Cynthia gave the boys a crushing defeat with her element. As the border came down, Adrien was playing with the little girl. She no longer seemed frightened or was crying. She got up from where she was sitting and hugged Cynthia. "Thank you, Miss!" She exclaimed.
Cynthia gave her a gentle smile. "You're welcome, but I'm not the one you should be thanking."
Both the young girl and Cynthia turned to me. I awkwardly stood there and scratched the back of my neck. I didn't mind helping, but can I get a thanks at least instead of you just staring? I pondered to myself as an awkward silence broke the noise.
The girl looked at me and bowed. "T-Thank you, miwster! I appweciate you for fighting those meanies!"
I beamed at her brightly and gave her a peace sign. "You're welcome, young lady!"
After that, the three of us separated from the little girl as she ran home. Seriously, though, where was her guardian? Did she sneak out or something? I kept asking myself as we all walked to school. My pondering was interrupted as I felt a hand on my left shoulder. I took a look and saw a ticked-off Cynthia.
"You're starting to piss me off, Danny. Like, what were you thinking!"
"Calm down, Cynthia. I'm sure Danny didn't mean to get beaten up. I mean, he can't fully control his powers yet."
"That's exactly why I'm upset with him, Adrien!"
Those two began a quick bickering session about me as we continued walking. The fighting lasted the rest of the trip to the school, until we were just outside the gates. "Look, Cynthia. I'm sorry. I just saw them bullying the girl, and I couldn't leave it alone."
Cynthia sighed as she approached me and put her hands on my shoulders. "Just promise me next time you'll try to buy time so we can get there. I care for your well-being, Danny."
That remark made my face heat up slightly. I promised her I would do so. She smiled and thanked me as she grabbed my hand and pulled me into the school. Our school combines preschool, kindergarten, and middle school. All three of us are starting our first year of middle school. I was ready to take on this new year with a stride.
As I made it to my homeroom classroom, I slid open the door, and immediately, everyone looked at me like an animal. I silently waved as I looked at the blackboard. There were assigned seats. My seat was stationed in the third row near the window. How cliche. I took my heart and relaxed. I still had a couple of bruises from the fight, but I didn't look seriously beaten up. I seemed somewhat presentable for the new year, but my classmates still seemed like they wouldn't open up to me. "Whatever," I muttered as I let my head rest on my hand. The classroom looked faded, with beige-green walls that appeared painted. The paint job was sloppy: only the streaks torn off the walls were recoated, not the whole room.
A couple of minutes passed, and the other students were still chatting. The teacher finally stepped in, and everyone took their seats. The classmates sitting beside me hesitantly took their seats and took out their materials. I rolled my eyes and began to take my notebook and pen out. As I was doing so, the teacher began their lecture.
"Good morning, class. My name is Mr. Hang, and you'll refer to me as that."
Mr. Hang wrote his name next to the assigned seats and put a line under it. "For the next four quarters, I'll be your homeroom teacher, and this will be your homeroom class."
Mr. Hang wrote the classroom number right under his name. He continued lecturing for about 5 minutes, covering etiquette and what to expect. Luckily, he was interrupted by a chime from the room speaker. What followed afterward was a feminine voice.
"May I please see the following students at the counselor's office? Eric Love, Samuel T, Billy Stewart, Daniel Reyes, and Cynthia Ostra. Thank you."
The announcement ended after a second loop, and all the students, even the teacher, looked at me. "Oh, brother..."I groaned as I facepalmed. I took my belongings and left for the counselor's office.
When I entered the office, I saw the bullies and Cynthia sitting on the old rusty chairs. The walls were faded purple with floral designs, and the built-in rug was uncleaned and not very soothing. I shuffled into the nearest available chair and took my seat. "Now, everyone, I'm sure you know why I called you here."Without a second thought, I pointed at the bullies.
"It was their fault; they were bullying a little girl, and I couldn't sit by."
"What! No, we weren't! It was your devilish behavior that scared us into it."
"Oh, now that's ironic. Calling me a devil when everyone thinks you're a devilish-"
"Enough!" The counselor slammed their hands on the table. They cleared their throat.
"I knew this would happen, so I called in a witness. Miss. Kenya, can you bring her in?" The counselor pushes a small button on their desk and speaks into a tiny microphone. Within seconds, the door opened, and a little girl, the same younger girl from earlier, came in.
