AN: Alrighty! Hopefully I can have this up by tonight, so I really hope you enjoy! Yay!
Chapter 14: Anybody Can Beat Black Star
"Morning, Ginger!" Melody's says, grabbing a towel and walking out of the room. I stretch,my rainbow over-the-shoulder shirt tickling the bare skin underneath it. I climb down the ladder, my knee-high socks hitting the ground with a thud. Soul smiles at me.
"Hey. We're gonna go get breakfast in a bit, so if you're going to shower, do it fast." He says. I yawn and hug his middle sleepily. "Yeah... I think that would be a good idea..." I say, my words slightly slurred. He laughs and kisses my forehead. I walk off to the shower, grabbing a towel on my way out. I open the door and Tsubaki smiles at me as she walks out wearing a tank-top and yoga pants, a towel on her head.
"Morning, Ginger!" She says cheerily. I smile. "Oh, hey Tsubaki. Is there a big line for the shower?" I ask. She looks back into the bathroom. "No, I think there's actually a few open showers," She says, looking back to me. I nod. "Alright, then. Good. I really don't feel like waiting." I say.
"See you at breakfast!" She says as she walks into the cabin across the hall from us, Bunker Y according to the plaque next to the door. I slide into the bathroom and take the first open shower. I know Melody's in the only occupied shower, though.
The shower is split into two parts, behind the first curtain is a bench and a few hooks for us to hang our clothes on. Behind the second is the actual shower, which has a shower head, plus three soap dispensers; one for shampoo, one for conditioner, and the last for body soap.
I strip off the loose shirt and my purple sweatpants, toss my socks on the bench, and turn the faucet on. I wait for the water to be warm. When it is, I step in and wet my hair. Out of habit, I start to sing softly to myself.
I hear door open and someone walks in, the sound of the faucet being turned on shortly following.
"Hey, Ginger, is that you?" Tommi's voice asks. I take a squirt of shampoo and massage it into my long, thick red hair. "Yeah. Why?" I ask. I wash out the shampoo.
"Your voice is pretty. I haven't heard you sing in forever. I don't remember it being this good!" She says. I blush slightly as I take a few squirts of conditioner. I rub that in hair as well.
"Oh, isn't it beautiful? I was going to say something, but I didn't want to interrupt..." Melody's voice says from the shower next to mine.
"Thanks, guys..." I say. I let the conditioner set in my hair for a bit and take a squirt of soap. I start to run it on my arms.
"Oh, goodness, don't stop singing because of us! Go on!" Melody says. I smile. "What should I sing, then?" I say. I hear someone else walk in.
"Howabout some T-Swizzle? I know you like that one song, I hear you listening to it all the time." I tilt the shower head forward a bit so it doesn't wash off the soap before I'm done.
"Oh, you mean that Trouble one? I love that song!" Maka's voice says.
"How do you know what I listen to? I use headphones," I say, struggling to get the full of my back. I hear someone brushing their teeth.
"Dude, shu pway shur myooshic ash wike, fwool bwasht." Tommi says through what is no doubt a toothbrush. I laugh.
"Alright, fine." I say, giving up on my back and starting to get my legs.
"Once upon a time
A few mistakes ago
I was in your sights
Yeah, you got me alone
You found me
You found me
You found me-e-e-e-e..." I sing, a little louder this time. I hear Maka humming along with me. "Aww, come on, guys, y'all can sing with me!" I say, washing off the soap and conditioner.
"I guess you didn't care
And I guess I liked that," Melody chimes in. I'm not surprised at how good her voice is. Her name is Melody, after all.
"But when I fell hard
You took a step back
Without me
Without me
Without me-e-e-e-e-e..." I sing.
"And he's loooooong gone..." I start, stepping out of the shower and wrapping myself in a towel.
"When he's neeeeeeext to me..." Maka sings. Her voice isn't actually that bad. I don't think I've ever heard her sing before.
