THE NISSAN ALMERA DROVE ON a moderate-busy highway. Paul’s Uber-driver, Gary Morrison was driving and was chattering – about the ‘latest’ gossipmongering among-his-driver-friends… about the Perth’s zombie-epidemic…

… the was spreading-gradually from the city to nearby-place – resulting in violent attacks of those biters’ presence in nearby suburbs… and the police-and-army came and diffused the situation – by shooting-dead those infected-vicious attackers…

Paul was passively listening TO THE GRAVE-SITUATION – and gravitated to the thought of his mother’s police-department who-had failed to capture ‘PATIENT-ZERO’… Hajji, the most-wanted criminal who-had spawned the epidemic 2 months-ago…

‘… will the violence come-over to ‘our’ neighborhood…?’

Paul was worried…

… he ‘had’ his first-hand experience with the zombie-biters – on the-night ‘when’ he-and-Jane went to ‘rescue’ Kitty at the dog-pound – where-there, both of the superheroes were ‘cornered’ by those feral-people who almost ‘bit’ the Belgian-Malinois… but he managed to ‘save’ the dog by electro-shocking the savage-aggressors…

‘… my-poor Kitty ‘almost’ got bitten by ‘Popobawa’ that-night… just like the other-Perth, when Piper ‘was’ infected…’

… that was ‘why’ that morning, he did ‘not’ tie the dog-up with the leash – just in-the-case of ‘such’ unsuspected zombie-attacks possibility-situation… then, Kitty would-flee or defend-itself with ‘without’ any difficulty…

Despite that Caroline had told him to ‘tie-his-dog-up’ – because knowing from the police-K9 unit that the Belgian Malinois-breed were aggressive-and-temperamental by-nature… even...

...his drama-queen-twin ‘HATED’ KITTY… and ‘had’ a fear for his-life ever-since Kitty was adopted 3 weeks-ago…

… Paul felt that Kitty ‘HAD’ CHOSEN him as its-master… when she ‘came’ back-then to the Walker-house doorstep on its ‘own-will’ – that was THE ‘REASON’ he did ‘not’ leash-it to a post-day-and-night…

… then, THE TRUST wouldn’t-be THERE BETWEEN the-pet and its-master.

In that-3 weeks, during the break-holidays… Paul bonded with Kitty… and had the best time-of-his life as a PROUD-OWNER of a pet – as a boy-with-a-dog…

He was learning of its-behaviours too. Paul ‘observed’ his dog did ‘not’ poop in the backyard… instead, she scaled the wall to go outside to the nearby-bushes to relive itself… then, she ‘returned-back’ to the Walker-backyard… ‘after’ marking-her-territory with the neighbours’ dogs barking at her.

Now, going back to school HAD SEPARATED him from his-pet – which he missed a lot ‘talking-and-playing’ with… then, his reveries of Kitty-poofed – when he heard Gary ‘singing’ to the radio-song…

… there were a few-songs where Gary ‘knew’ the lyrics and-sang along – it was decades-old group, The Romantics which was one-of-them… it brought a smile to Paul, hearing his 20-something Uber driver-friend singing the verse-and-chorus, tapping the steering wheel…

[verse] …When you close your eyes… and you go to sleep

And it's down to the sound… of a heartbeat

I can hear the things… that you're dreaming about…

[chorus]…I hear the secrets – that you keep

When you're talking – in your sleep…[2X]

The song ended with a string of commercials coming-on the radio – both Gary and Paul were quiet. Paul felt uncomfortable wearing the tight ‘new’ uniform-pants that were giving him a wedgie… and he loosen his belt, cursing that he gained weight in the holidays – and, ‘blaming’ into the food-coma in the weekends, during the principal’s dinner visits…

Never-the-less, Paul was proud to wear-the pants as he was a senior-secondary student-now – and looked forward to his first-day in school-today… which would-be a day of orientation with ‘no’ study-periods – as he badly-wanted to be-physically presence with Jane Wilson…

… whom he had last been ‘with’ his-girlfriend – was during the last-terms’ school’s Family Day at the beach…

‘…I’m coming to-you, Jane – I’m coming…’

<><>

THE BLUE MAZDA SUV DROVE on the road. In the cabin was the antagonistic mother-and-daughter. Shelley was dropping-off Jane at school for the first day-of secondary-school before heading to her-clinic.

