Lionel was sick and tired of Mr. Piero, his rather crappy Government teacher. Not only was he sucky at teaching the one subject very few people enjoyed, Lionel felt as if the teacher had a personal grudge against him because of his father. He sighed as he stared at the vast whiteboard that was covered with nonsense that didn't even relate to the government class, his eyes watering.
Man, I wished I hadn't listened to Elodie and skipped this stupid class, Lionel thought as he attempted to listen to Mr. Piero's monotone and boring voice. He and his friends, Eric and Micheal, had planned to skip class and go to the skate park, but Elodie had overheard their plan and told Lionel that he needed to keep his grades up and there was always another day to go to Rithua Park, the most popular skate park in all of Ridgeway.
God this class sucks so--
"Mr. Deggerton, would you like to explain what is written on the board?"
Shit shit shit!!! Lionel thought as he squinted at the board, all the nonsense blurring into one black blur.
"Um...it's all nonsense?"
SON OF A BITCH WHY DID I SAY THAT!? FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FU--
Everyone laughed, but Mr. Piero's usually pale face turned pink, and he sat the marker on the whiteboard tray, his thin and veiny hand shaking with rage.
"I'm glad you think this is all nonsense, Mr. Lionel. I want to see you after school, 3:00 sharp," he snapped, silencing the laughs and giggling in an instant. Lionel shrank in his chair, embarrassed not because he got detention, but that he had to tell Elodie this at lunch.
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After suffering through his three other boring classes--Algebra 3, U.S. History, and Earth Science--he ran to the cafeteria, even though Elodie always brought him lunch. He heard whispers and saw through his peripheral vision that people were looking at him, and he knew it was about detention with Mr. Piero.
He scanned the cafeteria, and saw Elodie, in her perfect ginger glory. She smiled and waved, her silvery green eyes shimmering with glee. He ran towards her, anxiety tearing through his body.
"Hey Lionel!!! How are your classes going so far?" she asked as she pulled out the bag that held the lunch she prepared for him, the contents smelling strong.
"Well...all my classes are doing fine...but..."
"But what? Did something happen?" Elodie asked, her sad school lunch before her.
"Mr. Piero gave me detention after school because I told him that his teaching methods were stupid," Lionel grumbled, accepting the bag gratefully, his stomach growling.
"Oh...well, he isn't a good teacher, but you have to go to his class after school."
"Yeah, but my ma is gonna kill me. I've had a perfect record all year, and now this one detention is going to get my ass beat because I spoke the truth! Mr. Piero doesn't even teach Government, just his stupid and uselessly confusing opinions on it."
Lionel opened the bag, and the scent of salmon greeted his nose, making his nose scrunch up.
"Whew! You decided to make sashimi today? It smells good," he said as he lifted the tupperware filled with sashimi out, and saw that there was another smaller tupperware in the bottom of the bag.
"What's that?" he asked as he pulled the bag out.
When he pulled out the container, an aroma of sweet sugary goodness flooded his nose, and he felt Elodie wipe off drool from his chin, her giggling as sweet as the mysterious food's smell.
"Silly billy. It's just an apple-flavored daifuku pastry my mama made for you since I can't cook pastries too well," she said, crumpling the drool soaked napkin and tossing it on her tray.
"Well, it smells fucking amazing!" Lionel said, his voice raspy as he pried the lid off and saw a delicate exotic pastry dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar.
"Heh...yeah. Mama is good with baking, and I am learning a bit slower than my sister Donna."
Lionel bit into it, and Heaven flashed before his eyes, and he gave a soft moan.
"My God....this...I can't even put into words about how--"
"Bro! Where were you earlier today?! We nearly got in trouble with the cops, and we had to hide!"
Eric and Micheal stormed through the cafeteria, their eyes blazing and their faces red with anger.
"Well...I decided to go to class today? What's so bad about that?" Lionel asked, putting the daifuku down, his momentary vision of Heaven gone.
"Yeah, it is! We usually stick together, but ever since you've met Elodie, you've been brushing us off!" Micheal yelled, silencing everyone in the cafeteria. "What the hell is your--"
"Shut. Your. Mouth."
Lionel whipped his head to Elodie, and saw that her sweet face turned to a mask of terror.
"If he chooses to hang out with people that don't endanger his future, then let him. You don't decide his life now, do you?" she asked, her lilting voice filled with cold judgement.
"The fuck did you just say?" Micheal snarled, his eyes wide with shock. "I'll beat your ass to the ground, even if you're a damn girl."
"Oh nooo, the delinquent with no future who tried to rob my mother once is threatening me. Whatever shall I do?" Elodie asked sarcastically, her eyes rolling.
