Campaigning

[Gravwarp]

Nearly an hour before class started, Bryan had floated a couple of desks into the hall. He arranged them along a bulletin board proclaiming the lunch menus for the week.

The boy took the button machine out of the old battered cardboard box that housed it for all but one week out of every year.

Bryan opened the packaging of the button parts he had purchased from a local craft shop last night and began making the colorful Homecoming King buttons to give away to his classmates.

"Vote Baxter! HC 08!"

[Blitzen]

"I need two. One for my jacket, and one for my backpack, and can you make it three, on account of the one on my backpack is gonna be broken by lunchtime? It always gets hung up on the rail of the staircase in the science wing, on account of I got English right after, and it's like way on the other side of the school and I hardly ever make it on time, so I round the corner pretty quick and Scruffy really ought to fix that gap, you know the one where the straight banister meets the part that's at an angle? But yeah, so I figure I'm gonna need another one by then.

Good luck, Big guy. "

[D. Planet]

Malcolm wandered by the desks, at first only paying attention to the menus. After all, he needed to know which day the nacho bake was being served in order to know which day he should bring a sacked lunch (Mal was sure that if they served the nacho bake at the Zig, criminals would go straight just to avoid it). He very nearly tripped over Bryan's desk, but immediately took an interest in what his fellow gravity user was doing.

"Hey Bryan. What's going on? Anything I can help with?"

[Gravwarp]

"Here Sam, take these. You can just replenish them as they break or if people take 'em," Bryan laughed as he handed her a handful of buttons with a broad smile.

As Bryan was about to warn Mal about the impending collision, the teen looked up and inquired about the station.

"Heya Mal! Was afraid we were going to have a fender bender," Bryan jokingly greeted him. "The Homecoming nominations were posted today, I just got the old button machine out of the art department's supply closet to do my best to get the word out."

Bryan smiled wide as Malcolm offered to help.

"You bet there's something you can help with!" Bryan handed Malcolm a button. "You can wear this one and..." Bryan grinned and handed him the few other buttons he had finished, "you can give these out to folks in the hall, if you want."

[D. Planet]

Mal stared at the button for a second, then immediately stopped to look over the list of nominees helpfully posted on the board, mumbling irritably to the effect of "Trixie got snubbed". He then turned around and agreed cheerfully.

"Sure! I'll help!" He took one of the buttons, and rather forcefully held it out in front of the next person to walk down the hall.

[Gravwarp]

"I know. I nominated Ves again this year but no dice," Bryan smiled as Mal took the buttons.

"Thanks Mal!" Bryan called after him as he left to hand out the swag.

[D. Planet]

Mal had really only taken two steps or so away from Bryan, holding out the swag in such a manner that the people walking down the hall had no choice but to step around him.

"Don't mention it."

[Mojo]

Mojo saw the boy in the jacket standing in the hall shoving buttons towards incoming students, his eyes glimmered with delight at the round prize in his hands.

Slowly lowering himself onto Mal shoulder, the simian boy's weight barely noticeable.

"Can I have one?" he asked with a fanged smile.

[Storm Scream]

Jessiy passed by Bryan's desks in the hall. A small group of students had formed a line, and she caught a glimpse of a button on one happy girl's pale white face, her black eyes seeming to glitter with excitement. Jess sighed; she had no clue about this campaigning stuff.

Oh lord, Alex...what did you get me into?

The had all nominated her...she new of those three at the very least, no telling who else randomly dropped her name in the hat. The memories of last homecoming were buried deep in her mind, pushed far off and buried by memories of the continuing war and her own problems. But this year...to actually have a reason to go to homecoming, to be even considered for queen.

She looked down at the sleeve of her jacket, smiling a little. Sure, she'd probably never beat someone as popular or pretty as Brianna, but it was nice to know she'd be on the ballot.

Her...and him.

She looked again over at Bryan, so happy and confident with his little buttons. She couldn't help but imagine her sitting there, looking very pretty, the dark skinned boy next to her, getting buddies to vote for the two of them. Even the thought of him rampaging through the school and ordering other kids to vote for them started to invade her imagination, and she started smiling...

"Damn, Jessica...outta my way..."

She looked behind her, wrinkling her nose at Darweshi Brown. "S-sorry, Darweshi." She stepped out of his way, continuing on her way down the hall, her face a deep purple as the blood rushed to it in her embarrasment.

Gosh what a jerk...there's not a chance in hell we'd win...

[Angavu]

God dammit. Dar mused to himself after brushing past Jessica. All this crap about Homecoming King and Queen. Shiit, not like I care. The large boy made his way to his locker, opening it a bit rougher than he normally did, which caused the metal to screech as it slid against its frame. And what the hell was with Jessica? Acting all timid. She hates my guts. Hell, I fell the same.

Come now Angavu, I am privy to your innermost thoughts...I know that you do not harbor hatred for the girl. Dar slammed his locker shut roughly, the booming sound echoing through the hallway and making the small boy to his left turn his skin a sickly shade of green out of shock and fright. The poor boy was scared to death each time he saw Dar at the locker next to his.

