Perfect School

"Hey Jonah. What's up man?". I asked him as he sat beside me. I grabbed my drink as he sat down and was halfway through it when he dropped the bomb on me. I choked on the soda, coughing it up into the floor. "W-what?". I rasped in complete surprise. Me? He was going to pick me?

Jonah:

“I want you on my team. You and I work well together. Kira, Kyra and Andrew are on it as well.” I told him. “We will start training together if you accept.”

I raised an eyebrow at his choice of people but only grinned more.  "I'd be honored Jonah.  Thank you...I'd love to join your team.  Honestly, it's better than I could have expected."  I set aside my drink and could only grin.  "Have you talked to everyone already?  Do they know?"

Kira:

I entered the cafiteria and only stayed long enough to collect a yogurt, a protien shake, and my black drink.  After that I left to the gym.  I changed into an outfit unusual for me.  I wore a sports bra and yoga pants.  I tended to be slight conservative with my outfits, wearing things that covered more of my body even during the summer months.  Most girls here worked on a tan or wore lighter airier clothes to beat the heat.  I didn't.  I wanted to hide the scars, and the marks of my training.  Especially the one along my spine.  A long scar that ran along the length of my back, a once thick scar that led me through multiple surgeries over my life.  I stopped counting after ten.  The dull ache it still gave me was passable, it could be ignored.  I was probably due for another surgery here soon.  But I knew ways to work around it.  I didn't want it covered right now.  I wanted to be comfortable, to stretch myself the best I could.

I stepped into the small gym, turning on some music quietly.  I moved to the edge of the room by the mirror as I started to stretch.  It was all balance and things that a professional dancer would have loved to do, but it was second nature to me now.  A coping mechanism that was helping for more than one reason.  It took my mind away, until all that was left was the actions I was performing.  I needed this.

Jonah:

“I’ve talked to Kira and Kyra, and Kyra has told Andrew. I only have one more person.” I told him. “We are all meeting in the gym tonight after dinner, we’ll go over everything then.” I talked about it with him for a little while we finished our lunches. After that I went to talk to Emily.

She knew she was the last one to be chosen. She was clearly annoyed but at this point she knew she had to behave in order to be let in. I told her she would have to get along with Kira for it to work, and that she not undermine anyone in the group. If she was given orders, she would have to take them without argument. And if she caused any trouble what so ever that she would be kicked off the team. She grudgingly accepted, and for the rest of the day she remained quiet and reserved, but by my side none the less.

We walked together to the gym later after dinner. I had still not told her who else was on the team, I assumed that she would disapprove. But I didn’t need her approval. I wanted Kira’s, though I doubted I would get it.

Kira:

I had skipped all the rest of my classes after lunch, instead spending one full class in that empty gym.  After that it was a long time in the shower before I dressed in tactacle gear once more. I checked out a few weapons from the armory and brought them into the gym where I sat on the floor with one leg extended the other bent up as I field stripped one weapon, cleaned it, and put it back together.  I heard others coming right as I started to work on a .50 cal sniper rifle.  The other guns either holstered on My body, or sitting beside me.

Kyra:

Andrew and I entered the gym and walked over to Kira. I gave a small wave and a smile. “This what you were doing instead of class?” I asked softly, waiting for the others to show up. I was excited to see what we would be doing, but I was trying to stay calm outwardly.

I glanced up from the rifle, a part in my hands along with a cleaning blush. "I have been doing personal training on my own." My eyes dropped down to the parts again.

Kyra:

“Oh, nice.” I said, a little awkwardly. I was used to her cold personality now, despite my attempts to draw her into a friendship, but I didn't take it personally. Andrew sat on a mat close by. He wasn't as pleased to be on the team as I was, though he did say that if he had to be on anyone's team, he was glad it was Kira's. And of course he didn't want to be separated from me.

((Paublo has to get there before Jonah.))

Paublo:

I pushed open the gym door and stepped in boldly, but it died out when I looked around. It was hard to know what to say or do. I hadn't expected to be on this team at all. And these people were an intimidating lot. The best one in the school, my crush, and my crushes brother. It was an odd combo.

