Compass of Time - Ch2

“Everyone if I may have your attention,” Mistress Elbirroh’s voice shattered through the chatting and laughing of the children in the Dining Hall, “All, sit down.” She waved her hand in the air as her feet thumped against the floor like a thousand drums as she walked between two of the tables.

Blythe’s tongue rolled smoothly across her lips as she grabbed a banana to eat at her table with Iris. Travis placed a hand on her shoulder and bent to her ear to whisper, “I’ll walk you to your table.” Blythe resisted the urge to knocked his hand away and started to walk with him with all eyes on either she and Travis or Mistress Elbirroh who was taking a seat at the large chair in the center of the stage. As Travis led Blythe to her table he whispered, “Hey, if you need any help in the future other than me catching you, feel free to come to me, okay? If you can’t find me in class, Dining Hall, courtyard or library I’ll be in my room. Room 87 just so you know.”

“I won’t need your help in the future, ever.” Blythe whispered back to him.

“Sure.” He said smoothly and watched her take her seat.

The chair fit neatly under Blythe as she scrapped it along the floor to push herself in. All heads turned towards Mistress Elbirroh once Travis had sat down. The Mistress cleared her throat and snapped her fingers.

“Children. It’s another day. Please, when you finish your food, and be quick about it, empty your trays and make your way to your dorms to get your books for first period class of the day. Also, I would like to welcome a new student.”

A sinking feeling started to grow in Blythe’s stomach as her eyes opened wide. Iris, Natalie and Ruby stared at her with horrified expressions. She bit her bottom lip, almost drawing blood, and stared at her hands like they would save her from this torture. A deep breath calmed her down; maybe Mistress Elbirroh wasn’t planning on announcing her, maybe some helpless freshmen. Blythe gave a small smile to reassure herself more than anyone else. She pushed her shoulders back and sat up straighter, attempting to look dignified and fearless.

“Would Blythe Turner please stand up? Blythe is sixteen and will be starting as a junior today.” Mistress Elbirroh waited a second before snapping, “Blythe. Stand up. Come over to me and receive your class schedule.”

Blackness slid over Blythe’s eyes as she closed her eyes. The light glimpsed back at her as she opened them again and stood proudly up. The feel of a thousand pairs of eyes made her want to curl up and pretend nobody could see her, but she knew that was not a possibility. She pushed her chair into the table and made her way silently and slowly up to the stage. Mistress Elbirroh leaned over and handed the leathery paper to Blythe. The paper was crisp and smelled like it had just come from the printer. She cast her eyes blankly on the schedule to avoid accidentally staring into the eyes of a classmate. Sitting down, she breathed an inward sigh of relief and looked over the words that danced across her paper. Her eyes followed the words as they twirled in front of her and she read it over multiple times until the schedule was tightly locked inside her brain.

“That is all for this morning. You all are dismissed.” Mistress Elbirroh waved her hand in the air towards the single door as the scuffing of chairs on the floor filled the Dining Room.

Blythe stood along with her friends and frowned as she stared at her unopened banana.

“That was so brave!” Iris marveled and took hold of Blythe’s forearm before Blythe could reach for her banana, “I never would have been able to stand up in front of everyone and do that. I probably would have fainted. Or worse, died.”

Natalie and Ruby followed behind with eager expressions pasted onto their faces, “So brave.” Natalie repeated and Ruby nodded, bobbing her head so fast that Blythe wondered if it would fall off and roll away.

“I just stood up and walked to her to get a schedule,” Blythe laughed nervously, trying to cover up the fear she had felt earlier. Iris dragged her up the stairs and Blythe’s legs struggled to keep up with Iris. Iris stopped outside of their room and she pulled her key from her pocket. She clicked the door open where is swung to reveal the inside of the room for them. Blythe rubbed her wrist as Iris let go. A sigh exhaled from Blythe’s mouth, “I hate classes.” She grumbled and bent to the floor and grabbed one of her bags. She pawed through it until she found her red and black-checkered backpack. Slinging it across her shoulders, Blythe stood up and faced Iris who was hurriedly shoving books into her own backpack.

“I know you don’t have any books,” Iris started, her eyes never leaving her backpack, “but you should bring your lap top because I promise you’ll need it in almost every class.”

Blythe looked at her small HP Notebook and bit the inside of her cheek, “Alright.” She said finally and took the laptop, sliding it carefully into her backpack. Running a hand through her golden hair, Blythe looked down at her small bedside table. A wooden pencil was placed in the corner of the table. She picked it up and positioned it so the pencil was stuck behind her ear. She turned towards the door and took a deep breath, closing her eyes for an instant before opening them again and walking out the door. She gripped the schedule in her right hand and looked down at it. The schedule read her first block class as Poetry, which couldn’t have been right. Blythe didn’t write poetry or any sort of literature. Still, she went down the staircase by the Dining Hall door and weaved in between students through the left archway. She gazed with wide eyes as she looked for her classroom, A14.

