It seemed like hours had passed as young Thomas sat, staring blankly
out the office window at the parked cars in the lot, the busses pulling in
and the children piling onto the vehicle. Others were greeted with a happy
hug from their parents, who with a smile had come to take them home. Not
soon after the busses had pulled away, the parked cars gone. School was
over, and now the only thing left in the day for Tom was to go home. Which
he wasn't looking forward to.
"Alright, Thomas, I'm done. I've wrote a note, since you've probably got no homework due to the fact that you were out of class." She folded up a piece of paper, tucking it away into Tom's pocket. "Take that to your mom, would you? Okay, I'd say you can go now. See you tomorrow?" She smiled, ushering Tom out the door.
He sighed, deciding to return to his classroom to grab his backpack. As he stepped inside, Ms. Gallager shot him a quick glance. He blinked his dark eyes, before moving to silently grab at his stuff. Without so much as a goodbye, he left again.
The streets were quiet, which was unusual. Of course, he never really did leave school this late so maybe that was the reason. Kids were already back at home. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets as he took slow steps home, his black hues watching the sidewalk. He really wasn't looking forward to going home. Thoughts began crossing his mind as the sound of driving cars could be heard in the distance. What if he didn't go home? After all, it wasn't like he was picked up by his mom; she had to wait until he walked through the door in order to do anything. He contemplated this a moment, not paying any attention to his surroundings. No, she would find out. She'd come get him, somehow. The cops. She would call the cops and they would come searching. But. . .
He was a mutant. He could hide in the daylight's shadows just as easily as any child playing hide-and-go-seek in the dark could. It was as simple as willing the darkness to camouflage his form. He couldn't explain it, that was just how things happened with him. A harsh honk from a car horn pulled Tom back into reality as he fell off the sidewalk curb with a squeak and hit the pavement. He stood, brushing himself off and giving a quick look-over at his hands and knees before picking his backpack up and swinging it over his shoulder. He then heard voice from across the street.
"Hey, Thomas!" Ebony hues would move to glare across the way, only to lock upon those of the fifth grade bully. He sighed deeply and resumed walking down his own side of the street. "Hey, munchkin! We're playing football, wanna join?"
Sure, the offer sounded nice. But Tom knew it was too good to be true, after all he barely knew this guy. So he kept his head down and didn't say a word. But his ignoring game didn't last long, as he was soon met by the kids.
"You know, people are right. You really don't listen." A wave of giggles washed over the trio. "Must be those mutie ears of yours. Clogged up with your black goo."
Tom again sighed, shaking his head. He tried to push though, but a bigger hand pressed to his chest and shoved him to the grass. As he looked up a ball was tossed into his lap, somewhat forcefully. He winced slightly. "Come on, play!" The kids urged. He stood, shoving the ball right back at the bully.
"I have to go home."
The kids laughed. "What for? So you can play with your little whatever-it-is you play with? Do you even play? What is play, Thomas?" They taunted him, snickering the entire time. Tom just pushed through them, keeping his head down. "Oh, that's right. He can't play football. If he even got good at it, they wouldn't let him on a team anyway. He's a freak."
Tom continued down the street, with the chants of 'No mutant's allowed' behind him. Eventually he arrived at his house, only remembering his idea of running away after he stepped in the doorway. The wood clicked behind him.
"Where the hell have you been?!" His mother cried, storming after him. He hadn't even been home five minutes and already he was the center of her anger. He fell upon the door, dropping his bag to the floor.
"School kept me after a while, mom. I've got a note i-. . ."
As he fumbled for the paper in his pocket his mother tore it out of his hands, shreading it to pieces in front of him. "How do I know you or some friend didn't just write it?" She sneered.
How could she know? Well if she had opened it she would have seen it wasn't his handwriting, that and he had no friends to forge a note even if he wanted one to. Tom's vision swayed to the ground. "The nurse took some blood tests today. . ."