@!$! you Janja. I didn't ask you, and I don't want your slithery ass crawlin' around in my head. Besides, she and I wouldn't have a God damn problem if she just showed me some freakin' respect. Silence filled his head except for the soft sound of a blowing breeze. Hell, half the school doesn't give me any respect. Just like before, I gotta go out and take it. Thoughts rushed into his head, accompanied with the burning presence of Ghadhabu, picturing Muncie and his "joke" of "Dumb as Rocks Dar." Blankets of red flashed before Darweshi's eyes.

The weakling had the body of an elephant but the soul of a coward. He could never have taken you Angavu. Even if he did, I would have torn his soul asunder. Ghadhabu's burning voice whispered and Dar didn't tell him off. Hell, Ghadhabu had a point. It was shit like that which would lower his reputation and lose face. Dar should've cracked his skull open.

But you had made a promise didn't you? Busaru said calmly and softly. Ever since Busaru had finally started talking with Darweshi, things had been much, much more complicated within his psyche. Why didn't you act on your anger then Angavu? Dar was silent for a long moment.

I ain't gonna disrespect her trust. The boy thought softly, thinking of Sam, one of the few who had accepted him for who he was.

So what then?

Now, I gotta go talk to someone. And I think I know who.

Turning from his locker, the Linebacker tossed his backpack over his shoulder and found a girl with antennae growing out of the top of her head. "Hey, you seen Brianna?"

[D. Planet]

Malcolm smiled as Jessie walked by.

"Hi Jessie! Just so you know, I'm gonna vote for you! Good luck!"

He also waved to Darweshi.

"Hey Dar! Good luck at the game Friday! Hope you guys kick their butts!"

About this time he flinched as Mojo hopped on his shoulder. "Ack! Don't sneak up on me like that Mojo!"

[Storm Scream]

Jess barely heard Mal, and didn't turn around to acknowledge him until she was almost at the door of her next class...which was about 2 left turns and a couple hundred feet away.

"Oh, thanks...Mal...crap..."

Well that's one way not to win...

She sat in class, doodling on her papers, answering the teacher when she was called on but never paying too much attention. It was history; she was always good at remembering useless trivia, and today she was banking on the random information floating in her head.

If I'm gonna do this, I need posters...yeah... She kept drawing, turning the page as it filled up and starting again. She played through the king nominees in her head; Bryan, Brandon, "Dozer," Diyar, Luke (How did Luke, of all people, get nominated? Oh my gosh...), Ty (...and Ty? Wow...), Will, Cyrus, and...

Jessica sighed, and it must have been audible, because there was a pen pressing into her back. She turned at glared at the girl behind her, who giggled. All the kids in the class grabbed their ears.

"And the Civil WaAHHH!! Miss Ferguson!"

The girl slouched low in her desk, trying to hide behind Jessica, who had caught the brunt of the sonic wave. In almost a shout (which would have been a whisper for her, Jessica noted), the girl responded, "I'M SORRY SIR."

The teacher winced, as did the rest of the class, at the volume of her voice. Jessica turned, a finger pressed to her lips. The girl looked apologetic and mouthed the words I'm sorry, and Jessica grinned, nodding. She turned back around...

"And Miss St. Peter. What have we got here?" Jessica groaned. The man was standing over her, looking down at the drawings and scribbles on her notepad. "I do hope you're practicing some form of Native American language to take your notes, and not just daydreaming about..." he leaned over, squinting at one of the scribbles "...being the homecoming queen."

There were snickers from around the room. It was Jessica's turn to slump into her chair now. "Sorry, sir..." She closed the notepad as he walked back to the front of the room. She'd work on making posters later. She wouldn't be able to get Alex to help...unless Alex would be willing to help her get it. It WAS her idea for Jessica to get nominated, after all.

[Brianna Landers]

It had taken Bri hours to find a picture of Aura. In the end she had to give up and grab the yearbook. A few minutes at the local Kinko's and she was back at the school in no time, her arms loaded down with posters. She handed off a stack to Kara and Del, grinning and motioning down one hall. "I'll get this one. Make sure they end up where everyone can see them."

Giggling softly, she tacked up a poster on the bulletin board before turning and moving down the hall.

[D. Planet]

Mal made a mental note to ask Jessie later on what he had said to anger her. He knew he always said stuff that made her mad, and usually he didn't know it until after she yelled at him.

He watched Brianna walk up and put the poster of Aura up. He was curious, but he knew better than to actually try to speak to her. Brianna treated bugs and worms with more respect than she did Mal. As he watched her, whispered over to Mojo and/or Bryan.

"Er, isn't she in the running too? Why is she putting up a poster of Aura?"

[Mojo]

Still riding comfortably on Malcolm shoulder, Mojo adjusted the plastic button onto his uniform jacket. He was looking at it adoringly, secretly plotting on getting more, when Mal asked his question.

Mojo watched Brianna attach the poster to a corkboard. "Oh, her? Well, I happened to over hear Brianna and that nice red haired girl with her, Kara, yeah that's her name..." Mojo took a breath and continued on.

"I heard the two of them talking earlier and they are going to get the white skinned girl, Aura not Joni or Portia, elected."