Chapter 2 - A familiar face

Chapter 2

A sudden gust of wind whooshed past me, nearly knocking me over. Out of nowhere, a boy with jet-black hair and tanned skin appeared, moving so fast that it felt unreal. Before I could register what was happening, slamming the bully into the lockers with startling force.

The teacher spun around, eyes wide, and rushed to pull him away. Her grip was tight as she shoved him back, clearly trying to stop a potential fight before it escalated further.

The guy who saved me looked like he was ready to beat the bully bloody. His whole body tensed with raw energy, but the teacher's intervention seemed to snap him out of it.

The school bell rang loudly, making me jump. My heart hammered in my chest as I glanced back at the scene one last time. There was nothing I could do—so I ran. The last thing I wanted was detention or worse. I was already late for class.

After that point, all I wanted to do was find out the name of the guy who had saved me and thank him for coming to my rescue.

From that point on, I couldn't stop thinking about him. Who was he? Why did he help me? A small part of me felt like I knew him. If not from here, maybe from another time… another life.

Or was it just my imagination? Maybe it was that current school history lesson we had about the rebirth of the Egyptians' afterlife and their lifestyles. Who knows? I guess I have a vivid imagination.

I kept getting bullied, and almost every time, like clockwork, it seemed 'HE' would show up to fix the problem. Then, I would dash off again before I could even see his face or thank him.

As always, One of the bully's favorite moves was knocking my books out of my hands. But before I could even bend down to pick them up—there he was.

Poof, he had the bullies taken care of by the time I picked up my books. I honestly don't know where he came from—the halls were always crowded.

One time, I swear I caught a glimpse of his face as he placed my books in my arms—but he was gone before I could even say, 'Who are you?' or 'Thank you.' It was starting to drive me crazy.

I wanted to ask around to see what others knew or keep an eye out. Someone had to know who he was.

I occasionally heard stories. He was a mysterious kid who came in and out of the shadows like a vigilante, and no one had ever gotten a perfect look at him.

When I caught up with Micah at lunch, we sat down at the table, and she grinned like she was about to stir up trouble.

"So, do you like this guy?" she teased. "Do you want to ask him out?"

"Yes... no... I mean..." I stuttered, stumbling over my words. "I don't know. I just wanted to say thank you for saving me."

"But as time passed, if he wanted me to know who he was, he would've come out and said it. Until then, I figured I would stop obsessing over it."

FLASHBACK

Later that year, on a particularly warm October day, I was a little girl in elementary school. I remembered It wasn't the first time someone had saved me.

I remember a boy I met during summer break. I was playing catch-up because I had missed many school days because of illness.

As the school bell rang, our teachers called us in. It began to snow—not the usual snow, but a strange gray snow—it smeared when you touched it rather than melting into a puddle in my hand.

I didn't see the kids leave, and I guess they didn't see me. When I looked up, no one was there.

I had been sick with an ear infection and didn't hear the teacher calling us inside. While the other kids ran for cover, I stayed behind, completely oblivious.

By the time I realized I was alone, I rushed to the building as the ash began to pour down, thick and fast, making it hard to breathe. I banged on windows and doors, trying to catch someone's attention, but there was no one around. I started to panic. I tried pulling the handles to get inside, but they were all locked.

I tried everything, but my chest tightened, my vision blurred, and the world spun before it went dark.

When I woke up, I was in the hospital with double pneumonia. The doctors said I barely made it, thanks to the illness and the ash.

It turned out that the ash was from the 100-year-old sleeping volcano, Mount Saint Helens. Saint Helen awoke and erupted, causing the weakened mount to collapse and sending tons of ash that traveled from an updraft and crossed the States.

I spent a long time in the hospital, and it really was quite boring. Then, one day, my teacher brought me cards from my classmates. They were all handmade from scraps of paper and clippings.

My favorite card was made from a magazine clipping of a fish in a bowl of water. It said, "Sorry, you feel like a fish out of water." The newbie boy from the playground was in my class. I liked his card the most of all. 

That was a joke about my inability to breathe; I chuckled at the dark humor. I held on to that forever. When I returned to school, that boy and I were closer than ever. 

As a kid, I remember I was not strong and got sick a lot. He took care of me even when I cried. My favorite moment was when we went on a field trip to an ice skating rink.

