EVIDENCE
Green hated history class. He couldn't remember the Battle of Geosenge if his life depended on it – and if his sister had anything to say, his life did depend on it.
Green liked science – there's something reassuring and familiar about biology and chemistry.
History though—
"Here," someone whispered to his right. Green looked at the person – a girl with blue eyes. He'd never seen her before, but like science she was almost a comforting presence.
Green wordlessly took the piece of paper offered and scanned it, amazed.
"Test answers?"
She winked, "Destroy it afterwards, kay?"
Green rolled his eyes, smirking.
—
I'M HERE
"Sorry I'm late!" Lyra bounded into math class. Silver looked at his watch – ten minutes late. "Grandpa had me feed all the dogs before school!"
Noting her messy pigtails and loose overall straps, Silver suspected that her grandfather didn't ask anything of her in the first place.
Lyra slid into her seat next to Silver and shot him a lacklustre smile. He smirked in response.
"You shouldn't sleep in, but don't worry. I won't rat out your lie," Silver drawled. "You smell like dog all the time anyway."
Lyra's red face was enough to make up for the bruised arm.
—
FUNERAL
Lance didn't like wearing suits. They didn't fit him the same way jeans and t-shirts did.
Agatha always said he looked like a child dressing up like his father when he wore them in the boardroom. She was right.
Her widower is standing next to her headstone, closer than Lance, and while he'd never quite gotten along with the honourable Professor, he could only feel sorry for the man.
Lanced walked forward once Oak had left, his grandchildren by his side, and read his mentor's headstone. He barked a laugh, and walked away.
When you're dead, you're dead. That's it.
—
PUPPY LOVE
She was fifteen years old, still owned every single one of her stuffed animals from childhood, and had a picture of Volkner from that one stupid boy band in her locker.
She liked peanut butter straight from the jar – smooth, not crunchy – and painting her nails a new colour every Thursday afternoon before track practice.
She was the best student in their year, was best friends with Lyra, and owned one diamond and pearl ring.
Barry hit him over the head with his backpack, "She's a stuck up princess who'll never look twice at you."
Lucas sighed hopelessly, and dreamed.
—
GLOVES
"Normal girls like to go to the beach," Brendan snarked from the ground, holding the safety ropes. "They don't drag their boyfriends to go rock climbing for a date."
May signalled. With the ropes taut she adjusted her gloves and threw a scathing look at Brendan from above.
"I never said this was a date."
"I thought it was implied!" he exclaimed as she began to descend slowly.
"When did I ever say 'Hey Brendan, let's go on a date and climb some rocks'?"
He pouted, "Never."
May landed in front of him, grinning and she pecked his cheek. "Exactly."
—
BLACKBOARD
Cyrus never confessed to insanity. He stood in the courtroom with a straight face and confessed to his crimes – a long list – but never once did he plead insanity.
His lawyer had urged him to, however. She expressed how lenient the judge would be if he claimed not to be sound of mind – the gibberish on the blackboard in his classroom would be more than enough to warrant a test, even despite the photographs of the underage, female student – but Cyrus ultimately refused.
His cell is lonely and dark, but the walls don't move and it isn't distorted. It's perfect.
—
MUSE
Burgh's muse was a woman named Elesa. She modelled for his life drawing class, and while Burgh walked around the class directing his students where the shadows curved around her body, he noticed how she played with light and dark herself.
He approached her one day after class when her hair was light, not dark—
"Elesa," he said as she shrugged on her big, black fur coat. "Would you like to have coffee some time?"
She smiled sharply, "I'm gay."
He laughed, "So am I."
His next painting featured a nude model bathed in light and dark, crowned in lightning.
—
MAGIC
"They say you can look like anyone," Emma said. "Is that true?"
Looker stared at his employee and raised an eyebrow, "Who is spreading these dreadful lies?!"
She shrugged, "I dunno, people?" At his sceptical look, she sighed. "This girl at school was saying how you changed your face right in front of her – she's been talking about it for a week."
"Utter madness, my dear girl!" he exclaimed, and spun around on his office chair. "Madness, I say! Why, that would be like magic!"
Emma sighed, "Yeah, you're nowhere near cool enough," ignoring the crushed expression on his face.
—
CLEAN
"Just disgusting," Cheren muttered as he scrubbed the boy's bathroom floor.
Hilbert snorted from the empty bathtub, phone in hand. "Hilda says you're being a freak."
Cheren straightened, "Please tell your sister that she is unwelcome to use our bathroom again. I've been trying to get unidentifiable stains out of the tiles for hours."
"It wasn't her fault that Ethan couldn't hold his liquor."
"She was the one who got him drunk in the first place."
He winced, "Actually, that was me."
Hilbert was unlucky that Cheren was on the track team. He would be cleaning the bathroom for months.
—
SECRET
Serena has graduated ninety nine times. She's studied everything she thought might have the slightest hope of helping her situation, going as far as getting doctorates in her chosen fields with no luck.
Thousands of years ago, Serena battled a man who was determined to reshape the world to his specifications. He succeeded, in a way.
She's certain that Lysandre was out there somewhere, experiencing the same monotony Xerneas' immortality brought her. She bitterly hoped that he was having a worse time of it.
It's been a thousand years since the last time... Serena prepared herself for graduation one hundred.