the human world, bare of children and were currently caring for pregnant teens, out of work, and especially the elderly. Amazing how different and perfect their world was compared to Earth...
When Ri first came along, Delight had felt like the day she gave birth to Joy. And seeing the two girls clicked brought her nothing but happiness, the same which she was sure her husband would feel once he met Ri.
Unfortunately, he wouldn't arrive in time to see the daughter he formerly had...
Aggravation sighed, rubbing his head once more as he gazed out the window. It was raining much harder now, and there was thunder. Yet lights still glowed in the depressing atmosphere. Soon the colors would become more vibrant, followed by expensive decoration, and soon trees would be put up and making travel more difficult for pedestrians and cars.
The kid would probably love the experience of holidays in this world...Thanksgiving, Christmas... he was sure she'd love Halloween too...
But he was sure she would have better on Earth. While there were obvious things that differed this one from that planet of humans, Aggravation was certain Ri's new life would be more promising.
She would go to a better school where no one would call her a freak. Maybe make a lot more friends, more than she could have asked for here. And probably a family if she was lucky. If they found the right place for her to grow and do what she was created for.
It could all work out...
Delight bent down as Joy snuggled inside her sleeping bag. She smiled warmly at her daughter before looking at the other one who was in her container.
Riley was looking less pale and more colored now. Having suspended for a few hours, the process was still very slow. Almost as if Riley was refusing to go at a higher rate. Delight couldn't blame her.
"You comfy, sweetheart?" she told Joy.
The yellow emotion yawned. Delight had brought her dinner from the luncheon which consisted of a turkey sandwich and hot soup and some soda to wash it down. The mother wished she could have brought pizza for Riley.
"Yeah," Joy murmured tiredly. "I'm good."
Stroking her daughter's blue hair, she leaned down and kissed her forehead. Joy smiled at this before both looked back at the container.
"She'll be okay," Delight promised her. "Soon as she wakes up and we're done checking on her, we'll all go home."
"Okay, mom," Joy said, her eyes barely closing.
Delight watched Riley for some time, thinking over what Aggravation had said.
Once her girls were awake, Delight would let her know the news. She would first speak with Bing Bong on the matter and hope he understood. He had been a good friend to her and the others all these years, he had the right to be the first to know. And he could come over to the house and tutor Riley. After all, it would be like she had all her classes with just him, and no one to talk bad about her.
Delight kept the positive things in mind. All that mattered was that Riley was okay, her girls were together again. And Riley would spend more time at home with them as well. Everything would be fine.
Everything afterward, she was still unsure.
A/N: Well, hopefully the next day will turn out better for them. See ya next chapter!