ReDemon Book 1 Chapter 2

8/3/2019 ReDemon Book 1 Chapter 2

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ReDemon

Book 1: Beckham Institute for Prodigies

Chapter 2: Special Day

Beckham City, 9:00 am August 10, 20XX The sun rose and intruded

into the girls dormitory of the Silverstone Orphanage for Prodigies. The

hard, wood floor reflected the rays brightly upon the dressers and bunks,

except for a corner top bunk that remained in the shadows. Little Suzan

Halden, though not so little now, had slept in this bunk for nine years. It was

her little nook inside this large home where she would read and write--she

preferred it to any other place. It was private and yet it was amongst the

chaos that was the orphanage. Living with nineteen other girls and twenty

two boys can be crazy, but Suzan loved it well most of it.

Gradually, the sun reached Suzans corner; the light warming her eyelids

and she immediately became aware of the reds and yellows inside of her

skull. It was time to get up and start the day, but Suzan was hanging on to

that space between asleep and awake, desperately wanting to stay just a bit

longer. But just as the sun had snuck up on her, so was another. She felt it

nearing the edge of her bed.

It was what set Suzan apart, but she also knew that this one thing wasntentirely hers. Being a prodigy meant having super abilities, but it also meant

learning new ones. Some of the other kids at the orphanage could lift buses.

Others could outrun race cars. What was interesting about Suzan was her

inability to learn anything new. She was limited to feeling the auras of all

living things and that was about it. Often she doubted she was a prodigy at

all, that it was all just a bad dream. So she clung to covers hoping to wake

up in another place, but every morning she woke up in the same bed.

There it was, the light, soundless steps of a person. The aura was

familiar, moving, creeping up to her bunk.

Splat! Bam!

Happy birthday, Suzu, shouted Sadie, Suzans best friend. She had

thrown two water balloons at Suzans head, resulting in a very moist wakeup


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call and a bump on the head caused by Suzan rising too fast from the water.

Luckily the ceiling was ok.

Thanks, D! Thanks for the morning shower. said Suzan, irritated, Cant

a girl sleep in on her birthday? She rubbed the rest of the sleep out of her

eyes that the water hadnt drowned away to see Sadie standing in front of

her bed. Her short, black hair pulled back with a dark headband.

Unfortunately no, Suzu. And youre welcome, said Sadie, Its my

birthday too, and I say you have to get up! Her smile was infectious. Suzan

couldnt help but give a little grin, but she didnt want Sadie to win this

round.

Its only your birthday because you chose it, said Suzan, her hands

now rubbing the bump on her head.

As far as that goes, said Sadie grinning, Your birthday just seemed like

the most practical step for me to be more normal as you call it.

It was in fact Suzans birthday today. She was now fourteen and looking

forward to starting high school soon. Sadie, on the other hand, adopted

Suzans birthday as her own. Sadie didnt know her real birthday; after she

was born, she was dropped off at the orphanage in a basket. But ever since

they met nine years ago, they had been inseparable--practically twins,growing up and looking after each other.

You know what other normal people do?, said Suzan, leaning out of the

bunk, They sleep in! Ahh! Suzan leaned a little too far and fell off the bunk

onto the floor.

Get over it, Suzu, said Sadie, as she placed her foot on Suzans head

and began to rock it back and forth, You know we have thatvisitor today,

right?

Yeah, said Suzan, rubbing the tears out of her eyes, What about

him?

Hes here right now, Sadie said, You should probably get some clothes

on. You want me to dry you off? Sadie snapped her fingers and sparked a

flame upon her index fingers and thumbs.


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No thanks, pyro, said Suzan smiling, Im going to take a shower.

Alright, said Sadie, putting her arms behind her head and walking out.

A school for prodigies, thought Suzan. Suzan liked the idea. Being a

prodigy in the real world meant the rest of the world hated you. With a

bunch of super powered prodigies running around that only get more

powerful the more prodigies they meet Well case and point. There was a

lot of prejudice amongst norms (those without powers) against prodigies

and Suzan had seen her fair share of it.

Having purple hair and eyes gave Suzan away easily. Only prodigies had

abnormal hair and eye colors. One time Suzan received a couple of well-

aimed rocks on an outing to the market with Sister Edith. Sister Edith took

her back to the orphanage immediately. Suzan was going to miss the sisters.

Sister Edith and Sister Lauren were like mothers to her and the rest of the

children. It was going to be weird going off to Beckham Institute for

Prodigies this term.

Beckham Institute for Prodigies or BIP was a high school for prodigies. It

was originally created to give prodigy children a place to understand their

abilities and learn how to use them correctly for the benefit of mankind.

