Episode 22: The School That Restarted

Middle of Who-Knows-Where

Who-Knows-When

In Atdonus Highschool

5:19am, Pandora was shaken awake.

She opened her eyes slowly, trying to find out who was shaking her awake. She blinked a few times, the lights to her room still turned off. It was a dark figure, with light coming from the open door of her room.

“Wake up, it’s time for school.” Therese told her.

Pandora smiled and giggled, getting off the bed excitedly. Therese simply smiled back, used to the switches in personalities of Pandora. Pandora looked around the dark room and took a step forward, leaning forward while walking. Her centre of gravity shifted too much forward, and she ended up falling forward. She caught herself with her other step, spinning after catching herself and bolting off. Therese simply shook her head, worried about her adoptive daughter.

5:22am, Pandora was sprinting along the corridor, running past the rooms of the other kids.

She skidded to a stop at the bathroom, grabbing the door and slamming it behind her. It was early, and the other kids were still asleep despite the noise.

5:35am, Pandora burst out, already changed into her new school uniform.

It was similar to her previous uniform. They were sent two sets of uniforms, one for the colder season, the other for summer. She wore the winter one. The unformed was not a complicated design, and Pandora, as expected, had altered the colour of the uniform. It was a white button-up short-sleeved shirt. There was a vest over it that had a criss-cross pattern across it, similar to the design of Pandora’s bag. The original design was mainly white with the crosses being grey and black. Pandora altered it so that the main colour scheme was a slight grey. The best was similar to a jacket, with long sleeves with a button-up and a collar so that the white shirt remained mostly hidden. Over the collar of the vest and shirt, she had a blue tie. The uniform included a skirt that had the same pattern as the vest.

She ran along the corridor barefooted, an uncontrollable smile on her face. She reached her room, turning and jumping, landing in front of Therese who was folding the blanket. Pandora landed and raised her arms. “Time!”

Therese laughed lightly and escorted Pandora to the dining hall. Pandora walked forward with Therese, swaying every other step and almost tripping before catching herself. She refused to walk straight, hitting into Therese, and the opposite wall. Therese tried to make sure she did not hit into anything dangerous. It was odd to see a seventeen-year-old girl act so childishly, but Therese was used to the oddness.

“What would you like for breakfast?” Therese asked.

“Bread! And butter!” Pandora cheered, giggling.

“Sit down, I’ll get it for you.” Therese told her.

Pandora sat down on one of the seats, rocking on the chair as she eagerly waited for Therese to return with the bread.

5:47am, Therese had gotten a bun from the shelf.

She realised they were low on groceries, and would most likely need to go shopping soon. She turned around, and Pandora stood there, looking at the bun. She giggled and bit into it while Therese was still holding onto the bun. She chewed and pulled her grey beret out of her pocket, wearing it over her head. Pandora gave Therese a toothy grin and said, “There’s no butter!”

Therese flicked her forehead playfully and told her, “You didn’t wait long enough.”

Pandora laughed and waited as Therese helped spread some butter over the bun. She did not entrust Pandora in that personality to hold any form of a sharp object. That personality, if Therese remembered correctly, was named Charmy, and she tended to be playful. If Therese gave her a sharp object, who knows what she might do for fun.

Pandora held the bread and ate it quickly before running off. Therese called after her, “Don’t run after you eat!”

Pandora looked back and stuck out a tongue before running off.

5:56am, A girl woke up.

She was the same girl which treated Pandora like a big sister, the only girl that actually found Pandora normal. She was walking along the corridor, holding a doll in her hands. She rubbed her eyes, wondering why the lights were turned off. It was oddly quiet, she felt uncomfortable. By herself, she felt weird, like someone was behind her, like there was someone else. She clutched her doll and started whispering, “Tinkle Tinkle Ho, Nothing here to see, not at all... LinLin is safe...”

It was a charm she was taught, though she forgot who had taught it to her. A charm to chant when she was alone, it kept the demons away.

She looked forward, and saw someone running at her. Pandora saw her and gave her a smile. She shouted, “Good morning!”

“G-” The girl tried to say.

Pandora was about to collide with her. But with astounding control, Pandora spun, running past her in one swift motion. The girl looked back, seeing Pandora run towards her room.

“What are you doing here?” Therese asked her.

The girl turned to look at the head of the orphanage. She said, “I saw the lights.”

Therese patted her head and said, “Let’s go have something to eat, okay?”

“Mhm.” The girl replied.

Therese held her hand and led her towards the dining hall.

6:04am, Pandora ran into the dining hall, carrying a bag in her hands.

“I’m going now!” Pandora called.

