Finally giving up upon the prospect of sleep, Queen Horn rose from her bed and strode purposefully over to her desk. Reaching into the top drawer, she pulled out a crystal globe.
Whispering arcane words, Queen Horn watched as it took on a rose colored glow. Scenes began playing upon the globe, showing her the source of the strange magic.
* * * * *
Drum watched as Bass mixed the necessary components for the spell he was casting. The eyes of one of his heads then fell upon a flask sitting upon the floor. Bending over to pick it up, Drum examined it's contents.
The liquid in the flask glowed yellow, and had the faint scent of herbs. Deciding that it was safe to drink, Drum tilted the bottle towards one set of his lips.
Suddenly, pain spread across his shoulders, as if someone had struck him. Giving a cry of rage, he turned quickly to strike whatever it was that had hit him.
Easily, Sizer snatched the bottle out of his claw and flew out of his reach on blood red wings. Impatiently, she flicked her blond hair out of her eyes and glared at Drum.
"Don't drink that, you idiot!" she snapped.
"Why not?' Drum demanded, not even noticing that he had been insulted.
"Yes, a general as great as you, Drum, should be able to drink whatever he wishes!" Guita chimed in sweetly.
"Stop your tongue, dog, or I will cut it out," Sizer said icily.
"I am sure that with your infinite prowess with the scythe, that you may well do it. However, I am not impressed," Guita said condescendingly.
Sizer tightened her grip upon her scythe and her muscles tensed, preparing to strike.
"Enough!" Bass's voice boomed off of the wall.
All turned to look, and saw a child glaring at them. Magic glowed behind him, adding heat to his gaze. He stared at them from underneath a veil of black bangs. In his hand, he held a rather ugly, bearded head which was colored an unhealthy shade of blue.
"I will not have the officers of the Hamelin army fighting each other like human children. Perhaps, Sizer, you would prefer to challenge me?"
Sizer held his gaze for a moment, before lowering her eyes to the ground. "No, Bass-sama," she said.
Apparently satisfied, Bass then turned to Guita. "And you, Guita. Would you challenge me in a battle of wits?"
Guita was careful to avert his eyes. "Oh no, Bass-sama." He said demurely. "I would be defeated in seconds."
Bass studied the groveling dog for a moment, before shaking his head and turning back to his ritual. "The spell is nearing completion."
"What spell?" Drum asked. Sizer only sighed and rolled her eyes.
Bass cast another glare in Sizer's direction before saying, "One that will call forth an entity from another realm, and trap it here. Once it is entrapped, it will do anything to return to it's realm, including annihilating the entire human race.
Bass stopped and looked at the generals before heaving a sigh. "Where is Vocal?" he asked.
"Hold on, old man! I'm here," Another demon bounced in. The feat seemed impossible, taking in Vocal's slender build, and the ball and chain that hung from his wrist. Vocal was clad in black leather, and his wild black hair fell messily around his lavender eyes.
As he entered, the other generals exchanged glances and backed away from his as discreetly as they could. Bass merely shook his head and went back to his spell.
Vocal quickly became bored and looked around for something to do. His eyes lit up when the fell upon the flask that Sizer had set back upon the ground.
"This is an ugly color," he said, peering at the yellow liquid. Seeing other bottles of liquid nearby, Vocal dumped their contents into the flask he already had. The liquid in the flask bubbled for a moment, before glowing neon blue.
Still not satisfied, Vocal looked around for other things to put into the flask. However, before he could add anything more, he noticed that Bass was glaring at him and the flask in his hand. Taking the hint, Vocal grinned as innocently as he could and handed the flask to Bass.
Bass did not notice the potion's change in color. Carefully, he sprinkled dried nightshade leaves into the bottle. Immediately, the concoction sparked with magic fire. Not wasting a moment, Bass threw the concoction into the magic circle that he had cast. The sound of breaking glass could be heard as the flask shattered, then a deafening explosion could be heard as a column of blue magic fire shot up from the floor.
Bass stared into the fire, realizing that this was not what was supposed to happen. Feeling a sudden surge of power, he strengthened the barrier around the circle. However, the effort was futile. With another deafening roar, the barrier fell and the power surged forward, bathing the generals in an intense light. They were caught up in the wave of magic, then there was darkness.
* * * * *
Queen Horn let out a scream as the incredible amounts of energy flooded her mind. She tried to stand, to dispel the magic, but her legs gave out and she collapsed to the floor. Her mind reeled with visions of a different realm. Then, as quickly as the wave of power had washed over her, it receded. Exhausted, Queen Horn fell into unconsciousness.
