Chapter 9: We Met (Part 1)
A/N: The New Chapter is here! As said in the previous chapter, this is a flashback to how Edd and Marie originally met in Elementary School, so some things may seem different. You're probably wondering about the (Part 1) thing in the title, well there was so much to cover in this flashback that it's better to split it into 2 parts as if it was all in one chapter it felt like there wasn't enough in the chapter to be a satisfying flashback. I hope you all enjoy the new chapter! :)
"I don't wanna go to school!" Marie says in huff as she folds her arms, Marie turns her head and looks out side of the window to see the traffic is brought to a stand still. Ma' leans forward and squints if she can see anything, but there's too many cars in the way.
"It might take a while for the traffic to clear hun'" Ma' gives Marie an update, Ma' takes her attention off the snail pace traffic and looks back at her brown haired daughter in the back passenger seat, Ma' gives Marie a reassuring smile. Marie looks back at Ma' with a disappointed look.
"I don't wanna go to school..." Marie repeats as she kicks lightly the back of Ma's seat, Ma' shakes her head.
"Honey, you have to go to school. I ain't turning the car back around" Ma' does her best to speak some sense into Marie, Marie simply pouts at her mother. "Don't give me that look, it won't get you anywhere" Ma' says in a low tone, Marie quits pouting.
"Why can't I be with Lee and May?" Marie asks as she looks at her mother with a watery eyed expression. Ma' has a short sigh as she looks at her daughter's sorrowful look.
"Pa' said it's best if you're not all at the same school, he thinks you'll distract each other" Ma' explains, Marie rolls her eyes after hearing the word Pa'.
"We won't!" Marie says as she sits forward, her seat belt unhooks due to the tiredness of the old car. Ma' has a small smirk and slowly shakes her head at Marie.
"I have a hard time believing that,after the last school you three were at, anyway I-" Ma' is cut off after a car behind them honks their horn, causing both Marie and Ma' to flinch at the very sound. Ma' looks back at the rear window to see the person causing all the commotion, Ma' turns her attention off her daughter and rolls down the window. "Put your seat belt on hun'" Ma' recommends, Marie follows orders and sluggishly hooks her seat belt on. Ma' sticks her head out of the window "I'm movin! Shut it!" Ma' yells out of the window at the driver behind them. Marie giggles at her mother's explosive behaviour. Ma' puts her head back on the car and looks forward to see the traffic is starting to move.
Ma' revs the engine and drives forward, Ma' looks at the rear view mirror to see Marie who still has a glum look as she fiddles with her hands. "Don't worry you'll make some friends" Ma' brings up a conversation, Marie lifts her head and looks at the back of her mothers short brown hair.
"I don't wanna make some friends, I want to be with Lee and May..." Marie complains, Ma' has a short sigh to herself at her daughters disruptive behaviour.
"Please try to be on your best behavior for me" Ma' pleads, Marie looks away from the back of her mothers head and looks out of the window.
"They'll make fun of these" Marie says as she takes her glasses off, Ma' simply shakes her head at her daughter.
"They won't" Ma' says with great confidence, throughout the rest of the journey, Marie didn't utter a single word to her mother.
The car pulls up outside of the school, Ma' is first to get out of the car. Marie looks out of the window to see dozens of kids her age entering the school, Marie continues to peek out of the window until Ma' opens the door. "Come on, you can't go to school just sitting there" Ma' comments, Marie gives her mother a sour look as she climbs out of the car. Ma' shuts the door slowly and looks to her side at Marie who is still looking at the students walking into the school with their parents, Ma' holds her hand out in front of Marie.
"Do I have to?" Marie asks, Ma' simply nods at her daughter, Marie sluggishly places her hand in Ma's hand.
"I don't want you runnin' off" Ma' jokes as she tightly grips Marie's hand, Marie darts her eyes around the area before entering the school to see a few students staring at her.
"Ma' why are they looking at me?" Marie asks, Ma' looks down at Marie and gives her a mischievous smile.
"It's because your pretty, they're all just jealous" Ma' whispers to Marie, Marie has a small giggle at Ma's joke.
"Really?" Marie asks as she looks up at Ma', Ma' nods at Marie.
"You're the prettiest one here" Ma' gives her daughter some confidence as the two walk into the school together.
"Now where's the reception?" Ma' wonders as she looks down the corridor, Marie tightens her grip on her mothers hand. The atmosphere in the corridor is oddly very chatty, a lot of the students are chatting among each other. "There it is" Ma' says as she leads Marie through the door of the reception.
Ma' walks up to the desk to see the receptionist tapping away at her old style keyboard, the receptionist looks up at see Ma' standing there. "Hi, can I help you?" The receptionist greets, Marie moves closer to her mothers side and squeezes on her hand.
