Cape High Kindergarten

by R. J. Ross

  “Like my brother?” Evie asks. Robo is just standing there patiently with her on his back. He doesn’t look tired at all. In fact, the surprised look on his face makes Ashlynn a bit suspicious. Did he forget he was holding her?

  “Just like your brother,” Freddy agrees. “Ms. Jones, right? I’m here on behalf of the Cape High students to, um, say that if there’s anything you need just ask. We were told we could help out with your class once in a while for extra credit. Oh, and I’m Freddy. I’m a wall-climber, obviously. I’m one of the Invisiboys, if you’re playing the Technico game!”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Freddy,” Ashlynn says, accepting the hand he had held out for Hana. “I have to admit that there are a lot of steps to get to the campus… I can trust you not to drop her, right?”

  “I know her mom, she makes all my clothes,” he says. “She’d beat me black and blue if I dared. Besides, I helped build her tree house, right, Hana? I didn’t drop anything then, either.”

  “Sunny grew the tree,” Hana says as he scoops her up.

  “I never said I built the tree,” he says. “I was the one that put the roof on.” Ashlynn motions Robo to start going again, and they make their way down. Only she feels a little wobbly by the time they reach the canyon floor, but she tries to hide it. The rock girl, Sandra, is just standing there, with Cubby hanging off of one of her arms.

  “No more running off,” Sandra says in a raspy voice. “Otherwise I’ll let your big sister be the one that grabs you.”

  “Yessss, Sandra,” Cubby says, letting go with his hands and hanging by his legs. He swings, and then jumps off, flipping in the air and landing on his feet.

  “Thank you, so much,” Ashlynn says to her, trying to catch her breath as discreetly as possible. Sandra brings up her wrist and taps on her gemstone bracelet, and suddenly appears to be a normal teenage girl.

  “It’s fine,” she says as Cubby hugs her waist. She pats his head. “He’s a cute lil’ cat.”

  “I’m not a cat yet!” Cubby protests.

  “You’re a cat,” she says.

  “You’re a stone!”

  “I’m a gemstone! You’re a cat!”

  Cubby starts giggling over the “argument” as Sandra walks off with a wave.

  “Cubby, it’s not polite to call her—”

  “He can,” Freddy says. “I wouldn’t, if I was you, but he can.” He smiles crookedly at her, a strangely vulnerable look in his eyes. “She likes little kids. You good to go, now, Hana?” he asks the little girl. She’s touching his earlobe, gently, a fascinated look on her face.

  “It’s ti—titam—” she starts out.

  “Titanium,” he supplies. “You’re right. You already know your metals, don’t you?” he asks.

  “Of course I do,” she says, her nose going up as she tosses her hair. He laughs and puts her down, showing her his hand. “Silver, silver, gold,” she says, touching each of his rings, and then poking the hoop in his left eyebrow. “And more titani…”

  “Titanium,” he says. He looks at Ashlynn, hesitating for a moment. “Um, they told you that the triplets and their kids left, right? Breezy won’t be coming to your class.”

  Ashlynn nods. “Thank you for informing me,” she says. “Okay, boys and girls, time to get to class!”

  “Okaaay,” the kids say, although they keep getting distracted as they go through the school yard. “Hi, Carla!” Cubby yells, waving at another student.

  “Hi, Cubby!” she calls back, waving. “Hi, everyone!”

  “Sunny!” Hana shouts, waving both arms in the air.

  “Huh?” the teenage plant elementalist says, waking up from his floating nap and falling to the ground. “Oh, right, mornin’,” he says, only to yawn and roll over to go back to sleep.

  “Keep in line, everyone!” Ashlynn says, giving up on wrapping her mind around things. Right now she needs to focus on teaching her class. She can handle that. This is the best job she could ever get, and she knows it. The amount on the first check had stunned her silent. Not only that, but the apartment she and Evie are living in has no rent OR utility bills. She can sort of understand why they don’t need electricity, but she has no clue about the water bill. She figures it’s best to just not ask, actually. And best of all? Free extremely high-speed wireless internet, with no dead zones anywhere.

