When inspiration hits, you have to get writing.

CHAPTER EIGHT

HISTORY LESSON 1

Micah Grendahay did not rise from his seat in the sitting room. He simply glared at the boy before him with scorn and disdain.

His grey eyes remained dull. They used to shine with the hope of satisfying his father one day or whenever his brother came to visit, but both were far beyond reach. His brother was six feet in the ground and there never really was any possibility of him pleasing his dad. He wore a long sleeved shirt to cover the scars that riddled his arms and wrists.

Micah squeezed a picture frame of the family so hard that it broke. Lucas had been cut out of the photograph, but that was done with every picture in his father's home.

"You killed my son," he spat out. The man was seething with anger. He chucked a pocket knife in the boy's direction. On instinct, he dodged it, but if he were thinking clearly, then he would have let it strike him.

"You killed my son!"

Lucas did not flinch. He had cried over his brother and heard the words so much that it made no difference. He hated himself and everyone he knew hated him. He had caused the death of the only person who loved him. He was too scared to kill himself so he had started praying for someone to murder him.

"You should have died that day, not him. Look at you. So pathetic. You're not even worth killing. All that would do is tarnish my company name." He spat into Lucas' face.

"'What will you do with me then Father?"

"I'm having you shipped to Japan. I have to pay for your schooling through at least the first year of tertiary schooling. If you're not taken care of then I'll get questioning looks. You leave tonight. You may collect what you want to take with you, but Pierre is leaving in fifteen minutes. Get out of my sight before I run my knife through your heart."

"Very well Father." Lucas turned and went to his room. He took with him his photo album which his grandmother and brother had secretly put together for him. He put that, a quilt his grandma knitted for him and one of his brother's favourite music CDs with him and went down to Pierre's vehicle. He wouldn't be surprised if there was an 'accidental' car accident in which he died and Pierre managed to escape.

He walked past his mother and his father and didn't even spare them a glance. They made no effort to say farewell either. On the whole trip to Japan, never once did he look back, never once did he regret what he was leaving behind.

Alice, Dan, Runo, Joseph, Chan-Lee, and Julie sat around a lunch table in a dining room packed with hormonal teenagers. Julie listened as a bunch of girls from Runo's class gushed about this uber cute guy.

"Sounds juicy," she mumbled. "Hey Runo! Why are all the girls from your class blabbing about this mystery guy and you haven't even mentioned a word about him yet?"

"That's because there's nothing to mention. He's just another stuck up guy with his head in the clouds that thinks he's too rich and good looking to talk to any of us." Runo slammed her fist on the table.

"Come on Runo. The guy doesn't seem stuck up to me. It's obvious that he's an introvert and he has no idea how great he looks. I mean, he's not flaunting it like Klaus." Chan-Lee shrugged her shoulders.

"Details! Alice and I are dying over here!" Julie squealed and squashed Alice to her side.

Runo sighed. "Exchange student from France. Sixteen. Handsome. Unusual appearance - teal hair and grey eyes. Name's Lucas. He doesn't give out his surname for some reason."

"You sure know a lot for a hater," Dan mumbled.

Runo slammed his head down onto the table and yelled, "Wanna say that again Kuso?!" Daniel whimpered and the girls next to them sweat dropped.

Alice chuckled and looked away. A shock of teal hair caught her eyes as her smile slowly disappeared. The fan girls next to them hushed each other and turned their attention to the same person she was focused on. She could see why they were so attracted to him. He certainly was a looker, but there was something about him that put her off. That sent shivers up her spine. That was kind of scary.

As he trashed a practically full tray of food and exited the room, Dan and Joe groaned in unison. "That was a perfectly good tray of food! And he just trashed it?! Runo, I agree. That guy's a show-off!" Daniel cracked his knuckles.

"Not you too Alice!" Joseph cradled his head in his hands.

"Huh?" Alice turned to stare at him, quite lost.

"You were staring."

"O-oh. I was? Well, it's not for the reason you think anyway."

"Oh really now? Don't hide it! I've already accepted the fact that you're growing up. Big brother isn't good looking enough for you anymore. You've already started showing an interest in guys. Pretty soon you'll have a boyfriend and then hand holding won't be enough."

"Oh shut it Joe!" Chan pinched him on the shoulder. "What were you saying Alice?"

