*temp story false *temp example false *temp silence false *set jessyrelationship "Rival" The teacher comes in and introduces himself by writing his name on the board, Mr. Hern. He then opens up with what I can understand as a basic algebraic formula. "Most of you can't understand what any of this means," the teacher announced, "This is usually a big hurdle for students to go over, so we'll be starting off with it. It won't be easy but..." "No, that's one of the easiest parts of algebra. I was using it before I even started school." I correct him, at which point every single pair of eyes turns right at my direction. I'm not sure why, but with the looks on some of their faces, I feel like I've just been selected to be the sacrifice to some evil cult god. "Is that so?" Mr. Hern grinned maliciously, "Well, I'm sure you wouldn't mind giving an example of this incredibly simple method." *if (terrorist =true) *goto 1 *if (no =true) *goto 2 *fake_choice *if (terrorist =true) #"Well, about four years ago, one of my friends...well, allies got hit with a fragmentation grenade..." *label 1 *set violent +5 *set story true *set stealth -1 "Well, about four years ago, one of my friends...well, allies, got hit with a fragmentation grenade. Not directly, of course. We were being ambushed and he had taken cover behind a wall. The grenade went off on the other side, the wall shielded him from the explosion but he got hit by the wall itself; his leg was broken and he had multiple lacerations across the face and chest. I was closest so I was the first one to drag him out of the line of fire..." "I believe I asked you for an example, not whatever this gruesome story is supposed to be!" The teacher shouted at me "But this is an example..." "That's enough, just sit down!" I slump back in my chair. *goto 3 #I give him a censored example *set example true I can't give any tips as to my past, after all I am supposed to be blending in. So, I do what Daniel told me to: say the opposite of what I think. After briefly describing the core principles of algebraic equations, keeping all the practical uses I'd exercised in real life unmentioned, the teacher merely shrugs, "Well, it's good to know one of you knows what you're talking about." After he says this, I notice some glares from students around me. I mentally mark them as potential hazards. *goto 3 #I've already drawn too much attention to myself. Abort *label 2 *set silence true This situation is quickly going out of my control. I realize as I look around and notice more and more eyes being drawn to my direction. At this point, I'm the focus of the entire class, which is a dangerous position to be in. Time to abort. "Nevermind. I am just a high school student." "Is that supposed to be sarcasm?" "No, I really am a high school student. Would you like to see my credentials?" The other students snicker, and for once I can actually understand why. How could a teacher show up to work not knowing what credentials are and still keep his job? The teacher scowled and shook his head, too embarrassed to admit he forgot about credentials, and promptly changed the subject. *goto 3 *label 3 *page_break Next The teacher began going on a lecture about basic algebraic formulas, going over things that I had been using in practice for years and figured out how to do on paper months ago. Everyone around me seems as disinterested in the lecture as I am. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see a projectile coming towards me. From what I can tell in the split second, it appears to be round and made of paper; I quickly catch it before it makes impact, crushing the paper and feeling for whatever it's wrapped around, only to discover that it's nothing more than a crumpled piece of paper. I deduce that it must be a diversionary tactic, and quickly scan the area for the real attack. No follow-up comes, but judging by the surprised face on the girl at the side of the room, I think it is clear who threw it. She doesn't look like an assassin, with impractical clothes reminiscent of the girls in my first hour and hair long enough to get caught on her own hands, but then again the first thing an assassin would try to do is to not look like an assassin. I can't take anything at face value... *page_break Next After realizing her plan has failed, the girl quickly looks down at her table, apparently trying to avoid eye contact. Poor form, if she really wanted to avoid detection, she should have never been making eye contact in the first place. Trying to avoid it after she's already been detected only makes her seem more suspicious. Also not helping her case is her very distinctive appearance. Her hair is bright red, most likely using some kind of color enhancer. It goes down to mid-way through her neckline before curling inward. Her physique is thin, almost unnaturally so and were it not for the bright peachy color of her skin I would suspect malnutrition. Her attire is also very attention grabbing, being a loose collection of fashionable fabrics of exceptionally high quality, cut at strategic places to accentuate her female attributes. At the sacrifice of any form of practicality. Unfortunately, there are two students between me and the possible assassin. Still, I