*temp kneecap false
*temp ignore false

*set met_lucy true
I wouldn't say the sight of a dead person startled me, but I was fairly confused. Dead bodies aren't the kind of thing one typically finds lying around in a Language Arts classroom. Then again, none of the other students were giving the corpse much attention so maybe reading was much more dangerous than I previously thought.

The body was adult, female, sitting in the teacher's desk with the nameplate "Mrs. Dow" resting on it. The body appeared undamaged, though it wasn't moving and the eyes were shut so my best guess was that poison was involved somehow. Perhaps the students had staged a coup and that was why they were not unnerved by this.
*fake_choice
	#What's the normal thing to do? I'll see if she's alright
		*set humanity +1
		*set tactics -1
		There's always a chance, after all. Maybe she's just sleeping. Besides, I'm supposed to try and be a good person now so I should at least put a little effort into being concerned for another's well-being.

		I approach the desk cautiously, keeping an eye out for any potential threats that may decide I'm next. It's clear that this classroom is a lot more cutthroat than the previous ones so I need to remain on my guard.
		*page_break Next
		Once I'm close enough, I look carefully at the body and check for any signs of life. Ignoring the odd looks I get from the other students, I carefully press my fingers against her neck, checking for a pulse. There's one there, but it's faint; there may be a chance to save her yet.

		"Excuse me...what are you doing?" I look up and there's a girl looking at me

		"It's okay; I'm an expert at emergency cardiopulmonary resuscitation."

		"You mean CPR? Why would we need that here?"

		"Because this person isn't dead yet," I say, though I immediately realize that may have been a grave error. After all, I'm not sure who tried to kill her.
		*page_break Next
		"Of course she's not dead; that's just Mrs. Dow. She sleeps all the time."

		"Sleeping?" Well, it would explain the pulse. Though she's so still that one could assume, indeed one did, that she had just died. Back home we were often trained to remain absolutely still during sleep, but I've never seen someone master it so completely as this teacher. "Very impressive..."

		"Yeah, sure; could you please take your seat? Class is about to begin."
	#I should probably investigate the cause
		Dead bodies are usually something you should pay attention to, if only to figure out what killed them so that you can make sure it doesn't come after you.

		I approach the desk cautiously, keeping an eye out for any potential threats that may decide I'm next. It's clear that this classroom is a lot more cutthroat than the previous ones so I need to remain on my guard.
		*page_break Next
		Once I'm close enough, I look carefully at the body and check for any signs of life. Ignoring the odd looks I get from the other students, I carefully press my fingers against her neck, checking for a pulse. There's one there, but it's faint; there may be a chance to save her yet.

		"Excuse me...what are you doing?" I look up and there's a girl looking at me

		"It's okay; I'm an expert at emergency cardiopulmonary resuscitation."

		"You mean CPR? Why would we need that here?"

		"Because this person isn't dead yet," I say, though I immediately realize that may have been a grave error. After all, I'm not sure who tried to kill her.
		*page_break Next
		"Of course she's not dead; that's just Mrs. Dow. She sleeps all the time."

		"Sleeping?" Well, it would explain the pulse. Though she's so still that one could assume, indeed one did, that she had just died. Back home we were often trained to remain absolutely still during sleep, but I've never seen someone master it so completely as this teacher. "Very impressive..."

		"Yeah, sure; could you please take your seat? Class is about to begin."
	#It's probably nothing
		*set reflex -1
		*temp ignore true
		Nobody else seems to be making a big deal about it so I don't see any reason why I should.

		Setting the body out of my mind, I instead focus on finding the most strategically advantageous seating.
*page_break Next
After I take my seat, the bell quickly rings to announce the beginning of the hour. When everyone has taken their seats,
*if (ignore =true)
	a girl, one of the students, stands up and starts speaking.
*if (ignore =false)
	the girl from earlier stands up and starts speaking.

"Alright, in the absence of Mrs. Dow, I'll take roll; ${fullname}?"
*fake_choice
	#Respond
		Of course, why wouldn't I? 

		"Present."

		The girl nods and checks my name off a list, then does the same with the other students.
	#Remain silent
		*set lucy_stein -10
		I'm not about to announce my presence to an entity that I've never seen before.

		"...${fullname}? Is there a ${fullname} here?" The girl asks the collective

		"$!{he}'s here," I hear the teacher say from the desk,
		*if (ignore =true)
			having miraculously recovered from her untimely demise, or perhaps she was just sleeping after all,
		*if (ignore =false)
			still appearing mostly asleep but looking with a half open eye at me,
		"$!{he}'s right over there; you can cross ${him} off."

		"Okay then..." The girl sighs and checks my name off, casting me an annoyed glance.
*page_break Next
*set lucy_name "Lucy Stein"
"Hello everyone, my name is Lucy Stein, Student Council President. Please refer to me as Miss Stein, everyone does." The girl, this "Miss Stein" stands at the podium as if she belongs there more than even the teacher does. She doesn't seem much older than myself,  having a couple years at the most, yet something about her firm stance makes her seem much older. Her brown hair is nicely and professionally groomed, coming down to shoulder length. Different from other hairstyles I have seen here, that try to attract attention. If this one is trying to attract attention, it is of a different kind. In her sharp green eyes, I see a focus that I haven't seen from anyone else in this school, the look of one who knows exactly what their purpose is and is prepared to fight everyone along the way to achieving that purpose. The gaze of someone very dangerous.

"Seeing as how Mrs. Dow is unable to work today, I'll be taking over her duties." The girl in the nice clothes far more professional than most of the girls I'd seen here spoke with the self-assurance of a decorated commander. She looked over some notes that I noticed her take from Mrs. Dow's desk a few moments earlier, "Now then, the first thing here is to get into reading groups of four or less, the students may choose the groups for themselves."

Before she even finished speaking, students were already rushing to previous acquaintances and before long I was the only one without a group. It was first hour all over again.
*page_break Next
"Are you not able to find a group?" Miss Stein turned her attention to me

"I do not know anyone." I tell her

"Well, I suppose we could form a group of two." Ah, it appears I was not the only one excluded when the groups were formed. Even the stand-in teacher has been rejected.
*fake_choice
	#Let's collaborate
		*set firearms -1
		*set combat -1
		*set lucyrelationship "Cooperative"
		*goto_scene 1-8fifth-3collaborate


	#I prefer to work alone
		*set lucy_stein -10
		*set lucyrelationship "Frustrated"
		*goto_scene 1-8fifth-3alone