Chapter 3
Rescue?
I tried talking to Haku after class, but when I walked out of the room, he was already gone. I spent the rest of the morning looking for any sign of him whatsoever; although, his green hair would stick out like a sore thumb. Just before lunch, I had begun to wonder what in Ra had happened to him.
Once the bell rang, I scampered out of the dreaded prison of a classroom and straight toward the cafeteria. As I entered the large room, I saw Haku seated next to a window just as handsome as ever. That was only for a brief second before the crowd of ravenous students forced me into the 'food line' closest to the set of double doors. I rushed through the line while being shoved forward.
I'd almost gone through the whole line when a guy behind me shoved me too hard. My clumsy feet found nothing below me to stabilize myself. Food whizzed by my head as I let go of my tray and soared upward. Before I hit the concrete below, someone nabbed my arm and pulled me into their body. I took one whiff of their scent; the scent of a clean river flowing through a blooming forest. The room went eerily quiet for a reason unknown to me at the time.
"This is no way to treat a student," the guy spoke aloud. Murmurs spread for only a few seconds before a sudden hush feel once more over the students.
"If no one apologizes to her, then I can keep you here all day," the guy continued in a cool, calm voice. I heard footsteps behind me, coming closer towards my unprotected back. I spun around to find a tall, buff teenager standing before me; a senior, from the look of things.
"I-I'm sorry for almost knocking you over," the guy stammered, his eyes darting back and forth between me and the one who helped me. I couldn't believe a senior was taking orders from a guy around my own age.
"I forgive you," I replied, almost too casual for my own good. The apology seemed good enough to the guy who saved me, because everyone started moving again. I looked behind me to find Haku staring back at me.
"Uh…thanks for helping me," was all I could muster; his eyes held me in an eternal gaze.
"It's no problem. Would you like to sit with me?" Haku asked, motioning toward the unoccupied table were he was once seated.
"Sure, why not, I'll sit with you," I replied, my mind everywhere but in my skull. I followed Haku to the table and robotically sat across from him.
"So, how is your first day of school faring for you?" Haku asked, his green eyes reflecting the image of my face back at me.
"It's…going pretty well," I responded, not sure if I sounded like I was faking casualty.
"That is good to hear," Haku continued. He's still as mature as this morning, I thought to myself. I was able to rid my mind of these thoughts just as Haku held out a piece of bread in my general direction.
"If you don't eat, you'll starve," Haku calmly told me as if I were a small child who needed guidance. I pointed a finger at him.
"You need to eat, too, you know," I stated Matter-of-factly. I knew I shouldn't have said that, because he took his other piece of bread from the tray and showed me the teeth marks on the bread.
"Fine, I'll eat," I grudgingly agreed. I bit into the warm bread, suddenly realizing how hungry I truly was. However, unlike the scavenging hyenas, I savored the food before me, careful to take small bites from the bread.
"I'll get you some food; stay here," Haku commanded. I watched him as he went up to get my food. When I believed that he was gone, I moved to where I could see his backpack on the floor under the table. The backpack seemed larger than normal backpacks; my curiosity was that of a young child finding a new item in their normal environment. Before I could think about my actions, I stretched my leg just enough to slip my foot through the shoulder strap. I had begun to pull the backpack towards me when a tray of food was placed on the table. I retracted my foot and looked up fast enough to see Haku take his seat across from me.
"Did you lose a quarter?" Haku asked. I sipped my water and felt Haku stare at me the whole time.
"I did, but I found it," I lied. Haku leaned over the table, his eyes bore into my own.
"If you look in the backpack, you won't like what you see," Haku spoke in a harsh but stern tone. I nodded, confused. Why would a guy who helped me turn on me in the course of a few minutes? It seemed that after one question appeared, five new questions cropped up soon afterwards.
The bell rang and I hastened out of the cafeteria before something else could happen. There was nothing to do but wait and see what would happen next.