The Boy in Blue

Chapter 8

Everyone must leave something behind when they die, a book had once said.

A child, a book, a pair of shoes or an ornate mirror. Or maybe a planted garden with seedlings or a diary filled with one's deepest thoughts and memories.

Just something that touched you one way or another, somewhere to go when you die. And when people look at that flower you planted or read the books you read, you would be there. It doesn't matter what you did, the book had said, as long as you change something from the way it was when you take your hands away.

Eden drank from her juice box as she sketched in her book, thinking that she had, indeed, changed the blank pages it once used to be. She paused, the book balancing on her knees as she spun around on her wheely desk chair. The sketchbook was now covered in a variety of scrawls and doodles, a memento of her memories. She put her pencil down on her table and sighed, casually flipping through the pages.

She paused at one particular page, flipping it completely open. Brushing the eraser residue from her desk she laid it down flat on her table and resumed a normal-ish posture, leaning her head on her left arm. She stared at the sketch she had made a few mornings ago, the harsh desk lighting illuminating the rough lines and pivots on the paper that substituted as hair strokes. She sketched a little chess piece below the drawing, the knight toppling a pawn.

Lucas sure was good at chess. She recalled the morning of that day, at this point many hours ago. They had all been in the library, Nik and Eden chatting to the librarian as Hong and Lucas had played chess once again.

It was the odd morning Eden was fairly early to school.

They had been discussing a new book series, when a loud cry had shook the library. Shocked glances fell to Hong, head in his arms as he surrendered defeat once again. Eden was pretty sure he had been given detention that day, she didn't see him that lunch time which was fairly odd since they shared the same friend group.

Lucas however, was still the same, cold puzzle piece. He never once smiled in front of her, or at her, not even as a courtesy. She paid it no mind, but when he did smile or laugh with his friends, she couldn't help but smile too. He looked free when he laughed, like it took a big burden off him or so.

Like sunshine, she thought. Eden drew a lazy sun on the same page, it seemed fitting.

Her phone buzzed from the bed again, precariously resting at the edge of the frame from where she had thrown it earlier after she died in a game. It had buzzed occasionally the past hour although Eden tactfully ignored it, bitter from the loss.

Last she recalled, it had been 10:30. But the blaring light in her face wistfully told her it was, indeed, 2am. Wasn't quite her record but it was late. or perhaps early enough.

"Alright everybody, for this assignment, you will need to be in groups-"

Nikita and Eden immediately glanced at each other, nodding quickly.

"-of 4. Please make it so that there is no more, no less"

Eden paused as she was writing her name on her task sheet, once again glancing at Nikita. They looked around the classroom meekly before they eventually made eye contact with the eager classmate that was staring them down.

"So, I guess we're a group now, huh?"

Hong nodded matter of factly, snatching Eden's task sheet from her hands and drawing little figures on it. Lucas looked emotionless, shrugging a little before continuing with the math work he had been doing throughout the first half of biology.

Eventually, they all situated themselves at a lab desk, after much urging from Eden and Hong to 'hurry up, before they lose a table'.

The pigs heart laid still on the tarpy newspaper, cold and limp. Eden adjusted her gloves, settling the goggles comfortably on her nose before she poked the mass on the table. Hong joined her, picking up the heart and examining it.

Lucas's face turned pale, as he took a few steps back and joined Nikita in the corner.

"Eden, put the scalpel down. No, Hong, you can't chop it into pieces with scissors yet!

Lucas, Nikita, are you guys not going to participate? One would expect you to do so"

Mrs Green stared expectantly at Nik and Lucas as they shook their heads, wincing at the site of Hong and Eden.

"Mrs, they're crazy!" Nikita exclaimed as she pointed at Hong, who had discovered the Aorta and was trying to squish it.

"EW EW EW" She squealed as Eden chopped a piece of heart and held it out towards her.

Eden really didn't get the big deal, it was just a heart? She watched Lucas edge his way further from their table, and towards the door, looking pale as a sheet. She watched until the door clicked shut behind him, before turning back to the table and holding the mangled heart threateningly towards Nikita. Nikita was also running towards the door, Mrs Green's protests unheard to her ears as she rushed out.

Eden and Hong looked at each other and grinned.

Once the remainder of the organs had been cleaned up, the room smelled heavily of disinfectant, and everybody was safely situated inside the classroom, Mrs Green walked to the front of the classroom.

"Now year 10, the groups you have worked in today will be your groups for the remainder of the year. I have noticed that most-

She made sure she looked at Lucas and Nikita when she spoke.

-of you work well together, and it would be easier to continue this way.

Eden glanced at Nikita.

"Imagine being scared"

"Shut up"

Nikita groaned and turned the other way.

Eden laughed and turned to her side.

Hong looked fine, messing with the strap to his computer case. He was unbuckling it, and attaching it to Lucas's case. Speaking of, the boy still looked faintly sick, resting his head on his table.

The bell quickly rose him up, as he grabbed his stuff, and finding it was attached, Hong's belongings too.

Eden shoved Nik to get up, before they all walked out of the lab doors.