Juryokine

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Toke sucked in a panicked breath as he listened to the clock's chiming. That smiting Sorakine girl had made him late!

A quick glance around revealed the way back to the school, and he took off once again. As he ran through the city, the irony of the situation struck him. There were only two things in the world that could entice him to run: danger, and his parents. And, as his luck would have it, he had encountered both today.

He saw his parents stepping out of a taxi just as he rounded the corner leading to the school gate. His father, dressed in a heavy black suit and jacket that looked entirely too hot for the weather, turned back to the autocarriage and handed over a fistful of bills to the driver. Even from thirty feet away, Toke imagined he could see the look of regret his father always got when he spent money.

"Oh, there he is!" his mother said, spying her son. She tugged her husband's sleeve, and they both turned to watch as Toke approached them.

"Sorry... I'm late..." he gasped when he finally reached them, putting his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

"You couldn't even change out of those filthy rags?" his father demanded. "Just because you wear them in the workshop doesn't make them acceptable to wear in public!"

"Good... to see you too... Dad," Toke replied, curtly. He managed to stand up straight, but his heart was still hammering on the inside of his chest like a drum.

"And you're all covered in sweat," he went on, pulling out a handkerchief to dab at his own brow, being careful not to mess up his slicked-back hair. "When was the last time you showered?"

Toke grimaced. This was going about as well as he had expected, except that he had hoped to have a new set of clothes to stave off their initial wave of complaints.

"Well," his father said at last, after a few more disapproving glances, "since you're dressed like that, you may as well take us to the workshop and show us what you've been working on."

Toke shook his head. "Guests aren't allowed in the classrooms," he told them for what must have been the twentieth time. Every time his parents visited, they demanded access to where Toke did his work so they could evaluate it themselves, and they had been denied every time.

"Just take us there," his father ordered him. "I'll deal with everything else."

Toke gave his mother a sideward glance. Sometimes, depending on her mood, she would give him an apologetic shrug. He liked those, even though she never actually did anything, because it told him that he was not alone in thinking his father's ego was just a smidge too big. Today, however, she just waved him onwards, as if to say, get moving, child.

"All right," he agreed at last, and turned to lead them into the school.

As they walked, his mother tried to make conversation with him. "How have you been, sweetie?"

"Fine," Toke answered, deciding it was in his best interests if he didn't mention the previous night's mugging or his Sorakine stalker. "How are things back home?"

"Oh, you know," she replied, "nothing much happens in Kassfar. The other week, though, Miss Bramnal's daughter..."

"I still can't believe they let you students walk around in such horrid outfits," his father interjected. For once, Toke was grateful. His mother had a tendency to claim nothing was happening, and then spend up to an hour describing all the nothing that was going on. "This is a good school. There's no reason they can't have you all wear a decent uniform."