Chapter 2: Memories Set in Stone
I don’t understand apathy.
I mean, I don’t care about a lot of things.
But at least I care about myself.
* Unknown
Felix
Lying down on the ground. On my side. The living room is sideways. The air smells stale. A hint of mothballs. The taste of blood. A dull ache in my head. Blurry vision. A ringing in my ears. A familiar scene. An old memory.
She stands above me. An elderly woman. A frail and weak woman. My grandmother who sat wasting away on the couch, watching old shows on the TV. But right now, she was far from weak and old. She was burning, her face a livid red. Drops of spit flew from her mouth as she yelled. Her right hand clenched in a fist as she shook it.
“How many times must I tell you?” She draws her foot back and slams it into my stomach. I gasp and find myself unable to breathe.
“Why are you like this? Why do you never listen?” She stomps on me repeatedly. I curl up into a ball.
“Possessed. You’re possessed! Possessed by a devil!” Her eyes are bloodshot. Her left hand clutches a small, metal cross. Blood trickles down from how hard she is gripping it.
“Darksided! You’re darksided! God can’t save you! No one can! You devil!” She screams, throwing her head back. She looks back at me.
“Get up. Get up you devil."
I obey. I struggle to my feet. She draws her left hand back. She hits me, holding her cross in hand. My head whips to the side and I fall to the ground.
“Get up.” She repeats.
I obey.
She draws her fist back.
She hits me.
I fall down.
“Get up.”
I obey.
She draws.
She hits.
I fall.
It repeats.
* * *
I opened my eyes. I was on a bus. I must have fallen asleep. A few other kids were scattered throughout the seats. We were all headed to one destination. New Future Academy. I looked outside the window. The scenery of lush forestry quickly passed by as the bus sped along.
I checked my phone. An hour had passed since I had gotten on the bus. New Future Academy was located in the middle of the mountains. This bus ride was 3 hours long, due to all the twists and turns of roads.
Why would they build this school deep within these mountains? It’s like they didn’t want people getting here very easily. It would probably be a nightmare trying to walk here.
2 hours later, the bus finally arrived at a towering building surrounded by forestry. A tall, formidable building that seemed to have a mountain of history behind it.
The other students got off the bus and I followed. We walked towards the school. When we entered, we were welcomed by faculty.
“Welcome! Congratulations on being accepted to New Future Academy!”
“Please! This way to the entrance ceremony!”
They all had bright smiles on their faces. Maybe I should try putting a smile on my face? I walked in the direction the faculty pointed us.
* * *
“Welcome to New Future Academy!” A great, booming voice rang out in the auditorium. Students saw in rows, listening to the speech.
“I am Headmaster Itsan. I am proud to meet all you bright students here today. But do not become too confident. While each of you may be bright and smart, there are many others just as intelligent as you.”
After Headmaster Itsan finished his speech, all the students were given directions to their classrooms. I was headed to class 1-A on the first floor. Freshmen classes were split into three classes, 1-A, 1-B, and 1-C. All of them were on the first floor. The sophomores got the second floor, the juniors got the third, and the seniors got the fourth.
When I entered the classroom, I noticed some students already talking to each other in groups. It seemed that they had already begun making friends. I was about to sit down before I realized something. Shouldn’t I try making friends too? This was my chance to change my life a little.
I randomly chose a group of talking students and walked up to them.
“Oh so you’re from down south? My uncle and his family lives down there.” A boy with red hair was speaking.
“Eh, no way! Have you ever been down there?” A girl with black hair replied.
“Yeah, I’ve been there a couple of times in the summer. Though the heat can get a little unbearable.”
“Hahaha, yeah I get what you’re saying. I’ve lived there my whole life and I can’t stand the weather sometimes.” The girl with black hair was laughing. She noticed me standing behind her.
“Oh hey there!” She smiled at me.
Here I go. I smiled back at her. I think so? Uh oh. I didn’t really know how to smile. And judging by the look on the girl’s face, she wasn’t exactly impressed by my attempt.
