Apocalypse Before Finals - Julie Steimle (bts book recommendations .TXT) 📗

being Zormna's friend? Despite the bright florescent lights illuminating the space, Jennifer felt like she was entering the doors to her execution.

They marched her down the middle of the linoleum, past the attendance and counseling offices, and Mr. Vicksler's office. They stopped in front of the principal's office.

The soldier knocked sharply on the door.

"Enter," a voice replied from inside.

The soldier at Jennifer's side twisted the doorknob with a little difficulty as he opened it, the same awkward way Zormna had when she first came to Pennington. They steered Jennifer into the room.

Sitting in the principal's desk was a short stocky man with white blond hair and deep blue eyes. His eyes were similar to Jeff's in color, only they did not glitter with wit or even depth. His eyes showed malice and pride.

"What have we here?" the man inquired, his eyes stroking Jennifer's face with pompous curiosity.

The soldier pushed Jennifer forward. "Dural Korad had ordered us to find friends of Zeldar and Alea Zormna Clendar. This girl is a close acquaintance of Alea Zormna's."

The new headmaster gazed over Jennifer once more then said, "Why have you brought her here? Would not Dural Korad want to question her?"

Nodding in the affirmative, the soldier replied, "I was informed that he went back to Arras. One of the boys revealed, finally, that both Zeldar and Alea Zormna had returned yesterday. He has gone to apprehend them."

Jennifer let out a breath. She hadn't meant to, but it escaped. She was honestly relieved that Zormna and Jeff got away.

The headmaster looked at her critically. "She looks Arrassian." He then spoke to her in their language. "Shea nich za neem?"[1]

Of course Jennifer didn't understand a word. Zormna had made it clear that the language was forbidden to those of Earth, spoken or taught.

The soldier nodded to himself.

"I don't think she knows her heritage," the soldier said. "I think Alea Zormna became friends with her because she was from Arras. But I am positive she is a Lenna. The family name she goes by is McLenna."

Lifting his eyebrows, the headmaster stood up, peering closely at Jennifer as if she were a rare specimen. He walked around her, reaching for her left arm.

This time Jennifer tried to pull it back. "Hey!"

But he grabbed her so she couldn't pull away this time.

"She doesn't have a mark," the soldier at her side reported before the headmaster could get very far.

The headmaster let go of her. "I see...."

Sitting down on the front edge of the desk with a critical glare, he angled his head, eying Jennifer. Finally, he said, "Do you know whom you made friends with?"

Jennifer turned pale, averting her eyes to the floor. "Just a girl."

The soldier forced her head up to look at the headmaster. "Answer him properly."

But Jennifer did not say any more.

"Alea Zormna Clendar is not just a girl," the headmaster said. "She is a soldier of the highest caliber. Frightfully dangerous. But we heard rumors that she was dead. Our superior, Dural Korad, hoped she was dead - but he didn't believe it."

Jennifer swallowed again, suppressing any reaction they were trying to get from her.

"They say Alea Zormna made friends with Zeldar," the soldier added, reminding the headmaster.

Nodding in pain as if that news stabbed him, the headmaster murmured. "Yes, I heard." He then looked to Jennifer. "Do you know Jafarr Zeldar?"

Jennifer closed her mouth and averted her eyes to the floor again.

His steely dark eyes glinted. "I take that as a yes. You are familiar with the name at least. But do you know that you would be a traitor if you were an Arrassian and you helped Zeldar?"

Her eyes widened, then she clamped them shut. Her hands grew clammy. She knew it. They were going to kill her.

"She knows she is an Arrassian," the headmaster at last declared.

A shudder went through Jennifer. She waited for them to take out their guns and kill her like they did Stacey Price. They would add her to the pile outside.

But no move came.

Instead, she heard the headman walk back behind the desk and open the metal filing cabinet. She heard him close it. Waiting with her eyes shut tight, she thought, "This is it. This is when I die."

But he didn't shoot her.

 She heard the creak of the chair behind the desk and the flop of papers. Jennifer opened her eyes. Lifting her eyes higher, she saw the headmaster lean back in his seat, watching her. No one said anything for three minutes. Jennifer ventured nothing.

The door behind her opened again. Three more soldiers pushed in seven other students with the points of their guns. Jennifer recognized only one of them, and that was Amanda Dumas, a girl on her flag team. All seven students were blond of varying shades. For a second it looked like they were recruits for some Arian neo-Nazi group.

"Ah!" the headmaster smiled, and stood up. "The cream of the crop!" He walked past Jennifer and grabbed each student's hand and shook it. "Welcome, my friends!"

They all squirmed as none of them wanted to be called his friend. Every one glanced at Jennifer who looked downright miserable. The headmaster glanced at her too and nodded to the soldier next to her. "Yes. She should join them also."

Jennifer went white again, backing up as the soldiers forced her, miserably shaking her head.

"I am your mentor and headmaster, Dural Kelz. Today you will regain your great position within Arrassian society as High Class men and women," he announced with genuine enthusiasm.

One of the boys choked on an appalled laugh.

"Pardon?" another boy responded.

The headmaster bowed to them all. "To speak plainly, you are one of us."

Perhaps this was the last thing he should have said. All the students who had been dragged there reacted violently.

"We are not!" one boy barked angrily.

"I am not a killer!" a girl shrieked.

"Holy Toledo!" Another looked ready to faint.

