8/32/64

[Writer]

"Well you're not me," Dee answered brightly to the Battleaxe, "and I am so jubilant!"

 

Once Nurse Kimball had explained her options, Dee made a face. "Okay, not so jubilant now. Guess there are advantages to being early... bedpan, I guess." She shuddered a little. "Joy of joys."

[Tysyacha]

That's what you get for being late--or trying to skip school altogether, Miss Donovan, Principal Patton thought to herself. Time to face the natural consequences. She said none of this aloud, preferring to watch everyone squirm. As Nurse Kimball nodded, she also noticed the empty chair.

 

"It's almost time for second-period classes," she announced. "If anyone sees Akira Kuran today, you may inform her that she's just been volunteered for 'catheterization assistance' duty at the Ashwood Long-Term Care Facility."

 

"I'll expect all of you there at four-thirty sharp," added the nurse, although not unkindly. "Your volunteer shifts are two hours per day, four days per week standard. Although in your particular cases, I suggest you work five days. The two-hour shifts will give you plenty of time to get home and complete your assignments for the next day of school. Thank you all, and I honestly look forward to working with you." She meant it, too. "I see great potential in you students, and great compassion. I'll see you at four-thirty."

 

Nurse Kimball smiled, turned and left the principal's office. Atrast saluted.

 

"Can we go now, Principal Patton?" she asked the Battleaxe, quite humbly.

 

"May we go now, Miss Valla," corrected Carolyn Ayn. "Yes, you may."

 

The bell rang for second period. Atrast couldn't run out of there fast enough!

[Shana]

Dream rolled her eyes at Principal Patton correcting Atrast's words and she left as soon as they were given permission to leave. She waved back at the others in a very casual way as to say "see ya" and went over to the classroom. She headed over to math class, she didn't really do bad on the subject but had neither the patience nor the interest in classes, and only went there because it was either that or getting drafted in the army and spending the last of her life in a barracks. School was tolerable. She sat down on the seat beside the window and looked out from it. As soon as it was lunch break she'd go to the roof, sneak off and write in her journal about this dismal day.

[Tysyacha]

Lifestyle Fitness, or LF, was Atrast's absolute least-favorite class. Not only was it "flatter than flat", but since she couldn't do 99% of the exercises therein, everyone (or almost everyone) considered her a "tard". Even her teacher, Mrs. Riordan, treated Atrast with a mixture of disdain and pity. The C's she earned in Lifestyle Fitness were "pity C's", as she called them, because Atrast knew that had she been held to the same standards as the other kids at Uni-Hi, she would have gotten F's in the class. Luckily for her, Mrs. Riordan was...compassionate? Most days, Atrast had her doubts.

 

"Come on, ladies!" she exhorted the class as they jerked, stomped, kicked and flapped their arms along with a digitally-broadcast aerobics program. Only the really athletic girls took it seriously. Come to think of it, only the really athletic girls could even hope to look like the woman on the screen if they worked hard enough. "Are you 17 or 87?!" Mrs. Riordan was walking around. Watching. She didn't have to do this inane choreography!

 

"I'll take 87," mumbled Atrast dispiritedly, earning a frown from Mrs. Riordan.

 

"Come on! Move it!" The aerobics program continued, but our heroine quit.

 

King's Pawn Opening: pawn to e4, more commonly known as e4.

 

Black's move: Sicilian Defense, pawn to c5, called c5 for short.

 

White responds with Knight to f3, preparing to castle kingside.

 

Black counters: Scheveningen. Scheveningen variation. What is it...?

 

She was making moves all right--just not with her uncoordinated body--!

[Cyborg Ninja]

Caboose smiled back at the nurse. She was very nice to him for not even knowing, he would make sure to go the best job he could. He waved back to Dream when she waved to the group and stood up when she left.

 

"Well I'll see you guys later."

 

He made his way to his next class...History.

[JediMaster12]

((Boy th Memorial Weekend hits and I am already behind. ))

 

Akira Kuran sat looking bored during ENG class. She had studied the whole book within a few days and now found that the teachers were nothing more than parrots in spitting out the lesson. She glanced to see Atrast sitting in her seat and could tell that she had gone through an OE period before class. Typical. As if the morons at Uni-Hi have anything better to do.

