| TITLE: What money can't buy� By Jemmiah Set: About four months after Jemmy is taken in by the temple. "�And then when I got back from school," Sophie let her voice deliberately rise so that everyone in the classroom could hear her, "I found that my father had bought me my own pet cannoid! She's such a sweet little thing and she just adores me!" Sophie's classmates ceased packing away school equipment into their bags and crowded around their distinctly smug looking classmate, who was handing out holopics showing her holding her newly acquired pet. As they looked on amidst ooooooohs and ahhhhhhhs, their eyes enviously studying the image of the small, fluffy white dog in Sophie's pudgy arms, one person alone in the class continued to ignore the hubbub, her back turned against the centre of attention by way of a deliberate snub. It was, as Jemmiah clearly recognised, Sophie's way of belittling everyone around her - but herself in particular: the impoverished orphan with poor connections and extremely feeble prospects. Whilst most would think that having Jedi as guardians was kind of special, Sophie disagreed vehemently. What was the point of having all that so-called power if you could never use it for yourself, she would argue? They had no material goods to speak of, which meant they had no real influence and in turn was of no importance whatsoever. Infact, as Sophie had been quick to point out, the Jedi served no real purpose at all in the galaxy, classing them as little short of vermin. And that was exactly what she thought of Jemmiah Angeline Gleshan. Well, she could think what she wanted, the Corellian girl reminded herself obstinately, rustling her bag as loudly as she could so that Sophie would see that somebody wasn't paying her the slightest bit of attention. Sophie went out of her way to make her life a misery. She stole food from her locker. She used threats and insults to get whatever she wanted. Jemmy had met her type before. In her old life, back on Nargotria, she would have simply backed down and gone out of her way to do as was requested - anything for a quiet life. Not here, though�not now. Jemmy would not be put upon by stupid cowards like Digwurt! "Last year I got a Sand Hamster," Sophie continued, making her voice carry further still to all the corners of the room, "but my brother accidentally sat on him. So this year I got a cannoid! Isn't she just the most wonderful thing in the galaxy?" Everybody agreed instantly. There were few that would argue with Sophie. All except for Jemmiah who continued to pack, feeling the radiating displeasure from Sophie's eyes falling squarely between her shoulder blades. "I got a gold pendant with a teardrop Corusca stone for my birthday." Piped up a brash little voice, that of a small dark haired girl who dared to steal some of Sophie's thunder, which Ms. Digwurt did not take at all kindly. The temerity! The insolence! The�the barefaced cheek! Just who were they talking about here??? "I'm sure it's lovely." Sophie said dryly, not meaning it in the slightest. "But it's not as big as a dog, is it? And not as expensive as a dog! My dog has a studded diamond collar. You can't love a cheap necklace the way you can a dog. You can't take it for walks or feed it. You can't play with it. It doesn't love you back�" Jemmy's mouth quirked into a lopsided smile. The chances of Sophie taking her pet for a walk or looking after it were small indeed, for when Sophie tired of gifts they were generally abandoned very quickly in favour of some new fad. And if Sophie did indeed love the poor creature for something more than being prized by her school rivals - which Jemmy doubted very much - the chances of her being loved in return were slim, for there were few people breathing that were so universally unlovable as Sophie Digwurt� Not surprisingly in the face of such a dismissive comeback, Sophie's rival shut up. "I got a year's pass to the amusement park on the south side of Coruscant!" challenged a tall, gawky looking boy. "It cost my mother a fortune!" "Well, I got a brand new wrist chrono that does all kinds of stuff!" Huffed one girl, safely out of reach of Sophie's arms. "They're not cheap either!" "I'm getting Nargot riding lessons! And then when I'm older I'm going to have my own Nargot! No, my own stable full of them!" Chipped in another argumentative boy, determined to upstage Sophie any way possible. "That's nothing!" Retorted a fourth child adamantly. "I got my own speeder for my birthday last year!" "You're not old enough to fly a speeder." Sophie growled back with all the charm of a seriously displeased Gundark. "It's registered in my name! Dad is going to look after it for me until I'm big enough to fly it for myself!" "I got a spanking new comlink!" Sophie's eyes flitted dangerously around the room. What had been a pleasant moment, with herself rightly at the centre of the adulation, had been spoiled by all the - frankly - incredulous counter claims by her classmates, each one becoming more and more outlandish, embroidered and embellished with every retelling. What did it matter how "awesome" Denny's speeder was, if it even existed? Who was interested in the thousand and one functions of Triona's chrono, and the silly tunes that it made on the hour mark? And as for Iamm's