MUHAHAHAA! I am feeling very sorry, but also, very evil. AHAHA :)

Ahem. Yeah well, i haven't updated this story in at least four months, and to tell the truth i diddnt have any time for it. I've been really busy with work and year 10 is really hard when you're in all the advanced classes. So i was just going to forget about this story, but then people started PM-ing me, asking if i was going to finish it and well, i decided then to make time to continue this. You guys, you drive me to continue and you are all my inspiration! So i'm really sorry, but here is the next chapter. i might be slow with updating cause of my busy schedule. and i hope the story isnt too sloppy, i need to get back into the ZONE

SO here it is, the long awaited Chapter 12!

Chapter 12 - I Don't Want Your Stupid Sweatshirt

"If you get anymore sanitiser on me, I'm going to throw something at your face!" Cyclonis threatened.

After three hours of this, on a Saturday and in the heat, it was a miracle that her squealing hadn't deafened me by now. Her hair was pulled into a flawless ponytail, not a single glossy strand daring to escape. My hair, on the other hand, was matted with sweat. I wiped my filthy hands on ancient grey sweatpants that sagged in the butt and had holes in the knees.

The scent of sanitiser filled the room. Breathing through my mouth, I sprayed some more onto my cloth and cleaned the windows. At least next weekend, I'd be home for three days. Not seeing Cyclonis for seventy-two hours sounded so good.

Stork walked past carrying a crate, and he eyed me warily. I stared at him briefly, before rushing across the room to clean another window. Hurrying footsteps told me Stork had left. I glanced out the door and noticed that Stork had taken the crate outside, and was attempting to clean the crystals inside.

Dark grey thunderclouds gathered in the distance. Stork would be back inside soon.

My arms, back, and neck burned. My boots were filled with sweat and some other liquids I didn't want to know about. Dirt stuck under my fingernails and sweat was dripping down my forehead.

Cyclonis's phone rang from her pocket – some pop song I'd heard a thousand times over the summer. Surprise, surprise. She threw her cloth down and jammed her hand into her pocket.

"We're supposed to be working," I reminded her.

She waved her hand at me dismissively and walked outside the room to talk, but her voice carried enough for me to hear.

" It's my math teacher, she hates me! She's probably going to fail me." She paused and I listened. I could hear her boots squeaking as she paced back and forth. "okay, okay. Bye."

For a second, I almost felt bad for her. It sounded like her grandmother never stopped pressuring her. No wonder she was so cranky all the time.

Cyclonis entered the room. She avoided my eyes and started cleaning again like nothing happened. Reason told me to keep my big mouth shut, but my lips didn't listen.

"You okay?" I asked.

Cyclonis glared at me. "Like you care," she said.

"Just asking," I said.

"Why did you even come here?" Cyclonis dropped the cloth and crossed her arms over her chest. "You don't have a grandmother who almost took over the Atmos. You haven't been bred for Helix since you were four."

"I placed in every show in my district," I said protectively. "And I was the best at my old school."

"School?" Cyclonis laughed. "You can't be serious. Oh, you are. You actually went to a school, and not an academy? You're such a commoner! You think doing well in a school makes you a good Mage? Pie, the advanced team at a school, is like the beginner team here. You're going to crash and burn, and I'll be here to see you fail."

My fingers gripped my cloth tightly and my eyes narrowed.

"School may be the cheapest way to get an education, but the Mage's are good." I said.

Cyclonis rolled her eyes. "you may have won all the shows at your level, but you haven't even tried ours. All of our Mage's are great, not good."

All traces of sympathy for Cyclonis while she was on the phone were gone now. "What did I ever do to you, Cyclonis?" I asked, looking right at her. "What is your problem?"

Cyclonis sighed like she was bored of me, but I could tell she wasn't expecting me to talk back to her. "The only reason Ayrgyn put you in intermediate, and not beginner, is so you'd fail faster," she said. "Better to realize now that you don't have what it takes than waste your time trying to be good when you're not."

