My friend named Z.

Chapter 5: Something there

3rd January 2011

The first day of the new school year. Z's beside me. Drowning in the incessant chatters of students and the constant shouts of the teachers. Everything was pretty chaotic. 

" I don't believe this place could be conducive for anyone's learning." Z shook her head as a girl ran through her.

" It's always like this." I laughed and waved to my friend." It'll get better once everyone's settled."

" I highly doubt that."

The bell soon rang. There was a mad rush to the classrooms.

" You were saying kid?" Z groaned as everyone ran through her, dashing to their respective classes. She was dizzy. Really dizzy, it happened whenever something went through her.

"Sorry Z. I know how you feel."

We waited for the crowd to die down before entering.

 

" Nat! Hurry sit down!" My teacher shouted from across the room.

" Sorry , Ms Lee." I took the only available seat at the back. I registered my surroundings. Nothing much had changed from the previous year. I was still stuck in the same dingy classroom with the same annoying, biased teacher. 

" Jasmine!" Ms Lee called the girl seating in front. " Change your seat with Natalie. Given her height , she won't be able to see from the back."

Z snorted. " Heard that ?"

" Shut up " I mumbled to Z and took my seat in the front.

"Communicate with me using your mind." Z said mentally and sat on the floor beside me. " Or someone's gonna hear you sooner or later."

"My mind?" I frowned. "How?"  

"You suck at this. Concentrate." Z pointed to my head. 

The strange thing about me and Z is that we are connected by this mental bond which allow us to communicate telepathically , or read each other's thoughts at will. It isn't easy though. Most of the time, I just forget my place and simply talk out loud to Z.  No one could see or hear Z, so people think I am this freaky bipolar kid who talks to herself.

"What time are leaving?" I mentally told Z, getting the hang of all the telepathy.

"Depends."

"On what?"

" Whether the melody will take me back.

" Oh yeah..."

Over the days , I've come to realise that i had the partial ability to control Z's presence. Not physically but her spiritually. The melody and purple swirls would come each time I though hard about Z and called her mentally.  

Z is from a time period 2 years ahead from mine. In other words, Z is from the near future. Guess she was no stranger to time-travel as well. It was just like when I travelled back in time to Amsterdam to see Z.

It doesn't make a difference how long you stay in the region you travelled to though , as back at your own time period , only a minute would pass.

Indeed, time travel baffles me. 

Well so does this boring Math lesson. I began to doodle and daydream away.

" Hey Z is your real name Z?" I thought as i started to draw a face in the middle of my Math textbook.

" What do you mean is Z my real name?" Z raised an eyebrow. " Of course it is."

" You know what i mean. It's quite unusual for someone to have a single-letter name. "

" I take it that I'm unique then."

" Is that what they called you in the orphanage?" 

"Yeah. God knows how they named children."

I continued drawing as Z told me all the weird names people had in there, names like 'paine' , 'caller' or even 'deafe'. That was before the Mafia's took over the orphanage and more than halve of it's children were forced to the streets. Z was most certainly one of those unlucky victims.

Not to mention that she still had a brother in the orphanage which she has not seen ever since.

"His name was Xylor."  She sighed, nostalgia deep in her eyes.

"Horrible memory."  Z shook her head. " The people there were insane."

" Not all of them." I put my pencil down and tore out the page in my textbook to show Z my completed drawing of her orphanage and the people there.

Z laughed a sarcastic laugh. But.... not at my picture though. 

" What?" I turned around to face Ms Lee who in turn glared at me.

"Natalie! Who were you showing that to?" She slammed her fist on the table. " And if you have no respect for your books and me you can get out of my class right now!"

I gulped. I felt so stupid!  Ugh. I totally forgot the fact i was in the middle of class and no one could see Z!

Just great.

" What do i do ? What do i do?" I glanced anxiously at Z.

" Do as she tell you." Z nudged me. "Get out of her class."

"B-but I can't! " My eyes widened. 

"Natalie! Don't pretend as if nothing has happened!" Ms Lee yelled, her saliva flying onto my face. " Get out of my class."

"Just get out." Z rolled her eyes at my cowardice. 

I stood up tentatively and nervously walk towards the door. Everyone gasped. There was a grim silence in the classroom. We all knew Ms Lee didn't actually mean what she say.

" I'm so dead." 

"Fine. So you've no interest in my class. Fine! Go and rot outside! Fail all your exams!" Ms Lee sounded like she was about to explode. I had always been more or less a good student, passing up my work on time and all. I guess she would never expect me to be so brazen. 

" Just keep on walking."  Z snapped. 

I groaned. There was no way I could go back in anyway. Might as well stay out. I walked towards the canteen.

" Thanks Z. I'm so screwed."

" Pfft... don't tell me your dignity would still allow you to sit in class after she told you to get out." Z rolled her eyes again. 

" Uh obviously. Then what else?" I sat down on the bench." You know she was only threatening me."

" Well you really had no respect for her and your books." Z laughed as if it was all a joke. "Have a backbone kid!"

I sighed." Oh man. I used to be such a good student."

Z flinched at the word 'good.'

" Look let me tell you this kid, good people only get taken advantage of. Good people will suffer in the end. Do not ever talk to me about 'good' ! "

I was shocked. And somewhat scared by her tone. I had never seen her so angry and hurt.  

" Sorry." Z knew that she went too far. 

" I-it's okay. I think i understand." Z's life had been hard. I shoud've guessed that she would lose faith .

Z looked hard at me.

"No you don't." She looked down at her hands. " Not everything."