Episode Ten

Today is the day~

“Briiinggg~! Brrrriinng~!!”

“Fuck! …oh.” 

I shoot up, wide-eyed and startled. Sitting forward and squinting my eyes, a blaring alarm comes into view as my hazy morning vision transforms the display from intelligible, digital red lines to a cohesive flashing set of numbers reading 5:45AM. Right. I forgot I set an alarm. Guess I’m gonna have to get used to doing that now. I clear the grouchy lump in my throat to croak. 

“Clock, please uh… stop the alarm.”

“Understood. Have a good day, Juuzou.”

“Y-Yeah.. thanks.” 

I lug my heavy body to get up, feeling that usual pit starting to cook up in my stomach. I’ve pretty much gotten used to the vacuum-like bowling ball that enjoys sitting at the base of my belly. Not that I like it, of course. I hate it. I could best describe the feeling as somebeing squeezing the living shit out of my intestines. Groaning, I take a groggy gander at my living space. It’s quaint, I guess. Same old nervously sweaty room, a reflection of its owner. Well, sort of owner. This is still Xander’s apartment. I don’t want to take that away from him unrightfully. The only thing I own is Richard, my new clothes… and of course, myself. My.. lanky, awkward self. I stare at the mirror placed atop my dark and messy dresser. Clothes overflowing from the drawers like the standard bottling up and almost-bursting-at-the-seams ritual I partake in. I own none of those. Xander just has too many damn clothes.

Man, I don’t know whether to be excited about today or to collapse into myself and hide. With my indecisive body, I can never tell. I choose some of my nicer-looking clothing to wear, wanting to look my best. I rub my eyes, making sure it’s me staring back in the mirror. Yep. Despite everything, it’s still me. 

“Knock knock!” 

A noise startles me coming from the door, accompanied by a muffled voice mimicking the sound.

“AH! U-Uh.. yes?”

The door swings open, with my dear brother peering from behind. 

“Morning, Zou! You want a bite before you leave?”

“Oh, no I’m okay. Thank you…”

Xander leans on the door frame, looking straight into my eyes. It’s a bit, intimidating? I don’t know if that’s the word I wanna use.

“Sounds good! I’ll get out of your hair and let you get ready.”

He closes the door softly behind him, leaving me quiet again. The room creaks soundlessly, settling into itself. It really is a reflection of its sort of owner. …Alright, well, back to my clothing. I take off my giant t-shirt, which I’ve chosen for comfort when I sleep. Throwing on the new shirt I bought with Hyori and the others, I glance to the mirror again, fixing careless creases. I tenderly touch my new jeans, appreciating the fabric’s feel. Smells fresh, I suppose. Peeling off the shorts I’m wearing, I take a deep breath; I can still feel that odd bubble in my throat wanting to desperately escape, yet caught right before it can taste freedom. I swallow, forcing the bubble back down, though relentless as it is. 

Tossing my shorts and big t-shirt to the side, I handle my jeans at the waist, threading my tall legs through the holes. One big jump.. And they’re on. Okay, the first obstacle is taken care of. Looking at my reflection once more, I notice my wild hair, strands scurrying away from my scalp in random directions. I guess, I should really brush my hair, huh? Where the hell is my hairbrush.. My eyes zip throughout my room, scanning for any semblance of a brush. Ah! There it is. Why did I leave it at the corner of my bed?? Whatever, I climb atop my springy mattress and reach for the hairbrush, still having some strands attached from when I last brushed. To be honest, I have no idea when that was. 

Anyway, I sit on the edge of my bed, struggling to weave the bristles through my thick, messy hair. Ow.. I should really brush my hair more often. I take small bunches of hair at a time, hoping that smaller chunks will be easier for my poor hairbrush. Quickly combing through while dealing with the pain, I take the last piece left and brush through it. Aaaand.. Done. Okay, that took some time but that’s fine, I won’t be late. It’s still pretty early. Standing up to face myself, I fix my hair to flow in the right areas, still looking pretty crazy. Whatever, my hair has a mind of its own. Making sure everything else looks good on me, I pat down my shirt, swiping away wrinkles again. Okay, I think I’m ready. I hope. 

