Chapter 9 Encounter With A Familiar Face
I woke up around the same time I usually did. My brain was still in the process of starting up, so I was a little dozy. Thinking about the day's prospects woke me up entirely, so I made my way to the kitchen. Spotting the empty chair, I wondered if Grandpa was in his room.
However, I found a small note on the counter before I checked. It read, "Good morning, my little computer. I hope you slept well. I forgot to tell you that I had a double shift today. Poor Sarah was sick the other day, so they have me filling in for her today. If I am not back by dinner, there are enough leftovers from yesterday for you to have. Love, Grandpa."
My expression turned into a frown. I really wished they would let Grandpa rest. Even though it was not me working, I could almost feel the pain he hid.
I ate some breakfast, got ready, and went out of the house, leaving behind my comfort for a chance at a good future.
I passed by the spot where the man had died yesterday. I couldn't get the thought out of my head. The fear in his eyes, the inability to do anything, and the fact that I just watched him die for nothing.
"I'm... sorry," I said, continuing my way.
I didn't see any of the students I spotted yesterday in the woods either. This might have been a one-time route for them. However, there might've been a different reason for them not being around here. Not that I cared; I wanted nothing more than to go through the day without any issues. New day, new me; I had this.
Although I didn't want to pass by that spot to get to school, it was just a thing I might have had to get used to.
As I walked, I opened up my b00k, letting the screen pop up in front of me. There was no service as I was still a good way from the school grounds or even near any towers that would pick up a signal. Looking at the screen made me remember what had happened when I tried to connect it to my computer. I was just glad that Grandpa didn't notice what I was doing; truthfully, I couldn't help my curiosity.
I must have been daydreaming about the events because before I knew it, I had made it outside of the woods and into the area next to the school grounds.
The students were coming from all directions toward the school. Some were walking, and others were being brought in vehicles of all sorts.
"I wonder if Quint is here already." I checked the time on my b00k, which read 7:20; still plenty of time before classes started.
Not seeing him anywhere, I headed inside the school to be ready for class when it started. I made sure to keep to myself; I didn't know if the people who saw what had happened yesterday would remember me and point me out. The familiar anxious feeling started to swell up in me. Oh, I was so stupid; I should have stayed home and pretended to be sick. But if I did that, what would Grandpa think of me? He would get upset I missed the second day of school. Maybe I should've just turned back; certainly, Quint would understand. But what if he didn't?
As my mind continued to beat itself up, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked to my side but didn't see anyone there. I then felt a tap on my other shoulder; I looked, but no one was there either.
I heard the sound of someone trying to hold in their laugh. I turned around completely this time, and I saw a familiar face.
"Sorry I couldn't help myself."
Somehow Quint's presence really helped me calm down. I wondered if this was what having friends was all about.
"G-good morning, Quint," I greeted him.
He greeted me back. "I got some good news... So remember how you said you were interested in computers? Well, I was talking to some people on the bus on the way here, and they said they were going to be opening their new computer lab around next month!"
"Wow, that's great!" The anxious buildup I was experiencing came to an end. I was stunned Quint remembered me talking about my interests, even if I had only slightly mentioned them.
He nodded. "Yeah. Even though it's a bit away, at least you don't have to wait too long."
I was glad he remembered what I liked, but then I doubted myself. What if he said something about what he liked and I forgot? I'd just have to be careful to listen to him.
"Come on, let's go inside," Quint told me, gesturing me to follow him.
When I was walking with Quint, the people I thought were secretly talking about me appeared like any normal student, minding their own business and just being themselves, and not some person with vile intentions of making me look bad.
We talked on the way to the class about various topics such as favorite foods, what we thought about the school, and even how many family members we have. I learned that he liked fish, pizza, something called a quesadilla, which sounded good, but I had no idea what it was, and even bread with soup. His thoughts on school were pretty much the same as mine. Though he was already here a year before I came, he mostly knew about what it was like, how classes were set up, and how the b00k worked. He had an average family, mother, father, brother, and sister, while I only had Grandpa. Even though I was thankful for him, I kind of wished I knew what having a bigger family was like.
"I kind of assumed you were an only child. You just fit that description," Quint told me.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked him.
He took some time to think. "Well, it's kind of hard to explain, but put plainly, I can guess what someone is like or what kind of things they like based on how they look or act without knowing anything about them before meeting them. Call it a sixth sense."
I laughed, maybe a little too hard. "Sorry, but that is such a weird thing to have."
"H-hey, I'm serious." Embarrassed, Quint gave my shoulder a nudge, and we both had a good laugh.
