Physic girl!

Hi, I've had a lot of block, but I'm slowly getting back on form! Err, not much to say, just that about ninety nine percent of this (except Jéscika and Amethyst) is based on the situation at St Catherine's school near popes grotto, and, basically, I'm using this as an excuse to get my revenge. Apart from being cathartic for me, I hope you enjoy this chapter. And yes, Dr Romeres is in fact based on my real Physics teacher, and no, I am not exaggerating they way she speaks. She really did speak like this. Trust me.

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As Amethyst approached the classroom, she realised that the usual thong of gossip mongers and class popular kids standing around and shouting was bigger than usual, more people standing around and taking part in the raucous. She sighed, her heavy bag on her back and walked into the classroom, right past the rabble and down at her desk on the other side of the room, taking out a notepad and a book to read to pass the few minutes before registration.

Jéscika sat on a chair around which nearly the whole class stood, trying to get a good look at the new novelty and listened as she answered the questions people threw at her.

'So, where're you from?' Asked a girl earnestly, 'Which school did you go to before here?'

'I was home schooled before I came here,' answered Jéscika quickly.

'Where do you hang out at the weekend?' asked another.

'I either go down to crystals or stay at home with my boyfriend.'

'What's he called?'

'Philip.'

'Is he good looking?' interrupted one girl.

'How long have you been going out?' interjected another one.

'First, he's great looking, second we've been going out for ten yea- ...weeks.'

'So have you just moved around here, or do you go down to Heathen House?' asked one.

'I've lived around here all my life, but I don't go to Heathen.'

'Her Dad runs it.' Interrupted Charlie, 'You moron!'

'No!' exclaimed Jéscika, almost horrified, 'He isn't my dad! My Dad died long ago.' She went somewhat quiet, her confident persona suddenly slipping away as she talked about her parents, 'He died from pneumonia a few years ago and my Guardians look after me now.'

'What about yer mum?' asked a girl called Beryl.

'We don't talk about my mum.' said Jéscika, a little coldly.

'Your parents are divorced?' asked Beryl, 'Snap!'

'Were divorced.' Said Suckvinni.

'What?'

'Were, idiot. They divorced, then her dad died, so that makes it 'were'. Don't be so insensitive you stupid bimbo.'

'Bimbo!' huffed Beryl, 'I'm not a bimbo.'

'Look, shut up, I don't care.' Interrupted Jéscika, 'I'm okay with it.' She found herself looking over at Amethyst, trying to plea for help. Amethyst was staring at her, over the top of a book. When Amethyst realised that Jéscika was looking at her, then she looked away, trying to hide her face. But not before the class had an opportunity to gawk at her.

'Hey, what're you staring at?' snapped Beryl.

'Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't feel like getting up to watch the new attraction at this freak show of a school.' Growled Amethyst, looked back down at her book.

'You know what Charlie said earlier? That's what she meant.' Said Suckvinni, 'you're a bit of a Freak, aren't you Amethyst!' she shouted across the room.

Amethyst pretended to ignore them, her heart managing to sink to a new low. She bit her lip in the hope of not bursting out into tears. Yes, she knew she was a freak, but they didn't have to say it! Not only had the one person that she had felt really understood her and she cared about a lot died at the weekend, not only had she discovered that her life had been a lie up 'til now because she'd been adopted, but they had to shout that at her. Feeling her big Purple eyes burning with tear, she blinked them back and swallowed the stone in her throat, feeling like it had suddenly sunk to the pit of her stomach. She tried to concentrate on the book, but her ears and neck slowly burning she listened on.

'See what we mean?' repeated Suckvinni, 'at least you're normal.'

'Yeah, 'giggled Jéscika nervously, 'Normal.'

'Now girls, sit down' boomed a voice from the doorway. No one except Jéscika turned around, but sunk back to their seats in the same way cockroaches scuttle back to their hiding places when someone turned the light on. In the doorway stood a formidable woman aged somewhere between forty-nine and clinically dead. You could tell she was a chemistry teacher straight away by the acid stains on her hands and the thinning hair. She was either that or the class was having a radiation test later that day. Her clothes were suitably dull and drab, made for covering the body rather than actually doing anything for it. She was tall for her age, which meant shorter than many of the pupils, and sort of squat. Her eyes were large and stared in the same way a prison officer's did. She looked like the kind of person who had an extreme Napoleon complex and was about to shout something which ended with the phrase "....causing the end of life itself!"

