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- Eye of the Hurricane -
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Posted: Mon, 18/08/2025 23:07 (2 Days ago)
Eye of the Hurricane
The movies got it wrong. It wasn't an astroid. Nothing from space, no great warnings or panics on the street. Just a simple, quiet poof.
And the world came to an end.
The sky has gone dark, deep, and endless. Jutting shapes and scarlet clouds dissipate whenever you look at them too closely. Cities have been levelled, the air rendered unbreathable, and no signs of life roam the streets. No building was left standing after The Last Rain.
Except for this one.
When the world ended, you were a student at Rainview Senior High School. On that last beautiful day when the meteorologists of the world marvelled at the gentle rain falling on every country on earth, you, my friend, were in school. A Grade 10 Art Class, to be specific. And when it was dismissed, you found your way to the door, and you couldn't open it.
Lucky you didn't. Outside, the world was a wasteland.
This room is the last one standing in the entire school. You are the only survivors of your city, of the devastated planet. Somehow, out of everyone in the world, you have survived. Bravo. But the snacks from the vending machine only last so long. And your class isn't exactly... well, upstanding, to say the least.
You're remedial kids, made to take this class for your long standing behavioural problems. Rejected by the world outside, and now the only survivors in an apocalypse.
Can you work together to find a way out to safety? Or will you destroy one another over the waning supplies?
And the most important question of all-
Why has your classroom survived? Why is it, that this one little remedial class is at the eye of the hurricane?
It'd been one month since Luther Waters, Student Teacher, was left in charge of this classroom and he was barely holding it together.
The end of the world had not been in the job description.
For years, he'd wanted to be an art teacher. His art teachers had been his best friends growing up. As somebody who struggled to make those emotional connections with people, he'd found an ally in his art teachers who looked at his work and saw him. He could put everything into what he created and feel understood.
It'd been a dream of his to become that person for somebody else.
On his fifth year, he'd been offered an internship. He was supposed to learn under another teacher. Demonstrate his skills. See if this was really what he wanted to do.
"Kubo, Nora, stop that right this instant!" he ordered. Unfortunately, at the end of the world, said student teacher had gotten stuck with a classroom full of behavioural problems. "Don't take her protein bar! We're rationing those, one per person!"
Kubo fell back, glowering at him. The boy hadn't been a problem in the beginning. Quiet and withdrawn, Luther had assumed a case of "struggled to make friends". Bullying, perhaps. In this room for his own protection, or maybe even a few substance mistakes that a troubled teenager might make.
Nope. He sucked. The kid was viciously protective over his long blue hair, complaining whenever somebody so much as touched it, and later when the black roots started to grow in.
In addition, he was very vindicative. Luther knew this personally, as his belongings had "mysteriously vanished" and later been found outside the window where Nora slept. Nora, who happened to have been asleep during the time of the theft, and previously gotten on Kubo's bad side.
Nora gave Kubo one last kick then ran away with the protein bar.
"Hey, that was mine!" he protested, then shot Luther a venomous glare. The kid trotted off to mutter to himself in the corner.
Well, how was Luther supposed to know that? Honestly, he was starting to go half-crazy himself.
His whole life, Kubo Atsushi had been pretending. Pretending to like people, pretending that his mom was normal, and above all else, pretending that nobody in the world had any reason to pity him.
When he'd been a kid, he'd loved the pity. When older grandparents at the town church took him along with their grandkids, he'd felt appreciated. Loved. But as he'd gotten older, he realised that people saw he wasn't their grandkids. That he was the outcast, the small one with dirty clothes and no parent to supervise.
Sometimes, little-but-aware Kubo had revelled in it. Felt the joy at being the one who suffered. Who people looked out for, who was stronger than everyone else because he showed up every Sunday even though his dad was at home asleep on the couch.
Unemployed again.
Then he found out people also targeted you for that. And so he learned.
He learned how to be the right kind of pitiable, gave himself a stammer that never really went away. A shaking hand that made people wonder at cerebral palsy. And clothes and hair made to fit into subcultures where he was also cool and thrifty and not somebody to be targeted.
There were many hard-taught lessons for him to learn. He'd done his best to remember all of them, to become perfect. So that one day he could get an average job, die in his mid-thirties of some sort of lung cancer, and have a funeral where no one felt the need to be quiet. Not like his mom's.
And then, the end of the world happened. Of course it did.
Kubo glowered at Mawer across the room, and she stuck her tongue out at him. He hated that person. He swore they were out to get him from the beginning, even before the whole world was turned into mush.
It didn't help that everyone always sided with them. The one rich kid of the bunch, in here because they'd gotten caught on camera bullying some little kid in their grade. As if teachers would've turned a blind eye if there wasn't photographic evidence.
He hated the type. Tonight, he'd take her blankets.
