The Academy
Leaving
(Violet Tiger’s POV)
“Violet you can’t just leave,” Venom pleads with me as I continue to throw various items of clothing into my bag. I’m not staying here. I’m not going to be told how to behave and what I can and cannot say by some girl who’s probably barely an adult. “Please just don’t over react. Stay a little longer. They can’t keep you punished forever. Besides, at least you still get to see him. I’ll volunteer to sit with you guys during training. Please don’t go.”
I whip around to look at her, getting annoyed by her begging, “Venom, you don’t understand! When this ends is up to a girl who can’t let anyone be happy because she isn’t happy. Our fates our up to some teenager who can’t make up her mind, not just Fun Ghoul and mine but everyone’s. She will never decide that we can be alone because she’s never going to get over him. Not that it matters anyway. I was dumb to think that our flirting was going anywhere. He’s selfish and only thinks about himself.”
A hard slap comes down across my face. For a second, I’m completely stunned. I know Venom has a bit of an anger streak, but I never thought she’d get up the nerve to actually slap me. I feel my teeth start to morph and will myself not to get too angry with the girl. She’s just doing what she thinks is right. Maybe staying at the Academy will work for her, but I’m just not cut out to be here.
“Figure your shit out Violet! I’m not letting you leave over this. You’re my best friend here and I’m not losing you over something as stupid as this. Do you like him or do you just like upsetting Neon Sun? You really need to figure that out. I don’t think Ghoul is going to give a shit about breaking the rules, but you need to figure out if it’s really worth it. I mean for God’s sake, you’ve known him for less than a week!”
I sigh, sitting down on the bed, my head in my hands. Venom Nightmare has a point. Everything around here moves at a warped speed. We’ve been here for maybe four days…it feels like months. Do I really like Fun Ghoul or is it the idea of seeing Neon Sun upset that draws me towards him? Would I get the same satisfaction if I were going after Party Poison?
No, I don’t think I would. Poison wasn’t the face I looked at everyday while I was locked up inside the labs. He wasn’t the one I dreamt about every night. He wasn’t the little voice inside of my head telling me to keep going, even after I wanted to desperately to just give up and die. All that was Fun Ghoul. In some twisted part of my mind I’m convinced that Fun Ghoul is the only reason why I ended up at the Academy. I was drawn to him even before I knew who he was.
I feel like leaving would be better for both of us. Fun Ghoul wouldn’t have any distractions. He could be with Neon Sun if he wanted and she could make up her mind. I can move up into the mountains, act as some kind of scout for the Academy, hiding in the shadows like I’m used to. If Dracs tried to surprise anyone I could run back here and give them a little bit of a head start.
“Hey!” my head pops up as a voice shouts into the block. Turning, I see Lithium Flame and a few other KITs. They all walk over to the bed, eyes set on me. “I heard what happened this morning. How’re you doing?”
“I’m leaving.”
Lithium looks like someone’s just shot his puppy, “You can’t.”
“I have to get up and run thirty minutes earlier every morning. I can’t even do my training properly because I’m no allowed to be alone with Fun Ghoul.”
Lithium Flame frowns.
A boy with dark hair colored purple at the ends, steps forward. His eyes are cloudy, staring off at the wall behind me. His hand comes to sit on my shoulder. I’ve never met him before, but I’ve definitely seen him around the Academy. “Something bad is going to happen. The Academy will need you soon. If you leave the future goes dark.”
I glance up at Lithium, not understanding what’s going on. How the hell does me leaving have anything to do with the future of the Academy? I’m a student. This isn’t making sense. I let out a frustrated sigh before getting up and continuing to put things into my bag.
“Violet, Phantom Bullet is blind but because of that he’s developed the ability to see into the future,” Lithium answers back, taking items of my clothing and dumping them back into the milk crate.
“Well, it’s more like I get a feeling about the events of the future. Right now the feeling is bad but when I consider you being out of the picture all the feelings stop,” Phantom Bullet says.
“So maybe it means that me leaving makes everything better,” I offer, grabbing a shirt out of Lithium’s hand and shoving it into my bag.