Surveying the room the woman barked, 'you can't have more than four people sitting at a table! ' At the table where Chantal, Charlie, Suckvinni, Rejenmie, Beryl, a couple of girls who's names Jéscika hadn't got and herself sat. 'Move!'

Jéscika saw her chance. She quickly smiled at the rest of the table in a vain attempt to be polite and sat right next to Amethyst. The whole class's head turned to watch in fascinated horror as Jéscika sat casually down next to Amethyst, not a flicker of dismay in her face. In fact, there might, although the class doubted this a lot, have been a glimmer of satisfaction in her face.

Amethyst turned around to look at her like she had just suggested that they partake in some form of illegal act. Jéscika smiled at her and said, 'I said I'd be here, didn't I?'

Amethyst stared at her like Jéscika had suggested that after they partake in this illegal act they should take photos of it. As Jéscika's eyes glanced around she realised that most of the class, apart from the woman she assumed was their form tutor was staring at her as if she had said that she was going to mail the photos with their addresses on to the police after doing the illegal act, which happened to be some form of bestiality.

As if only just noticing her the teacher turned her head mechanically and said, 'ah, you must be our new pupil, Jessica Garret.'

'Jees -see- ca.' sighed Jéscika.

The teacher didn't know what to make of this, so she ignored it and continued. ' I welcome you to this school and hope you enjoy your time here.' As if she were reading it off a script, 'Now introduce yourself to the class.' Jéscika cleared her throat and was about to speak when the teacher shouted, 'Stand up so everyone can hear!'

Jéscika stood up nervously and coughed before saying, 'well, I met most of you this morning, but my name's Jees-see-ca Garrett and I live around here. I came to this school because this is my exam centre place, but before I came here I was home schooled. So no one feels uncomfortable, yes, my parents are dead, but my guardians, Solange and Bennett, are looking me after. They're nice enough, and I might have a get together after the exams with you guys after the exams.'

Jéscika sat down and the classroom fell silent.

'Come on girls!' shouted the teacher angrily, 'Jessica has made herself vulnerable in from of all of you, the least you can do is clap.'

'It's okay.' Said Jéscika quickly, 'Don't worry Miss..?'

'Miss Aldifferges,' answered the woman.

'Right, Miss Aldifferges.' Said Jéscika, committing the name to memory and putting it on her metal list of People Who Are Going To Cause Some Sort Of Trouble In The Future (which had suddenly grown very long in the space of an hour).

'I'll just take the register and then we'll go to lessons.' Said Miss Aldifferges.

Jéscika looked at Amethyst who was still staring at her. 'What?' she asked.

'I thought that Solange was your mother.' She said, and then turned her head away from Jéscika looked across the classroom, refusing to speak another word to her. Jéscika, becoming more irritated with the girl by the moment, tried to get her attention by coughing loudly, which the part of the class she'd been talking to lapped up, whooping with joy and laughing every time she did it, thinking she was trying to amuse them. Amethyst rolled her eyes and let the pupils fall down to the floor, as if ignoring her.

As Amethyst listened to the roll call, the stupid girl she'd met at the hospital, obviously trying to get attention from the rest of the class as she pretended to cough her way through registration. Amethyst, not wanting to give anyone from that group any sense of satisfaction, ignored her, clucking her old broken bag with her fingers, feeling her nails bite though the already ripped cloth in frustration. Why couldn't she just hurry up? Just get registration over and done with, and then send them down to lessons where they would tell them that they were failing everything and just leave?

As Amethyst heard the last name read out, she wrenched the bag, almost breaking the strap in half and stormed out as fast as possible, her feet slipping and sliding in the oversized shoes she wore. Jéscika stormed after her, but was lost in the crowd that Amethyst, even with her tatty old bag, half destroyed uniform, bright red hair and purple eyes manages to disappear into.

But Jéscika ran through the crowd, pushing past several teachers in the process and shouting at the top of her voice, 'Hey! Amethyst, wait!'