"Yeah, I was told to come here when Marie starts school?" Ma' says nervously, The receptionist raises her eyebrow and looks at Ma'. The receptionist stands out of her seat to see Marie swiftly moving to hide behind her mother, The receptionist has a small smile.
"Hello there..." The receptionist says playfully, Ma' moves out of the way so the receptionist can have a look at Marie. Marie moves behind her mother again "A shy one" The receptionist says joyfully as she sits back down in her seat.
"She's not like this at home" Ma' jokes, The receptionist nods as she turns to her keyboard and continues to tap away.
"Can I have Marie's surname please?" The receptionist asks as politely as she can, Ma' leans forward on the receptionists desk.
"It's Bardsley, Marie Bardsley" Ma' repeats, The receptionist cheerfully hums as she taps on the keyboard. Marie takes an occasional peek out at the receptionist as she types.
"Everything looks fine, Mrs. Wheatly Marie's teacher will be here soon to take her to her class" The receptionist informs, Ma' nods her head. "You're welcome to sit over there until she comes" The receptionist points at the seating area opposite her desk, Ma' nods her head.
"Thank you" Ma' says as she leads Marie to the seating area, The receptionist playfully waves at Marie who does her best to ignore the receptionist. Ma' sits in the seat first, Marie hops up on the seat next to her.
"Can't I be with Lee and May?" Marie attempts to change her mothers mind, Ma' simply shakes her head slowly.
"You'll be fine hun'" Ma' reassures her daughter which isn't working, as Marie gives Ma' another pouting look.
"Please..." Marie says the magic word, Ma' gives Marie a small smile. Suddenly the door opens, a teacher with short neatly combed blonde hair walks into the room. Ma' stands out of her seat along with Marie who hops down off the seat, Ma' notices Mrs. Wheatly is a lot shorter than she is.
"Good morning, I'm Mrs. Wheatly" Mrs. Wheatly introduces herself with a beaming smile, Mrs. Wheatly looks down to see Marie is already hiding behind her mother.
"Sorry about this, she's never this shy" Ma' says as she nervously scratches the back of her neck, Mrs. Wheatly smiles at Ma' as she goes down to Marie's level.
"Good morning Marie" Mrs. Wheatly introduces herself with another beaming smile, Marie peeks to the side to see Mrs. Wheatly still smiling at Marie.
"Hi" Marie says softly as she suddenly returns to hiding behind Ma', Mrs. Wheatly stands back to her feet.
"You don't have to worry about anything, she'll fit in fine at this school and make a lot of friends" Mrs. Wheatly reassures Ma', Ma' simply shrugs at Mrs. Wheatly.
"It's not the school I'm worried about, it's Marie. She's not been to school without her sisters" Ma' says, Mrs. Wheatly nods at Ma' understanding where she's coming from.
"I understand" Mrs. Wheatly says, Ma' has a short sigh to herself before looking down at her daughter who is still hiding behind her.
"I've got to go now Marie" Ma' drops a bombshell on Marie, Marie tightens her grip on Ma's hand. Mrs. Wheatly takes a few steps back to stay out of the conversation between mother and daughter.
"I don't want you to" Marie says, Marie's grip continues to tighten on Ma's hand to the point where it started to hurt Ma'.
"Sorry hun' You're a big girl now, you can do this" Ma' says, Marie lowers her head and shakes her head. "You're going to make a lot of friends at this school, I know you will." Ma' reassures Marie, Marie looks up at Ma' with watery eyes. "Be on your best behaviour...for me..." Ma' says, the last two words impacts Marie, Ma' uses her long sleeve to wipe the watery eyes of Marie. Marie nods her head with great eagerness ready to tackle the day that's in front of her.
"I will Ma' I promise" Marie says with a short smile, Ma' returns another smile at Marie.
"That's my girl, pinky promise?" Ma' says as she holds out her pinky at Marie, Marie looks at Ma's pinky intensely. "Remember, you can't break a pinky promise" Ma' reminds, Mrs. Wheatly looks on with a nostalgic grin.
"I know, I won't!" Marie says with great eagerness as she locks her pinky with Ma', the two shake with their pinkies.
"I swear" The two of them say, as soon as the pinky lock is broken. Ma' finds herself in a tight hug with Marie, Marie wraps her arms around Ma' as she embraces her with a warm hug.
"I'll pick you up after school" Ma' reminds as she breaks away from the hug with Marie much to Marie's dismay. Marie looks up at her mother to see her smiling, Ma' gives Mrs. Wheatly a humble nod as she walks towards the door. Ma's turns back looking at Marie, Ma' gives her a small wave before leaving out of the door. Marie waves at Ma' as she leaves out of the door, Mrs. Wheatly takes a few steps forward to see Marie has already lowered her head.
"How about we go to class?" Mrs. Wheatly asks, Marie simply shrugs. Mrs. Wheatly extends her hand out at Marie, Marie hesitantly places her hand in Mrs. Wheatly's hand, Mrs. Wheatly leads Marie out of the room.
