Reapers

Chapter One: The Coming Dawn

Darcie listened as her chemistry teacher, Mr. Indigo, lectured the class about bonds and molecular structures; it was minute three of the lecture when she finally gave up on remembering any of it and took to her paper to doodle.  By the time he had finished Darcie had drawn a snake coiling around the capital C of word chemistry at the top of her paper.

The final bell rang signaling the end of the day; Darcie jumped up from her seat and ran toward the door, as she came within a foot Mr. Indigo’s solemn voice stopped her.

“Darcie Dawn, can I have a word with you.”

Darcie felt her heart drop, “Of course.” she muttered moving away from the door as the other, fortunate, students were allowed to leave.  Darcie walked toward Mr. Indigo’s desk.

“Summarize.” he said shortly.

“Excuse me?” Darcie said.

Mr. Indigo closed his eyes for a moment as he shook his head, “Did you even listen to my lecture, Darcie?”

“Of course I did.” she lied.

“Then summarize it for me.” he said.

Darcie opened her mouth for a moment then closed it, “I don’t know.” she admitted.

“As I suspected.” he stood up from his desk and erased the notes on the whiteboard; he took a black dry-erase marker and began writing new, more complex notes.

As he did Darcie listened to the sound of the other students as they opened then closed their lockers with such haste they didn’t care it they slammed the locker door or not; it was friday after all.

“I will call your foster parents,” he said walking over to the land line phone hanging on the wall by the door.  “And inform them that you have a detention.”

“For what!” she shouted.

“For not paying attention, Darcie, and if you raise your voice again I will keep you an extra two hours.” he said sternly; he began calling the number and quick explained the situation to Darcie’s foster parents.

Darcie felt her nails dig into her palm.

Mr. Indigo walked over and sat at his desk.  “Now sit and take out your notebook.  I want you to write all of the notes on the whiteboard in your notebook, when you are finished you must summarize what you've learned.  Only then will I let you leave.”

“You can’t keep me here forever.” she muttered as she turned and headed toward her seat.

“I can keep you here until seven, that is four hours from now, and if you don’t copy and understand these notes by then I may have to arrange for you to come in tomorrow to finish your notes.  And I know how you children love your Saturdays.”

Darcie sat down without a word and began copying down the notes, after about an hour and a half she found she only half the notes copied down along with a set of strange doodles going down the side of her page.  

Mr. Indigo cleared his throat alerting Darcie to his presence next to her, she looked up.  “I suggested less doodling and more notes taking, Darcie, or else you will never pass my class.”

“Who says I want to pass your class?” she scowled.

“You did when you arrived here on the first day of school.” he said mildly.

She looked back down at her notes and began erasing the doodles as Mr. Indigo walked back to his desk.  Darcie looked up at the whiteboards then to the clock, it was 4:32.  She looked back at the whiteboard and began to furiously write down the notes, she didn’t want to stay here any longer than she needed.