can take this time to inspect the projectile more closely. Carefully unfolding the paper to avoid triggering any sort of explosives, I discover that it is in fact an ordinary piece of paper. On it are written the words *if (story =true) "for the terrorist" in sloppy penmanship. Considering that they left out the 'ex' in 'ex-terrorist,' I deduce that this girl's intelligence network is either nonexistent and she is grasping at straws or her network is so sloppy that it couldn't possibly be any threat to me. Even so, I might want to follow up on this. *if (example =true) "for the genius" with quotation marks around 'genius.' Odd, I've been called a lot of things, but genius has never been one of them. In fact, other than mathematics, I've been told my academic skills are poor in most respects. This female must be incredibly dull if she thinks I'm a genius in comparison. *if (silence =true) "for the attention whore" with "whore" being written in red colored pencil. I believe this was one of the most commonly used insults on the videos shown to be describing bullying, which means this female was most likely trying to bully me. I decide to wait until an opportune moment to set the record straight. *page_break Next Not long after the paper throwing incident, the teacher passes out worksheets to every student and tells us to work independently until the end of the hour. Afterwards he left the room, and whatever passed for order when he was around quickly devolved into anarchy as any intention on the students' part of doing their work was swiftly abandoned in favor of talking up their favorite contacts. I look at the paper in front of me, intent on fulfilling the mission, but after a minute I've already figured out every single problem without even writing anything. In most cases, it takes longer to write the answer than to solve the problem, so I just set the worksheet aside and turn my attention to the female. *choice #I need to express my displeasure at her actions. Firmly *set met_jessy true *set jessy_stewart_rom +10 The videos regarding bullying varied in their suggested method, especially with how I was taught to act by my tutors, but the majority of them agreed that showing weakness would only encourage bullying behavior which my tutors stated would make them curious about my background, which was to be avoided at all costs. I walk quickly up to the desk of the female in question. She is surrounded by allies, but none of them appear to be any physical threat to me. She remains seated but watches my approach with a type of arrogant superiority. "Didn't think you'd have the nerve to come over here," she taunts, which elicits chuckling from her allies I set the piece of paper on her desk, "Explain this." *page_break Next *if (story =true) "What, they didn't teach you how to read in terrorist school?" *if (example =true) "Aren't you supposed to be some sort of genius? You tell me what it says." *if (silence =true) "You can't read now? I wish I could say I was surprised..." Even I can tell that's supposed to be an insult, "...I was advised to avoid violence." There is something about my response that she finds hilarious. "Just how unstable are you?" "You don't want to find out..." *page_break Next She gets up from her desk and stands in front of me, flanked by her entourage leaning to the side, "Right, you must be one of those military nuts getting ready for the apocalypse! Some crazed psycho jailbird that can't even leave the house without a bazooka, and tries to act all macho to make up for the fact that the only attention she's ever gotten from a guy was from her dad!" She jabs a finger into my chest for emphasis *choice #[i]Too close! *set violent %+20 *set nojessy true *set jessy_name "Jessy Stewart" *set incidents +1 *set third_incident true *set jessy_stewart -10 *set jessyhostileforlife true *set jessyrelationship "Hostile" I quickly grab hold of her wrist and lock it against my shoulder, pulling her off balance and giving me control of her arm. With my other hand I grab her by the back of the head, using the hair as a grabbing point, then kick her unstable footing out from under her, causing her head to slam down on the desk with all the force gravity can muster. Someone screams but that's secondary, my focus is on the girl as she tries to get up. Allowing a potential threat to stand is suicidal, so once her arm reaches up for stability on a desk, I quickly grab her hand and lock it down on the desk, then bring my elbow down on her arm's joint, shattering it. During all this, I am keeping an eye on her allies in case of retaliation but they scatter early on or appear otherwise too afraid to act; in either case, they are no threat. It's less than twenty seconds before an adult rushes through the door *page_break Next *if ((early_incident =true) and (second_incident =true)) "First this morning, then Personal Finance, and now this..." Principal Gardner sighed into his hands as I sit across from him in his office, "Am I going to have to cover for you all day?" *if ((early_incident =true) and (second_incident =false)) "You are making a habit of hospitalizing people..." Principal Gardner sighed into his hands as I sit across from him in his office, "At this