“Morning! Again, heh.”

As I emerge from the hallway, I see Xander cooking up what I think are eggs and some pieces of meat. I wave to him, saying nothing.

“Do you want me to walk with you to the school?”

“No, it’s okay. I wouldn’t want you to walk all the way back or stay around until school starts.. Thank you though.”

Scanning the living room and kitchen, I look for my shoes, wondering where I last left them. Finding my hightops carelessly left at the door, I notice how neatly Xander left his own pair. Maybe I should start putting them nicely too.. I shake off the unimportant thought, sitting at a dining chair to put my shoes on. 

“You sure? I wouldn’t mind walking back.”

He tosses up the eggs, showing off as he does. I look to him as I tie my laces.

“Y-Yeah, I’m sure. Oh!”

I fit the other shoe on my foot, hurrying back to my room. 

“Oh? Forget something?”

“Mhm.. just gotta get it real quick.”

I rush to open the door, knowing exactly where I last left what I’m looking for. Atop my dresser lays the gift that was given to me in the mail and I grab it carefully, admiring the nice pink glowing gem. It’s really pretty..

I drape it over my neck, happy to have a small accessory. Turning on my heels to the door, I walk out of my dark and lonely sanctuary, saying goodbye to it. Bye, room.

“Alright, I-I’m heading out! I’m really nervous about this…”

“Don’t be! Principal Deadman is super chill. Plus you got accepted anyway! No reason to worry.”

Xander plates his food, then turns, heading to the dining table. 

“She’ll prolly talk about uniforms, your classes, and such. You’ll be okay!”

He flashes a warm smile towards me, and I relax a little. It’s nice to hear that.. Though I’m still nervous.

“Y-Yeah, okay… I’ll see you later, hopefully.”

Prying open the door in front of me, I wave goodbye to my brother. He waves back, stuffing his face with breakfast.

“Haf fun! I’ll shee you latur!” 

“Huff.. huff..” 

Man, I really need to run more. My wings are still a little sore from that fall— Why am I so out of breath?? I rest my hands on my knees, looking around the empty school entrance. Even though I’ve stood here before, it’s still incredibly intimidating… Oh jeez, my stomach is bubbling again. Just walk inside, Juuzou, you can do this! Ughh I hope talking to myself is helping. I take a shaky step towards the staircase, gripping the railings to get some stability, physically and mentally. Opening the heavy doors now, I peer inside. Huh. Mostly empty. It makes sense, this is way earlier than students normally arrive here.. It seems some teachers are walking about the hallways and some workers too. I head inside the school, closing the iron door as softly as I can behind me. 

Okay, Principal’s office… Principal’s office… Ah! That way. I listen to an overhead sign guiding me in the right direction. I hope no one talks to me. Speedwalking towards the arrow, I see a door at the end of a stretching-long hallway, I can barely read letters above the door, though I think it says ‘Principal’s Office.’ Walking this long path with me is a tall and dark… figure? I’ve never seen a being like them. It seems like they’re dripping as they walk, though the substance collects back into the being with every step taken. Ah, I’m getting distracted! 

As I arrive at the Principal’s door, I gingerly knock, hoping it’s loud enough to be heard. I hear something like wheels rolling on hardwood flooring, then a muffled voice.

“Ah, come in!”

I pry open the door after the being’s consent, and what I presume to be Principal Deadman’s voice, greeting me is exactly what was expected. 

“You’re… Juuzou, yes? Welcome to the school, my darling!”

“Y-Yes, ma’am. Thank you..”

“Take a seat! Make yourself comfortable, please.”

The room smells nice, with a citrus, orange-like scent. Yellow flowers sit in a beautiful blue vase, completely contrasting the light-purple walls and wooden floors. Principal Deadman adjusts herself in her wheeled chair, resting her arms on the desk in front of her. The desk is extremely neat, with no paper or pen out of place. A calendar with many post-it notes adorns the wall to her right, along with picture frames of what I presume to be students and many different colored flowers. They’re.. really beautiful. Sitting at her desk is a small stand-up frame facing away from me, though I can see there’s a note on the back reading “My lovely daughter, Happy birthday!” I take a seat in one of the chairs in front of the undead principal, whose outfit and hair are perfectly pristine. 