"It might seem silly, but it's just that he scares me a bit. He isn't a normal teen. He's hiding something."

"He scares you cuz he has a secret?" Dan scratched his head.

"It's not that. His actions are mechanical and his face is blank. He doesn't act cool like other guys. He just doesn't show any emotions."

"And you got all of that while watching him for less than four minutes?" Julie asked.

"That's why I said it would be silly."Alice chuckled and patted the back of her head.

"Hey! I have an idea! I need a subject for my Student of the Week article for the week after next. Since you guys have nothing better to do, why not tail him?" Runo bounced up and down in her seat, suddenly excited.

"I dunno…" Joseph began.

"Just think about it guys! Everyone wins! I get to have an awesome interview and surprise the student body by centring my article around a hot guy. Julie will get to see him up close and learn more about him firsthand. Dan will get to beat him up if he really is stuck up. Joseph will get to work on his photography because my photographer's sick and Chan will be happy as long as she's with Joseph. Um, and Alice will get to overcome her fear of Lucas and possibly get a boyfriend."

"She's not going," Joe blurted.

"Alright! We'll start tailing him this afternoon. Chan, Dan and I have Math with him now so we'll meet you guys at the school entrance when classes are over. Joe, make sure you have your camera."

They all nodded in agreement (except for Joe) and went on their separate ways.

Lucas tapped his pen against the filled sheet of paper. It was his third day of school in Japan and he had a pop quiz in Math already. Despite that, he was still among the first to finish and had rechecked his answers so often he knew the questions by heart. The teacher collected the papers ten minutes before the last bell rang and for the remainder of time, he lectured the class on practising regularly and always being prepared.

At the end of the lecture, everyone surged out of the classroom. When the crowd was gone, he left and headed down the halls to his locker. He had the feeling he was being followed but he chose to ignore it and continue on his way.

By the time he packed his things and got his bag, the halls were practically empty. As he walked to the entrance, two bulky boys sprang out of nowhere and blocked his path. One pushed him against the lockers and the other pinned back his head and aimed a compass at his throat.

"Yes...Yes…Finally." Lucas, if you play your cards right, you can get these bimbos to do what you couldn't. Maybe I could try a flat out approach.

"What do you want?"

"Your cash. All of it!" The one who had him against the lockers shook him. A slight smile tilted the corners of Lucas' mouth.

"Just money? I have lots of that. In order for you to get it you'll have to do something first.

The boys looked at each other in shock. It was the first time they had held up someone at compass-point and the person had tried to negotiate. "What?"

"Just one simple thing. Stab me with that compass."

The one holding the mathematical instrument looked from it to Lucas and back again. "Are you being serious?"

"Yes. Please. I'm begging you. All you have to do is lift your hand and bring it back down. I'll even show you the vein to hit. My father will reward you richly if you do it. Just please." Lucas lifted his neck for them to get better access and held on to one's hand.

"Let go of me, freak!"

Lucas grip tightened in the hope that they would try injuring him in an attempt to escape, but he wrung his hand free and the two of them dashed out of the school.

Lucas sighed and covered his face with his hands. He had lost yet another chance to end his existence. He had thought that by then he could have at least found one of the assassins he expected his father to plant. The idea of actually going out of his way to search for a hardened thug to kill him wasn't exactly pleasant. Why couldn't his death be handed to him on a silver platter like every other sorry thing in his life?

Sighing once more in frustration, he picked up his bag and stalked out of the building. The thought of returning to his lonely apartment was chilling, so he decided to tour the area. He avoided all of the places with crowds and stuck to cool, quiet alleys. For a good distance, buildings soared above him, reminding him of trees in the Amazon battling for sunlight. The further he travelled though, the smaller the buildings became and he kept strolling until an unusually wide alleyway opened up into an expansive area. It resembled an appliance junkyard - minus the dirt ground. Considering what was stored there, the place was well kept. Rusty stoves, freezers and the like were neatly stacked on the eastern and western sides of the octagonal shaped place. There was a building to the north. It was old and had fresh board nailed over where the windows used to be. Lucas was sure that if the building didn't have a decked roof, the inside would be full of fallen, mouldy shingles.

Tightening his grip on his bag straps, he moved towards the building in order to read a sign in kanji that had been nailed above the door.

