Santa Pyre: The Burning Solaris

3. The Weeks Fly

September 9th, 2043. Fire Flats High School.

The 31 of us piled into the first classroom right (approaching towards it) of the Infirmary. We sat behind our oak desks arranged in six rows of five columns. Miss Scotland stood before the blackboard. Her hands fidgeted nervously as we stared back at her expectantly.

"Oh... Alright class. Let's begin with introductions... I will go first." She wrote her full name on the board before turning back to us. "I'm Daina Scotland... I love chemistry... I hope you all will come to...like me..."

"Daina... What a beautiful name," I thought.

"Who... would like... to go next?" she continued. A brave soul shot up from his seat.

"Like you!? You're the second hottest teacher in school! I LOVE YOU!!" declared the boy. I shook my head, for he had entered straight into the minefield. A vermilion shade of red appeared on our homeroom teacher's face. For a second, she looked as if she would dash clear out of the room.

I heard a sound like, "Eep!" And she was down, unconscious and sprawled out on the floor. Instantly, I sprang into action.

I usually did not like to be a leader, but this was a Class-A emergency. Sammy and I had a system: C, B, A, S, and Z in ascending order of urgency. "Someone, get some drinking water! Some of you, get the nurse! The rest, you're with me! First Aid!" I barked as I stood up. Twenty-nine pairs of eyes turned to me, but I did not flinch. Now was not the time for weakness.

"You heard him! Get moving, you lot!" cried a girl with short brown hair as she stood up. And just like that, the others sprang into action.

"Miss Daina's down! Miss Daina's down!" the others chorused as they carried out my orders. The girl and the group with me got our incapacitated homeroom teacher into a chair and we took turns to fan her with our books.

Soon, another group came back with a bottle of water. "Here you go!" said Joe. I smiled as I accepted it from him, opened it, and carefully fed it to Daina like how my Mom had made me practice so many times. My Mom was a doctor, and she always stressed to Ameera and I of the importance of being able to properly help those in need or hurt.

The final group arrived with Mr. Florence and Miss Peach. From there, it was all a blur of action. Everyone except the girl and I were sent back to our seats as the professional took over. The two of us were taken to Mr. Florence's Office in the Reception House for questioning. Despite our shock of the whole ordeal, we explained as best as we could.

When he decided that we were telling the truth, he let us go with the promise of rewarding our bravery and leadership. I then had a period of English with Daisy Hollis followed by Math with James Crook.

11:40 AM.

"Really!?! That's so cool!" clamored Samuel.

"A rather interesting ordeal indeed," Joe remarked to him.

"Yeah," I had nothing better to add.

The three of us were sitting at a table under the Lunchroom. My tray was untouched; I was too worried about Miss Daina to eat. Sammy and Joe did not share my anxiety as I refused to tell them outright. I could be sure Joe was concerned in his own way.

But I was too caught up in my own thoughts. Which was why it came as a shock when her timid voice called out to me, OK, more like whispered, "Uh, Bill... Punjabé, right?" I turned my head a little too fast, easily startling her. "EEK!!"

"Huh!? Miss Scotland?" She looked a lot better than the crumpled, passed out heap in class... Add beautiful to that list. "Can I help you?" Oops. The moment those words were out, she looked dejected for some reason. 

"Oh... Sorry to disturb you..." She quickly turned to leave. But an unknown force compelled me to stop her. Without thinking I quickly stood up and grabbed her right wrist. She froze... as did time for a few seconds. It was soon restarted by me.

"Wa-wait, don't go!" Before my eyes a scene was unfolding. I saw her lunch tray steadily heading for the ground and I quickly saved it. Only a fry and a small splash of drink hit the floor. With a nervous smile, I offered the tray to her. "Uh, you dropped this?" It really came out more of a statement than a question though.

For the briefest of moments; for the first time since I got here; it may have been a trick of the light, but I saw the smallest of smiles alight her pretty face and felt a sliver of confidence from her. It was the absolute most majestic sight I had ever seen in my 13 short years. If I were her age, I would not think twice about proposing to her. Shoot! Why, oh why, was not I born 13 or 14 years earlier than my birthday! I filed that thought for later.

"Th-thank you, again..." Her timidity returned sooner than desired and her smile was gone as soon as it was given. "Uh, um... Do you... mi-mind if I... sit w-with... ne-next to you?" She hid her face with her free hand.

