New Story - story

Okay, so since I have writer's block for Solar Eclipse, I've started on another story. It doesn't have a name yet, so if anyone would like to suggest one (or a few), I'm all ears.
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Chapter 1: The New Kid

Cain Sollus was just like any other kid his age. Dysfunctional grades, dysfunctional family, dysfunctional attitude; he was just a normal run of the mill teenager. The year before, his parents had finally gotten the divorce that they had threatened about for nearly four years prior. Cain’s grades dropped, his attitude darkened, and like many other teenagers, he began to dress in black.

After living with his mother for a year—he didn’t like his father’s new girlfriend—she finally got fed up with his grades, his attitude, his friends (or lack thereof), and she shipped him off to a boarding school about a hundred miles upstate. The school, a newly built and very well designed structure of wonder, had just opened, and Cain was one of the lucky few to be a test subject for its rather revolutionary new program.

Lockhart Boarding School was very modern. Everything was now run by computers—the toilets, the lunch dispensers, the teachers. Cain, who had just turned sixteen, was a rather medium sized kid with short brown hair—now a deep black—with a rather depressing outlook on life, which was only made ever worse in the passing year. In hopes that he would be able to get over the depression and become a “normal” kid, Cain’s mother, with the suggestion of his father, sent him off.

Cain couldn’t sit still the entire ride there. He wasn’t excited…more like frightened, and he had to be restrained forcefully so that he couldn’t bail from the car. What a trip it was. Nearly a day had passed before arriving at Lockhart, and he was tired, frightened, rebellious, anxious, nervous, and any other form of negative feeling you could have.

“Mom?” he started, waking when the car began to slow.

No answer.

“MOM!” he said again, this time raising his voice as much as he could.

Still nothing.

He was about to yell again when the car came to a complete stop, and he sat up to see if they had arrived finally, or if it was just another pit stop. He didn’t like the idea of being at the new school, but being at another pit stop and watching his mom flirt about made him nauseous. To his fear and relief, they had finally arrived at the school.

Lockhart was made entirely of metal and glass. It looked more like a big business than a school. The high roof domed over the main entrance, casting refracted light all about the nice gum-free concrete below. The other half of the dome was covering the main indoor entry area of the school. There were cars and people everywhere, for the year was about to start soon, and everyone was arriving early to get settled in. The building was a silvery-grey color, and when you looked at it, the word “shiny” came to mind. Small half-domed halls led off of the main entrance structure to four separate, smaller domed buildings—the entire thing looked like the Biodome from the movies. Behind the entire school, two less “shiny” looking buildings stood, both of them were about four stories tall, very rectangular and normal; they looked like apartments. The dorms, Cain thought to himself.

Cain turned from the window to his mother, who was staring in awe at the marvel that was the school. He coughed once, and her trance broke.

“Well, go on. You better hurry inside.” She then opened her door and got out, heading towards the back of the car to unload his belongings. Cain didn’t move. He didn’t want to move. He wanted to go home, to go to a normal school with his friends, to see Harley again, the girl he liked but was way out of his league and already had a boyfriend. He wanted a lot of things, but as he soon realized, he wasn’t going to get any of them.

Screw it, he thought to himself, I might as well make the most of it while I’m here. He got out of the car and made for the front entrance of the school—his mom was still gathering his luggage out of the back of the car. There were four double doors in a row at the entrance, each one was about seven feet in height, and a dark metallic blue in color that only showed your reflection when you were standing really close to it. On the other side of the doors—they were adorned with glass windows above and below the center handle—Cain could see a large crowd of parents and students all around his age.

Being a high school, technically, Lockhart’s student body ranged from the ages of fifteen to eighteen, which suited him just fine. At his old school, he was younger than most of the people he hung out with, and often felt inferior in comparison, but here at Lockhart, he would be bunked with other students his age, take classes with other students his age, and more than likely mingle with other students his age.

At the front of the crowd—or more precisely, at the back of the room, for the crowd was facing away from the door—a stage had been temporarily erected, with a backdrop and a podium.

