Chapter 4 Curiosity
"Where are you going?" Leon asked, eyeing Kyo from the bottom stair of the staircase.
"School," replied Kyo, careful not to make any eye contact with him, in case he accused her of staring at him.
"Did I say you could go today?" contradicted Leon, walking toward Kyo.
Kyo was shocked at his answer. What did he mean by "Did I say you could go today"? She HAD to go, or she'd have to produce a medical certificate the next time she went.
"What do you mean? I HAVE to go! This is no joke Leon, school is compulsory as long as you're alive and well." Retorted Kyo, trying to sound fierce instead of weary.
"Too bad, girl! I say you're not going, so you're not!" barked Leon fiercely, using his hand to tilt Kyo's head up to look at him.
Kyo stared at him, her eyes burning ablaze with anger. Leon seemed to have seen it, and within a second, he delivered a tight slap across her face.
"What was that for? You can't keep me in all the time Leon! I'll have to produce a medical certificate if I don't go to school today! If not I'll be sent to the discipline mistress!" said Kyo, tears welling up in her eyes.
There was an awkward silence, as though Leon was trying to find something sarcastic to say. Kyo took a quick glance at the clock, it was 7.10 a.m. Assembly started at 7.25 am, if Leon didn't let her off soon, she'd be late, or worse. She might not even turn up.
"Look at my face, girl. Let me pretend I care." Said Leon hotly, still not taking his eyes off the redheaded girl.
Kyo mustered all her courage and darted out the front door, "Hey!" shouted Leon going after her.
Thank goodness Kyo was a good sprinter, she sprinted all the way out to the main street.
"Thank heavens!" said Kyo softly, when she bumped into Kira, Lacus, Athrun, Cagalli, Dearka, Miriallia and Yzak.
When Leon noticed that she had managed to get into the safety of her friends; he slowed down, pretending he was just a passerby.
However, his eyes narrowed to slits once more, eyeing the bunch like a hawk.
"What happened?" asked Miriallia concerned and looking at Kyo's face and bandaged arm.
"Oh er, I…er…fell while I was running home yesterday." Replied Kyo, trying to cover up for herself.
Kyo knew very well, that she could not let anyone know of the dark truth that overcame her at home. If not, they would start to take pity and feel sorry for her. And certainly the last two things she needed, were those two.
"Hey, are you sure you're ok? Your cheek looks sore. You couldn't possibly have fallen flat on your face, right? And even if you did, the injury wouldn't have turned out as one sore patch." Said Athrun knowingly, looking at his redheaded friend.
"Rest assured I'm fine," said Kyo, forcing a smile, and wringing her hands.
Leon slowly walked back toward the house. The girl was more cunning than he thought. She had certainly pushed him against the wall. Tonight, he would settle it, once and for all. After tonight, she'd be gone from the face of the earth.
"Good morning class, Madam Youngblood. I am your history teacher for this year." Said the thin old lady; smiling cheerfully at the class.
The class stood up quietly, and politely greeted their History teacher.
"Now if you'll please turn to page 3 of your textbook. We will cover the whole of chapter 1 today. Chapter 1 is on the civilizations of South East Asia." Said Madam Youngblood, writing down three different categories on the white board.
"I think her name should be Madam Oldblood instead of Youngblood." Dearka whispered to Miriallia, who nudged him hard.
"Don't insult people! Besides, she was once young, you know?" retorted Miriallia smartly.
"First we will cover the civilization of Ancient India, which is known as the Indus Valley Civilization. Indian civilization started as early as 2500 BC. Have we all got that?" asked Madam Youngblood, turning to face her class and pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
The class lazily replied Madam Youngblood. Many of the students were falling asleep, head resting sideways on the palms of their hands.
"Did I tell you that the Indian civilization started as early as 2500 BC?" asked Madam Youngblood.
"I think her memory is history as well." asked Dearka, grinning widely.
Miriallia just shook her head in disapproval of her boyfriend's constant insulting remarks.
"Ok, who knows the order the classes, which the Indian people were classified into?" asked Madam Youngblood, scanning the class for any raised hands.
Lacus put up her hand, "Ah yes, one taker. So what's your answer my dear?" asked Madam Youngblood eager to hear Lacus's answer.
"They were classified into 5 groups, called the Caste System. The five groups were the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, the Shudras and the Pariahs." Said Lacus smartly, smiling gently at the end of her statement.
"That is absolutely correct! Well done, my dear!" praised Madam Youngblood.
Kyo sat silently in her seat, thinking about what could happen once she returned home. She was done for! Leon would give her worse than hell for disobeying him.
"What happened to your arm exactly?" Yzak asked Kyo, catching her off guard.
"Oh I fell while running home earlier." Replied Kyo softly, so Yzak wasn't so ignorant after all.
"Sorry, but can I take a look?" asked Cagalli, cutting in.
Kyo felt reluctant at first, but she slowly un-bandaged her arm revealing the gash. Cagalli nodded, before smiling at her and turning her attention back to Madam Youngblood.
"If my assumptions are right. Kyo's wounds are not caused by a fall, but by abuse. Her arm doesn't have patches on it, like there would've been in a fall. There's only a long gash, probably caused by something sharp like a knife. And her cheek looks as if someone had slapped her." Cagalli whispered to Athrun, who listened intently.
"We can't possibly ask either, she might be sensitive about it." Athrun whispered back.
"You two over there! Stop your chattering! You can do your love talk later on!" barked Madam Youngblood, glaring at Cagalli and Athrun, who quickly paid attention.
The rest of the school day passed unusually quickly for Kyo. She dreaded having to go home, her heart thudded uncomfortably in her chest. She didn't want to think about what would happen when she got back.
But then again, if she were late, the circumstances would be worse. Kyo stuffed everything into her bag, and hurried off.
In all the hurry, she was oblivious to the fact that she had dropped her wallet. Yzak picked it up, and looked after where Kyo had gone, but nevertheless, the redheaded girl had vanished.
"Hey, Kyo dropped her wallet." Said Yzak handing it to Cagalli, who flipped it open.
"Her address is here, we can return it to her. It would also be a perfect opportunity for me to see if my assumptions are correct. Her wounds are more like wounds of abuse rather than a fall." Said Cagalli looking at the others, who looked just as curious as she was.