Chapter 2

Alright so Bean is in this chapter, yes i know he's not supposed to enter the story so early in the book but i like Bean he's one of my favorite charaters. Also if you find any errors please point them to me. And as always enjoy the story.

About a day or so had passed since Graff had taken me from my home, to be completely honest it was kind of nice; I wasn't being constantly tormented by Peter and I was bombarded by the constant smell of alcohol from my mom. The only thing I missed really was my dad he had remained sane when Andrew had left, now with me going to Battle School too I wasn't sure if he'd be able to take it. I decided to block these thoughts from my mind and focus on the positives, now if only I could think of them.

Well I suppose seeing Andrew was going to be nice, and I did get accepted into Battle School over Peter.

While I was thinking about all this, I was suddenly jolted back into reality by someone shouting "Ms. We are going to be late if you do not get ready for the shuttle!"

I didn't even bother looking for the source of the voice I knew it would be pointless everyone here looked the same, like something you would have seen in an old movie, all in black. Black suits, black sun glasses indoors, black briefcases, and black ties. I'm sure they thought it made them look cool; they acted like it did all pompous and arrogant. In reality it just made them look like idiots.

"Ha," I joked to myself, "The person who yelled at me was probably named Mr. Black, or maybe Mr. White." I smiled, as I got up and decided to do as I was told. It wasn't because they had told me what to do it was because I wanted to see Andrew, I was worried about him.

As soon as I was ready I started walking as slowly as I could towards the shuttle, I wanted to make them all wait, I was still mad at Graff for not caring about me crying. He was a lot like Peter only he was capable of being far nicer and far crueler. The closer I got to the shuttle, the more I was able to see what was going on, there was Graff tapping his foot and looking at his watch. And there where about five more people in 'space suits' just like me waiting there with them, most of them where punching each other playfully, but there was one who just stood off to the side and was watching me. I made a mental note to check out who that was.

"Ah, good to see you're finally with us Ms. Valentine, I was just preparing to order some officers to go and fetch you." Graff stated rather dryly as he finally say me, "You realize that we have only four minutes before the shuttle has to leave, and if they had left without you I would have had you arrested for life."

"I doubt it Graff, if you arrested me what would happen to Andrew? You wouldn't have anyone to get him to work anymore, besides there are four minutes left, that's plenty of time." I responded, trying to sound just as cold and dry as Graff had when he'd commented. "Now let's get going the sooner we get there, the sooner we get to eat." I had hoped to not mention this but it just slipped out, I waited for the snickering to begin but it never came I looked around and the kids where all nodding there heads in agreement.

Graff was shocked for a moment and it took him a few seconds to regain his composure, "Right well hurry up and get strapped into your seats, I'm perfectly aware that you haven't eaten for the past twenty-four hours and I apologize but you'll understand why as soon as we take off." He said this time not as dryly, as he was walking towards the shuttle.

"Wait, your coming with us Mr. Graff?" I asked.

"Well of course I am. I'm the principle of Battle School." He replied smartly.

Great, so I'll be seeing Graff at Battle School I had assumed I was going to be rid of him as soon as I boarded that shuttle. Just another example of how nothing turns out how you think it will. Oh well, at least I'd get to see Andrew.

As we boarded the shuttle, I made a point to sit next to the one person who had been watching me earlier. This made whoever it was nervous and I felt bad and contemplated moving to another seat but just as I was about, the count down started and I was stuck in my seat until we arrived at Battle School. I looked over at my neighbor and realized that they where shorter then most of the people on the shuttle.

"Hi," I said to him, "my names Valentine, what's yours?" I asked him

Surprisingly he answered extremely confidently, "Hi, my name is Bean."

"Bean! Your name is Bean? Pardon me asking but why is your name Bean?" I barely managed to stutter out.

Bean just shrugged when he replied, "Because I'm not worth a bean."

"But, your going to Battle School clearly your worth far more than a bean. What could make you possibly say something like that?" I asked him.

