Disclaimer: The only part of this story I can claim is the first-person, and I don't. You want to copy this story and put it on your page, feel free to. Not like I'll be sore about it.
And XxSanitariumxX has stories that once cured cancer. Maybe not, but you should still check his stories out soon.
I didn't end up buying food that day; I didn't have any money. Krystal didn't, either. But instead of making the smart choice and asking for free food for the day, I went to the table where Slippy was sitting. After all, he was never full, so through some twisted sense of logic, I figured he'd be willing to share.
"What are you doing?!" Relics shouted. I saw Bill forcing him to a nearby table, where Lana was sitting. And everyone in the cafeteria was watching.
"Making sure you don't make a big mistake," Bill answered. I knew more-or-less what would happen, so I just sat down right across from Slippy without paying attention. Krystal was distracted by the commotion, so she was a few steps behind.
"Let's see," I said under my breath, scouring the frog's plate for any food that looked edible and wasn't covered in spit. I found a corn dog and a hamburger, and since neither one was topped with bugs of any sort, I figured I'd gotten lucky. The burger had all of the ordinary toppings, and I was at least glad that I'd have tasty food while going here. My first high school could have been investigated for the overpriced, tasteless excuses for nutrition they sold to the students.
"Your pick," I said, holding up both food items. I was hoping she'd go for the burger, because even though it was more food, I preferred plain burgers.
"I'll take this," she said, grabbing the corn dog. I nearly dropped it trying to avoid her touch; I wasn't used to her mind-reading abilities yet. Falco, Slippy, and Bill, who had just returned, finally noticed both me and Krystal.
"Why?" I asked. "The burger's bigger. More food."
"That's why you should have it," she said, taking a bite. I glanced at Falco, who had raised an eyebrow at me, and silently wondered whether I'd just been served by chivalry.
"Where'd my food go?" Slippy asked.
"She didn't have any," I explained, tilting my head toward Krystal. I managed to convince myself to take a bite and ignore all of the flavors that I didn't care for.
"Oh," he said, staring at her for a few seconds. "I'm Slippy."
"Krystal," she said, smiling at him.
"Oh, yeah," I said, remembering to introduce her. It was hard to remember that she, in fact, didn't know any of them yet. "That's Falco, and there's Bill," I said, gesturing to each one in turn. "Oh, and I think I already mentioned Relics."
She nodded. I glanced at Relics, who looked like he was about to run out the door and straight back to Earth, if only it was possible. The girls behind Lana were giggling about something.
"So who's your," Falco began, before pointedly clearing his throat, "friend?"
"Her name is Krystal. She just said it, dummy," I said, taking another bite.
"Oh, and how'd you two meet?" he asked. I knew he was only looking for ammunition, but I figured the story would be less embarrassing if I told it myself.
"She got me out of a jam," I said, trying to get away with another half-truth. The only mind-reader at the table knew what I was talking about anyway.
"Mmm-hmm," Falco nodded. "And why were you two so late to lunch?" he asked. I knew telling the truth was out of the question, so I tried to come up with a flat-out lie.
"What do you think?" Krystal said slyly before I could say anything. I could've sworn that I actually heard my brain snap. Falco and Bill looked at each other knowingly, and I felt my face grow hot. I reached down and tried to brush my hand against hers.
"What are you doing?" I asked so that only she could hear me.
"Distracting them. It worked, didn't it?" she asked. It's true, they had focused on Relics again, for whatever reason. Slippy was still concerned with his food, which was being shoved down his throat without regards to menial things like chewing. I pulled my hand away and focused on my half-eaten burger, and then continued eating. Suddenly, all of the toppings didn't bother me as much anymore.
"You okay?" she asked. Apparently, Falco and Bill weren't interested in what she'd said.
"Those are the kinds of rumors I tried to stop for a reason."
"Why? Let them talk. You and I are the only ones who know the truth."
"Maybe. But what they think they know can hurt us."
"How so?"
"Half of this stinking Cornerian-Human war was based off of a misunderstanding."
"But what's happening to you is no war," she said. My mind flashed forward to all of the people who wanted – or rather, would want Relics dead. The first one who came to mind was Wolf. And I realized that maybe warning Relics would be the right thing to do.
But it was too late, regardless. I watched him bend down to kiss the back of her hand, and I knew that it would be too late to help. Those behind Lana erupted into a chorus of chatter, along with much of the rest of the cafeteria.
"That might not end well," I said, pointing toward Relics. Thankfully, my burger was almost finished.
"What do you mean?" she asked. I tapped my temple twice, and apparently she understood. I put my hand below the table, and before long, she grasped it. I tried to ignore the fact that she could have merely grazed my hand, but I didn't really want to be rude and pull away from the contact.
"A man named Wolf used to be her boyfriend. And he won't be too happy about that."
"Shouldn't we warn him?" she asked.
"And say what? 'Oh, hey, I know you don't know us that well, but we're from the future, and you're screwed.'"
"Well, we're not from the future," she said with a giggle."And actually, you aren't either."
"Then how can I know that you're going to want to see this?" I asked, gesturing toward Relics again. Lana had just given him her information, and he was waving goodbye. As he turned to go, sure enough, Lana reached out and, to the surprise of most of the cafeteria, pinched his butt. I could feel the surprise (and humor) in Krystal's mind, and I took that moment to get my hand back. Relics walked back to the table like he'd been horribly violated, and when he sat down, he was unresponsive for a full minute.
