Realistic or Modern Riverbrook Academy For Talented Juveniles

[Lizy]

Victoria listened as all the people around her talked. Although this was seemed like the worst situation ever, everyone was chatting and social. It was almost like they were having fun. Well, whatever fun someone could have in a place like this. Oh god, she was going to be completely miserable at this place. Not that she wasn't miserable in her normal life but it seemed like it could only get worse from here. Everyone was making friends to keep them sane in this place. She may've had one conversation but that obviously wasn't going to hold out. She was completely alone with no computers to occupy her thoughts. Once she graduated she could surely have a non miserable life. But first a couple years in hell.

This got Victoria thinking about her future. What would her life be like once she got out of here? She'd probably end up living in a cabin in the woods. No, a little too remote, she needed technology. She'd live in a tiny apartment, surrounded by computers all the time, that sounded like heaven. She smiled to herself but that smile quickly faded into a frown. She was incapable of making any relationships, that was at least what she thought. Although she liked being alone, all humans need connection. Oh god, her whole life would be lived alone and miserable.

 

[KokichiLove]

Lizy

Alina, having felt a little left out after the new arrivals, decided to wander off, leading the little white yorkipoo on a bejeweled leash. She found Tori by herself and noticed she looked upset. "H-Hey? Are you alright?" She asked the other girl.

 

[tortellini]

“Oh, lord! Was anyone inside?” Kai raised her eyebrows.
“And why? And where? I have so many questions. Will you answer them?” She was not okay with this. Cold-blooded, unprovoked arson was one of her least favorite things. She moved slightly closer to June. She didn’t know why, but he made her feel safe. Slightly less alone. Really, even if he wasn’t there, anyone would’ve at that point. But he was pretty great.

KokichiLove sox

 

[sox]

"No, we don't have numbers. It was a joke. You know, those things people sometimes tell to make each other laugh?" he teased, smiling through the sarcasm to soften the bite. "My name's June. And thank you, Nicolette. I try my best." He tipped an imaginary hat in her direction, grinning cheekily.

At this point, almost everyone was walking together except Tori, an observation that brought a furrow to June's brow. From their brief conversation earlier, she didn't seem like the type to enjoy group banter, so this whole ordeal was probably too uncomfortable for her. While June was a bit of a socialite and couldn't entirely understand how she felt, he didn't want her to shut herself off. Throwing a quick "be right back" over his shoulder to Kai and the others, he jogged a little bit to catch up with his quiet acquaintance. "Hey, stranger," he greeted, keeping his voice low but friendly. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Lizy tortellini KokichiLove Xenoblade

 

[KokichiLove]

"Chill." Evelyn said, a little annoyed by the sudden stream of questions. "There were no injuries. We had no intention of arson. The building was our old apartment. We played the ole' "bucket of paint on the corner of the door" trick. Someone had their fireplace lit, and we didn't know the paint was flammable."

tortellini

 

[Lizy]

Victoria looked up to see Alina who'd come over and asked if she was ok followed by June. "I'm fine," she said harshly, nearly snapping. She was conflicted. Talking about her feelings could help her and get everything off her chest but on the other hand she hated talking about her feelings. Maybe actual prison would've been better. She could get herself thrown into solitary and actually go insane. At least then she wouldn't have to deal with people asking about how she was feeling. This was literally hell.

KokichiLove sox

 

[tortellini]

Kailo smiled and waved to June as he walked off. She laughed at Evelyn’s story.
“Ooh, so it was an accident. I wish how I got in here was. But how do you accidentally start a crime ring, yknow?” She laughed again. She watched June, Alina and Tori talking. She did seem quite upset. She wanted to go over there and talk to her, but Kai could barely handle her own emotions, let alone someone else’s. Oh well, leave it to therapist June.

 

[KokichiLove]

"What, did you think I commit arson for the fun of it?" Evelyn asked. "Do I look like a psychopath?" Evelyn hoped the answer would be no, but ever since she got here her mental state has shown on the outside.

"She's a bit shaken up." Said Michael with a grin and a stage whisper.

 

[tortellini]

“Just a bit? I think she’s more shaken up than that.” Kailo said. She laughed at his joke. “Oh, yeah, nice to meet you too. What’s your name? I didn’t catch it.”

KokichiLove

 

[KokichiLove]

tortellini
"Michael." Michael held out a hand to shake. "Nice to meet ya. Eve over here was supposed to be on TV today, but instead we wound up here."

 

[tortellini]

“You too homie. Name’s Kailo, call me Kai. Or Kailo. Why were you supposed to be on TV?” She laughed as she shook his hand.

 

[sox]

June scratched the back of his head, taken aback but unfazed. "You're right. My bad," he conceded, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets. He made a point not to stare in her direction and instead fixed his gaze on the hall lights ahead.

