Lost Panzer

7

The sun was just beginning to pour over the horizon as Peter sleepily got out of the low bed. As he placed his feet on the cold bamboo floor, he looked outside at the beautiful sunrise and stretched his arms. He stumbled into the bathroom and splashed water onto his face, and stared at his reflection. Next to his left cheek was the familiar scar that was left by a rogue shrapnel that grazed him. His hair was bedraggled and he carefully combed it into its usual position. Dipping his toothbrush in water, he brushed his teeth. Soon, he made his way to the balcony of the dorm.

The uniformed potted plants on the balcony glistened with the morning dew and the wooden railing that he held onto was soaked. From here, he could see the entirety of the school and beyond. A few students were waiting at the entrances and with the exception of the few chirping birds, it was all quiet. It looked peaceful, hidden amidst the greenery.

He headed back inside and retrieved his jacket. Outside, his lieutenant, Karl, was waiting. They acknowledged each other with a simple military salute and a greeting.

"Morning, Karl." Peter said,

"Morning." Karl replied.

The two headed down the stairwell into the courtyards of the dorms, which was devoid of any students due to how early it was. They began to head towards the entrance of the school, its gate, however, was obstructed by two young girls with bowl cuts. Wearing red sashes and holding clipboards, they stood vigilantly by the gate.

"Communists?" Karl whispered as he pulled Peter aside.

"Why would there be communists here?" Peter said as he brushed off Karl's hand. "This is Japan in the future right?"

"They have red sashes." Karl helpfully pointed out.

"No, you dolt. They are probably deans or something." Peter walked confidently towards the gate, "Come on, let's make a good first impression."

They didn't get far before the gaze of the two girls fell on them. At first, it was a glare of suspicion, then, it turned into concern as they realized the two boys were walking towards them.

"Hang on! What are you two doing here?" One of the girls asked them.

"This is our new school." Peter answered. He understood why she would be so concerned. He would be too if he saw a guy at an all girl's school.

"You guys have had to make a mistake. This is an all girls school." She said blocking the entrance. "Why are you even on this carrier?"

"I honestly don't know." Peter dangled his dorm keys and student ID in front of her. "Look, here is proof we are suppose to be here."

"Wh-hat?" She stuttered and frantically turned to the other girl's clipboard. "What are you names?"

"Peter and Karl."

Flipping through the pages of the clipboard desperately, her fingers finally landed on the names of the two new students. "You.. How did you?" She stuttered, looking for the words to describe her confusion at these new students.

"Like I said, I don't know either." Peter shrugged.

"Well, go.. Go on in." She said as she shoved the two pass the gate, hiding her face which were quickly turning red. "And.. And don't be a pervert."

"Excuse me?" Peter asked turning back at him.

"Nothing! Just go to class!" She said looking away.

Peter glanced towards Karl, who gave a unconcerned shrug. He sighed and the two headed off to the main building. They headed up the stairwell with concrete steps. Peter glided his hand along the railing, wistfully thinking of the days before the war. On the second floor of the school building, they made their way to their assigned homeroom. The two went and sat at the desks closest to the windows. As the two German officers waited for the others to arrive, they chatted about their days in the war, and their return to high school and civilian life, albeit in a foreign world. Most importantly, they talked about what they would do after high school. On the often boring front, the two would always talk about what they wanted to do after the war. But now, with all the options free to them, they don't have a clue what to do next.

As the harsh red sun of dawn fades into the soft glow of an autumn's morning, the first students made their way to class. Seeing the two boys already situated at the desks, they made a full stop at the entrance to the classroom, before stepping back slowly to read the sign next to the classroom. Reassured they were not in the wrong class, they slowly filed in one by one, making sure to completely ignore the two new, foreign students. Taking their seats, they discussed in hushed whispers about the new boys. After a while, the teacher had finally arrived and class began in earnest.

"First, I would like to introduce two new students into the class." The teacher announced,"They will be staying with us until we land at port."

The rest of the class passed by uneventfully, most of the subjects, with the exception of science, was familiar to Peter. And with the ringing of the midday bell, the class was dismissed for lunch.