And we're back again. Sorry it's been so long but Brenna's went to Disney land on a school trip so only having Chris to help me doesn't get much done….

Well I'm sorry I was away!

Anyhow, hopefully you enjoy this chapter. It's a bit slow but don't worry. We'll be getting back into some sort of action again soon.

October 29, 2009

"Insane! Absolutely damn insane!" Shawnee yelled as she rounded a corner with D'Artagnan trailing after her, coming into a large alcove of space. Brenna and Athos were there along with Alexiss and another boy who was absorbed in a book. Shawnee flopped down on the floor with a dismayed sigh and let her heavy books slip from her hand.

"What was I thinking taking all of these wretched courses?" Brenna shook her head at her friend's complaints.

"You didn't really have much of a choice if I remember right." Shawnee gave her a dark look.

"Shut up Brenna." Athos and D'Artagnan shared a confused look and looked at the two girls curiously.

"What do you mean by courses?" Athos asked. Shawnee tugged on her hair as she pulled one of the heavy books onto her lap and opened it.

"Classes. This is a school after all. Now don't bug me. I have to work on this history assignment." Shawnee skimmed over the open page with her eyes and groped with her left hand for a long cow shaped object sitting near her. Alexiss handed it to her.

"Here you are Milady."

"Thanks Alexiss. And don't call me that." Brenna and Alexiss shared a look and giggled to themselves.

"Would you rather I call you something else?"

"Like what?" Shawnee asked, not looking up as she began to scribble words on a paper.

"Whisper it in her ear Alexiss." Brenna warned. Alexiss shifted closer and leaned over to whisper in Shawnee's ear.

"What if I called you Lady D'Artagnan?" Shawnee's body gave a jolt and she glared at her.

"That's even worse! What the hell are you smoking?!" Brenna burst out laughing and pulled a sketchbook from her backpack and opened it to a blank page to begin to sketch. Athos came and stood over her, watching her begin to make the outline of a person.

"What are you drawing?" He asked. Brenna looked up at him, frowning.

"A faerie. And if you are going to watch me draw, then will you sit down? I hate it when people are standing when there is plenty of space to sit." Athos slid down the wall beside Brenna and proceeded to watch her. D'Artagnan walked over and looked down at Shawnee's writing on the paper as she frantically flipped through the textbook in her lap. He frowned and bent down to look closer at the paper.

"Your writing is very hard to read. I cannot understand a word of it." Shawnee paused and gave him a strange look.

"My writing isn't that bad!" She protested. He shook his head at her, chuckling.

"But it must be if I cannot read it." Brenna looked up at this.

"Maybe it's not because her writing's bad but actually because the magic from the sword does not allow you to read other languages." Shawnee smirked triumphantly at the man.

"See! Told you it wasn't my writing!" She stuck her tongue out impudently then turned back to her paper. The other boy who had yet to speak looked up at this small spat.

"Shawnee what are you working on anyway?" The girl froze and a nervous smile stole across her features. She pulled her legs in closer to her body and rested the book on them, using the paper to cover half of the page.

"Just a little bit of 17th century history Joey…" She muttered, scribbling then growling and scratching out what she wrote then rewriting it.

"Anything interesting in there?" Brenna asked curiously, looking up from the sketchbook at her over her glasses. Shawnee shrugged and turned the book towards her.

"Not unless the wars France, I guess it would be started or was in, are of any interest to you then no." Joey perked up at this.

"War? What's it say?!" Shawnee rolled her eyes and closed the book with a snap.

"I'll let you see it in a little bit Joey. Read your book." D'Artagnan watched the exchange with a small smile then turned his attentions to the new book Shawnee had opened. The girl sighed, catching his curious eye watching her and showed him the book.

"It's a law book oh-so-curious musketeer captain. Not that interesting by any means." A pair of loud twin laughs resounded and echoed in the hallway, approaching them.

"Chris and Porthos are here." Sighed Brenna as she reached into her pencil case for a blue pencil crayon. The laughing was suddenly silenced and everyone looked up curiously. Suddenly, a large black shoe was soaring around the corner and a yell sounded as Shawnee was hit around the head with the flying shoe. She rubbed the crown of her head, whimpering as small tears came to her eyes.

"What the hell was that?!" Brenna asked angrily as Chris rounded the corner, laughing uproariously.