"So I was thinking," he began, decided to just talk instead of pressuring Tori, "that later on today, after all the hype's died down and they let us check out our rooms, maybe we can have, like... a little ceremony. No, wait, funeral. Vigil?" He paused to think about the proper word before shaking his head and continuing. "Anyways, we're all feeling like shit about being stuck in this whole situation, and maybe a night of mourning and just sticking together--- not chatting, just existing--- might, I don't know, help clear our heads?"

He glanced back at Tori briefly, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed about the whole thing. "Ah, fuck, that's actually probably a pretty stupid sounding idea." He chuckled sheepishly, rubbing his neck again.

Lizy

 

[KokichiLove]

"I was supposed to open for a local concert. If I had the chance to sing it could have brought a bunch of publicity to the town." Evelyn said bitterly.

"And I was going to be playing guitar. We were in a band together." Michael added.

 

[tortellini]

“Oh, so you can sing! Lovely. I might want to hear something later. And you play guitar? Lord, Alina plays piano. Everybody’s just a musical prodigy here. All I can do is magic tricks and shuffle cards. I feel lame now.” Kailo chuckled.

KokichiLove

 

[Lizy]

Victoria raised an eyebrow at June's idea. It did sound really dumb, but maybe something that would work. She felt a tad bit calmer and took a breath before responding. "It's not stupid. Well, maybe a little but it could help. Maybe, I don't know." She paused before continuing. "I'm sorry I'm so... terrible." She couldn't figure out just the right word to describe herself but she though terrible summed it up decently. She was closed off, harsh, judgmental, not trusting. To herself, she sounded like a terrible person to be around.
"I just- It's- Lots of things are happening. And- and- I just don't know whats going to happen and I'm honestly really scared for the future and I- Shit, I sound like an idiot," she cut herself off and tried to regain composure. Oh god, she was going insane. Just perfect. She could only hope that no one else heard her stammering like an idiot.

sox

 

[sox]

"Hey," June murmured softly, turning to watch Tori with wide eyes. The nurturing side of him wanted to reach out and hug her, but he knew better than to touch someone without their permission. He shoved his hands deeper in his pockets. "You're not terrible. You're true to yourself, and true to how you're feeling. That doesn't make you an idiot. If anything, it just makes you less of a liar than the rest of us." He looked ahead again, opening his mouth as if to say something, and then shutting it again, jaw clenched in thought. After a small pause, he lowered his voice a bit more. "We're all scared shitless here. No one's gonna judge you for being scared, too. Don't be so hard on yourself."

A part of him wanted to say what was on his mind, to expose the cyclone that was actually tearing everything apart inside his brain, but he chose to bottle it for now. Even if he somehow managed to put his feelings into words, he knew there was nothing anyone could do about it. He felt exhausted and stressed, distraught at their new circumstances and dire predicament, but more than anything, he felt... selfish. So, so selfish.

Lizy

 

[Lizy]

Victoria shook her head. June's words made her feel a little better but she still felt like a bit of an idiot. She'd made it this far in life without showing anyone she didn't know well that she was a complete wreck, why did she have to fall apart now. Oh well, at least now that one person knew she was a mess and didn't automatically hate her she felt less insane. "Thanks," she gave June a tiny smile. He didn't look too great himself. She didn't want to press though, after all he hadn't done it to her. Maybe telling him a bit more about herself would make him more comfortable around her. She didn't trust the others here enough to speak openly about it though. She though of how he said he liked languages and suddenly got an idea.

"¿Hablas español?" She asked, speaking in Spanish, the language her mother had spoken to her in as a child.

sox

 

[sox]

June raised an eyebrow in surprise before a pleased smile overtook his face. "En cierto modo," he responded, a little embarrased to be speaking his intensely accented Spanish with an obviously native speaker. "Hace mucho tiempo desde la última vez que hablé español," he admitted. He had taken it in high school in Canada and done pretty well on his exams, but his only practice outside of that had been for a week on the streets of Madrid. "Sorry if I sound dumb," he apologized with a nervous laugh.

Lizy

 

[Xenoblade]

(Making up for my absence like...)

Nicolette awoke suddenly, to see that she had dozed off again. "Huh? Why are we speaking Spanish? What are we talking about? And where is that idiot brother of mine?" Nicolette looked around. It seems that she had only slept for a few minuets.

 

[tortellini]

Kailo said a small goodbye to Michael and Evelyn (releasing me from the character block) and sat down quietly, resting her head in her hands. Ok, now for a plan. She would finish the orientation, get to her room, unpack her things, and call Donte. And then Jaxon. And then her dad. And then she would stay up and write out what she was going to do. Yes, she had some sort of friends here. But they weren’t really important. She probably would never see them again after she graduated, going back to the ring and overtaking whoever had it now, expanding it like her father never had. She would save herself. She could get through two years by breaking the rules a little. Maybe. But it was fine! Just fine. She was fine. She rubbed her eyes, curling up her knees and resting her arms on her knees and her forehead on her arms. She rubbed her eyes, her eyelashes clumping with tears and her eyes getting red. She was fine. She took a deep breath and put on a neutral smile.