"ERIC! MICHEAL! MY OFFICE NOW!"
The principal Mr. Jordan roared across the cafeteria, and everyone quickly turned their heads, except for Micheal and Eric, who paled under his fiery gaze.
"Wh-Why?" Eric stammered, sweat beading on his forehead. Micheal began to fidget with the loose threads on his sleeve.
"Ms. Danori called me and informed me that you two are the ones who keep vandalizing Rithua Park, and you are the ones who attempted to rob her bakery. Come with me to the office so we can discuss your expulsions and so you can talk Officer Grimm while she is arresting you."
"WHAT!!!!!!" they both yelled at the same time, their faces whiter than a ghost.
"M-Mr. J, ya can't do this!! We...I..." Eric fumbled for words as tears built up, choking his voice.
"I am sorry, but you two need to come into the office now."
"Yeesh. Aren't I glad I listened to you, huh?" Lionel murmured as the two boys walked away, sobbing silently as the cafeteria chatter picked up again.
"Yeah. Sometimes it's best to listen to the wise ones," Elodie said, smiling as she bit into the sad excuse of the cheeseburger the school handed out.
"Heh...yeah, that's true."
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The whole school could only talk about how Eric and Micheal had gotten expelled, but Lionel didn't care for the talk. He was slightly upset that Micheal had threatened to hurt Elodie, but she was right: they were delinquents, and he needed to cut off communication with them anyway.
Can't think about that now. Today is D&C Day, he thought as he pushed open the door to the JROTC room, dust and the smell of metal greeting his nose. He smiled, happy that he was able to to have his 3 favorite classes for his last hours.
"Hey there, Cross."
"What's up, Pool?" he asked as he walked to the Let 2 classroom, bag in hand.
"Colonel cancelled D&C today."
"Wait what!? Why?" Lionel asked, infuriated. D&C was one of his favorite things about this program, but fear coursed through him when the colonel's low voice reached his ears:
"Well, Cross, we have to honor the two losses of cadets, Eric Kelley and Micheal Allen. They were expelled for vandalism and attempted robbery. We must honor them for their...dedication to the program."
"Colonel, I do not understand why you hesitated on the word dedication," James said, and Lionel applauded that he kept a straight face.
"They only showed up for class a few times, and not much more, but they were part of the program, so we must honor them. Be ready in the range in 15 minutes."
After the colonel walked away, and he was out of earshot, the two boys busted into laughter.
"Oh my God. He's 'honoring them' all because they showed up three times? I....hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha....I can't," James wheezed out, his stomach hurting from laughing so hard.
"God...next we'll be honoring people who joined the program for a day then dropped out."
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Soon, after English and E2020, Lionel walked to his Government class, seeing a sandal smack his ass in his future he approached the large wooden door.
"Mr. Piero? I'm here for detention even though you suck at teaching," he said through the door, knowing that was going to bring the grumpy old man in the hall, but nothing. The classroom was silent, and it smelled...like iron?
"M-Mr. Piero? Are you there?" Lionel asked, completely unnerved by the silence in the room. Usually, there was jazz or even classical ball music emanating from the classroom, but only silence was greeting him through the door.
He pushed the door open, and nearly gagged. The iron smell was strong, and it wafted heavily into the hallway.
"Gag me, what the fuck? What is that smell?" he mumbled, holding his shirt over his nose, "Mr. Pie--"
He walked into the classroom, and saw that it was dark, and the smell was pungent, and...a dripping noise?
"Mr. Piero, this ain't funny no more. Is the light switch broken or something? Hang on."
Lionel touched the wall, and nearly jumped as he jerked his hand back. It was...sticky and wet? The iron smell overpowered any other smell in the classroom, and the dripping noise was loud, almost monotonous.
He felt along the wall, and the light switch bumped against his hand, making him jump lightly.
"I...It's just the light switch. No need to panic..."
He flipped it on...and screamed in horror.
Mr Piero was at his desk...well, the body was. His head was on the table, and pens, pencils, and multiple staples were stabbed into his face, and blood was everywhere, painting the walls scarlet, the desks maroon, and the whiteboard crimson.
Lionel ran out, screaming, his hands slightly stained with blood.
"HOLY SHIT SOMEONE HELP MR. PIERO HAS BEEN MURDERED HELP ME SOMEONE ANYONE HELP HELP HELP HEEEEEEEELP CALL THE POLICE THE NAVY THE MARINES SOMEONE HEEEEEEEELP!!!!!"
The janitor Mr. Newton ran down the hall and grabbed the sobbing Lionel, and he was breathing heavily.