“Are you nervous, my dear?”

“S-Sorry? Oh.. a little, yes.”

Her question startled me a bit—

“That’s completely understandable. I read the notes you put in your form…”

She pauses, I try my best to analyze her expression; though stern, I see Principal Deadman’s sunken pale eyes soften a bit. 

“It must be a lot to process. Coming from Uroth— If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here. We have a school counselor as well, just to let you know you have options.”

“Thank you, M-Miss. I appreciate that…”

Didn’t expect to get right into the gritty stuff.

“Alright! On to the fun part, your schedule! I’ve already set up your classes and informed your new teachers about your arrival, so they will be expecting you.” 

“...Okay.” 

I nod as she speaks, making sure she has my full attention. She hands me a folded white paper stating names I clearly don’t recognize. I unfold it, reading the names. Ser.. Creator? I guess he’s my first class. Oh! Creative Writing! Nice. 

“I tried my best to squeeze you into the electives you wanted, and of course your core classes! That will be your mathematics, science, history, and literature classes. Though..”

She pauses again, looking to a computer on her left. Taping the small mouse in front of her shaped like an actual mouse, she clicks away.

“Right! I couldn’t get you into Creator’s literature class, though Creative Writing should suffice. If you ever need extra help with English classes, he’ll be delighted to help!”

I smile timidly at the principal, happy to have my desires prioritized. 

“Th-Thank you! I was actually really excited.. For uh, that class. I um. Like I wrote on my form, I was homeschooled for all of my life so..”

“Of course, darling! You seem like a smart cookie too, so I’m not too worried about your grades, dear.”

Principal Deadman turns from the computer back to me, taking out pairs of purple clothing from a drawer.

“As for uniforms, Would you prefer pants, a skirt, or shorts? I have your correct measurements as per your form, as well as the three options with me here. It’s just up to you! We try our best to accommodate the students here at Deadman’s High.”

“Ah, pants, p-please.” 

“Very well! There’s that for you, along with your shirt. Just to make sure, you did want a bigger size to accommodate your wings, correct?”

“Y-Yes, ma’am. I need to be able to take the shirt off easily if I want to fly.”

“Ah, same as your brother! That’s perfectly fine, then.”

She hands me a pair of dark purple pants and a lilac school shirt. It feels nice and new.. Just like the clothing I bought. Huh. Pretty good texture to them. I rub the fabric between my fingers, fidgeting with it as I place the uniform on my lap.

“Okay, you have your uniform and your schedule, do you have any questions for me, dearie? What about a tour of the school?”

She looks at me with tender eyes, resting her elbows on the desk and her hands on her pointy chin. I meet her gaze, entranced by such a presence.

“Ah, no thank you, P-Principal Deadman. I have.. a friend, who’s showing me around today.”

“Oh, good! You’ve made friends already! I’m very glad, Juuzou. Well, if you have no questions, then you're free to get yourself ready for the day! If you’d like, you can change in the locker rooms or head home. There’s still some time left until the school day starts.”

“A-Alright… I think I’ll head home for now and have some breakfast before I come back.”

I go to stand, gripping my new uniform and schedule tightly. The chair I was sitting on slowly springs back up, its maroon leather shining by the overhead gem light. 

“Of course! Nutrition is very important, darling. I’ll see you soon then. Oh! I will periodically come to check on you during your classes to see how you’ve settled, just to let you know.”

“Ah.. okay. S-Sounds good. I’ll, um, see you later, Miss.” 

Stumbling with my words as awkward as fucking ever, I turn the knob on Principal Deadman’s office door, sliding into the crack I’ve pried open. I dismiss myself, giving a small wave to her with my free hand as I walk meekly out. 

“Oh jeez, I feel like I was holding my breath that whole time.” 