  The group starts walking into the building, their eyes going to the flashing images on the walls. Of course this school doesn’t have the usual posters; instead it has pictures from the students’ last jobs. Evie tugs on Robo’s ear, pointing at one of the pictures to make him stop.

  “Evie, do you think we could look at that after school?” Ashlynn asks, sighing inwardly. Before any of the kids respond, though, a teenage boy steps out of the wall in question, grinning.

  “You found me!” he says as Evie lets out a shriek of laughter. He scoops Ashlynn’s daughter up, kissing her on the cheek. “Hi, Evie. Are you being good for your Mommy?”

  “We’re going to class!” Evie tells him, giggling and squirming.

  “Ah, right, I was just finishing up in there,” Rocco says. “Nico said you all needed a class pet.”

  “A class pet?” Ashlynn repeats. “Have you checked to see if any of the children have allergies before you did that?”

  “They’re supers,” he says, looking a bit blank. “Even at this age they don’t have allergies. Besides, this pet shouldn’t set off anyone, even if they DID have allergies.”

  “It isn’t a snake, is it?” Ashlynn asks.

  “It’s a guinea pig,” Rocco says with a grin. “He and Robo have a tiny bit in common.”

  “ROBOT GUINEA PIG!” the kids shout, racing for the classroom as soon as they hear that.

  “Robo’s not a robot!” Ashlynn says, chasing after them. “He’s a—well, he’s an A.I.!”

  “ROBOT GUINEA PIG!” Robo bellows. Ashlynn doesn’t reach the room until all of the kids have been there for almost two minutes, already, and she stops, staring blankly at the changes that have been made. There are plastic tubes crisscrossing the ceiling, and threading around the displays on the walls. At certain places, there are ball shaped stops with small doors that can be opened. All of this leads to a larger bubble shaped tank that’s built into the wall, where a chubby little guinea pig is dancing around.

  “He’s playing DDR,” Robo says. “He needs more practice.”

  “Real guinea pigs don’t…” Ashlynn starts out, only to sigh. “Well, anyway, kids, this is a very special class pet. We’re going to have to take good care of him, right?”

  “Yes, Miss Ashlynn,” they say.

  “Now, what should we name him?” she asks.

  “Pig!” Evie says.

  “George!” Robo says.

  Hana looks at the guinea pig for a long moment before touching the plastic bubble. She has a slight frown on her face. “Hana?” Ashlynn asks. “Is there something wrong?”

  “Ji-ji did this,” she says, pointing at it.

  “Nico did it,” Robo says.

  “No, Ji-ji did it!”

  “We both did it,” Nico’s voice comes from the speakers and his image appears on the wall. “You’re both right. Hana’s grandpa was nice enough to do his fur and eyes for us, just like he did yours, Robo.”

  “I don’t got fur!” Robo says.

  “He did your skin and hair,” Nico corrects himself. “Ashlynn, I hope you don’t mind the changes we’ve made. I thought having a bit of responsibility might be good for them; well actually, my daughter did, at least. If he causes any problems, just call.”

  “There shouldn’t be any problems,” Ashlynn says. “He, ah, won’t get out and chew things up, will he?”

  “He might get out,” Nico says, “but he’s not likely to chew things. Robo, no trying to hack into the guinea pig, got it?”

  “Awwww,” Robo complains.

  “Now be good, kids, and listen to your teacher. I’ve got a sign-up sheet full of volunteers that want to come
help you learn. How many will you need, today?”

  “I think I can handle the four on my own, but if they really want to come, I wouldn’t mind some help at lunch time?”

  “Sure. I’ll send you a few escorts to bring you all to the cafeteria.”

  “Thank you Principal Nico,” Ashlynn says. He nods and hangs up. “Now, everyone to your chairs and we’ll vote on our new little friend’s name!”

  The kids reluctantly head to their table, but what surprises her is how the guinea pig runs into one of the tubes, scampering up the wall and to a ball shaped tank that hangs right over the kids’ table. She looks at it, feeling a bit odd about it understanding everything she’s saying.

  “Let’s name him Rocco,” Evie says.

  “But then Rocco would be confused about whether you were talking to him or the guinea pig,” Ashlynn says gently. “So no names of people we already know.”

