Don't wake me up (from this dream)

001

School was normal. "An Jaemi, please answer the question on the board," a voice called out, making said student raise her head from taking down notes. She made sure to quickly react and stood up, looking up at the mathematics problem on the board. It had been part of their homework, so she was confident when she answered. The teacher even smiled slightly, always happy with the correct answer, and asked that Jaemi explained how she had gotten the answer, even encouraging her to come to the board.

She did, still too afraid to refuse her teacher, who obviously favoured her, and made sure to steady her hands before she picked up the chalk and started writing the solution on the dark green surface. The soft sound of the chalk hitting the surface calmed Jaemi considerably and she swiftly finished writing the problem, to which her teacher clapped and then sent her back to her seat. Jaemi felt blank the rest of the class, mechanically writing down notes that the teacher wrote, without really focusing on what her was saying.

The lunch bell brought her out of her trance and she slowly rose from her seat. Getting her small bag where her lunchbox was in, Jaemi walked out of the classroom and into the courtyard, where small groups of people were sitting and enjoying the late spring weather. She chose to sit on one of the benches located a bit away, letting out a soft sigh and opening her lunchbox. Jaemi always chose to pack her lunch in different ways, even if it sometimes consisted of scraps from last night's dinner.

Humming to herself as she ate, Jaemi looked up, although most of the sky was hidden by the leaves on the tree beside her. She didn't mind the gentle shade though, as it brought protection from the warm sun and her water in the bottle beside her would be able to stay cool for a while.

Lunchtime passed quickly for Jaemi and the bell rang for class again before she was aware, making her hurry to clean up her things and head back to class. Once seated again, Jaemi felt slightly bored, only half-heartedly listening to what the teacher was saying. She was glad for her window seat, even if it was almost all the way at the front. Glancing outside, Jaemi smiled softly to herself.

Suddenly, she spotted someone entering the school grounds. The looked like a parent and child so she assumed that the person would be a new transferring, which was quite weird. The year had just begun, yes, but if the person was a first year like Jaemi she wasn't sure if she should feel sad or scared of the person, who now had disappeared into the building.

"I wonder which class that person will get into," Jaemi mumbled to herself unconsciously and then quickly making sure no one heard what she had said. She then focused back on the lesson, but her mind still wandered. She hoped this, seemingly, new transfer student was going to be a girl, which she could only guess, as it had been impossible to see at the distance they had been at.

Class continued, with few breaks in between, and noon soon turned into the later afternoon, right at the end of their last class. Their teacher finished what he was writing on the board before turning to the class. "Tomorrow someone new will be transferring into this class, seeing as we are currently the smallest one amongst the first years. Please take good care of them tomorrow. Then." With that, their teacher finished, and everyone started talking and wondering the exact same things Jaemi had. Except now she was certain: the person she had seen walk in was transferring to their class.

Acting as if she wasn't the least bit excited about their new classmate, Jaemi started packing her stuff. Quickly finished, she swung her bag over her shoulder and said goodbye to her classmates. Some spoke, "See you tomorrow Jaemi," just right before she slipped out the door. Jaemi just barely registered that they had spoken to her before her mind wandered to what she wanted to eat for dinner. It was hard to make food yourself, but Jaemi knew she had become quite good at it, or else she would have probably been bedridden by now, or travelling with her parents, who were rarely ever home.