K-12: Legacy

Wheels on the Bus

I knew I was going to be shunned. I knew it was unavoidable. It's not me asking for pity, it's me stating the facts. Everyone knew who my mother was, and who Rosalie's mother was. 

Even I knew the story of K-12 before it was burned to the ground, and then later rebuilt and re-stocked with more corrupt staff members. I knew exactly how I was going to be treated, and maybe it was fine that I was treated like this... After all, I was the 'spawn of Satan.'

Now, I was being shipped off to the place where girls were to only wear pink dresses and the boys blue pants... I chuckled to myself.

I put on the uniform and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked ridiculous because my hair wasn't brushed and I still had my pyjama bottoms underneath my skirt. I debated parading myself in front of Mom, but she didn't have a sense of humour, and would likely just frown at me and tell me to put on my uniform properly.

My dad was already at K-12 because he was re-appointed as the principal. On the bright side, I didn't have to worry about grades. I pulled down my pyjama bottoms and replaced them with satin under-shorts. They were ugly, but (hopefully) nobody would see them.

I brushed my hair and left it down, put on the white Vans that we were required to wear with our uniforms, and headed to the bathroom. Brushing my teeth, I realized I had a pimple that I wouldn't be able to get past my mom without her noticing it, so I reluctantly took out my makeup pallet. I wasn't quite sure when I had decided to do the full face of makeup, but by the time I was done, I could hear my mom yelling at me to 'get my ass down here or I'll miss the bus!'

Hurridly, I picked up my duffle bag of spare uniforms, toiletries, towels, and other clothes and ran out of my room, trying not to step on the clutter.

I stood by the door, waiting for my mom to release me- she kept the door locked so I wouldn't go anywhere without her permission/ inspection.

Mom inspected me, made a few adjustments to my hair and makeup, and then wordlessly unlocked the door using her long silver key.

"Bye, mom," I gasped, and bolted for the bus stop, where the bright pink K-12 bus was waiting for me. 

The bitch didn't even say goodbye, I thought, almost tearing up. Even though my mom was a complete brat, I tried to love her, or at least tolerate her.

I was only the third one on the bus, and Rosalie wasn't there yet. I kept my head down as I hurried to the back. The other two children were too interested in their cocaine-snorting to notice.

The bus driver was female and about sixty, and half-blind as far as I could tell. The bus swerved and hit things on its way, narrowly avoiding six people, a dog, two squirrels, and countless buildings and trees and other things in its path.

Soon, the driver comes to a screeching stop next to a big house with lots of trees and a fountain upfront. Four girls get on the bus, and I know Rosalie March and Kim Browne. Rosalie was Cry Baby's kid and Kim was adopted by Celeste and Angelita. I didn't know the other girls' names, though. I tried to keep my head down but didn't succeed. 

Rosalie, the spitting image of Cry Baby- except her hair was fully blonde-to-blue ombre- stopped next to me. "If it isn't Satan," she said, sneering. She jabbed Kim in the ribs, so she started half-heartedly laughing.

"How do you know if I'm Satan or not? You just met me." My mom had kept me informed about the Marchs' way of life, and they were supposed to be really nice people.

"I know because my mommy told me about your parents," she said prissily. The other two girls, who I just realized were twins, exchanged glances.

"Maybe... Maybe she's had enough," one of them says quietly, reaching out to Rosalie. Rosalie stiff-arms her into a seat.

"Shut your noise-hole, Jellyfish. I decide when enough is enough," Rosalie says. 

"It's Aberdeen," the girl Rosalie pushed says through her teeth. I realize that things are about to get heated around here, so I attempt to move seats.

"Leaving so soon, Smelliott?" she asks. The name hurts me, and I look down at my lap, counting the loose threads on the hem of my skirt to distract myself from the next torrent of insults from Rosalie's mouth. 

"Sit down," the bus driver says in a nasal voice. Rosalie ignores her.

After several more refrains of "Sit down!" eventually the driver shuts up. Rosalie got up in my face. She puts her hand under my chin and jerks it up, so we're nose-to-nose. I can feel her breath on me, and see her eyes squinting at me.

"Remember your place, Smelliott, or else." She lets me go, and my head bangs against the back of the bus. I hear a few snickers from newcomers clustering themselves around Rosalie and generally sucking up to her. 

"Bad blood," I hear, and I hang my head. Soon, I figure out that they weren't talking about me. I look up to see one of the red-headed twins next to me and see that her eyes are black- so that no whites show. An angel. 

"Y-you're one too?" I ask, my voice shaking. Aberdeen- I recalled her name- nods solemnly. I flash my eyes to black and back to their regular shade of green. 

"And Rosalie?" I ask, tilting my head towards my tormenter.

"She isn't. She tells us all she is one, though. But she isn't- mark me."

"What about Kim?" 

"Oh she is, but she is also under Rosalie's 'I'm an angel' charade. Lillith tells me that she must learn to find wisdom and to seek the right people and yadda yadda yadda." She sounds like she isn't exactly broken up about Kim not being on our side.

"Who's your clone?" I ask jokingly, referring to her twin.

"My clone. I call her Bahari."

My eyes widen in shock.

"You cloned yourself? That's... allowed?"

"Mhm. I use her- or rather myself- to spy on others. They haven't got a clue." Aberdeen smirks, and with that, Bahari turns around with black eyes. She nods at us.