Disclaimer: While I do not believe that I have the right to own something this beautiful and magnanimous, I do, sometimes, wish to have the luxury of having the intelligence of creating of something at least semi-complex.
Story Arc 1: The Project
April 11th, 2004
Chapter 8
Dearest Beginning,
Your schedule is, proceeding on from this day in, attached to this letter. This is the class schedule we respectfully ask you to follow. Please note that the following courses may require additional extracurricular work.
From,
Roger
The following page, in beautifully hand-written words, contained the following:
Class schedule from Sunday, April 11th, 2004 until the completion of the courses as instructed and outlined by each professor.
Saturday-Sunday: No classes scheduled during these days.
Monday:
6:00-7:55 - Physical Education
8:30-9:25 - English Studies
9:30-10:25 - Introduction to Advanced Mathematics
10:30-11:25 - European History
1:00-1:55 - Introduction to the Fine Arts
2:00-4:55 - Martial Arts
Tuesday:
6:00-7:55 - Physical Education
8:30-9:25 - Writing
9:30-10:25 - Basic Science
10:30-11:25 - American History
1:00-1:55 - Introduction to the Fine Arts
2:00-4:55 - Martial Arts
Wednesday:
6:00-7:55 - Physical Education
8:30-9:25 - Basis of Language - Latin
9:30-10:25 - Introduction to Advanced Mathematics
10:30-11:25 - Asian History
1:00-1:55 - Lesson in Music
2:00-4:55 - Martial Arts
Thursday:
6:00-7:55 - Physical Education
8:30-9:25 - Basis of Language - Latin
9:30-10:25 - Basic Science
10:30-11:25 - Asian History
1:00-1:55 - Introduction to Fine Arts
2:00-4:55 - Martial Arts
Friday:
6:00-7:55 - Physical Education
8:30-9:25 - English Studies
9:30-10:25 - Introduction to Mathematics
10:30-11:25 - European History
1:00-1:55 - Introduction to Etiquette
2:00-4:55 - Martial Arts
I pressed the tape over the edge of the paper before folding the two papers in half, then half again and stuck them into my pouch. So many classes; I could already tell that I would be kept busy by the course load I would have to carry. From early morning to late afternoon I would be in class—not to mention a good part of those hours were specially put aside for physical exertion.
And Latin.
Before dropping out of college, my mother had learned Latin. According to her, it was her favorite class. According to my father, it was her only class.
I found myself grinning as I pulled my door closed behind me, the lock clicking into place as I locked to door with my key. This was going to be fun! Excitement pulsed through my veins, and I hummed a lively tune under my breath—finally, an education!
Moving around had produced many gaps in my tutelage. The different educational standards within each state created a hodge-podge quilt of knowledge, and my parents, with all their good intentions, did not possess the ability to teach well enough to give me a well-rounded education.
But will I really be here for that long? My excitement wilted at the revelation; of course, I wouldn't be here that long. For the first time, I felt slightly torn; I wanted my parents to be found, but I was finally being offered the chance of a quality education. A large part of me wanted to take advantage of this opportunity.
"Fancy meeting you here, stranger!" Drew linked his arm with mine, leading me through the hallways and down the stairs into the dining room. "You had fun with the children yesterday?"
I smiled and shrugged. I couldn't necessarily say that being dragged around a forest was fun, but it certainly was interesting.
"I'm glad," he smiled, a dimple indented in his cheek. "You seem to be a bit happier because of it."
My grin widened a bit. Wait until you see my schedule!
The line of children stretched itself along the wall. Several of the kids were chatting to each other and bending over to look passed, or over, the other children to stare at the food.
Drew led me to the end of the line and withdrew his arm from mine. He greeted some of the kids with a polite smile and a "Good morning."
One of the kids, a dark African girl of about Drew's height at the end of the line, rolled her dark, maple brown eyes in mock annoyance. One of her perfectly sculpted black eyebrows arched up. "Certainly not."
Drew chuckled, taking the girl's sarcasm in stride. "I believe that it is a beautiful morning."
"For those of us who actually have to study," she responded, a hint of amusement lacing her voice; her lightly lip-glossed mouth twisted in a smirk. "It is most certainly not." She twisted the loose end of some hair that had found its way from where the rest was pinned back behind her ears.
