Chapter 11 - -Chapter 8: CHILDISHLY FRESH EYES-

When I went inside the classroom, it was just like yesterday, except all of the students in this class weren't there. So, I was just here. The classroom was colorful. It still had that creative calendar, and everything remained the same. Ms.C was in front of the classroom until she noticed me. "Oh! Good morning, dear!" Ms.C greeted me. Her gaze was still comforting, her motherly tone remained. I gave her a small smile and greeted her back, "Good morning, Ms.C!" I went to hang up my bookbag and sat down at a table. I then asked Ms.C, "Where's everyone?" Ms.C walks to my table and kneels at my height. "Well, they must be late on their buses. But, no worries! They'll be here soon," Ms.C answered, "While you're waiting, Tim, you're free to draw and read." Ms.C goes back to the front of the classroom. I decided to do what Ms.C said. I grabbed a book and started reading. As I was reading, I remembered something… Like I was forgetting something. Something about my parents. That must've been nothing. It's better to brush that off than worry about something I may or may not have forgotten. I continued reading. Soon, the silhouette kids had arrived at the classroom and sat at their tables. Some seemed to be excited, some seemed to be bored. It seemed normal, comforting actually. But something is telling me in my heart that- actually… never mind, everything's okay. "Hello, Class! Hopefully, you guys had a nice morning and ready to learn," She announced in delight. I decided to put down my book, closing it shut. Ms.C continued speaking, "Today, we're going to learn about… cultures around the world! Cultures are very diverse or… different. They have different music, clothing, foods, beliefs and-" I raised my hand to ask a question. "Oh, what's this? You have something to say, Tim?" Ms.C asked. "I̷̤͐ ̴̣̔ẁ̴̼â̷̫n̷̛͙t̸̻̀ ̵̝̍ṱ̶̄ó̴̭ ̷̘̓g̸͎̒ȏ̸͖ ̶͍̾ǎ̶̖r̸̠͋ơ̵͖u̷͕̿n̶͜͝ḏ̶̐ ̷̗͋t̵͙̅h̴̠͂ë̸͚́ ̶͎̀ẅ̶̹o̷̽ͅr̸̳̉l̵̪̅d̷̩̅ ̷̢͗w̵̙̆ḫ̴͘ë̶̞́n̴̠͝ ̴͚͂I̸̦͘ ̸̧̒g̶̻͠ṟ̷̇ǫ̶̒w̵̤̅ ̶̼̍ű̶ͅp̸͇̃!̵̠̚" I said with cheer. Why did I say that? And worse, it was cheer that I didn't want in my tone. But I had to play along, so I continued saying, "To explore and see all the sights!" Ms.C's eye seemed to glimmer with either glee or something to replace a smile. "That's great, Tim! Make sure you send me the pictures as you go!" She joked and continued teaching the class. While she was teaching, I looked at my hands. Do I know what's real and what is f̶â̴̢̪̌k̵̫͎͚̜̀ë̷̡͔͠ anymore? Ms.C said to the class, "The holidays we celebrate also come from different cultures. Like Easter! Now, what are some other holidays from different cultures?" Many of the silhouette kids raise their hands to answer. Kinda funny if you ask me, because they didn't raise their hands for math. Some said Hannukkah, St. Patrick's Day, and Cinco de Mayo. Ms.C then announced, "Good! Now that we know what culture is. I want you to make your own holiday!" Making our own holidays? That sounds genius. She begins to pass out papers about our own holiday. I was quiet… still thinking… who am I? I looked at my bracelet, which spelled the words, "Tim." I am Tim, I am Tim, I am… Tim? A paper was passed to me. It sat right in my sight. Ms.C noticed my gaze at my bracelet. "Tim?" Ms.C asked with concern, "Are you okay? You don't seem to be focused." My gaze went from the bracelet to Ms.C's eye. Just her presence made me soften, and gave me a sense of… relaxation. "Oh, I'm fine, Ms.C. I'm just… lost," I answered. "Well, Tim… If you need anything or something's wrong, come to me," Ms.C advised me. "Okay, Ms.C," I replied. Ms.C nodded and walked away. I noticed Ms.C had the bracelet I made yesterday for her, which was wrapped on her shadowy wrist, which made me a bit happy. I picked up my pencil and thought to myself, "What could be perfect for a holiday? Fasting, no… gifts, no… they already exist for Christmas and birthdays." Then, I had an idea, so I started writing it down. Everything changed ever since I came here, now all I can worry about is my euphoria… or maybe my sanity. But, enough about that, my holiday was teamwork day, where we helped each other with our problems. It's a simple holiday, yet a good one. Right now, the fragrance of the crayons smells oddly relaxing, almost as if it were cologne. Soon, it was time for us to present our holidays. The students either made