Chapter Text
Pencil, Leafy, Bracelety, and Liy were cluttered at the back of the room, chattering with each other. Most of them had already finished the worksheet Four gave them about graphing equations, so while they were waiting for Four, they may as well talk.
“Y’know, I’ve always thought graphing was something we do in Geometry, not Algebra,” Liy stated, looking at Pencil’s worksheet which was covered with doodles of Freesmart and the other EXITors.
“If you’ve taken ANY Algebra class, Liy, you’d know they make you do graphing,” Pencil argued back.
“Well, I supposed this math isn’t too hard,” Leafy added, “You couldn’t get much simpler than this in Algebra.”
“ARE YOU GOING TO FINISH YOU WORKSHEET, PENCIL?” Bracelety asked from her seat, quite loudly.
“Why do you want it?” Pencil retorted before pulling her worksheet away from the bracelet.
“I RAN OUT OF SCRAP PAPER FOR MY SIGNS, AND I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SOME MORE PAPER TO KEEP MAKING MY SIGNS FOR ICE CUBE!!!” Bracelety replied.
“That won’t be necessary,” a voice interrupted from the door. The four EXITors glanced at Four who entered through the doorway. “I’m back and I hope you’ve done your worksheets.”
Four heads over to his desk and takes a cursory peek at the papers of his desk. His face quickly shifted from gleeful to disappointed. “Unsurprisingly, Leafy was the only one who got all of them correct,” Four sighed, “Liy left half the paper blank and BRACELETY, STOP WRITING ICE CUBE ALL OVER YOUR PAPER!!” His head snapped towards Pencil, causing the object to flinch back. “AND YOU. YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO NOT EVEN DO THE WORKSHEET!!” His voice rose to a screech, causing the EXITors to cover their ‘head’ or ’ears.’ “I know a fitting way to punish you three…” Four grumbled under his breath.
His hand came in from the door and grabbed everyone aside from Leafy. The leaf yelped as the hand retracted into the outside of the EXIT. “I’ll be back, Leafy,” Four grumbled before snapping his fingers and teleporting elsewhere. Outside of the room, a muffled cacophony screechies, zappies, and screaming was heard. Leafy shrunk in her seat at the sounds of the others’ suffering. Shortly after the screaming died down, Four came in carrying Bracelety, who was covering her ‘head’ and had her tail wrapped around her, followed by Pencil, who was angered albeit shaking, and Liy, who was covering her ‘ears’ and also looking shaken.
“Now that you have all been properly punished,” Four growled before his tone switched to cheery, “I have some very exciting news for you four!” Four placed Bracelety back in her seat and the other two shuffled back to theirs as well. The number grabbed a piece of chalk and started to scribble on the board.
“Since you all just finished your graphing worksheets, I’m going to want you all to exercise that in this project,” Four announced, receiving a groan from Pencil and Liy alongside Leafy’s optimistic ‘yay!’ With the chalk in his hand, Four started scratching instructions on the blackboard. “This project will require you to write an equation, a series of points, a system of equations, or inequalities to show to me your knowledge of graphing. It doesn’t have to be super complex and I encourage your creativity. It would be nice to see your artistic skills as well, considering how much you all like to draw on your desks.” The EXITors all stayed quiet at the comment and some placed their arms over the doodles. “As long as you were paying attention in class,” Four paused before his eyes locked onto Pencil, making her look away nervously. “Then this project shouldn’t be too difficult to complete. You have until X and I finish counting the votes for the next Cake at Stake, which may take an hour. See ya!” With those words, Four warped out of the classroom and sheets of paper appeared on the EXITors’ desks. On his desk, a small egg timer was placed as it ticked down from one hour. Behind the desk, on the chalkboard, in white chalk, was the list of instructions that Four had written verbatim.
The tension in the classroom eased once Four left. Leafy was the first to leave her seat as she headed to the pile of scrap paper on a table to the side and grabbed a few sheets of graph paper as well as some tape. Bracelety followed after Leafy, but she headed to the computer instead of the scrap paper. She scratched her name in all-caps onto the computer log before booting up the old cuboid machine. The other three EXITors gave Bracelety a side-eye, but it wasn’t something they weren’t used to. Regardless, Pencil spoke up.
