That next Monday I felt half dead, I did not look for a job like I told Candi I would instead I stayed up all weekend testing that drug. I trudged into the school with my bag dragging on the ground. I slumped into my chair in homeroom while Professor Hedge was writing on the board. There was only three other people in the room and they were all sitting in the back of the class looking everywhere but at me. I guess my escapades the other day have spread around the school.

I bang my head down onto the desk and groan. "Ramla, if you are going to be disruptive today you might as well leave my class," Professor Hedge scolds. He turns around and his bald ass head shined at me. My eye twitched but I did not pick up my head I only grabbed the piece of chalk as he chucked it at my head. "Nice to see your reflexes aren't diminished."

"Nice to see your dry, sarcastic sense of humor is still going strong," I quip. I hear him smirk without having to look at him. Soon enough the rest of the class trickles in and I can feel everyone giving me a wide berth. That is until that annoying zing was back and in full force next to me.

"H-hi Ramla," Helena stutters. Her soul shifts nervously around her as it tries to reach out to mine. I don't even think she realized it was happening. Even so it didn't annoy me any less as I shut her out completely. She squeaked at the sudden coldness that comes from a Cut Off. I grunt at her as a way of greeting. "I-I wanted y-you to-to know that I a-am getting a partner this we-weekend," her stutter was ridiculous. "At the-the party."

I slide my head to the side to look at her front my slumped over position. "That's nice," I say softly. "I'm sure whoever you pick will be very appreciative to have such a strong weapon," then I rolled my head back down. I felt her soul bristle before melting into a soft hum of appreciation. I could feel others staring at us and a dull headache made an appearance at the base of my skull. 'Great,' I groan inwardly. Professor Hedge starts the lecture even though tension in the room was palpable.


The first three classes went by slowly and throughout all of them people stared. Helena stayed by my side with an almost obtrusive level of loyalty. She tensed whenever she caught someone throwing me a nasty look or her soul lashed out whenever someone bumped into one of us in the hallways. I, for the most part, ignored them until Spirit-san passed us in the hall on our way to study hall.

He stops right in front of us forcing us to halt as well. "What is it Spirit-san? We gotta get to class," I say in a bored tone. The world started to take on a hazy quality, but I ignored it as I stared at the crazed Deathscythe.

"You're a real piece of work you know that Ramla?" he spat my name. "Don't ever pull a stunt like that again. Especially around my daughter you bit—!"

"That is quite enough Spirit-sensei," came a very commanding, clipped tone. Helena and I turn around and come face to face with Death the Kid. My soul stirs at the blurry memories from the other night. Helena's soul reacts to mine and causes her to fidget and become agitated. "I feel as though that is not the way a teacher should be talking to students," Death the Kid was glaring at the Deathscythe.

"Papa," Maka and her weapon walk up behind the Shinigami in training. "Helena is my friend! How could you speak so crudely in front of her?" her greens eyes flash with ire. I looked back at Spirit-san and his jaw was on the floor and tears were flowing down his face.

"But Maka! Baby, she could have killed you!"

"Papa—!"

"How fucking dare you," I seethe quietly. My fists were shaking from the anger the welled up inside me. "You're a fucking piece of shit you know that Spirit-san?" I spat at him. He looked like he was going to say something, but I didn't give him the opportunity. I punched a hole in the wall nearest to my left arm. "I'm going to see Shinigami-sama. Don't fucking follow me!" I snap at all of them over my shoulder. Helena's soul shuddered against mine as I disappoint her once again.


"Didn't I tell you not to follow me?" I shout at the very persistent boy behind me.

"It just so happens that I need to talk to my father as well," he says causally. "I'm thinking that we need to redo our current staff," his voice drops to a dangerous level. My steps falter for a moment and it was enough time for him to catch up to me. I slow my pace, but do not stop as I look at him out of the side of my eye.

"What do you want Death the Kid?" My headache was pounding now.

"You can call me Kid," he said easily. "And I don't want anything."

