After finishing my project and getting a good night sleep, I wake to find that the storm had blown over again and that bright sunshine stood in its place once more. Tipsy informed me that it returned to normal shortly after midnight, which I found odd. Right as the next day comes around, the storm disappears. Just like the last one.

 

I didn’t have time to think about it as the weekend was right around the corner and I couldn’t wait to hand my project in today and be done with it. Creating a voice wave reader is not an easy task. But with it, someone could easily translate what was in someone’s heart rather than what they actually said, simply by registering their voice wave level. It was almost like finding out the truth from a lie, but went much deeper beneath their true feelings and intentions. It was quite ingenious. Even when Mrs. Natsume gave me this project, I thought I wouldn’t be able to accomplish it, but all’s well that ends well.

Our assignments were to design something that would benefit us in the real world, and I chose this.

 

“Good morning class, I hope you all are ready to turn in your assignments.”

 

Mrs. Natsume’s voice rang over the classroom, waking some students who were nodding off. She asked us to line up and hand her our projects, one by one, and put them on her desk. Thankfully, one of the requirements was they couldn’t be larger than a football, so they all fit. Afterwards, she gave a test on varying subjects then dismissed us to second period.

 

New classes were introduced today, including metalworking and business prep. You can only guess which one I took and which one Cocoa took.

 

The new teacher in metalworking was Mr. Reed, a medium weight man dressed in an untucked, navy blue button up shirt and khaki pants. His expression was firm but sincere as he spoke to us on what this class would be all about. Once he finished, he dismissed us to find partners, as he stated, “my class revolves around working in a group of 2 to 3 people, so work to find someone you’re going to be comfortable with in my class for the rest of the semester”. So I strolled around the room, talking to various people who were already matching up or were matched up.

 

People already finished forming groups as I walked around the room twice. Some were from Mrs. Natsume’s class while others seemed new to this one from other classes I wasn’t taking. I wanted to be in a competent group who could work together, but it looked like my hopes were dashed when nearly everyone appealing was taken. Talk about tough luck. At least getting to pick who you were with was better than be assigned someone who would torment you or force all the work on top of you.

 

I returned to my seat in hopes that whoever was left, like me, would come over and ask to join. I was good at working with metal, but not in a group. I didn’t know what to look for, what to consider or how to act. After furiously considering my options, I put my elbows on the desk and clasped my head in my hands, trying to block out the fact that I could fail this class on the first day.

 

“Um, excuse me?”

 

A voice next to me manages to get my attention and I looked up. It was a guy I haven’t seen before.

 

“Do you have a partner?” he asks me, smiling.

 

My heart must have skipped a beat; it was the most amazing looking guy I’ve ever seen. He had gorgeous shaggy brown hair, blue eyes deeper than the sea itself and a smile that made my heart sing.

He wore a black and red striped t-shirt with blue jeans. He looked to be over seven feet tall from where-and how-I was sitting, but he had to be closer to six feet with facial features that could rival the very scenery of Mount Everest during the most beautiful sunset. My heart felt like it was melting down my ribcage as all thought seemed to stop.

 

“Hi. I saw you sitting alone over hear and was wandering if you wanted to partner up. I do a lot of metalwork in my free time, but I think this class will help me improve it a lot more.”

 

His voice was heaven. I wanted my mouth to move but it wouldn’t. It’s like his stare froze every inch of me in place, pinning me down like a mouse cornered by a cat. I’ve never had a guy talk to me before, other than for small things regarding school and mostly because they found me strange, but I’d never think I’d get so lucky as to get one this, this hot!

 

“It’s strange to see a girl in here though, but I’ve seen you around with lots of different machines, all of which probably required metal in some form or another. I think it’s kinda cool.”

 

His voice was music to my ears. His comments made me blush and turn away to hide it. I was so tongue tied right now I couldn’t even form a yelp. Apparently he’s seen me around, but I’ve never laid one eye on him.

 

“It’s okay if you don’t want to, I can find-“

 

“No, I’d love you as a partner.”

 

I quickly look down after that comment. I blurted that out without thinking. He probably thinks I’m crazy now.

 

“Alright,” he chuckles, ignoring my sudden outburst. “Mind if I sit down then?”

 

I nod and he takes the seat next to me.

 

“Now that most of you have found a partner or two,” the teacher calls out; getting everyone’s attention,“I’m going to go over the basics for this class. By the end of it, I want you to know the basic metals for different projects, the use in everyday life of these metals, how they are made and from what, and how they help us each day. We’ll also be making and utilizing some of these aspects in this very room. These will range from folding chairs to bases for umbrellas to metal paneling. Today, however, I want you to go over the syllabus in front of you with your partner or partners and learn what you will be doing and when.”

 

“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself. Names Cody, Cody Belkin,” he extends his arm toward me, “I work part-time making bike parts and help repair them as well.”

 

“R-Random, Random Dadalian,” I respond, stuttering.

 

“Random, quite a unique name, isn’t it?” He chuckles again. It’s official, he thinks I’m weird.

 

I blush and stare down at the paper to try and distract myself.

 

It showed the whole schedule clear through the end of the semester. All projects were to be worked on together and needed a C or higher to pass. Some of them were things I was already familiar with while others looked new.

 

“It looks like we’ll be together the whole year,” Cody comments.

 

I wouldn’t mind working with him forever.

 

We listen to the rest of his lecture then we say goodbye to each other, me heading to my locker and him to his.

