Chapter 4: School
The Sealoft Elementary School was not far away from home. Mikau and Lynisana reached the building with no difficulty, aside from the fact that students were staring at the Zoran Hero's unique characteristics. The two new immigrants swam into the school and into the office, where, a bored secretary was doing a pile of paper works.
"What do you want?" the secretary asked rudely when she saw shadows looming over her.
"Hi, we are new here. I want my son to study in this school. Can you help me register his name?" Lynisana smiled as she greeted the female Zora over the desk.
Mikau glanced at the nameplate on the counter: Unisle Haylum.
"Pay the fees, two hundred rupees," Unisle said without looking up. She picked up a form on the side and tossed it over the counter. "Fill the form, and give it to me. Then you can get your asses out of here and wait for further announcements."
How rude! Lynisana thought with irritation as she grabbed the sheet of paper and began to fill it out with a reed pen. She completed it and handed back to the secretary.
Unisle looked at it for a while. Then she tossed it back. "Your son can not enroll into grade four. He has to start from grade one."
Lynisana was dumbfounded. "Why? He is ten years old already."
Unisle sighed impatiently. "Because he doesn't have enough Education Credits! What are you? Stupid?"
"Surely there must be a way to-"
"I said: He. Doesn't. Have. Enough. Education. Credits!" Unisle exploded.
"I hear you just fine!" Lynisana had finally lost her grip over her temper. "Do you have manners or what?"
The secretary stood up, red in the face. "Get out! And get that freak of yours out of here too! We don't want any mutants here!"
Now Mikau was angry. Sure, saying he was strange was fine, but freak? Monster?
"Watch it lady. Otherwise your head will go rolling across the floor like a Water Ball," he threatened while narrowing his eyes. His arm blades began to extend slowly.
The rude Zora was taken aback. Her face was slightly pale. "That's it. I am calling the patrols. When they get here, let's see how tough you can be, BOY!"
Lynisana grabbed Mikau's hand as she headed out. "Come on. We can go to another school. This school is filthy."
"I can assure you that no other school will accept your son!" Unisle screamed with anger.
* * *
Furiously swimming through the crowds, Lynisana was angry. How dare she called her son a freak?
"Mikau, you are not a freak. You are as normal as any Zoras could be."
Mikau didn't say anything. All these running, swimming, yelling, pushing, and unpacking were tiring him out even if he was a Zoran Hero.
"We will go to another school that is further away."
They turned and turned. It was like a maze. Luckily, Mikau could grasp the direction well. They were heading toward the northern section of the city. Their house was at the south. A yellowish building came into view. It was bigger than the last school. Its name was Sunrise Elementary School. Pushing through the revolving door (gasp!), they entered the building. A few students were still around even when the class was over. Mikau looked at them with curiosity. Look at those weak muscles, Mikau thought as he saw that other students were staring at him too.
Lynisana turned into an opening in the wall. It was the office.
"Hello there! My name is Trifanry, how may I help you?" another female secretary smiled at the new comers.
Well, at least she was polite, Lynisana thought.
"Hi. My son, Mikau, needs a school to study. Can you accept him and allow him to start in grade four instead of grade one?"
Trifanry's smile grew wider. "Why, of course! Does he have enough Education Credits?"
Baffled, Lynisana said slowly: "No. But is there another way other than the EC (Education Credits)?"
The secretary clicked her tongue. After a long thought, she pulled out a piece of paper. "Well, yes. All you have to do is fill out this form, but you need to enclose with six hundred rupees. Four hundred is for the EC, and the other two hundred is for the school. I know this might sound a lot to you, but it is the only way."
Gratefully taking the form, Lynisana thanked her.
"Don't mention it. Once you fill out the form and give me the money, your son will be okay. He will start grade four the day that he returns with it. Sounds all right?" Trifanry grinned.
Again, Lynisana thanked her.
"Oh! By the way, we don't allow weapons here."
Both Lynisana and Mikau were puzzled. "What?"
The secretary pointed at Mikau's arms.
"I got these the day that I was born. They are fins, not weapons. Still, they cut. I will contract my fins when I have class." Mikau said quietly.
"Fine with me. Just be sure to tell the teacher about your uniqueness. Have a nice day!"