“What’re ya’ lookin’ at?” asked Cain’s mother over the top of the luggage, which was piled in her arms.

Cain didn’t reply, but instead pushed at the door, only to realize that he had to pull it. Wow, I’m an idiot, he thought to himself.

Pulling the door open, Cain and his mom walked in and merged with the crowd. At the same moment, a tall woman with short blonde hair just past her ears wearing a very formal looking white suit stepped up onto the stage and stood behind the podium. She was accompanied by another girl, who appeared to be about the same age as Cain; another student most likely. She wore a very floral dress that commented her long, wavy blonde hair quite well. She stood beside the podium, staring, almost robotically out at the mass.

“Parents and students alike, I welcome you all to Lockhart Academy!” said the woman behind the podium. Her voice echoed throughout the hall as she spoke. Her voice was hard and commanding, and gave her an air of authority. “I am Julia Lockhart-Halls, but you may call me Mrs. Halls. It is an honor to have so many students attending the grand opening of this school, and I can guarantee that you will all have a wonderful time here!”

Cain, who had only been half listening, stared intently at the girl next to the podium. She was attractive, but he was more interested in why she was standing up there, and why she was staring so mechanically out towards everyone. He noticed, upon a closer look, that her eyes were moving; scanning the crowd of people. What for, he didn’t know, but he was curious all the same. Then, she looked in his direction, and as though by some strange force they made eye contact, but only for a brief moment.

“…and with that said, I hope that you all have a great day exploring and enjoying the campus. Please, take your belongings to the designated areas, and make sure that they have identification on them so that our staff can deliver all belongings to the proper rooms,” finished Mrs. Halls.

Cain’s mother lightly prodded him in the shoulder. “C’mon, we’ve gotta get your stuff dropped off. I wanna see around this place.”

“Uh, yeah…” replied Cain. He was still distracted, and was only now regaining his sense of where he was and what he was doing.

He followed his mother—who had unloaded half of the luggage into his arms—down one of the hallways that had a sign above the entrance that was marked in big block letters “S-Z” and into another, smaller room with eight doors around the perimeter and a small group—about 150 people, but small compared to the other crowd—gathered in the center.

He noticed someone in a light blue uniform with a white and blue checkered hat that had the school symbol on it at the center of the mass with a clipboard, and realized that everyone there was dropping off their belongings with that man and then heading off again. When him and his mother reached the man after about twenty minutes of waiting, his mother signed off on the clipboard, dropped off the bags, had Cain do the same, and then led him out the way they came in (the hallways were fairly wide).

After several hours of exploring the campus—Cain and his mother had gone through the dormitories, the cafeteria, the gymnasium, the outer grounds, the courts, soccer, football, and baseball fields, and even back through some of the classrooms—they finally stopped in the cafeteria for lunch, for it was only about one o’clock in the afternoon, and lunch was free for everyone there. Cain sat with some other kids whom he had met along the way, and although they could hardly be called friends, their similarities caused them to stick together simply to increase the size of their group.

One of them was small, a good foot or so smaller than Cain was, and he had tan skin, bleach blonde hair, and a nose ring with a skull on it. Another of the group had about forty earrings per ear and a pink stripe in her hair. Yet another of one from the group seemed normal by social standards except that his skin was stark white and he was wearing eye-liner. All of them were wearing black clothes with skulls or bones or bands that sang about skulls and bones. Cain never really felt interested in any of those things, but he went along because of his need to feel accepted, just like any other troubled teen.

Then he felt a tap on his should. And then another. He ignored it, until it became repetitive to the point that he turned around and yelled, “WHAT?!”

The blonde haired girl in her floral dress was standing right behind him. He was red with anger, or probably closer to agitation, but soon it was because of embarrassment and something else that he didn’t recognize. She didn’t flinch.

“You were the one that was staring at me while my mom was talking,” she said matter-of-factly.

“The entire crowd was staring at you,” Cain replied defensively. The rest of his group snickered, but otherwise stayed quiet. They were interested in what this new girl had to say.

