Mr. Forgettable #Wattys2016

4

"Larkin, darling, if you continue to forget to turn your alarm clock on, I won't wake you up anymore." Her mother's voice sliced through her dream like a knife through butter. "Then you'll be late for school, and I will not tolerate that."

Larkin groaned and rolled over in her bed, pulling the covers up to her ears. "Mom. It was one time. I won't be late," she promised.

Larkin heard her mother's high heels clacking on the hardwood floor of the hallway as she walked. Larkin pushed her blankets back to begin her, albeit late, morning.

Her mother's voice echoed from the hallway. "If you need anything, be down in ten minutes because I leave at six thirty."

"Of course, mother," she hollered back.

Larkin rolled out of her bed and stumbled down the stairs, still groggy from the lack of sleep. She let out a large yawn as she walked into the kitchen. Her father was just about to go out the door when he noticed Larkin digging through the cabinet.

"If you're looking for the bagels, I ate the last one this morning," said Mr. Knolls.

"Uggghh," she grumbled, deciding to eat her default oatmeal for breakfast. Before she could sit down with her bowl, both Mr. and Mrs. Knolls were out the door, leaving Larkin all alone.

()()()

Third period: chemistry. Larkin paid rapt attention to the teacher. She didn't want to miss a single detail. After all, this was her favorite subject. It was only the second day of school, but Mr. McDowell had already delved into the thick textbook.

"We're going to begin with the periodic table. In previous years, you probably reviewed it some. This year, we will go more in depth..."

That's when she heard it. It was a distant yell. Even with her advanced hearing, it was hard for her to tell if the voice was male or female. For all she knew, it might not even be a plea for help. But she had a gut feeling. Something wasn't right. She had to check it out.

Hesitantly, Larkin raised her hand.

Mr. McDowell abruptly stopped his teaching. "Yes, Miss Knolls? What must you interrupt my teaching for?" A frown creased his face, adding more wrinkles to his already sagging skin.

"Um... well I have a dentist appointment today... and... I never got a pass," lied Larkin. She wrung her hands under her desk. Larkin didn't know how she would get out of this one. He would find out that she didn't have any excuses for not being in class.

He let out a deep sigh. "I suppose. I could write you a pass to go down to the office."

Larkin was relieved. This was easier than she thought it would be.

She walked up to the front of the class and grabbed the pass out of his hands before he changed his mind. Larkin was sure she had guilt written all over her face. Stupid superhero morals!

The hallway was deserted. All the doors were closed, and no students were shuffling through the corridors.

She obviously wasn't going to go to the office. That was the best excuse Larkin could think of to get out of class.

Larkin dropped her books off at her locker. As she jogged to the ground floor of the school building, she wondered how she was going to explain her absence from school to her parents.

Larkin stopped short of the office before stepping through the wall into the bright August sun. She squinted as her eyes adjusted to the sun before putting on her super suit. Then she took off running.

Larkin had a difficult time locating where the sound was coming from. She took several wrong turns before the sound got louder. I might be too late. Oh gosh! No. Why can't stupid criminals to their criminal-e things after school hours?