“Bracelety, don’t tell me you’re working on that stupid website with all those Ice Cubes,” Pencil groaned.
“Yeah, that website crashes the computer too much,” Liy added.
“OH, I’M NOT WORKING ON THE WEBSITE!” Bracelety exclaimed, “I’M DOING RESEARCH!!” She began typing away on the keyboard, enthusiastically before pulling up a graph online. Using the site, she placed points on the graph and connected them with segments to form a cube. Dissatisfied, Bracelety played with the program, trying to achieve a certain shape.
Meanwhile, Leafy began to tape together multiple sheets of graph paper on the floor. Liy got out of her seat and headed over to the side table, trying to not step on Leafy’s work in progress. She scanned the books and picked up a random one that had the iconic grid of graphs on the cover. Hugging the book tight, she walked back to her seat, still avoiding Leafy’s graph paper which was becoming rather large at this point.
“Leafy, why do you even need this much graph paper, anyways?” Liy asked before plopping the book onto her desk followed by a loud thud.
“Oh, it’s for my project! You’ll see what it is!” Leafy beamed happily as she crawled out from under the paper, her stem tail wagging. She picked up her pen and began to map out dots on the graph.
Liy opened up the textbook and started reading through the pages, taking notes on her information. Bracelety also jotted down a few notes before hopping off the computer and returning to her seat. Pencil, on the other hand, leaned back in her chair and shut her eyes. Leafy took notice as she was mapping out her project.
“Hey Pencil, I suggest you get started with your project-” Leafy recommended, “It’s been fifteen minutes and you know what Four does when we don’t.”
“Pff- So what? They’ll find some way to punish us regardless. They’re barbaric,” Pencil retorted, eyes still closed.
“Well, I would hate to see you suffer,” Leafy responded, her tail drooping. After a few seconds of thought, she perked up. “Hey! How about I do the project for you?!”
Pencil opened her eyes and glanced at Leafy, smirking, “I wouldn’t be opposed to that.”
“Guys, we’re not supposed to be doing that,” Liy interfered, “Aren’t you a rule follower, Leafy? You wouldn’t want Four finding out about this would you?”
“Since when did you care about the rules?” Pencil asked.
“Look, I don’t want to deal with his screeches and zaps anymore,” Liy admitted, shrinking slightly in her seat.
“Well, none of us do,” Pencil added, “But, I won’t comply with that creature’s forms of punishment.”
Liy rolled her eyes and then returned to notetaking in the textbook. Bracelety began to write out her own project while watching the chaos stir up from the side. Leafy quickly finished writing down what she had of her project before looking up at Pencil.
“So, how do you want me to make the project?” Leafy asked as she scurried over to Pencil’s desk with a pencil and paper in hand.
“Oh, I dunno- just make it something about me,” Pencil stated, half-heartedly, “Something like- my point or whatever.”
She swiftly noted down the comment before giving a thumbs up. “Okie dokie!!” Leafy exclaimed as she grabbed another piece of graph paper before scurrying back to her own project space. She then drew a parabola with a sharp maximum rather than the normal curve. From there, she began to find points to create an equation for the shape drawn.
In the meanwhile, Pencil continued to nap, Liy continued her research, and Bracelety finished up her project. When completed, Bracelety held up the paper, proud of her work. She hopped out of her seat and placed the singular sheet of paper on the desk up-front. She turned back and watched the others continue to work on their projects. Curious, she approached Leafy who continued to scribble down Pencil’s project as graph paper surrounded her.
“WHAT ARE YOU MAKING?” Bracelety asked loudly.
“Oh, Hiya Bracelety!” Leafy greeted cheerfully, “I’m trying to figure out a formula for Pencil’s point. For her project, y’know?”
“WOULDN’T FOUR DISLIKE THAT?” Bracelety asked, concerned. She plopped down on her ‘belly’ as she watched Leafy work on the projects.
“Oh… but, it’s for a good reason!” Leafy exclaimed as she continued to work. “I’m just helping a former veteran is all! I’m sure Four will understand my acts of kindness!”
