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Joy And Ace: Sibling Bonding Time
Reluctant. Sullen. Frightened. Carefully civil. Arrogant. Insensitive.
Those were all words that could have described Ace's visits to his mother's in the past three weeks. Anyone watching could have been fascinated as Ace went from his hyperactive, happy-go-lucky, super ridiculous self to that opposite image during the car ride to his mother's. Today, perhaps there was a valid fear that whatever bad day Ace had had would end up causing a bad blow up at his mother's. He STARTED driving by being sullen and quiet and moody-looking, then just got this tale-tale determined look on his face as he drove further. That one that said he'd made up his mind about something and he was going to DO it, and no one in the whole world was going to stop him. This was the look that got him doing stupid things like kidnapping his own father, trying to spy-proof his house, deciding to "save" the world's cat population by housing them all in the attic, and a hundred other misadventures he'd gotten himself into in the past. What would he be getting himself into THIS time?
Joy sat in relative silence, gripping the door handle beside her as Ace drove along. he had a angry look on her face, and she was uncertain what it was about. All she knew was that if Ace went to see their mother in this mood...it would be very ugly...
"Ace....What are you thinking about?" Joy tentatively began. Maybe it was something silly. Maybe he just had a bad day at school. maybe dad cut his allowance in half. Maybe it was something she could help him with? She didn't know...but at the very least she could try...right? he had to be thinking very hard about it, for him to look so fierce. Sometimes...sometimes he really did remind her of Daddy, but only in the good ways.
Ace didn't answer for a moment, but perhaps that was because he was busy blaring his horn at someone who cut him off. Usually he was trying to be slow and couldn't have cared less, but today that just irritated him. Idiots!
"The world is coming to an end!" He burst out, with all the usual saturation of Ace's vast amount of energy, and the complete certainty he always held of his declarations. The unusual part though was that it wasn't said with either of his two extremes. No, he wasn't being happy or rebellious. This was a statement of wailing doom. "I'm thinking of the ending world. Let me think in peace before I'm in pieces!"
Joy's grip tightened further on the door handle as the car cut her brother off. He was driving in a mood, and that just gave Joy a teeny bit of worry. After the driver had distanced himself from her and Ace, joy tilted her head to look at Ace. That comment should have been followed by something about aliens coming to take daddys brain or vampires sucking the life out of him or evil pixies nicking his underwear so he'd be late for school or something. But...nothing came. Nothing but a rather stern demand for her to leave him alone. It didn't make sense...but then again..She'd been gone long enough for things to change.
In the spirit of her brother, for Joy had a moderate understanding of him, she narrowed her eyes and gave him the most suspicious look she possibly could. "The ending world? Did the aliens get you? Your not really Ace are you...your an alien who's plans have been all foiled because I've shown up and now I can see right through your disguise. Thats why your so upset isn't it!"
Ace looked even more annoyed for a moment, then took a breath, ""The aliens are busy taking over the world's population, and we're two that has the power to thwart the stupid aliens, and Dad helps to head that up and they already have a vampire after him and we're next and the world is doomed but it's not for that reason anyway or maybe it is, maybe it was a failed thing and they just don't know it yet." He paused to finally take a breath, huffing a little from not having done that earlier, "But that's not what really matters anyway!" He reached over to click on the radio, turning it just loud enough to drown out conversation. His usual tactic.
Funny thing was, as easy as it was for him to turn that radio on, it was just as easy for Joy to turn it off. leaning forwards to click the sound off, she shot her brother a measuring look. "You and Daddy may have the power to thwart them. Only thing I'm good at is math and gymnastics. I don't think I can calculate them into submission. You know we could easily set up tests to find out who the vampire is too. But if none of that is the problem, then what is? If I'm going to die I want to see it coming Ace."
"You have the ability to turn the aliens off, I have the ability to drive them insane. It's a good combination, but the people get stuck with their powers anyway." Ace explained quickly, but then paused again to think about the rest, "Do you really think so? I'm afraid that Uncle Charles is the real vampire. I'm not sure how to test it, I'm all out of ideas! Because they all KNOW to be wary of me!"
World doom seemed to have slipped his mind now.