"Oh please," Drew scoffed, his cheeks becoming red. He started tugging the end of his braid and toying at the ends. It seems he wasn't all that fond of praise, or he was affected by this exotic creature's attention. "I study all the time."
The girl coughed once, the cough outlining a single word: "Liar."
Drew hummed in response. "Anyway." He gestured towards me, seemingly eager to avoid the attention and put the spotlight on someone else. Stepping out of the way, he allowed us full view of each other. "This is B. She's new."
"New?" The girl extended her hand. "I am Violet, B." Her chin tilted forward in interest. Her gaze was much more intense when it was directed down at me.
What was up with everyone here being so…predatory?
I smiled in response, taking her hand in mine. She had a firm handshake. Her skin starkly contrasted mine, making my paleness seem almost luminescent. Violet smiled as well, her eyes flashing with kindness, before pulling away and engaging Drew into a conversation once again.
The line moved quickly; students piled their plates high with steaming food. I followed their example, my belly rumbling with hunger. Following Violet and Drew to a table, I sat next to Violet while Drew rounded the long table to sit on the opposite side.
"I just don't understand how James can cheat on his tests but not get kicked out." Violet shoveled food into mouth, never stopping to close her mouth, chew, and swallow. It was evident that she preferred to talk while eating. For such a pretty girl, she had terrible manners.
Drew, however, was much more polite, allowing Violet to make her point before swallowing his food and answering. Only an occasional grimace showed that he had a similar opinion as mine about his friend's manners.
"It's all about perspective." He said.
"Perspective? Explain."
"If you aren't caught and there is no evidence, then they can't indict you."
"You're treating it like they want us to cheat." She lifted an eyebrow in surprise.
Drew shrugged, "Don't they? Winning no matter what...isn't that the basis of the motto they teach us?"
"Um," Violet narrowed her eyes at Drew, dark eyebrows scrunching together. "No. It teaches honor. You know that."
"True," Drew sighed, flicking his brown braid over his shoulder. "But you have to look beneath that." He poked at his eggs with his fork. "It's the reason behind the principle: Win, no matter what, to obtain honor."
I mostly ignored the conversation, choosing instead to stare at my food. What had seemed fantastically tantalizing moments before, now looked completely unappetizing, even the smell made my stomach churn.
Drew glanced at me as I pushed my food away; his thin, brown brows pushed together to create creases in his forehead. "Are you alright, B?"
I shrugged, staring at the glossed finish of the table top. I felt fine, but this wasn't the first meal I'd skipped. I had hoped this wasn't permanent. I actually loved food.
A dark hand set an apple on the table before me. At the same, a warm hand settled on the small of my back. "At least eat this, okay?"
Nodding, I lifted the red fruit to my mouth. God, I felt the weight on my shoulders press further down, nearly crumpling me. This weakness was unbecoming, and I felt increasingly embarrassed.
The apple, just as the pear from yesterday had, tasted wonderful. My stomach warmed with pleasure as the cool fruit slid into it, and I let out a sigh of content.
Maybe I should just stick to fruit for a while, I thought to myself.
Violet and Drew had returned to their conversation, adamantly debating on whether honor and pride were factors that complemented each other.
"Maybe to you but there are things I would never do."
I turned back to my fruit. It didn't seem so bad; I was never really against vegans. Taking another bite, I savored the juice as I chewed on the flesh of the fruit.
Drew sighed, wiping his mouth with his napkin before placing it on his empty plate. "For instance?"
People had survived only on fruit before; why couldn't I?
Violet scowled, her elegant eyebrows drawing together, the corners of her mouth pursed her lips out. "I would never take a life for anyth—"
"Even if they were taking a friend hostage?"
Hostage.
My heart clenched painfully in my chest. The fruit in my mouth lost its flavor. My stomach churned as I set the half eaten apple on plate of the untouched food.
Violet looked offended, her pretty mouth screwed sideways. "That's unfair. Of course, I would kill for a friend."
"Oh," Drew's fingers traced the edge of the cup, a small smirk playing at the edge of his feminine yet boyish features. "So, you would kill to save a friend? I thought you wouldn't kill for anything."
"I won't."
"No?"
"Yes…"
"Yes?"
Violet grunted in frustration. "This is why I don't talk to you anymore! You realize that, right?"
Drew beamed. His features were lit up with joy; it looked incredibly misplaced considering the circumstances. "Oh please, I'm nothing if not a delight."
