Chapter 4: Coral Academy Part 1
Saturday came quickly as Ryan and Ashley showed him around the city. Minky was lagging behind them as they walked down the road to Coral Academy.
When they turned onto Academy Way Ryan spoke, "Aren't you excited! New school! New people! Turf war training!"
Ashley looked shocked, "I'm the energetic one! Don't take my role!"
"Ha!" Leo laughed hard.
Minky ran up beside them, "Not everyone can be great…"
"Eh, take your chances, that's my motto," Ashley replied.
"Playing it safe is easier though, isn't it?" Leo asked her.
"Maybe, but safety doesn't win turf wars."
"And," Ryan added, "You're the one who decided to come and do that first turf wars. Risking that we may have been creeps."
Leo looked at him in silence, he was beaten.
"There it is," Minky said quietly as she spotted the large gate to the academy.
The group approached the towering gate. Around fifteen feet tall and wide enough for two vehicles to fit through at once. The bars were dark metal, bended in the center so a squid-like shaped hole. Straight past the gate the road went on for about 50 yards and then split. 25 yards after the split lay the front steps of the academy. The building was brick, three stories high with a tower that was another story or two. The front was lined with perfectly aligned windows.
To their right was a full turf war stage, equipped with spawn pads. There was a building lying along the edge of it, the equipment room. On the other side there were bleachers, about enough seats for 10,000 creatures. To the left was a baseball field and a soccer field, sports popular to primarily jellyfish.
"So many kids," Leo said astonished at the number of jellyfish and inklings were wandering around.
Ashley was about to run off when an old bell rang Ding Dong Ding Dong.
The doors to the academy opened and inklings began heading there. Those who hadn't after a minute caught on and a crowd formed, trying to get past each other to enter the school.
"There must be around a thousand students here!" Minky exclaimed.
"It'll seem like less when we're all in classes," Ryan replied.
Ashley was already in the crowd, trying to shove her way through. Ryan sighed and ran after her. Leo reluctantly follow while Minky stayed behind.
"Minky?" Leo called, "What's wrong?"
"I'll catch up! I don't wanna go into a crowd like that," She replied, staying still.
Leo nodded and ran off.
Ryan and Ashley made it in. Everyone was gathering in the gym, trying to have room to themselves or shoving their way to the bleachers. A few minutes passes as everyone settled in. The room booming with the chatter of young kids.
"Frick!" Ryan yelled over the crowd to Ashley, "Where's Leo and Mink?"
"They'll find us!" Ashley yelled back.
Leo was walking in with the last of the crowd. The gym was packed, inklings, prawns, and jellyfish standing shoulder to shoulder, or head to head in the jellyfish's case.
"Hello everyone!" Leo barely heard the voice from the speakers. Everyone kept chatting.
"Silence!" The voice snapped and everyone went silent. "Thank you, now go to your period 1 class. You will meet your classmates. That is all.
Every creature shuffled out, pulling out a piece of paper that contained their schedule.
Leo glanced at his. Period 1: CP English; Period 2: CP Science; Period 3: Honors Math; Period 4: Study hall. Period 5 and 6 were blank, he had refused to take electives. His mom had somehow talked the school into letting him not have to take them and let him go home.
Leo ran off to find his English class
Minky had heard the announcement. Looking at her schedule she sighed. Period 1: Art. She despised art classes. She had always had a bad time with them since she her first days of school. It always seemed so forced to her, unlike art should be. The rest of her schedule read: Period 2: Study; Period 3: Honors Math, Period 4: AP English; Period 5: Honors science; Period 6: Keyboarding.
She forced herself to move, her mind keeping her feet planted still. Tears coming too her eyes as she went off to a hellish class.
Ashley was bubbling with excitement, dragging Ryan along to go to their first class. They had made sure to take the exact same classes and electives. Period 1: General English; Period 2: CP Math; Period 3: Music; Period 4: Study; Period 5: Honors Science; Period 6: Physical Education (PE)
Ryan struggled to keep up with Ashley's pace as she shoved her way through dozens of kids. Often jumping over jellyfish.
"Ah, here we are!" Ashley exclaimed as she saw the room number, 112. A few students had sat down and were goofing off. Ashley sat down in a desk near the front, still pulling Ryan. Once she let go, Ryan took the seat to her left.
Five minutes passed by and most of the desks were taken. A few empty ones were left for the kids who didn't come.
"Why hello, I'm Mrs. Shell. I will be your English teacher!" She exclaimed happily. She noticed two inkling boys in the corner not paying attention, "Eyes up here!"
The boys slowly looked up, shrugged, and then went back to what they were doing.
"EYES UP HERE!" Mrs. Shell screeched at them.
The boys immediately looked up, fear in their eyes.
"Okay then! We will be having a troublesome class this year, won't we?" Mrs. Shell stated, "But it'll be fine, you'll all pay attention… eventually…"
Ryan gulped, eventually, what did that mean? He looked at Ashley and lightly jabbed her with his elbow, "be careful around her, pay attention."
"And I don't pay attention?" Ashley asked, a grin on her face.
"Stop talking!" Mrs. Shell spoke, glaring at the duo.
Ashley and Ryan became silent, as did the rest of the class.
"As you know, this is an English class. We will be covering writing essays, analyzing poems, reading novels, the usual English class stuff. You are all in general, but I know you can do better! You're all smart enough to handle an honors class, I'm sure of it. But since I'm nice I'll only give you the CP curriculum."
"We're in general and you're going to give us a harder course?" Ashley asked.
"1: Yes, because you are all perfectly capable of even doing an honors class. 2: Raise your hand before speaking!"
Mrs. Shell gave them a sheet with a list of everything they'd cover. Ryan gulped, every week they'd have to write a three page research paper.
After that, Ryan was terrified. Although math was okay. Kids goofed off a bit and the teacher laughed with them. He couldn't help but join in. Ashley had already been laughing since she had walked in the door. After everyone settled down, and Ashley got the hiccups from laughing too hard, the teacher, Mr. Squidier, handed out the normal class sheet.
Music was okay. Ryan didn't care for it and Ashley was upset that they wouldn't learn to play the piano. She'd always wanted to get one, but her parents wouldn't even get her a keyboard since they thought she'd just use it once, then never use it again. It was understandable, she had tried to play the violin as a young child. She gave it one go, then never tried it again. It's still collecting dust in their closet to this day.
Study hall was uneventful. As they walked in to Honors Science they saw Minky sitting at a table. She noticed them and beckoned them over.
Sorry for the long break! Took a while to get back into writing. Here's everyone's schedule and their character design! Leo Brook Schedule.
Period 1: CP English
Period 2: CP Science
Period 3: Honors Math
Period 4: Study hall
Period 5:
Period 6:
Minky Kelp Schedule
Period 1: Art
Period 2: Study hall
Period 3 Honors Math
Period 4: Honors English
Period 5: Honors Science
Period 6: Music
Ryan and Ashley Burns Schedule
Period 1: General English taught by Mrs. Shell
Period 2: CP Math taught by Mr. Squidier
Period 3: Music
Period 4: Study hall
Period 5: Honors Science
Period 6: PE
Leo is five feet tall. He has average sized lime green tentacles hanging at the side of his head. He has blue eyes.
Minky is four feet and ten inches. She has short light blue tentacles going down her side. She wears glasses with rectangular lenses. Green eyes
Ryan is five feet and six inches. His dark blue tentacles are tied into a ponytail like most inkling boys. Orange eyes.
Ashley is five feet and 4 inches. She has normal sized purple tentacles tied into a long ponytail. Teel eyes