Chapter 3

We drifted out to the Lunch Hall after a few of our new classes, but when we opened the grand double doors, the entire place was in a state of organized chaos.

The sound of porcelain plates colliding with spoons and forks could be heard all over the place. All the Ultara geniuses were moving around, laughing and talking amongst themselves. I could recognize a few faces of my former classmates, Serena from Science, Yasuko, and Rajani from Arts, also Vida and Rosa from Chemistry. And I was sure a few of them had a mega crush on either Cammie or Alyssa or even both. I was just glad that I stayed out of their gaydar.

Throughout seventh and eighth grade, all the Ultara students have to bundle together, learning from general curricula until they discover their passion and go off to blossom in the different fields.

Actually, Alyssa should be around the Einstein nerds with the rest of the physics freaks whereas Cammie should be in the multi-lingual crowd, speaking Elfish or ancient Greek and whatnot. Instead, the three of us have made the oddest trio in this school. We still hang out together like blood sisters, but none of us has anything in common.

"Your birthday is next week, Viv. Do you want to have a party?" Alyssa asked me while we were walking inside. She made it sound like if I said "Yes", she would wave a magic wand to run the whole thing- which she might. For the daughter of a town mayor, it's just a piece of cake, literally. But the importance of having my birthday party for Alyssa is emphasized on the word 'party'.

We reached our usual table. We'd always been sitting together since the first day we met.

"No, I guess not," I said as I took a seat opposite them.

"Don't you want to do anything fancy? I can order the best birthday cake for you, you know, with a Michelangelo's David made of candy on top," Alyssa suggested, and I couldn't help imagining a naked man on my cake. I burst out laughing.

"Whoa! What's wrong with your teeth Vivienne?" Cammie exclaimed out of a sudden, "Did you do anything dental?"

"What? No...why?" I asked, feeling a little self-conscious.

"For a moment, it reminds me of a cat's claw. They look kind of different from the last time we saw you, I mean your canine teeth." Cammie said.

"Really?"

"Are you even sure you're not evolving backward to a gorilla?" Alyssa said and then both of them laughed.

"Ha-ha, genetics joke, funny," I said, trying to shut them up, "We're not exactly evolved from gorillas, dummies. We are all homo..." I said tilting my head to Cammie. "Homo sapiens, so we're likely to have canines. You have that too, see?" I reached over the table and pinched both of Alyssa's cheeks and stretched them. She yelped and pulled away, rubbing her face with a sour expression.

"But the chimps," I added dramatically, "can be the reason why some people are so fond of trees!" I arched an eyebrow at Cammie again although biologically that is not entirely true. She scrambled a piece of bread into a ball and threw it at my head. I dodged it and the ball sailed past.

"Ha! You missed!" I said mischievously.

Unsatisfied by the first attempt, Cammie picked up a grape from her lunch tray and pitched at me again. This time I seized it with an instinctive move.

"Looks like you have a poor hand-eye coordination, Cam," I said.

The remark irritated Cammie so much that she bolted out of her seat and grabbed my tie. Then I was towed forward, and she pointed a chicken leg at my face like a knife.

"Oi oi! Have some respect for a vegetarian!" I spoke, looking at the chicken leg in disgust.

"If you don't want to die young, say you're sorry!" she threatened.

"You're sorry," I repeated sarcastically and had to let out aloud, "Aaagh!" as Cammie pulled me across the table. Suddenly she pushed her lips as if she was about to kiss. When her face leaned in closer, I could feel the blush rising from my neck. Damn, that girl knows how to strike a nerve. I signaled to Alyssa for help. She laughed before coming to the rescue.

"Guys, knock it off!" she said.

I quickly pried Cammie's hand off my school tie before she could choke me to death. She released me with a perverted glare.

"Alright, I'm getting hungry now," and not until she said it that my stomach started rumbling. I took out my carton of milk and drank it straight from the opening.

"Viv, do you have to drink it every mealtime?" Alyssa asked, pointing to my milk. I rolled my eyes because, after all these years, she still asked me the same question.

