The Academy

“I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. You are to listen to her. She’s the boss right now. I don’t care that she only looks a few years older than you. You will listen to her instructions if you wanna stay here,” a red haired man instructs in a stern voice, walking back and forth in front of us.

The words he’s saying flow into my ears but my eyes are directed elsewhere. Off to the left is a man with dark hair. His hands, arms, and parts of his neck are covered with colorful ink. He’s picking at his fingernails. His facial expression reads that he’d rather be doing anything else but listen to a speech I’m sure he’s heard hundreds of times by now. I can’t say I blame him. The whole ‘be intimidated by us’ thing is dumb. Just because they’re teachers doesn’t mean they’re the most qualified to tell us how to be a Killjoy. I’ve been on my own since I was eleven. The only reason I finally came to the Academy was because I heard they had free food and places to sleep at night. It sounds like a pretty sweet deal if you ask me. I’ll stay for a little then head out again.

A commotion amongst those sitting around me pulls me from my thoughts. The blonde, and only female standing in front of us, has finally looked up from the ground.

“Holy Shit!” A guy off to my left exclaims, “She’s got weird ass eyes!”

The female grabs his arm. Her eyes close and open a second later, a completely different color than they were before; gene modifications probably done in the BLI labs. If anything that just puts a huge fucking target on her back. Bored by the whole thing, I go back to watching the dark haired teacher. He still seems un-amused by the whole ordeal.

As the female continues to talk, I pull a pen out of my pocket and uncap it. I’m sure whatever she’s saying now will be repeated a dozen more times before we’re even allowed to start anything. If it’s important, I’ll figure it out. I recently got a rip in my skinnies right over the knee, exposing the flesh. I let the ink of the pen glide over the tanned skin there. Slowly, a rose starts to appear. I add some flames behind it and a few thorns around the base. I only start to pay attention again when I hear a male voice. The red headed teacher has taken over from the blonde, resuming the same kind of pacing as before.

“Yes, before you ask, we do have rules! They are here to protect you, and the rest of us. We are a family, not a herd of animals. You will listen to these rules, and if you don’t, you will be put before the Killjoy court for punishment. That can mean a slap on the wrist, cooking duty, or even expulsion from the school. I’m sure most of you aren’t new to expulsion and punishment.”

Great. I’m almost twenty-one years old and this heard of teenagers could potentially be trying to punish me for not following their rules. Maybe coming here was a bad idea. I’ve been on my own for too long to be around this many people again. I don’t do social interactions…not with big groups. I live off of instinct; an eat or be eaten mentality. I have a feeling that isn’t going to fly around here. Especially not if I try and show up unnamed female teacher. She seems to have some inert need to be better than everyone else.

I snap out of my thoughts as the tattooed male stands up straighter, beginning to speak. “These are your basics.” He says, and gestures to his right. Collectively all heads turn to look towards where he is pointing. There are rows of metal sheds. Each has a white letter painted on it. “Those are your living quarters. The makeshift houses are for upperclassjoys and them only. Get in there by invitation only. Gotta work for it!”

As I shift my gaze back towards the front of the room the male teacher and I make eye contact. I wink at him and get a smirk back.

As the female goes to speak again, a radio attached to her pants sounds, “Party Poison and Fun Ghoul, you’re needed to teach in Block Bravo.”

“They’re on their way there,” she responds quickly. The girl plants a quick kiss on Party Poison’s cheek as Fun Ghoul waits in the doorway, drumming his fingers against the frame. He seems like he’s got a short attention span or maybe the two teachers standing in front of me display just a little too much affection for each other and he’s over it. Once the kissing is over, Party Poison jogs over to the dark haired man. I watch as the one I assume is Fun Ghoul walks out, enjoying the view.

“Here are your major landmarks and buildings, etcetera.” The female’s voice fills my ears again. How much more is there to really tell us? This place isn’t that big. I’m sure everyone can figure out how to get around. We all got here. The Academy is nearly impossible to find, nestled in between two mountains. If we can find our way here we can definitely figure out how to navigate camp.

“Those are the Blocks. Alpha is for weapons training. Bravo for your talents, once you get them. Charlie is for storage. Delta is for physical training in case of rain. Echo and the rest are labeled with their names. Those are for storage, overflow housing, and me and the rest of your teachers personal quarters, and a few other classes you will take.” The female rambles on. Like good little trainees the group nods their head in understanding. “Now that the boys are gone, I don’t have to act as mean.” Our instructor says, and the whole group releases a tense sigh. So she’s one of those girls. I should’ve figured.

