AN: I have had no contact with MoldyJellyBean since August. At this point, I'm simply going to show the scenes we had written together for this chapter. For those of you hoping for an update to Persona: The Nameless, I'm afraid we may have a long wait. Which is a shame, as the last chapter had quite an unexpected twist. Later on, I may add the non-crossover scenes of this chapter I had planned, such as Blaine and Lucy having some time together. I apologise for this, but without Moldy's co-operation, this crossover won't be able to reach it's full potential. But I intend to finish this story, so please keep reading. I assure you, the scenes we did complete together we both are proud of.
Chapter 61: Glass Half Full
|September 11th 2012|Glasswater High School|9:20 am|
The bus had reached the school, and the students immediately gasped at the sight of the building ahead of them. It looked ancient, perhaps even older than their own school. Red bricks formed the rustic walls, and the buildings of the school were connected by outdoor hallways. These were supported by strong, red pillars that were covered via vines. In the centre of the school was a large, imposing tower, complete with a large clock face, and hanging above this clock in an alcove was a large bronze bell.
"Wow!" Serena said. She did not imagine a school of this size and grandeur to be present in what she heard was a small town. Yet, here it was. Glasswater High School.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Steven said, to no one in particular. "It's truly a work of art. It's more like a private school, don't you guys think?"
"Yeah!" Catherine said. "But it's just a regular school. So there should be tons of people like us! No obnoxious, stuck-up morons!"
"I wasn't so sure about this place, but now that we're here, I think I'm going to enjoy it here." Adam said. "Don't worry, Serena. I'm sure your performance today won't impact any of our upcoming tests."
"Whatever, Adam..." Serena said, shaking her head.
"Hey, Kyle." Lucas said. "There's a track here, I'm sure about that. You think you and I can squeeze in a bit of practice before we have to go?"
"Lucas, stop trying to steal him from me!" Serena teased, and the three of them started to laugh. Mrs Barrs sighed at them, already at the doorway.
"That's enough chatting, everyone. Get inside. Lucas, Serena, Kyle, Steven, Catherine, and Adam, you're with me for today. We're to go to Mr Schrodinger's room." Mrs Barrs said, tapping her clipboard. "We've got a long lecture about the school and the town in the morning, followed by various other classes throughout the day. I'm sure you'll get plenty of chances to interact with the students of this school, however."
Kyle sighed. He was hoping to just get this trip over with so he and Serena could have fun - outside the Lower Districts, of course. Yet he might have to force himself to be sociable today. Hopefully, he could find at least someone he didn't mind talking to.
|Glasswater High School - Mr Schrodinger's Classroom|9:30 am|
Serena glanced at the aging teacher, and sighed. Of all the luck to be stuck with one of the most boring looking teachers in the planet. No one else seemed particularly eager to listen to this man, but she had no choice. Besides, as Head Girl, it was her obligation to listen intently and represent her school's spirit.
"Good morning, everyone. As you can see, we are visited today by students from Lucille Valley High School, located in New Motus City. Before we begin… Mrs. Barrs, if you would like to tell us a little bit about your institution?" Mr. Schrodinger said. Even just those words seemed to put Serena in a daze. Nothing he said could ever be interesting, she thought.
"Yes, Mr Schrodinger." Mrs Barrs said, standing in the centre of the room. "Our school was established in 1910, by Lucille Richmond and her husband Kenneth Crossman. Lucille was a kind woman, who used to work in an orphanage, teaching the youngest of them how to read and write. Her husband was a mathematician, who was able to get the same children into arithmetic by starting slow, with basic examples they could follow. Eventually, she realised that the orphans she had taught and loved would go into the world alone, and they still needed guidance. So thanks to her husband's support, she was able to build her own school. Lucille and Kenneth died over fifty years ago, yet their love - for each other and their students - lives on in the modern generation."
Serena sighed. She had heard it all before, the story of an orphanage worker's love for her children. However, she did find it odd that her name was Lucille and her husband was a Crossman. Perhaps there was a distant link between them and the Lucy Crossman she knew. If only Blaine were here - he'd probably laugh at anyone in Lucy's family caring for orphans. She wasn't actualy the doting parental type...
"As for now, our school is attended by 1100 students, and we provide not only the basic classes, but some very specialised subjects, to stimulate our intellectual development. Even our teachers are surprised by what they learn throughout their daily routine. Our school has received many education awards in our city, and there are even students from other countries who have come to attend our fine institution, such as Catherine." Mrs Barrs said.
"Yup! I saw it in the brochure, and I was on the phone in seconds!" Catherine said. Realising that it wasn't quite her time to speak, she blushed, and shut her mouth.