I exhale, placing a hand on my chest. I hug the cool-colored uniform to me closely, looking around my surroundings. Hm. No one’s around. Easier for me. Alright.. How do I get out of this place…

“Oh! That was quick! Welcome back.”

“Y-Yeah, hi… um, the principal just gave me my schedule and uniform so, uh. I’m gonna get changed and have an apple or something.”

I close Xander’s front door quietly, stepping into his flowery-smelling apartment. I stare at the lotus flower on his dining table, something that completely stands out from the rest of his decor.

“See! I told you. Nothing to worry about, heh! C’mere sis!”

Xander attacks me into a too-loving noogie, scruffing up my brushed-but-still-messy hair. 

“Ah! Hey! Q-Quit it!”

I swat his arms away, fumbling to grab the uniform falling out of my hands. Ughhh Xander!

“Okay, okay! Go get changed, I wanna see your uniform!”

He lets me go, and I glare intensely at him, fixing my hair as I gather my things. 

“Jeez, what was that for??” 

“Whaaaat? I can’t love my dear widdle sisteerr??”

“Ew, don’t say it like that.”

“Okay fineee.”

Xander dramatically pouts, placing his hands on his cheeks. I ignore his antics and head to my room to get changed. Fuckin’ Xander. He messed up my bangs bruh. Anyways, let’s get into this new uniform. I slowly open the door, greeting my quiet room once again. Hey, room. 

Holding up the shirt in front of me, I analyze it; each sleeve has a muted purple stripe and a matching ribbon. The top of the shirt has this.. Flabby thing. Same color, honestly I have no idea what it’s for. But it looks sort of good, at least. I turn the shirt and hold it up to my chest, looking at myself in the mirror. The light colors aren’t my usual “style” I suppose, but eh. I place the shirt on top of my bed, peeling off the t-shirt I’m currently wearing, then swiftly switching it out for the new uniform. Huh. Very nice feel to it. It’s kinda soft, but not warm soft. I wonder if they have different uniforms for other seasons.. It’s, uh. Spring, I think. This’ll be nice and cool for the weather. Anyways— pants. 

I strip off my jeans, replacing them with the pants given to me. They have a similar feel to jeans, but not quite. I don’t exactly know what kind of fabric this is, honestly. But it isn’t thick. There's also a small slit for my tail, which is nice. I guess they have different types of pants for varying tails— which makes sense. I check myself out, making sure everything is placed right. Now to tie this ribbon. Aaand… there. Oh! I completely forgot I was wearing the necklace. Hm.. I dunno if it’s against school policy to have jewelry showing. I’ll tuck it in my shirt for now.

“Okay.. how do I look?”

“AAAAAAAHHHHHH JuJu! YOU LOOK GREAT.”

“Xander, I’m right in front of you…”

“I KNOWW— Ahem. I know! I’m just so glad! OH! OH OHH LEMME SEE YOUR SCHEDULE.”

Xander leaps towards me, reaching for the paper gripped in my hand. 

“Ah! Xander, be careful!”

“GIMME GIMME! I need TO SEE.”

“Okay! Jeez, you animal.”

I hand him my schedule, curious about what he’s so eager to see. Fuckin’ hell, how does he have this much energy?? It’s early morning!

“YEEESS. Okay… creatorbevwrenharmonydilwynpehnkap GARTH! WOOO! We have Coach Garth together! Sucks we’ll only see each other for lunch and the last class of the day for us, but still! This is great!”

“Oh, that’s nice. It’ll be refreshing to have a familiar face at the end of the day…”

I take back the paper, folding it in half and then in half again. I pocket it, for safekeeping. I’ll.. prolly need that a lot today. Good thing Hyori’s showing me around.

“So, you gonna have breakfast?”

“Oh, just something small. I’m not really too hungry.”

“Alright then. Ah, one more thing!”

“Hm?”

I turn to face Xander, who has a sly smirk plastered on his face. He’s up to something..

“SIBLING SELFIE!”

He suddenly pulls me into a side hug, whipping out his phone and snapping a pic of us. Ugh, he does these so often. Oh well, he looks pretty happy anyway. I cross my arms with a pout, displeased by the sudden picture-taking still. I let him get his picture, then lightly push him off me.

