Mount de Luna High School ch 2
Chapter 2: School begins.
"Shadow, hurry up!" Pitch hollered up the stairs.
"Just wait a minute! I'm almost ready!" Shadow called back down. Pitch growled and stormed out the door. Shadow rolled her eyes and finished putting in her contacts. She didn't need them but Pitch made her wear the stupid things anyway. It was that or deal with his constant bad mood. True, he was usually in a bad mood but this seemed to make him less angry, at her at least.
She hurried down the stairs and out the door. Pitch was talking on his cell phone and rolled his eyes at her as she climbed in the black car.
"Finally." Pitch grumbled, "no not you, Shadow. Yeah, yeah I'll see ya in a minute."
Shadow just starred out the window. Pitch hung up his cell and they drove in silence until they arrived at Mount de Luna.
Mount de Luna was a large two story school, with a green house on the roof. The gym was a separate building off to the side along with some sports fields.
Shadow and Pitch got out of the car and quickly went their own ways.
Shadow moved quickly and easily through the crowd, no one noticed her, no one ever did.
She picked up her schedule from the front desk then proceeded to read it as she moved through the hall. "Algebra, English, Plant science, lunch, free period, and Drama." At least she had English and drama to keep her happy the others where all duller than dull, some junior year this was starting out as.
"All students please meet in the auditorium, all students please meet in the auditorium." A too cheery voice announced from the speakers.
Shadow moved with the crowd and quickly ended up in the auditorium. The auditorium was a spacious room with a stage at the front and two floors of seats with a sound booth in the back, needless to say it was an impressive room. She sat down in the top back row and took out her sketch pad. She didn't even look up as Pitch and his gang joined her, or when the principal started the annual "welcome back to school" assembly. She did look up as the new or foreign exchange students where called to the stage. Just as she suspected, and sorta hoped, the boy with white hair was there. He was obviously bored, and just stared out into the audience.
They introduced themselves then sat back down. Shadow went back to her sketching, but kept glancing where Jack had sat down. He sat close to a wall and the seats in front, behind and to his right where all empty. Not a lot of people liked to get to know the new kids, but Jack didn't seem to mind.
After a few more words from Manny Lunar, the principal and founder of Mount de Luna, and the over enthusiastic student body president, some poplar kid, everyone was allowed to go to class.
Algebra went slowly, and Shadow nearly fell asleep multiple times.
English went much better, because this teacher just had you, write a journal on a certain topic he prepared, then read a scene from a play, and then watch a clip from the movie of that play about the scene you just read about.
Plant science was dull and she knew the teacher well enough to know as long as you did well on the assignments, tests, and didn't talk when he was talking you could get away with almost anything, so she colored a couple of her sketches.
Lunch was lonely, as it always was. No one sat by her, either they where to scared of Pitch or just not interested in sitting by a Goth looking girl.
Free period… free period was different. There were a total of nine students in the classroom, ten now including her. Pitch and his gang was there, along with four people he despised above everyone else. There was the big fellow with broad shoulders and black hair, the tall boy with tan skin and wave like tattoos and grey-black hair, the smaller boy with sandy gold hair, and the girl with a bright yellow feather in her headband, apparently it was her signature style. She didn't remember their names, but then again she didn't care Shadow told herself in her mind.
Pitch and his gang sat in the back corner while the others sat in the front, clearly opposite from each other. Shadow sat in the front, about two seats to the left of Pitch, close to the window. The last thing she wanted was to get in between Pitch and his enemies, plus it was a good view of the gardens. Just as the bell was about to ring Jack came through the doors, Pitch and his goons sniggered as he tripped and dropped his books. A pencil flew through the air and rolled to a stop by Shadow's seat.
"Let me help ya with that, mate." The tall muscular boy with tattoos said, getting up to help, the sandy haired kid stood up as well but Jack waved them off.
"I've got it, thanks anyway Aster." Jack muttered as he gathered up his things.
Jack stood back up after gathering his stuff and gazed around the room. It seemed to be evenly divided between Pitch and North. Jack shrugged and sat down in the seat closest to the door and farthest from the two groups, the leaders of which where glaring daggers at one another. The teacher bustled in and called the class to attention.
"The rules are simple," He explained, "you can do anything within school policy. Take a nap, work on homework, or anything really as long as its not disruptive of another student's activity. I allow iPods, cell phones and the like along as you don't disrupt someone else's class in another room. Any questions, come talk to me, besides that you are basically on your own. Good Luck."
As soon as he had finished the teacher had his nose buried in a book.
The class was quiet for a moment then the groups began to chat. Jack decided to get his homework out of the way so he could have more free time later. He pulled out a text book and looked for his pencil. After a moment of not finding it in his bag or binder he looked around on the floor.
"Stupid pencil," he muttered under his breathe.
"Um… is this yours?" A timid voice came from behind him. Jack turned to see the girl from the park, Shadow, as August had called her, holding his pencil out towards him.
"Yeah thanks." He said, letting a small smile form.
"No problem, I'm Shadow, Shadow Black." She said shyly, confirming what he had been told.
"Jack Frost." He replied, holding his hand out. She shook it quickly then snuck a glance over her shoulder.
