Chapter Twenty-Six: Arx

Earth 4 February 10, 2017

The transition from a fierce, hostile and brightly lit mission control to a calm, cold night in winter of 2017 is shocking. The moment I step through the time loop, a chill goes up my spine. I land at the crest of a hill, overlooking a huge building. I shiver. It looks eerie at this time.

A breeze and a loud noise whoosh past and almost pull my hat off. When I regain myself, I realize that it was a car. I choke at the fumes afterward. Right, in 2017 they hadn’t made cars very efficient yet. The car goes down an asphalt path to a building. I finally realize where I have landed. If Leo will have landed here, his first thought will be that this was a middle school before this place got converted to a jail.

I landed in front of a middle school. It’s significance? I have yet to find out.

A tall sign blips on next to me, and it scrolls through some amount of information before it stops on what I need. The time reads 6:05. The next part states that the school starts at 7:25 and that it’s a Tuesday. I can wait an hour or so. However, cars begin to pull in at 6:20 or so, which I know by watching the flashing sign. Kids climb out and pull out medium or large-sized cases from the back of the cars. One kid in particular catches my eye. She has dark brown curly hair kept up in a ponytail and swings a large case around like it has no weight at all. From the distance, I can tell she’s wearing a camo-colored coat and camo pants with it. The sleeves of her coat are rolled up. On top of all that, she wears a sort of new-looking hat. I scratch my chin. The hat looks familiar. I take mine off. They both look exactly the same, except mine is more worn out. A memory comes back in my head.

I was about an independent 8, when I took a stroll through a graveyard. I noticed a stone cross nearly to the back of a tree. Something was hanging off of it that caught my eye. It was a worn hat, that looked like it had gone through a lifetime of love. I can remember clearly what the gravestone had inscribed on it. In memory of Madelyn Weyant, who is somewhere up in the clouds, soaring on wings like a falcon. I took the hat and have worn it ever since. It’s traveled with me everywhere. When I see that girl wearing the hat, my heart takes a leap.

Here I am, standing on the crest of a hill, watching kids go into a school, and I just saw the true owner of the hat I stole.

Soon, the sun starts to rise, and I have to go and hide so no one will get suspicious. I decide to take the sparse patch of vegetation to my left. I can still see the flashing sign, my timekeeper. When it finally turns to 7:25, I come out of the brush and down to the school. Before I go in, I open another time loop and go back just a month so I can make proof that I am actually in eighth grade and a new student to this school (although I’m actually not).

The lady in the office is really nice and happily takes all my paperwork. I notice the girl from earlier - later - burst into the office and grab something, like a lunchbox. This time she doesn’t have a hat on. The office lady waves her over and asks if she can take me on a tour of the school. She hesitantly obliges, but lights up when she looks over my shoulder at my schedule.

“You have almost all the same classes as me,” she says. Then, putting out her hand, she introduces herself. “I’m Madelyn, but you can just call me Mad.” I notice her eyes are a greenish brown. “Nice jacket, by the way. I’ve always wanted one of those. Oh, and they don’t allow hats.” She looks away as if irritated.

“I wish they allowed them,” she sighs. I kind of like Mad. She seems to have good tastes so far. But it still haunts me that I have seen her gravestone, so I stay quiet. She leads me through an open area and to the opposite hall. “So what’s your name?” she asks.

“Collis,” I reply softly.

“Isn’t that, something like cliff or mountain in Latin?” I was taken aback for a moment. Mad knew Latin?

“Why… yeah, it is,” I stammer. Mad seems to notice my shock.

“I like looking up the scientific names of birds of prey,” A mischievous look dawns on her face. “I like birds of prey. A lot.” Like I can't already tell. Her shirt reads All day I dream about falconry, which has something to do with birds of prey, and a hawk necklace bounces off her chest. Not to mention the writing on the gravestone…

“But why do you know Latin?” I ask.

“Because all the scientific names of birds of prey are in Latin. Like, for example, the scientific name of the peregrine falcon is Falco peregrinus. The word Falco is derived from the Latin word falx, which means claw or sickle. Someone probably did that because falcons have sickle-like talons. Peregrinus simply means pilgrim, or a traveler.” My, Mad knows her stuff. But… the word falx rings a bell in my head.

“Jomo Falx,” I mutter, a little too loudly.

“Hunter sickle?” Mad asks, confused.

“No, just the name of someone I know.” Mad shrugs.

“Jomo means hunter in a different language.”

“Suits him well.” By now, we have reached my first class.

“Art,” Mad explains, opening the door for me. “After you.”

I sit tangent to Mad (probably because she’s the only person I know) and the class goes by pretty boringly. I notice that Mad draws almost nothing besides hawks. Second period is computers for me. Mad waves goodbye as she goes across the hall to band, catching up to someone on a computer and poking them. Another girl, with blonde hair cut shoulder- length, sneaks up behind Mad and makes a grab for her necklace. Mad jerks away, and laughs. A pang a jealously runs through me. I’ve never really had permanent friends. They either lose touch or can’t deal with me and my anger issues. Although I don’t belong here, I think Mad and I have something in common.

Computers is nearly as boring, and the software is much slower and much more beginning than what I’m used to. I can’t argue, though, so to occupy myself, I set up a firewall and make a blocked website.

Then 3rd period rolls around. 3rd period is science. That’s when things start to get interesting.

Reviews

[Peregrinator7]

Thanks a lot past self, you just gave away your name like free girl scout cookies.

[Locke Redwyne (night sys)]

well at least it's not your last name...