The Academy Years (17 year olds)

[The First Doctor]

"No....no....no! Don't get anyone else involved, please. I just have to come up with the money to pay the Mentalist off, and everything will be fine. And I'm not going to see the nurse until after third period...if I even need to."

Thete wanted to argue, really wanted to argue, but managed to hold his tongue with the greatest of difficulty.

"All right," he said. "Have it your way. But somebody needs to stand up to that maniac. And soon."

"I....I don't think that it's really broken...it's probably just bruised. I'll be fine, and I can't go anywhere until after third period anyway....so I'm going to go off to my class now."

"You're sure? Can you make a fist without pain? If you can do that, I'll... well, I'll stop worrying about your arm for the moment."

Eiougougol, whose class wasn't out of hearing range from Theta's comment, stomped back out of his classroom. "What was that that you said to me? You want to say it again...to my face, Bookworm?"

Thete assumed his most innocent of expressions. "Why," he said in tones of utter surprise, "I was just telling my brother about the fascinating early reading I've done for Comparative Cultures. About how absolutely and utterly different customs can be across the Spiral Politic." He paused, and smiled. "For instance, the gift of the body's moisture. On many worlds, it indicates a deep and profound respect. A willingness, one might say, to offer all that one has so that another might live."

He assumed an air of bafflement. "But I assure you that I was speaking to my brother. I had not noticed your presence, nor should I have cared to acknowledge it if it had been brought to my attention. Are the dulcet tones of my voice so singularly enthralling to your ears that my casual conversations seem intended for your ears alone?"

[The Tenth Doctor]

(Eiougougol is a student, and he's the same age as Theta and Tyler and the Mentalist)

[The First Doctor]

(Oops. I thought he was Emmehujidat. Let's modify this, shall we?)

[The Tenth Doctor]

(Emmehujidat is Eiougougol's father)

Tyler let out a sigh of relief when Theta agreed to let Tyler wait until after third period to get his arm checked out.

Although it hurt Tyler, he made a fist with his hand, determined not to let Theta see the pain that he was in. He didn't want his brother worrying about his arm, nor did he want to go anywhere before third period. For once in his life, Tyler was thankful for Eiougougol's presence. The distraction was most welcome, as he hoped it would draw Theta's attention away from his arm and allow the Guitarist to look it over.

Eiougougol glared at the Doctor. "You said that because of me. I just know it.

[The First Doctor]

Eiougougol glared at the Doctor. You said that because of me. I just know it."

"Ah!" Thete smiled knowingly, glancing at the other students that were beginning to pass them by. "So you are so enthralled with my voice that, to your ears, any words I speak call to you across the distance? My dear, Eiougougol, I hardly know what to say."

He paused, and pressed his hands to his heart, and cast his eyes over the other students. "I am, of course, flattered by the attention. Who would not be, when it comes from one of such noble station as yourself?"

Thete allowed his face to assume an exaggerated air of concern. "But, though I am flattered, I fear that this simply cannot be! We have your reputation to consider, and... oh, my! Your father! What would your father say, were he to learn of this?" He shook his head sadly. "No, no, I simply cannot allow it. Though my voice be golden harmonies to your ears, I must not let you jeopardize your future for your feelings. We must remain apart, separated forever by the barriers of class and station. Nay, good Eiougougoul, you must forget my voice and the golden music it brings to your ears."

"And I? I must strive to forget you, no matter how it pains me."

There was laughter, and a smattering of applause, as Thete's features took on an exaggerated pantomime of sorrow.

[The Tenth Doctor]

Upon seeing that Theta seemed to be distracted by Eiougougol, Tyler sent a telepathic message to his best friend. "Hey....would you mind looking at my arm somewhere else....somewhere away from Theta."

Eiougougol glared at Theta, a look of disgust becoming more and more evident on his face.

"You dare even think that I would be flattered or want your attention so that you could be just like me? You'll never be like me. I am above you socially, mentally, emotionally, and in every way possible. I'd never, ever be your friend...and you know that! You need to shut up, Theta! We all hate you...everyone hates you!"