"Indeed. So to summarise, our school was formed to unite our students, and prepare them for a wonderful future." Mrs Barrs said. A few students clapped, albeit half heartedly. "Oh, is there a student missing?"
Serena looked to where Mrs Barrs was pointing. An empty seat - and an absent student. A few other students looked around, awkwardly. One of them, sitting in the back was a girl with an incredible black ponytail, who stared at Serena with green eyes. Next to her was a dark haired adolescent, who was checking his phone and glaring at the screen. Serena tried to look sympathetic, but Mr Schrodinger's coughing distracted her.
"I'm afraid so." Mr. Schrodinger sighed, shaking his head with regret. "He must have had better things to do than attend school on such an important day. I beg for your forgiveness and I sincerely hope that the time comes for Glasswater to visit New Motus, none of you follow his lead. But that's enough of that. Allow me to begin my lecture. I hope you all will enjoy learning about the history of Glasswater..."
Serena did not. The minute Mr Schrodinger launched into his lecture, she completely stopped paying attention. His voice droned on and on, trying to make the mundane facts about the establishment sound relevant. Yet no one at all was invested in his speech, save for Adam, who actually took notes. Serena even noticed Mrs Barrs yawning, yet trying to maintain a dignified pose at her seat. Kyle looked about to go to sleep, but Lucas quickly nudged him before he could shut his eyes.
Finally, the bell rang, and Serena saw that it was 10:00 am. She didn't think an old man could go on for so long about the school's reputation. Clearly, his interest was not in his students. Mrs Barrs was already a far better teacher, in Serena's eyes. At least Mrs Barrs wouldn't ramble on about the view of the school in other cities.
"I will now give you all 30 minutes for a break period. Those of you who wish to converse with those from New Motus may do so. I encourage the rest of you to prepare for the lesson which will commence once I return. Dismissed." Mr Schrodinger said.
"Thank god he's done talking!" Kyle whispered to Serena. Lucas, who was sitting in front of him, nodded.
"Tell me about it. You brought the game, right?" Serena asked.
"Sure did. Let's get to it." Kyle said. He brought out his handheld consoles, and immediately launched into a battle. Serena was on hand to give encouragement, yet she regretted not bringing her own console now. Lucas sighed, and attempted to make conversation with one of the Glasswater boys. "What do you think Dan's doing now?"
"Huh? I...dunno." Serena said. "You sure think about him a lot, don't you?"
"Well, yeah. I didn't say this, but...remember the last time I met him?" Kyle said. "He's even more depressed about Matthew's death than I am. It's like part of him's dead, and the other part's on life support..."
"...It must be tough. For the both of you. But you're still going strong, right? Look at you and me!" Serena said.
"Me and...you?" Kyle said, blushing. "...Right. We are good friends."
"Yeah. Now - oh, dammit! I never saw that coming! That's not the move he usually does!" Serena said, annoyed.
"I know! Dammit, I fell into his trap...but I'm the master at traps! So there!" Kyle said, laughing. Adam laughed at them, but a death glare from Serena soon shut him up.
"Ridiculous...childish video games, during a cultural exchange. What a waste of - what?" Adam said, surprised by what he saw. The black haired girl, and the pale teenager she was with, were now behind Serena and Kyle. The boy was holding the same console as Kyle's, and from the sound of the console, the exact same game. The girl, tired of waiting for him to speak, nudged the boy in the ribcage.
"Why you—!" Matthew began, now drawing the attention of Serena and Kyle. His angry scowl flipped into a welcoming smile as he awkwardly stuck his hand out towards no one in particular. "H-Hey! Nice to meet you, I'm Matt." He held up his console. "You, er, play too?" Kyle nodded.
"Sorry about him, he's kinda' shy." The girl sighed, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, the name's Robin. Hope you don't mind us comin' over to chat."
"No, not at all." Serena said, with a carefree grin. "I'm Serena. This here is my best friend Kyle." He gave a short wave.
"Hi Robin. Oh, and Matthew." Kyle said. Serena had already noticed - the two boys were "It's nice to meet you both."
Matthew seemed to be studying Serena and Kyle with interest. Serena looked at the two of them, and wondered - why did these two single out Serena and Kyle to talk to? At the same time, she begun feeling something strange deep down. That feeling when she was with Amara, Nathan, Blaine, and the others. She could have sworn she could feel it from Robin and Matthew, as well. Was it because she happened to know another Matthew - one that was very close to Kyle? Serena just couldn't put her finger on it, but it was almost as if they were on the same wavelength.
"So is Mr. Schrodinger this boring all day long?" Serena asked. "His lecture put me to sleep..."
"Tell me about it." Robin groaned, lifting her hand for a high-five. The two smiled as their hands slapped together. "He's been real pissy for a couple 'a days. I'm positive it's 'cause of our pal, Noah... uh, y'know, the one who ain't showin' up. For clarification."