Nora Mawer knew this classroom had meant something more. They'd ended up just where they belonged. In the one place in the world left standing. The last safe haven.
They could've laughed and kissed their lucky stars. Except there were no stars. Just the stupid pins on Kubo Atsushi's head.
Blinking, they turned to smile at the others in their little sleeping quadrant. "Anyone know how the teach's been locking that old vending machine? I want a snickers sooo badly I might actually have to break it. With like a rock, or maybe my head." They smiled, tapping the side of said head. "Pretty hard, you know. Might not be good for my grades, but definitely good for rugby."
Always, always they were reminding people that they were different. That their family had the money for sports.
That someway, somehow, their family was coming for them.
Because what else was there in this classroom? What else could somebody like Nora Mawer, 8 months into a cystic fibrosis diagnosis possibly have going for them?
Posted: Tue, 19/08/2025 00:49 (2 Days ago)
Ever since Chase was stuck in a classroom with other people, he fell silent. He barely said a word for weeks. He ate only when he needed to, and he barely slept too. Others said they were safe, that they were lucky their classroom survived. But to Chase, no where was safe. He tightened his grip on his parent’s amulet. Ever since the accident happened, Chase learned the hard way that no where and no one is safe and should be trusted. Place you thought had your safety covered were discovered and backfired. People who you trusted turn against you and leave you behind. The others were clear fools. When the world is ending, they were arguing over the last chocolate bar. Jeez, fighting over resources isn’t helpful. Anyways, we’re all gonna die and starve so why bother making an effort when our destiny is so close?
Posted: Tue, 19/08/2025 04:42 (2 Days ago)
_Heathcliff_icon.png){kind=icon}
She/Her, 17
────── ∘°❉°∘ ──────
One month. One whole month of being alone. The comfort of a friendly face was a rarity in this new reality that they lived in, something that wouldn't even exist among the remaining survivors. And Heathcliff was starting to think she was going crazy.
No one in this horrid mishmash of students were her alleys, much less her friends. The only person who she had ever felt comfortable even giving such a title to was probably dead already if the state of the other classrooms were to be trusted. She had always found solitude in loneliness, the comforting gears of time paused under her fingertips as she assembled machinery so much warmer than what a human hand could provide. But now, with loneliness as an inevitability, Heathcliff couldn't even find it in herself to be anything other than melancholic, grasping at whatever sense of normalcy she could even if they were to be secreted away out of sight. Even now, her tools stayed tucked close to her, keeping it away from wandering eyes. Gods only knew what would happen if the others knew that she could pick locks...
She knew of hunger and rationing out food, those were old friends. But she had those who would support her unendingly through it all, family who encouraged her hobbies even if they had to give up theirs. This time, surrounded by those who would leave her for dead at a moments notice, Heathcliff could help but see the monsters lurking in every interaction and greed in every action. She couldn't even properly sleep as the ever persistent nagging feeling that someone would steal all her things if she did haunted her every moment. While her body continued to persist, her mind withered under the pressure.
Tucked up near the edges of the sleeping quadrant, Heathcliff kept her knees close to her chest, wrapping her body around lanky legs in an effort to shy away from the rest of the class. Her hand flexed slightly at Nora's words, their casual words stirring her imagination. If their head really was as hard as they claimed, perhaps they wouldn't mind if Heathcliff took hold of it and used it to bash some gods damned sense into it. Immediately after that thought wormed its way in, she flinched and shoved her hands between her thighs and calf, warming them under her knees. No, no hurting others. She wouldn't ever again stoop down that low ever again, even if her blood thrummed with the potential violence to be had.
Not for the first time, she found herself fiercely missing her best friend.
•°. * уσυ ¢αи'т נυѕт ℓєανє α gυу ωнσ'ѕ тяуιиg нιѕ вєѕт ∂єѕριтє єνєяутнιиg αℓσиє, у'киσω? * .°•
Posted: Tue, 19/08/2025 05:23 (2 Days ago)
Humming to themselves, they made a figure of what appeared to be a Kubo-shaped boy, then squashed it flat with their textbook. When they lifted it again, threads of art eraser clung to the cover of the textbook, and Not-Kubo looked decidedly more mutilated.
Chase had been silent for quite some time now, so Lixue decided to give him some space. They glanced around the classroom, and saw Heathcliff. While they had found her relatively unassuming at first, meek, following another’s shadow, yet seemingly torn at being separated. And then the bullying got worse for them both, which had made Heathcliff snap.
Lixue could understand. Having your head shoved down a toilet bowl wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience for children like them. Or were they teenagers now? Between the violence they had known and the growing up they had to do, they couldn’t quite tell.
So, they hopped off the table, and approached Heathcliff, standing a respectful distance away, and pushing their eraser project towards him with a bright smile and a soft “are you okay?”
