I'm sad N's novel has ended, I liked it a lot!
Sorry I haven't posted anything lately, I've been busy with life, plus planning out a new novel I'm co-authoring (yes, another one). My co-author and I haven't come up with a title, or even posted a single chapter, but you can find us at zoneonenovel.blogspot.com
In this chapter, you'll find a reference to an intermission chapter written on North by North. It's referred to by G in his own novel Dennis Raveley. Check it out!
After this long introduction, please enjoy the next chapter!
I crawl out of bed, and fall into
my mindless routine. Put on clothes, go to the bathroom, splash water on my
face, examine the dark circles under my eyes, go downstairs to eat breakfast,
and then go to school. I can do all of it without thinking, a relief for my
tired mind. It’s like I’m viewing my life on a screen, so I can disconnect
whenever I want. Someone else is playing that game, not me.
My parents don’t say anything. Of
course, they know something’s wrong, but I reject any help. I have to get
stronger and get over it, since I was the one that brought it upon myself. I
can’t always rely on others. I leave the house with a bit of my mom’s makeup on
my face to cover up the circles and a half-hearted farewell.
I had to admit, it was a rather
pretty fall day, albeit a bit brisk and chilly with the fall breeze. The red
and orange leaves that had once adorned the trees like flames now flutter to
the ground, crunching below my feet.
I plug into my MP3 player as I
head down the side path that I took to get to Maury’s house during my initial
investigation into the epidemic. I’ve been walking to school by myself lately,
with Lae often at the stage crew club and none of my other friends walking the
same way as I do. I welcome the solitude however, as a time to sort out my
thoughts. I sink into the music blasting in my ears.
I feel a hand placed on my
shoulder, and I spin around quickly. I find the owner of the hand to be Maury’s
mother, Mrs. Spiel. She looks at me with a half smile that doesn’t quite reach
her eyes.
“How are you, Kaya? I haven’t seen
you around very often lately,” she says, and I try my best to give her a smile
back.
“I’m fine, thanks. And you?” I ask
courteously, acting like the polite role model I was known to be.
“Everything’s fine. Normal as it
can get. The house can be a little lonely at times though.” Her small smile
plunges into a frown, and some tears threaten to spill out. Instead, she clears
her throat and puts on that delicate partial smile. “I should let you go to
school dear. You don’t want to be late now.”
She brushes past me, and with a
voice as soft as the stirring breeze, she says, “Thank you for stopping that
murderer. And next time, make sure that your make-up is sufficient to cover
dark circles under your eyes. They’re tricky to hide.”
I jolt back in surprise. I had no
idea she knew that I was “Chimera” and that Chronos was behind Maury’s death. I
feel like asking her how she knew, but she’s already walking in the opposite
direction. From the way she walked, with a tense posture and her quick, stiff
gait, I can tell she doesn’t want to discuss this anymore.
A quick glance at my tablet shows
that the circles under my eyes are still visible; purple still shines through
the skin-toned paste. I wonder if all these days I’ve been trying to cover
these up, they’ve been visible the entire time.
My tablet also tells me that if I
don’t hurry up, I’ll be late for school. I quickly tuck my tablet under my arm
(no time for putting it back in my bag) and run to school.
I reach my class on the second
floor a few minutes after the bell rang, but Madame didn’t notice at all. She’s
too busy reprimanding one of my classmates for forgetting his homework, as most
people in my class do.
“Yo,” greets Lae, as I sit down
beside her. “You’ll never guess what miracle happened!”
I instantly smile. “You actually
did your homework.”
“Hey! How did you know?” she asks,
playfully punching me.
“The only miracles that would ever
happen with you is that you did your homework, or if you suddenly reformed.” I
look up her up and down. “And I don’t see you with pigtails and wearing all
pink and yellow, so it must be the homework.”
“Nice work,” she smiles. “Oh, stay
still for a second.” I obey, and she leans over and pushes a piece of my hair
behind my ear. “You’re missing an earring,” she tells me.
I put up a hand to check, and find
that instead of feeling the bumpy roughness of the earring, there was nothing. “Oh,
I never noticed. It must’ve fallen out when I was running to school.”
“You better take out the other one
and put it in your pocket, in case it’s something to do with the earrings
themselves and how they’re made.”
“Good idea.” I take out my other
earring and place it in my jeans pocket. Madame raps her desk for the class’s
attention, and a blissfully normal day at school begins.
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