"That doesn't seem right," I counter. I give him a glare out of my peripheral but it doesn't land. "What do you really want…Kid?" his nickname tasted funny in my mouth. He grabs my left arm and forces me to stop and look at him. I see that he isn't looking at me he is looking at my arm.

"Why do you cover it?" he asks. I felt myself tense at his words and tried to play dumb.

"I don't understand." He stares at me blankly before pushing my sleeve up. "Don't do that!" I snap at him. I shove it back down and fix my glove before anyone can see.

"So?"

"It's…a long stor—it's none of your business," I say briskly.

"I mean obviously you have to feel some sort of way about it. If you can sleep walk in ridiculously short night pants and an undershirt with a shawl drawn over it. Yet you come to school in slacks and long sleeved shirts." He looks at my hands, "and gloves. People think you're a Maka Albarn poser by the way."

"What?!" I yelp. "I've never even heard of this girl before I got here!" I defend. "I just happen to like gloves!"

"Huh," he says thoughtfully.

I grit my teeth as I feel my eye twitch, "I do not envy that girl. If anything she should want to be me."

"Why is that?"

"Oh look at that the Death Room. Well this is where we part Death the Kid," I salute him before walking under the guillotine path. I pull my bag tighter to my body as my eye continues to twitch and the headache throbs suddenly when I realize he hasn't left. "Kid…" I say warningly. We both pass through the final guillotine and enter the sky looking room.

"Heyo! Hiya! How's it going?" Shinigami-sama chirps. "What's up Kiddo?"

"Father," he says curtly. "I need to talk to you about Spirit-sensei's recent behavior."

"Kid," I snap at him. "Knock it off Spirit-san has been an ass to me for as long as I've known him."

"What happened?" Shinigami-sama once again quickly switched personalities.

"He was just yelling at her in the hallway—name calling her such disgraceful things!—about our sparing class last Friday." Kid clenched his fist. "It was just rude and unnecessary."

"Mhm…Ramla is this true? Did Spirit-kun yell at you?" I click my tongue and roll my eyes at him.

"Shinigami-sama it's not a big deal," I try to reason with him. Before any of us can say another word a foursome of people come crashing through the door.

"Shinigami-sama!" Spirit-san cries out.

"Semapi!" Stein yells out as he tries to grab the crazed Deathscythe.

"Stein! Spirit! You can't just barge in here!" Marie-san hollers.

"Lord Death I apologize for my friends!" Sid-san interjects as he manages to grab Spirit-san by the collar of his shirt. I look over at Kid and see that his jaw the floor, for me this was a typical Monday afternoon.

"Reaper…Chop!" Shinigami-sama shouts as he impales Spirit-san's head. He starts howling and rolling in pain on the floor while Stein kicks him in the stomach. There was a strange glint in his eyes as he repeatedly kicked his former partner.

"Stein," I murmur softly as I approach him. He doesn't look up at me as he continues his abuse. "Stein," I say more firmly. I grab his arm and turn him towards me.

"Ram…" he looks at me in a daze. Marie-san walked up next to him and looked at Spirit-san.

"Whoa," she comments absentmindedly. She poked him with her foot a couple of times before flouncing over to Shinigami-sama and Kid.

"Stein what are you doing?" I whisper to him. His glasses catches the light and obscure his face from me. He looks over his shoulder at Spirit-san and I thought he was going to start kicking him again. "Wait—Stein!"

"He should not have spoken to you like that," he says. I pull up short as I blink in confusion. That hazy quality was back and his face looked blurry.

"I'm sorry what?" Instead of repeating his confusing words he grabbed me up in his arms and pulls me in close. He rests his head on my shoulder before sighing deeply. "S-Stein?"

"You need to s-s-stop babying that—that monster," Spirit-san coughs. Blood is trickling down his chin as he stands up and uses Sid-san as a crutch. His face looks like it went through a meat grinder and it was hard to look at.

"Spirit-sensei!" Kid yells furiously.

"Kiddo," Shinigami-sama warns. Stein only wraps his arms more tightly around me and for a brief moment that hallow feeling in my heart closed up. It was such a strange feeling that has been missing for so long that it scared me. "Stein-kun what is the meaning of this? Spirit-kun did you really yell vulgar things at Ramla?"