"Did you see that?" Bill asked.
"No, Bill. We didn't. Something happens to capture the attention of the entire cafeteria, and we missed it," I said. I was apparently ignored, though, when he told and retold what'd happened at least two times. I finished by meager meal before he'd finished.
"Relics..." Bill said into Relics' ear once he was done with the third tale. He made sure to draw out his voice, but I knew that it would take a while unless I intervened. So I snapped a couple of times right in front of Relics' face.
"Huh? What?" he asked.
"What do you have to say?" Bill asked, expecting a thank-you. Personally, I think I'd stick a spork in his leg. But I knew he wouldn't try anything to me; as far as he knew, I had a girlfriend.
"You're not exactly a hero," I told Bill. Because leave it to me to break the awkward silences for other people.
"Whaddaya mean?" he asked.
"He didn't need your help," Falco said, "and it's not exactly like you actually helped."
"Yeah. I mean, what kind of wing-man dips out after saying 'hi'?" I asked.
"The kind who just scored Relics a girlfriend," he said proudly.
"How do you figure?" Falco asked.
"Oh, come on!" Bill nearly shouted. "Relics was shaking in his shoes. There's no way he'd have made a move had it not been for me."
"You remember those words," I said, pointing at him with a smirk. I heard Krystal snicker.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Falco asked. I began to wonder if he'd be putting all of the pieces together any time soon.
"Nothing," I said, leaning back slightly. With any luck, I'd only have a minute or so to go before the bell rang.
"So, what's she like?" Bill asked Relics.
"Well, her name is Lana Tress..."
"Okay, alright, but what's she like?"
"Hey, leave him be, man," I said, steering the conversation away from the direction I knew it'd be going. "If you wanted to know, you wouldn't have left him to fend for himself."
"You be quiet," Bill said, waving me off before turning back to Relics. "Seriously, though, what's she like?"
"She's...cool," he began. I tuned him out when Krystal tapped me on the shoulder.
"So, what is she like?" she asked. I didn't very desperately want to hold her hand again, but talking about the potential future aloud near animals with hearing much better than mine didn't seem like a better idea. So I tapped my temple again. This time though, Slippy saw me. Great, I thought, putting my hand down near my waist. Now both Falco and Slippy are onto me. At least Bill's as ignorant as ever. I felt something furry, but much softer than her hand, come to rest in mine. I glanced down, and saw the tip of her tail there. And she was doing a much better job at acting natural than I was.
"Well?" she asked. I finally realized just how convenient this method of communication would be. That is, unless I wanted to lie, which at this point, I didn't.
"She is loyal, caring, and sensitive. She's a great friend when Relics needs one, and she's definitely going to give him a run for his money. But she's got a past that's...best left untouched, and she has made – or will make – some really bad decisions."
"So, how's the story end for these two?" Krystal asked as the bell rang. I didn't move, so hopefully it'd be harder to notice that I was holding her tail.
"That, I don't know," I replied. "I hadn't read to the end of the story before coming here."
"What?" she asked. "I thought you got out by finishing the story."
"I told you, this was a special case."
She hardly waited five seconds before standing and saying, "Well, let's go. We've got Biology to get to."
Oh, she is way better than me at acting natural.
"What's that?" Falco asked. "Is 'Biology' code for something?"
"No, actually it isn't," I said, only upset that I couldn't think of a comeback.
"Sure, it isn't," he replied, following us. He was headed to the B building, while we were going to the A building, but from the cafeteria, they were both in the same general direction.
"Can you slap him?" I asked Krystal. "And while you're at it, see what he knows about me."
"It wouldn't work," she said.
"What?"
"You're the only one whose mind I read better when I'm touching them. Well, it might work the same with Relics, because he's human, too, but I don't know that."
"Go figure," I said under my breath. "But can you at least figure it out?"
"What do you say?" she asked, drawing the words out.
I knew what she wanted me to say, so at the risk of seeming "whipped", I said it. "Please?"
"Thank you," she said with a smile. "He's hardly suspicious at all. I don't know what he's noticed, but I get the feeling he thinks that he is great at reading people."
"You figured all that out already?" I asked. I suddenly had reason to be afraid of something.
"No, not all of it. I was wondering what he'd thought of your little warning about Wolf, so I'd done what I could then. It's not like I can learn everything about someone in just a few minutes."
"But lying to you..." I began.
"Do it, and I'll make sure Miyu finds you," she threatened. Knowing Miyu, she'd be the last one to see my body, I thought. I followed Krystal duly, silently making myself promise not to lie to her. A good promise, overall, even if I only made it by some kind of self-preservation instinct.
Okay, because the next period(s) could very easily become a boring (but very long) conversation between Krystal and I (which is what they were, pretty much), I'll omit them in favor of skipping right to the all-important sixth period. It'll probably be a commentary on Relics' run through the...well, if you're supposed to know, you know already. And as for the dream-points, I think they're gone. I'm fairly certain I'm cutting it awfully close to the rules, but I did the same with Duel of the Unknown, what with the alternate endings. But I'd love to hear what your favorite joke/reference has been so far. A 2-word review doesn't take long, and it makes me feel marginally more accomplished.
EDIT: This story is not technically about me anymore. If you haven't been informed, you can check out the first or last pages. And I seriously doubt that this message will be the first time someone is informed of the change.