* * * * *
Sizer gradually awoke, feeling warm sunlight upon her face. Taking a deep breath, she sat up and opened her eyes. Suddenly, she heard an all too familiar laugh. Before she could say anything, Vocal snatched her up into the air and kissed her. Sizer shrieked in disgust and tried to push him away, but his grip was like iron.
"Release me!" she tried to say. Vocal was quick to oblige, dropping her unceremoniously. Sizer, unprepared for the sudden freedom, fell to the ground with a painful crash.
"You really are a hot babe... and a good kisser," he said with a grin.
"Vocal," Sizer growled, getting to her feet. "Why don't you..."
Vocal narrowed his eyes at her words. "Why don't I what, bitch?"
Sizer paused, realizing how close she had come to making a suggestion. However, her eyes fell upon a sight that she had never seen before, and she instantly forgot about her potentially dangerous situation. It appeared to be a metal beast, with glass for eyes, and wheels in place of feet and legs. It sat upon a black path, which lead up to a sprawling brick fortress. The words 'Hoover High School' were printed upon the side of one wall.
"What is this place?" Sizer said in wonder. Vocal only smirked.
Not far away, Drum groaned and lumbered to his feet. Bass and Guita also awoke and rose.
"Hey!" Drum bellowed. "This isn't Hamelin!"
"Your eye for the obvious is uncanny," Guita said, not missing a beat.
Everyone else remained silent, taking in their new surroundings.
"This certainly is not Hamelin. It appears as if we are in a different realm," Bass said.
"Why are we here?" Drum asked.
"Perhaps whatever it was that went wrong with the spell last night served to transport us here," Bass replied.
"Where ever 'here' is," Sizer muttered.
"Bass-sama, what will we do?" Guita asked, looking a little nervous.
Bass stared up at the building for a moment, before saying, "This may well be our chance to explore and... expand the Hamelin territory."
Several of the inhabitants of the realm were standing in the doorway, talking. Sizer examined them from afar for a moment. "They're human," she said at last, with obvious disgust in her voice.
Vocal grinned, and said to Bass, "Then we will probably blend in well. Especially you, dead head."
"Then we will simply have to make ourselves blend in," Bass said icily. He made a swift hand motion, and the air was suddenly filled with smoke.
When the smoke dissipated, the generals... looked human. Drum, once a giant hulking dragon now stood seven feet tall, with short green hair and green eyes. He was still well built, even for a human. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a football jersey.
Guita's appearance had also changed drastically. In place of the Spartan dog warrior stood a five foot tall boy. He now had brown hair and sharp green eyes, hidden behind a pair of wire-framed glasses. He was dressed in a polo shirt, slacks and a crew neck sweater.
Bass, however, had not changed at all. He still retained Prince Lute's outer appearance, with short black hair, icy blue eyes and pale, almost translucent skin. He now carried a black book bag, which contained Bass's head. He wore a plain black tee-shirt and jeans.
Sizer did not also change drastically in appearance. Her blood red wings were gone, replaced by a scarlet book bag. Her long blond hair was now tied back in a pony tail, and her red and white armor was replaced by a pair of white slacks and a red sweater. Vocal's new appearance suited him. His ears/wings and horns had vanished, leaving only his messy black hair and his usual wicked grin. He was wearing a black leather jacket, a white tee-shirt, black jeans and heavy black boots. Vocal's jacket was adorned with silver chains, one of which was attached to his wrist.
"Great," Vocal said dryly. "Now can you pull a rabbit out of your hat?"
Bass chose to ignore his comment. "Now that we are adequately outfitted, let us explore this new realm, starting with that... fortress," he said, nodding toward the school.
* * * * *
"Horn-sama!" Calleri shouted, pounding upon her door. Her scream had awakened him, but when he had rushed to see what was the matter, he had found the door locked from the inside.
Calleri paused, trying to hear and sounds from within. Hearing nothing, he cursed.
"My apologies, Horn-sama," he muttered, conjuring a small ball of magic that melted the lock. Once the lock had been melted, Calleri took a deep breath and kicked open the door.
Queen Horn's room was silent, and there was no signs of danger. Then Calleri's eyes fell upon the Queen's still form, huddled near her desk.
Quickly, he went to kneel beside his Queen, and sighed in relief when he saw that she was still alive, merely unconscious.
