Perfect School

"Mean! D: True but still mean!" I sent before looking at the stuffed tiger in the chair. "He is mean Mr. tiger. You were right. But still nice too."

"Zero, are you done yet?" A voice filtered through the door, female and soft spoken.

"Ah almost!" I lied, but it was likely she knew that. Turning my gaze to my phone I quickly sent another message.

"I have to go for now, need to do laundry. Have fun!"

Andrew:

I tucked my phone in my pocket and stepped out. Dad took us up to the cabin we would be staying in. He had stayed here once before, so I knew the area to a degree. Kyra asked when our aunt and uncle would be arriving. Turned out that Krissy had come down with something and they decided not to travel. Kyra was disappointed, they would have been a nice buffer for Paublo.

Kyra:

“Looks like you can have a room to yourself then, that's nice at least.” I showed Paublo around the small cottage.

"I wouldn't have minded the couch." I told her earnestly as I was shown around. Already I was cold even with the heaters running around the cottage. My room back at the school and at our house was something I tried keeping a bit warmer if I could help it. But outside the cottage snow covered the ground, something I wasn't used to seeing.

Kyra:

I tried to Show Paublo around the place as best I could, but it wasn't like we could stay outside for every long. I made Andrew tag along so my dad wouldn't get suspicious. Even thought there was nothing between Paublo and I, that didn't mean someone else wouldn’t get mistaken.

At dinner that evening I tried to include Paublo in the conversation, but no matter my efforts, it always seemed to be only Andrew, my dad, and I talking.

I didn't think Kyra felt the same way I did about her. But for the first time I was just having fun being with people outside of a school environment. It didn't stop me from wishing briefly that Andrew hadn't tagged along with us outside but it was still nice. Even their father Kyle didn't hinder my plain joy at being with people like this. But as the meal wore on, I grew quieter and quieter inwardly feeling less like I was included and more like I was watching a family through a window.

Kyle:

After the kids had gone to get ready for bed I went to Paublo's door and knocked on it. Kyra was in the shower, and Andrew was locked away in his room, both out of sight.

My breath hissed out of me as I completed another push-up. But a knock on the door made me pause. Slowly I got myself up on my feet and called, "One second!" I took up a towel and wiped the sweat from me as best I could before going and opening the door. "Hello?"

Kyle:

I walked into he room without invitation and closed the door behind me.  He was nearly a head taller than me, and broader at the shoulders, but in no way did he intimidate me.  He was a kid, simple as that.  

“I want to make something very clear.”  I stated flatly with a cool look.  “You will not share this room with anyone nor you will leave it during the night.  If I catch you doing otherwise, there will be dire consequences to pay.  In fact, at any point during this trip should you do anything that displeases me, you will be in poor shape.  So you best behave.  Do you understand?”  I stared him down.

I couldn't help but be a bit surprised by his demeanor but that paled in comparison to my surprise, embarrassment, and a good bit of nervousness that settled over me as he gave me a flat, cool look. "Y-yes sir..." I replied softly. Like a popped balloon my excitement over the trip deflated in an instant.

Kyle:

As a father, it should have made me feel bad to see the sad-puppy look on this kid's face, but it didn't. I turned to leave without another word and closed the door behind me. That night I stayed up for a couple hours to ensure my rules were being followed.


Kyra:

It took a little more effort than the previous night to draw Paublo out of his shell, though once all of us were out of the cabin it was easier.

“We can try the easy slopes first, it really isn't that hard, I promise.” I assured my friend. He had already taken the basic training course but still seemed weary about it.

"Are you sure?" I asked while gazing at the board in my hands. "I'm still waiting for this to break under me..." I gave it another long frown before shrugging and tugging off my helmet and goggles to run large fingers through my hair. "Well...let's give it a go at least. No harm....right?"

Kyra:

I gave him a big smile and a thumbs up after assembling my own gear. I was wearing a pink ski suit, not my usual style but my dad had given it to me. I encouraged Paublo to go first and I Andrew and I would follow behind him.

Donning the helmet, goggles and tugging up the balaclava to keep my breath from fogging into the air too much I gazed down the slope. Drawing in a deep breath I set the board down and strapped my boots into it. My own suit was a dark color with green accents and after wobbling my way to my feet I turned the board down the slope. At first everything went fine, but then I turned slightly and instead of my board going down the slope the slope was coming up to meet me. With a gasp I tumbled my way several yards before coming into a stop. Groaning and chuckling softly even as my cheeks burned I untangled myself and sat up.

Kyra:

I quickly swished to a stop. “Paublo! Are you okay?” I called sliding closer to him. As with most things he tried, it would probably take him a little while before he got the hang of it. I should have known that before hand, having trained with him many times on his weak points.

