Phantom smiled at the long-haired man. 'You're not going to scare me this time, Peta,' he thought. Phantom sat at his desk and watched the new teacher try to explian how to solve a maths equation. Peta was looking frustrated as he glared up at the board. Phantom raised his hand. Peta looked over at him and smiled.
"Yes?"
"Sir, the answer is 3.2."
Peta glanced over his shoulder at the equation. '6 multiply by 2 divided by 10 plus 2 equals...' he read his own writing.
"Are you sure?"
Phantom nodded. Peta walked over to him.
"Let me see how you solved it."
Phantom allowed him to lean over his shoulder to look at his book. A strand of stray hair curled out from Peta's ponytail and touched Phantom's cheek. Peta wrapped his arm loosely around Phantom's neck. He leant closer, so his boney chin rested on Phantom's sholder. Phantom became hot and flushed as he felt the teacher's breath on his ear. He heard Peta mutter under his breath as he checked Phantom's working.
"You used BEDMAS?" he asked sounding mildly surprised.
"Yes. I put the brackets around '2 divided by 10', divided, multiplied, then added the 2," Phantom explained to the impressed teacher. Peta straightened up and strode up to the board.
"Class, Pha... I mean, Tom here has solved this problem before even I did!" Peta said. Phantom blushed. Peta smiled at Phantom. "Well done!" He clapped his hands and some of the class followed suit. Phantom covered his face as it burned in embarrassment. Peta showed the class how to use BEDMAS, following Phantom's example.
The school day ended by Peta giving the students homework. The kids left in a rush, eager to get home. Peta was sitting at his desk, rubbing his eyes. He heard a desk slam closed and glanced up. Phantom was cleaning out his desk. He had the wastepaper basket beside him and a pile of books on the other side.
"Cleaning, Tom?" Peta said, smiling at him. Phantom nodded.
"Yeah. It was getting too messy. I'm sorry if I'm wasting your time, sir."
Peta laughed. "No, not at all. I admire the tidy student."
Phantom looked up. His eyes met Peta's. Peta looked into his purple eyes. He imagined he was staring into the blank lifeless eyes of the other Phantom. Phantom blinked and looked down. Peta continued to smile, watching Phantom nervously cleaning out his desk.
"Good work today... Using BEDMAS for that equation..." Peta spoke slowly. Phantom sniffed. "You know, maybe you should be the teacher, and I the student," Peta joked. Phantom shook his head.
"You're older than me, sir," he muttered. Peta's heart was pierced by these words. 'Was he hinting something?' he thought, 'Is he on to me?'
"Yes, but sometimes age doesn't matter... Things can conquer age..." Peta said calmly. Phantom stopped and glanced up at the teacher again.
"How old are you?" he asked suddenly. Peta stared at the boy for a few seconds. He then answered hesitantly,
"I'm 32. Why?"
Phantom smiled sweetly. He returned to his desk. Peta continued to watch Phantom. "I just wanted to know, that's all."
"How old are you?" Peta returned his question. Phantom laughed.
"Not as old as you, sir," he replied. Peta frowned.
"I'm not that old," he complained. Phantom sat into his chair, shaking with laughter. Peta raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, but what is so funny?" he asked.
"Your face... The... look... on your... face," Phantom gasped in between fits of laughter. Peta grinned. 'I like this Phantom. The side of him that can laugh and joke...' He sighed. 'I like it almost as much as I like the sadistic blood-thirsty Phantom.' The boy stopped laughing and looked up at Peta.
"You left me, Peta," he said, his voice sounded deep. Peta stared wide-eyed at the small boy.
"It wasn't my fault. I tried... But the good guy will always win. No matter how hard we try... The good guy will always win in the end."
Phantom shook his head. "We have not lost. Just because we are here and not there, ruling, it doesn't mean 'the good guy' has won."
Peta watched Phantom closely. 'Why is suddenly talking like he has lived a hundred years? Can he remember our mission on the other earthly plain or is he just thinking rationally?' Peta thought.
"We're still here, aren't we?" Phantom said. Peta nodded. "We are still standing, aren't we?"
Peta smiled. "You're very clever, Tom," he said. Phantom beamed.
"I have an excellent teacher," he replied modestly. Peta battered his eyelashes.
"Aww, you're too nice!''
Phantom closed the lid of his desk and stood.
"You are leaving?" Peta asked disappointment in his tone. Phantom nodded. He placed the pile of books in his bag and zipped it up. "You want a ride?" Peta offered. Phantom stared at him with doubtful eyes.
"I mean... You would've missed your bus and you shouldn't be walking home this late in the afternoon... There are lots of sickos out there."
"Like you?" Phantom murmured. Peta pretended not to hear him.
"Come on. I'll give you a lift," Peta persuaded. Phantom reluctantly nodded. Peta grinned. "Help me with my stuff then."
Notes for Chapter Four:
- Peta is hopeless at Maths. LMAO.
- Phantom is very brainy for an 8 year old... I only learnt BEDMAS when I was, like 12.
- BEDMAS is a Maths rule. It stands for Brackets Exponents Division Multiplication Addition Subtraction. First you do the brackets, then the exponents (integers), then you divide, multiply, add or subtract. Also known as BODMAS or BIDMAS. XD I hate Maths, honestly LOL.
- The answer to the equation (6 multiplied by 2 divided by 10 plus 2) is actually 3.2! Phantom was right? (I checked on my calculator.
- Don't ask why the little kids had to solve such an equation without calculators... And how Phantom solved it in his head... He must just be a child prodigy! XD OMG I'm a freak!
- LOL, Phantom's a neat freak!
- Peta is 32... Gees that's old... But, then again Phantom was about 30 when he died... I loved a 30 year old zombie! Hey, I should write a story about that... LMAO XD! (BTW, there's a 14 year difference between me and Phantom)
- Trust an 8 year old Phantom to call Peta old... LOL! Just imagine the look on Peta's face... Tehehe...
- Phantom should be a motivational speaker! OMG I'd come to his sessions!