“No, you were the only one looking at me. Everyone else was looking at my mom.”

Cain’s face was still burning, and he could feel a slight sweat. She seemed to have that same air that her mother did, and he didn’t know what to say.

“What’s your name?” she asked. Her expression changed from the mechanical, emotionless slate to a more curious one, and Cain had to look away.

“The name’s Cain,” he mumbled. The group snickered again, but this time more loudly.

“Alrighty! I’ll be sure to remember that!” She smiled briefly and turned to go sit with her mother.

Cain’s group was glaring at him with smug smiles on their faces. He shot them a dirty look before getting up, leaving his half eaten meal there, and walking out of the cafeteria.

“Oh, good bye sweetie! Don’t stay up too late, and be sure to brush your teeth and—” Cain’s mother wasn’t too happy to leave him at Lockhart, but she knew it was for the best.

“Mom, it’s alright, I get it…” Cain was just happy to finally be left alone. His bags had been moved to his room, and he had been given a room key with a number on it, and was sent to his dorm for the evening. The school year didn’t start till next month, and that gave him enough time to get used to the school before classes actually started.

As he was heading up the stairs (the dormitories’ elevators were off limits to everyone except those that needed them because they couldn’t use the stares) to his room, he heard head foot steps coming up from behind, and stopped to see who it was. He was on the top floor, so not many other students would be coming up that high, but it seemed that there was at least one other student that was, and they were making quite a racket.

As the follower rounded the corner of the stairwell and came into view, Cain nearly tripped over his own feet. The blonde haired girl had followed him all the way up here! What could she possibly want?

“Oh, hi Cain,” she panted. It was apparent that she was not used to wearing high healed shoes.

“Why are you following me?” Cain asked, but with more conviction in his voice than he had at lunch, for it seemed that the girl had less of her authoritarian air than before.

“Oh, I’m not following you,” she shot back, regaining her breath, “I’m your roommate.”

Chapter 2: Roommates

She stood up straight after a minute or two—finally rejuvenated after her laborious hike up the stairs—attempting to come face to face with Cain, but she was unable to because he was a good four inches taller than she was. Her dress was ruffled beyond imagining, her bright red high-heeled shoes were scuffed and askew, her hair, surprisingly, was well kept, but the rest of the outfit was a total wreck. She looked like the drunken girl at a wedding.

Cain stood staring back at her, sizing her up, taking in the image of the girl before him. She wasn’t as good looking as Harley, but then again, she wasn’t in the best of shape right then. Her eyes were fierce, like her mother’s, and they stared back at his with the same cold conviction, as if she were trying to subdue him psychically.

“What’re you looking at?” she spat, attempting to fix her shoes, but finding it hard to do so without losing her balance. She reached for the wall to steady herself.

Cain replied with a slight stutter. He was extremely confused as to why they would allow coed rooming at a school like Lockhart High. “C-could you repeat that? You’re my r-roommate?”

“That’s right. I didn’t have a roommate, so I asked mom if I could pick one, and I picked you. That’s why you have a room at the top of dorms. These are the best rooms.”

Cain looked on indifferently, lost in thought with all the questions that were running through his own head. Why would this girl’s mother let her room with a guy? Did she trust her daughter that much, or did she simply not care?

The blonde haired girl suddenly moved. She pushed past Cain, gently, not meaning to cause harm, and pulled a key from an unseen pocket and unlocked the door they’d been standing next to. Cain stared in awe at the size of the room—no, it wasn’t just a room, more like a condo. There was an entrance hallway, which had a closet to the left upon entering, and then opened up into a main living room with a couch, a recliner, and a rather large television. There were three doors along the wall directly across from the entrance.

“The door on the left leads to the kitchen and dining room, and the other two doors are our bedrooms, both of which have private bathrooms,” explained the girl, as if she was reading his mind all along.

