Ashes to Diamonds

Chapter 4: Warm Welcome

We walked to school since it was only a fifteen minute walk from the dump. I made sure Evan memorized the paths and shortcuts we took just in case I had something after school. When we arrived at Oakland Secondary School, I took a quick glance down at my red digital watch having my brown curls dangle at the edges of my field of vision. 8 minutes 'till the bell! We do not want to be late, especially for Evan's sake, it would leave a terrible first impression on every single teacher because they love their gossip. Evan and I had the same homeroom according to the schedule sent by mail. We whipped through the corridors and up the stairs and through some more hallways until we reached room 211. The first class of the day is biology with Mr. Chaney.

I spent the whole time drawing in my sketchbook; which I may or may not have named. My explanation: I have over 20 sketchbooks and they each have their own specific themes. Naming them just helps me stay organized. This sketchbook- Revi, is where I draw mythical creatures; but mostly phoenixes. The reason I chose this name? It just materialized in my head and I absolutely liked the sound of it. The phoenix I was currently drawing was in flight, with its talons reaching towards the right just touching the edge of the page, as if it were attacking something or someone.

The bell rings, which means it's time to go. Instead of our second class, all classes are called down to see the spring production in our school's auditorium. This was also an opening for our new and improved auditorium. Oakland S.S. has been open since 1918 and every few years, an area of the school was being remade. Our auditorium was falling apart, literally. While the drama class was rehearsing, one of the stage lights fell down onto the stage. It hit the hand of a student on the way down and she broke every one of her fingers, not including the thumb. I could hear the impact and feel the ground tremble from my classroom on the second floor 50m away from being over the auditorium.

We went into the auditorium and sat on the green folding theater seats. The stairs were carpeted in a royal blue, there were dimming lights on the walls just like in movie theaters to light the way. The light started to dim and a student walked onto the stage and he starts to perform a monologue to begin the play.

  I don't know why but I just can't seem to put Revi down. I keep getting so many thoughts and new ideas that I need to get onto paper.

Almaz.

I glance over at Evan waiting for him to say something. He looks over curiously, then turns back to watch the "singing mermaids". I went back to drawing in Revi.

Almaz.

This time I instinctively glance at the stage. Glowing silver eyes meet mine and they hold for several seconds. I blink and look back but he has turned away and is speaking his lines of how he is saved from the wrath of the mermaids.

What was unsettling was that I have never seen this person in my life but we did have a large student population. I barely knew a third of the people who attend this school and plus he was in the school play. He must be from our school. I was probably just imagining things.

"How did you find the play?" Evan asked, snapping me out of my musings. We were walking in the wide hallways lined with red lockers, heading towards the atrium to meet up with my friends. "It was okay." My answer to things I don't actually like. My school isn't exactly artistic. Nobody in the play could act for their life. Evan says "Although the portrayal of the characters were unsatisfactory, I truly found the moral and message to be sublime and true to the matters we see in the world". He continues to explain what he means while my friends gather around to listen to what he has to say. One actually engages into the conversation and the other watches him, stunned by his use of words she does not understand. I introduce them to each other. "This is Evan, Evan this is Peyton and Marlene", I say while pointing to Peyton Reed who still displayed a confused expression. I then pointed at Marlene, my day 1. Or should I say whatever day was the first day of grade 3. This time, Evan didn't ramble on about his background. I know now to keep him in a crowd of normal people. Not that I had anyone else that was "magical" to introduce him to. " Can we go now? Alfonso said we could have lunch for free at the restaurant he works at now. I'm not missing this chance. Their food is one of the best in the city with their expensive prices to match. The meals are like twenty dollars on average, not including drinks, appetizers desserts or tax. If I were to eat there once, every day of the week for two weeks straight, it would cost me five hundred sixty dollars. I could by freakin' 10 smartphones with that!", Peyton insists with a determined look on her face which made it even harder to not laugh, none of us corrected her calculation though.

"Let's go then." I declare. We walk towards the door but I notice Evan does not move. I turn around and he is awkwardly standing in the same spot. "Are you coming?" I ask. He looks over, a look of sadness quickly changing to gladness and he eagerly marches over to us and we all walk out of the school to go have lunch. Ember may have mentioned that he didn't have much social experience or at least not any good ones considering how he started off going to school, something happened that she hasn't told me and then he was home schooled up until now.

The Restaurant Viune was quite large even if it was never as full as the Popeye's two blocks down the street usually is. Walking through the blue large double doors, we were hit  with the pleasant aroma of the mixture of foods being made in the kitchen that instantly made our mouths water. We ordered our meals beforehand so we wouldn't have to suffer from the waiting time it would take for a food to be prepared. We all ordered some sort of pasta dish, it is what they are famous are. We didn't even talk to each other the whole time, we were too busy enjoying the delectable dishes. While leaving our tips, Alf comes out of the kitchen wearing the restaurant's uniform composed of a  white dress shirt and black dress pants. He is carrying a fairly large and heavy-looking bulky garbage bag. "Thank you so much for the free meal and congrats on your new job again!" I tell him. "Thanks, I can't talk right now, I'm a bit busy but see you later", he replies and quickly walks out of the front doors.

After school, Peyton drops Evan and I off. a block away from the dumpster. We walk the rest of the way. As we approach the alley, something feels off. I find one of the dumpster lids laying on the concrete ten meters away from the actual dumpster as if it were ripped off of its hinges and flung this distance. I hurry to the entrance of my house. Peering into the dumpster, the staircase entrance symbol is completely scratched out and is no longer usable. Frightened, I look for my personal entrance down the slide, luckily it was covered by more garbage and was untouched. Whoever did this couldn't have possibly entered without knowing the proper sequence needed to open it. This time I entered my house without my cloak and Evan right behind me.