Gohan decided it would be wise to keep what happened in the graveyard with
Lavender a secret for fear of gaining too much attention. Vicky, however,
told every girl in grade seven, who told the boys, who told the year
eights, nines and tens and eventually the year elevens twelves.
Soon Gohan had become the school's newest celebrity and everyone seemed to know his name. Luckily, Vicky had passed out before she saw Gohan transform into a super Sayian so it wouldn't be braking his promise to Chi-Chi about keeping his identity a secret. He decided to enjoy the attention while it lasted, even if it meant people were giving him odd looks.
During Monday dinner, Cecilia came and sat beside him, a smile on her face.
"I just want to let you know that even though most of the school thinks you're crazy, I believe you saw the ghost."
Gohan froze. The school thought he was crazy? Well, he supposed that it really didn't seem possible that a twelve year old could fend off a ghost. And most people didn't even believe in ghosts. All this time, he had been getting the wrong sort of attention.
Eventually, the spotlight began to shift when rumors spread throughout the school that Mr Satan's daughter, Videl Satan, would be coming to Ellawin.
"That would be cool." Drew admitted. "A real famous person attending our school!"
"Yeah," Daniel agreed. "Reckon I'd have a chance with her, Gohan?"
Gohan shrugged. "I suppose."
Frankly, he didn't really care if Videl came to Ellawin or not. Or if Daniel would have a chance with her. He was just glad that the rumors were turning people's attention away from him.
*****
"I have finally finished marking the letters you wrote for me on your first day of school." The English teacher, Mrs Rosenburry, told the class on Wednesday morning English. "They were some very....err.....interesting papers you wrote for me."
She shuffled through them and removed two from the pile. Hiro's and Gohan's.
"Hiro, I didn't understand yours because it's in Japanese. Would you mind rewriting it in English?"
Hiro shook his head, smiling. "You told me to write the truth about myself so I did. It is true that I am Japanese, so I wrote in Japanese."
Gohan began to wish he had thought of that.
"I see." She turned to face Gohan, a queer look on her face. "Gohan, I found your paper to be particularly interesting. You wouldn't mind if I shared with the class now, would you?"
He didn't really have a choice. Gohan nodded gingerly and Mrs Rosenburry walked amongst the desks, holding the paper aloft and reading it in a clear voice.
"My name is Son Gohan. I am twelve years old. Six years ago my father, Goku, took me to visit his childhood friends on a far off island...."
She continued through all ten pages of Gohan's life, all the while, Gohan cowered in his seat and the class stuck their gaze to him like glue to paper.
".....So after Cell had finally been killed, I returned home to my mother and grandfather later to learn my mother was pregnant with my brother. A year later, my mother insisted I go to Ellawin. Which is where I am today."
She put the paper down on Gohan's desk and gave him a sticky smile. "You have a big imagination Gohan. You should consider becoming a writer. But I want you to write me a whole new paper about yourself and not what you wish you were."
The class laughed and Gohan blushed with embarrassment. Why didn't he just make something up?
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and all eyes fixed on a pale faced girl with large lilac eyes and long black hair. She wore the Ellawin school uniform and a cruel look upon her face.
"Hello? Can I help you?" Mrs Rosenburry asked kindly.
"Yeah, I'm Videl Satan. I'm just starting at the school today. Is this year seven English?"
"Oh yes Videl!" Mrs Rosenburry exclaimed. "Won't you take a seat and you can write me a paper all about yourself."
"Over here, Videl!" Vicky called, waving franticly. "Come and sit behind us!"
Videl sat on the empty table behind Vicky and Faye and glanced around the classroom, pausing when she saw Gohan. He tried to smile, but she turned away and begun writing.
*****
At lunchtime, Videl followed Vicky and Faye into the dining room and sat with them at a table.
"I'm Vicky and this is Faye." Vicky said with a false smile. "Nice to meet you, Videl. You're famous at Ellawin. Everyone is talking about you."
"I'm famous everywhere." Videl replied kindly. She turned and watched as a group of boys past them, one with a long, black pony tail and piercing black eyes.
"Who's that?" She asked, pointing to him.
"Gohan Son." Vicky giggled. "Isn't he gorgeous?"
"He looks familiar...have I seen him before?"
"He's from Japan, like you." Faye said, watching him closely. "But there's something weird about him."
"What do you mean?" Vicky asked shrilly. "Gohan is just a sweat guy. That's all."
"I'm with you, Faye." Videl agreed. "While I was waiting outside the English room to introduce myself to Mrs Rosenburry, I heard her talking about Gohan's paper."
"I'm willing to bet that everything he wrote in the paper about being and alien and stuff is true. We just have to prove it." Faye leaned in and whispered to her friends. "Meet me outside the boy's dorm after school. I have a plan."
*****
School ended and Gohan trooped up to his dorm and sat on his bed, his curtains drawn. Another day of torture was over and now he had a ton of homework to get through! Including the fresh letter for English which he had no idea how to do.