"Oh, the one he was complaining about?" Serena asked.
"Yeah. We've tried reaching out to him but he hasn't exactly been eager to respond." Matthew replied, bringing up his phone's sent messages screen and indicating the double-digit number. "I dunno' what else we can do."
"...Well, I do agree that it's not very good behavior to be absent on an occasion like this." Adam interrupted. "Your friend must have a good reason to miss out."
Robin shot the student a fierce glare as he shrugged and got up, leaving the class for the bathroom. Matthew stared down at his desk and fidgeted with some of the notches left behind by bored, daydreaming students.
"Don't mind him." Serena said apologetically. "He's got his head up his ass."
"Yeah. Me and Serena can't stand him." Kyle said, nodding in agreement.
"No shit." Robin muttered sarcastically. She stared at the empty seat, with one of the most intense glares Serena had ever seen, then she sat back and smiled at Serena and Kyle. "As for Noah, it ain't about him not wantin' to socialize so much as it is him... um, how should I put this..." She scratched her head and suddenly looked unwell. "Last week, he..."
"He...what?" Serena asked after an awkward silence.
Neither of them responded. Clearly, they knew something had gone wrong the previous week. Something...very wrong indeed. If they weren't willing to talk about it at all, then how bad could it have been? She felt Kyle nudge her in the shoulder, and she decided to forget about it. It was their business, not hers.
"Actually, don't answer that." She said, embarrassed. "Whatever happened, I hope your friend feels better soon. It'd be a shame if he missed out on visiting us!"
"It's cool. I'll be sure to forward the message." Robin leaned forward in her chair, eyeing the consoles in Matthew and Kyle's hands with a gleam of anticipation. "I dunno' if it's just me, but I think you two shoulda' been fightin' ten minutes ago."
Matthew smiled and cracked his knuckles, wrapping his fingers around the controls. "Okay. Let me show you New Motus folks a thing or two about how we get things done around here!"
"Alright, let's do this!" Kyle said, rearing to start the match. "I might look wimpy, but I'm not holding back!"
"Me neither! We play this game all the time!" Serena said, determined. "Let's GO!"
The rest of the time for the break was spent between Matthew and Kyle and Serena, who tagged in and out of fights as needed. They were deeply into the matches that they played and they gave their all whenever they fought. Robin, who was not a gamer like them - kept up on cheering for Matthew for as long as she could, before she eventually tired of the whole affair and slept for the remainder of the break.
When the break ended, Matthew picked up his pencil and tallied up the loss he had just received at the hands of Serena. Serena stared at the tallied wins on the Glasswater side versus the New Motus side and smiled with glee. Because it had been a two-on-one affair on a one-on-one fighting game, she and Matthew found it easy to perform well consistently, having much experience in playing against each other. Matthew put in a commendable effort but in the end, he came up short. He eked out more victories than losses at the start but as time went on, Kyle and Serena were able to see through his strategies and overcome the challenge.
The bell rang loudly, signaling the end of their fated meeting. Robin jumped in her seat and gazed at the clock groggily. She then stared at the paper sitting on Matthew's desk and frowned, snatching it away and looking at the score.
"What the - you lost." She said, as her eyes traveled down the New Motus column. "By a lot!"
"Yeah. Still, he did a good job." Serena said, setting the console down and stretching in her chair. "But at the end of the day, there's no stopping Lucille Valley High!" She cheered as she high-fived Kyle.
"Yeah, because Robin went to sleep instead of cheering me on." Matthew shrugged, turning off his console and stowing it away into his backpack. He smiled at Serena and Kyle. "Still, I had a lot of fun...more fun that I've had in a little while, actually."
Despite his words, Serena noticed a sadness in his voice. Longing, perhaps. Of course - Matthew must have been missing having Noah around. Surely Robin felt the same. Without any idea what Noah was doing, it must have been a terrible experience having to wait. So perhaps Kyle and Serena had allieviated some of their gloom. They might never find out what happened the previous week, but Serena had her own life to live. It wouldn't be long before she would be through the NDD to fight more Shadows, after all. So having as much fun as possible was critical.
"I had a lot of fun as well." Kyle said, as he smiled in turn. "It's too bad you didn't have a partner too. You probably could have won if you could tag out like me and Serena."
"Maybe." Matthew grinned, giving Robin a disappointed side-glance.
"Psh! Videogames are for kids!" She flexed her arm and slapped the small bulge. "Now this right here's where the real gun show is. Tickets, anyone?"
"You'd have to pay me to go to that." Matthew said.
Eventually, Kyle and Serena had to part ways with Matthew and Robin. Their day at Glasswater High School was not yet over, but their time spent with Matthew and Robin certainly was.