 

She wasn't surprised when she was called to the PO PO along with Atrast. Her MESHes weren't exactly outstanding either even though she had fairly good grades in her class. There were some she took the easy way out by stating that she didn't believe in it, much to the amusement of the rest of the classes she claimed it in. She heard her name and left after Atrast but didn't go to the PO PO but rather took the opportunity to sneak to her locker and switch out her books for the day.

 

Second period had her jogging to LF only to find some stupid aerobics on the menu. She watched as the bean poles, as she privately called them, tried in vain to look like the woman on the screen. She listened to the teacher ask the question of if they were 17 or 87. She muttered, "87 in tarken dog years."

 

She maneuvered next to Atrast and said, "Got a new chess move in that head of yours?" It was her way of asking what happened in Hatchet Face's office. In order to keep the attention off of Atrast, she put more artistic flair in her aerobics, giving a dance like quality to it.

[Tysyacha]

Atrast cast a quick sidelong glance at Akira. "Queen takes pawn?", she smiled, jerking her head toward Mrs. Riordan, who was scrutinizing her weaker students with an athlete's discriminating eye. Meaning, do you want to make Mrs. Riordan look like a complete idiot and show her up by doing even fancier moves that blow the whole class (and her) out of the water?

 

"Seriously, though," Atrast whispered, "we're both in big trouble, along with six other kids. It's about our MESHes, and since we're not even close to completing them, we're all being sent to the Ashwood LTC at four-thirty today. You've just been volunteered to help the nurses insert catheters into old people's bladders so they can pee." She shuddered. "Don't hurt me, OK? I'm just the messenger, but if you want, I'll try to get you off of that duty."

 

The flat aerobics program continued, with the class becoming ever more impressed with Akira's coordination and agility. She was quite good...

[JediMaster12]

"Sometimes you gotta swoop in for the kill," Akira replied, meaning that she was distracting attention from the true goal and she didn't mind nor miss the opportunity to make a teacher look like a fool. When Atrast gave her the news, she replied, "Catheters? No problem."

 

Fact of the matter was that she didn't care what she had to do for her MESHes. She thought the whole system a waste of time. She added, "Hey I know you hate LF but if you want to work on improvement, I'm game. Could raise up the 'pity C' a bit." She smiled at Atrast in reassurance, aware of the disease that she had.

 

She then turned her attention to her athletic performance and finished the routine with a rather showy display of athleticism, ending with a complicated move that ended with her in front of Riordan with a smirk on her face that asked, "Can you top that?"

[Tysyacha]

As soon as Akira finished her brilliant routine and challenged Mrs. Riordan to do better, the entire LF class--including (and especially) Atrast--broke into wild applause! No one since Carrie Iskati, Uni-Hi's best cheerleader ever, had pulled off such a dazzling display of midair acrobatics. Mrs. Riordan gawked.

 

When she finally regained her composure, the LF teacher grumbled, "This is a Lifestyle Fitness class, Kuran, not 'America's Future Superstars,' okay?"

 

Atrast begged to differ. "It seems like she won and you lost, if I may beg your pardon. What is that you're always telling us about being a good sport?"

 

"Quiet, Valla, or you're getting another trip to the PO-PO!" Atrast fell silent.

 

Still, as the Undertaker continued to sneer at the rest of the class for being nowhere close to Akira's caliber of physical prowess, she walked with her shoulders hunched and her head bowed. The classic posture of defeat...

 

********************************************

 

((Pardon my fast-forward, but I want to get the ball rolling at Ashwood. ))

 

Day One, 5:30 PM, Ashwood Long-Term Care Facility

 

Atrast swore she was roasting alive in the dish room of the Ashwood Long-Term Care Facility, but she dared not complain. She didn't want to seem like a "wissy" (a combination of the words "wuss" and "sissy"), and besides, if she did complain, she'd be transferred to one of the other jobs--which would make her throw up. Anything to do with other people's body waste would. As for routine care, she lacked the physical capacity, and the catheters? That would make her most likely to remove the remnants of her snack from her stomach. Thus, she stuck it out and scrubbed the pots with all her might.

 

Sweat poured down all over her body, making her think she was in Florida (or at least in a sauna). She hoped that Dream wasn't noticing any of this...

[Shana]

(She would notice after all sweating like that? XD)

 

Dream had gone to the roof at lunch. She had been alone and she had writen down what happened during LF for her class. She once again had her depth perception off and she stumbled and fell on her face. This was getting more and more common. Regularly people who'd fall down would try to break themselves from the fall with their arms and hands but her reflexes totally failed. She fell face first onto the ground causing the laughter of most everyone in the class, except a friend of hers who knew what she suffered from and ran over to her immediately to help her up.

