In the Shade of You

Chapter Two: Daniel

Daniel Craig was staring into space. His thoughts spun about stars and planets and whirling futures; long lost pasts and his actions; life, death and the awesome creation that was the in and out of his own breathing. His thoughts meandered dangerously close to the question he didn't want to consider and sadness overwhelmed him until he thought his heart would break.

Then Mike told a joke and the laughter ripped him out of his contemplations. The rest of the boys nudged each other but Daniel could only vaguely smile.

"You're such a prude, Dan." Mike started in on him straight away. He hated not being the centre of attention.

"And you are a Neanderthal, but that's okay, Mike. We forgive you," Daniel told him.

"Well you can go..." Mike's reply was succinct and thus began the usual trade off that inevitably happened at recess or lunch. Daniel's voice remained calm and poised explaining Mike's lack of intelligence and all over foulness with big words and convoluted phrases while Mike's replies grew cruder and cruder until a teacher overheard and dragged him to the office. It was Mr Kendle this time and Daniel cringed inwardly, Mr Kendle did not consider Daniel one of his favourite people.

He happened to look around, ignoring his friends and their glee at Mike's trouble, to see something that look like a smile on her face.

Daniel tried not to think about Aster Bristol. He could remember, down to the millisecond, the moment she had emerged from the mist of faces that was their school, to become more than just another student wearing yellow and blue. Two months ago, in the midst of the first winter rains, he had seen her run through the sudden downpour into the shelter under the walkway eaves. Time had slowed as he watched the light bloom and dance in her eyes; the pale face flush with surprised delight and a true smile catch the rain from her skin. She had not thought she had been seen, for in that moment Daniel had dropped like a stone, his legs had collapsed beneath him and all air had left him.

Even now, as he quickly looked down at his feet, he felt his hands tremble a little. She had been watching and listening to them. He rose and made his way to leave but at the last moment dropped down opposite to her, capturing her attention.

"I know what you're thinking," he found himself saying.

He had surprised her; she looked like a startled bird, its eyes wide and focused. "Excuse me?"

Her voice was soft and low. He memorised it, catalogued it immediately to hold captive and replay again and again at his leisure. He didn't remember hearing it before; she didn't speak often in class.

"You're thinking we're all idiots, even me," he told her. He wasn't sure what he expected, but it wasn't what she said next.

"Not really. Idiots wouldn't take such pleasure in hurting each other. Enough people do that to them as it is. I'd imagine idiots would be kind, or try to be, and just get it wrong because they don't know the 'rules'." She put up her hands and made quotations in the air. "Michael King is just like every other boy I've ever seen and so are you. You may not have used bad language just then or your fists, but you pounded him just the same." She stood and put her bag over her shoulder. "I don't think you're an idiot. I think you're just a boy."

Daniel made sure she was not in sight before he thumped his head very hard on the picnic bench.

"What in the world do you think you are doing?!" It was the screech at the end that gave her away.

Rolling his head to the side Daniel said wearily; "Hey Dina."

"You were not just talking to Bristol," Dina went on, sitting beside him. "The girl's a mute and weird..." Daniel tuned out the rest of her chatter, praying silently to swallow his temper and despair. He didn't really refocus on her again until she yanked his shoulder, forcing him to bang his head again.

"Ow." He rubbed the spot, glared at her and she glared back before breaking into a peal of laughter and her sweet smile.

"You are such a grump, Dan. One day we'll find out how to cheer you up and get the old Dan back," she told him confidently and threw her black braid over her shoulder. "Come on, the bell's about to go and Mrs Jamieson is going to go spare if we are late again. Robert's promised to save us a seat at the front. I want to see what happens to Bristol when she tries to weasel out of this one."

"What?" He frowned and Dina rolled her eyes.

"Boys, you're so blind. Anytime a teacher sets an assignment that is in anyway personal, Bristol doesn't do it. She always has a note of exemption or negotiates to do something else. She's pretty damn brilliant at it actually, although Mr Gunther, you know the art teacher? Anyhow, he was ready to almost kill her until she deliberately went and changed her art to a study period." She giggled. "I saw his face when he got the news that he didn't have to deal with her anymore. I don't know whether he was disappointed he had failed to 'release her inner being', or happy not to be bothered by all the frustration."

Daniel stared at her, stunned by the amount of information she could put in such a short amount of time.

"So?"

"What?"

"Are you coming?"

He was dragged by the shirt until he yanked his clothes out of her hands, flushing as she flashed a flirty smile back at him and one of the boys pointed and made cooing noises at them both.