Juvenalas Penitatas
Lesson 6: The First Day of Penny School

The prospect of going to a Penny School was one that had weighed heavily on Talek's mind. He knew little about what it was going to be like beyond the vague comments of his parents, and Rilka's horror stories of cruel teachers and extra harsh punishments. Though assured that they would go easier on him than his sister, when the day came it left Talek with a painful lump in his gut.
The boy was careful not to cause any trouble during the morning prep, knowing full well that his mother would happily send him to school with a sore bottom. Dressed and fed, the green scaled boy hovered anxiously by the door in a warm, blue jacket and trousers, waiting his turn for an encounter with Liki's hairbrush. Rilka, dressed in pink, was currently the subject of attention as their mother tried to wrestle the girl's dark blue hair into something resembling neatness. Upon giving up and letting the cream scaled lizard have a few wild strands, she tidied Talek's own black head with much greater success. "Okay!" she announced, "let's head out! I want you each to hold my hand as we walk."
The journey was pleasant enough, for the country road they followed was mostly sheltered from the wind. It was a walk done mostly in silence, bar occasional questions and assurances from Liki as to what her juvenalas son should expect. Other children appeared as they reached the town proper, either walking with parents or being led along by floating drones by tethered cuffs. One such child called out from behind them. "Rilka!"
Liki halted, and all three turned to face the approaching lizard girl. She was shielded from the cold by a fur-trimmed green jacket, her scales a splotchy patchwork of brown and beige. Liki frowned at the child as her Watchdog drew closer. "Lusu, you know full well that a penitatas shouldn't shout!"
"Sorry," the girl replied as she was led alongside the trio. Liki resumed the walk, allowing Rilka to stroll next to the new girl. Lusu immediately shifted focus to her friend. "How was your birthday?" she asked with a concerned tone of voice.
"I did something really stupid and paid for it," Rilka answered in a huff. "Mom and dad let me stay home yesterday to recover."
Lusu met the story with a grimace. "It wasn't forgetting to do your homework, right?"
The question made Rilka's eyes widen in terror, but Liki quickly stepped in. "I will be explaining to your teacher that we excused you from homework, cream-cake." The words put a weak smile back on the girl's snout.
The little group reached the school gates, and Lusu was released by her automated captor. She lingered for a moment, but upon seeing Liki's expression quickly wished her friend well and headed for class. “Shouldn't we go in too?” Rilka asked.
“We're waiting here,” Liki replied patiently, though they did not have to wait long. A Karrian female in a long, grey skirt and an amber cardigan wandered over with a smile on her snout.
“Ah, right on time! This young man must be Talek!” the female offered a claw. “I'm Miss Bassel, your new teacher. Follow me, please.”
The boy felt his paw squeezed tightly, drawing his eye back to his mother. “You'll be fine, sweetheart,” she assured him before letting go. “Just remember to behave!”

Miss Bassel's class was small, though the classroom had plenty of space for more students. As she ushered Talek inside the quiet background murmur ceased and all eyes turned on him, watching with interest as he sheepishly stood in front of them all. “Class, this is Talek. He is a juvenalas, so I expect everyone to be supportive of him as he settles in. Talek, why don't you take a seat there in the middle, next to Isabelle?” The teacher pointed to an Aspatrian, a white-furred fox girl, who waved politely in response. Talek took his seat, and moments later the screen built into the desk blinked off and on again, updating with his name and a request to look directly at the little blue circle in the middle of the display. Seconds later, the cameras in the monitor completed their facial recognition and gave him access to the dashboard.
“Why don't we all introduce ourselves?” Miss Bassel suggested. “Who'd like to go first?”
Isabelle accepted the invitation. She raised a paw so Talek could see the 'C' symbols displayed there. “I'm Isabelle, a completas. I asked to be rejuved back to eight to give me a little more time to 'unlearn' life as a penitatas. Whatever you're going through I've done it too, so don't be shy about asking me questions.”
Another Aspatrian followed, this time a nude, red-furred fox-boy of age eight or so, with 'socks' of black fur covering the paws he raised. “My name is Ki'reth,” he said, letting the 'P' speak for itself. Why an Aspatrian had a Drakonian name, and why he was in bare fur, were questions that went unanswered.
