Reborn Heart of Steel

Suddenly, there was a ruckus at the side of the cafeteria and by the door that distorted our conversation. I could glance up to realize that several students were gathered about a boy I did not know that was a transfer student, most likely. He was a rather tall and thin young man with rather bushy dark hair falling down nearly to his eyes. Just as I was observing him, he said something that opened the floor for laughter. At this point, I wanted to have a seat somewhere nearby and envy them deeply. Part of me wishes I could start anew like them, to be able to join a new school can be easy compared to knowing what it feels to have the past holding you back. The boy then looked at us, turning his attention directly on me. I panicked and thought I would see the same look of fear and suspicion I had seen throughout the day. What I expected was him to scowl or even look at me in annoyance, but he only smiled and I do mean genuinely smiled at me. Before I could even say ‘STOP,’ he was advancing towards us carrying the tray. “May I sit here with you?” he inquired, the words having a slurred tone that I could not identify the nationality of. Chase looked at me and I said ‘We both just got caught off guard’. ‘Er, okay’, I was able to say as I pointed at the remaining vacant chairs. He smiled, then took a seat with serious looking faces. ‘I’m Aiden,’ he told me, offering his hand for a shake. It is as if one says: ‘Just moved here from Chicago. ‘ I asked him to shake my hand and I could see him registering who I was, though the handshake was a reluctant one. But it never came.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

‘Hello guys, I am Brianne,’ I introduced myself, barely recognizing my own voice. “And this is Chase. ” Aiden nodded, aggressively attacking his lunch. ‘Hello there, you too, I presume? So, tell me the story of this place. Everyone looks tense, somehow. ‘ I braced myself and waited for Chase to brief him to have the kindness disappear from Aiden’s gaze. Chase simply nodded, he had a smirk that could be interpreted as a cocky smile on his face. “Small town,” he said. “This is big news. You will be caught up soon. ” Aiden blinked but didn’t pursue it any further. Instead, he began this long, protracted story about getting himself lost, or as he put it lost at school and how he had to find his way around the school area, all the while panting and mimicking with such wild overacting that Chase and I were practically rolling on the floor with laughter. And the excitement, the sense of being alive, the knowledge that Della had two crosses and I had one cross and everything was going to be all right for a few minutes at least made me feel almost like a normally constituted person again. It felt as if a burden lifted off my shoulders, the comments I heard and the gazes turned on me disappearing. It was the representation of life before the war, before everything and everyone they once knew was crumbled to ashes. But how long does it last? The moment could not … About an hour until lunch break, I noticed two police officers in uniform coming into the dining hall. Everybody froze and then turned to watch them as they headed for the office secretariat. I was getting nervous, my pulse increased; the palms of my hands were getting wet. Was it because of me that they were present? Had something happened? Have they any News of the Raven?” Chase’s hand found mine under the table and gave a tight-lipped smile of acknowledgment. ‘Breathe,’ he said softly and without any hint of nervousness in his tone. “It’s probably nothing. ”

“Probably they had good news about The Raven” I said with all full hope

“Let’s hope so.” I simply put my head up and said yes, hoping my panting would slow down. But I remained overwhelmed by that feeling that something dreadful was about to occur. Aiden looked between us, and although he wore a smile, it was obvious he was worried. ‘Is everything okay?’ he asked. I did not get the chance to answer that as the intercom came to life. Upon which a teacher’s voice over the intercom announced “Brianne, you are required at the principal’s office. ”

Everyone in the cafeteria dropped their utensils, trying to engage in hushed conversation and giving each other knowing glances. I remained still, heart-beating in my chest, unable to speak or to draw breath. This was it the moment I had been longing for with horror since I woke up to the news that my father had escaped. As he spoke, Chase got up, making the chair scrape on the floor startlingly loudly. ‘I am coming with you,’ he replied, an assertion that did not brook any dissent. I was still weak at the knees, and so I nodded my thanks before standing up. Aiden looked at us with a kind of shock and concern. ‘Good luck,’ he said quietly, and I forced a grin, ‘Thank you. ‘ And as Chase and I left the cafeteria, I could feel the energy, or rather, the lack of it, drain from the room and all the attention cast in our direction, as if a thousand questions were being whispered at once. My thoughts. They went mad; each thought worse than the next; just the thought of it was enough to make one spin. Perhaps they had located The Raven. No one knew when he left. We were devastated.

Going up to the office of the principal was one of the most tortuous experiences of my life. Every move I made led me to a truth that I was not certain that I wanted to deal with. Chase’s hand never left mine, which felt like a protection against my anxiety and the swirling storm of it all. Every time I was nearing the office, I was able to see two police officers standing outside the door. Both of them had rather serious looking faces. The principal was also there; she, at least, had the grace to look somewhat sorry for me. “Miss Brianne,” she said softly. “Come in please, we must sit and chat. ” I had a deep inhale and then glanced at Chase and gave him one final hand grip before releasing it. In any case, I knew that whatever lay behind that door would be a game-changer of sorts. Again. A last glance at Chase, where I found my strength based on the compassion with which he looked at me, I entered the office. The door shut again, and I was in darkness and silence, away from the murmurs and glances, the comfort of being in the dark. And in the middle of a police and my principle, that’s exactly how I felt so alone. Or more afraid of what the future has in store for itself; not one but many you, all mine.