Jonah:

Emily and I walked into the room together. She made no comment of the people inside but I knew they were not the ones she would have picked. Out of everyone Kyra seemed the most pleased to be there, as she was friendly with all of us. I glanced at Kira to judge what she thought of the group. I didn't need her approval, but I couldn't help but want it.

Kira:

I didn't look up as Emily and Jonah came in. I simply set about rebuilding the rifle, taking the time to even set the scope after I had got it all put together.

Jonah:

When we reached the small group, Emily drifted closer to Kyra and I moved next to Kira. “Kira do you mind?” I asked, nodding to the riffle. It was oddly exhilarating to be in a position of power over her. Up until now we had been equals, and we still were in virtually everything but this. I certainly did not mean to test her, or abuse the power, but to be able to ask her to do things I wouldn't otherwise was pleasing.

"It's already finished.". It wasn't a question or permission. Instead of handing it to him, she leaned it up against the wall and moved onto the next weapon.

Jonah:

I watched her for a second longer before addressing the group.  “From now on you will all be training in this group.  The class schedule has changed so that we will be in the same classes.  For some of you, that will leave you lost, but we will be getting together nightly as well.  We are a team now, so we will be strengthening each other.  When the time comes we will be in charge of completing assignments together.  Also, ranks will be set biased on teams within the school as well as individually.”

I looked them all over.  “Any questions?”

Kira:

I raised my eyes to him for a brief moment as he spoke. But soon enough dropped my gaze. My hands stilled however, as I absorbed his words. When he asked if we had any questions I shook my head and finally resumed my work on the large rifle in my hands.

Paublo:

I frowned, my eyes never leaving Jonah's face as he spoke. "Will....will we be doing the same kind of training you and Kira used to do together? I saw how you both looked after some of those..." I made a slight face and shrugged.

Jonah:

“Not at first. In class they will be teaching things you may not have gone over before. That is a more controlled setting. In our group training we will focus on building up weaknesses for everyone, but I won't be throwing you into the deep end. Right now I have a pretty good idea of everyone's limits, I won't exceed them, but I do intend to push them as time goes on. As long as you are working hard to improve, you have nothing to worry about.” I answered. The things Kira and I had undergone in our private sessions were far beyond even Emily. I would be teaching them the techniques eventually, but that would be some time off.

Paublo:

I tried to appear as if the news was disappointing, but in truth I was relieved.  The pair had come back bleeding and bruised on more than one occasion.  There was a pool going with the students that they were already doing missions together.  The majority of the student body was all but certain that they were.  The betting was all about what kind of missions they were doing.  I was one of the few that didn't believe that the pair were doing anything at all.  All the money counted up was nearly a million.  I didn't have anything or else I would have tried betting.  But the odds didn't seem my favor.

~Time Skip Four Months to May~

Jonah:

Our Classes were going well, The girls had little trouble keeping up in the advanced class. Pauble and Andrew, on the other hand, needed a lot more coaching. They were opposite in their needs, and Paublo was clearly gifted on the physical side, and Andrew was caught up in his mind. I encouraged Kira and Kyra to focus on helping him in our evening meetings, while I helped Paublo. Emily usually chose to assist me, which was just as well because there was always tension with her and Kira, though she did keep her mouth shut while training.

I doubted that Emily and Kira would ever work well together, Emily was too jealous, and Kira couldn't care less. Strangely, it worked out favorably, as Kira was the only one Emily felt competitive toward so she worked on becoming better rather showing off her talent on the others.

Kyra was not competitive toward anyone but herself. She was happy to help others, and only strove to beat her own record. She absolutely thrived under approval. If Kira hadn't been in my group, Kyra would have been my favorite.

Kira and I continued our private training after our group sessions. It took longer than I would have liked for the rest of the group to catch up enough for us to introduce skills that we learned from out private instructors. We were clearly the best group in the school, even Paublo and Andrew would probably rise in rank over the rest of them. So with Kira's help, I started teaching the things we learned outside of class.