“Kost son of Baahn,” announced a blond, wolf-like boy without much enthusiasm, growling out in the introduction in a tone that made it sound like a threat. He was another penitatas.
Yet another penny raised not a paw, but a webbed hand – one of the few parts of her body not sealed in a wetsuit. “Bulsr V'ku,” Talek wasn't sure if that was her name, or an involuntary noise from her froggish throat. She continued in Panglish, “Everyone calls me 'Bubbles'. I'm age eight and a penitatas, serving-”
Miss Bassel cut in quickly, “Bubbles, you don't have to share that. It's enough he knows you are a penitatas.” Bubbles gave a sheepish grin in reply, which looked odd on her wide face.
Last to introduce themselves were a rather aloof Roferian girl, a Karrian medicalos – possibly the same girl  who had seen Rilka with her pants down on the beach the other day – and the huge, saurian form of a Drakonian. She was a fellow reptile, but where Karrians were soft-scaled and rather mammalian in many ways, the Drakonian looked more like a wild animal brought into class. Talek felt instantly guilty at the thought, knowing it was wholly inappropriate to view a fellow sentient that way.
Introductions all done, Miss Bassel got her class working on their morning assignments. It seemed that all the courses from his regular school had been transferred over, allowing Talek to pick up right where he left off – and the first lesson was chemistry. He carefully placed the earpads on his head and got to work, lamenting that he was apparently not taking such lessons in a lab anymore; a suspicion confirmed when a virtual lab appeared on screen, asking him for measurements and instruction sequences so a digital avatar could do the fun parts.
The boy quickly learned that there were other systems in play to rob him of fun. The cameras were not merely for a login, as when he grew bored of his work and began to stare unfocused at his notebook a dull chime rang in his ears. He looked up to see a little orange box in the corner of his screen, displaying a passive-aggressive message: you appear to be avoiding work. Please focus on your lessons and complete the assigned tasks. He saw that message several times over the hour.
Break time couldn't come fast enough. Talek practically jumped out of his seat at the bell, not noticing that the rest of the class were much less enthusiastic in their reactions. Miss Bassel called out, “Alright, everyone make sure their work is saved and go have a stretch! Talek, wait behind for me, please.”
The Karrian boy grimaced, and his doubts were only reinforced by the sympathetic look the white-furred fox gave him. “You'll be okay,” Isabelle said in a gentle tone, patting the boy's claw on her way passed.
“Did... did I do something wrong?” Talek asked sheepishly as he was left alone with his new teacher.
She nodded slowly. “You were not attending to your work. I'm afraid we can't allow you to form that sort of habit.”
“I tried my best,” Talek whined.
“I hope for your sake that isn't true,” Miss Bassel replied sternly. She pulled a high-backed chair round to the front of her desk. “Take your pants down and come over my lap.”
Sniffling in fear, the juvenalas meekly complied with the instruction, letting his trousers and underpants wrap around his green-scaled ankles before shuffling closer and allowing his new teacher to lift him into place.
“We'll be using a small, but firm paddle,” Miss Bassel said matter-of-factly. “I want you to do your best to keep still, and make sure you don't claw at my skirt.”

The boy's soft whimpers soon gave way to loud, anguished yelps as the paddling began. The implement was long and narrow, the instrument feeling awfully like a wooden spoon, albeit one that could smack both cheeks at the same time. Each smack came quickly, without warning, and with long pauses in between that left the boy huffing and whining through grit teeth and scrunched eyes.
Slowly, smack by smack, a thick band of reddened scale formed on the boy's seat. Miss Bassel was taking her time, almost as if she were experimenting with just how many times she had to spank the boy to make him cry. Just three smacks drew deep, shaking breaths and a few early tears, but the boy held out until the fifth smack before he began to truly cry, and had broken down entirely by the eighth.
“P-please st-o-owow-oop!” the child whined, clinging to the leg of the chair so fiercely his knuckles turned white.
“I'm afraid that's not going to happen any time soon,” the teacher answered calmly as the paddle swung again, its sharp smack echoing across the classroom.
Howling in pain from the constant burning in his rear, Talek barely registered the bell's second ringing. The rest of the class filed back in, each of them stalling at the sight and sound of Talek's misery. “Everyone take your seats,” the teacher announced, and the harsh thwack that punctuated the statement ensured nobody was going to argue. Having an audience for his pain made Talek squirm and bawl all the louder, earning a sharp word of warning that he was to keep still.