"Horn-sama... Horn-sama... please, wake up," Calleri said, gently shaking her.
Queen Horn stirred and took a deep breath. "Hmm?" she sighed, "Calleri?" She then opened her eyes and weakly looked up at him.
"Horn-sama, I heard you scream. What has happened?" Calleri asked.
Queen Horn stared off into space, remembering the events in which she had witnessed. At last, she narrowed her eyes and struggled to her feet. "Summon Hamel and the others," she commanded. "It appears that the Hamelin army has made it's move."
* * * * *
Bass, Drum, Sizer, Guita and Vocal wandered into the school's main lobby. There were no signs of any humans, not even guards.
"This world will be easy to conquer!" Drum exclaimed.
"Shut up stupid," Sizer snapped, noticing a woman approaching them. She had a pleasant smile upon her face, but it was only met with cold glares from the Hamelin generals.
"Hi!" she said in a friendly voice. "I'm Ms. Tarantino. Are you the exchange students?"
Drum started to say no, but Bass cut him off. "We are," he said simply.
"We are?" Drum repeated, dumbstruck.
"Yes, we are," Guita said, elbowing Drum in the ribs. Drum glared at the smaller general, but said nothing.
"Great! Well, if you'll follow me, we'll get your schedules ready and show you to your classes," Ms. Tarantino said, not noticing the glances exchanged between the 'students'.
Without a word, they followed her through several corridors to a door, with a sign that read "Guidance Office."
"All right, now all we have to do get your exchange forms," she said, leading them through the door and back to her office. "Please, take a seat," she said, going to stand behind her desk.
No one sat down. Instead, they glared at her in a most unfriendly manner. After an uncomfortable silence, she cleared her throat. "Okay, let's start with you," she said, nodding at Bass. "Let me see you exchange papers."
Bass remained silent for a moment, before saying, "I seem to have forgotten them."
Ms. Tarantino smiles thinly. "That's okay. I should have them on file. What's your name?"
"Bass," came the reply.
"And what's your last name, Bass?" Ms. Tarantino asked.
"I am simply known as Bass," he said curtly.
Ms. Tarantino stared at him for a moment, before shrugging and typing his name into the computer. It made several loud beeping noises, and she gave him an odd look. "There is no record of anyone named Bass in any of our files," she said at last.
"Of course there is," Bass said simply.
"No, there isn't. Is this some kind of joke?" Ms. Tarantino asked.
"This is not a joke," Bass replied soothingly. Ms. Tarantino's eyes became blank as he took control of her mind. "The files are there. Look again," Bass commanded.
Meekly, she turned to look at the computer screen through blank eyes. "Oh, there they are. I found them," she said faintly.
"As I knew you would,:" Bass said wryly. "Now give us these schedules you keep speaking of."
Ms. Tarantino obeyed, and quickly printed out several class schedules and handed them to Bass.
"You have your assignments. Now go and find out all you can about this realm," Bass ordered after all of the generals had received a schedule. One by one, the left the room until only Vocal remained. He strode over to Ms. Tarantino, who was still under Bass's trance.
"You are a chicken," he ordered with a smirk. With a squawk, Ms. Tarantino leapt up onto her desk and began acting like... a chicken.
"Just wait until she tries to lay eggs!" Vocal laughed, as he closed the door behind him and strode down the corridor.
* * * * *
"So what's going on? Are we under attack?" Raiel asked, suppressing a yawn. Flute, dressed in a pink nightgown, rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Tron leaned against her, snoring softly.
"All in due time, Raiel. We wait for Hamel," Queen Horn replied.
As if on cue, the doors of the throne room swung open, revealing a young man dressed in black and white. His blond hair covered his red eyes, and his the fact that he was a demon. Perched upon his shoulder was the black bird Oboe, who was still asleep.
"Hamel!" Flute cried, and ran over to hug him. Surprised by the sudden loss of support, Tron tumbled to the floor.
At the appearance of his former friend, Raiel stiffened. Forcing a smile of greeting upon his face, he nodded slightly at Hamel before turning to face Queen Horn.
Now that all had arrived, Queen Horn began. "Last night, Bass attempted to summon a being from another realm. The ritual failed, and instead transported them to another realm."
"What's a realm?" Flute asked.
Queen Horn paused for a moment, trying to think of the best way to explain the concept. "It is another world, separated from ours by a thin veil. Events that occur in one realm often affect the realms that surround it. Whatever Bass and his lackeys do in that realm could directly cause changes here."