[The Fifth Doctor]

Yadsh's ears pricked up, figurativly of course, but never the less, he walked away from the Mentalist, the less bashings he got, the better.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Mini Emmy," Yadsh said from behind Eiougougol, Yadsh walked around to the front of him, "you're worse than your father, and that's, saying something, now I believe Thete is a very funny man, he always seems to put a smile on my face, and I believe everyone else agrees, probably even Nathan over there."
He glanced at the Mentalist for a second, and then continued,
"Please, stop stirring up trouble, you aren't worth the oxygen wasted arguing."

[The Tenth Doctor]

Eiougougol snickered at Yadsh as he pointed to the Mentalist.

"Isn't it funny how both the Mentalist and Theta have the same first name? Maybe that just shows how Theta's father couldn't be original. He doesn't have enough brains to name his own child something different. Or maybe it was his mother....oh wait...she's dead....too bad."

"And the Mentalist is crazy...everyone knows that.....with his hair that you could light a fire with." Eiougougol felt sure that the Mentalist was not in hearing range or he wouldn't have dared make such comments about him.

Eiougougol then turned to look directly at Yadsh, "And you know what.....I'm going to report everything you said about me to my father. He'll know how to deal with you....how dare you say anything about my father or me!! I'll see to it that you are placed in the lowest classes."

[The Fifth Doctor]

"Oooo, hoo, hoo, you are, so scary," Yadsh said as he lashed out with his leg, kicking Eiou in the knee, Marble floor, let's see... there goes about 3 days of memories, who have I got now, oh, Emmy, lovely...

Yadsh walked into class, looked at Emmy, and said "Yo Emmy, did ya miss me?"

He sat down, and waited for an answer.

[The Mentalist]

The Mentalist had heard Yadash's little snidey comment about his leg, as he'd passed in the corridor. He'd ignored it and refused to reply to Yadash, in his eyes, the little joker was a waste of space. That other red-head had always tried to be the funny one, yet he'd never made The Mentalist laugh with his jokes. It was more of what Yadash actually did, made him laugh.

But as the mad-man walked away from the hub of activity near the classroom, he was unsettled by the actual content of Yadash's comment.
"I see your leg's better Mental."
The Mentalist took another drag on his cigarette as he thought about it more and his leg twinged. Breathing out the smoke, he muttered to himself.
"Hmph, just when did I get so careless. How could someone like Yadash have known about my leg. I got that injury during the break... I thought I'd hid it flawlessly.. And I only had a limp for a week or two, so how the f3ck does he know?"
He thought back to the days after his injury and ran through them all, in as much detail as he could, to spot anything he could have missed.

The young red-head had been, for once, enjoying himself. He'd been spending some time on his own- in only body alone, away from the noise and rush of the citadel. Out in the cool, fresh, open air that lingered in the deepest parts of the forests of Gallifrey.

He'd picked a nice spot in the west mountains, the forests at their bases were vast and engulfing. It was like there was a totally different world in those forests, it was easily to loose your way and yourself in the forests. Which was exactly what he'd wanted. A place to loose himself, a little world that was just his own.

The red-head could remember some of the incident, he'd been sitting by the river at his little base camp. His tent was a bit behind him looking old and scruffy but his fire was burning away quite happily, cooking his fish. The teen could still remember the smell of the Red Tyran fish, it had smelt so delicious. He'd caught it himself and rubbed a few herbs on its skin before it had cooked, that much he could still recall. He'd been sitting with his legs over the side of the river, his feet in it and had been drawing something. What it had been was anyones guess, he couldn't remember.

But he could recall a rustling coming from behind him, men emerging from the blanket of trees coming toward him, their snarls interrupting the tranquility of the surroundings. How the older men had screamed at him, how they'd brandished their weapons, how they'd despised him. They'd shouted about how they'd found, how he'd pay for murdering some guy -he didn't recognize the name- and how they'd 'get him'. The red-head had just sat there, unarmed and taken by surprise. He'd felt truly vulnerable at that point, unsure of what he could've done.
He'd gone to open his mouth, to try and reply. Instead, they'd just ran at him, still screaming and bawling. And for that once in his life, he'd shown fear in his eyes.