Amethyst kept walking. Jéscika or whatever her name was, well, she'd know where her loyalties lie in a few days, and wouldn't be following her around like this. The only reason Amethyst could see for anyone following her was a/ they wanted her homework or b/ they didn't have anyone else.

'Hey! Amethyst, you ran off like that and I couldn't keep up!' shouted a voice behind her. She looked around into Jéscika's vaguely grinning face.

Amethyst, annoyed and not in the mood for games snapped, 'Look, why the hell do you want to hang around with me? Go join the group where you belong!' Then Amethyst, swinging her overly heavy bag around dangerous walked off without saying another word, leaving Jéscika at the bottom of the stairs seething with unbridled fury. How dare she say that she should hang around with losers? What right did Amethyst have to say that she was a loser like those people who she'd met this morning? Did that girl think she was too good for her?

She heard Charlie walk past and say to her, 'she's right. Don't hang out with a geek like her. If you wanna be anyone in this school hang with us. '

'You mean you're the popular kids?' asked Jéscika, genuinely surprised.

'Yeah, ' shorted Charlie, 'She's a loser.'

'So you mean.'

'You haven't got it yet? ' Asked Charlie, 'She knows you're too good for her.'

'Why?' said Jéscika, not comprehending the higher-archcy that existed in secondary education. She swore that if she ever worked out what the hell was going on she'd have to find out what it actually meant.

'Because you're cool enough to come into school with blue hair dye in your hair and you're generally like me and my mates. Not like a loner like Amethyst.'

Jéscika was silent for a moment, raising her hand slowly to her face as she bit her wrist. So that was why. Amethyst thought that she, a half blood, was better than one of the Kathaerodous' herself. Jéscika didn't understand it, but right now she knew she had to fall out with the group she had so suddenly charmed.

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It was probably half way through the first lesson of Physics when Jéscika arrived at the classroom. Not only had she got lost about three times, but also she didn't know her timetable, as before she hadn't really had one. The concept was foreign to her, like wearing an itchy, irritating uniform made of low-grade polyester. Jéscika thought that if it were any lower grade it would actually be plastic.

The classroom was decedent. It smelt of acrid dust, old batteries and charred metal. The equipment kept on the shelves was falling apart and could be found in the history books, and that was just the batteries. The place had various colourful pictures on the wall, but they seemed unnerving for the same reason clowns are. You know the hateful truth behind them, and you know that the were lying when they made such mind washing statements as 'Physic's is fun' and the less likely statement of 'Physic's has improved your life.'

She crept into the classroom silently and waved at Amethyst, who still seething underneath, sat at the back all alone. She had put her bag on one of the seats, so no one could sit next to her. As Jéscika slunk in, she heard a voice screech, like the very bird of hell that feasted upon the dead remains of human flesh, 'Girl! Why are you late!'

'Excuse me?' asked Jéscika, stunned. The woman stood behind the desk was middle European, with and extremely strong accent that wasn't exactly place- able to any particular place except difficult to understand.

'Girl, why are you late to my lesson?'

'I got lost.' Said Jéscika slowly and loudly, not really sure what the woman was going on about. Using outrageous hand gestures and using the voice English tourists tend to use on the local when they go on holiday, 'I'm meant to be in Physic's, not this lesson....'

'Girl, this is Physic.' Sighed the teacher, 'Sit down.'

'Okay....' said Jéscika, a little nervous, but otherwise confused. She stood in the middle of the room for a few moments before she said, 'where?'

The class burst out laughing. The teacher, having had her patience and understanding surgically removed by previous pupils spat, 'Sit down, sit down!'

'But.....'

'Girl, you shall have order mark...'

'But.....'

*You should sit next to me* said a voice in her head, which made her jump, *I'll fill you in.*

Jéscika looked around. Amethyst was still ignoring her, and every set of eyes, apart from Amethysts, was fixed on her. As she turned to her right, she saw it. There was a girl their, with dark brown hair, and blue eyes like the Antarctic Ocean. It was on that moment she realised what she saw. Another half-blood Psyxen. Jéscika had never seen another one in her whole life, and as she apologised to the teacher vaguely, she sat down.

