Chapter Seven: The "Captain" and Nightmares.

Sometime after school, in the north parking lot (AKA: the hangout for delinquents)
 

Across the field, a lone figure approached, dressed in nothing more than a pair of blue jeans and white hooded sweatshirt. The parking lot was full of shady characters who were all grouped together shouting and laughing. The girl was strikingly beautiful, her long raven black hair was even known among the upperclassmen girls who so quietly whispered in envy. Her cobalt eyes peered straight ahead at the rabble who had taken notice of her, as if it were an expected visited. The strength in her eyes intensified as they narrowed down to a single person she had identified as the leader. To her, these students were  of a lesser class, hoodlums, who had yet to become criminals of the underground world. They had cigarettes hanging between their fingers, and for many of them had their hair dyed or spiked, and much of their attire was associated with chains or very baggy and loose. She looked particularly disgusted to see such characters hanging around the lot, which was owned by the school in a sense, and she didn’t want to be here at all. One of the kids who saw her, flicked his butt into the grass and dislodged himself from the hood of one of the cars he was sitting on, and jingled towards her pulling up his sagging pants. “Hey she showed up! So you got our message eh?” He asked with a devious smile and she remained silent, looking at the other guys who were laughing like some kind of mindless attachment. “What a puppet show.” She commented, her tone betrayed her elegance, as it was harsh and condescending. Her tongue was sharper than a stick, and her glare was on par with a basilisk, only a fool who didn't know better would step up against the deadly school captain. 

“Hey, ya don’t need to get all cold, we just wanted to hang out with you for a bit, you know have some fun…besides we aren’t the kind to let the likes of you off so easily.” He sneered, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a switch blade and wavering before her. It wasn't too uncommon for idiots to threaten her life after all of the delinquents she had thrown into detention, but this was a real first for her. Someone had the nerve to actually go threw with it. “What do you think you’re doing with that?” She asked as if he was a complete and total idiot, there wasn't any hint at all in her voice that she was the least bit scared. “I’m going to have my way with you, Rey, Rey!” He tossed the blade skillfully between his hands. She looked even more so disgusted, to the point where her anger was becoming physically palpable. “Tell me your name.” She demanded, stepping forward, and the boy found it amusing. “Landon.” He stated, and she stared at him for a moment, in till it had been committed to memory, now she knew his face, if the pseudo criminal ever decided to attend school, he would be in for it. There was no escape for him now. “Come on boss; show us how it’s done!” Someone impatiently shouted from the lot and Landon smiled, “Right, okay if you don’t want to bleed all over the ground you’ll start by taking off your clothes.” He ordered and she scoffed at his pitiful threat. “What is this, some kind of circus act? That’s not how you order someone to do something.” She said taking a menacing step closer to him, and out of impulse his arm shot the switch blade forward, but she caught the blade between her fingers as her hand wrapped around his. She then twisted his wrist causing the blade to spin harmlessly away to the ground. Then from underneath her sweatshirt she slid the concealed night stick she always carried, right down the lining of her long sleeve, and held it tightly as she slammed the butt into the kid's face knocking him to the ground. Blood began to flow down his face. He grunted in pain as she stepped on his chest with her foot. The other boys who were watching were taken aback by the sudden motions of the girl. “Do you want to know why I wasn’t afraid of you?” She asked darkly looking down at Landon; his eyes had closed, trying to hold back the tears. “Because there weren’t any girls with you; seriously you should learn to play your role better. A real gangster boss wouldn’t come out to the front right away, he’d let one of his subordinates take care of a simple girl. Besides look at the weapon you used, did you take that out of your daddy’s toolbox? It wouldn’t even draw blood unless you forced it with everything you had.” She finished her lecture on how a thug should properly act and then she lifted her foot off of him and looked at the others to see if there was another challenger and they just merely looked at her in amazement.

The sad part was...Rey had a feeling that knew what they were getting into. That kid was probably dared to do it by someone else. Everyone who went to Patterson knew her as the captain. Everyone who didn't go to Patterson because they were too busy acting out repressed feelings in the form of criminal misconduct, knew her as the daughter of the Pichanto family. It was true that the most of the city realized that the economic power was mainly held by Senba as it played a major role in establishing Stadweld as a larger city. However only those who played ignorant to the fact, or were too busy with their lives to tell, didn't know who controlled the underground. It came in tiers of course... 

