Hi everyone! I had to write this for an English assignment (that's why it's so short, sorry). Please review, and enjoy!
Ralph sat silently at his desk as the professor began to speak, talking about a new student that he couldn't find it in himself to care about. He drew random shapes on the wood in front of him as he listened to the footsteps signaling the students arrival at the classroom. The teacher spoke.
"Class, please welcome Jack Merridew."
Ralph froze, keeping his head down. He prayed that this was a fever dream, or a hallucination, that this wasn't actually happening. He didn't - couldn't look up, because if he saw him then it would be confirmed and he couldn't pretend that everything was fine.
The teacher was talking again, but a numbness had settled into Ralph's mind, and he could hardly hear over his own pounding pulse. He jolted to reality when his name was spoken.
"Ralph, Jack will be joining your group."
In the back of his mind he vaguely remembered a new project starting today.
"Now," called the teacher, "split up into your groups and begin working. Try to keep the volume low."
Ralph heard footsteps approaching him, and then the sound of a body sitting down in the chair next to him. His ears picked up the other two members of the group coming over and sitting down.
Ralph still didn't look up. He feared that, if he did, that he would be back on the island, and the boys around him would turn into naked, paint-smeared savages. He began to tremble unknowingly.
A conversation filtered through the curtain in his mind. The others in the group had begun discussing something, unaware of Ralph sitting there silently, memories flooding his terrified mind.
"We ought to have a leader," one of them said. "Then we can do this properly, in a civilized way so that we won't fight."
"I agree," said the other boy.
"Hey, new kid," said the first. "Do you want to lead the group? You would get to make all kinds of important decisions, like a king!"
"Or a chief!" the other cried.
Images rushed through Ralph's mind, terror after terror after terror. First a raging bonfire, then a circle of boys dancing, then spears stabbing into flesh, a rock hitting a soft body, a conch shattering, a shining white pig's skull impaled on a stick.
Ralph tried to open his mouth to object, to argue please, anyone but Jack, anyone would be better, just don't make him chief, when-
"No!"
The shout echoed across the classroom. Jack flushed. "I think that - I know that Ralph would be a better chief than me. Leader, I mean. I don't think, I mean, I wouldn't be very good at that. I think that Ralph would be better at keeping us civilized."
Finally, Ralph looked up at Jack, shocked. Unconsciously, his hand lifted up to push back the hair that was no longer there, that he had gotten cut as soon as he got off that island. His mouth opened and closed a few times. More images flashed in his mind, ending in a body floating out to sea.
Suddenly, the curtain lifted from his mind, and the fog cleared. He spoke in a low voice.
"I don't think I'd make a good chief either."