'Hey,' said the girl, holding out her hand, 'I'm.....'

'Caraline.' finished Jéscika, 'I'm Jéscika, but I suppose you already know that.'

Caraline nodded. As the teacher went back to work, copying something onto the board Caraline said, 'this is Dr Romeres, she's okay, but isn't too good at English. If you don't understand the notes I wouldn't ask her about them, unless you want a detention.'

'Thanks.' Said Jéscika, getting out her notebook and copying some of the notes Caraline had already written out, 'I was wondering what an Elephant shoe was.'

'Heh. That's a running joke now.' Said Caraline, 'along with the Stiletto shoe and the fact that none of this makes any sense.'

'I have a funny feeling I don't want this explained to me.' Said Jéscika.

'True.' Answered Caraline. 'So why're you here?'

'Um, I was home schooled, but my guardians wanted me.....'

'You're lying.' Said Caraline Calmly, 'you're here because you know something very important about one of the pupils, I'm assuming its not me, and you're trying to get to her before someone, I think this is Rex the Lord of the Retreat you're thinking about, gets her.'

Jéscika looked astounded. 'Well, yeah.'

Caraline started to copy down some more notes. Jéscika did the same, although she didn't really have any to copy. After a few minutes of silence Jéscika asked, 'Caraline, why the hell is someone so gifted in though speak here?'

Caraline looked away, 'It's because I'm only half Psyxen. They didn't think I'd be able to do the full course at a Psyxen school, so my foster parents sent me here. '

'You were left as a baby.' Said Jéscika,' you were left at an adoption centre in Wealtham, on the same day as......as Amethyst. ' Said Jéscika.

'So is this what its about?' asked Caraline, 'Something's wrong with Amethyst?'

'Do you know her well?' asked Jéscika.

'Girl, stop talking!' Shouted Mrs Romeres in a shrill voice, 'girl, you get another order mark!'

*Shall we switch? * Asked Jéscika.

*Yes. * Replied Caraline as the teacher filled out another order mark. Then, turning back to Jéscika she asked, * what is it about Amethyst that caused you to come to this dump? *

*Humans raised you, do you think you'd understand? * Asked Jéscika.

* I'm half blood, not stupid * answered Caraline, *so tell me! *

*Well, I don't know how to say this, but do you know of the prophesy of Huavi? *

*Oh no.* thought Caraline, the blood rushing from her face, *You don't mean......*

Jéscika nodded.

*Oh no, Amethyst's in danger! * Thought Caraline, * Why didn't I know? *

*Maybe it was the human in you. * Said Jéscika, *I couldn't believe it when I first saw her either. *

*And they treat her like dirt! * Raged Caraline, *they treat her like she's a dog, and if she is who you say she is, they should be on bended knee! Jéscika, how can she be one of the Kathaerdous' when she allows herself to be treated like that! *

Jéscika shrugged her shoulders, * I don't know. Maybe that's part of the deal. *

Then, to disturb their thoughts, Dr Remeres' voice shrieked, 'Girl, do experiment on board! Girl, you will write up experiment for rest of lesson and for homework....'

'Um, Miss' said Amethyst, putting up her hand, 'we don't have homework tonight.....'

'Ammeetist, stop talking!' the woman snapped, 'you will have order mark for that!'

'Okay,' Amethyst muttered under her breath.

'Also, you work with Caraline and new girl!'

'Jes-see-ca!' Jéscika yelled, 'The name's Jes-see-ca. '

The teacher, ignoring Jéscika turned around and started to mark some other work. Amethyst slowly shuffled to Caraline and Jéscika's table, 'Hi.' She said quietly, 'Look, I'll just do the experiment; get it over and done with. You two can go on with whatever you want to do.'

'Hey, I need some practise, I want to connect the circuit!' said Jéscika.

'Are you sure? Most people want me to do their work for them.' Said Amethyst, genuinely surprised.

'I'm not most people, now, what the hell is the circle with the cross in it?'

'Um, a light bulb.' replied Amethyst very quietly, 'Are you sure you're in this class.........'

'Yeah I'm sure' breezed Jéscika, 'Now, what are the straight lines.........'

