Chapter 126: [43] Close Encounters of the Bus Kind 43 [From Beyond Arc]

Close Encounters of the Bus Kind

[43]

Class was faster paced than she was used to with her dim memories of high school. It seemed more like an accelerated college course that she took a few of and felt utterly daunted by. People talked to her and some girls joked with her, but she was separated from the punchline.

None of the coursework was difficult, which was fortunate because she didn’t need to be called up to Tonya’s spot for any kind of assistance or tutoring. Sitting in class was strange because, all those years ago, Paul never really felt like he was a part of things. He was just present, like an observer watching as things happened around him. Sometimes, that wall was shattered, and he had to participate and other times it was pleasantly inverted with every moment he was able to spend with Erin. He could feel like it was just the two of them and no one else.

Now, however, there were eyes all over, peeking right at the moment she looked away. Part of that was the unsettling worry of Tonya in the corner, but it also came from other directions. People were sneaking a glance at her.

Boys? Probably. But not necessarily only. She was pretty, although she hadn’t dressed to emphasize that aspect. Still, people were noticing her. Like sneaking a glance at some slumming celebrity. It was truly weird. It was like being the popular one and not knowing it. Which actually fell in line with how high school originally went for Paul.

She felt so self-conscious. Like some actual princess again. Even politely covering her coughs was discordant, like she was doing something wrong, as though she shouldn’t have even coughed in the first place. Her body had been renewed and perfected by alien technology but the more it was solely in her own hands seemed like deterioration and failed stewardship. She couldn’t be a perfect doll though.

Vaguely, the names of classmates started to adhere to her memory. Felix. Connor. Dara. Mathis. Jacob. Mika. She wasn’t sure which ones she was supposed to know instantly, and which were just passing acquaintances. Who might Beyond try to push her towards as a replacement for the friends she truly wanted? Would they go so far as to give her a different girlfriend….or a boyfriend? She eyed everyone suspiciously.

Mr. Harcourt didn’t seem like a bad teacher. Certainly not as bad as the one who locked Erin out of class so often and made her cry all those years ago. Nadia just didn’t care about diagramming sentences, learning about the types of classic literature, or how to construct a written argument. Not that she was breathtakingly good or experienced at any of those things. It just felt like a skill set she didn’t need right now.

But Nadia was apparently something of an exemplary student as the teacher kept coming back to her for various questions. None of them were especially tricky, but she did get corrected on some of the nuances. Standing in line with strangers when waiting to present an assignment made her feel dunked in the aromatic energy of being a teenager. She had noticed it before, but the guys had an untempered, pervasive scent to them somewhere between sweat and musk. It was uncomfortable yet oddly alluring.

Random girls did absolutely nothing for her now, even though the thought, presence, and smile of Erin meant the world to her. The stray realization that people might be attracted to her felt like a strange, unspoken truth. She had the faint feeling of a dozen adult comments about how teenagers are always preoccupied with this or that, why can’t they just focus on other things? Well, she had some answers. Just existing as a teenager amongst teenagers felt like being tuned to an abrasive radio station that flooded in all directions and refused clarity. Chaos and uncertainty off the deep end of the pool. She did her best to fake confidence and experience until the class ended.

Tonya didn’t even attempt anything towards her during class but Nadia could still feel her looming, just like Beyond’s analogy of a shark. She did her darndest not to rock this boat.

Second period was Geometry and she didn’t have much hope for that. Fortunately, it meant a friendly face: Odessa. Not a classmate, but a genuine tutor. Neither of them cared how it looked, but they wrapped each other up in a hug of relief. Class both allowed them to sit near to one another, yet desperately separated. The teacher, Miss Sanchez, was diligent with her tasks yet chronically forgetful. Nadia had to suffer through a variety of Geometry problems before she could find the time to really get close to Odessa.

She already knew about the situation with Nesbitt and had a vague sense of what the caper crew encountered based on running into Eva earlier. But the newest revelation brought grimaces and headshakes.

“I’ve known Tonya Hill for years. I’ve never even got a whiff of anything weird from her.” Despite her reserved quiet when discussing such things, Odessa had exuberant energy for every lesson she passed along to those who needed help. The nervous admission that Odessa wanted to be a performer bore wavering uncertainty along with heartfelt determination.