Phantom shakes his head, “No I don’t think that’s it.”
Venom has now started to help Lithium. She’s removing various articles of my clothing and shoving them back into the crate. About as quickly as I can walk over and re-grab them they are moving more stuff over.
“Will you guys cut it out! I’m not staying!”
Venom frowns at me again, “You’re being ridiculous. All of us want you to stay. Lithium and Phantom and Latex and Ice wouldn’t have come down here if they didn’t want you to stay.”
“Who the hell is Latex?” I’ve definitely not heard that name around camp. Why would anyone who doesn’t know me come over here and try to get me to stay? That doesn’t even make logical sense.
“I’m Latex…Latex Sunrise. I prefer –” a dark haired boy with a sort of Mohawk glances back at Venom – “Sunrise.”
“Fantastic,” I answer back not really caring. I’ve made up my mind. They aren’t going to change it just because they beg. I don’t even know three of them.
The girl with blue hair, who I’m assuming is Ice, steps in front of me on yet anther trip back from the shelves to retrieve the stuff that Venom and Lithium had put back. “You leaving gives them their way. It just shows them that you’re too weak to do what they’re making you do. So what? You have to run some extra? You’ll just be in better shape.”
For the first time today I don’t have anything to say back. I guess she has a point. If I leave, Neon Sun gets exactly what she wants. I’m out of the picture; she can continue to toy with the emotions of both Fun and Party. If I stay and I push through it’s going to prove that I’m strong. I hand my armful of clothing to Lithium as he passes me. “Fine you guys win!”
(Fun Ghoul’s POV)
The first thing I notice when I walk into Neon’s block is that she’s eating. This is a good sign; maybe she’ll be in a good enough mood to not yell at me over what I’ve got to talk to her about. I know it’s probably crazy, but I can’t help the way I’m starting to feel. I’m falling for this girl just as fast, if not faster, than I fell for Neon. I think that she had been in the camp a total of a week before we started dating.
“What do you want Fun Ghoul?” Neon inquires from her spot on the bed, dipping her spoon back into a container of peanut butter. She definitely had someone make a special run to town for that. We’ve not had a huge supply of anything but Power Pup in a long time.
“Can we talk about earlier?” I stay in the doorway, not wanting to make her mad for coming in when I’ve not been invited. Neon has always been weird about her personal space.
Bright blue eyes land on mine, “Honestly Ghoul, there isn’t anything to talk about. She’s a student. You helped make that rule. We can’t just go throwing rules out the window because it suits you. The whole Academy would fall apart.”
“Neon…” I don’t really have an argument for that. I mean, I’ve got one, but she’s not going to consider it as anything more than me groveling. “She shouldn’t be a student. We all know it. She’s too skilled…too old.”
“She’s not been tested, Ghoul. We’re only a few days into training. We can’t just pull her up to be a teacher. That would look bad. The students talk, rumors would spread like wildfire.”
“So let them spread! Technically, none of the students should know that you and Party were dating but he made that pretty fucking clear by making out with you in front of them.”
“Yeah, well, there’s nothing I can do about that now! Are you upset about the punishment or are you pissed off that I’ve not gotten back with you?”
I let out a groan, “Neon….”
“What Fun Ghoul?”
“Neon, I love you. I’d jump at a chance to be back with you, but you made a point to tell me that we weren’t back together. I don’t know what I can do to make you want to be back with me.”
Neon Sun glances over at me. Her eyes are a green color, tinted with gold. The corners of her lips are pulled down in a frown. “Fun, I don’t know what I need right now. I love you Frank…but I also love Gerard.”
“So I need to move on Neon. If you can’t make the decision, I’ll make it for you,” I answer back, bracing myself for the explosion.
“That isn’t fair. I still love you too, Fun. You can’t just tell me that I’m not allowed to.”
“I’m not telling you that you can’t love me, Neon. All I’m trying to say is that I can’t wait around forever. If you want to be with me, you need to let me know. I spent the last year begging you to take me back. I just want to be happy Neon.”
“Frank, what is it about her?”
