The four have decided to go to school... Casey is mean but funny! ALL VAMPIRE
Iz
We hear inside the room a heated debate.
"Sounds like Casey got started without us."
Through the window of the door we see Casey and Jesse sitting side by side. I say sitting but in fact Casey is standing on his desk bellowing Sweet Home Alabama at the top of his lungs. I take a deep breath and push open the door.
"Singing songs about the south lands. I miss our family once again and I think it's a sin..." he stops the moment he sees us standing at the door. The rest of the class are staring at him like he is completely mad.
"Miss Grengage, what can I do for you?"
I see Jesse smile at me in my peripheral vision
"We've just been changed to this class. Here are the forms for you to sign sir." I walk over to the teacher and hand him the forms. The teacher looks the papers over once and then motions to the back of the class where there are several desks free. We walk passed Jesse and Casey.
"What are you guys doing here?" Casey speaks too quickly. I say nothing and motion for them to join us at the back. They nod and follow us immediately. At the back we put together some of the empty desks so that we can all sit together. "Why are you guys here?" Casey starts again the moment the teacher opens his mouth.
"We came 'cos we knew you were doing the civil war and we were bored." Lottie says, making sure that he won't get angry. He is really touchy that we mock his love of the confederates. "And what was that about "sweet home Alabama"?"
"Oh, well it was a shot below the belt really, I'm surprised he didn't try and kill me actually..."
"Why?" I can't help myself.
"His grandfather was killed in the battle of Spanish fort in Alabama. I was there. They took about six hundred and fifty casualties but we took about one hundred more." It is hard not to be compassionate for the confederates when Casey loves them like he does. "It was pretty bad there... maybe I shouldn't have mocked him like that..."
"Are you kidding? That was so cool!" Jesse always laughs at whatever Casey does. Casey gives a look that looks like it could freeze air. "Oh don't you look at me like that!"
"You lot! At the back yes you! Pay attention or it's detention for the lot of you!" the teacher shouts at us. He is very rude, I wonder if he would be as rude if he knew who we were... the teacher carries on with the boring lecture.
"So as it was the confederates that were the first to attack the union, who do we all think got what was coming to them?" the teacher foolishly asks the class." Casey looks murderous.
"The confederates!" the class chimes.
"Darn..."
"This is going to be good!"
"Cover your ears people..." we are... slightly ready for the outburst of anger we feel come from Casey.
"The confederates... got. What. Was. Coming. To. Them." his voice is laced with venom and malice. "The confederates. Got. WHAT. THEY. DESERVED!"
"We need to get him out." Jesse whispers. "Come on Casey, its ok..." Casey stands on his desk and rips off his jacket and then his shirt. On his skin is a tattoo of the confederate flag. "Oh no Casey don't you dare sing that song!"
"What song?" at this Casey takes a deep breath and bellows out...
"There's a yellow rose of Texas
That I am going to see,
No other fellow knows her,
No other, only me.
She cried so when I left her,
it like to break my heart,
And if I ever find her
we never more will part..."
His voice sings out the words beautifully and it is hard not to be taken in by the charismatic words. Even the teacher is shocked into silence; Casey takes off his now ruined shirt
"Casey shhh, that our song remember!" but he doesn't hear her.
"She's the sweetest rose of colour
a fellow ever knew,
her eyes are bright as diamonds,
they sparkle like the dew.
You may talk about your dearest May
and sing of Rosa Lee,
But the Yellow Rose of Texas
beats the belles of Tennessee."
Jesse is staring at Casey, love melting out of her eyes. The class are still stunned by this sudden outburst. I look at them. They are staring at a topless seventeen year old singing Confederate songs in the middle of Wales. They are dumfounded.
"Oh, now I'm going to find her,
For my heart is full of woe,
And we'll sing the song together,
That we sung long ago;
We'll play the banjo gaily,
and we'll sing the songs of yore,
and the Yellow Rose of Texas
Shall be mine forevermore."
The teacher looks like he is about to explode. I look at Jesse and Casey. They were gazing at each other. For a moment I try to remember what it reminded me of. Then I realised, that is the way Cinna looks at me, and the way I look at him. I watch Casey and Jesse. He is still standing on the table looking like a god, and Jesse next to him with her arms around him, looking like his goddess. I suddenly feel rather lonely.
"Detention all of you! No exceptions! I'll see you here after school, you can tell me all the ways in which the confederates were on the wrong side!" we all expect Casey to explode at this, but he calmly nods and walks out of the room with Jesse by his side. Lottie and I follow. It has been an interesting History lesson.