point, I have half a mind to classify you as a natural disaster..." *if ((early_incident =false) and (second_incident =true)) "Two incidents on the first day..." Principal Gardner sighed into his hands as I sit across from him in his office, "Should I just give you a summons for every hour, in advance?" *if ((early_incident =false) and (second_incident =false)) "So, you felt the best way to respond to a bully...was to break her arm..." Principal Gardner sighed into his hands as I sit across from him in his office, "Most delinquents work their way up to physical violence..." "You must be aware that she instigated the attack." "I'm sure she did," he sighed, "But that doesn't change anything. You're being held to different standards than everyone else here, you need to exercise more self-control than the average student. Didn't Agent Decker tell you this?" *if (daniel_warden =true) I sigh at the mention of him, "Extensively..." *if (daniel_guardian =true) "Yes, he did..." *if (daniel_father =true) I look down, "Yes..." "Then why do I have to tell you now?" He opened a bottle of aspirin and took a couple, "Now...I put out *if (second_incident =true) another call to Agent Decker, explaining things...he said he would have a chat with young Jessy Stewart's parents, that being the girl you hospitalized...I imagine the CIA will adequately compensate them for their silence...but you simply can't continue on like this and not expect consequences..." *page_break Fourth Hour... *goto_scene 1-7fourth-1 The trip between the principal's office and art class is a short one. #I'm in control... *set explosives -5 She's no threat to me...there are few offensive maneuvers this girl could do using a finger pointed at my chest, and even fewer that wouldn't result in breaking her own finger. I'm fairly annoyed...but not in danger. "I don't have time for this." I'm not sure what is so urgent that my time can't be wasted, but it certainly isn't being spent well talking to this girl Her insults become harsher as I'm leaving, but she's no drill sergeant. There's nothing she can really call me that I haven't already had shouted in my face. Though she does become notably unhinged when she sees her verbal assaults have no effect; I categorize this under potential weaknesses to exploit. *page_break Fourth Hour... *goto_scene 1-7fourth-1 It's a short distance between mathematics and art class. #I need to make sure she isn't a potential threat *set met_jessy true *set jessy_stewart_rom +10 Just because her first attack failed doesn't mean she can't pose a potential threat in the future. I need to assess how much of a threat that is, and that means a direct confrontation. I walk quickly up to the desk of the female in question. She is surrounded by allies, but none of them appear to be any physical threat to me. She remains seated but watches my approach with a type of arrogant superiority. "Didn't think you'd have the nerve to come over here," she taunts, which elicits chuckling from her allies I set the piece of paper on her desk, "You dropped this." *page_break Next *if (story =true) "Very astute! Did they teach you that in terrorist school?" *if (example =true) "No shit, really? Wow, you really are a genius!" *if (silence =true) "Right, and here you are walking all the way here, getting everyone looking at you. Figures." Even I can tell that was supposed to be an insult, "I will not ask that you like me, only that you refrain from future attacks." "Why are you talking all weird? Are you some sort of psycho?" "That is irrelevant to you, since this will be the last time we speak." *page_break Next "Or what?" She gets up from her desk and stands in front of me, flanked by her entourage leaning to the side, "Right, you must be one of those military nuts getting ready for the apocalypse! Some crazed psycho jailbird that can't even leave the house without a bazooka, and tries to act all macho to make up for the fact that the only attention she's ever gotten from a guy was from her dad!" She jabs a finger into my chest for emphasis *choice #[i]Too close! *set violent %+20 *set nojessy true *set jessy_name "Jessy Stewart" *set incidents +1 *set third_incident true *set jessy_stewart -10 *set jessyhostileforlife true *set jessyrelationship "Hostile" I quickly grab hold of her wrist and lock it against my shoulder, pulling her off balance and giving me control of her arm. With my other hand I grab her by the back of the head, using the hair as a grabbing point, then kick her unstable footing out from under her, causing her head to slam down on the desk with all the force gravity can muster. Someone screams but that's secondary, my focus is on the girl as she tries to get up. Allowing a potential threat to stand is suicidal, so once her arm reaches up for stability on a desk, I quickly grab her hand and lock it down on the desk, then bring my elbow down on her arm's joint, shattering it. During all this, I am keeping an eye on her allies in case of retaliation but they scatter early on or appear otherwise too afraid to act; in either case, they are no threat. It's less than twenty seconds before an adult rushes through the door *page_break Next *if ((early_incident =true) and (second_incident =true)) "First