I let the use of my real name slide. I’m not trying to start any fights. I just want her to take my opinion into account. Violet Tiger and I exploding at each other in front of the council didn’t really give me any time to explain why I thought the punishment was a little unfair. “She reminds me of a young Gerard.”
Neon lets out a sign, motioning for me to come sit on the bed next to her. I walk slowly, worried about what she’s going to say. Neon Sun has always been a little upset by Gerard and my past relationship. Apparently, Party Poison tends to talk about me a little more than Neon would like. I can’t help that we were able to stay friends.
“You never really got over that one did you?”
“I never really get over any of them, Neon. It’s one of the things I wish I could change about myself. I wish I didn’t still have to care. I wish it didn’t hurt so badly when the people that I’m madly in love with just walk away.”
Neon frowns, probably remembering my indiscretions during our relationship. I was such an idiot back then. I had no idea what I wanted; I fought against my feelings. I didn’t want to accept the fact that I could love that deeply. It was easier to pretend like I didn’t care. My feelings used to scare the shit out of me; they still do sometimes.
“Fun, I want to try us again, but I’m scared. You cheated on me three days before we were supposed to get married,” tears well up in Neon’s eyes. She bites her lip, trying to keep them from spilling over. She has always hated cry in front of people.
Quickly, I’m on my knees in front of the bed, her face resting in between my hands, “I swear to never be that guy to you again. I was an idiot. I had no idea how special you were back then. Seeing you with Party kills me.”
“Do you like her, Fun Ghoul?”
I think about this for a second. There is a possibility I could like Violet Tiger, but I don’t know her well enough to make that decision, not now at least. Besides, even if I did, things could never work out. Violet is a student and I’m a teacher. We would be breaking the rule that I put in place. “Not as much as I like you. I’d chose you over her a million times.”
Neon nods, leaning forward and kissing my nose. “Can you do me a favor?”
“Anything.”
“Will you prove it to me?”
Although I’m a bit taken back by her request I agree with a nod of my head. If it’s what Neon needs then I’m more than willing to do it.
“Violet you can’t just leave,” Venom pleads with me as I continue to throw various items of clothing into my bag. I’m not staying here. I’m not going to be told how to behave and what I can and cannot say by some girl who’s probably barely an adult. “Please just don’t over react. Stay a little longer. They can’t keep you punished forever. Besides, at least you still get to see him. I’ll volunteer to sit with you guys during training. Please don’t go.”
I whip around to look at her, getting annoyed by her begging, “Venom, you don’t understand! When this ends is up to a girl who can’t let anyone be happy because she isn’t happy. Our fates our up to some teenager who can’t make up her mind, not just Fun Ghoul and mine but everyone’s. She will never decide that we can be alone because she’s never going to get over him. Not that it matters anyway. I was dumb to think that our flirting was going anywhere. He’s selfish and only thinks about himself.”
A hard slap comes down across my face. For a second, I’m completely stunned. I know Venom has a bit of an anger streak, but I never thought she’d get up the nerve to actually slap me. I feel my teeth start to morph and will myself not to get too angry with the girl. She’s just doing what she thinks is right. Maybe staying at the Academy will work for her, but I’m just not cut out to be here.
“Figure your shit out Violet! I’m not letting you leave over this. You’re my best friend here and I’m not losing you over something as stupid as this. Do you like him or do you just like upsetting Neon Sun? You really need to figure that out. I don’t think Ghoul is going to give a shit about breaking the rules, but you need to figure out if it’s really worth it. I mean for God’s sake, you’ve known him for less than a week!”
I sigh, sitting down on the bed, my head in my hands. Venom Nightmare has a point. Everything around here moves at a warped speed. We’ve been here for maybe four days…it feels like months. Do I really like Fun Ghoul or is it the idea of seeing Neon Sun upset that draws me towards him? Would I get the same satisfaction if I were going after Party Poison?