The older girl narrowed her eyes, "Anything but a delight."
A silence fell after their conversation; the two concentrated on their meal. The air was heavy with an awkward tension, and I decided it was a good as time as any to walk to the library. I could always show Drew my schedule later.
I stood, gathering my tray in my hands, catching the attention of Drew. "You're taking your leave of us?"
I nodded; I'd rather thought my presence was unnecessary at this point. I was only a listener, no chance of actually influencing the conversation. Perhaps Drew was right. It might be beneficial to use sticky notes...
"I see." Drew politely smiled, "I will see you further on in the day then?"
Again, I nodded; I doubted I'd be able to stay away from his kindness for long. I smiled back at him before turning away to follow a small group of kids, who were holding trays of empty plates, to the end of the room. It was a short distance from the buffet table. I set my dishes into the bin before making my way out of the dining hall. I went up the grand staircase and turned to the left. I fingered the folded up papers in my hoodie pocket; I felt a need to study for the courses. I didn't know what would be covered or what was being taught, but something in me told me that I had an obligation to at least make an attempt at grasping an understanding of each topic.
I retraced my path, from the previous night, to the library. I was eager to actually be doing something.
I pulled the papers from my pocket as I entered the library and began searching through the texts to find a couple of generic sounding books for each subject. After gathering a substantial stack, I lugged them over to a corner next to a window and use the light of the sun to read by. I quickly began my reading. It was slow, the language of the books were much more difficult than I was used to. However, I persevered and reread several sections a few times before I believed I had a good grasp of what the book was trying to convey.
I didn't register the sky changing colors behind me, until the pages of my book was almost orange. I was startled quite a bit when I realized that I had literally been sitting there for hours, reading. That had never happened before. Ah, my subconscious rang through my mind. I've never really had the chance to focus on something for this long.
Sighing, I stood and stretched.
Father had always said there was no point in focusing. "It's a waste of time," he'd say before taking away my school work. We never stayed in the same place for long, so it was impossible to take advantage of any form of education.
Shaking my head, I edged passed the small stack of books that I had already read. They were resting on the floor next to the chair I had been sitting in. There wasn't any real point in thinking about why. I was being given an education now. A small smile found its way to my face. God, was I excited! I wanted this so badly.
Deciding to relocate to my room, I grabbed my schedule, folded it, and put in my pocket. Then, I gathered a few of books I had yet to read. I held the books close to my chest as I made my way to the exit of the library.
The hallway was once again dimmed, the curtains drawn, and the sconces on the wall illuminating the hall softly. As I opened the door, I became distracted by the difference in ambiance between the library and the hallway, and I was not watching where I was going.
An arm wrapped around my waist as my balance was lost, the books in my arms tumbling to the ground.
"Woah, you okay B?" I turned my head to see Drew, his brown eyebrows pulled together to frame worried golden eyes.
I nodded, his arm fell away as I bent down to pick up the fallen books. He bent down with me, picking up one of the books nearest his feet. "'Chemistry: The Complete Encyclopedia,' what are you doing with such heavy reading?"
Standing, I dug into my hoodie's pouch and pulled out the folded papers. Offering them to him, he traded the book for the papers, and I stacked them with the others in my arms.
Drew unfolded the papers, his fingers tracing the edge of the them absentmindedly. After a few moments he hummed, "You're in the same classes as I am, but at different times." He lowered the papers to glance at the books in my arms, his face contorted slightly in thought. "Those books are far to advanced for the material we are learning...also, there is a novel that we are reading for English class."
The thin boy flipped his braid behind him before motioning to the library with his hand. "Come on, I'll find you some books that you can read to get caught up."
I sighed, with his assistance I was sure that I would be able to, at the very least, participate in classes tomorrow.
Edit 03/18/2015: This is edited by the wonderful gamergirl07...please send her tons and tons of love, she deserves it! I also added a bit to the end of the chapter, because I was kind of unsatisfied with how it ended.
Edited 07/05/2015: Again, InkstainedHand1177 edited this chapter...they're such a hard worker! T-T
Author's Note:
Of course, this chapter is only (what?) several months old. I hope you all like it...if you have anything to say (criticism and such) just leave a review! It certainly can't hurt anything!
Much love, dearest readers,
AAnnR