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Well, let’s just ignore that and introduce myself.
“Uh. Hey. I’m Felix.”
“Oh. Yeah. I’m Rachel.” The girl replied back. She seemed a little off-put. It seemed my introduction wasn’t going so great.
“Oh and these are some of other students I just met! This is Pierre.” The boy with red hair waved at me.
“This is Elin.” A girl with brown hair sat in her chair. She seemed to be very quiet. She looked at me and quickly looked away.
“And this is Kain.” A boy with intense blue eyes looked at me. “Hello.”
“Nice to meet you all.” I greeted them.
“Likewise.”
Suddenly, the door to the classroom opened. An adult man walked in. He must be the teacher. He walked up to the front of the class and tapped the front board with a ruler. In an instant, he got everyone’s attention. All the students took a seat and sat down.
“Morning class. Nice to see you all on your first day at New Future Academy. I’m your homeroom teacher, Mr. Love.” He smiled at the class. “I will also be teaching your first class, Algebra 2.”
Suddenly, students began muttering.
“Now now. I understand, as freshmen in high school, not everyone may have taken Algebra 1. But as students of New Future Academy, you are expected to be taking accelerated courses. Don’t worry, we will be offering after-school help for those that need it. Anyways, before anything else, let’s take attendance.” Mr. Love took out a small book.
“Alex Aimer.”
“Here.” Mr. Love began writing in his book, checking off names.
“Aaron Angell.”
“Here.”
“Brian Bestal.”
“Here.”
“Cameron Caster."
“Here." A boy with blonde hair answered with a smile on his face.
"Elin Einhorn."
"...here." The girl with brown hair who I met before answered very softly.
"Felix Fehr."
"Here." I answered.
"Garret Galain."
"I'm here."
"Huli Huang."
"Yep."
"Jennifer Ji."
"Here!" A bright voice answered bubbly.
"Kain Kuro."
"Yes." The boy with intense blue eyes answered.
"Maya Migi."
"..."
Mr. Love frowned.
"Maya Migi?"
"..." No one replied.
"I didn't think I'd have a student miss class on the first day of school." Mr. Love sighed. He marked something in his book.
"Alright then. Nero Numer?" He continued.
"Present." A cold voice answered.
"Lily Lilac."
"Yes, I'm here." A voice just as cold as the previous answered. I frowned. It sounded a bit strange.
"Pierre Paramour."
"I'm here." A confident voice replied. It was the boy with red hair.
"Rachel Rin."
"Yes!" It was the bright girl I had talked to earlier.
"Reginold Revington."
"Present."
"Selester Slaine."
"Yeah."
"Tyler Tylee."
"Right here." A loud voice rang out.
"Willow Warudo."
"Here."
"Ulyssa Udeh."
"Yes."
"Okay!" Mr. Love shut his book and placed it on his desk. "That's everyone. 19 students accounted for. Only one missing."
He smiled at the class. “Well, let’s get our first day of class started.”
* * *
Pierre
“Oh Pierre. There are times where I forget you are my own child. How could I have born such a dull and slow son? But then there are times I see you act. There are times I see you lie. There are times where I see you perform. These are the times when I am proud. Proud of my own flesh and blood.”
For the first time in my life, her hand brushes my face.
“An actor. Just like your mother.” A giggle that rings like a set of chimes. The first time I’ve ever heard her laugh like that. Her hand leaves my face.
“But I don’t think I can bear it anymore. I’ve grown bored of this act. It’s time to move on. Onto the next act of my life.”
“M-mom? W-where are you going? T-Take me with you!”
“Pierre. My act is over here. But yours isn’t done yet. Tell me, Pierre. Who do you love more? Me, or your father?”
“You!” I gripped her hand tightly.
“Good. Your father is a boring man. The very definition of mundane. That’s why I can’t stay here anymore. As for you…” Her eyes sparkled.
