Twenty-Second Century: The War *Closed*

[DJae Writer Chick]

Jay paused at the bus stop, waiting for the sound of screeching breaks and laughter. When they came, his mother gently pushed him towards the door. He kept his head down and his jacket tight around him. It was too cold for this. Climbing on the bus, he slipped to the back where he had his assigned seat, most of the time empty, and sat down, slipping his headphones from around his neck over his ears. As the bus jolted forwards, the gentle sound of piano filtered through, blocking out pretty much all other sounds. He closed his eyes, pulling the hood of his jacket over his head to keep his head warm. Leaning forwards, he rested his head against the seat in front of him. He felt like something was off, but ignored it. He knew the sun was out by the warm spots out from under trees, but it was still cold, colder than normal Fall. He pulled his book from his backpack, his fingers tracing over the pages. His mother had translated them to braille for him, but that only made him feel more helpless. It said he was the twenty second generation to stop the war between the light in the dark...but his mother had said the last few generations had failed? It was all confusing, and none of this was English except for some of the directions, like how to make a water snake or cause someone to drown in their own blood. He sighed softly. Just another day at Bluewood Academy.

 

[RaccoonKing]

Alice was sleepy, her eyes barely open as she waited for the bus to arrive as her parents had forced her up hours before just to make sure she would not miss it again. She had made a habit of having her parents drive her since she denied waking up. Fingers ran through the thick red locks that caressed her face, her eyes squinting at the sun she cursed so loudly at. Honestly, she often wished she lived in an ice age because the sun was far from a friend. The vehicle slowly pulled up, its doors opening wide as she groaned, slinging her bag over her shoulder as she pulled herself up and into the bus, giving the driver a wave as she headed down the isle, looking for a seat. Her house was quite near so a lot of the time she rarely got a seat of her choice. This time they were all taken except for one next to a boy her mind failed to recognize. Shrugging she slumped into the seat next to him, green eyes sparking as she peered over at him with a slight grin. "Morning~" She spoke softly, despite her fiery personality she seemed quite soft mannered by appearance and voice alone. Looking at the book she peered at it with a raised brow, her bag being dropped into her lap. "What are you reading?".​

 

[DJae Writer Chick]

Jay jumped slightly as someone sat beside him. He didn't look over, but pulled one headphone out of his ear, letting it dangle over the book. "What?" He asked quietly, keeping his head down, his eyes on the book, but he hand closed it, one hand on the top, one on his lap. He'd been picked on enough in the past few months to know that if he didn't keep a strong hold on the book, it would end up torn, like the original book. He turned his head towards the girl who sat next to him, but his eyes were slightly off, looking to the window on the other side instead of at her.

 

[RaccoonKing]

Alice for one was a very brash, blunt and head strong girl but her academic intelligence was far from the best. In fact she was constantly berated by everyone on how her grades lacked. It wasn't her fault though! Her father was so insistent on her training to fight some random battle she wanted nothing to do with! Despite her lack of academic intelligence, she easily noticed when he jumped, an action that caused her to relax slightly and calm herself, leaning back as she watched him. "Hey...you don't have to be so jumpy ya'know...I'm not going to eat you or anything..." She mumbled, generally curious to why he was cautious. Being quite popular, she often found herself unknowing about any actions of her fellow students, that and she intention rarely paid attention because it wasn't her business. Though she wasn't a fan of bullying. Shamefully, she didn't even know the guy next to her, so she was generally worried when he was so cautious of her.


