Inspiration ID 1

by Michael Hudson

  As they got to the Nurse’s Office, she asked to stay out, all while patting Richard’s chest, if for no other reason than to get her hands clean of the damned card by slipping it into his shirt pocket. The two of them quickly agreed, seemingly incapable of paying attention to whatever it was she was saying, even after five minutes of putting up with the monster’s whining .

  Akira liked it this way. She wasn’t trained to be social. She had been trained to be a fighter, to one day join the Coivian Police, and even the Governmental Guard someday. Why they had picked her to be a contact in his school, she didn’t know. She would still perform her duty though. Prove she was a loyal and useful sol-

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

  Akira blinked, having let her guard down, which disgusted her. Glancing over, she frowned in further confusion and revulsion. “You’re my contact?”

  “Don’t give me that crap. You were picked because the others wanted to give you a chance, but that means being able to put on a fucking smile and not act like a fucking cunt.”

  Akira fidgeted under the obnoxious words. The other sister only had one kill, so she had no place to speak like this to her. Not much of one at least. “Not all Coivian girls smile, so I should stay like this as it makes me stand out more, and I can be like this more consistently.”

  “Oh, and how about when someone sees your murder eyes and brings them up to Richard?”

  “The monster wouldn’t understand the possibility-“ She stopped as the other girl punched her in the gut, choking off any other words Akira may have said, before her hair was pulled on to force her to look up at the other sister.

  “If you underestimate him, you will jeopardize the entire covenant. All the work we’ve done, the silence we’ve kept-“

  “Maybe you shouldn’t-“

  “People stay away from trauma so long as it appears to already be handled, and I’m keeping quiet enough for no one past you to hear me. I know how to do this. Now, start acting like the warrior you’re supposed to be, instead of some obnoxious brat, because one look into your eyes while you look at Richard and anyone could tell how much you hate him and that is unacceptable.”

  Akira was thrown to the side, and, instead of the fury she had felt before, she now only felt shame. Not only had the sister been able to find her, identify her before she could be identified, but even knew how to do this job better than her.

  It was utterly embarrassing.

  “Now, I have to go back to what everyone thinks I’m doing before I raise any suspicion. You should know how much time you have to get yourself cleaned up and composed, so use it well. Understood?”

  Akira slowly got to her knees, bowing deep enough to touch the tile floor with her forehead as she couldn’t control the two tears that came down her face. “Yes, ma’am.”

  The other sister didn’t say anything back, only turning away and getting back to work as Akira got ready for the rest of her day, unable to know that this wouldn’t be the worst part of it. Not even close .

  Goodhearted Torture

  Richard slowly brought his hand out of a long, white tube next to the nurse’s bed, flexing his fingers like he was told to. They all felt good as new, but that wasn’t surprising. Once you’ve cracked things like gene therapy enough to let people have every hair or eye color in the spectrum, healing fractures was nothing. Not that people needed it most of the time because they weren’t idiots like him.

  Once the nurse was happy with the checks she made on his hand, Richard swung his legs over the edge of the bed and got up. His muscles were a bit stiff from the pain and having been forced to lay there for an hour, but he was fine otherwise. Of course, his sneakers landing on the ground had made a noise, so…

  And right on cue, the curtain he was behind was pulled out of the way with Delila on the other side. She was pouting, before she charged him, wrapping him in a tight, violent hug that put them both on the bed. “What were you doing, getting hurt like that? I don’t even know what hurt you!”

  Richard tried to make sure his hands were anywhere other than her body as he bit into his lip. On the one hand, he could keep it to himself and make them not have to worry about his problems, but on the other hand, he could get a chance to vent. A chance to let more than a handful of people know about his predicament. Maybe even find some solace…

  He reached into his pocket, fishing for the ID, before his eyes widened. Where was it? Had he dropped it when he punched the tree? He checked his other pants pocket, beginning to panic as he hoped no one tried grabbing anything other than the edges of it. Fortunately, he didn’t have to worry long, as when he patted his shirt pocket he felt the small square of plastic. Of course, how it got there was… worrying.

