Here I Come

K1

My first few classes, Math and English went along without a hitch. It was during Art, my elective, that things changed.

I walked into the classroom late, having gotten lost in the large school.

The teacher pulled me aside. “You’re one of the new students, right?” He said.

“Yeah. Wait, I’m not the only one?”

The teacher gestured to a red haired boy standing a few feet away. “Lett, Alina. Alina, Lett. You both are starting classes here today. Try to get along.”

Both of us nodded.

I turned towards the red haired boy, “Hey. I guess you already heard, but I’m Alina.”

He took my hand in his, and kneeled down and kissed it. My face flamed bright red.

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” His voice was rich, but his word choice and actions felt a few centuries off. “I go by Lett.”

“Err, uhh, It ‘s really nice to meet you too,” I squeaked out. “Though,” I said, calming down slightly, “‘Lett’ is a rather unique name.”

“It’s not my given name.”

“Oh, okay.”

“‘Lett’ is a grouping that was present in my birth name. My friend decided that my former name was to differentiating to acknowledge, so he introduced the shortened form.”

I nodded mutely. Didn’t he mean that his name had been weird so his friend had given him a nickname? Talking to Lett was kinda hard, just because of his irregular speech patterns.

“The lesson will begin shortly. I suggest we depart for our seats."

“Er, yeah. That sounds like a good idea.”

I turned around to search for an unoccupied desk.

That’s when I saw him. Karter, I mean.

Or at least he looked like Karter. But how had sweet little Karter become that.... thing?

Sure he was hot. Hot enough to turn heads. But I’d never seen Karter that way, and doing so would feel weird. But this guy gave off a completely different feel than Karter ever had. It was almost like he had become a completely different person in only three years. If I had been any less close to Karter, I wouldn’t have recognized him at all.

The Karter I remembered wasn’t bad looking, but he couldn’t hold a flame to the now-Karter. My Karter had soft brown hair that was longer than my own, and thick eyelashes. He rarely smiled, but whenever he did I couldn’t help but smile too. He was on a whole rather effeminate. There were lots of rumors that more guys were attracted to him then girls were. He got bullied a lot because of stuff like that.

This Karter was tall, and well built. Karter had mentioned in our emails that he had had a growth spurt, but I hadn’t really registered it into how I pictured him. This Karter had short dark hair, and a firm face. I had never realized that Karter had rather prominent cheekbones before. This Karter looked like a girl’s dream guy, I guess. But that wasn’t all. He also looked dangerous. He was dressed in dark leather, a huge contrast from the girl’s scarf wrapped fashionably around his neck. His eyes were narrow and shadowed, and they flitted around the room like eh expected to be attacked at any minute.

“Are you going to take a seat?” The teacher asked irritably.

“Oh, yeah.” I said. That’s when I noticed the only untaken seat was right next to Karter. I could almost laugh at how this seemed like a scene from some cheap romance novel, but I was worried I’d get weird looks.

I slid in next to Karter, trying not to look at him. Seeing him so changed made me almost sad. Regretful, like Karter, the one from my memories at least, really was gone forever.

No. I thought, pulling myself from my regret. I won’t let that happen. This person might look completely different from the Karter from my memories, but that doesn’t matter. I look different too, right?

I’m sure that Karter is still Karter on the inside, and that’s what really matters.

When I sat down, I half expected him to start talking to me, even if I knew Karter wasn't that kind of person.

I was right. He didn’t so much as look at me all art class. I know I shouldn’t be annoyed, but we were incredibly close a few years ago. Even if we did seem to have a fallout, could he really just ignore all of that time we had spent together?

I felt awkward, sitting next to him in silence. Should I make the first move? No, I don’t want to get caught talking on my first day of class. That'd be an awful first impression. That must be what he’s thinking too, right? Please be right.

Forty five minutes passed, and the bell rang. I sprang out of my seat, unsure whether to stick around and try to talk to him, or hurry to my next class on the small chance I won’t get lost again.

I stood there, trying to sort through my thoughts, when I was bumped into. I tripped over, right onto Karter’s lap.

Karter grabbed me to keep me from falling. I think he was holding me bridal style. I just about died from embarrassment.

“I apologize for hindering you.” I turned around, and predictably from his voice, the person who had knocked into me had been Lett.

“You...” Karter growled.

Lett’s eyes widened. He then said something I didn’t really understand: “I found you, Yli--”

“Go home, Lett. We can discuss this later.” Karter’s grip on me tightened.

“You’ll flee as soon as I turn away, Ylith--.” Lett accused him.

“It’s Karter.”

“Karter.” Lett pleaded. “This hasn’t ended yet.”

“It never started. Now leave. You wouldn’t want to make me late for class, would you?”

Lett stood there for a few seconds before turning and nearly running out the door. He looked heartbroken.

Karter.... he really sounded like a completely different person just then.

I tugged on his sleeve. “Hey, Karter? What happened between you and Lett?"

He ignored me.

“Karter?”

“Alina,”  He acknowledged my presence. So he remembered me. Somehow I was beginning to worry. “His name isn’t Lett.”

“But we talked a bit before class, and that’s how he introduced himself.”

“Don’t call that bastard by such a mockery anymore. His name is Lettersworth. You are going to stay far away from him. Understand?”

“K-karter, what’s happened to you?”

“Nothing’s happened.”

“The Karter I knew would never have to give someone a warning like that. He wouldn’t talk to me so rudely, or---”

“Then I’m not the Karter you knew.” With that, Karter set me down and strolled out of the room. I watched him leave, tears forming in my eyes.

“T-that jerk.... can’t be Karter.”

Choose a route.

If you want to run after and confront Karter, go to chapter K2.

If you want to let sleeping lions lie, go to chapter S1.