Pondovadia: World I Love, Tears I Drop

Chapter 9: Another Morning Comes

October 1, 302X

9:35 AM

The Appalachian air that Friday morning was cold yet comforting. Southwest Pondovadia Middle School was the same as usual. The sign in front was supposed to read 'Get Up to The Third Floor for New Gym Room' but was changed to 'The Principal Can't Get It Up'.

The grass was lightly kissed with morning dew and fog dusted the atmosphere. Pollinators of all shapes and sizes chirped through the air. A few dry leaves were twirling about in the wind. Dozens of animals were outside and talking amongst each other before being rushed into the buses.

Miss Linon was standing outside one of the four blue megabuses and checking her list of students.

"Nathan, Henry, Martha did we get everybody on board?" the bulldog called out to the other two animals standing outside. "I have forty nine here!"

Henry Poulain, a black silk rooster, clucked loudly "Yeah, I did! Fifty kids on my bus!"

"Fifty here" Nathan Tourmaline, a grey alligator with long black hair, hollered.

Marta Milkiwein, a dung beetle, popped outside of the bus and yelled. "I got fifty here, too!"

"Great!" Ellie yelled to them. "We have a hundred and ninety nine, now we can head out"

The teachers hopped into the megabuses and took their seats up front.

The engines of the buses rattled and shook as they started up. The drivers made their way out of the school parking lot and took off. Grey smoke trailed from the exhaust pipes and into the cool morning air. A couple kids looked out the window as they saw the scene change from the tight city atmosphere to the vast aesthetic of a public highway.

The West Virginia highway was filled with vehicles of all shapes and sizes. Some animals were flying in the sky while others watched the line of buses roll against the highway concrete. At least one trucker honked their horn for any kid who pumped their arm against the window. Each bus was filled to the brim with excitable kids. Inside the second bus...

"You know, I can't believe they separated us from the guys" one of the girls loudly complained in the back.

Bell looked over at Sandyna in confusion. "Geez, what's Beatrice's problem?"

"I think she was totally and probably hoping to get a boyfriend," Sandyna shrugged. "Hey do you wanna see your fortune? I won this super cute paku paku from the carnival before school started!"

She pulled a pink and white plastic fortune teller out of her neon sunset satchel and held it in her paws. The hologram plastic sparkled in the daylight as she rotated it in her paws.

"Sure" Bell grinned. "I wanna know if I'll have fun on the field trip"

"Okay! Pick a number then!~" Sandyna giggled as she held up the toy.

——

In the first bus...

"So how'd you get detention again?" Ponce asked as he leaned over the seat, his stomach pressing against the brown vinyl leather. Benjamin was leaning over as well but only his front tentacles and head reached the seat. His blue and green galaxy snapback nearly fell over onto the floor.

"Well" Kevin recalled the incident. "You know how Mr. Ursus failed me on the social studies test over using the wrong font?"

Ponce leaned in more, nearly falling into the other seat. The tiptoes of his sneakers were digging harder into the squeaky leather.

"Yeah?"

"Well I sent him this email where I pretended to be a multilevel marketing representative" the goat was continuing his story. "And he totally found out it was me. And then I stuck gum under his desk"