Chapter 6: Fading Light
Cafeteria was located near the center of the school. It was circular shape, as the same as any other rooms in the building. About six doors were around the feeding area, providing entrances and exits for the students. The amount of doorways was surprisingly effective, as many Zoras rushed into the same place at exactly the same time. Mikau swam over to the long line up. He picked up a plate. That day's menu contained: bass with seaweed, catfish with Biri, salmon with lemon (!), and eel with algae. These were probably not the type of meal that we would choose to eat. However, to Mikau it was like a delicacy. His mouth was already watering just by staring at the food that the chefs were serving.
"Yo! Stop drooling and take something!" someone yelled in the back of the line.
Shaking his head, Mikau grabbed two plates of salmon, one plate of eel and one plate of catfish. He then rushed over to the drinks section and got himself a cup of Gumpian Cactus juice. It tasted like... it tasted like honey mixed with water. A lot of students stared at him, but mostly at the plates that were balancing dangerously on his arms and his head. Mikau quickly found a spot away from the crowds. He set the plates down and took a seat. He first drank some juice, and then he began to pick up the salmon (his favorite) and-
"Hi. You are new here aren't you? My name is Petanton Yek." a student stopped in front of him.
Mikau sighed as he placed the fish back onto the plate. Must he be disturbed when he didn't want to?
"Mind if I sit here with you?" he asked politely.
"Actually, I-" Mikau started.
"Good! Thank you so much!" slamming his books onto the table, the kid took a seat directly across Mikau. He stared at the pile of food. "My, you eat a lot!"
"Yea? Well, I am very hungry."
"That's a lot for a boy that is the same age as I am," Petanton said as he nodded.
Mikau didn't say anything else. He picked up the salmon again. He was going to bite down when he noticed that Petanton was staring at his food greedily. Mikau wanted to start eating but he couldn't, not with that boy looking at him eat and drooling all over the table, er salt water.
"Is it okay that I take a small bite out of your eel? I don't have the money to buy food," Petanton finally asked.
Mikau wanted to slap the fool's face with his fish. He bought the food for himself and himself only. And right now, he was not very fond of the students around him, especially Petanton. Just by looking at the Zora made his blood boil for no reason.
"Please?"
"Just take the whole fish and stuff it down your throat!" Mikau snapped angrily.
"Thank you! You are so generous!"
Obviously, the poor kid didn't realize that Mikau was planning to slice his throat with the arm blades. Then again, it wouldn't be polite if he did it right on the spot. Just think about the mess that he would create. He would do it after school...
"No," Mikau shook his head guiltily. What was he thinking? He was so young and all, and he had already started to have these disturbing thoughts forming in his head?
"Wafphmm?" the young Zora asked with his mouth stuffed full. A fish tail was dangling out of his mouth.
The Zoran Hero picked up his salmon for the last time. He brought the fish forward. He could smell it. He could almost taste it. He could-
"Ack! Aahck!" Petanton choked on his food.
Mikau slammed his head on the table. He angrily grabbed his meal by the tail and gave the Zora in front of him a hard slap on the back of the neck.
"Pahtooy!" a piece of bone flew out and floated away. "You saved my life! Thank you so much!" Petanton cried. "I could kiss you right now only I won't!"
That was NOT what I intended to do, Mikau thought. He looked at his plates and realized that he didn't want to eat anymore. He got up and prepared to leave.
"You have to go? So soon? I was thinking that maybe we can be friends and exchange address and-"
Mikau swam away swiftly. He submerged with the crowd and disappeared.
* * *
The afternoon classes were not the best either. In fact, it was worse. Singing? Puh-leeze. Art? My god.
Mikau almost fell asleep in the class, but he suddenly jumped awake at the teacher's hoarse yelling when the whole class began to sing elementary songs.
"You know what, you guys? Why not let's sing Ocean Sun? I don't really like the Frog song." Cresent proposed when she couldn't bear the off- key voices any longer. "It is a very famous song that many people know and it is not difficult to sing. In fact, I think it will suit to your level well."
"We don't know how to sing that!" a few squeaky voices appeared.
"I can teach you. Let's start slowly okay? I will sing the whole song once, and you guys listen. Then we go over line by line. Sounds fair? Okay, let's start," Cresent cleared her throat.
"Sun raised up and blazing red,
Clouds flew over and they sped,
Ocean water flowing free,
Ocean life form swam with glee.