"For what?" She asked, brows quirking. "I'm sure the entire school knows what the hell you are already! God damnit, Thomas, what did you do this time?" Before he could answer she gripped him tightly by the shoulder, Tom crying out slightly as she shoved him through the kitchen. "Get your ass downstairs. Wait, before you do that, clean up this mess." She gestured to the shredded paper on the floor, moving back to the couch. He quickly went to work scooping up the pieces as she took yet another drink of her usual bottle of alcohol.
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Entering the classroom the next day, Tom was met by something he was not expecting. The principal greeted him at the doorway, a worried expression on her face. He shot confused glances at the teacher, as he felt the entire classroom's eyes upon him.
"Thomas, I'm afraid I've got some news for you. Come with me to the office, please." Tom shook his head, uttering a small 'Hm mm.' She glared. "That wasn't a request." Tuning on her heels, she headed out of the room, expectant of Tom to follow her. Tom frowned. The day hadn't even started and he was already in trouble! He quietly moved after her.
"Can I at least put my stuff down?"
There was no answer. As they walked into the office, she motioned for him to have a seat in front of her desk. "Listen, Thomas. It's not that we don't like you, because. . ." She paused, clearing her throat. "Well anyway, I'm afraid we have to . . . you can't go to this school."
Tom stared blankly at her a moment, taking in what she said. "How come?"
She sighed and shook her head. "Because the state law founded for this school says that no mutants can attend, whether dangerous or not. They're a threat to our society." Her fingers found a pen on the desk, and she dug it into the wood as she spoke. "We had hoped it wasn't true after the lunch room incident, so we took blood to make sure. But the tests came back positive."
Tom gaped. "But . . . it's not like anybody can catch it! Where am I supposed to go to school at?"
She withdrew some papers from a folder. "Here, as a religiously backed institution we are within our legal right to deny - for any reason whatsoever - a student who is in conflict with our other students. And mutantcy conflicts with our religious beliefs!" She was getting irritated with him, he was stalling. Truth be told, she had the head of state coming today and she didn't want any problems, which is all Tom was as of late. "Now please, just head home. I'll call your mom later to explain."
But she didn't need to tell him that. He was already out the door, slamming it shut behind him. She sighed again. "Damned mutants." She spoke under her breath, the assistant principal nodding as well. "The world would be a much better place without them."
"Alright, Thomas, I'm done. I've wrote a note, since you've probably got no homework due to the fact that you were out of class." She folded up a piece of paper, tucking it away into Tom's pocket. "Take that to your mom, would you? Okay, I'd say you can go now. See you tomorrow?" She smiled, ushering Tom out the door.
He sighed, deciding to return to his classroom to grab his backpack. As he stepped inside, Ms. Gallager shot him a quick glance. He blinked his dark eyes, before moving to silently grab at his stuff. Without so much as a goodbye, he left again.
The streets were quiet, which was unusual. Of course, he never really did leave school this late so maybe that was the reason. Kids were already back at home. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets as he took slow steps home, his black hues watching the sidewalk. He really wasn't looking forward to going home. Thoughts began crossing his mind as the sound of driving cars could be heard in the distance. What if he didn't go home? After all, it wasn't like he was picked up by his mom; she had to wait until he walked through the door in order to do anything. He contemplated this a moment, not paying any attention to his surroundings. No, she would find out. She'd come get him, somehow. The cops. She would call the cops and they would come searching. But. . .
He was a mutant. He could hide in the daylight's shadows just as easily as any child playing hide-and-go-seek in the dark could. It was as simple as willing the darkness to camouflage his form. He couldn't explain it, that was just how things happened with him. A harsh honk from a car horn pulled Tom back into reality as he fell off the sidewalk curb with a squeak and hit the pavement. He stood, brushing himself off and giving a quick look-over at his hands and knees before picking his backpack up and swinging it over his shoulder. He then heard voice from across the street.
"Hey, Thomas!" Ebony hues would move to glare across the way, only to lock upon those of the fifth grade bully. He sighed deeply and resumed walking down his own side of the street. "Hey, munchkin! We're playing football, wanna join?"