They'd hit him with what felt like iron, beating and pounding his skull and rest of him. He could only recall that one had hit him so hard on the head, that he'd passed out and was pushed into the river...

The next thing he could remember was waking up, lying on a riverbank, cold and soaked. He'd been sprawled out on the grass and mud, his clothes torn and sticking to his wounds. He could remember the blood oozing from gashes in his chest and how when he'd finally felt his leg, it was agony. He could remember how the river had been so cruel to him, his leg fully broken and bleeding, his chest stinging and tightening.

And he could remember how he'd cried at that point. He'd cried in pain.

The memory left him as the red-head stormed out of the corridor, still thinking. How could Yadash have known of that?! He shouldn't have known, The Mentalist didn't want anyone to see him in that state. He had a formidable reputation to keep, he had people to scare, people to kill! No-one could ever see his weakness.

As he kept walking, he bumped into another student. The cigarette fell out of his hand. The contact snapped him out of his thoughts and he glared at the student he'd ran into. They'd only contacted with shoulders, but The Mentalist was still mad. He yelled at the student.
["WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE PLAYING AT?"
He was furious now, stomping and squashing the cigarette with great vigor. as he glanced more, he realized that this boy had a name. It was Koschei, or The Master, or something. He didn't honestly care. Threatening him, he snarled.
"That'll be your head if you don't reply to me, Master."
He had an incredible hate for anyone that got in his way. He also hated the Deca. Being a combination of both did not put you in good stead.

[The First Doctor]

"Isn't it funny how both the Mentalist and Theta have the same first name? Maybe that just shows how Theta's father couldn't be original. He doesn't have enough brains to name his own child something different. Or maybe it was his mother....oh wait...she's dead....too bad."

Thete's face hardened and his fists clenched at that, and he ached to wipe the grin off Eiougougol's face. K'anpo wouldn't like it, he reminded himself. Venyu sankido is only for self-defense. He wouldn't approve.

Instead, he forced himself to smile. "That's right. She is." He took a deep breath. "So I've never had the opportunity to run crying home to mommy any time I don't get my way. Why don't you tell me what it's like, Goo-goo?"

Eiougougol then turned to look directly at Yadsh, "And you know what.....I'm going to report everything you said about me to my father. He'll know how to deal with you....how dare you say anything about my father or me!! I'll see to it that you are placed in the lowest classes."

"Aaaawww," Thete mocked. "Is poor widdle Goo-goo gonna run tew mommy and daddy that Yadish was aw mean to him? Is poor widdle Goo-goo gonna cwy to daddy? Is Yadish aw mean to widdle Goo-goo-kins?"

[The Master]

There's always one in every class. The golden child. The one with the wealthy parents, the good looks, intelligence, charm, style, and even athletic ability.

That was Koscheipopisiva.

Oh, sure, he had his flaws. A bad temper. The ability to carry a grudge to an almost irrational degree. And, sometimes, an air that made it seem he was looking down at you, rather than at you. Nevertheless, he was liked by his teachers and his fellow students. Most of them, anyway.

He bumped into someone. Even as he opened his mouth to apologize, that someone began ranting and screaming.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE PLAYING AT?"

It was, of course, Nathan. Not his friend, who went by Thete these days, but the other one. The one that went by the nickname "The Mentalist", and tried so hard to be a dangerous bad boy.

And he was stomping on something.

Koschei glanced downwards, keeping a wary eye on the features of the angry redhead. Nope. No good. He had no idea what Nathan was doing.

"That'll be your head if you don't reply to me, Master."

Master. That was an embarrassing nickname. Sure, he was good at just about everything he did, but Master? He thought he'd managed to persuade everyone not to call him that.

