My First Day at School...

I opened my eyes early in the morning and heard voices from a distance. There seemed to be two people having a word exchange and it was not going well. As if they knew I was awake they decided to continue it later. I got out of my bedroom and went to the bathroom. I opened the glass doors of the shower and found a note inside saying "Use the Bath tub today" I did not like the idea, firstly because I had never used the bath tub, plus I had seen a lot of movies where assassins drowned their targets and at that moment I felt like a target about to be drowned. I was about to turn away when I got this sick feeling, you know that feeling that you get when you are about to disappoint someone important to you? That's the feeling I got. I decided to put aside my fantasies and cleaned up. When I was done, the whole tub was glowing with my divine dirt and essence. I didn't know that this could even happen; mean, back home I just had a regular shower in the water falls and nothing happened, at least not something this spectacular. Maybe it was because I had my wings back then. I didn't enjoy the bath but then again it's not like I could complain about it to anyone. I went back to my room after cleaning the tub and removing all the glowing cobalt blue scum on the walls of the tub. I found black leather clothes on the bed; it was properly made, not the way I had left it before heading out. I put them on and felt them absorb my body heat and then my body started glowing. My hair rearranged its self and became spiky.

I

was heading to the kitchen when I started thinking about Bryce, he had a look of terror on his face last night not to mention his hands being scalded. The weird part was that there was silence in the kitchen. At first I thought they weren't there but then I heard their heart beats and I continued heading there but slowly. I walked in to the kitchen and the whole environment changed. There was a lot of tension in there. I sat down on the table and Ashley brought me some left over pizza slices from last night. Since I wasn't hungry, I packed them in a lunch box. This whole time the only thing they had done was respond to my greeting, nothing else. No words, even their breathing patterns had changed; it was like they were holding their breaths and hoping that nothing like last night's events would be repeated in the kitchen. And that is what tempted me to read their thoughts, I mean, I was curious as to what was running up and about in their minds. I started with Ashley who was very easy to read. I felt her eyes on me before hearing her thoughts; "I wonder what he was dreaming about last night, I mean we all have bad dreams, even nightmares at times but it's like his attack ten times fold when he's asleep. And when he wakes up in the morning it's like nothing happened. He's all happy and smiling and optimistic. Makes me wonder if he has split personalities." Wait, what! Deities cannot have split personalities, it not in the manual. I mean I know that when we live double lives then it can happen that we adopt another personality but I was not living two lives so Big N When I went back into her thoughts I found her wrapped up in her work schedule and so I left her alone. Now, I knew I was banned from looking into Bryce's thoughts but from the frown he had on his face I was certain that something juicy was running in there so I dived in. The weird thing was, when I dived in, I was stopped by a very strong wall. I looked around but I couldn't find any weaknesses to it. It was like he knew I was going to get inside his head. Confused as I was, it was not possible for a human to shield their mind, or so I thought. I retracted my mental links and tried again. I saw him frown at me when I got inside his head so I just faked a smile and pretended to be going about my own business. I found only fear in Bryce "I know that he is an alien but which species of aliens produce radiation in their sleep? Mean it's like living with a time bomb right next door. How are we supposed to sleep in the same house with this thing?" I knew that I was an alien but calling me a thing was going a little overboard. "And then there's Ashley who hangs on to this thing like it's a fragile egg that should not break by any chance. Talk about motherly love to an alien alright. Plus, she didn't even see the need to explain to me that she would be bringing work home, like what is the whole purpose of a relationship if there is no communicating? Guh! My working away from home was so much better and less complicated when you compare it to sharing a house with a freak like this kid. In fact, him being right next to me gives me goosebumps." I wanted to respond to his thoughts badly but I held back. Partly because a moment ago he was shielding his thoughts and the fact that Ashley would know I had disobeyed her. When he said something about exposing me to the authorities my whole perspective about humans changed. I knew I would have to be careful on how I approached them. I shut off my mind and turned to Ashley but she was gone. As if on cue, Bryce also left the kitchen and I was alone. I was heading back to my bedroom when I heard hushed tones in Ashley's bedroom. Not wanting to find out what they were talking about, I quickly dashed to my bedroom and shut the door. When Ashley called for me a few minutes later I had brushed my teeth already and had my bag in my hand. I went for the door and went directly for Ashley's car. I found it unlocked so I got inside. Ashley and Bryce finally got out of the house and she locked the door. They both headed for Bryce's car. It seemed as if there was something that they were trying to settle but couldn't come to a proper decision. I felt a sharp pain in my chest before Bryce's car drove away. Ashley stood there until it turned at a corner and out of view. I saw her wipe her eyes and then walked towards her car. Her eyes were red and as soon as I saw that the pain in my chest got worse. She took the driver's seat and turned on the engine. "are you okay?" I asked her. "Yeah I'm fine" she replied with a sob.

"That's a lie" I said with a suspicious look on my face.

"Wanna tell me what it is you were dreaming about last night?" she turned towards me.