The paddle thwacked down one last time. Talek lay broken over the teacher's lap, who patiently waited until he had registered the end of the punishment before helping him up. “This is what happens to penitatas who do not do their work,” Miss Bassel said firmly, holding the boy by his forearms to make sure she had his full attention. “Now, you are going to go stand in one of the red circles at the back of the class. Face the wall, and keep your claws in front of you.”
Talek accepted the order with a nod, and the teacher took a moment to wipe his snout with a handkerchief before sending the boy tottering shamefully along the rows of desks. As he stepped into the circle the boy's ears popped, hinting at a sound-dampening field present.

Talek stayed in the circle until midday, when he was finally given permission to pull up his pants and go to lunch. He found Rilka waiting for him outside of the dining hall, the girl's cream scale and dark blue hair easy to spot in a crowd of mostly green and brown Karrians. “Hey! Where'd you get to at break?” she asked, only to pause as she took in her brother's expression. “Oh.”
“Yeah. 'Oh'.” he replied glumly.
Rilka gave him an affectionate tap on the arm. “Good news! The food is always good! Come on, let's grab some grub!”
Talek was soon settled into a chair next to Rilka with a tray of sausage and veg in front of him, though the act of sitting made him wince. His sister was happily turning her meal into a mash with a fork while the boy leaned in to whisper, "is there somewhere we can talk? I've had stuff on my mind since your birthday and... I don't want to be overheard."
“Something that can't wait until we get home?” she asked.
“It... involves home.”
Rilka accepted the cryptic answer with a nod. "Closest thing to privacy would be a quiet corner of the playground, or maybe the school library? Eat up quick and we'll find somewhere to talk."
The pair cleaned their plates and made for the hushed, respectful silence of the library. Paper-paged books lined every wall, with tables in the centre space and the librarian's desk at the far end. There were no nooks in which a rejuve might conspire in secret, so Rilka waved her brother to the nearest table. In a low whisper she asked, "Okay, what's on your mind?"
"Well... On your birthday, after I comforted you... I got so pent up I had to go downstairs and ask for help. Dad... Really enjoyed taking care of my needs." the boy's green snout turned a burning shade of red as he spoke.
With a smile and a claw placed softly onto his own, Rilka answered, "I get it. It scared the heck out of me as well when I found out how much our parents enjoy their work. Of course, I saw that in my first week, and they started messing with me as soon as I got home!” She gave his paw a comforting stroke. “One thing I can say is that there are lines they've never crossed with me, even when I invited them to."
"What do you mean?"
Now it was Rilka's turn to blush. "I offered to eat mom out in exchange for mercy when things got really bad for me. I got a long talk after that one. Wasn't spanked, just lectured. Like I said, there are lines they won't cross, and they wanted to make sure I understood that. They don't want us to fear or hate them, and they know that we would fear and hate them if they started using us as toys. If you're really worried about it, just talk to them. Straight up. You might be surprised how much of a difference it makes."
Talek smiled, "thanks, Rilka. I think I needed to hear that."
The girl's grin spread ever wider as she added in a mischievous tone, "Having said that, I did find out what dad's spunk tastes like when I got a bit too mouthy.”
The comment made the boy choke, and Rilka's giggle drew a stern look from the librarian. They left soon after to enjoy a little time out in the yard, before the eternally unwelcome bells rang again to summon them back to class.

The spanking Talek received did its job; knowing now the penalty for appearing to slack, he tried much harder to focus and look busy until the teacher declared a break. He looked to his peers for guidance, especially those wearing the 'P's on their paws and claws, but even penitatas seemed to relax and turn their focus to one another.
Isabelle slipped from her desk and stepped over, placing a kindly paw on Talek's shoulder. “Now's a good time to try and make a few new friends,” she said with a smile and a playful flick of her ear.
The Karrian boy hopped from his chair and joined the little circle of rejuves forming around Bubbles. The girl was still sat at her desk, but to Talek's surprise Miss Bassel came over with a steaming hot drink. The amphibian took it with a smile and a word of thanks, clutching the hot mug between her webbed hands. Catching the curious look in Talek's eye she said, “it's medicinal. I'm cold-blooded, so a hot drink helps me stay alert. It's basically just lemon-flavoured water.”