The two walk down a deserted corridor, Marie looks around to see there is no one around. There is an odd silence between the two on their walk to the classroom "I heard you have sisters, are they nice?" Mrs. Wheatly attempts to break the silence, Marie continues to watch her steps towards the classroom.
"They're okay" Marie gives a short answer, Mrs. Wheatly looks back up and notices the two of them are standing outside the classroom door, Mrs. Wheatly goes down to Marie's level.
"What do you do for fun?" Mrs. Wheatly asks, Marie looks up at the ceiling as she tries to think of an answer. Mrs. Wheatly stands to her feet and peeks through the door to see the classroom full of children.
"I guess I like to draw sometimes..." Marie says with hesitation, Mrs. Wheatly nods her head.
"Wait out here for a little bit, I'll be back" Mrs. Wheatly says as she enters the classroom, Marie has a short sigh to herself. Marie looks down the empty corridor.
"I could make a run for it..." Marie plots, just as she gets a mischievous grin on her face. Ma's word echo's through the mind of Marie, Marie rolls her eyes and leans up against the wall beside the classroom and waits "I can do this...just be myself"
"Good morning students, I hope you all had a wonderful break" Mrs. Wheatly goes through her morning introductions, Mrs. Wheatly looks out at the classroom full of today's youth. The students listen to every word of Mrs. Wheatly "Today we have with us a new student today, I want you all to be nice to her" Mrs. Wheatly instructs as she walks towards the door, Mrs. Wheatly opens the door "Please come in" Marie takes a deep breath before entering the classroom.
Marie takes her first step into her new classroom, Marie peeks into the classroom to see all glances are at her. Marie does her best to put on a false smile, whilst looking out at the class there are no welcoming smiles. Mrs. Wheatly stands at the front of the class with Marie standing beside her "This is Marie Bardsley, please tell the class what you do for fun" Mrs. Wheatly leads Marie onto answering a familiar question she asked earlier.
"I guess I like drawing" Marie says as she casually shrugs with a false smile on her face, again the classroom is unresponsive. They're either glaring at her or busy doodling in their textbooks, Marie has a short sigh to herself.
"Brilliant! We have an artist here." Mrs. Wheatly motivates as she claps, the class gives a small round of applause. Mrs. Wheatly slowly lowers her arms as the clapping of the classroom stops "Please take a seat over...there..." Mrs. Wheatly instructs as she points over at the only table that has some spare seats in the classroom. Mrs. Wheatly turns her attention towards the board, Mrs. Wheatly puts her back to the classroom.
"Okay, I got this out of the way..." Marie thinks to herself as she nods and walks towards the table with spare seats, as she directs herself through the class. Suddenly feels something pulling on her foot, Marie trips to the floor. Marie lays there on the floor as the class erupts with laughter, Marie looks at her feet to see a student had put his foot out.
"Marie are you okay?" Mrs. Wheatly says with concern as she turns around, Mrs. Wheatly rushes to Marie's side to help her up. Marie has clinched her fist tightly as she looks back at the student that tripped her up.
"He tripped me" Marie says as she points at the rather round kid in the classroom, Marie finds herself back to her feet. The classroom's laughter dies out as she points at the student, Mrs. Wheatly escorts Marie to her seat. Marie continues to clench her fist tightly, Marie's breathing has become heavy as she takes a deep breath and breathes out. Mrs. Wheatly walks towards the student that tripped Marie, Mrs. Wheatly stands over the student who is nervously waiting.
"Brandon, leave the room" Mrs. Wheatly orders, Brandon shakes his head. "Now..." Mrs. Wheatly repeats with a lower tone than usual, Brandon stands out of his seat with anger as the chair behind him falls to the floor. Mrs. Wheatly follows Brandon out of the classroom, as soon as the door shuts the students start to gossip with each other about what just happened.
"I hate it...hate it..." Marie repeats as she stares down the table, her face is red with anger and embarrassment. "If Lee and May were here, this wouldn't happen..." Marie reflects on her sisters absence, Marie takes a deep breath to calm herself down.
"Are you okay?" A student on the table opposite asks her, Marie lifts her head from looking down and notices she's not the only one at the table. Marie sees a student with a gap in their teeth and wearing a hat.
"I'm fine..." Marie mutters, the student continues to look at Marie from across the table. The student stands out of his seat and sits beside Marie, Marie flinches slightly knowing the student is moving closer to her. "What are you doing?" Marie asks in a deep forceful tone, the student puts his hand forward in a handshake manor.
"I'm Edward" Edward says, Marie looks down at his hand skeptical. Marie shakes her head and lays her head on the table, Edward lowers his hand realizing he wasn't going to get an handshake. "Don't worry, I wasn't laughing. You may not be aware of this as the newest member of the classroom but the student that tripped you is the brute of out class" Edward explains, Marie lifts her head and gives Edward a confused look.