“Speaking of the personal quarters, no sleeping with any of us. Sorry kiddies, but it’s unfair to grow a personal attachment to any of us. They are pretty tempting, I know.”

This rule doesn’t sit well with me. How can you control who you find attractive or fall in love with? Besides, eventually most of these kids will be at the same level as the instructors. I guess I’ll just have to stick to my philosophy that some rules are supposed to be broken.

“Another rule, use Killjoy names only. Any questions so far?” the blonde’s voice cuts through my thoughts.

“What if we don’t have one yet?” A boy towards the front of the group pipes up. He sounds young. I bet I’m one of the oldest in this group. “And what’s yours?”

“You don’t have a name yet?” Our instructor says, shocked. “How many of you don’t have names?”

About ten hands go up, all belonging to kids who look relatively young.

“You ten come see me later, I’ll help you with names. Mine? Well, mine changes to protect myself. If you can’t tell, I’m pretty noticeable.” The blonde replies, pointing to her eyes. She blinks them a few times, showing off. She gets a few gasps. I roll my eyes into the back of my head, already over her trick. BLI was very into doing eye modifications. I’d seen every trick in their book before I finally left Battery City. I guess the novelty of it all just kind of wears off after a while.

A voice somewhere in the crowd asks our teacher why her eyes are the way they are.

“That’s a story for after orientation.” A male voice says. I turn my gaze to him. He’s tall and thin, toned muscles rippling under his slightly sunburnt skin. His dirty blonde hair, longer in the front than the back and sides, flops in front of his face as he walks to stand next to the female. “How're you doing Neon?”

“This is Kobra Kid. Say hi Kobra.” Neon, as Kobra Kid calls her, says. The male instructor acknowledges us with a jerk of his head. This motion causes his hair to fall in front of his face again.

“Another rule,” the female says, snapping her fingers to draw our attention back to her. “Always be ready for training. To remember the most important rules, keep this –” she holds up a huge stack of papers – “with you at all times.”

Neon hands a few kids in the front a stack each. Once I’ve got a paper in my hand I read over it:

Killjoy Academy
The top 10 rules to remember and follow at all times:
1) You’ve got contraband? Hide it well.
2) Masks absolutely must be with you at all times.
3) Don’t get caught skipping class.
4) You can have relationships, but please, keep it safe kiddies.
5) You will be issued a ray gun at my and the other administrators discretion.
6) In the event of a raid or a fight, etcetera, you will be expected to defend yourself and your family.
7) No sleeping with your instructors.
8) Try not to complain too much.
9) We will test you here. Your limits will be pushed. Get over it now children.
10) Love the cause. Be the cause. Fight for the cause.

I cross off a few rules I don’t particularly like with my pen before folding the paper and shoving into the inside pocket of my jacket. “So many fucking rules.” I grumble under my breath.

The girl sitting next to me laughs a little. I give her a sideways glance. “What’s funny?”

“Did you expect them to not have rules?”

I turn to look at this girl. She’s got blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail, fringe hanging down across her forehead. As she stares at me with emerald green eyes, her tongue plays with a piece of metal threaded through her bottom lip. “How old are you?”

“Sixteen,” the girl answers back confidently. “You?”

“Twenty; I’m allowed to be pissed off about the rules.”

The green-eyed girl smiles at me, offering me her right hand; “I’m Venom Nightmare…Venom for short.”

I take her hand, giving her a slight smile, “Violet Tiger.”

“Do your eyes change too?” she questions, referring to my yellow-green eyes. I’m sure they look like they’re glowing as the afternoon sun shines into the room.

I shake my head, “I didn’t get that modification; just the night vision version. I’ve basically got cat eyes.”

The girl nods her understanding. “BLI experiment? They gave me poison fangs.”

“Escaped or set free?”

“Escaped.”

I nod. So far I’ve not met another Killjoy that Korse just let go. I wonder if even back then he knew what would become of me.

Before I can say more, the two teachers have started walking towards the door. Those of us on the floor get up and begin to follow them as they travel through the camp. I hang towards the edge of the circle that’s formed around our instructors. I map out my surroundings in my head, eyes flicking from building to building.

Neon, or whatever the hell her name is, rambles on about her time with BLI. It’s pretty much the same set up for any of the ‘lab rats’. One time hearing about it or living through it is one too many; at least in my opinion.


“Time for dinner kiddies,” this gets my attention. “The group that needed names can come with me, the rest of you go with Kobra.”

About ten kids stay with the female. The rest of us follow Kobra Kid towards a long silver building with a green roof. The man stops in front of two swinging doors with little plastic windows in the middle.