“Now, can you help unzip me? I need to get out of this damn dress. I don’t know why mom makes me dress up like this.” Cain did as he was told, not wanting to upset her. He’d never seen a girl before that demanded such obedience. He found himself awestruck at how he was willing to help this girl whom he’d only met earlier that day and whom he didn’t even like. She was bossy and pushy, and obviously spoiled, but he couldn’t help himself. Maybe it was the fact that she said that she needed to undress.

After the dress was unzipped, the girl quickly pulled it off, back turned to Cain, who couldn’t help but stare. She turned at through it at him, and without a word walked across the room and through the middle door. Cain pulled the dress off of his face and snuck a quick peek before she disappeared into the other room, only to be disappointed by the fact that she was wearing undergarments.

He set the dress in the recliner and attempted to occupy himself by watching a bit of television, sitting down on the sofa, which was surprisingly comfortable, although incredibly tacky.

After nearly half an hour had passed, the girl came out of her room with a towel over her head. She had apparently just taken a shower. She was wearing a pair of faded jeans that were tearing at the knees and a dark blue t-shirt with a light blue stripe on it that ran across the chest, just below the neck-line. He couldn’t help but watch as she pulled the towel off of her head, revealing her wavy blonde hair, which glistened with water in the light.

Now that she was out of the god-awful dress and tacky shoes, and now that all the make-up had been removed—Cain didn’t notice that she was wearing make-up until it was gone—she actually looked very good, although a bit white-trash (not that Cain minded).

“By the way,” she began, tossing the towel aside, “My name is Rebecca. Rebecca Bawth.” She then came over and sat down right beside Cain, who tried to act cool but couldn’t help his face turning red. She was unusually close, and as he dared a look, he noticed that her fierce look and menacing complexion was gone, replaced with a curious and friendly expression that made him catch his breath. Bad idea; Rebecca noticed.

“What is it? Is there something on my face?” she teased. It was nearly eight o’clock, and although there wasn’t anything important the next day, Cain thought it best to turn in early, more of an excuse to get away from her than an actual fact.

“I’m going to bed,” he declared, standing. Awkwardly, he made his way across the room to the middle door on the far wall.

As he opened the door, he heard Rebecca ask, “Mind if I join you?”

Cain couldn’t move. They’d only just met that day, and already she was making a move. He didn’t even like her; in fact, he found her quite annoying. The thought of anything happening between them made him feel sick. He wheeled around to speak his mind, only to find her laughing quietly to herself.

She’s messing with me! he thought himself, she’s just trying to get into my head. Just ignore her Cain. He turned around again and opened the door, closing it quietly behind him.

Dear Dad,

Lockhart is better than I thought it would be. Although classes don’t start until next month, I’m still finding ways to keep myself entertained during the day. They have open sports in the gyms, and there is even an arcade in the rec-area.
I’ve got a large room, which I share with this annoying girl, who also happens to be the daughter of Mrs. Lockhart. Her name is Rebecca, and don’t worry, nothing is going to happen. She’s so annoying, but I don’t want to hurt her feelings (it’s so unlike me, right?).
Each room has its own phone, too. Our ext. is #4357, incase you want to give me a call.
Take care, and tell Julia “Hi” for me.

I don’t say it much, but I love ya dad,

Cain

Dawn broke at around 6:00 am. Cain’s alarm went off at 8:00 am. Cain got out of bed at 9:00 am. He had been lying awake for over three hours the night before. He had a lot of stuff on his mind.

After showering and getting dressed, he tucked the letter to her father into his pocket and left his room. He was wearing nice dark blue denims, a black suit top with a dark blue undershirt, a white clip-on tie, and a dark jacket that looks both blue and black, depending on the light.

Rebecca was sitting on the couch with a towel on her head, a popsicle, and she was wearing a white tank-top and light blue jean-shorts.

“Howdy,” she said when she noticed him. Then she asked, “Why’re you all dressed up? Got a date?”

“No.”

“Oh? Does that mean you’re single?”
She’s messing with you again, Cain. “That’s none of your business.”

“Oh? What’s her name? Is she hot?”