This was when Emily started becoming a problem. When I was teaching she was fine, but when I asked Kira to show a technique she got sullen. It seemed like she hated Kira, not only for being better than her, but also for being better than me at certain things. Any correction Kira would give her, she refused to follow. She had been trying to hide her contempt for her before, but now it was not only clear to the three of us, but quite obvious to the rest of the group that Emily hated her.

I was fed up with her. I took it up with her outside of class and told her that she had to straighten up. It helped for a time, but then one group meeting she openly expressed scorn for Kira. I asked her to leave the session immediately. She was suspended from our evening meetings for a week, and when she came back she had somewhat returned back to how she acted in the beginning, at least outwardly.

Even with me being harsh to her in our meetings, it only seemed to make her more clingy in our relationship. I requested that our team eat at the same table for lunch, and Emily was always glued to my side. She enjoyed showing affection in front of Kira, something I discouraged as much as possible.

While we were at lunch one day a teacher came in to request that Kira and I come to the office with her. I extracted myself from and Emily who was clearly jealous and moved to follow the teacher with Kira. The only reason I could think that they would want to talk with us would be something to do with Marie.

Kira:

I paused with a spoonful of yogurt halfway to my mouth. I settled a hard look on the teacher before standing and leaving my treat behind. I gave a small wave to Kyra as I passed but otherwise my focus was on the teacher.

The past four months had been draining, with the double effort being placed on us. Jonah was a hard task master, and while the trainings with the others wasn't difficult, it took time and energy away that I didn't have when I was training with him. I had been holding off so far from letting the slowly building exhaustion show. Not even Jonah had seen it yet, I knew only because I believed he would have been on me about such things in an instant if it had been seen.

Paublo:

I let out a miniture sigh of relief, for once glad that the pair had walked off, but the sigh was also one of exasperation. I didn't even need to look at Emily to know she was fuming. At times her one woman war against Kira was amusing. But othertimes it simply got in the way. Learning from the two best in the school had been an experience, one that made me feel like I truly wasn't good enough to be here in the school. I tried to hide my fear, my worry, and my stress. What the others could master in a few hours took me days to do.

Jonah:

The teacher took us down the hall that students weren’t usually allowed down, as it was the apartments for the staff. She took us to an office I had only been in once or twice when I first arrived. The head of the school greeted us and told us about a competition that they were going to send the two of us to. We would be facing the best from other schools, and individual trainers. She said we would be the youngest of them, but had no doubt that we were going to win. I had no doubt either, but I hoped it would be at least somewhat challenging. She said we would be leaving in a couple of days, and that the competition would last a week.

“Any questions?” She asked.

'So many questions, where could I begin?' I wondered before asking the most obvious ones I could think of. "Living arrangements? Location of the event? Suspected competitions? Anyone else coming with us including teachers?"

Jonah:

“It is being held at a resort in Colorado. The two of you will be sharing a cottage with a teacher, separate rooms for each. No other students or instructors will be joining you. And you will learn the components of the competition when you arrive.

She dismissed us and told us we were excused from classes until we left if we wished. I was excited, not only would we be facing opponents we had never met before, but we would be outside the school. In the past two years I had rarely had the occasion to leave the school. I couldn't think how the situation could be better. I was even going with my favorite person.

“This will be fun.” I said with a little smile as Kira and I walked back down the hallway together.

I walked beside him, considering quietly. "It might just be." Never had I had any true competition like this before. It would be a true test of our skills, and our compatibility as partners. "What do you think of it all?"

Jonah:

“I'm looking forward to it. It will give us a chance to use some of the things we've been learning, other than with each other. Maybe we'll actually be challenged, especially if they're going to be older than we are. We might be able to learn some things, and come back with ideas to use on our team.” The more I thought about it the more pumped I got.

"Maybe..." We were approaching the doors back to the cafeteria when I stopped. My hand flashed out to grab his wrist. "Jonah. Would you like to play a game with me?" My eyes were on the floor though my mind raced as I plotted and planned before in the end I set it aside. My instincts told me to do this.