Talek accepted the explanation with a shy nod. His little circle contained both Aspatrians, the wolf-like boy, and Bubbles herself. In a cautious tone, not wishing to cause offence, he asked, “how come so much of the class are aliens?”
“Because we're the 'oddball' class,” Ki'reth answered bluntly.
Isabelle offered a more diplomatic explanation. “This class is for people who have more specialist needs. Bubbles, for example, has a lot of physical requirements a typical Karrian might not think of.”
“So... why am I here?” the boy asked, which drew a smirk from Kost.
“Well, you're a 'JP'. That's got to mean something, right?” Isabelle asked.
Talek examined the back of his claw. “I guess...”
“How old are you, if you don't mind my asking?”
“Sixteen.”
“I thought Jays stayed at home with a nanny or something,” Kost said.
Talek nodded, though a sadness crept into his tone, “I was told I'd spend two years as a juvenalas, then I'd go straight into full-blown hard time. This was the alternative; to become a juvenalas, but grow up again here.”
“Harsh!” Kost growled.
“But my record's clean when I turn twenty-one, providing I learn my lesson!” Talek added.
“Then you had best learn it,” Isabelle said in a tone that was more scolding than supportive. “Trust me, Talek; the adults in Northrock don't take kindly to rejuves who blow their second chance!”

Before long regular class activity resumed. In time, the end of day came with a chorus of bells and a collective sigh of relief from the children, penitatas especially. “Hold it!” Miss Bassel called out as Talek went to leave his desk, not noticing in his eagerness to escape that the others hadn't moved. “That bell is for me, not for you! Don't think I won't spank you a second time in one day!”
“Sorry!” Talek squeaked, planting his rear firmly back into his chair.
“Much better. I have homework assignments for our penitatas. Each of you will collect an envelope on the way out to be given to your parents. Oh, such worried snouts!” she added as every Penny flinched in unison. “Just do as you're told and you'll be fine! Class dismissed!”
Talek took the envelope on the way past, as did the others. He turned the antiquated delivery system over in his paws, wondering why they didn't simply send an electronic message. His fingers were probing the sealed flap when his eye caught the words PARENTAL EYES ONLY stamped across the lower seam. He quickly stopped his fidgeting and stuffed the item into his bag.

Liki was waiting outside when he emerged into the surprisingly bright afternoon sun. Rilka hadn't waited for him, and through a gap in the crowd of rejuves he saw her clung tightly to Liki's side. As the boy wound his way over he was offered a similarly warm welcome. “How were your days?” she asked her charges.
“Better now it's over!” Rilka announced. This comment earned her a raised brow and she hastily added, “I didn't get in trouble, honest!”
“I'll have those pants down to check,” Liki warned. She then shifted her focus. “Talek?”
“I... got spanked,” the boy confessed shyly.
“On your first day? What for?” his mother's tone was curious, bordering on concerned.
Talek gave a nervous gulp. “I didn't pay attention enough. It was... I...”
Liki ruffled his hair before pulling him tight against her side. “I know, I know. Penny School is new and strange and scary. Come on, let's go home.”
Rilka glanced about urgently, “Mom, can we wait for Lusu to set off?”
Liki followed her daughter's pointing claw. She smiled and beckoned the splotchy reptile over. “Lusu dear, I'm afraid we're heading into town so Rilka won't be able to walk with you. But I've been thinking; it's been a long while since you two had a play-date, so I'll call your mother tonight and arrange something. That's assuming you two behave yourselves!”
Despite the warning tacked on at the end, both girls seemed happy with the arrangement. “That'd be great!” Lusu replied, beaming ear-slit to ear-slit. She gave her friend an exaggerated wave as the trio set off, turning into the wind and heading toward the main pier.
They never reached it. Liki's destination turned out to be a small park area; a puddle of green grass with trees and benches arrayed about the place without any clear pattern. In the corner of his vision, Talek saw Rilka go from cheery to anxious as soon as Liki turned for one of the benches. “Rilka, please show your brother how to select a switch.”