Only Jennifer did not react. She just maintained her eyes on the floor, feeling immense shame as her ears rang. Her cheeks felt hot. Part of her wished Zormna had taught her some martial arts moves so she could escape. Zormna certainly would have been able to take out the men in the room - single handedly, like an action star.  

Offended, the headmaster glared the hardest at her. He ordered, "You understand. Explain it to them."

All of the students turned and gaped at her. Amanda was gawking the most, having known Jennifer the best.

"What does he mean?" Amanda asked her sharply.

Jennifer looked at the floor. "I'm so sorry."

Her shame spoke volumes. They stared at one another.

The headmaster slapped Jennifer hard on the back. "Tell them what you know."

Jennifer burst into tears.

Amanda crouched over to her and wrapped her arm around Jennifer.

"I didn't know you were one too," Jennifer sobbed. "I'm so, so sorry!"

Amanda and the others looked like they had been knocked off at the knees. But Amanda asked firmly. "What are you sorry about? What is he saying? We are one of them? What is that?"

Jennifer looked up at Amanda and rubbed her eyes. "Are your parents immigrants?"

Amanda blinked, barely nodding.

"Where from?" Jennifer asked. Tears ran down her cheeks. She tried to wipe them.

Amanda shrugged. "France, I think. Dad speaks French occasionally."

The head master nodded, assurance returning in his smile. "Arras."

Amanda nodded. "He mentioned that once."

Jennifer burst into tears again.

"Why is she crying?" one of the boys exclaimed, gaping. "Because we're all children of immigrants? I was born in Finland. I'm Finnish."

"I'm Dutch," another boy announced, shrugging.

"Jennifer's Irish," Amanda replied back, still protectively holding her. "And so is Zormna. Why isn't she here if you are picking on immigrants?"

Jennifer cried more.

"Tell me she's not dead," one of the boys exclaimed. His face paled.

Amusement spread across the headmaster's face when he heard that.

"She's not dead," Jennifer managed to say, shaking her head. "She didn't even come to school. But she's not Irish either." She burst out crying again. "I don't wanna be a Martian!"

The entire group stopped talking. Aghast, they stared at Jennifer. Amanda let her go, backing off.

A wan look replaced the smile on the headmaster's face. Not too fond of her choice of words (especially the content) stiffly, he said, "But my dear, you are Arrassian. You are a High Class citizen of Arras, as you all are." He turned his gaze to the rest of them. "Accept it."

One of the girls fainted right away.

The others gaped at the headmaster. Jennifer wiped her eyes, unable to lift them to the others.

"You are not immigrants from any place on this planet, but our home world. And you will now take your place at the top of society once again." He walked over to the table and pulled open the folders that lay there.

"Rupert Jaanson, son of Hans Jaanson and Faye Jaanson, your true family name is Yiiaz. Forever now you are Rupert Yiiaz. We will give you a proper Arrassian first name later."

The boy looked sick. He almost protested, but a soldier immediately shoved his gun into Rupert's side to remind him not to disrespect the headmaster. Sweating, Rupert was more inclined to not disrespect the gun, forget the headmaster.

"Amanda Dumas, daughter of Pierre Dumas and Amealia Dumas, your true family name is Duiin. Forever you are now Amanda Duiin. We will give you a proper Arrassian first name later."

And he continued like that naming everyone there.

"...And forever you will be called Paul Pransk...."

One girl actually had an Arrassian name, though none of them knew until then. It had been her nickname. She had thought nothing of it until then, and was the one that had fainted. "Darla Smith, you live only with your mother I see. Denae Smith. We have your full name here, Darr Siirii. You are a lucky one." That girl fainted again.

"...And Jennifer McLenna, daughter of David and Katherine McLenna, your true family name is Lenna...." He started.

"I know," Jennifer said now, glaring at him. "Zormna told me."

He stopped talking. All her classmates stared harder at her.

"And don't tell me I'll forever be called Jennifer Lenna, and that you'll change my first name because I won't answer to it." Jennifer's face was now red, red enough to match her hair.

Dural Kelz's eyes flickered angrily. "Your defiant energy comes from that girl, I see. How much has she told you?"

Jennifer glanced at her classmates as spoke. "All about you and your kind. She hates everything about you people." Her voice trembled. She didn't want to let them know the truth, but now it was the only way to fight back.

"Does she?" Dural Kelz replied with decided dislike.

The students behind her gazed with surprise when Jennifer added: "She told me how you People's Military oppress the citizens of your planet."

The word planet caused a murmur of surprise.

"...She told me how most of the students at her military school were orphaned because of you and your people. You're all murderers!" Jennifer said.

Dural Kelz smirked at her, regarding her as a simpleton. "And what did she say about High Class families such as the Lennas? You do know that your family line is one of the leading families back home, don't you."

Her schoolmates listened intensely as Jennifer swallowed with a glance at them again. "I found out."

The others gasped.

"Then tell us," Dural Kelz continued magnanimously. "Kindly let the others be educated."

For the first time Jennifer completely understood what Zormna had described about the politics of her home world. All the explanations her parents had given her were truly colored by their own experience.  Zormna had been right. It was all a matter of point of view. Those in power never see themselves as evil, even when they commit murder. Even this man thought he was good in some way, apparently thinking of himself as kind or generous.

Taking a breath, Jennifer said, "She didn't tell me about my parents. I found out from someone else. He said that the Lennas were responsible for the murders of the royal family ten thousand years ago. That my