The counselor chipped in. "Well, I've heard she was more like a victim."As he looks over to the boys.
She had a new dress and shoes on, with her stuffed animal clenched. "This is Lady Lia."
The counselor then smiles as she tells her to sit beside his desk. Lia nods and sits on the small chair. "Now, Lady Lia, please tell me what happened."
She looks at them and looks at us. She then points at me. I cringe a little, thinking she will blame me for everything. "Miwter Devil Boy saved me fwom those meanies!" She exclaims as she mercies me from her microaggressive pointing, aimed at those kids.
"What!" The scrawny kid in the middle, whom I now know as Samuel, retorted.
"Hush now, Samuel. Let the girl speak."
The counselor then smiles at Lia and urges her to continue. She nods again and continues. "The meanies took Snuggles fwom me! These two saved Snuggles! Thank yew, bowth of yew!"I looked at Cynthia. She had been in a sour mood since I had seen her in this room, but after Lia's comment, she began to crack a smile and accepted her thanks. Cynthia always seems grumpy, but there are moments when she shines bright like this, which makes my chest tighten with a weird feeling. I put my hand on her shoulder and smiled. She reacts with a smile of her own. Ahem! The counselor returns our attention to them and re-returns our interrogation.
"So, what were you saying, boys, about Daniel being the cause? 'Cause it seems to me that you three were once again causing trouble to others."
The counselor gave one final stare at the trio of troublemakers before they gave in and told the truth. After considerable scolding, the meeting was wrapped up several minutes later. The trio was sentenced to detention for three days for harassing others. The three and Lia were asked to leave, leaving only Cynthia and me with the counselor. They looked at us and gave us frustrated smiles.
"Now, for the two of you." I felt a sweat drip down my face as I thought of what punishment they would give us.
I turned to Cynthia, who also held the same expression. I could probably guess she was thinking the same way I was. "You two have detention for the day for fighting."
They presumably wrote what I thought to be our sentence on a sheet. They did the same on another sheet and gave us both one sheet. I grabbed the paper. In it, I wrote the following:
Detention Slip
——————
How long? One day (an Hour and a Half)
Where?: Clubroom MA305
Student Name: Daniel Reyes
Teacher Signature: Counselor. Cleo
Will Parents be Called?: Yes.
——————
My eyes widened as I read the last note. Ah, shit. I'm screwed. Those thoughts ran through my mind as we were both asked to leave the room and continue our day as if nothing had happened. As I drift off into my mind's nothingness, I'm pulled back to reality by a nudge. I turn to my left to feel Cynthia nudging me with her elbow. "It's okay, Danny. I'm sure our parents will understand." She tries to reassure me with a smile.
I can't help but crack a smile and trust Cynthia's instincts. "Yeah... Yeah, you're probably right." I say as she walks in front of me.
"Not probably, Danny." She spins back to me.
"I KNOW I'm right." She gives me one of her iconic smiles, which quickly dissolves all other fears I once had.
After a few exchanges, we said goodbye and went to our respective classrooms. The day played out like normal. Everyone is trying to avoid their gaze. Being unable to have a whole conversation with someone who wants to talk to me always makes me sad. It makes me appreciate the conversations with Adrien and Cynthia even more. They always speak to me and defend me when I get picked on. My feelings of happiness always push my other emotions. However, there are moments when negative feelings creep around—the sense of being useless and lonely. By the end of my last class, I quickly tried to push away these feelings as I walked toward the detention room.
I see Cynthia leaning on the wall next to the detention room door. Seems like she was waiting for me to arrive. She quickly noticed me and smiled. "Hey, Danny. Let's get this over with, right?" I nodded as we both entered the room. Some kids were already sitting quietly in separate locations. The three nuisances were already stationed together in the corner of the room. They glare daggers at us but quickly hide their faces as Cynthia retaliates with her own. Nothing eventful happened for the next hour and a half. It was only when we finished that sentence that everything changed.
Once we left the school, Adrien was waiting for us at the gate. He wasn't alone, though, as Lia was also there talking to him. We exchanged our hellos and began walking to our usual hangout spot. "So, how was your short prison sentence?" Cynthia only sighed as she explained our monotonous detention hour. Talking with them brought back all the good, fuzzy feelings. It was a place I never wanted to leave, but instead, I was forced out through a large boom that destroyed the warm paradise we had all escaped to.
