The next morning started off with a nice rousing double biology class. As they were doing a brief over view of the cardiovascular system, today's specimens for dissection included various animal hearts. Prof. Stein lectured for only a quarter of the class before allowing the groups to, as he put it, “dig in.”
Neither Raze nor Gail had said a word today, at least none that the brothers had heard. As usual, Gail took the lead. Making swift, deliberate cuts with the scalpel. Raze occasionally held things for her or helped hold flaps of skin open so all four of them could look inside and take notes/draw diagrams as needed.
Looking around, Chide couldn't help but notice everyone in class shooting the sisters strange looks, well stranger than normal. They ranged between fear, disgust, even anger and suspicion. And the one time Raze actually picked up a scalpel, Chide got so pissed off at the responses around him, it took everything he had not to make some smart ass comment, especially to the shit who practically fell out of his chair trying to jerk as far away from their table as humanly possible.
Sure, those two psychopaths haven’t exactly done anything to NOT deserve this kind of treatment, but a situation like the one that happened yesterday could have happened to anyone, couldn't it have? It didn't help that Sai was over dramatizing everything… Chide could understand fear, but what he couldn't stand was people going out of their way to make asses of themselves and make other people feel like shit for it.
As class drew to a close, Raze got up with Gail to wash their equipment and dispose of the used up specimen, but Argos spoke up, “Hey, I got it, you help Chide here wash up the station.” He took the plate and tools from her and followed Gail to one of the empty sinks in the back the room.
Now that there was no class work to concentrate on, the whispers started. Chide busied himself with putting away supplies and getting out the cleaners, glancing occasionally at Raze, who seemed largely unaffected by her classmate’s hushed words. I wonder if that’s just a front… As though she could feel his eye on her, Raze chose that moment to turn her carefully neutral stare on him. “You can use the squirt bottle. That shit smells like butt.”
“She speaks!” DAMN IT! Why does he do that? Just open his mouth and respond without thinking, especially to suspected psychopaths who may or may not be planning mass murder! And why is he suddenly so concerned about them damn it! Why should he care!
“Yeah, and she’s also deadly, so watch out.” She said quietly.
Shit. How does he respond to that? It’s like yesterday when he found her at the swings. He felt like he should say something, but at the same time felt like it was best for him to stay far away…He shrugged and started wiping down the counter top.
Meanwhile Argos and Gail busied themselves at the sink.
“Would you want to explain what that was yesterday?” Argos asked curtly.
“Nope. None of your business, so shut up.” Gail said irritably.
“You told Raze she fucked up, that much is obvious, not entirely her fault though. And you said YOU fucked up. I want to know why.”
“Just what the hell is this to you? Some fun science experiment to observe? WE are none of your business, so don’t bother asking.” Gail snapped.
“Nothing about yesterday seemed abnormal. Raze is a different kind of person with a unique wavelength, so it stands to reason that she’d have a unique response to apposing wavelengths, and yet you’re the one whose all bent out of shape. WHY?” Argos pressed. Gail whirled on him.
“Look, buddy, I told you it’s none of your business, and it’s not so stop it, OK? Stop asking us questions, stop trying to get to know us, stop trying to figure us out. It’s going to get you nowhere but dead, understand?” She ended practically hissing the words into his face, but that’s not what he was concentrating on.
“Jeez, hey! Stop! Would you look at your hand!” He exclaimed. Gail realized then that she still had a scalpel in her hand, and was practically threatening him with it. Oops, she cut her finger pretty bad on it too…
Damn it. She had to keep her cool. She had to get away from here. “Latter loser.” She threw the scalpel in the sink and stormed out of the lab, Raze got up and followed.
“That could have gone better….” Chide commented.
Yeah, you think?
~~~~~
WepTech and Meister Track were having another merged session today. Perfect, today it was Chide who was looking for a victim.
He took a deep breath. “Get this over with,” he told himself
“Hey, Gail!” He called, she looked up from where she was standing with Raze, staring into space, “Let’s spar.”
She glanced at her sister and opened her mouth to speak when Argos jogged up and cut in, “Raze, I’ll be your partner.” He stopped awkwardly, realizing how that sounded, “Well, for you know, this.” He finished stupidly. Raze just shrugged and walked away, not too far though. Argos followed.
Gail looked pissed, but too bad. Chide needed some payback.
They stood facing each other as the bubbly teacher walked around shouting orders. The whistle blew-
Gail struck hard and fast, going for the jaw again. Damn I think she holds a grudge, Chide had time to think before he moved to the side, grabbed her arm, and flipped her over his shoulder. She landed with an audible thump.
“Hey, could you throw me maybe just a bit harder next time? My head just didn't crack open far enough" She said sarcastically, rubbing the back of her skull as she picked herself off the ground.
"I'm just paying you back for this," Chide said gesturing to the dark bruise on his jawline.
"That wouldn't be there if you were less of an asshole," Gail quipped back, glancing over at Argos and Raze where they were sparing behind them and settling back into one of the starting forms they'd just been taught.
"You don't have to keep doing that you know," Chide said, feinting forward and testing her guard. She fought him off effortlessly, like she'd been anticipating his movements. He'd have to be cleverer to land a hit it seemed.
"Oh like that worked out so well last time, no thanks to you, you lumbering asshole," She grunted and somehow Chide ended up winded, starring up at the sky. Well SHIT, he definitely didn't see that coming.
