BatIM Steps of the Survivor

Chapter Nine

The workout had gone without much more trouble, say for Jade having been soaked once more. Trysten never returned after she had run off, only making Jade's concern for her wellbeing grow, but by the time the workout was over, she was far too tired and worried for Boris to go trying to look for her. In the end, Joey had given her an outfit, telling her to wear it the next day to school. It was immediately forgotten when Jade had gotten home to see Boris shaking harder than a leaf in a hurricane. He also had inky streaks down the side of his face, resembling tears. It took quite some time and Jade being heartbroken from the sight to calm Boris back down. They figured out that Boris had separation anxiety, the memories of what Alice had done creeping in front and center of the wolf's mind in his solitude.

Jade had explained the mandatory workout coming up, and explained how it was the reason she wasn't home on time. Boris forgave her, and informed her that the whole. . . episode. . . started well before she would have gotten home, even without the workout tacked on.

I don't want Boris to have to go through this every day while I'm at school. . . and I can't just stay home. Jade thought to herself, trying to come up with a solution. Then the idea dawned on her. Maybe Boris can come to school with me.

"Boris. . . we know I can't just stay home. . . but what if you came with me to school?" She offered.

To her relief, the wolf seemed interested, and he considered it. "That sounds like a good idea." He smiled, tail wagging a bit. "So how do we do it? Do I just walk with you in the morning?"

"I wish it was that simple. I'll probably have to go to the front office and find some way to get you enrolled without mom's help." She thought for another moment. "Maybe we should have your first day be next week, or something. We can use this week to try and catch you up on what we're learning, though some of it I hardly got myself."

The two of them spent as long of the morning as they could going over some of the background English material Boris needed to know to understand something new in school. Boris, though struggling with a few things, caught on to others rather quickly.

Soon enough, however, came the fateful time for Jade to leave. She could tell Boris didn't want to be alone again, so she thought for a moment. She picked up her Boris plushie from her room and gave it to him.

"If you ever feel lonely, or that your bad thoughts are getting to you, just hug this and think of me. It worked for me, when I was sad about the whole. . . angel thing." She audibly paused to think of an alternative to 'Alice.'

Boris looked at it, tail wagging a bit. Perhaps he was still excited that Jade kept it after the whole ordeal in the studio. "I'll try."

The two hugged before Jade left for school, Jade walking a bit faster to make up for lost time. At least if I'm later than normal, it was for a good cause.

Lucky for her, she still arrived at the bus stop on time, but all of the others waiting for the bus were already there waiting. No one said a word, no greetings of any sort. There was only silence.

When finally the bus arrived, Jade got a seat to herself. She stared out the window, watching the landscape go by and drowning out the chatting of her fellow students with music. Something was. . . giving her a bad feeling about the current day. It didn't help when a headache started up as the bus was arriving to school and she felt the ink starting to leak a bit. She hoped her eyes weren't glowing as she got off the bus, trying not to look at anyone and walk to a more isolated place in the school, attempting to make it recede before class would start.

She had just barely managed to succeed before the bell to go to homeroom rang. With a note of relief, she headed to class and got situated and surveyed the room for Trysten, hoping she got home okay.