No, I don’t think I would. Poison wasn’t the face I looked at everyday while I was locked up inside the labs. He wasn’t the one I dreamt about every night. He wasn’t the little voice inside of my head telling me to keep going, even after I wanted to desperately to just give up and die. All that was Fun Ghoul. In some twisted part of my mind I’m convinced that Fun Ghoul is the only reason why I ended up at the Academy. I was drawn to him even before I knew who he was.
I feel like leaving would be better for both of us. Fun Ghoul wouldn’t have any distractions. He could be with Neon Sun if he wanted and she could make up her mind. I can move up into the mountains, act as some kind of scout for the Academy, hiding in the shadows like I’m used to. If Dracs tried to surprise anyone I could run back here and give them a little bit of a head start.
“Hey!” my head pops up as a voice shouts into the block. Turning, I see Lithium Flame and a few other KITs. They all walk over to the bed, eyes set on me. “I heard what happened this morning. How’re you doing?”
“I’m leaving.”
Lithium looks like someone’s just shot his puppy, “You can’t.”
“I have to get up and run thirty minutes earlier every morning. I can’t even do my training properly because I’m no allowed to be alone with Fun Ghoul.”
Lithium Flame frowns.
A boy with dark hair colored purple at the ends, steps forward. His eyes are cloudy, staring off at the wall behind me. His hand comes to sit on my shoulder. I’ve never met him before, but I’ve definitely seen him around the Academy. “Something bad is going to happen. The Academy will need you soon. If you leave the future goes dark.”
I glance up at Lithium, not understanding what’s going on. How the hell does me leaving have anything to do with the future of the Academy? I’m a student. This isn’t making sense. I let out a frustrated sigh before getting up and continuing to put things into my bag.
“Violet, Phantom Bullet is blind but because of that he’s developed the ability to see into the future,” Lithium answers back, taking items of my clothing and dumping them back into the milk crate.
“Well, it’s more like I get a feeling about the events of the future. Right now the feeling is bad but when I consider you being out of the picture all the feelings stop,” Phantom Bullet says.
“So maybe it means that me leaving makes everything better,” I offer, grabbing a shirt out of Lithium’s hand and shoving it into my bag.
Phantom shakes his head, “No I don’t think that’s it.”
Venom has now started to help Lithium. She’s removing various articles of my clothing and shoving them back into the crate. About as quickly as I can walk over and re-grab them they are moving more stuff over.
“Will you guys cut it out! I’m not staying!”
Venom frowns at me again, “You’re being ridiculous. All of us want you to stay. Lithium and Phantom and Latex and Ice wouldn’t have come down here if they didn’t want you to stay.”
“Who the hell is Latex?” I’ve definitely not heard that name around camp. Why would anyone who doesn’t know me come over here and try to get me to stay? That doesn’t even make logical sense.
“I’m Latex…Latex Sunrise. I prefer –” a dark haired boy with a sort of Mohawk glances back at Venom – “Sunrise.”
“Fantastic,” I answer back not really caring. I’ve made up my mind. They aren’t going to change it just because they beg. I don’t even know three of them.
The girl with blue hair, who I’m assuming is Ice, steps in front of me on yet anther trip back from the shelves to retrieve the stuff that Venom and Lithium had put back. “You leaving gives them their way. It just shows them that you’re too weak to do what they’re making you do. So what? You have to run some extra? You’ll just be in better shape.”
For the first time today I don’t have anything to say back. I guess she has a point. If I leave, Neon Sun gets exactly what she wants. I’m out of the picture; she can continue to toy with the emotions of both Fun and Party. If I stay and I push through it’s going to prove that I’m strong. I hand my armful of clothing to Lithium as he passes me. “Fine you guys win!”
(Fun Ghoul’s POV)
The first thing I notice when I walk into Neon’s block is that she’s eating. This is a good sign; maybe she’ll be in a good enough mood to not yell at me over what I’ve got to talk to her about. I know it’s probably crazy, but I can’t help the way I’m starting to feel. I’m falling for this girl just as fast, if not faster, than I fell for Neon. I think that she had been in the camp a total of a week before we started dating.