"And I realize..." Tommi sings. I already know she has a good voice, I've heard her millions of times before.
"The blame is on me!" I sing, yanking back the curtain and jumping out of the shower, a giant grin on my face.
"I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE WHEN YOU WALKED IN!" We sing together at the top of our lungs. Maka laughs as I twirl her around.
"SHAME ON ME NOW
BLEW ME TO PLACES I NEVER BEEN!" Tommi and I lean our backs against each other, Tommi using her toothbrush as a microphone, as Melody steps out of her shower, her hair and body wrapped in towels.
"TILL YOU PUT ME DOWN, OH!
I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE WHEN YOU WALKED IN!
SHAME ON ME NOW
BLEW ME TO PLACES I NEVER BEEN!" We all look at each other.
"NOW I'M LYING ON THE COLD HARD GROUND!" We sing-shout, jumping and bringing our fists down hard on the air.
"OH!
OH, TROUBLE,
TROUBLE,
TROUBLE!
OH! OH!
TROUBLE!
TROUBLE!
TROUBLE!" We bubble over with giggles. I walk back into my shower and pull the curtain back shut, drying myself off just enough where I can get my clothes on. I swing my socks over my shoulder and walk out of the bathroom, my hair up in a towel.
Soul, Alex and James stand by the elevator. "Are you guys done with your sing-along yet? I'm getting hungry." Alex says. I laugh and slip my socks on.
"What are these, anyway?" Maka asks, examining the squishy rectangular object we're being served for breakfast. I steal one of Soul's and hold it in front of my eyes. "I honestly have no idea..." Tommi says from beside her.
"Are they, like, toast or something?" I suggest. Alex shrugs. "I don't know, but I'm frickin' starving, so YOLO!" He says. Mem laughs as he shoves the entire thing in his mouth.
"Holy crud, this is good!" He says, taking another from his plate. The next one to try it is James. "Hey, it actually is pretty tasty," He says, taking another bite. I tear off the end of mine. "Yeah, it's kinda sweet, but not like, too sweet." I say, nibbling on the end. Melody cuts one up into quarters and dips it in the syrup. She takes a bite and nods. "Yum!" She says.
"I think they're like french toast sticks or something." Soul says after eating one. I nod. "Yeah, that makes sense." I say.
"YOUR GOD HAS ARRIVED!" A girly-man voice shouts from behind me. I frown and Mem face-palms.
"Sup, Black Star?" Soul says, high-fiving him. Tsubaki plops down next to me.
"Jeez... and I thought sleeping in the same apartment as him was bad enough, he snores soo loud!" She says sleepily. I laugh. Black Star sits down in between Tommi and Mem, shoving them apart. Tommi looks like it's taking everything she has not to slap him right now. She told me what him and Kid did the first time they met, and even though it was pretty funny, it really pissed her off.
"Watch it, Spikey. You almost sat on my phone." She says through clenched teeth. He tosses her the phone without a second thought and starts talking to Soul while Tommi scrambles to catch it. Geez, how can Soul tolerate someone like him? I tune out their conversation and turn to Tsubaki and Maka, who are sitting to my left.
"So who else is in your cabin, besides that one?" I ask my half-asleep friend. Her eyes shoot open and she thinks, her eyes drooping closed slightly. "Oh, umm... Kim and Jaqueline... and then there's Ox and Harvar... and uh... Hiro I think..." She says. I scoot a bit closer to her. "If you're tired, you can rest on my shoulder if you want. It's cool with me." I tell her. She nods and lays her head on my shoulder, her eyes closed.
"Shesh, I don't know how she survives with that idiot..." Maka says, patting Tsubaki's back. She moans slightly. I laugh, careful to keep my shoulder still.
"So wanna hit the pool after breakfast?" Maka asks, sipping her orange juice. I swallow the chewed up pancake in my mouth. "There's a pool here?" I say. Tommi nods.