“Here’s how getting food in the mesh hall works. You go through the line, grab your can of whatever is being served, fill up a water bottle which is then yours for the rest of the time you’re here, and then sit at tables marked K.I.T. Do not try to sit at a table marked as anything else. If there isn’t enough room for all of you, the leftovers will have to sit on the floor or go out and eat by the fires.”

A few kids nod their understanding. Kobra smiles before pushing the doors open.

They serve Power Pup. I can’t say I’m surprised. It’s easy to get ahold of. Most people will trade it for almost anything. Grabbing my can and a clear, hard plastic bottle, I head over to a K.I.T table as close to the instructors as I can. Party Poison and Fun Ghoul are already sitting and eating together.

Sighing, I pull a bag of buffalo jerky that I’d just about had to sell my soul to get ahold of, out of my pocket. Taking a piece, I tear it into little strips, mixing it into the brown mush in my can.

“I believe that’s contraband,” a male voice sounds from behind me.

“You’ve got to be fucking joking. Food is considered contraband?” I question, not turning around. If someone so much as suggests I give up my jerky I’ll exterminate them.

“Don’t question your instructors.”

I spin around in my seat, smirking when I see a tattooed arm in front of my face. Tilting my head back a little, I look up into Fun Ghoul’s hazel green eyes. He’s got a serious look on his face, but I can see he’s trying not to smirk.

“You don't know the things I went through to get this. I’m not giving it up.”

“This isn’t a good way to start your time at the Academy. If it happens again I’m going to have to punish you.”

I give the instructor a sly smile, “Is that a threat -" I run my tongue over my bottom lip. "- or a promise?”

Fun Ghoul pulls his bottom lip in between his teeth, a sad attempt at hiding another smirk. Grabbing my bag back out, I pull a piece of the dried meat out and take hold of the tattooed man’s hand. I drop the meat into it before curling his fingers around it, letting my touch linger.

“I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to be flirting with me,” I say with a half smile before spinning around in my seat and beginning to eat my dinner.




(Fun Ghoul’s POV)
I watch the blonde girl continue to eat as I sit at the teacher table; chewing on the piece of jerky she’d given me. I can already tell she’s going to be trouble. I’m surprised Neon let her stay, she looks too old to be a KIT. We’d stopped taking in the older ones about a year ago. Most of them have been on their own for too long. They have issues with following rules and taking orders from people who are years younger than them. I secretly hope I get to train with this one. Most of the kids who come through don’t really peak my interest, but for some reason, the second we made eye contact during briefing, I’ve not been able to stop thinking about her.

A small girl approaches the table, temporarily pulling me from my thoughts.

“Uh. Mr. Party Poison. Sir. Uh….the blonde girl from orientation, with the changing eyes? She said to meet you in block Uniform, and uh…um.” She stutters, staring at my best friend. He laughs a bit as the girl shifts her weight quickly from foot to foot.

“Oh don’t call him sir; he’ll get a bigger head than he’s already got.” I say with a smile. Party Poison shoots me a look that says he’s not in the mood. I smirk back at him. “Any instructions for me?”

The girl in front of me hems and haws for a moment, before regaining her composure and speaking quietly, “Uh, get the top five Killjoys, and make them meet us at Block Uniform. I’m not sure what’s happening, but she kept smiling, like something funny was going to happen. I’m gonna go eat now.” She says, and I laugh as she scurries off to eat with a circle of newbies.

“So innocent. Too young for this,” I mumble as Party whistles sharply, getting the attention of Jet Star and Kobra Kid. I hate seeing kids under fifteen here. They shouldn’t have to worry about fighting for their lives. They should be able to be kids. Fucking Korse and his Better Living Industries ruined that for all of them. These kids either run away, trying to make it in the desert, or turn into mindless zombies, controlled by BLI.

“Block Uniform! Now!” Party calls out across the dining hall. Jet a Kobra give a short nod before heading out of the door nearby.

Once he’s done talking I give three, short whistles. Five heads whip around, hands instantly going to their ray guns. I laugh a little at how well we’ve beaten the instincts into them before talking, “Get going to Block U!”

The top five trainees stand up quickly and take off towards the building.

Party and I now hold the attention of almost everyone in the room. I wait for him to give further instructions. He’s always like the uniform part of initiation. I prefer talents. “All new KITs follow Ghoul and I.”

As all the new recruits stand, I find my eyes searching the crowd for the blonde. I spot her as she stands. She’s got a black skull and crossbones stitched onto the back pocket of her jeans. Get your head out of the clouds Ghoul, I reprimand myself, she’s a student and off limits.