up holidays that were about giving each other presents, kindness, and others. "Okay, Tim, you're next," Ms.C called. I stood up from my chair and went to the front of the classroom. I hesitated before I spoke, "My holiday is about teamwork… where we help each other out, even in the hardest problems. I think that the holiday should be on May 15th." I continued presenting my holiday, and when I was finished, the class clapped. "That sounds like a great holiday," Ms.C said, "You may sit down now." I nodded, walked to my seat, and sat down. I stared at my bracelet again. Am I truly Tim? I want to join the students here. I want to be just like them. But I also want to be Tim, because that's probably who I was before. You know what they say… You can't be on both sides of the wall. "Since we have a bit more time left," Ms.C announced to the class, "You may have free time. You can either draw, read, color, or talk to each other!" When I heard this, I decided to open up the book I was reading. The book was about a very hungry caterpillar who came out of an egg that ate a banana, and other fruits. Well… that's pretty much it, it turns into a butterfly at the end. Even if I read a book, I can't get it out of my mind. "You know, Tim," Ms.C said to me while she knelt to match her height to mine, "I always enjoy reading just like you did. And, that book… was always my favorite." I turned my sight from the book to Ms.C. "Really…? What's your favorite part of the book?" I asked her. "It's when the caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Not only is it beautiful, but it shows how you can go from being the littlest to the biggest of them all," Ms.C answered with delight. I nodded at her answer and said, "Sounds like a great reason, Ms.C. Did you make some poems at some point?" Then, Ms.C giggled, "That must've been a compliment, but I didn't write a lot of poems. Maybe I wrote one or two. Writing poems, though are actually fun. You can give it a try if you want to, dear." A poem… that sounds like a great idea, but poems aren't really my thing. I shut the book and replied, "Hm… Poems aren't really my thing." Ms.C then nodded and said, "It's fine. Everyone has different interests. But if you change your mind, then I'm here for it." Ms.C stood up and went to the other students to interact with them, making sure they all got their chance to talk to her. I kept reading different books. One was about a kid who can reach the stars, and another was about friendship. Though reading these books still can't make me forget about my imagination (or memory), so I went to grab a paper and went drawing. Maybe drawing could get my mind off it. So, I drew and drew. The sound of scribbling filled my ears. I was thinking of drawing something for Ms.C, a complimentary drawing. I can't believe I show this much friendship to her, but I can't blame myself because she's the nicest teacher I've ever met. Sure, she may look creepy with her figure being a silhouette and having one eye in the middle of her face, but her comforting gaze, presence, and soft tone just tell you that you're safe here. I don't even know why I was even worried or thinking about yesterday. I've made myself clear, I'm staying here. The drawing was now finished. The drawing was me (as the stickman with a smiley face) standing next to Ms.C, with the words below, "Ms.C is the best teacher. She's kind and patient." Those were just two out of many words I can describe Ms.C. I stood up from the chair and walked to Ms.C. "Hey, Ms.C," I said, "I… made this drawing for you. I hope you like it." Ms.C looked down at me and gently took the drawing. Her eye observes my drawing, and she said, "This is wonderful, Tim. Some students also said this about me, I appreciate your drawing, dear." I smiled and replied, "You're welcome, Ms.C." And, I walked back to my seat to draw a bit more. I was glad that she liked my drawing. Maybe I was just overthinking. I got nothing to worry about. If I'm happy here, then that's fine, and that means it's safe to stay here for as long as I want. I did many drawings. One with a house, a grassy field with a door in the middle, and a drawing of a set of swings and a slide. Then, I stared at my bracelet again. I am Tim… I guess that's it, that's all I am, is it? This truly is my dream… or is it reality? I cannot tell anymore, but this is it, this is where I belong!