The birds woke him up before his alarm did. The sky was still the purple green color it usually is before the sun rises. Groggy, he wiped his eyes and sat up slowly. Scratching his back and gnashing his teeth. He felt like one of those monkeys lazily grooming itself.
⛧Good morning Nagwon!⛧
ΨHey sport, ready for your first day of school?Ψ
Five years have passed since the day he, Saggi, and Kimmun came from the waterfall. The ring, long forgotten on the altar, rested finely in the bamboo bowl.
Of course when Kang Bora cleaned it every week she looked at it fondly, not remembering where it came from but admiring its beauty. Sometimes the fiery red turned blue when she touched it. The flowers turned purple and the vines turned a much darker green.
He replied tiredly that he was excited for middle school. Although he didn't expect much.
⛧What do you mean you don't expect much? There is always something new that comes into being, you never know even if you truly do! Something huge may transpire and you probably don't know it!⛧
♋︎Yeah, you're right, but I highly doubt it.♋︎
"Nagwon!" His mothers voice excitedly called from down the hallway.
"Yes Eomma?"
The wooden door opened, Kang Bora's head popping through. A light smile across her face, her eyes tired but an undeniable sparkle was illuminated.
"Are you excited for your 7th year of school!? It's a special year for you, you know."
Nagwon smiled, feeling the younger version of himself wanting to jump up and down and be hoisted in the hair by her. He was too big for her now, in fact he was already three feet taller than her and she's a tall woman herself, standing at 5 '5. He walked over and gave her a hug instead.
"Yeah, Saggi, Kimmun and I were thinking about joining the animated club and sci-fi club. Kimmun also wanted to join the book club, I'm still deciding if I want to read."
"That sounds wonderful!" she said, grabbing his neck and rubbing his head with her knuckles.
Nagwon chuckled.
"Eomma!"
"You'll miss the shuttle if you continue to be a sloth, come, get ready."
Thirty minutes later Nagwon was running out of the door to catch the shuttle. He knew Saggi and Kimmun were waiting for him at the station, they rarely left without him and if they were to, its with good reason.
His wavy hair with estranged curls here and there bounced in his eyes. He needed a haircut, he knew, but he wanted to grow it out this year. He wanted something new. It was already quite boring in this precinct, he could use a little flavor.
♋︎I'm telling you guys, this year's going to go by smoothly, not much is going to happen, I tell you this with conviction.♋︎
A scoff following a laugh rebounded in his head.
⛧Whatever you say Nagwon.⛧
He made it just in time for the shuttle to go to Phoenix Skull ACADEMY. Saggi and Kimmun smiled in relief and then entered the shuttle. It looked like the bullet trains in those old sci-fi movies that showcased the plane known as Earth, which many locals called Tiam'at, Gaia for those who want to be proper and Ki for those who have Direct links to her.
There were different colored ones for each route. The one they were taking was the sleek Black bullet shuttle which takes them directly to the hub of their precinct. Precinct Nôm Kà To be exact or Precinct Urban Sky Dragon as many would like to call it.
"Are you excited for school Nagwon?" Saggi asked, the mischievous squint in his umber eyes.
"I guess," he responded, waiting for the shuttle door to open.
Saggi chuckled.
" That doesn't sound like you're very excited."
The door to the shuttle opened and they entered the dimly lit train. They sat in the row of three where there was a window. Nagwon sat in the middle while Saggi was in the aisle seat and Kimmun was at the window. Kimmun hummed with happiness, noticing the birds flying from branch to branch.
"Kimmun, that bird reminds me of you," Nagwon said, pointing to a green and yellow Paraki, a bird that will go out of its way to watch other beings walk around.
Kimmun chuckled and playfully pushed him. Nagwon could barely feel it, had he not seen him do it he wouldn't have believed he was even touched. Nagwon leaned back in his chair.
"It's going to be the same thing as last year bro, not saying that it wasn't fun. But it wasn't as big as I expected it to be."
"It will get better in our 9th year. We'll be going to the Allstellar Academy where we don't have to come back home and stay on campus. We can do whatever we want!" Saggi exclaimed, his eyes squirting to the point his pupils looked like slits.
"That's what I'm waiting for, but we have two more years left. I might perish from boredom."
Saggi snorted and then doubled over in hysterical laughter. Nagwon couldn't help but laugh with him. Kimmun was watching them with a soft smile on his face. The shuttle had stopped at the next station. Only five more stops before they reached The Hub.
The door opened and Nagwon felt a change in the air. His heartbeat was excited but his mind didn't catch on. Instead he was a tad frightened thinking something was wrong. Saggi seemed to notice the change in mood. His laughter quieted down and he looked towards the door.