The gangs controlled the streets, there weren't very many in such a small, and isolated place as this, but they still existed, and were for the most part untouched by the police. That was because they were lackeys for the Mafia, the ones who controlled the underground. The organized, criminal family unit. And her father was the one who was currently on top. It was his reputation which had set Rey's course in her life. She was tough, she was strong, she was very beautiful, but it was often undermined by her generally quiet personality. She was dignified, and extremely focused on whatever task she was given. This had granted her the title of captain, and her skills in apprehending delinquents at school had sparked a number of dark rumors. Was she doing it because she was the daughter of the Mafia? Was it a favor her father asked her to do? It was true that the Pinchanto were known as the caretakers of the school system. If not for their influence, the poorly located Patterson High would have been shut down and relocated. Everyone that Rey busted was suspected of being more than just your average school prankster. What family did they come from? Are they apart of the gangs? Did they're dad do something bad? Maybe he's gonna end up dead in the river! You idiot, where the hell is the closest river, they'd just burn the body in one of the factories.

It was this pretense which isolated Rey from the others. Her obedience to her father was incredibly odd. Nobody knew if it was because she loved him, or if it was because she felt obligated to do whatever he said. If she broke the rules, would it stain her father's name? It was odd for someone to think that way. Mobsters already are notorious. Who cares what the daughter does? While everyone was trying to figure it out, Rey simply continued on as she did, denying almost anything anyone came up to her with. She had money, and power. And she wanted nothing more than to be left alone by these wild conspirators, who had nothing better to do that stalk her and see if something happens. This is how it always has been, ever since she started school. It would probably stay that way forever. 

I have no future. My future was given to me the day my mother died. Not only was my father cursed of having the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, but he was given a daughter that looked just like her in every way imaginable. A constant reminder that the woman he loved so much was no longer alive. I have to be a lady, I have to be elegant, I can't deteriorate in anyway. I must be a living memorial to my deceased mother, who I don't even remember all that well. Everyday I come home to that same discontent face, it doesn't matter if I do good in school, we have plenty of money, and as soon as he dies, the reigns will fall into my hands, and I'll be the one watching my back. I'll probably end up dead before I can even reach college. There aren't any friends who can help, everyone is too afraid of my reputation to even think of befriending me. It's not like I care. I can't care. If I cry, I'll be putting tears on my mother's face. Does anyone here, even understand? It doesn't matter...

The days continued to drift by. In her normally unchanging life, Rey found herself sitting in class, and for the first time, she was unable to concentrate properly. She had the misfortune of sitting next to the window, and the day seemed so perfect outside, she almost felt as if she had to go out there and smell the fresh air. She could almost see the crystal clear pond from her lofty classroom window. It was almost time for lunch. Her palm was rested on her chin as her eyes continued to drift to that just out of sight beauty, and she was almost compelled to leaned forward just to get a glimpse of the clear waters. It was then, staring outside, that she noticed a single hooded figure darting out towards the pond. Her eyes intensified with an underlying rage. If there was anyone in the entire school who she would like to unmask and imprison, it would be the school skipper. Her rival, her nemesis, the savior of the underground was a mockery of the real thing. She was certain that only the school skipper would dare leave school at such an hour, and with great conviction she stood up sliding her chair back into the person sitting behind her. The teacher in the room stopped lecturing for a moment, and the whole class stopped. Rey was not one to break the rules, or do anything to disturb the class, so her actions brought a still silence to the room as all eyes fell on her, but quickly looked away. She then briskly strode out of the room, leaving her books behind. She began to run. 

She tied back her hair into a ponytail, an act which her father would normally frown upon, but there was something burning inside of her. The thrill of the chase! She couldn't have her hair getting in the way. She was glad that she was wearing shoes that were adequate for running as she sprinted past the guard near the ground level exit, and without even a word of protest, she was outside and in the cool autumn air. She continued along, knowing that if she didn't hurry the skipper would be long gone and out of sight. She crept along, getting closer and closer to where the pond was, when suddenly a voice of a teacher shocked her still. Would they even dare to give me detention? She thought for a moment, when she realized it was a middle school teacher who was running towards a couple of other students. She stayed out of sight as she watched the teacher talking to the presumably 'school skipper', and some other outlaw she couldn't really identify. At first she thought that the teacher was lecturing them, and was going to turn them in, but instead she began to lead them towards the middle school. Within that single moment, a lot of things became clear to her.

Father! Don't you know...everyone is complaining about that teacher Mr. Calvin. 

"Hmph! What would you know about the school system?! All of our teachers are certified! Those whelps are probably just upset because we 'give them too much homework'! Don't bother me with such useless trifles."  

The only difference between me and my mother...

Father never hit mother. 

She waited a while longer before moving from her position, and came upon the middle school. She found as she entered the building, that there were many students lining up as if they were all leaving somewhere. She looked around to see if she could see where the two high schoolers went, but with no success. As she looked around, she realized in that moment, that she probably stood out among all of the younger kids. "Hey you! What are you doing here?" A teacher asked stepping through the crowd of chatting, excited preteens and directly in front of Rey who held her composure. "I'm here on behalf of the head of the school board. I'm surveying the validity of this field trip." She lied and the teacher rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment, his stare slowly turning from that of a teacher who had caught a trouble maker, to that of a man who was planning how to explain to his wife where he was last night, and where there was lipstick on his face. The scheming, intelligent man who was standing before her was none other than the suspicious teacher in question: Mr. Calvin. "I never heard from the school board about that." He said after a long pause. "Why would you? That information would come to the administrators, not to a teacher." She retorted, and then he grabbed her arm. "Okay? You want to come? Then you're coming with me." He began to pull her away and she protested. "I can't--review the field trip if you take me away from the kids." She was half shouting, and her own physical strength surprised him as she broke away from his grasp. The two looked at each other for a moment, and then he nodded. "Fine, be on your best behavior. You will be on bus H, come on." 

