Book 1: The Chaos Keys

Chapter Four: Ethan☄️

Ethan rushed from his class with a delighted smile the moment he was dismissed. He really enjoyed spending time with Lilith, and also enjoyed the concept of having her as his responsibility of sorts. The ability to help and protect others always appealed so strongly to him, but he was always the one being helped and protected.

He somewhat barrelled through the corridors to the ASL room, neadly knocking over the unlucky ones in his excited path. When Ethan got happy about something, he became blind to everything else.

When he skidded to a sharp stop at the room, his face fell as he realised it was mostly empty. He assumed Lilith had already went to find their last class without him. However, his eyes lit up when he saw her signing to the teacher, who was contently signing back. He had basically no idea what either of them were saying, but he didn't mind. The teacher was smiling a little, so it was probably good.

The teacher glanced out of the door at Ethan, and signed something to Lilith who looked up to see him. She gave him a soft smile that made him all the more happy. Her smiles lit him up.  She had Aku tucked into her hoodie, and his head just barely peeked out, his ears following the various sounds of the world with keen interest.

She waved to the teacher, and left the classroom, greeting Ethan with her smile. He beamed at her, grabbing her hand happily and bouncing along to their next class. Although many people would grow tired as the day wore on, Ethan seemed even more awake and alive at the end of the day.  Although, it certainly helped that this was absolutely his favourite class.

"So how was ASL?" He asked Lilith enthusiastically. Oddly enough, she seemed to wait a while before answering. Long enough that he glanced over in confusion.

Her face fell a little, and she grabbed her book, turning to the page that just had "Good" written on it.

"Are you okay?" He asked, toning down his overwhelming energy a bit and looking at her for a second longer. She seemed oddly downcast for a moment, before she quickly perked up and nodded.

He shrugged, picking up his pace a little again. He didn't understand humans anyway.

He paused at the closed door of a classroom, that looked different to the others. The door was bigger, and there was no way to see inside. He twisted the lock, and gently pushed it open, poking his head inside. It was always his favourite room, with walls painted in blacks and blues and purples, swirling like a beautiful galaxy. The lighting was always pleasantly dim in the room, and sometimes the stars seemed to dance. The stars in question were actually fairy lights that were the only lights the room, amplifying the whole aesthetic. It was always colder than the rest of the school, most likely because it was totally enclosed with only the AC. Though the AC never seemed to be on...

The professor for this class swapped between three or so teachers, but most often, the History teacher was the one leading the class. And he always loved for it to be Mr. Drake, because his lessons were certainly much better.

He sat in one of the chairs eagerly, letting go of Lilith's hand. The room was arranged in a large circle, but they were permitted to move them at will. There were different types of chairs, thick carpet, and no desks. It was always a relaxed class, and not many took it. However, those that did pick the class, often chose to do it every year. It was a close group of students that knew each other pretty well.

Lilith sat next to him, watching the door. He couldn't help but watch the door too. Something about her knowing gaze just lured him to mimic her.

Melody was the first one to open the door after their early entrance, not humming for once. She looked a little uneasy, and it amplified when she looked at Lilith. Her gaze quickly diverted, and Lilith looked away too.