Bean just shrugged, I guess he didn't want to talk. Then I realized he hadn't answered me not because he didn't want to talk, but because we where taking off. All of a sudden I understood why we where not permitted to eat for twenty-four hours before take off. I felt like hurling and it looked like almost everyone else did to, but when I looked over at Bean he appeared to be enjoying himself. I decided I like him, he was a pretty cool kid.

Suddenly Graff appeared out of nowhere, and he wasn't walking he was flying. He looked disappointed when he saw that we where all still in our seats, and his comment merely confirmed my observation.

"What are you all still doing in your seats, get out of them now you're going to have to get used to null gravity. Especially if you want to survive B School and not get iced." He said with just a hint of anger in his voice.

I was out of my seat in a flash, I looked around expecting to see everyone else out of there seats but most of them where still trying to figure out how to unbuckle. I didn't think it was that complicated, and I guess neither did Bean. As I looked over I realized he was already figuring out how to move in null gravity, this kid was smart no wonder he is going to Battle School. Just like Bean I began trying to figure out how to move, I started watching him because he seemed to be having an easier time figuring it out. Then it seemed like something clicked with him, he suddenly made his way over to a wall and pushed off he went flying. I tried and the same happened to me, I started laughing.

"Well, it looks we have at least to students who aren't a complete waste of time. You could all learn a thing or to from these two." Graff said clearly he had been watching us, but something about his tone made me worry, what was he up to. I stopped laughing and smiling trying to figure out what, but Bean was completely oblivious and still enjoying himself seemed to start laughing even louder.

Then it hit me, Graff was trying to make it harder on us, he wanted to make everyone hate us. And this guy wondered why Andrew refused to do anything. I was just about to say something when Bean shot off a wall straight at Graff, hitting him and making him bounce around wildly. Everyone was shocked, even Graff who appeared stunned at the moment but it would only take him a few moments to realize what had happened.

Then Bean did the unthinkable, he mocked Graff openly. "Yo, Graff next time you try and get everyone to hate us. Why don't you give us a ride in a first class shuttle, or even better, why don't you give us a ride in a shuttle that doesn't have your filthy odor on it. Dude I can smell you from here, when was the last time you had a bath?"

My mouth dropped to the floor, as did everyone else's. This short little kid had just insulted the Principle of Battle School was he mad? Had the flight done something to his brain? Or was he just incredibly smart and clever and caught onto what Graff was trying to do before even I did, and took a stand to stop it from happening. I truly hoped it was the latter and that Graff knew why Bean had done what he did. I really liked the kid and I didn't want him to get iced before we even landed at B school. I was dreading the moment I would have to look at Graff and see him scream at poor Bean that he was iced, maybe if he hadn't actually insulted Graff and just hit him he wouldn't have gotten into so much trouble. As I turned around to see what Graff would do I became utterly amazed instead of the tomato red color I had expected to see his face turn, it was perfectly normal color, except for what appeared to be blood coming from his nose. Surely he should have been frowning if not scowling at the fact that a student, not only a student but the shortest smallest student on the whole shuttle had given him a blood nose, but instead he had a smile. And when he spoke it all made sense.

"Figured out what I was trying to do, did you? Well I'm impressed, but try it again and I'll have your ass iced for sure. Do you understand me?!" Graff said as he dabbed his nose with his sleeve, scattering random drops of blood and putting them in orbit around the shuttle.

"Yes Sir, Thank You Sir." Said Bean with a huge grin on his face, clearly he had enjoyed himself. He didn't appear to be have enjoyed the actual violence but he appeared the word play I guess. He also wasn't as weak as his scrawny appearance made him out to be. This certainly was an interesting kid.

Bean had gone back to his seat evidentially content, I decided to go back and sit next to him I was dying to talk to him again this kid was so fascinating, and he reminded me a lot of Andrew I suppose. As I sat down next to him he watched me still smiling and probably guessing what I was going to say to him. But I was determined not to be predictable, just as I was about to say something, something wet hit my nose I knew what it was before I even looked. I wasn't going to make a sound, I wasn't going to make a sound, I repeated to myself over and over again. In what most have been a five second timeframe.