this morning, then Personal Finance, and now this..." Principal Gardner sighed into his hands as I sit across from him in his office, "Am I going to have to cover for you all day?" *if ((early_incident =true) and (second_incident =false)) "You are making a habit of hospitalizing people..." Principal Gardner sighed into his hands as I sit across from him in his office, "At this point, I have half a mind to classify you as a natural disaster..." *if ((early_incident =false) and (second_incident =true)) "Two incidents on the first day..." Principal Gardner sighed into his hands as I sit across from him in his office, "Should I just give you a summons for every hour, in advance?" *if ((early_incident =false) and (second_incident =false)) "So, you felt the best way to respond to a bully...was to break her arm..." Principal Gardner sighed into his hands as I sit across from him in his office, "Most delinquents work their way up to physical violence..." "You must be aware that she instigated the attack." "I'm sure she did," he sighed, "But that doesn't change anything. You're being held to different standards than everyone else here, you need to exercise more self-control than the average student. Didn't Agent Decker tell you this?" *if (daniel_warden =true) I sigh at the mention of him, "Extensively..." *if (daniel_guardian =true) "Yes, he did..." *if (daniel_father =true) I look down, "Yes..." "Then why do I have to tell you now?" He opened a bottle of aspirin and took a couple, "Now...I put out *if (second_incident =true) another call to Agent Decker, explaining things...he said he would have a chat with young Jessy Stewart's parents, that being the girl you hospitalized...I imagine the CIA will adequately compensate them for their silence...but you simply can't continue on like this and not expect consequences..." *page_break Fourth Hour... *goto_scene 1-7fourth-1 The trip between the principal's office and art class is a short one. #I'm in control... *set explosives -1 She's no threat to me...there are few offensive maneuvers this girl could do using a finger pointed at my chest, and even fewer that wouldn't result in breaking her own finger. I'm fairly annoyed...but not in danger. "I've already told you all you need to know. This will be the last time we have a confrontation like this again, there will be consequences. Keep a safe distance." Her insults become harsher as I'm leaving, but she's no drill sergeant; the girl is out of her depth, and if she is smart then she'll realize it before I am forced to do something drastic. *page_break Fourth Hour... *goto_scene 1-7fourth-1 It's a short distance between mathematics and art class. #I need to at least make the effort to be friends *set met_jessy true *set jessy_name "Jessy Stewart" *set firearms -1 *set tactics -1 *set combat -1 *set jessy_stewart +10 *set jessy_stewart_rom +10 *set befriendjessy true *set jessyrelationship "Awkward" It is part of the reason I'm here, after all I walk quickly up to the desk of the female in question. She is surrounded by allies, but none of them appear to be any physical threat to me. She remains seated but watches my approach with a type of arrogant superiority. "Didn't think you'd have the nerve to come over here," she taunts, which elicits chuckling from her allies I set the piece of paper on her desk, "You have nice handwriting." I lie; Daniel said people wouldn't like me if I told the truth all the time, so it was safer to tell people what they wanted to hear *page_break Next "...The hell?" "I wanted to tell you that your handwriting is very nice." She appears to be completely taken by surprise, "Uhm...thanks, I guess...wait, what's your game?" "I am hoping to have a friendly relationship, or at least one that is non-hostile. I do not wish to fight anyone. My name is ${fullname}." "...Jessy Stewart." One of her friends chuckles and the girl is broken from her trance by the sound; everything goes back to how it began, with insults ranging from vague to direct, and I eventually decide that I've made as much progress toward friendship that I'm going to get here. At least now I know her name is Jessy They're still jeering at me when I leave. But I still remember that moment of hesitation she had on her face. *page_break Fourth Hour... *goto_scene 1-7fourth-1 It's a short distance between mathematics and art class. #I need to avoid talking to her, confrontation can only lead to trouble *set ignorejessy true I'm supposed to be here to start a new life, and I can't do that if I'm always getting into fights. All I really have to do is keep my head down and focus on my school work. Ignoring the taunting look she is giving me, I redirect my attention back to the school work in front of me and go about the tedious task of writing down everything that I had figured out in my head. It took a minute to figure it all out in my head. It takes far longer to actually write all that down; pencils still feel awkward in my hand. I have no idea how these other kids are able to write so fast with such a clunky utensil. It takes so long that by the time I'm finished the bell is ringing. *page_break Fourth Hour... *goto_scene 1-7fourth-1 It's a short distance between mathematics and art class.