'Wires.' sighed Amethyst, 'and the two lines mean batteries and the other symbol means a variable resistor.'

'Cool,' said Jéscika, flicking her blue hair out of her face, 'what's one of those do hickies?'

Amethyst sighed. 'Just.........just get some wires and I'll get the batter..........no, on second though, Caraline, you get the good batteries, Jéscika, can you get the crocodile clips and I'll get the resistor.'

'Okay?' said Jéscika nervously,' where are the wires?'

'Where that pile up over their is starting,' said Amethyst as she walked away, 'just go. You'll be able to get the good batteries, um.........' she walked off, as if embarrassed.

'You'd never think it, would you?' said Caraline, 'She doesn't even seem that nice.'

'You never talked to her before?'

'No.' said Caraline simply, 'I'm having a hard enough time here without, and, well, being seen with her. I might have well have just told them what I am.'

'I don't like it, but for some reason I think I can see why she's unfriendly.' said Jéscika, not moving, 'But I need her trust.........'

'Why?' said a voice behind her. Jéscika spun around to see Amethyst holding what looked like a malformed iron bar with cables and bits sticking off it, 'Look, what do you want from me? If you want to play a joke on me, fine, I'll go along with it, I don't need to trust or believe you, I just have to do as you say. Want the notes from my course, they're all yours, if you can be bothered to copy them, but you don't need to pretend you like me or we have some connection between us, because we don't. '

'Has it ever occurred to you that people might actually like you?' Snapped Jéscika.

'No, because no one gives two damns about what happens to me.' said Amethyst, raising her voice, 'No one in this Goddess forsaken dump could give a damn about what I feel, or want.' Amethyst suddenly looked so small and dejected, as if her natural spark of hope had suddenly been lost in that moment, 'just, just leave me alone.'

Jéscika, to anyone else in the world, might have just screamed at her, or might have given her a piece of her mind, but she couldn't. She just couldn't, no reason why, she just couldn't. Amethyst had just gone over to the wires, trying to salvage what was left of them, as she heard a voice shout, 'I can't!'

'What?' glared Amethyst.

'I can't just leave you alone!' said Jéscika. The class surreptitiously tried to listen into their conversation as Jéscika looked at her, her face completely serious and sorrowful, 'Amethyst, what if I told you that I like you?'

'I, as everyone else in this room agrees, would say you're a liar.'

'I wouldn't.' said Caraline.

Amethyst just looked at her. 'You can't. You can't like me. No one likes me, ask anyone here, and they will say they don't like me.'

'I wouldn't.' replied Jéscika, 'and neither would Caraline. '

Amethyst didn't say anything. She couldn't take this. First Uncle Terry died, and then her life went down the plughole, now this? These people blatantly lying to her? How can they say those things with such straight faces? How dare they be allowed to? How could they torture her like this?

The class looked almost taken aback at Jéscika's rebellion. How could this stranger be as dim-witted as to jeopardise her future? Didn't she know who Amethyst was? Didn't she know that being her friend was dangerous?

Amethyst gasped for air, her mouth opening and shutting like a fish, desperate to breath. Carline gave Jéscika a look as if to ask, I would? Jéscika nodded and said, "Amethyst, just give it a try. I'm not all that bad. Terry didn't think I was."

Amethyst's eyes looked at her as if her heart was about to fall out of her chest and fall out onto the floor, but her face reflected none of this. There was a second of doubt when Amethyst looked into her face, searching for any deceit, but found nothing. Amethyst blinked, her mind almost made up about the almost stranger. It was before she had time to make a conclusion that a voice like fingernails on a blackboard screeched "Girl! What are you doing? You no work, do work!"

Jéscika felt physically ill at the woman's mistreatment of the English language. The rest of the class drifted back to their places, muttering about Jéscika and Amethyst. Jéscika and Amethyst, standing as still as statues stared at each other as if they were trying to work out what had happened.

"Girl! Do as Say!" shouted Mrs Romeres again. Jéscika and Amethyst looked away and went back to their work. Whatever they might have said had disappeared. Amethyst said nothing for the next lesson and Jéscika uncomfortably tried to start conversations. Everyone was glad when the bell rang for break.

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