Runo held an arm out to signal the others behind her to stop. She scrambled for cover in the shadow of one of the buildings. Her pen was flying across her notepad at lightning speed and Joe was constantly trying to get into a good position to capture a photo. Alice helped him steady himself atop a dumpster while Dan acted as lookout.

He felt rather uneasy tailing the youth, especially after witnessing his little episode in the halls. If he had gotten the chance, he would have talked Chan, Alice and Joe out of it and he would have Skyped Billy who would immediately disapprove. And if Billy disapproved, then Julie would back out, and there was no way that Runo would tail a mysterious guy on her own, no matter how desperate she was.

Dan nearly choked on his own spit when he saw Lucas push the door open and step inside. About five minutes after it was shut, Runo beckoned them to get a closer look.

When they were halfway there, Dan caught her hand and pulled her towards him. "Do you know what you're doing Runo? You saw how that guy was acting back there and you really think we should follow him?"

She whipped her head around to face him and narrowed her eyes. "Dan, is it really you that's talking right now? Where's the fearless Dan Kuso that I'm so used to? So what? He's just a little different is all."

Dan rolled his eyes and shook his head as Joseph kept snapping photos and Julie snuck up to press her ear against the door. "Seriously Runo? It's like we've switched minds or something! Am I the only one that finds it extremely strange that a guy who's been in the country for only three days suddenly decides to go sightseeing in some dark, empty alleys? We don't know what kind of place this is! Heck, we don't even know if he's in his right mind!" he shout-whispered at her.

Just then, Julie turned around to face them and whispered, "Hey guys! I found a crack in the door! There's one in that window too!" She pointed to a slab of nailed on board to her right. Joseph and Alice headed for it and Runo gave her a thumbs-up.

"Look, Dan. I just wanna get an interview from him, alright? If he doesn't want to talk, then I'll leave, and if things get sticky we can always run or call the cops or something. I'm sorry, but I can't let this opportunity pass me. It means too much."

Daniel pursed his lips. "So what are you going to do? Barge inside and demand an interview from him? Suppose there are dangerous guys inside with guns and stuff? What'll you do then?"

"We're not going inside today. We'll just tail him for now and scope out the places he frequents, and when we have enough info and when it's safe, then we'll do an interview." She gripped her notepad in one hand and stared him in the eyes.

"Alright, Runo, I'll go along with your plan, but if we get into some mess, don't say I didn't warn you." He sighed.

"Cheer up doofus! It feels weird when you get all hormonal and overprotective." She stomped on his foot and ran up to the others. Daniel bit down on his tongue, but smiled anyway.

Lucas walked slowly through the building, looking at everything he possibly could, touching everything that interested him. Based on the layout, it appeared to be an old house, but all of the appliances and furniture had been removed from the front rooms.

Strange. What would a house even be doing here of all places?

Even stranger, though was the fact that the place looked abandoned, but no dust was caked on to anything. He ran his fingers along one of the photographs on the walls and discovered it to be immaculately clean. This spurred his curiosity, so he left the front room and went around to the kitchen. A portable gas stove stood in one corner and the humming of a small refrigerator near to it showed that the building was still connected to the power grid. He looked up at the ceiling and saw that a light bulb was screwed in, so he searched the dim room for a light switch. When he flipped it, the whole room was flooded with fluorescent light and it was just as clean and organized as he half expected it to be. Eager to see if there was water there too, he trotted over to the sink which was just as clean as the rest of the place and turned on the tap. It didn't even sputter – clear water just poured out of it perfectly fine.

Just then, the thought occurred to him that he was trespassing in someone's house – or, at least, well equipped shelter. He didn't want to leave yet, though. For some reason, he envisioned himself staying there for a while.

"H-hello?" He began walking around to a back room when he saw a light flicker. "Hello?" he called again. He walked down a passage to a wooden door with a frosted glass pane. Gentle sunlight streamed through the glass, illuminating the previously semi-dark passage. Before he could lift a hand to knock, the door swung open, revealing a man with wavy brown hair and a sunflower tattoo on the base of his neck.

"Hey lads, we have a visitor." The man tilted his head to address some other persons in the room.

""What? We have a visitor?" a muffled voice asked in shock.

"That's right Davey. It's a boy."

Lucas shifted uncomfortably.