Rilka's jaw trembled at the instruction. “Momma-” she protested, only to be quickly silenced by a finger pressed against her snout.
“None of that, cream-cake. Do as your mother asks.”
That simple instruction seemed to calm the girl a little, and with a slow wave of her paw she encouraged Talek to follow her to the nearest tree. It was full of long, low hanging branches, almost all of them having been snapped off at some point or another. “When picking a switch it has to be a live branch, and it must be long and heavy enough to match your age. If you pick one that's too short you'll be given extra swats, so the trick is finding one that only just meets the criteria. You can pick one that's harsher than needed, but you're just making the punishment worse for yourself,” Rilka explained in a voice laden with experience. She crossed the small park to another, younger tree and pointed to a branch. “One like this, snapped off just at the split here. That's probably right for you, but mom might want something harsher for me.”
“Probably?” Talek parroted.
“You're supposed to be getting a lesser punishment than me, so I don't know. Up to you if you want to risk it.”
With a little whine, Talek reached for the branch and snapped it off where Rilka instructed. He carried the chosen implement back to his mother, who sat patiently on one of the bright red benches. She extended a paw and accepted the tool. “Hmm... A little on the light side for a nine year old, but I think this will get the job done. Lie on the bench please.”
As his mother stood up and made room, Talek stepped forward. His paws trembled slightly as he began to unbutton his pants, but stopped when Liki's free claw touched his shoulder. “I don't want your pants down, Talek. I want you to lie along the bench on your stomach.”
Confused, the boy obeyed. Once he was in place, Rilka was ushered round to kneel next to him. His sister's claws found his own and held them. “This is going to be bad,” she whispered, making the boy whine. Exactly why became clear when he felt Liki take hold of his ankle, and his left shoe come loose.
“Penitatas have to do their best when in school,” Liki scolded as she removed the boy's shoes and socks. “I'm going to make sure you remember that!”
The mere idea of what was coming make Talek whimper like a kicked puppy. Liki made him shift and shuffle so his feet were threaded through the arching arm rest at the end of the bench, and she used her scarf to bind him in place. “M-mommy, please don't!” Talek whined in desperation.
“There'll be cuddles for you when you get home, dear. Maybe even a little nano-lotion if you take your licks like a big boy,” Liki assured him. “Now, you hold your sister's hands good and tight!”

The switch whistled down upon the soft, sensitive scales of his feet, slapping across both at once. Talek yowled, both legs bucking instinctively against the scarf binding them in place. Tears came immediately, but they were unheeded as his mother swung the switch again to place a diagonal stroke, then another at a flatter angle. The long, stinging welts hatched across one another, turning what was already a burning sting into a red-hot lance of agony that made Talek's back arch and head pull back as if clutched by the hair. Tears poured down his cheeks as he bawled, openly and shamelessly, with Rilka's grip acting as much to restrain him as to comfort.
“No M-m-more!” he wailed as another welt was placed against the soft, pale scale at the base of his toes. “P-please mo-mmy!”
“You need a lot more than this if the lesson's going to stick!” Liki scolded, and brought the hated switch down again, and again, striping her son's helpless feet with welt after welt.
When the ordeal was finally over, the soles of Talek's feet were a mess of deep red marks. The boy's toes twitched and spasmed as jolts of agony flowed from the harsh marks. Liki barely gave him time to acknowledge the switching was over before pulling his socks and shoes back into place, drawing fresh howls of protest. “It's okay, we're done,” Liki assured him, untying her son's legs and settling down on the bench so Talek could receive a comforting cuddle. The boy found it more of a struggle than usual to settle, squirming in Liki's lap and whining a great deal.
Rilka stood anxiously in front of her mother, eyes firmly on the switch. “Mom...” she whimpered, the question implicit in her tone.
“Let me see that tush,” Liki responded firmly, and Rilka dutifully bared her cheeks. “No marks back there. Let me see the front.”
This drew a low whimper, for while there were no marks on her there were a few passers-by who stopped to enjoy the show. Satisfied, Liki gestured for the girl to make herself decent again. “Alright, let's head home now. It's a long walk, and it'll be that much longer for you, Talek.”
“P-please don't make me walk!” the juvenalas whined, acting every bit his physical age of nine. “Can we please take a cab?”