  “Let’s name him…” Cubby says, looking thoughtful, “Clinky.”

  The guinea pig lets out a squeak, and the kids look up to see him nodding in agreement. “Clinky,” Evie says.

  “Clinky?” Ashlynn repeats.

  “Clinky,” Cubby says. “He goes ‘clink clink clink’ when he’s running.”

  “That’s a very nice name. Does everyone agree?” she asks the class.

  “Clinky does,” Robo says.

  “It’s okay, I guess,” Hana says, “for a boy. Are we sure it’s not a girl?”

  “He’s a boy,” Robo says firmly.

  “Now!” Ashlynn says, “Let’s begin.” She turns to her supplies and pulls out the “crayons” that the principal had given them, and starts handing out little boxes. “We’ll start with our coloring project!” Soon the kids are coloring the pictures that appear on the table with the crayon shaped stylus pens. She feels a little regretful about that, since they won’t be able to take it home to their parents, but that’s what art class is good for! She’s made sure they have real paper for that!

  When they’re done coloring, Robo turns to his brother. “We gotta send these to the gallery folder Uncle Nico gave Mama and Papa,” Robo tells his brother, making Ashlynn blink. He stands and moves to each of the others to show them how to send it out.

  Well, Ashlynn thinks, it’s STILL good to use real paper.

  CHAPTER TWO

  *The Next Week*

  “You mean they’ll have two play times a day from here out?” Ashlynn asks Nico at lunch. Her students are surrounded by older children, including Robo and Cubby’s big sister. She had gotten them to sit down and eat far faster than Ashlynn had thought was possible. “They’ve been going home at two forty, is there really time to add another recess?”

  “I talked with their parents, and we now have permission to keep them until three,” Nico says. “You have to understand that this will be the only time these kids have with other children. Their parents want them to learn social skills more than they care about the ABC’s.”

  “So… you’re saying the play time is an after school thing?” she asks, calming down. “But I was led to believe that your students were doing their second training period at that time. Where will I take the children to play?”

  “Adanna’s offered up the tree house,” he says. “The boys are already used to her cat form, so it’s just a matter of letting the girls know they’re safe. I’m sure others will volunteer to play with them, as well. But I want to make sure that you get them out of the room twice a day.”

  “If possible,” she says.

  “If possible,” he agrees. “Now, any questions?”

  “Okay, right about there is good,” a teen girl says. Ashlynn looks over, finally giving into her curiosity. The students that aren’t hovering around the kindergartners are working on something that looks rather familiar. When a boy hangs another of the clear tubes on the wall according to the girl’s instructions, she knows why. “Good, that’s right where I wanted it, bolt it down, Sunny. We’ll add the bubble and then move on to the next part.”

  “You aren’t…” Ashlynn starts out, earning a bland look from Nico.

  “I’m not,” he says, “but Zoe is.”

  “The entire school?” Ashlynn asks a bit helplessly. “Will the children ever see Clinky if he can go anywhere he wants?”

  “If it gets to be too much, we’ll just add another pet,” Nico says with a shrug.

  A loud cheer greets that comment, much to Ashlynn’s surprise. “I thought this was to teach the children responsibility,” she says, choosing her words carefully. “They can’t exactly chase him down just to feed him, you know?”

  “He’s a smart little guy, he’ll figure that out,” Nico says, standing. “Thanks for the meal, Vinny. You all have ten minutes before your next class, so don’t forget to eat.”

  The kids rush to their tables, gobbling down the last of their food, and Ashlynn heads over to her class. The boys look happy, but the girls look a bit overwhelmed. Then again, the boys seem more used to this setting. It’s just… they look so tiny when they’re surrounded by kids who are so much older than they are. They’re so vulnerable. Maybe she should speak to Nico about having lunch in their room, instead?

  “Robo,” his sister, Adanna, says, “I saw that. You know you’re supposed to eat your vegetables.”

  “I was going to give them to Clinky,” Robo says.

  “We’ll ask Vinny for raw veggies for the guinea pig,” Adanna says. “Eat your carrots.”

