I stared out at the tops of my neighbors houses. I was sitting on my roof, right next to my window. The sun was rising over the valley and in a half an hour I would have to drive myself to school. After my little episode in the shower I thought about staying home sick, but had decided instead to attend school anyway. I could tell now that Darke would somehow change my life, I wasn't sure how, but I knew he would. I wondered if I should stay away from him, forget the meeting tonight, and if I ever saw him fake indifference and pretend that I didn't know him... But somehow it seemed so much more difficult than that.
I grabbed my book bag and tossed it onto the grass below and jumped onto Old Oaky, climbing down. I picked up my bag, took my car keys from out of my pocket and slid into my old two door Honda Civic. I fumbled with my keys, shoving one into the ignition and pulled out onto the street.
The school wasn't far from my house. It was a large school, it had to be with the number of student. Their were four hundred students in the junior class alone, my class. The back parking lot was huge, but didn't have enough room for the entirety of the student body, the sophomores had to carpool with freshmen and their parents. It was still early so I grabbed a close parking spot and walked into the school.
The hallways were nearly empty. Only a few teachers wandered from place to place as early riser students loitered at their usual places, waiting for more of their friends to show up. I threw my bag over my shoulder and walked up the stairs on my left. I came to a familiar door and knocked quietly three times. The door opened and my mythology teacher moved aside, allowing me into the room. I walked to the back of the classroom to my usual seat and sat down.
Mr. Reide shifted his large glasses and shut the door, waddling to his desk and sitting in his swivel chair. "We have a new student today," he said to me, trying to make conversation as usual.
"Do we now?" I replied.
He nodded, running his hand through his non existent hair. He did this when he was nervous or excited. "Interesting fellow. I met him earlier this morning. Certainly not much of a talker."
"What's he like?" I asked.
He rubbed his chin. "Dark hair, green eyes. His right one was bruised you know. I asked him what happened but I don't think that he ever really told me."
I paused for a moment. It had finally dawned on me who this new student was and I stared down at my desk.
An announcement came over the intercom for Mr. Reide and he apologized, leaving me in the classroom by myself. Ten minutes went by and I suffered every second. I was frightened of what would happen next. This morning, in the shower, was that... A dream? Had I passed out? Or was it some sick vision of the future?
That's when he came in, black eye and all. His hair was neater now and he was wearing a black overcoat. His skin was surprisingly light, but not much more than my own. He had dark circles under his eyes, but the emerald hue of his eyes overruled them. His eyes were bright, but to me held darkness and sadness.
He noticed me immediately, making his way to sit next to me. "Tsuki," he said, "It's really nice to see a familiar face! Despite barely knowing you..." He chuckled hollowly.
I nodded.
"You look like you haven't slept. What time did you get home?" He asked.
"About four thirty..."
He stared at me for ages and then students began to pile into the room, distracting him. Mr. Reide came in and the bell for first period rang. Mr. Reide took attendance, which always took him forever and then called the class to order.
"Mr. Lucien will you please come introduce yourself to the class?" Mr. Reide said.
Darke nodded and stood up, walking to the front of the room. He stood there awkwardly. "My name is Lucien Doyle and I just moved here three days ago..."
"Tell us three interesting facts about yourself, Mr. Doyle." Said Mr. Reide.
Why did I feel like I was back in Junior High?
"Um..." Darke shifted, "I have a little sister and..." He glanced about, "My favorite holiday is..." He honestly didn't seem to know the answer, "Valentine's day and..." He frowned and his brow furrowed, making me laugh. He looked up at me and smiled sadly.
"And his birthday is on Halloween," I said from the back of the classroom.
Everyone turned to look at me and Darke put his hands together in thanks. He came back to sit by me and Mr. Reide began to review what we'd learned in our last class.
"Since when is your name Lucien?" I asked quietly.
He shrugged. "Friends back home called me Darke. Lucien means something along the line of 'light' none of them thought that it fit me much," he paused, "So everyone called me Darke."
"What about your sister? What's her name?"
He smiled and this time I didn't see any pain, this was genuine. "Her name is Charlie. She's seven. Do you have any siblings?"
I shook my head. "I'm an only child."
"It's a shame. Charlie is... brilliant. I love having a sister. Sometimes she's the only thing that keeps me going."
The image of Darke holing the gun to his head flooded into my mind and I winced, looking away. "Well... It's good to have someone helping you to..." I looked back at him, "Hold on."
He smiled. "A guardian angel."
I agreed quietly. "A guardian angel."
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