"What sort of changes?" Hamel asked.
"It could range from a slight change in weather to complete annihilation of all life," Queen Horn said.
"Another danger is that other gates can be opened from that realm to certain points here," Oboe said.
"Like where?" Raiel asked.
"Anywhere, including the heart if the castle," Oboe said ominously.
"So what you're saying is that they can attack us from inside the castle?" Tron said. Silence filled the throne room as everyone contemplated this idea. The silence was broken by a knock upon the throne room door.
"Enter," Queen Horn called out. Calleri entered and moved to kneel before her.
"Here in the scroll you requested, Horn sama," he said, giving her a scroll. She accepted it and unrolled the parchment, scanning the ancient runes. Oboe flew from Hamel's shoulder and perched upon Queen Horn's. They conferred in whispers for a moment.
"When Bass and the others traveled to the other realm, they left a hole in the veil between realms. This scroll contains a ritual that will cause you to follow them through that hole. You will end up in the same area that they did," Queen Horn explained.
"Very well," Hamel said.
"When will this ritual be performed?" Raiel asked.
"Tonight," Oboe said.
* * * * *
One of the student guides led Bass and Vocal through several well-lit corridors and up a flight of stairs. At last, he stopped in front of a closed door. A sign posted beside the door read, "Honors Biology, Room 216, Roger Wiandt."
Vocal peered into the room, taking in the teacher, who was droning on while the students were either sleeping or furiously taking notes.
"And I thought my five hundred years in prison was over," he muttered to himself.
The student guide openly stared at Vocal, before shaking his head. Without any comment, the guide opened the door and lead the new "students" into the room.
Immediately, the entire class turned to look at the newcomers.
"Hello, I am Mr. Wiandt and this is Honors Biology," the teacher said. Vocal could already feel himself growing tired due to Wiandt's monotone voice, and yawned. Ignoring this, Wiandt got them their books and assigned them two desks.
During this time, Bass had been pointedly ignoring the whispers of 'Freshman' that were aimed at him. He did not notice that several girls were whispering and looking at him appreciatively. Unfortunately for him, their boyfriends did notice.
After Mr. Wiandt had assigned them seats, he left the room to find the new 'students' lab manuals.
Casually, Bass began to flip through the Biology book. He had just finished scanning through chapter five when a shadow fell over the book.
"Well, it looks like we have a freshman here today. Anyone here baby-sit?" A tall brown haired boy said, leering at Bass.
Bass looked up from his book only long enough to glare at the boy, before returning to his reading.
"Look at me when I am talking to you, boy," Bass's tormentor said, snatching his book away.
"Chris Chapman! You leave him alone!" A girl with long, curly blond hair said, removing the book from his hands and returning it to Bass.
"But he's a freshman, Julia! Look at him, he's a freak! He's actually reading the chapter," Chris argued.
"Maybe he's studying for the test of Friday," Julia snapped. "Some of us do make an attempt to pass those, after all."
"Nah, Bass here's just a freak," Vocal said from his seat.
Meanwhile, Bass was beginning to become mildly annoyed at the loud arguing. For a moment, he contemplated turning all of the parties involved into newts. However, before he had a chance, Mr. Wiandt returned with the lab manuals.
Once again, Wiandt returned to his lecture, and Bass returned to his reading. Vocal quickly became bored with the lesson, and put his head down upon his desk. Within a few minutes, he was snoring loudly.
Undaunted, Wiandt droned on. "Mammals are classified using the system binomial nomenclature. This means that each mammal has two names, the genus and the species names, the genus and the species name. Who can tell me what a guns and species names for a human are?" He looked around the room, before calling on the still-sleeping Vocal. "Huh? What??" Vocal yawned, lifting his head off of the desk.
"Why don't you tell us what the scientific name for a human is?" Mr. Wiandt said. "Be damned if I know," Vocal said nonchalantly.
"I'll give you a hint. The genus name is Homo," Wiandt said.
"Two words? That describe a human like you? Homo... Homo..." At last Vocal's face brightened. "Homo sexual!" he said with a wicked grin.
At that remark, Wiandt shook his head and began looking for his detention slips. The class broke into laughter, while Bass put his head into his hands and sighed.
Mr. Wiandt was about to say something in reply when the bell rang. Everyone in the class stood up, and carried their books into the lab.
The lab stood on the other side of the room. It was furnished with three huge sinks forming a triangle around the room. Three tables branched out from the basin of each sink. Each of the students took their seats at their assigned lab tables.