"Man, I wish we could stay." Serena said, disappointed. "You guys are so much fun! I'm going to have a lot to talk about once I get back home."
"Well you have my username." Matthew said. "So if you or Kyle ever want to play a round online sometime, I'm always down."
"Definitely." Kyle nodded. "I hope this isn't the last we see of each other."
"Likewise, Kyle." Robin said, grinning. "You folks take care! We're stuck in classes but you guys get to have a little more fun. Yo, if you see a real pretty blonde chick who talks all fancy named Lucia, call her Princess for me, 'kay? Personal favor!"
Serena and Kyle left, their hearts soaring. This school trip had been productive after all - they had made some good friends.
|Glasswater High School – Courtyard|12:08 pm|
The courtyard of Glasswater High School was rather crowded, but due to the visiting New Motus students, that was to be expected. Serena and Kyle looked around, and saw groups of their own students and the ones of this school interacting, no doubt trying to establish superiority over the other. This establishment had a unique charm to it, an old fashioned style, whereas Serena's school was a more modern facility.
"Oh, there you two are." Adam was standing behind them, smirking. "Incredible, isn't it? If I say so myself, this school beats ours in terms of beauty. I'm particularly fond of this courtyard."
"Me too." Kyle said. "Although they don't have much of a computing department. Lame..."
"So, Adam...uh..." Serena said, thinking to herself. She never really liked talking to Adam. He always tried to make anything she brought up into an insult towards her. "Where's Lucas?"
"Worried that there's Head Girl activities you were supposed to be doing?" Adam chided. Serena glared at him, clenching her fist. "Relax, Lucas is probably off running fifty laps around the school with the track team here."
Serena sighed, and kept on walking. Kyle and Adam followed her, but the latter's prescence irritated her beyond measure. Kyle looked down at his feet, trying to avoid the stares of the Glasswater students. There didn't seem to be anyone disabled here...luckilly, meeting Robin and Matthew had cheered him up. Perhaps meeting this Lucia lady would do them some good, but if only Adam would get lost. He was pointing something out to her, but she completely ignored him.
However, she soon felt herself collide with someone, and fell to the ground. Serena gasped when she saw who it was - a girl with blonde hair, who had dropped books on the ground. Feeling guilty, she quickly scrambled on hands and knees to collect those books.
"I'm so, so sorry! I didn't see you at all!" Serena said, flustered, as she scooped up all the books she could find. The girl in question had hair similar to Serena's, but not as pale.
"Weren't you listening to me at all? I told you someone was coming!" Adam said, sighing. He watched Serena disdainfully, despite her attempt to gather the girl's books. Despite the sight of Serena in trouble, he never lifted a finger to help. Instead, he looked at the unknown lady, and smiled. The girl nodded, and picked up some of the other books.
"Allow me, madam." Adam stepped around Serena, kicking away one of the books in the process, as he crouched down to pick up a large volume that the girl was reaching for. Serena saw the title, and her eyes widened. Norse Mythologies 101? She didn't look like the kind of girl who was into that stuff...
She was quiet as she took the book, but she just barely audibly thanked him.
"Serena, are you okay?" Kyle asked, putting his hand on Serena's shoulder. She nodded, and stepped forward, delivering the books to the girl. She tried to smile, but her nervousness was seeping through.
"Thank you." the girl said, accepting the stack gratefully. "You three must be from… New Motus, if I recall? What are your names?"
"I'm Serena." Serena said. She then pointed to Kyle. "And that's—"
"And you can call me Adam Kennard." Adam said as he bowed, before Serena had a chance to finish her introductions. Serena furiously glared at him, and would have given anything to be allowed to punch the living daylights out of him. Of course he'd try to befriend this girl, and make Serena look bad. If only Serena could use Artemis on him, just to teach him a lesson.
"Um...I'm Kyle." Kyle said, rolling his wheelchair forward.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm Lucia Kennedy." (just noticed that she doesn't actually introduce herself in this scene, so I added that in.) She shook each of their hands in turn, with Adam being the last. She semed rather displesed during Adam's, due to his reluctance to let go of her hand. "Are you all enjoying yourselves at our school?" she said, looking between the books and the students in front of her. "I could… show you around if you so desired."
"Um...that's alright, but thank you!" Serena said, waving her hands. "We already got a tour of the place, so we'll be fine. Besides, you look like you've got enough to be getting on with. Are you going to the library?"
"Indeed, I was." Lucia smiled. "Things have been a little out of hand at school lately so I thought I'd take the opportunity to get some homework done while the mood is light. You all coming here was a welcome change of pace since… well, I'm sure you're all aware. The students here do love their gossip."
"Actually, we don't know anything about it." Kyle said. Serena had a feeling, however, that this involved what Robin and Matthew mentioned earlier this morning, in regards to their absent friend Noah.
