Chapter 2
Tala rummaged for his buzzing alarm, eyes still closed. But instead of the metal, he felt his hands land on a body on his bed. The one beside climbed on him, and soon the alarm sound was accompanied by excited woofs.
Tala woke up in annoyance, but the husky's expectant gaze made him chuckle. Right now he was wrapped in fur and kisses by his neighbor's dog. This big boy, Fang, was left in Tala's care once when his neighbors went to their hometown. The furball soon took a liking for sleeping with Tala, and every night, he would climb in through the low window of their shared balcony. Tala had always been better with canines than people. And for someone living alone, Fang's daily intrusion was a welcome change.
After a quick mug of coffee, Tala gave Fang some biscuits. The greedy fellow whined for more, but all Tala could give him was the usual look of 'I'm more broke than you think'. Fang's visits were a routine now, so he locked him in the bedroom and sat down to meditate. He noticed that the sky was cloudy outside and he couldn't help but be amused by his fate.
Years back, it was on a similar gloomy day that Tala had first learnt about meditation from a young companion. As a child, Tala would often have nightmares, and wake up crying at the orphanage. At the dead of night, no one would help him…. Until he met his first friend. When he described his problem, the boy had taught him to meditate, and after just months of practice, his sleep improved. His nights were rarely plagued with dreams now, still, he continued the practice.
Tala pulled out his mat and slipped away. Today's session had a purpose. He had to steel himself to meet the boy who had once guided him through this.
After the session he stuffed himself with toast and went to return Fang to his owners. The twins next door were extremely lazy, and Raul opened the door yawning.
"You came so late yesterday, we were concerned," Julia called out from the kitchen when she heard Tala greet her brother.
"She was concerned. But I reassured her that Fang would scare away any girl you bring home" Raul teased.
"Shut it Raul. He's still a child!" Julia roared.
"Oh then doesn't that make you a creep?"
Tala, who was a bit too familiar with this drama, quietly slipped away.
On reaching school he wasn't surprised to see the PT teachers standing outside the gate, checking each student's bag. Based on the intensity of their gazes, one would think they were raiding for illegal drugs in the campus. This was the level of chaos that silly magazine had caused in their school. It was beyond Tala's comprehension how, after such strict checking, kids still managed to get the magazine. It was as if that book had a will of it's own. One day a teacher would catch a child with it, and tear the thing to shreds. But the next day, maybe outside the boy's bathroom, Tala would see fresh copies lying around. As if every paper bit had regenerated itself back to a new book.
While heading to class, Tala saw many adults waiting outside Mr. D's room. The old man had a long week ahead…
Back when Tala had been appointed to monitor Tyson, he made this arrangement of coming to school early to teach the boys before class started. But each day he was greeted by empty desks, and now he just used this time for self study. But when he opened the class, he saw Tyson and party waiting for him. Tyson looked like he was in a sour mood and had a slight bump on his head. Seeing Tala's confusion, Max burst out laughing.
"We had a stay over at his place. And Hilary came to visit us this morning" Ray explained, trying to hold back his laughter. Tyson was staring daggers at him, so he softly mouthed the words "Hillary. Kendo stick". And laughed like Max.
Common sense warned Tala that if he joined the laugh, they would waste the whole session joking. So he cleared his throat and started showing them the basics of aldol condensation. It wasn't going well. Tyson was awake, but it looked as if he had sold his last brain cell to the devil for this. Either that, or Hillary was getting extremely good with that stick.
Around eight, all the other classmates arrived and Ms. Kim started off. As usual, no one paid her attention. Some were busy chatting, while the others kept glancing at the extra seat near the window. A creak of the classroom door and all heads turned towards him.
The moment Kai entered, all conversation stopped. Even Miss Kim froze mid sentence. But none of this meant anything to the teen, for he strode in with all the arrogance of an aristocrat. After Kai left, someone had described him as a specter, and the similarities were evident to Tala. The boy had a surreal grace and his strides were so quiet it looked as if he was gliding instead of walking. He lifted his head and Tala caught a glimpse of crimson glitter between the silver bangs.
