2. On the First Day
September 8th
(KIRK)
Mister Robert Light was a tall, serious man who wore thick, serious spectacles, walked with a straight, serious gait, spoke with a calm, serious voice, and frowned at Kirk with a thin, serious mouth. Kirk wasn't sure if his new homeroom teacher disapproved of him, or if that was just his default expression.
"If you have any questions about anything, feel free to address them either toward myself, or Miss Godiva" Light said after introducing himself. Lily (Miss Godiva Kirk mentally corrected himself) stood behind and to his right, a somewhat less serious expression on her face. Well, I know which one I'll be going to Kirk decided. Despite what Lily had said the previous day, there was something about his new teacher that just seemed…off to Kirk. Well, Lily said he's under a lot of stress. Maybe I just need to give him a chance.
Light looked down at his watch, half hidden by the white sleeve of his starched button-down shirt. "Well, I think it's time we introduced you to the rest of the class" he said, smiling. Kirk decided he needed a little more practice; his smile looked more pained than anything else. "Right this way."
The hallway he and Miss Godiva led him down was wide, probably to accommodate the hordes of students moving through it between classes. The walls themselves were lined with lockers, each about a meter and a half tall, small black-faced combination locks affixed to the fronts. Funny, I didn't get a locker assigned Kirk realized, shifting his backpack a little. He knew enough about American high schools from watching TV to realize he should've. Well, there's probably a reason.
Room number 319 was on the second floor, something which had confused Kirk until he remembered Americans counted the ground floor as the first storey. The door to this particular room was shut, though there was a small Plexiglas window in the side; this, for some unfathomable reason, was covered with what looked like construction paper. Light deftly unlocked the room with a small key from his pocket, then pulled the door in and ushered Kirk inside.
"I'll see you later" Godiva told him, heading off down the hallway. Kirk stood for a moment, watching her walk away, unsure what he supposed to do next.
"Don't be shy" Light said, gesturing toward the classroom. "Everyone's anxious to make your acquaintance."
There was a lectern set up at the front of the class, before a large, white dry-erase board. To the lectern's left sat what Kirk assumed was Mr. Light's desk; behind it was a folding table currently stacked with books. Arrayed in front of the lectern were row after row of desks, each one containing one of his classmates, all of whom were staring at him.
"Class, this is Kirk Abel, our new exchange student. Kirk, why don't you step up and tell us a little about yourself?" Light gestured toward the lectern.
This would probably be a bad time to mention I'm rubbish at public speaking Kirk thought, taking his place behind the podium. He coughed nervously to clear his throat.
"Uh…Good morning" he managed. "Like Mr. Light said, my name is, uh, Kirk Abel, and…" His eyes settled on the front row. Sitting side by side were Thomas and Sherry, both looking at him. Sherry sent him a smile, and Kirk felt a little better. "Well, as you can tell by my accent, I didn't grow up around here." The class chuckled at that, which put Kirk more at ease. He explained a little bit more about himself, before concluding with "I've already met some of you, but I can't wait to get to know you all. I'm sure this will be, uh, a great year."
"Well, thank you Kirk" Light said. "Now, if you'll find your seat, we'll begin."
Kirk's seat, it turned out, was behind a large, broad shouldered boy named Cody Whitlaw. He gave Kirk a friendly nod as he made his way to his desk, but didn't say anything. Kirk settled into his seat, and then spent the next hour and half learning about American history. It was odd, since a lot of this was stuff he already knew, but from a slightly different perspective. Of course, it was equally strange to start history class in this era; he was used to this subject coming up about midway through the year. One of the benefits of being a young country. Your history books are a lot smaller.
An equally unusual thing was the way Light taught. Kirk was used to sitting through a lecture that was just that. But here, there seemed to be a lot of discussion involved as well. Kirk didn't take part himself, not having a clue what was being discussed and furthermore not interested in talking again in front of a bunch of strangers, but he did see it as opportunity to learn the names of several of his classmates.
Thomas Martin seemed to have a lot of respect within the class. He didn't speak often, but when he did, his questions were well reasoned and logical, and the others listened. Likewise, Sherry didn't often say a whole lot, but when she did contribute (usually after Thomas) what she said was usually interesting, and she asked intelligent questions. The same could not be said of Nolan, a boy who sat a couple of seats behind Kirk, and was constantly asking questions with obvious answers. Even Mr. Light seemed exasperated by him.
Their discussion was starting to wind down when a tone sounded. Mr. Light shut the book he'd been teaching from. "Well, we'll discuss this tomorrow. Enjoy your break." And without another word he walked out of the room.
Kirk wasn't really sure what to do now. He wasn't the most outgoing person in the world, and aside from Thomas and Sherry he didn't know any of these people, and even for those two it was only a passing acquaintance. He didn't really want to get up and go inflict himself on people he hardly knew, no matter how friendly they seemed.
