Seeing is Believing

A Year to Remember

Starting your first year at Cherryton Academy was going to be a rough start. You weren't expecting very much to begin with, as you were unfortunately handicapped. But what you weren't expecting was how many people there were. It was like your phone was on maximum vibrate and someone was continuously calling you. That is, if your phone was in your feet. This is going to take all your concentration in order to make your way through this school.

Everything was going surprisingly well, except for everyone insisting on helping you. Sometimes it was necessary so you could find out where you needed to be, you still didn't know the terrain extremely well. Those are the times you would ask, and people were nice about it. But sometimes it got overwhelming when someone insisted on helping you, it made you feel a little insignificant.

You didn't really pay attention to anything other then your classes, they were the only thing you were good at. That is, until you were scouted by the drama club. Apparently your sight, or lack of sight was considered just enough of a dark issue to be seen by the drama club. You contemplated whether or not you should join. What help could you be to a club dedicated to dancers and performers? Apparently it didn't matter, they wanted you, and the drama club was apparently very famous. You accept the offer and continue on with your day.

Eventually you make your way to the drama practice room, opening the door quietly. This didn't stop the door from making a loud squeak, alerting everyone to your presence. "Umm...H-hi! My name is (Y/N)! I guess I will be your new club member!" You say, smiling a pretty little smile. "Ah that's right, I forgot about the new member! Everyone, meet (Y/N)!" A pelican said, looking toward you. "I am Sanu, the president of the club. I hope you have a pleasant time here." he said before getting back to his business.

You stood there awkwardly, trying not to look too helpless. You didn't do this very well considering you felt someone walking up to you. "Having a bit of trouble? Or do you not know what you're doing?" They ask, touching your shoulder. "Well, besides the fact that I haven't been given anything to do, and I don't know where everything is yet, so I can't do anything. No, I'm fine." You say, rolling your non-existent eyes. They laugh, wrapping their arm around your shoulder. "You're funny, the names Bill, I'm also rather new around here. Not as new as you though, so I know more than you." Bill states, moving you somewhere. "Obviously, that's how it works. So what do you do around here anyways? I know you guys do shows and other stuff but what is that process? I wasn't given much information."

"Well it's like this, we have the dance team, the actors team, and the art department. I think you're clever enough to figure out what those do. We do performances and other activities that normal drama clubs do. Our main goal for you today is figuring out which group you belong in." Bill explains to you, pointing things out, not realizing that your eyelids were closed. "I'll tell you that you do not want me on the dance team, and for that probably not on the performing team too. Something out of the way so that I don't get in the way of other people." You say, digging your toe into the ground.

"That seems extremely depressing, you should at least try them to see if you're a good fit for them. If you opened your eyes it would make everything a lot easier for you."

"Well even if I opened them it wouldn't do me any good, I don't have any eyes to begin with."

"Wait...What?"

You looked in the direction of Bill's voice and opened your eyelids, showing the empty space where eyes usually lived. Bill's eyes widened, taking his arm away in shock. "What the-" He exclaimed in his shock, attracting more attention to the two of you. "well what else were you expecting? This is normal for me. It isn't anything I could control. But this is why I wanted to be in the stage crew, better to stay out of the actors and dancers way then to fumble around with a useless test." You exclaim, crossing your arms.

Everyone looked at you in shock, the entire room was silent. You could tell the vibe of the room was dark. "Just so you know as well, this wasn't the work of anyone, I was born this way. It would look a lot worse if someone removed them by force." You say, getting nervous due to the amount of eyes on you. "And I expect that everyone will be okay with that." You hear the voice say, facing yourself towards it. As you feel footsteps coming towards you, instead of cowering at the slow footsteps growing closer, you stand your ground. You aren't going to let whoever this is make you feel insignificant too. "You seem to be able to handle yourself well, despite your sight issue. I believe you will do very well here, as one of our costumers." they say, placing a hand on your shoulder. "My name is Louis, I hope you don't screw up when things get bad. It would be very difficult to keep your spot here." Louis says before you cut him off.

"Wow thanks for the vote of confidence, but you don't have to worry. I'm perfectly fit for costuming, it is one of the only things that I have a knack for." You say bluntly, smiling a strained smile. "Hmm...Good." Louis said, taking his hand off of your shoulder. As he is walking away a couple of the club members rushed up to you, excited to get to meet the blind costumer. "Wow, I've never seen someone be able to show Louis that they aren't afraid on their first day." A female voice said, or at least that was the one you picked out of the crowd.

"My name is Sheila, I'm the choreographer for the dance team. You seem to be the talk of the school, we're glad to finally match a face to the name." She says, grabbing your hand and shaking it. "That is quite surprising statement considering the reaction I got from some people." You say, getting a laugh from others and a nervous laugh from Bill. "Yeah, sorry about that, I just got shocked, it isn't something you see often." Bill says, before laughing nervously again. "I get that often, don't worry about it. So, what is up with Louis? He seems to have a bit of a royalty complex to him, doesn't he?" You say, everyone getting a little shaken by that statement. "You seem to have a lot of sass, Louis is lined up to be the future Beastar when he graduates. So he usually has to act like it." Says another new voice. "Oh! I haven't introduced myself either, my name is Tem." that started off with the group giving me an introduction from each of them. "Perfect, great to meet all of you. I have one question, what is a Beastar?" This recieved a large gasp from everyone.

"You don't know what the Beastar is!?" Bill asks, in shock for what feels like the fiftieth time today. "No, I didn't exactly learn the entire history of this school for me to come here." Your starting to feel self conscious, why should you know all of this stuff? "The Beastar is the ultimate title for an animal that stands out in society. They are the best animal to be the border and the bridge between herbivores and carnivores." Bill explains, making your thoughts race. 'as the Beastar I could do better for the world, I could finally show everyone that my sight isn't a hindrance but a strength' you think, smiling to yourself. 

"Well it was great to meet you. I hope you fit in well, we treat each other like a family here." Sheila says, before her and everyone else gets back to their duties. "So that's my goal, to become a Beastar and show everyone that I am not weak. A goal to achieve by the end of my time here." You say to yourself, your smile getting wider.

Dear Mom,

I thought that it would be really difficult here, without you guys to help me. It was actually at first, but it got much better after joining the drama club. I never expected they would want me, but they needed an extra costumer! So now I have what feels like a wonderful family here, not to replace you guys. I have an idea however, I was given information that a Beastar is someone that can change the world and be the advocate for everyone. That is going to be my goal, so I have to stay here until I achieve it.

Oh and I already came up with a catchphrase to make myself more appealing to others:

"With the Compassion and Integrity to stand up for the animals of this world, and the Power and Strength to protect them as well."

I hope it catches on!

Love you lots,

(Y/N)