"Oh? Then forget I said—"
"A student of this school passed away suddenly, correct?" Adam suddenly said, turning to his fellow classmates. Serena and Kyle gasped out of suprise, as Lucia buckled beneath the weight of her books in shock. No wonder Matthew and Robin didn't want to talk about it... "When I was in the lavatory earlier, it was the topic of conversation with some of the other students. They said it was because of drug abuse."
Lucia grinded her teeth, but kept quiet. However, she most likely did not appreciate Adam bringing up this tragic subject.
"A student...died?" Serena said sadly. "That's horrible…"
"I believe his name was something like Seth." Adam continued. From the way he spoke, it was as if he was reciting text from a book, not imparting news on a recent tragedy. "What a waste."
Lucia did not respond. Serena hoped that she was angry as she was - she couldn't believe Adam would be so callous. Did he not care about the possibility that she was close with this Seth? Matthew and Robin most likely knew him, and so did Noah. The latter must have felt strongly about Noah to be skipping school. Adam decided to look over Lucia's book, without so much as a care to the previous mood.
"Ah...so you're fond of Norse Mythology?" Adam smiled crookedly, eyeing the text at the top of Lucia's stack. "I read that very same book once before. It's not as informative as An Introduction to the Norse Gods, but I suppose it's a worthwhile choice for beginners. Is it for a class? I didn't know they taught mythology classes at this school."
"…No." Lucia said. "This is recreational."
"Oh. Well...actually, that's even better!" Adam clapped proudly. "There truly is no better pastime than reading, is there? After all, every book provides the reader with the reward of knowledge they didn't have before." He jabbed a thumb and Serena and Kyle who were rolling their eyes and said, "You two dolts should follow Lucia's example, and learn a few things. They completely zoned out during Mr. Schrodinger's wonderful lesson on Glasswater's history!"
"…Schrodinger?" A light-bulb went off in Lucia's head. "By any chance, did any of you meet Robin or Matthew?"
Adam grimaced when Lucia uttered their names, but Serena and Kyle's expressions brightened considerably. They had mentioned to look out for one of their friends, and it looked like they had found her. Hopefully, she wasn't about to invite Adam round to her home for tea and scones.
"Yes!" Serena said excitedly. "We spent the entire break period with them, and it was awesome!"
"It was really cool. Matt put up a pretty good fight when we fought." Kyle added. "Robin kind of just slept through the whole thing… but she was still a really nice girl! I'm guessing you know them?"
"I do." Lucia smiled warmly. "They are… good friends of mine." She looked at Serena and Kyle thoughtfully, then continued, "You two actually remind me of them now that I think about it. Except for, perhaps… are you two…?"
"N-No!" Serena stuttered, her face turning as red as Kyle's. He shook his head, embarassed.
"Tch. If it were up to me..." Adam said, looking at them disapprovingly, "I would not have wasted this rare opportunity to do something you could easily do at home. You've come all the way to this unknown gem of a town, and you just want to play silly children's games? Perhaps you should've joined me when I went to chat with Schrodinger. That man is truly fascinating...and I wish we had more teachers like him."
"Uh...no thanks." Kyle said, sticking out his tongue.
"Jeez, Adam, how can you even listen to all of that stuff?" Serena asked. "You were sitting there, scribbling down notes faster than a Cactuar escapes a battle! I could hardly stay awake during that lecture..."
"Pathetic. It just means that I'm a more mature student that you'll ever be." Adam snorted. "This is meant to be an educational trip after all, not summer vacation. Mrs Barrs is very likely to give us a test on what we've learned about Glasswater, and you happening to find other childish students who join in your games will not be on it. If I were you, I'd be worried."
"Oh, whatever..." Serena said, sighing. "She was just as bored as we were."
"You keep telling yourself that. By the way, what was the name of that absent student?" Adam said, tapping a finger against his chin. "Noah, right? To think he'd take advantage of a student's death to miss a day of school! It's just not—"
"Not another word." Lucia's intensely dark scowl sent a shiver down Serena's spine, as she fixed her enraged eyes on Adam's arrogant, snivelling face. His mouth hung open, in shock. "I will not sit idly by and watch you slander my friend with that filthy, arrogant mouth. You can complain to your chaperone about me all you want but Noah—and Serena and Kyle, for that matter—are off limits. If I hear a word of nonsense come from that snakelike tongue of yours, I can guarantee you'll regret having done so. Have I made myself clear?"
At first, Adam was bewildered. Soon enough, he switched to indignation. "You wouldn't dare—"
"Try me." Lucia's phone was in her hand in seconds. Who was she going to phone? Serena noticed her phone was a rather new and expensive model.