Posted: Tue, 19/08/2025 11:18 (2 Days ago)
Staying awake too long made his mind work, made his mind think, turn, shift, and he didn't want to. He couldn't. If he thought too hard about everything, he ended up wanting to punch a wall, or something. And he couldn't do that. he was a role model. A good student.
Leaning back in his seat, Jackson Damien Nichols, the Third in his family, stared into space blankly, one hand fiddling with a bracelet around his other wrist, as he cleared all thoughts of her from his mind, every few seconds.
He had no room right now to think about her. Or anyone else for that matter. Not his sister, or his mother, or his brother, and most definitely not the one girl he hated most in the world.
He had to be perfect. He had to be perfect. he had to be perfect. If he wasn't, who knows what would happen?
wickedness?
Or is it
weakness?
You decide.
Posted: Tue, 19/08/2025 18:07 (2 Days ago)
As always, the quieter kids were keeping their distance from one another. He wasn't sure what disturbed him more. Nora and Kubo's rivalry, or the way the rest hung back. At least with the former he could tell when an explosion was coming.
When they let people rag on them or sat in a corner mutilating erasers, he could sense the trouble brewing. But he never knew when they would lash out.
Sometimes he worried they might leave the window open overnight. Suffocate everyone in their sleep.
So far nobody appeared suicidal yet. But he knew it was only a matter of time.
You're a teacher, Luther. Or a future one. So talk to your kids. Figure out what's wrong and smother the fire before it grows out of your control.
Hah, easier said than done. None of these kids would talk to him even if he was sitting in a therapist's chair, notebook in hand.
Sighing, he called out, "Everyone! Please take your seats. I have something to say."
Nobody even responded to them. How rude. It looked like people would only get worse the longer they sat here.
Rolling their eyes, Nora settled back, fiddling with a strand of hair. They eyed the crazies in the corner. Half these people they didn't even know the names of. Just a bunch of boring jerks. Wasting Nora's time. Not saying anything, because apparently that was too much effort.
They hated boring people more than anything. Bleh.
Then-
"Everyone! Please take your seats. I have something to say."
What? What was this guy on? There weren't even seats anymore. They'd been made into little forts, re-arranged into quadrants, and occasionally broken by certain people for crafting supplies.
Nora blinked, looked around at everyone else... then shrugged.
Nothing better to do.
Standing up, they grabbed a seat and slammed it down near a drowsing Kubo's ear. His eyes snapped open and he glared at them, but they just ignored him.
Kubo had been trying to sleep this past week, but nothing was happening. He'd drift between worlds, unable to really cross that line between wakefulness and dreams. It was like he was in a perpetual state of ennui. Not quite able to exist or fade away.
Trapped.
He was pretty close this time, though. Warm hoodie as a blanket which he'd somehow gotten comfortable, his bag as a pillow; images flashing before his eyes. Car crashes and stained rosaries, which he always saw right before he fell asleep.
Then something crashed by his ear and he looked up to see Nora. Of course.
"What in the nine hells," he muttered.
"Get up. You heard the man. It's show and tell time, Kuu." They grinned unpleasantly. "Let's get around in a circle and talk about our feelings. I'm sure you're familiar with that routine."
The jab stung, but not as much as it might've a month ago. Once upon a time he cared about what people thought of him. His history in centres would make some people judge him regardless of his stammers or his shy demeanor.
But after a month of this hell, he was too numb to care.
"Sure. Why not." He was awake already. Wasn't like it mattered.
Standing, he reached for the nearest chair and slammed it right next to Nora's. He sat next to her, ignoring the downright smug grin on her face. Somehow, she'd gotten just what she wanted.
He hoped it was just disturbing his first hour of sleep in a week. If she had something worse planned, it might take another hour from him later. He hated how much he cared about her crap, when what she thought shouldn't matter in the slightest.
Posted: Tue, 19/08/2025 18:28 (2 Days ago)
Chase stared silently into the distance sky. He wished he could just open the door and fade away from this world. He didn’t feel like he wanted to exist. He didn’t even feel glad or lucky he escaped the end of the world. He desperately wished he exited the classroom and got killed, then he could join his dead parents and brothers in peace. Chase absolutely hated socialising. Anything that involves others, talking to people, he would try his best to decline. He wished there was another room that survived. He rather lock himself there, make a sturdy plan to make full use of the food supplies, not wrestling them out like toddlers. He sighed quietly. Everything was he wish, he wish, he wish. Apparently, even miracles died with the world. Then he heard the student teacher dude, Lucas, or whatever his name was call out, “ Everyone! Please take your seats. I have something to say.” Now what? Chase groaned. This better not be an attempt to explain feelings and make him talk. He stood up and stood by the window, refusing to sit.
