Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER THREE:
Now, That's Downright Screwy

It was an uneventful few days, and Terenia was glad for it. She needed the getaway from impossible things that the RAFians usually dealt with. She needed to deal with just minor problems again, not huge groundbreaking, stop-the-bad-guy-from-taking-over-the-world problems. She need a different kind of stress, different and less extreme sort of stress.

It was wonderful.

Then she noticed something that she hadn't before. The students, at least some of them anyway, were wearing the same glasses that the principle had. Which were similar to the ones Nurse Nancy wore, though her frames swept up into little points, giving them a rather unique, if not downright hideous, look.

She blinked. How had she not noticed this before? Was this just one of those student fads that would eventually pass out if vogue? But then she noticed that even some of the staff were wearing them besides the principal. Terenia did not know why, but this was very disconcerting to her.

Then she noticed that the arts classes -- music, art, creative writing, and any other class that demanded that brand of creativity and imagination -- they were looking rather thinner than usual. The teachers were still at the helm, though looking rather uneasy at the lightening of their classes. And apparently their budget was starting to diminish, as one of the teachers confessed to her in an aside.

This concerned the covert RAFian. But could it just possibly be a coincidence? Her instincts, honed by her time as a RAFian, told her that something was most certainly up.

Then she noticed a flyer taped to the white-painted cinderblock wall. This surprised her as she was sure that it was not there the day before. It read:

Attention students and staff,

Starting this Tuesday, Nurse Nancy Stepford will be giving out free eye examinations.
These examinations will be mandatory and compulsory.
No one will be exempt.

The schedule for the examination schedule will be as follows:

Then it ended in a table with examination schedules.

Terenia was perturbed, as Tuesday was yesterday. Something about this screamed to her that it wasn't right. But she hadn't any real information about it. Then she thought about the students behavior, the students who wore the glasses.

Once artistic and imaginative students, chock full of creativity and life, had been reduced to drones, only concerned with improving their test scores. They seemed to eschew all things a causual person might consider even a little fun. They seemed little more than academic zombies.

How had this happened right beneath her nose? She was a RAFian! She should have known better! She should have been able to stop this before --

A thick, meaty hand squeezed her shoulder. She turned round, to see the hand belonged to her principal, her boss, as he indicated that it was her turn. Her turn for an eye examination.

It couldn't be that bad right? It was just an eye examination. Right?

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER FOUR:
This Is An Eye Exam?

Terenia wondered about how the chair could fit in here, in this small and rather cramped room. It seemed to be circular in design, thought that could have been just an optical illusion. The chair looked like standard fair chair stock, but it was the machine attached to the chair that Terenia found worrisome, though she held her tongue.

The machine attached looked sinister to her, but she could see how it could look innocuous to those who haven't the experience she did with the weird and unusual. She wasn't sure if she should go through with whatever Nurse Nancy had planned, or just find some way to weasel out of this . . . but it was mandatory, and doing that could cost her her job here. But that could be grounds for a wrongful dismissal lawsuit . . . but, with how broken the justice system in this country is, chances are that such a lawsuit may prove to be a farce, depending on her lawyer and the prosecutor.

It wasn't worth it, she decided. She would comply unless Nurse Nancy did something too fishy for Terenia's liking. Then she would do what ever she would have to do to escape the madwoman's clutches. She know this may be stupid, but there wasn't an alternative that she liked. She had allowed herself to get trapped in this situation, though she seemed to be repeatedly presented with a Hibson's choice, a choice that is no choice.

"Please," Nurse Nancy said, still chipper, but Terenia thought she sense an undercurrent of something else, something disparaging, "have a seat."

Terenia waited for but a moment before complying. The eye testing device was fitted on her face, and she saw an uber realistic hologram image of Nancy's face, spouting some stupid rhetoric about how fun is bad and pointless and useless, which Terenia ignored easily.

She was about to write this whole thing off as a mere propaganda mill, when something really unusual happened. A lot of surreal swirls and things started to happen in bulky visor thing. She felt her Mark grow warm inexplicably, but not so warm that it was uncomfortable. She was perplexed at what was happening.

"All work and no play," came a digitized version of the school nurse's voice, "makes you a good girl."

What the bloody hell -- ?

"All work and no play makes you a good girl."

Huh -- ?

"All work and no play makes you a good girl."

Wait a minute here.

"All work and no play makes you a good girl."

She knew what this was.

