Evening Surrounded By Dark Clouds
Senior Year
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Aana
(Senior year... it's hard to believe.)
Aana
I lived in Kyoto my entire life.
Aana
And while "Kyoto" might seem like an odd name for a town, it was home.
Aana
Unlike a lot of schools, the schools for upper and lower grades were attached.
Aana
I passed through those doors countless times over the years.
Aana
And now, after so long, this was the final year.
As she stared up at the high school, a hand clapped on her shoulder and she jumped.
Keith
Hey, what's with you?
Name : Keith (Classmate)
Age : 18 | Height : 6'0
Outgoing, ambitious, compassionate.
He gave her a playful shove.
Keith
You were starting at the school like it was putting you in a trance.
Aana
It's our senior year!
Keith staggered backward in imaginary shock.
Keith
This is too much for me to take!
For that, it was Aana's turn to shove him.
Aana
Come on, you don't feel any nostalgic or anything?
Aana
This is the last year we'll ever walk through those doors!
Keith
You never know. We could always fail our final exams!
Aana
(Keith and I were best friends for years.)
Aana
(My first year of high school, I joined the track and practiced alongside him.)
Aana
(I didn't know him very well before then, but he turned out to be fun and charming.)
Keith
Are you going to do this every morning until we graduate?
Aana
It's our senior year!
Keith
You keep reminding me.
He offered her a partial bow with a smirk.
Keith
Let's go inside and stare at the classrooms for a while.
Aana
(We have the same home room for years, and we always say in the same place.)
Keith and Aana walked together to the empty desks in the far corner.
Derek
Ooh, here comes the lovebirds!
Name : Derek (Another senior student) Age : 18 | Height : 5'9
Excitable, teasing.
Aana
(It was a running joke among our class that Keith and I were boyfriend and girlfriend.)
Aana
(Just because we spent a lot of time together...)
Keith
Hey, we're just friends and you know it!
Aana
(I choose to stay silent.)
Aana didn't say anything.
He fell silent and sat down.
Aana
(I took the seat next to him and raised eyebrows.)
Aana
(They've made those jokes before. Why would it bother him ?)
Keith
What classes do we have this year?
Aana
(Aana compared schedules.)
Aana
Not much. Looks like just literature and flim studies.
Keith
You signed up for the flim studies course?
Aana
It sounds interesting.
Keith
We'll make a film buff out of you yet!
Aana
Keep telling yourself that.
Keith
And of course we'll see each other at lunch and practice, too.
Aana
Do you know when our first practice is?
Aana
Always an early start.
Keith
That's what makes our track team one of the best!
Keith
Wow, you have high hopes for us.
Aana
I can't help it. it's--
Keith
Our senior year. I know.
Any further discussion was cut off as the teacher stepped in front of the class.
Name : Miss. Wynne (Homeroom teacher)
Age : 30 | Height : 5'7
Reasonable but authoritative.
Teacher Ms. Wayne
I'd like to welcome you all back for a new year at Kyoto's High School.
Teacher Ms. Wayne
For many of you, this will be your last year.
Teacher Ms. Wayne
There are a few announcements I want to make before you begin your day.
Teacher Ms. Wayne
First, club sign-ups are being held this afternoon after classes.
Teacher Ms. Wayne
Second, our long time librarian has taken a leave of absence.
Teacher Ms. Wayne
I ask that you treat her temporary replacement with respect.
Teacher Ms. Wayne
And finally, the auditorium is undergoing renovations this year.
Teacher Ms. Wayne
As a result, it's currently off-limits.
Teacher Ms. Wayne
Any presentations will be held in the cafeteria or gymnasium.
Keith leaned close to Aana.
Keith
Renovating? Isn't the auditorium pretty new?
Aana
(That's right. They built it when we were freshmen.)
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Mortal enemies
Aana
(That's right. They built it when we were freshmen.)
Aana
Maybe they're adding something special.
Keith
Aw, and we'll graduate and never get to see it...
With an opening like that, Aana couldn't help but repeat his earlier comment.
Aana
We could always fail our final exams!
Keith
Well, see you around.
As Aana headed down the hall toward her first class, something made her pause.
The back of her neck prickled, almost like someone was watching her...
She turned around, but no one looked at her.
Aana
(Probably just Keith before he left for class.)
She glanced at the library.
Aana
(What was the new librarian like?)
Aana
(Unfortunately, if I went to see, I might be late for class.)
Aana
(Instead, I should hurry up my way.)
Aana
(Math is my first class this year.)
Aana
(I was never very fond of math... unlike a certain someone I knew.)
