Title: To Light A Flame
Author: D.R. Ward\ SonicGirl2002
Date: 7-7-13
Age: 14
Summary: Luke had always lived a somewhat sheltered life; home in his manor with a private tutor. Then his parents decide to ship him halfway around the world to Seventh Fonon High, and Luke finds himself shoved into his very first public environment, left to fend for himself. Public school though, turns out to be a lot easier to handle…academically. Because Luke finds that, in the real world, there were people you reached out to and those that you left alone. And he just had to fall for the one he was supposed to leave alone.
The large, old-fashioned looking bell rang loudly, signifying the inhabitants of Seventh Fonon High that it was, reluctantly, time for their curriculum activities to begin for the day. Luke Fon Fabre stood at the gates, his bright emerald green eyes widened in a sense of awe as he stared at the expensive looking new high school he was now attending. His body itched in his school uniform, his long, shiny orange hair creating a thin line of sweat through the clothing that covered his back. This was it… This was…
Amazing.
Luke had never seen something quite this interesting in his whole life. He was home-schooled for most of his childhood years and as a form of pity, his family had decided to send him to a school fit for him – and apparently, that happened to be The Seventh Fonon. This school was notorious for being ranked as the top of the world for the smartest, finest residents; teenagers that would make a big difference in the world, not just populate the streets as common workers. In all honesty, Luke was afraid that he wouldn't fit in at a place such as this, mostly because he didn't think that in the long run it would matter so much what he was or who he did. However, his parents had insisted. And this is where he had ended up. Sucking in a deep breath, Luke walked through the entrance, entering the building.
As Luke walked in, he was immediately surrounded by invading ivory walls that encircled his vision. He tentatively took a step forward, hearing his footsteps echo loudly in the silent office. When his gaze met the front of the room, the first thing he saw was an empty, obsidian black desk. A thin red eyebrow arched. Where was everyone? He leisurely approached the reception table, spotting a tiny silver bell on the surface. Cautiously, he reached out and tapped it.
Ting.
The redhead waited, expecting something to happen. But everything stayed as still as stone. Frowning, he outstretched his hand once more and again hit the silver object, twice this time.
Ting Ting.
Again, nothing happened. Gradually getting annoyed, Luke started bringing his hand down repeatedly, the chiming sound vibrating constantly through the air.
Ting. Ting, Ting, Ting, Ting, Ting, Ti-
Suddenly, a hand slammed down on top of his, causing Luke to snap to attention. He looked up into a pair of glaring, irritated blue eyes.
"I heard you the first four times, sir," the blonde woman before him spat bitterly. Luke gulped, face flushing in embarrassment.
"I-I'm sorry." Huffing softly, the aggravated woman released his hand and straightened up, staring down at him.
"Is there something I can help you with?"
"Ah, yes. My name is Luke fon Fabre; I'm the new student here." The woman nodded, click-clacking away at her keyboard for a few seconds before turning her attention back to him.
"Mr. Grants is waiting for you in his office," she said, gesturing down the hall. Luke twisted his head to stare down the pathway she directed him to.
"Alright… But which one is his-" The redhead let his sentence break off when his gaze returned to the desk to find the woman gone. His eyebrow quirked in annoyance. "Okay then…"
Starting down the hallway, Luke eyed the many obsidian colored doors lining the milky walls. He spotted one located on the wall at the end of the corridor, a plaque glowing on its surface, shining against the dark hue of the door. Approaching it, Luke eyed the inscription. Principal's Office. Easy enough. He reached up and quickly rapped his knuckles against the wood.
"Enter!" a voice from inside called. Luke had to suppress a shiver at the man's authoritive voice, but then resumed to do what the man had said and clicked open the golden handle. He wouldn't put it past him and think the object was painted gold; the way it felt and how heavy it was made the redhead think that it was real… Lord, not even his own home had that! Luke shook his head and sighed. Whatever, he shouldn't be thinking about that.
After a second, Luke pushed open the weighted doors into the room. Almost instantly his vision had been overwhelmed by a set of gold-plated objects – whether it be picture-frames or name plates or even….Was that a check? Luke narrowed his eyes slightly. However, when he realized he was actually judging the man, he quickly took his mind off the lavish things and decided to take in the man who was sitting in a – once again – very fancy looking chair.
"Luke fon Fabre?" came a deep, commanding tone that sent unpleasant shivers down the young teen's body. Luke nodded.
"Y-Yes. I came here for my schedule… And possibly a map of the school." The teen smiled goofily and twitched, only moving when the older man indicated for him to sit in one of the two chairs in front of the desk.
He did.
"Of course, Mr. Fabre." The principal nodded as he opened a – cough – expensive drawer. After a second or so he began mulling around in the seemingly messy place, before pulling out a neat, folded object that he assumed was the map. Van handed it to Luke, who took it with a small smile.
Van then began typing away at his flat-screened, extremely large computer. Luke thought he was also pulling up his school schedule to print in the printer sitting next to him. The beeping sound emitted from said machine confirmed his suspicions, and a manila-colored piece of parchment slid out. The principal snatched it up in his grip, skimmed it over, then handed it over to Luke, along with a handwritten note.