Her feet stopped in front of a classroom that had the symbol A14 written in large black block letters on the door. She placed her hand on the doorknob, curling her fingers over it. Students around her pushed her to get by her and she swallowed. Getting too nervous for over thinking the class and her first day, Blythe turned around and fled the same direction she had come from. Stopping outside a girl’s bathroom door, she opened it and leaned over one of the sinks, taking deep breathes. Looking up, Blythe made eye contact with Naomi who was pursing her lips.

“What?” Blythe straightened up and ran her fingers down the smooth texture of the straps of her backpack.

“Nothing.” Naomi shrugged one shoulder and turned to the mirror in front of her sink. She uncapped a lip-gloss and gently let it glide across her bottom lip. She pressed her lips together and made a small smacking sound when she let up. Naomi smiled at herself in the mirror and Blythe envied her for feeling so confident. Blythe felt so small and incompetent next to Naomi and they’d only said two words to each other.

“Um, what’s your first class?” Blythe stuttered, feeling unlike herself for being anxious.

“Poetry.” Naomi said curtly and capped her lip-gloss, placing it in a petite crimson makeup bag. She pulled out eyeliner and neatly dragged off the cap for that. She placed a long red fingernail under her right eye and pulled the pocket skin down to apply. Blythe looked away into her own mirror and stared at her complexion. Nothing was particularity wrong with the way Blythe looked. She was pretty and usually had an air of confidence floating purposefully around her shoulders.

“Mine too.” Blythe smiled broadly, watching her smile stretch outward. She felt herself regaining her confidence and relaxed her tense shoulders.

“Let’s walk there together.” Naomi suggested and grabbed Blythe’s arm, smacking her lips one more time before pushing open the bathroom door. Surprise filled Blythe as she noticed the hallways were deserted of all life, “Let’s get out of here before Mistress Horrible sees us.” Naomi started down the hallway at a swift pace. Blythe hitched her backpack onto her shoulder again to keep it from falling.

“Don’t you mean Mistress Elbirroh?” Blythe asked, a small smile starting to play on her lips.

“Haven’t you noticed?” Naomi stopped outside the poetry room, “Elbirroh is Horrible backwards.” She laughed as she pushed open the cheery wooden door and pulled Blythe inside.

The teacher, a tall woman who was a little on the heavy side although not overly so was flailing her arms at a student who looked ready to throw up. Naomi pulled Blythe to a seat in the back and shoved her into a chair next to a boy who had his eyes closed and was leaning back with ear buds in his ears. He held a black iPod loosely in his left hand and his feet were on his own desk. Naomi sat in front of the boy and she turned around to tap his shoe. He opened his eyes sleepily and smiled at Naomi. Naomi waved her fingers at him and cracked a smile of her own, showing off a mouthful of glistening teeth.

“Wren,” Naomi started, “this is Blythe. Blythe this is Wren.”

“How do you know my name?” Blythe asked. She didn’t remember ever telling Naomi her name.

“I know everyone’s name.” Naomi raised an eyebrow to Blythe as if Blythe would question her authority.

“Sure, sure.” Blythe waved her hand in the air and turned to Wren, “Nice to meet you.”

Wren reached up to pull his ear buds out of his ears and waved, “You too.” Wren had messy auburn hair and looked like it had a mind of it’s own. He had dark gray eyes that had a small hint of brown rimming them. He smiled at Blythe as Naomi started to speak again.

“So, Travis and I are going to hang out in the courtyard tonight. Want to come with Piper?” Naomi poked Wren in the knee as he looked back over at her.

“Are you and Travis dating?” Blythe asked, leaning forward.

Naomi looked smug and replied to her with a voice that mimicked her expression, “Why? You like him?”

“No.” Blythe shook her head.

“Hm. Well, he’s got a girlfriend anyway. Or ex-girlfriend. I can never remember with their ridiculous on-of relationship. It’s not me though, Travis is my twin brother. My last name is Royce. Naomi Royce.” Naomi shrugged, “I’m going out with Josh.”

Blythe managed a smile, “I don’t know who Josh is, sorry. New kid, remember?”

“You’re new?” Wren asked tilting his head to the side as his iPod slid a little from his hand, “Well I mean I guess I’ve never seen you around.”

“I came yesterday.” Blythe answered as the teacher snapped her fingers in the front of the classroom.

“Children, we have a new student today.” The teacher wiped a hand across her forehead dramatically, “Blythe, stand up.”

Blythe sighed and stood, the feeling of already doing this washed over her, “I’m Blythe.”