"What?" Marie asks, Edward taps the bottom of his chin as he realizes the words he used may have not been the correct ones.
"erm...the guy who tripped you is a bully in our class" Edward uses less words, Marie rocks her head back understanding what he said. "I apologize if my vocabulary may sound a tad rich" Edward apologies, Marie tilts her head confused. "I talk with big words a lot" Edward again uses less words.
"Oh...I see..." Marie says puzzled, Marie looks across at Edward to see his smiling face. Marie raises her eyebrow at Edward "At least I know I'm not the only loser in the class" Marie comes to the conclusion. Suddenly the door swings open, Mrs. Wheatly enters the room with Brandon, who has a foul look on his face. The class stops their gossiping as the two approach Marie.
"Brandon has something to tell you" Mrs. Wheatly informs, Brandon stands in front of Marie. As he's about to speak he gives Edward a venomous glare at Edward who looks away as soon as their glances meet. Brandon turns his glance back to Marie whose not looking away from Brandon no matter how devastating the glare is.
"I'm sorry..." Brandon mutters, although mouth says that his glare screams 'This is far from over' Marie shrugs at the apology, Mrs. Wheatly nods her head.
"Brandon take your seat" Mrs. Wheatly orders, Brandon sluggishly follows orders and sits in his seat. Mrs. Wheatly walks to the front of the classroom and turns to the class, her expression is different to how it originally was.
"Class, we welcome new students the same way we'd like to be welcomed" Mrs. Wheatly lectures, the entire class hang their heads in shame.
"Yes Mrs." The class says in unison, Marie places her elbow on the desk and puts her head on her open hand as the lesson commences. Marie and Edward don't exchange any words during lesson with one another.
The school bell rings instructing that it's lunch time, a lot of students get up ready to leave the room. Mrs. Wheatly turns to the class "Wait class, after lesson we're going to be..." Before Mrs. Wheatly could finish majority of the students have rushed out of the classroom, Mrs. Wheatly has a small sigh and looks up to see Marie and Edward are the only ones in class. Mrs. Wheatly approaches the two of them, Edward is standing out of his seat ready to go. "You'll enjoy next lesson Marie, it's your specialty 'Art'" Mrs. Wheatly says, Marie gives a short smile. "I'm sorry about earlier today, it won't happen again I promise you" Mrs. Wheatly says with great confidence, Marie simply shrugs.
"Thanks..." Marie mutters, like that Edward is already out of the classroom.
"Do you want me to show you the cafeteria?" Mrs. Wheatly asks, Marie simply shakes her head and leaves her seat.
"I'll find it" Marie says, Mrs. Wheatly nods. Marie exits her seat and leaves the classroom, leaving Mrs. Wheatly cleaning the board.
As soon as Marie walks out of the classroom "Hey! 4 eyes!" A forceful voice shouts from down the corridor, Marie turns around to see a familiar face. It's the round boy himself Brandon, Marie has a short sigh and approaches him face to face, eye to eye. Marie shows no signs of intimidation, Marie looks over her shoulder to see if there are any teachers. Marie turns her head back around back to look at her adversary of the classroom.
"What do you want?" Marie asks as she folds her arms, Brandon raises his eyebrow at Marie confused at her new found confidence.
"Because you're new, I need to let you know a few rules about how I run the class" Brandon lectures, Marie snickers at Brandon's very words.
"How you run the class?" Marie asks for confirmation, Brandon nods with extreme confidence. "What did I do wrong?" Marie asks, Brandon leans on the wall behind him looking at Marie in the eye.
"I do this to all new kids, they learn what I say goes" Brandon enforces his rules, Marie tilts her head.
"What happens if I break another one of your rules?" Marie pesters, Brandon quits leaning against the wall and stands forward in front of Marie as their faces are inches away from each other.
"You'll know when I-" Brandon is cut off by a student in the distance running over to the two of them panting, it's Edward. Marie turns her back to Brandon to see Edward running over to the two of them.
"What does he want?" Marie wonders, Edward stops in front of the two of them panting.
"T...there you are Marie..." Edward says whilst hunched over, Marie and Brandon are looking at Edward with the same confused expression. "I'll show you where the cafeteria is..." Edward says as he grabs Marie's wrist, Edward begins to pull Marie away from Brandon. Marie tries to resist but Edward tightens his grip and continues to pull which seems to be working.
"What are you doing?" Marie whispers, Edward looks back at Marie. Edward looks over his shoulder and Marie, Edward leans his head a little closer to Marie.
"Just...trust me..." Edward says softly, Marie raises her eyebrow at Edward who continues to pull her into the cafeteria.
Marie breaks away from Edwards grip, Marie looks at Edward who has a smile on his face. Suddenly Marie grabs Edward and pins him up against the wall "What was that all about?" Marie demands an answer, Edwards smile has disappeared.