  He brushed the thought away, considering it minor compared to the rest of the insanity running through his head. He should focus on getting rid of at least some of his stress, before he made more mistakes because of it, which started by pulling the card out. “I did it to myself, because this damned thing has made me unable to look at a girl whose always been near and dear to me the same way I used to.”

  All three of the girls in the room, with the nurse included, gasped as they saw the ID, before Dalila gave him a nervous smile and said, “W-well, tha-that’s very interesting.”

  Tia frowned as Richard looked down, and stopped him from speaking by stepping up and putting a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “I’m guessing that this has nothing to do with using it. After all, what people normally do with those usually relaxes the man.”

  A small smile managed to get to Richard’s lips, before he looked down and sighed. “Kind of. See, I went to Alice’s birthday party this Sunday, expecting a fun day at the water park, but when I saw so many girls in what might as well have been considered… and then she came out a-and… And I left her alone because I didn’t want to hurt her.”

  Tia put a hand on his shoulder, before shaking her head. “And she wasn’t where you two normally meet. That’s why we were on our way there ourselves. But,” she said as she leaned away from him, “if you promise to go apologize to her, I bet we, along with Prim’s help, can get ahold of her address so you can let her know what happened. You have to promise you’ll go apologize though.”

  Richard looked up, opening his mouth, thinking up reasons why he shouldn’t, before he shut all of it out. If he was the sort of friend he believed he was, he shouldn’t even be hesitating to try to make sure Alice was okay. “I promise, and thank you.”

  “You know we always look out for each other.” Tia squeezed his shoulder again, before letting go and turning to the door. “Now, we’ve already lost an hour, and I just remembered that we left our transfer student outside. I already did the paperwork for all of this, so how about we try to get her to her second period?”

  Dalila gave a small yelp as she remembered as well, her panic managing to force her to trip over the bed in the room. Richard didn’t react nearly as poorly, seeing a lot clearer now than he had before. His actions, while wrong in the end, at least had been for Alice’s benefit, so he shouldn’t use her as a reason to hurt another one. Especially as one like her…

  He slowly came out of the door, looking to his left, and then his right, where he spotted Akira reading a book as she leaned against the wall. Like this she looked like just any other girl he might have passed, but he knew better. There had to be a reason for that look in her eyes, and he would not rest until he’d at least drawn them. First though, “Excuse me, Miss Mefiru? I’m terribly sorry for wasting your time, but in return, I would be happy to be your personal guide for the day, making sure you’re never alone as you must face such a large, new school.”

  Akira lowered her book, the mental screaming in her mind about her training being the only thing that stopped her from looking at him with utter disgust and horror. She had to do her best though, lest the other sister decide to teach her another lesson. “Oh, I suppose that would be good. I do have a lot to learn afterall.”
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br />   Tia was the next out of the office, a small smile on her face from having heard what Richard had said. “Don’t worry. Richard is one of the nicest men I’ve met, so you’re in good hands, I promise.”

  Dalila came out next, bouncing as she yelled, “Plus, this way you’ll still be able to get a beautiful portrait of yourself done. I promise that you’ll absolutely love it, as he’s an amazing artist.”

  Richard swallowed hard as he scratched the back of his head, a slight blush coming over his cheeks as he admitted, “I won’t lie, I kind of also wanted to do this so I could draw you, especially your eyes. They’re unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, and I would be honored to have the opportunity to capture them.”

  Akira took in a deep breath, making sure to calm herself before she looked up, looking at him as innocently as she could and choked out the words, “You really think I’m so special?”

  Richard leaned in, getting much closer to her than she thought he needed, before he backed off. “Yes, I do. You’re a beautiful young girl with eyes unlike any I’ve drawn, and I would be remiss to not act on such and opportunity such as getting to befriend you.” And, as an aside to himself, he couldn’t help but think, ‘It will also be a good way to calm myself before I see Alice; something as normal as drawing a simple picture.’