Here Joy relaxed her grip on the car door and settled back into her seat with a small air of confidence. "Of course I think so. Look at all the legends of vampires. Obviously a lot of it is phoney. The vampires themselves created those legends so people won't be able to detect them and they will be able to hide in plain sight." Joy lifted a hand and ticked off one finger. "You have to completely discount religion. Religion has absolutly nothing to do with being a evolved. Just way back then everyone was so religious like, and calling to god for help instead of helping themselves, a smart vampire probably figured out that if he created phoney weakness' then the humans would start using those as 'protection' rather then using the real stuff that would hurt them." Joy ticked off another finger on her hand. "Then you get rid of the sunlight allergy hooey. What better way to hunt people then during the day when they are safe? So what does that leave?" She paused to give her brother a few moments of time to ponder that whie she addressed another issue. "No. Absolutly not. Uncle Charles fits into the sterotype way too easy. If anything I'd think he was being set up by the vampires as the fall guy. I personally think that if there was a vampire around, it would be very secretive and attempting to pass itself off as a human of no real specialness. Uncle Charles is too prominant."
Ace frowned, then shook his head, "No, I think it's likely Uncle Charles Or he wasn't before and now he's converted and he's just acting like he thinks he's supposed to. There could be more than one now. If we don't save Dad, there will be THREE! And what if HE converts US? We're almost there." And they would be in a few more minutes. Ace had actually gone quicker to get there today -- what a surprise that they'd arrive a good ten minutes earlier! "Don't say anything to anyone."
"Well... Maybe they have gotten to Uncle Charles then. You'd know better then I, you've been around longer." Joy allowed her eyes to stare vacantly out the window as she thought. "Test them...Silver and garlic. Those have always been two of the oldest things to harm a vampire, and they seem the most silly. So they have to have some form of truth to them. What if we put garlic juice in dad or Charles coffee? If they can't drink it then we know the vampires have gotten to them....and they won't convert us. Your too smart for them, and I'm usually with you so they can't get to me..." Joy looked forwards towards their destination. "Of course I on't say anything to anyone Ace! I'm not that silly! I don't want them kidnapping me in the middle of the night just cause they know we are on to them."
"You are so stupid! Dad's super smart GENIUS and HE'S been caught in all of this! And you're FAR smarter than I'LL ever be!! I'll bet that---" Ace started by shouting, but then suddenly cut it off as the house came into view. He seemed to change tactics immediately, voice growing softer, as if they were in a very casual conversation, "Coffee might not be a good idea. What food has a lot of garlic in it anyway? And would garlic powder work, or do they have to be cloves? Maybe I should lace their offices with cloves... "
Joy rolled her eyes and gave her head a shake. "Ace...you just told me I was stupid but smarter then you..." She had to point that out before thinking about the garlic idea. "Well..I suppose anything with tomato sauce can have garlic in it, or garlic bread. It would probably be best if we used fresh garlic. There is no telling if powdered is potent or not. For all we know it's the garlic juice that they have a problem with, and powdered garlic has very little juice. We can probably just add it to some sauce and it will be fine....oh! But hiding cloves around would be a good idea! What about..in certain bathrooms? If they only use the bathrooms without the cloves in it then we would know they are avoiding it..right?" Joy looked at the hous as they drove up to it. "I guess we're here..."
"Yeah, it's called a figure of speech," Ace mumble, turning the car off, then jumping out in his usual routine to go grab his stuff from the back of the car then try to race Joy up to the door. Hurrying or not, Joy would win today simply because Ace's bookbag seemed much heavier than usual and a note book feel out, scattering a few stray papers here and there that he had to pick up.
"Hey, Mom, we're early today," Ace volunteered the obvious as he came in, giving her a smile, then trooping into his bedroom. Another change in routine. Usually he dropped everything at the front of the door until Alice couldn't stand it and yelled - or until he actually had to retrieve it, whichever came first. He placed his stuff down there, then bounded out with his usual energy and broke more routine, "How was your day, Mom? You do a whole bunch for us, you shouldn't have to cook for us like this. Maybe some time we should make a Mom-day and do whatever it is YOU would like for us to do for you instead," He clattered dishes out of the cabinet, for once volunteering to do something productive -- AND actually taking the iniative to do it before someone else got to it.
Ace was sick....That had to be it.... Joy had paused at the door, to wait while Ace picked up his scattered papers. So she entered just a few moments before him, and felt a eerie chill travel down her spine at the cheerful way her brother greeted their mom. That was...un-Ace like...as was him carrying his things tohis room..and being...super nice...