The boy's dorm was empty except for him and the only noises that could be heard were the sounds of the bird cooing to each other outside the window.
From his bed, Gohan heard the door slowly creek open and footsteps echoed down the corridor. The newcomers were incredibly quiet compared to the way most boys came into the dorm after playing outside. Gohan sat silently, listening for hints of conversation.
Suddenly, his curtain flew open and Gohan yelped with surprise. Vicky, Faye and Videl came into his room, also with a shocked expression on their faces.
"We didn't think you would be in here." Faye mumbled coming into the tiny matchbox room.
"I thought girls weren't aloud in the boys dorm." Gohan said, putting down his books to greet his surprise guests.
"It wasn't my idea to come." Vicky said, sitting on the bed beside him. "But Faye and Videl were going and I didn't want to play tennis with Hannah, Kylie and Emily so I had too."
Faye and Videl ignored Gohan altogether as they shuffled about his tiny room. Videl paused when she saw the photos Gohan had brought from home, neatly arranged on his desk that was just wide enough to push a rickety wooden chair under.
"Is this your family?" Videl asked, picking up the framed pictures to study. "Is this your mum and dad?"
"Yeah." Gohan said, getting to his feet and leaning over Videl's shoulder.
She was holding the family photo of his mother, father and three-year-old self. There was only one other photo of baby Goten, his mother and grandfather, sitting together on the couch. That photo had been taken especially for Gohan to keep in his room.
"Is that you in that picture?" Vicky asked, pointing to the picture in Videl's hands. "Aren't you cute! How old were you, Gohan? Four?"
"Three." Gohan smiled.
"Is that your dad?" Faye asked sternly, "How come he isn't in the other photo?"
"He was dead by the time that photo was taken." Gohan said. "He never got to see my little brother Goten."
Videl was hardly listening. She had spotted something else hanging from Gohan's behind and dangling over his father's arm. Something long and brown.
"Is....is that a...a...tail?" She asked, holding the picture closely to his face. Vicky and Faye pushed Gohan back and peered over her shoulders to see.
Gohan didn't know what to say. "Well....err..."
The curtains flew open again and the purple faced, bald headed boarding master stuck his head in with rage in his beady black eyes.
"Sorry ladies but girls aren't allowed in the boys dorm. If you want to talk to Gohan then you can speak with him outside."
"Sorry." Vicky mumbled and she followed Videl and Faye out of the dorm.
Gohan relaxed, sitting back in his bed. That had been a close call. But now Vicky, Faye and Videl had seen his tail for themselves and heard Mrs Rosenburry read about it in his report. They had two sources of evidence now to who he was.
Gohan knew he would have to be a lot more careful from now on.
Soon Gohan had become the school's newest celebrity and everyone seemed to know his name. Luckily, Vicky had passed out before she saw Gohan transform into a super Sayian so it wouldn't be braking his promise to Chi-Chi about keeping his identity a secret. He decided to enjoy the attention while it lasted, even if it meant people were giving him odd looks.
During Monday dinner, Cecilia came and sat beside him, a smile on her face.
"I just want to let you know that even though most of the school thinks you're crazy, I believe you saw the ghost."
Gohan froze. The school thought he was crazy? Well, he supposed that it really didn't seem possible that a twelve year old could fend off a ghost. And most people didn't even believe in ghosts. All this time, he had been getting the wrong sort of attention.
Eventually, the spotlight began to shift when rumors spread throughout the school that Mr Satan's daughter, Videl Satan, would be coming to Ellawin.
"That would be cool." Drew admitted. "A real famous person attending our school!"
"Yeah," Daniel agreed. "Reckon I'd have a chance with her, Gohan?"
Gohan shrugged. "I suppose."
Frankly, he didn't really care if Videl came to Ellawin or not. Or if Daniel would have a chance with her. He was just glad that the rumors were turning people's attention away from him.
*****
"I have finally finished marking the letters you wrote for me on your first day of school." The English teacher, Mrs Rosenburry, told the class on Wednesday morning English. "They were some very....err.....interesting papers you wrote for me."
She shuffled through them and removed two from the pile. Hiro's and Gohan's.
"Hiro, I didn't understand yours because it's in Japanese. Would you mind rewriting it in English?"
Hiro shook his head, smiling. "You told me to write the truth about myself so I did. It is true that I am Japanese, so I wrote in Japanese."
Gohan began to wish he had thought of that.
"I see." She turned to face Gohan, a queer look on her face. "Gohan, I found your paper to be particularly interesting. You wouldn't mind if I shared with the class now, would you?"
He didn't really have a choice. Gohan nodded gingerly and Mrs Rosenburry walked amongst the desks, holding the paper aloft and reading it in a clear voice.
"My name is Son Gohan. I am twelve years old. Six years ago my father, Goku, took me to visit his childhood friends on a far off island...."
She continued through all ten pages of Gohan's life, all the while, Gohan cowered in his seat and the class stuck their gaze to him like glue to paper.
