"Are you sure we're ready for this?" asked the small female Kiamara sitting in the back seat. Her brother, sitting next to her, shifted and looked out the window.
"Of course you are," soothed her mother confidently, then added rather bluntly, "We even gave you an extra year to prepare."
"Yeah," replied the little girl cheerfully. "I know how all the colors of the rainbow! Red, orange yellow, green, blue, PURPLE!" She beamed, impressed with herself.
"Yeah..." echoed the boy, less comfortably. "And I know how to spell, uh, 'sad'...s-a-d."
"Oh, cheer up," replied his ever-positive sister. "It's not like school is the end of the world!"
After this statement, the car was silent for a few moments until Ink announced, "Well, this is it! Welcome to school, my darlings!"
Iragan winced slightly at her final two words, feeling, as he always did, a slight quiver of fear that he wouldn't be good enough for his mother. His sister, on the other hand, seemed to sit a bit straighter, as though proud. He sank in his seat, slowly reaching out to unbuckle his seatbelt.
As he was getting out of the car, Ink stopped him for a moment. "Iragan." Her voice was soft, but it still sent a shiver of dread and fear through his heart. "Iragan," she started again, "don't be so gloomy. School can be tedious, but usually it's fun, and worth it in the long run!" She gave him a sympathetic smile, then added, "So take your sister's advice and cheer up. After all, I can't watch over Kiz at school, but someone has to!" Despite himself, this brought a smile to Ragan's face, so he nodded and then hopped out of the car, a new, slightly more confident look about him.
His mood, however, didn't last long. He immediately began worrying again, and withdrew deeper into himself at all of the strangers around him. He knew they wouldn't hurt them, but the knowledge didn't comfort his instincts. He glanced around at the buildings, quickly identified the one he and Kizuna would be in, and headed right towards it.
Speaking of his older sister, Kizi was walking around and chatting like she owned the school. As was classic of her, she had settled in right away, adaptive and friendly as ever.
"Hi! Hey! Hello!" she greeted fellow students and even a few teachers as she walked after Ragan. She scooted in quickly behind him, and they were lined up with the other young Kias in front of the door a few heartbeats before it opened.
The school day went along pleasantly for Kizi, who was an excellent study, and rather terrifyingly for Ragan, who was nearly petrified with so many strangers around him. Fortunately, Kizuna saw more or less fit to watch after him- while she wasn't chatting with some of her new multitude of friends- so he felt a bit safer under her warm amber gaze. He decided his favorite class was recess; so was Kizi's, naturally. They learned a lot that first day, but not about school subjects so much as the Kias around him. For every activity they did- whether it was tell your name or forming a circle and throwing a ball around- Iragan sat out, quietly observing from the corner of the room, as he was content to do. When at last the dismissal bell rang, the students eagerly packed up and ran out to the car line. It was the first day of thousands the two Kiamaras would spend in school, and a day they would treasure the rest of their lives.
"Of course you are," soothed her mother confidently, then added rather bluntly, "We even gave you an extra year to prepare."
"Yeah," replied the little girl cheerfully. "I know how all the colors of the rainbow! Red, orange yellow, green, blue, PURPLE!" She beamed, impressed with herself.
"Yeah..." echoed the boy, less comfortably. "And I know how to spell, uh, 'sad'...s-a-d."
"Oh, cheer up," replied his ever-positive sister. "It's not like school is the end of the world!"
After this statement, the car was silent for a few moments until Ink announced, "Well, this is it! Welcome to school, my darlings!"
Iragan winced slightly at her final two words, feeling, as he always did, a slight quiver of fear that he wouldn't be good enough for his mother. His sister, on the other hand, seemed to sit a bit straighter, as though proud. He sank in his seat, slowly reaching out to unbuckle his seatbelt.
As he was getting out of the car, Ink stopped him for a moment. "Iragan." Her voice was soft, but it still sent a shiver of dread and fear through his heart. "Iragan," she started again, "don't be so gloomy. School can be tedious, but usually it's fun, and worth it in the long run!" She gave him a sympathetic smile, then added, "So take your sister's advice and cheer up. After all, I can't watch over Kiz at school, but someone has to!" Despite himself, this brought a smile to Ragan's face, so he nodded and then hopped out of the car, a new, slightly more confident look about him.
His mood, however, didn't last long. He immediately began worrying again, and withdrew deeper into himself at all of the strangers around him. He knew they wouldn't hurt them, but the knowledge didn't comfort his instincts. He glanced around at the buildings, quickly identified the one he and Kizuna would be in, and headed right towards it.
Speaking of his older sister, Kizi was walking around and chatting like she owned the school. As was classic of her, she had settled in right away, adaptive and friendly as ever.
"Hi! Hey! Hello!" she greeted fellow students and even a few teachers as she walked after Ragan. She scooted in quickly behind him, and they were lined up with the other young Kias in front of the door a few heartbeats before it opened.
The school day went along pleasantly for Kizi, who was an excellent study, and rather terrifyingly for Ragan, who was nearly petrified with so many strangers around him. Fortunately, Kizuna saw more or less fit to watch after him- while she wasn't chatting with some of her new multitude of friends- so he felt a bit safer under her warm amber gaze. He decided his favorite class was recess; so was Kizi's, naturally. They learned a lot that first day, but not about school subjects so much as the Kias around him. For every activity they did- whether it was tell your name or forming a circle and throwing a ball around- Iragan sat out, quietly observing from the corner of the room, as he was content to do. When at last the dismissal bell rang, the students eagerly packed up and ran out to the car line. It was the first day of thousands the two Kiamaras would spend in school, and a day they would treasure the rest of their lives.