He looked the redhead in the eyes, feeling the beginnings of the pounding headache he got any time he was forced into a confrontation.

thump-thump-thump-thump

Pushing the throbbing aside, he smiled. "I was just going to class, Nathan, and I'm afraid I simply wasn't paying attention." His eyes flicked to the floor, where he saw a crushed cigarette. Ah, he thought, comprehension dawns.

thump-thump-thump-thump

"Now, since I seem to have cost you your last cigarette, I feel terrible. I've never acquired the habit myself, so I can't offer you a replacement, but do let me buy you a new pack."

thump-thump-thump-thump

[The Tenth Doctor]

Eiougougol saw the kick coming and was prepared for it. He fell to the ground, embarrassed, but quickly recovered. He would deal with Yadsh later.

"Fool," he called out to the retreating Yadsh.

Once Yadsh had gone his own way, Eiougougol turned his attention back to Theta.

"At least I have a mum.....you don't...I bet she killed herself after seeing you born. She knew you'd never amount to much."

Eiougougol completely ignored Theta's baby comments. Theta would pay for it later. In fact Eiougougol took delight in knowing a few things about Theta and Tyler that they didn't know. Only a few days before Eiougougol's father had told him how Theta's mother had died. It had been by his father's design. He had known for awhile that it had been his father who had injured Tyler on the day of their camp registration. Theta's father worked for Emmehujidat as almost a slave. His father had both the means and the ability to harm Theta's father. Hes grinned in delight as he had yet another incident to report to his father.

_______________
Emmehujidat was not one who took disrespect lightly. What was it these days with teenagers and their attitudes? In previous years the children had not been nearly so rude to him. They wouldn't have dared to do so. However, since he was on the High Council, Emmehujidat had quite a bit of influence. The right words from his mouth could cause someone to lose their job. A misbehaving student's parents would no doubt suffer.

The case was no different for young Yadsh. Incensed by this student's lack of respect for his social standing, his person, and his position at the school, Emmehijdat approached Yadsh.

"You dare to speak to me like that, child? Perhaps a whipping would teach you respect? I will not tolerate your behavior -- and your parents will pay for how you have treated me. Stand up."

He fully expected Yadsh to obey him.
_____________

Tyler looked to the Guitarist expectantly. While he was waiting for a response, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his inhaler. He took it, bringing him relief.

[The Mentalist]

The Mentalist glared at Koschei, still furious at the student. They were about ages and that was all the red-head took into account. He didn't judge someone because of their class, to him, everyone was fair game. Everyone was just someone else to kill and another body he just had to add to the pile. Listening to The Master, who seemed a little embarrassed, he heard his words.

Now, since I seem to have cost you your last cigarette, I feel terrible. I've never acquired the habit myself, so I can't offer you a replacement, but do let me buy you a new pack.

The Mentalist was caught off-guard for the minute. Was he hearing wrong, or was the rich kid actually being nice to him? Was he offering to buy him another packet. The red-head didn't quite understand...
"....What?!"

This had to be some kind of joke. Nobody ever offered anything to him! They either ran away or ignored him.

[The Guitarist]

The Guitarist waited for Tyler to finish taking his inhaler, before leading him away from the action. He wanted to make sure he could check this arm properly and that Tyler wasn't embarrassed or made fun of by anyone passing by.

Taking him into the nearest corner, huddled away from people, The Guitarist smiled at his friend, trying to calm his own nerves. He was pretty sure The Mentalist had broken Tyler's arm, and if he hadn't, it was at least fractured. He knew Tyler too well to not know that making a fist was causing him pain. Smiling, he asked his friend,
"Alright buddy, can I see your arm? You know how this goes, I'll just do it the way my mom taught me."

Both boys knew The Guitarists mother was trained nursing professional who had worked in the medical business for some time. Teasing the arm from his friend, he gently tapped and massaged the skin, until he hit a painful spot. He gave it a small squeeze, to feel a tiny break. The Guitarist expected his friend to scream and readied himself for it. He wasn't sure what he hated more now; The Mentalist or the scream of his best friend.