Dan twirled his pencil through his fingers, carelessly sketching a diagram in Geography.
He looked down at his drawing, and sighed.
Man, I forgot to use a ruler. Now I'm gonna have to fix everything.
C'mon, Dan, just seven and a half more hours to go until we're outta here.
It was first class, and every student was tiredly working in silence, though some stole occasional glances at Anthony. Offhand looks of mild curiosity, sizing him up without much care.
Anthony was sitting just in front of Dan's desk, calmly adding notes to what looked like a near-perfect diagram.
How can he work like that when everyone keeps staring at him? God, if I was him, I'd be way too uncomfortable to do anything at all.
Dan narrowed his eyes, trying to read his notes. Not to copy him. Definitely not– just checking out his writing.
From what Dan could make out, all of the letters were exactly the same. There was no hint of any change in the style, size, or even spacing.
It wasn't simply neat– it was precise, like a paragraph printed by a machine.
Why's it like that?
He was so puzzled, he barely registered what was actually written.
It's perfect.
Checking his own scribbled notes, Dan frowned. The difference between me and him is like night and day.
The teacher cleared her throat. 'You've all had enough time to write. We're moving on.'
She started scrawling instructions on the whiteboard. 'Get into pairs. Together, compare the differences in population, landmarks, and overall terrain between Rimont and Laurel Province. I want two pages by the end of class.'
Dan reached out and poked Anthony in the back.
'You and me?' he asked when Anthony turned around.
'Sure.'
Anthony pulled his chair closer to Dan's desk and crossed his legs casually.
'We can start with Laurel Province, I guess. So, the thrilling comparisons of places. Whatcha got on it? Don't tell me you've got nothing,' Dan said.
'Don't worry. I've got some paragraphs on both. We can just look at what they do and don't have.' He grabbed his book and put it on the desk between them, flipping to the right pages.
How the hell's he got so much down already? He started on MONDAY. Monday! And it's only THURSDAY!
And what's up with him, in general? This guy's never been anything other than perfectly pleasant. So far, I haven't seen any annoyance, anger, or normal student depression. I cycle through those hourly, but him? Nothing.
Even the first time I met him, he was super chill and polite. And when Nadine was making things hella awkward for him, he just ignored it.
'Okay, so, in Laurel Province, there's the capital, the palace, government buildings, and the suburbs surrounding them, all along the coast. 85% of Laurelian's 2.5 million citizens live here.'
Dan nodded. 'Sounds about right. And as for terrain… the island's northeast quarter is pretty flat, except for the hill the palace is on.' He paused, reading the rest of Anthony's notes.
There are typically more executions in Laurel Province. Laws are considerably stricter than Rimont.
He leaned back in his chair, impressed. 'You really know your stuff, bro. They taught you a lot in Rimont, eh?'
'Oh, yeah… I guess I just paid attention.'
Dan snorted. 'Just paying attention? Only reciting those facts like you know 'em off by heart? Man, who are you, really?'
'Someone who reads fast.' Anthony said quietly.
'Hmph, alright. You win this time. But mark my words, I will expose you for the genius you really are.'
He folded his arms, trying to come up with a start to the paragraph.
Maybe it's just his hidden ability. He looks pretty ordinary on the outside, but is secretly a once-in-a-century talent or something.
'Anyway,' Dan said, tapping his book, 'let's get going. Wanna start with North Rimont and how it's different from everywhere else?'
Anthony nodded. 'Works for me.'
Several hours later, Dan was on the top floor, walking through the hallway after his last class ended.
He paused, glancing out of the window to his left. The ocean in the distance was glittering in the afternoon light, barely visible past the countless buildings and trees.
It's so pretty, he thought wistfully. There was nothing to see on the horizon, but to Dan, it was a vivid reminder that the world was bigger than just Laurelian.
Learning about countries in World History was just a simple matter of absorbing facts and making sure you could repeat them just as you heard them. No different from any other subject, really.
But the endless blue that stretched across it all whispered to him. That somewhere out there, people were free. Free to do anything, be whoever they wanted. To live without the quiet fear of cruel and unforgiving laws dictating everything.
Not that it matters to me. Sure, I don't want to be tied down, but that's gonna happen no matter what I do. Just gotta keep my mouth shut and continue to be the obedient guy they want me to be.
He thought of Nadine, and the way she always complained– the contempt she held for the way things were.
It's worrying. Me and Kaylie both know we can't do anything. But she's got these grand ideas, always going on about it. She might be keeping them to herself for now… but who knows what'll happen to her if anyone finds out.
