The Tribuo - 1. The Tribuo (part 1, chapter 1)

INTRO

“Okay, tell me about this guy again.”

“Matt Donahue, seventeen. A week from today he is going to get into a fight with his ex-girlfriend. She’ll push him out of the window. He’ll die.”

“Ah… So where do I come in? Do I stop him from going over there or something?”

“No. That won’t change anything. She will still kill him, but by other means. You need to try and get him to understand something.”

“To understand what? That cheating is bad? He cheated, didn’t he? Or is he about to?”

“No. He never does. He just dumps them.”

“Oh, even better. Seth, I hate to say this, but… People like that never change. What am I supposed to do? Help him to realize that he is madly in love with her? Wouldn’t he know that by now?”

“Not that. He is not in love with her. In fact, he couldn't care less about her very existence.”

“Seth, I am confused. What is it that he needs to understand?”

“I don’t know. They never tell me. I just have the information, that’s all.”

“A week from today, huh…”

“Yes, next Saturday. Seven-forty-nine in the evening.”

“That’s not enough time, you realize that, right?”

“I know, but that’s all you get. Every time you will only get one week. That’s the rule.”

“Seven days…”

“Huh?”

“Oh, never mind… A movie reference. Anyway, I guess I have to figure this out. Or try to... What happens if he still dies?”

“Nothing. You’ll get your next assignment.”

“I see. All right then. I guess I better get ready for school then.”

“Rayne, he is your first. So, please remember -- no direct involvement. Do not tell him what to do. You can give him ideas, you can influence him one way or another, but you cannot interfere with his choices. Once he makes a choice…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s final.”

“Right. Well, off you go then. You have to be in school on Monday. Come up with your strategy.”

******

- I -

MONDAY

I swore softly under my breath and started to walk faster, hoping that maybe I’d just shake her off.

“Oh, no, you don’t, mister!!”

Dammit.

“Matt, stop walking away from me! Matt!!”

Oh, for crying out loud… Why do you have to be so freaking annoying… I stopped, figuring that it was the lesser evil. If I don’t stop, she’ll just follow me all the way to school, screeching like a crazy monkey. That would be bad.

“What do you want?” I asked tiredly.

She came to a screeching halt a couple of inches away from me, but I didn’t even flinch. I was used to it by now.

“Matt…” she said very dangerously. “Ally is my best friend, and if you won’t apologize to her, then…”

“Oh, for God sake,” I rolled my eyes. “Jess, just stay out of my business, will you? Seriously, it has nothing to do with you!”

“Like hell it doesn’t!” she exploded again. “You are the worst pig I have ever encountered…!”

I snorted at that. 'Encountered.' Whatever.

“Ally is my best friend!” she continued raging, and I absent-mindedly wiped her saliva off my chin. Jess always spat a lot when she was pissed, and right now she was beyond that.

“Say it, don’t spray it,” I muttered, immediately realizing that I just lost my only hope of escaping her. I could never keep my mouth shut. I sighed.

“Unbelievable!” Jess screamed, and I just closed my eyes and started thinking about school and our English sub.

Seriously, the woman was stunning. I mean, she wasn’t a spring chicken -- she was probably in her mid-thirties -- but good God! She looked like she used to be a Cosmo cover girl. I concentrated on Jess for a second.

“…my best friend!! She can’t even speak your name without crying, and you are…”

Right. Never mind. When my sister starts going off, it’s always major. Like a volcano. Or something worse. At least with volcanoes you could always count on quick death. Not with my sister. I thought about reminding her once again -- gently, of course -- that this whole thing had absolutely nothing to do with her. That it was between Ally and me. That sometimes two people just can’t stay together… Ah, screw it. I’ll just let her scream.

I guess I somewhat deserved this viciousness. I mean, Ally is Jess’ best friend, and I did make all sorts of promises to both of them. To Jess -- that I would never be my usual piggish self, and that I would stay with Ally for… Oh, I guess I said ever. And I promised to Ally pretty much the same thing. But how is it my fault that I just don’t care about her anymore? Seriously, would she prefer me lying to her? Somehow, I always thought that honesty was the best policy…

And right when I was justifying everything I could in my head, this nasty little voice that always popped up in my mind, spoke up once again. “You don’t care about her anymore?” it snorted. “Matt, you never cared about her in the first place. You never do. You just keep looking for something… What is it again? Oh yes, a damn miracle! What do you think this is? Some Player-Turns-Prince movie? Matt, you will never turn into a prince, and you know it! You…”

“Oh, shut up!” I said with great irritation, and all of a sudden, Jess looked like I slapped her on the face. At first, I was about to say that I wasn’t talking to her, but then, seeing that she actually did shut up, I just shrugged. It worked, so who cares. Sooner or later, she’ll be talking to me again, since we are related and all. Plus, we are not just related, we are freaking twins for crying out loud! And if she won’t talk to me ever again… Oh well, her loss. I am quite a conversation keeper, you know. I can be really entertaining.

“Later, Jess,” I said lightly. “You might wanna go get your stuff or you’ll be late for school.”

I walked away from her and couldn't care less that she looked like someone who was about to murder me with extreme violence and gruesomeness right now. She’ll live, and hopefully, so will I.

****

To my enormous surprise, Jess wasn’t late this morning. She sat next to Ally -- of course! -- and both of them looked like they were about to start sticking pins and needles into a voodoo doll that had my hair or nail clippings in it. I shuddered when I realized that Jess would be perfectly capable of getting either. Okay, Matt, I thought with nervous silent laughter. Paranoid much? Voodoo? Really?! For goodness sake… Plus, I was pretty sure that if Jess did something black-magicky to me, it would hit her as well. I mean, us being twins and all.

I snorted when I realized how ridiculous I sounded right now, and opened my book. Then the sub walked in and I just sighed. Claudia Schiffer would weep with jealousy if she saw her, I swear. I looked around the classroom and saw that I wasn’t the only one with the same reaction. I realized, though, that I was probably the only one who didn’t imagine her naked right about now. For some reason, she seemed a lot hotter fully dressed. I guess they are right when they say there should be something left for imagination.

I blinked when I realized that this year we had four new people including the sub. Holy crap! Our school is catnip! There was this girl -- Julie; the emo kid who looked like he was about to start slicing his wrists any second now. What was his name? Justin-Something I think… Ah, who cares. And the last newcomer was a guy with bleached hair and a tattoo on his neck. Lucas Jennah. I remembered his name because I found it weird. Well, it certainly fit him. He looked like someone with a weird name like that.

I shifted my gaze to Julie. She looked like your typical Good-Girl type. Straight back, almost no makeup at all, long ponytail, and full, undivided attention to whatever the sub was saying. I grinned. Wonder if I should… I glanced at Ally and winced. She looked like she was about to rip me into shreds. Along with Julie. Suddenly, I was pissed off. I am not going to let her or anyone else run my life. If I want to get Julie, I will, and Ally can go to hell along with my sister or anyone else for that matter.

And just like that I had a great plan. I am going to get Julie. Great in its simplicity plan. I grinned again and concentrated on the sub. I started writing something in my notebook and briefly wondered how long it would take me to get Julie. How about we’ll do it on Friday… Yeah, that sounds good. Then I can have a hell of a good weekend, and start with the clean slate on Monday. I felt so good, I almost hummed something under my breath.