Okay, here I am.

I'll start off with something that's really ticking me off. It's been really annoying me since the beginning of the year. I thought it would be fun - the people before made it seem fun. Fun fun fun. Fun-a-fun-a-fun-a-FUN! But presto-hey! It turns out the complete opposite. I'm not surprised at what has happened recently anyway. I was expecting it, and the the entire class did badly too.

I failed my Additional Mathematics.

There, I said it. I've failed a math base subject. I've lost my logic gates. I've spilled the beans, lost my marbles. And I can believe it.

Hey, I didn't say it started off well, did I? There was no point for me to start from - no "landing zone". I never really got off right and I had to live with being at the back of the class just waiting for the teacher to turn this way - it seems she always comes to the area whenever I can do something, and not turn around whenever I call her for something I don't know.

Oh wait, that's not right. It's my fault, isn't it? It's always my fault. I know, it's me, I didn't study, I didn't try, I didn't give a damn, I didn't go to the exam (I did, by the way), I didn't pay attention, I didn't blah, I didn't bluh, I didn't blah de do blah blah blee.

So? So it's my fault I failed, right? Oh yay! I knew that! I'm so smart! Wheeee...

A friend once told me that everyone has a choice - it's just how we look at it. I wish to tell him now, we all have already made our choice, it's just how we look at it.

On the bright side, I got an A1 for Physics. Incredible, no? I was expecting that too. So there isn't much to worry about there. Additional Mathematics was the only subject I failed.

To be frank, it's the only subject most people failed, followed my Elementary Mathematics. The entire class - the entire school - did badly in those two subjects. If it isn't true then Ms. Soh is a liar.

"Birds fly, grass grow, sun shines, and brother? I hurt people. I'm a force of nature. If you were from where I was from, you'd be f*cking dead!"

Oh, really?

[William glanced at the shaft opening. Mira clutched her quaterstaff, breathing hard. Neil pushed the reload on his pulse rifle; Samwise merely reloaded the explosive shell. "Descord-de ilnes per trebul?" Neil whispered. "Do you see anything out there?"

Mira frowned. She didn't understand Keilem. She glanced at William, then back at Neil.

"Nen, mescher, mortes kreig hern," William replied. "Nothing, at least, that can shoot,"

"English, guys, please," Samwise moaned, pointing to Mira. "We need to understand each other."

"Well there's nothing out there that can shoot," William said, glancing at Mira.

"What are we still doing in this coop, then?" Mira asked. "Let's get going,"

"Not yet, Mira," Neil said. "This is the Ravenholm Tactics we're up against. This could very well be a trap."

"Well, we're definitely trapped here." Samwise said, waving his hands. "Stuffy and stuck. Sounds nice."

William glanced back out. "How about we just make a run for it?" he said. "All we have to do is get some guy out of a box and get back to HQ, ain't it? How much trouble are they going to give?"

"They've given enough, so they aren't going to give us more?" Neil said, pointing to his bullet wound. "They want us bloody dead, you fool,"

"You know, Neil, making a run for it really is the way to go right now," Mira said. "We can't stay here for too long, right? They'll find us,"

"Bounding overwatch," Samwise said. "You and Mira run for about three seconds while I and William cover you, then we'll run for five seconds and you guys cover us,"

The silence that followed was deafening.

After a moment, William agreed. Neil looked at Mira, then back at Samwise. "You're telling me she can run with that wound?"

"Well, she can fly, can't she?" Samwise's face was filled with scorn. "I'm only asking you because you can get her through better than William or I can."

Neil nodded with some faint understanding, then grabbed Mira's shoulder. "Get ready, miss,"

The four crowded around the hatch. Mira clutched her quaterstaff with her right hand, left hand pressing on her wound. Neil reloaded his pulse rifle just to make sure, getting ready to pounce out. Samwise stuck his rifle out of the hatch and pointed it to the buildings. Nothing.

William raised his finger.

"Go,"

It was like a flimsy firework show. The moment Neil and Mira pounced out of the hatch, the turrets beeped and erupted. Surprisingly, they all missed their mark. Mira, aided by Neil's aura, literally flew, and Neil himself was just too fast for the turrets. Both of them jumped behind an overturned car.

The street fell silent, and the ominous beeping stopped. The turrets had lost their targets.

"Sure looks like hell to me," William whispered.

Samwise stared at the car. A hand went up with two fingers, then back down. They were ready.

"How about we take care of those turrets while we get out to get our old friend?" Samwise said.

"You're kidding, right?" William replied.

"No, I'm not,"

And Samwise ran, William beside him, much faster than they would if they were being chased by wolverines.]

Oh, by the way, Samwise is my pen name. :)





Arshad.