"The flying shoe!" He yelled. Shawnee shot him a vicious narrow eyed glare.

"You may not live the day Chris." She snarled. Chris gave her a big cheesy grin. D'Artagnan stood with a frown and made to go around the corner when a boot came soaring towards him and slammed into his gut, effectively winding him. Porthos poked his head around the corner and looked down to see the other man crouched on the floor panting.

"Porthos! Have you no self control?" Athos demanded. Porthos shrugged, picking up his boot and Chris's shoe, tossing it to the boy.

"Yes. But Chris tried that and I thought I would as well." Shawnee reached over and smacked the man upside the head.

"Well now maybe you won't be such an idiot!" She yelled then winced and went back to rubbing her head. D'Artagnan stood and shuffled back over only to collapse against the wall alongside Shawnee, rubbing at his stomach and glaring at Porthos. Brenna bit her tongue and kept silent, trying not to laugh, but Joey and Alexiss both started laughing. Shawnee glared at the pair and muttered strong curses under her breath to which the musketeer captain listened in shock.

"Shawnee! Watch the language! The principal has already told us off for it before!" Brenna scolded tersely. Shawnee sent her a sideways glance and shrugged with disinterest, flipping pages of the book. Porthos lowered his head and peered at the book in Joey's hands.

"What does that say?" Joey stared at the man for a moment and quickly looked at the cover.

"How Guns Work. It's really quite interesting!" His eyes lit up as he began spewing off facts upon facts about many different modern day guns, gesturing wildly and describing their effects on targets as the musketeers listened, intrigued. Shawnee pressed her face into her palm, Brenna sighed in annoyance, Chris growled and shook his fist at Joey, and Alexiss tapped her fingers on the floor in boredom as he continued his speech. The boy's voice was cut off however by the shrieking ring of a bell and all of the teens groaned.

"Man… I don't wanna go to class!" Chris protested as he stood. The others made noises of agreement before Joey and Alexiss headed one way together and Brenna, Chris, and Shawnee went the other, the musketeers following.

"See you guys later?" Shawnee called as she walked towards the stairs, waving to the other two.

"Of course!" Brenna called back before disappearing into the hallway streaming with students pulling Athos along so as not to lose him. Shawnee sighed once they were out of sight and gestured for D'Artagnan to follow her.

"Come on. We'd better get to my first class so you can do your 'observing' dear uncle." She said with a smirk. D'Artagnan cuffed her lightly on the arm, smiling.

"You are rather impudent aren't you?" She flashed him a large cheesy smile and led him into a room filled with pairs of desks, taking a seat at the front. More students walked in, giving curious glances to the musketeer captain and whispering to each other after they passed and taking seats nearer to the back. Another bell rang, signaling the start of class and a few more students straggled in and the teacher walked in as well.

"Good morning everyone. I hope all of you finished your assignment I gave you a couple days ago. Please set them up here on the desk and we will get started." There was a shuffling of chairs as some students stood and dropped off their papers in a messy pile on a desk at the front while others remained seated, scribbling furiously as they added more to their papers. Once all the teens were seated again, the teacher took the papers, stacked them neatly, and set them aside.

"Alright. Now the assignment was to talk about a country and the conflicts that country encountered or caused during the 17th century. Would anyone like to share something interesting they learned?" Shawnee ducked her head, doodling on a piece of scrap paper. D'Artagnan looked at her in slight surprise, having expected her ready to speak since she was so loud before.

"Is something wrong?" He whispered to her as one of the students near the back started speaking about the Thirty Years War in Germany when it was fractured into more than 300 separate states as a result. Shawnee sent him a warning look.

"Nothing's wrong. I just don't like talking in class. Now shush. We're being rude." The teacher gave the pair a stern look, seeing them whispering, and Shawnee offered an apologetic smile. The class continued smoothly, with the teacher pulling out clear overhead sheets and setting up the machine for them to be viewed while notes were taken. D'Artagnan looked at the screen that the projection of the sheet was on, pretending to know what it said before whispering some more to Shawnee.

"What are you writing?"

"Notes about the 17th century wars. Can you leave me in peace? I'm trying to do my work!" She whispered harshly, glaring at him across the desk. D'Artagnan sat back with a contemplative frown, his head lowered as he listened and observed.