Well, I've still got Elaine's book Kirk thought, reaching for it in his bag. He still didn't have a locker, but his back pack was big enough to hold all his books, and it wasn't like he'd have to walk home very often; his grandmother has said she'd come get him.
Of course, his momentary lack of things to do was alleviated when his classmates descended on him.
"Sorry to interrupt, but now seemed as good a time as any to introduce ourselves" said Thomas, smiling apologetically. This bloke Kirk decided is unfailingly polite. At least it seemed genuine.
"Oh, not at all" he replied, setting his book aside.
"Well, you already know Sherry and me" Thomas continued. "And you heard Nolan's questions in class" he added, gesturing to a taller boy standing next to him. Nolan smiled, a huge grin Kirk found at once to be both unintelligent and infectious. He decided he'd like Nolan.
"Nice ta meetcha, Kirk!" he exclaimed, loudly.
"Likewise."
Sherry nodded to a blonde-haired, slender girl standing next to her. "This is Violet" she explained, before nodding to another girl, who Kirk noticed rather jarringly was dressed like a boy. "And this is Jericho."
'I keep telling you, Sherry, my name is Jerry" the girl said irritably, except, Kirk realized with a start, she wasn't a girl; she just looked like one. "We don't all call you Sheryl, do we?"
"But Jericho sounds so strong" Sherry insisted. She turned to her new classmate. "What about you, Kirk? Do you have a nickname?"
Kirk shook his head. "No. In fact, most people at my last school just called me Abel."
"Abel? That's a little…impersonal" said Thomas.
"That's England" Kirk replied.
"Why don't we call you…Abe? How about that?" Nolan asked.
"What's wrong with Kirk?" Sherry asked.
"Well, it's…you know…nerdy?" Nolan paused, a little unsure of himself. He looked at Kirk. "See, there was this show back in the sixties, called-"
"I know what Star Trek is" Kirk replied. "Believe it or not, we do have television in England too, and they do show things besides Doctor Who."
"You watch Doctor Who?" Violet exclaimed. "Oh my God, I love that show! I cried when they left Rose behind! That was so sad!"
"It was…emotional" Kirk agreed, words he could've just as easily used to describe her, he realized.
"I'm sure Kirk didn't come all the way from England to talk about TV" Thomas said evenly. "Why don't you tell us about it? What's it like in the UK?"
"Oh, yes!" Violet exclaimed, leaning into what Kirk had, until very recently, determined was his personal space. "England must be so interesting!"
"Well, it's…uh…definitely different."
"Does everyone sound like you?" Violet asked, before adding, before he could respond, "I just love your accents! They're so…cool! Oh, oh, can you do an American accent?"
"Uh…"
"Slow down, Vi" Nolan said, smiling at the shorter girl. "Stop hitting on the new guy."
"Shut up, Fletch" Violet shot back. "Don't be jealous!"
"Jealous? Me? Ew…"
"Now, now, children, let's behave" Thomas said consolingly. He turned to Kirk. "I'm really sorry. Some of my friends are a little…eccentric."
"Eccentric?" Nolan asked.
"It means weird" Violet told him helpfully.
"I know what it means!" he shouted back.
"Not at all" Kirk replied. "I think it's funny."
Violet and Nolan were still shouting at each other, with the girl/boy, Jericho, trying to calm them down. Sherry took a seat at a vacant desk next to Kirk's, and leaned toward him, smiling with interest.
"What about you, Kirk? Did you leave any friends at your previous school?"
"Not…really" Kirk answered, truthfully. "I wasn't all that close with my classmates. I was at a really competitive private school, and a lot of people saw my dad's job as getting me special privileges."
"Because of his position at the university?" Thomas nodded. "Yes, I can see that. Still, that's not very fair to you, is it?"
"No, it wasn't. Wait, you know about my dad's job?"
Sherry nodded. "That's right. Miss Godiva told us."
"So you know she's-?"
"That's right" said Thomas. "She told Sherry and me right after term started. She told us some other things about you too, just so we'd have a better idea of how to make you feel welcome."
"Does anyone else know?"
Sherry shook her head, her hair bobbing. "Nope, just us. She said she's trying to keep it quiet she's related. Don't worry, your secret's safe with us."
"What about the other girl who was with you Friday? Isabel. Does she know?"
Thomas shook his head. "No. I didn't think it was necessary to tell her. Just the three of us."
"Where is she, anyway? Is she not in this class?"
Thomas nodded. "No, she'll be in all our classes. But…I guess she's sick." He looked over his shoulder, to where another group of students was clustered. There were three: a tall, broad shouldered boy with dark skin, whose name tag read William Maunalani, a petite girl with shoulder length red hair whose name was apparently Amy Belle, and a third girl, whose back was to them. "Alex, where's Isabel?"
The girl turned, and Kirk's eyes widened a little. Alexandria Nobel. Odd duck. Be careful around her. "Isabel's sick" she replied, simply, her voice flat. "I haven't heard from her since this morning, Thomas, so we won't have our meeting after school. I don't know when she'll be back."
