Speak [ phan ]

chapter nine

Thoughts on new cover??

***

History, fourth period, and it is taking all Dan has inside him to not be drooling asleep on the desk right now.

For the past week, Connor and he had stayed up stupidly late, so they were basically zombies at school, but there's nothing a coffee can't fix... Maybe.

"So, can anyone tell me what sparked World War Two?" Mr Hall asks, pacing around the front of the room, his old, tired voice not helping Dan's need for sleep, "Lester, enlighten us."

Phil sits up straighter in his chair, slightly resembling a deer in headlights, unprepared for the question, as he has spent the past half hour drawing lions in the back of his book with a black outliner pen.

"Um, it was sparked because an archduke was assassinated," Phil says, his voice raising slightly at the end, so it sounded more like a question rather than an answer.

"Good Lester, not very detailed, but correct," Mr Hall nods, walking to the other side of the whiteboard, "however, the assassination was not the only thing, there was many smaller things leading up to the..."

And the rest of the presumably interesting talk Mr Hall was currently giving, Dan would never hear, because he was fast asleep on his desk.

"Dan!" Phil hisses, stepping on his toe, hard, "c'mon mate!"

Dan groans silently, his face screwing up in displeasure at the thought of waking up completely. He hasn't slept for long enough...

"Dan, get up or you'll get a detention!" Phil whispers again, shaking Dan's leg under the desk, "you can't get a detention cause we have homework, and I'm coming over this afternoon, and I'll kill you if you get detention."

Dan sits up slowly and reluctantly, rubbing his eyes before stifling a yawn, shooting Phil an unimpressed look, as if to say, 'you woke me up for this?' To which Phil just rolls his eyes.

"And Howell, I can see you're listening, so why don't you answer the question?" Mr Hall asks, staring down at Dan, who's slouched in his desk, his face hot.

Dan cringes and bites his lip. Although a few people know he's mute, majority of the school still thinks he's just really quiet, which is something Dan would prefer them to think - possibly for forever. He doesn't really want to tell the whole class he's mute, it never ends well.

"I'll answer it sir!" Caspar shouts, raising his arm high in the air and waving it around like a beacon, a giant grin on his face, "please sir, it's finally a question I know!"

"Fine then, Caspar, what was one event which contributed greatly to the start of the First World War?" He asks, walking over to Caspar's desk and looking at him expectantly.

It's quite clear to everyone from Caspar's expression, that he actually doesn't know the answer, and was just saving Dan; something Dan is very grateful for.

"Um, Adolf Hitler killing Jews?" Caspar says, sounding more as if he's asking a question rather than answering one.

"That was the Second World War Caspar," Mr Hall says, rolling his eyes, which makes everyone giggle and Caspar just sit there, blushing slightly but hiding a grin, "now, back to Howell..."

The bell sounds, and Dan has never been so happy to hear that wonderful ring. But he decides to stay back, scribbling a note to his teacher in the back of his book to show him so he won't have a close call again.

"Ah yes, sorry Howell, I forgot," Mr Hall apologizes when Dan shows him the note, "I see why Caspar interrupted now, my respect for that kid has gone up."