She did have a noble air about her. Was she upper class? "I am acquainted with individuals who would beg to differ."
His eyes were bulging and his mouth hung open, but Adam was speechless. He looked ready to say one thing, thought better of it and was about to say another, then decided to scrap the whole thing and jammed his mouth shut.
"This is...disappointing. I was hoping to find some enlightened, dedicated students like myself.." Adam snarled. "I didn't expect an intelligent lady like yourself to be so accodomating to these riff-raff. Wouldn't you appreciate a chance to talk to someone as studious as yourself?."
"A few weeks ago, perhaps you'd be right." Lucia said with a shrug. "But with an attitude like that, the only thing you'll have to look forward to in life is a lonely funeral.
"You what?! That...that's low!" Adam snapped, finally dropping his facade. Now he was the childish one, throwing a tantrum. "You wait until the teachers here hear what you just said! You'll be lucky if any other school dares to set foot here again, and it'll be all your fault! Have fun with these idiots while you still can, you stupid BITCH!" With a dramatic flourish, Adam whirled around and stomped away from Lucia, Serena, and Kyle, his steps footsteps loud and harsh against the ground. The three of them watched him slowly disappear among the crowd.
"Wow…" Serena murmured, staring at Lucia with wide eyes.
Lucia massaged her temple and sighed. "Lord, I don't know what came over me." She offered Serena and Kyle a remorseful smile. "My sincere apologies. I'm usually not like that, but that boy just—"
"…That was so cool!" Kyle finished, cutting Lucia off.
"…I-I'm sorry?"
"That guy, all the teachers love him because he's so smart. Hardly anyone stands up to him!" Serena said. "Well, people have before, but not enough to scare him off like that. You're one cool lady!"
"I don't—" Lucia began, but she hesitated for a minute. She didn't think Serena liked Adam, did she? "I don't condone this sort of behavior. In fact,"
Lucia hitched up her shoes and readjusted her stack, "I think I should go apologize. If you'll excuse me…"
"Don't bother with him." Serena said, shaking her head. "If you try and pull the sorry crap, he'll be all forgiving and think you've fallen head over heels for him. And trust me, you don't want that. No one does, even if he won't admit it. You did the right thing, Lucia! If you're worried about getting in trouble for giving him a piece of your mind, don't worry. Kyle and I will vouch for you. We'll just tell Mrs Barrs he was harassing you!"
"Adam had it coming. He always tries to ruin things for me and Serena..." Kyle agreed.
"You two…" Lucia gaped at the two of them, speechless, but eventually she allowed herself a shy smile."I appreciate it."
From the look of her arms, the weight of all her books was beyond her limits. Yet she kept them aloft, and it seemed she genuinely enjoyed her newfound company. Serena had felt something within her, that reminded her of the sheer sense of self she got when summoning her Persona. But there were no Shadows and Personas here. This was a land far away from all of that.
"Forgive me. I would love nothing more than to chat with you both but I'm afraid I need to get going."
"That's okay." Serena smiled. "You've done more than enough. Good luck with your homework!"
"Thank you." Lucia nodded. "Please, enjoy the rest of your time here. I sincerely hope we meet again."
"Wait, one more thing. Robin told me to call you something..." Serena said, thinking to herself. "Kyle, what was it?"
"Princess, I believe. Quite an appropriate nickname!" Kyle said. However, he started blushing. "Um...because you're so graceful and dignified! Hehe..."
"Looks like Serena's trained you well. I'm glad you got on so well with my friends, and I hope that Noah will join us for our journey to your city. It would do him good to see a new place, I'm sure. Farewell, then!"
As the three of them parted ways, Lucia could not help but throw a casual glance over her shoulder as the blonde and the boy in the wheelchair left. When they disappeared around the corner, she smiled and went on her way to the library.
|Glasswater Beach|7:50 pm|
Ah...now this is heaven.
Amara loved the beach, which was one of the many things she and Zao had in common. Indeed, they had met at the beach back home, and with Lucy's reccomendation, she went to check out this one, as well. This particular beach was far from the hectic land of surfers and party goers of Saragel's beach. Rather, it was a calm, relaxing shore. She stepped closer to the water, smiling as it got nearer and nearer her feet.
Travelling had been on Amara's agenda for quite some time now. In fact, ever since she graduated from art college, she had been planning a trip to Egypt. Either alone, or with her father. Perhaps she could bring Zao, and show him the place she was born. Her memories of her home country were fading, but she still clung to the warm, tender smiles of her parents. To think she cursed her mother and father from taking her far away from her homeland...now, Motus was her home.