Sunlight filtered with sense of peace,
Blueness appeared with increase,
Life flourished with no boundaries,
Death came up with no sprees.
Seeing the sun rising high,
Your hopes went up and forever in the sky,
You wished that you could one day fly,
You embraced the world with a hi.
Even when you slept at night,
In your dreams there were no fights,
You dreamed of a wonderful land,
You smiled at the rare tideland.
Ocean Sun..."
The teacher's voice died down slowly, gently. The whole class was silent. No one moved. No one seemed to be breathing.
Now Mikau was at his full attention. Something about that song had triggered his memory. He couldn't grasp it. He knew that the meaning of the song was familiar to him. What was it? When Mikau looked at students talking and laughing with each other about the new song that they had learned, he suddenly knew. He was alone. He didn't have a friend.
* * *
The last bell rang. Every single Zora rushed out of the building and out into the streets. Adults screamed as the kids overwhelmed them. Mikau was the last to leave. He slowly swam down the road with his head down. The light emitted from the lighting fish seemed to darken with him.
And this situation continued on for well over a week. During that one very long and very lonely week, Mikau had changed significantly. He didn't like to talk anymore. He was not friendly to the others. In return, the students began to make fun of his weirdness and his special identity as a Zoran Hero. They would call him 'fish' and 'freak' and 'monster' every time they saw him. Mikau just gritted his teeth and didn't say anything. He began to eat less, and he moved around much slower than before. This was a bad sign for a Zoran Hero. If he kept up like this, he would die.
Finally one day, just as Mikau was going to swim home alone again, his teacher, Ms. Cresent, told him to wait up.
"Mikau Loencraft! Hold on for a second!" Cresent swam after her student. In her right hand carried an oversized briefcase made from whale skin.
"Yes?" the Zoran Hero stopped for his teacher. He looked tired and frustrated. He had lost some weight. He had black eye spots.
"I have something that I need to ask you about," Cresent puffed as she moved along side of Mikau. "Why is it that I always saw you sitting in the back of the class by yourself? You didn't even participate in our class discussions. And by the goddesses, what happened to you? You are getting skinner everyday!"
Mikau shrugged. He just wanted to be left alone. He felt so tired.
"Mikau, I want you to know that you can tell me whatever problems that are in your mind. Let me help you."
Mikau turned his head around and stared at the female Zora with his giant diluted eyes. For the first time, Cresent noticed that he didn't have any pupils. All the Zoras had them, but Mikau didn't.
"Why are you trying to be so nice to me?" Mikau said. "I know what you think about me in your mind. Just leave me alone. Also, take in consideration that I have potential to kill you and your family and everyone else here. Maybe then, you won't have to put on that gentle mask of yours anymore."
While the teacher was still pondering at his words, Mikau immediately turned into a side alley and melted away within the darkness of the shadows.
"My god..." Cresent said slowly with disbelieve.
* * *
Screw the teacher! Screw the school! Screw the others! Mikau thought angrily as he charged down the dark, small path. The florescent fish were barely shining up in the city cave walls. He hated his life. He hated of what he had just said to his teacher. Now she would probably tell his mom about it. God! How could he be so blind? What was happening to him? Was he changing without himself knowing it?
He bumped into a Zora. "Move out of my way if you want to live!" Mikau screamed as he brought his eyes up.
It was the kid that had saved him a week ago. The untrimmed fins had covered the eyes again. Dirty as always. The kid grinned foolishly.
"What? You don't like to see me? Okay, I will leave." Turning around, the poor Zora began to leave.
"Wait!" Mikau grabbed him by the arm.
Turning back, the kid smiled. "Yea?"
Mikau released his hold awkwardly. He rubbed his hand on his hip to get rid of the mud stains. "Um... I was... I was wondering... what is your name? I haven't thanked you for saving me yet."
He laughed. "I was also wondering when you would ask that question. It's been a long time since I had somebody to talk to. Everyone here is just nuts. They are crazy and... Never mind. My name is Japas Zygran. What's yours?"
Mikau felt his throat went dry. "Uh..."
"Forgot your name?"
"No! No... My name is Mikau Loencraft."
"Hey, awesome name! By the way, I have noticed that you are quite different than the rest of the people in Termina, very interesting." Japas swam forward and stopped beside Mikau. His dirty shoulder could almost touch the Zoran Hero's clean, silvery skin. Mikau moved back a little by instinct.