“Okay.” Therese replied. “Have a nice day in school.”

The girl looked at Pandora and asked, “Is school fun?”

Pandora stopped wearing her shoes. Only wearing her socks, she walked up to her and said cheerfully, “Of course! School is very fun! There are so many people there, it’s so interesting!”

Therese poked Pandora’s forehead and asked, “Aren’t you supposed to leave now?”

Pandora nodded and wore her shoes before running out of the door, running past the field the orphanage had.

6:07am, Pandora left the orphanage to go to school.

6:23am, Azel sat on his couch, looking at the clock.

It was much too early for him, and he had already prepared for school. Beside where he sat, was his bag, and he was already in the school uniform. School started at 7:30am, and he only needed half an hour to reach the school by walking, ten minutes by car. He shrugged and got up, he might as well leave early. He stood up and picked his bag up, slinging it over one shoulder and straightening his uniform.

Much like Pandora’s, he had a white shirt underneath the vest. The vest was the standard issue, he could not bother changing it. He had a tie that was tied loosely around his neck. He wore long pants, black pants that completely contrasted the white in the vest. There was also a belt, so Azel just wore it. Azel made sure he had his items and unlocked the door.

6:30am, Azel was about to leave.

“Where you going?” Came a voice.

Azel turned around, seeing his mother rubbing her eyes, still wearing her pyjamas. Azel lifted his bag and pointed at his uniform. She nodded and waved, yawning, “Well... good luck with school. Try not to hit anybody there.”

Azel nodded and reached out to hug his mother before leaving.

He was already given the information regarding his classes and other remotely important information. He knew his class, his only question was how many people he would recognise in that class, and would the class spread rumour about him again? It was a new school year, it felt like it was his first time entering the school, with the changes in system. It was foreign, and Azel was unsure if he like it.

5:28am, Scarlet was at the door.

“I’m leaving!” She announced to her house.

“Have a good day at school.” Her father told her.

“I’m the Principal.” Scarlet joked. “I decide whether others get a good day.”

“Of course.” Her father laughed. “Have a good day though.”

“You too.” Scarlet said.

She was about to leave the house when a voice called, “Wait, school starts this early? I’m going to be late?”

“No, it’s only for me.” Scarlet replied.

It was her brother, shouting from the kitchen which he was hastily preparing a breakfast. He stopped out of sight and shouted, “Then what time do I leave?”

“Reach school by 7:30, if you’re late, I’m expelling you!” Scarlet replied, mostly a joke.

“No!”

Their father chuckled and told his son, “No need to rush, I’ll remind you when you need to leave.”

“Got it!”

Scarlet shook her head and left the house, locking the door behind her. She wore a proper office outfit instead of the school uniform. She was fully committed to being the Principal, after the previous incident regarding a certain couple, she needed to deal with too much. She could not afford to sit through classes anymore.

“Where to?” Her maid asked.

“Atdonus High,” Scarlet said. “Don’t need to rush, a slow drive would be nice.”

“Understood.”

Scarlet stared out the window, checking the early scenes of the city. Around halfway through the ride, she told The Maid, “You know, you can act more freely, right?”

“I do not think that is appropriate.” The Maid replied.

“I’ll have to work on making you open up then.”

“You are welcomed to try, mistress.”

Scarlet sighed and continued the journey in silence.

7:02am, Azel was at the school gate.

It was relatively quiet, not many people were there. He walked past a few students who he assumed to be juniors. Azel stood out, not only because of his height but the fact that his uniform remained completely unaltered. It was a mess, students with randomly selected colours, Azel did not bother, simply walking forward. There were whispered already, but he chose to ignore them.

Azel walked into the school compound, past the gate where a teacher stood. The teacher was tall, around 185cm tall, with a strong build and tan skin. His eyes were strict and always on the lookout. When students walked by him, they greeted him with a shy ‘good morning’ which he also replied with a greeting of his own. Azel walked past him, not saying a thing.

“Hey, you!” The teacher called out.

Azel turned around, wondering what kind of trouble he was in this time. The teacher held a wooden sword in his hand, which Azel thought was highly illegal. The teacher pointed it at Azel, the other students stopping around them to see the action.

“Where’s your basic respect?” The teacher demanded.

Azel tilted his head, wondering why he was mentioning respect. Azel thought for a moment, then realised he had not greeted the teacher. He reached into his bag, trying to find the notes he had scribbled down. The teacher, thinking Azel was being rebellious, shouted, “Answer me!”

Azel looked at him. Azel disliked troublesome things, he disliked communication, he disliked noisy people. He gave the teacher a glare, the other students taking a step back. The teacher scowled and raised the wooden sword. Azel zipped his bag and stood there, not going to bother about defending himself.