Name : Taehyung (Classmate)
Nick name : Tobias
Age : 18 | Height : 6'0
Quiet, studious, quick- thinking.
Aana
(In addition to liking math, Taehyung could act very formal.)
Aana
Are you excited for our senior year?
Taehyung
I expect it to be very fruitful and informative.
Aana
I'll take that as a yes.
Taehyung
Will you be signing up for the chess club again?
Aana
Of course. How could I pass up a chance to beat you at chess?
Taehyung
I thought perhaps you wanted to avoid another crushing defeat.
Aana
Uh-huh. You're going to beat me that badly?
Erica
Aw, leave her alone, Tobias.
Tobias and Aana met gazes and smiled.
Aana
(While our classmates thought Keith and I were a couple,)
Aana
(They had the mistaken impression that Taehyung and I were mortal enemies.)
Aana
(I could only guess why they thought we always sat together in class.)
Aana
(This was just Tobias's way of showing affection... and he wasn't nearly as arrogant as he sounded.)
Aana
(It was all part of the game.)
Aana
(I really was better at him than chess, though. Usually.)
Taehyung
Did your home teacher tell you about Ms. Parker?
Aana
Her leave of absence? Yeah.
Taehyung
After class, would you like to meet the temporary librarian?
Taehyung
I hope Ms. Parker is all right...
Before she could offer any reassurance class began.
Aana
(For the first day, we received old material to prepare for this term.)
Aana
(I endured it. Like I said, not a big fan of math.)
Taehyung leaned forward in his seat as though he could barely contain himself.
Aana
(I swear his eyes sparkled.)
Aana
(Even though he aced all the material last year, he took furious notes.)
When class ended, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
Taehyung
I'm only as weirdo as the company I keep, my dear.
Aana
Haha. Ready to go to the library?
Aana
(The library is darker than I remembered it.)
Aana
(All of the shades are draw, and the lights are dimmed.)
Aana
(It didn't look like any sort of presentation was going on, though.)
Aana
(The new librarian must like it dark.)
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The librarian
Miss. Gray
May I help you?
Aana
(She somehow snuck up on us!)
Aana's heart pounded as she stared at the librarian.
She glanced at Taehyung, but he stood silently beside me.
While he could argue all day with her, he rarely presented that side to others.
And he wasn't much of a people person.
Aana
May I know your name?
Miss. Gray
Me?... You can call me Miss Gray.
Miss. Gray
Likewise. You're both seniors.
Aana
I'm Aana, and this is Taehyung.
Taehyung
We should leave, or we'll be late for class.
Aana
Right! Good to meet you, Miss Gray!
Taehyung
I don't like her 😡.
Taehyung
She had an odd look in her eyes.
Aana
You are just too sensitive.
Aana
We better get to class.
Taehyung
Ah, yes. I'll see you at the lunch.
Morning classes passed quickly.
So Aana was ready to meet her friends for lunch.
A school lunch sat in front of Keith and he tore into it with wild abandon.
Taehyung had opened his packed lunch : a sandwich, a bag of crackers, and a cookie.
He was lining up the crackers and counting them.
Aana sat down with them and started to eat her own lunch.
Keith
Yep! I only wish we had more classes together.
Taehyung
I wish the three of us had a class together, just one year.
Aana
Me too. But we never will, because it's--
Keith leaned close to Tawhyung and spoke in a stage whisper.
Keith
It's an obsession with her.
Taehyung
She's right, though.
Taehyung looked up from his crackers and held both of our gazes.
Aana
(When Taehyung looked at me-- the force of his gaze was enough to freeze me in place.)
Taehyung
This is our final year together. We should make the most of it
Keith
Aw, come on man, we can stay in touch after graduation!
But Keith reached out and took Taehyung's hand anyway.
Aana placed her hand on top of theirs.
Aana
We'll make sure it's a semester to remember.
Aana
(I had no idea how true my statement would turn out to be.)
Keith
Film class! Film class!
Aana
(Everyone in the classroom stared as we entered.)
Aana
(Most likely because Keith waved his arms in the air as he shouted.)
Aana
And you make faces because I'm excited about graduating.
Keith
Movies are much more exciting.
They found two empty seats together and sat down.
Each desk already had a syllabus on it.
It seemed like an odd wat to do things
Aana
(but I picked up mine and read it.)
Aana
(Looks good. We've got a wide variety of movies to analyze.)
Aana
(Famous, obscure, old, new--they're all covered.)
Aana
(I should have known someone wouldn't be pleased.)
Keith
Did you see this list of movies?
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