*temp story false *temp example false *temp silence false *temp honest false *temp compliment false *temp ignore false 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. The person next to me softly placed a note on my desk; I look at him but he's gone back to pretending to listen while tapping his phone. Espionage tactics then, whatever's in this message must be important. I carefully unfold it, and the note reads "How's my look?" With a number line beneath it ranging from 1 - 10. *page_break Next I look at the messenger, completely at a loss as to what this code is supposed to mean, and he gestures to a female at the side of the room smiling at me. Upon realizing she has my attention, she faces forward again and stretches her arms up. 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 phisique 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. Apparently this note is supposed to be from her. *fake_choice #I give her my honest opinion *set annoyjessy true *set honest true I begin writing, as awkward as it is as I still haven't gotten used to the feel of a pencil in my hand, "Hair is too long, going to get caught on something or block your field of vision, easily pulled during combat, massive tactical disadvantage. Clothes are too loose, same problem as the hair, they're going to fall off in any case where you have to physically exert yourself. Heels are impossible to run and make quick maneuvers in. Distraction measures are fine, but your breasts are going to fall out of your top if you end up getting into type of physical altercation which will make it harder for you to make quick movements..." After I finish writing my critique, I pass it back to her. From the short distance I watch her as she looks at it eagerly, then as she reads her face becomes confused and finally angry, tossing my helpful advice aside. I guess you just can't help some people. #I compliment her *set met_jessy true *set compliment true *set jessy_stewart_rom +10 *set jessy_stewart +10 I could give her a list of all the major tactical errors she has made with her choice of attire, but all the tutors universally said that I'm supposed to be nice to girls; looking at the number line, I decide to circle the 8 and pass it back. High enough to be a compliment, but not too high so it doesn't seem fake. After she reads it, she looks at me and winks before turning back to her friends. I suppose I passed the social test. #I ignore her *set ignore true *set jessy_stewart -10 I'm supposed to be here to start a new life, and I can't do that if I let myself get distracted by the first person that wants my attention. All I really have to do is keep my head down and focus on my school work. Setting the note on the ground next to me and turning my attention away from her, I redirect my attention back to the teacher and his incredibly boring lecture. Not long after the paper 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, *if (ignore =true) but it's not like there's anything else occupying my time. 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. so I just set the paper to the side and *if (compliment =true) turn my attention to the female making her way towards my desk. *page_break Next She sits on top of my desk looking down on me, making it easy to keep track of her hands. "Hey, so what's your name?" "${fullname}." There's something odd about her voice; she's modifying it before speaking to present a sound that isn't natural for her. It's a crude form of vocal disguise that I've been forced to implement only a couple of times and is very difficult to do effectively. "Funny, I didn't pin you as a ${firstname}..." She places her index finger under my chin and tilts my head upward so that my eyes are looking at hers (though I retain situational awareness with my peripheral vision). There's a similar mechanism at work in her facial features. Stress lines around her mouth and eyes as marks of making an unnatural shape over extended periods of time. Like a mask that she always carries with her. "My name is Jessy Stewart..." *set jessy_name "Jessy Stewart" *set jessyrelationship "Attracted?" *page_break Next "A pleasure to meet you." I lie; so far this encounter has been incredibly stressful, though not unbearable. I can tell with the movements and attention to sensitive areas that she is attempting to seduce me but I cannot for the life of me figure out the underlying purpose. And with how much experience she clearly has masking her true thoughts, I doubt I'll be able to make her slip up and tell me. "I bet it is. *if (story =true) That was a pretty gruesome story you told up there; seriously, I got shivers." She lies again. "It wasn't a story..." *if (example =true) You know, you're a lot smarter than a lot of the other kids here, the way you were able to show up the teacher like that." "It wasn't intelligence, it was easy..." *if (silence =true) What you said up there was pretty funny, you know. For a second, I thought the teacher's head was going to explode." "That wasn't my intention, I'm just a..." "Anyway," she cut me off, "I happen to hear that you're new to the area..." "How did you happen to hear that?" "Word gets around; I can't imagine how hard it is moving to a new place..." She starts touching my face in a way that brings back bad memories of my old employer. "I'm used to moving," I say while slapping her hand away, Not full power, of course, but enough to get my point across. "Oh, are you one of those military kids?" She says without a single moment of hesitation. "...Something like that." "That's just so tragic..." "There are worse things than having to move." "But that must have been so hard for you..." *choice #I don't have time for this *set annoyjessy true *set jessy_stewart -20 *set jessyrelationship "Scorned" "I don't have time for this." I'm not sure how I should be spending my