Kai went to the last bench beside the window and sat there, at his old spot, as if nothing had changed. In the last two years, no one had dared to use that bench except for as a board for curses. Kai read the words carved on his bench and smiled eerily. His class had not forgotten him. And based on the glares he was getting, they hadn't forgiven him either.
"Class, turn to page 120" Ms. Kim ordered and for once Tala appreciated her dedication to teach. But no amount of rulers banging on the teachers desk could capture Tala's attention today. He glanced at Kai and saw the teen was listening to music with his earphones… Still, whenever he turned, Tala felt his stare heat his back.
Tala wasn't the only one struggling.
The kids sitting around Kai kept shifting with unease. Everyone was glad when the bell rang for PE. Tala followed the boys to the locker room, but made the mistake of looking at Kai before leaving. The boy was still bobbing his head to music, but when he saw Tala, he stopped and smiled wider than ever.
"Long time no see" Kai said with a smile so pure, Tala felt it was untainted by time.
Tala ignored him and marched to the locker room.
"Is he not coming?" The other boys asked, not caring that Tala had barged in while they were dressing.
"Did he do anything?" One asked, eyes wide with horror.
"Nah. Get ready before sir comes" Tala said calmly.
"In the Era Echoes they mentioned that Hiwatari could…" Oliver began but was cut short by Tala.
"Seriously? I thought you were more logical. The 11th graders are a bunch of idiots. I can't believe you are joining them" Tala said coldly.
"Yeah man, stop with the spooky story. Ivanov is close to wetting his pants," Dunga said.
Dunga was a transfer student and hadn't been in the school for long. All he knew about Hiwatari was from the book and rumors. Tala never understood the reason, but Dunga disliked him, and after a few conversations, Tala realized he loathed the boy more.
"That boy looks like a pretty vase. I think he likes the book. It lionizes him," he said.
"But the book was right about his family " Oliver retorted.
"And you saw him today… Does that look normal to you?" another boy said.
"Enough!" Tala said before a fight broke out. Even Dunga who was a giant compared to him kept quiet. Tala changed and strode out of the room. But he could hear dunga say "all of you are morons. Wait till I teach Hiwatari his place. Ivanov would be next."
Tala's calm facade didn't last long.
"For today's class, pair up. One of you can lay down and do sit ups. The other should make sure his feet are flat on the ground. Stand on it" their sir roared.
Most students reacted to the word 'pair' as if it were a description of medieval torture. However, relief flooded their souls when they witnessed Kai walk towards Tala.
They PE teacher didn't even acknowledge Kai. It wasn't new. Even before the incident, they preferred ignoring the boy.
Some kids glanced at him with pity as he laid down and let Kai stand on his feet.
They exercised wordlessly, but after a few counts, Tala's head started spinning with exhaustion. He tried to stay calm, and focused on his knees, not daring to meet Kai's eye again. Usually, Tala could exercise for hours and still barely sweat, but by the 15th count, his vision began to blur. The air around him grew heavy, and his earlobes began to throb painfully. When he was on the verge of losing consciousness, he heard Kai's voice whisper , "you thought I'd forget?"
Every muscle in Tala's body froze and he collapsed on the ground. He tried to breathe, but the air felt dense. There was no escape.
A splash of cold water woke him up. And he saw the the PE master's rugged face.
"Stop being dramatic Ivanov. A few sit ups won't kill a young man" he said with annoyance, still checking Tala's pulse indicating he wasn't sure about the last part.
"It's Anemia". The school nurse said, pulling his eyelids down.
The boys around him were surprised seeing Tala this weak for the first time. He was a fine specimen of a man, and had a reputation for being a good fighter in interschool competitions. Tala felt humiliated. In his periphery , he saw Dunga and his gang smirking. "See? I told you he is also scared of Hiwatari."
Kai was standing at a corner, but no one was paying him attention.
No one had heard him speak.
Thanks a lot for reading!