However, now that it was run by the government, it had changed a lot sinceits founder left: Mr. Sanderson Reid. Mr. Reid was one of the lead prodigy

experts (being a prodigy himself). He had written many books on prodigies

that Suzan was able to read at the orphanage. However, with the new

regime of Dr. Leroy Ferris, the school had turned into more of a prison.

Dr. Ferris believed that prodigies were out to eradicate the norms in the

world and his school was about rehabilitating prodigies into normal humans,

something that so far he had absolutely no luck in doing. He was behind

many of the new laws that had been passed in congress that imprisoned

prodigies. With the release of his first book in 85 called The Rule of Five, he

painted a horrible picture of all prodigies. In 90 all Americans had to submit

to the P scan to deduce if they were prodigies or norms. In 92 All prodigies

12 and older had to wear special blazers with red Ps on the right shoulder


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when they were out in public (12 being the age when most prodigies began

to gain a grasp on their abilities).

Suzan understood. Shed seen the news. Every criminal apprehended

was thought to be a prodigy. Every eye witness pointed their finger at a

prodigy. It would be interesting to live in a place where all there were was

prodigies Of course that place would still be somewhat tyrannical.

Suzan stood up, brushed herself off, grabbed her towel, and walked out

of the room towards the lavatory only to be hit by five more water balloons,

Thanks, D! She said.

Happy Birthday! shouted Sadie.

In the office downstairs, the sisters sat with an elderly gentleman who

had a handlebar moustache and was wearing a P Blazer.

Sister Lauren was a very passionate woman who loved all the prodigy

children at the Silverstone Orphanage. She was a tall, blond woman who

honestly had no reason being a nun. Most men as they dropped their

children off would stare at her until she slammed the door in their face.

Sister Edith was very cynical, but she called herself a realist. She was

short, with short platinum hair and a curious wit that seemed to be almost

sniping. But just like Sister Lauren, Sister Edith really loved her children andwould do anything to protect them.

Their visitor this morning was Professor Cornelius P. Schumacher. He was

a bit strange, but the sisters had grown fond of him over the years as he

had always come to meet the new students who would be attending BIP. And

his behavior hadnt changed since the very first day he had showed up at

the orphanage.

He carried a magnifying glass wherever he went. It was his habit to

examine everything, Looking for clues, he would always say and he would

do this for minutes at a time. The sisters didnt mind it but it always ended

the same: his examining Sister Laurens breasts. And just like clockwork,

Sister Edith would hit him in the back of the head with a yard stick and then

they would settle down and drink some tea. Other than Sister Lauren feeling


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embarrassed, everything would go back to normal.

Cornelius, resigned to his seat, waited for the new students to come

down and join them so they could have an official interview. The interview

was just a formality, but it was the part Cornelius loved the most. It was his

pleasure to meet new prodigies and assure them of their move to BIP. Until

then, the Sisters talked about the two girls, giving Cornelius an idea of who

they were.

Suzan Jessica Halden is the practical one. Not impulsive like Sadie and

because of that, we get more quieter nights than we did before. Sadie as a

three year old there was nothing she didnt break or get into, said Sister

Edith.

The two came together and became good friends then? asked

Cornelius.

Yes, said Sister Lauren, Theyve helped each other a lot. In the

beginning Suzan was very timid. She isnt so much anymore, just as Sadie

isnt as troublesome.

The two really complement each other well, said Sister Edith.

Meanwhile, upstairs Suzan came out of the shower, a little irritated.

Sadie! she shouted, Did you flush the toilet?That was me, Dull-den, said a voice, I heard today was your birthday.

I got you a knuckle sandwich.

Chutes and ladders! said Suzan startled, Its Claudia!

Claudia was a very large girl at the orphanage, who prided herself on

being the strongest. She often got into fights with many of the kids, many of

them involving Suzan and Sadie.

Looks like your girlfriend isnt here to save you, said Claudia, Are you

ready to teethe all over again?

Suzan remembered teething; it sucked! She wrapped her towel loosely

around her. She knew if she was grabbed, she could lose it and get to the

dormitory.

Come on girlie, this wont hurt forever, said Claudia.


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She came running at her and Suzan, strangely, ran towards her. She

knew that Claudia had the habit of spreading her legs far apart when she

grabbed anyone for stabilization. Suzan was going to use that to her

advantage. Just as she thought, when Claudias manly arms tried to

envelope Suzan, her legs spread to hold her ground. Suzan dove and slid

under Claudias legs and out the open door. She jumped up, closed the door,

and ran for the dorm.

Claudia stumbled, but regained her footing and ran for the closed door.