Ace had to be a alien. Joy stood in one of the doorways, staring at her brother as Alice beamed so brightly at her son. "Well how unexpected...thank you Ace. Perhaps we will do that some day." Alice seemed to be glowing and it concerned Joy a bit. her brother had to be up to something. Why else would he be all gloom and doom in the car, then suddenly bright and cheerful here? She itched to drag him away and demand he explain himself...
Dinner was great for Alice, who had Ace doing all the things she'd asked of him in the past---as much as he could. Ace certainly had never really tried before, and he failed in quite a few areas (he still ate as if he hadn't eaten in a year, for example), but he was *trying.* He volunteered to do the dishes with her while Joy got started on her homework. He helped carry her stuff to the car, and wished her a good night at school, and good luck, and again appreciatively thanked her. Though once he was done with that he ran off to his room. If Joy waited any length of time to come demand anything from him, she'd find him reading one of his school's textbooks. If not, she'd find him getting READY to get to all his homework stuff. That was one thing Ace did do consistently -- between Jim, Alice, and Joy, he'd been firmly ingrained with the work ethic of at least LOOK like you're doing some studying every night.
Joy ate in silence. Listening to the prattle of her brother, watching him be such a good son...and watching as Alice left the house in a good mood. It seemed surreal. Somehow Ace had managed to NOT aggrivate their mother at all. It was way too weird. She was certain her mother wasn't completely fooled by Ace, but she certainly seemed pleased with his behaviour tonight.
The moment their mother pulled out of the driveway Joy was at Ace's bedroom door. Knocking as polietly as a good girl should, but agitated to the point she'd not wait for an answer and simply open the door immediatly after knocking. Stepping in, Joy whipped a Barbie doll from behind her back and weilded it at Ace like a plastic weapon. "Who are you and what have you done to my brother! You better tell me! I'm not afraid to use this!"
"You still play with those?" Ace demanded, waving his hand, "Leave me alone. I have homework to do. GO AWAY--I was being nice to Mom because she DESERVES it, ok? Leave me alone!"
Ah, the switch had been Alice herself. Ace was back to being aggravated and annoyed. He snatched at the Barbie doll, meaning to take it out of Joy's hand and forcefully throw it on the ground. "I have things to DO."
"Hey!" Joy responded as Ace would attempt to de-barbie her. Wriggling to keep her 'weapon' rfom being taken, Joy pulled her other hand from behind her as well...to reveal the Edwards sister to be dual weilding barbie dolls. As Ace reached for the first barbie doll, Joy attempt to smack him with her second. "Now I know your not Ace! You hate mom! Gimme back my brother!"
"I do not!!" Ace grabbed for the other Barbie doll, now really ready to get into a fight, "SHE hates ME! And you need to butt out of my business all the time, I don't need you tagging along all the time. I know already, stop slamming it in my face!" He bypassed the dolls now, not caring about being whacked by the painful plastic, but meant to push her out of his room.
"She does not!" Joy defensively responded almost immediately. There was no way Alice hated Ace. No way at all. "Mom loves the both of us! We're her kids!" Ace was, by and far, older, bigger, and stronger. His push to remove Joy from the room succeeded in making her stagger back, her face flushed with agitation. She stood there, fists clenched on her dolls. She felt emotionally tense and ill. Ace had gone from yelling and hating Alice...to yelling at her...being angry at her... And Joy honestly did not know how to respond. She wanted to yell at him for being such a jerk to her, but her tongue would not move.
"Ok, fine, she doesn't, but *I* don't hate her either! Just because I'm different, why do adults always have to have anyeurisms?" Ace fumed, still pushing to try to get Joy firmly out of the room, "And now yo---" He closed his mouth, "Go away."
"What are you talking about? Different from what?" It was all Joy could manage to demand as she was forced outside of Ace's room. He seemed so mad at her now...maybe it was because she had come in all angry herself..but still..he was acting weird! What was she supposed to think!?
"Different from perfection!" Ace stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Or at least the thing that they call perfection, which is really just...just... falling into the herd mentality. I like MY mentality. Why do you let them boss your mind around so much? How do you manage it?" Ace suddenly stopped pushing now that his goal was met -- but left the door wide opened and stomped back to his book bag. "You're just helping the end of the world cause."