My 13-Year-Old, youthful, heart, DIED! I could not fathom this development. The "second hottest teacher in school" wanted to sit with my friends and I... Mind you, next to ME!?! Surely, I was merely dreaming. There must have been a mistake. Perhaps she was really looking for the girl with the brown hair. For now, I played along, giving her a friendly smile.

"Of course not, Miss! I'd be honored." I quickly tapped Sammy. Catching my drift, he went over to Joe's side of the table.

She looked at me and I once again received her majestic smile, this one divine compared to the first. "Thank you... again..." She sat down slowly before gently placing her tray on the table as if it would simply explode if done any faster. I then took my place next to her and began to eat.

We had started with 55 minutes of break time, and there was still 25 minutes left. Now that I no longer needed to worry I was free to feed my patient, cooperating stomach with my now-most-likely-cold pepperoni pizza slice. Miss Daina ate her cheeseburger slowly and carefully. Was she even more meticulous than me? As for Sam and Joe, they were observing her intently; their trays had long since been cleared.

"So... Miss Scotland," I spoke up after a few minutes of silence, "how are you feeling?"

She hesitated before replying, "Just call me Daina... And I am just fine... thanks to you and Lauren."

"So, Lauren was that girl's name. She seemed nice." Back to Earth, I felt my cheeks warm up. "Uh, that's great... Miss Daina."

"Really, please don't be so formal with me." I heard Sammy and Joe gasp silently. "You can just call me Daina... It's all right." I then saw that she was trying her best to build a relationship between us. Why me? Why not Lauren instead? Did she not have any friends, even among the numerous staff in this school? Well, that was easy to fix. I guess I could comply with her wishes, for it was not as if I did not respect her. I saw it as a chance to gain her trust.

I offered a warm smile. "Okay... Daina." When she returned a third smile, my blush spiraled out of control. No, Miss Daina was the real gorgeous beauty in this place. Miss Diego could not hold a candle to her. The flame would die out from such radiance.

"Oh... I'm sorry... I made you blush..." She put her hand to her mouth in the most elegant and innocent way possible.

I felt my heart pulsing by four times the healthy speed. Her every action was art in motion. It was overwhelming. Especially to someone like me whom had little experience with girls outside of my family. That is how this mistake came about in a slow, suave, lady killer voice (exaggeration), "Ah, it's okay Daina. It's not your fault that you are so... majestic..."

Samuel and Joseph gasped, their eyes bulging. They stared incredulously at me as her face burned scarlet. My big mouth had let my unstable thoughts slip. I surely had not been thinking straight.

One look at Daina and the only word that came to mind as my head fell was "Oops." A few tears started to roll down the sides of her face and I thought that I had blown it, just like that boy from this morning. In a quiet voice that no soul could hear, I whispered, "Way to go, Mr. Smooth." This was why it came as a HUGE shock to me, and the other students around, when I felt her crush the ever-living ghost out of me in a tight hug. I struggled to pull away my face from a green valley so that I could get a sip of air.

"Thank you! That is the NICEST and most INNOCENT thing anyone has EVER told me!" she declared with emotion and wild abandon. After the shock came mild confusion. What on Earth had I done with the shy, beautiful, reserved Chemistry teacher? Who was this brash, clingy, out spoken replacement!? My mind struggled to comprehend the contrast in personalities.

In the end the embrace was very touching, so I settled to put my arms around to her back. She needed a friend, and this bold act confirmed it. And I was happy to give her one. Honestly, wow. I never imagined that I would make so much progress in one day. We stayed like this for several minutes. I could feel glares from many boys, but I honestly did not care; I was the lucky one. At least until after we released and a sorrowful expression cursed her features. She looked at me in a way as if I was not there, as if she was looking at someone else.

"I... I... I'm sorry." She quickly got up and fled the Lunchroom. Just like that. I was left dumbfounded and saddened. I looked to my friends, whom exchanged glances.

"What just happened?" asked Sammy.

"I have no idea," I shook my head. I really did not know. This was a completely unexpected turn of events.

"I will tell you, young men," said the sudden voice of Mr. Florence. I turned to see him standing behind me. He was looking straight at me. "Bill, right?" he asked, to which I nodded. "You are the first person to get through to her in a long time." My shock grew even more, a greater confusion having been added on top of it.