“Yes, yes. We all know. I’m Mrs. Humberg.” Mrs. Humberg said, “Now then, off with my usual new quarter announcements. Welcome to Poetry, one and all.” She bowed to the class, “This quarter of the year will challenge your efforts in mastering the skill it takes to string words together and create beauty. A poet is not someone who can rhyme two words, but a person who can craft magic using only a pencil and paper. A real poet does not use a computer to exhale their thoughts, they write their enchanted language onto a paper. I will expect you all to learn new and rich vocabulary and use it wisely. I strongly hope the winter’s break has not washed your brains of knowledge and that you still have a thirst to quench for new material. I will start off class with a poem I constructed on paper over the winter Holidays.

"This is an ode to flying animals," Mrs. Humberg grabbed a notebook from her desk. The whole class seemed to echo each other in groans and sighs.

"You mean birds?" Naomi raised her hand, bobbing her head to the side. Some people murmured agreement, others sighed once more and Wren, Blythe noticed, put his iPod ear buds back in his ears.

"Do not speak unless told!" Mrs. Humberg snapped. She took a deep breath, opened her notebook and began her poem.

"Fly! Fly! Flap your wings.

Listen to the music,

Of the bird,

It sings.

Why! Why!

Must you be so free?

Is it you?

Or is it me?" Mrs. Humberg read dramatically adding emphasis when it wasn’t needed.

Blythe knitted her eyebrows together and thought, "What?"

"If you will be a bird,

If you will be a song,

Then may I join you?

To sing along?

Forgetting the past!

And struggles in life

Just bear through it!

It will be all right.

So I ask you, dear bird,

Where are your wings?

Does this mean I shall sing?

Does it mean for us to unite?

To hold on tight!

To laugh!

To hug!

To stand up for our rights?" Mrs. Humberg continued to bellow. Blythe stared in disbelief as Mrs. Humberg started to tear up.

"I thought this was about birds," Blythe heard a girl across the room ask her friend.

"The tree!

The tree for you and me

The bird!

The bird for what is heard

The water!

For one another," Mrs. Humberg continued and her voice started to waver.

"Um, water and another don't rhyme," another girl whispered to her friend.

"The end!" Mrs. Humberg whispered and closed her hardback journal of her poems with a snap.

Blythe couldn’t help but burst out laughing. She knew the entire classroom was staring at her. Naomi pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled on it. She passed it to Blythe.

Nobody should ever laugh at one of Mrs. Humberg’s poems, Blythe. It read.

Blythe cleared her throat and looked down at her desk, tracing the patterns of old pencil and pen markings with her eyes. A blush crept up from her neck to her cheeks. She dared to look up at Mrs. Humberg’s fuming expression. Blythe took a deep breath and tried to hold a fake apologetic smile as she looked up. Mrs. Humberg was indeed irate, her face blotched with red and her chin tilted upward as if to keep her dignity.

“Was something funny, Miss Turner?” Mrs. Humberg’s nostril’s flared and Blythe could easily imagine a slither of poison gas creeping from her parted lips.

“No ma’am.” Blythe shook her head quickly, “I laugh when something is so beautiful.” Blythe could tell that Mrs. Humberg didn’t believe her and bit her bottom lip in hope she would let it pass.

“I see,” Mrs. Humberg walked behind her desk, “I’ll let your slip up go this time, Miss Turner, considering it’s your first time here. But after that…” Mrs. Humberg turned around and drew an invisible line in the air with her finger across her neck.

“I understand.” Blythe whispered glumly and spent the remaining period of the class doing exactly as she was told, scratching her pencil against a piece of paper and creating a poem that was not of her best interest.

The next period of the school day was science, in which Blythe had with Wren, Naomi and Travis. The only open spot was next to Travis and Blythe slid cautiously into the seat. Naomi and Wren were seated in front of Travis and Blythe and spent almost the entire class period turned around in their seats talking with the two. Travis had a grin plastered on his face the entire class period and as the bell rang for the dismissal he grabbed Blythe’s hand.

“And you thought we wouldn’t see each other in the future.” His voice was accusing as the rest of the class slipped from the room, their eagerness following them out.

“I didn’t say that. I said I wouldn’t ever need your help.” Blythe hissed at him.

“Sure.” Travis nodded and let go of her hand as they both headed for the door, “Of course you won’t need my help. You know, Blythe, it’s okay to have help from others.”

“Not for me. Whenever someone tries to help me, or gets too involved in my life something bad happens to them and sometimes myself.” Blythe told him, starting to choke up. Travis pulled Blythe into a hug and ran his fingers down her spine.

“It’s okay, Blythe. I get it.” Travis let go of her and fled down the hallway, leaving Blythe standing in the doorway of the science classroom.

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Hi there! This isn't part of the story, so it's me Carebear here anyway, I just wanted to let all ya'll know who read this story that Mrs. Humberg's poem was not intended to be a real poem that would be good in any way. Although, if there are grammar and punctuation mistakes you can correct me on those, I'm not really a poet, but I think I'm sort of okay at writing bad poetry hm?