Posted: Tue, 19/08/2025 19:12 (2 Days ago)
He stared at him for a moment, trying to sus out what the teacher was thinking, trying to figure out what purpose he was trying to reach for here. After all, he was the Teacher's Aid.. His duty was important. He wasn't like these... these troublemakers. No, no, he was a star student, a genius, even. He had to set an example.
But setting an example was ever so tiring.
"Please, go ahead, Mr. Waters. I'm sure everyone is listening."
wickedness?
Or is it
weakness?
You decide.
Posted: Tue, 19/08/2025 19:44 (2 Days ago)
Mika sat, doodling in her sketchbook with a pencil that would soon run out of lead.
The lonliness was new to her. No one had wanted to talk since The Last Rain.
Growing up in the countryside, she had always been surrounded by friends to roughhouse and play with. She had only recently moved to the metropolis to live with her grandparents earlier this year, but was quick to fit in---loud, friendly, and caring. Exactly the type of person you wouldn't expect in such a remedial course. But one month ago, that awful Nora Mawer had picked a fight with the smallest boy in class. A boy who had earlier confessed to being dangerously depressed--- borderline suicidal. Earlier that day, Mika had gotten a call from her parents, concerned that they couldn't upkeep the farm anymore without her around to help---so she was already stressed and unhappy; that awful jerk was just the straw that broke the camel's back. She didn't belong in this class, really. Or at least that's what she would tell herself.
Anyway, Mika had gotten placed in the remedial arts course, which she didn't mind, considering she thought of art as her passion, aside from animals. One month ago, she had a promising future as a veterinarian, with high grades and a flawless plan for college.
One month ago, everyone she knew was still alive. How was it possible for the world to literally end overnight? How was it possible that this stupid class had to survive? The supplies were dwindling, and it was only a matter of time untill they would follow---
Her lead snapped in the pink mechanichal pencil. Lovely, that had shaved probably half a week's worth of art off of the pencil's lifespan. Another cherry on top to the sh!t sundae.
No, no depressing thoughts. Mika the optimist! Mika the strong! Mika the girl who would survive Armageddon!
...yeah, it wasn't working. She breifly considered attempting (once again) to introduce herself to someone, when Mr. Luther called out from the front of the room.
"Everyone! Please take your seats. I have something to say."
Releived for the distraction, Mika made her way to the front of the room and sat on a desk that was currently being used as a divider.
𝓦𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓪 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓵𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓱𝓪𝓭 𝓬𝓸𝓵𝓸𝓻 𝓯𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝔀𝓱𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓰𝓻𝓪𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝓵𝓪𝓬𝓴;
𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓸𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓻𝓸𝔀 𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓻𝓲𝓯𝓲𝓮𝓼 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾'𝓵𝓵 𝓭𝓲𝓮 𝓲𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴?"
ᴅɪᴀɴᴀ ɢᴏᴏᴅᴍᴀɴ, ɴᴇxᴛ ᴛᴏ ɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ
Posted: Tue, 19/08/2025 20:22 (1 Day ago)
The response was... mixed. Most of the students seemed interested, probably bored out of their minds after four weeks of doing... literally nothing. But others, like the worryingly quiet Lawrence kid, didn't even seem to notice him.
Again, Luther wondered just how these kids were holding up. Some of them seemed on the verge of a psychotic break.
Though, he thought, wryly eyeing Nora and Kubo, some seemed to have too much energy.
"Please, go ahead, Mr. Waters. I'm sure everyone is listening." Jackson at least was polite. If eerie. At night, Luther found he couldn't quite sleep in his corner until the Student Aid was snoring. Something in him recoiled at the idea of letting the teenager catch him in any sort of vulnerable state.
Luther really was going crazy.
"Thank you for your attention." Luther clapped his hands together. "I know we've been holding out on the idea of rescue. But it's beginning to become apparent that it may take some time before the military arrives. For all we know, they might not be aware a building is still standing in the city. Or afraid to bring helicopters too close to what we may assume is very toxic air."
Nora appeared to stifle a yawn. Luther ignored them.
"We might be here for a week. Or even another month." He levelled them all with a serious frown. "Therefore... I believe we need to start an attempt at scavenging, food production, and of course... group activities. Maybe even some art therapy. This is a classroom, after all."
Yay! Art! Maybe he could actually be a teacher. Though he suspected he might start to see some eye rolls.
Who was this guy kidding? Did he think they were seriously going to go around in a circle and talk about their feelings? Hold hands and pick mutant daisies from nuclear strike wiped out their city?
"This is like, a month overdue. Why're we talking about classes now when we're probably like two days away from rescue?" Nora rolled their eyes. "Come on, guys. People are coming soon, and we're obviously not gonna get one month into a growing season with you know, the ash wave blocking the actual freaking sun."
They paused.
Okay that was depressing.