"Whoa, sonny, what are you going on about? What about Mr. Piero?" he asked, his eyes questioning the boy.
"Mr...Mr. Piero's head is off on his d-desk...he...he's dead...."
"Okay, okay, let me call the police. It'll be okay."
The ancient janitor led Lionel to the office, where Mr. Jordan sat in front of the secretary's desk, smiling widely.
"Mr. Jordan, sir?"
"Hm?" he turned around, and saw the janitor with the sobbing Lionel. "Oh! Mr. Newt--Lionel? Are you okay?"
"Might want to call the cops, sir. From what the boy told me, Mr. Piero was decapitated in his room."
"WAIT WHAT!?" Mr. Jordan stood up, his eyes wide, "NO HE CAN'T BE DEAD I JUST SP--"
"Sir, I hate to interrupt, but this boy was screaming about murder and blood. I don't think he's making this up. He's too scared to talk," Newton said, his eyes narrowing.
Mr. Jordan walked to his office, and the three of them heard the horrible announcement:
"Students, I hate to inform you that we will be having a memorial assembly tomorrow in memory of Mr. Piero, who was found dead, murdered by an unknown assailant. Grief counseling will be provided by Mr. Blakemore and Ms. Juniper. Good day."
His voice was strangled, and his eyes were wet when he walked back into the lobby of the office, his face red.
"Lorelei...i-inform the police of this and a-ask them to in-investigate this..."
"Yes sir, at once, sir," Lorelei said, her face pale as she grabbed the phone on the desk, dialing 911. "Hello, 911? Yes, I would like to report a murder at..."
"C'mon sonny, let's take you to the bus stop. You need to go home."
The janitor led him to the door, but Lionel wasn't hearing any of it. His head was filled with a buzzing noise, and everything around him was fuzzy. All he could remember was the dead and stapled stare of Mr Piero, and all the blood that covered every surface of the classroom. His brain tried to shove the imagery of his dead teacher down in the hole of Forget This Bullshit, but it was too big to go down, so it stayed in his mind until Elodie's lilting voice cut through the traumatic images flashing in his mind.
"OMIGOSH LIONEL ARE YOU OKAY!? I HEARD EVERYTHING OVER THE INTERCOM AND I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT MR. PIERO WAS MURDERED AND THAT YOU SAW EVERYTHING OMIGOSH OMIGOSH OMIGOSH OMIGOSH OMIGOSH I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS HAD HAPPENED ARE YOU OKAY?! I THINK I MIGHT--"
"I...I...I can't believe what I saw...all...all the bl-blood and...and..."
"Okay, okay, how about you come over to my home? Mama won't mind. She loves you a lot since you eat her pastries, even if you don't like them."
"Alright...that...s...sounds nice..."
"C'mon, c'mon, let's go," she whispered as they walked to her mom's bakery, ignoring the furtive glances and the whispers thrown in their direction.
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"Shoes off, shoes off," Elodie whispered as they stood in front of the apartment her and her family lived in above the bakery. "Remember the last time my mama threw her spoon at you when you forgot to take off your shoes."
Lionel slid his shoes off, and nearly screamed when he saw that there was blood on them, but Elodie led him into the apartment and into the living room, where her sister Donna was on the couch, watching the TV, until she saw them, and quickly left.
"Why does she leave every time you walk in?" Lionel asked, the buzz and bloody images leaving his mind as Elodie sat him down, and he realized...did she always smell like lavender?
"We had a small fight a few weeks ago, and she is refusing to talk to me because she thinks she is right," Elodie said with an eye roll. "And the fight was about which TV show was better: I said Leopard Raising with Lemare Dijonia was great, but she's upset that I didn't agree with her on her pick, which was Mastiff Tales, Brought to You By Fiona Burks."
"Ah...siblings do suck..." Lionel muttered, sleepiness suddenly overcoming him. "C...Can I sleep here? Today...was e..exciting..."
"Of course, of course, let me get you a pillow a--"
He slumped onto the couch, and Elodie stopped mid-sentence. "Alright, guess I'll get you those things then."
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Lionel woke up after what felt like hours, and he felt warm and...was that sugar that he smelled? His stomach growled, and as he sat up, something soft slid off of him.
"Huh?"
He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and saw that a large silken blanket was on the floor. The design on it was a large ornamental dragon, and it was in different shades of purple, scarlet, and green.
"Wow, what a pretty blanket. Wait, where am I? I...is this Elodie's family's apartment? Man...my head hurts..."
"Finally awake? You've been asleep for about 3 hours."
