A/N - This takes place in a boarding school. There are years 1 - 4, and the age ranges are 14 - 17. Main characters are in year 3, and are either 16 or turning 16 . Enjoy!

Possessionless

Chapter 1 - I Don't Like Rain

December Rain was mad. No, scrap that. December Rain was furious. She marched into the study hall leaving a trail of quivering students in her wake, and those who were thinking about entering after her reconsidered their options. While her eyes searched the room, December’s small hands clenched into fists. Setting her sights on the only student not smart enough to run away or look completely disinterested in her after she entered – a second year boy, blinking stupidly and looking like he’d just popped out of his mothers womb – she strolled over and pulled him up by the collar of his shirt until his nose was almost touching hers.

“Do you,” she began calmly, “know why it is raining?”

The boy stared at her with a blank look on his face. “Um…”

“Wrong answer!” December threw him down, and this time he was smart enough to run out of the hall. “Honestly! It’s bloody summer! Summer means sun! And swimming! And no rain!” she ranted, not caring that the room was void of anything that breathed. She didn’t care – the walls would listen to her. “I want to swim! And get a tan! And breath fresh air without almost drowning! Argh!” Throwing herself onto the couch, December stared gloomily at the rain pounding on the window.

“Uh, December?” Her friend, Jono, tentatively poked his head around the door of the now vastly populated study hall. “You know –“

“Bugger off! I’m moping.” She pouted.

“Yes, but-“

“Do you like being thrown out windows, Johnny-boy?”

Jono flinched and unconsciously pulled his arms around his abdomen as he left the hall quickly.

“Uh, Cem?” It was Pia this time.

“…yes, Pia?”

“Well, what Jono was trying to say was, um, it’s actually autumn…”

“…”

“And, you know, we live in England.”

“No, really?” December glared at the slightly older girl.

“It rains a lot in England –“

“Well thank you, Captain Obvious, for clearing that up!”

“You can’t punish everyone around you for the rain. They didn’t make it rain.”

“Yes I can, and how do you know? For all you know everyone could be secretly out to piss me off and decided that making it impossible for me to enjoy the first few weeks of school would be great fun!” December threw her arms in the air, grinning when Pia didn’t flinch away from her.

“You know that’s not true. Besides, surely no one is stupid enough to annoy you on purpose.” Pia paused, realizing she might be putting to much faith in the intelligence of a bunch of teenagers who’d only just come back to school after being on holiday. “Oh, never mind, there’s more than one stupid person around.”

“Oh? So you admit I’m not overreacting?” December calmed down slightly and patted the empty seat beside her.

Pia shook her head. “Of course you’re overreacting – but you wouldn’t my December Rain if you weren’t.”

“Oh yes, I do have a remarkable temper, don’t I?” said the small girl, sounding as if she was more than slightly proud of that fact.

“Oh yes, I doubt even the Mafia Lord of Italy himself could face you when you’re in a mood!” Pia said in an awe-filled voice, “I bow down to the master!”

“Good thing he isn’t around anymore then, aye?” December giggled, watching as her friend bowed over exaggeratedly before taking the seat beside her.

“Oh, sure.”

“Come on, I’m bored. Let’s go for a walk!” December jumped up and held out her hand expectedly.

Pia stared at it and sighed. “But I just sat down!”

“Too bad, up you get – oh, wait, just let me leave something for those who dare to venture here to see if the ‘scary monster’ is still around.” December quickly scribbled something on a spare piece of parchment before going out the door. “I’ll wait for you outside, but hurry up!”

Pia sighed again before making an effort to get up. Chuckling as she read what December had left for their fellow schoolmates, she followed the younger girl out of the study hall.

“Is it safe yet?” Kieren looked up as Jono re-entered their dormitory after being sent to investigate the wrath of December.

Jono shook his head. “And I don’t think she’ll be calm for a while yet – she threatened to throw me out a window again. Or rather, she asked me if I liked being thrown out windows.”

The four boys in the room looked at each other and started snickering. “I still can’t believe she managed to throw you out that one at the end of last year.” Aiden grinned, running a hand through his straightened hair.

“Yeah – that was the highlight of last year, hands down!” Lee laughed as he replayed the incident in his head.

“Mate, you were lucky we were already on the bottom floor – had we been any higher you probably wouldn’t be here, and our little Cem would be sitting in a cell making faces at the guards!” Justin added.

Jono groaned. “I’d rather have a psycho killer come and attack me with an army of lethal zombies or something, than face December in one of her moods - still, you gotta love her anyway.”

“Well, seeing as we’re gonna be stuck in here for the better part of this gloriously sunny Saturday, who’s up for a round of ‘Truth or Dare’?” Justin asked hopefully.

The other boys looked at each other and shrugged. “Why not?”

“So, how have your first two weeks of your year been?” December asked Pia once they were seated in the covered area of the courtyard staring out into the rain. She could see a couple of insane teenagers running around getting soaked, and giggled as a couple of them slipped and fell.

Pia shrugged, also looking out into the somewhat depressing weather. “Already busy, isn’t it? I mean, every one of the teachers has given us a speech about not slacking off and the importance of this year, as if was our last year not our second last, and have given us so much homework I don’t think the boys will be able to handle it.”

December laughed, noticing that Pia didn’t say that she herself couldn’t handle it. “I know what you mean. And I’m sure they’ll be fine, once they get their act together and study like mad…no, scrap that – Kieren doesn’t study! You’ll have to keep him in line, Pia.”