  Akira pushed herself off of the wall, trying to blush and finding it annoyingly easy as she said, “Oh, now sir, words like that would almost imply that you have some sort of crush on me.”

  Richard turned a deep red as he scratched the back of his head, before Dalila saved him “Oh, that’s just how he is. Be careful though, because he could skip- “

  Tia elbowed Dalila in the side, causing the bouncy ditz’s eyes to widen in surprise from the sudden pain, and she tried to course correct with, “Skip straight to making you want to kiss him with how much charm he has.”

  Hate filled Akira’s eyes as she looked upon the two. They knew about the card, and yet they obeyed the monster? They must have been threatened to be quiet, so that he could lower her guard before he forced her to strip down for his enjoyment.

  ‘But why-’

  She blinked at the voice. It was one she’d had trained out of her, and she skewered it against a mental wall, just like she always did. Her family would have a successful sister, not just a watcher. She would not fail in her duty. Not because of- “So, shall we be going?”

  Richard nodded, before stepping ahead of her. “Now, do you have a schedule? If you don’t, you should be able to attend my classes until they have one ready for you. Unless of course you asked to have a transition month, because if you did, then you’ll be attending classes with a member of the Welcoming Committee during that time.”

  Akira kept pace with him easily, her long legs helping her keep up with his strides as she watched him. When were they going to go to an exit for the school, or a bathroom? Somewhere quieter for him to do as he desired. The only rational reason she could come up with for him waiting was that he wanted to continue to have his old life along with his fill of abuse. Yes, that fit. “I believe I took the transitionary month. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Of course not,” he said as they turned and he pointed to a room towards the middle of the hallway. “That’s my math class, but you shouldn’t worry about inconveniencing me or any of the others. We all love to help people, and wouldn’t want to leave you stranded in a new environment. ”

  Akira forced herself not to roll her eyes as he opened the door, before that annoying gnat buzzed in her ear again. ‘Your ey-‘ It was smashed against a mental wall again as she made sure not to frown. Why was it back?

  ======+++++======

  “So, how was moving into the apartment?”

  “Overwhelming really. On the one hand, it’s amazing to actually live in Grand Noiga and have someone to help me get around the town, but I also liked my small room back at home, and the girl I live with is a touch… distracting. I wouldn’t want to be living there without her though, if not just because of how empty it would feel then.”

  Akira fidgeted, looking between the blue haired girl, who she’d been introduced to as Cierra, and Richard. Another woman who knew he had the card, as otherwise why would she know about the government issued apartment, but didn’t seem to care. After four periods of mister studious or smiles, she didn’t need this. If she did, she’d also need access to the power supply to the lights in the cafeteria and rope. Then she could at least interrogate this girl.

  As it was, she supposedly had to stay still for this stupid drawing thing he did. She could apparently eat and not cause issues with it, but she couldn’t walk around, or away, much to her fidgety chagrin. Luckily, this also meant that she could speak. “You recently moved? How come?”

  Cierra and Richard both jumped, seemingly having not even considered that Akira was there and might be interested in all of this. Just like with Tia before, Cierra jumped in front of whatever Richard might have said. “It’s because of how good his grades are, and the fact that the Student Council President is interested in having him stay as her assistant when she graduates, so they wanted to bring him closer to where he may be working, but only so long as he keeps his grades up. ”

  Akira had to give the girl the fact that she was surprisingly good at lying, but she’d been watching Richard in an oddly cold sweat as he reached for his breast pocket. He was finally going to do it. His cover had been blown, and he’d make his whore and her do something for his amusement. It was about time, so why was now terrified?

  ‘Maybe because he’s actually proving you’re right, and you don’t want to go through the sort of experience you’re supposed to stop?’