* * *
Heading back home, Mikau and Lynisana had to cross a street that was unmanned. The street was dirty. The road had potholes. Pieces of fish meat and bones were floating around. Stray Zoras sat on the side of the street with their back against the buildings. Their body was filthy, covered in mud. Most of the buildings had dents and cracks. A few were complete, but there were many unexplained markings that were made by hoodlums that lived near the area. Windows were shattered, and doors... well the doors were barely hanging on with smashed hinges. Some didn't even have hinges. They were nailed into place with fish spines. The florescent fish were rare. Most of them were dead and needed a replacement. The lighting in this tough neighborhood was extremely bad. People could hide in the shadows and ambush their victims.
Hurriedly, Lynisana and Mikau swam away from the street and into their normal areas.
"Mikau, I want you to promise to me that you will be extremely careful when you cross this street," his mom ordered when they were near home.
"I promise," Mikau answered instantly.
Lynisana frowned. Mikau would never make a promise this fast. God, was Mikau still angry with her?
"I hope you can keep it..." she said under her breath.
Swimming into the house, Lynisana began to prepare dinner. Mikau went into his bedroom and began to arrange his items into suitable places. After an hour, his mom called him to supper. The meal went along in silence. Mikau didn't look up from his plate. Finally, Lynisana tried to break the tension by making some conversations.
"You want some more Shabom?" Lynisana asked. Shabom was Mikau's favorite food.
"No." "How about some seaweed?"
"No."
Sighing, Lynisana stopped eating. "Why are you acting like this?"
Mikau looked up. "What do you mean? I didn't act anything."
"Yes you did. You act as if you hate me. You act as if everything I show to you is nothing. What is wrong with you?"
Anger suddenly lashed out in Mikau's head. His felt his pulse began to quicken. He felt his blood pounding. "You know what you did. You made me lose my only two friends in my life. Now I am lonely. Just because you lost dad that doesn't mean I have to be like you!"
Getting up from his rock seat, Mikau left the table and went into his room. He slammed his new door shut with a bang.
Lynisana stared at the food. After a while, she finished her meal and began to clean up. She got into her own bedroom and turned in.
Later that night, Mikau cried himself to sleep.
~End Chapter 4~
Author's Note: This chapter is fairly straight forward, so there is no explanation section above this. Mikau had trouble controlling his emotions. Losing a friend was bad enough, but losing two of his best friends had almost killed him. Though in the beginning he looked as if he was tough and strong. But inside, he was weak and scared. What will happen to Mikau eventually? Stay tuned.
The Sealoft Elementary School was not far away from home. Mikau and Lynisana reached the building with no difficulty, aside from the fact that students were staring at the Zoran Hero's unique characteristics. The two new immigrants swam into the school and into the office, where, a bored secretary was doing a pile of paper works.
"What do you want?" the secretary asked rudely when she saw shadows looming over her.
"Hi, we are new here. I want my son to study in this school. Can you help me register his name?" Lynisana smiled as she greeted the female Zora over the desk.
Mikau glanced at the nameplate on the counter: Unisle Haylum.
"Pay the fees, two hundred rupees," Unisle said without looking up. She picked up a form on the side and tossed it over the counter. "Fill the form, and give it to me. Then you can get your asses out of here and wait for further announcements."
How rude! Lynisana thought with irritation as she grabbed the sheet of paper and began to fill it out with a reed pen. She completed it and handed back to the secretary.
Unisle looked at it for a while. Then she tossed it back. "Your son can not enroll into grade four. He has to start from grade one."
Lynisana was dumbfounded. "Why? He is ten years old already."
Unisle sighed impatiently. "Because he doesn't have enough Education Credits! What are you? Stupid?"
"Surely there must be a way to-"
"I said: He. Doesn't. Have. Enough. Education. Credits!" Unisle exploded.
"I hear you just fine!" Lynisana had finally lost her grip over her temper. "Do you have manners or what?"
The secretary stood up, red in the face. "Get out! And get that freak of yours out of here too! We don't want any mutants here!"
Now Mikau was angry. Sure, saying he was strange was fine, but freak? Monster?
"Watch it lady. Otherwise your head will go rolling across the floor like a Water Ball," he threatened while narrowing his eyes. His arm blades began to extend slowly.
The rude Zora was taken aback. Her face was slightly pale. "That's it. I am calling the patrols. When they get here, let's see how tough you can be, BOY!"
Lynisana grabbed Mikau's hand as she headed out. "Come on. We can go to another school. This school is filthy."
"I can assure you that no other school will accept your son!" Unisle screamed with anger.
* * *
Furiously swimming through the crowds, Lynisana was angry. How dare she called her son a freak?
"Mikau, you are not a freak. You are as normal as any Zoras could be."