Bracelety glanced at the project Leafy worked on for Pencil before her eyes trailed to the large graph paper Leafy had created. A scatterplot of dots covered the left side of the y-axis, seemingly in a random order. Bracelety may not have been sharp in wits, but she struggled to deduce the concept behind the simple dots that littered the two quadrants. She tilted her head, attempting to get a new angle of the project, but it still appeared to be nonsensical. Giving up on riddling this puzzle herself, Bracelety spoke up.
“WHAT’S YOUR PROJECT SUPPOSED TO BE, LEAFY?”
Leafy peered over, glancing at her unfinished work. “Oh, that’s a surprise! You’ll find out when I present it!” Leafy exclaimed excitedly.
She jotted down the equation for Pencil’s point and then handed the Freesmarter the work for the project. Pencil peeped open her eyes to survey the project. She sat up and picked up the paper as well as the attached graph. She smiled at the work Leafy had done for her, impressed.
“I’m surprised you were able to finish this on time,” Pencil remarked, “Thanks, I guess.” She began to add her own touches to the project, such as changing the variables and coloring in the graph to look more like her point.
“No problem!” Leafy replied optimistically. She looked a little saddened by Pencil’s apathetic ‘thank you’ but she skipped back to her own project regardless, plotting down more points.
In the background, Liy finished up her notetaking and began to transfer the notes onto the blank project paper she was granted. Everyone began racing to finish up their projects before Four came back as only a couple of minutes remained. When the timer rang, Four teleported into the room as Pencil and Liy slammed their work onto the desk while Leafy heaved her blanket of graph paper over to the front. The other EXITors and Four stared at her as she hobbled behind the teacher's desk. She pushed a corner of the project up to reveal her excited face.
“May I go first?” Leafy asked, politely.
Four looked back, dumbfounded. “Of course!” He replied joyously shortly after.
Leafy quickly set up her project, posting the graph paper on the projector using binder clips. Four shuffled to the back of the room as the other EXITors returned to their desks. The graph paper was just a junkyard of dots on the left side of the y-axis, puzzling everyone in the class and even Four, themself. Leafy pulled out her project paper as she cleared her throat.
“Hello everyone! I’m Leafy, as I’m sure you all know,” Leafy began, “And for the project we were assigned, Four encouraged us to be creative so I did!”
“So you decided to put random dots on a graph?” Pencil mocked.
“Pencil, be quiet! I highly doubt your project is half the quality of her’s,” Four responded, passive-aggressively making Pencil recoil in offense.
“Now Pencil, I don’t appreciate your comment, but I’ll forgive you since you’re my buddy! Anyways, I happen to know this pattern very well!” Leafy continued, “This, my friends, is the iconic dodging pattern as dubbed by the fans of the show. I have been subject to the unfortunate struggle of this obstacle, but I have now vented my struggles onto paper for you all to see! I’d say it’s pretty creative!” She held up two pieces of printer paper with a series of points listed on them. “I’ve compiled the pattern into these points so you can create one yourself if you wish to do so! Thank you for your time!” Leafy bowed proudly as she concluded her mini-presentation.
“Wow, wow, wow! I loved the callback to BFDI you made there!” Four complimented. Leafy’s stem tail wagged as a large grin spread across her face. “It was very creative indeed and I can see that you’ve demonstrated how to properly write a point on the coordinate plane as well! Great job, Leafy! This has got to be the best project I’ve seen, ever!”
“ISN’T THIS ALSO THE ONLY PROJECT YOU’VE EVER SEEN?” Bracelety commented.
Four glanced at Bracelety briefly, an uncanny smile painted on his face. A screech rose from his throat and the object cowered, though Four never delivered the dreaded screech. Instead, he requested, “Bracelety, why don’t you go next?”
“OKAY!” Bracelety exclaimed.
Leafy pulled her large visual off the project and stumbled to her seat as Bracelety set up. Her project wasn’t as grand as the previous one, but it had content. She held up the small graph in her hand as a square with rounded edges was drawn about the origin.
“FOR MY PROJECT, I FOUND THE EQUATION y4=1-x4 WHICH GRAPHS OUT TO BECOME A PICTURE OF ICE CUBE!! HOORAY FOR ICE CUBE!!” Bracelety cheered happily.
“Why is it always Ice Cube?!” Pencil complained.
