Pendulum || TAENNIE FF

⚔Chapter 16: Running in circles

"Reading his mind once can change everything."

A U T H O R

Heather sat as far as she could from Flake. Though the other girls wanted to surround him, she made sure she's out of his sight.

"Beautiful morning, class!" They immediately stood up when a lady in all-white clothes went inside. Heather supposed she's their teacher for the day. "It's good to see all these adorable faces again."

"We've all grown Mrs. Hwa!" The students whined and pouted, except for Heather who doesn't know any teacher in the school.

"As usual, I will be your History teacher for this school year. Just like what our headmaster announced, the Unlighted Forest will be open again for everyone to explore. We all know about the tragedies our ancestors faced in that forest. It's the most mysterious and dangerous place in all Parailla. It has been closed for years but finally, we've all decided to give you all the experience of walking into the strangest woods and meeting the rarest creatures." Heather already felt her excitement rising. "But first, as tradition, we will introduce ourselves in front. Everyone who goes gets bonus points from me."

The others quickly fell in line to introduce themselves. It's all for the bonus points.

Everyone left their seats except for Heather and Flake who are diagonally apart from each other. Flake sits at the left side of the room, first chair, and Heather is sitting at the right side of the room, last chair.

"Both of you don't want the bonus points?" Mrs. Hwa asked, looking at them with confusion all over her face. "No one has ever said no to my offer. This is truly surprising."

Flake raised his hand and talked. "Don't you think it's unnecessary? The whole school knows me, so why bother?" The students falling in line suddenly started murmuring.

"Let's be honest, he has a point." A student quietly whispered to the person behind her. "His footsteps even scream his name too."

"How about you, miss? At the back?" Their teacher asked, pertaining to Heather who hasn't talked since her conversation with Flake earlier. "Any special reason?"

Heather cleared her throat and searched her brain for a believable answer. "Not to offend anyone..." She started and gulped. "I just think this way of introducing oneself is particularly biased to those who have great confidence. I'm an introvert and I don't feel comfortable standing at the center to describe myself."

"It sure is nerve-wracking sometimes but it trains you to be confident." Their teacher said and Heather immediately replied.

"There are better ways to push someone's confidence, Mrs. Hwa. Getting high grades, answering proudly, and having a good reputation are only a few ones I could think of. I just think going to the center to introduce is a bit...childish?" The murmuring got louder and all eyes were on her. "This is high school. Sure, it's fun for others but how about those who are not comfortable with attention? We'll eventually know each other after a few days. It's just a waste of time."

Flake who listened to the whole argument was found speechless. He grinned and nodded, a sign of agreement.

"Sounds reasonable." Mrs. Hwa quietly told herself and decided to let the two do what they want. "May we start the introduction?"

Heather sighed in relief and covered her face. If she wasn't so convincing, she'll have to make up a skill for her introduction and she doesn't want that.

After a few hours of lecturing, the bell chimed, indicating that it's time for their next class. Heather quickly left the room and came searching for Firo. She peeked inside the nearby classrooms, hoping she'll find him.