“Time to get the newbie’s all joy’d up.” Party says, before heading towards the door. Our new KITs following closely behind. I hang towards the back, trying to collect my thoughts. I’d only ever been drawn to one other person this strongly before. She ripped my heart out, let it cook in the desert, and then stomped on it a little just for good measure. That was almost a year ago. I’m still not even sure I’ve put myself back together yet. How could I be feeling this way about a girl I know absolutely nothing about? Hell, I don’t even know her name. Seeing Block U come into view, I decide I can mull over all of this later. Right now I have to focus on helping these new recruits get the proper Killjoy attire.

“You ready?” Neon says to the newbie’s as they sit on the ground in front of us. They all look a little nervous. Party steps forward, slinging his arm around Neon’s shoulders. Hers snakes around his waist. So much for no public displays of affection. I feel bile begin to form in my throat and swallow hard. Neon being with Party should not affect me this much.

“Welcome to one of the best parts of school.” Party says with a smile. “Everybody wants to look nice on the first day right? Your first day is tomorrow. So, let’s make you all pretty.”

“Single file!” Kobra Kid calls out. The new recruits jump into line. When they are all in a single file line, Party separates boys from girls. It looks like we had about twenty-two boys, and eighteen girls.

“Alright,” Neon starts. “First off you all are going to get showers. Girl’s showers are on my right, boy’s on my left. Three per shower, there are towels hanging inside for each of you.”

The recruits hurry to their respective sides. I’m sure this is the first shower many of them have had in a long while. I remember when we first put in the showers. Dr. Death Defy made a deal with a town nearby and they hooked us up to their Battery City water supply. That was a little over two years ago. Being able to clean up every once in a while is definitely a treat. After training out in the sun everyday the bunks start to smell if the recruits can’t rinse off.

After about thirty minutes the KITs walk back into the room. They’re all in student issued pajamas, black sweats and a black shirt. Neon had taken their clothes to get washed. They should be back in a few minutes. The recruits sit in chairs put out for them as Neon begins to speak.

“Important part of being a killjoy, other than the name, is how you look. Sounds superficial, because it is. BLI tries to take away any part of a person that makes them unique. We’re here to make sure you’re colorful and alive.” She trills at them, and a few chuckle. “So, you’re all getting makeovers. Hair, makeup, clothes, the whole nine yards.”

“Do we get any say in what we look like?” A girl pipes up, the young one from earlier.

“Of course you do. We’re just here to help you. We do have experience with this thing so please ask us for help on ideas if you need them. The teachers and upperclassjoys will be helping cut and color hair as well as pierce and tattoo anyone who wants it done.” Party answers.

And with that we start. The recruit’s clothes have been returned, all nice and clean. After they’ve gathered them up and changed out of the issued items Neon sends them all in different directions.

As I assemble a few tattoo guns and pour various ink colors into little plastic wells I see Neon pull aside the older blonde.

“What’s you name?” Neon questions her.

“Violet Tiger,” the girl answers back.

The name definitely suits her. She’s got purple streaks in her hair. A dark purple biker jacket covers a black tank top with a white rose on it. She’s got on skinny jeans, one leg of them is plain the other is covered in stars. There’s a rip in the knee on the star side. Her feet are covered in dirty looking blue and purple vans; they’ve got tiger stripes on them. She rests her hands on her hips. One is covered in a black biker glove with a few studs on it while the other is covered in ink. She’s extremely thin as well. I can see her hipbones pushing her jeans forward a little. The blonde almost looks skinner than Neon, something I didn’t think I’d ever say.

“You’re older than the rest,” Neon says.

“Wow! Are you a rocket scientist?” There’s that snarky sense of humor. I guarantee it’s going to end up getting her kicked out.

I can see Neon take in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She’s trying to keep from answering back harshly. “How old?”

“Two weeks to twenty-one.”

“How long have you been on your own for?”

“Since I was eleven.”

I watch Neon’s eyes get wide. That’s a long time for someone to be out in the desert for. I prepare myself to jump in if Neon tries to kick this girl out.

“You’ve got a pretty good aesthetic going on right now. Why don’t we re-dye your purple? I’ve got some clothes I think you might like. I’ll bring them over to you while you’re getting your hair done. Feel free to get whatever else you want done. You’re welcome at the Academy for as long as you’d like to stay.”

I see Violet Tiger smile as Neon before heading over to one of the dying stations. I’m actually surprised Neon was so nice to her. Usually, our female teacher doesn’t take a liking to any of the female recruits. I think she sees them as a threat to her position.

A dark haired boy with green tips sits down in front of me. I flick my eyes from Neon to him. “Whatchya want?”

“Hellfire across my fingers,” he answers back with a grin.