"She…she could have killed that kid," he defended.

"Stein-kun?"

"Stein?" Marie-san questions.

"Stein…" I whisper.

"I had to make sure," he answered. He pulls back to look at me, "I had to make sure that you could be saved."

"Will someone please explain to me what the hell is going on?" Kid suddenly yells. We were all so startled by the sudden outburst Stein drops his arms from around me and Marie-san jumps.

"Kid I think it's time for you to leave," Shinigami-sama says authoritatively.

"W-wait," I rush over to Kid and stand between him and his father. I turn around to look at one of the only people who knows the secret of my body outside this room. "Kid," I say breathlessly. "This is such a fucked up situation…you don't—you shouldn't subject yourself to…to me."

He looks at me skeptically, "I don't understand." I sigh frustrated as he stares at me waiting for an answer. "Ramla just tell me what's happening."

"You saw how they were looking at me didn't you?" I say as I look at the floor. "The other students I mean."

"How do you mean?" he says cautiously.

"Kid," I say sternly. "In all my classes, in every hallway…fucking Spirit-san!" I point at the ragged redhead.

He sighed and put his hands in his pockets, "yeah I saw them."

"Do you know why I hide my body?" a few feet shuffled uncomfortably behind me. He never stops looking at me. "It's because I don't need one more thing that separates me from everyone else," I pause and look at the ceiling. "Did you know I'm the same age as you? I'm only sixteen years old."

He quirks his eyebrow at me in mild surprise. "Yes, I realize that Ramla." The way he said my name hurt my heart. It sounded so familiar and I was already on edge from lack of sleep and an attack from Spirit-san. I was about to tell him a secret, not the whole thing but a secret nonetheless. These added burdens, however, only made me dizzy, "Ramla! Ramla are you okay?" I stumble backwards a little as my head spins. Two strong arms grabbed me under my arms and hefted me up until I was cradled against a warm chest.

"S-Stein…" my head slumps against his shoulder as I take a shuddering breath.

"You have a fever," he said sternly. "Did you sleep at all these past few days?" He was furious at me again. "Shinigami-sama I'm taking her home. Spirit-sempai," he turns to the mangled man. "Take care of my class."

"Stein-sensei I must object!" Kid protests. "Spirit-san has been unreasonably cruel to Ramla in the most humiliating fashion. I do not think he should be teaching here anymore—Father," he implores.

"Kiddo you know we need the experience that he brings," Shinigami-sama responds. "But Spirit-kun…" he hits him in the head again. "You're going to have to find a better way to speak to my students." His tone was stern, verging on scary. I was fading quickly and Stein took me away before I could hear any more of the conversation.

"Wait…"I say hoarsely. "B-bag—papers in…bag." Stein looks down at me and rolls his eyes. I managed to poke him in his chest. "Now," I wheeze. He sighs angrily but takes my bag from my shoulder and throws it at Spirit-san.

"Ramla?" I wave at Kid over Stein's shoulder before finally passing out from exhaustion.


"Kiddo!" Patty screams at me from down the hallway. We were halfway out of the building and I just wanted to go home and mull over the strange incident in the Death Room.

"Patricia I do not enjoy you yelling so loudly at the moment," I ground out. She stops short and a look of hurt crosses her face.

"Hey Kid what the hell is wrong with you?" Liz snaps as she wraps her sister up in a hug.

"It's…nothing," I lie. Liz looked like she was about to start hitting me when a curious lady comes running at us. Her hair the color of a rainbow flowing on the breeze as she stomps angrily over to us. By now the rest of my friends have gathered around, even a few random people.

"Where the hell is my roommate?!" the woman has a very childish voice. It was high and sweet and completely contradicted the fierce anger that radiated from her face. "Ya!" she hollers at me while poking me in the chest. "Where is Ramla?!"


Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I have been typing away at this and realized I haven't posted. I was just too into my own story line *sweat drop* as always I love feedback and comments!

Keep it sparkly!

xoxo

Sparkles