"It was for your own safety" Edward answers, Marie leans forward nearer to Edwards face.
"Safety? From what? I can handle him" Marie questions, Edward places his hand on Marie's wrist to try and lower her arms but it comes to no use.
"I have no doubt it my mind you have a fair chance, but I don't want to see you or anyone get hurt" Edward lectures, Marie has a short sigh and quits pinning Edward up against the wall.
"Why? Are you friends with him or something?" Marie asks, Edward immediately shakes his head disagreeing with that statement.
"I just don't want to see anyone get hurt" Edward repeats himself, Edward gives a short smile at Marie revealing the gap in his teeth. "This is what he did to me, I don't want to see someone else get hurt" Edward says as he points at the gap in his teeth.
"How did he do that?" Marie asks, Edward stops pointing at the gap in his teeth.
"I refused to give him my homework...so...he punched me" Edward admits, Marie gives a disappointed look at Edward.
"...you need to toughen up" Marie says the obvious, Edward simply shrugs his shoulders. Marie turns her back to Edward and walks deeper in the cafeteria, Marie looks over her shoulder at Edward. "erm...thank you" Marie mutters, Edward looks over at Marie not knowing what she said as she walks away.
During Lunch, Marie sits at a seemingly empty table as she begins to eat her lunch. Marie looks up to see a familiar student approach her table "erm...can I sit here?" It's non other than Edward, Marie simply shrugs at Edward.
"Sure" Marie gives a short answer, Edward gives Marie a gracious smile as he takes a seat opposite Marie. Marie looks up to see a table next to them gossiping among each other, Marie looks back at Edward to see him beginning to eat his packed lunch. "Why is he sitting with me? Doesn't he have any friends?" Marie wonders as she taps her fingers down on the table. "erm...don't you have any friends?" Marie asks a direct question, Edward quits eating his lunch and has a short sigh.
"I don't believe I'm the most popular student here, so in a way I don't think I do" Edward says honestly, Marie gives Edward a sorrowful gaze.
"Just like me..." Marie notices, Marie begins to pick at her food with her fork as she looks up at Edward. "erm...do you want to be friends?" Marie asks with her head held down staring at the food "Is this how you become friends?" Marie wonders as she awaits the answer.
"Sure let's be friends" Edward answers Marie's request, Marie looks up at Edward who has a huge smile on his face. Marie returns a short smile back at Edward, Marie grips her fork tightly whilst looking ahead at Edward.
"erm...sorry about pushing you against the wall" Marie apologizes, Edward finishes eating his lunch and disposes of his lunch in a paper bag. Edward looks up at Marie with another smile.
"No worries, I'm fine." Edward reassures Marie that he's fine, Marie nods her head as she continues to pick at her food. Whilst Edward pulls out a rather large book out of his bag, Edward struggles placing it on the table. Marie quits picking at her food and notices how heavy the book is as he places it on the table, that causes the table to shake slightly.
"W...what's that?" Marie says whilst sounding astonished, Edward has a short sigh of relief that he was able to pick up the book.
"It's just a small reading material, mother and father-" Edward is interrupted.
"That's a lot of pages..." Marie says as she points at the book with her fork, Edward simply shrugs.
"Really? I would have thought 400 pages is rather short..." Edward says as he looks down at the book with intensity, Marie shakes her head and stands out of her seat. Edward looks up to see Marie standing, Marie drags her seat besides Edward and sits down, Marie ignores her lunch sitting there all alone.
"Trust me, that is a lot of pages" Marie comments, Edward tilts his head whilst looking down at the book. "What's it about?" Marie asks. Edward gets a smirk on his face as he looks next to him at Marie.
"It's about the hibernation patterns of large mammals" Edward says with great enthusiasm, Marie tilts her head at Edward.
"What?" Marie questions, Edward taps the bottom of his chin trying to think of something.
"erm...it's about large animals going to sleep for the winter" Edward simplifies his earlier sentence, Marie slowly nods her head.
"Oh I see...so it's like Bambi? Where animals talk and stuff?" Marie asks, Edward slowly shakes his head as he opens the humongous book. Marie looks down at the wordy infested book, Marie's jaw is hanging off it's hinges.
"It's more to do with information than story telling I believe" Edward replies, Marie continues to stare down at the book with bewilderment.
"Woah..." Marie mutters, as Marie continues to stare down at the book. Groups of kids on the surrounding table continue to gossip among each other. "Does your Ma' and Pa' know you read books like these?" Marie asks as takes her attention off the book.
"Actually my mother and father gave me these books, they believe it's best to teach kids at an early age with books like these" Edward explains as he turns one of the pages, Marie nods her head.
"So you like to read books then?" Marie asks, Edward simply nods. "Have you read the Hungry Dolphin?" Marie asks, Edward takes his attention off the book and looks up at Marie.
