The next day Ethan woke up feeling miserable. His head was throbbing from the cut over his eyebrow and he seriously thought about calling in sick to school. The only reason he didn’t in fact, was that he wasn’t sure how to go about doing it and besides he’d already skipped one class yesterday even if it wasn’t his fault. He was certain that he would be paying for that one later.

One positive thing about his exploits yesterday was that he didn’t need to take a shower this morning so he could snooze just a little bit longer. While he was able to clean himself up last night no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t get the symbol on his wrist to come off.

He even accidentally activated it startling himself especially with the sword appearing in his hand which he was pretty sure he left back in the dungeon on the stone staircase. Apparently it was bound to him just like the stupid symbol was and would reappear in his possession whenever activated.

Regardless of that the extra time he had in the morning disappeared faster than he would have liked and soon he found himself dragging his zombie-like body across the quad to homeroom and then his first class which was English I.

Ethan barely managed to stay awake through the class and this was mostly thanks to the constant headache which refused to let him relax. The teacher, Mr. Rayburn, droned on and on about the book Of Mice and Men and the various themes such as loneliness and powerlessness it would explore. Ethan barely listened as members of the class took turns reading passages from the beginning of the book and before he knew it the bell signalling the end of the class rang.

Mr. Rayburn assigned them the rest of chapter one to read and to summarize their thoughts on it before dismissing them. Ethan then made his way to Tanaka Hall where Algebra I would take place.

When he arrived he was pleasantly surprised to find Jenny sitting in the classroom. He wanted to sit next to her but that seat was already taken by another girl who was chatting with her. Instead he settled for sitting a few seats behind her where he promptly stared at her through the entire lesson.

Mrs. Dotson, the elderly math teacher assigned them a ton of math problems from their book before dismissing them all for lunch. At this rate he was going to have to spend his entire weekend working on homework instead of relaxing. Did these teachers not realize that every single one of them was assigning homework so if they all assigned an hour worth of homework it would take almost all of their free time to do it.

Scowling and in a poor mood Ethan made his way to the dining hall where he pilled his plate with so much pasta it threatened to fall off.

“Did you get enough to eat?” Isabella asked him from across their table.

“I’m starving,” he mumbled between shovelling forkfills of noodles into his mouth.

“I can see that,” she said still just staring at him. “Where were you last night? I looked for you in the dining hall but couldn’t find you and what did you do to your forehead?”

“I fell down and hit my head,” Ethan said talking with his mouth full. “By the time I came to it was already past dinner time so I just went back to my dorm.”

It was a lie of course, but only half of one. He really did get the cut on his forehead from falling down even if it hadn’t knocked him out. He felt bad for lying to Bella but what was he supposed to do? Tell her that he’d stumbled into some magical dungeon that dropped him in some weird world with evil birds? Yeah that would go over well. He’d probably lose his only friend who would think he was crazy.

“You were knocked out?” she asked concerned. “Did you see the school nurse?”

“No, honestly it’s fine,” Ethan replied not wanting to linger on the subject. “I’m fine now.”

“You could have a concussion,” Bella replied sounding flabbergasted. “You need to go see the nurse now.”

“I need to eat now,” Ethan said smiling placatingly. “Honestly I’m fine. I just have a minor headache that’s all. It’s no big deal.”

“Yes it is,” Bella retorted. “I’m taking you to the nurse right now.”

Anger coursed through him which caused his head to throb even more and he wanted to snap at her. He didn’t, which he was thankful for, because honestly none of this was her fault and the last thing he wanted to do was to drive her away.

Instead after taking a moment to put his emotions in check he said stiffly, “let me finish eating first and then we can go. I seriously don’t think I could skip another meal.”

“Boys always thinking first with their stomach, just like my brothers,” Bella said smiling happily at him. “Sure finish up and then we’ll go.”

The Nurse’s Office as it turned out was directly across from the dinning hall in a small building Ethan previously hadn’t paid much attention to. When they arrived and Bella explained to the nurse, Ms. Watanabe, Ethan’s story the nurse had then exploded at Ethan.

“You fell and knocked yourself out for long enough to miss dinner last night and didn’t come see me?” she asked incredulously.

“Honestly, I’m fine,” Ethan answered defensively. “I just have a small headache that’s all. I only came because she insisted.”

“Well I’m glad she did,” Ms. Watanabe replied praising Bella while narrowing her eyes at Ethan. “A small headache? I doubt that with that gash on your forehead. Your head probably feels like it might explode right now.”

Well she’s got that part right at least, Ethan thought scowling.

“Come here and let me check your eyes and run some tests to see if you have a concussion,” she sighed and then muttered to herself, “first week and someone is already being stupid.”

Doing as he was told Ethan moving up to her and let her examine his eyes and then run him through and exhaustive array of questions and tests. None of which seemed to have much of a point to him. Maybe she was just doing it to punish him for not coming to her sooner he thought.

“Well, you are extremely lucky,” Ms. Watanabe said sighing. “You don’t have any signs of a concussion, but don’t ever ignore something like that again. “Let me clean and dress that wound on your forehead and I’ll give you something for the headache and get you two out of here before your next classes begin.”

Ethan…

“What?” Ethan asked looking up at her wondering why she called his name after just explaining what she was going to do.

“I said hold still while I clean that wound of yours,” Ms. Watanabe snapped.

He could have sworn she called his name, but maybe it was Bella. Looking over at his friend though he found her sitting in a chair and staring out the window. It must have been his imagination that’s all.

“There,” Watanabe said finishing up the bandage on his forehead. “Now take one of these every four hours until you no longer need them.”

She handed him a small bottle with pills in it and dismissed the two of them. As soon as they were out of the office Ethan immediately took one of the pills though he tried to be coy about it. He didn’t really want Bella to know how bad his head was hurting, but he wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to ease the pain.