Cain couldn’t tell if her curiosity was genuine, or if she was just trying to get to him. Either way, he knew that if he told her too much, she’d just become even nosier, and the last thing he wanted was to have Rebecca following him around like a lost puppy. He attempted to change the subject, “I’m going to go check out the arcade; see what’s down there.”

“Ha! You and every other boy here. It’s crowded like you wouldn’t believe. Just wait until later this afternoon, when everyone is outside having a life, then go check it out.” Rebecca seemed to be having fun teasing him, more so than the night before. She was much more cheerful, and she seemed less menacing now that it was light out. The walls and ceiling of the room were a shade of off-white that was comforting and also helped brighten the room during the day.

“That was uncalled for. What do you suggest I do then?” and before she could respond, he added, “Besides staying here with you.”

Rebecca was focusing on the television again, but she responded still, “If you don’t want to stay in with me, why don’t you go out with me instead?”

You know that feeling you get when there is a ghost next to you, or someone is standing right behind you? That chilling sensation that you feel to your core? For a moment, the air in the room had that very same quality. Cain stood staring at Rebecca, who in turn had turned to him and was also staring. She hadn’t meant it to sound the way it did, but she couldn’t help it now.

Rebecca looked at the ground, Cain looked at the ceiling. A minute passed, then another, and another, then Cain looked down at her again and suggested, “Why don’t I just go see if the arcade is clearing out?”

“Y-yeah, you do that…” was all she said. It had become apparent to Cain that instant that Rebecca was teasing him before, but the thought of them actually dating was something that she wanted, but was too afraid to ask for. She was trying to tempt him, and now that he knew, he also knew how to avoid it.

I’m not about to ruin my life for her.

Chapter 3: Visitors

Hey Cain,

Good to hear that you like the school. Mrs. Bawth…actually, it’s Lockhart now...anyways, she’s been a friend of mine since high school. So, if you mess around, I’ll know about it. Julia broke up with me the other night. Don’t bother saying your sorry, she was a shallow bitch, so I’m cool. Being single isn’t so bad…How’s your mom been? Ah hell, you’re really lucky, you know that? You get to share a room with another girl your age. I would have killed to be able to do that in high school. Who cares if she’s annoying, is she good looking? Heh, I’ll call later when I can. I’ve got a lot of work to do still. Thanks for writing though.

Don’t stay up too late,

Rick aka YOUR DADDY

PS: I forgot that your roomy is Mrs. Lockhart’s daughter. I’d avoid doing anything to her in that case.

“What’re you reading?” pondered Rebecca over his shoulder. It had been nearly a week at Lockhart High School and Cain felt as though he couldn’t last another day. Rebecca had changed from a minor annoyance to a full out pain in the ass. Her teasing and flirting was getting on his nerves more and more each day, and she followed him everywhere. No matter how much he tried, she never got the hint.

“It’s a letter from my dad,” he replied, folding it up and stuffing it into his pants pocket. They were in their dorm room. The curfew was at 10:00 pm, but lights weren’t required to be out until midnight. It was nearly 11:00 already, and there was absolutely nothing to do to keep Rebecca occupied. That is, until someone knocked on the door.

“I’ll get it!” exclaimed Rebecca, nearly falling off the back of Cain’s chair, which she was leaning on. She reached the door with a literal hop, skip, and a jump, and yanked it open. The thought never crossed her mind that it was past the curfew.

“Evening Becky,” said the man at the door. He was wearing the standard Lockhart High faculty uniform and was holding a small package.

“Ello Richard. Is that—“ she began, but was cut off. Richard had noticed Cain in the background, laughing quietly to himself.

“Becky! No boys allowed in your room! You know the rules!” he was red in the face and looked as though he were about to start yelling some more until Rebecca seized the package he was holding.

“Oh, him? He’s my roommate. Don’t worry about it. Ask mom if you want. Oh? This is for me. Haha, thanks Richey.” She winked, smiled, and closed the door on the dumb-struck Richard in the hallway. She then turned and walked across the room towards the kitchen.