'Back to the usual dramatic staring, Dan?' Kaylie's voice came from behind, tapping him on the shoulder.
'Yeah. Admiring this dazzling view!' he said with exaggerated flair, throwing his hands towards the window.
'Well, come on. Unless you plan on standing there until tomorrow?'
'Maybe I AM.'
'Suit yourself.'
Kaylie shrugged and kept walking.
Dan grinned to himself as he watched her make her way through the students still lingering around the hallway. He took a step forward, then froze.
That weird chill again?
The group had been feeling it all week. They'd agreed not to say anything unless the watchers made any moves, but so far, nothing had happened.
Instinctively, he whipped around, trying to catch whoever it might be this time. But it was nobody– yet again.
Whatever. Obviously they aren't gonna try anything when there's still a few people around. He'd gotten used to it.
Nothing ever really shook him. Dan liked to joke that he could stare down the King without flinching. Being stared at by mystery people was certainly new, but to him, it didn't even make the top ten in his list of weirdest situations he'd ever been in.
Turning back to the window, he looked down at the main courtyard below. He spotted Anthony, standing near the gate, close to Nadine, talking with some others he didn't know. Just like always, he was standing casually, yet oddly composed for someone who should be weighed down by the stress of being a twelfth year.
Wonder what's going on in his head. Being a new student– literally the first and last of his kind.
Dan slipped his hands in his pockets, trying to put the vibe Anthony gave off into words. He was a plain sort of person, the kind you walked past in the streets without a second thought. Guys like him could be found wherever people gathered; a kind of natural phenomenon no one really cared to question.
It's none of my business why he is the way he is, though. All that matters is that he's a nice guy. I like him. Just gotta try not to lose him in a crowd, haha.
Dan decided to chase after Kaylie, since the hallway was starting to empty. Walking fast, he hurried down stairs, and through the school's maze of levels and corridors.
He caught her just as she was about to leave the building.
'Wait up!'
Turning around, she waved. 'Great, I thought we were gonna have to wait aaaaages for you to show up.'
Together they stepped into the cool air, heading over to where Anthony and Nadine were waiting for them.
'Ugh, finally,' Nadine grumbled.
'Heyo, we're here.' Dan announced. 'Miss us?'
Anthony nodded, but remained silent.
'So, any plans for tomorrow? After school, I mean,' Dan continued.
'Nope.'
'Nah.'
'No.'
He scoffed. 'You guys are no fun.'
As they walked out of the school, he kept talking. 'Personally, I can't do homework on Fridays. It's just off-limits. Sure, I might need to stay up till 1 a.m. the next day to make it up, but who cares?'
'Dude, it's Thursday. Why're you already thinking about Friday?' Kaylie said, rolling her eyes.
'I'll think whatever I want.'
Meanwhile, Anthony's eyes flicked quickly across the quiet street in front of them. Not the casual curiosity he'd shown the last few days, but deliberate– like he was searching for something.
What's he looking for?
'Seeing things?' Dan asked, tilting his head.
'Huh? No. Just seeing if those re– uh, weird people are around.'
Ohh, there it is. He finally slipped! I knew he couldn't be that perfect.
He almost said something else there. Re… what?
I'll ask him later. I get the feeling it's probably something he wouldn't wanna say in front of the others.
Hold on… was he about to say 'rebels'?
He turned the word over in his mind. It seemed strange, almost wrong. Everyone had heard the legend: long ago, people dared to rise up against the King. They banded together to make plan after plan for a revolution. But they soon realised he was just too powerful to defeat.
It served somewhat as a cautionary tale, to remind everyone to stay in line.
No way. Rebels are loooong gone. There hasn't been a real rebellion in decades– centuries, even. Damn, I'm jumping to conclusions like Nadine. Maybe he's just thinking of something in a novel.
Still, something about the way Anthony glanced around made him feel uneasy. Just a small feeling, a little like being talked about behind your back.
'Dan! Pay attention!' Nadine barked. 'As I was saying, we should go to the park after school tomorrow.'
'Gonna show Anthony the best spots there,' Kaylie added.
Dan quickly turned around, nodding as if he hadn't been zoning out. 'Sounds good! Anthony, you in?'
'Yeah. I've got nothing to do anyway.'
Kaylie laughed. 'Finished all your homework already?'
Anthony smiled pleasantly. 'Yep. The teachers are going easy on me, since I'm new.'
The four went along cheerfully, and Dan tried to forget the day, joining in with their happy chatter. Whatever it all meant, it could wait. There were things to do, hangouts to enjoy, and they would do it all again next week. Hopefully, everything would be the same as always.