The Stars Are Burning [PAUSED]

2. Mr Armstrong

SUNDAY CAME AND went. Sloth didn't visit Fletcher for the whole day, and for some reason, she missed his presence. Maybe it was because of his strange Greek god status, or maybe it was because he was just a calming but interesting person to be around. Either way, Fletcher's relaxing day alone at home was shattered when she realised that her parents were coming home with her little brother.

They were visiting Fletcher's grandmother in China—she had insisted that her family had to be united once every four months, and Fletcher's parents were coming back from another family gathering.

It was now Monday, but Fletcher had a more important thing on her mind: school—and it was already seven-thirty in the morning.

Fletcher had slept in, again, and she was going to be late, again. With her clothes on and teeth unbrushed, she zipped up her backpack and dashed down the stairs from her bedroom, no time for breakfast. She was going to get detention if she was late for the fifth time in the month.

She flung her door open just as she slipped into her trainers. Shoes half on, Fletcher dashes to the elevators, slamming on the down button.

A sudden puff of black smoke came from her side and she jumped up, half-expecting Sloth to be standing next to her, a smug smile on his face.

She was correct.

Sloth had a blueberry muffin in one hand and his phone in the other. "Good morning, Fletcher," he said with a slight smirk.

"Not now, you dipshit," Fletcher answered as the lift door opened. She walked in and Sloth followed.

"What are you doing? Can't you see that I'm in a hurry?" Fletcher jabbed at the car park button on the lift panel and knelt to put on her trainers properly.

"I'm watching your trip to school." Sloth answered, leaning on the elevator wall.

"What? Why? That's creepy, don't you have something better to do?"

"No, "Sloth answered, running a hand through his hair. The lift door opened. "Come on, let's get to your car and get stuck in morning traffic, shall we?"

The drove on in silence. Somehow, there was little traffic on the road. Fletcher thought that Sloth might have done something to make her trip to school nicer.

"What do you want from me?" Fletcher turned to Sloth as they pulled into her school. His feet were on the car's dashboard, but when Fletcher turned, Sloth quickly put them back on the floor with a sheepish grin, a harmless expression that made him look like a little boy instead of a god.

"I don't want anything from you; I just need you to cooperate with me and bother to turn up to your classes."

Fletcher parked into her spot.

"I'll try my best," Fletcher lied after a few moments of silence. She reached to the back of the car to get her bag, her shoulder brushing against Sloth's.

"Great, now that I know you're not dead, I'm going to work. See you tomorrow, Fletcher Cheung." Sloth disappeared, this time without the usual theatrics of black smoke.

Fletcher sighed as she got out of her car, heaving her bulging backpack. Locking the car, she surveyed the school entrance for her friends, hoping to spot them in the throng of students and not wanting to go to class even though school was a few moments from starting.

"Time to die, I guess," Fletcher muttered to herself. Putting on a signature look of utter boredom, she strode through the doors of the school building, her backpack half put on and slung over her shoulder.

Fletcher's friends were waiting for her beside her locker. Naomi had her back to Fletcher, attempting a deep conversation with her brand-new girlfriend. Her other friend was on her phone absentmindedly, only bothering to look up when Fletcher waved a hand over the phone screen.