"Fools, if you keep talking about him like that he'll leave. Show him inside, Marshall."

"Who're you calling fool, moron?"

The man at the door ignored the two behind him and gave Lucas a friendly smile. "Hey laddie! Sorry if I startled ya. Please, come inside." He pulled the door wide open for him to step in.

The man led him to a reclining chair and closed the door. This room, unlike the rest of the house was well furnished. The walls were clean and freshly painted and had decent windows in them and there was a separator at one end of the room. On one wall there was a poster of the same four men he was sitting around with the title in big white letters - THE UNDESIRABLES - at the bottom. On the side table next to him, a sheet of song titles with accompanying music sheets caught his eye.

One of the men cleared his throat to grab his attention. Lucas eyes snapped back up to them. "S-sorry. Good evening and thanks for letting me in." He rose and bowed.

"Please no. No need for formalities here-"

"And you pretty much snooped around the whole house, so seeing this place doesn't really make a difference."

Lucas flinched and averted his gaze.

"Hikari. Why are you so harsh?" the man who opened the door asked. "Son, the name's Marshall. Marshall Hammond from London. You've happened to stumble across our 'studio'. We're a band, laddie. The Undesirables to be exact."

"Why would you name yourself The Undesirables?" Lucas crinkled his forehead.

"Because that's what we are. We're unwanted. For example, my wife left me after she discovered that I had heart disease."

"Oh Marshall, don't spoil this! This is the perfect moment for us to do a little storytelling with our intros!"

"Shut up Mizuki. In case you don't realize, we're in a predicament here. This has to be short cuz that kid's gonna help us as compensation for his snooping." another man snapped

Lucas gulped and started to shrink back into his seat.

"I'm Mizuki Hariyama. Lead guitarist. People always turn away when they realize that I'm a guy who actually cares about looks and doesn't mind cross dressing." Mizuki spoke cheerfully and waved one bangle decorated hand and ran the other through his red hair.

"Roscoe Davenport. People call me Davey. Drums. I'm taking care of my sister and her son after a storm wrecked our homes and our family refused to offer support."

Roscoe's royal blue eyes that matched his equally dark blue hair were so intense that he had to look at the next person, and when he did, he was sorry that he had come any at all. Cold violet (Really. Violet) eyes glared at him through transitions lens glasses. He had his jet black hair pulled back into a ponytail which ended at his waist.

"Hikari Kasegawa. Pianist. Sometimes a guitarist. A friend of mine hacked into a business giant's mainframe somehow and I was framed for the crime. I was 19 at the time and spent three years in prison before I was acquitted. Of course I couldn't go back to my university, and my past associations severed all contact with me. Who might you be?"

"L-Lucas," he stuttered.

"What? Your parents didn't bless you with a surname?" Hikari's eyes narrowed; his sarcasm sharp as a blade.

Lucas shook his head. "Please. Just call me Lucas."

Hikari sensed his discomfort and decided not to push any further.

"I...I don't have a family."

"Aah. An orphan?" Mizuki asked.

"No...Well, not exactly. My father always wanted an excuse to get rid of me and now that my brother's gone, he did just that."

"Where did your brother go?" Davey asked.

"I killed him."

Marshall coughed, Mizuki froze, Davey already had the emergency number dialled and Hikari had a pocket knife ready in hand.

Lucas rose both hands in surrender and sputtered, "N-no! Not like that! He died because of me! Car accident! He died because I was careless."

"Oh, good." Mizuki and Marshall immediately relaxed.

"How can you relax so easily?! Suppose that was a lie?"

Mizuki smirked and looked Lucas up and down. "Can't you see it? This boy is incredibly timid. He's so delicate that if his feet stayed wet for more than twenty minutes he'd develop pneumonia. Trust me, there's not one evil bone in his body."

Lucas didn't know if he should feel grateful or offended, so he opted for not feeling anything and just being polite.

Davey ogled him for about a minute then shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. "You're right. He's so pure it's painful."

Mizuki looked at him longingly. "Can I taint him? Please? I have lots of adult novels in my station. Just one chapter?"

Davey smacked him on the side of his head. "Disgusting."

Mizuki pouted and folded his arms like a little kid.

"Look Lucas, time to hold up your end of the bargain. We're in need of a cellist. Our previous one left the band. Hikari knows how to play but he's our pianist and there's no way we can give that up. You're going to help us search for one. It's really urgent because we have a show coming up soon."