"Why don't you and Bass join Julia Nordstrom and Kristen Langhoff table?" Wiandt said.
A strange light entered Vocal's violet eyes, and a sadistic smile crossed his face. "Nobody... nobody suggests anything..."
A glare from Bass caused him to cut himself off. "Don't look at me like that, ugly. I am not that kind of person," Vocal snapped.
Without a word, Bass stalked over to the lab table in which Julia and Kristen were sitting. The two girls had been talking and giggling, but when he and Vocal approached, the quickly fell silent.
"Hey, babes," Vocal said, taking a seat.
"So Wiandt assigned you to our table? Great! Julia is just dying to learn more about you," Kristen said, casting a smirk over to Julia. Julia smiled shyly and blushed, before glaring at her friend.
"I see," Bass said, noting the glances exchanged between the two girls.
Julia was just opening her mouth to say something when Mr. Wiandt began explaining the lab.
"Today we will begin dissecting the fetal pig, which will coincide with our unit about mammals. In your lab manuals there is a diagram exhibiting the internal structure of the organs. Your assignment over the next few days is to study and safely store each of the organs on this list," Wiandt explained while handing out the papers. I will also be distributing the fetal pigs, although I would advise against naming them," Wiandt added.
Vocal picked up the fetal pig by the tail and glared at it. "I'll name it Bass," he said lovingly.
"But Bass is too cute to have an ugly pig named after him!" Julia protested. Realizing what she had just said, she blushed scarlet while Vocal and Kristen broke into laughter and Bass openly stared at her.
"Well, whatever it's name is, I'm not going to touch it," Kristen said.
"I'll cut it!" Vocal said eagerly, placing the pig back into the dissection tray. "Time for surgery, Bass," he said to the pig as he sliced it with his fingernails.
At this, Bass shook his head and reminded himself to reduce Vocal's sugar intake when they returned to Hamelin.
The rest of the period was spent dissecting the pig. Vocal never once touched a scalpel, preferring to use his sharp fingernails. The girls squealed in disgust at this, but both Vocal and Bass ignored them.
"Aww, isn't this cute? It's little Bass's heart," Vocal said. Before anyone could say anything, he popped the heart into his mouth.
"Disgusting!" Julia shrieked.
"Tastes just like bubble gum. You want some?" Vocal offered.
Bass sighed and tried to remain calm. He counted to ten, trying not to unleash a terrible beast onto the room. After all, there was always next time...
* * * * *
Guita stumbled through the hall, searching for his next class. Being a former Spartan Dog warrior, he was having trouble adjusting to walking on only two legs.
"How do humans do it?" he grumbled to himself as he tripped over his untied shoe laces. He knelt beside a door to retie them.
Suddenly, the door flew open and hit the unsuspecting Guita with a very painful crash.
Still seeing stars, Guita looked up and saw a human female with long dark hair and a neon colored flannel shirt staring down at him through her glasses. "Quickly, he realized that his own glasses had been broken. "Miserable wench! You broke my glasses!" he snapped.
"Why the hell were you sitting outside a door anyway?" the girl replied.
Guita chose not to answer. Instead he bent to pick up the broken pieces of his glasses. With a sigh, he took out his schedule, and tried to read it. "Well, perhaps you can help me. Can you tell me where room 26 is?"
"How much are you going to pay me?" the girl asked with a grin.
"What? You insolent twit!" Guita said.
"Well, since you put it that way, I guess I shouldn't let complete idiots wander around the building alone. Come on," the girl said. As she lead Guita down the hall, he distinctly heard her mutter "Bloody bastard."
"Excuse me, miss?" Guita said, trying to be polite.
"My name's not miss. It's Jessica, but you can call me elfie," the dark haired girl said.
"Elfie," Guita replied, unsure of what to make of her.
At last, they came upon room 26, and Guita rushed in, eager to get away from this strange girl nick-named elfie.
The teacher, who had been standing at the head of the class turned to look at Guita as he burst in.
"Can I help you?" the teacher asked. The class snickered at this intrusion, and Sizer, who was already seated in the center of the room, smirked at him.
"Er... that is to say... I..." for a moment, Guita could not think of anything to say. He then regained his composure. "I am one of the exchange students who arrived today, and I was assigned to be in this class. However, I got a little lost..." he said smoothly.
"Alright, alright. There's a seat free beside Sizer, so sit down," the already exasperated teacher said. "I am Mr. Kreis, for those of you who don't know, and this is Precalculus," he said, after Guita had sat down.