Elodie's voice cut through the sleepy haze in his mind, and he tried to get up, but fell down, his legs asleep.
"Ow...my legs hurt..."
Elodie walked towards him, and helped him onto the couch. Lionel felt himself wake up more at Elodie's touch, and he smiled sleepily as she helped him sit on the couch.
"Man...I feel strange...what happened?" he asked, his voice slurring.
"My father had a session in the kitchen. It was a type of medicinal herb that he boils to calm himself. I forgot that you never had it before. I was starting to wonder why you were asleep for so long," Elodie whispered as she sat down next to the loopy Lionel, who was laughing.
"Well, whatever your dad used is awesome.I feel so light and airy, like a feather."
Oh no. He used the special blend. He's going to be out of it all night, Elodie thought worriedly.
"Hang on, Lion. I need to talk to my father. I'll be b--"
He was asleep again, which confirmed the question in Elodie's mind, but she still had to talk to her father.
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She walked into the kitchen, and saw her father over the special bowl for the specific herb blend. Red tinted her peripheral vision as she walked forward, making her father jump.
"E...El! I heard on the news of the teacher's death. Te--"
"Your special herb blend is ruining my friend's mind. Please do it somewhere else. Mama and I cook here anyway, so take that somewhere else."
"El, you know that isn't possible. A--"
"It wasn't a request. I am demanding you to stop. His judgement is getting impaired, so put the bowl up now."
Her voice carried an air of menace, and her father paled, sweat appearing on his brow.
"O-Of course dear. A-Anything for you Elodie."
She smiled as her father put the bowl up, the watery herb dregs sloshing in them as his hands shook.
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Lionel woke up again, and his mind was a little clearer than last time, and he yawned, his jaw cracking loudly. He saw the blanket again, and realized that he was at Elodie's, and he remembered everything, but...there was a gap, a large gap in his memory, but he didn't care at the moment. He needed to find Elodie, and tell her he needed to leave.
"Okay, so let's not fall on your face like last time," Lionel mumbled as he stood up, his balance greatly improved from the last time he woke up.
He walked down the hall, and saw a few doors. Maybe she's in one of these rooms. Fuck me. Whatever her dad does is stronger than hell, Lionel thought as he approached the first door, and his senses were cleared up, along with his sense of sanity.
The walls were covered with pictures of him, and statues, and drawings, and messages varying from "HE IS MINE" to "I'LL PROTECT HIM" were scrawled all over the wall, and he nearly stumbled back, his brain trying to figure out what he was seeing.
"Th...The hell is this?" he muttered as he walked into the room, the lights glinting off the pictures of him, and there were so many. They varied from him being at the mall to being in his own house, and there was a recent picture that sent a shiver down his spine, and it also filled the gap in his memory:
His face was dripping with tears and snot as he ran from Mr Piero's blood filled classroom, and he saw a message scrawled childishly in blood, and it read "HE CANNOT HURT YOU NOW."
"Do you like it?"
The door snapped shut, and Elodie's voice carried an element of insanity to it. He turned around, and saw that she was smiling with joy, but it was crazy, almost...psychotic.
"Um...it...it...I can't...w...why?"
"Oh! Want the whole story, or do you want the shortened version?"
"I...I'd like the whole story, if...if that's okay," Lionel said, his mind trying to make sense of the whole situation.
"Well, when we first met, I was entranced by you, but not in the terms of a lover. It was more of a mother and son bond I felt with you, and I realized something...I had to protect you, from any kind of threat, even if it meant that I would get sent away."
"W...Wait...y...you...you k...killed...?"
"Yep! Mr. Piero was threatening your future, and I can't have that, now can I, darling?"
"Wait...did you also...?"
"Your parents? They weren't fit enough to raise you like I am. True, we're the same age, but I feel like your mother more than ever, and we also can't have girls take you away from Mommy now, can we?"
Her voice was fully crazy, and her eyes were malevolently blazing. She smiled, and hugged him tightly. Lionel hugged her, his mind unwinding from the horrendous events that had transpired over such a short amount of time, but events of the past also unraveled his mind: his parents' death, 2 foster homes before he was 18, and the fire that burned down his rather successful dog pound. Did Elodie start that fire? He didn't even know anymore as he laid his head on hers, and an undeniable warmth flooding over him. She cared for him, way more than his parents had, and those foster parents.
"I love you, Mommy," Lionel whispered, realizing that she was the only one who loved him, and she would never stop loving him.
"I really love you too. I'll keep you with me forever, even through all the bad times. I'll keep you safe."
They hugged in the room, tiny Lionel twins staring at both of them under the dim lighting.