Lucas' eyes shone a bit. "Actually, I happen to know how to play the cello."

"Really? Who taught you?"Hikari asked sceptically.

"I taught myself. My brother used to love the cello and his favourite band member in Classic used to play it. I haven't played since he died though."

Hikari's eyes softened for a moment when he heard Lucas mention his brother. Even though he hadn't said much he could sense the love the boy had for him. Also, Classic was his favourite band too. In fact, it was a mutual favourite of all the Undesirables. Marshall sensed the change in the youngest man's demeanour and smiled.

"That's wonderful! How fortunate can we get?!" Mizuki exclaimed.

"Don't get your hopes too high. He mightn't want to join us."

Hikari rose from his seat and walked over to Lucas. He sifted through the papers that the teen had been eyeing earlier and pulled out a sheet.

He handed it to Lucas. "Do you know this song?"

Lucas nodded. "I know almost all the words by heart."

"Can you read music?"

He nodded again.

"Come with me." Lucas got up and followed Hikari to the partition. They walked around it and Lucas marvelled at five spacious rooms all painted different colours, separated from the rest by glass. From the right, the brown room had 'Hammond' stuck to it and a standing microphone and an acoustic guitar inside. Next was a red room with electric guitars, tuning equipment and a standing mike with 'Hariyama' stuck to the glass door. Then was the blue room with a pristine drum set and another standing mike with 'Davenport' on the door. They went inside the next room. 'Kasegawa'. It had violet walls and a cello, keyboard, acoustic and electric guitar inside.

Lucas cleared his throat. "Excuse me Mr. Kasegawa, but where's your standing mike? Hikari pulled a chair forward and motioned him to sit. "Just use my first name. And I do not sing."

"More like cannot sing," Mizuki teased, closing the door behind him.

Hikari ignored him and arranged the music sheet on a stand before Lucas and placed a CD into the player. He placed the cello before Lucas as well and ordered," Show me your hands."

Lucas blinked and remained still for thirty seconds before sighing and holding them up. Mizuki scooted closer and cooed, "Marshall darling, he's so kawaii!"

"You cannot refer him or expose him to any of your wild lady friends, you hear?!" Davey cracked his knuckles menacingly and Marshall prepared himself to deal with one of Mizuki's impulsive attacks.

Hikari raised an eyebrow and stepped back. "Show me what you've got." He played the track and Lucas started when he was on cue. The fingers on his left hand glided over the strings and the bow in his right hand slid effortlessly over them. He closed his eyes as he melted into his brother's favourite song and nearly cried when it was over too soon.

When he opened them again he was stunned to see Mizuki sitting at his feet, staring up at him like an enchanted child, Davey wiping away tears, Marshall with a video camera and Hikari looking impressed.

"I must admit, I'm impressed. With some practice and a few adjustments you'll be perfect. But first, would you like to join us?"

He didn't hesitate to answer. "Of course!"

"Great." Hikari smiled. He actually smiled. If Mizuki were looking then he would probably have swooned like a lovestruck teenage girl, and then fainted.

"Follow my lead, okay? I don't have another cello, so we'll share."

He kneeled down behind Lucas and covered his hands. "Follow my movements. Marsh, replay that track."

Marshall nodded and started the music. Knowing how carried away Hikari could get when he was inspired, Davey joined Mizuki on the floor.

They didn't stop until it was dark. Everyone else had snacked on the protein bars in Lucas bag and whatever they could find in the fridge and the news prowlers had long since gone home.

Hikari stretched and stifled a yawn. "Are your fingers okay?"

"They're just a little sore is all." Lucas waved it off.

"Soak them in some ice when you get home."

"Home! Shoot! Home!" Davey sprang up instantly. "He's a kid, a minor. Don't you have a curfew and school tomorrow? Won't whoever's staying with you be worried?"

Lucas shook his head. "Roscoe, please don't worry about me. I live alone. I can get a bus back."

"What? A bus?! Are you crazy?" Davey whirled around to face him but nearly fell over Mizuki's sleeping form.

"You're not from here, are you?" Marshall asked.

Lucas hesitated at first then shook his head.

"How long have you been in Japan?"

He averted his eyes. "Three days. Is it that obvious?"

