Tasting

387–Do Your Homework

Nora:

“They’re not going to let me live,” Robert muttered, shaking his head repeatedly. I rose from my seat and walked over to the principal’s desk, taking his place and smiling to myself–until I lifted my gaze and saw Nash staring at me.

I quickly wiped the smile away. I wasn’t being inconsiderate of Robert’s feelings; I just didn’t understand why I felt so at ease here.

“Robert!” Silas handed him a glass of water, then crouched beside his chair, watching him drink.

“We won’t let anything happen to you. Just start from the beginning, and maybe we can help,” he encouraged, and Robert nodded, adjusting his glasses.

“You see this fighter here-,” Nash pointed at me, causing me to narrow my eyes at him, “she’s really good at dealing with monsters. In fact, that’s basically all she does, aside from emotions and feelings,” he added, making my jaw tighten. He was clearly frustrated that I hadn’t been sharing my emotions with them.

“Anyway, go on,” I muttered, resting my chin on my hands, my elbows propped on the table as I focused on Robert.

“It happened a few days ago when I was on my way home. I decided to take an abandoned road, not thinking much of it. Since the lockdown had just ended, I assumed everything was fine. But then I saw these people- people surrounded by fog. I couldn’t make out their faces, but every time I looked away, they were a little closer. And then, I finally saw their faces

387 Do Your Homework

I had to interrupt; there were too many questions running through my

mind.

“You didn’t turn back?” I asked, and he shook his head, looking almost ashamed.

“Why not? You must have heard about them before. Why didn’t you turn around and run?” I watched as he lowered his head further, nervously pinching the skin between his fingers.

“And how did you see their faces? Did they come that close?” I pressed, and he let out a heavy sigh.

“I walked toward them,”

Nash and Silas turned to me, their eyes reflecting the same shock I felt. Why would someone willingly approach something so sinister?

Unless… he believed they weren’t the biggest threat in that moment.

“Keep talking, tell me, what made you take that abandoned road?” Silas asked, pulling a chair closer and sitting down.

“I didn’t want to be seen by the others,” the boy’s voice trembled, clearly burdened by stress and depression.

“Why?” Nash inquired.

“Because… they were coming after me. They were looking for me, so I heard their voices and decided to run past the fog people. I thought if I didn’t look away, I’d be fine. But then I found myself moving toward them instead, and once I was passing through the fog, that’s when I saw their faces.”

387 Do Your Homework

The horror in his expression was palpable, his eyes wide as he recalled the memory. He gulped nervously, the weight of the story pressing down. on him.

“You heard voices?” I zeroed in on that detail, curious about what had driven him to push past the ominous figures instead of turning back.

“The voices of the students who bully me. They make my life miserable,” he finally broke down, and I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to calm myself.

It became clear that this poor boy had chosen the abandoned road over the safer route to avoid the bullies. It reminded me too much of my own past.

“But how did you survive?” I asked, getting to the core of the mystery.

He shrugged, his confusion apparent.

“Tell me, how have you been feeling these days?” I pressed on, wanting to understand how he could have made it through such a dangerous situation.

“I’ve been getting sympathy, attention… it’s not as bad as it used to be. But sometimes, when I feel really down, especially when the bullies stare at me, I feel so cold and sick,” he admitted, swallowing with difficulty.

“The bullies aren’t bothering you anymore?” I asked, placing my hand on the desk, my fingers tapping thoughtfully.

“No! They’ve stopped temporarily because of how others are treating me for surviving those dangerous beings. But I don’t know how long they’ll resist the urge to bully me again. They even made some comments about my appearance this morning, so I’m afraid they’re going to start again,” he said, lowering his head sadly. His words made me feel genuinely sorry for

him.

room again.

“So?” he asked, eyeing me as I sat comfortably in his chair, leaning back.

I could tell he didn’t like it, but at this point, there wasn’t much he could do about it.

“Do your job and put an end to the bullying. That’s your homework,” I muttered under my breath as I stood up, facing him briefly before walking past him toward the exit.