Chiron Academy

Chapter 15: Clouds and Silver Linings

"-And that's when it came it to me: my superhero name. It fit like a glove," the boy said.

He was sitting cross-legged across the circle from Wyatt. The student body had split into around twenty or so small groups, each with about four to five kids, spreading out as well as they could in the small classroom. Wyatt and Amy had been ushered into a with a few other kids Wyatt that didn't know.

Not that he knew many people, he admitted to himself.

The kid across from him was still droning on, but Wyatt was only half listening. The limited space in the classroom had once again necessitated cross-legged sitting by all the students and his legs were not having it: the discomfort was an ever-present annoyance. He dreamed idly of the freedom to fully extend his legs.

Couldn't they have picked a bigger room? he wondered to himself.

Stormcloud was making the rounds around the room, stopping at each group to listen in on their discussion and chime in with some feedback. There was still a chance he could catch her ear with his resume. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, willing her to hurry up to his group.

"It was a name that could frighten criminals... Inspire people... Be a name people could cling to in their times of hardship," the boy continued.

He was young looking. If Wyatt had to guess, he'd say he was a sophomore. He had dark brown hair that had been cut short and spiked on top. Based on the shine coming off the matted hair, Wyatt would also guess that this kid went through a lot of hair gel. The back was left long in a deluge of straight locks that just touched the collar of his sleeveless t-shirt.

Apparently, no one told this kid the mullet is dead. Wyatt thought to himself. Or maybe he just hadn't believed them.

"And what is this name of yore and legend?" Amy asked innocently. She was seated next Wyatt in the circle. She seemed more invested in the proceedings than Wyatt was. She was hunched slightly forward in a position that bespoke interest.

Wyatt tried to shuffle around again to get more comfortable, but his body wasn't buying it. As much as he tried to convince it otherwise, it knew that it wouldn't feel better until his legs were unfurled from their unnatural position. In an attempt to strike a compromise with his back if not his legs, he leaned himself back, planting his hands behind him to take the weight off of his sore back.

During the shuffle, Wyatt felt his knee come into contact with Amy's knee. His mind filled with horror, instantly backing his leg away from hers. His eyes shot to her eyes, looking for any sign of displeasure in her face, but if she had noticed, she didn't show it.

The boy stretched his hands above him in a gesture of grandeur.

"I knew that my name should be...," the boy started, pausing for effect, "Rockstart."

"Rockstar?" Amy asked, to clarify.

"No," the boy responded emphatically. "Rockstart. With a 't'."

Wyatt blinked. Given the buildup the kid had given it, he'd expected a bit more.

"So... what's it mean?" Wyatt asked after second.

He asked the question more of boredom than anything. He glanced over to Stormcloud who was deep in conversation with a girl four or five groups away. It couldn't be too much longer.

"What do you mean 'what does it mean?" the boy asked back incredulously.

"I mean: what's a rockstart?" Wyatt pushed back, turning his gaze back to the boy. "Does the word mean anything?"