 

She had a band-aid on her chin and was simply washing the dishes as she started to sing a song just loud enough for her to listen and maybe Atrast. She would often do this to keep her mind off her sickness and what was happening. But she turned over to Atrast to see how she was doing with her share of dishes and she seemed to be sweating like crazy.

 

Dream stopped and went to her pack, she then took out a drink that helped hydrate the body. She then walked over to Atrast and handed her the drink.

 

"You look like you need it more than I do Atrast, why don't you take a small break to drink that and rest for a moment, you seem like you'll faint from dehydration any moment now. I can manage it for a while", Dream said giving her a grin.

[JediMaster12]

Akira smirked at the Undertaker and just shrugged her shoulders. She shot a grateful glance at Atrast for her defense and gave a grin. When the teacher's back was turned, she whispered, "Thanks for the D. Don't let her get you down. At least we can have some fun later after school."

 

***********

 

Most people would probably vomit at the thought of inserting catheters into patients so they can continue their bodily functions on a somewhat normal level. Akira didn't flinch nor gag like her partner at times but rather gave a nonverbal challenge of getting through the day without a trip to the water closet.

 

When she was finished with her set of patients and waiting for the next batch to be set up, she wandered into the kitchens where Dream and Atrast were up to their elbows in suds. Dream had just beckoned for Atrast to take a breather when Akira asked, "How's it going in the suds?"

[Tysyacha]

"Hot," gasped Atrast as she glanced up from the sink. "Really, really, really hot."

 

She gratefully snatched the hydration-drink bottle from Dream and took five long swigs. "Wow! I'm surprised this stuff stayed cold in here," she exclaimed, wiping beads of sweat off her brow. "How's it going with the--well, you know?" A curious glance. "You don't look like you've 'gurged' yet at all. Congratulations!" "Gurged" meant "regurgitated."

[JediMaster12]

"I really don't gurge at things like that." Akira shrugged her shoulders. "Catheters are just another part of this world we're in. Can't avoid it so get over it pretty much. Anyone who gurges though is not wissy."

 

Akira took a seat next to Atrast and leaned back in it. "Just waiting on another batch that the Nurse Rachetts are preparing." She looked at Atrast who was gulping water like a fish and a look of concern flitted across her face. Out loud she asked Dream, "So Dream, will dish washing be considered a MESH or rather free labor?"

[Shana]

"Wow! I'm surprised this stuff stayed cold in here"

 

Dream simply grinned at Atrast and looked over at Akira who came in just a moment ago talking to Atrast, they seemed friends. She then turned to face Akira.

 

"So Dream, will dish washing be considered a MESH or rather free labor?"

 

"Apparently both, I wouldn't be surprised with the way they handle things around here. Everyone I've met here seems like they don't like it here. I can't blame them though, who would dream about this place? I mean sure, you might be able to come to love this place if anything but dream job? You'd need to be seriously forked up", Dream said and then put up another batch of clean dishes over on the racks. She looked at Atrast who was taking the bottle and almost emptying it in seconds. "Take it easy Atrast, you might want to save some for later, you sweat like crazy, is that a normal thing for you? I mean it's hot in here but not like desert hot".

 

She then turned to Akira.

 

"You have a pretty tough stomach to pull through all that stitch, I mean handling all that, I couldn't be able to do it", Dream meant this more around that she'd be more concerned about the patient because of her ataxia than about having the stomach to do so, although she did find it gross.

[JediMaster12]

"Part of being considered not normal by one's kin folks," Akira replied before glancing at nothing in particular. She then stood up and said, "Well better get back or Nurse Rachett will be coming after me. I guess another batch of catheters are ready."

 

She stood up and looked at Atrast and said, "You're not a wissy," gave a pat and went off to take care of a bunch of catheter insertions. Not the highlight of her day but anything to keep those in charge happy.

[Cyborg Ninja]

Caboose listened politely to the old man he was taking care of. The old man was really neat and had lots of really cool stories. What was the coolest though was that he read the same comic books and manga as a kid that Caboose read today. He looked over at the clock and realized he had to get these people some food. He walked into the kitchen and spotted Atrast and Dream.

 

"Hey guys, isn't this place neat? These people are so friendly," he said smiling at them.