I nod, beginning to sketch out the design on a sheet of transfer paper. Once we both agree on the lettering I get to work. I can see his eyes water up a little as the needle digs into his skin, depositing the ink. He doesn’t say anything though.

Towards the end of the day most of the kids have left the building, following Kobra Kid to their bunk assignments. I’ve started to pack up when a flash of purple catches my eye.

“Got time for one more?”

I look up into glowing yellow-green eyes. “I’ve always got time for another.”

The girl smiles, before sitting down in the chair across from me. As she shrugs out of her jacket I take a minute and look over her existing tattoos. She’s got a gray scale tiger face covering her left arm from the elbow down. The tiger fades into a rose that covers the entire top of her hand. There is what looks to be a spider tattooed on the inside of her right arm. The words ‘Art is the Weapon’ are tattooed in script across her left collar bone.

“Like what you see?” she questions, noticing my eyes scanning over her upper half.

Coughing, I feel blood rush to my cheeks as my eyes return to hers. They’re haunting, definitely a BLI mutation. I wonder if she’s got any others. “What’d you have in mind?”

The blonde pulls her leg up to her chest. She’s got a pen drawn rose on her knee with some flames behind it. I hide a smile, knowing I’m going to get to work with her after talents are revealed. There’s no way that she’s got a better talent than drawing. “Can you do that?”

“On your knee?”

She nods, fiddling with the new metal ring that is going through her right nostril.

“It’s gonna hurt like hell.”

She shrugs as I replace the needles in one of my guns, dipping it in black ink.

As I begin shading Violet Tiger pulls out her bag of buffalo jerky. She takes a few pieces out and places them on the table before shoving the bag back into a pocket of her jacket. She tears one of the pieces in half, sliding it towards me. I grab it and put it in my mouth, chewing as I continue on with the tattoo. Besides a few girls who stuck around to get their make up done by Neon she’s the only new recruit left.

“You are going to get in trouble if the other teachers see you have that,” I say once I’ve finished chewing.

“Naw. The female…Neon, if I remember correctly, seems to like me. I have a feeling all of you are just falling over yourselves to make her happy.”

“You’re quiet the observer,” I respond with a smile, knowing that what she just said is true. Neon Sun is kind of our kid. She’s the youngest teacher we’ve got. Also, her modifications make her an essential member of the Killjoy team. If we lost her we’d have lost our most valuable weapon.

“What’s the back story there?”

I raise an eyebrow, as I wipe off her tattoo, handing over a little vile of lotion for her to keep it moist with.

“Don’t play dumb. I see that way you look at the two of them. Did you date her or something?”

I frown. This girl’s ability is not coming in handy for me at all. The last thing I want to talk to her about is my past relationship with Neon. “We almost got married. I fucked up. She’s over me now. Ran right into the arms of my best friend.”

“That’s rough man. Well, thanks for doing that. I’m sure I’ll be around for a few more eventually. Time to go see what sorority house I got into,” she says with an eye roll, obviously not thrilled about having to live in the KIT housing. I can’t say I blame her.

Laughing a little I watch her gather up her jacket and cloths that Neon gave her and walk over to Kobra Kid who’s standing in the door way.

“She seems to like you,” Neon observes as I head over towards her, Party, and Jet Star. Party Poison puts his arm around Neon’s waist, pulling her closer to his side. I roll my eyes. He feels this need to prove that she’s his and to shove it down my throat. I think it’s actually kind of pathetic. Is he really that insecure in their relationship?

“Get it out of your systems. I won’t watch.” I sigh, knowing that they’ve been dying to make out with each other since this morning. Neon’s eyes are a pink color, it’s a dead give away of her lust. Neon giggles like a teenager.

“We know you like to watch.” she teases. “C’mon Frankie, I know you do. We caught you.”

“It was once! And I needed to ask you a question! Also don’t use my name Neon. We agreed.” I answer back, wondering when she’s gonna let that one go. Party grabs onto her hips, pulling her closer to him. “Just do it already.”

I turn my back to them, trying to block out the sounds of their mouths moving together.

“Ghoul, it’s safe to look,” Neon’s voice sounds. Turning around slowly, I let out a sigh of relief when I see they’re standing next to each other, holding hands. Party’s got a smug grin on his face, like he got the last piece of cake. I roll my eyes at him. He’s letting this girl drive a wedge between us and frankly, I’m kind of over it. We used to be best friends, completely inseparable, now I'm lucky if he's even civil to me.

Rolling my eyes I push past them, heading towards the blocks. As I walk I smoke; enjoying the slight head buzz I get. I’ve got a lot to think about tonight and an early wake up call. I might as well start now.

Notes