"Ew! I've got Graff's blood on my nose! Eww, this so disgusting." I complained, as soon as I had I felt like a total idiot. I hadn't meant to say it, it was just the fact that blood freaked me out, ever since Peter had poured a bucket of squirrel blood over me when I was younger. Things like that would affect anyone. Then I realized it was dead silent and I figured the only way to keep myself from having a terrible couple of years at B school was to laugh, so that's exactly what I did and as soon as I started the whole shuttle started laughing.

The laughing lasted about six minutes, when it finally died down I tried talking to Bean again, but this time I looked around to make sure there was no more blood. There wasn't so I sat down and got buckled, Bean was still snickering slightly and he was obviously trying to hide it, so I pretended I didn't see it and decided to try and change the subject from my humiliated moment to his amazing lucky moment.

"How did you know you wouldn't get iced if you hit Graff?!" I all but shouted at him. It took him a second or two to realize that I had asked him something and was admiring him. Or somewhat admiring him, mainly I was just so amazed at what he had done, and the fact that he hadn't gotten punished for it.

"Ha, I didn't have the slightest clue that I wasn't going to get iced. I just didn't like that Graff was trying to make it hard on us, so I decided to stand up for myself and I hoped I wouldn't get in trouble, and well lady luck was on my side I suppose." While Bean was still laughing slightly it was still easy to understand what he had said.

"So, you hit the principle of B school because he was trying to make it rough on you?" I asked in exasperation.

His ears turned slightly red for a moment then he regained his confidence and happy demeanor. "Well it wasn't just me, he was trying to make it rough on you to." He said.

"Thank you Bean, that was sweet of you." I said not enjoying the moment very much, it was pretty awkward, so I decided to change the subject.

"Have you got any family at B school?" I asked him

This hit him kind of hard, he lost some of his confidence and seemed to become a lot more depressed, when he answered I could tell he was upset and really didn't want to talk about it that much. "I don't have any family really, what about you though, have you any family at B school?"

Suddenly I felt bad about asking him the question I had had no idea it would affect him like that and I really didn't want to tell him that I had family at B school but I felt I owed him, so I answered honestly. "Yes, my brother Andrew Wiggins goes to B School, and I'm sorry for asking you that question I didn't know it was going to upset you."

That was the wrong thing to say, soon as I had apologized to Bean his ears turned bright red and he was quiet the rest of the trip. I hope we can still be friends, I also made a mental note that Bean seems to have pride issues.

In the silence I began thinking of Andrew, I had always tried to protect him at home, but now that he was at B school he was becoming a solider, would he even need me there? Clearly he did or Graff wouldn't have come and got me, but what was wrong why wouldn't Andrew obey orders, I'm sure it couldn't have just been that Graff was a complete jerk. But what if Andrew's shuttle ride to B school had been the same as me and Beans, only he didn't have anyone stick up for him. Maybe that was why he was disobeying orders because he was out casted from everyone before he had even arrived.

I started to remember all the letters I had sent him, Mother and Father used to send them every day, then every week, then monthly, but I never stopped sending him letters. I sent him letters everyday, even though I never received any back and I'm sure he never actually got the letters. Especially now that I think Graff is trying to isolate Andrew.

Isolation always did funny things to people I had learned in school that it had driven some people completely mad, but that didn't make sense why would they drive Andrew mad on purpose.

I eventually shifted my thinking to what B school was going to be like I had heard so many different things; Peter had always said that they had live Buggers which we would fight against in rooms. But then I had heard other things too such as, we actually had mock battles with each other and that we where separated into teams. I had also heard that it was just like school, you sat at a desk and studied that's alls you did. None of these sounded particularly fun to me, I did not enjoy killing and blood always freaked me out, I was going to have to get over that for sure if I was to survive B school. And I did not know of a single child that ever enjoyed schooling, it was always so boring.

My thoughts kept going back to Andrew, the same constant worrying thought.

What was happening with Andrew, why would he not follow direct orders?