Away From The Sun
by. Poisoned Scarlett
Deux
Today she wears a gray knit sweater to emphasize her dark mood, which has been rather damp and gloomy since the day she lost her textbook in that stupidly overcrowded train station. The sky is overcast today, the sun taking playful peeks between clouds. It's a good day for wearing a sweater, but not a skirt, so she matches her pleated skirt with leggings and hits the road with a heavy sigh.
She should actually still be sleeping right now, but she doesn't mind waking up earlier than usual.
At least she isn't late today.
Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, possibly the only person who she still knows since she was in high school, called her late yesterday night. She said she was arriving at Shibusen U early because she needed to print out some work in the library, and she was wondering if maybe Maka could accompany her. It wasn't like there would be many people in the library at that time, and it wasn't like Tsubaki had many friends, for the record. She mainly stuck close to Maka, just like Maka stuck close to her.
Regardless, she couldn't say no to her best friend. She was just too sweet; the type to hardly ask for anything. She was the most unselfish person Maka has ever known. Maka would bet it took a lot out of her to even ask her this. That's why she agreed wholeheartedly and they arranged to meet up in front of the school at eight in the morning instead of the usual ten. So she leaves at seven in order to make it on time.
Her textbook has been forever lost in the flood of people. She contacted the train station's lost items department the instant she got a hold of the number. They hadn't found anything, nor had anyone turned in a textbook into the lost and found. This only aggravated her – who the hell would want a textbook? An advanced Calculus one as well? More than seventy percent of the people in that train didn't know how to solve basic algebraic equations, much less something as advanced as partial derivation?
But it's been three days and still no sign of her book, her book that was stuffed haphazardly with notes; all written rather neat, with side notes for her own usage that went as embarrassing as 'no idea how to solve – google it later' to 'professors a moron, figure it out later'. Not to mention her homework had been folded between the pages...
This time Maka finds an open seat on the train. That's probably because it's early and rush hour hasn't quite arrived yet. Her plain brown messenger bag sits on her lap, body slumped back into the seat. She didn't do this weeks homework because she has no textbook and no funds to buy another one. She wonders how she'll explain this to her professor, who probably won't give two fucks about her little issue, and then gets to thinking who can loan her their book for a little bit…
There's an ebb of people the closer she reaches her station. By the time she's nearly there, the aisle between the seats is bursting with people. She has to really shove her way through to exit, and then the strangest thing happens as she steps out and takes a breath of air.
"Maka! Hey!"
She pauses and looks over her shoulder, green colliding with red.
He only manages to call her name out once more before the doors shut. But in that split second when the train is preparing for take off, Soul manages to reach into his own bag and take out a thick textbook, holding it out for her to see.
Her textbook.
He has her textbook!
"My book!" She exclaims, although the words are lost in a slosh of noise as the train picks up speed and everyone around her carries their own conversation. She can only watch helplessly as the train leaves the station – taking her book along with it for the second time.
There has to be somebody out there who hates her, she thinks glumly.
But there must also be somebody out there whose watching over her.