spanking new comlink, she knew exactly what she would like to do with it� Why couldn't they understand that it wasn't about them? It was about her! Normally they wouldn't even question her natural authority both in and outwith the classroom. Her father always said that natural born leaders progressed to the top through sheer talent. Popularity had nothing to do with it! Power was everything�and being the most powerful meant rendering everyone else around her less powerful than she was! She had the best clothes, the most expensive presents: in short she had everything. She liked the fact that deep down everyone was afraid of her� Her eyes homed in on Jemmiah. Nearly everyone, that was. Some people had no idea how to play by the rules: Sophie's rules. Look at her there, sorting her bag in preparation to go home! Back to her vacuous, joyless temple filled with boring Jedi�with hardly a possession to her name and probably just the uniform on her back to wear. Sophie recollected that her father said the Jedi were deranged and deluded con-artists, who used strange illusions and tricks - probably all drug induced - to make people think they had real power. They obviously didn't get much food to eat either, judging by the Corellian's scrawny, stunted body. With all this against her, it was beyond Sophie's reasoning why Jemmiah didn't bow and scrape with all the others. What was so darned special about her that she thought she was going to get away with it? She acted like she had principals, but how could she, being an orphan? Her father didn't seem to think much of them either, calling them life's wastrels and spongers, and her father was always right� And she was Corellian to boot! Urgh! That dreadful accent just got on Sophie's nerves! Deciding that Jemmiah must be the reason everybody was stood around her arguing about how important their presents had been that year when compared to her own, when they should be admiring her instead, Sophie pushed her way through the swarm of young bodies until she was barely three paces away from the smaller girl. A whole head and a bit's worth of height separated the two of them and usually Sophie did not hesitate to use her physical advantage to intimidate her opponents, few as they were, but it never seemed to work on the street rat�and boy, did that make her seethe! "I suppose," Sophie hissed at Jemmiah, whose back remained well and truly turned against her, "there's no point in asking YOU what you got as a present. I mean," her top lip curled scornfully as she ran her eyes up and down the elfin figure with the platted chestnut hair, "you are POOR." The titters of nervous laughter that followed Sophie's words stung Jemmiah, but she refused to let anyone know it. Listening for a while, Jemmy closed the flap of the bag, shutting it with a snap of the buckle and slinging the strap over her shoulder. Sophie loved to hear the sound of her own voice, so why not let her talk? Jemmy doubted she could get her to shut up anyway. "Who'd want to give you anything expensive, anyway?" Digwurt continued, her hands balling impotently by her sides, waiting and hoping for some kind of reaction from Jemmiah. She was, however, greatly disappointed when none was forthcoming. "It would be wasted on you�stunted bogweed!" Jemmiah slung her jacked over her other shoulder and finally turned to look Sophie in the eye�even although she was probably closer to Sophie's navel in reality. Two unblinking copper eyes conveying not the slightest fear or intimidation stared right back at Sophie. "I didn't get something expensive." Jemmy answered truthfully, clutching instinctively at Nadine's handkerchief within her pocket. "I knew it!" "I got something priceless. Something you can't begin to put a price on. Much greater than your stupid dog and it's stupid collar," Jemmiah's poured fire into her words, hoping her accent would really annoy Sophie as much as she claimed it did, "and much better than any Sand Hamster, squashed or otherwise. It's a million times more precious than a speeder, and far more special than trips to the amusement arcades, or learning how to sit on a Nargot!" Jemmiah began to walk haughtily out of the room, her head held high, knowing that this time all the attention was firmly on her. Even Sophie's attention. Tough if she didn't like it! "You're lying." Sophie stamped after her. "You're saying that just to make yourself sound important! What could you be given that was priceless?" "A home." Replied Jemmiah, shrugging Sophie away. "I was given a home, and a new family. I've gained a brother, and an army of protectors. I think that's slightly more important than a chrono, don't you?" Jemmy burned her enemy with a contemptuous glare, watching the others huddling instinctively around the central figure of the larger girl but this time, she was pleased to note, they didn't seem too sure about it. If she'd given them all a chance to think for themselves then so much the better, rather than leaving it up to the despicable Digwurt to do it for them. Even now, looking at Sophie's Gamorrean snout-like face, Jemmiah couldn't resist a parting shot. "Now, tell me Sophie�whose father loves who the most?" And with that Jemmiah walked out of the door, for once leaving Sophie and her companions lost for words�. |