Finally catching his gaze she paused, her expression dropping as she leaned closer to him, lips pursed as she noticed the direction of his gaze. "Wait...are you blind?" She asked, though many would see it as rude, she was just being honest. It wasn't as if she knew him to try and avoid asking. Sitting up properly she grabbed her back, dropping it at her feet so it leaned against her shins, her gaze switching back to him. "Sorry for being so forwards then...I wouldn't of sat down so quickly if I knew..." She added, idly scratching her cheek as she sighed. "I hate to be rude...but I cant really put a name to your face..." Alice then grinned, shifting so she was sitting upon her legs as she grinned. "So I'm Alice, what about you?"​

 

[DJae Writer Chick]

Jay's gaze dropped to the ground. Here we go.. He thought to himself. "Yes...I am." He said with a soft sigh. He felt slight annoyance boiling in his stomach. Why did everyone have to think it was such a big deal?! He paused though, as she continued to speak. He looked up again, confused. She was being...nice?! What was this? He shook his head slightly, clearing his mind to listen. "I'm...uhh...Jay...umm..A-Alice?" He'd heard her name before. "Aren't...y-you're.." he couldn't find the right words. He didn't want to say anything that would make her mad...she was nice. "Aren't you..um..the one? I mean...sorry, that sounded weird.." he frowned slightly. "I hear your name a lot at school?" He sounded like he was questioning himself now.

 

[RaccoonKing]

She stared wide eyed at the guy before laughing softly, still having a grin settled upon her lips as she shrugged her shoulders. "You may of...I have gotten in quite a bit of trouble recently..." She mumbled, sticking her bottom lip out as she pouted, obviously annoyed by the thoughts. Even her tone reflected it. "But its not my fault! It's not as if I plan to get involved...and its not my fault I'm to exhausted to stay awake...or anything else!" She demanded, throwing her arms up dramatically before shaking her head. "I think they just have it out for me..." Alice mumbled before turning her gaze back to him, raising a brow. "Hm? So you are called Jay..." Trailing off she decided she would ask him a question, if only to see why his reaction was so odd. "So..Jay...why did you seem so jumpy when I sat here..." The girl asked, leaning forwards. She was a person with no idea of personal space. She would be hugging the guy by now, just because she wanted to if she wasn't curious about his caution of her. "Your really shy as well...." It wasn't as if she was being rude...but in her view she was not used to chatting to people who were not similar to her in terms of personality. "I'm not scary am I?"​

 

[DJae Writer Chick]

Jay felt a little bad as she seemed to get upset and he slipped his book between him and the bus, tensing slightly. "Hey..s-sorry...I didn't mean to upset you.." He said quietly. He looked down as he felt her shift, leaning towards him a little. Could he trust her? He'd only just met her... "I..have...uhh..." He turned his head away, "problems..with..." he paused, "people." He said quietly as he finished, shifting so he was leaning against the seat again. He could still feel the bruises on his shoulder and back from the previous day were two guys had cornered him after school, beating him into the lockers. They weren't even his lockers! He was just glad they didn't have anything sharp with them. His mom would have freaked if she'd seen another cut like the gash he'd gotten on his chest in the first few weeks of school. "Y-you're not sc-scary at all...just...a bit...different." He said, biting his lip. You're actually being NICE. He thought to himself.

 

[RaccoonKing]

He began to apologize and she stared for a moment before laughing, finding it amusing to say the least. It was clear she was not mad at him, nor upset really but she forgot he wouldn't really be able to see the change in her expressions at each word. "Don't Worry Jay!" She cheered, patting him on the shoulder softly as she grinned. "It's not like I'm actually upset, I can deal with a couple annoying teachers." Alice stated, watching as he shifted the book. It was clear he treasured the book a lot. Smiling she dropped her hand back onto her lap as she sighed heavily, trying to perk up a little more despite the fact she was exhausted. Yawning she stopped when he began to murmur, her head snapping around to him as her expression became grave. "Problems with people?" She asked, trying to reconfirm his words as her eyes narrowed further. "Wait...you mean like bullying?" She asked, honestly in disbelief that anyone in the school could be like that. Alice was naive, believing that everyone was generally quite pleasant there...but then again she didn't ever see the other sides of those she was friends with. "By who." She asked, though it was more like demanded. "I didn't think anyone in the school was like that honestly..." Frowning she looked at the window. "Hum? Different?" She nodded at that. "I guess I am..." After all, who was a person that controlled bloody flames? "Thanks Jay." Her reply was honest, her words accompanied by a chuckle as she leaned back. "Its nice to hear I'm not terrifying~"​

 

[DJae Writer Chick]

He winced slightly as she somehow immediately figured out what he was referring to. "I..I don't know.." he said honestly, resting his head in his hands and his elbows on his knees. "Well...it's true. C-can I ask a question?" He said quietly, turning his head sideways to at least face her. He had heard from a few people that speaking to him was awkward if he wasn't at least facing him. He felt the bus turn and braced one elbow against the wall before it returned to his knee.

