Chapter 37: Miranda

ELEVEN YEARS EARLIER….

THE OUTER VILLA, 0000

May 1, 0000

Jack Gorski adjusted his bow tie in the mirror as his gown-clad wife, Kelli, looked on.

"I'm hoping he's going to announce a new source of energy," Kelli replied.

"Maybe," said Jack. "In other news, hell is about to freeze over."

"It does keep the lights on," Kelli pointed out.

"And the grass is starting to die," Jack informed her. "So is your flower bed."

Kelli sighed and fixed her long, blond hair in the mirror.

The couple owned Gorski and Gorski Wind, and had been attempting for years to sell windmills to the Shinra Electric Power Company. They had yet to even meet with the president. But they were both well-known socialites, and they hoped they could influence the president at the benefit they had been invited to.

"We have more to celebrate after this," Kelli assured him. "Our birthday's in a week."

The couple not only shared a birthday but were born on the exact same date, though Kelli was three hours older; she frequently referred to herself as a "cougar" for it.

"I forgot how old we're going to be," he sighed.

"Thirty-eight," she reminded him.

"I'd kind of like a deal for our birthday," he said.

"Just enjoy the night," she commanded. "It's only four hours. Then I can get out of this gown. Which will be the last gown I'm wearing tonight."

Jack's eyes widened.

"That's right," she said with a flirty smile. "I'm going to bed gownless tonight. So you better hold me so I won't be cold."

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"That'll be the babysitter," Jack said.

"I'll get it," Kelli volunteered. "And think clean thoughts until we get home!"

She walked down the stairs and answered the door.

There stood a young teenage girl wearing jeans and a green tee shirt. She seemed to be fourteen, and appeared to be from the Western Peninsula.

"Hi, Miranda!"

"Hi, Mrs. Gorski," she greeted politely.

"Please," Kelli laughed. "Call me Kelli. I heard about you. You're that girl who saved the Easton girl aren't you?"

"That's me," Miranda said, slightly blushing.

"They said they never knew you knew CPR," Kelli continued. "We'll breathe easier knowing Aidan's in good hands."

Miranda smiled.

"You'll love him," Kelli assured her. "I promise. He's not nearly as much as a handful."

LATER….

A few minutes later, Jack and Kelli were gone.

Miranda stood in the doorway of Aidan's bedroom as Aidan sat on his bed.

Aidan was a shy boy, but did his best to break the ice.

"What time are you going to put me to bed?" Aidan asked, wondering how strict she was.

He was expecting eight or nine.

"Whenever you're tired," Miranda replied.

"Whenever I'm tired?" he asked.

"I wasn't born yesterday," she said with a smile. "I was put to bed at nine when I was your age. All I did was stare at the ceiling for hours until I finally fell asleep."

Aidan smiled; he felt somewhat relieved.

She then spotted his game console, as well as his library.

"You have Deathmatch V?" Miranda suddenly asked.

"Oops!" Aidan exclaimed. "Please don't tell my mom!"

"Oh, I won't," she assured him. "I just noticed you have one that I don't have. I just have the first four."

"You play games?" he asked.

He had never known a female gamer.

"Surprised?" Miranda asked. "I traded dance for video games when I was five. Wanna play?"

"Yeah!" Aidan replied with a grin.

They played a fighting round, where Miranda's character ripped the eyeballs out of Aidan's.

"You're the coolest sitter ever!" Aidan complimented.

"Thanks," Miranda said with a smile.

"Do you play any sports?" he randomly asked.

"I played soccer when I was ten," she replied.

"But not anymore?" he inquired.

"I'm afraid not," Miranda answered. "I had to stop for health reasons."

"I'm sorry," Aidan said.

"No worries," she assured him. "There's more to life than soccer."

"What else do you like to do for fun?" he asked.

"I'm a writer," Miranda replied.

"What do you write?" he asked.

"Whatever comes to mind," she answered. "It's a way you can express yourself for future generations."

"What else?" he asked.

This boy is talkative for his age, Miranda thought.

"I like ice skating, food tasting, and clothes shopping," she replied with a smile.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked. "Are you dating?"

Miranda laughed.

"No," she replied. "I'm happy."

"How many kids do you babysit?" he then asked.

"Right now?" she answered. "Just you."

