I get trapped by homework
Hades stood in his throne room gazing into the silver orb that was floating in front of him. Dread filled him as he realized what he was doing. Here he was, the god of the dead, watching the 13 year old girl in the orb like an overprotective parent. The girl was in her geography class for Zeus sake! She was surrounded by other children, no monsters would try an attack on her there.
Then again, that's what his brother Poseidon thought, then his son Percy was attacked by his math teacher who was really one of the furies.
He sighed with a grin as the girl lay her head on her desk…
There she goes again. He closed his eyes, thinking about the girls mother… the woman he fell in love with, the mother of their daughter and his thoughts drifted back to the girl who had fallen asleep in her Geography class.
Rhia…
I was surrounded my darkness when suddenly a sphere of silver light appeared in front of me. Its light hit off the objects in the room. It looked like a dusty library, wall to wall bookcases filled with old leather-bound books. In the centre of the room were three sofas making a 'U' with a chestnut coffee table in the middle of them. A chandelier with snuffed out candles hung from the tiled ceiling. Mosaics of seven supreme humans on thrones decorated the walls.
I jumped back when the sphere said my name.
"Rhia…"
BANG!
My head snapped up as the sound of the text book on the desk echoed through the classroom.
Aw Damn, I fell asleep again!
"Miss Brookes" Mr. O Kane purred in his usual fake happy voice that always sounded like 'Hello, you're a great student! Here's you F-' his greasy black hair gelled back and his bony hands on the textbook.
"Yes sir?" I asked him, though I already knew what was coming
"Can you answer the question?"
"Can you?" I asked him
A couple of snickers and giggles filled the room but were cut off when Mr. O Kane glared at everyone.
"Yes I can" He answered
"Can you prove it?" I countered
He gave me an incredulous look "Are you saying that as a Geography teacher, I don't know the definition for an MEDC and LEDC?"
I gave him a wry smile "Not at all, an MEDC means 'More Economically Developed Country' Where as LEDC means 'Less Economically Developed Country'" I scrunched up my eyes which along with my wry smile gave me a proud and not at all cocky look.
Mr. O Kane opened his mouth to (most likely) give me a detention but was drowned out by the sound of the bell.
"Lunch" I told him with a smile as I packed away my books in my khaki backpack. I left the room with a smile, feeling Mr. O Kane's glare on my back.
I walked into the hallway, both walls lined with meter long windows. On the left hand side, out the windows I could see the courtyard where about 3 classes were already outside having lunch and playing with hula hoops, skipping ropes and giant rubber balls about half the height of most of the kids and 60cm round. On the other side the windows were covered with posters, maps and country profiles. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the glass.
My chestnut brown hair tied back in a short pony tail that left my long slightly rounded face completely visible along with my steely blue eyes, a smile still on my red thin lips. I looked down at my purple T-shirt and denim jacket that hung over my light blue jeans and black punk boots. But my favourite piece of me was my chain necklace with a small silver skull charm. I don't know why, I'm not a punk or anything but I just love this necklace. Guess it's because I've had it since I was a baby and I can't remember a single time I haven't had it.
"You know you shouldn't tick Mr. O Kane off like that Rhia?" A voice came from behind me .
I turned around and saw Samira, my only real friend.
"You know I just can't resist it Sosa" I laughed, fixing the strap on my shoulder to stop it sliding off.
Samira's long thick dark brown hair framed her tanned slim face, leaving her thick eyebrows and dark brown almond shaped eyes showing her full beauty with her deep pink lips. Her black cotton cardigan buttoned at the bottom leaving her white T-Shirt showing over her black jeans and black converse. It didn't matter how much black she wore, Samira always radiated an air of happiness that just seemed to take over her despite her appearance.
Samira laughed and looked over her shoulder, seeing the boy with crutches from the year above us. He had long scraggly black hair that hung down over his green eyes. He was kinda pale which seemed strange since he was usually tan and wearing a red hoodie with green jogging bottoms and white trainers didn't help his reputation of being as the other kids called him 'An art freak'
"Is he on his phone?" Samira asked, gripping the shoulder strap of her Navy 'WWE' shoulder bag.
I shrugged "Looks like it" Turning on the ball of my foot, I strode to the bottom of the corridor passing three doors before Samira caught up with me.