[Shana]

"Considering I have only seen the insides of this ugly kitchen, no it's not", Dream said and just rolled her eyes as she kept washing the dishes on the sink. She then looked up at Caboose and stared at him for a moment.

 

"I figured you'd be the busiest one, having to take care of every need that the old folks here had. Considering how you seem to be so pleased about what you're doing, might be that helping these geezers is your calling", Dream said.

[Tysyacha]

Atrast finished scrubbing another pot. "I haven't met any of the residents," she said. "It seems like they're only allowed to come up to the dining-hall window and put their trays up there, and then we take them and wash them. At least you get to have some contact with the human beings who are locked up in this flat and sterile place." She rolled her eyes. "Seriously. I hope I get '86'ed' before I get that old. Better to go on to a better place than to be stuck here." She had a thought. "Unless the food is good." An involuntary giggle escaped. Gel-A-Tin and tapioca pudding. Ni-i-ine!

 

Turning to Dream and polishing off the last of the fortified water, she said, "It's not that I was accidentally implanted with the sweat glands of a pig instead of a human being, no matter what anybody else says. The fact is--I'm pyritic." She saw blank stares on the faces of her classmates. Thus Atrast continued, "It's a mosquito-borne disease, like malaria. I caught it 3 years ago. It makes your body temperature rise higher and higher over a short period of time." Her voice grew soft. "I have another year. Two, at most." Grinning ruefully, she added, "I guess I don't have to worry about growing old. If I did, my basal body temperature would be in the thousands!"

[Shana]

Dream didn't know what to say as she heard Atrast talk about her disease. She herself was in a similar position. Since she had confided in them something so sensitive, she figured she would as well be honest about her condition to, she felt she owed it to her even if she voluntarily spoke of it.

 

"I guess we're on the same boat Atrast", Dream said as she wiped clean the last dish. "No one knows this but my parents but... I have an advanced form of spinocerebellar ataxia, it's a brain degenerative disease, it's not something you can catch like a cold, you either have it or you don't. I was unlucky I guess".

 

Dream then placed the dish on the pile on the rack and sighed.

 

"It's one of the reason's why I haven't bothered with the MESHs at all. If I'm going to die soon then what the hell is the point right? Now that I think about it and I see the old people here... I kinda envy them you know? Most of them had family, kids... whatever you know? I won't have that. I've never fallen in love, much less kiss anyone. After all, who'd want to take care of someone like me right? Someone who's just gonna wither and die inside of her mind not being able to move at all but be completely conscious of the world around her until the lights go out", Dream said, her eyes were tearing but she turned around and wiped her eyes quickly before heading out the back. "I'm gonna go get some air, it's kinda suffocating here you know?"

 

She finally opened the door on the back and went outside.

 

"Idiot!", Dream told herself placing her hands on her head. "You said too much..."

[Cyborg Ninja]

Caboose was shocked by what both Atrast and Dream shared. He felt horrible that they both didn't have long to live and felt worse about just how bad their diseases. He was just plain stupid, was it a disease probably but he wouldn't let that slow him down. If he were to die from it than so be it but he wouldn't let that stop him. He felt guilty when Dream talked about how she had never been loved and how no one ever could. She was very beautiful and couldn't see why no one would want to be with her. He especially felt gulity when he looked into Dream's tear stained eyes and wish he hadn't brought up anything about how much he liked his job. He looked up at Atrast, she was a girl maybe she could give him an answer. First he wanted to try to help her to.

 

"Atrast you shouldn't think like that. Oh I got an idea, you can come over to my house and I can show you my comic book collection! That will take your mind off of dying." he said happily. He was quiet for a second before he spoke again. "Um Atrast, I don't know how to put this...and Im not very good at talking to girls but...uh...I want to go make sure Dream is okay but I don't want to bother her if she doesn't want it. What should I do?"

[Tysyacha]

Atrast thought for a moment. "Just go outside, act natural, and say that you wanted to take a breather after feeding and taking care of all those people. I know you want to see Dream, but don't be too obvious about it. Just 'cazh'," she said, meaning "casual". Then she had another idea: "Hey. You all want to go out for pizza after our shifts are over? That would be mega-nine."

