Here I am with a new(ish) fic! Well, it's actually kind of a remake of my first one, since there were a ton of issues with it. Anyway, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own or claim ownership of any part of the Kingdom Hearts Franchise.
"..anny! Wake up!" Through the sleepy haze that is my mind, I can hear someone's urgent whispering. I crack open an eye, slowly adjusting to the brightness of the room. However, I can feel myself falling asleep again, long before I can even come close to waking up. And of course, something hard and thin soon collides with the side of my head.
Well now I'm wide awake.
I immediately jerk my head up from the desk and glare at the boy in the next one over. "You didn't need to throw a pen at me, you know!"
Grant flashes a sheepish grin back at me. "Would you rather get chewed out by Mr. Wright?" As if on cue, the brown haired, middle-aged man lecturing the class turns right toward the back corner of the room, training his harsh gaze right on me. I can't help but flinch and sit up straight; the guy is scary.
"Good point," I whisper back. Without looking over to him I can already tell he has that stupid smile of his back on.
As Mr. W continues to drone on and on about some book, I can't help but start zoning out. For some reason, I can't get that weird dream I had out of my mind. I don't usually have ones so vivid, much less ones I can fully remember 20 minutes later. It just felt... different. What was all of that about "holding the strongest weapon of all"? I know it was just a dream and all, but it sounded a lot like some kind of prophetic one or something. The thought makes me laugh a bit. Yeah, like that could ever happen.
"Daniel!" A deep voice jolts me from my thoughts rather abruptly. So much so that I actually jump up with enough force to knock my stuff off of my desk. Hushed laughter travels around the class, and I can practically feel the blood flooding into my cheeks.
"Y-yes?" Please don't ask me what's going on...
"Is there something you'd like to share with the class? You obviously have something on your mind." Darn it. Why does he always have to catch me? Like, five other people were talking at the same time! I get the feeling he doesn't like me sometimes.
"I was just asking Grant if he could explain the equation for me. I didn't want to interrupt your teaching." I said it without thinking, even though I immediately regretted it. He'll see through that lie in a second; the man has ears like a bat. I wish I wasn't such an impulsive liar sometimes... However, he just gives me an annoyed look and goes back to teaching. Since when does he let me off that easily?
"I guess he's just tired of dealing with you," Grant whispers quickly, as if he knew what I was thinking. Sometimes I wonder if he really is psychic.
After school, the two of us head home together, like we do every day. It's a good thing the bus route goes close to both of our destinations. I don't think I'd be able to stand it if I had to sit on a public bus alone every day. Today, the bus is full of people, which is odd even for Marinae City. I can already tell this ride is going to last a while.
"So Danny, what was with you in class earlier today?" Grant suddenly says. "You were pretty out of it, even more than usual."
I don't say anything for a few seconds. It's hard to explain. "It was just some weird nightmare. Nothing to worry about." Grant doesn't seem convinced. You just can't lie to him. But for once, he keeps his mouth shut. Never thought I'd see the day.
The rest of the bus ride is awkward, neither of us say a thing. Every few minutes, it's like one of us wants to speak up, but ultimately decide against it. By the time my stop comes around, I'm almost glad to wave good-bye and step off. Man that was awkward.
The hot air is a welcome reminder that summer's almost here, but I'd rather still be in the air-conditioned bus right now. Or at least have it stop closer to the orphanage. It's like a five minute walk from here...
By the time I reach the stone building, my shirt is uncomfortably wet with sweat. At least it's a lot cooler near the sea. There's a nice salty breeze blowing through; it's rejuvenating. Before I go in, I head out to the railing to get a nice whiff of the ocean air. A seagull squawks overhead, just barely heard over the din of cars in the background. Man, a city this close to the beach. How do people even relax down there? But I guess it still has its charm.
"Daniel? Is that you?" I nearly fell over the railing in surprise when I heard that voice. What is with people sneaking up on others? I turn around, my eyes immediately locking onto a stocky man who had to be in his fifties standing by the door. "What are you doing out there? Get back in here before you melt." Mr. Hale holds the door open as I walk inside, and I have to say, it is better to be inside, where the air is nice and cool.
He closes the wooden door behind us, combing back his hair with his palm as he did so (not that it was fooling anybody). For some reason, he's wearing a brown suit, which really doesn't fit him if you ask me. "So, how was school today? You didn't get into any trouble again, right?"
I can't really look him in the eye after he asks the dreaded question. "Well, you see, I... didn't get in as much trouble."
At first, his eyes narrow, and his jovial expression drops completely. But he recovers his composure after a second, ruffling my hair with a hand. I wish he wouldn't do that. "I thought as much. I know it's almost Summer Break and all, but you still gotta try, buddy. Now how about you get started on your homework with the other kids? I'll be bringing over a snack soon."
"I'm not five you know."
"Yeah, yeah." With that, he walks away to the kitchen, probably to whip up one of his "experiments" for an after school snack. I just hope Lucy's here to stop him from poisoming us with bad sushi and frog legs again.
Well, I guess it won't be my problem for another ten minutes either way. I'll just have to finish up fast, just in case. I start up the creaky wooden staircase in the foyer to the second floor, passing a few kids on the way. They're apparently playing tag or something, probably already done with their homework. I wish mine was still that easy.
By the time I reach the Work Room, there's only three kids still doing homework. There's Josh, working as diligently as always. I will never understand how someone can like school as much as him, and he's like two years older than I am. His work must be impossible! Then there are Wendy and Tracy, chatting like crazy. I can't even tell what their conversation is about, probably something related to what boys they like at school. Do they ever talk about anything else?
Choosing a seat on a couch on an empty side of the room, I plop my backpack onto the floor. Luckily, I didn't have too much to carry home, so it didn't make too loud of a sound on the wood. But man, this was going to take a while to do.
By the time Mr. Hale came in with the food, I was still on the fifth math problem. I knew I shouldn't have left my calculator at school! And I doubt anyone's going to let me borrow there's after the last time. I still don't know how that thing shorted out when I was just holding it.
Well, it looks like there's only one thing to do in this situation.
I shut my book and put it right back in my bag. Grant probably did it by now since he's like a genius or something when it comes to algebra. I can just get the answers from him tomorrow on the bus. I love having a smart friend. I think it's about time I called it a day. Josh shoots me a glare as I stand up, probably guessing that I hadn't finished yet. He doesn't try to stop me though.
I don't know why, but I feel exhausted already. Something about today has made me feel really lethargic, even though I took a nap in two classes today. Maybe I just went to bed late yesterday. So once I reach the boy's room on the third floor, I practically collapse onto my bed. I can go without dinner, I'll just get a midnight snack or a large breakfast sometime. I close my eyes, and in minutes, I'm fast asleep.