And with friends like Serena, Nathan, and Blaine around, she knew now that coming all the way to that city was the best thing that could have happened to her. To her surprise, there was a small stick in the sand. Getting an idea, Amara grabbed it, and eagerly began carving her name in the sand. And not done with that, she wrote another name beneath it. "Zao Yuria". Smiling, Amara drew a heart shape around their names.
As if on cue, her mobile began ringing. Sure enough, it was Zao.
"Hey!" Amara said, with a warm smile on her face. As she said this, she noticed another person glancing in her direction. A teenage boy, probably in Serena's age group. His face, however...he clearly was troubled about something. Lucy did mention something about a student of the high school passing away lately. Perhaps this boy was one of his friends.
"Evening, Amara!" Zao's voice chirped. "Me and Karl are just heading out for the park. The first game of that tournament's in six days! So he needs all the practice he can get. And he wants me to take part, too...but I'm no runner!"
Amara giggled, as she heard Karl pointedly tell Zao the importance of training with others for encouragement. "You hear that? He's just saying that so he can beat me and think he's doing good! Sly bastard!"
"That sounds like Karl, alright. Anyway, what's going on back home? You caught any good fish?"
"DID I?!" Zao cheered, and Amara swore she heard Karl gasp with fright. "You should have seen it! I swear, I've never seen anything like it in my life! Ever heard of something called the arowana? Well, I caught it! It's never been seen in our city since the fifties! Even grandpa doesn't remember it!"
"Holy crap...that's amazing!" Amara said. "Who else knows about your catch?"
"Everyone!" Zao said. "I mean, this could get me on the news! Imagine, me on the front cover with one of the world's most awesome fish! Grandpa even said...that I've become the new master! That I'm finally at his level!"
Amara stopped for a second, and let Zao let out some of the loudest cheers of joy she ever heard. Yet, the sounds of euphoria clashed heavily with the downcast expression of the teenager near her. Finally, Zao ceased his celebrations.
"Sorry about that...I just wanted to tell you about my day. How's Glasswater? Half full, or half empty?" Zao asked.
"...Oh!" Amara said. "I get it now...and yes, it's lovely. I've been taking pictures all day long, trying to get the best views. I got some great shots of the high school - it's better than my old one! And Grand Avenue, the Upper Districts...you should see some of the mansions there. These rich people called the Kennedys have one that puts my old house to shame!"
"Hahaha...it's still kinda hard to believe your dad's an oil tycoon." Zao said. "Oh, and the beach! You mentioned a beach, right?"
"I did! I'm standing on it right now!" Amara said, smiling. "In fact, I'll send you a picture of it as soon as this call is over! But that doesn't mean we have to end it now...anyway, what else..."
Amara continued to describe her journey throughout Glasswater. There was the Lamppost Forest, which required a bus journey. The nightmarish, twisting oak tree made Amara feel like she was in a horror movie, yet she couldn't hep but admire the small rivers and streams running through the place. Later, she went to Glasswater Park, and watched people play sports whilst others wrote rude things on the bathroom walls about various girls doing obscene acts to men. Then she spoke in great detail about Grand Avenue, especially about Colette's exploring the homemade fashion stores. Amara particularly enjoyed the ice cream there. Finally, she finished with her tour of the Upper Districts, where she saw incredibly expensive necklaces that she couldn't even dream about buying herself- even if they were works of art. Whilst she was talking, she saw the boy again, and he seemed closer than before. She ignored it, however, and continued talking.
"...You sound like you're having a blast." Zao said. "Even better, you got that super hi-def camera to take all the pictures! Listen, we really got to go. Karl's started doing press-ups so he doesn't waste time!"
"Seriously?" Amara said, laughing. "Well, tell him good luck for the match! You two go on. I'll talk to you later. But I'll show you what I wrote on the sand!" After the call ended, she began sending the image to Zao's phone. If only he was here...
The boy she had been staring at was still here. He had moved slightly closer to her, but he remained quiet and distant. Amara thought for a minute. What could she say to cheer him up?
"It's a beautiful beach, isn't it?" Amara said. "I could stay here all night..."
"...Yeah. It's nice." Noah said. "You're a tourist, aren't you?"
"That obvious?" Amara said. "I'm from New Motus City. In fact, I'm an artist and photographer for Real People, a magazine over there. What about you?"
"I moved here not long ago. My aunt and uncle live here, but my mother sent me to live with them for a while."the young man said. Amara smiled. So this man was new to Glasswater as well.
"You're enjoying it here, aren't you?" Amara said. "It's a lot quieter than back home. In my city, there's tons of clubs in Saragel, and the beach there is packed during the hottest days of the year! Not like here. But...I like a bit of peace and quiet now and again."
"I think I prefer a little peace and quiet." the boy said. "When my mom said I was heading out east, I thought I'd be living in the big cities up north. As it turns out, this place's a lot quieter than my old home. Funny how life works out."