Nadia had no idea what to say about Tonya except to invoke the fact that they had all seen the video recording and Gina had it saved. The further mess of details seemed like a matter to save for later. She actually enjoyed geometry for the tangible symbols and applicable examples. The same was true the first time around, as it was one of the few classes Paul actually got a decent grade in before being shuffled around to a variety of experimental math classes and then lost to the subject.

It was clear throughout the period that Odessa was quietly using her slow-down ability to eke out more notes and work than she otherwise would. She was careful about it when anyone else was looking, but Nadia was still quite aware of it.

The long gap between second and third allowed for an extended meet-up between her and Erin. They squeezed each other close. Eva was also present. She seemed preoccupied, and took long, careful breaths to help her troublesome thoughts.

“I think Tonya isn’t human. Could it be she was like a scout that brought the alien craft to us?”

It was a notion that seemed to make perfect sense, yet invited a confused bramble of questions. How long, how, what were her intentions, and what could they do about it? With every glance her way, it seemed like Erin could read her mind as readily as Leslie. Not that Nadia meant to hide the second bout of mystery from the abandoned Sears visions. There just never seemed to be a good time to lay it all out, especially with the frantic pace of classes. The most they could really do was share a quick kiss as Eva took a deep breath and stared into the distance.

Music theory third period was both a surprise and a delight for Nadia. Audrey and Marisol shared it with her and she needed them as it was like diving headfirst into an entirely different language that her talent could not decipher. Classroom Audrey was an energetic poke and a harmonious celebration. If she could somehow get away with turning into a perky songbird that regaled others with all the classic anime themes, then she gladly would’ve. Marisol was the splash of cold water that brought them both back to earth. She also had the most amazing study sheets, which Nadia copied the finest points of.

As with her sister‘s piano lesson, knowledge and awareness of musical traits came with a subconscious acceptance that someone else had to take over for her, some energy driving her fingers and thoughts. Autopilot Nadia with innate knowledge. It was unsettling but best not to fight and keep it on a careful rein.

She wanted to have a eureka moment of friendship and connection with these two girls, some spark of camaraderie. Instead, they just felt like two girls who seemed nice and she formally met yesterday after running into them casually for so many Fridays. It was a different matter for her next period honors biology.

Elsa and Tatiana grabbed onto her with exuberant hugs. They hadn’t been clued in about the extent of the caper and had so many questions. Even though Nadia felt she slept well over the weekend and had been renewed with alien technology, the forces of high school just seemed to sap all her energy. Elsa and Tatiana were fascinating to listen to though. Nadia found them so imaginative.

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They often got distracted from the biology lessons in a group and liked to talk about ways that superpowers can arise. The others in the group just found it quirky, but Nadia worried about them giving a little too much away. At one point, Elsa looked at Nadia with her vast blue eyes and asked how she slept knowing about the monsters moving all around them. Elsa squeezed her hands and wiggled her feet with a gulp. Tatiana echoed some of the same nervousness.

Worries about monsters actually hadn’t occurred to Nadia recently. What kind of things was Erin seeing in her classes? She desperately hoped that otherworldly entities didn’t bother her. Erin hadn’t said anything around snack time, but it was just a sort of thing she would keep to herself.

For the girls, she encouraged the idea that the two of them were stronger than any monster. And the group was stronger still. This seemed like a fanciful notion to the two of them, but they provisionally accepted it. Tatiana had to be on guard not to slip into familiar sympathetic ways. There were times when she started to look a little like Nadia, but they had a similar skin tone. It was rather like having an extra sister since Tati clung to her so much. The two of them were both boisterous about the music though, especially tunes that Nadia had no idea about. Further subjects included YouTube obsessions, cute people that Tati could turn into, and Elsa wanting to feel big.

The two of them seemed very much like children in a way that Nadia didn’t want to belittle. They were teenagers yet they were darn cute. She could imagine both of them indulging vigorously in pajama dress-up Spirit Days with snuggly plushies. The oncoming prospect of Coach Nesbitt made them both look a little queasy though.

Lunch involved a painful, wretched slog dragging through a stinky, crushing line of people desperate to get out the other end. Leslie joined Nadia for part of it and carefully hinted that this was practice for her meditation. The physical crush of so many people was unpleasant. Nadia gave her her greatest sympathy for the mental trampling that had to be going on. Leslie didn’t look happy until they were at the end of that crush, even though the promised chicken wings were more like chicken blobs.