I could feel my face getting warm. It took all of my strength not to un-screw the sanitiser lid and pour it over her head. I had to get out of here. Cyclonis could clean by herself.

I left the Supply Room and went to my locker so I could look in the small mirror I keep in there. My reflection showed my hair sticking out in tangles and a tiny zit forming on my forehead. Starling had me on a new beauty plan – nightly facials with a weird, unpronounceable acid – to impress Aerrow. But so far, all I'd done was break out.

Thunder rumbled overhead. Junko rushed past me and I looked at him with interest. He seemed to read my mind. "Need to help Stork get all the crystals inside before it rains!"

"I'll help!" I yelled after him as we raced outside. Stork jerked his head up from packing up the crystals and watched us approaching.

"Thank you, Piper," Junko said, as we neared Stork. "We need to hurry before they get wet." We each picked up a crate and walked as fast as we could back to the Lab.

By the time we got back, Ayrgyn had arrived.

"Supply Room looks good," he said, surveying our work. "Consider your sentence served. You may go – unless you want to continue."

"No, were good." I said.

Ayrgyn smiled and headed back to his office.

"I'll start rinsing the cloths, if you put away the sanitiser." I said to Cyclonis.

"Do it, instead of talking about it." She stalked off, taking the sanitiser with her.

I tossed the dirty cloths into the wash bay and turned the hose on full blast. The green hose that snaked around the building blasted cold water and rinsed off the cloths. Suddenly, the water stopped. I shook the hose, but still nothing. I walked around the corner and spied a kink in the hose. I crouched down, my tired fingers fumbling with the kink. Rain began to fall and it pounded on the Lab roof, almost drowning out the sound of the hose.

Just as I unkinked the hose, a scream rose from inside. "Turn it off! Turn it off!"

I twisted off the valve and ran to the wash bay.

Cyclonis stood near the cloths. She held the leaking hose and her clothes dripped water onto the floor. Mascara ran from her eyes and gave her an authentic raccoon look. Her hair was plastered to her face and her shirt clung to her body.

"You," she sputtered, spitting water from her mouth. "Are so dead."

I tiptoed toward her, trying not to laugh. "Cyclonis! I'm so sorry, it was an accident."

She glared.

"If you want, you can wear my sweatshirt back to your room," I offered. I didn't know whether to laugh or run screaming.

"I don't want your stupid sweatshirt!" She screeched. Mascara drooled down her cheeks.

"You can hose me back if you want."

Cyclonis brushed her sopping hair out of her face and let out a quick laugh. "Hose you? Right. I'm going to do so much worse than hose you." She continued to glare at me. She turned and headed out of the building.

"It really was an accident," I called after her.

I fumbled in my pocket for my phone and pressed three wrong buttons before dialling dad. His answering machine picked up. "Dad? Can you please call me as soon as you get this? I'm not hurt or anything, so don't worry about that. Just call me."

I finished rinsing the cloths, put them away and headed for my locker. The locker door swung open and my crystals glittered back at me. At least they were happy to see me.

"Six more days and then I'm going home," I told them.

Then I realised that there was someone else I could call. She wasn't dad, but she would listen. I dialled Dove.

"I hosed her," I said when Dove answered.

"What?" She asked.

"Cyclonis. I was rinsing out some dirty cloths after we finished our punishment, and I accidentally hosed her."

"Oh, ma gosh, get ova ere 'nd tell me in person! Dis sounds too good ta tell ova da phone."

"I'll be over soon," I promised.

"Don't forget e second of dit," Dove said. "I want details!"

I closed my phone and smiled to myself. True, I was at the top of Cyclonis's hate list. But I had a good friend in Dove, and good friends always triumph over Master Cyclonis wannabe's.

I apologize if it was really bad. If i get no reviews for this then i wont continue, as i would assume that people don't like it anymore, or just too angry with me. So please, talk to me in a review! Do you like it? Should i continue? Any advice? Do you want to choke me?

I accept ANYTHING, bad things too. i need opinions. Thankyou xxxxx

~LouiLuvr