After school that afternoon, I had a talk with Mr. Florence. What I learned was perplexing and I worried even more.

"Three years ago, 23-year-old Daina Scotland applied to become a teacher here. When the board refused her, she was devastated, for she had been in and out of employment for quite some time. She was already so crushed that she looked as if suicide was her very next option. I felt pity for her, so I made many attempts to convince the board. Finally, I got a yes. It made her really happy for a time, but she soon slipped back into her weaker side. Even now, I am the only person she talks with outside of her students. Actually, she only does her job exceptionally well and that is it. No social contact short of answering Chemistry questions. That is the only thing we ever talk about, because it makes her feel comfortable. When I was a student, I did the subject. So perhaps she feels a sort of understanding between us."

I could only remain silent. All I did manage to say after several moments was, "You mean, she has been like this for that long?" He nodded. I was having a hard time processing all of this. Just what sort of deal have I gotten myself involved in? Why is she so sad, scratch that, depressed all the time?

"You see, young man, she has a very big issue, but she refuses to talk about it," said Florence as if reading my thoughts. "She is so deeply troubled, that it is difficult to imagine what she went through."

"Yeah," I had nothing better to say.

He inhaled and exhaled. "You know, that was not the first time she has had an incident like that... Only the first time she has ever been chosen for a homeroom role. Perhaps I was too pushy on her. Perhaps I should change her..."

I looked at him funny.

Then suddenly, a force of determination swept through my being. "Not-a-chance!" I declared without really thinking it through. The following words just flowed out like water down a storm drain, "This is a serious problem which has gone on for long enough. She needs a friend, someone to help her out. I may be half her age, but in all my naïveté I love her!" Seeing his awkward look, I quickly added, "Like my own mother, I mean! You should have seen her smile; it was the most beautiful on Earth! I hate seeing her so unhappy. It pains me, right in the heart!" I placed the flat of my palm over my chest.

He looked taken aback at my passionate, emotion driven speech. "Somehow, I expected something like this, but I honestly was not prepared for it. You are an interesting young man... Your sense of justice and caring is almost mature! I respect you, Mr. Punjabé!" He offered his hand which I shook. "Bill, I believe that your heroic action yesterday made her see something in you. You are the first person to get her to actually open out socially to a person and I know you can do it again. I shall leave her with Class 8A in your capable hands."

"Thank you, Mr. Florence. You can count on me! I won't let you or her down!"

"I am glad. I am even willing to bet on you! Now, scram on home! Take care."

"Bye, Mr. Florence." I got up and went out of his office.

After that evening I spent with Mr. Florence, I made it a point of duty to do what I could every morning at Homeroom for Miss Daina. This made things run more smoothly, and Lauren would help sometimes. The two of us quickly became friends as I shared the mission with her. Such a task was far too delicate to be handled by one person, I had realized.

At lunchtime, Lauren and Miss Daina would sit with Sammy, Joe and me. We did look like an odd bunch; four teens and a teacher, but who cared? We did not. Gradually we saw little improvements, especially since everyone was very careful of anything we spoke to her. I had especially drilled into Sammy the gravity of the matter.

As the days turned into weeks, I worked hard at my studies. I really wanted that laptop Dad promised me and I was not about to screw up this chance. Without realizing it, I grew smarter and topped the majority of my subjects, even Social Studies, another boring subject I only disliked less than History. Except for Math because Lauren was better, and History because... Well... Because Miss Diego was a metaphorical witch!

I HAD misjudged her. She was WORSE than I could have possibly imagined! She was both conceited AND condescending. She would often berate us. Every 10 seconds or so, she would pull out a mirror, even mid-sentence so as to maintain routine, and admire herself for thirty, that's three-zero, seconds straight! I actually went as far as timing her myself using a stopwatch I borrowed from Miss Carolyn Thomas, and that was the value I got after averaging out my human reaction time error. How could anyone be so obsessed with themselves?

Moving on, Sammy was up to his old self again, pulling out some old tricks as well as new ones. Get this; during week two, he Toilet-Papered the girls' washroom. He luckily did not get caught. Mrs. Florence's face was priceless. Truth be told, I wanted to join him in his antics, but that sentiment was quickly quashed in week three.

