Chapter 8 Settling Down
I met up with Grandpa, setting up for the two of us to eat. He looked delighted to have something to put on the table, even if it was from school. If it was anything like what I had today, then it must be good. Plus, seeing him happy cheered me up since we didn't usually get to eat anything this fancy.
Once everything was ready, we sat down to eat. Grandpa brought home fish similar to the one I ate, vegetables that smelled incredible, and even small portions of meat. He told me it was called steak; he even managed to take some steak sauce, making it taste even sweeter.
Though I was glad to be eating something like this for once, it brought up the fact that Grandpa was going out of his way to pay off this uniform that I was required to have. I hoped he didn't resent me for that.
"So, how was your first day of school?" Grandpa asked in-between bites.
"It—" I paused, thinking back on what had happened today; the man who was killed by Carnivores, the students crowding around me, making a fool of myself in class for not knowing how to activate the b00k, and even what had happened at lunch. I couldn't tell Grandpa; it would break his heart. He would think I wasn't ready for school or even being on my own with the Carnivores' dangers around.
"Good. I got to find out what our classes would be like. Had some trouble with this thing called a b00k that is attached to our uniform. It's cool, but probably something too technologically advanced for you," I replied.
He chuckled. "Yeah, you kids and your new techno gizmos and what have you. I could never keep up with them, but I'm glad they're something you enjoy."
I continued to eat the delicious meal, putting today's events behind me. I get that Grandpa wanted to know, but inside, I wished he hadn't asked because I didn't want to remember.
"Make any new friends today?" he asked.
"Y-yeah,” I said, surprised that I was so worried about the day I didn't even bring up Quint. "He actually was the one who helped me figure out how to turn on the b00k in the first place."
"Well, this kid sounds like a nice fellow. I hope he's taking good care of you while I am working. I can't always look after you, but I guess that's part of growing up," he continued to chew, pausing to swallow. "I heard there was a slight ruckus in the cafeteria today. I had to clean up a pile of food that was dumped on the floor. I sure hope it wasn't intentional. It makes me sad to see it go to waste if that's the case. Did you see or hear anything about that?"
A part of me wanted to tell him the truth, knowing he'd understand. I didn't know that the users had their own table. However, I worried that my fears would come true if I told him about the incident.
"Well, Grandpa, I actually got to see the Vanguards today at school," I told him, attempting to dodge the question entirely. "They seem strong. Do you know anything about them?"
"I don't pay attention to them all that much, but I'm sure plenty of other people know about them. They do their best to keep us safe, and for that, I am thankful," he followed, finishing the last few things on his plate.
After we had finished, he got up to get the plates. Since I was faster, I got up before him. "I got them. Thank you for the food. It was delicious."
He smiled. "Thank you, Carnite. I appreciate it, especially since the first day is always the hardest. It's the craziest time of the year, especially on my back."
Grandpa slowly sat down on his favorite chair just outside the dining area and let out an audible sigh.
"Don't worry about the dishes either; I'll clean up everything. You just sit there and relax." By the time I finished talking, he was already asleep. I began to wash the dishes and the table.
I tended to worry about him a lot. Grandpa worked so hard for me, and I didn't give anything in return. I just lived and nothing else; it got to me at times. Sometimes he had to work several shifts days in a row to the point where there would be days where I wouldn't see him at all; it pained me. I didn't want him to work himself to death. I wished he did something else, but he just wasn't at the age where he would be able to do anything too physical. Plus, he didn't understand technology as I did. Even as such, I had so much to learn about this B00k; I hadn't even known it existed until today.
I walked over to Grandpa and gave him a blanket. I didn't want him to be cold during the night; the fire had gone out by now.
"Goodnight, Grandpa. You did a wonderful job today." I kissed him on the forehead. After getting ready for bed, I headed to my room.
My eyes began to get heavy. Before drifting off to sleep, I had one final thought. I hoped the next school day would be better than today. I wished we got to do a bunch of fun computer stuff like binary coding, all the cool technical aspects of building a computer, figuring out how it operated, and how to combat viruses. I was sure I would learn a lot, and for that, I was excited to see what would come.
Chapter 8 - End
Edited by: Katepopa (Fiverr)
