I

“Good morning class.”

“Good morning Mr. Marshall!” the class hollered in unison.

Mr. Marshall wiped sweat off his thick, black eyebrows and stood straighter before the class. “Today we have a new student. Can the person please stand and introduce himself.”

All heads turned as a boy—his skin the colour of coffee—stood to his feet, his head bowed. “Kimi Mikaelis,” he whispered hollowly in reply before moving to sit.

“I didn’t hear you.” Mr. Marshall halted him. “Can you please repeat.”

Kimi groaned under his breath and furrowed his eyebrows. He was ready to roar like a lion so that the deaf teacher could hear him. “My name—”

“He said his name was Mikaelis. Kimi Mikaelis,” uttered an icy voice from behind him. “Apparently.”

Kimi gritted his teeth and looked behind at the owner of the voice. A boy looked up at him. He froze, his eyes noticing the uncanny pale blue colour of the boy’s eyes; he shuddered in apprehension.

The teacher folded his arms and swayed on his feet. “Mr. Vdélla, if you wish to speak to the class,  please kindly raise—”

The door bursted open and a tall, lean boy walked in. He shut the door quietly—like he was alone—and turned around, but jerked like he was caught red handed.

“Mr. Marshall… I-I—”

“Save it. If your brother can come to school early, why can’t you too?”

The lean boy—who had the same uncanny eyes—shrugged and bounced on the heels of his feet. “He has a clock in his bedroom. I broke mine last night.”

The class erupted in a whirlwind of laughter. Kimi screwed up his face and decided to take his seat; he slipped, missing his seat and landed on his bottom with a groan. Unfortunately, the already merry class decided to extend their merriment, and Kimi didn’t find anything funny to laugh about, but he found something unsettling.

So much for being invisible.

*

The canteen was bustling in liveliness and emotionality, but Kimi found solace in solitude as he sat in a tight and empty corner. He just fiddled with the mushrooms on his plate as he chewed on his bottom lip.

After a while he became tired of playing with his food and moved to pick up a napkin but knocked down his cup of ice water. It spilled and rolled down the table until it slapped against his laps like icy thorns. He groaned and stood up, knocking down his tray of food and chair.

I’m cursed. I’m definitely fucking cursed!

Students closer to him didn’t bother hiding their amusement and expressed it in very colourful manners.

“That newbie is a freak,” sassed a girl from across a table filled with a lot of students. She turned to the boy beside her and said,“he looks like a freaking zombie. Doesn’t he?”

“Maybe.”

Kimi recognized the voice; it belonged to the boy that sat behind him in class. He frowned deeply, huffed and picked up his bag. He didn’t look back as he walked out of the canteen, the air around him tense.

I hate the first day of school.

*

The day was windy and lonely, the air carrying a dried smell and Kimi scrunched up his face in irritation. The sky was a perfect splash of warm sunset colours that grazed Kimi’s pulled up hood. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he silently walked home alone.

Stupid school, stupid day, stupid me, stupid life. Stupid everything!

“Why did the principal have to freaking keep me in school till this time?” He pulled out his fist from his pocket and peered at his watch. “Freacking six-thirty. Stupid principal.”

He shoved his fist back into his pocket and walked down the lonely path. Dread washed over him as his eyes caught sight of a staggering man being held stiffly by two strange men that walked out of a street.

The two men didn’t notice that they weren’t alone and dragged their victim into a dark van. When they secured the man, their gazes scouted the environment, causing Kimi to crouch and move closer to the shadows. His heartbeat was like a soaring racket as he prayed not to be noticed.

Luckily, he was saved by the sound of screeching tyres that filled the air as the van vroomed away in a tampered hurry. This secured Kimi’s sanity as he slowly stood, his breathing ragged. Despite the sky getting swallowed slowly by darkness, Kimi caught sight of a tentative writing on the number plate of the van.

Vdélla.

*

The hinges of the door squeaked as Kimi shut the door, his breathing ragged. He tried regaining himself as he pulled off his sneakers in a dishevelled manner. In the process of pulling of his bag, he froze as he heard the slight creaking of the floorboards and the faint sound of someone approaching.

“Kimi?”

An exhausted sigh escaped his lips as he recognized the tired voice of his mother. But he jolted as he felt scrawny hands being placed on his shoulder and he shrugged it off. Taking a few steps away from his mother, he turned around, only to peer into grey, tired eyes.

The calm before a thunderstorm. Like mine.

“Mother? I thought you were going job hunting. Don’t scare me like that again,” Kimi groaned as he squatted to pick up his shoes.

His mother, Kara, laughed tiredly, her face taking up an aged look. “How was your first day?”

He sighed in defeat. “Freaking worse than the previous experience.”

Kara shook her head slowly, a few stray locks of grizzled hair falling into her face from its loose bun. “Hungry?”

Kimi rolled his eyes. “What else will I be? Freaking sated?”

Kara suspired with a shake of her head. “Camomile tea?”

Kimi nodded his head in response as he followed his mother into the kitchen. He sat on a stool and watched as his mother turned on the stove and placed a kettle on it. Averting his gaze, Kimi looked to the the side, towards the window, and watched the night pass by like a flag waving lazily. Suddenly a chill ran through him and he sneezed.

“You better take a very hot bath.” Kara placed a cup of steaming tea and a plate of food before Kimi and sat beside him.

Kimi just hummed in response as he watched the night fleet away.

Author’s Note: （〜^∇^)〜 Hello! How was this chapter? I accept constructive criticism. And please, no hurtful words. I do not deal very well with hurtful words. (╥_╥) Please vote, comment and share. Good morning, afternoon and evening! （-＾〇＾-）