The car’s stereo was playing the classic-rock station, where the German super-rock group, The Scorpions were singing, ‘You & I’…

After years of driving with Shelley – blind-Jane ‘knew’ some-songs playing on-the-air… even though she doesn’t know who the singers were – but Jane ‘recognized’ this particular song’s lyrics… which her-favorite singer crooned-melodically…

… and-whose voice had ‘mesmerized’ the ballad itself…

The blind-girl fantasized that-Paul ‘was’ the singer – singing to her:

I lose control because of you… ba-be

I lose control when you look at me like this

There's something in your eyes, is this love at first sight

Like a flower that grows, life just wants you to know

All the secrets of life…

The doctor-mother caught Jane smiling to-herself in the passenger-seat – and twiddling with her dreadlock braid, and randomly crossing her legs. Shelley then ‘heard’ Klaus Meine singing the outro:

You and I just have a dream

To find our love a place

Where we can hideaway

You and I were just made

To love each other now

Forever and a day…

The doctor-mother ‘knew’ what was going-on… her adolescence-daughter was daydreaming and building-castles-in-the-air in her idle-thoughts of the Walker-twins…

The mother does ‘not’ want her-contemporary music TO-PLAY A PART – in her B-girl’s further ‘blunder’ of deeply falling in-love… and a-possibility of an unwanted teen-pregnancy…

… so, she scoffed… and switched-off the radio…

<><>

PETER WOKE-UP LATE on his first-day of school…

… he slept-late last night after watching the season-finale of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier on Disney+… where the ‘ending confused’ him – because he had ‘not’ followed the superheroes’ character-developments in the comic-books…

… so, he went-over to YouTube-platform in-search of clarification-to-his-befuddlement – where fan-geeks of the show-who ‘had’ read the comic-books were YouTubers there… who ‘explained-and-made-sense’ the show's scenes, and-also revealing hidden-Easter-eggs… and crossover references to the larger Marvel’s Cinematic Universe…

… one-video led-to another, and by the time he went to bed – it was almost 2 AM… and he had-also ‘forgotten’ to set his alarm-clock…

He had over-slept during the last-term ‘before’ – it was where his inspector-mother who ‘routinely’ alerted him by knocking-his-door to wake-him-up – but since lately, Caroline had-been doing night-shifts on the zombie-epidemic… and she came-home at 5 AM and slept till noon…

He got-out of bed… and estimated that he had ‘only’ half-an-hour before school-bell rang. Peter dressed-up fast in the school-uniform on the door-hanger peg, and grabbed his backpack to leave his-room… only to realise…

… it was the ‘wrong’ uniform…

… he scoffed… and went to the closet and grabbed a plastic shopping-bag from it – and then changed from his shorts to the seniors’ black-pants… and Peter saw his albino-Quakka coming from under the bed and hopping-over to his feet…

“Not now, JW! Back-off… or I’ll kick-you…!”

The hungry pet ‘begged’ food from its master. Peter sighed and grabbed a plastic-bag of garden-leaves…

“… you should ‘learn’ by-now of how-to eat-off-the-fats of your tail if I don’t feed-you – this’s basic Quakka-101… do you want me to ‘teach’ you that too…?”

Peter thought he-saw the Quakka nodding to what he said – he was amused and chuckled…

He squat-and-pet it… the smiling-Joey-Walker looking at him from below…

“… hehehe, you ‘understood-me, innit…? What an intelligent-boy you are, my handsome-rat – some-day, JW… Disney-Studios will make a live-animation of you, my Lucky-Charm… once-after the House-of-Mouse had run-out of exploitive ideas of African-animal stories, hahaha…

“… then, Disney will come Downunder to ‘audition’ the rest of the ‘ugly’ animals here – and here you are in the red-carpet… all albino-and-white… and they will choose you over the overrated-and-boring Roos-and-koalas… and you’ll be a big-star someday, believe-me, JW…

“… and, ‘yours-truly be your-manager… and sign million-dollar contracts cos’ I ‘own’ you – the only-albino Quakka in the whole-wide-world, hahaha – just dream-big, my lil-feller and keep-up your personality… and, never lose your-million-dollar smile, hahaha…”

He spread the leaves in the plastic-bag beside the bed and walked over to the door…

“… I’m running-late… you go-eat now…’

Peter noticed JW had followed-him… and wanted to hop-out the door to escape-outside…

“No, you don’t – stay-here and eat… and behave-yourself – don’t poop on my rug, I got a 2nd Nike sand-box under the-bed, and you shit in that – bye… Daddy’s going to school…”

The robotic-armed tween locked his bedroom door – noticing that his inspector-mother was sleeping after her night-duty… and he doesn’t want her to know that he had an illegal wildlife animal as a pet… in-case of the possibility of her-bedroom check-routine behind his-back…

-O-

He got 17-minutes to ride his mountain bike to be in school on time – Peter hit the road.

