The Differences

Part One: Chapter One

Screaming out your emotions. Building it up. Those thoughts locked inside the mind. It's a very dark feeling. Having emotions welling up in your head, and never being able to voice them; never being heard. What's the point of saying something if nobody would listen?

She always hated school; never was there a second in that lonesome environment that she didn't loathe. Even so, she was a genius and tried the hardest. She'd give it her all and wanted what was best for her future. Unfortunately, that was exactly what was missing to make her hate the fact that her very presence is in that lonesome building.

Maeko walked to school as usual, as if nothing had changed, but it was the first day of high school. Her expression looked the same as ever, emotionless, yet all that was crossing her mind was panic. She feared others, and feared this very day. Her face described calmness, but her mind described horror. School had always been described as stressful, but this was beyond stress. It was pure dread.

Maeko walked into the doors expressionless. It was as if her face was blank. As if you could stare at her and see into an abyss of nothing. She walked into the lobby, to notice she didn't know what class she was assigned to. She scrambled through her bag, searching for her phone. "Room 164, where was that again?" she thought to herself. It rung a bell, but she just couldn't seem to remember what the room used to be used for.

Maeko eventually found her classroom after asking some other students. She walked in sighing. "You're late!" said the teacher, looking at Maeko from the board. Everyone in the class was staring. Now that the teacher said that, Maeko noticed the halls were empty. "It took me quite a while to find the classroom. You have my apologies" Maeko said, standing completely stiff. Once again her face was calm, but she was terrified. She heard some of the students whispering about her.

"What's with her? She's so formal and proper with the teacher. I thought she was a delinquent since she was late" said one voice. "She's pretty small, eh..." said another. "What's your name?" asked the teacher, sighing. "Maeko Nisio" she said. The teacher's frustrated expression changed. "Oh, I know you! You get top grades in most of your classes! Take a seat next to Raelynn, don't worry I'll let your tardiness slide" he said, excited. "What discrimination..." Maeko thought to herself.

Next to Maeko was a girl and a guy. The girl, with dark pink and blue hair sat on her right. She was beautiful, much prettier than Maeko ever imagined herself to be. The teacher said her name was Raelynn. What a pretty name too. On her right sat a guy. He looked pretty tall, and looked like a pretty nice person. He some what looked like a lamp post. He was very slim, and had long brown hair that came over his forehead and on the side of his face. The rest of his hair was tied into a bun that sat upon his head. She wanted to know his name, however she was way too shy to bring up the courage.

"Why do you think the poet included the sentence 'I face the clock eye to eye, as I acknowledge I am punished'"? asked the teacher. Maeko and Raelynn raised their hands. "Yes, Maeko" said the teacher. "Yes; she included that part to describe she will soon die, as the poet refers to her facing the clock as if she was facing time. When the poet wrote she faces it eye to eye, she is demonstrating how she has accepted her time, and does not fear death" said Maeko. "Good, Maeko! Perfect" said the teacher. Raelynn looked over at Maeko. She had been glaring at Maeko quite a lot during class for some unknown reason. Maeko brushed it off though.

"Class dismissed" said the teacher. Time to go home. As Maeko grabbed her bag to leave, Raelynn stood in her way. Maeko tried to walk around her, but Raelynn would move in her way. "Um, I need you to move" said Maeko. "She doesn't talk formally to everyone?!" thought Raelynn. "No. I need to talk to you" Raelynn said, grabbing Maeko's loose wristband, accidently pulling it off. Maeko stared at Raelynn for a moment, then held out her hand and said "can I have that back?". Raelynn grew frustrated, and tossed the soft wristband at her. Maeko tried to leave, but Raelynn stood in her way once again. Maeko's expression once again was calm, but in her head she was fed up.

"I have important things to do today, and I'm sure you do too, so if you could stop blocking my path with unimportant things-"

"I TOLD YOU ALREADY THAT I NEED TO TALK TO YOU"

"About what? Do you need tutoring? I'm not good at tutoring, so please move"

"I don't need tutoring from the likes of you. I want you to stop raising you hand in class, you're stealing all my chances"

"...What?" Maeko now had a confused expression on her face.

"You heard me, you're um- taking all my questions! That's right! Look, I know you're really smart and stuff, but I'm smart too! I want to be good in this class too! So stop being the teacher's pet!"

"I aspire to better my education, that's it. I'm sorry if you thought I wronged you"

"Good! You better stop answering questions!"

"No."

Raelynn walked a bit closer to Maeko.

"What do you mean no?"

Maeko began explaining, and backing up, until she backed into something. It was a person. She turned around. Before her was a guy who looked like a cat wearing a white suit. "Ah, I'm sorry-" she stopped when she realized he wasn't looking at Maeko, but staring straight at Raelynn. "Raelynn? She can raise her hand in class if she wants, don't get mad at her for just trying to get smart" said the guy. Another girl walked over with black hair, and two different coloured eyes. "Come on Raelynn, let's go home" said the girl, smiling. Raelynn stared at Maeko and the guy for a while, then exited with the girl.

"Do you know her?" asked the guy. "No.." said Maeko. "Oh. You're Maeko, right? The late one" said the guy. "I'm not dead" said Maeko. "Funny. I'm Zero, the only full species in this class" said Zero. "Whatcha doing Zero?" asked another girl with blonde hair and slightly purple tips. "Oh, this is Maeko, she's the late one" said Zero. "She doesn't look dead to me" said the girl. The girl giggled a bit, but Maeko still was expressionless. "This is Faith" said Zero. "You can call me Lemon" said Faith. "Okay, Lemon and Zero" said Maeko. Zero described himself as a full cat who takes the body structure of a human, and asked Maeko what species she was. "Uhh...I'm human" Maeko said.

Zero looked a little confused, then changed his expression. "That's amazing! I've never met a full human" said Zero. "I'm actually half demon" said Lemon. Maeko painted a weird expression. "I'm going to the library to study, nice meeting you guys" Maeko said, grabbing her stuff and walking out the door. "I should join her...she looks so lonely" said Lemon. Maeko ran to the school library. She began sweating, and thinking more than anything. She couldn't concentrate. "I came to join you!" said Lemon, holding her books in the doorway. Immediately, Maeko passed out, smacking her forehead on the table. "WHAT WAS THAT?" screamed the librarian. "Some girl just like died" said another person studying.

Maeko woke up in the nurse's office to Lemon sitting next to her. Some red mist was coming out of her hands and vanishing into Maeko's body. "Maeko, you're awake! Are you okay?" she said. "Can you stop that please" said Maeko calmly. Lemon stopped healing Maeko. "Maeko, you have a bruise on your forehead! Let me see, take off your hat" said Lemon. "No, this is my hat" said Maeko trying to hold Lemon back. "Why is she resisting?" thought Lemon. Lemon snatched the beanie. Revealed on her head were two white cat ears. Her mint-green hair turned white, and her eyes shifted from purple to a crystal blue. Lemon held the beanie above Maeko's face very stiff and stared at Maeko wide-eyed and expressionless. Maeko stared back. It was dead silence.