  Ashlynn hesitates, wondering if she should ask the girl what she thinks. Just as she’s deciding not to, Adanna looks at her. “Have they been behaving?” she asks.

  “They’re good boys,” Ashlynn says quickly. “I just… eating in here seems a bit… overwhelming at their age, don’t you think?”

  “It’s noisy, that’s true,” Adanna says. “At least the Liberty boys are usually too busy eating to be that loud.”

  “Um… when you say ‘the Liberty boys’ that includes Cold Steel, right?” Ashlynn asks.

  “Jack!” Cubby says.

  “Yes, Jack,” Ashlynn agrees. “He won’t…” she jerks as the kids let out a gasp, looking at the ceiling. She looks up as well, stunned silent as she sees a small dragon flying over their heads.

  “It looks great, Bear!” a thin Goth teen says, following along behind the dragon. “That’s the shrunken form, right?”

  “I can’t fly the big version around in here,” the younger teen says. All four of the kids jerk slightly as they hear him, looking as if they’ll jump out of their seats any second.

  “BEAR!” Robo says, jumping on top of his seat instead of off. “Bear! Hi, Bear!” He waves his arms over his head excitedly. Ashlynn looks at the teen in question, going through what she knows about him. He’s about fifteen, and he is, supposedly, an elf from the North Pole. He doesn’t look to be such a good liar, but… Santa? The North Pole? She still can’t bring herself to believe it, although she sort of wants to, but even supers don’t live that long, right?

  “Hello, everyone,” Bear says, coming over to the table. He hugs Robo gently when the boy holds out his arms. “Hi, Robo.”

  “Is that your dragon?” Robo asks, pointing at the dragon in the air.

  “It’s not Snowy D!” Hana says. “Snowy D’s on his shoulders.”

  “That’s right,” Bear says. “That’s the dragon I carved based on Ace’s dragon.”

  “I wanna see Ace’s dragon!” Robo says excitedly.

  “Ace’s dragon is reaaaallly big,” Cubby says.

  “I would show you, but class is about to start,” the Goth says. Ashlynn suddenly realizes just who the taller teen is. She fights the urge to move between him and the children protectively. This is THE Dragon, one of the most powerful teen super villains in the world, maybe even ALL super villains! He creates illusions so real that they can be felt and even stood on!

  “Ah, I didn’t get to welcome you to the school, did I?” he says. He twitches his fingers and two rainbow colored carnations appear in
his hand. “Welcome, ladies, to Cape High. These will disappear sooner or later, okay?” he says, holding one out to Evie and the other out to Hana.

  The little girls take the flowers, looking excited. They both sniff them deeply, only to start giggling.

  Before Ace can say anything else, everyone in the room except for Ashlynn jerks slightly. Cubby even lets out a little yelp, putting his fingers in his ears. “Looks like it’s time for class,” Ace says. “You guys be good, okay?”

  “Yeeees,” the kids chime.

  “Is noisy,” Cubby mutters as Ace pats his head on the way out.

  She hadn’t heard anything. The kids had heard it, even the girls, but she hadn’t heard anything. She looks around the now-empty cafeteria, realizing that the older students cleaned up their trays and left within seconds. “Okay, boys and girls, let’s put away our trays and get back to class,” she says, wondering if she can get her phone to chime when class is over.

  “Okaaaay,” they say, grabbing their trays and heading for the trash. She stares at the strange picture of a dinosaur over a few of the trash cans, including the shorter one meant for her students. The kids shove their food into the can and put their trays up without even asking. She shrugs it off, figuring it’s just to encourage recycling.

  Soon she has them all heading down the hall and back to their room. The kids pull to a stop as they reach the room in question, and begin to laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” Ashlynn asks as she steps into the room. The guinea pig is sitting in his cage, looking innocent as he chews on something, so that’s not—

  She stares at the wall, a bit blankly, as she realizes that someone has replaced her ABC picture with a video of dancing hamsters. The kids start dancing around the room, excitedly, in an impromptu party. Ashlynn heads to her desk, tapping on the screen, only to blink as a smiley face appears, laughing silently at her before disappearing. The music stops and the ABCs appear again, much to the kids’ disappointment.

  “Robo?” she says. “Did you do that?”