He decided to take a shortcut through the old-road which was closed to the public – where the entrance was blocked by huge-concrete slabs to prevent motor-vehicles… but it would save him the time-riding 4-kilometers across…

… the road was old and deserted… along the way was-with scattered abandon continental-cars with smashed-up windshields and graffiti of Perth’s criminal-gangs’ logos-and-signs sprayed. The road-too had craters of potholes, which Peter avoided as he raced for time…

Since coming to the post-Treeton realm… he had ‘not’ used this-road in the mornings to go to school… as it brought BAD-MEMORIES when he ‘last’ went on it in the other-Perth – during the Perth Great-Fires…

… it was on a-night where he surprised ATTACKED ALICIA-WONG is this road – with a ‘blow’ on her-head with his-Babolat that landed his classmate into a coma… for ridiculing-him that he does ‘not’ deserve to-be Janey’s boyfriend…

… but he ‘escaped’ being a ‘suspect’ for his-atrocious crime – as he ‘framed’ a deranged homeless-man – by ‘tricking-and-giving’ Alicia’s bicycle to him…

<><>

THE BLUE-SUV REACHED school – Alicia Wong was there waiting for her BFF…

“G’day Mrs Wilson…” Greeted the rapt-Chinese-girl… the quiet-Shelley gave a tacit-nod of acknowledgement…

“… bye…” the B-girl mumbled to her-mother… as she alighted the vehicle holding her-retractable walking-stick… with Alicia guiding-her out…

The doctor-mother watched both the girls holding-hands, dressed-up in their new-uniforms embarking the first-day of their senior-year.

… Shelley noticed the Chinese-girl was also wearing a beanie like Jane – but did-so to ‘hide’ her platinum-blonde hairdo in-it…

… the mother scoffed – as she ‘blamed’ Alicia for giving poor-fashion sense-and-taste to her gullible-but-rebellious B-girl to look-like the blind-singer Stevie Wonder…

The Mazda-then left for the clinic.

-O-

“… sorry, Janey-gee… I did ‘not’ visit you during the school-break… it’s the ‘stupid’ lockdown – how are you, girl? You look ‘tired’ – didn’t you sleep well…?” The best-friend enquired…

“I’m fine, Ali…” Grinned Jane, replying with a short-answer…

“…hey-how were you in the lockdown? Did you do any thing fun…?” Alicia asked…

“… no, I did nothing-much… thanks for keeping in-touch, Ali…”

The Chinese-girl laughed-out…

“… hahaha, I was ‘so’ bored-out-of my life – I had to ‘bother’ someone… I texted-and-called whoever that ‘crossed’ my mind… but I was occupied too helping my Mama at the hair-salon – hey-Jane, did Paul call-you…?”

“NO! My mummy will kill him if he calls-me… it’s the tracking app-that she installed-on my Samsung… I could ‘ask’ Boyyo to uninstall-it… then-if she FINDS-OUT – mummy would take my-phone away from me…”

The Chinese-girl laughed-out again…

“… your mummy… and her killer-love-blocking app, hahaha…”

Jane laughed along – but did ‘not’ tell her best-friend that her mummy meant-business this time around… as she had-bought A HANDGUN – and threaten to shoot Paul if he ‘dared’ enter the Wilsons’ doorstep…

“… no-worries, Janey-gee – YOU’LL MEET your ‘forbidden-love’ later in-class…” Alicia giggled and nudged blind-Jane…

The 2 girls were walking in the school’s east-wing corridor in the presence of scores of students-in-uniforms – going for their first-day of school in different classes.