"Anyway!" they said cheerfully. "I dunno about you, but I'd rather save my energy for useful things. Not on 'scavenging' and 'art therapy'. I say we figure out a way to play rugby in here! Winner gets a candy bar!"
Wow. Just wow. Kubo had no idea where this "friendship" and "togetherness" crap was coming from, but he wanted no part in it. Sure, he might not mind art as a subject, but undoubtedly anything he wanted to draw would get Mr. Waters to come after him with a therapy stick.
This was stupid. They should've left the building a month ago. Thrown up a signal or whatever. Maybe somebody'd get there before the ash suffocated them.
At least it'd settled a bit. The sun was still blocked out, but you could catch traces of light illuminating the ground. And the ash was less so fogging up the air and more so piled across the empty streets.
Well, at least if Mr. Waters wanted to scavenge he might start letting them into the vending machine hallway. He'd kept it under lock and key ever since this whole thing had started. Something about ash being dangerous for developing lungs. Bunch of crap, honestly. It wasn't like Kubo's lungs looked like anything more than twin pieces of burnt chicken at this point.
But this could be his chance. Get out, send up a signal. Find Kaoru and Lucian.
He raised his hands. "I agree. I like that idea, Mr. Waters."
Nora jabbed him with their elbow, but he ignored them. He wasn't their puppet. They could find some other lackey to cause chaos with.
Posted: Tue, 19/08/2025 20:54 (1 Day ago)
Chase ignored everything the student teacher guy said. “Scavenging, food production, group activities, art therapy, blah blah blah blah blah…”. Chase groaned. The only thing he needed right now is to be free. When he was alone, he was free. Free to do whatever he wanted. At least that was better than being stuck with annoying children and socialising. Once Mr. Waters was done, Chase turned and faced the window, holding his body from charging to the door and into the wild. Freedom. That was super tempting.
Posted: Tue, 19/08/2025 22:19 (1 Day ago)
She/Her, 17
────── ∘°❉°∘ ──────
When a head of black hair slowly approached her, Heathcliff's head snapped up, hope thinking in her eyes. She soon deflated just as quickly, slouching over with a dejected air about her. This wasn't her best friend, no matter how much she looked for him in unfamiliar faces. Perhaps a month should have been more than enough to teach her that she was utterly alone here, but still. She was stubborn, so much so that it possily got her orme into trouble than out.
She had long since tuned out the sound of other human voices, sequestering herself away from the rest as the lonely creeped into her veins, choking her heart into something so misty and cold that she could barely feel it anymore. But the moment a melodic voice came close, close enough that there simply was no way that they were talking to anyone else but her, Heathcliff lifted her head to state at the person before her. Tipping her head slightly, she suddenly scrambled to her feet, putting distance between them, skittering away from a silly little art project. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Fine.... ...yeah..." Mumbling out a nonsensical answer, gaze darting away from them all and into the corridors.
Peeking up when Luther called them all over, she quickly scurried over, pressing against the walls to keep herself small. She was glad it was Luther who they were stuck with, out of all the teachers that she could have been stuck with. He was nice at the very least.
Wringing her hands at the news, she shuddered at the idea of socializing with others. She really couldn't do it, all the eyes on her, judging her, watching her. It made her skin crawl with how much they seemed to dig under all the pretenses and stare into her very core. Scavenging though, that she could do. It was easy enough and if they were lucky, she could find something broken to keep her hands busy with repairs. Lingering in the shadows, she waited for an opportunity to talk with Luther about the possibility of getting her alone on a scavenging team. That sounded like the most fun she has had this entire month
•°. * уσυ ¢αи'т נυѕт ℓєανє α gυу ωнσ'ѕ тяуιиg нιѕ вєѕт ∂єѕριтє єνєяутнιиg αℓσиє, у'киσω? * .°•
Posted: Tue, 19/08/2025 22:37 (1 Day ago)
While Lixue was a little disappointed with the squeak of an answer, they did understand. Well. Maybe. They hadn’t really felt anything when Ma or Pa passed. But in their defense, they had just thought they were sleeping. Their long shifts always seemed to make them tired beyond belief.
Besides, Lixue was used to this. Making friends with this Heathcliff person was like making friends with a stray, they decided sagely. No offense whatsoever to Heathcliff, but still. Slow and steady was the way to go.
Then Mr Lucas? Lionel? Lucinda? called them, and they joined the sad half circle they were in. “I know we've been holding out on the idea of rescue….. it may take some time before the military arrives. For all we know, they might not be aware a building is still standing in the city. Or afraid to bring helicopters too close to what we may assume is very toxic air.”
Lixue raises their hand politely “If the military is still alive, don’t you mean, Sir? For all we know, we’re the luckiest band of misfits out there.” Really, to Lixue, it sounded more like an impossible dream, but they weren’t going to question the teacher till his poor sanity broke.