She opened it to find Sadie on the other side.

Hi, Claudia, said Sadie, smirking, What cha doing?

Im going to pound you and your girlfriend for burning my favorite

jeans!

In case you dont remember, slowby, said Sadie, Im the one who

burns stuff. She lit her fingers to demonstrate. Beat me! If you think you

can.

Suzan closed the door of the dormitory and huddled in the closet. She

remembered her first days at the orphanage. Many of the kids were scary

then, but mostly they were just normal prodigies like her and Sadie. Claudia,

however, was never nice to anyone and loved to torture Suzan the most.When Claudia first came, Suzan tried to be nice to her, knowing how

hard it was to adjust. So Claudia punched her in the face. It happened often

and usually Sadie would retaliate by burning something of Claudias, then

Claudia would assault Suzan, and so the cycle continued.

Sadie herself was not adverse to getting in trouble for fighting. In fact

most of the fights that Claudia was in, Sadie was the opponent.

You know Claudia, said Sadie, I think I know why you like to fight so

much. Youre just so ugly that it makes you angry when you look in the

mirror--Oh! Too slow, slow-by!

Claudia used a left hook, Sadie ducked and set Claudias shoes on fire.

Ouch, ouch, ouch! shouted Claudia, You little bitch! Get back here!

Catch me, you bumbling dumb-ass! said Sadie as she jumped onto the


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banister and proceeded to skate down while tugging her eyelid and sticking

her tongue out. Claudia roared and stomped after her.

Suzan emerged from the closet in the dorm wearing a pair of baggy

jeans and a t-shirt. Then she grabbed her glasses off the night stand and

cleaned them. I hope Sadie doesnt go overboard, she thought.

Peeking out the main door she saw no one around. The others must be

outside. She sighed and looked out the window. It was a beautiful sunny day.

Maybe she could enjoy it instead of running all over the orphanage. As she

walked down the hall, she felt something else: some sort of presence

nearby. It was different from the other children; a force much older than the

sisters (who really werent old at all) and yet much more familiar like the

children.

It has to be the BIP rep., she thought, Who else could it be? She

continued down the stairs cautiously, unaware of the beast that was tailing

her on the ceiling.

A strange animal was watching, smelling and following Suzan as she

emerged from the room. It was white with a wispy glow to it and it silently

walked on its black paws to the stairway and watched as Suzan proceeded

downward.It was a fox, but a very strange fox. It had three, black tipped tails, a

large black diamond on its back and two small horns on its head. Had she

noticed me? thought the fox as it closed its eyes. It began to glow brighter.

She had not, thought the fox as it moved away from the stairwell and back

to where it had originated: the records room.

Suzan tiptoed down the stairs. She was concerned that if Claudia saw

her, she was going to have to eat that knuckle sandwich. So she tried to be

extra quiet as she hugged the walls with her back and slid all the way to the

kitchen.

She was feeling a little hungry, so she wanted to grab something fast

that could be eaten on the run. As she opened the kitchen door she was

startled to find two of the children cleaning up a cake mess with their faces.


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She smiled, remembering the first day she had come to the orphanage.

Her father had left at age five And then it just occurred to Suzan that this

was her and Sadies birthday cake

Her smile turned to bloodlust in an instant. The room filled with pressure

and the two children saw her in the doorway with the most unusual

expression they had never seen on her before. Suzan was like a mother to

them; they had never seen the fire in her eyes as they did now.

um, said a little boy named Samuel, Ms. Suzan, Im sorry.

Well clean it up, honest, said the other boy, Nathan. He was shoveling

the cake into his mouth from the floor.

The two began to push the cake into their mouths as quickly as possible,

hoping that it would make Suzan either laugh or at least smile again.

Suzan sighed. What are you guys doing? You shouldnt be eating cake

off the floor like that. Ill get a broom and a mop, she said smiling, And Ill

show you how to clean this up properly.

She was angry that she wasnt going to be able to have any of Sister

Laurens special chocolate cake, but at least these two werent hurt. The

glass plate the cake was on could have exploded into a million pieces and

got stuck in their eyes and then they would be blind and they would say,Darn it, Ms. Suzan, why did it have to be your birthday today!

Suzan was brought to tears at the thought of this and she began to clean

up the mess very quickly.

Hey Ms. Suzan, said Samuel, Shouldnt we clean it up?

No no, she said stifling a cry, Let me get it. You just watch me do it.

Youll learn that way.

Back in the office, the sisters continued the conversation with Professor

Schumacher. It was a pleasant conversation until they heard a ruckus

coming from the dining room.

