Kansas City September 15th, 2005

Nick Reilly got up from his bed and wished he hadn’t. Every part of his body at least ached, with sporadic jabs of pain from individual parts that informed him they weren’t at all happy with things as they were. As that was being imprinted on his fogged brain, his stomach gave a sudden lurch that had him running for the bathroom. “Ahhh, maaan!

“Nick?” His mother’s voice penetrated his misery, barely. “What’s the matter, honey?”

“I dunno, flu maybe.” The boy managed to answer between bouts of nausea and stabbing pains that made him feel worse than he ever remembered in his thirteen years of life. “All I know is that everything hurts and I feel like my stomach is trying to crawl up my throat and find somewhere else to live until it’s over with.”

“I haven’t heard of any flu going around.” His mother worriedly answered while resting a hand on his forehead. “But you’re burning up. Go back to bed and I’ll call the school to let them know you won’t be going today.”

“Thanks, mom.” Nick staggered back to his room, making sure that a trash can was close to his bed, just in case he needed to puke again and couldn‘t make it back to the bathroom in time. He was asleep before even registering that his mom had followed, making sure that he was covered and feeling his forehead again.

August 31st, Thursday

I woke up, and the first thing that went through my mind was, ‘Finally! Today’s the day!’ I literally flipped out of bed, landing on the balls of my feet in a near perfect gymnast’s dismount, and made for the bathroom.

A Whateley Academy Tale

Unexpected Consequences

 By Starwolf

Disclaimer: Some of these stories will have references to and great similarities to the Manga and Anime revolving around Tenchi Muyo! This is part of the story and I apologize in advance if someone is upset by this. We are not making a profit on this and I hope that anyone seeing this will realize that this is a totally different story. Copyrights to Tenchi belong to A.I.C. and Pioneer LDC. I’m not sure how this fits in but VIZ is also making a comic about the further adventures of the crew done by Hitoshi Okuda. I can recommend all of these if you like Anime and don’t know about them yet.

 Also, this is a work of fiction and any resemblance to anyone is possibly a total coincidence. If not...we probably know who you are. Be afraid, be very afraid!

Starwolf.^_^.

I

Colorado: March 2, 2006
INTO THE SUNSET

The lowering, red, Fall sun slanted into the small bus station, making it difficult to focus on the bus that was the final leg of my trip to my new life. This bus was the shuttle that would take me to my new school, the Whateley Academy, and if my parents were right, I would also begin a new life free from the complications of my previous life. Not that I had anything to be guilty of. I think, maybe, it was more so I could start my new life free of everyone else and their outdated expectations. They’re right, I know that, but I still have a hard time not feeling a little uncomfortable about their method of solving the problem.

Have you ever noticed how bus stations always smell and sound the same. It wasn’t helping my mood in the least. That combination of diesel, disinfectant, and a smell that means change and separations. Muted conversations and noises, occasionally interrupted by announcements and buses, and in this case, trains, coming and going. It can be exciting, but for me it was just depressing. This was an adventure waiting to happen, whether I wanted it to happen or not.

I’d always expected to have adventures one day. But, they were always comfortably in the future and I would always be prepared for them. Reading about them could give me a sense of the excitement without the fear of loneliness and failure that comes with the real thing. If things got too intense I could always put it down and go get a cool drink or something to eat. I wouldn’t have to worry about the butterflies just throwing it all back up. All I wanted to do now was take any other bus away from here. Run away to some other less threatening place, maybe even home.

Just walk away.

A Whateley Academy Adventure

Jade 1 – Coming Out

By Babs Yerunkle

1: Pop goes the weasel

Topeka, Kansas May 18, Thursday

“I’ve had it with you!”

The shove practically threw Jared across the room, slamming him against the wall. Snapshots and cheap posters rained down. Jared looked for somewhere to run, but he was already backed into the far corner of his room.

He was used to running from his father. “Trouble prevention,” as he preferred to think of it; giving father time to cool off. He was often the target of his father’s anger, but this time was worse than any he could remember. Well, worse than anything since the crash that had killed his mother, three years ago. That had resulted in a DUI conviction for his father, and a beating for him sufficient to keep him out of school for a week.

And if Jared couldn’t think of some way to escape, there’d be another fatality tonight.