“I want to see you shine, Pierre. Stay here a little longer. Stay here and put on the greatest act of your life. Make mother proud. I want to see an act that rivals my own. Only then, can you come and find me. Understand?”
She smiled. A smile I’ve never seen before.
“Make mother proud.”
* * *
The last time I talked to my mother was when I was six. She left, leaving only a letter behind. My father was distraught. He had never saw it coming. The words in the letter were scathing. They tore him apart.
He never did understand why she left. He never let go of the small hope that she might return. But I knew. She would never come back.
My mother’s last words echoed in my head. If I wanted to see her again, I had to go find her. I had to show her an act that would completely amaze her.
8 years. I had waited 8 years. I had put on an act for 8 years. I had played the part of a loving, obedient son. I achieved perfect grades. I was the star of the acting club. Teachers adored me. My father couldn’t be more proud of me. To him, I was his ultimate pride. To me, he was my ultimate act.
8 years. After 8 years, I finished my act. My father is behind bars, his entire fortune left behind to me. My uncle would become my guardian, merely a puppet that I control. It was perfect. A perfect act. Not once had I ever slipped up. Not once had I ever confided in someone. Not once had my act ever broke.
So why? So how? How did it fall apart? I clenched my teeth. How did they find out? A prestigious school opened up for the first time and wanted to invite me? Why me?
Fuck, I was mad. I had planned on finding my mother after this, yet now here I was. In this crappy school, wasting my time. Bah. It was time to put on an act once more. I guess I’ll play the part of a kind, smart guy. A typical and boring role. But it was easy to play.
How long will I have to stay here? Four years, until high school’s finished? I’ll have to play a role for four years. Oh well, I’ve already acted for 8 years. Four years shouldn’t be bad at all.
“Ooooh? You like Live Rat too? He’s one of my favorite artists. He actually came to my town down south and played a concert. It was so cooooool.” An asian girl with black hair was talking away. Her name was Rachel. Cheerful and talkative. I knew her kind well. Easy to make friends with. But incessant blabbing.
“Oh so you’re from down south? My uncle and his family lives down there.” I said, putting on one of my signature smiles. I called it Popular and Charming Guy Smile Number One.
“Eh, no way! Have you ever been down there?” She replied, her eyes twinkling.
“Yeah, I’ve been there a couple of times in the summer. Though the heat can get a little unbearable.” I laughed, flashing my Shy But Cool Guy Smile Number Three.
“Hahaha, yeah I get what you’re saying. I’ve lived there my whole life and I can’t stand the weather sometimes.” She laughed too. As she was laughing, I noticed someone standing behind her.
A boy with black hair. His brown eyes were… dull. As if he was absolutely uninterested in everything around him. He seemed boring. Rachel noticed my gaze and turned around.
“Oh hey there!” She smiled at him.
The boy looked at her. After a pause, his lips curved. I felt a chill run down my spine. Was that… supposed to be a smile? His lips vaguely resembled something like a smile. His eyes still remained that dull brown.
“Uh. Hey. I’m Felix.” Ugh. His voice suited him. Monotone. Emotionless.
“Oh. Yeah. I’m Rachel.” Rachel replied back. She seemed a little off-put. I wasn’t surprised. His demeanor was putting me off a little too.
“Oh and these are some of other students I just met! This is Pierre.” She gestured at me. I waved at him, putting on my Cool and Collected Guy Smile Number One.
“This is Elin.” Rachel pointed at a girl with brown hair sitting in a chair. Elin didn’t reply. In fact, I haven’t heard her talk at all. Shy and introverted. Probably had very few friends back where she used to live.
“And this is Kain.” A boy with intense blue eyes replied, “Hello.” Kain was quiet like Elin, but he didn’t seem shy. He wasn’t afraid to make eye contact.
“Nice to meet you all.” Felix greeted us, his voice sounding robotic. Like a machine mimicking a human. I laughed inside a little.
“Likewise.” I answered.