Leslie managed suspiciously long hops on the way to where they intended to meet up, but she endeavored to keep her feet on the ground. When seeing Erin again, Nadia squeezed her tight and released her nervous question about what she was seeing. The long breath that Erin gave seemed foreboding, but she assured her that the worst she had seen were far-off traces of the flying monsters not heading their way along with swarms of demon ants. Tatiana had to shake her dress at the mere thought.

Sasha had the most excitement out of any of them as she regaled the group with her plans and careful positioning of transformation energy. She grabbed sullen friends who she had long ago promised transformation if it ever came to her. And standing beside her was one such friend. He was dressed mostly in black with a dark tank top and matching sweatpants. His figure was slight and slender, with a certain softness already. A bright blush tinted his pale cheeks as Sasha went through a whole unnecessary ritual of setting up her power while covertly wielding her hair to tap him on different sides.

With a blast of air, the boy shifted. He lost several inches in height while his shaggy, light tan locks flopped down across his slimming shoulders. The tank top got loose and then very taut as an immense, rounded shape filled the front and almost looked like it was going to split. His limbs actually looked longer with fair fancy, painted fingernails. The pants tested their limits with his rising, wide hips and thick thighs. The black sneakers at his feet didn’t fit anymore but the new girl joyously shuffled around in them. Something similar had happened to her, Nadia told herself. She had to wonder what that felt like as a process, since she was only aware of the end result.

A new girl explained that it all felt a little like being under an invisible hand dryer but it instead blows away who you are. The group happily welcomed the new girl as she only lamented that this was temporary, according to what Sasha informed her. Although just an idle thought, and one tainted by revelations, Nadia wished that she could bolster Sasha‘s ability, just this once, to leave the girl with a joyful, permanent identity.

Revelations and fears seemed very much at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts, but the time was taken to eat and dwell in pointless little things and Nadia was perfectly fine with waiting a little bit longer. As far as the new girl, she actually had a conspirator who would take her out of class to avoid confusing questions and indulge in a fun-filled feminine afternoon. Nadia envied her.

Spanish class was absolutely pointless. So, she focused instead on helping her class. That wasn’t an easy matter as her talent often tricked her and she had to consciously separate the languages out for the sake of others. Thessaly shared that class and needed a decent amount of tutoring. Despite being enormous, she had the heart of someone more like Elsa. Like a Great Dane with puppy feeling. And unending exuberance.

Compared to how the day started, Nadia still felt drained, but at least she didn’t have to shelter alone under the mysterious watch of Tonya. The teacher, Miss Chavez, proposed an AP/honor supplement based on how well she was doing. Nadia agreed to it so long as she didn’t have to transfer classes.

The day finished out with the advanced Economics course that felt like the kind of thing that her family would’ve approved of. Happily, she was able to sit beside Eva and Gina at the back of the class. No Erin in any of her courses, but she had known that by comparing schedules earlier. That had to be the doing of Beyond. As recompense, she accepted hanging out with Gina and Eva. She expected that eventual seating charts would scatter her to the room. But this was nice.

She still felt like an observer of Erin and Gina‘s antics. The prospect of splitting school days with Louise got shot down by Eva with something like a cat yowl as she scolded her neighbor trying to sabotage her education. Gina just saw it as working smarter rather than harder by trading off days and leaving notes for the other. Of course, the problem was Louise wanted to do exactly zero days of school work and play video games. However, that was only sustainable as far as Odessa‘s charity and ability to explain her unexpected roommate to her family.

”There’s something about Tonya,” Eva eventually let out. She leaned back and shut her eyes.

“So… How do we trap an alien like that? Peanut butter and jelly or tuna fish sandwich?”

Eva scrunched her eyes and pinched her nose. “What works for imaginary tigers doesn’t work for everything.” Gina celebrated that she got that reference. Nadia held her tongue again. She knew that, at the end of the day, in the team meeting room, everyone would be there and they could hopefully talk without having to worry. It made the sense that Tonya was some sort of alien scout or other entity in disguise though.

Soon. She would be able to tell them all more soon. 

[I have a question at the end of the chapter again to help with suggestions for where the story should go. I'm actually not that far ahead this time and I am wide open for possibilities always. Feel free to add an idea which doesn't show up in the options. Also, if you see any random typos or uncapitalized starts of sentences, please pass them along. I have to cut down on my editing due to release speed and my programs don't seem to be catching lowercase sentences. Thank you for reading!]

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