Since the girls were-now seniors… their classroom was on the 2nd floor – so they walked on a different-path. Alicia was describing ‘what’ she saw along the way… while blind-Jane listened, and her AI-Boyyo ‘observed-and-programmed’ the route…

They reached the far-end of the east-wing… Alicia was still talking…

“… hey… way-no-way…!? The canteen is ‘closer’ to here… no wonder the pasta-and-sandwiches were ‘sold-out’ earlier – ‘all-bought’ by the seniors before we walk-over in the past… now as seniors, we’ll ‘conquer’ the food-ration of Stamford High, hahaha…” The foodie cackled…

They both reached the foyer where there was a flight-of-stairs to the Seniors’ 2nd-floor…

“… you can ‘either’ take the stairs-up on your-right – or the handicap-elevator… here-on the left…”

…Jane ‘remembered’ that same flight-of-stairs – where-in the other-Perth, Peter tried to ‘kill’ Douglas Zimmerman… by kicking-him-down the stairs, in the rage-of his-jealousy – on the day of the PFC-breakup… that led to the ‘exploding’ phone-bombs situation…

… injuring 13-students…

‘… good-thing that Dougie was ‘not’ killed that-day – my-Pauly managed to ‘save’ him…’

The reached the elevator… that had newly-painted words at the door… which Alicia read-out to Jane, as she pressed the button:

‘For Disabled Students & Teachers Only’

“It’s advantageous-and-beneficial to have a blind-best friend in my senior-years, and I get to ‘use’ their special-privileges – who ‘wants’ to climb 40-over steps to get to class… let-alone my knee hurts, just to cycle to-school…” Alicia joked…

The 2-BFF waited for the lift-car… that was old-and-slow…

The elevator was built decades ago when the school was established in the 70s. It was for ‘teachers-only’ before. It ‘had’ history of breaking-down several-times before – that even trapped the school’s peon, Muthoo Ganesan for 5-hours years ago, before firemen rescued-him…

… since the lift was repaired ‘after’ the peon-incident… teachers had a phobia to use it – and the temperamental elevator too had broken-down several time ‘again’… and the lift-car was left ‘Out-of-Service’ for a-long period due to the school’s budget… but recently this year, Principal-Harris had it repaired…

… when there were 3-handicapped students who were seniors… who ‘needed’ to get to the 2nd floor…

“Why is it ‘soo’ late…is the bloody-thing broken…?” Alicia groaned…

Blind Jane’s keen-ear senses – ‘heard’ faint-vibrating hums, and felt it in-her-bosoms too…

“Patience-Ali, it’s ‘coming-down’ – ‘why’ are you ‘re in such a hurry… the bell has ‘not’ gone-yet…?”

Lovingly, Alicia wrapped her-arms around her BFF’s neck…and playfully said…

“Why-Janey, do you ‘think’ you-were the ‘only-one’ who HAS A BOY WAITING for you in the 2nd-floor – I got someone ‘waiting’ too…” The Chinese-girl giggled…

“… you’re ‘found’ someone, Ali – YOU HAVEN’T ‘told’ me…who…?” Asked the confused Jane…

Alicia divulged that his name was Ken Chan, a student transfer from Taiwan – and was the nephew of her-Auntie Liu whose restaurant in Chinatown… that-served Jane’s favorite dish of Taiwanese stinky-tofu…

“… his-parents are super-rich and rented him a mansion for him and his 2-buddies to stay in Perth as students-transfer from Taiwan – they ‘been’ here a month-already ‘way-before’ our term-break…

“… Ken has got a big-motorcycle… I rode with him and showed him around Perth, but we cannot go far because of the-stupid lockdown… but he ‘followed’ during the Family-day trip to Rottnest Island…”

Jane interrupted her chatty-friend…

“… Ali, wasn’t he the one who fell into the sea with Peter…?”

“Ya-lo… during that rough-sea going to the island – and thank-God, he was ‘not’ drowned that-day – when the teachers and some men-on the ferry rescued-him in a-nick-of-time…”

Alicia continued with her-excited-voice saying…

“Today is his first day with us in SHS – Ken is a Taekwondo blackbelt over there in his former school in Taiwan – Coach Jonah told him he’s a big-asset in school, as he would win medals for-us…”

The slow-elevator-reached the first-floor and dinged…

Alicia guided her blind-BFF to the lift-car – and pressed the ‘only’ button-up to the 2nd floor…

…Jane passively heard her rapt best-friend going-on-and-on – about her new-found beau…

“… he invited me to his-place and we played videogames We have soo-soo much in common – I think I’m falling in love with him, Janey… I’m 13 and he’s 16… and our Fengshui is ‘matched’ too…” The Chinese-girl disclosed…

In the vertically moving lift-car – Jane ‘remembered’ Perthland-realm where she-and-Paul were ‘abled-bodied’ teenagers for 5-days ‘WITHOUT’ SUPERPOWERS… before ‘transcending’ to ‘here’ in the post-Treeton-realm…

… over-there in Perthland, Ken Chan bullied Paul – who HAD ‘STALKED’ Alicia… because she ‘was’ his girlfriend in the other-Perth…

Alicia-too was Jane’s rival who ‘HATED’ HER… when she ‘won’ the SHS Sports-Girl award for tennis over-there in Perthland…

‘… oh-my-dog… I don’t want TO ‘LOSE’ my best-friend – ‘why’ is falling in-love in the bloody multiverse so-complex and confusing…?’