"I am different? Yes I am bloody different! Must everyone ask me that same damn question every minute?" Mikau felt his anger began to surface again. "Stop asking me that question! Why is everyone treating me like I am some kind of ferocious shark that can bite his or her head off? What am I? A new breed of species that could be in an encyclopedia of the Ocean Life Series? A rare animal that people could see and point and feed in a circus?"
Japas flinched a little. "Calm down. Geezes. I am only asking out of curiosity. Sorry if I had offended you. I will tell you more about myself if you have time. I want to be your friend. I am... I am sort of lonely in a way. I only have one friend in my entire life, but I want to make more friends."
Mikau took in a deep breath. He had a headache.
"You know, instead of floating right here, why don't you come over to my house? That way at least me and you can have a seat," Japas asked as he swam in circles around his new buddy. "Also, you don't look too well."
Mikau hesitated. He should be heading back home. He shouldn't trust Japas. He had only met him for, like, a few minutes ever since that day? But then...
"Sure. Lead the way, Japas."
Japas grabbed Mikau's wrist and began to move. Mikau held onto his bubble and to try to keep up with the pace. Who cares about going home late? At least he had met someone that was not afraid of him, and someone that did not tease or make fun of him. In fact, let his mom worry. He needed to let out all the loneliness that had been bottling up inside his mind. Strange, he felt comfortable when Japas was around. He felt as if all of his anger were dissipated.
~End Chapter 6~
Author's Note: I have discussed this chapter with my friend, or rather, this story with my friend a night ago on the phone. She said that her portrait of Mikau was somehow, lighter, than what I have done. She said that in her imagination, Mikau was more of a happy-go kind of a person (well, something like that, or at least the mood is lighter.). But for me, I think that Mikau was a complicated Zora. He was not so simple minded (no offence). In fact, I don't think that he could make jokes as much as in Ocean Eternal. Then again, different people have different views.
I just want to clear this up incase of any readers that got confused of what I am try to portray. Mikau seemed mean and evil in this chapter, but it is only to get the plot going, and it is what I think of him in his current state. After all, everyone has his or her own bad day.
Cafeteria was located near the center of the school. It was circular shape, as the same as any other rooms in the building. About six doors were around the feeding area, providing entrances and exits for the students. The amount of doorways was surprisingly effective, as many Zoras rushed into the same place at exactly the same time. Mikau swam over to the long line up. He picked up a plate. That day's menu contained: bass with seaweed, catfish with Biri, salmon with lemon (!), and eel with algae. These were probably not the type of meal that we would choose to eat. However, to Mikau it was like a delicacy. His mouth was already watering just by staring at the food that the chefs were serving.
"Yo! Stop drooling and take something!" someone yelled in the back of the line.
Shaking his head, Mikau grabbed two plates of salmon, one plate of eel and one plate of catfish. He then rushed over to the drinks section and got himself a cup of Gumpian Cactus juice. It tasted like... it tasted like honey mixed with water. A lot of students stared at him, but mostly at the plates that were balancing dangerously on his arms and his head. Mikau quickly found a spot away from the crowds. He set the plates down and took a seat. He first drank some juice, and then he began to pick up the salmon (his favorite) and-
"Hi. You are new here aren't you? My name is Petanton Yek." a student stopped in front of him.
Mikau sighed as he placed the fish back onto the plate. Must he be disturbed when he didn't want to?
"Mind if I sit here with you?" he asked politely.
"Actually, I-" Mikau started.
"Good! Thank you so much!" slamming his books onto the table, the kid took a seat directly across Mikau. He stared at the pile of food. "My, you eat a lot!"
"Yea? Well, I am very hungry."
"That's a lot for a boy that is the same age as I am," Petanton said as he nodded.
Mikau didn't say anything else. He picked up the salmon again. He was going to bite down when he noticed that Petanton was staring at his food greedily. Mikau wanted to start eating but he couldn't, not with that boy looking at him eat and drooling all over the table, er salt water.
"Is it okay that I take a small bite out of your eel? I don't have the money to buy food," Petanton finally asked.
Mikau wanted to slap the fool's face with his fish. He bought the food for himself and himself only. And right now, he was not very fond of the students around him, especially Petanton. Just by looking at the Zora made his blood boil for no reason.