At first... the only sound that followed Ace's explosion was the dull thunk of Joy's dolls hitting the floor. Her hands had gone numb and she was rather unaware she was no longer holding them. "It's me...you hate me..." There, that was the first thing that just seemed to click in her mind. Me, of course it was her. It was the very first thought any young girl might have...but...Perfect? "I...Ace..." This seemed...so very weird to her at this moment. Oh sure, she'd feared in the past having her brothers anger directed at her...but she had never thought it would be because of that reason. Joy never thought anyone would be angry at her for doing what was 'expected' of her.
Maybe Ace...no...he didn't hate her...it couldn't be that. Joy's gaze dropped with more then a heavy amount of guilt upon it. "Daddy loves you best. Next to his work he loves you the most. I have to be perfect...so he'll love me as much as he does you. I don't blame you for it though....or daddy. I know he loves you most for a special reason...I just...I have to be the best I possibly can... and Mom... She is unhappy Ace, and I don't like it when she is unhappy. So I do my best to do everything I know she wants me to do. I'm not trying to end the world..." Her eyes lifted slightly to look at her angry and frustrated brother. "I just want to make it more peaceful."
"None of that matters anyway, he's being eaten alive, and is trying to eat me alive, but since I can't be eaten, he isn't going to like me but he can eat YOU alive, and I don't want you to be eaten and I don't want you to be apart of the whole world collapse! Or Dad. Or Uncle Charles. Or Mom! I wish you would just be yourself and stop being what everyone wants you to be! I wish I could be myself and not have everyone attack me for it!!"
"I don't attack you for it." Joy merely murmured. Be herself? She'd been trying so hard to be what everyone wanted of her...Joy honestly wasn't certain there was a 'herself' other then what she'd become. Reaching up a hand, she began to play with a strand of hair. "Why do you think he can eat me? Not that I believe Daddy is really trying to eat anyone. I don't think the world will collapse...I mean..That is what the NSA is for right? To keep the world from collapsing?"
"Sort of, but not really. But Dad's gonna eat you by make you fall into the whole same mentality of work, be perfect, follow the crowd and think like the crowd and never out of the box and always like everyone else, even when you think you're the black sheep and maybe the whole world is really already doomed and maybe no one's free from that but I think people should be aware they should be aware they're all vampires or getting eaten!! And you're all eaten already by other things, but now Dad's gonna complete it al!" Ace huffed, his books now snatched out and piled up on his desk, "It's all one, big trap."
Wow...Ace never seemed to stop to think...but today it seemed like he didn't even have a connection running between his mind and tongue. Since he had seemingly gotten over pushing her out of his room, Joy took a few tenative steps back inside. her hands folding behind her "You know what I think....I....think your having one of those break down things. You've been so angry for a long time Ace...and Dad obviously isn't doing a good job taking care of you when he's all wrapped up in work...and your afraid...that your gunna have to end up taking care of me and mom, cause we'll end up just like dad with putting work first...and you'll have absolutly no Ace left. You'll be all sucked into doing all these things that won't even give you time to be yourself anymore...."
"No, you don't get it! No one gets it!" Ace lamented, "Go...go be perfect and do your homework and get perfect scores on it and make everyone happy. I'm going to...stare at my books and do the opposite." And he swung his chair around to sit in it backwards to glare at his desk.
What Joy wanted at that moment...was to just go and give her brother a hug. She felt that he wouldn't like that though, and he'd more then likely push her away. So instead she walked, as quietly as she could, across the floor so she could turn and slowly sit down on Ace's bed. "I'm not perfect..." She finally managed to protest. "I study a lot, because yeah it does make mom and dad happy. But I do like to read books Ace. You can learn some neat stuff. But...if I was perfect I'd have a ton of friends. If I was perfect I'd not have to try so hard at everything. I'm only fair in my gymnastics class, and the only reason I am doing it is because Dad and mom would never let me take a cool class like martial arts. What I really want to learn is Kendo. Backflips and handstands are great I guess. But being able to kick some's butt is so much cooler." Joy shrugged her shoulders a little and proceeded to pick at the flair of her skirt. "And I hate my hair. If I didn't know mom would freak I'd have dyed streaks in it like some of those super models do. AND....I want a belly button piercing..." The last she had to force out, a faint blush teaseing it's way into her cheeks as she looked over at her brother. "So I'm not perfect, if I was then I'd be completely happy as I am now and I wouldn't want these other things. And you know...your not much better if you choose to do things for the opposite reason. You say you want people to accept you for who you are, but it seems like to me your choosing to do things they don't want you to do just cause they do want you to do it and by not doing it your actually just making yourself unhappy...whoa..." Joy placed a hand to her head and rubbed fiercely at a temple. "I'm confusing myself..."