 

I expected to find Cocoa near my locker, waiting for me, but she was hanging around Avery again today. Now that they were done with their project, I thought she wouldn’t talk to him anymore. She told me she couldn’t stand him when she first met him, but now she’s talking to him every chance she gets.

 

Once she finished, she walked over with a smile on her face and asked how my new class went.

 

“It went well. We needed to have partners though and I couldn’t find anyone. Well, I couldn’t until this amazingly hot guy came over and asked me to be his partner.”

 

I then went on to explain the details of how it went and certain points seemed to make her shy away. Was she annoyed by me having him as a partner?

 

“What’s wrong?” I ask, closing my locker.

 

“Nothing… It’s nice you found a great partner for class.”

 

Something told me she was upset, but I didn’t push the subject further. Whatever it was, she’d tell me when she was ready.

 

We had hamburger helper for lunch today, something I very much enjoyed.
Afterwards we headed to the remainder of our classes, which were rather unexciting. Mr. Bits kept lecturing me on conflicting artificial intelligence and crossing connections but I just couldn’t focus. Meanwhile, Cocoa was learning how to deal with the average consumer.

 

Once classes finally let out for the day, we decided to head back together, getting a hot chocolate along the way.

 

“I’m glad it’s the weekend,” Cocoa comments, sipping on her chocolate chip, hot chocolate.

 

When we left hot chocolate shop, I remembered I needed something from the junkyard and invited Cocoa along. She looked reluctant to go at first, but eventually agreed. And even though she didn’t have a pass, I knew I could get her inside. We arrived at the junkyard 10 minutes later, hot chocolates finished and thrown away. The guard lets us in without a fuss.

 

“So what are you looking for, Random?”

 

“A few steel coils and some 1 inch metal pipes.”

 

After explaining to Cocoa what I needed, she looked for the coils while I went looking for the metal pipes. We tossed around different machines and various boxes as we pulled coils out from underneath some old tesla coil science projects. The metal pipes came from old sinks and other piping that looked to have been used within the walls of housing. We both laughed as we tried to figure out what most of it was used for. She also explained how her class went and that she enjoyed it exceptionally.

 

Once we finished collecting everything and put it all in my bag, we started toward the exit. On the way, we noticed the same woman I saw here before, carrying a bag that appeared to be filled with coils, metal paneling, antennas and she was holding something I didn’t quite recognize. It was glowing slightly and surrounded by metal and wires.

 

“With this I’ll be able to-“

 

We were able to hear a little of what she was saying before she turned toward us, like something snapped her back to her surroundings. She stopped short, staring down our direction. Luckily we were semi-hidden behind some old equipment, so we were able to quickly duck behind, hoping she didn’t notice.

 

“Anyone there?” she asked in an almost whisper. After several minutes of no response, she shrugged and continued walking. “Must be my imagination.”

 

Once she was gone, I let out a deep breath I held before jumping back here, trying to conceal all sound I could. “That was too close.”

 

“Yeah,” Cocoa agreed, nodding. “Why don’t we follow her?”

 

I stopped and thought about it for a moment. Following her wouldn’t have been a bad thing, and maybe I’d be able to figure out more about that glowing object she had with her. But why am I avoiding her? It’s not like I’m against talking to someone, but there was something about her I didn’t like, which gave me another reason to follow her.

 

“Damn my curiosity!” I curse under my breath. “Alright, let’s go,” I tell Cocoa, grabbing my things as well.

 

We tailed her to the gate then followed her through town, passing by the hot chocolate shop and shoe store along the way.

 

“That’s strange, it’s like she’s taking the route I do to get home.” And it’s not long after that she proves my guess right, only she kept on going further out of town to a location unfamiliar to me or to Cocoa. It was barren of houses as far as we can see with thickets of trees on either side of the road. There was also a cemetery lined with infinite graves. How could I have lived here for so long and not know about any of this?

 

We ducked behind trees when able and stayed as close as we can without letting her catch on. She kept checking over her shoulder but as far as I could tell, she didn’t think she was being followed. Judging by the equipment she continues to gather, I believe she was quite intelligent, or had someone dealing with the stuff for her.

 

“Are we there yet? We must have walked 45 minutes out of our way by now. Does she live out here?”

 

Cocoa kept asking questions as I tried to piece together what she was up to. But she was right, we have walked quite a ways. However, that changed when we eventually reached a rather large, dark blue house with a long walkway, where she made a turn onto. It had a 4 foot bricked fence around it, which allowed Cocoa and I to hide behind it perfectly. When she approached the front door, a man opened the door, and we listened as hard as we could to hear what they were saying.

 

This must have been some rich land out here, judging by the house. The house itself looked gorgeous with large glass windows and a fountain in the center of the cement walkway. The yard had many bushes that were well trimmed and columns that made mine look insignificant. Was she rich or was her family rich?

 

 “Ah Ren, you’re home.” She was greeted by someone in a suit with greying hair. “If you’re looking for him, he’s downstairs.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

The conversation ended there and the door was shut, allowing Cocoa and I to stand up.

 

“So who do you think he’s referring to?” Cocoa asks.

 

“I’m not sure, but I’d like to know more about this Ren and what that stone she had was. But now isn’t the time, I’ve got work to do and it’s late in the afternoon.”

 

Cocoa nods and we head back.

 

“Not bad, Random.”

 

A small cars pulls up behind them after they’re a few blocks away. Inside it was Mrs. Natsume. “You’ve figured out this before even I. You’re smart, but don’t get in over your head.”

 

After she finished talking to herself, she put on her sunglasses and drove past Cocoa and Random; both completely oblivious to who it was.