  The voice sounded sad, but for once was making sense. Still, even if he used it, she was still armed, and he’d be dead within five minutes. Yes, she just had to calm down…

  Both her and Cierra looked at the folded sheet of paper that Richard put between them. Akira wouldn’t put it together until later, but one of Richard’s classes had had a lull where they’d gotten to relax for a few minutes, which helped her head stop spinning from the advanced subjects, and that was when he’d decided to make this. Cierra didn’t need to piece anything together, merely smiling as she sat back down, proud of Richard for thinking up such a simple solution.

  Hello, my name is Richard. If you’re reading this, I must tell you something I wish I didn’t have to. I must stay vague to begin, so I apologize about that, but I promise that what I finish this with, I do not plan to use on you, I do not have on me, and would greatly appreciate it if you would stay quiet about, but understand if you can’t.

  Because I am an Inspiration Officer.

  Akira was able to put on a surprisingly competent act of being shocked, mostly because both of the sides of her mind responded to the letter with the one thought of, ‘What the fuck?’ This wasn’t something anyone did, aggressor or the meek. They didn’t just leave the ID somewhere off of them. They didn’t warn their victims. They… they just didn’t, right?

  Richard slowly took the paper back with a sigh. “That’s why I have one, and I’m sorry for not having been quieter about the subject. On the other hand, now you may ask the Student Council President to be allowed to not be with me during subsequent days if you’re worried about my position, so at least there’s that.

  Cierra put a hand on his shoulder, smiling at him as he smiled back. This wasn’t just covering for him. This was genuine kindness. Warmth.

  ‘I miss our friends.’

  Akira curled her fingers into the palm of her hands until she began to cut her palms like mom had taught her. If one got too distracted or needed to ignore something bad enough, pain would give her a new focus. What she wanted to know most was why she couldn’t understand these social situations. She was a smart girl. She had studied human psychology underneath her mother, so this shouldn’t be so hard.

  “Are you okay?”

  Akira looked up, not having realized that she’d begun to sweat. S
he took a sharp breath in, erasing all doubt from her mind as she nodded. “I think the food may be disagreeing with me,” a complete lie with how much better this was than what her mom cooked, “but otherwise, I’m fine.”

  Richard smiled at her, giving her the same smile he had been all morning. That smile that she’d started hating more than anything else about him.

  ======+++++===== =

  Akira was surprisingly calm, Richard thought as he began sketching her on the bleachers of the gym room, continuing his drawing from lunch. She didn’t fidget, or look away, but instead stayed entirely still, as if dead. It was admittedly a little worrisome, and he hoped that it had nothing to do with something that had happened in the locker room.

  The least she could do was blink.

  He was knocked out of his thoughts by the sound of feet hammering up the bleachers. Despite who it was, Richard knew that he wasn’t in trouble. He had the teacher’s permission after all. No, she was probably coming up to talk.

  And so Karen had, twisting herself around on the last step so that she could seamlessly land on the set of seats past Richard. She was sweating, having finally been able to go full tilt for the first time in a long time, and the fact that her white shirt had been practically turned translucent was proof of it.

  Of course, for Richard, and really any guy in the class, this fact was somewhat uncomfortable. This was made even worse as she was leaned over her knees right next to him, her large, breasts just hanging next to his head, easily in view, and only a black bra underneath to hide her shame. Fortunately, he knew she was probably just not thinking about it after so long, and he did get to appreciate her tanned skin like this. Still, it was Keran, so the thought of freely indulging in the view was out, lest Richard wanted to get punted into the next city.

  Keran took a drink from a long, thin, plastic water bottle, panting as she cooled down, sweat dripping off her toned, muscular body. It was only now that Richard realized just the sort of shape she was in, as she had the starts of a six pack forming on her abs, and the slowly relaxing muscles made it clear that there was only muscle on her, and that it was probably only due to her focus on cardio that she didn’t have a fully formed six pack by now .