"What are we doing here?" Porthos asked in boredom. Chris sighed and shook his head.

"It's called English class. We learn English." He muttered in a snarky tone. Porthos glared at him.

"Well I must say it is rather dull."

"I'd have to agree with you there."

"Chris! Attention on the board please!" The teacher called sternly. Chris shrugged and watched the board with half open eyes. Porthos rolled his eyes and slumped back in the hard plastic chair, crossing his legs underneath the desk. He rested his chin on his chest and closed his eyes, falling asleep as he listened to the teacher's droning voice. Chris started rolling a pencil between his fingers and then looked to the ceiling with a thoughtful look. He glanced back down at the pencil then threw it point first at the ceiling. When it stuck there, he chuckled to himself.

"Chris, would you care to explain what is so funny?" The teacher ordered. Chris smiled and pointed to the ceiling.

"I stuck my pencil in the ceiling." At these words, the pencil fell and bounced off Chris's head. Chris glared down at the pencil where it stopped rolling by Porthos's feet.

"Stupid pencil…. I'll learn you to be a pencil!" He snatched it up off the floor, catching Porthos's arm with his head when he sat back up. The man fell backwards and lay sprawled on the floor, blinking in shock. The class stilled, all staring the musketeer as he extricated himself from the chair and pushed himself to his feet. Chris gave him a smile.

"Well at least you're not missing the lesson right?" Porthos glared at the teen and whacked him around the head with the back of his hand.

Brenna took a seat on one of the stiff backed black plastic chairs on the lowest step of the three level room. Athos took the seat next to her, partially in the aisle, and peered to the back of the room where there sat a plethora of strange instruments. Brenna pulled out her black case from her backpack and opened the snaps on it, revealing the long silver flute in disassembled pieces.

"I hope this won't be too boring for you." She whispered to the man as more chattering students walked in. Athos shook his head.

"This will hardly be boring." He picked up the second half of the flute and turned it carefully in his hands, examining every detail, pressing every button.

"However, I remember you telling me that you played the flute. This does not look like a flute." He said as he handed the piece back to her.

"It is a flute." She protested. "It's just changed from your time is all." She pushed the two longer pieces together but took the mouth piece over to the sink beside them to wipe it down with cleaner. Once that was done, she pushed the mouth piece into place and blew into it, causing an almost bird whistle like sound. The teacher walked in as the second bell sounded and the class's chatter hushed down until the only sound was that later arrivals still preparing their instruments.

"You may put your instruments aside for a while. We have some theory sheets to do first." The class groaned in unison and set their instruments gently out of the way, pulling out pencils. Brenna held out the flute to Athos to hang on to.

"I don't want it to get stepped on. Hold this for me please?" He smiled and took it from her, tipping and turning it in his hands. He tapped the buttons along the metal, frowning. Brenna watched with a small smile as she worked on the paper that had been handed out.

Jordan stood with a group of boys in the centre of the large barren room, talking with some friends as Aramis watched, sitting on a hard wooden bench at the edge of the gymnasium. A short teacher walked in, carrying a strange boxlike object.

"Alright all of you! Line up on the black line and we'll start the Beep test." He ordered. The teens groaned and slowly made their way over to the line with an air of being taken to the gallows. Jordan stood at the end of the line nearest the priest who was watching with curiousity.

"Beep test? What is that?" The teacher opened a slot on the boxlike thing and stuck something in, pressing a few buttons. A voice began to come from it. Its slow droning tone soon had Aramis tuning out until it began to count down.

"3… 2… 1… BEEP!" The thing gave a loud bong sound rather than a beep and the line of teens ran across the room then ran back when it beeped again. Aramis watched with bored eyes, resting his chin on his palm and turning his head as they ran back and forth. The space between beeps grew shorter and shorter and people began to drop off the line and move to the sides of the room. Jordan lasted well into the rounds, about six or eight, when he grew tired and came to sit beside Aramis.

"Was there a point to this at all?" He drawled the tired teen. Jordan took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"It's to test athletic skill." He muttered, sprawling out and leaning against the wall. Aramis watched him with a raised eyebrow.

"It certainly can't be too hard."

"You have to make back across the room before it beeps again. It gets harder as it goes."

"How difficult can it be to run across a room and back again in perfect timing?" Jordan gave the priest a long suffering glance.

