Title: Her Glimmer of Hope
Rating: K
Summary: "Sometimes it would be the only word I said all day"
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I own nothing
A/N: Contains spoiler for episode 1x22, and I'd love any feedback :)
Her head rested on her palm; lengths of long hair knotted between her tightened fingers. Her saddened eyes followed the movement of the lead in her pencil. She paused and looked down at her last mark, then back up at her teacher writing across the board. Characters merged across the blackboard and for a moment; Temperance lost her place.
She rapidly regained her composure and focused on the numbers. Her pen rested on the paper as she finally found her place and began copying down her sums once more. The room sat in silence, interrupted briefly only by the ruffle of papers or the slight whisper of one of the students at the back.
A giggle erupted at the corner of the room directly behind her, and for a second Temperance was distracted and she turned around along with the rest of the students in the room. The teacher turned briefly to deliver a disapproving frown; with chalk still poised to carry on. The room fell silent. Accomplishing the desired effect, she turned to continue her teachings on the chalky blackboard.
The girl at the back blushed but still managed to flash a glare in Temperance's direction. Temperance's eyes flickered down momentarily but, turning in her seat, she returned to her paper and concentrated hard on her writing.
The room seemed misted with heat from the midday sun. It had a way of muting the tiniest of noises in the room; even the distant hum of the motor way and the steps of passers by on the pavement beyond the playing field were eerily drowned out by the stifling temperature. The heat through the open window was beginning to warm Temperance's arm and she shuffled her elbow and shifted her chin onto her knuckles.
Something gently knocked the back of her head and she sat upright, her hand reaching for the back of her hair whilst she attempted to fathom what had hit her. The heat and silence within the room heightened her scenes as a second gentle tap hit her back. A slight breeze came through the window as a small white object whizzed past her outstretched elbow. It caught her eye and returning her arm to the desk, she turned her attention to face the girl that had disturbed the classroom earlier.
The girl was smirking and her friend beside her was rolling up yet another piece of ripped up paper to flick at Temperance. Temperance flushed and awkwardly attempted to ignore the eyes boring into the back of her neck as she turned her eyes to the jumble of figures written on her page once more. Her mind reeled; reminders of the trouble she'd received at recess, the days and days of constant reminders that she was the odd one, the loser, the one nobody could have the time of day for. The entire time she couldn't utter a single word to them; she almost believed them.
A forth paper ball flicked her ear, and her gaze lowered even further down her page; her nose only inches from her page now. The warmth of the breeze through the window distracted her and she was able to take up her pen once more and continue writing. She could hear their constant snickering and insults behind her, and just as her eyes began to sting as she heard them comment on her looks like so many times before, her attention was grabbed to a sound outside the open window.
Through the silence and the stifling heat came her glimmer of hope. She gazed out; lifting her head and dropping her pencil. She leaned forward slightly; her face broke into a shy grin and her eyes lightened at the sight of the tall, scraggly figure of her "cool older brother". "Marco!" He called up. She blinked and contemplated if she should call back. Russ looked up at her, his face broken into his usual cheeky smile, and lifted his arms with impatience and curiosity.
Knowing she was being looked out for, and loving how he'd always be there for her when she needed him; even though he didn't really know how… she called back to him, timid yet confident, "Polo!"