God's One Black Swan, and His Beautiful Black Feathers.

Chapter 3.

I heard my alarm clock go off, it must've been 5 in the morning, I checked my clock and it was. I got my clothes that I set up Sunday night, and began changing. I looked at myself in the mirror, I was wearing a good-sized brown sweater with a moon on the front, a white tank top with sewn in flowers on it, a pair of gray sweatpants and black and white converse, I grabbed my things and went out the door quickly, I sighed to myself as I wait out for the bus, I watched as it turned the corner, and stopped a couple feet in front of me. I grasped my things tightly and walked up the steps and sat down in seat 19 alone. 

I steadied my pencil constantly, writing along the pages and doing doodles and other things on the sides. We began going down a street, one I had never seen before, and I began to feel the bus rattle along the dirt road we were on, I grasped my head phone case but felt nothing there, I began to panic and started searching through my bag as the rattling and shaking grew heavier and more constant, I threw my bag down, slid against the back of the seat with my knees to my chest, and covered my ears as I put my head down in my lap. I breathed in and out frequently, my steady breaths calmingly me in my vicious surroundings.

I then felt everything blur, my eyes had tears welling up in them, I felt many people looking at me with confused expressions and wide eyes. I felt somebody sit in my seat, and slide their hands under my hands and over my ears. This persons touch was.. warm.. and comforting. I usually didn't like it when people touched me, but this was.. different in a way. I wiped the tears from my eyes and looked up, about half a foot from my face was a person, my age, with a silver colored fluffy pixie cut, and hunter green eyes. They had a burn mark on their face, I found it beautiful, I hope they do too. 

I heard the sounds of them speaking, but it was all a blur, I began to hear bits and parts of it as I tried to calm down. "Hey, hey, it's okay, deep breaths, I need you to breathe for me. In and out." I began to breathe in deeply, sniffling and tripping over my breaths sometime, I deeply exhaled and felt the rattling escalate one more, I closed my eyes and clenched my body, I pulled my knees closer to my chest. My chin trembled, I felt my tears slip into the corners of my mouth and off my chin. 

I felt their hands over my ears press down harder, I watched as they swiveled their head around and speak in a dominant but not loud tone. "I need everyone to stop looking, please. Mind your business." They turned back around and began speaking to me again, I could now hear them over the sounds of the intense rattling and loud yelling. "I need you to cover your own ears for a minute, I have some noise cancelling headphones in my bag, okay? Are you alright with that?" I shook my head softly, speaking in a quiet murmur. 'Y-yes..' 

They smiled as their eyebrows arched upwards with sympathy towards me. They took their hands off my ears and I quickly put mine over my ears, I watched as they shuffled through their bag, they pulled out a pair of noise cancelling headphones and put them over my ears. "Here, talk to me so you can calm down. If you'd like. What's your favorite animal?" I immediately thought of stingrays and didn't hesitate before speaking. 'I like stingrays, specifically manta rays.. did you know stingrays s-shoot poisonous barbs from their under bottoms?'

 They smiled, looking to me with a delighted glance. "I did not, say, what is your name, or preferred name? Mine is Knox, Knox Arenbay." I spoke, more clearly this time as the bus had calmed down. 'My name?- Oh, yes, my name is Kai, Kai Saphstin. I go by he/they pronouns, and yours?' We shook hands. "Nice to meet you Kai Saphstin, my pronouns are they/them. I'm new to the school, friends?" I was sort of shocked by the fact they respected my name and pronouns, but this was so new to me I was just happy to be treated like another human.

'Friends!'