"Well if you think it so easy, give it a shot once everyone's gone." Aramis nodded, his expression stern as they waited for everyone to head to the second floor weight room. Once the gymnasium was empty of people and echoed with silence, Jordan stood and began to fiddle with the stereo and Aramis readied himself at the line. Jordan glanced at him and at the man's nod, pressed the play button on the machine. Jordan sat against the wall alongside the stereo, watching Aramis make his way up and down the large room as the spaces between the beeps grew shorter and shorter. Aramis panted and dropped to his knees at the line at about the eighth round and Jordan hit the machine off.

"Told you it wasn't easy!" The teen called to the collapsed priest. Aramis simply glared at him, not having the energy to say anything more.

"Attention: Would all grade twelve students please make their way to the auditorium for the visiting schools assembly? I repeat all grade twelve students to the auditorium. Thank you." Crowds of students pushed through doors and took seats in the front and back rows, chattering gaily about being free from afternoon class and lamenting about being trapped listening to a presentation on post secondary schooling. Brenna shoved her way through with Athos into the auditorium then followed the crowds of people up the aisle of stairs to see sitting near the top of the room, Shawnee and D'Artagnan and Chris and Porthos.

"Why are you guys all the way up here?" She asked, taking the seat on the other side of Shawnee.

"We're up here so that nothing slips out and everyone hears it. It's safer." She responded quietly. Chris shifted in his seat and rested his legs on the back on an empty seat before him.

"Well at least we get footrests!"

"Put your feet down you idiot." Shawnee ordered. Chris shrugged and put one foot down. Brenna rolled her eyes and sighed then began scanning the remainder of the incoming people to spot Jordan. She smiled when she saw him and Aramis climbing up the steps albeit Aramis seemed to limp rather than walk. The pair of them took seats with twin groans of pain, Aramis more than Jordan, and the last of the stragglers walked in and took seats.

A lady with somewhat curly hair walked on to the stage and everyone hushed themselves and their neighbours. She smiled out to the crowd of students and raised the microphone.

"Welcome grade twelve students. Today, our guest speaker is from a well known science facility in Montréal, Quebec and he is here to speak to you about studying sciences of many varieties in Quebec. Please give a warm welcome to Mr. Robert McGillan." A man stood from the very front row of seats and walked up to the lady on stage and took the microphone and muttering swift thanks. He was tall, close to six foot, with dark red hair where the tips flared out at his temples. He sported a moustache and small beard the same shade as his hair. He was dressed in a simple gray suit.

"Hello there students. It is a pleasure to be hear speaking to all of you." His voice was a little gruff and his eyes drifted over everyone. "And as Ms. Polar said, I am here to talk to you about the benefits of studying science in Quebec." Chris began to fake snore quietly to himself and Brenna reached past Shawnee and slapped his arm with the back of her hand.

"Chris show some respect!" She whispered angrily. He looked at her and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. Shawnee shushed them violently and focused again on the scientist at the front. Porthos tapped his fingers on the arm of the seat and yawned loudly.

"My, this man is dull." He stated. Aramis elbowed him sharply and glared.

"Show some respect Porthos." The man snorted and waved off his friend's annoyance.

"But he is incredibly boring to listen to. Is there any point for us to be here?"

"It's so we can keep an eye on you." Shawnee whispered coldly. "Now shut up."

"Excuse me." A voice called. All of the teens and men turned to look down at McGillan standing on stage.

"I was wondering if you would all move down here and join the rest of us. I promise you I don't bite." He joked. Shawnee frowned and nodded; standing and leading the group down to midway along the back rows of seats. She saw the man frown in curiousity when he saw the musketeers but he only resumed his speech and ignored them for the duration of the assembly.

"Hey Shawnee…" Chris muttered.

"Hmm?" She hummed, letting him know he had her attention.

"Can we get everyone together after school by the front doors? I have something planned." She gave him a strange look between curiousity and suspicion and nodded.

"I don't see why not… So long as it's nothing dangerous!"

"It's not! Trust me!"

"I was afraid you'd say that…"

A dull chapter all around but at least it has been finished. Hopefully these beginning ones will pass quicker now that I've got this out of the way.

It's not that bad.

Anyhow, this goes out to our ever loyal reviewers IgnotusAngelus, Kimyco, and TurtleJustice. You guys are awesome.

See you next time!