Survival Of The Fittest

Mrs. Rowena's Homeroom 133. Grade 10th.

Ian sat at his desk listening to all the students talk around him. Mrs. Rowena, one of Ian's favorite teachers, allowed the students to socialize after all their work was done. Ian was on the last problem staring at it trying to figure it out.

How did the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki change the world? How has the world remained changed?

Ian enjoyed social studies, yet sometimes he never quite grasped why he had to learn some stuff. Sure, he liked to learn from the past, learn from the old mistakes, but seriouesly, how was the bombing of those two cities going to affect him?

Ian knew the answer though, and he wrote it down and put his homework in his green folder and looked around the classroom. Not usually a student to socialize much, and rather content to just sit at his desk the whole time and let his mind wander, he thought of just being quiet until the bell rang, but he saw Sofie at her desk. He wasn't sure wether she was done or not, but he saw the person who sat at the desk next to her was gone.

Ian put his stuff in his bookbag and zipped the bag up and walked over to the desk next to his good friend. Looking at her he smiled and said, "Hey, are you done with your work yet?"

How did the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki change the world? How has the world remained changed?

A curious looked crossed the face of Sofie de Wilde as she eyed the question like the answer was going to write itself out, though with a sigh and a pondering thought that seemed as if it could be the right answer – Sofie found herself giving a shrug and pressing her pen against the worksheet, writing out the words coming into her head that seemed to play in the right direction of the answer. Though she was unsure, she figured she’d be able to re-check it later, and with a sigh the young girl moved her finished work into a spare folder, closing it up and pushing it to the side of her desk. Folding arms before her on the desktop, resting her head down a top them after a moment, closing her eyes – after all with nothing else to do, sleeping seemed at best.

It was partly quiet, which was good, this class wasn't know for quite tones of voices. And a change was nice, namely in turn for the girl trying to nod off for the next; God knows how many minutes left in class. Wasn’t until a familiar voice to her right perked her up, tilting her head back up and smiling a bit at the boy as she moved to sit up fully. Turning in her seat fully to face the boy, musing a bit at the question as she gave a light-hearted look at her notebook. “As done as I can be.” She said, propping an elbow up on the desk, resting her cheek against the open palm as she mused another smile again. “So, Ian what brings you to my part of the world on this ever-so boring day?”

Ian gave a genuine, warm smile to his friend and said, "Well I figured, hey I can go to sleep until the bell rings, or I can come over here and talk to the great Sofie de Wilde." Ian quickly glanced up at the clock to see how much time really was left in class, then he continued. "I chose to talk to you."

Ian then said, "But you are right, this is a boring day, but then again, do we ever have fun days here?" Ian looked around the class, which was surprisingly quiet and he said, "but ah well, at least we got each other to keep each other company until this class ends."

Resting his head on his desk he looked at Sofie through tired eyes, he didn't get a lot of sleep last night, and it was starting to show, it wasn't that he could go to sleep if he tried though, it always seemed that when he wanted to go to sleep in class, he couldn't, and when he didn't want to, he did. He continued to look at his friend.

Sofie found herself smiling a bit watching her friend lightly, musing a bit at his words. "Great, huh? Well, I suppose I should feel honored then." A glance toward the classroom clock told her not much time remained in the glass before it was let out, turning blue eyes back on Ian she nodded lightly at his words on today's not-so-interesting aspect of it all.

"True that, but maybe we could do something after school. Hardly get to do anything together anymore be being so busy with all my clubs and training for swimming, and then you with you're Jackie Chan martial arts; find some spare time and go do that -- um, what was it." Eyes blinked in a slightly confused manner, before it clicked, she laughing lightly. "Paintball, that was it. I liked it last time, minus the whole bruising part, but it was fun still."

Watching him rest his head down against the desk made Sofie purse a frown against her lips a bit, tilting her head somewhat. "You feeling okay?"

Ian smiled at Sofie when she asked if he was feeling ok. She was a good friend, always looking out for him. Ian just nodded his head and said, "It's been a long day, I'm just ready to get out of here."

He then thought for a bit about wether or not he was free after school today and he said, "Actually, today I am free after school. We definately need to hang out, wait do you have practice or anything after school?" Ian was hoping she didn't. He remembered the last time he took Sofie paintballing for the first time, fun times, but then he turned his attention back to her and said, "So, what do you want to do for the rest of this oh so fine day?"

"Ah. I know the feeling." She replied, though still felt a light way of concern for her friend nonetheless, but decided against pushing on the subject and simply continued to keep a small smile against her features. It growing larger when Ian explained the overall free-ness of her afternoon, looking thoughtful for a moment about her current afternoon.