"All work and no play makes you a good girl."

This was hypnotism. Those students --

"All work and no play makes you a good girl."

-- And the staff as well --

"All work and no play makes youna good girl."

-- All of them with those glasses --

"All work and no play makes you a good girl."

All hypnotized. All of them.

"All work and no play makes you a good girl."

But wasn't it affecting her?

"All work and no play makes you a good girl."

Like at all?

"All work and no play makes you a good girl."

Oh . . . of course. The Mark. The Mark was keeping her safe.

[redtailedsaffa]

Yeah, not creepy at all.

[Cloak]

Yep. And she's really a sad story, when you think about it. . . .

New chapter.

CHAPTER FIVE:
Deception and Backstory

Terenia reasoned that Nancy wouldn't like it if she knew that her hypnotism didn't work on her. She didn't know about her RAFian membership, and Terenia thought it best to keep it that way. She needn't to show her hand too quickly, as that would be a rather stupid play . . .

This seemed to be a long process, as Terenia was finding herself getting bored. She struggled to affect the appearance of being hypnotized, though it wasn't working. She had to make this believable . . . her life may depend on it. She did not know Nancy's plan, but she did not think that it was anything good.

"There," she said. Terenia had to quickly hide her dislike for the school nurse. She looked at Terenia, and then she prompted, "All work and no fun --"

"Make me a good girl," Terenia said, overselling it a bit. Nancy did not appear to notice, and appeared satisfied with Terenia.

Nancy handed her the same black glasses and the covert RAFian put them on. She had to hide her surprise swiftly, as it appeared. The lenses of the glasses was simple window glass. Terenia was quick enough on the uptake to know that the glasses were simply a way for Nancy to mark those that she had hypnotized, though Terenia thought this was borderline brainwashing, in a way.

She was glad, so very much so, to leave Nancy's office. Where Terenia was once off-put at Nancy's presence, she was now creeped out. Especially when she saw just how many students and staff had these glasses on, when she saw the dwindling numbers of students in art classes, music classes, creative writng classes, and the like.

This isn't what the school experience was supposed to be.

Sure, on some days it can seem like torturous doldrums, but there are good days were the kids get to express themselves creatively, through art, music, writing or some other medium. Where they get to be themselves.

Terenia quickly, but not too quickly as to arouse suspicion from the nurse, made her way away from the school. She headed directly to RAF. This most definitely sounded like their jurisdiction.

***

Another poor soul cleansed, Nurse Nancy thought. And soon this entire school will be cleansed from what they call 'fun'. Such untethered minds that need a firm grounding in reality. It will be done. It.will be complete.

Nurse Nancy saw this as her crusade, and it was currently unknown whether her credentials as a school nurse were valid. Or even existent. She just knew that her righteous crusade against all things fun was . . . yeah, she was insane. But a coherent sort of insane.

How did she get it into her head that anything remotely fun was bad and evil? Well, it was when she was younger and, unbeknowst to her, her parents weren't particularly good ones. She was punished most severely any time that she indulged in anything that an average child would consider fun. She was not allowed to do that, she was forced to focus on her studies.

This warped her psyche into thinking that all fun, as described by others, was bad and evil. She became fanatical about good test scores, and derided and distained others who indulged in fun activities, seeing it as their minds adrift and aimless whilst hers was firmly anchored and grounded.

But it had gotten to the point that it wasn't just good enough for her to be grounded and anchored, in her view of course, but she thought that everyone should be as well. Completely dismissing the fact that while she was perfectly in her rights to be like this if she wished, to think like this if she wished, she had no right to force this upon others. This was completely disegarded, and she saw herself instead as the savior of these poor lost souls . . .

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER SIX:
Terenia's Tale is Told

"I'm serious," Terenia said, "that's what happened."

"If she just wanted to strip people of fun times, why doesn't she just become a math teacher?" GH asked. He almost sounded serious.

"What's math, Daddy?" Leatherhead inquired.

"Nothing for you to worry about yet, LH," GH said, doting on his charge. It was difficult to tell if he was joking or not.

"This isn't time for jokes! I'm serious! Something really dastardly is going on here. If Nancy Stepford can hypnotize enough people, she could control the --"

"Settle down, Terenia," Cloak said, gently. "We aren't questioning the the veracity of your account."

"Well, it should be scientifically questionable," Aquilai pointed out, "hypnosis doesn't --"

"Aquilai?" Cloak asked.