"Hungry Dolphin?" Edward questions, Marie nods her head with eagerness as she leans forward. "I don't believe I've read that one" Edward says hesitantly as he squints with his eyes.
"Oh it's a cool book! I'll show you it tomorrow!" Marie says as she leans back in her seat, Edward nods his head agreeing with Marie. "I'm not going to spoil it" Marie says as she folds her arms with a smirk on her face.
"Is it about a Hungry Dolphin?" Edward asks, Marie gives Edward an unimpressed expression.
"Are you sure you haven't read it?" Marie says as she pushes the rims of her glasses down as if she's a detective. Edward raises his hands up to shoulder length.
"I haven't" Edward says in a serious tone, Marie begins to giggle softly at Edwards uptight behavior. "What's so humerus?" Edward asks, Marie tries to control her laughter but struggles.
"Haha...I was joking..." Marie struggles to say, Edward lowers his hands as he sees Marie still laughing. Marie playfully pushes Edwards shoulders whilst still lightly giggling, Edward simply shrugs at Marie with a smile on his face.
"She's rather unique?" Edward thinks to himself, whilst Marie starts to control her laughter. Marie wipes a small tear out of her eye from the laughter, Marie gets a hold of herself. Marie has a short sigh, whilst Edward continues to look on at Marie.
"How long have you been at the school?" Marie asks bluntly, Edward tilts his head at the sudden change in tone of conversation.
"I enrolled at the start of the year which was...2 months, 17 days and 4 hours ago..." Edward gives the exact details, Marie gives a small smirk and rolls her eyes at Edward.
"So...for 2 months...17 days and whatever, you've been sat here alone with no friends?" Marie begins to connect the dots, Edward closes the book in front of him. Marie notices what she just asks and covers her mouth lightly "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that" Marie apologizes, Edward raises his hands again signalling it's fine. Marie lowers her hands from her mouth.
"There is no need for any level of concern, this given time can be used most efficiently. During this time I'm able to read and learn new skills" Edward explains, Marie gives Edward an unimpressed look.
"He's been lonely..." Marie comes to the conclusion "I see...well I-" Before Marie could continue the school bell tolls signalling the end of lunch. Marie has a sigh of dismay at the sound of the bell, whilst Edward as quick as he can puts his large book in his bag.
"Seeing as this is your first day back, how about we have fun in Art today?" Mrs. Wheatly asks the patient class, Mrs. Wheatly begins to write on the board behind her. "Today we'll have a little fun, free session in Art draw anything you want" Mrs. Wheatly announces with a cheer from the class.
"That sounds rather unscheduled and out of the blue" Edward silently comments, Marie turns her attention to the paper conveniently placed before the lesson started in front of her. Edward simply shrugs and follows Marie's lead as he turns his attention to the paper in front of him. "What are you going to draw?" Edward asks, Marie picks up a pencil and taps the bottom of her chin.
"Hmm...maybe...a person or something..." Marie squints down looking at the paper, Marie looks up at Edward. Marie gets a sly grin on her face as she leans forward "How about we make this into a game?" Marie asks.
"What do you mean? Like naughts and crosses?" Edward questions, Marie slowly shakes her head and she moves back.
"We both draw a person, whether they're real or not. Whoever draws best is the winner" Marie throws down the challenge, Edward shyly scratches the back of his neck.
"Well...my artistic skills are really-" Edward gets interrupted as Marie places her pencil on the paper.
"3...2...1...GO!" Marie announces the beginning of the competition much to the dismay of Edward, Edward sighs as he picks up his pencil and begins to draw.
"Hmm...let's see here..." Marie thinks to herself whilst begins to brush her pencil around the paper and light shades, Edward slightly peeks next to him at Marie's paper. Marie notices this and covers the paper using her forearm to stop him from peeking a her paper, Edward gives a small pout and returns to working on his drawing.
Time flies by as the final lesson is almost over, Marie puts the finishing touches on the drawing as Edward waits in anticipation. "Finished!" Marie claims as the puts down her pencil, Marie continues to cover the drawing. "We'll show them in..." Marie taunts as she holds up the back of her paper, Edward watches on. "3..." Marie begins the countdown.
"2..." Edward continues the countdown.
"1!" The two of them say in unison as the two of them turn over their paper, Marie catches gaze at Edwards drawing. Marie puts her free hand over her mouth as she feels a giggle escaping her. Edward looks at Marie's drawing with a shocked expression, Edward darts his eyes across from his drawing to Marie's drawing. Edward looks up at Marie to see she's compressing her chuckle.
"...I told you my artistic abilities aren't high quality" Edward says as he places his piece of paper on the table, Marie gently places her paper on the table as well. Edward lowers his head knowing that's the truth, Marie quits her giggling and leans over closer to Edwards picture.
"It's...not that bad...if we add..." Marie reassures as she picks up Edwards pencil "A little shade here...curve this line...here..." Marie mumbles as she corrects Edward's drawing, Edwards lifts his head as he sees Marie correcting his drawing. Marie sits back away from Edwards drawing.