Jack followed her gaze to see Pitch watching them from the corner of his eye as he talked to Keith. Pitch wasn't the only one watching, Brick was watching Shadow like how a cat watches a mouse. Jack turned his attention back to Shadow, remembering the drawing she had dropped in the park.
"One second," He said digging in his bag, he pulled it out a moment later, slightly crumpled, and handed it to her, "I believe this is yours."
Her face lit up with a smile as she recognized the drawing.
"Thank you, where did you find it?" She asked.
"You dropped it in the park."
"Oh…" she gave an embarrassed giggle.
"Well isn't this cozy? How ya doing Jack? I see you've met my little sister." Pitch said taking the desk next to Jack, Shadow's smile quickly faded.
"I'm ok, and yeah, we actually bumped into each other…," he paused as Shadow shook her head, "in the hallway this morning." He lied. Shadow gave a small thankful smile before going back to her seat.
"Huh." Pitch said in a disbelieving tone. Pitch opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Anna.
"Hi Jack," She said cheerily, then gave a curt nod to Pitch and said less cheerily, "Pitch."
"Anna." Pitch said simply and walked back to his chair.
"Jack, we were wondering if you'd like to hang out with us after school?" Anna asked turning her attention back to Jack.
"Uh no thanks, I'm busy after school today. Sorry." Jack lied. It's not that he didn't want to, he just didn't want to today.
"Oh, that's ok. Maybe some other time then?" She asked hopefully.
"Yeah maybe." Jack said as Anna left.
No one else bothered him the rest of class. As soon as the bell rang he left and headed for his final period. He noticed Shadow was following him, though she kept her distance. He shrugged, maybe she had a class this way too. He turned the corner and walked back into the auditorium, Shadow followed.
"Drama class?" He asked.
"Drama class. Thanks by the way, for not telling Pitch where we met." She said quietly.
"No problem. Why didn't you want him to know?" He asked.
"He doesn't like me being there." Was all she said before hurrying to back stage, where the class room was. Jack rushed after her.
The teacher started the class and it went by so fast that the bell rang before they knew it. Jack decided to hang around the school for a while, explore, get to know it better, that sorta thing. He wandered upstairs and found an empty class room. Judging from the piano it was the band room or something like that. He sat down at the black grand piano and began to play the main theme from Phantom of the Opera. After that he began to play Echo by Jason Walker, he even started to sing along as he played. As he sang he remembered…
"Hello, hello
Anybody out there? Cause I don't hear a sound
Alone, alone
I don't really know where the world is but I miss it now"
He did feel alone, when his parents had died it felt like his world had come crashing down.
"I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name
Like a fool at the top of my lungs
Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright
But it's never enough"
He pretended to be ok when his uncle hadn't been able to take care of him, the truth was his uncle had never cared about him anyway.
"Cause my echo, echo
Is the only voice coming back
Shadow, shadow
Is the only friend that I have"
For 12 years he had been alone.
"Listen, listen
I would take a whisper if that's all you had to give
But it isn't, is it?
You could come and save me and try to chase the crazy right out of my head"
Somedays he would hear the whispers of the other kids, saying he was worthless, pathetic, no one wanted him, he was a freak.
"I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name
Like a fool at the top of my lungs
Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright
But it's never enough"
He had tried to find someone, anyone to talk to, to help him feel less alone.
"Cause my echo, echo
Is the only voice coming back
Shadow, shadow
Is the only friend that I have"
But no one ever listened, no one at all.
"I don't wanna be an island
I just wanna feel alive and
Get to see your face again"
There had been many nights in the orphanage when he had cried himself to sleep.
"I don't wanna be island
I just wanna feel alive and
Get to see your face again"
He wished that his parents were still alive, but he knew that they were gone and never coming back.
"But 'til then
Just my echo, my shadow
You're my only friend and"
Not even the dog at the orphanage would go near him.
"I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name
Like a fool at the top of my lungs
Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright
But it's never enough"
"Cause my echo, echo
Oh my shadow, shadow"
"Hello, hello
Anybody out there?"
He sang the last verse with such passion and feeling that it brought a tear to his eye.
"That was amazing." A voice said from the shadows. Jack looked over and saw Shadow.
"Where'd you come from?" He asked.
"I was in the art room, down the hall. I heard someone playing Phantom of the Opera and decided to see who it was." She answered sheepishly.
"Well you found out." He said, slightly grumpy about being heard. He didn't like people listening to him sing.
"Yeah, and you're really good." She said, then almost wistfully she added, "I wish I could sing like that."
"Hm. So why doesn't Pitch like you hanging out at that place?" Jack asked, his curiosity burning.
"Uh…" she was about to answer when her cell phone went off.
"No mere mortal can resist the evil's of the thriller. Mwahahaha." It said.
"Hello?" She answered it quickly, "I was just finishing up a project, I'll meet you in the parking lot. Ok, see you soon Pitch." She hung up and turned to Jack.
"I understand, see ya around Shadow." He said with a wave of his hand.
"See ya Jack." She said and was gone.
Jack stayed in the room for a moment longer then decided to go home. When he got there Mrs. Green was there, with a plate of fresh baked cookies and a glass of milk.
"Maybe living here wasn't such a bad thing after all," he thought as he munched on a cookie.