 

[KokichiLove]

"Alright everyone, settle down." Ms. Monroe stood on stage with a microphone in hand. "I'd like to once again formally introduce myself. I am Ms. Monroe, the principal of this academy. I'd like to welcome everyone here, and I assure you this orientation will be short. After we're done, you will be able to see your rooms and have free time. Today should be a fairly relaxed day for you to adjust." She paused to make sure everyone was here. "The reason you are here is likely because you've made poor choices, but it was decided your talents should not go to waste. There are plenty of outlets to express your talents such as music rooms, computer rooms, game rooms, etcetera. However, there are rules, and these should not be abused."

((Just to clear up confusion, everyone should be in the auditorium at this point.))

 

[Lizy]

"It's fine. I'm going to sound a lot dumber," Victoria sighed and prepared to tell him her story. She felt like he deserved an explanation for her being so weird. "Uh- cre-" she was cut off by them entering the auditorium. Looks like she wouldn't tell him right now after all. "I'll tell you later," she said, turning to the stage. Maybe being cut short was a good thing. She'd be able to think this through. Maybe she shouldn't be telling June her life story, although it felt like she could trust him she barely knew him. This orientation would give her time to get her head on straight.

Victoria looked up at the principal as she spoke, only really half listening. She was mostly just thinking about her impulse choice she almost made. She only completely listened when Ms.Monroe mentioned computer rooms. "Oh thank god," she muttered quietly. Sure there'd be rules, but she could do plenty of legal stuff with a computer so she wasn't that worried.

sox

 

[tortellini]

Kai looked up at Ms. Monroe. Okay, she would see her room soon. But were there phones? There had to be phones. Had to be. She had to call him- them. They all mattered.

“Kai... you have to stop this. You’re going to get caught.” She and Donte sat together on the pier, dipping their feet in the cold, dark water.
“Donte, it’s fine. My father and I know how to run this.”
“But other people don’t, Kai. You were your father’s assistant. You’re gonna need somebody, too. And you know Jaxon’s not gonna help.”
“That’s what you’re for, lovely! You can help me, and we can expand it, and we’ll be rich and live a wonderful life together...” she lay back, laughing.
“Kailo...” Donte’s tone was getting sharp, his eyes narrowing, his brows furrowing.
“Just trust me, lovely. I have it all planned out, and-“
“Kailo!”
His voice raised, his face dropped. His tone was biting at first, but now it was just sad. His eyes glistened with tears.
“I don’t want to lose you... this isn’t safe, Kai, for either of us. Please, Kailo, lovely... I don’t want to lose you...”

Kai snapped back to reality. He wasn’t here. He was gone. She shouldn’t even call him. Yes, she missed him, but he had to stay safe... she wouldn’t be safe. She wasn’t good for him.

 

[sox]

At the mention of computer rooms, June nudged Tori's elbow and shot her a wink. "Look at that," he beamed. "Your saving grace." Ms. Monroe didn't seem too bad, the more she addressed the students. She held a careful neutrality in her tone of speech, but June couldn't detect any malice or condescension from the older lady. Hm, he made a mental note. Maybe she'd be open to allowing a bit more freedom once they were more accustomed to the school.

June glanced around at the other students, most of whom had looks of practiced indifference with the telltale defeated dullness in their eyes that the older boy knew all too well. If the air around them could be visible as a color, it would be a stormy, dusty gray, suffocating the somber kids as they recieved what felt like a sentence under the guise of an orientation. He was trying his damned hardest to keep his head up, he really was, because he knew that if he didn't then he'd fall right into that downward spiral that institutions like this were meant to incite in them, the existential solitude that was supposed to break their spirits so that, when they were inevitably dumped back into the real world, they had no more fight left in their tired bodies. June knew that there would be no escape once he succumbed to it, so he promised to himself that he'd never let his optimism die. Even if no one else in this rotten school joined him, he swore to never stop looking up.

He'd help them find peace until they could find it themselves.

Lizy

 

[tortellini]

KAILO

kailo zara summers

location: auditorium
mood: sad, scared
interactions: npc guards
with: no one
tags: none

It had hit her.

She missed him.

And she was not getting out.

And this how she would spend her life, fake smiles and in and out of cuffs and in and out of bars and bedrooms and crying over boys and beer bottles. And she would never be the same. She had nothing now, nothing! The ring was gone. How would she earn a living shuffling cards and playing poker to win drugs and hookers? That wasn’t normal in the real world, out of the ring. She earned a living as the pretty girl who shuffled cards at her father’# place who wore low cut tops and shorts and was referred to as “card girl!” And that was not ok but it was how it was.

So she was crying, crying into her arms and then silently running out of the auditorium and running past guards but then being caught by them in the hallway and falling onto the ground, shaking and crying. This was her first day and she was already lying on the floor, cold and curled up and sobbing loudly with guards surrounding her holding her back because they didn’t trust her, and that was fair because it wasn’t safe to trust her, Donte had proved that and it was all over for her.

Her first day and her mind had already collapsed.

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