Before we got to our homeroom, I had the unfortunate opportunity of noting one of the people I had seen yesterday in the woods outside the class.
I stopped. I didn't want to see them or for them to see me. Questions about their presence here raced around in my mind, my chest starting to become tight.
Quint noticed I was breathing slightly heavier than normal. "You ok? Do you need to sit down?"
I couldn't do this. I don't want them to see me. But if I didn't get past them, how would I get to class? For what felt like an entire minute, I was completely lost.
"Carnite!" Quint's voice broke me out of my panic. "You alright?"
I didn't want Quint to learn about my experience with the Knights or whatever they called themselves. "Y-yeah."
In the back of my mind, I knew I couldn't get out of this situation. No matter how hard I wished for it to be somehow resolved, I had to keep moving.
The two of us headed towards the door, my heart pounding harder with each step. I tried to mosey my way behind Quint so that I could get out of sight, but it wasn't working as I had hoped.
The student looked in our direction. "This is it. Quint's going to find out. He's not going to want to be friends with me anymore, and I'll be the school's laughingstock again," I thought to myself.
"Hey there, Takeo. How're you doin', my man?" Quint said, doing this sort of handshake I hadn't seen before.
Takeo looked at me as he did the handshake. "Y-yeah, I'm doin' alright. Ace has us working overtime for this Knight stuff. I don't even know if we are officially, ya know, it. I haven't seen any papers or anything. Can you believe I'm almost tired of killing Carnivores?"
Quint shook his head. "Yeah, must suck, dude. Have you tried talking to him? Sounds like he's overworking you just to overwork you."
"Nah. It wouldn't be worth it. He's not the type to listen to anyone, not even Jax, Devyn, Luna, or I."
Then, it dawned on me. I had completely forgotten about Luna when I first saw her in the woods. That was why it had been so easy for her to target me, especially since I didn't know about the users being separated from everyone else.
Takeo looked at me, squinting. "Hey, aren't you..."
"Oh! Takeo, this is Carnite. She's new here, so make sure you show her the ropes if she ever needs help," Quint went up to whisper in his ear. I didn't hear much, except he did mention Luna's name.
Takeo held out his hand to shake mine. "You... look familiar."
I shook it, hoping he wouldn't remember me. "N-nice to m-meet you."
He continued to look at me like he was trying to figure me out. "Ah, forget it. I'm possibly getting you mixed up with another commoner!" he laughed.
Quint's expression shot down.
Takeo sucked in his lips. "Whatever."
"I'll catch up with you later, Tak." Quint patted Takeo's shoulder. "Come on, Carnite. Class is about to start. Let's get ready before our teacher gets here."
I followed Quint inside the room, passing by Takeo.
When we got inside, I looked behind me to see if the student was still there. Takeo wasn't looking towards us, probably still trying to put his thoughts about me in order. He shrugged eventually and started walking off.
We sat down in our seats. I sincerely wished I could go a day without seeing or hearing about the Knights or Luna.
"Sorry about Takeo. I'm sure Luna's attitude is rubbing off on him. He and his twin sister Devyn are usually good around others; it's just when Luna is in the picture... yeah, you can kind of fill in the blanks yourself," Quint explained.
The room's door opened up, and our homeroom teacher walked in. "Good morning, students. Hope your first day was good yesterday. Now, we will be discussing clubs and taking tally for those who want to participate in the TACs. Joining would be a great honor for our school. With that being said, who would like to sign up?"
The room was silent. I looked around to see a few students hesitantly raising their hands.
"Anyone else?" the teacher asked.
No one else raised their hands. I studied those who did, and their expressions were unlike anything I had ever seen. They seemed disheartened. Questions about what the TACs were and what they meant piled up in my head. I didn't like it when I overthought; it made me uneasy.
"Now that that’s out of the way, let's get started, shall we?"
Though I wanted to pay attention to class, all I could think about were the things on my mind—the new computer lab that was opening up later in the year, staying away from people like Luna, the TACs, and trying to be the best possible friend to Quint.
The days flew by before I could count them. Days became weeks and the month passed by like nothing. There were times where I almost had an encounter with Luna and those in the Knights gang, but overall, I managed to stay away from them as much as possible. Quint and I became close friends as we had lunch together every day and talked as much as we could in between classes. I felt like I had become more confident in myself by being more open to Quint. However, I had yet to tell him about the man I saw that morning when school started and my contact with the Knights. I wanted to tell him; I just had to find the right time.
Then, the day for the school computer labs to open finally came. I couldn't wait to see what they entailed.
Chapter 9 - End
Edited by: Katepopa (Fiverr)
