So uhhh not sure what to say. If I get a review I'll post chapter five as soon as I see it, if I don't get one by next Monday I'll just post it then. So, read and enjoy.
The time had come where it was time for Jacin to return to his original schedule. Cress was upset about this for a variety of reasons. As her dad had brought up, she wasn't good at making friends and he and Winter were the first good friends she had had in a while. She was also worried that Anthony would start tormenting her again.
She was in English when Thorne sat next to her. "Why did you keep blocking me?"
"Because you're annoying?" She didn't really know how to answer.
"So you were doing it to spite me? That's not very lady-like."
"You are the one who keeps saying m'lady, not me. You could say that I was doing it to spite you. And what do I owe you an apology for?"
"For calling me a cadet. I am obviously a captain." He puffed up his chest.
"See! Arrogant. If you keep arguing with me, then you will be an ex-cadet."
"Are you my commander or something? I'll have you know, that just because of you, I will be going into a military career now and I will reach the rank of captain." He seemed proud of this, like he had already reached the rank of captain.
"I'll have you know, that until that day, you will forever be an ex-cadet to me." She stuck her tongue out at him to further prove her point.
"What can I do to get the rank of cadet?" He pulled out the biggest puppy dog eyes ever.
"What are your grades like?" She had guessed that they were bad from what Jacin and Winter said about Thorne.
He didn't say anything, confirming what Cress had guessed. "You can get an A in two classes, one of them preferably math. To go the extra mile, you could replace Jacin for a bit? His schedule got switched back." Her voice nearly broke at the end, but she pushed through.
"Are you really upset about that? I'll have you know that I am much better company than Jacin. I don't know if I can fight better than him though. I will gladly offer what services I can though, M'lady."
"You have to call me Major, though." She thought that was the position above Captain.
He saluted her and then turned to the front of the class as the teacher called for attention.
"Allright, today we're going to analyze some poetry. Does anybody know who Edgar Allen Poe is?" Ms. Gosnell asked in a matter of fact way.
Almost everybody started talking to each other. We all had read so much Poe in all of our education and many kids had conspiracy theories about him and his poetry.
"Hey! Guys, one at a time. Carswell, what do you have?"
Thorne started off in a very prophetic tone, "In most of Poe's works of art there is symbolism for a man who has lost his place in this world. He has to find a woman who can compliment him and help him through these times, preferably one handy with a ray gun."
Everybody just looked at him for a heartbeat. Suddenly someone said, "Dude, I don't know what Poe you've been reading but I don't think it was Edgar Allen Poe. He's the one that writes about death."
Ms. Gosnell quickly spoke, "Carswell, I really am not sure where you got the ray gun. But, yes, in a way, many of Poe's poems are thought to be about love. We'll paraphrase and connotate Annabel Lee today."
On the board, Ms. Gosnell pulled up the poem. The whole class sat silently for once, reading it.
It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love—
I and my Annabel Lee—
With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven
Coveted her and me.
And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsmen came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.
The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
Went envying her and me—
Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.
But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we—
Of many far wiser than we—
And neither the angels in Heaven above
Nor the demons down under the sea
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the sea—
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
They spent the rest of the class working with the poem. Multiple students took verbal jabs at Thorne for his speech at the beginning of class. Even Ms. Gosnell teased him, though Thorne took it all in stride.
At the end of the class Cress packed up her stuff and left. Thorne was close behind her and almost immediately started talking.
"That poem was creepy." He shuddered theatrically then continued, "I mean that's pretty weird that he climbed into her grave and slept beside a corpse."
She felt a little weirder when it was put that way. "Yeah, I guess that's pretty weird. I always liked the poem though. It was like the stories, an epic romance that lasts beyond death. It flashed into existence then burned white hot for all eternity. Even after death." She had a sense of profoundness, thinking about it.
It was interrupted by Thorne's loud guffaw, "Seriously? You believe in that crap?"
"Maybe not in real life or at least believe it's common. Us humans are pretty crappy these days. But yes, in theory, I do believe in unconditional love. Even if it wasn't quite as strong as what I described I do believe my dad loved my mom a great deal. The way he talks about her…" she trailed off noticing Thorne's far off expression.
"My parents definitely don't have true love. They might tolerate each other, but it's nowhere near love. That is a nice idea though. I wonder if I'll ever be able to experience love like you described." He looked at her in a curious way.
"I do too."