"Well, I did want to go swim some laps around the pool. But I can do that anytime." She said, clasping hands together as she went about pondering over the next course of action. "Mm. I don't know..." Sofie frowned out, nudging at his leg with her foot. "You think of something, you always have something fun stored up in that mostly-empty head of yours."

Ian smiled as her foot nudged his leg and she said something about his empty head. Thinking for a moment Ian said, "Well actually...ummm..." Thinking for a moment more he said, "How about that new burger joint that just opened...what is it called....Hot Buns? Or something like that, odd name, but I hear it's a pretty cool hangout spot, like it's all 50's like and there are jukeboxes and everything!"

Ian was acting excited now and said, "But yeah I don't know, I'm kind of hungry myself, and it would be a cool place to listen to music or talk, or we can go to the mall, or bowling, I don't care, it's all up to you."

In a small, shady corner on his own, Mitch Gunther, the resident oddball of the class (if not the entire school), worked quietly at his assignment.  As he demurely minded his own business, carefully scratching at the paper with a bandaged left hand, a number of students watched on somewhat nervously, as well as the teacher Rowena.  So far, Mitch had remained docile throughout the period of the classroom, not causing any sort of disruption with his erratic behaviour.  However, almost everyone in the class knew that this period of calm in a stormy season could end at any moment.

Mitch yawned and nibbled on the hangnail, on the verge of ripping it clear off of one of his smallest digits.  With somewhat sleepy, misty eyes, looking as though he was bored, though at the same time oddly apprehensive.  His Cathalie had left for the bathroom two minutes ago, much longer than Mitch felt was comfortable.  Agitated, he flexed his fingers, wanting to distract himself with bodily movement, but it just wasn't working.

Furthermore...his homework assignment was completely boring.  He had read about the stories of Nagasaki and Hiroshima since the age of seven, all of this work was kids' stuffs.  Didn't these school people have anything interesting for him to do? He mused on this to himself, before his mind immediately went back to the thoughts of Cathalie.

Unprompted, he left his seat, and wandered barefooted around the classroom as he often did, ignoring the world around him as he often did, musing to himself...as he always did.

"Cathalie....Cathalie...." he mumbled to himself with a sleepy smile on his face. "Where are you? You've gone and left me here with all these strange people.Why, Cathalie? ...Why?"

He giggled to himself a bit, pivoting as he walked at several intervals, overhearing Sofie and Ian as they chatted amongst themselves.  The silly children.

"Burgers...is that the stuffs that cause heart attacks, strokes and prostate or colon cancer?" he muttered out loud without even looking at the two.  "Sounds yummy....I never had one."

Ian looked at Mitch Gunther with some surprise as he walked into their ocnversation without actually really entering the conversation. Ian didn't have time to listen to what Sofie wanted to do but Ian just smiled at the boy and said, "Youve never had a burger? Are you serioues?"

Now Ian knew that this kis was wierd, and not the most popular, but Ian wasn't the kind to judge. He was usually quiet himself, so to be polite, and maybe gain a new friend, Ian asked, "You can have your first burger today if you want to come with us."

Ian didn't know wether Sofie would protest or not, but he hoped she wouldn't, they could hang out alone sometime later when they found the time.

At first, Mitch refused to acknowledge either Ian's presence or his remark, pacing back and forth in barefooted delight over a small space of floor area between the rows of desks.  He nibbled...no, he practically gnawed on the end of his smallest digit, making it turn a bright pink underneath his extraordinarily sharp teeth, bared in a sleepy grin as he mused to himself in silence.

His eyes were misty and unfocused, until he suddenly registered Ian's offer to come with them and try one of those burger things...Ah yes, the ones that clogged your arteries and congested them to the point of rupture what with all the extra mayo being slapped on there.  Not that Mitch had ever had a taste of mayo himself.

Mitch suddenly collapsed to his knees as though weakened by a sudden faint, but it turned out to be far from that as Mitch giggled and placed his fingers upon the edge of Sofie's desk, peering up at the two of them with his misty, heavy-lidded eyes.  Though his face was half hidden by the edge of the desk, due to the fact that he was kneeling down, the corner of his wide grin could be seen creeping above the edge.  His expression and mannerisms were furtive, as though he were hiding from them behind the safety and shelter of the desk.  At the same time, he had a sneaky, sly look to him, as though he were in fact sneaking up on them.

"Are you....what would Cathalie say.  Asking me out?" he asked, tilting his head to one side with a manner of innocent inquiry.  "Is that what it is?"  He gave a small laugh, for little reason at all.