 

More dishes came her way. "Aack!" she cried. "Without Dream, at least for a minute, this is going to be a tough load. Tell her there's no rush to come back. She's--probably going through a lot right now. I know I totally 'volted' when I first heard about my pyriasis. I got so hyper and crazy that my parents almost had heart attacks on the spot when they heard." A wry grin. "So--pizza?" Remembering what Caboose had said about his comic book collection, she quickly added, "I'd love to see your comic books when we have time."

[JediMaster12]

Finishing up with the catheters and Rachett gave her the go ahead to leave, she made her way to the kitchens to find Atrast still struggling with dishes. She rolled up the sleeves of her shirt and plunged her hands in the sudsy water. "Never thought geezers could eat so much." She grinned at Atrast to show that she was in a playful mood.

 

Further up she could see a kid, Caboose they called him. She said, "Yo," as a means of hello. She never ran into him at Uni-Hi but occassionally saw him in the halls.

[Cyborg Ninja]

Caboose clapped his hands and smiled at Atrast. Not only did she have great advice, but she wanted to go out for pizza after this which Caboose loved and she wanted to see his comic book collection when they had the time. He was about to thank Atrast when someone else walked into the room. Caboose didn't know her name but he did at least recognize her.

 

"Yo I'm Caboose, I'm gonna go take a break. Oh and pizza sounds like a great idea after this," he said looking over at Atrast and giving her a thumbs up.

 

Caboose took a deep breath before opening the in the back.

Just do what Atrast told you, keep it cazh. Wait does that mean I should talk to her first or wait to see if she wants to...c'mon you big dope you can do this just keep it cash.

 

He found her with her hands on her head. He wanted to ask her if she was okay but he slapped himself to stop that. He walked over to her slowly.

 

"Yeah, those people are nice but very needy. Its like one task after the other," he said stretching his hand out to a wall in order to lean on it only to find there was no wall which caused him to fall flat on his face.

 

Caboose just remained on the ground for a few seconds completely embarrassed. He slowly stood up and dusted himself off. He smiled at her and then looked away trying to keep the advice in mind.

 

Maybe next time you can trip down some stairs he thought shaking his head a little.

[Shana]

Dream noticed Caboose walk out to where she was and she regained her composure when he started to speak.

 

"Yeah, those people are nice but very needy. Its like one task after the other,"

 

When he said those words she simply had a faint grin but suddenly when she noticed he hit his head while trying to lean on the wall she started laughing.

 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh but it just looked so funny", Dream said and she walked towards him looking at his face. "Are you alright though?"

 

She checked to see if he had hurt himself but he seemed to be alright.

 

"Thanks though, even if involuntary, you helped me forget for a moment", Dream said as she walked over to the railing and leaned on it. "I heard a long time ago about my disease. My parents were told I had that disease when I was about twelve. And instead of having to deal with it they began to travel, sort of a way to forget about me, not get too attached".

 

Dream turned and leaned on the railing with her elbows.

 

"Who'd want to take care of someone in my position? I know I wouldn't want it, why should anyone else, right?", Dream said and just scoffed. "Enough of that anyways, it's as if I'm looking for pity but I'm not so, don't you dare pity me ok?"

 

She said and then looked at him and grinned.

 

"Or I'll kill you", She said with a wink.

[Cyborg Ninja]

"Thanks though, even if involuntary, you helped me forget for a moment", Dream said as she walked over to the railing and leaned on it. "I heard a long time ago about my disease. My parents were told I had that disease when I was about twelve. And instead of having to deal with it they began to travel, sort of a way to forget about me, not get too attached".

 

At least he had done something right. Not only did she forget for a second or two but he actually made her laugh. He smiled to himself and walked over to the railing.

 

"Who'd want to take care of someone in my position? I know I wouldn't want it, why should anyone else, right?", Dream said and just scoffed. "Enough of that anyways, it's as if I'm looking for pity but I'm not so, don't you dare pity me ok?"

 

She said and then looked at him and grinned.

 

"Or I'll kill you", She said with a wink.

 

Her grin made him smile even more as she winked at him. Had he been more suave he would have capitalized on this and made some type of move like brushing her hair over her ear. He had no idea what fascinated him about that but he always wanted to do that. He could feel butterflies in his stomach. To say they were dancing was an understatement, no they were sucker punching him from the inside. He did his best to stay as cazh as possible.

 

"You got it. So do you want to get some pizza after this?" "Oh uh I didn't mean that in a date type of way. Atrast asked us if we wanted to go after this, we can sit together though that is if you want to." He added in basically choking on his own words. He even swore he felt himself gulp.