The disturbance was so disruptive that it tossed Professor Schumacher

out of his chair, granted, he was leaning in it. He hastily rose to his feet and

pulled out his magnifying glass again. Whats going on? he asked, his eye


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immediately looking through the lens.

The house began to rattle. It felt as if the orphanage was being torn

apart. It was nothing new for the sisters; they knew exactly what was going

on.

Claudia Mounch, they uttered together and jumped up out of their

seats and rushed out the door.

Professor Schumacher smiled as he followed after them. My my The

game is afoot then, he uttered. He kept his pace leisure; hed been in this

situation before: young prodigies acting up and at the brink of knocking

down a building. It was times like these that he reveled in his own

abnormality. No norm ever felt this good; any norm would have crapped his

pants.

In the dining room, Sadie and Claudia stood opposite each other. The

room was a mess. All that was left was one long table between them. Chairs

were tossed across the room as the opponents ran around overturning

tables and hitting each other relentlessly.

It was hard to tell with Sadie. She had a calm, arrogant look in her eyes

complimented by her trademark smirk. Her fists raised in a fighting stance.

She didnt give away any weakness. She looked strong, unstoppable.Claudia panted. She wasnt as fast as Sadie; her size slowed her down.

However, she was still very strong and Sadie had the bruises to prove it. She

raised her fists again. Im going to give you such a beating! she shouted

as she charged towards Sadie.

The other children were around the room, shouting, which excited Sadie.

She continued to smirk and goad Claudia as she dodged another attack.

Im waiting, she said, You know I dont have all day, slowby. As Sadie

relished the moment, the children clapping and shouting, she knew she

couldnt hold out much longer. Though Sadie had grown strong from all the

battles with Claudia, she was growing weak as the fight dragged on. The

only way she could win now was to use fire, but she couldnt do that in the

house.


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Just hold still! said Claudia, diving at Sadie again. She jumped over the

table and nearly landed on Sadie, but Sadie was quicker and dove under the

table, shoving chairs across the room every which way. The children ducked

and scrambled to avoid being hit in the chaos of the dismantled room.

Come on! Im over here! shouted Sadie.

Suzan opened up the dining room door followed by Samuel and Nathan.

They had heard the commotion from the kitchen and after they cleaned up

(Suzan insisted) they went to investigate. As they entered, Suzan saw the

children circled around the two fighters. The boys began to chant Sadies

name and then Suzan saw them in the center, Sadie and Claudia, circling

each other. She saw the damage. Chairs were actually stuck in the walls.

Tables were overturned and broken. And the floor began to eat Claudias

fists as Sadie danced around her advances. The room was beginning to look

like Swiss cheese with every one of Claudias failed attempts.

Suzan decided she had to stop this. She hated getting in the middle of

these fights; she always ended up with a black eye. But she had to stop this

before somebody really got hurt or worse, the orphanage actually collapsed.

She ran to the center, put her hands up and said, You guys have to stop!

Youre shaking the whole orphanage!Claudia turned and made to attack Suzan but Sadie pushed her aside

and took the punch.

Suzan fell backwards and watched as Claudias fist connected with

Sadies head and then Sadie hitting the floor with a thud.

Cheese and Rice! said Suzan.

Well, said Claudia turning her attention to Suzan, I guess we can

finally finish what we started earlier.

Suzan jumped as Claudia charged at her. Luckily for Suzan she was quick

enough to avoid Claudias massive head, unfortunately Claudias head hit a

support beam near the wall of the dining room. After cracking through it she

collapsed to the floor.

The roof was crumbling. The sisters and Professor Schumacher finally


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showed up to the entrance of the dining room.

By Jove! said Professor Schumacher, What a pickle! Sister Lauren

began to panic as she saw all the children in the dining room, now in major

danger of being buried. Luckily Sister Edith took control.

Everyone remain calm, said Sister Edith unflinchingly, Proceed to the

nearest exit

As she spoke the side of the room where Claudia had busted through

(the same side as where the sisters and the professor stood), collapsed and

separated the children from the grownups.

Professor Schumacher, using his prodigy instincts, was able to pull the

sisters away in time.

That didnt go well, said Sister Edith, unfazed as Sister Lauren began

to sob into Professor Schumachers shoulder.

Im sure they are alright, said the professor consolingly, They are

prodigies after all.

On the other side the ceiling was still shaking. The children were

hysterical. Some were crying while others panicked. Suzan saw the screen

door over on the other side of the room. Quick, she shouted Everyone

out the back door, now!In an instant she was at the door opening it. She didnt know how;

somehow she went from one side of the room to the other. The children

noticed this too because they paused and gaped like something

unimaginable happened. She was different from the Suzan they knew. More

of the ceiling began to fall to the ground.