Ignoring Pencil, Four questioned, “But Bracelety, how did you figure out you needed to graph the equation like that?” He squinted his eyes at the equation. “I never taught you how to solve for the roots of these types of equations. You didn’t use the computer to search for an answer, did you?” Four accused, narrowing his eyes at Bracelety.
“I USED THE FIRST GRAPHING SITE I SAW ON THE COMPUTER,” Bracelety explained.
“I gave you graphing calculators for that reason!” Four angrily exclaimed.
“I thought it was pretty creative! Good job, Bracelety!” Leafy encouraged, causing a slight smile to form on Bracelety’s face.
“Whatever– Hopefully Liy can top that.” Four suggested, annoyed.
The light switch perked up from her seat, startled, “Me?!” She interjected, “Why not Pencil?!”
“You weren’t exactly listening to the presentations,” Four observed, causing Liy to look away, ashamed, “But I would also like to see Pencil do better than any of you all with her project.”
Pencil crossed her arms as Liy begrudgingly hopped off her seat and headed over to the front. Bracelety skipped back to her seat, placing the project papers on her desk. Liy didn’t post any visual for her project and instead, held up a simple piece of paper filled with bullet points of the notes she had taken from the textbook. Before she could even begin to present her work, Four interrupted.
“Liy, where is your visual?” Four asked.
“When did we need a visual?!” Liy exclaimed.
“When I told you to make one! It’s even on the board, see?!” Four retorted. His arm stretched out to point at the segment of instructions that requested the EXITors draw something for their projects. “I will be taking points off for this,” Four grumbled.
“Don’t worry, Fourty-Four! I’m sure whatever she has planned for the presentation will be better than some missing visual!” Leafy reassured, optimistically, causing Pencil to groan at her sweet talk.
“We’ll see about that…” Four growled as his eyes locked back onto Liy’s project.
She sighed at Four’s comment, but continued to present. “Well, as I was going to say before I was interrupted,” Liy hissed through her teeth, “You told us to demonstrate what we’ve learned, so I compiled a collection of those notes you would have us write in class.”
“Wha- What?!” Four interjected, but Liy continued regardless.
“I’m sure we all know how to write a point, with the x before the y, and we all know what slope-intercept looks like, right? Y=mx+b? And as Four failed to mention in class, we also have point slope, y - y1 = m(x - x1), and vertex form, a(x - h)² + k, with h and k being the x and y respectively. Now-”
“LIY, STOP!” Four hollered as a screech boiled in his throat. The light switch paused, unphased, and looked up from the papers she was reading from. “This project was meant to be a creative project, not for you to teach the class; that’s MY JOB!”
Passive-aggressively, Liy crossed her arms and glared at Four. “Well, if you’re meant to be teaching the class, why did you fail to go over important material-”
“I WAS GETTING TO IT!” Four retorted angrily before he zapped Liy with his bright laser. The latter collapsed on the ground behind the desk. The other EXITors remained in their seats speechless. Four sharply snaps his head to Pencil before growling, “Your turn.”
Fearfully, the writing utensil shuffled to the front of the room while Liy stumbled back to hers, groaning in pain. Once Pencil reached the front of the room, she pulled out her papers, and posted the graph Leafy drew for her on the board. She pulled out the paper with the equation on it before simply reading: “A= √3a2?” She looked up at her paper, nervously.
Four’s visage didn’t shift from his anger as he glared daggers into Pencil. “Pencil. I am greatly disappointed in you. Not only did you NOT know what you were doing, you clearly have not been paying attention in this class. GO BACK TO YOUR SEAT!” At the command, Pencil hurried back to her seat, not wanting to face the wrath of the Algebralien, who paced to the front of the room. He sighed heavily. “All of you, but Leafy, have disappointed me once again. As punishment,” Four snapped his fingers and a pile of papers appeared at the front of the room. He picked one up and presented it to the class. “This quiz. Complete it before I come back after today’s episode. It should be simple enough for even the most dim-witted of you all to finish. Goodbye.”
With his final words of dissatisfaction, he teleported out of the room once more. The EXITors all exchanged uneasy looks, none of them wanting to move from their seats after the horrific experience. Regardless, they would have to stick together and look out for each other as much as they could if they wanted to survive this hell…