Cain quieted himself and followed her. The kitchen was rather small. It was like a hallway, with appliances on each side, and a few cabinets. Everything was the same shade of off-white as the main room, and the floor was tiled with rough stone pattern. She reached for a knife and sliced the packaging tape on the cardboard box.

“What do you think it is, Becky?” asked Cain with a sneer. She shot him a look that matched the cold intensity of her mother, and he quickly shut up. That look scared him.

“It’s addressed to me, but it doesn’t say who sent it.” She opened the box in a way that made it hard for Cain to see what was inside, lifting the flaps and keeping them raised. As soon as she was sure Cain couldn’t see, she examined its contents and gasped.

Inside the box was another, smaller box that was adorned in crimson and a deep, dark chocolate brown. It was a box of chocolates. A card was attached to it that read:

Rebecca,
I’ve been in love with you for a long time now.
Ever since I first saw you, I knew that I had to meet you.
I’d do anything to make you mine.
Oh Rebecca, I feel so ashamed
That I can’t tell you who I am…
Please accept this gift to you
From,
Your Secret Admirer

“What’re you reading?” pondered Cain, attempting to peer over her shoulder.

“N-NOTHING!” she shouted, hastily stuffing the card into the box and closing it. She hoped beyond hope that he hadn’t seen it.

Rebecca grabbed the box and ran out of the kitchen, leaving Cain alone, chuckling softly. He hadn’t seen anything, but he had a good idea what it was.

Dear Diary,

I don’t know what to do. I got a letter today with some chocolates from an admirer. I don’t want to hurt whoever [i]sent them, but I don’t want to abandon Cain either. I know he finds me annoying, but I can’t help it. I get nervous and say [i]things I shouldn’t. Oh, right, back on topic. The admirer’s card that he left was really sweet, and a little creepy, but the chocolates were good…I’m such a pig for chocolate.

Ugh! I don’t know what to do…I guess I’ll just have to wait and see…this is NOT how I wanted to spend the rest of my summer.

“Becky! Wake up! It’s nearly noon!” Cain was knocking on her door rather loudly. He didn’t dare open the door though, not out of respect, but because he was genuinely afraid of Rebecca. After she had stormed into her bedroom with the box the night before, he hadn’t seen nor heard head or tail of her. And what’s more, she was usually up hours before him, which is why he found it odd that she would still be in bed so late.

Another minute of knocking and calling, and he could hear movement on the other side of the door. “Becky! Get up—” The door opened suddenly, but just a crack, so that he could only make out half her face. She seemed incredibly tired, and in the pale light that shined through the door, she could be described as zombie-like.

“Don’t call me Becky,” she hissed, and then slammed the door. Taking this as a sign that she wouldn’t be out of her room for a while, Cain strode across the room with utter glee, and sprang out the door.

He finally had the entire day to himself. No annoying Rebecca to tease and flirt with him. No annoying Rebecca to follow him around endlessly. No annoying Rebecca to ruin what remained of his tattered and broken image. The mosquito in his ear had gone away, and for one day at least, he was free to do whatever he wanted.

He was at the top of the staircase when he ran into Ryan; as in, physically collided with him. Cain fell flat on his back, but Ryan managed to grab the railing and hold firm. He blinked once, twice, and then realized that the stranger was standing over him, offering a hand.

“Heh, sorry ‘bout tha’,” then he added, “Th’ name’s Ryan, Ryan Harding. I di’n’t expect t’see another bloke in th’ girls’ dorms.”

Girls’ dorms? Wait…what?!

Cain grabbed his hand and struggled to his feet, quickly releasing his grip. He decided to play it cool until he knew why this other boy was here. “What’re you doin’ here?” he asked in a way that he hoped wasn’t too suspicious or defensive.

“Well, y’see here, there’s this girl, see, and I sorta…well…” his face was flushed. I knew it! Cain thought. He could hardly contain his excitement. That package from the night before must have been from this new kid, and that explained Rebecca’s odd behavior. It all made sense now.

