Inkling

Back to School

The alarm woke him up that morning. With KeruA, he didn't feel sleepy. on the other hand, he had to restrain himself from leaping from the bed. Two weeks of practice didn't seem like much, but his inkling reassured him he wouldn't stick out. He was looking forward to school, spending time stuck in his house wasn't a pleasant experience. Especially in winter where cold draughts crept into every corner, which in his opinion wasn't very difficult because he could count the number of corners in his house. He passed his mum on the way out of the house. She was busy repairing the old clock tess had given as a gift. A coach came to collect him from an intersection in the sightly wealthier side of the Grad area. People were already on the bus, but Felix was one of very few Grads to make it into the school and moreover, make the money to stay there. He ignored the people who always seemed to stare at his shabby uniform and less than clean appearance and looked around for the only bright, happy face. Tess shifted over in her seat to let him sit, a smile on her radiant face. The two of them contrasted far too much, neither cared. "You hungry?" She asked. She brought out of her bag a small package wrapped in foil. Inside was a fat roll of bread beside a fresh, steaming piece of bacon. In an instant, Felix had devoured what tess had saved. "Thanks." He said almost immediately after. As a child, he was taught Grads were called so because they were meant to show gratitude to their superiors, even if they treated him like dirt. Tess smiled and dove back into her bag, removing a small bag that clinked. Rings spilled out onto Felix's lap. "I thought your mum would like them", she said. He knew she meant for the money, but he knew his mother would adore a few of them. "Oh tess, what would I do without you?" He said, a huge grin across his face. "There's trouble ahead" KeruA warned. Felix almost flinched but thankfully, the coach lurched at that moment. Everyone went silent. Policing groups were everywhere! "Alright, everyone off!" Someone bellowed from the doors. Slowly, everyone began to exit, police shoving them off the bus. Felix was kicked from the bus, KeruA anchoring him so that he didn't fall. He quickly moved away from the men. Behind him, they reached for tess' hand and helped her off the bus, leading her away from him. An unnatural surge of envy rushed through his head and it took some time to realise it was his inkling who was creating the emotion. "School's shut. I saw." KeruA said, its mental voice sounding clipped and cold. He saw for himself a moment later, being pushed into an empty space at the back of the group. He was the only one standing at the very back and he couldn't see anything before the numerous heads. Tess and a few others would be at the front recieving apologies while anyone in the decent class would get an explantation. KeruA extended from his shoe, careful to stay as flat as possible to see what was happening, "-sorry to announce the closing of this school." Everyone in the crowd erupted in anger, protesting and attempting to swarm forwards. Felix's vision swam as he saw through KeruA's eyes instead. Authorities were closing in around the children, restoring order. He saw Tess' face. it was red and blotchy, frustration barely contained at the closing of the school. KeruA seemed just as mad, the injustice of Felix's world still causing it to struggle. It made Felix drop the bag of rings, spilling the jewellery across the grass. He ran. Felix didn't care at that point how far away his home was from the school, or that there were several new walls to prevent him from getting there. Felix ran through the first gate, crossing from the outer city areas to the inner city. He began to tire, finally appreciating how fast a coach could go. KeruA provided its energy at that point, replenishing his feeling of bounless energy. He sped up. one more gate would take him into the Grad suburbs. he could see it now. the gates were open. Felix ran harder. Guards spotted him, yelling and closing the gate. Felix collided headfirst into their flimsy armour and the now closed gate. In a squabbling mess, somehow the guards extricated themselves and trapped felix's arm behind his back. "Where do you think youre going, boy?" One of them snarled from behind. Felix shoved KeruA out of his head but the inking felt like a surging tempest. Black, swirling patterns flickered across his skin and everyone in the vicinity jumped backwards, as if electrified. "They'll all be killed if they keep us here" KeruA reminded Felix. Something very large and very solid connected with Felix's head. The last thing he saw was someone lifting him up over his shoulder before everything went black.