"Wanna go to the music room and do the Geography homework?" She asked looking at me.
I kept my eyes on the way I was going "Sure, why not…what was it?" I asked her, forgetting that I had slept for half the class.
Samira sighed exasperatedly "The essay on the differences between MEDC's and LEDC's, you know, birth rate, death rate, life expectancy, infant mortality rate E.T.C…"
I inwardly groaned. Of course our homework would be on something we did in class. "Sure, I already read ahead on that chapter of the text book anyway"
Samira threw her head back and rolled her eyes "Of course you did, you're the only one in class who actually READS the textbook for fun"
I shrugged "Hey, ADHD…I have to do SOMETHING!"
Samira pushed open the door to another identical corridor. "Do you think Mr. O Kane was acting…I don't know…weird?"
I laughed sarcastically and put a hand in my jean pocket while the other held my backpack strap "Sosa, when doesn't the Kane-O-Saurus act weird?"
She punched my shoulder, but she didn't have her normal playful smile…she looked…I don't know, distracted "Not his normal weird, he kept staring at Aaron"
I nodded, remembering the kid on the phone earlier "Maybe he was thinking of how Aaron would look in a turkey suit?"
Finally we reached the end of the corridor and entered a square room with two separate stair cases both leading to the bottom floor of the school. The walls were covered with old movie posters and three rectangular pillars formed a large triangle in the middle of the room. We took one of the stair cases which brought us to long corridor with yellow painted walls and floor-to-ceiling windows. Red double doors on my left hand side that led to the Cafeteria and a glass door on my right which led out to the canteen for the senior students. We rounded the corner at the end of the corridor and took a right through a set of double doors.
Something at the back of my mind kept nagging at me as to why we were the only students in the corridor at lunch time but I guess I was just too relieved that we didn't have to push our way through the crowd while locking arms so we don't lose each other.
"Here we go" Samira said, pushing open one of the six doors in the corridor. As we stepped in the nagging part of my mind began to slowly grow as I noticed the computers that lined the perimeter of the room were still on and some were logged on…like the people using them had left in a hurry.
Samira though noting of it and just pulled up a chair to one of the desks. She gave me a curious look when she saw mw still standing in the middle of the room, gripping my shoulder strap so tight that my knuckles turned white.
"What's wrong?"
I shook my head "Nothing" I slid my bag off my back and set it on the floor leaning against one of the legs of the desk, pulling up a chair I sat down and pulled out my Geography homework book and purple pencil case with multi coloured sequins that made the picture of three golden retriever puppies.
"Hey, can I borrow one of your pens?" Samira asked, sitting in the desk beside me
"Sure" I pulled out a blue inked pen and gave it to her while pulling out another for me. Flipping to an empty page, I began my stupid essay for the Dinosaur of a teacher.
'In our society today, there are many differences which are easily seen between two countries. There are more differences when comparing an MEDC (More Economically Developed Country) to an LEDC (Less Economically Developed Country) Such as the UK and India.
These are some of the differences:
Birth Rate:
The birth rate (Meaning number of births per thousand people per year) In the UK is 13 where as in India the birth rate is 31, this shows us that there are approximately 18 thousand more births in India than in the UK. Many reasons could describe this mass difference such as 'In the UK more women are career orientated so they marry later in their lives and thus have less time to have children where as in India, a women's main job is to stay at home and have children. In India many children-'
Click.
My hand instantly stopped writing when I heard the miniscule noise. I looked at Samira who was still writing. She must have heard my pen stop because she looked up at me, concern in her brown eyes "What?"
I pushed my chair back with a 'Screech' and almost ran to the door, gripping the handle my breath caught in my throat when I turned it and it stopped with a rattling noise.
I turned to Samira, fear clearly written on my face "We're stuck"
Samira jumped to her feet, her chair making a similar noise as she panicked "What do you mean stuck?"
I leaned against the door for 2 seconds before jumping back and yelping out loud when I felt the heat radiating off it from the other side.
Samira began coughing violently and took out her inhaler.
"Are you okay?" I asked her, placing a hand on her back and rubbing circles to try help her breathing easier.
"C-Can't" She coughed again and pounded on her chest.
I almost joined her in not being able to breathe when I saw smoke rising up from under the door and cold realisation dawned on me.
"Fire"