"Just me?" Aidan inquired. "You should be everywhere!"

"I did nanny for a family until last month," Miranda informed him.

"I heard," Aidan said. "The Eastons. I heard their daughter stuck a screwdriver in an outlet, and you gave her CPR when you were twelve. If it had been anyone else there, she would have died. You're a hero."

"Thanks!" Miranda said as she placed one hand on her heart. "That means a lot to me."

They played another game after that. This time, Aidan won easily.

"Hey Miranda," Aidan began, "can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead," she permitted. "Ask away."

"How come you're not with the Eastons anymore?"

Miranda sighed and rolled her shoulders.

"They let me go," she replied.

"After you saved their daughter's life?!" he exclaimed.

Miranda nodded.

"Two years after," she corrected.

"Did they not like you?" he asked. "Everyone should."

"That was the problem," she explained. "She liked me too much. They all did. Yeah, I saved her, but they still had to decide what was best for her just the same."

Aidan scratched his head.

"Their daughter got too attached to me," Miranda continued, "and her parents were worried she'd get depressed when…."

Something out the window caught Miranda's eye.

"You have a lake?" she asked.

September 12, 0000

Miranda, now fifteen, stood in the courtroom before the judge. She was wearing an orange jumpsuit, and was cuffed at both the hands and the legs.

"Do you have anything to say before I hand down the sentence?" the judge inquired.

"I know it was poor judgment," Miranda began, "but nobody got hurt. Not physically. Not emotionally. Everyone involved is alive and well, and thriving. Except for me, of course. The only reason I'm here in the first place is a legal technicality."

"Which you knew about when you elected to violate it," the judge informed her. "The fact of the matter is that you were well aware of the law and you still chose to break it. In most cases, you would face at least twenty years in prison. But, despite pressure from the media, and despite my better judgment, I can offer enough empathy to lighten the consequences."

There was a suspenseful silence after that.

"I hereby sentence you to the Bolton School. There, you will be reformed. You will have years to reflect on your criminal behavior, and atone mentally as well. You will be eligible for release no earlier than April 27, 0007; your twenty-first birthday."

"Your honor," Miranda protested, "with my condition, I may never be free again."

"This is the most lenient sentence I can give," the judge informed her. "Or would you prefer jail?"

Miranda sighed, knowing she was beaten.

September 18, 0000

Six days later, Miranda found herself sitting on the bus en route to the Bolton School. She was in a tee shirt and jeans instead of a jumpsuit, because she was technically going to a reform school and not a prison. She had a duffel bag on her shoulder; it was the focal point of all her possessions.

The same applied to the three others who were on the bus with her.

The first person was a black-haired boy of about thirteen. His hair was long, and he wore baggy clothes. He had not said a word since he caught a glimpse of Miranda, save five.

"Not next to me, sicko."

What he was in for was anyone's guess.

The second person was a red-haired boy of about sixteen. He did not say anything to Miranda; he simply sat there staring into the seat in front of him.

The third person was a blond girl with a seemingly perfect figure, appearing to be about seventeen. She was quiet as well, but she was wearing a shirt that read Bolton Cheerleading on it.

This place has a cheer squad? Miranda thought to herself. Of course. It's a school. They have a drama club as well. They even have field trips, a prom, and a graduation. It's more like a school than a prison, but still a prison nonetheless.

The bus drove over a small isthmus. There was no gate; only the aforementioned isthmus was the only thing that was keeping the campus from being an island.

And the campus was basically the size of a college. It seemed like one, too. There was a gym, a stadium, dorms, and academic halls. Nobody could tell it was a jail for youngsters.

Eventually, the bus stopped, and the three arrived disembarked.

Miranda was the last to step off, and scanned her new home.

A green-haired girl, Lynn, was standing nearby. As soon as she saw Miranda, she marched right up to her and scanned her.

"Can I help you?" Miranda asked in a monotone.

Lynn huffed.

"You can stay the fuck away from me," she replied before marching off. "Right, Amy?"

"No problem," sighed Miranda.

At this point, the blond girl in the cheerleading shirt, who Miranda quickly deduced was Amy, turned to her.

"We all know you're Miranda Kisaragi," Amy replied. "And we all know why you're here. I still hope they take you to jail and throw away the key."

Miranda lowered her head.

Even here, she would not be welcome.