Goldie

Imaginative

Arley sat across from the Headmaster, his office being the first room one would see upon entering the building. The Headmaster's glare burned into Arley's face. Arley returned the stare blankly.

"I don't tolerate troublemakers, Arley." That was the first thing the Headmaster had said.

Arley simply sat there, allowing the weasel-boy to ramble on. He tried to use his non-existent talent of selectively muting the Headmaster's words, but he failed to do so. The Headmaster's words continued to cut through. Something he said did grab Arley's attention, though.

"In fact, I have a solution that detention doesn't seem to be solving." Arley knew what that so-called "solution" was going to be.

"Why do you like to see us suffer?" It was at that moment that Arley had remembered the kid that was in that chair. Her agonizing, expressionless face had appeared in his mind, a furious rage boiling his blood.

"Why do you try so hard?"

"Because I'll get out of here, and I'll find that kid from the Assembly so she can fire you up. If I don't get to you first."

"So you say. You have quite the imagination, for a sinner."

***

Delta had arrived to detention, allowing herself to be seated at the very back of the room, a journal already sitting on her desk. Upon entering the classroom, a terrible ice-on-tooth coldness pinched her skin. Why are classrooms always so damn cold?

From her desk she observed the classroom hastily. The kid from the Assembly, along with Delta's close friend, Shasti, and the few kids that'd laughed at Goldie's quips were seated at the desks beside and ahead of her.

Usually, in detention, you'd write things such as "I will not use my powers", "I reject my abomination", "I am an abomination", or "I will repent" in your journal.

Once this kid told the truth on paper and an Assembly was called to demonstrate an "example" of what happens if you disrespected the authority of the school. The Headmaster called it "a lesson to be taught and learned".

There was, or maybe still is, one small group of teenagers that practiced their powers before school started and after dark. They all had their own alias'. To Delta's curiosity, one of the people from the group sat two rows ahead of her. Delta would go to the group's gathering regularly, while Shasti went only once. Delta stopped going once she and the other students of the group were caught.

She continued to write in the journal, cringing as she read her writing back to herself.

***

Later that day, after Delta served her detention, another lecture was called. This time, Delta saw that orderlies had escorted Arley there. Upon Delta and Shasti's arrival, Arley had been in the chair beside the Headmaster, strapped down into it. Two orderlies situated a collar upon Arley's neck as the students seated themselves.

Delta and Shasti were sitting in the front row of the right half of the room. As Delta eyed Arley, he winked at her. Dumbass trash-mouth. Delta sat, amused.

The Headmaster announced to the now seated students of varying ages, explaining what Arley had done, telling the students that "a lesson would be taught and learned from it".

The chunky device ready, an orderly activated it, but nothing happened. Arley's luck had made the device falter, Delta realized, a shit-eating grin taking hold of Arley's face. Some of the students cackled to themselves. The Headmaster silenced them instantaneously, demanding the orderlies to get a move on.

Delta and few other students eyed Arley as the orderlies escorted him out of the room and to solitary confinement, where he'd be confined for the next six hours.

***

Thrown into The Dark Room, (solitary confinement, for lack of a better word) he was enveloped in a vast darkness, the door slamming behind him. He scooted back, situating himself against the wall, the only light in the room being the one that shone from a rectangular hole in the door that locked him within the room. Reaching down the front of his pants, he retrieved his device as discreetly as he could. His screen name, Arsin-Arley, was revealed as he opened Xenet.

"Whats your sign?" Sent an hour ago from Harley-A7X.

Arley sent his response. "I'm a Gamzee. Though, I'm more of a Vriska. But less ableist."

"Lucky me ,I'm a Tavros. This'll work out"

"Let's hope it doesn't end in a clown-assisted carnage."

"Woah, spoiler alert"

"Harley, it's been 79 years"

Arley stopped typing. He could feel himself falling in love again. He prayed that it wouldn't hurt him in the end - just this once. It was his one love that had fully developed. Was it really love?

His heart-ache dissolved, a soft whisper crawling under the crack of the door and into Arley's ears. Startled at first, the feeling had eased as the orderly conversed with him.

***

Once Arley's solitare session was up, the day had already evolved into night. He entered the bubble of space that surrounded his bed, Arley's face windows enlightened with the image of Delta rummaging through her backpack and setting her bed.

"Are you ready?" Arley rocked his head to the side.

"You know I am." Two orderlies loitered in the corner of Delta's eye.

The lights dimmed, the orderlies exiting the room as the student-filled space darkened.