"Yes?"

"What's that on your hand?"

"My Mark?"

"And what does that Mark mean you are?"

"A RAFian?" Aquilai had no idea where Cloak was going with this.

"And how long have you been a RAFian?" Cloak asked. But then he plowed ahead before Aquilai could answer, "Answer: long enough to know that just about anything possible."

Aquilai fell silent.

"But why is she so against fun?" Saffa asked.

"She's insane, what else is there to know?" said an obnoxious RAFian. This RAFian didn't often bother to understand things, dismissing anything that he didn't as stupid and unimportant, thinking that he was just plain smarter and superior to everyone. He wasn't nearly as liked as he thought. "We don't need to know anymore than that."

"Just because you don't want to know any deeper meaning doesn't mean there isn't any," Saffa sniffed, with quiet dignity. "I swear, you have no depth, As--"

"We're getting off-topic here," Terenia insisted. "We need to something. It's just a matter of time before Nancy conquers my school, and who knows how many schools she's taken before coming to mine?"

"Who cares?" said Mr. Obnoxious.

"If you don't care so much," GH said testily, "then leave already! Don't take part in this meeting, Mr. I-Know-So-Much-More-Than-You."

"Guys, guys, guys!" Abby said. "We need to focus on the Nurse Nancy problem."

"I dunno what we can really do about it," Phoenix said, honestly. "How do we break someone out of the hypnosis? Honestly, it sounds more like brainwashing than mere hypnosis, in my opinion. Can it be broken? How would we go about this?"

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER SEVEN:
The Freedom Five

"We need to something, I don't know what, but something needs to be done." Terenia said, rather fervently. "I'm not even sure that I can go back safely. If she discovers that her hypnotism didn't work on me . . ."

"Let's look at this pragmatically," Saffa suggested. "What is the worst that could happen if she did? She doesn't know about the Mark, it wouldn't be effective."

"Doesn't mean the whole ordeal can't be traumatic," Cloak said, thoughtfully. "Do not know what the process entailed, but just because something can't work doesn't mean that it cannot affect someone psychologically, whether they want it to or not."

"It's just a matter before my school falls," Terenia said, deliberately neglecting to mention her discomfort during the "eye exam". Instead, she voiced another concern to her. "Who knows how many came before and fell before Nancy Stepford?"

"It couldn't have gone too far," Aquilai said, thoughtfully. "Or we would would have heard about it before now. From what you described, Terenia, it would have been such a stark contrast that surely the media outlets would have found out themselves and reported on it."

"With the rampent corruption in this country?" GH snorted. "News media misrepresents the news all the time. Look at Fox News."

"Touché," Aquilai said, "though one would have to wonder, assuming that they are misrepresenting the news, or simply deliberately and wantonly ignoring it, why. Why would they do that? What would they get out of it? Even Fox News has a reason for misrepresenting the news -- general demagoguery. What would they get from covering up Stepford's brainwashing scheme?"

"The brainwashed, the hypnotized, whatever, wore glasses with dark frames and window glass," Terenia said, "I don't know how many if any people in media wore those."

Mr. Guy replied, with a noncommittal shrug, "Perhaps that's exactly why. She didn't want to show her hand too quickly."

"Or the mainstream media are just that incompetent at their jobs," Cloak said, quietly severe. Then he said, "But we're losing sight the problem again. The question remains. How do we stop Stepford?"

***

Terenia's school had fallen.

Nancy had fundamentally brainwashed everyone -- well, almost -- and Terenia's absence was not even noticed (courtesy of Rocklobster, who relayed this news to the others). The art rooms, the band rooms, the literature room, all the creative arts rooms . . . all empty and abandoned. Forgotten.

But not all the students were truly brainwashed. Five had deduced that something was going on. Something wrong, and something potentially dangerous. So they managed to steal five pairs of Nancy's faux glasses, and pretend that they been hypnotized. Nancy bought it hook, line, and sinker.

They survived with their minds untampered with, and completely lucid. They were determined to take back their school from that batty old school nurse. Their names were Shawn Hobbes, Boris James, Chris Hawke, Brooke Barrington, and Nadia Wolfe.

[guitarhero01234]

I could be wrong, but didn't you use the gag of using the TV actors' names before?

[Cloak]

Nope. At least, not like this.

New chapter.

