I enjoyed writing this chapter because I really like animals, so writing about Oz, Alice, and Gil getting a pet was fun. Oh no, it looks like school is going to start for Oz and Alice soon! Hope you enjoy this chapter!
…
School Time! And a New Pet?
At this point in time, it was summer: the sun shone brightly throughout the beautiful blue sky, the flowers were radiant in their colorful petals, the grass was of a pretty shade of green… but there was a chill in the air. Fall would be arriving soon, the month of August nearly over. Which meant…
"Oz! Alice!" The two teens looked up to Gilbert, who was holding up a paper to their faces.
Alice read the paper. "Back to School Sale. What's this supposed to mean?"
Gil answered her question immediately. "It means we're going school shopping."
Alice paled. "...School…?" She then cried out "Nooooo!" in a state of despair, exaggerating a little too much for Gil's liking.
"Well, if you want a steady job and education when you grow up, you need to go to school!" Gil explained to Alice, who was still nearly in tears at the thought of having to go to school.
"Oh, yeah. I kinda remember being homeschooled all that time ago. But I'm guessing we're going to an actual school?" Oz asked.
"Yup! Lutwidge Academy is actually still here, but, well… we don't really have enough money to bring you guys there."
"Oh?" Oz wondered where he and Alice would go.
Gilbert answered his question right away. "Instead, I'm sending you to Reveil High School. It's nearby, so you can both walk there."
Alice was still depressed in the corner of the living room, and Oz motioned for Gil to go away. Gil complied and left with a sigh.
Oz went over to Alice and asked, "Alice, what's wrong?"
Alice looked up to his face and sniffed. "I don't want to go to school. Learning sounds too hard. I just wanna sit in this room, eat meat, and watch TV."
Oz sighed and smiled. "Alice, you're not always going to be able to sit and eat meat all day. When you're older, you need to work to make money. You'll live in your own house, do chores by yourself, and take care of yourself. It's a lot of responsibility. School will give you the education to be able to-"
"-What?!" Alice interrupted Oz suddenly.
"Did I say something wrong, Alice?" Oz asked worriedly.
"Yes!" Alice stated, standing up straight with her hands on her hips. "You said, 'You'll live in your own house,' so does that mean you won't be with me, then?"
Oz's eyes widened. "I mean, I guess…"
"No way!" Alice shouted. "You're my closer-than-close friend, so you can't leave my side!"
Gil now came into the room, angrily shouting, "What are you implying, stupid rabbit?! That you're gonna live with Oz the rest of your life?"
"Of course! He's my manservant, after all."
"Shut up! He's my master!"
And thus began an argument over Oz, just like the old days. Oz was surprised that Alice still called him her 'manservant' and that Gil still called him his 'master.' It just had been a while.
…
"Hmm… seaweed-head! I command you to tell me what a calculator is!" Loud shouting was heard in the school section of the store where Oz, Gil, and Alice were at. The source of the shouting was Alice, of course.
"Stop calling me that! My head doesn't look like seaweed!" Gil shouting back. "But fine, I'll tell you what a calculator is. It's what you use to find the answers to math equations."
"Math? That's with numbers, right?"
"Yes."
The trio was at the store to buy Oz and Alice's school supplies, for school started in only a couple more weeks away. They bought whatever supplies they thought they'd need, and left the store, walking back to home.
They walked past a local pet store, and Alice stopped to look through the glass window at the little pets roaming in play pens. She saw a cage further away with an animal that interested her. Gil and Oz heard the door to the pet store open and looked to see Alice heading inside.
"What is the stupid rabbit doing now?" Gil mumbled, already angry at Alice again.
"Haha! She's probably interested in the pets there," Oz said. "Let's she what she's doing." The two went inside.
Alice was staring into a cage with a small bunny inside. It was almost as though she were entranced by the bunny, watching it with wide eyes. Oz tapped on her shoulder, and she spun around, eyes even more widened in surprise.
"Oh! Hi, Oz! Look what I found!" Alice happily said, pointing at the pet bunny. The bunny had black fur and brown eyes.
"It's pretty cute, isn't it?" Oz asked, watching the bunny. "Gil?"
Gil was standing by the two, suspiciously eyeing the cat cages nearby. He was surprised when Oz called his name. "Y-Yes?"
"Can we have this bunny?"
There was a silence. Gil didn't know what to do. Having a pet would be a big responsibility that he wasn't sure Oz and Alice could handle, since they had never had a pet. Well, except for Alice, but she had a cat a very long time ago. But they looked so happy by the bunny that he couldn't say no.
"...Alright."
Alice and Oz gasped and had joyful expressions on their faces. Especially Alice; she looked so happy that Gil had to smile. Sometimes she really got on his nerves, but he overall enjoyed her company and was happy that she made Oz happy.
"Thank you, Gilbert!" Alice said, surprising Gil and Oz because she actually used Gil's name. "We need a name, though."
Oz smiled. "How about Raven? Y'know, since Gil was -"
"-Yeah, yeah. I know that," Gilbert said. "But, I guess it's a good name, even though it's a bunny, and not a bird or anything."
Alice nodded. "I like that name, Oz. Is it a boy or a girl?"
Oz looked at the tag near the cage, and he saw that the bunny was a boy. "It's a boy," he said. "It looks like he's only about a year old."
Gil went to the front desk of the store to ask for the rabbit, and only a short while later, the three left the store with bunny supplies, a cage, and Raven.
…
It's kind of ironic that I just got a pet bunny during the making of this chapter. I actually decided on Oz and Alice getting a bunny before I even thought of getting one myself! Thanks for any comments/reviews/follows! They really make my day! See you next time!