"It...looks slightly better...anyway forget about my disastrous drawing...your drawing looks incredible" Edward gives a strong compliment, Marie tilts her head whilst looking down at her picture.
"It's okay...I'm not too sure about the blue hair...it looks..." Marie squints whilst looking down at her drawing, Edward leans over closer to Marie's drawing.
"I think the blue hair is rather unique, it makes the drawing catch your eye on first glance" Edward explains, Marie begins to gently rock her head back and forth agreeing with him.
"I think I see where you're coming from" Marie comments, Edward leans back in his seat and looks over at table with the two drawing laying on the table.
"Well I guess we know the winner of this competition" Edward says as he folds his arms, Marie simply shrugs at Edward. "Mine of course" Edward jokes, Marie immediately playfully pushes one of Edward's shoulders. Marie begins to giggle at Edward, Edward returns a small smile. The school bell rings signalling the end of the day, Mrs. Wheatly claps her hands together to grab the classes attention which works.
"Good work today class, I'll see you all tomorrow bright and early" Mrs. Wheatly says, like that the class scatter out of the classroom in a hurry. Marie and Edward stand out of their seats, Mrs. Wheatly quickens her pace and approaches Marie. "I hope you enjoyed your first day" Mrs. Wheatly says, Marie nods her head with great eagerness while Edward eavesdrops the conversation.
"It was much better than I thought!" Marie say with a joyous smile that seems to be contagious that Mrs. Wheatly beams another smile at Marie.
"That's brilliant!" Mrs. Wheatly says with a joyous smile, Mrs. Wheatly looks beside Marie to see Edward is still there. "And you made a new friend as well" Mrs. Wheatly adds as she darts her eyes across at Edward ho is scratching the back of his neck nervously. Marie nods with great enthusiasm "I don't want to keep you two here any longer, get home and relax" Mrs. Wheatly says. Marie and Edward both nod in unison as they wave to Mrs. Wheatly before they leave the classroom.
"How do you get home?" Marie asks whilst walking down the corridor with her new friend, Edward looks beside him at Marie.
"I walk home by myself" Edward says, Marie raises her eyebrow at Edward after hearing that. Marie's expression returns back to normal as she realises something about what he said.
"So you live near school then?" Marie asks, Edward has a short pause whilst thinking about the question.
"Hmm...it's a 25 minute walk from school to my home, so I wouldn't say I live near the school" Edward hesitantly says, Marie expression turns to confusion as she looks beside her at Edward. The two leave the school building.
"Are you serious?" Marie questions whilst sounding flabbergasted at the discovery, Marie takes her attention off Edward and looks up to see a familiar looking woman next to a car waving her over. "My Ma's here" Marie announces, Marie takes a few steps forward and looks back at Edward to see he's waving at her. "Ugh...come here..." Marie groans as she grabs Edward by the wrist and begins to pull him.
"What are you doing?" Edward asks as he tries to resist being pulled, which goes unnoticed. Ma' tilts her head as she sees Marie walking along grabbing a boy's wrist.
"My...My...who do we have here?" Ma' asks as she crouches down to a lower level, Marie quits pulling Edward. Marie gives Ma' a warm smile, Ma' looks curiously at Marie's smile. "I know that smile, you want something right?" Ma' asks as she folds her arms. Marie's smile disappears, Marie takes a deep breath before opening her mouth. Edward keeps darting his eyes back and forth between Marie and Ma'.
"He's my friend Edward, is it okay if we can give him a lift home?" Marie asks as she grips Edwards wrist tightly, Ma' squints at Marie and her friend, she looks down to Marie's grip on her friend. "He has to walk like 2 hours to get to his house" Marie exaggerates, Edward gives Marie an unimpressed look.
"How far does it take you to walk home?" Ma' asks as she looks at Edward, Edward has a short sigh as he looks in the eyes of Ma'.
"It's usually a 25 minute walk to return home" Edward says as he looks away from Ma', Ma' looks at Marie who is looking away from Ma' after being caught lying "But I don't mind walking home, I don't want to be an inconvenience" Edward says as he lowers his head, Ma' gives him a reassuring smile.
"It's no inconvenience at all, where do you live?" Ma' asks, Edward scratches the back of his neck.
"29 Apple Lane, Lemon Brook" Edward answers, Ma' begins to slowly nod as Marie again tightens her grip on Edwards wrist.
"That's no problem at all" Ma' says as she quits crouching down, Marie gestures with her other arm with great happiness. Ma' opens the door to her car, while Marie feels a tap on her shoulder. Mare turns her attention to her friend beside her.
"Thanks Marie" Edward says, Ma' rolls down the window looking at the two of them.