"Here's your schedule. Give the note to your first hour teacher."
"What for?"
"A tardiness excuse. Now get to class; you're late enough, yes?"
"Ah, y-yes!" Luke stated quickly, standing. "Thank you!"
"Feel free to come see me if you need any help."
"Yeah, okay. Goodbye!" With that, Luke hurried out the door, grateful to escape the tense atmosphere of the office. After hearing the click signaling the door had shut, the redhead raced down the hall, fumbling to open up the map in his hand.
"Okay, first hour… first hour…" he mumbled to himself, looking over his schedule as well. English. Glancing back at the diagram of the building, Luke identified the correct classroom and took off.
~oOo~
A now-panting redhead stood before yet another obsidian colored door. He'd noticed that; that this school didn't vary in style. All the halls were a porcelain white with ebony doors, the flooring a pale, blue-hued marble. Any other designs or patterns found on the walls or taped to the windows were red and black.
Luke knocked on the door to the classroom, then turned the handle and stepped in. Now Luke would like to be nice and say that it was a normal, prestigious learning facility, but as he had realized long before, this was not a normal school. Once again, many upon many items cluttered the place, gold lining every single object that he could see: globes, books, even their intricate technology known as the 'smart boards.' As Luke glanced around the room, he noted that even the people had a proper aura around their forms.
"Ah, you must be Mr. Fabre," the teacher called. Timidly, Luke nodded, a blush adorning his features. The English teacher motioned him towards the head of the room. "Class, this is Luke fon Fabre, your new classmate." The instructor gestured to the redhead. "Luke, please do tell us about yourself." Gulping, Luke faced the class with a somewhat shy, fearful expression.
"Um….Well, I'm Luke, and uh…." The redheaded teen clasped his hands in front of him and tilted his head to the side, blush firmly in place. "I've never been to public school. Back in Baticul, I was home-schooled, so….This is all kinda new to me…." Luke looked over to the teacher out of desperation, wondering if he was excused to the seat. Unluckily, the teacher was not looking at him, but his attendance board.
"Now class, back to the lesson –…." Just then, the door to the classroom was once again thrown open, and a blond teen dashed in. To everyone else, including Luke, the boy seemed extremely disheveled. With wide eyes, the new kid glanced at the form that had burst in with a slight redness to his angled cheekbones.
"Sorry, Teach! I tripped and fell and had to run home to get my spare uniform." The figure had stated with a nervous laugh. Interested with the man and confused as to why the other teens were laughing so loudly at him, Luke cocked his head to the side in wonder.
"It's alright Guy, just try not to make a habit of it."
The intruder nodded bashfully as the other people continued to giggle. However the only thing both the teacher and Guy had done was stay silent, Guy making his way to his seat in the back of the room, away from everyone else. The teacher coughed. "Alright, Luke, you may choose whatever seat fits your interests."
Luke nodded and smiled. He could tell a few of the girls and a few of the guys were trying to get him to sit next to the empty seats by them, but he only smiled and passed them while moving to the seat he had already chosen. People watched him with careful eyes, Luke could tell, as he trudged to the seat next to the blonde, noting that no one had sat in at least two seats radius of the boy. Carefully, Luke pulled out the chair next to Guy, trying not to make any noise as he sat next to the friendless kid.
The people around the room gasped, including the teacher and the blonde student. Guy blinked his impossibly blue eyes at the newcomer, who smiled at him with a strange giddiness alighting his eyes. "Hi!" Guy grinned, his pearly white teeth being noticed by that of Luke's sea green gaze.
"H-Hello." Luke grinned sheepishly as the other extended a tanned hand to shake. The equally tanned new student grasped his hand and shook it firmly, pulling it away not long after. "If you didn't catch it, my name's Guy. You're Luke, right?"
"Yeah."
And that's how Luke's day began.
~oOo~
By the time third hour rolled around, Luke had become good friends with Guy. It turned out that the two teens had at least first and second hour together. In second hour, it had become fairly obvious that Guy wasn't exactly the most popular kid in school. Both teens had paid little attention to neither their Math nor English lessons and ended up talking more about themselves. Guy had mentioned that all the mockery had started back when he had openly admitted he was gay. Luke had assured the blond that he had nothing against his sexuality and had thoughts about liking men as well.
Much to Luke's dismay, he and Guy didn't have the same third period, so Luke was left to fend for himself. He arrived at his Science class early, with it being so close to his locker. No other students were even in the room, save for one in the very back, a book in his hands. The other teen had long, crimson red hair that spilled over his shoulders and down his back. He had a glowing pale complexion with piercing emerald green eyes. At the echoing sound of Luke's footsteps, his eyes flicked up. The other redhead smiled shyly at him.
"H-Hi." The boy blinked, expression not changing in the slightest, then turned his eyes back to his book. Luke's brow furrowed, but he kept the smile on his face. "My name's Luke," he pressed. The other boy hummed lowly, not giving Luke any other form of acknowledgment. The lighter redhead rocked back and forth on his heels, trying again. "What's your name?"