CHAPTER EIGHT:
Takin' It Personally

"It's a tall order," Phoenix said, "as we don't know the extent of control she has over the students. Is it just brainwashing-hypnosis or mind control-hypnosis? Rocky hasn't reported back on that."

"Rocky? What's he doing?" Terenia asked, sharply and at once.

"Keeping an eye on Stepford, and maintaining your presence, so that no one's the wiser." Richard explained. "He is not ensconced inside the hologram, but projecting it remotely. Its less dangerous if a hologram gets found out."

"But what if he does?" GH asked. "He's not intangible."

"This ain't his first rodeo," Dino commented, benignly and confidently, "he knows what he's doing."

Terenia seemed sorrowful, "If she succeeds in this -- this horrid endeavor . . . that will spell the end to the creative arts in schools."

"Creative arts?" GH said, sharply. Leatherhead flinched at this, not having expected such a pointed response. "Like --"

"Yes, GH," Terenia said, "that includes music classes."

"She doesn't like music?" he demanded quietly.

"Well, music is considered fun," Terenia answered, "and Stepford, rather like a tyrant, is against all things considered fun. So, yes."

"This just got personal," GH growled.

***

The five were still at the school, noticing how Nancy had conquered it so thoroughly. They had to hold back there feelings and indignation when they were pretty much forced to attend Nancy's last day at the school assembly.

"Hello, dearies," Nancy said, nauseatingly sweet, "I'm so glad to see that all of you have tethered yourself firmly the the indisputable and concrete. No longer lost in the flotsam of mediocrity and plainness."

Shawn was a willful boy, and that made him absolutely determined to end her stranglehold on the school. It would not stand as long as he was around and lucid. But he had to hide this, keep his face blank, and not allow his anger to show.

"And adhere yourself to a good foundation of education and promptness and studiousness you must!" she droned on. School nurses don't usually have this much power. "Without the distractions that the unfettered call art or creativity or music to buffet you and tear you away from your rooted spot.

Brooke was an intimidating force of a woman who never appreciated a single dumb blonde joke in her life. Nancy made a mistake crossing Brooke.

"However, my little poppits," Nancy said, "it's with a heavy heart and mind that tell you this. I will not be staying on as your school nurse."

Chris was a peaceful, hopeful guy, but he would not stand for what Nancy was doing. She was essentially stripping away the free will, the choice, of others. If your point of view is really all that grand, why do this?

"I must go and pursue my God-given quest to bring . . . ocular fitness . . . to the poor masses, awash in their aimless jetsam."

Nadia was a passive, loving person, but she didn't like how Nancy seemed so driven to sap the very souls out these students. She believed that creativity and imagination of music, art, literature, and invention to be one of the hallmarks of human civilization, and this Stepford cow was coming in and siphoning that away from them, bleating about nonsensical things.

"It is my sincerest wish, my poppets," she continued to her captive audience, "that you go and spread the word. Have others anchor themselves fully to the foundation of discipline, obedience, and education. Together, we can save everyone."

Boris was a very compassionate teen, but with a tough-as-nails exterior. He wouldn't abide by this, as he also knew that such a society, where human beings could not express themselves creatively or inventively would not be able to stand. It would stagnate and collapse. No one could cordon off their emotions, their feelings, forever. Humans, by their very nature, were creative and inventive, and suppressing that would be detrimental instead of beneficial.

"I appreciate all the progress made here, poppets," Nancy said. The word "poppets" was starting to lose all meaning. "And, until we meet again, 'all work and no fun' --"

The auditorium audience replied, "-- Makes us good boys." or "-- Makes us good girls."

[guitarhero01234]

"This just got personal," GH growled.

Battle music? Battle music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDm8VrFrUf0

[Cloak]

Uh, sure . . . . . .

New book ideas!