"Are you two just going to stand there holding hands?" Ma' jokes, Marie blushes immediately and looks down to see she's still grabbing Edwards wrist. Marie as quick as she can releases Edward from her grasp, Marie pouts at Ma', whilst Edwards walks towards the passenger door and opens it.
"After you" Edward says as he gestures with his arm, Ma' looks at her rear view mirror as Marie nods her head as she gets in the car, Edward hops up into the car after Marie. Edward closes the door as Ma' revs the engine ready to set off.
"So do you by the name Ed or Eddy for short?" Ma' asks to try and get a conversation going, Edward simply shakes his head.
"I prefer going by Edward" Edward answers, Ma' gently nods her head as she begins to drive the car.
During the journey, Ma' continues to watch the two little passengers through her rear view mirror. "So what do your parents do Edward?" Ma' curiously asks.
"My father is head researcher at the Cleanliness Clinic, whilst my mother works for the same company as head of advertising" Edward answers, Ma' raises her eyebrow whilst looking at the road in front of her. Marie looks beside her at Edward to see him sitting there in full confidence.
"My...my that sounds like they're busy" Ma' comments, Edward slowly nods his head agreeing with her. The car comes to a sudden halt, Edward looks through the window to see he's outside his home. "I'll walk you to your house, to let your parents know about me bringing you home" Ma' says as she unhooks her seat belt.
"Oh there is no need, neither mother or father are home" Edward says as he unhooks his seat belt, Marie tilts her head at Edward while Ma' turns around looking at Edward.
"So is your uncle, auntie or grandparent at home then?" Ma' questions, Edward simply shakes his head.
"I have a key to get in" Edward says, Marie leans forward out of her seat closer to Edward.
"When does your Ma' and Pa' come home?" Marie asks with concern, Ma' looks on curiously at Edward awaiting an answer. Edward taps the bottom of his chin whilst thinking about the question.
"They usually return home at...either 8:00 or 9:00..." Edward answers honestly, Ma's jaw drop along with Marie. "Anyway thank you very much for the lift, I'll let my parents know about your kindness" Edward says as he opens the passenger door.
"See ya tomorrow!" Marie says as she waves at Edward, Edward playfully waves back at Marie as he closes the door behind him. Marie climbs over the passenger seat where Edward was once sat, Marie rolls down the window. "I'll give you the book tomorrow" Marie promises, Edward nods his head.
"Remember don't open the door for anybody and keep the door locked when you get in" Ma' gives advice, Edward nods his head as he walks up to the door. Ma' doesn't drive off until she sees Edward open the door and shut the door behind him, Ma' has a short sigh before driving off.
"I promised him I'd lend him the Hungry Dolphin" Marie includes Ma' in the conversation, Ma' stares down at the road whilst driving.
"I'm happy you made a new friend...and it's a boy too!" Ma' praises with a joyous smile, Marie notices what she's implying at. Marie breaks into a small blush and looks out of the window.
"We're just friends" Marie mutters, Ma' has a small giggle at Marie's shyness. Ma's smile soon wipes away as Edward grows in her mind.
"Is it really right to leave a child alone for all that time?" Ma' wonders whilst on the trip home.
The clouds disappear as darkness covers the sky, Marie is in the basement moving boxes off of each other. "Come on...it has to be in here somewhere..." Marie thinks as she struggles opening a box, the box opens as dust gets splattered all over the place. Marie coughs heavily as she looks inside the box. Marie digs her hands deep in the box to feel around if she can find the book.
A few hours pass as Marie continues to look inside the mountain of boxes to find what she's looking for, Marie's eyes start to become heavy as she struggles with the fight with exhaustion. A loud yawn escapes Marie "I need to find...the...book..", Marie's head sways from side to side as she lays her head on the top of a box as her eyes gently close. Silent footsteps walk down into the basement, Ma' looks across to see Marie is sound asleep on one of the boxes.
"...She's so sweet, but her battery has run out" Ma' comments as she approaches the sleeping Marie, Ma' has a short sigh as picks up Marie as delicate as she can. "I'll have to look for the book, the Hungry Fish or something" Ma' shrugs as she carries Marie up to her room. Ma' softly lays Marie on the bed without waking her, Ma' covers Marie with a blanket and leans closer to the top of her forehead. "Goodnight sweetie" Ma' whispers as she pecks the forehead of Marie.
Meanwhile at Edwards house, Edward lays on his bed as he stares up at the dark ceiling. Edward grabs the blanket and pulls the blankets up over him, as he begins to gently shut his eyes, a smile emerges on his face.
"I made a friend today..."
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter! The next chapter will be the conclusion to this flashback, answering the question "What happened to the two of them?" I wanted to originally put it all in one chapter but I would be missing out on a lot of possibilities and the background of the two of them. Anyway thanks again for reading this chapter! Thanks for all the new favs and follow keep up the good work! :) I hope you'll all be able to join me next chapter for the conclusion to this flashback!