"But at least you'll live to see twenty," Ace muttered. He took a three ring binder from his stack, then turned to Joy, a sort of desperate look on his face, "I don't do anything to just oppose, but everyone thinks I do and then I get slapped down and I don't GET it, and...Now I'm going to fail this class AGAIN and Dad's going to kill me and the world is over." He waved the binder around in front of his face.
Joy watched her brother wave the binder about. Well... "Well...maybe I can help you with it? I know I'm not in your grade...but who knows? What is it? Math? History? Dad won't kill you if you try your best Ace. I told you...he loves you best. I can't tell you how to make everything better...but I can at least try to make things okay between us, right? I promise I won't hit you with my dolls again or call you an alien when your nice to mom. Deal?"
"Joy...if I make anything less than a B, Dad breaks into the school system and somehow tweaks things so that I have to retake the class again. I'm already really a junior and not a senior, and I'm going to end up being a junior a THIRD time... Some of the classes you're taking now I took last semester." Ace sighed, "I hate Dad sometimes. He's so obsessed with perfection, it's eating him alive, and Uncle Charles encourages it and brings him down too and they're...they're undead because of it." Ace sighed, "And I hate these classes, because they make you regurgitate what they think are acceptable answers and if they aren't, you fail. It's stupid!"
Joy's jaw litterally dropped open. He did WHAT!? "But...but that's not fair! It's not your fault they are stupid! And...he can't DO that! It's not right at all!" Of course,s he could protest all she wanted, it wouldn't change what had already happened. Joy's look of surprise melted away, to be replaced with a small frown. "Let me help you... I can at least help you with your home work. I can't do anything for your tests, but if you should have passed already then this just isn't fair for you...and if it does end up that way...well..." Here Joy paused to think, her right index finger riseing to her lips to nibble upon the tip in thought. " Well then it's simple isn't it? We'll just break in and change dad's change back the way it should be. If it is okay for him to do it, then it's okay for us to do it. Even more so really, because dad is the one breaking the rule, we're just following the rules and putting things right....as for the whole acceptable answer thing..." Here Joy took another moment to think, then, her face brightened. "Think of it like Tetris! They expect some black head like answer to fall into place. Even if you think it's stupid or dumb, so long as you give them that square answer, it'll lock into place and you can get outta there?"
"I don't WANT to play that game, Joy. If all I was getting was a bunch of square blocks on tetris, I'd shut the stupid game OFF..."
"..." Joy decided...not to say anything in response. She'd offered twice to help him...but...well...maybe he didn't want help from his 'perfect' sister. It took Joy a few moments to come to that realzation. Silence was really the only thing she felt comfortable with at the time, and even then it felt very wrong. Pressing her hands to Ace's bed, Joy stood back up, and made her way to the door. Ace wasn't yelling at her anymore..but..he wasn't really talking with her either was he? Maybe the real best thing to do was just leave him alone... "Think I left my light on...."
"Ok." Ace said, letting Joy go...but then she didn't come back right away...and a second turned to ten seconds, turned to thirty, turned to a whole minute, and a whole minute and a half, and... "JOY!!! HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SWITCH A LIGHT?" Where'd she go???"
Okay...so....Ace hated...no...not hated....Ace was upset...and Joy knew that while a lot of it she couldn't do anything about, there was no way she could make daddy just accept the fact Ace was too smart to do good in school, and there was no way she could make mom stop nagging Ace for being too busy thinking to pick up after himself....there had to be something she could do? Walking across the hall to her room only took a second. Closing her door only took a second. Pacing back and forth in her room took a bit longer. Joy nibbled on her nails as she did so. Torn a little about what -she- could do to make things better. Peering across the room at the mirror, Joy had a moment of crazy thought. She could chap her hair off. mom got so upset at Ace when he dyed it. His dying would have to be something better if she cut it all short....but..that wouldn't really help would it? Joy's eyes drifted to her window and she thought a bit on simply running away. Dissappear for the night...Ace NEVER did that....but...Ace was older and supposed to be looking after her. He'd get in trouble if she ran off, which would be the exact opposite of what she wanted. Mom or dad would blame him for making her upset enough to run off.