Davey groaned and slid a hand down his face. Hikari answered for him. "Very. Firstly, no Japanese kid would go wandering down these alleys alone, and secondly none in his right mind would stay out here until dark and say he'd go down to a bus stop by himself in the dark." He chuckled.

"Where do you live?"

He told them.

Davey started freaking out.

"Calm down Roscoe. I'll just drop you off. Mizuki isn't going that far and Davey and Hikari are going in the opposite direction. By the way, what're you doing so far from home?"

"I just started walking and I took a bus and my feet led me here."

"On top of that, what's your last name? I think telling us would be for the best."

"Grendahay."

Their eyebrows rose, but apart from that, none really seemed surprised.

"The resemblance is certainly there." Marshall muttered.

"Look, we know what type of man your father is. Believe it or not, we know how manipulative he is, so we're devoting the rest of our lives to becoming your family." Davey had suddenly calmed down when he heard his name.

Lucas' eyebrows knit together in confusion. "What do you mean 'devoting the rest of your lives'? Did you just make that choice for everyone or what? How can you decide a thing like that on the spot? This doesn't make any sense! You barely know me and you're already deciding to waste your lives on me!"

"Hey, calm down. Marshall placed both hands on his shoulders. Davey's right. You can ask any of us. I don't have much time left anyway, and I want to do something right with my life for once."

"My sister and her son are about to move out in a few weeks. Since they'll have a new man in their lives, I'll practically be useless." Davey scratched the back of his head.

"I don't have anything left to live for. My fiancée left me. She was our cellist. Apart from that, I can't get into a decent university or job because that guy ruined my life. Since I'm working at the library, I'll need something other than books to occupy my time." Hikari shrugged.

Davey kneeled down and shook Mizuki. "Oi. Suki. Wake up." The man moaned and rolled over and muttered something about not wanting to stop.

"I think he's having one of those lewd dreams again. It surprises me that he's a virgin."

Mizuki moaned again then pulled himself up. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and complained, "But we were having so much fun. All of us were like a family." He pouted childishly and stretched, causing a bit of his tummy to show.

"Lu, you remind me of someone. The hair colour is slightly different. I couldn't remember when I first saw you but now that I slept on it I remember. You look like this evil rich French entrepreneur. He's a user and he monopolizes everything. He lost his older son in a car accident recently and his younger one's been out of sight for a few days since his death. I've always looked on and wished that I could get the chance to be that kid's father. Micah obviously hates him. Nobody even knows the kid's name. I'd give him all the attention and care that Micah couldn't even give him..."

Just then, Mizuki looked at Lucas' face. He was blinking back tears and his nose was getting red and runny. "Jeez. Did I say too much?" Mizuki struggled to his feet. He pulled Lucas into a hug and rocked him from side to side. "Aaw. Don't think that there isn't enough love left for you. I'd give all my time and strength to make sure you turn out okay. Don't feel dejected because you're not Micah's kid."

Lucas gripped his shirt tightly.

Mizuki's eyebrows raised then he pushed the boy away and surveyed his features. "Or are you?" he asked. Lucas tried to hide his face and swiped angrily at his tears, willing them to stop. "No way. Lucas, you are his son!" Mizuki pulled him into a stifling hug and rubbed his cheek against his hair.

"Th-this is like a dream come true! Can I keep him? Please?" Mizuki pleaded, voice going up an octave and cheeks flushed.

Davey pulled Lucas away from him and shouted, "No! Pervert! I won't let you corrupt Lu's mind with your explicit novels and sick imagination!"

Marshall smiled and said, "See, Lucas? I know it's hard for you to accept, but all of us are in agreement."

Lucas just stood in amazement. It was incredible that there were people who barely even knew him who were willing to give their lives for him. It was incredible that there were so many people that cared about him. As he waved goodbye to Davey, Mizuki and Hikari who were standing beside their vehicles, he felt a warmth surge inside of him. The kind of warmth he got when he was with his grandmother. The kind of warmth he got when he was with his brother.

So, yes, this is somewhat random. I had to split my History Lessons into two parts because they were far too long for one chapter. Unrealistic situation? Maybe. But that's why this is fiction. You can make anything you want happen.

Thought:

"Compassion is the basis of morality."
... - Arthur Schopenhauer