After an hour, I began to run a fever, so we had to leave the field trip early. I felt terrible for everyone, and we had to leave because I was sick. I tried to persuade them to stay and let me take a nap on the benches inside the building.

When we returned to the school, I had to wait for my mother to pick me up. Our teacher called, telling my mom I was sick. She's said to them that, 'She on her way, but it'll take a minute. She was stuck at work right now.'

I sat on the bench, waiting next to the boy from my class. I started to feel dizzy and was exhausted from the fever, so I asked if I could borrow his shoulder.

"Yeah," he said, and moments later, I fell asleep on his lap. I swore I felt him stroking my hair, but I was too weak to tell anything. Besides, it felt pleasant and calming, so I just let it happen.

His grandma came to pick him up and offered to take me home as well. I asked his grandma to bring her phone so she could call my mom. My mom was still stuck at work due to car trouble. That was the last time I saw him.

PRESENT DAY

"Kaysi… Kaysi." My summer school teacher's sharp voice yanked me out of my thoughts. "I hope you're not dozing off during summer school," she snapped, pulling me back to reality. Maybe I was becoming ill again, or perhaps I was just daydreaming. Why was I thinking about that boy from elementary school?

It hit me then. The boy next to me in summer school—was he the same person who had saved me in middle school? I hadn't gotten a good look before, but now he was sitting right there! It felt like fate. Finally, we were next to each other. It just had to be him, I thought!

I tensed, tumbling through my backpack; I was nervous. I couldn't find a pencil. 

Miss Hughes, "I said as I raised my hand and called out to my summer school teacher. 

"Yes," "she said briskly. "I knew I was in trouble. 

"I seem to have misplaced my pencil. Could I borrow one?"

"No, she snapped, this is a summer class." "I don't have regular school supplies like during normal school throughout the year, so you are out of luck." "You should have brought one," she scowled.

My face flushed. Then, I heard a quiet voice beside me, whispering under his breath.

"Wow," he muttered. Was he mocking me? 

"Hey," he whispered, his timing so precise it was almost like he heard my thoughts.

I turned toward him. "Um... yeah?" I said hesitantly, expecting him to scold or mock me as well.

But instead, he pulled out an extra pencil from his box and handed it to me.

He scoffed in her direction. "She's just a lonely old bitter woman," he whispered with a smirk. "Take it."

This was the first time he had ever spoken to me, and I was excited to hear his voice.

"Thanks. I'll give it back after class."

"I've got extras. No big deal," he smiled. "But yeah, could you please return it?"

I let out a small laugh, careful not to draw attention. Don't worry, I'll make sure to return it.

Summer school days were different from regular school days. We had free time at the end of most days, and there wasn't much work to do. 

We would hang out while we waited for our parents to pick us up.

The boy was the only friend I had or seemed to have made that summer. 

"So... hey, I never got your name," I asked nervously.

"Well, most people call me D."

"That's cool," I said, a little disappointed. 

"What's up? You sound upset." He must have caught the tone change in my voice. 

"Haha," I laughed, scratching my head. "Oops, you caught that?"

"Yeah," I said, a slight smirk playing on my lips. "I was hoping you were this kid I knew in elementary school. You remind me of him."

"Well, you seem familiar. Maybe you're the one who's been saving me from the bullies this year?" I said with a grin.

"I don't like bullies," he said cryptically. "Especially ones who think they can hurt people smaller than them or people who are less able to protect themselves."

"That's true," I agreed. "Nor do I, honestly." He didn't give me a direct answer. He was always trying to dodge me—but something in the way he smiled told me I was right.

"I can't imagine too many people would see someone in need and not respond or help. I think it should be natural human nature."

"When I saw you, I thought you were pretty small." He gave a sly grin. "But don't get me wrong. I think you could stand up for yourself if backed into a corner."

"You know, D… you're pretty cool," I said. 

"Anytime," he said jokingly. "Buy my book." "And you're more than welcome.

"Thanks for the pep talk," hahaha. I awkwardly laughed... Realizing what I said, I was embarrassed by my confession.

He leaned back, grinning. "You know, I'm not the biggest guy on the block either." 

"That's true. I teased. You are short for a guy," I said with a big cheeky smile, trying to get him back at that "you were pretty small" comment.

D raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Brutal."I might not have been 100% sure, "This is him," but something inside my bones, I felt I was - now sure this was the guy who saved me. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I wasn't alone. And in my heart, I was sure - it was him.