Groaning to herself, she turned to the door when she heard Ace's shout. There simply...wasn't anything she personally could do. Scuffing a foot on the floor, she knew that if she dropped her grades so Ace's looked better...oh her parents would known instantly something was wrong. Strait A's to strait F's? Not possible... No matter what she did it just wouldn't be good enough. Grasping the sides of her head, Joy pressed firmly at her temples, squeezeing her eyes and lips shut tightly in a silent version of a scream.
Ace only had the patience to wait another ten seconds before snapping up his books and going down to Joy's room. He kicked her door, "Joy? I thought you were gonna help me." The simple giving up of his arrogant pride and earnest plea made him sound very young.
Joy dropped her hands from her head immediatly upon her brothers kick enterance. Turning to look at him, she exhaled a quick breath. "Oh...I wasn't sure you wanted me to....yeah. You wanna study in your room or the living room?" Just...ignore it...for now. maybe this would be a one time thing...maybe she'd not have to do anything at all. Maybe it was just worry over repeating the class that had gotten to Ace. Crossing over to the door, because Joy was positive Ace didn't want to sit in a very pink and white lacy room with unicorn and fairy figurines decorating every surface.
Ace went and plopped himself on the living room couch, just because it was comfortable, then he handed Joy an example of one of his works. Evolution, and the big, fat F he rightfully got on that. "What's up with this?" He asked balefully.
Joy took the paper, and began to read it through. As she made her way through the paper, her jaw loosened again, but she was fortunate enough not to let it drop open in her surprise. Oh no...oh he didn't...oh Goodness.... What should she say? Aside from the fact he -did- have some good points here... A lot of it though was...hmm...
"Too aggressive." She finally decided to say, Laying his paper in her lap, Joy began to to nibble on a fingernail again. "Problem with teachers are, they ask you for your opinion, but they never really want to hear it in your own words. But another problem is how you wrote it. You made the paper too...uhm...well... It kinda makes the person reading it think that your trying on purpose to insult them. Stupid is never a word you should use to descrive anything. It's one of those magic words that immediatly makes a person want to think the other thing half the time. Here...gimme a pencil...."
Ace frowned and gave her a pencil, "So what? It's true, Mrs. Gill is an adult, she should be able to take it."
"Sometimes adults are fixed in their views. They aren't open minded enough to accept other peoples thoughts....usually those types of people end up being teachers I think, so they can make certain the following generations of children think just like them...and if you don't they give you F's and make people think your dumb so they won't believe what your saying." Joy began to scratch parts of Ace's essay off, and write in small bits here and there to revise it.
"Okay...all of this here?" Joy swiftly drew the pencil through the written lines on the paper"
Well, I can certainly tell you this: none of science has ever said one useful thing about this so called evolution thing. I don't know why I'm facing an essay asking to explain the evolutionary process as an eleventh grader when scientists are not only thoroughly baffled by te current evolutionary step (or mutations or whatever term Dr. BigNose is giving it) but are also baffled by how we got here in the first place. There's not a thing that can be said to make evolution "theory." It's all supposition; therefore, there is even less a reason to be teaching it.
In the end, I shouldn't have to write some essay based on something that really is science fiction; however, I am to write an essay on science fiction, so here I go. Don't blame me if it's crappy. Go to the ones that are presenting their daydreams as reality!
"This is called a 'tangent' Basically it's you wandering off on your own and kinda diverting away from the topic. We already know evolution is stupid. One thing to remember when you write and essay like this is to stick to the point. Oh..and never use BigNose as a name for a scientist. It makes teachers cranky. Kay?"
"That wasn't a tangent, that was my beginning paragraph you just killed! That was my statement of what was, short and to the point. Should I have made it shorter?" He took out his own pencil to scribble in the top margin.
Evolution is science fiction because none of the scientists have ever actually been able to prove it or say why it's a good idea, except that it's a reason to use, which is dumb useless because even what's his face Darwin recanted his own statements, who is considered to be the father of evolution. Way to go teaching eleventh graders what scientists don't even know!
"THERE!"