7:07am.

“Azel!” Came a familiar voice.

Azel looked towards the gate. Standing there was a girl wearing the grey version of the uniform, a grey beret on her head. She saw him and waved. The teacher also turned around to see who had spoken up. Pandora had a big grin on her face, her hair messy and she was short of breath. She ran up to Azel, but was stopped by the teacher.

She frowned and faced the teacher. “What?”

“Where are your basic manners?” The teacher demanded. “The first thing to do is to greet, a simple spoken greeting is enough, why do you youngsters not know this?”

Pandora looked the teacher in the eyes, realising he was being serious. She started to giggle and point at him, “Good morning!”

The teacher was not satisfied with the response, so he faced Azel. Azel shook his head, it was too early in the morning to deal with such troublesome things.

“You’re funny!” Pandora giggled, poking the teacher’s sides. “Azel can’t speak, so how would he say good morning?”

The teacher, the sudden realisation hitting him. He felt embarrassed, but wanted to hide it, simply sighing and saying, “Then next time bow, at least.”

Azel gave him a slight bow and walked off, Pandora walking beside him. The teacher faced the other students and asked, “What? Is this a show?”

7:10am, Azel and Pandora were walking side by side.

“That teacher was funny!” Pandora laughed.

Azel shrugged, unsure of how to best deal with that version of Pandora. Pandora was walking quite dangerously too, making Azel worry quite a bit. Pandora started talking on her own, “I got lost on the way here!”

She said it with such confidence that Azel wanted to question her daily life. She continued, “But I found my ways back!”

Pandora giggled uncontrollably, like a child on a sugar high. Azel wanted to ask what class she was in, but could not seem to find how to phrase it without speaking. He pulled out the letter with his information and pointed at his class, Pandora looking at it with her head sideways, her body leaning quite a bit to the side.

“You’re in class 3?” Pandora asked. “Same!”

Azel breathed a sigh of relief, Pandora was going to be in the same class as him again, at least he would have one person to talk to. They walked into the school, the place feeling much too different from the last time they were there. It actually felt like a school instead of some depressing prison for problem children.

“Ready for school?” Pandora asked, swinging her arms high.

Azel nodded, and they walked past the stares of the other students into their class.

7:28am, all students gathered in the courtyard, standing.

Azel felt like he stood out, standing at the back of the boy’s line for his class. Pandora, however, was one of the first few in front. Azel simply stood and watched as more students streamed into the courtyard. He saw the teacher with the wooden sword standing near the podium.

Azel did not expect much. In his first and second year, whenever there was supposed to be a Principal’s address, they would end up waiting for half an hour before returning to class. He expected the new school year to be no different.

“Hey, you’re pretty tall.” One of his classmates commented.

Azel gave glanced at him and did not reply. He looked forward, to where Pandora was. She seemed to be acting drunk, slightly annoying the students around her. Worse comes to worst, Azel would simply have to save her.

“Attention all students!” Someone spoke into the microphone.

Azel remembered the teacher. It was the substitute teacher that had presumably attacked their languages teacher. Mr Connor was on the podium, reading out about the changes in the school. Azel tuned out the noise, not interested in such trivial things.

“And now, we have the Principal’s address.” Mr Connor said.

Those that had been in the school for the previous years let out an audible sigh, except for Azel. It was not a large number, but it did raise some questions about why they had sighed. Azel watched as a figure walked onto the stage. She was young and looked his age, even.

7:37am, Scarlet, tapped the microphone.

She cleared her throat. She wore her half veil and really stood out. She started, “Well, hello, this is your Principal talking. Great to see some of you back, and welcome to those who had just enrolled into the school. I’m am your Principal, Scarlet Rose, and I hope that all of you can cooperate with the school.”

There was increased whispering between the student body. Everyone, even Yuki was shocked that Scarlet had come out to give the speech. Scarlet, seeing their reactions, smiled. She checked her script and coughed to get everyone’s attention. She continued, “Okay, so now that everyone’s quiet ended down...”

They refused to be quiet.

“Okay, shut up, seriously.” Scarlet told them.

There was a pause, the students dead quiet. Scarlet sighed and continued, “Well, I’ll just explain a few changes the school has made since the last time and certain things you guys need to watch out for. This is a new school year, and I hope an accident like the last time will not occur again.”

She started to speak, most of what she said being absorbed by the student body. It was something that other high schools did not have, and Scarlet was saying it like it was an everyday thing. In the end, she simply said:

“Welcome to Atdonus High.”