"Yeah, this place is huge. The pool's on the bottom level." She says. I nod and glug down the remains of my orange juice.
"Yes, I believe the bathing suits are provided. They use donated ones from people willing to give." Melody chimes in.
"Yo, somebody say somethin' bout the pool? I've been wanting to check that out this whole time!" Alex says, leaning in front of Tommi. She shoves him off her and swats him over the head.
"Get offa me, man!" She complains. He laughs and steals one of my pancakes. I roll my eyes. I got the last serving of pancakes, leaving everyone else with the french toast things.
"So what else is here?" I ask them. Maka leans forward so I can see her from behind Tsubaki. "There's also a gym, a few shops, and even an arcade!" She says. I sit up straighter. "Arcade?" I ask, turning to her. Tommi laughs.
"Yeah, you itching for some games?" She asks. I nod eagerly. "I'd actually rather go to the arcade then the pool," I say, drizzling some more syrup on the pancakes in front of me.
"Then why don't we go there? I'm really not in the mood for getting wet, and I think a ton of other kids were talking about heading down there, weren't they?" Melody suggests. I fist pump. "Yes! I haven't been to an arcade since I was, like, ten! This is gonna be so cool!" I say excitedly.
After all of us are done, we head of to the arcade as planned. I make a beeline for the Just Dance station, dragging Mem with me. I dared her to try it with me, so of course I had to do it right away.
I look through all the songs. It seems to be pretty updated. I laugh evilly and glance to Mem. I select the song and step back. Maka, Tommi, Melody and Tsubaki stand, watching us. Soul, James, Alex and Black Star are off playing with the Xbox's in the back probably.
"No, Ginger." Mem says when she sees the song I picked. "You said I could pick the song! So I picked this one!" I say. She glares at me. "You know I hate hi- scuze me, her," She says. I put my hands on my hips.
"Justin Bieber is obviously a guy! Anybody who mistakes him for a girl is just plain stupid! And you have to admit you like this song!" I say. She sighs and the song starts. I nail almost every move, but Mem barely even moves at all.
"If you don't try I'll make you do it again!" I shout to her. She rolls her eyes, but starts to look like she's working a bit harder.
"AAAAAALLLL I NEED," I sing mockingly at Mem, stretching my arm out in an arch slowly.
"IS A BEAUTY AND A BEAT!
THAT CAN MAKE MY LIFE COMPLEEEEEEEEEETE!" Tommi chimes in, leaning against the railing. Mem pushes her away by her face, not taking her eyes off the screen.
"IT'S AAAAAAAAAALLL ABOUT YOU!
BABY, DO IT LIKE YOU DO!
WHEN THE MUSIC MAKES YOU MOOOOOOOOVE!" I grin. The music changes tempo and I bang my fists on the air, left, right, left, then pop my chest up slightly. I repeat, and repeat, until the music goes back to normal.
Then the rap comes. This is my favorite part. Melody, Tommi and I yell it out together.
"IN TIME, INK LINES, BITCHES COULDN'T GET ON MY INCLINE!
WORLD TOURS, IT'S MINE TEN LITTLE LETTERS ON A BIG SIGN!
JUSTIN BIEBER, YOU KNOW IMA HIT EM WITH THE ETHER
BUNS OUT, WIENER...
BUT I GOTTA KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR SELENER!" We shout together, me turning to face them for that line. I turn back to the screen.
"BEAUTY, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
BEAUTY FROM THE EAST
BEAUTIFUL CONFESSIONS OF THE PRIEST
BEAST, BEAUTY FROM THE STREETS
WE DON'T GET DECEASED
EVERY TIME A BEAUTY ON THE BEATS!" We shout. Mem smiles and joins us after the rap.
"BODY ROCK, I WANNA FEEL YOUR BODY ROCK!
AAAAAAAAAALL I NEED
IS A BEAUTY AND A BEAT!