"Please?"
"Just take the whole fish and stuff it down your throat!" Mikau snapped angrily.
"Thank you! You are so generous!"
Obviously, the poor kid didn't realize that Mikau was planning to slice his throat with the arm blades. Then again, it wouldn't be polite if he did it right on the spot. Just think about the mess that he would create. He would do it after school...
"No," Mikau shook his head guiltily. What was he thinking? He was so young and all, and he had already started to have these disturbing thoughts forming in his head?
"Wafphmm?" the young Zora asked with his mouth stuffed full. A fish tail was dangling out of his mouth.
The Zoran Hero picked up his salmon for the last time. He brought the fish forward. He could smell it. He could almost taste it. He could-
"Ack! Aahck!" Petanton choked on his food.
Mikau slammed his head on the table. He angrily grabbed his meal by the tail and gave the Zora in front of him a hard slap on the back of the neck.
"Pahtooy!" a piece of bone flew out and floated away. "You saved my life! Thank you so much!" Petanton cried. "I could kiss you right now only I won't!"
That was NOT what I intended to do, Mikau thought. He looked at his plates and realized that he didn't want to eat anymore. He got up and prepared to leave.
"You have to go? So soon? I was thinking that maybe we can be friends and exchange address and-"
Mikau swam away swiftly. He submerged with the crowd and disappeared.
* * *
The afternoon classes were not the best either. In fact, it was worse. Singing? Puh-leeze. Art? My god.
Mikau almost fell asleep in the class, but he suddenly jumped awake at the teacher's hoarse yelling when the whole class began to sing elementary songs.
"You know what, you guys? Why not let's sing Ocean Sun? I don't really like the Frog song." Cresent proposed when she couldn't bear the off- key voices any longer. "It is a very famous song that many people know and it is not difficult to sing. In fact, I think it will suit to your level well."
"We don't know how to sing that!" a few squeaky voices appeared.
"I can teach you. Let's start slowly okay? I will sing the whole song once, and you guys listen. Then we go over line by line. Sounds fair? Okay, let's start," Cresent cleared her throat.
"Sun raised up and blazing red,
Clouds flew over and they sped,
Ocean water flowing free,
Ocean life form swam with glee.
Sunlight filtered with sense of peace,
Blueness appeared with increase,
Life flourished with no boundaries,
Death came up with no sprees.
Seeing the sun rising high,
Your hopes went up and forever in the sky,
You wished that you could one day fly,
You embraced the world with a hi.
Even when you slept at night,
In your dreams there were no fights,
You dreamed of a wonderful land,
You smiled at the rare tideland.
Ocean Sun..."
The teacher's voice died down slowly, gently. The whole class was silent. No one moved. No one seemed to be breathing.
Now Mikau was at his full attention. Something about that song had triggered his memory. He couldn't grasp it. He knew that the meaning of the song was familiar to him. What was it? When Mikau looked at students talking and laughing with each other about the new song that they had learned, he suddenly knew. He was alone. He didn't have a friend.
* * *
The last bell rang. Every single Zora rushed out of the building and out into the streets. Adults screamed as the kids overwhelmed them. Mikau was the last to leave. He slowly swam down the road with his head down. The light emitted from the lighting fish seemed to darken with him.
And this situation continued on for well over a week. During that one very long and very lonely week, Mikau had changed significantly. He didn't like to talk anymore. He was not friendly to the others. In return, the students began to make fun of his weirdness and his special identity as a Zoran Hero. They would call him 'fish' and 'freak' and 'monster' every time they saw him. Mikau just gritted his teeth and didn't say anything. He began to eat less, and he moved around much slower than before. This was a bad sign for a Zoran Hero. If he kept up like this, he would die.
Finally one day, just as Mikau was going to swim home alone again, his teacher, Ms. Cresent, told him to wait up.
"Mikau Loencraft! Hold on for a second!" Cresent swam after her student. In her right hand carried an oversized briefcase made from whale skin.
"Yes?" the Zoran Hero stopped for his teacher. He looked tired and frustrated. He had lost some weight. He had black eye spots.
"I have something that I need to ask you about," Cresent puffed as she moved along side of Mikau. "Why is it that I always saw you sitting in the back of the class by yourself? You didn't even participate in our class discussions. And by the goddesses, what happened to you? You are getting skinner everyday!"