The stern, authoritarian tone returned to Liki's voice at once. “Young man, this is a punishment! You will walk home whether you like it or not!”

Talek was given a few more minutes of care before being planted back on his aching feet. The crying resumed immediately, and though he was scolded for fussing Liki did permit him a period of adjustment before they set off again. Talek was glad she walked slowly, but struggled to move comfortably; walking normally was out of the question, but tottering on tip-toes made his socks scrape against his wounded soles, and the normally soft cotton felt more like sandpaper! The opposite approach of balancing on the balls of his heels was less painful, but he overbalanced and the stumble caused fresh hell as he had to hastily, forcefully stand upon the welts to regain composure. This stopped him falling, but caused new tears and howls, as well as a pathetic dance of pain as he briefly tried to keep both feet off the floor.
The walk took a little over an hour with all the stops and fussing, which won him no favours with his mother. When he finally stumbled through the front door, Talek was absolutely exhausted from the ordeal. But, true to her word, there was relief to be found; after explaining everything to their father, Liki instructed Talek to strip down and settle on the sofa. Shon brought a pot of nano-lotion to rub the boy's feet, and the medical nanites soon healed the damage caused by the switching. By the time he'd been wriggled into his pyjamas he was feeling much better, but the mood soured when he saw Liki checking his bag. The dreaded homework letter emerged and was opened, causing her amiable smile to sour. “It seems someone has lines tonight,” she announced. “Talek is to write 'Penitatas must pay attention in class' forty times.”
“Best get to that, son,” Shon told the boy firmly. “Neatness and consistency matter, so if I were you I'd get some spare paper and do a little practice writing before you start. Penitatas who do poorly on their homework get spankings, as I'm sure you guessed!”
“Do I have to?” the boy whined, which he realised immediately was the wrong thing to do.
“Keep this up and you'll be getting a bedtime paddling!” Shon threatened, pointing firmly towards the stairs. “Go to you room and do your lines!”
With a huff, Talek took the papers offered to him and sloped to the bedroom. Liki escorted him up, pausing in the corridor to tap a control panel on the wall. The boy was not surprised to see that the inside of the windows that normally let him see out of the Penny Room were now reflective, so neither he nor Rilka could know if their parents were watching. He stomped over to a little writing desk by the outside window, dropping onto the lightly-padded stool with a whine and spreading the line-writing paper out in front of him.
As he reached for a pen, Rilka's claw came to rest upon his wrist. “Take it from someone who knows, you want to practice. It means more lines written, but it'll get you in less trouble.”
“I hate school!” the boy growled as he pulled away, clutching the pen as if it were precious to him while looking around for spare paper. Rilka offered him a few sheets.
“We all hate school. That's the point,” the girl replied. “But there's no avoiding it. All we can do is make it easier. That, I'm afraid, means doing sucky 'homework' like this. You got a bad day. Don't get yourself another tomorrow.”
He took the advice with a sullen nod, and resigned himself to practice. The advice was prudent, for the boy's ability to form letters was diminished – he filled an entire page with attempts before he was anything close to consistent, let alone legible. He resorted to writing slowly, painfully so; his paw cramped with the effort, as though he had to carve each letter in stone with a blunt chisel. He'd barely gotten started when dinner was called, and the simple knowledge of having to painstakingly write more was enough to bring him to tears.
Thankfully, his mother offered him some mercy. She entered the bedroom and came over to the boy's writing desk to inspect his progress. “Let me have a look at everything you've done,” she said, pointing to his practice pages as well as the official work sheets. “Well, your handwriting has improved a lot in one night! I can see you're tired, Talcum. Let me have your pen.”
Taking the implement, Liki wrote in flowing cursive across one of the pages that she was satisfied with his work, and signed it. Then she put this page on the top and put all the sheets, including Talek's practice pages into the envelope and sealed it, before likewise signing across the lip. “There we are! Homework finished! Why don't you and Rilka play a little before bed?”
Rilka's head popped up from the puzzle cube she'd been toying with, and Talek was glad to join her. His first day of Penny School had gone far worse than he'd feared, but with a simple act of kindness his hopes for tomorrow were much improved. He'd learned the hard way the school would not suffer laziness, nor would his parents... but they'd also reminded him they had his corner if he truly needed it.