WHO CAN MAKE MY LIFE COMPLEEEEEEEETE!
IT'S AAAAAAALLLLLL ABOUT YOU!
WHEN THE MUSIC MAKES YOU MOVE!
BABY, DO IT LIKE YOU DOOOOOOOOO!
CAUSE..." We sing together. Maka and Tsubaki laugh at us. The song has one final instrumental part, but then it ends.
Everyone cheers. I laugh and slap Mem a high-five, panting. I wipe some sweat off of my forehead with my shirt, not caring if my bra is showing.
"Whoo! That was a pain in the ass, but it was worth it to get you to sing some Biebs!" I tell Mem. She rolls her eys and walks off, probably in search of Alex. Maka, Tsubaki, Melody, Tommi and I all take turns playing, but then we do all the good songs (including Gangnam Style) and we go to look for Mem and the guys.
"Aww, what?!" Black Star cries as Soul kicks his sorry ass in one of those games with the motorcycles. Soul laughs.
"You owe me ten bucks, man," He says, climbing off the seat and holding his hand out.
"No way! You only won because you actually have a bike!" Black Star protests. Soul wiggles his fingers. Bacl Star sighs and pulls a ten dollar bill out of the back pocket of his jeans and slaps it in Soul's hand. He grins and sticks it along with his hands in his pockets.
"What've you been up to?" Soul asks when he sees us all sweaty and panting. I laugh and gesture toward the Just Dance station, but of course he can't see it.
"Just Dance." I say. He nods. "Cool." He says.
"So what's up with you guys?" I ask him. Soul laughs. "Black Star keeps blowing all his money on bets. Too bad he sucks at most of these games." He says. I look over at Black Star, and he's shaking hands with a smirking Alex. It looks like Alex is about to get ten bucks.
"I kinda want to see this..." I say, watching them walk over to one of the shooting games. Soul turns to them, then back to me and shrugs, walking over and sitting down at the game next to it. I follow him and sit in his lap.
"Haha, how much money do you even have, man?" Alex says to Black Star. Black Star keeps his eyes glued to the screen as he plays. "Uh, none..." He says. Alex pauses it and stands up.
"Aww, no way, dude! I want to be paid on the spot when I beet the shit out of you!" He says. Black Star leans over, un-pauses the game and cackles.
"You wish! I'm the amazing BLACK STAR! YAHOOO!" He shouts, temporarily taking his hands off the controls to fist pump. Alex sits down quickly and pulls back ahead. Black Star frowns and keeps playing.
"Ha! No more games for you, man! And I want my money soon!" Alex says after he wins. Black Star mumbles and walks toward the bathroom, slumping in defeat. I laugh.
"Well, that was predictable." I say. Alex throws his arm around Mem. "So where to next?" He asks. She grabs his hand.
"We could go down to the pool." Soul suggests, bouncing me in his lap. I steady myself.
"Nah, we'll only have an hour to swim. And it's probably still really crowded. We should go tomorrow, since we can't go after lunch 'cause of training." I say. Tommi stands up, stretches, and heads for the door.
"I say we head back to the cabin. There's not a lot to do besides swimming and playing games, so we might as well just hit the sack a little early tonight." She says. Melody swings James's hand back and forth. "But that's no fun! We're not kids! We don't have to go to bed at eight o' clock. How about we go explore this place?" She says. James nods. "That sounds like fun." He says. Maka shakes her head, her pigtails swishing with it.
"There's not much to see. I think we should go check out the shops. Didn't you three just win a ton of money from Black Star?" She suggests. "That's a great idea, Maka!" Tsubaki says. I look at Soul. "Yeah, maybe you three can take your girlfriends shopping!" I say. He laughs.
"I only have like twenty bucks. Black Star mostly played Alex," Soul says, gesturing to guess who holding a huge wad of cash and grinning like an idiot.