"So you finally show up," Sizer whispered, as Mr. Kreis continued with his lecture.
"Not all of us can be as punctual as you are, Sizer-sama," Guita whispered back sweetly.
"Shut it, dog-face," Sizer snapped.
"And might I add that you are so eloquent with your speech," Guita added.
"Guita, I notice that you and Sizer are having a conversation. Perhaps you would like to share with the class what it is about?" Mr. Kreis cut in.
"Sizer merely did not understand the concept of your captivating lecture, so I was explaining it to her," Guita said without pause.
"Really? Only three minutes in my class, and you already understand the lesson? I'm impressed. Perhaps you would like to solve one of the homework problems and show the class how you did it?" Mr. Kreis replied sarcastically.
"I would be delighted," Guita said, getting up from his desk. He stepped up to the black board, and carefully examined the problem that had been written there. He took a piece of chalk into his hand, thinking for a moment, before easily solving the problem.
Several students stared up at the answer, before checking to make sure it was correct. How could a kid that hasn't even been in class understand what they still could not, even after they had been in that class for more than a half an hour?
"The problems are simple, once you understand the concept," Guita said with a smirk, as he gave the chalk back to a very surprised Mr. Kreis.
"Show off," Sizer muttered, as Guita sat back down.
* * * * *
Sizer sighed, and tried to keep her patience. Ever since she had left Precalc, she had been followed by several human boys. Each were trying to get her attention, by carrying her books, offering to show her around, or simply just talking to her. She desperately wished she had her scythe, so that she could cut out the tongues of these annoying boys.
She stormed into the cafeteria, trying to lose her pursuers, but they remained with her. She was trying so hard to ignore them that she did not notice Vocal as he approached her, a wide grin upon his face. He drew closer and closer, until he finally grabbed her, spun her around and kissed her on the forehead.
Sizer screeched, and jumped back. Losing her balance, she tried to steady herself using her wings. However, since she no longer had them, she fell, hitting her head on one of the lunch tables. The boys who had been following her shouted in protest.
"That's no way to treat a lady," one of the taller ones said, glaring at Vocal.
"You're right," Vocal said. Strolling over to Sizer, Vocal picked up the dazed angel and kissed her again, this time on the lips. It took Sizer a moment to realize what was happening, and she gave a shriek of rage.
Suddenly, the taller boy pulled Vocal away from Sizer, and pushed him against a table. "I said that's no way to treat a lady, so stop, freak," he said.
"What are you going to do to make me?" Vocal asked.
The tall boy tried to punch Vocal, but he caught the boys fist. Slowly, Vocal tightened his grip, until the boy was forced to kneel in pain. Vocal was so busy focusing on the boy, that he did not notice Sizer as she leapt upon a table and leapt at him. She tried to kick his head, but he grabbed her ankle and threw her onto another table. With a groan, she rolled off of the table, and onto the floor.
She lay there for a moment, covered in the lunch of the day. Several of the students who had been sitting at the table backed away, as Vocal moved to kick the fallen angel. However, Sizer snatched up a half filled carton of milk from the floor, and tossed it's contents into Vocal's face. While he was momentarily blinded, she kicked him in the stomach, before rolling away.
* * * * *
Bass was in German class when shouts suddenly rang out from outside the door, coming from the cafeteria. The teacher, who was in the middle of his lecture when the noises started, suddenly rushed out the door to stop the fight. The students, eager to witness this event, followed him. Bass watched them go, before shaking his head and getting to his feet. He had a feeling that he knew exactly who the combatants were.
Storming out of the classroom and pushing his way through the ring of students and teachers who were watching the fight, Bass saw that he was right. There, amid the overturned tables and chairs stood Vocal. In one hand, he held Sizer by the throat, and in the other hand, he had a handful of mashed potatoes. Although Sizer was hanging several feet off of the ground, she still kicked and struggled, trying to free herself.
Shaking his head, Bass strode among the destruction caused by the battle. As he approached, Vocal raised the mashed potatoes to Sizer's face and began to smear it all over her cheeks.
"Stop this foolishness at once!" Bass roared. Surprised by the ferocity in the small boy's voice, the crowd that had been watching took several steps back. Vocal, however, merely glanced at Bass before dropping Sizer onto the floor.
"Aw, I was just starting to have fun, dead head!" Vocal protested, dropping the remaining mashed potatoes onto Sizer's head. In response, Sizer lashed out with her foot, kicking his feet out from under him.