"Well...at least you got some facts in there now." Joy could not help but giggle at her brothers defensive response. "Facts are important. Always use the proper name for a person when you refer to them. I think the teacher would have accepted this a bit better then your other opening...only..."
Way to go teaching eleventh graders what scientists don't even know
"Try to keep the insults off the paper. Remember, the teacher thinks they know everything. They went to school for a long time to teach you all this dumb stuff. Other then that I think that would be a acceptable opening statement....so...wanna try writing something else? Do you have to write a new essay cause the teacher didn't like this one?"
"Mmm...I need to write an essay for one class about how the end of the war in Africa is going to affect different parts of the world, considering how the other large wars affected different parts of the world. That's a retarded topic too though." He sighed.
Joy turned a little to wave the pencil tip at Ace. "Is it now? Why is it retarded? The teacher wants you to think about the impact the war could have. Thats forsight. I think that's a rather interesting topic to write about."
"But it's not OVER yet!!!"
"Hee hee. I know that!" Joy flicked a finger back into her mouth and began to nibbble, once again, on a fingernail. "Why not write about the effect it already has and then guess how those impacts will change. For example like how the economy is fareing right now. Pretty bad right? All that fighting...so...imagin if the war did end in a few days...how would that change the economy? Just think of it as a daydream exersize or something."
Ace frowned, "But it won't end for a very long time, if ever... And that's what I'd rather say. Like this..." He pulled out a scrap piece of paper to show her...
More Ace Essay Well, I can certainly tell you that NO history teacher has ever brought abut any deep, philosophical thoughts on history with their repetitive essay themes where we're supposed to give nice, clean-cut information that is simply a regergitation of what we've heard in class and on the media. I've got another thing coming to you, buddy, forget that mess coming from me. So we're supposed to write how today's end of Avalanche's reign may change how things operate, using ends of past wars to demonstrate. Let me tell you: There's no way to compare. There are two little people out there. They are named Lady Novara and Solarduct. One who likes to destroy cities for fun. One who likes to blow thins up for fun. Both those psychopaths, for all we know, could show up tomorrow. OH, LOOK! They're BEHIND YOU!--- Well, they COULD have been, anyway. Then we have the evolveds that fight for equity, and us powerless people who either believe in one of two forms of superiority or want equity. This war is far from over. It's just beginning. This isn't Hitler's death, this is Germany getting the blame for World War I. Unfortunately, the people out there getting the blame are a bit more powerful, yielding a bit more followers, and a bit more widespread than Germany or Hitler ever was.
"See? THAT makes a lot more sense!!"
Joy shook her head and bit back the wail she wanted to just sound. "Yes Ace, you have a point, but this is an essay. It is not a debate! If you want to tell the teacher how foolish they are for overlooking such a obvious thing, start a debate team. You can't argue with a teacher on everything. Cut him some slack. This isn't about making sense, this is about making a grade. And the topic has nothing to do with those other villians. This is about Africa. The very last part might be good to use. But you waste so much time and effort complaining and argueing that you don't even touch the heart of the topic....And..and..wait..." Joy looked back down at the paper, thenplaced a finger on the 'us powerless people'. "You haven't told anyone at school your an evolved yet either?"
"NO!! Of course I haven't! You don't get it either!! We're fighting a freakin' war here!" Ace threw up his arms in a dramatic display of passion, slamming his head backwards onto the couch. "GEEZ, Joy! You'd better not be telling anyone!!"
Joy watched her brothers display of frustration with a frown. "Ace...I know there is a war going on. I know it's a lot more then just Africa. I know that it's happening here too, and it's not just the big evil villans that are waging it. It's the scared close minded people waging it on people like us. No...I haven't told anyone. Mostly because there would be no way to protect myself if someone decided to hurt me. I mean...what am I going to do? Give them a paper cut from my nicely folded test papers? But just because we know this is happening, it doesn't mean you have to throw it up in the air every chance you get. Ace...I just want to help you pass your class so dad doesn't hold you back again..I'm not trying to inform the whole school to open their minds and eyes to the fact pretty soon the whole world is going to erupt into chaos when the evolveds get sick of being looked at in all this fear. I know Novara and Solarduct aren't the only evoleds that are going to flip over to the dark side....in fact I'm pretty sure any day now someone else is going to join them and do something absolutly terrible."