“Oh, I’m sure I can think of a few things to…persuade him to study,” said Pia and December elbowed her, making a face.

“And I’m sure I can think of a few…situations I don’t want to imagine you and him in!” She pretended to throw up over the side of her seat. Pia playfully slapped her across the head and poked her tongue out. “Oh, well, that’s mature Miss Prefect!” December laughed.

“See if I let you tell me the juicy details of your relationship when you get a boyfriend, then!” Pia huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

December poked her friend through the gap between her two arms, making her laugh and squirm as she found all of her ticklish spots. “That’s alright, Miss Grace, I don’t have my eye on anyone so you don’t have to worry - it’ll be a while before I feel the need to spill the ‘juicy details’.”

Resting her elbow on her knee, Pia placed her chin on her hand and raised an eyebrow. “Really? There’s no gorgeous third-year you like? No? Handsome second-year? Randy first-year? No, ignore that one – way too young, ew.” December laughed and shook her head. “Sexy fourth-year, maybe?”

“Honestly, Pia, there’s no one. And I can’t believe you just said all that. Randy first-year?” December snorted and Pia smiled sheepishly.

“Well, you never know!”

“No, I suppose you don’t.” She giggled again before saying, “Hey, what do you want for your birthday? You’re turning seventeen – almost legal age – I have to get you something good.”

“Oh, I don’t know. You always seem to think of nice gifts, so I’m sure whatever you come up with will be perfect.” Pia smiled when December pouted.

“But I only have until Friday! That’s only just a week.” She thought for a while, before giving up. She’d think of something later. “Come on, let’s head back in. Looking at this rain is depressing.”

Pia agreed and helped December up, laughing at the grimace on her face as water splashed up her legs from the puddle she stepped in.

“I hate rain,” December muttered as they walked back inside, “I really, really hate it.”

“Alright Kieren, truth or dare?” Justin grinned as he picked the first victim.

“Err, truth, I guess.” Kieren grimaced, hoping his roommate wouldn’t think of anything too outrageous to ask him. He wasn’t lame enough to lie, but still...

“Hmm…” Justin looked around the room but the other boys just shrugged. “Alright then, who was the main character of your latest wet dream?”

Kieren groaned and hid his already beet-red face in his hands. Jono laughed. “It’s going to be an interesting answer then, is it mate?”

Kieren mumbled something incoherently into his hands before looking up. “Before I answer this you have to understand that I didn’t want this person there, they just appeared for some reason that I will never understand.”

Justin grinned. “Understood. Now can you answer?”

“…Mrs Whyatt.”

Aiden cracked up. “You’re kidding!”

“Unfortunately not. And for laughing at me I choose you. Truth or dare?” Kieren shot back, his face an even deeper red than before.

“…Dare.”

“Well, I dare you to,” Kieren thought for a moment, “wear a bra stuffed with tissues for the rest of this game and during dinner tonight.”

“Nothing he hasn’t done before, mate.” Justin joked before Aiden whacked him over the head with something that was not so soft.

“I think I can handle that, anyone have a bra handy?” Aiden asked, looking around the room expectantly. Jono grinned, walked over to his bed, and pulled out a sexy piece of lingerie. Aiden took it from him wordlessly, saving his questions for later. The other boys simply raised their eyebrows, which Jono shrugged off with a wink as he handed Aiden the box of tissues he kept beside his bed, helping him stuff the bra until the fake boobs looked realistic and Aiden was able to put his shirt back on. “Alright Jono, truth or dare?”

Jono scrunched up his nose in thought, before reluctantly saying, “Dare.”

“I dare you to go downstairs to the study hall and see if the scary-yet-somewhat-cute-monster-who-throws-six-foot-males-out-windows is still there.”

Gulping slightly, Jono nodded and stood up. The other boys clapped him on the back as he exited. “Nice knowing you, Jono.”

They were almost disappointed when Jono came back up with a grin on his face and held up a piece of paper, which read: Grrrrr! “She’s not there. Lee, truth or dare?”

Lee, looking slightly scared, answered, “Truth.”

“Right then. If someone asked you ‘would you tap Mr. Martin’, how would you answer?” Jono grinned at the other boys who looked surprised at the question.

“I’d say, ‘Sure, I’d tap that – just have him take a bath first,” Lee said without hesitating.

Kieren stared before laughing. “Never saw that coming!”

The other boys joined in. “That’s two things I never would have guessed – Kieren having wet dreams about Mrs Whyatt –“

“Dream, not dreams!”

“- And Lee saying he’d screw Martin if he was cleaner and smelt nicer!” Justin finished.

“Well, I walked into the wrong part of this conversation, didn’t I?” December grinned at the stricken look on Lee’s face as she entered the boys’ room. “Aw, don’t worry Lee. We won’t tell anyone you fancy Martin, will we Pia?”

Pia stepped out from behind December and shook her head. “Of course not. And don’t worry, Kieren – I won’t hold that dream you had against you…if you finish your homework tonight.”

Kieren groaned and placed his face in his hands, again. “That’s bribery, Pia!” he whined.

Slapping his friend on his back, Jono said, “That’s relationships, Kieren!”

Everyone laughed as Pia smiled triumphantly. “Told you I could think of a few things, Cem.”

“I never doubted you.”