The elevator reached the 2nd floor with a pitched-ding and the door-opened… the excited Alicia held Jane’s hand and quickly led her out-of the car, saying…

“Let’s go-girlfriend – IT’S OUR SENIOR YEAR – let’s go for our-conquest to excel in our-studies and ‘get’ our-boys too…!”

<>

THE SCHOOL BELL HAD ‘NOT’ RUNG-YET – Paul was in the new classroom early in the 2nd-floor with some early-bird classmates in their ‘new’ long black-pants uniforms. Everybody was sitting in their junior-class arrangement – so he parked his-wheelchair in the back of Jane’s and… waited for his girlfriend…

… he noticed the class was filling-up with students who were excited of ‘what-they-did’ during the term-break holidays. Some boys acknowledged him calling him, Tarzan-Paul…

… and, ‘where-is' his-Jane…?

Paul heard the boisterous Irish-backbenchers coming-in – they were noisy as-usual… but his twin, Peter was ‘not’ with them.

In less-than a minute, Jane entered the classroom, tapping carefully to a new-environment’s floor with her blind-cane. The delighted Paul grinned-wide to see’ her – but his heart pained that she looked gaunt and lost-weight… since he ‘last’ saw her physically @the South Beach, 3-weeks-ago…

‘…damn-you devil… what have you ‘done’ to her…?’

The moment Jane’s 3rd-eye saw the blue-glow – she ran to him and hugged-him… soon they were kissing in the middle-of-the classroom…

The rest of the students ‘felt’ weird of the 2 handicapped-classmates displaying their affection ‘openly’ in the classroom…

“OII-THERE! Go ‘get’ a room, you-2 – I saw the janitor’s closet-area is ‘available’ for you-both to ‘make’ a jungle of lil’ Tarzans-and-Janes cross-breeds…” Terry Donovan ridiculed them… that brought laughers to everyone…

Jane sat on her seat, in front of Paul – and, both were quiet AS THEY REFLECTED of their ‘silly’ act of kissing-in-school…

… but with the present ‘circumstance’ in post-Treeton… with the antagonistic doctor-mother – it made them yearn-for-each-other even more…

His reveries-poofed when Paul felt a tap on his shoulder… turning his-neck and he heard a familiar voice…

“Hiye-Pauly, how’ve you doing playing Dota? What level are you…?” The cheery Alicia surprised him…

No answer came-from Paul – as he looked tongue-tied… so, Alicia continued saying…

“… I’ve put my-Dota on-hold and – I’m playing-now ‘Spiderman’… I’m Madame Web-Arachine… wow, I’m having-fun…”

The school-bell rang…

Alicia walked to her desk, leaving Paul pale-looking in disbelief of Alicia’s face that he ‘had’ gazed just-now…

… with a lock of her hair from the beanie – that cover her left-eye…

… it was platinum-blonde – just like THE VERSION-of the teenager Alicia-Wong – who ‘HATED’ HIM in Perthland…

<>

PETER REACHED THE PARKING-BAY as he panted in-exhaustion as he chain-locked his mountain-bike – and, the school-bell had-rang 2-minutes ago…

He heard a roaring Rolls-Royce-Alison turbine-engine of superbike at his rear, arriving-in … he turned to see a senior-student in a full-visored helmet who was tardy in-time for school like-him…

“Hey-Peter Walker… wait-up…” Called the friendly-voice…

Sitting-up on the MTT Turbine-Streetfighter bike, and the-student removing his helmet – Peter ‘saw’ a bulked-up Asian-teenager getting-off his-vehicle…

… the tween can’t make-out ‘WHO’ HE-WAS – as they ‘looked’ alike with spiky boyband-hairstyles… until the Chinese student introduced-himself, as he held-and-shook Peter’s right-hand…

“… Peter, remember-me… I’m KC… Ken Chan…? YOU SAVED-ME that day in the Rottnest Island-sea… I cannot swim, you… you saved me… thank-you…thank-you…”

Peter then remembered ‘WHO’ HE-WAS – his-memories drown-back to the day-of having a one-armed tug-a-war with his-robotic arm-with ‘THIS’ CHINESE – who clenched-it with his-life as he drowned in the sea… the ‘STRUGGLING’ ACTION that ‘kept’ the duo afloat – until, the adult-rescue came…

“I remember-you! My robotic-arm is ‘not’ functioning-well – its ‘mediocre’ now…since it fell into the sea because of you… and I blame you for ruining my-million dollar-tech!!!”