• Book CMXL: "Cancellite Cancer" -- A shapeshifting-cancellation spray is developed.
• Book CMXLI: "Buddy Boy" -- The RAFians must deal with a malevolent, sentient mask.
• Book CMXLII: "Axon Powers" -- The RAFians are pulled into a conflict between the Borg, the Yzutang Vong, and the Axons.
• Book CMXLIII: "Hello Dolly!" -- The RAFians must deal with a womanchild that can turn people into dolls.
• Book CMXLIV: "Suits Them" -- The RAFians must procure the Suit of Cups, Suit of Swords, Suit of Coins, and the Suit of Staves.
• Book CMXLV: "Mask-in-a-Can" -- A covert device is discovered by a child, and the RAFians get drawn into the conflict.
• Book CMXLVI: "Powerless" -- During a particularly gruelling battle, Cloak loses his connection with the elements. He is unable to use any of them, making him rather powerless, aside from his natural ergokinesis, possessed by all Realm Walkers.
• Book CMXLVII: "Earth" -- Cloak struggles to regain his terrakinesis and Earthsight again.
• Book CMXLVIII: "Metal" -- Cloak struggles to regain his ferrokinesis and Metalsight again.
• Book CMXLIX: "Fire" -- Cloak struggles to regain his pyrokinesis, despite his pyrophobia.
• Book CML: "Air" -- Cloak struggles to regain his aerokinesis.
• Book CMLI: "Water" -- Cloak struggles to regain his hydrokinesis.
• Book CMLII: "Wood" -- Cloak struggles to regain his xylokinesis. Cloak completes his quest.

Don't think I rehashed anything. Titles are subject to change.

New chapter.

CHAPTER NINE:
Melissa's Cure For What Ails Ya

"How do we undo all this, though?" Saffa asked. "There has to be a way to do this without any undue harm to the poor people brainwashed by this woman."

Melissa snapped her fingers, upon sudden inspiration. "Boggarts!"

"Come again?" Helen said.

A overt snicker was heard.

"Oh, grow up." Helen and Saffa chastised caustically.

"Melissa, boggarts are essentially just bogeymen -- literally, bogeymen," Broken said. "I fail to see the connection between boggarts and this Stepford woman."

Music started up.

"Melissa, this isn't necessary," Broken reacted.

"Let them laugh!
Let them laugh!
Let them laugh
'Til they all fall down on the floor."

"I still fail to see how --" Broken said, as the other RAFians made similar remarks.

"Let them laugh!
Let them laugh!
Let them laugh
Un till their bellies get all sore.
Let them 'ha'. Let them 'ho'.
Let them roar. Let them go!"

"I have doubts about that, Melissa."

"Let them laugh!
Let them laugh!
Let them laugh!
Let them "hee". Let them "haw".
Let them hoot, hollar and guffaw."

"I'm not convinced."

"Let them laugh!
Let them laugh!
Let them laugh!
Let them laugh!
Let them laugh!
Let them laugh!
Let them laugh!
Let them laugh
'Til their eyes go all red."

"Still not convinced."

"Let them laugh!
Let them laugh!
Let them laugh
'Til they tottle off to bed.
Let them chuckle and howl,
Let them grunt.  Let them growl."

"I still have doubts about this, Melissa."

"Let them laugh!
Let them laugh!
Let them laugh!"

"You won't give up easily on this," Broken noted, "I'll give you that."

"Let them snicker and snort,
Giggle, cackle and cavort."

Broken sighed.

"Let them laugh!
Let them laugh!
Let them laugh!"

Silence greeted the end of song, save for GH's sncere applause, while Leatherhead looked disappointed at the song's end.

"I don't know, Melissa," Broken said.

"I think she has something, actually," Richard said, thoughtfully.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER TEN:
Pack and Back

Nancy was in her office, happily packing her things. Whereas a normal person would be happily humming to themselves, Nancy Stepford was perfectly silent. Being a boring person as she was, she had very few belongings in which she decorated her office, most of which was dominated by the machine.

The few belongings that she had decorated her office with were all gray, smooth and featureless. They only really functioned by being intruments in which to suck fun out of the atmosphere of the office, as if fun was some vile mosquito that was an everpresent pest to the school nurse.

She had accepted another job, again as a school nurse, at another school. She had already "corrected" the "vision" of a bulk of the administrative staff. That would make it easier to ingratiate herself amongst the staff, personnel, and student body. She already had one school liberated from frivolous distraction, from aimless indecision. She allowed these people, staff and students, some anchorage to the firm foundation of reality.

Now she could spread her noble gospel of -- well, she didn't have a real name for it, but it was a grand gospel, nonetheless. Imagine when she strips this world such feckless vocations like artistry, fiction, sports, and music. Such things like imagination and innovation were outdated and obsolete, and needed to be done away with.

She was doing a very good job at doing just that.

***

The group of five, covertly calling them the Freedom Five, or "FF" for short.

They discovered what Melissa had speculated to be true, but tricky. The major factor behind this was that while instigating a laugh was key, everyone had their own senses of humor. And, even though they were brainwashed, they were not robbed of their individuality, which was the major flaw in Nancy's gospel scheme.