"Thanks" Thomas said, but Alexandria wasn't looking at him anymore. She adjusted her small-framed glasses, then stared fixedly at Kirk. The other two stopped talking to look at him as well.
"You…you live next to my grandparents" Kirk said, after an awkward silence. "My grandmother pointed you out to me Saturday. She said you've lived next door for…a while."
Alexandria blinked. "Oh, that's right; you live with the Godivas, don't you?" She nodded. "Yes. I've lived in that house for most of my life, but your grandparents haven't. They just moved there a few years ago. Before that…" She shook her head, as if clearing something. "Listen, William, Amy, and I get together after school sometimes and study at my house. You're welcome to join us, if you're interested." She smiled a little bit. Kirk felt like she was trying to be friendly, but wasn't quite sure how. He decided to smile back, since it felt like the right thing to do.
"Thanks. I may take you up on that."
"We'll be glad to have you" Alexandria replied, before turning back to her friends. Well, that was different.
"So, what were we talking about?" Kirk asked.
"Your old school friends" Thomas replied. "Well, fear not. We won't hold that against you here" he added with a smile. Quiet as he was, Kirk realized there was a lot of self-assurance to his classmate. "Still, I can't imagine what that must've been like, not having any friends."
"Well, we can always fix that!" Sherry said. She smiled at Kirk, a little bit more confidently this time. "We can be your friends!"
Kirk smiled back. He liked these two, he decided. "I'd like that."
"Just as long as your girlfriend doesn't get jealous" Sherry added. Kirk's eyes widened a little. "You've got a girlfriend, at least, right?"
Bloody hell Kirk thought. "Um…Why are you asking me that?"
"That's a little…personal, don't you think?" Thomas suggested, his voice a little irritated and…hurt? Kirk wasn't sure what to make of that.
Sherry's face reddened a little. "Sorry, I was just-"
Just then Mr. Light reentered the room. "Alright class, break's over. Please return to your seats." The same tone sounded again, putting a period to his sentence.
"Well, we've gotta go" Thomas said. "We can talk more at lunch."
"Uh…okay" Kirk managed.
It occurred to him no one was making a move to leave the room. Are we not changing classes? he wondered. At his old school, they'd have moved on to another classroom for a different lesson; he'd assumed they did things the same way here. He shrugged inwardly. Well, I guess, when in Rome…
(SHERRY)
Idiot! Sherry screamed at herself. What kind of moronic question was that? she asked herself. He probably thinks you're a lunatic. No, he's right, you are a lunatic!
Sherry Link was and had always been a quiet girl. She had her small group of friends, and she didn't much travel outside of that. She hadn't opted to help Isabel more directly with Countermeasures for that very reason: Sherry just didn't like attention. So why was it different with Kirk? Sherry knew she was an intelligent individual, but she couldn't put her finger on it. It couldn't just be the accent (though, like Violet, she did find it attractive). There was just something…different about him. Something…calming.
She remembered the conversation she'd had with Thomas and Isabel on the way back from the hospital two days ago.
"What do you think of him?" Isabel had asked her friends.
"He seems nice enough" Thomas said. "And did you notice the book? That's Lovecraft. It's pretty deep stuff. Not everyone's cup of tea. That tells me he's smart, too, but introverted."
"I like him" Sherry had agreed, maybe a little too readily, not that the others had noticed.
"Well, that's fine, I'm sure he's a nice guy" Isabel had said irritably. "But do you think he'll play along?"
"Why wouldn't he?" Thomas had asked. "He doesn't have any reason not to trust us."
"But it'll be hard to explain things to him" Isabel had insisted. "After all, we can't actually tell him what's going on."
"Yes, that's a serious flaw in the rules" Thomas agreed. "How do you tell someone about the Countermeasures without violating them? They should've thought of that."
"Fine, the plan's flawed, but it's the best we've got, and acknowledging that doesn't do us much good right now anyway." Isabel had turned to Sherry. "What do you think? How should we do this?"
"I don't know" she'd replied. "I'm not actually part of this, I'm just-"
Isabel's eyes had bored into her. She and Sherry had grown up together; Isabel was one of her best friends…or had been. Now Sherry wasn't so sure. She's taking this seriously she'd realized. But then, who can blame her, after last year?
"You are part of this" Isabel had said. "We all are, including him. So you've got to help me out, okay?"
Sherry had nodded, not sure what to do at the time. But now a plan was forming in her head. Now I've got an idea she thought. She looked at the clock above Mr. Light's head, realizing she'd tuned out most of his lecture on grammar. Well, I suspect I'll survive not knowing how to conjugate she admitted. More importantly, there was only half an hour left until lunch. And I know exactly what to do she thought. It put a small smile on her face, which got a confused look from Mr. Light, though it wasn't enough to make him actually stop teaching.
Sherry didn't notice.