Mr Lorenzo continued speaking, talking about food production and scavenging and whatnot. Sure they could help! As long as they didn’t have to be paired with Kubo.
Their gaze drifted over to the mutilated Not-Kubo eraser lump. They were definitely going to do that to him in real life, if…
Céline had been reminiscing again. Well, it was as more so moping than anything, staring at the broken little pocket watch in her hand. The Mickey Mouse hands had stopped at an even more dismal 4:44. Like it was screaming DIE DIE DIE at her. It’d been a gift from Grandpa, before his passing. An antique, she remembered him saying.
She found it amazing how she even got into a school. Sure, remedial class, but education nonetheless. What with her parents being non-existent and the social workers being supremely unhelpful, she’d never even thought she’d be getting education.
Céline hadn’t even expected to survive. She’d expected to be beat up. And then Abel was there. Somehow, he had decided Céline had to be protected. And somehow, he’d stuck by her for so long.
Céline perked up when Mr Luther spoke, and ambled over to the group, listening attentively. Hunger wasn’t a problem for her. In fact, it had been a constant in her life; together with cold and suffering from holey roofs and paper thin walls. She’d refused all the fancy things Abel tried gifting her, settling for simple meals and whatever Abel didn’t want to wear anymore— and gifted it to her.
Abel had been keeping an eye on Céline from a distance. Arms crossed, leaning against the wall, tall and lanky and perhaps just a little menacing. His father sold art for millions, his mother a renowned artist. So why was he in remedial class?
Maybe it had something to do with the many arms he had broken. Or the fact that he had shoved some jerk that had landed a hit on poor, fragile Céline into a locker and threatened to pour molten metal into said locker. Or maybe it was because he’d used his pretty rich boy privileges to stalk and corner that poor girl spreading slander about Céline and promised to feed her pet hamster to his Rottweiler.
Either way, he, a talented young mind, was stuck in an art class for dunces. At least the Mr was a good artist. Abel admired him, quite a fair bit more than the other teachers.
Still, when Abel saw Céline get up and join the group, he followed like a silent shadow. Though he couldn’t help but drawl out “We can always put some of us to good use. I’m sure they’ll nourish the body- nevermind” Abel sighed and trailed off when Céline shot him a half hearted glare
Posted: Wed, 20/08/2025 04:11 (1 Day ago)
Phoebes twirled her cute pastel pink crayon between her slender pearly fingers. She yawned, from her seat right next to the window, basking in the gentle sunlight. Despite looking barely awake, with her eyelashes barely fluttering open half covering her petaled eyes, she infact did hear every word from the teach.
In the warm sunlight, it truly didn't look like the world was ending. If anything, each day was perfectly normal. Everything except this class ofcourse. But isn't that what makes it fun and exhilarating!?
However she did have a singular question..
"Teach! Quick question, what if rescue never arrives?" Phoebes asks very innocently. So sweetly that it makes your teeth rot from disgust on how fake it sounds.
Posted: Wed, 20/08/2025 19:18 (1 Day ago)
Maverick Ambani's POV
He was lounging back in his chair like a king awaiting his queue, typical sucker in his mouth like there always was. A reminder that even the sweetest and simplest of things always held a cost. Such was the way of the world. His hands were behind his head, the very picture of an unconcerned raconteur even in their dire predicamento.
Mavey wasn't all too worried, per se. They could start worrying when there was something to be fretting about, no? And right now, he thought that what dear Mr. Waters was saying was a SPLENDID idea. What a way to pass the time!
He turned to Li Xue, most curious at their worry. He slowly pulled the strawberry sucker out of his mouth, flicking it between his index and middle fingers. He raised an eyebrow, flashing them a grin. "Ay, I wouldn't be too worried! They're probably just having a bit o' trouble making their way over 'ere, huh? Relax! There's no wayyyy they're just dead."
"And, Mr. Waters, if I may say so, that's a mighty fine idea," he told the student-teacher, his free palm flicking out, facing up. "So long as we're stuck, we might as well find a practical way to occupy ourselves. I'm sure it'll all work itself out fine!"
His lips curled into a pout at Phoebes's worry, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes. “Ohhh, que chatice, all these Negative Nancies! What, so we’re doomed because the lights went out? Boooo. Next you’ll tell me the sky is falling too.”
He flashed both Jack and Kubo a fond smile. "At least a couple of us in here have the right attitude. Come now, guys. There's no point in worryin' yet."
Henry Wright's POV
"This is such a waste of time," he muttered to himself, relentlessly poring through his study notes on his desk. Food and resources were a genuine concern. That alone was true. But the idea of spending any time with these uncultured neanderthals made him cringe to the depths of his soul.
Especially... that one.