The five had to plan how to take advantage of this, because the student they discovered this with was immediately reverted back to his brainwashed state when Nurse Nancy uttered, "All work and no fun --"

Causing the boy to give the usual reply, "-- Makes me a good boy."

The Freedom Five didn't like this setback. They had discovered a potential weapon to end the suppression of creativity and innovation, only to have it prove to be a scalpel on a Glyptodon shell.

But . . . still . . . still, there had to be some way to exploit this flaw without it returning so quickly. Somehow . . .

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER ELEVEN:
Problematical Progressions

The Freedom Five had to be careful.

They did not know why the brainwashing, the hypnosis, took no hold on them, but they couldn't allow it to be found out. They all hated it, but only complied due to sheer necessity. They wanted to keep their lucidity, and keep their minds intact.

Boris had to give up video games, which he was actually heavily addicted to (in fact, he wanted to be a developer when he left school). He was a competent gamer in all genres, though he usually preferred the ones that more cerebral storylines and voice acting. And he could be a condescending and pretentious when it came to the subject of video games, which usually belied his compassionate nature.

Nadia could not express herself by drawing, by sketching. She did not like having to bottle up her art, but only did so from necessity. She never drew things as they were, but as she wished they were. It was a reason all her sketches, all her paintings, were so incredibly detailed and presented a certain sense of longing, not unlike seeing the reflection of the Mirror of Erised.

Chris couldn't be allowed to daydream without giving away the fact that he retained his creativity and imagination. He was an incurable dreamer, and used that in his writings, though he kept those secret and would not show them to anyone, even his own mother. Not because they were lewd or explicit or anything of that nature, he was just extremely self-conscious about them, fearing them to be not very good.

Brooke had to control her anger, which made her quite intimidating. She didn't like the fact that she was now basically required to wear these drab colors of black and white, on a school uniform that not even she could make look good. This caused her to feel a lot of resentment that s tried desperately not show outwardly. She was a very . . . volatile personality.

Shawn, however, was the most balanced emotionally of the lot, actually affecting a veneer of emotionlessness. He was quite willful, and wouldn't submit under normal circumstances unless he could use as a ploy to gain an advantage. But that isn't to say that he doesn't know when to let up and leave things be, he's willfull, not obstinate. He was having the easiest time pretending to be as brainwashed as the others in his school, though he was no fan of it.

***

"Assuming that your assumption is correct, Melissa," Cloak said, "humor tends to be a very subjective thing. We have no concrete information that this brainwashing strips them of their individuality, so it remains subjective. How do you suggest we go about inciting laughter?"

"Well," that obnoxious RAFian began, "you can --"

"Ways that are viable and relevant to the situation at hand," Cloak clarified sharply. "There has to be a way to exploit that, assuming Melissa is right."

"And if she isn't?" Dylan asked, looking rather apologetically at Melissa.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Broken said. "While I must admit, I still have my doubts, I cannot deny that it's a strong possibility, as it really goes against Stepford's whole anti-fun rhetoric. For what is laughter but an expression of fun and happiness?"

"Assuming that fun and happiness go hand-in-hand, of course," said the obnoxious RAFian snottily. No one paid him any attention.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWELVE:
Whoop-Bomp-A-Doo-Dump

The relationships of the Freedom Five were not really all that stable, either. Nadia held a crush on Shawn, who was crushing on her as well, but neither of them would bring themselves to admit it. Brooke had decided that Chris was her boyfriend, though he didn't really want to be, but he was too timid and intimidated by her to disagree. Only Boris didn't feel any romantic pressures, although he displayed no real interest in romance, almost as if he was afraid to feel love, as if he came from a family of dysfunction -- no one really knew, as he outright refused to talk about it.

Shawn was effectively the leader as the more balanced of the extremes the others were at. He also was the one that had a connection to the others -- Chris and Boris was his best friends, Brooke didn't scare him like the others and she was his somewhat-estranged step-sister, and Nadia was essentially his love interest. Chris got alon reasonably well with everyone but Brooke, though she had laid claim to him as her mate -- her words, actually. Boris felt pretty neutral around everyone, and wasn't too intimidated by Brooke. Nadia tried to be friendly to everyone, but Brooke tried her nerves, though they never mentioned it.

Brooke's harshness was due to the fact that she was essentially alone her entire life, throuh no fault of her own. Her mother had divorced both her birth father and Shawn's dad, and was always working. She felt incredible resentment at this, and it manifested as hostility and anger.

