Chapter 2
The Less That Know, the Better
Zane writes rapidly on the chalkboard, making the math barely visible to his students, who watch him, entertained to have a robot teacher. He keeps speaking during his lecture, quite consistently, until the bell rings. The kids immediately gather up their books, pens, erasers, pencils, and other such things, departing from the small room eagerly. Zane turns off the fan on his desk that faces the students, that keeps the room cool in the humid summer. A little girl in the last row is still packing her things, and stops to wipe sweat from her glasses then resumes putting stuff in her backpack. Zane picks up his books and puts them in the compartment in his fairly new desk. He then begins erasing the mathematical equations on the board. He suddenly feels light-headed and drops the eraser, while leaning against the desk as the girl exits the room, taking no notice of him.
He puts a chalk-powdered hand against his forehead as the room rocks back and forth from his perspective. He inevitably leans forward and knocks his head against the black board, slipping to the wooden floor lying on his back. "Mr. Zane!" the girl rushes back in the room, casting her backpack aside and stooping down. She grabs his arm and shakes him with her little hands. "Are you okay?"
Zane's eyes dilate for a brief moment and return to normal. The light-headedness goes away as quickly as it had come and he sits up, rubbing his head. "I'm fine," he responds, "I...I just hit my head.
"Really?" she eyes him suspiciously.
"Don't tell anyone, alright?" Zane says to her. She nods. He stands up and hands the girl her backpack, smiling at her, attempting to conceal his concern.
She takes it from his hand, saying brightly. "Thank you!" She heads out the narrow doorway. After she is out of sight, Zane resumes cleaning up, anxiety clearly in his typically calm face. All of this is becoming more frequent, but why? Am I really…. Don't think about it right now! Worry about it tonight, because you have quite a few duties right now. The others can't know what's wrong with me.
Jay enters the classroom smiling brightly and calling, "Zane! You told me you would help out at PE today! Hurry up!"
Oh, maybe I shouldn't have said that. "I'm coming!"
"This immense heat is going to fry my circuits if it goes up another degree," Zane speaks to himself aloud as he ambles down an abandoned alleyway that was the remains of a town, during the quiet evening. School had been quite tough, as usual, and he decided he needed some air after supper, alone. Fortunately, no one is following him, especially Dareth, who is not fun to be with when he is in a bad mood. He kicks a rock on the ground in frustration, noting he is never like this. What exactly is the matter with me? Several pairs of hands grab him from behind, covering his mouth. A young adult around his age steps in front of him as he attempts to break fee. Being a robot, naturally, Zane's vision is fine in the dark, and he sees the man distinctly. He wears a black t-shirt with holes in it and cargo pants that are stained, most likely with white paint. His dark hair and eyes fit in with the dismal evening. A long scar going from his forehead down to his right cheek gives him a more sinister look.
The man laughs at Zane and says, "Hey ninja. Do you remember me?"
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