In the Shade of You

Chapter Nine: Aster

Study Hour.

Aster was grateful for study hour. Regardless of the seeming endless hours of nothing she had to herself at home, the workload was ridiculously high. She had concentrated on translating the short essay on Italian history - in Italian - Maestro Vasta had assigned. Even with her so many endless hours the night before, she still wasn't finished.

Settling herself on her favourite desk in the library, Aster tuned out the familiar sounds of the library and the other students making their way around the rooms and cubicles to start their own work.

"Hello."

Aster ignored the greeting, quite sure it wasn't meant for her, but hearing his voice drew a small tingle up her spine. Determined not to look up, she transcribed another line from the essay.

The sound of the chair opposite her made her pause. From under her lashes she could see him settle across from her and begin doing his own study.

What was he doing? That wasn't where he sat. Lately, when he was even in the library, he took the cubicle near the window. Aster's mind raced and it took a good ten minutes until she stopped constantly looking at him with swift, fugitive glances.

In passing she noticed that he wrote slower than her; going back to double check facts, flicking forward and back through the Chemistry text.

"What is the point behind chapter three?"

"It's a transition point; to go from one stage of knowledge to the next. A bridge if you will," Aster answered without thinking. Her own shock made her look up to see him smiling at her.

"Hello."

"Pardon?"

"Well you didn't answer me before so I thought I'd start again."

"Er... Hi," Aster replied.

"You're in Human Bio, right? How do you know what my chapter three's about?" Daniel asked, as if his appearance and interest in her was perfectly normal.

"I've read the textbook," Aster answered frankly, she was too stunned to try and answer any other way.

"You really are an over achiever," Daniel told her.

"No I'm not," She replied, stung. "I couldn't decide which science to take so I skimmed through both of the texts."

The smile faded.

"That wasn't an insult, Aster." He said. Aster stared at him blankly, replaying the conversation through her mind. Why did she think it was an insult?

"Why did you chose Human Bio over Chemistry," He asked.

Aster realised he was deliberately trying to make conversation.

"I found the topics more interesting and challenging," She replied slowly. She looked around the library using her peripheral vision. Were they being watched?

"So you get Chemistry? Can you help me with this?" He was all eagerness and Aster relaxed a little. He needed her help. He knew she was smart, or at least smart enough.

"I can try," Aster shrugged, "I have my own work to do, but it's not due until tomorrow."

"Great!" He practically leapt out of the chair to move to the one next to her, dragging his books across the table. "Do you mind?" He continued and swept her translations into a neat pile, pushing them to the centre of the table.

For the next twenty minutes, Aster painstakingly went through the basic principles of the chapter as Daniel tried to complete the revision questions. It became apparent to her, very quickly, that as much as Daniel wanted to understand Chemistry, he was banging his head against a brick wall.

"Look, why don't we have a break," Daniel said, frustrated after he messed up a calculation for the fourth time.

"When is this due again?" Aster asked as he leant back, stretching in the chair.

"Next period," He mumbled. Aster wished she had the ability Mrs. Grange had with her eyebrows. She had a way of raising the corner of her left eyebrow that struck fear into the hearts and minds of every student in the school.

Instead she asked; "Daniel, why are you even doing Chem?"

That threw him. She saw him stiffen and he refused to look at her for a moment. The silence lingered uncomfortably and Aster was about to apologise when he looked up. Leaning forward, he looked back over the revision questions and said;

"My Dad is an engineer, and my grandfather, and my grandfather before that was whatever engineers were before they were called engineers. They served in the army and the airforce. Dad was the first civilian in the family. We Craigs are about tradition and honour and faith. I am trying to follow in their footsteps."

"Thats... cool," Aster eventually said.

"Do you really think so?" Daniel asked her.

"Sure, why not. Family is important." Aster realised she had been a little too vehement with her response as he frowned at her.

"Not a lot of people think like that much. Like I mean they say it, but they don't live it," Daniel said.

Aster shrugged; "Most people take their families for granted. They are always there for them so they think they always will be when they have the time for them."

"Wow, that was cynical," Daniel grinned at her.

"Nope, realistic," Aster replied. She refused to look down at her books again and instead smiled with Daniel as he leaned back in his chair. She saw his grin fade as he considered her.

"You aren't shy, are you?"

Aster did look away then.

"No," She said to her notes. "No, I'm not shy." She expected more of an interrogation, but he didn't press the issue as some older adults had tried long ago, pushing her to draw her out. Instead he kept quiet and Aster continued to work and watch him from under her lashes.

Having him this close was disconcerting and it was difficult to relax and concentrate on her work. She had been watching him and the others for years but she had never really been close enough to see small details. He has started shaving, the stubble in patches of scattered growth and he had dark rings under his eyes. He didn't have an outrageous hair cut like some of the other boys tried to pull off, instead his hair was simple if a little over grown.

On the edge of anticipation, Aster waited for him to speak again, but he remained silent, frantically answering the review questions.

"I've been forgotten," She thought with a grimace.

Trusting the silence, Aster relaxed enough to truly concentrate at her work. She couldn't help but smile at the mess that was her translation – total coherency to nonsense back to coherency.

Crossing out her prior work, she began again.

They continued in the surprisingly companionable silence of work until the jarring echo of the bell jolted through them.

Aster thought she heard a muffled "Shit" and looked up to see Daniel had already leapt to his feet to start shoving books into his bag.

"Thanks, Aster," He threw at her, walking backwards so he could speak to her, "I think this is the first time I have at least almost finished my homework in months."

He almost tripped over a bean-bag before disappearing.

"You're welcome," Aster said.