"Great, now you can buy more for me!" Mem says. Alex laughs. "We'll see about that," He says, standing up and leading Mem out of the arcade.
We follow them, Black Star running behind us to catch up, and head down the hall to the small ice-cream shop and each chose our own flavor. Of course, Soul has to buy mine and Maka's, Alex buys Tommi and Mem's, and James Melody and Tsubaki's. Black Star claims he isn't in the mood for ice cream, which is surprising.
I lick my mint chocolate chunk ice cream and take a small nibble out of the cone. "So why does this place have so many shops and floors and rooms and crud?" I ask. Maka swallows the peanut butter cup she was chewing on before answering me.
"Because it's actually an underground city!" She says. I take another lick of my cone. "Really? Cool." I say.
"Yup. It's called Furthem, and since they're all 'loyal only to the reaper' or whatever, they lent us this whole half of the living quarters when the academy burnt down. There's not a lot of people down here." Alex adds, finishing his rocky road. Geez, he eats fast.
"Where is it, anyway?" Mem asks, picking a gummy bear out of her Oreo crunch. I steal a green one before tossing it in the air and catching it in my mouth.
"I believe it's right outside Death City." Melody says, taking a scoop of her bowl of vanilla. She politely places it in her mouth and swallows before taking the spoon back out.
"Oh, really?" I can't help saying. How did I even get so far from Death City? Scratch that, how did I get back to Death City in the first place? Kana must have been controlling me on the way back, which is why I can't remember.
"Oh, Ginger, did you say something about me?" Kana asks. I mentally shake my head. "No, I was just thinking to myself. Are you feeling better, sweetie?" I ask her. Now that I've seen her and how small she is, I can't help but call her 'sweetie' or 'honey' and stuff. It's the motherly instincts kicking in. I do it to all kids I know under the age of ten, even Ollie. Gee, I really hope Ollie and Jimmi are alright... I wonder if their still at home?
"Yes, I'm feeling alright. Your friends are pretty strange." She says. I laugh in my head. "Yeah, they are, aren't they?" I think to her. She laughs quietly.
"Ginger! CAN YOU HEAR MEE?" Alex says, his hand waving in front of my face. I blink and nod. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, I was just talking to- I mean, uh, never mind..." I say, forgetting for a second that they don't know about Kana.
"I really don't care anyway," He says. "So what did they do to you at the Uprising?" He swipes his hair out of his eyes.
"Umm, well they made me run mazes and stuff, and they experimented on me, and they did some... other stuff, but I can't really remember..." I say, not wanting to relive any of it, whether it's in my mind or not. Melody swats him on the arm.
"You don't just ask stuff like that, Alex! Maybe she doesn't want to talk about it!" She says. He puts his hands up defensively. "She just did! And why do you girls always hit me?!" He complains, rubbing his arm.
"You're just so hittable." Maka says, finishing her cone. He grumbles and slumps a little.
"So where do you guys have to go for training?" I ask, trying to change the subject. Mem and I have to go to the target course, since she's a long-ranged weapon.
"Oh, I think James and I are gong to close combat?" Melody says, turning to James. He nods. "Yeah, that's it." He says, putting his napkin and spoon in the bowl that used to contain orange sorbet.
"I think we're going there too." Soul says, looking to Maka. She nods. finishing up her chocolate cone. "Us too." She says finishing up her chocolate cone and gesturing to Black Star, who's staring straight ahead of him like he's thinking about something. Probably a way to get all his money back.
"And us!" Tommi pipes up. She eats the last of her Superman ice cream and shoves the remains of the cones.
"Aww, that means Mem and I will be the only ones at the target course..." I say, crumpling up my napkin and wiping my mouth.
"Maybe you'll see Liz and Patty? I'm guessing they'll have to train, since they're still not death weapons. But I guess that doesn't matter..." Maka says. I shake my head. "I doubt it." I say. Mem shrugs. "You never know." She says, chucking her bowl in the trash.