The Aegis of Noah Hart

17-Old Acquaintances

"...The 1750s was a transitional period for Britain. Tensions were high between the superpowers of old, Britain and France, but the United States with her uncharted frontier and the support of the American Indians posed to be a real wild card..."

Noah involuntarily nods his head as he tries to write down some of Bueller's lecture notes only to look down at his shaking hands.

Stay calm, Noah. She's not looking at you.

Noah looks up from his paper to the brunette at his right. Her eyes originally on the board shift towards him. Her concerned expression makes him jerk his head back towards his wobbly hands just in time to see them flicker a subtle hue of pink.

AHHHHHHHHHHH! Now she's definitely looking at you. Get a grip, crazy. You can see and hear her thoughts. She can't sneak up on you.

Noah seems really tense. I hope he's OK. It has to be hard coming back to school today after losing his mom last week.

Awww, she's worried about me. That's sweet. 

His hands start to glow even brighter cueing Noah to take a very deep breath and suppress his shine. He breathes deeply into his stomach and smiles as the unusual glow fades from view. A quick scan of the room reveals that no one saw his shine though some people are in fact thinking about him or rather Earth's newest superhero.

Man, why do I have be here listening to this old dude when I could be looking for more sightings of the burning man?

Shoot! I was just about to watch that video about him pulling that lady out of that flooded car.

Where did this guy come from? Is he an alien? He's got superhuman strength and walks around in fire. Alien. Can travel through space and probably time? Alien. I wonder how old he is? I bet he's like 900 years old or something.

No way this guy is real. Look at those swords, props. This is some weird movement funded by the government.

Noah chuckles to himself getting Gene's attention. He quickly clears his throat and leans over his desk.

I wonder if this man in flames is an angel. Ohhhhh, he's so hot! Mmmm, those muscles....

Noah drops his pen at the last thought. Awkwardly leaning over his desk then sweeping his head around the edge to look for it on the floor. As he brings his head back up, his eyes find Emily Wise tapping her pen on her notebook. Her eyes seemingly laughing to themselves as she stares at a spot on the board though her mind clearly not on class.

Noah does his best to cancel out the thoughts of people in the room by keeping his eyes trained on the board, his ears on the the teacher's voice, and his body focused on the gentle, contestant pressure in his abdomen. In what feels like an eternity, he finally makes it through the first period and grabs his things before darting out of the room. 

Noah can sense some classmates wanting to check in with him, in particular Katie Knone, but the thought of her face looking at him made him certain he would burst into flames. Instead he marches out of the room headed for English class. Copying the same technique he adopted into in first period, he manages to endure the period with though he can't help his mind searching for those in distress beyond the classroom.

When the bell rings at last, Noah leaves the classroom into the hallway. Through the glass doors ahead, he can see the cafeteria before him where snack awaits. With a smile on his face, he stops in the hallway.

There's no time for that anymore.

Noah excuses himself as he turns around and heads back into the classroom he just left as the last of the class including Mrs. Sharp walk past him. The grey haired teacher stops and adjusts her glasses as he heads into the room.