Just A Memory

The Gem

Serenity, The School

Tuesday, September 4th, 12:15 AM

The rest of the classes were... boring to say the least. Each teacher said the exact same thing in the same monotone voice.

"Hello. I am Mrs. J and I will be your teacher for today."

"Hello. I am Mr. H and I will be your teacher for today."

"Hello. I am Ms. P and I will be your teacher for today."

If it were not for their vastly different body type and attire, I would assume that they were the exact same. If there was a default setting for human, they would be it. I almost missed the aggressive and judgmental looks of the Professor, as these robots barely qualified as human beings, and definitely were nowhere close to teachers. I almost fell asleep to the droning on of their dead, monotonic voices. When the bell rang signalling the end of 4th period, I was relieved. Lunch time was here and I can finally try to meet new people to put my day back on track. The hallways are crowded with people of all races, genders, personalities and looks. I place my items in the locker and head down. 

The cafeteria is a massive open space, with windows almost completely covering one side. There are long rectangular tables on one half of the cafeteria and circular tables on the other. About one third of the people immediately find a seat as it appears they have already brought their lunch, while the rest rush to the buffet area to grab food. I look around, assessing the situation. The boy isn't there. I also can't see the bully and his friends. Doesn't matter, I need to find somebody who's willing to hold a conversation with me instead of just shoving me around or judging me.

I quickly grab my lunch, which consists of a PB&J sandwich, an apple, and a milk carton. Nobody notices me except this one girl who tells me to move out of the way. The only reason I ever seem to be noticed is when I do something stupid, such as falling down or being late. I am sure that'll change this lunch period, as there has to be somebody that appreciates my personality.

I decide visit a circular table in the middle of the lunchroom, which seems to be a mix of guys and girls, and try to introduce myself. My brain tells me to move but my mouth won't budge. Just like with the Professor I fail to create coherent sentences, and the embarrassment here is as bad as the start of the class with the professor, if not worse. Each member of the table is just staring at me, silently. Eventually they stop paying attention to me and go back to doing their own thing. It is just one table, I tell myself. You still have many more chances. That's what I say to myself, but the demon is back. It is calm, silent but I can see it clearly in my mind, ready to jump and cause a panic attack.

I walk up to a different circular table this time. Again, I open my mouth to say something, but words simply do not flow out of my mouth. They again stare at me before continuing their conversation and ignoring me.

I try this again with another table. 

And another.

And another.

Each time, I can't get words out of my mouth. The demon doesn't mock me, though. Instead, it just laughs and laughs at my painful failure. Somehow, it hurts just as much. Eventually, I give up and sit next to the trash can like the trash I am, alone.

Just when I get comfortable though, I see her. The professor has entered from the other entrance and is judging everybody. I cannot let her see me sitting next to the trash, with nobody to talk to. That would tarnish my already bad reputation and I will never be able to make a good impression on her ever again, no matter how hard I try. I quickly assess my options.

One, I can find a place to sit quickly. Without invitation I'll just seem like a weirdo, especially since everybody with an open seat seems particularly uninviting.

Two, I can pick up more food to pretend like I'm doing something. That would work well, but the food area is already closing up and being the only one there will drag even more unwanted attention onto me.

Three, I can leave and hide out in the bathroom and eat there. It is undignified, but it works well, as long as I can evade the teachers. From what I have gathered, not including the Professor, they are all dead inside and don't pay attention anyways. At this point, the Professor is walking closer and closer and she might see me. I have to choose quickly. 

With the clock ticking down, I quickly take my lunch and speed walk out of the door, headed to the second floor bathroom to hide out. On my way up, a teacher stops me. It's Mr. H.

"What are you doing up here." He states in a dead tone. 

"I'm going to the bathroom." I say a little too quickly, afraid he's going to ask to see a note.

"Okay." He says, moving to the left of me and continuing on, not even bothering to check for permission from a teacher. Was it a lucky break, or did the teacher always not care? It didn't really matter. When I reach the bathroom, and I hear voices. I can pick out the boy and the bully's. That's why I couldn't see them when I went to get my food. I put my ear to the door and try to listen in.

"I'm not here to play games. Give me the gem." The bully demands.

"No matter what you say or do, you won't get it." The boy states in his monotone voice. He sounds hurt, as his voice is weaker and slower than usual. From the way he talks, he seems to have something in his mouth. Blood? 

I peek in to get a better look, barely moving the door open. Thankfully, it does not make any noise. The boy is laying on the ground with a nosebleed. He has a black eye and seems bruised all over, but is still smiling. He seems to see me, cracking a small smile. The bully is too busy kicking him and threatening him to notice.

"Look. I'm usually pretty nice. If you give me what I want, I won't hurt you." The bully snarls, fists clenched."

 At this point, he tries to grab the gem and rip it out of the pendant. It doesn't budge. When the bully tries to take the pendant off him entirely, it also does not move.

"Brute force doesn't work either. It's unbreakable, yet simple technology." the boy says, smiling. "Look. I don't want somebody to get seriously hurt here. "

The bully tries to say something but the boy shushes him.

"If you stop attacking me and meet me at Serenity Park at 10:00 PM tonight, I will have a fair fight with you. If you win, I'll give you the gem."

The bully snarls but realizes he will get nowhere with simply threatening and trying to steal it away. 

"Fine. But make it a fair fight." He reaches out his hand to shake. The boy accepts.

I hide around the corner as the bully leaves the bathroom. He doesn't notice me. The boy walks out a minute later, fully healed with no bruises or nosebleed. Interesting, but I'm more focused on what is going on in Serenity Park later. 

The rest of the day is boring. The teachers are just like before. Monotone. Dead. The same. The school day ends with no surprises. I get back on the bus and go home. When I arrive back, I do my homework. Like a normal person. I heat up some instant ramen and devoured it quickly. I spend the rest of the time reading ahead in Just a Memory so as to be ahead when the class. 

When the clock hits 9:30 though, I do something a normal person wouldn't. Instead of going to sleep, I put on my jacket and grab a spare backpack. Inside it, I put a flashlight, some snacks, a map, and binoculars. Then, I head out for Serenity Park. Not even the burden of getting good grades in school and impressing my mom can prevent me from missing this. All through the day, more and more mysteries have been piling up about the boy. Now, I'm finally going to get some answers.