It had been the boldest thing that Rey had ever done. If her father knew about this, he would probably have done a couple of things. He would have definitely fired, or imprisoned this Mr. Calvin on the spot, and then behind closed doors, he would have scolded her severely with the back of his hand. She tried to push him out of her mind as she followed a group of students, who were being lead onto a rumbling yellow bus. It had been years since Rey had ridden on a bus. As she walked up the metal steps and walked down the thin lane, looking at the somewhat occupied leather seats there was a girl who beckoned her. She was sitting in the back, and at first Rey thought she was signaling to a friend, but as she got closer the girl nodded. It was rare for a Japanese girl to be attending school at Stadweld, Rey knew that the majority of the people in the city were of European descent, and very few immigrants came to such an isolated place, unless of course they were connected to Senba in someway. She sat next to the girl, wondering if she was going to start a conversation or not. She eyed the short, black haired girl who finally spoke. "This is really dangerous." the girl said, her voice sounded a bit scared even and Rey's expression became concerned. Dangerous? 

"They are taking, the entire school. Nobody even really knows where we are going." She continued, and Rey remained silent, her mind was processing the information so that when all of this was said and done, she would have an official report to give to her-- despite herself she closed her eyes as if she were in pain. Then she turned to the younger girl. "What is your name?" She asked. "It's Maki." There was a pause as the bus jolted, and began to roll down the path towards it's destination. Rey then placed her hand on Maki's shoulder. She smiled at the girl she hardly knew. "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of everything. Just call me Rey." Her approach was a bit frightening from the other girl's perspective, but she couldn't help be relieved at the strength of this new appearance. 

It had been a nightmare since the very beginning.

 

Excuse me, Maki Gladrin is it? You must be that adopted sister of Norie's right?

"Um...yes?" She was so scared and timid, she couldn't help but look helplessly up at the man who was smiling at her. It was his suit, his gelled black hair, his business-like appearance. He was nothing like the other teachers. He was always calling on her, ever since that first day. Mr. Calvin was becoming more and more frightening as each day passed. She had heard stories of teachers who raped students, they got them to stay after class by acting friendly, and then before you even knew what was happening...

No...she wouldn't let this creep get his way with her! "Ah Maki, you weren't in class yesterday. You weren't skipping out now were you?" She shook her head. "N-no, nothing like that. I have a frail constitution...so I  sometimes...just..." she didn't know what to say, she couldn't help but feel her body shake, fear was hovering over her, despite trying to keep a calm face. "Well if you have time after class, I can tell you what you missed." He said. She didn't know what to do. She could, the next class would come in and then it would be okay. She nodded. "The files are in my office, come on, why don't you just come down and see for yourself." He said and she mindlessly followed him towards the teacher offices. Here they stopped just outside of his office and he inserted the key and they walked in. He closed the door, she felt terrible, afraid. Then there was this awkward pause as neither of them moved. 

"I know who you are." He said suddenly, and her mind blanked out. 'Who I am?' she slowly turned around looking at him with surprise and anger. "What do you mean?!" She asked and he smiled at her deviously. "I think you know what I mean little demon." He said reaching to pat her on the head but she slapped it away. "Bastard!" She growled under her teeth. "Maki, Maki! don't say things like that. I'm a generous man. You will do what I instruct. Oh, and don't tell anyone else. That would only make things worse for you." He then walked over to his desk. "Ah yes, this is what you missed yesterday." He handed her a typed document. She snapped it out of his hands and then left the man sitting in there. 

That bastard.

I'll kill him.

I swear, I'll kill him.

The generally timid and complacent Maki looked outside of the window. She was worried about a number of things. Where was Dare? She hadn't heard from him, and for a moment she thought that he would come in at the last moment and scoop her away from the dreaded field trip. There was no sign of him, all there was...was this girl named Rey. The bus rolled into an underground chamber. There was nothing to see. She looked over at the other girl who kept her eyes faced forward. This was it. The beginning of the end.

A 'ray' of hope appears, but what is going to happen at the domes?

~Next time on Scratch~

Continue reading next Tuesday! When we finally have the chance to meet someone who knows quite a bit about Senba. But who is this mysterious person? And what are they doing outside of the two domes?! Aha...

Sorry if this one is short...and not as well written. The rough draft didn't go through.