A tall boy, just as tall as Nagwon, walked in. His curly russet brown hair was in a bun, some loose strands framing his face. His skin was a light shade of brown, like if a walnut was toasted lightly in a pan.
His chestnut brown eyes were filled with curiosity and excitement. He walked into the train and opened his palm. A golden glow grew from the center and out came a phone. He began to tap on it, his eyes growing with confusion.
Nagwon studied him with interest. He wondered if the boy was going to his school. He couldn't tell because he wasn't wearing a uniform or badge. On the first day of school across the entire precinct kids under grade 9 didn't have to wear uniforms, however after 3 days of school a uniform was provided. After grade 9 it all depends on the academy one were to go to.
The boy looked up, feeling the presence of someone looking at him. They locked eyes. Nagwon wanted to look away but he couldn't. To be honest he was too embarrassed to look away, but he was also too embarrassed to continue looking his way.
"Yo, quick question, is this going to The Hub? I just moved here, shit's confusing," the boy asked.
His voice seemed to just be hitting puberty. It was a tad scratchy, like he was losing his voice, but there was an underlying bass. Nagwon gave a half smirk.
"Yeah, we've got two more stops, are you going to Phoenix Academy?"
"How'd you know?" the boy asked, resting his elbows on his knees.
His eyes had such fire behind them that Nagwon felt a little intimidated, but his curiosity and excitement ruled over the intimidation.
"We're heading the same way. We can show you around, if you weren't born here it can be a little intimidating."
Saggi glanced at Nagwon and then smiled warmfully.
"You're not going to introduce yourself or us?" He asked playfully.
Kimmun lazily turned his head to the boy.
"Oh? My bad, I'm Nagwon, these are my childhood friends. This is Saggi and this is Kimmun. They're really cool people." he said with pride.
The boy smiled brightly. His eyes growing a bit darker. But it seemed that no one noticed.
"I'm Kozo Naugi, but I don't really like the surname Kozo so just call me Naugi Roots."
"All right roots, nice to meet you! You're going to have so much fun, Nagwon will be sure of it," Saggi said, laying a hand on Nagwon's shoulder.
Naugi smiled, his smile seemed to be intoxicating, and a stutter filled Nagwon's heart. He ignored it, but he couldn't help but feel that something was familiar about that smile.
#Transfer point for shuttle destinations#
The four boys walked out of the shuttle, the bustling of the city hitting them in the face.
"Good god, I forgot about how the city is," Nagwon said with a tad bit of trepidation.
Naugi could barely hold the urge to jump for joy.
"This is much better then where I come from, our cities weren't as advanced as yours are!" He shouted.
He was so excited he didn't realize how loud he was being. Luckily they were in the city and it was normal for such a reaction.
Nagwon looked at his wrist watch and double tapped the screen.
"We have ten minutes to get to school, normally we would take the scenic route but we're running late."
They started towards a less crowded street.
"This will take us half the time it would normally take us, just keep up with us alright?" Nagwon said with a coy smile playing on his face.
Nagwon's right foot stomped on the ground and a rush of adrenaline ran through his body. A small burst of energy was felt in the base of his stomach. His breath felt slightly cool. He began to run, his arms going behind his back.
He felt like he was soaring. Saggi and Kimmun followed behind him effortlessly, both having different running styles. Saggi mainly ran with his toes, he liked to feel the bounce and lightness of his feet. Kimmun, opposite to how he normally moves, likes to have a fast pace when he runs. He mainly used his arms occasionally to build up speed.
A ladder entered their view. Nagwon leaped in the air and landed on the 10th rung, he quickly scaled the ladder and ended up on the roof. Nagwon had completely forgotten about the boy, he was in his zone now. He wanted to get to school in record time.
They ran across the roofs of the main abandoned buildings. On occasion an occupied building had to be used due to either construction or just because it was time efficient. Nine minutes later the three boys made it to the campus on time for attendance and the welcome assembly.
Nagwon, once he caught his breath, remembered about the boy. He looked around to see if he was behind them. He was a bit bummed that he didn't see him.
|I guess he isn't as fast as I thought he was.|
He turned back around, getting ready to go into the stream of students entering their academy when he felt a whoosh of air hit him. Nagwon quickly turned around. The boy, whose hair was completely loose from the man bun earlier, was smiling from ear to ear.
"You guys are cool! Let's be friends!"
Nagwon felt a pang of relief and joy.
|So he can keep up!|
Nagwon reached out his hand and Naugi clasped it with a smile.
"Okay."
The four entered the building, not knowing what the school year would bring for them, but knowing it was going to be fun.