"Don't change the topic" I said returning the same questioning look she had just given me. After a moment of silence, I asked her directly, "Did he hurt you?" even though o already knew the answer. "You are not answering my question" she answered. "nor are you, mother." And she gave me the stern look she always gave me when I was not complying. "Quit giving me that look mom, I've done nothing wrong" She gave out a loud sigh and brushed her hair back with her hand. We pulled up at the school's gate and she turned to look at me. "Please behave yourself and do not cause any trouble on you first day." She said solemnly. "Yes mother" I replied. As soon as I opened the door a wave of uncertainty washed past me. I got the feeling that something was going to go wrong. I felt fear spreading in me but I hid it well and composed my posture. I stepped out of the car and I got the feeling that I did not belong there, mean it was true; I do not belong in a school for humans but then hey, when you just went head to head in the car with your mother you can't turn around and tell her that. I was heading towards the entrance when Ashley called me, then it hit me; I had forgotten my bag in the car. I went back to get it. "Be safe, please" said a desperate Ashley. "Don't worry mom," I said with a very convincing smile "I'll be fine" and I closed the door. I took a few steps forward and then I froze; I didn't know what to do or where to go. I was about to panic when I felt familiar hands wrap around me from behind. I stood there limp with my eyes wide. I then felt a warm kiss on the chick before she let go and went back into the car and drove off. I felt confident at that time that I could do just about anything. I walked towards the entrance only to find an unfriendly but familiar face. She walked up to me and said "You look presentable. Anyways I'm here to make sure that you behave yourself here. Impress me and I might let you stay around a little longer." And she walked away. And once again "I do not like that lady" I said to myself. She was the woman who had informed Ashley that she had orders to take me home so that I could live with her. Anyways as I was following everyone else I couldn't help but notice that they were staring at me. I pretended to ignore that but inside I was wondering what exactly was wrong with me. Unable to resist it, I looked at myself through another person's eyes; the victim was a blonde girl who was passing by me. I saw myself all normal looking except for one thing, I was glowing. In instinct, I tried to turn it off but only made it worse because I glowed brighter which got every person's attention. Now, they were not just staring, they were pointing too. I tried really hard to suppress it but it didn't help so I gave up and let it be. I found another victim who was a red haired boy but I still saw the same image as before. I looked like a freaking model and there was nothing I could do about it. I was a bright light wearing black leather clothes. Not wanting to be the center of attraction, I went through the boy's memories and I found the location of the reception. I picked up the pace and went there. When I got there I was surprised more that she was. It was Ashley's friend Barbara. She let me in and hugged me. "You look good in those" she said. "Thanks, you look magnificent yourself." I replied. She moved away and pressed a button on the wall next to the door which made my ears ring. I covered them as pain shot up to the front of my skull. She released the button and attended to me quickly. "I'm so sorry, I forgot you have super senses" I just nodded as a way of accepting her apology although it didn't make the pain go away any faster. I stayed there with her for a while as she told me everything I needed to know about the place, like where to find the men's room and where the cafeteria was and all that not. "I like your glow by the way" she said without looking at me. In fear, I gave her the questioning look. "Relax," she held my shoulders "Ashley told me all about you." In that moment I didn't know what to do; mean, I couldn't get inside her head. What if she felt my presence there, that wouldn't be good. And it's not like I could ask her any question. What she asked me why I didn't look inside her thoughts for the answers of the questions I would ask her. When the hall ways had cleared up, she led me to my first class for the day; Biology. She knocked at the door, opened and walked in. I saw her talk to the lecturer before gesturing me to walk into the classroom. As soon as I did, the room went quiet as everyone looked at me. I heard a few gasps while others held their breaths. I went to the lady who was teaching and gave her a note from Ashley. After reading it she said "Mr. O'Casey, please be seated." As much as I hated being told what to do by strangers, I could not argue with her order. I looked around for the perfect seat if anything like that even exists but most of them were occupied. The corners which are usually good for people like me who do not want to be noticed were both occupied so I settled for another seat next to a blonde girl with fair skin, a sharp nose, crystal green eyes, perfect bunchy lips and nice rosy pink cheeks. She kinda looked familiar although I couldn't remember where I had seen her. My heart skipped a beat as I sat next to her and as soon as I did, I sensed something like disappointment or jealousy, or was it both? I'm not sure. Discarding the thought from my mind and shielding it, I faced the front like a good student. Then I looked around the laboratory; it was just like most laboratories that I had seen just not like the ones from back home, those were way more advanced than the ones down here. I started fixing the laboratory to make it look like the ones from home in my head... instead of charts I imagined the walls were painted with all the details on the charts, however, that was not enough to distract me from the thoughts of the people around me, mean I could feel my mental links brushing against everybody's thoughts. I wanted to lower my barriers and take a few peeks at their thoughts but I knew better. I felt some unusual pressure on my right side and I knew that someone was getting close to me. I turned in time to find the girl looking at me with dreamy eyes and a stretched out hand. "Hi, I'm Dalia" she said with a big smile. "I'm Kyle, pleasure to acquaint" I replied in an uninterested tone while shaking her hand. Something told me that she would have continued talking had the lecturer not started talking.