Mikau didn't say anything. All these running, swimming, yelling, pushing, and unpacking were tiring him out even if he was a Zoran Hero.
"We will go to another school that is further away."
They turned and turned. It was like a maze. Luckily, Mikau could grasp the direction well. They were heading toward the northern section of the city. Their house was at the south. A yellowish building came into view. It was bigger than the last school. Its name was Sunrise Elementary School. Pushing through the revolving door (gasp!), they entered the building. A few students were still around even when the class was over. Mikau looked at them with curiosity. Look at those weak muscles, Mikau thought as he saw that other students were staring at him too.
Lynisana turned into an opening in the wall. It was the office.
"Hello there! My name is Trifanry, how may I help you?" another female secretary smiled at the new comers.
Well, at least she was polite, Lynisana thought.
"Hi. My son, Mikau, needs a school to study. Can you accept him and allow him to start in grade four instead of grade one?"
Trifanry's smile grew wider. "Why, of course! Does he have enough Education Credits?"
Baffled, Lynisana said slowly: "No. But is there another way other than the EC (Education Credits)?"
The secretary clicked her tongue. After a long thought, she pulled out a piece of paper. "Well, yes. All you have to do is fill out this form, but you need to enclose with six hundred rupees. Four hundred is for the EC, and the other two hundred is for the school. I know this might sound a lot to you, but it is the only way."
Gratefully taking the form, Lynisana thanked her.
"Don't mention it. Once you fill out the form and give me the money, your son will be okay. He will start grade four the day that he returns with it. Sounds all right?" Trifanry grinned.
Again, Lynisana thanked her.
"Oh! By the way, we don't allow weapons here."
Both Lynisana and Mikau were puzzled. "What?"
The secretary pointed at Mikau's arms.
"I got these the day that I was born. They are fins, not weapons. Still, they cut. I will contract my fins when I have class." Mikau said quietly.
"Fine with me. Just be sure to tell the teacher about your uniqueness. Have a nice day!"
* * *
Heading back home, Mikau and Lynisana had to cross a street that was unmanned. The street was dirty. The road had potholes. Pieces of fish meat and bones were floating around. Stray Zoras sat on the side of the street with their back against the buildings. Their body was filthy, covered in mud. Most of the buildings had dents and cracks. A few were complete, but there were many unexplained markings that were made by hoodlums that lived near the area. Windows were shattered, and doors... well the doors were barely hanging on with smashed hinges. Some didn't even have hinges. They were nailed into place with fish spines. The florescent fish were rare. Most of them were dead and needed a replacement. The lighting in this tough neighborhood was extremely bad. People could hide in the shadows and ambush their victims.
Hurriedly, Lynisana and Mikau swam away from the street and into their normal areas.
"Mikau, I want you to promise to me that you will be extremely careful when you cross this street," his mom ordered when they were near home.
"I promise," Mikau answered instantly.
Lynisana frowned. Mikau would never make a promise this fast. God, was Mikau still angry with her?
"I hope you can keep it..." she said under her breath.
Swimming into the house, Lynisana began to prepare dinner. Mikau went into his bedroom and began to arrange his items into suitable places. After an hour, his mom called him to supper. The meal went along in silence. Mikau didn't look up from his plate. Finally, Lynisana tried to break the tension by making some conversations.
"You want some more Shabom?" Lynisana asked. Shabom was Mikau's favorite food.
"No." "How about some seaweed?"
"No."
Sighing, Lynisana stopped eating. "Why are you acting like this?"
Mikau looked up. "What do you mean? I didn't act anything."
"Yes you did. You act as if you hate me. You act as if everything I show to you is nothing. What is wrong with you?"
Anger suddenly lashed out in Mikau's head. His felt his pulse began to quicken. He felt his blood pounding. "You know what you did. You made me lose my only two friends in my life. Now I am lonely. Just because you lost dad that doesn't mean I have to be like you!"
Getting up from his rock seat, Mikau left the table and went into his room. He slammed his new door shut with a bang.
Lynisana stared at the food. After a while, she finished her meal and began to clean up. She got into her own bedroom and turned in.
Later that night, Mikau cried himself to sleep.
~End Chapter 4~
Author's Note: This chapter is fairly straight forward, so there is no explanation section above this. Mikau had trouble controlling his emotions. Losing a friend was bad enough, but losing two of his best friends had almost killed him. Though in the beginning he looked as if he was tough and strong. But inside, he was weak and scared. What will happen to Mikau eventually? Stay tuned.