"Hey! Caleb, What took you so long?"
Lizzy said confused and yet, also intrigued as she looked at Caleb who was panting like a dog attempting to catch his breath; holding onto the doorframe of the classroom for support.
"I-I-I got caught up with something at my grandma's it's nothing though"
"If you say so…"
Caleb flopped down at his desk next to Lizzy, still breathless after his sprint to school. He had run so fast that he did actually make it to class in time; with seconds to spare, however, the run had definitely taken its' toll on Caleb.
"Alright, class! Today we'll be learning abou-"
Lizzy turned her head towards Caleb, fiddling with her hazel locks, twirling them around in her finger as she stared at Caleb with a Half concerned and half curious expression on her face.
"So Caleb…Was it really nothing? Because you were gone for like a real long time…"
"Y-yeah nothing just forgot my textbooks a-and my grandma scolded me for it yeah…"
Caleb nervously replied as he looked at the glistening blue Soul Gem he was hiding under his desk, grasping it tightly A mixture of emotions was constantly washing over him. He was still unsure what to think of the situation, unsure if any of it was real...It was all that he could think about.
"If you say so but you're actin' a bit shifty just so you know"
Caleb lay his head on the hardwood desk, ignoring his tedious schoolwork and instead, contemplating what his grandma told him; trying to rationalise and come to terms with it to no avail.
("Grandma always used to tell me those stories, but I always thought they were just that…stories…I mean, they have to be right, nothing like that could actually happen…but then grandma did always used to say she'd never tell a lie….Augh! I don't know what to believe…either way, even if it was true, I would never be able to compare to that swordsman in the story…like hell.")
"Caleb! Are you slacking off in my classroom!"
Caleb lifted his head off his desk to see the teacher, Mr B who the students nicknamed "The Hawk" staring down at him menacingly with his arms folded like a wolf eyeing its prey. Despite the Menacing nickname Mr, B was usually a kind teacher, he helped students that were struggling and he was the kind of teacher you could approach in real life and just chat with, however, he had a particularly well-honed skill for spotting students who were not on task or slacking off; and when he did he tore into them. This earned him his menacing nickname.
"Uhh, no sir, sorry sir."
"Well! Then maybe you should get your head off your desk and start using it to solve these problems!"
"Uh…ah yes sir right away!"
Caleb hurriedly picked up his pencil and flipped open his book like a soldier taking orders from a high ranking general; not wanting to incur any more of the hawk's wrath.
"Jeez, Caleb getting shouted at by The Hawk not a good start to the mornin' and more importantly not like you…you sure everything's fine?"
"Y-yeah nothing's the matter I'm fine I swear!"
Lizzy reluctantly turned to look away at her schoolwork, not completely convinced by Caleb's affirmations. She could tell something was amiss but she didn't want to press further or risk getting shouted at by the hawk as Caleb did
Caleb, meanwhile, continued to do the schoolwork he had been scolded for neglecting.
("Maybe I should just forget about this, I mean, even if it was true, I wouldn't be cut out to be a hero anyway…")