“Okay, that’s enough–- why the sudden picture, anyway?”

“To celebrate! It’s your first day! I think…”

He pauses, looking off to the middle of the dining table where his lotus flower sits. I stare at him, puzzled. His face changed.. subtle, but I can see it. It’s like his eyes softened with sadness, though I can’t really read into his expression much.

“I think Mom would be proud of you, Zou.”

Oh. That wasn’t what I expected. What’s with beings getting into the gritty stuff today?!

“Y-You uh… you think so?”

I zip my gaze away from his, feeling my eyes getting glossy.

“Yeah. I do. And I’m proud of you, too.”

“Thanks, Xander.. I appreciate it...”

“Of course! Um.. anyway, sorry to mention Mom like that. I know it’s still, uh… touchy subject, but— I was thinking about her.”

“I-It’s okay. I, um— Shouldn’t we head out, now?”

“Ah, shit! Yeah we should, I need to pick up Vonni. You mind walking by yourself to the school?”

“Nah, I don’t mind. I’ll.. see you at the entrance?”

“Of course, sis.”

I drag my feet on the asphalt road, now accompanying me are students heading to the same place I am. I guess I’m technically a student now too. That’s weird to think about. Even though I’ve spent over a week watching beings walk to this school every weekday, they were always a separate group from me. Now.. I’m a part of that group. That’s weird, right? It shouldn’t be weird. What am I even saying? Anyway, I head over to the sidewalk so as to not be a burden to the rare car passing by. Behind me, I can hear loud footsteps slapping against the concrete, and I look back to see what that’s about.

“Heeeyyy! Juuzou!!”

With a high, waving hand, I see a being running towards me speedily; pink heart-shaped buns bounce with her as she stomps on the sidewalk.

“Oh, Hyori! Um.. hi!”

I smile, returning her wave as she catches up to me. I watch her abruptly stop in front of me, placing her hands on her knees and panting through words. Damn, she gets as out of breath as I do, heh.

“Huff… Hey, huff.. Zou! ohmysweets, the desserts are catching up to me..huff..”

“Heh heh, Hi, again.”

I stare down at her with a grin. I’m weirdly amused by this display. Maybe I should reach out my hand to help? Would that be awkward? I contemplate the idea, ultimately deciding to leave her be.

“Phew, okay. I think my breath has caught up to me now. I see you have your new uniform!”

“Oh, yeah! I got it this morning from the principal…”

“It suits you! How’s it fit?”

“Pretty good, actually. It’s loose enough so I can take my shirt off to fly.”

“So you’re gonna fly to the school?”

I go to speak, but the words get caught in my throat. I don’t really want to tell her my wings are still sore.. That’ll just make her worry. But, I do want to be honest. I don’t want to mess this up…

“Ah, I um— I can’t. My wings, they’re, um. They’re still sore from that fall.”

“Oh no! Really?? You sure you’re gonna be okay?”

Aaaand there’s the worried face I didn’t want. She pouts, looking up at me with furrowed-up brows. Ahhhh I can’t ignore that face!

“Yeah! Don’t worry, Yori… I should be able to fly by tomorrow.”

“Okies, well. Do you want us to walk with you?”

Us? I look around, confused by what she said. I don’t see anybeing else around.

“Us…?”

“Yeah! Kai and Mareea are just behind me— oh. I guess not. Maybe they went ahead? Well anyways, do you want to walk together?”

“Oh, um. Yeah, s-sure!”

My stomach bubbles, though this is different from before. It’s like this flurry of soap bubbles popping and reappearing in the base of my belly. Am I nervous? Do I look awkward right now? I really hope not. Am I standing right? Do beings question that? What am I even saying.. We start walking towards the school, at first quietly but Hyori breaks the silence.

“Oh! Can I take a look at your schedule? I know where all the classes are, I can help you get to your first class!”

“Ah, yeah, of course! It would be a great help.. Um.. Can— Can I be honest, Yori?”

Now I know I’m nervous.