“You’re looking for Rebecca, right?” inquired Cain in the friendliest voice he could muster. Being friendly wasn’t one of his strong suits.

“Why, yes, but how’d y’know?”

“She’s locked up in her bedroom. Really shooken up about that package you sent her.”

“How’d you know about my package?” Ryan’s expression changed suddenly. Cain realized that he said something he shouldn’t have said. Ryan didn’t know that Cain was her roommate, and he felt it best to keep it that way, but he also found it difficult to talk his way out of this without giving it away. Classic example of being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“Well?” It had been several seconds, and Ryan was becoming more and more suspicious with each passing one.

“Hmm…well, you see…” Cain struggled to find something, anything at all that he could say. Nothing. Wait, maybe…

“…Fine, I’ll tell you. But please don’t tell anyone. Can I trust you with that?”

Ryan nodded slowly, never lowering his gaze.

“I’m a peeping tom.

“I snuck into her dorm, but she was still in there, locked in her room, and I found the box with the note in it. From what I could hear, she sounded pretty upset.”

To Cain’s immense surprise, Ryan actually bought it. “Haha! So, you have th’ hots fer her too?”

“No way! I’m just your average perv, that’s all. By the way, good luck.” He waved awkwardly and hurried past Ryan and down the stairs.

This day couldn’t get any better. First I get rid of Rebecca for the day, and now there’s someone else for her to obsess over! With any luck, I’ll be able to get my own room if she starts dating him!

He made his way to the bottom of the stairs, through the small lobby, across the grounds, and headed straight for the arcade.

Chapter 4: The Boy Who Has Everything

Cain spent the entire day away from the dorms. He had gone around the town, exploring the many shops and eateries and the mega-mall, taking in everything he could about this new city he was about to spend an entire year in. Living in a small town all his life, the city was quite different, and posed a few problems to him, such as finding his way back to school.

Within an hour of wandering and looking and sightseeing, Cain was hopelessly lost. Of the few people he asked on the streets, even fewer had heard of the school, and fewer still could give directions, though all they succeeded in doing was getting him even more lost within the concrete jungle.

Finding that he had little chance of getting good directions or advice, he sought to look for a police station or a post office that would most likely be able to point him in the right direction. Two pedestrians later, and he had navigated his way towards a large skyscraper, which looked as though it were made of onyx, a good many floors taller than the surrounding buildings, and with the name of the company that owned it in gigantic, red, light up block letters: Harding Enterprises.

Harding. Where had he heard that name before? He couldn’t remember where, but at the moment, he didn’t care much because the police station was situated just beyond the onyx tower. A small, two-story building, dwarfed in comparison to even the smallest of skyscrapers.

“May I help you?” asked the secretary, with a slight accent, from behind the counter as he caught sight of Cain entering through the front doors. He was a younger man, about 24, with blonde hair, probably European, and a navy blue uniform.

“I was wondering if I could get directions to Lockhart High School. I’m a little lost.” He looked down for a second or two, and then back at the secretary.

The man, whose name tag read Felix, pulled out a map of the city from one of the drawers at the desk, and opened it so that Cain could see clearly. He pointed at a small red square, “This is where we are now,” then he traced his finger to a large beige polygon across the map, “This is the school you’re looking for. Take this map so you don’t get lost again.”

“Uhh…thanks,” said Cain. After he took the map, Felix became quiet and indifferent, as if he were a statue that only animated when someone needed his help.

“I’m coming! I’m coming!” Rebecca was rudely awakened by a knocking on the door. She had fallen back asleep shortly after Cain left, and at the moment she felt like a bear trying to defend her cub. She flung the door open, expecting Richard or another of the school’s many faculty to be standing on the other side of the door, ready to harass her for sleeping so late, but to her surprise and horror, for she looked like a zombie, there was a hansom young man standing before her.

He smiled awkwardly, and wouldn’t look her in the eye, which she found odd, but somewhat cute too. The shyness he expressed only added to his appeal, and she couldn’t help but blush. Then Rebecca realized she was still a mess, and still in her sleepwear, and presently closed the door in the boy’s face.