 

[RaccoonKing]

Alice idly nodded, watching as he turned to her as she kept her stare upon him. By now it was clear that something had been occurring to him and she was far from going to let it continue if she had a chance to stop it. Already her mind was racing on how to help but she paused, nodding. "Sure, go ahead." She replied, reaching out for the back of a seat in front of her, letting it keep her from collapsing onto him as the bus turned. They were getting closer. "What is it Jay?" She asked, setting her hands back on her lap as she seemed to become quite worried by his sudden curiosity.​

 

[DJae Writer Chick]

"Why are you being so nice?" He asked quietly, the question coming out as a full, non-stuttered sentence. "No one is ever nice, really..." he added quietly. He tensed as he heard fairly loud laughter, but when he realized it wasn't targeted at anyone, he relaxed a little again. "I mean...I-It's not a bad thing...I...I'm just u..unaccustomed to it." He added quietly. They would be at school soon. "Also..uhh..what's your first class?" He wondered if they had any of the same classes and just didn't realize it. It was still the beginning of the year sort of, so it made sense to him. He could be kind of invisible if he wanted.

 

[RaccoonKing]

That was far from what she expected. Eyes wide, green orbs staring at the boy carefully as she remained dreadfully silent. Her fingers thrummed against her thighs as she parted her lips, taking a breath before stopping. What should she say? "Other...Other than the fact that I think everyone should be fine with others until given a reason...You haven't done nothing wrong and you seem alright, Jay!" She whispered, grinning against. "I mean its not like you've done anything wrong, you seem quite friendly so why would I need to be mean to you." Not that she would be mean anyway. Though there was a few...just a few that sparked her anger but even then she just avoided them. Shrugging she paused, reaching down into her bag as she pulled out a small book, flipping through it before scanning the page. "I think I have art..." She mumbled, scratching her cheek before shoving it in her bag. "If we don't have the same class...I'll walk you to yours and Ill come pick you up! Just in case!" She smiled. "You should come have lunch with me to!"​

 

[DJae Writer Chick]

Jay hesitated at first, looking down and biting his lip. He said something wrong, didn't he? Did he just have to get on everyone's nerves?! He felt the sudden rush of relief when she answered, and smiled weakly at her. "Art.. I don't have it. I have Advanced Computer Graphics, Honors English Eight, then Mythology of the Ancients and Website Drafting..." he trailed off a moment. "Okay...I guess that can work. Umm...I can also...help you in your classes...if um...you'd like." He said, remembering her reaction earlier. He had heard some bad things about her, but he could tell it wasn't really her fault.

 

[RaccoonKing]

Pouting she leaned back, stretching her arms above her head as she pouted angrily. "Damn! I wanted to have at least one class with you..." She mumbled, folding her arms upon her torso as she leaned back. The bus was slowly coming to a halt and so she reached down, grabbing her bag as she set it once again back upon her lap. "Then again...I would probably fail those classes anyway!" She chimed back before standing up, the bus having stopped. Though despite her words she was smiling, since her grades never concerned her. "I have Art, Literature, History and Psychology." Bag now slung across her shoulder she waited for every to stand and leave the vehicle before holding her hand out for him. "Here, I'll help you out. I don't think Ill be much help if I lose you in the crowd..." It was a light joke but she was honestly worried about loosing him.​

 

[DJae Writer Chick]

"Huh?" He was slightly confused by her offer. He returned the book to his back, wrapping his headphone around his neck and standing, his hand brushing against her hand a moment before he realized she was holding it out for him. He took it, using his other hand to pull his hood over his hair again, looking down. The bus driver watched the two carefully.
"Aye, is she botherin' you kiddo?" He asked.
Jay smiled faintly. "No... she's my friend."
The bus driver's frown turned to a huge grin. "Great! I'll see ya'll 'morrow mornin' then!" He said with a chuckle.
Jay nodded slightly. He was glad he at least had the bus driver to watch him, which was one reason he had his assigned seat. Protection, or attempted protection.