Hurry! shouted Suzan.

They obeyed and fled out of the falling room to the back yard. The

Sisters and the professor were also out there to meet them. Suzan stood by

the door making sure that everyone one got out, but she noticed she was

missing two people.

Cripes! she said as she spotted Sadie and Claudia still collapsed on the

floor. She looked above them. The roof was about to cave in any moment.


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She ran over to Sadie and bent down to lift her up, but she was heavy.

Suzan couldnt even imagine pulling Claudia out. And then the ceiling began

to tumble. Suzan looked up, fear running rampantly on her face. Before she

knew it she threw Sadie on her shoulder and grabbed Claudias hand and

instantly she found herself outside with the others, still clutching the two

unconscious girls.

Sadie woke up at that moment and as she opened her eyes, she saw

Suzans. They were bright white and glowing. And her body was shaking, no

vibrating and steadily slowing down to stillness. Sadies eyes widened as

she let out a, Whoa.

What? said Suzan her eyes returning to normal, Am I spinning? I

feeling like Im spinning.

Cornelius was the only one to realize what had happened. He gave a

hearty laugh as he walked over to Suzan, who had since collapsed with

Sadie still on her shoulder.

Bravo, he said, clapping his hands, That was truly amazing!

Astonishing! I have not been surprised like that in a long time. Tell me how

you did that?

Suzan didnt hear any of that. She rose up from her fall, puked and wentunconscious.

Oh my, said Cornelius, looking at his soiled shoes. He picked her up.

The sisters ran over to him and helped the other two to their feet.

What happened, Cornelius? said Sister Edith.

I wish could explain, said Cornelius, I cant say for certain what

happened, but lets say that this one, he said addressing Suzan, Saved all

these kids.

Sadie smirked. I helped a little, she said.

Young lady, said Sister Lauren, How did the dining room get to that

state? Sister Lauren pointed to the collapsed part of the orphanage.

Um, said Sadie surprised, Well, its a funny story. You know, it all

started with some well-aimed water balloons.


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What did you do? said Sister Lauren her face livid.

Claudia started it! said Sadie, I

Sadie, said Sister Edith emotionless, Its best to have your fun outside

instead of in. Well, lets get this cleaned up.

What? said the professor, Youre all going to clean this up?

Were used to it, said Sister Lauren, her smile returning, And the

children are very helpful.

You can count on us! said all the children and Sadie.

Well, sighed Sister Edith, Im going to call Mr. Silverstone. Tell him

what happened. You all get to work.

Sadie began to kick Claudia, Get up, dumby! We need your muscles.

Professor Schumacher pointed, Should she be doing that?

Far as I can tell, said Sister Edith pulling out her cell phone, Claudia

did most of the damage.

The professor paused and then said, And?

And nothing, said Sister Edith, A douche bag is a douche bag. Get

over it. At least the orphanage isnt on fire.

She dialed her phone and walked away.

Professor Schumacher was amazed. Its alright, said Sister Lauren,Sister Edith has a knack for telling it like it is, whether it be tactful or not.

Its not a big deal. The children love her for it. And she loves them even

Claudia though she cant control herself.

Both of them turned around to see both Sadie and Sister Edith kicking

Claudia now. Get up! they repeated.

Well, said Sister Lauren a tad embarrassed, Im pretty sure she loves

her.

The professor carried Suzan off to the side where he sat her down next

to Sister Lauren. He went off to oversee the construction with Sister Edith.

Suzan finally woke up. She remembered the building coming down on top of

them but everything else was a blur.

You dont remember what happened? asked Sister Lauren surprised,


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Well it was amazing. You saved both Sadie and Claudia from the falling

dining room.

How? said Suzan, I couldnt have done that. I cant do anything like

that.

It might have been a fluke, said Sadie. She was eavesdropping while

she carried more lumber over to the orphanage.

Sadie! said Sister Lauren, You should be happy that Suzan saved

you. She turned to Suzan, Im sure it wasnt a fluke. Just believe that you

did and hopefully youll be able to do it again soon.

Well, said Suzan, If not Ill always have Sadie to help me.

Thats right, said Sadie grinning, I always have your back, Suzu.

Sister Lauren smiled but she felt pity for the two girls: Suzan and her

unknown power and Sadie for her prideful, overconfidence. Each was strong

but both misunderstood just how strong they actually were.

On the roof, unbeknownst to everyone else, Takashi sat watching. He

smiled as he stared at Suzan I think I should tell the boss about her

ReDemon Book 1 Chapter 2

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