time, but anything has to be better than suffering through this, "Go bug someone else." "Now hold on-" "I said leave." It's clear by her facial reaction that she's not used to be talking to so directly. She seems like she's trying to be angry but is too bewildered to commit fully to it "Well...fine then!" She stomps off back to her seat, and leaves me in peace. I unconsciously mark her as a potential threat for later on, but right now I just enjoy the quiet. *page_break Fourth Hour... *goto_scene 1-7fourth-1 It's a short trip between mathematics and art class. #I guess I'll just have to accept this *set befriendjessy true *set explosives -1 *set reflex -1 No point in making a big deal about this; as long as she doesn't start trying to get me to do target practice or obstacle courses or carry her notebooks, there shouldn't be any causes for complaint. "What exactly do you want from me?" She smiled in a way that was probably supposed to make me feel all warm and fuzzy, but given the context I can't help but be reminded of a land mine disguised as a potted flower, "I don't want anything other than you feeling like this will be the best year ever...tell you what, why don't you stop by my table at lunch? I could introduce you to some of my friends..." *fake_choice #It's a trap *set no_jessy_lunch true "No thank you, I'm perfectly fine on my own." She looks barely even fazed, "Well...in case you change your mind, you'll still be welcome; you can't miss it." #Fine... *set yes_jessy_lunch true "I suppose I didn't have anywhere else to sit..." "Great! I'll be sure to save you a seat; don't worry about finding the place, you can't miss it!" She says goodbye by, bizarrely enough, kissing me on the cheek in a surprise attack and running off. The rest of the hour is spent me trying to wrap my head around what this "Jessy Stewart" is trying to pull on me... *page_break Fourth Hour... *goto_scene 1-7fourth-1 It's a short trip between mathematics and art class. *if (honest =true) turn my attention to the female, glaring at me from across the room. *set annoyjessy true *choice #I need to make sure she isn't going to be a threat *set met_jessy true In my old workplace, we had a very simple way of handling disputes between soldiers. Step 1) Get over it. Step 2) If you can't get over it, kill them. I'm under orders to avoid this line of thinking, but I can't be certain that she has gotten the same memo; if she decides the best way to deal with me is to kill me, I would like to have knowledge of it beforehand. I quickly make my way to her desk, as she glares at me the entire time. She continues to do so after I finally arrive, and it takes a few seconds before I realize she's waiting for me to say something, "You are unhappy with me. Why?" "Why?" She seems dumbfounded at my question, and throws the note at my face, "You're a pig, that's why! You know that's sexual harassment, right? I can have you expelled!" "...You may find that somewhat more difficult than expected. In this case, however, you asked for my opinion and I gave it. Your attire is not practical for a combat scenario." "What the hell does that even mean?! Are you some sort of Commander Crazy?" "...I am not familiar with that term. Are you making up words? I understand teenagers occasionally do that." "Stop talking!" "How are we supposed to facilitate negotiations if you refuse to allow me to speak?" She makes a noise that I can only interpret as her trying to mimic an mentally unstable monkey trying out kamikaze warfare. *page_break Next "Why the hell did you come over here if you're just going to bother me?!" "I wanted to make sure you weren't planning retaliation for whatever perceived wrong you are convinced has been done to you." "Perceived?!" "Your deluded point of view aside, are you planning retaliation?" "I don't know what you just said, but you'd better watch your back! I don't let stuff go easily!" "...Thank you for that information." "Information? Wha- where are you going?!" I ignore her while I head back to my desk, and set my subconscious to work running through all the possible ambush tactics she may employ. I should have a full list by lunch time. *page_break Fourth Hour... *goto_scene 1-7fourth-1 It's a short distance between mathematics and art class. #I need to make an effort to be on friendly terms with the natives *set met_jessy true *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set tactics -1 It only makes sense, seeing as how I'll probably be in the same class as her for the rest of the year then it would likely serve my interests to not be on her hit list. I quickly make my way to her desk, as she glares at me the entire time. She continues to do so after I finally arrive, and it takes a few seconds before I realize she's waiting for me to say something, "Hello." "What do you want, you pig?!" Pig? Last I checked, I was still...biologically human. "I seek friendship." She appears to not believe me at first, "You insulted my outfit! Via note!" "...That was not how I intended for that to be interpreted." I just remembered, the tutors told said the first step to forming relationships was to tell the other person your name, "My name is-" "Stop talking to me!" The girl retreated from the negotiation summit, quickly leaving the room. Before the bell rung, of all things. I look around the room, and the entire class is staring at me, their faces all telling me the same thing. "You suck at negotiating." They could be a little less critical. It's not like I was trained to talk much. Besides, this is hardly a permanent setback. I can just try again tomorrow. *page_break Fourth Hour... *goto_scene 1-7fourth-1 It's a short distance between mathematics and art class. #I need to avoid a confrontation 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 vindictive 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.