“What do you want Fun Ghoul?” Neon inquires from her spot on the bed, dipping her spoon back into a container of peanut butter. She definitely had someone make a special run to town for that. We’ve not had a huge supply of anything but Power Pup in a long time.
“Can we talk about earlier?” I stay in the doorway, not wanting to make her mad for coming in when I’ve not been invited. Neon has always been weird about her personal space.
Bright blue eyes land on mine, “Honestly Ghoul, there isn’t anything to talk about. She’s a student. You helped make that rule. We can’t just go throwing rules out the window because it suits you. The whole Academy would fall apart.”
“Neon…” I don’t really have an argument for that. I mean, I’ve got one, but she’s not going to consider it as anything more than me groveling. “She shouldn’t be a student. We all know it. She’s too skilled…too old.”
“She’s not been tested, Ghoul. We’re only a few days into training. We can’t just pull her up to be a teacher. That would look bad. The students talk, rumors would spread like wildfire.”
“So let them spread! Technically, none of the students should know that you and Party were dating but he made that pretty fucking clear by making out with you in front of them.”
“Yeah, well, there’s nothing I can do about that now! Are you upset about the punishment or are you pissed off that I’ve not gotten back with you?”
I let out a groan, “Neon….”
“What Fun Ghoul?”
“Neon, I love you. I’d jump at a chance to be back with you, but you made a point to tell me that we weren’t back together. I don’t know what I can do to make you want to be back with me.”
Neon Sun glances over at me. Her eyes are a green color, tinted with gold. The corners of her lips are pulled down in a frown. “Fun, I don’t know what I need right now. I love you Frank…but I also love Gerard.”
“So I need to move on Neon. If you can’t make the decision, I’ll make it for you,” I answer back, bracing myself for the explosion.
“That isn’t fair. I still love you too, Fun. You can’t just tell me that I’m not allowed to.”
“I’m not telling you that you can’t love me, Neon. All I’m trying to say is that I can’t wait around forever. If you want to be with me, you need to let me know. I spent the last year begging you to take me back. I just want to be happy Neon.”
“Frank, what is it about her?”
I let the use of my real name slide. I’m not trying to start any fights. I just want her to take my opinion into account. Violet Tiger and I exploding at each other in front of the council didn’t really give me any time to explain why I thought the punishment was a little unfair. “She reminds me of a young Gerard.”
Neon lets out a sign, motioning for me to come sit on the bed next to her. I walk slowly, worried about what she’s going to say. Neon Sun has always been a little upset by Gerard and my past relationship. Apparently, Party Poison tends to talk about me a little more than Neon would like. I can’t help that we were able to stay friends.
“You never really got over that one did you?”
“I never really get over any of them, Neon. It’s one of the things I wish I could change about myself. I wish I didn’t still have to care. I wish it didn’t hurt so badly when the people that I’m madly in love with just walk away.”
Neon frowns, probably remembering my indiscretions during our relationship. I was such an idiot back then. I had no idea what I wanted; I fought against my feelings. I didn’t want to accept the fact that I could love that deeply. It was easier to pretend like I didn’t care. My feelings used to scare the shit out of me; they still do sometimes.
“Fun, I want to try us again, but I’m scared. You cheated on me three days before we were supposed to get married,” tears well up in Neon’s eyes. She bites her lip, trying to keep them from spilling over. She has always hated cry in front of people.
Quickly, I’m on my knees in front of the bed, her face resting in between my hands, “I swear to never be that guy to you again. I was an idiot. I had no idea how special you were back then. Seeing you with Party kills me.”
“Do you like her, Fun Ghoul?”
I think about this for a second. There is a possibility I could like Violet Tiger, but I don’t know her well enough to make that decision, not now at least. Besides, even if I did, things could never work out. Violet is a student and I’m a teacher. We would be breaking the rule that I put in place. “Not as much as I like you. I’d chose you over her a million times.”
Neon nods, leaning forward and kissing my nose. “Can you do me a favor?”
“Anything.”
“Will you prove it to me?”
Although I’m a bit taken back by her request I agree with a nod of my head. If it’s what Neon needs then I’m more than willing to do it.