But no one said being a teenager was easy.

However, most people did not have to deal with a deranged school nurse brainwashing the staff and student body of their school, so that would naturally complicate things.

"Whomp-bomp-a-do-dump," Boris murmured, unpon sudden inspiration.

All within earshot, those still under the brainwashing, burst into squeaky giggles. Their minds "untethered" and free once more. Boris had not expected this kind of positive outcome. And he spoke it again, louder.

More did it become undone.

But, just before she was to leave for the final time, Nancy prompted over the school-wide intercom, "Children and staff: all work and no play --"

And they were under again.

"Damn it all," Brooke cursed quietly. "Damn it all to hell."

***

"Perhap just a mere funny word?" Underseen suggested, with a shrug.

"That's stupid," said the obnoxious RAFian.

"If you haven't anything to contribute but irrelevant snarkiness, you can leave," Cloak said, "and let the grown-ups talk."

Cloak never used to be at odds with this RAFian in question. But then they discovered that their political views contrasted stringly, so the Realm Walker had a hard time not likening him to the rather fascist ideologues in the Nexus. They were one of the reasons he had no interest in returning to the Nexus.

The obnoxious one spouted out some more of his condescending, hateful rhetoric, but at this point, Cloak had had enough and ignored him, though wondering how he ever got it into his head that being so dislikeable and abhorrent a person was so attractive to him.

In many ways, he would have preferred the company of Rotiart to this particular RAFian.

Anyway, the others were continuing to debate on what to do, and Cloak was finding himself feeling restless at the inaction. Whatever they did, they would need to start being more proactive. Whatever they did, they would have to act.

Before it was too late.

[Cloak]

Well, my 3DS broke, so I guess I'll be writing more chapters . . .

New chapter.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
War of Words

But Shawn disagreed with Brooke's assessment. "No, it's something. We can use 'whomp-bomp-a-do-dump'," -- a bunch of squeaky laughs broke out from those who heard the word -- "to undo the brainwashing."

"What's the friggin' point?!" Brooke said agressively. "What's the effin' point if it doesn't stick?!"

"Repetition," Shawn said, unintimidated, as the other three shrunk away. "Simple repetition, Brooke. She may be able to re-brainwash them, but we can reverse it with far less effort than her."

"She only has to issue a trigger phrase," Brooke snarled.

"And we only have to say a single, funny, polysyllablic word," Shawn said, smoothly. Brooke was accustomed to people backing down from her by now, and was losing some of her edge. "And it will far harder for her to find us than us to find her. We have camouflage within the student body, with the mandatory student uniforms."

"These horrid monochromatic rags," she growled. She really didn't like the idea of school uniforms, or uniformity as a concept, really.

"But they are our protection from detection," Shawn countered easily. He felt that he had to keep a cool head, for obvious reasons. His step-sister, he knew, had a lot of anger within her, which others sensed, and feared about her. "We can work without the nurse being any the wiser."

Then his tone turned firm, his jaw set, his eyes hard, his gaze on his step-sister. "As long as none of us do anything stupid to jeopardize this."

"What. Are. You. Implying?" Brooke said, her tone frostier than the surface of Pluto.

"Dude, are you sure that direct provocation is the best course of action?" Chris said, timidly.

"Silence, mate," Brooke ordered, as Chris meekly complied. She used "mate" as a pejorative term. She clearly wasn't so much of a feminist as a misandrist, a man-hater. "Answer me, Shawnie . . . what were you implying?"

"You know perfectly well what I was implying, Brooke," Shawn said, unimpressed. "You have a volatile temper. You barely have a temperance of it. Frankily, I'm surprised that you haven't outted us and cost us our freedom yet."

Brooke exploded into fearsome temper, but, fortunately, it was after hours, and Nancy Stepford was already gone. But Brooke didn't scare Shawn and he easily evaded her lunge. Then, with but a few jabs, he basically chi-blocked her.

"Brooke," Shawn said, "you do not scare me. You do not intimidate me. And you never will."

"I'll be kill you, Shawn," Brooke spat savagely. "When this is all over, I will --"

"No," Shawn said, walking away, "no, you won't."

[guitarhero01234]

Goddamn, your 3DS broke? Dude, get that **** repaired ASAP.

I'm really liking these characters a lot. Any chance they're gonna show up after this book?