Sure, the offer sounded nice. But Tom knew it was too good to be true, after all he barely knew this guy. So he kept his head down and didn't say a word. But his ignoring game didn't last long, as he was soon met by the kids.
"You know, people are right. You really don't listen." A wave of giggles washed over the trio. "Must be those mutie ears of yours. Clogged up with your black goo."
Tom again sighed, shaking his head. He tried to push though, but a bigger hand pressed to his chest and shoved him to the grass. As he looked up a ball was tossed into his lap, somewhat forcefully. He winced slightly. "Come on, play!" The kids urged. He stood, shoving the ball right back at the bully.
"I have to go home."
The kids laughed. "What for? So you can play with your little whatever-it-is you play with? Do you even play? What is play, Thomas?" They taunted him, snickering the entire time. Tom just pushed through them, keeping his head down. "Oh, that's right. He can't play football. If he even got good at it, they wouldn't let him on a team anyway. He's a freak."
Tom continued down the street, with the chants of 'No mutant's allowed' behind him. Eventually he arrived at his house, only remembering his idea of running away after he stepped in the doorway. The wood clicked behind him.
"Where the hell have you been?!" His mother cried, storming after him. He hadn't even been home five minutes and already he was the center of her anger. He fell upon the door, dropping his bag to the floor.
"School kept me after a while, mom. I've got a note i-. . ."
As he fumbled for the paper in his pocket his mother tore it out of his hands, shreading it to pieces in front of him. "How do I know you or some friend didn't just write it?" She sneered.
How could she know? Well if she had opened it she would have seen it wasn't his handwriting, that and he had no friends to forge a note even if he wanted one to. Tom's vision swayed to the ground. "The nurse took some blood tests today. . ."
"For what?" She asked, brows quirking. "I'm sure the entire school knows what the hell you are already! God damnit, Thomas, what did you do this time?" Before he could answer she gripped him tightly by the shoulder, Tom crying out slightly as she shoved him through the kitchen. "Get your ass downstairs. Wait, before you do that, clean up this mess." She gestured to the shredded paper on the floor, moving back to the couch. He quickly went to work scooping up the pieces as she took yet another drink of her usual bottle of alcohol.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Entering the classroom the next day, Tom was met by something he was not expecting. The principal greeted him at the doorway, a worried expression on her face. He shot confused glances at the teacher, as he felt the entire classroom's eyes upon him.
"Thomas, I'm afraid I've got some news for you. Come with me to the office, please." Tom shook his head, uttering a small 'Hm mm.' She glared. "That wasn't a request." Tuning on her heels, she headed out of the room, expectant of Tom to follow her. Tom frowned. The day hadn't even started and he was already in trouble! He quietly moved after her.
"Can I at least put my stuff down?"
There was no answer. As they walked into the office, she motioned for him to have a seat in front of her desk. "Listen, Thomas. It's not that we don't like you, because. . ." She paused, clearing her throat. "Well anyway, I'm afraid we have to . . . you can't go to this school."
Tom stared blankly at her a moment, taking in what she said. "How come?"
She sighed and shook her head. "Because the state law founded for this school says that no mutants can attend, whether dangerous or not. They're a threat to our society." Her fingers found a pen on the desk, and she dug it into the wood as she spoke. "We had hoped it wasn't true after the lunch room incident, so we took blood to make sure. But the tests came back positive."
Tom gaped. "But . . . it's not like anybody can catch it! Where am I supposed to go to school at?"
She withdrew some papers from a folder. "Here, as a religiously backed institution we are within our legal right to deny - for any reason whatsoever - a student who is in conflict with our other students. And mutantcy conflicts with our religious beliefs!" She was getting irritated with him, he was stalling. Truth be told, she had the head of state coming today and she didn't want any problems, which is all Tom was as of late. "Now please, just head home. I'll call your mom later to explain."
But she didn't need to tell him that. He was already out the door, slamming it shut behind him. She sighed again. "Damned mutants." She spoke under her breath, the assistant principal nodding as well. "The world would be a much better place without them."