Peter’s robotic-leftie pushed Ken’s wrist as he held the tween’s right hand. The Chinese-teen backed a step seeing the angry-boy…before apologizing…

“… I’m sorry… maybe the circuit-panel is ‘still’ wet – let me take a look at it… I can ‘fix’ it…” Ken insisted…

But Peter was still mad…

“No hell-you won’t – your parlour-trick of dropping it in a box-of-rice might work in China but ‘not’ Downunder – this is an American high-tech device… I don’t trust’ you with it!”

“… but Peter, I can help to fix it for-you…”

“NO-Thank-you! Whoever you-are, you’ve done-enough damage to it… you ‘bloody’ ruined it!” Peter shouted at the parking-lot, and…

… he wanted to ‘use’ racial-slurs… as he ‘remembered’ Chinatown-Wong was-with him on the ferry… but-he refrained… as the teenager was bigger-and-taller than him…

… so, ‘not’ to-be punched in-the-face – he ran-away shouting…

“… I don’t care if you’re related to Jacky-Chan… BUT YOUR kung-pow-kung-foo can’t do shit in fixing my-tech-arm – so, you-bloody stay-away from me, yea-hear-me…!!?”

Ken Chan sighed as he saw Peter running into the school-building...

-O-

Lugging his-backpack, strapped with his-Babolat – Peter raced upstairs by running over-40-steps to get to the 2nd-floor to his ‘new’ classroom – he was 10-minutes late on his first-day of school…

‘Not’ wanting to disrupt the class he entered the classroom’s 2nd door – his backbencher Irish-cobbers were delight to see him… as they ‘pointed’ to a seat ‘reserved’ for him…

… but’ Peter ignored’ them and walked further… checking-out the ‘new’ classroom…

There was his new-class teacher who – was an old female schoolteacher with a loud-voice talking as he walked over to the middle-of the class – and glanced at her name that was chalk-written on the blackboard as ‘Betty Staghorn’…

… Peter remembered that today was ‘Orientation Day’ with no lessons taught – and the English-teacher Ms Staghorn was briefing on her teaching syllabus for the new-senior term.

Peter walked-up to a vacant seat and sat on it – it was Charlotte Thompson’s chair… but she was still hospitalized since suffering zombie-bite infections in the last-term…

…Paul-and-Jane were both aware of the presence of the RED-GLOW in their midst…

… Paul saw the ‘devil’ twin grinning at him – while looking slyly at blind-Jane…

‘… it you-ever ‘harm’ her – I’ll bloody ‘kill’ you, you-devil…’

<><>

DURING-RECESS,BOTH PAUL AND JANE ISOLATED themselves from the rest of the students as they had their ‘secret’ superheroes-related matters to discuss as the Defender-of-Perth duo…

… they-both were ‘banging-heads-to-the-wall’ in desperation – as they ‘can’t’ figure-out the-devil’s playbook in ‘current’ post-Treeton – WITH ‘NO’ natural-disasters that happened-yet in post-Treeton-Perth or in the greater-Australia …

… where-else, in the other-Perth, they were StarGirl-and-Gemini-Blue… as they stopped Perth Great Fire when they defeated Ammut-and-Ammit with the ally-counterpart Mercury-the-Red-demon…

Paul was quiet and ate his pasta, nonchalantly crowd-watching… while his blind-girlfriend went on-and-on like a broken-record pinning HER ‘ONLY’ HOPE – that the Red-demon would ‘return’ to guide-them in their defenders-of-Perth missions…

… the crippled-tween ‘dismissed’ the idea to himself – as it BEEN 6-MONTHS he ‘last’ had-seen Mercury – SINCE HE ‘RESCUED’ the superheroes’ souls in Purgatory… after their ‘suicide-mission’ TO ESCAPE the hellish-Perthland – where Paul-and-Jane who doesn’t ‘own’ their superpowers in-that-teenaged-realm…

‘… ‘how’ many-times do I have to ‘repeat-myself’ to you-dear – that-Merc is ‘not’ coming – we’re ‘both’ on our-own in post-Treeton to figure-out ways to-either ‘DEAL-OR-KILL’ the devil…

‘… all is ‘clear’ in the Western-Australian front… but in the Perth-bubble – in-our-dreams… Peter is wrecking-havoc ‘that’ WEAKENS US-BOTH, with his-depraved imaginations…

‘… how’ do I ‘KILL’ THE-DEVIL this-time…?’