"Why do we have to mess with this stuff?" Ace asked, "Why can't we be doing something BETTER? What's all this matter? And I refuse to give into the lies of what they want us to say and believe, because then all that will do is confirm. If we know, we should SAY... Being willfully ignorant is only...only...becoming one of the undead masses. I don't want that."
"Then stop complaining!" Joy snapped. She knew Ace wasn't doing things to get a rise out of people...but... "You can't willfully choose to oppose that ignorance, and then complain because no one has an epiffany to your revelations! Your calling them stupid and dumb and insulting them Ace! There is no one that is going start listening to you when you are calling them those things! You want to open their eyes?" Joy smacked a hand onto the essay paper he had already written. "Then stop bitching about the uselessness of your classes and find a use for them. You know if you wrote a decent and respectuf view of this essay you'd be likely to get it read by more then the teacher. You could try to get it published in a school newspaper, or a real one. But all you do is yell at them for being idiots!"
"But that's---" Ace sighed, "I don't want to." He snatched the paper back and stuffed it into his folder, snapping it closed, "I'm gonna quit school and....become a superhero battery. I don't need high school for that."
It was now Joy's turn to flop on the couch. Throwing an arm over her eyes she muttered. "******** A." Laying there a few moments, she allowed the tension to drain out of her, which happened rather quickly. "Ace...please don't quit school. There are still some things you can learn there, and if nothing else it will keep dad from going nucular. You know he'll ban you from the NSA if you quit right? Cause he knows thats where you will want to be. You can't become a hero yourself if you accidently make things harder for you...listen...I'll do your essays for you. Okay? Just don't tell anyone. Since they are all stupid it shouldn't matter. But you have to promise me something...."
Ace sighed and shook his head, "I'll write them. I'm just so frustrated, I put so much time into these things and all I ever get are these stupid low grades! And then there are kids like YOU that don't do half the work and always get super high grades! I don't get it. I don't get how you have time to think about it and write it and do all the stupid other stuff all in the time frame that we have! You can't do mine AND yours. It's not possible. I'll...figure it out."
"It's not fair" Joy agreed from the couch. "But mom and dad are right when they say life isn't fair....Life is a lot harder for you then it is for me...but that just means that later on you'll probably be able to handle a tough situation better then me. Still..I'll help you with your essays if your willing to listen to me when I suggest you don't write something. I can help you make it so the teacher won't fail you at the very least. You know..your next teacher may actually like your essays Ace."
"Meh, sure." Ace dropped the binder to the ground, then laid on the couch, torso right over Joy, "Whatever. Thanks. I really should research this essay I have a bit more tonight. How are you doing with things?"
Joy didn't even move her arm from over her eyes as her brother leaned back against her. Instead she half smiled. "Research might be good. Use the internet, I'm sure you'll get a lot of hits on google or something." How was -she- doing...well... "I actually met someone who doesn't think I'm a stuck up priss...so at least I don't have to eat lunch alone at school...but... I can't stop thinking about my power. I'm a little scared Ace. I can't think of a good use for it at all."
"I always research. I research lots everything always. But it's never appreciated. Don't worry about your powers. They're good powers. If Solarduct ever attacks you, you'll suck him dry and then Flashcharge can kill him and the world can rejoice. You've got the best powers there are for fighting bad guys. What's his name?"
Joys head jerked upwards a little, and her eyes widened. "If who what?? Ace I don't think anything like that would ever happen. I can't control my power like that. You weren't there with Mr. Lesley when my power started. It was terrible. I got dizzy and I felt faint. If Mr. Lesley hadn't caught me I'd have fallen. I'm never going to be any good in any sort of fight. Not like you. You could make Flashcharge uber powerful and he could take out Solarduct and Novara at the same time! I wish I had a power like yours! and..uhm...it's not a guy...it's a girl. She say's her name is Raven."
"Well, you'd have fainted, and he'd be out, and dead, and you'd be safe. That's what counts. You'll be fine, and no one even ever has to know. Raven? Either her parents were late hippies or she's a goth. Look, if you don't want to eat lunch alone, you coulda said something...where are all you other friends? Oh, wait, we're not in the same school...well...who is this person anyway? She's not going to---Why would people think you're a priss?"
Yousei Akki · Sat Mar 08, 2008 @ 08:39pm · 0 Comments |
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