"Tis a shame, truly a shame, utterly a shame," he told them, suddenly adopting a matter-of-factly-tone, changing his attitude faster than a chameleon changed its colours.  "You see, I am not supposed to talk to strangers."  He grinned again, perhaps at the irony of it all.  "Also, I'm not supposed to follow strange people, or ask strange people questions, or steal their things...or bite them in the arm... Cathalie says I'm not supposed to, so I'm not supposed to."

"Also, colon cancer doesn't sound at all fun," he whispered in a low voice, as an afterthought.

"Mitch!"

A shrill voice sounded from the doorway.  The wiry, black-leather clad form of Cathalie, back from the washroom, was marching over to where Mitch was and promptly grabbing him by the arm, practically whisking him up to his feet.  He stumbled for a moment before gaining his balance, smiling at the scowling girl good-naturedly.

"Ahhh Cathalie, the sunshine of my life, the air I breathe everyday.  To bask in your presence is to drown blissfully in the rivers of Para-"

"Shut up, Mitch."

"Yes, Cathalie."

Shaking her head, Cathalie gave a disgruntled noise and turned towards Sofie and Ian, addressing them with a somewhat careless, yet sharp and firm voice.  Her platform black leather boots squeaked against the floor as she adopted a somewhat idle pose.

"Let me guess, this idiot here has been bothering you, has he?"

Mitch had taken to speaking up again, chirping in a somewhat pleading voice as he tugged like a small child at the crook of her arm.  "Cathalie, precious Cathalie, can we go get some burgers? Please? Can we? Pretty like you please?"

"Shut the hell up, Mitch."

"Yes Cathalie."

If Mitch wasn't wierd enough, the appearance of Cathalie, the girl who basically owned Mitch, was the final straw that confused Ian to no end. Looking at the odd pair with a somewhat hesitant look Ian only could say, "No he wasn't bothering us really."

Ian thought for a moment for a way to still make this all better and he said, "He just told me he hasn't ever had a burger, so I was inviting him to come with me and Sofie after school because we might've went to get a burger.'

Then Ian quickly added, "You can come to if you want." Ian looked at the odd pair, then his eyes traveled back to Sofie to look at her, hoping that she was ok with all of this, then he looked back to Mitch and Cathalie.

Sofie watched the scene unfold with a curious look – she had never thought much of Mitch, he was an interesting character she’d say that much though. Be it for the better, or worse of course… she was still rather unsure of herself. So when Mitch went about, in the little way he does – Sofie eyed him lightly, casting a light glance Ian’s way with a frown. She wasn’t one to judge people… it wasn’t her character, but she could help but almost feel uncomfortable around the other boy. Though curiosity peaked more as Cathalie entered, her interested sense of style catching attention first before she all but turned on Mitch. Commanding voice and all, and she saw a twist in personality in the boy, speaking to the girl as if she was something of a higher plane of sense to him.

She shook her head lightly at the other girl’s question, “No. He wasn't bothering us…” She trailed off taking a glance Ian’s way as he made a comment about inviting Mitch with them – an uncomfortable thought that set in to the back of her mind, as he went onto invite Cathalie as well as she eyed him lightly as he glanced at her. Sighing plainly, as she took a glance at the odd pair. Moving somewhat in her seat as she found herself opening her mouth to say something, though found words and thoughts being cut off as the bell to signal the end of classes gave a shrill ring throughout the building, Sofie grabbing at her bag and notebook and light manner and moving to stand. Though once on her feet, found herself pausing in ready step, remembering the question that had been sent the way of the two.

Standing silent, she glanced again at the two, pondering over what their reply would be to the two of them.

Cathalie stared at them with piercing, suspicious dark eyes.  Mitch? Not bothering them? She cast a glance to the person in question (Mitch is grinning sweetly at her, ever the innocent angel he was) before letting out an incredulous snort of disbelief.  Placing her hands on her leather clad hips, she peered at them with a scrutinizing look.

"Not bothering you, huh? Sure you're not lying to be nice?" she asked in a sardonic tone of voice.  In a lower voice, she muttered, "Nice lies piss me off..."

Her gaze turned to Mitch, who was still tugging at at her arm like a plaintive child begging for attention.  "Do you know? Do you know what I know? I got asked out by those two strangers! Aren't they strange?"

"Whatever," Cathalie snapped at him before turning back to Sofie and Ian, no doubt baffled by the strange pair she and Mitch made.  To think that she had to deal with this every single day, having this little monkey cling to her every waking minute and causing chaos and confusion in his wake.

Her dark eyes tiling in a gaze towards Ian, she sighed, "You don't have to try being polite by inviting us to tag along.  I can tell, you know.  Even if this loony bin runaway doesn't."