"So thanks to technology now the lab can be accessible to anyone at any time. All we have to do is take your fingerprints and register them in the system and you guys can have full access to the lab for study purposes." Said the lecturer. He approached the first student and took his prints and then went around the class doing the same. He finally got to the girl next to me and scanned her. The girl gave an unusual smile as if she knew the lecturer on a first name basis which I have to say I know nothing about. He finally got to me, "Mr. O'Casey, if you would please remove the glove" then it hit me, the glove was covering my glowing hand. I felt my fear rising; to think I would be figured out on my first day and in my first lesson. I didn't know what to do. "Mr. O'Casey, the glove" repeated the lecturer. Hesitantly and slowly, I pulled off the glove. I was more shocked than they were; my hand was not glowing, all that was left were the markings on my skin where the glow should have been. I put my thumb on the scanner and when it turned green I removed it. "You will have to remove that tattoo O'Casey," commented the lecturer "you're too young to be painting your skin." As I put back my glove everyone nearby stretched their necks trying to get a glimpse of my markings. "Pathetic" I chuckled. As the lecturer returned to the front of the class, I felt the glow return to my hand and as its light started showing at the tips of my fingers people in the room turned more of their attention towards me.

"Okay, we get it," said the lecturer, "he's handsome and maybe a little more than he should be" the laughter that erupted got rid of most of the tension in the room and made everyone face the front "but right now I need your attention too. I'm Mr. Naismith, Mark Naismith but students call me Mr. smith. I will be your new Biology teacher. Since I only have a few minutes left, I will just drill in my rules; first of, I value punctuality, so please keep time. Secondly, I noticed that some of you can hardly keep quiet so I can only allow occasional whispers but no noise please. Thirdly, I do not know most of you so in our next lesson you will have to introduce yourselves." And just then, I heard the gears of the bell shifting and I was in time to protect my ears from the agonizing ringing sound of the bell. As everyone was heading out of the room, Mr. smith beckoned me and I went to him. Just then, he grabbed the girl who sits next to me and said "Dalia Sweetheart, could you kindly show this young man his locker? Its number 547." She waited as I went back for my bag and returned to her. She left the classroom with me at her heels. I wanted to use my speed to look around the place, but then I saw cameras around the hallways. And since I was supposed to blend in, I didn't think that part of blending in would be to get caught on camera so I had to keep the slow pace. In this place," she said "you have to find your own crew to fit into; we have the Cool guys" she said pointing at some handsome gentlemen wearing jeans and baseball jackets on the left. "The Nerds" she said to a group of students who were wearing, the same glasses but in different colors. After passing by them, "The Infamous rappers" she said pointing at a group in guys wearing what I call rapper clothes from back in the early 2000s. "The Tech gigs" she said pointing at a group of students with big phones and a twitching drone in front of them. "The Crazy dudes" she said as we passed a group of guys who looked normal at first but then upon proper inspection were not as normal. "The Clowns" she said pointing at a group that was wearing funny garments. "The Saints." She said to the group of women approaching us; these women were the only people I considered to be wearing appropriate skirts and looking good in them. Their dresses were covering their whole bodies. She continued showing me some of the other groups and saved the best for last "And the Cool girls" she said approaching some really admirable girls with her arms wide. She hugged every one of them and then turned to face me. "Guys, this is-" "Kyle, right?" said one of the girls. The others turned to look at her completely surprised. "What, I heard it from a tweeting bird" said the girl who had said my name in a low and nervous tone.

Just then something at the corner of my peripheral view caught my attention. I turned and to my unexpected surprise it was Manda. Images of my first meet with her flashed before my eyes and I staggered. Luckily there was a wall nearby so I leaned against it. I felt a hand on my shoulder trying to turn me around. I shrugged it away as I tried to regain my composure. "Kyle." And I recognized the voice. I turned to face Barbara. "Are you okay?" she said with a desperately worried look as if she could feel that I was not okay. "I'm fine" I lied. As if she knew I did not want to talk about it, she took my hand and led me to my locker. By then I was on edge like crazy. If someone had approached me from behind I would have annihilated that person. She gave me the locker combination and I opened it. I found a picture of Ashley inside and I picked it up. I turned it around and found a note saying 'If you get nervous of scared, just raise your mental barriers. Protect yourself.' And I felt as if I had been splashed by a wave of calmness. I raised my mental barriers and composed myself. Then I took a book entitled Chemistry. I put it in my bag and followed Barbara. When I was walking next to her she said "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"So you are a mind reader"

"What?" I said surprised.

"I asked you in my head if you were okay and you answered me." She said with a satisfied grin.

"It just happens on its own sometimes. Even if I try to turn them off my powers just activate themselves when I'm not paying attention." I said trying to explain. It wasn't long before she opened a door and walked into the room. I followed slowly behind her and watched as she talked to the man standing in front of all the students gathered in the laboratory. There were five rows in the laboratory and not to mention the fact that it was really big and full! I looked through the wall at the back and found allocated work stations with equipment used for conducting experiments. I looked around and found Dalia and her crew occupying one long desk with just one vacant seat next to Dalia. "Mr O'Casey, please be seated, it would be rude of me to have you stand throughout my lesson."