“It’d be a good
lesson for him, but I’m afraid Dane won’t give up. You’ll have to
watch your back.”
“ I’m used to that,” I
replied.
She nodded and I followed her to Jayce and
Nikko. Jayce and Brie left down the next hallway to math, and I
followed Nikko to the biology class we shared.
Long white tables scattered with microscopes
filled the room. Posters of dissected cartoon animals, a diagram of
photosynthesis, and slides demonstrating mitosis lined the walls. A
whiteboard covered in rough sketches of plants stood behind a long
wooden desk.
The teacher, a slightly balding, tall,
skinny man with glasses and a sincere smile motioned at us from
across the room.
“ Mrs. Bean said we had a
new student.” He glanced around the room and pushed his glasses up
the bridge of his nose with a finger. “We don’t have any free
microscopes, so you’ll have to work with Nikko. He can fill you in
on what we’ve done so far.”
He motioned for us to take our seats, then
picked up a sheaf of stapled papers from the corner of his desk and
raised his voice so the class could hear, “Today we’re studying the
fourth stage of mitosis which is anaphase. The chromosomes will be
moving to opposites sides of the cell so that it can prepare to
split. Look in your microscopes, identify any cells in anaphase,
and draw them on your paper. You should have the first three phases
already identified.”
I glanced at Nikko; he grinned and
whispered, “Don’t worry; it’s easier than it sounds.” The teacher
dropped a stack of papers on our table. Nikko picked them up, took
the top two pages, then passed the rest down to a girl with long
red hair pulled into two braids.
I studied the paper for a minute before
scooting the microscope closer. The images were blurred, but Nikko
showed me how to adjust the focus. Little circles suddenly
appeared. A smile pulled at the corners of my mouth as I looked for
the cells in anaphase.
***
I met Brie outside of the English class we
shared. She gave me a smile. “How’d it go?”
I hefted the biology book. “I’ve got a ton
of catching up to do, but Nikko says he’ll tutor me. I did like the
microscopes.”
She made a face. “Just wait until they make
you dissect a frog.” She went into the classroom and I followed her
to the back row. An older lady with short, gray-streaked black hair
set copies of books on the desks. She wore a red shirt and gray
skirt with a black sash around her waist.
The teacher gave me a kind
smile as she handed me one of the books. “Welcome. You’re fortunate
to join us in time for Macbeth .” She leaned closer and said
in a loud whisper, “Just don’t think you can watch Mel Gibson and
get the gist of it. Several of your peers tried that with To Kill a Mockingbird and
didn’t fare very well.”
“ Hey,” the boy in front of
me said indignantly.
The teacher shrugged. “I warned you, Ryan.
I’ve watched the movies, too.”
The student next to him elbowed him when the
teacher walked away; they both started laughing.
I ran my fingers through the worn pages of
the book, amazed at how easily they were handed out. Ryan grabbed
his copy and shoved it into his backpack without noticing how the
pages bent. I cringed, thinking of how difficult it was to get
books at the Academy. We had been forced to hide them with great
care. If any were found, it meant beatings and confinement for the
student, and the teacher was never seen again. I lifted the pages
to my nose and inhaled the dusty, worn scent of faded ink on old
paper. Brie glanced at me. Embarrassed, I set the book back on my
desk, but she smiled and smelled her book, too.
“ The last student who read
this either had a smoking habit or lived with smokers,” she said,
setting it quickly down. I laughed and the teacher threw us a
warning glance. We fell silent as she began to read the first
chapter of the book aloud.
“ Does she say it out loud
because some of the other students don’t
lesson for him, but I’m afraid Dane won’t give up. You’ll have to
watch your back.”
“ I’m used to that,” I
replied.
She nodded and I followed her to Jayce and
Nikko. Jayce and Brie left down the next hallway to math, and I
followed Nikko to the biology class we shared.
Long white tables scattered with microscopes
filled the room. Posters of dissected cartoon animals, a diagram of
photosynthesis, and slides demonstrating mitosis lined the walls. A
whiteboard covered in rough sketches of plants stood behind a long
wooden desk.
The teacher, a slightly balding, tall,
skinny man with glasses and a sincere smile motioned at us from
across the room.
“ Mrs. Bean said we had a
new student.” He glanced around the room and pushed his glasses up
the bridge of his nose with a finger. “We don’t have any free
microscopes, so you’ll have to work with Nikko. He can fill you in
on what we’ve done so far.”
He motioned for us to take our seats, then
picked up a sheaf of stapled papers from the corner of his desk and
raised his voice so the class could hear, “Today we’re studying the
fourth stage of mitosis which is anaphase. The chromosomes will be
moving to opposites sides of the cell so that it can prepare to
split. Look in your microscopes, identify any cells in anaphase,
and draw them on your paper. You should have the first three phases
already identified.”
I glanced at Nikko; he grinned and
whispered, “Don’t worry; it’s easier than it sounds.” The teacher
dropped a stack of papers on our table. Nikko picked them up, took
the top two pages, then passed the rest down to a girl with long
red hair pulled into two braids.
I studied the paper for a minute before
scooting the microscope closer. The images were blurred, but Nikko
showed me how to adjust the focus. Little circles suddenly
appeared. A smile pulled at the corners of my mouth as I looked for
the cells in anaphase.
***
I met Brie outside of the English class we
shared. She gave me a smile. “How’d it go?”
I hefted the biology book. “I’ve got a ton
of catching up to do, but Nikko says he’ll tutor me. I did like the
microscopes.”
She made a face. “Just wait until they make
you dissect a frog.” She went into the classroom and I followed her
to the back row. An older lady with short, gray-streaked black hair
set copies of books on the desks. She wore a red shirt and gray
skirt with a black sash around her waist.
The teacher gave me a kind
smile as she handed me one of the books. “Welcome. You’re fortunate
to join us in time for Macbeth .” She leaned closer and said
in a loud whisper, “Just don’t think you can watch Mel Gibson and
get the gist of it. Several of your peers tried that with To Kill a Mockingbird and
didn’t fare very well.”
“ Hey,” the boy in front of
me said indignantly.
The teacher shrugged. “I warned you, Ryan.
I’ve watched the movies, too.”
The student next to him elbowed him when the
teacher walked away; they both started laughing.
I ran my fingers through the worn pages of
the book, amazed at how easily they were handed out. Ryan grabbed
his copy and shoved it into his backpack without noticing how the
pages bent. I cringed, thinking of how difficult it was to get
books at the Academy. We had been forced to hide them with great
care. If any were found, it meant beatings and confinement for the
student, and the teacher was never seen again. I lifted the pages
to my nose and inhaled the dusty, worn scent of faded ink on old
paper. Brie glanced at me. Embarrassed, I set the book back on my
desk, but she smiled and smelled her book, too.
“ The last student who read
this either had a smoking habit or lived with smokers,” she said,
setting it quickly down. I laughed and the teacher threw us a
warning glance. We fell silent as she began to read the first
chapter of the book aloud.
“ Does she say it out loud
because some of the other students don’t
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