“Pauly, you’re quiet… what are you thinking…?” Asked his-blind girlfriend…

“…err-just… just-how to ‘protect’ you…”

“… don’t worry about me – I can take care of-myself – if I drink wine, he can’t harm-me… then, I know ‘somewhere’ now that I can ‘hide’ in the Garden-of-Eden… where Peter can’t ‘find’ me…”

The boyfriend scoffed…

“Hah! Look at you, Jane – look ‘what’ Peter has done to you… and ‘us’…?”

Jane’s hand reached across the table and held Paul’s wrist… to calm him-down…

“… be-patient, my love… soon Peter would ‘SLIP-UP’ and we’ll ‘know’ his plans in this-post-Treeton Perth – then we ‘both’ would GET-HIM…”

Paul reluctantly-nodded – as he gazed across the canteen-hall to the red-glow…

… where – his-twin sat at a table with his-girlfriend, Bella – as a couple.

‘… ‘why’re you bothering my-girlfriend-for, you damned-devil…?’

The crippled-Paul was ‘not’ the only-one ‘marking-and-targeting’ Peter – the long-table of the Irish-boys too were displeased with him for ‘NOT’ SITTING among the backbenchers in the classroom in the senior-term…

… their ‘new’ leader Terry Donovan rebuked him to his band-of-cobbers…

“You bloody one-armed-bandit… he thinks he is bloody ‘too-good’ for us – let’s see what ‘friends’ he-got other-than-us… ‘who’ does he have other than his-slutty-girlfriend… nobodyy…!!?”

Across then, at Peter’s table – Peter was complaining to Bella of the ‘poor-quality’ of food served by the newly appointed canteen-operators in this new school-term…

… incompliance to SHS’ healthy-food policy – to cut down on sugar-salt-and-fats in the student’s diet…

“This pasta taste ‘bland-and-shitty’… even my-mom who is a bad-cook serves me something that’s edible… how am I gonna eat this – where is the salt-shaker…? And, those bloody-fools don’t even ‘sell’ coke anymore here, dammit… Frenchie, who drinks bottled Swiss-mountain mineral piss-water…other than-you…?”

Someone approached the cursing-teen’s table from his rear…

“Peter Walker…” Ken Chan called…

Peter turned his-head to the Chinese-teenager – and retaliated…

“What do you ‘want’…? I told you just-now to ‘not’ bother-me… why ‘are’ you here…!!?”

“I came to pass you a ‘gift’ that you may-like…” Ken said as he put a 2-foot-long gift-wrapped box on the table…

“I don’t want your gift!”

Bella scolded her boyfriend…

“Peter! Don’t be-rude!”

She then spoke in Mandarin to ‘apologize-and-thank’ for the gift… she even gave the teenager her Chinese-restaurant’s business-card which her uncle co-owned in Chinatown … and the boy left after some exchange of pleasantry. Bella turned to the brooding Peter.

“What’s wrong with you – why creating enemies on the first-day of school…? Ken offered you a present… in appreciation of what you did at the Rottnest Island where you ‘SAVED’ HIS LIFE…”

“… oh-yea… hope his life is worth ‘more’ than my million-dollar robotic-arm that he bloody-ruined by falling in the sea-water with – that screwed-up the circuit… Kimura-Star told me specifically ‘not’ to get my devices wet… as they wont repairs-it if it-goes faulty, yea – and the odds of my-bloody luck that – out-of 1.4 billion-Chinese-in China, that bloody-fool DID’ JUST-THAT…!” The displeased-Peter ranted…

“… then it’s your fault – why you bring your ‘toy’ to a beach-trip if you ‘knew’ the consequences… so, don’t blame others, when the milk-is-spilt – come-love… open your ‘prezzie’…” Bella slid the maroon gift-wrapped rectangular-box across the table.

Peter shoved the gift-box back to Bella… he ‘felt’ the mystery-gift’s wooden-casing…

“You ‘have’ it – like I said I don’t want no gift… that can’t compensate the loss on my part – you take it… it’s a wooden-box – probably a bloody violin in it, cos the feller’s girlfriend is a fiddler… but you can give me the violin’s string if you wanna… I can go-strangle that dingo barking at-me at home…!”