 

[RaccoonKing]

She cursed when she forgot he was blind, making a mental note as she wrapped her fingers around his hand, pulling him behind her as she walked over to the end of the bus. "Sorry, I keep forgetting that you are blind..." She muttered, her free hand scratching her cheek as they were stuck red in embarrassment. "Not the brightest you see." As she was stepping off the bus, taking one step at a time she paused when Jay was talking to the bus driver. Her eyes narrowed as her tongue poked out of her lips. "Beh! As if I would hurt anyone you old geezer." She hissed playfully before she finally was off, Jay behind her. "I know where your first class is so Ill take you there, kay?" As she began heading in that direction she would wave every few corridors. Most of the time she was saying a quick hello, though she did get some questioning looks. Alice failed to notice anything directed at Jay though. "Hum, well, don't leave the class till I am here alright?" She whispered, pulling him around another corner. Eventually she stopped, turning to face him. "Promise me, okay?"​

 

[DJae Writer Chick]

Jay followed obediently behind, submissive. "It's okay." He said as she muttered an apology. He kept his head down. He was surprised though.
No one said a word to him. No one pushed him, bullied him...it was almost like he was invisible again. Well. Other than the warm, feminine hand entwined in his own. He found himself smiling faintly, but it quickly faded as she stopped and he almost smacked into her. He rose his head, his gaze almost directly in her own. "I promise. I'll tell the teacher too..she's really nice. I'll stay in my seat until you come and get me." He said, being completely honest. "I promise." He said, pausing a moment. "And..umm...th-thank you. It means a lot to me..that you want to help." He smiled weakly. Man...this was hard work. He could follow rules and orders...but actually having a conversation was difficult.

 

[RaccoonKing]

Sighing in relief she finally nodded before taking him into the empty class, her gaze on the teacher for a moment before smiling. "Good! I promise I will hurry. " she replied, looking back to the teacher. "Ma'am, I will be picking Jay up!~" there were after all a few teachers that didnt detest her for her grades or attitude. Slowly she released his hand, slightly reluctantly as it dropped back to her side. Blinking she tilted her head, as a smile graced her lips. "Hehe, its fine Jay!" Patting his shoulder softly she turned on her heels to the door, heading out. "We are friends after all Jay!~" with that she twisted back around and left, calling out a quick goodbye as she hurried to her class. The bell had gone and she was bound to be late...not that it bothered her. Most people in her class were late but she decided to try get there earlier so she could leave earlier.

 

[DJae Writer Chick]

Jay sat down in his usual seat as the few others began to enter. He sat at his special laptop in the front by Ms. Lacey's desk. As class started, Ms. Lacey gave them their assignment before making her way to Jay's side. "Hey...is everything all right?" She asked, kneeling beside him.
"Yeah. That was Alice... she's my friend. She's going to walk with me between classes to help me out." He said with a soft smile. Ms. Lacey, who rarely had ever seen him smile, nodded. "Ah, that's good. Well, get on with your assignment." she returned to her desk to work on grading programs other students had created.

 

[RaccoonKing]

Finally reaching her class it wasnt suprising she was one of the first. Her art teacher was actually the only teacher that had been standing up for her in the last few years. Slumping into one of her chairs she groaned, watching as Mr.Ark turned to her. "You are early Alice..." he calld out, making her pout. "Yeah...im going to help out a new friend, Jay, so Im trying to avoid detentions" he chuckled, finding her new enthusiasm strange. Eventually people flooded her class and she ended up chatting away with her friends, once again little work done. Though she had finished another painting that was pretty good. Alice was good at photo realism and so she often was just painting random things or people.