Amara nodded, and the two of them were quiet for a bit. He did seem rather sad...but Amara tried to stay smiling. If she was sad, that would make it worse.
"You said you were from New Motus?" Noah murmured, looking at his phone and at the offending text message in question. "I think a couple of them met my friends today." He read through some of the names in the text and read them out loud to the woman. "Serena, and...Kyle...? "
"Hahaha...yeah." Amara said. "Thing is, one of my friends is a student there. You might have met her, actually, Serena Agnethe? Blonde hair, green eyes, about 5'5?"
He shook his head, embarassed. "N-No, actually. I, uh… I didn't go to school today so I guess I missed out." He laughed apologetically. "Tell your friends hello for me, won't you?"
"Sure, no problem." Amara said. "Hang on, I don't even know your name! Or should I introduce myself first?"
The boy laughed. "It's okay. My name is Noah Scofield."
"That's a cool name." Amara said, holding out her hand. "I'm Amara Furaha!"
"Speak for yourself! You've got a pretty cool name too!" Noah two of them shook hands. Looking into Noah's eyes...Amara felt something from him. It was as if they had some sort of connection. It wasn't romantic, or as if from lifelong friends, but...they shared something deep within.
"By the way...I don't mean to pry, but you looked rather sad about something. Is there anything wrong?" Amara said. She felt guilty for speaking like this. After all, whilst she was with Lucy and Stella, she had learned that one of the students of Glasswater High School had met an untimely end, seemingly from drug abuse. Yet, she did not want to force Noah to reflect on this.
"...You might've already heard." Noah said slowly. Amara gulped. So it was as she feared. "This guy at my school, Seth? He was this big, tough, real intimidating looking dude and… he wasn't, he was a nice guy, the nicest guy I've ever met. And, he... uh..." His voice became choked with emotion, and Amara could see that he was forcing himself to speak.
Amara looked away. If only there was some way to change the subject without sounding insensitive. Noah must have been rather attached to this Seth. Did he know more about how Seth died than anyone else?
"Um, we don't have to talk about it if you'd rather not." Amara said.
"No, it's alright. And… I think it's about time I talked to someone about this anyway." Noah cleared his throat and tried to look Amara straight in the eye. "Seth… Seth had a drug problem. And no one—including us—knew about it until the day he died." Even though he was looking away from Amara, she could tell he was on the verge of tears. What could she say? She knew next to nothing about Seth, Noah, or any of this other friends. "My friends and I should have done something but by the time we found about, it was too late. Seth… Seth's dead. Nothing's ever going to change that."
This guy...I can't let him fall apart. I know this is none of my business, but...I think I can help, even if it's just a little.
"I think...Seth would be happy." Amara said. "Happy that...he had friends who cared about him so much."
"What?" Noah said, meeting her gaze again.
"Okay, I don't really know the full story. But if it helps...I think Seth can rest in peace, knowing that at least one person wanted to lend him a helping hand. And maybe there are others close to you that need help. It's not too late for them, is it?" Amara said. "I think...Seth would be proud if you tried your hardest to help your friends with their problems."
"...You really think that's true?" Noah said. "I don't… I don't think I trust them as much as I should."
"Then take your time." Amara said. "Someone very close to me died when I was only a little girl. But she gave me something very important. I've worn it every day since then, and I always think of her when I see it. This ankh...reminds me to never give up. There's something I really need to do back home. Something that will take all of my effort, and if I don't do it, I'll regret it forever. But I know I can still do it, no matter who tries to stand in my way. That's...just the kind of person I am. I don't believe in throwing in the towel."
Noah laughed, but he had a genuine smile now. This must have been the first time he laughed in ages. Amara smiled back. Perhaps her words had really made a difference on this boy. Maybe...just maybe, they'd meet again one day. Hopefully, he'd be able to come to terms with Seth. And Amara would have dealt with the Shadow menace forever.
"You're...really a glass half full person, aren't you?" Noah said. He stepped closer, and saw what Amara had etched into the sand. "Let's see...Amara Furaha and Zao Yuria, hmm?"
"Hahaha..." Amara laughed, blushing. "I thought he'd like it! My boyfriend is crazy about the sea. Especially the fish. You wouldn't happen to know anything about the kind of fish in this area, would you?"
"Not a clue!" Noah said. "You said you were a photographer, right?"
"Yeah. In fact, I'm supposed to be taking pictures of the beach here...so I really need to go back to work." Amara said. "But it was great talking to you, Noah."
"Same here. Maybe we'll meet again." Noah said. "I hope I get to meet your other friends too!"
Amara laughed, and returned to stare at the ocean waves. The sun was setting, and thus it was time for her to snap pictures of the beautiful views. She was going to remember this place for quite a while...