"Just paying you back," she sneered down at him.
"Bitch," he wheezed out, rolling on to his hands and knees, struggling to breathe.
Gail gasped, "Don't be such a jerk," she said, faking offense.
"What I was TRYING to say before you fucking took me down, was that even if they WERE going to try syncing wavelengths, which they’re not, Argos is pretty confident they’d match well enough." Chide said, still a bit winded, while rising to his feet.
Gail snorted. "Raze has a...powerful wavelength that I doubt that wimp would be able to handle," she paused, Chide could have been mistaken, but he could have sworn her jaw clenched, just for a moment, "I'm the only one who can handle her. Keep her in check, keep her safe."
Chide realized latter what he said next deserved the reaction he got, but at that moment he wasn't thinking about a small thing like the thin worn feeling of the girl standing in front of him. "Talk about your sister's keeper."
With a screech of rage, Gail attacked with absolutely no warning, and pretty soon he didn't even have time to think about how to react. His body just moved on auto drive, trying really hard not to get wailed on too much. Defense, offense, defense, offense. He thought numbly for a moment how much it seemed that a violent, vaguely life threatening kind of dance. But pretty soon-
A whistle blew. "TIME!" class was over. Both he and Gail froze, irritably staring each other down.
"WOW! Fantastic!" A bubbly voice spoke WAY too close for comfort. Both he and Gail jumped and jerked away from the weird blonde haired professor. "Really, that was great, you know what I think, next class you too should totally give matching wavelengths a try, you’re a bit rough for sure but it could TOTALLY work out in the end, you know?"
"NO." they both answered.
As their brother and sister where having their little row, Raze was rather enjoying this little deviation from the norm. She dealt out the strikes, was met by resistance, she compensated, and was blocked again. Over and over. It was refreshing, she didn't need to hold back, and he met her every strike. Like he didn't give two shits that she could transform at any time and slice his hand off, like he wasn't afraid.
Argos was admittedly rather surprised at the ferocity of Raze’s attacks. It seemed to him that she held nothing back, it was a struggle to keep up until finally-
“Shit!” he lost his footing and went down. Almost immediately she was on his chest, one hand partially transformed into a blade and held to his neck. She stared down at him with such ferocious intensity, for a few fleeting moments, he wondered wildly whether or not she was actually going to cut into his flesh. But as the seconds stretched out, the moment past, and he was left staring calmly up at her.
“Dead.” She said simply, rose to her feet, and stepped away. He got up and brushed off.
“You’re really talented, you know that? And I don’t complement people lightly.” He took a stab at conversation.
“You didn't flinch,” she said quietly.
“I, well… wait what?” Argos said, totally perplexed.
“My weapon form is bladed, you know that. I had a blade to your throat. I could have hurt you, killed you, washed my hands in your blood at any time and you didn't back down, you didn't even flinch. I saw the fear in your eyes but you chased it away, why the HELL are you still here talking to me? I’m the PSYCHO aren't I, the homicidal maniac, out for all your throats?” With each word she stepped closer until she was yelling in his face, “We keep telling you over and over to fuck off, so why are you still bothering us?”
Argos just stared. He was pretty sure this was the most he’d ever heard her talk, and ignoring the whole blood bit, it sounded the most sane that he had ever heard her. And he had no clue how to answer. The silence just kind of stretched of, while Argos wondered vaguely if Raze had a sense of personal space at all.
“RRRRRRRRRRaaaaaaaaaaHhhh!” This awkward moment was interrupted by a pure scream of rage from Raze’s sister. As Argos and Raze watched, Gail flat out ATTACKED Chide, who looked rather like a scared little boy at that moment.
Raze actually snickered. “He must have a way with words.”
Argos found himself letting out a short laugh as well, “I’d say.” He regarded Raze carefully. “Raze, you do realize these lessons are supposed to help us find suitable partners, right?”
She nodded, fixing him with another blank stare, her careful wall was suddenly back up.
“In that case, would you mind?” Argos held out his hand.
“Yes,” she glared at him and glanced over at her sister, who currently was still ripping into poor Chide.
“Whats the worst that could happen?” Argos asked.
“Lots.”
He sighed. He didn't want to force the issue, that’d be crossing the line, he knew. Class was just about up any ways, he was just about to walk away when-
“Wait.” He felt a hand slip into his.
Raze very much suspected she had finally snapped. Just gone insane. Her sister was the only one who could handle her wavelength without getting hurt. She knew that. But still…
“We don’t have much time…” Argos warned.
“Whatever.” She closed her eyes and let go.
Suddenly he was holding her hand anymore, he felt smooth metal, slightly warm in his hands. It had a slight weight to it, nothing he couldn't handle though
But more than that…for a brief moment, in his mind, he sensed…something. It was like someone took all of the careful calculations, the logic, the thinking, took it all away.
Raze’s fast paced, muddled mind seemed to slow, her thoughts calmed. She was calm. The clouds in her head broke away…
Their connection brought a sense of clearness to them both, clearing away the clutter of their minds, clarity…
A whistle and a voice shattered their peace.
The moment was gone.
Just like that a girl’s hand was back in his, and she was pulling it out and backing away.
“Hey, Raze!” Argos called, she keep walking. She made her way to where Chide and Gail stood, Argos vaguely noticed that thankfully neither of them were maimed or murdered. Raze grabbed her sister’s hand and drug her away from Chide and the professor, and just walked away.
Never looking back.
