Twist of Fate: Part Four

Standing at those front gates was frightening, yet at the same time, slightly liberating. Everyone looked at me, but I didn’t get any whispers, or snickers or any sort of abuse. I think they recognized me, perhaps they were all in shock of my change. At least that’s what I told myself.

      I was doing good, and was dreading the moment that would surely arrive. Right as I reached the front steps which lead to the front doors, he stood at the top. Vainglory was looking down his snout at me.

      “Well well well,” he snickered, “Look what happened to our Freaky Mcfreakster, he got painted! Ain’t that swell. Feelin’ confident, are ya, champ?” I could hear a snarl coming from the depths of his throat.

      “I don’t want to bother with you today. I just want to go to school,” I stammered.

      “Well, I want to bother with you.” He poked his claw into my shoulder with each pause. “You see, Frat, I remember last time you were here. And if I remember correctly, you took a pretty hard fall. Do you have any regrets, little...”

      “JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! Why don’t you pick on someone with your own OGRE size?!” I heard the words fall out of my mouth. My sudden spontaneity would surely hit me back hard.

      “The NERVE you have to speak on looks!” he roared. I could see the fire in his eyes, and it only provoked me more than I even thought.

      “The nerve of me?” I shouted, “Look at you! Who are you to go around making fun of me?” I heard some students behind me whispering, “Yeah! Vainglory’s...” The rest was mumbled, I was too focused on his fiery gaze. Then suddenly he started laughing. In the middle of the biggest moments of my life, my freedom from the chains he put me in, he laughs.

      “What, is so FUNNY?!” I shrieked. I could feel my insides boiling with rage.

      “Yer skin!” He grasped his sides. “You’re turning PURPLE! AH HAHAHA!” He couldn’t even hold himself up, and began rolling on the floor.

      Frightened by his remarks, I looked down. What was happening! It must be some sort of flu, I told myself. Looking around, it was happening all over. Students whispering, and Vainglory in his... glory. Everything spun around me so quickly, and once again I wake up in the nurse's office.

      “I’ve never seen this before,” she said, looking down at me. “I need to send you home to your mother. She should know how to take care of this.”

      Back home Manda was furious.

      “When are you ever going to last a full day of school, Fratimer? You finally get what you want, and you have to start something up?”

      All I could do was cry. The built up melancholy finally overflowed and I couldn’t hold back.

      “Listen, Fratimer,” Manda came and sat next to me. “I don’t know what you’re feeling, but you know I’m here for you. All I want to do is help.”

      “What’s wrong with me?” I asked between the sniffles. “Why do I feel this way, and why are these spots here?”

      “I don’t have the answer for you, Fratimer; do you want to go to the hospital?”

      “No, I don’t feel sick, I’ll just rest,” I told her.

      “Does this mean no more school again?” she asked. I think she was done with even trying to get me to go anymore.

      “When it’s the right time to go back, I’ll go, I promise.” She looked at me as I said that, and I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was skeptical.

      “Alright, I’m going to make some lunch. Come into the kitchen and have something to eat.”

      I grew in anger as the hours passed. It was spiraling out of control, I couldn’t even feel the eternal depression from my ‘grey’ any longer. But I wasn’t going to let that Werelupe hold me back. The more I thought about it, the more I thought I saw the purple spots multiply. They were starting to make me feel nauseous, so I headed off to bed. I was going to return to school tomorrow. This time I was going to make it all the way through.

      Waking up, I felt the anger creep up all over again. Darkness was pouring from every beat of my heart. As I sat up, I felt a slight strain in my back. It was a soft pain, so I ignored it. I wouldn’t let it stop me from going to school though. I needed to get a least one day over with. I needed to regain some sort of pride.

      I made sure to wake up a bit earlier than everyone else as well. I snuck into Chichi’s room the night before and snatched one of her cloaks that she grew out of. Putting it on, I could hide myself from the obnoxious students that surely would give me more of a hard time. I didn’t want Vainglory’s attention; I just wanted that day of school to be mine. Just mine.

      I left the house before the sun came up. It was a beautiful, quiet morning, and I found peace in its shadow. Twilight soon arrived. The time between night and day held so many secrets that I wished to discover, but the school swayed in my vision. It was a short distance away now, and there was nothing that could keep me from turning back.

      I stopped in front of the gates; I was too early. The entrance was still locked. Leaning on the wall, I caught a glimpse of myself in a nearby puddle. The rising sun illuminated my face from inside the cloak. I was surprised to see, instead of my typical weary grey face, a dark purple one. My pink cried-out eyes replaced by an eerie glowing red. Finally seeing the result of the speckles from yesterday I immediately pulled the hood down and ignored the puddle. No one could see me this way.

      Promptly at seven in the morning, someone came to open up the gates and the school.

      “A little early, aren’t you, lad?” he said to me.

      “Yes, I just want to beat the crowd,” I mumbled to him.

      “Well, you still have an hour before classes start, but do what you please,” he said as he entered.

      School finally started and I went to my class. Miss Jakilya finally entered and with a gasp of surprise to my appearance she quickly ordered me to take off my hood. Pulling it down over my head the entire class started to whisper. Exactly what I didn’t want.

      “Oh it’s you, Fratimer, finally showing up for class? Take a seat; you’ve missed a lot.”

      I took a seat, and everything went on smoothly. No one talked to me, and I preferred it that way. Eventually it all came to an end. As I was walking out, Miss Jakilya stopped me and handed me all of the work I needed to make up in order to pass. Anybody else would’ve been stressed. On the contrary, I was pleased. For the first time in a long while I was excited about something. I finally had the chance to learn something. Taking all the work, I left the class. My current ecstasy would quickly fade, however. In my joy I had forgotten to put my hood back up. I still had to cross that field to the gate to leave the school...

      As I was walking down the steps, looking through all the papers, a familiar voice hit my ears.

      “So it’s true. He did come back for more!” the sly voice exclaimed. Standing toe to toe with me was none other than Vainglory. All at once the darkness came back and the hurt in my back erupted.

      “I can see the fire in your eyes, Fratimer. Haha, or is that your creepy sickness taking over?? You’re looking a little purple. Is that what happens when you feel sick? HAHA! You are a frea...” He paused from the sight he had just beheld.

      I had grown a good foot taller than Vainglory. All the anger seemed to build me up so quickly, and just as suddenly I felt a searing pain shoot down my back. I knelt over from it, and as I did two enormous dragon-like wings sprouted from the space between my shoulders and down my back. I gave out a tremendous roar which caused all the children to flee from the schoolyard. The next thing I knew I’d blacked out. Once again.

      Some children say they saw the spirit of Darigan fly from my mouth and tackle Vainglory to the ground. Others say the might of my roar knocked him down. Still others say he passed out from terror. To this day I can’t tell you what happened. I woke up in my home and Manda was at my side for the rest of the night. I took the form of my anger. I don’t know how. I think the fountain faerie’s magic still rested inside me that day and read my heart’s angry cry. I won’t let anything else get in my way again, though. I will continue to go to school and continue to do well.

      Next year Vachello is going to school. I’ll make sure he won’t have to learn from old mistakes. And so will Buttons...

      “Neopian’s biggest storm was finally over. The sunshine that morning was the brightest feeling I‘ve ever felt. I knew we’d all be okay.”

The End

Note: I hope you enjoyed Fratimer’s Story! Hopefully there will be more stories to come! ^-^