World Academy Experience (Hetalia x Reader)

ch14: Sense of Security

As I walked into my English class, the first thing I noticed was how calm it seemed. The overhead lights weren't on, instead, the room was lit with fairy lights along the whiteboard, and lamps of various shapes and sizes in every corner of the room. It was pretty dim compared to all the other classes, and it gave an atmosphere of peace and camaraderie. There was a stuffed raven perched on top of a bookshelf, and a stuffed barn owl with its wings spread in flight hanging from the ceiling by invisible wires. A few banners with pictures of birds were hung about the walls. I guess this teacher just really likes birds...

The next thing I noticed was all the familiar faces. Alfred and Matthew sat at the first table, Connor and Seamus at the second, then Jett and Arthur at the third.

"Hey, dudette!" Alfred shouted, which caused the teacher to huff and glare at him from where she stood at her desk, taking attendance.

"Hey! (Name)!" called Jett, from the other end of the room. I notice the others (read: the not-super-loud ones) give me small waves and bright smiles. A little guilty about my lack of loyalty from earlier, I immediately go to sit next to Matthew.

"Hey guys!" I said softly but enthusiastically. "I guess you all could survive one class without me?"

Matthew answered first, his gentle voice refreshing to my ear, giving me a break from the other loud ones I've heard all day. "French was pretty fun. There was a really nice freshmen I met, from somewhere in Africa. She was from Seychelles, I think...?"

Freshmen? Then she must've met Lili already. I thought to myself, almost not catching what Alfred said next. "Yeah, Spanish was pretty normal, I guess. All the teachers are super awesome, though! How was your World Languages, or whatever it was that you took?"

I was eager to explain the unusual circumstances of my last class, when the teacher chimed a little bell, signaling for us to give her our attention. I'll tell you later, I mouthed to Alfred, and he nodded.

Our teacher was a short, older-looking woman, with frizzy gray hair and rounded glasses perched at the end of her sharp nose. She gave us a warm smile. "Hello class, I am Mrs. Murphy, your English teacher. As you can probably tell by my room, I really like birds." Called it. "Since this is the first day, I'm just going to have all of you read a book. If you didn't bring one, I have a bookshelf of nice ones you can choose from. If you are having a hard time picking, then I am happy to suggest some. Ah, please keep the chatter to a minimum."

I could hear the distinct Welsh accent that looped in and around Mrs. Murphy's voice, making me smile. I walk up silently to the bookshelf, browsing among the titles.

"What do you like to read, dearie?" Mrs. Murphy said from beside me. The sudden question caught me off guard.

"Well, I like...," I scrambled for an answer. Vash's tattered copy of Treasures of the Snow popped into my mind. "Um... Older, classic books are pretty fun to read."

Mrs. Murphy's eyes lit up. "Really? I am a fan of classics myself. Tell me, have you read Watership Down?" I shook my head. "Ah, it is a very fun story. It's about rabbits. Let's see if I can find it here... Adams, Richard Adams..." She finally pulled the the book out. It was fairly thick, with a picture of a rabbit on the cover. "Here you go! It's pretty long, but it's a good read."

I thanked her and went to sit down next to Matthew, who was already deeply immersed in his fictional world.

That was essentially how the rest of the class went, until she dismissed us to our next class. My messenger bag was now carrying the extra weight of Watership Down, which Mrs. Murphy handed to me after I tried to put it back, saying that she trusted me to take care of it until it was finished. I decided that I liked Mrs. Murphy.