"Mom would slay me if I didn't. But I like it, milk makes us strong, don't you think?" I tried to tell them, but even saying that still made me feel really dorky, for I wasn't only a milk-drinker, but also a vegetarian. All of these are because of Mom.

Ever since my milk teeth were gone, she had stopped cooking red meat and adopted vegetarianism instead, and we even do meditation every weekend. She said it's good for my emotional health. As a result, I've never visited her hospital nor gone to see a shrink, which really proves my exceptional well-being indeed.

"But I've seen you drinking milk from this blank box since we met in seventh grade, and the box itself doesn't have a brand name on it, not even a cow picture!" Alyssa complained. I didn't know why she suddenly took a special interest in my diet, but I guess it was because, among the three of us, I seemed to be the weirdest one.

"Mom said I need milk with special nutrition, so she always brings it from the hospital where she works," I said with a shrug even though I had no idea what kind of special nutrition I was talking about.

"All right, hurry up girls, we don't have much time. Today, we've got self-defense class!" Cammie said, looking as excited as a kid heading to the playground.

"Oh, shit," I groaned, knowing what lied ahead when I looked at her.

In self-defense class, we have got the international champion, Mr. Kent, who teaches us Karate, but he told us to call him Sensei. Now, as we were all in our Karate suites, he would line everyone up into two rows. I prayed so hard not to be paired with my best friends because one is too strong, and the other is too weak. In other words, I didn't want to hurt Alyssa as much as I didn't want to be a dead meat for Cammie.

"Girls, stay focused. Look at your opponents in the eyes, and don't let them get a hold of you, you got it?" Mr. Kent said.

"Yes, Sensei!" everyone answered in unison. Then the teacher clapped his hands together as a signal, "Now, line up and bow," he gestured for us to come onto the square matted floor. We did as we were told.

I was relieved that I wasn't paired with Alyssa, but as horror might have it- I was up against Cammie! Camilla Logan is one of those black belts who could snap you like a toothpick with only her pinky. She smirked at me and cracked her knuckles. It made me flinch. Not that I'm bad in Karate, but it's just that Cammie is way better.

"Poor hand-eye coordination, huh?" Cammie raised her perfect eyebrow at me, the corner of her lips curved up into a confident smile. Sure, she wouldn't let me get off the hook, would she? And as if to prove the point, one of my classmates got thrown flat onto the floor next to me. I flinched, knowing exactly how it felt.

"Oh please, Cammie," I turned to plead desperately, drifting away from her, "Don't do that to me. We are best friends," I was looking for a safer side to stand, but Cammie just smiled gently. I knew that look - it meant she was going to break my bones at any time soon.

"Of course we are, thanks for reminding me, Vivienne," she said, beaming, "I was impressed with your biology lesson at lunch, so now it's my turn to teach you some basic lessons, too."

I felt like bursting into tears. And without giving me a second chance to negotiate, she bowed at me, which I had to bow back as a rule. But it was like giving her a green light because then Cammie darted forward so quickly and got a hold of my shirt. She just shifted herself to the side and the next thing I knew, I was on the floor with the world spinning. Sparkling stars danced above my head.

Cammie came to straddle on my stomach. Her hands placed on either side of my head as she stared down at my face.

"You're alright?" she asked, looking amused. I guess I might be alright if there was no internal bleeding or organic injury after this. I struggled to get her sexy behind off me, but she kept me caged under her.

"Cammie, you're not playing it fair!" I managed to speak. "I wasn't ready!"

She laughed before getting herself off. I staggered to my feet again. With her angelic figure, I couldn't help but wondered how such energy could exist in her body.

"Again?" she asked with a laugh. I steadied myself into a better position. I wasn't going to let her toss me like a rag doll anymore. But then again, Cammie rushed to me before I could even blink. She pinned my right hand behind my back, her other arm wrapped around my neck.

"Ow ow!" I winced as she laughed triumphantly.

"Just so you know, Vivienne," Cammie spoke softly into my ear, "only the fittest survive."