“Hey! That’s animal cruelty! I won’t tolerate that…” Said his ‘activist’ girlfriend…

“… okay, Peter… THANK-YOU for the prezzie…” Bella unwrapped by tearing the maroon paper-wrap… students from other tables around gawked-to-see…

Peter’s eyes popped, and his jaw dropped… when the gift-in-the-box was…

… a rare-edition of Boris Becker L3 1995 World-championship tennis racquet… the ‘most’ expensive racket of-today costing over-$5000… if one can ‘find’ it in the market – cos it was a limited-edition with ‘only’ 3100 pieces of the graphite-Kevlar custom-made in the world…

“GIVE IT TO-ME…! I WANT IT!”

… Peter immediately checked if it was a ‘China-knockoff’… as in these-day-and-age, it ‘was’ possible…

… but it was a real-deal – authenticated by a certificate…

“… who would-be crazy enough to gift-me with this such-Beauty…?”

“…probably a-Crazy Rich Asian would…” Bella chucked at her boyfriend – who ‘still’ was stumped with bewilderment…

He held the racquet with the robotic-arm… as he admired its fine-making-of a ‘Champion’s choice-of-weapon’ – Bella interrupted…

“Hey, aren’t you going to ‘thank’ Ken for-it…?”

“…err… ‘do’ I have-to…?”

“Yes-Peter – you ‘must’…”

… Peter then thought of the pathetic-budget OF $100… which his-mom could ‘afford’ to spare in his ‘tennis-comeback’ of using his-Smasher cyborg-arm – now, in his-hand was ‘something’ – which was worth 50-TIMES ‘more’… the ‘Ferrari’ of tennis-racquets…

“… hey… aren’t you going over….?” Bella asked...

“… err-Frenchie… can you come-along…? I don’t speak Chinese…”

Peter-and-Bella left the table, carrying along the black rectangular-case to another table –where Ken Chan was eating with his Taekwondo teammates…

… the prying-eyes of 2 separate-tables of Paul-and-Terry were upon them…

“… look-at-him, look-at the one-armed-bandit bromancing with the Asians… this is a shame-and-a-low…” The irked-leader rebuked to the Irish boy-gang…

“… look-at-him, Peter is making ‘new’ friends who buy him ‘prezzies’… what’ a bloody lucky-guy… receiving so-many gifts since ‘coming’ to post-Treeton…” The covet-Paul denigrated to blind-Jane…

Paul further shared with Jane that – Peter ‘WAS-UP’ TO something’ behind their mother’s back, during the recent holiday-break…

…where he’d invited his ‘NEW-FOUND-FRIENDS’ to the upstairs of the Walker’s House – where he ‘heard’ rumbling noises ‘ traveling’ behind the kitchen’s walls…

… before he could continue his-story… The PA system-speakers blared in the canteen…

Everyone heard the loud-and-clear… of disciplinarian Vice-Principal, Miss Ann Burnell’s voice…

“ATTENTION ALL-STUDENT… THIS IS A JOYFUL ANNOUNCEMENT ON OUR-FIRST DAY IN SCHOOL – WE ARE PLEASED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WE WOULD HAVE A ‘SURPRISE’ VISIT FROM OUR-HONORARY MAYOR-AND-WIFE WHO – WOULD BE HERE LATER TO ‘PRESENT’ PERTH’S COMPLIMENTARY AWARDS…

“WE’LL NO-FINAL LESSON IN THE AFTERNOON… YOUR-CLASS-TEACHER WILL INFORM-AND-LEAD YOU-STUDENTS – WHERE WE WOULD ASSEMBLE AT THE GYMNASIUM FOR THE AWARD-PRESENTATION…

“WE HAVE IMPORTANT VISITORS IN OUR-SCHOOL TODAY… ALL-STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO-BE IN THEIR GOOD-BEHAVIOUR…

“… THE FOLLOWING-STUDENTS:

PAUL WALKER JANE WILSON

“… PLEASE COME TO MY OFFICE IMMEDIATELY…

“… THE REST OF YOU… GO-BACK TO YOUR CLASS – AND, MEET AT THE GYM, WHEN INSTRUCTED-LATER…”

The PA announcement was over…and, the school BELL RANG…

… Peter-and-Jane looked at-each-other in bewilderment…

“What did we do…?”