She closed her eyes in utter frustration, looking as though she were about to burst with anger as Mitch cut in yet again.

"Let us tag a long okay, Cathalie?" he begged her, now on the verge of pulling her arm off the way he was tugging at it.  "Just for today, okay? Those two seem like interesting people.  Funny, and a bit strange, but interesting."

"You're the one to talk..." Cathalie muttered.  She paused in deliberation for several tense seconds before sighing again and turning back to Ian and Sofie.  "You know what, looks like I've got no choice.  If he doesn't get what he wants, he'll never let go of me.  I can tell you two would probably prefer us a whole hemisphere away, but..."

"Oh joy! We're going!" Mitch exclaimed with glee, hurling his hands into the air in a whoop of delight as Cathalie made a disgusted sound under her breath.

Ian looked at Sofie, and could see in her eyes that she really didn't want to be in this situation. Ian knew his friend, she was one of his closest, maybe even his best, but today he couldn't make her happy. He knew that Cathalie and Mitch were coming with them to the burger joint after school. Honestly though, Ian wasn't dreading the day.

Now, he knew that Mitch was a little, interesting, and that Cathalie made the most oddest partner with him, but in all honesty, Ian wasn't really one to judge unless he got to know the person, so maybe they were two really cool people. Maybe he could make two new friends today.

Ian smiled at the two and said, "Well how about we just call our parents and tell them we will walk to the burger joint? It's not too far from the school, maybe a 20 minute walk. Or we can all go home and get rides from our parents. I don't care."

Cathalie raised a suspicious eyebrow, honestly not knowing whether to make of Ian’s obviously strained efforts to be courteous to them.  Had she been as naïve as he was right now, she would have appreciated his efforts to make her and Mitch feel comfortable.  But for too long Cathalie was all too familiar with those who pretended to be nice, only to turn on her once they were tired of her attitude.  No doubt this boy couldn’t be any different.  How could he be? See? It was obvious he was trying hide his discomfort, that Sofie girl too.  

They’re all the same, Cathalie thought to herself bitterly.  You’re all the same.

But to be honest, Cathalie didn’t mind so much going out for a change, far from that in fact, as long as it kept her far away from that state home for as long as possible.  She hated the people there more than she hated the people at school.  Not like she didn’t hate people in general, but government workers and foster families were the worst.

Cathalie wasn’t too sure if she hated these two as much as she did the rest of the world, but she was sure that would change once they got tired of acting so nice all the time.  

At Ian’s suggestion, Mitch blinked at him in what looked like childlike confusion and fascination, as though he had just discovered something new.  Tiling his head to one side curiously, pressing a bandaged palm against the side of his smooth face, he murmured a word.  

“Pa…..rents….” he murmured to himself.  The word felt new and strange on his tongue, yet ever so familiar, as though it were something he had tasted once and forgotten until now.  He turned towards Cathalie and grabbed both of her shoulders suddenly.  His cloudy-sea green eyes were suddenly focused, staring straight into Cathalie’s dark, similarly piercing ones.

“Cathalie…parents,” he repeated quietly, as Cathalie returned his gaze.  “What are parents?”

Cathalie gazed at him quietly, her harsh attitude dissolving all together into an expression that seemed more stone and cold than anything.  Gently, she held Mitch by the arms and told him simply, “That’s something we don’t have, Mitch.  It’s something that every person in the world wants and needs and has.  Everyone, except us.”

Though she was looking directly at Mitch, she seemed to direct her voice towards Sofie and Ian as she spoke in her matter-of-factly voice, “That’s why we live with the people who don’t want us but have us because they are paid to pretend to be the very things we’re missing.  They tell us to take our vitamins every day but don’t care if we don’t.  They tell us that lights out is at eight so that they can watch the late night shows instead of putting up with us. They scold us if we miss the curfew, but they probably wish that we’d stayed out forever.  Because we don’t have parents.”

Mitch milled over what Cathalie had said, gazing at her with an almost pensive, contemplative gaze on his face.

“So….this parents’ thing…” he said suddenly, his grin lighting up.  “Is it edible?”

Cathalie shook her head, plainly disgusted.  “Useless….”  She turned back towards Sofie and Ian, her somewhat cold and snobbish attitude reappearing once again.

“I can walk, twenty minutes is nothing, it takes twice that to get back to our place,” she told them.  “I don’t think the matrons will miss us.”

Mitch tugged at her arm again.  “But what about the curfew? We’ll miss the curfew.”

Cathalie shot a wry grin at him.  “Do we care, Mitch?”

Blinking for a moment, before realization spread across his face, Mitch grinned back sneakily.  “No, Cathalie.”