"Can you just leave me alone?" the teen suddenly snapped, causing Luke to step back. "I'm trying to read." The unknown individual had lifted his eyes to glare at the other, and the look gave Luke shivers. Mumbling an apology, he retreated back to the front of the room, sliding into his seat as the other students started filing in.
All through Science, Luke's mind was half on the lesson and half on the mysterious boy hiding in the back of the room. When Luke had gathered the courage to glance at him over his shoulder, he found that the boy was sitting by himself, cut off from the other students, and no one seemed to really acknowledge him, not even the teacher. Luke wondered if this boy was like Guy; didn't have many friends because of what he was. And if that was the case, then Luke decided he'd make it his personal mission to help that other redhead out, because being lonely was never fun.
After third hour, they were released to the cafeteria for lunch. After he got out of the kitchen, lunch tray in hand, Luke glanced around for a place to sit, feeling the loneliness of being the new kid settle inside his stomach. Then, he spotted Guy's head of golden blond hair and hurried over to his new friend.
"Hey, Luke!" the blue-eyed teen greeted. "I was wondering where you were!"
"Um, is it okay if I sit with you guys?" Luke asked bashfully, noting the other kids at the table. Guy gave him a dazzling grin.
"Sure, go ahead." Giving the blond teen a grateful smile, the redhead sat down. "Everyone," Guy continued, "this is Luke. He's new here. Luke, this is Tear, Anise, Sync, and Ion." Luke smiled at the others, his shy side still showing.
"Hello."
"Hiya!" a small raven-haired girl chirped happily. "I'm Anise! Nice to meet you! Your eyes are really pretty!" The redhead's blush increased tenfold, and he ducked his head.
"U-um….Th-thank you…."
"I'm Ion," one of the green-haired boys said kindly. "This is my twin brother, Sync." Sync nodded at Luke in greeting, a gesture the latter returned.
"And I'm Tear," the remaining beige-haired girl said.
"Nice to meet you guys."
"Hey, Luke!" Anise chimed. "Is it true you were home-schooled your whole life?"
So Luke launched into the story of how this was his first time in a public school, and what home-schooling was like. About halfway through the lunch period, a student walked past and blew a napkin off Luke's tray, the paper fluttering to the floor behind him. Twisting his body around, Luke bent down to pick it up. When he lifted his head, he caught sight of a lone red-haired boy sitting across the room. His eyes widened in realization.
That's that boy from my Science class!
Straightening back up, Luke nudged his blond friend. "Um, hey Guy? Who's that boy over there, sitting all by himself?" Guy looked over his shoulder, picking out the person Luke was describing and whirling back around.
"Him?" Guy said in a slightly hushed tone. "That's Asch Lorelei, but everyone calls him Asch the Bloody." Luke cocked his head in interest.
"Why do they call him that?"
"He's not a nice guy, Luke. He's always getting into fights and getting sent down to the principal. He's even been suspended a couple times." Guy placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Trust me; Asch is not the kind of guy you want to hang around with. He rarely ever talks to people anyway, so just keep your distance, okay?"
"Okay…" Luke said, once again eyeing the boy. Inside of his mind, he was sure that he wanted to investigate the intriguing teen some more, but it seemed as if he was seriously dangerous. Even if that sent a pair of shivers down his spine, mostly uncomfortable ones, he couldn't help but want to get to know the bloody redhead a little bit more than what people had to say.
After he had finished his lunch, talking with his newfound friends about miscellaneous things and answering their never-ending questions, Luke had been booted to his next class – gym. He had been torn between dreading this class and hoping to have it because, of course, all of his friends had happened to be in the same class, however, he had heard rumors that apparently the gym teacher wasn't exactly the kindest out there. From what he had heard the other was a brutal mass of muscle that had little to no mercy – and that kind of scared Luke.
Not because he was weak or anything – he was actually pretty good at sports, but being good to Luke meant one of two things. He was either going to get on the good side of the man because he was athletic, or he was going to get on the bad side and be labeled as a show-off, which later proceeded to a lot of extra laps and a lot more call-outs. So, hopefully, it would be the good athletic one.
As he was glancing around the groups in his class, waiting for them to get to their lockers to change, he noticed another shock of pure, bright red invading his peripheral vision. Blinking, Luke's eyes zeroed in on the being, who he later found out was….
That same guy his friend had warned him about!
Luke, to say the least, was shocked. He had no idea what he was going to say to or about the teen now dubbed as Asch – well, actually, he wasn't sure if he could do anything. It seemed whenever someone wanted to talk or converse with the red-headed spit-fire, he pushed them away with a death glare or simply ignored them to the point of them storming away out of anger. And to now be with him in gym, as well? How many classes was Luke going to have with this guy? Not that he was complaining; actually he was rather intrigued with the stoic being.
As they were lead into the changing rooms, Luke kept his gaze on the tiled floor. His friends were conversing around him, being goofy as usual. They were talking about something with bologna and playing a prank on the teacher – to be honest he didn't really know nor care about it. Instead his mind was plagued with thoughts of the attractive enigma….His hair, how stand-offish he was; things like that. His steps were slow and lagging as he tried to hide behind his friends and away from Asch, who brought up the back of the line.
He had a feeling it was going to be a long first week.