He put his pen down, pinching the sides of his nose and adjusting his reading glasses with a sharp inhale. He turned his head in the direction of the loud-mouthed goon.
"Let me ask you something. Has anyone ever told you to shut up? Or are you that simpleminded that you aren't even aware of how to close your own mouth?" Henry deadpanned.
"Mmm... I'm pretty sure I've had it closed for a while, meu homem bonito. Not that you'd be the type to pay attention to such a thing." Maverick clicked his tongue.
"E-Excuse me?! What did you just call me?" Henry sputtered, glaring in mortified disgust. He somehow paled even further, if that was even possible for him. "You shouldn't even be speaking to me. You and I will never be on the same level."
Maverick tilted his head, looking curious. "Ohhhh. Is that so? But I believe it was you who spoke to me first, no?"
"I- you didn't answer my question!" he immediately deflected, his right eye twitching.
"Why don't you figure it out? You're a smart boy, right?" Maverick grinned at him in a way that made Henry's head hurt.
"...don't call me that," Henry grumbled, immediately getting back to his notes. Forget it. He wasn't worth wasting his time on.
Posted: Thu, 21/08/2025 05:07 (15 Hours ago)
So. Reactions. Pretty much how he expected. Except Chase talked for once. He was apparently a jerk, which Luther hadn't totally expected for some reason, but hey, progress. And at least Heathcliff seemed interested for once. She was so quiet... but she'd seemed to light up at something he'd said.
And then, there was, of course, Lixue. He practically sighed, looking for some vague logical statement to soothe her worries. "I don't believe we're the last ones alive. The chances of that are very low. Even if this was the result of a nuclear explosion, it couldn't have devastated the whole world. Humanity is too populated for that."
He tried to sound confident. He was their teacher (sort of) and he was meant to guide them. Protect them.
It was still the end of the world though and Luther had been stuck in a room with angry teenagers for a month. Honestly, right now he just wanted a hug from his mom.
Or Flint. God, he hoped his boyfriend had gotten out. If anyone could, it'd be him.
And then Abel started on what Luther was choosing to believe was not cannibalism talk.
"So what? You want to feed us to your pet mouse?" Kubo gestured to Celine. "Reaal good therapy circle. We're already getting into the nitty-gritties huh. Seeing into the minds of some of us real crazies."
"Kubo!" Luther barked. He glanced at Abel. "Look, if you have things you want to talk about, I'm here for one-on-ones. But if we happen to blurt things out that might've been better not said to the whole group... let's not call anyone crazy, please."
And...
"She's not a mouse. Her name is Celine."
"Not like she's ever introduced herself," Kubo scoffed, but averted his eyes.
Then Phoebes' turn to make this whole thing an absolute pain. "Rescue will arrive. Our building stands out. It's the last one, after all, nowhere else people could be."
Then Maverick and Henry were going at it. The only way this could be worse is if-
"This is boring. Imma go hack the vending machine." Nora stood up and walked towards the door.
"Nora!" he barked. "Get back here! The hallway isn't safe!"
She shot him a grin. "Then why aren't you getting me a chocolate bar?"
"Because we're saving those! They're high in calories, and we're going to need them further down the line. We can't right now..." he trailed off. "And you can't get through that door anyway. You don't have the key."
Nora shrugged. "Then I'll just break it down. How about that, huh?"
"The ash will suffocate us. You included."
"Naw. I don't think I will."
Meanwhile, Kubo was eyeing up Maverick with a scowl. "Who the hell are you?"
Posted: Thu, 21/08/2025 10:17 (9 Hours ago)
"I don't believe we're the last ones alive. The chances of that are very low. Even if this was the result of a nuclear explosion, it couldn't have devastated the whole world. Humanity is too populated for that." Came Mr Lozenge’s attempt at a logical reply.
“But Mr Sir Teacher, wouldn’t we have heard the explosion or at least experienced something if it was a nuclear explosion? And the sky went dark and abyss like. That’s not normal, is it? And what with all the funny cloud shapes disappearing when we look at them, and Sir, I don’t believe anything in our human world can make clouds red. Plus, there’s not been any signs of life outside, the air is toxic, the streets are quiet and there’s not a single flora or fauna in sight.”
Lixue reasoned back logically. They really weren’t trying to drive Mr Local Water up the wall or anything, but they did want to know what was going on.
Especially as more people spoke up. Lixue didn’t quite want to be stuck with them for too long. Otherwise they’d have many friends to join Not-Kubo.
And speaking of Not-Kubo. He had been given a new body! :D Lixue continued fiddling with the soft eraser, and the result was what could only be described as the result of a Not-Kubo having a very horrible virus and looking rather like some creature from a horror movie about infected fungus.
"So what? You want to feed us to your pet mouse?…..Reaal good therapy circle. We're already getting into the nitty-gritties huh. Seeing into the minds of some of us real crazies."
