The Quadbrid

chapter 4

“30 days. Great. A whole month to pack up everything I've ever known and shove it all in a box and leave the bubble I call my home. So Fair. Absolutely fantastic. Best day of my life.!” I mumble as I head to work.

The deer trot past me as the sun rays hit a particular colourful flower patch, which I see the honeybees are making light of before winter, when they mainly remain inactive. The birds fly ahead and I swear I see MORE animals then there were yesterday. A fox runs past my legs and darts about in front of me as I keep walking to the edge of the bubble.

I pass the pond. where are all of these animals going to go? What about the pond? Fish can't exactly walk! I'm so angry at the bank! They've been on my back since mum and dad died. They are convinced I'm unfit to look after it so instead they're turning it into a parking lot? No, it's bigger than that.

They just want the money the parking lot will rake in, but despite it being a recognised reserve, they don't care. I'll have to find a new home and ill bring the pond animals with me somehow. The foxes, deer and kangaroos can find another forest, the birds are able to fly, but the pond isn't connected to anything. They will be trapped. I CANNOT ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN! I break my internal monologue and realise I've stressed myself.

I breathe, letting the cold air seep into my lungs to try and calm me down. I can't teach basketball like this. Breathe in 2, 3, 4, 5, breath out 2, 3, 4, 5. Eventually it works and my heart rate returns to normal and I don't want to smite the next person I see. Stupid bank.

I enter the court as all the littlies drop their balls and all come running to me. “Am I running late?” I think looking at my watch as I hug all the 5 year olds. Nope, they are just half an hour early. A small boy named Gus comes up to me again after the hug and says “I like your hair today, it looks alive” I thank him, saying it was a sweet compliment.

“COACH NYRA! GUESS WHAT! MY TOOTH FELL OUT!” a kid named Lucy screams, a bunch of kids start screaming at me about the same thing. I acknowledge each of them and start the lesson.

Jack kept traveling with the ball, he is a kid, so i cant just correct it, i have to be… gentle “jack, hun, u cant walk with the ball. U have to bounce, remember? Wanna try it again?” I say calmly. He nods and proceeds to *try* to bounce while still travelling, its still better, so i let it go

I continued teaching the littlies with dodgeballs when suddenly the bouncing of their small rubber dodgeballs became overwhelmingly loud and seemed to echo like drills into my ears. I excuse myself and step outside as the sun digs its way into my eye sockets.

The sun never bothered me before but now it feels like it hates me. “Whats wrong with me?” I say as my ears stop ringing and the sun leaves me alone and hides behind some clouds. I notice another finch on the fence beside me. It bent its head so he was leaning on my arm, which was leaning on the fence. It looked at me, like passing on a message and flew away.

I calmed down again by using the same technique mum and dad taught me before walking in, expecting the loud drumming that sent me running before, but it was just the usual pat pat pat of rubber on laminate. The kids all look at me and rush to make sure I'm ok. I said I was and we got back to the lesson.

A big sports tournament is coming up and I want us to win. We need a win. The littlies won't compete, they are too young, but the other age groups seem promising. We have to win this time, they can't take another loss. And there's even a scout coming to see the older teens play. They always come this time of year.

I spot a new kid whos only been here for a few sessions hanging in the corner.I walk over to her and she jumps when she sees me. I smile kindly and hold out my hand. I know how to approach shy kids.

She stammers “th-th-thanks couch” she looks down and notice she has a basketball in her arms. Not the rubber dodgeballs I supply. She has to be about 6. I escort her to a bigger court, for the older kids and adults, which is only the next court over so I can still keep an eye on my class.

She dribbles perfectly, has perfect form and lands a 3-pointer to the full sized net. Omg. She's a natural! Still too young for the tournament, but she may be another player in the bigs eventually! I cheer her on as she continues to land basket by basket. I decided to move her up a class.

The classes are over I head home to find, surprise, the old man is still there. “Havent found the lost princess yet?” I ask jokingly. He tells me “I got a lead” I just laugh it off. Although I'm curious who let themselves into my very restricted Nature Reserve. Princess or not, this is private property. “What do you do all day anyway?” I ask as I notice my cabin seems… cleaner.

He answers “oh basic cleaning, walking around the reserve. Belle and Mulan are absolute riots tho, I love watching them. They seem very happy and healthy." He said it as though he could tell. I felt something strange then. Protective but also something else… I couldn't figure out what it was. Trust? No. Not trust. Recognition. He has the same connection to the reserve I do.

Anyway, if the princess WAS here, she's long gone now. There only seems to be one trespasser here, and he's sitting on my couch. I still don't even know if I can trust this man. I have dinner and go to bed. Hoping no weird dreams follow me. No such luck.

It was a little bit more coherent, again with the baby its eyes are open and they look like ice as a small green-coloured hair strand falls into its face. But someone put the glowy purple necklace on it. And after that scene a voice, different from the first but the same as the voice from last night, desperate, emotional “NYRA! COME BACK TO ME!”