"Yeah I'm fine." I promised with a grin as I tugged down the mask. "Balance...not my best quality."

Kyra:

“You'll get used to it,” I encouraged offering down my hand to help him up. Some people might laugh at a medium sized girl offering to help a boy who ordinarily towered over her, but I was much stronger than I looked.

I took her hand gratefully, using her help and my own muscles to leverage myself to my feet. I very nearly started to go down the mountain but dug in with the board until I stopped. "Whew. Alright. I think I can get the hang of this. Don't know if I'll ever get used to the snow though."

Kyra:

The trip, for the most part, was pleasant. There was definitely some tension between my dad and Paublo but after I talked to him about it and asked him to lighten up, he was at least civil to him. By the end of the two weeks Paublo had become pretty good at snow boarding. He could go on all the slopes I could ski down.

I felt like we were much closer at the end as well. When we were at our house, Jonah and Kira were clearly dominant. They dictated what we did and they weren't as light-hearted as the three of us were together. I had a hope that things might be a little different when we returned.


Andrew:

In all honesty, I was looking forward to returning to training. Now that Zero was more or less running things, I enjoyed it. The quicker we improved, the sooner we could move on and the more involved Zero would get.


Jonah:

The past two weeks had been nonstop business. I added several more kills to my tally, most of which I had done solo. Kira and I had not seen much of each other during our break. We had separate rooms and separate schedules. When we did see each other we were usually meeting with Marie. I had been predictive by acquiring contacts and loyalties within her empire, though I was careful to be discreet about it. I would have to spend much more time building stronger ties.

I returned to the house before anyone else did. Marie chose to keep Kira for a day longer, something that annoyed me but I made sure not to show it. Her actions showed how she favored Kira above all else, and she made it very clear to me. She was pleased with my skills but was making me work my way up from the bottom. I spend my night alone recuperating from the trip.

“Zero, can you give me an ETA for everyone?” I sent the text the next day during my peaceful breakfast. I was enjoying my solitude, but part of me was restless about it.

"Kira will be arriving within the hour. Andrew, Kyra, and Paublo should be arriving now. And you don't have to text at the house. If you call my name software will alert me, record your question and I can get the information you need." I replied through the speakers absently while my fingers tapped out an entirely different message to various assets I had in motion. Everything needed to be in place and perfect. It had to be for the first mission.

Paublo:

I was loathe to admit it, but being in the front passenger seat of the large BMW felt like a blessing. After another trip in the cramped car, and the cramped flight it was nice to be able to stretch out my legs for a change. But even with those discomforts I had enjoyed my trip immensely. It would have been nice to have some time alone with Kyra, but for my first trip it was utterly perfect. Even Kyle hadn't been able to put a damper on that joy though it was fairly clear he hadn't exactly been welcoming.

Kyra:

I hopped out of the SUV once we were back to the house and stretched up with a yawn. The return trip had been long and tiring. We had to get up at the crack of dawn for our flight. Unless Jonah had other plans, I was likely to crash in my room.

“Welcome back.” Jonah greeted us in the door way. I held out a paper bag with tissue for him. “Happy Christmas.” I said tiredly. He took it with an arched eyebrow. “Kira here? I have one for her too.” I held up a blue bag for her.

"Kira is currently landing, ride is waiting for her, ETA is forty-five minutes." I chimed in through the speakers again. "She says to just to what ever you wish without her. She has plans for the evening."

Jonah:

I was slightly vexed by Zero's constant involvement. I did not like being controlled by someone I knew little about. I took the present from Kyra with gratitude and told the three of them to go get some rest before Kira arrived. I opened the gift alone in the living room, it was a red scarf with reindeer on each edge. Kyra was sweet even though she disliked me.

Paublo:

I unpacked quickly, relaxing on my bed with a sigh. My fingers found the framed photo gift Kyra had gotten me. A momento of my first ever trip. It was Andrew and I sitting on a couch, resting after one of trips down the slopes. Kyra had bent over the back of the couch after changing out of her snow suit and snapped the photo after making us smile. I lingered my gaze on the cleavage the position had exposed for Kyra before letting my eyes wander over the entire thing.

Andrew:

I laid on my bed and began texting Zero about our trip back and the funny thing that had happened in the bookstore at the airport before our flight. I fell asleep while writing it and the phone slipped from my fingers to clunk on the floor.

Kira:

I arrived right at ten, my backpack slung on one shoulder while a rifle case was on the other. I carried my suitcase in one hand as I opened the door. After slipping inside and softly kicking the door closed I drew in a slow breath and surveyed the living room.