Luther didn’t need to lecture Kubo. Really. Because as soon as the words left his mouth, Abel’s hand was outstretched, and a stunning ornamental hairpin with beautiful flash and a very sharp tip was whizzing through the air, headed straight for Kubo like a homing missile. As it narrowly missed Kubo and embedded itself into the cork board behind him, Abel decided that maybe he should clarify with Mr that he wasn’t intending to harm Kubo. Yet.
So, respectfully, he spoke up “If I wanted you dead you would be. Be thankful we still have rations, or I might genuinely have considered making skewers out of you”
Standing up to retrieve the pin, he grins “And yes. I am crazy. Maybe I’ll even take a leaf out of Lixue’s book and circumcise you too”
"She's not a mouse. Her name is Celine”
Abel looks approvingly at Mr. “Thank you for the acknowledgement, Sir. Good to know not all of us are destined to be dinner.”
And then…
Some girl was going to the hallway for snacks. What a pea brain, he decided. Even he, the nepo baby Abel Thorne, knew that in times like these food was scarce and shouldn’t be eaten so rashly.
Huh. Well on the bright side, if Nora did leave, not only would it get much more peaceful, but Nora would provide around
120kilocalories. Subtracting the calories of bones and other inedible organs..she’d be worth around 50kilocalories perhaps. Pretty decent in his opinion.
But of course, he voiced none of this out and instead fixed his eyes on Nora like a hawk
Posted: Thu, 21/08/2025 16:09 (4 Hours ago)
Maverick Ambani's POV
"Who, me?" Maverick gestured grandly to himself, flicking his fiery red hair back with the motion, his bright yellow eyes glittering like stage lights. "Only the greatest cabaret performer this dreary world has ever known, meu amigo! I am The Marvelous Maverick Ambani. I'm frankly shocked you haven't heard of me. Not a patron of the finer things in life, I take it?"
He rose from his seat with the ease of a man stepping onto a stage, and slid right up to Kubo, looking him over head-to-toe like he was appraising a particularly dull painting. Maverick let out a theatrical sigh, running his hand up his forehead to slick his hair back. "Here I was hoping you weren't one of the Negative Nancies lurking about. Que vergonha, what a shame."
Leaning down with a devilish grin, he flicked Kubo upside the nose. "At least you're rather easy on the eyes, hm?"
Henry Wright's POV
"There's not going to be need for any of that," Henry scoffed at the cannibalistic comments. "Look. It's really too early to start casting judgments about it being the end of the world. Get over yourselves. We're not about to eat each other like a bunch of degenerates. Unless you're all even more like cavemen than I previously assumed."
And Li Xue was over there doing voodoo at their desk. My. How productive. He reached over and snatched the makeshift "Kubo" out of their hands.
"Have you no shame? Wishing harm upon one of your fellow classmates when we're already in this situation? I hate to break it to you, but you have much greater concerns such as what will happen to your insignificant little life."
Posted: Thu, 21/08/2025 17:32 (2 Hours ago)
Something whizzed by his head, and a corner of Kubo's heart became very cold. He glanced at the boy who'd thrown it. So protective over his little mouse. He'd kill over a single insult to her.
Or so he must be telling himself. He'd be praising himself right about now, believing his actions to be that of a saviour.
But he was just doing this to make himself feel better, wasn't he? He didn't care about her. He isolated her. Held her back. Kept her from fighting her own demons so he could step up and be the one to scare them off. Kubo'd been right on the money; that guy didn't want a friend. He wanted a pet.
Kubo knew the type. He'd had his own fair share of "owners".
Silently, he swore that he'd find some way to get back at him. Kubo had never thought of himself as a good person, after all. He was a vindicative creature through and through. Somehow, someway, Kubo was going to ruin this man.
He was deep in thought by the time the nose flick came down. And then... the guy was flirting with him?
Kubo scrunched up his nose. "What? What did you just say to me?"
Okay then. Apparently Lixue's art projects had been actual literal actual voodoo. None of these children would see heaven.
...Kidding. Luther tried to think people were mostly good. It was just the stress of the situation. Obviously. It wasn't like Lixue had just spent the past few weeks imagining all sorts of deaths on the behalf of her classmates. For a second, he considered the piece of "gum" somebody had stuck in his shoe and wondered if Lixue might know something about that.
There was a good chance. Though he wouldn't rule out Nora either.
"Everyone!" he barked. "Listen to me! We're going to work with clay today!"
Posted: Thu, 21/08/2025 18:09 (2 Hours ago)
Maverick Ambani's POV
He looked so caught off-guard. How amusing.
He turned to the student-teacher's remark, his yellow eyes sparking with interest. "Ah! Working with clay, hm? And what will be the prompt, Mr. Waters?"