"That is enough, both of you!" Bass snapped. A sudden wave of magic surged through the room, causing both Sizer and Vocal to freeze. "If I hear about any more trouble from you, Vocal, I shall see to it that you spend the next eternity in prison," Bass growled. At the threat of prison, Vocal slinked off.
"And as for you, Sizer, get yourself cleaned up. The same threat goes for you," Bass said. Not in the mood to argue, the angel got to her feet and began looking for a place to wash the food off.
Now that the fight had been resolved, Bass turned and started back into the classroom. He left behind him a group of dumbfounded teachers and students to clean up the mess.
* * * * *
Later that day, in the office of the school newspaper, The Viking Views, chaos ensued. Word had spread about the newly arrived exchange students. Guita, who had been assigned to work on the newspaper during that period, watched with a smirk as three reporters scrambled to find out enough information about them to write a story.
"Okay, from what I could find out, there are four other exchange students, other than Guita," said Becky Perdem, the news editor.
"Who's going to write the article about them?" asked the other news editor, Roopa Sanwardeker.
"I can, but I can't interview all of them today," Becky replied.
For a moment, they leaned over the copies of the exchange students' schedules.
"I can interview Bass and Drum. I have a study hall at the same time they do," spoke up the assistant editor, Erin Weaver.
"And I could interview Vocal," Roopa added.
"That only leaves Sizer, and I can interview her," Becky said.
Guita leaned back in his chair and grinned to himself. He truly felt sorry for the two girls who had to interview Bass and Sizer. He had heard about the fight that had taken place earlier that day, and knew that neither of them would be in a very good mood.
* * * * *
Drum and a group of other boys strode out of the locker room. Unlike the others, Drum had been having a relatively peaceful day. Very few of his classes had been with his comrades, and he found that he could easily fit in with those who played sports.
At the moment, he and a few of his newfound friends were heading toward their next class when Chris Chapman suddenly elbowed him in the ribs.
"Hey, it's that freshman I told you about. The one who was trying to steal my girlfriend," he whispered, pointing at another who was walking down the hall, with his back to him.
"That twerp? Why didn't you pound him?" Drum said with a laugh.
"You know. Julia hates it when I beat up on freshmen," Chris said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"But Julia's not here, so that freshman is fair game," said another, a soccer player by the name of Matt Bradshaw.
"You're right," Chris said, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Come on," he said, and they began to jog after the hapless freshman.
"Where you going, freshman?" Chris asked, as they caught up to him. The boy chose to remain silent.
"Don't you know how to respect your elders, midget?" Drum said with a laugh, pushing him against some lockers. It was then that Drum was able to get a good look at the "freshman's" face.
Bass's eyes widened, before narrowing into slits as he cast a murderous glare at Drum. "Midget, am I?" Bass growled.
Drum paled and slowly began to back away until his back hit the wall.
"Hey, man, what's wrong with you?" Matt demanded, and Drum shook his head.
"Forget about Drum," Chris said, before turning his attention back onto Bass. Picking up the smaller boy by his collar, Chris said, "I wonder if this freshman can fit inside a locker."
Bass tightened his hands into fists, realizing that it would take a little more than a glare to convince Chris to release him. "I will only say this once. Put me down," he said quietly.
"What're you going to do to make me?" Chris asked with a smirk.
Bass merely held up his hand, and several runes began to glow on his palm. He muttered the arcane words of Bloody Death Eater, and the air around them began to pulse with the energy of the incantation. Bass took a deep breath, preparing to throw the spell...
... When his concentration was suddenly broken by a female's shriek.
"Chris! You put him down!" Julia screeched, appearing seemingly out of nowhere.
Grumbling, Chris dropped Bass and turned to face Julia. "Hey baby," he said with a grin.
"Don't 'Hey baby' me. I saw what you were doing to Bass," Julia snapped.
"Bass and I were just kidding around. What are you so upset for?" Chris demanded.
Julia started to reply, but was cut off by the bell. "Don't you have a class to go to?"
"I'm going, I'm going. We'll talk about this later," Chris said, before storming off. After a pause, Matt and the other athletes scrambled to get to their own classes.
Julia watched them go with her hands on her hips and her lips pressed together. Once Chris had disappeared, she sighed and extended a hand to Drum, to help him to his feet.
Drum stared at her hand for a moment. Finally, with a snort of contempt he pushed her hand aside and got to his feet without her help.