"What was that!?" I shouted while looking around.
"I have no idea... but that can't be a good sign." Adrien retorted as he gripped the handles of his backpack.
"We should cancel our plans for today and go home, guys," Cynthia cautioned as we came to a complete stop.
Adrien and I agreed to head back. As soon as we ran the other way, another explosion went off to the left of us. The three of us jumped as the sound of the boom went off. I felt Cynthia put her hand on my shoulder. I looked at her, and I almost went into shock seeing her. She looked terrified. The Cynthia I knew was dauntless and robust. The person I saw then was a frightened little girl. The complete opposite. I grabbed her hand and told Adrien to run with us. "We're going to drop Cynthia off first. Her house is close by."Adrien agreed, and Cynthia returned to her senses as we started running.
"Wait! W-What about you two? That blast was close. We should stay with my father! He's an officer for the town! Remember!?" She blurted out as we sprinted toward the end of the road, which led to her place. I need to check in with my family! I disputed as I continued to race ahead. The houses were symmetrically spread apart, each with a small front lawn and backyard. The houses themselves were enough to fit a family of four.
Some families with more than four members must cram into these tiny homes. Each home looks practically the same, with some changes in the front yard. The same is true for Cynthia's house once we made it there. I opened her gate and banged on the door before letting go of Cynthia's wrist. Seconds later, the door swung open, and I was at the end of the barrel of a rifle by a woman. It was Cynthia's mother. Never had I yelped quicker than that.
"Daniel? Cynthia and Adrien?" she sputtered before lowering her gun.
"Yes, it's us. Take Cynthia," I commanded before moving Cynthia towards her mother.
"I-I'm not leaving you guys," she fretted, grabbing my hand.
"Don't worry, we'll be fine. Just stay here with your mom and pops."
Adrien let the words slip out, and the mother spoke up. "Cynthia's father isn't here."
We all turned to face her. "Isn't it here? Where is he?"We all said.
Her mother brought us all in before slamming the door behind us. "Cynthia. Your father is out there trying to help stop whatever is causing this commotion."
Cynthia cried out in confusion. "So he's not here!"
"No, he's not here." She quickly responded. After hearing that, she ran out through the front door. We all shouted her name before she was out of our vision.
There was a change of plans. Follow Cynthia. We told her mother to stay put as we went for Cynthia. However, she wasn't keen on letting us go, so it took some quick convincing. Afterward, we headed in the same direction Cynthia had gone, which seemed to be the source of the first explosion.
We traveled for about five minutes before we reached the place where it all started. As we were getting closer, the horrors of seeing many people and debris on the floor made me feel sick to my stomach. The stench of blood and iron filled the neighborhood, and the sounds of others screaming and fighting drew near. Adrien and I reached the corner before seeing a young girl being carried under a man's arm. That girl I met before was Lia. She was kicking and screaming for help. Her stuffed bear, now covered in grime, is on the ground.
"Anyone pwease! Papa! Mama!"
"Shut it, you! You're lucky that we need you alive."
Peeking from the corner, I saw others lying near them, still as rocks. Men in suits. "Lia's protectors? Probably not her parents."The man started walking closer to our corner before stopping and looking to his left. He heard a noise coming from the front yard next to him. He stepped closer to the small wooden gate with the crying child under his arm. That's when a young girl sprang out and sucker-punched him. It was Cynthia. The man yelled as he recoiled in pain.
The intense shock of the burning feeling on his nose instinctively made him clench both hands, letting go of Lia. "Ah!"She yelped as she hit the ground and scampered to the corner we were at. I grabbed onto her, and Lia tried biting me before realizing it was me. She felt relieved until she remembered the situation. She lowered her voice to speak to me. "You need to save her, Devil! She's in twuble! Save her as you did with me!" She's right. Cynthia is in danger. I have to help her from that guy. I look over to Adrien to see what he thinks.
He looks at me and nods. "I'll cover you and protect Lady Lia. Go help Cynthia."With that, I charged out. I went through the motions in my head. As a last-minute thought, I couldn't help but wonder what Cynthia was wondering during this event.