On the Tuesday of that week, the cocky i***t went too far. He got into the school garden and unlatched the chicken coop. He scared the chickens, causing the maddened birds to fly out over the school. The school grounds received an aerial bombardment of poop! It would take days to get rid of the scent of ammonia. Anyway, his luck had ran out as he was unfortunately picked up by angry 12th graders. Particularly, his sister was in a not-so-forgiving mood. Poor guy got the pummeling of a lifetime, and a term worth of community service. I would not want to clean the chicken coop, or the cafeteria roof (which had taken the most bombardment as it was nearest), any time soon. Again, poor guy.

In week four, I started gaining some unwanted attention. There were those of my classmates who teased me for my brains. Their favorite and non-original nickname was "Geek," mostly because of my love of science and my abilities in Math.

On the other end of the spectrum were those who were jealous of my close relationship with Miss Daina. Their weapon of choice was the classic "Teacher's pet." The nerve of some people in this world! Though, it was technically true. I was on her very short list of people that she was sociable with, along with Lauren and most recently Mr. Tanaka. He was a very pleasant man so I thought it would be good to have him, another teacher, in the circle. For the most part, I ignored the ignorance of the ignorant. I was too happy to let myself be troubled.

Speaking of Mr. Tanaka...

"Konichiwa,  Bill-san. How may I not help you today?" he greeted jokingly. We had become good friends. Now and then, we would have a chat or exchange friendly banter.

"Well, Mr. Tanaka–"

"Come on, Bill. Say it how I taught the class to address me!"

"OK, OK, Tanaka-san," I complied.

"That's better."

"Great. As I was saying, my father wants to buy me a laptop at the end of the term if I come out with straight 'A's. What would you recommend?"

"I see... Let's see. Hmm, hmm, hmm..." He looked deep in thought. Suddenly his face lit up and he launched into techno mode, "Oh! How about the CoreTec™ Zentop III!? It's got Windows™ 20 operating system, 4 Terabyte hard disc drive, 32 Gigabyte RAM, super-fast Intel™ Astro 8.65 Gigahertz processor, Raiden Electronics™ Kirin Thunder graphics card and 17-inch diagonal touch screen LCD!" Would you believe that all of this was said in one breath? I barely understood a thing he said due to how fast he spoke, but it all sounded awesome. "I heard that there might be a special sale sometime during the midterm break. Your father and I should be able to get one at a reduced price. I myself have been meaning to upgrade for a while now."

"Well, maybe the two of you should order together," I suggested. "Who knows, maybe we'll get a bonus."

"That's a splendid idea. Please run it by your dad." We shook hands and I departed from his station in the IT Lab.

At home, Dad liked the idea. He was very pleased that my grades were alright so far.

Weeks five and six flew by like rockets, mostly without incident. Mr. Tanaka was the newest addition to our lunch table. I enjoyed his company, for he helped bring out more from Daina. She was still inherently shy, but she was speaking more and seemed happier. She actually smiled more often and even lost her nervous fidgeting. Even after all this time, I could not fathom how so much had changed.

Sammy was still sour but Joe and I did our best to cheer him up. After it was found out that he had committed the other offenses, his punishment had worsened. His parents were raging mad, and they saw fit to cramp out his style. And that was sugar coating it...

On Friday night at the end of week six I got the biggest surprise of my life. When Dad came home, he was carrying just the right sized box. "Christmas came early, son!"

I. Was. Astonished. Flabbergasted. "Dad, you didn't..."

"I sure did!" replied dad. "Guess what!"

"Uh, your brother, my evil uncle, mended his ways?" You do not want to know who that is; trust me on this one.

"Even better! There was this special that Mr. Tanaka informed me of while I was at work, and we both agreed to capitalize!" My mind... crashed. "There is a catch though." I immediately restarted. "It is not yours until the end of the term as per our original agreement. We will set it up together tonight after dinner, but that is all. Understood?"

I saluted. A deal was a deal. There was no point in him letting me have it now. If I got hooked on it, it might spoil my grades. Then, it would never be mine.

Regardless, I went to bed that night feeling very accomplished. Life was moving along pretty sweet. Miss Daina was getting better, my grades were alright, and my laptop was secured. Nothing could go wrong.

Or so I thought, however. Nothing, but nothing could have adequately prepared me for the emotional rollercoaster that would be day 1, week seven; absolutely nothing.