Immaculate

Chapter 3

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEEEP!

"Uh? Oh, you."

SLAM!

My new alarm clock did its job well, because it woke me up. Unfortunately for the alarm clock, that was the last time it was going to do that, because with one powerful slam of my fist, it broke in two.

I have a habit of breaking things. I'm not a klutz, I just underestimate my strength sometimes.

I pulled myself out of bed and got dressed in the "first day of school" outfit Barry had picked out for me. It matched a little too well: checkered blue button-down shirt, shiny gray dress pants, and the dress shoes we had bought yesterday. To mess with him a little, I switched out the dress shoes for the DayGlo orange Converses. It felt more like me after that.

Staring at myself in the mirror, I wondered how I'd look with a pair of diamond earrings. Then I went downstairs to breakfast.

"Master Immaculate," Barry said with a curt bow. "You look...nice."

I noticed he was looking at my shoes and quickly sat down, hiding them under the long dining table. Barry probably wouldn't force me to change into something more "appropriate," but I could never be too sure.

"What would you like for breakfast?" he was asking.

"Just a PopTart," I said. "I'm not very hungry."

He nodded and glided off to the pantry. I let my eyes wander and found myself staring at my lunchbag, which was placed a little further up the table and bulging a bit. Mother kept me on a strict diet. What could Barry have put in there to make it so big?

Once I had forced down my breakfast, I grabbed my things and hurried outside into the green sports car Barry used to drive me everywhere. He hopped into the driver's seat, put the keys in the ignition, and then we were on our way.

"What classes am I taking again?" I asked nervously.

Barry glanced at me in the rearview mirror. "Precalculus, physics, 13th-century poetry studies, Latin VI–"

"I can't do all that!" I exclaimed, my heart thumping wildly. "I don't think I've ever solved a poem in my life!"

"You don't solve poems, you solve math problems, sir."

"Exactly! I don't even know what I'm talking about. I can't do that."

"Of course you can, sir. You're very smart, you know," Barry replied.

I groaned.

For the rest of the ride, I watched my Apple Watch show me the time. It was simultaneously boring and nerve-wracking.

We arrived way too soon, and I found myself unable to leave the car.

Barry doesn't show much emotion, but I could tell he was worried by the way his forehead creased. He was looking at the hundreds of highschoolers filing into the modern-looking school.

This thing was jacked. Three stories tall, a mixture of metal, plastic, and brick, the school looked like a foreign spacecraft newly landed in Hollywood, California. I didn't even remember seeing it there a few months ago, it was that new.

"You call this a PUBLIC school? Who are you kidding?" I asked Barry.

"You may exit the car," he replied stiffly.

Clearly I wasn't going to get any more support from him, so I swung open the door and began walking towards the school. Immediately I was lost in the river of students. People shouted and jostled me on all sides. I began to get the feeling that I was slowly getting crushed and had to take deep breaths to remind myself that I was just going to school, not my death.

I made it past the automatic doors and was immediately swept to one side. I suddenly remembered that I had to go to the front office to get my schedule, so I looked around desperately for a sign. The closest one I saw was the boys restroom, so I headed in there, figuring I could escape the crushing force of the students and reorient myself in there.

The bathroom was not empty. Another boy was fixing his hair in the mirror. "Hey," I said with a wave.

When he didn't turn around, I shrugged and began walking out. Before I left, I heard a "Hey!" as if he had suddenly noticed me. I was back in the hallway before he could say anything more.

Somehow I managed to fight my way to the main office. A few things stuck out to me. For one, the walls looked freshly painted. For another, the floor was perfectly polished, with no streaks or grime. How could a school have a floor that wasn't covered in scratches and footprints?

"Hello!" said the smiling secretary as I walked in. "How may I help you?"

"Uh, hey," I said. "I'm looking for my schedule? And my locker combination...and number...and maybe a map of the school...."

The woman nodded. "I can tell you all of that if you'll give me your name," she said. She was still smiling. It reminded me of whenever Mother was doing an interview. I shivered.

"It's Immaculate Dropletia, spelled I-M-M–"

She gasped before I could go any further.

"THE Immaculate Dropletia? Son of Stream Dropletia?"

"Yup," I said with a grimace. "Not a lot of Immaculates around here."

"Well, I'll be! I thought it was you, I just wasn't sure. Here you go, hon!" She handed me a packet of papers. As I leaned forward to take them, our eyes met and I was reminded of my mother again. She was still smiling as she watched me hurry out of the office.

I pulled out the map and began my search. Thankfully I found my locker easily. Unfortunately I had no idea how to open it. Frustrated, I yanked at the lock, which popped off in my hand.

Figuring I could worry about it later, I directed my attention to finding my first class, which apparently was economics. I just barely made it, the bell ringing as I stepped inside.

The moment I entered, it felt like everyone turned their head to get a look at the loser who showed up late on the first day of school. Then a hush fell across the room.