Mikau shrugged. He just wanted to be left alone. He felt so tired.
"Mikau, I want you to know that you can tell me whatever problems that are in your mind. Let me help you."
Mikau turned his head around and stared at the female Zora with his giant diluted eyes. For the first time, Cresent noticed that he didn't have any pupils. All the Zoras had them, but Mikau didn't.
"Why are you trying to be so nice to me?" Mikau said. "I know what you think about me in your mind. Just leave me alone. Also, take in consideration that I have potential to kill you and your family and everyone else here. Maybe then, you won't have to put on that gentle mask of yours anymore."
While the teacher was still pondering at his words, Mikau immediately turned into a side alley and melted away within the darkness of the shadows.
"My god..." Cresent said slowly with disbelieve.
* * *
Screw the teacher! Screw the school! Screw the others! Mikau thought angrily as he charged down the dark, small path. The florescent fish were barely shining up in the city cave walls. He hated his life. He hated of what he had just said to his teacher. Now she would probably tell his mom about it. God! How could he be so blind? What was happening to him? Was he changing without himself knowing it?
He bumped into a Zora. "Move out of my way if you want to live!" Mikau screamed as he brought his eyes up.
It was the kid that had saved him a week ago. The untrimmed fins had covered the eyes again. Dirty as always. The kid grinned foolishly.
"What? You don't like to see me? Okay, I will leave." Turning around, the poor Zora began to leave.
"Wait!" Mikau grabbed him by the arm.
Turning back, the kid smiled. "Yea?"
Mikau released his hold awkwardly. He rubbed his hand on his hip to get rid of the mud stains. "Um... I was... I was wondering... what is your name? I haven't thanked you for saving me yet."
He laughed. "I was also wondering when you would ask that question. It's been a long time since I had somebody to talk to. Everyone here is just nuts. They are crazy and... Never mind. My name is Japas Zygran. What's yours?"
Mikau felt his throat went dry. "Uh..."
"Forgot your name?"
"No! No... My name is Mikau Loencraft."
"Hey, awesome name! By the way, I have noticed that you are quite different than the rest of the people in Termina, very interesting." Japas swam forward and stopped beside Mikau. His dirty shoulder could almost touch the Zoran Hero's clean, silvery skin. Mikau moved back a little by instinct.
"I am different? Yes I am bloody different! Must everyone ask me that same damn question every minute?" Mikau felt his anger began to surface again. "Stop asking me that question! Why is everyone treating me like I am some kind of ferocious shark that can bite his or her head off? What am I? A new breed of species that could be in an encyclopedia of the Ocean Life Series? A rare animal that people could see and point and feed in a circus?"
Japas flinched a little. "Calm down. Geezes. I am only asking out of curiosity. Sorry if I had offended you. I will tell you more about myself if you have time. I want to be your friend. I am... I am sort of lonely in a way. I only have one friend in my entire life, but I want to make more friends."
Mikau took in a deep breath. He had a headache.
"You know, instead of floating right here, why don't you come over to my house? That way at least me and you can have a seat," Japas asked as he swam in circles around his new buddy. "Also, you don't look too well."
Mikau hesitated. He should be heading back home. He shouldn't trust Japas. He had only met him for, like, a few minutes ever since that day? But then...
"Sure. Lead the way, Japas."
Japas grabbed Mikau's wrist and began to move. Mikau held onto his bubble and to try to keep up with the pace. Who cares about going home late? At least he had met someone that was not afraid of him, and someone that did not tease or make fun of him. In fact, let his mom worry. He needed to let out all the loneliness that had been bottling up inside his mind. Strange, he felt comfortable when Japas was around. He felt as if all of his anger were dissipated.
~End Chapter 6~
Author's Note: I have discussed this chapter with my friend, or rather, this story with my friend a night ago on the phone. She said that her portrait of Mikau was somehow, lighter, than what I have done. She said that in her imagination, Mikau was more of a happy-go kind of a person (well, something like that, or at least the mood is lighter.). But for me, I think that Mikau was a complicated Zora. He was not so simple minded (no offence). In fact, I don't think that he could make jokes as much as in Ocean Eternal. Then again, different people have different views.
I just want to clear this up incase of any readers that got confused of what I am try to portray. Mikau seemed mean and evil in this chapter, but it is only to get the plot going, and it is what I think of him in his current state. After all, everyone has his or her own bad day.