“I’m.. uh, I’m actually really anxious about today. Back um.. Where I’m from, I didn’t get to see many different beings or make any friends, like I said before…”

The school enters our view as we walk, still a ways away. As I turn to Hyori, the sunlight hits her eyes, making them gleam beautifully. Ah! I’m distracted! Focus, Juuzou!

“U-Um.. I would never admit this to Xander, plus he was really excited about me going to school so I didn’t wanna bum him out. B-But, uh, I’m— I’m a bit scared.”

“Hey, that's perfectly normal, Juuzou. First-day jitters are totally real! I remember My first day here as a human was TERRIFYING. I wasn’t scared of demi-humans or monsters, or anybeing! But, it was still… really intimidating, being one of the very few humans here when I started.”

Hyori stops and places a hand on my arm. Her touch.. It feels nice. I stop as well, looking down at her again. Her eyes are extremely genuine; having this eye contact with her… it doesn’t freak me out like other beings. Something about her is so, so warm. Ahhh my stomach is bubbling again. Amazing. 

“I’m here for you, Zou! If you need any help or just somebeing to talk to, just let me know! Even if you need to just rant about your day, I’ll lend an ear.”

She smiles at me with a huge, cheery grin. I can feel my heart skip, and for the first time, these palpitations don’t bother me or make me even more anxious. Time seems frozen, all I can hear is distant leaves rustling in the quiet breeze. No city noise, no beings chattering, no footsteps, just her. And her sickly sweet smile. She lets go of my arm, and time returns to normal. Man… I wish that lasted longer. Oh— I guess, I should say something.

“Th-Thank you, Hyori. That… that means a lot to me. Really, thank you.”

“Aw, it’s nothing! That’s what friends are for, silly!”

“I-I suppose. Oh! Uh, here's my schedule, by the way.”

Somebeing hollers at us from a distance, a familiar booming voice.

“HEY YOU TWO! The doors are about to open!”

Mareea butts in, waving her own hand. 

“Better hurry up, slowpokes!”

“Yeah, slowpokes!”

“Oyé, don’t call my homegirl a slowpoke, Kai, only I can do that.”

“My bad, gurl.”

I can’t hear it, but I see Vonni covering a hand to her mouth, I assume to stifle a giggle, as she does.

“Oh! Hey guys!”

Hyori takes my schedule, waving at the rest of the group, who are already waiting on the entrance steps. She starts walking towards them, and I follow. 

“Oh. my. SWEETS! Zou, we have first period together! This is great!”

“Really? Oh, phew, that’s amazing to hear.”

I let out a relieved exhale, pressing a hand to my heart. Thank fuckin’ hell I have my first class with Hyori.

“I know, right?? This’ll be so fun! I love Ser Creator’s class. Though, I’m not really a writer.. Hehe. But I think you’ll like him!”

“It was one of the classes I wanted, actually.”

“Seems like we also have Mr. Pehnkap’s Art class together, and Coach Garth. Three classes! This’ll make it much easier to show you around, since we’re going to the same places! Yayy!”

Three classes with Hyori?? What goddess bestowed such luck upon me? Hell, this is awesome! I’m.. already feelin’ kinda better about this whole school thing. 

“That’s great! Man, I got really lucky I guess.”

I smile, feeling the pit in my stomach calming down. I look around the school entrance to the many students waiting for the doors to open, I’m a bit more optimistic about going through my day now that I know I’ll be with Hyori three times. Four if I’m counting lunch— Is it wrong to assume we’ll be at lunch together? She does consider me a friend… and I consider her a friend. Friends sit with friends at lunch, right? Breaking my train of thought, the bells suddenly ring, indicating it’s time. The giant gems above the school glow with each ding, filling my ears with their sound. It’s pretty loud.. I cover my ears, noticing Hyori tapping my shoulder.

“You okay?”

“Oh, um, yeah it’s just… a bit noisy.”

“Yeeahh, I could hear these bells from all the way outside the bakery!”

“I remember I could hear it from inside Xander’s place.”

“Hah, that’s insane! Anyways, ready to head inside? I’ll show you the way!”

“S-Sure.. As ready as I’ll ever be.”