Septerra Inframagus: Claim Of the Invictus. [REWRITING]

[10] A Landscape Of Life

We went earlier to school than usual. I was more avid than usual. Waiting to meet Alaska and ask her if she'd like to be my partner for the competition. I walked into the class early and looked around expecting her to be seated in the third bench. But she wasn't there. I sighed, a little disappointed, and walked back to my corner bench. To my delight, she was seated right next to my bench. I smiled wide. She wore a wine coloured dress that reached just above her knees, showing a length of her neat slim legs. She was so graceful that she wasn't wearing the dress. The dress seemed honoured to be draped upon her. I was just wearing black jeans and a white hoodie with the words 'No Time To Die'. She looked up from her notebook and smiled. She looked beautiful.

"Hey" I said, suddenly forgetting what I was going to say to her.

"Hey" she lazily waved to me. After I was seated in my bench, she just went back to her notebook. That's when my senses came back to me and I remembered what I was going to say.

"Alaska?" I called out trying to get her attention which was fixed to her writing.

"Mmn? " she said slightly tilting her face but her gaze was still fixed on the notebook.

"Me and Aaron, my roommate were wondering if you'd like to be our partner for the art and poetry competition. We're meeting up right after school today. Will you come?" I asked.

She turned to look at me and since we were sitting really close, for the first time I observed the intensity of her grey eyes. It was a raging storm. With a hint of navy blue and white lines stretching out of her pupil, it proved itself as a rare colour.

"Mmhmm. Sure. I love art. What time??" she asked yanking me back from my daze. 

"Around 5. Nice dress" I added.

" Thanks I guess " she said, shrugging. I laughed. She looked so good and she didn't even know how to recieve a compliment properly.

"You changed your seat, I see" I said.

"I in fact did. I have a lot of work to do today since we skipped chemistry yesterday. I'll go back tomorrow. I switch back and forth when I need to" she replied.

"Oh. OK. So, are you gonna come with us or on your own?" I asked.

"I need to tell my mom. So I'll come on my own. What's the address?" She asked.

"Park residence. Room number A57" I said.

"You're boarding?" she asked surprised.

"Yeah. My father's out of town. Long story" I said.

"What about your mom?" she asked. There. Unavoidable question isn't it? I went cold and dazed out. I remembered that I hadn't researched yesterday. I immediately felt guilty. I was so absorbed in school life that I didn't even take the time to do what I was supposed to do. What she told me to do. Find my real home. Find my mother and bring her back.

"Bro? You've been spacing out" she stated and turned to see what I was looking at so intently as a mark of sarcasm. I chuckled.

"She's away at a job in London"  I lied. She nodded.

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Aaron and I had our notepads, canvas and paints out. We cleaned up. Because who keeps their room messy when a guest visits their house except of course when they're your parents' guests and they have nothing to do with your bedroom. I sat down on the red couch in the living room, in the centre of the apartment near the dining table.

"Aaron? Can I ask you something?" I questioned.

"Yeah. What's up?" he asked.

"Are you only friends with me because I hit Charlie and that makes me the new badass of the school and you want to look cool in front of everyone?" I asked.