“Sorry!” she cried from behind the door, “I’ll be back in a minute!”

She opened the door again nearly ten minutes later to find that the boy was still there, sitting against the wall with his knees to his chest and his face in his hands. As he stood up again, she saw that his face was red, but his eyes were clear, so she new that he hadn’t been crying.

A thought occurred to her suddenly. This boy, who was now fidgeting and sweating slightly, could he be the admirer that sent the gift the night before?

“C-can I help you?” she asked.

The boy said nothing.

“Eh, you’re starting to creep me out…”

At this, the boy made a quick but indifferent movement with his arm, either to get her attention or simply out of panic. “Ryan. Mah name is Ryan.”

Rebecca stepped aside to see what Ryan would do, and to her surprise, he took the offer and stepped past her into the room. As he did so, he seemed to relax, as though he’d broken free of some unseen shackles. When she closed the door and turned around, she found him standing there, smiling. His face was no longer red, and he was looking her directly in the face.

“So, what is it you wanted?” Rebecca asked again. Looking at him now, she could see a new air of confidence about him, which only added the list of qualities that she found appealing, but he had lost the timid cuteness that he had at the door.

“Did’ja get tha’ thing I sent ya?” His voice was fluid. Not a single quavering note. She couldn’t help but follow its rhythm up and down as he spoke. Even if his English wasn’t very good, she loved the accent.

“Oh? The chocolates?” she inquired with a falsely innocent voice, “Yeah, I got them. Thanks a lot, although my roommate was a bit nosy.”

“Roommate?” Ryan looked around quickly, but heard nothing and saw no one. “I didn’ know ya had a roommate.”

“What do you mean?” inquired Rebecca suspiciously. Everyone at Lockhart was required to have a roommate unless there were an uneven number of students. This was announced at the opening ceremony, and was also repeated by the rooming staff to the parents when the luggage was dropped off on the first day. “Of course I have a roommate; everyone does. They just aren’t here right now.”

This seemed to calm Ryan down once again.

“I liked the poem too. Did you write that? It’s very nice.” Rebecca smiled, more to be polite than anything else, but Ryan took it as an invitation to advance.

“Oh!? I’m s’glad t’hear dat!” He moved closer, his intentions apparent, and Rebecca, out of instinct, stepped back. Her smile disappeared, and was replaced with a concerned look.

Before she could speak, she heard a knock on the door, and then the handled turned and the door opened. There was Cain, rather flustered, standing in the doorway. Everyone stopped moving and stared. Cain looked puzzlingly at Ryan, who appeared to be trying to move closer to Rebecca, who, as he noticed after a few seconds, was looking almost frightened. Ryan looked at Cain, whom he had met only that morning, and brooded over as many possibilities as he could as to why he had returned. Rebecca looked from Ryan to Cain, and the fear she had grew exponentially. She didn’t know what to do because if Ryan found out that Cain was her roommate, then word would get out and they would have to change rooms.

After a dreadfully long minute of silence, Ryan was the first to recover from the shock of the new arrival. “Oy! Cain! Why’re yah back here? I thought you’d be gun all day…”

He was about to speak when Rebecca, attempting to hide her secret, interrupted, “Cain!” she cried, “This is Ryan, the one who sent the gift I told you about…” she winked nervously. “Ryan, it looks like you’ve already met Cain here. He’s a friend of mine…” she trailed off, and then attempted to change her story quickly, “…he’s my boyfriend! Yeah, Cain sweetie, could you keep Ryan company while I go get something for him to drink?”

She was shaking, praying that Ryan wasn’t bright enough to see through the charade. “Oh? Is dat so? Well, dis mor’in Cain here said dat he doesn’t even know yah. Hmm? What’s dat abou’?” He was addressing Rebecca, but wouldn’t look away from Cain, who was still in the doorway holding a folded piece of paper.

“Well uh, you see…”

“I’m her roommate,” said Cain flatly.

The room fell silent again.