Days Of High School

Chapter Nine: Discussing the Future

Akai sighed as she reached into her purse's hidden pocket and pulled out a bag of apple slices she'd stolen from Tyrann's kitchen before they'd left. The office was dark with only a single lamp with a glowing purple bulb in the corner providing the only source of light. Tyrann sat behind his desk sorting through the papers on his desk.

" What the hell are all those papers for? " Akai asked, watching him as he grumbled about the amount of paperwork he had to do.

" After this year, I'll be able to get out of the student teacher program and go to a real college to get my degree. These are all the forms I have to fill out. I already passed the entrance exam. " Tyrann said from behind the desk. He tapped on the blue holographic panel on his desk causing a screen to appear in front of him. He tapped an icon on the screen loading up a browser. Using the same panel he used to turn on the holographic computer he typed out a quick search. The information popped up on the screen almost immediately. An image of a college appeared.

" Kagaku Teaching College? That's in this region right? As for cities I think it's in the capital or Yoyogi? "

" Yoyogi. It means I don't have to move. It's a 15 minute drive from my house. If the traffic isn't bad. " He laughed, brushing his dark purple hair over his shoulder. " Now what about you, have you decided where to go after high school? "

Akai laughed, eating another apple slice as she thought about the question. " Um..can I see the screen for a second...? "

Tyrann got up from the chair and let her sit down. She cleared the browser and typed out a search. The image of another college appeared on the screen.

" Puro no Atisuto College! I'm sure you can guess from the name but it teaches you how to be a professional artist. Painting, sculpting, etc. It's right here in Shinjuku. The greater capital of the Tokyo region. "

" Huh? I thought you would have gone to a college that specializes in history and became a historian. "

" That's my backup plan if I don't pass the entrance exam for this college. " Akai got up and sat back in the hard chair on the other side of the desk. Tyrann quickly took her place. " What about majors and minors and things like that? "

" Um...I was thinking of going into teaching organic chemistry. Here..." He tapped another icon in the corner of the screen and pulled up a document. A list of classes was on it.

" You signed up for History of Organic Chemistry, Teaching Techniques 101, Organic Chemistry, Experiments, Advanced English and AP Japanese? I knew I wasn't the only honor roll student in this building! "

" Most of them aren't even honors classes. Don't put me in the same category as you. "

Both of them shared a laugh before Tyrann pulled up a list of classes at Puro no Atisuto College. " Have you decided on classes? "

" If I get in...I want to take AP Painting Techniques 101. Photography, Advanced Landscape Painting, History of Painting, History of Pottery, Beginners Pottery, and Beginners Pottery Techniques 101. "

" Huh? Never thought I would hear the word ' beginners ' come out of your mouth. "

" Well, no shit. I've never done anything like pottery before. It makes sense to start at the beginning doesn't it? " Akai said, a bright smile showing her pure white fangs forming on her face.

" I guess. "

The bell rang signaling the end of lunch.

***

Akai slammed the locker door shut and walked out of the girls locker room to the track and football field. She pulled on her armbands and stockings making sure they covered the black accents that designated her a Half Shade. She grabbed her long hair and tied it in a ponytail as she sat down in the bleachers waiting for the coach to speak.

She looked around noticing Tyrann standing in the corner hidden in the shadows at the top of the bleachers where a large tree practically shaded the whole corner. She turned to the students and noticed a few of them whispering and pointing at her. She had a feeling they were going to try to pull her armbands down so her skin would be exposed to the sunlight and burn, but she smirked knowing they'd have to catch her before they could do anything.

The coach finally arrived jogging into the middle of the field. He looked at a clipboard and started calling out names.

" Everyone's here? That's a first. " The coach said, shocked. Everyone laughed. " All right, I'm going to call out five random names and when I call you you better be ready to get your asses down here and show me what you can do! "

The coach looked at his clipboard and started calling names again.

" Ben, Hoshiko, Akai, Fyra, Jonas! Get down here! "

Akai stood up and walked onto the track standing at the starting line in Lane 3. A 15 year old girl, a wooden mask covering her face jogged into Lane 4 next to her. The rest of the people he'd called lazily jogged into their places. Hoshiko looked at her and reached for her armband when the coach blew his whistle and Akai took off. She chanced a glance behind her and saw that the others were far behind her even though they'd just started. Akai practically skidded around the corner and continued running.

The coach just stared at her, the other students in the bleachers had their mouths open in shock. Her feet flying underneath her she skidded around another curve and then another, back to the starting line. She skidded forwards, coming to a stop in front of the coach. The rest of the students ran across the starting line and looked at Akai as she stood there not even breaking a sweat from the run.

Fyra finally caught up to the group. She raised her hands to sign, staring at Akai from the small eye holes in her mask.

(How'd you do that, Akai?)

" It's one of the perks of being a Shade I guess? I'm not as fast as an actual Shade but I'm fast enough. "

" She's going to be carrying us all year. The rest of you guys need to learn to run without getting winded halfway through. " The coach said, nodding at Akai. He looked at the clipboard again and called the next set of names.