"I'm so glad I found you!" Julia said as Drum dusted himself off.
Bass cleared his throat, before saying, "Was there any particular reason you were looking for us?"
"Oh, I working the office, see?" Julia said, holding up and orange piece of paper that had the works 'Office Worker' printed on them.
"So what's your point?" Drum demanded irritably.
"Well, I got a message in the office that asked for you and Bass to meet a person in the library. She's a reporter, from the school newspaper, and she wants to talk to you," Julia said.
"Why would a reporter want to talk to us?" Drum muttered.
"I don't know," Julia said with a shrug.
"Well, we had best not keep this... reporter waiting," Bass said. Julia bid them farewell, before going back to her job in the main office.
"Why would you want to talk to that reporter?" Drum asked.
Bass gave him a cold glance, before saying, "It is evident that this reporter went through great lengths to find us. Why would it take such an interest, I wonder."
Drum thought hard, trying to think of a logical explanation. Bass smiled cynically as he detected the faintest smell of wood burning in the air.
"Maybe this reporter has a crush on you!" Drum suggested.
Bass sighed deeply and glared at him. "Genrio Drum..." she started, and Drum knew that he was in trouble.
* * * * *
Erin sat at one of the library's computers when she heard someone calling her name. Turning around, she saw Jessica Goldberger standing behind her. "Hi elfie," she said, before turning back to the computer screen.
"Hi. What are you doing?" elfie said, dropping her backpack and taking a seat at the computer next to Erin's.
"Just trying to pass the time while I am waiting for the people I'm supposed to interview," Erin said, before turning back to the computer screen.
"Ooh, anime," elfie said, glancing at her screen. "Who are you going to interview?"
"Two of those exchange students. I think their names are Bass and Drum," Erin replied.
"Exchange students? I just bumped into one earlier today," elfie said.
"Really?" Erin said absently.
"No, I mean I literally bumped into him. He was sitting outside a door, and I knocked him over and broke his glasses," elfie said with a laugh.
"Well aren't you a nice person," Erin said. She turned around, looking around the library to check if the two exchange students had arrived. She saw one of them sitting at a table in the corner of the room. Picking up her books, she went to speak to him, and elfie followed.
As they approached, they were able to get a better look at the kid. The seven foot tall boy had his feet propped up upon the table, and his chair was tilted back. His eyes were closed, and he was snoring loudly.
"He's asleep!" Erin said in disbelief.
"Yeah, and it sounds like he's operating heavy machinery," elfie said, covering her ears.
"Well, I suppose we should wake him up," Elfie said with a wicked grin. As quietly as she could, she walked around the table to stand beside the sleeping Drum.
She first tried to awaken him by shaking his shoulder. Then, when that did not work, she tried pinching his nose shut. Oblivious to her, Drum merely swatted her aside, as if she was nothing more than a fly.
Quickly becoming impatient with the recalcitrant Drum, elfie tried a final tactic. Holding her breath, she lifted his feet off of the table. Without his feet to keep his balance, Drum toppled backwards. He gave a shout, just before he hit the floor with a crash.
Awake at last, Drum got to his feet with a growl. His eyes were aflame with anger.
"What'd you do that for?" he growled.
"You were starting to drool," elfie replied with a smirk.
Drum's hands tightened into fists, and he gave another growl of rage. Slowly, he raised his fists to pummel the annoying human.
"Drum," a calm voice caused him to pause.
Both of the humans and Drum turned to the one who had spoke. The owner of the voice was a small boy with dark hair and an even darker glare.
"But Bass-sama, she..." Drum cut himself off as the boy's glare became even colder.
"Drum, sit down," Bass said.
With a sigh, Drum set his chair back upon the floor and plopped into it.
"That was cool," elfie said with a grin.
Erin shook her head, before placing her books onto the table. "Why don't we start the interview," she suggested.
Bass merely nodded, and took a seat.
"Alright, what country are you from?" Erin asked, opening a notebook to the questions she had written out for the interview.
There was a pause, before Bass said, "What country do you think we are from?"
"You look like you're from France," elfie put in.
"Yes, that is it. We are from France," Bass said.
"Where did you learn to speak such good English," Erin asked.
There was another pause, before Bass asked, "Where do you think we learned our English?"
"Maybe from school?" elfie suggested.
"Yeah! We learned it from school... in France..." Drum said. He sounded unconvinced.
Erin rolled her eyes and sighed. Something told her that this was going to be a long interview.
So ends PART 1