".....So after Cell had finally been killed, I returned home to my mother and grandfather later to learn my mother was pregnant with my brother. A year later, my mother insisted I go to Ellawin. Which is where I am today."
She put the paper down on Gohan's desk and gave him a sticky smile. "You have a big imagination Gohan. You should consider becoming a writer. But I want you to write me a whole new paper about yourself and not what you wish you were."
The class laughed and Gohan blushed with embarrassment. Why didn't he just make something up?
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and all eyes fixed on a pale faced girl with large lilac eyes and long black hair. She wore the Ellawin school uniform and a cruel look upon her face.
"Hello? Can I help you?" Mrs Rosenburry asked kindly.
"Yeah, I'm Videl Satan. I'm just starting at the school today. Is this year seven English?"
"Oh yes Videl!" Mrs Rosenburry exclaimed. "Won't you take a seat and you can write me a paper all about yourself."
"Over here, Videl!" Vicky called, waving franticly. "Come and sit behind us!"
Videl sat on the empty table behind Vicky and Faye and glanced around the classroom, pausing when she saw Gohan. He tried to smile, but she turned away and begun writing.
*****
At lunchtime, Videl followed Vicky and Faye into the dining room and sat with them at a table.
"I'm Vicky and this is Faye." Vicky said with a false smile. "Nice to meet you, Videl. You're famous at Ellawin. Everyone is talking about you."
"I'm famous everywhere." Videl replied kindly. She turned and watched as a group of boys past them, one with a long, black pony tail and piercing black eyes.
"Who's that?" She asked, pointing to him.
"Gohan Son." Vicky giggled. "Isn't he gorgeous?"
"He looks familiar...have I seen him before?"
"He's from Japan, like you." Faye said, watching him closely. "But there's something weird about him."
"What do you mean?" Vicky asked shrilly. "Gohan is just a sweat guy. That's all."
"I'm with you, Faye." Videl agreed. "While I was waiting outside the English room to introduce myself to Mrs Rosenburry, I heard her talking about Gohan's paper."
"I'm willing to bet that everything he wrote in the paper about being and alien and stuff is true. We just have to prove it." Faye leaned in and whispered to her friends. "Meet me outside the boy's dorm after school. I have a plan."
*****
School ended and Gohan trooped up to his dorm and sat on his bed, his curtains drawn. Another day of torture was over and now he had a ton of homework to get through! Including the fresh letter for English which he had no idea how to do.
The boy's dorm was empty except for him and the only noises that could be heard were the sounds of the bird cooing to each other outside the window.
From his bed, Gohan heard the door slowly creek open and footsteps echoed down the corridor. The newcomers were incredibly quiet compared to the way most boys came into the dorm after playing outside. Gohan sat silently, listening for hints of conversation.
Suddenly, his curtain flew open and Gohan yelped with surprise. Vicky, Faye and Videl came into his room, also with a shocked expression on their faces.
"We didn't think you would be in here." Faye mumbled coming into the tiny matchbox room.
"I thought girls weren't aloud in the boys dorm." Gohan said, putting down his books to greet his surprise guests.
"It wasn't my idea to come." Vicky said, sitting on the bed beside him. "But Faye and Videl were going and I didn't want to play tennis with Hannah, Kylie and Emily so I had too."
Faye and Videl ignored Gohan altogether as they shuffled about his tiny room. Videl paused when she saw the photos Gohan had brought from home, neatly arranged on his desk that was just wide enough to push a rickety wooden chair under.
"Is this your family?" Videl asked, picking up the framed pictures to study. "Is this your mum and dad?"
"Yeah." Gohan said, getting to his feet and leaning over Videl's shoulder.
She was holding the family photo of his mother, father and three-year-old self. There was only one other photo of baby Goten, his mother and grandfather, sitting together on the couch. That photo had been taken especially for Gohan to keep in his room.
"Is that you in that picture?" Vicky asked, pointing to the picture in Videl's hands. "Aren't you cute! How old were you, Gohan? Four?"
"Three." Gohan smiled.
"Is that your dad?" Faye asked sternly, "How come he isn't in the other photo?"
"He was dead by the time that photo was taken." Gohan said. "He never got to see my little brother Goten."
Videl was hardly listening. She had spotted something else hanging from Gohan's behind and dangling over his father's arm. Something long and brown.
"Is....is that a...a...tail?" She asked, holding the picture closely to his face. Vicky and Faye pushed Gohan back and peered over her shoulders to see.
Gohan didn't know what to say. "Well....err..."
The curtains flew open again and the purple faced, bald headed boarding master stuck his head in with rage in his beady black eyes.
"Sorry ladies but girls aren't allowed in the boys dorm. If you want to talk to Gohan then you can speak with him outside."
"Sorry." Vicky mumbled and she followed Videl and Faye out of the dorm.
Gohan relaxed, sitting back in his bed. That had been a close call. But now Vicky, Faye and Videl had seen his tail for themselves and heard Mrs Rosenburry read about it in his report. They had two sources of evidence now to who he was.
Gohan knew he would have to be a lot more careful from now on.