“See aren’t you glad you went now?” Bella asked him as they walked across the quad towards Tanaka hall where they both had Computer Science next.

“Yes,” he admitted begrudgingly still feeling a little irritated with her. “Though I didn’t have a concussion so I was right about not really needing medical attention,” he added not wanting to give in completely.

“But now you know, where you wouldn’t have before,” Bella said happily. “If you’re not feeling well don’t be afraid to tell me. I’m pretty good at taking care of people. I learned from my mom who was the best and have taken care of my dad and brothers before when they’re sick or injured.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Ethan said not sure how to respond to this. “Thanks, Bella.”

He’d never had anyone offer to take care of him before. Well his mom would of course, but that was her job. Still he felt a little bit better knowing that Bella cared enough about him to offer even if he was unlikely to ever take her up on it.

Computer Science, as it turned out, was a class full of familiar faces. On the good side there was Bella, Jenny, and Lee and on the bad side there was Stewart, Alex, and Quincy. Gavin was also in this class but Ethan still hadn’t decided what to make of the kid who mostly tried to make everyone laugh and threw sarcastic comments out at every opportunity.

He took a seat next to Bella who he was pleased to see take a seat next to Jenny. Being able to talk with her he was certain would help ease the pain in his head.

Unfortunately before he could say anything to her Stewart came out and loudly asked, “Did someone else beat you up first Shipper? That’s not fair, I wanted the first crack at you.”

Ethan felt his headache spike as rage surged through him and he stood up, however before he could say anything Gavin said, “Yeah, it was Quin on the soccer field with her she-hulk shoulder.”

Several people including Jenny giggled at this and Stewert asked, “Quin? A girl beat you up?”

“Ethan blushed furiously as Gavin corrected him, “Not really a girl. More like Xena, Warrior Princess, right Quin?”

This drew Stewert’s attention to Quin who was sitting there looking bored with the whole situation.

“You’re Quin?” He asked looking her up and down.

“I am,” she replied flatly.

“I like a girl who can handle herself,” Stewart stated. “Would you like to go out sometime?”

“Go out?” Quin asked sounding a little confused.

“Go out,” Stewart repeated sounding nervous for the first time. “You know, a date.”

“Oh,” Quin said finally comprehending what he was getting at. “No, I’m not interested in that sort of thing. Sorry.”

This caused several students including Ethan to laugh. Ethan probably laughed a bit too forcefully but it felt so good to watch Stewart get shot down so brutally. Stewart scowled at her and stomped away and Ethan thought that this class might not be so bad.

That feeling lasted all of two seconds because Alex finally spoke up and said, “Actually Ethan got that would digging through the dumpsters looking for food last night. He told me so when he got back to our dorm room late last night reeking of garbage and looking homeless.”

It was Stewart’s turn to laugh forcefully though several other students joined in. Ethan’s face turned a shade of red brighter than he previously thought possible and he tried to sink down in his chair and disappear.

“Well I’m always glad to see a class getting along,” a thin man with glass said strolling into the room. “Hopefully this means we can get onto learning and I don’t have to spend most of my time babysitting you. I’m Dr. Kipling and this is Computer Science.”

Dr. Kipling then proceeded to go into the most boring lecture Ethan ever sat through in his life. By the time the bell rang he was pretty sure he was drooling with his head resting on the keyboard in front of him and from the glazed over stares of the other students he wasn’t the only one.

“Well that was certainly an experience,” Bella said as they and most of the rest of their class made their way out of Tanaka Hall and crossed the quad toward Hinan Hall.

“I don’t think he knows how to actually teach kids,” Ethan replied.

“I’m pretty sure I heard you snore a couple of times,” Bella said with a small laugh.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so bored in my life,” Ethan replied grinning sheepishly. “If I ever need help falling asleep, I should just ask the doctor to come lecture at him for a couple minutes.

Bella giggled at this which made Ethan happy that at least one person seemed to enjoy his company. He was in a relatively good mood now. His head was feeling a bit better now so the medicine or the sleep he’d gotten in Computer Science must have helped and he only had one class left for the day before he was free to relax.

Ethan Russell…

“Did you need something Bella?” Ethan asked wondering why she’d called his full name when they’d been speaking already.

“No,” Bella replied staring at him confused and concerned. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah I’m fine,” Ethan answered. “My head’s actually feeling a lot better. Probably all of that rest I got in Computer Science.”

Did I just imagine her calling my name Ethan asked himself. No I’m positive I heard it. What is going on?

As another class that all Freshmen were required to take U.S. History Prior to 1861 was another class full of familiar faces. Ehtan mostly sat quietly next to Bella before the class started not wanting to get into it with Stewart or Alex again.

“Welcome to U.S. History,” a tall dark-haired handsome man with a big grin said striding into the room. “I’m Mr. Darnell, or Al and I’ll be your captain as we journey back in time to the earliest days of U.S. History.”

It was cheesy but this was clearly a man who was passionate about what he taught Ethan thought and he couldn’t help but be sucked in by that passion a little bit.

“Now who can tell me who was the first European to journey to the Americas?” Mr. Darnell Asked. “Yes you there, who was it?”

“I’m Lee,” Lee said, “and it was Christopher Columbus.”

“A good guess, but no,” Mr. Darnell said with his infectious smile. “How about you there? What’s your guess?”

“I’m Alex,” Alex said, “and it was Leif Erikksson.”

“That’s correct,” Mr. Darnell said, “Though Christopher Columbus was much more important to the colonization of the Americas and ultimately the founding of our nation. So let’s start with him. You’ve all heard the phrase in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue correct?”

For the next hour we explored the early Spanish and Portuguese colonies in the Americas and how they drove the rest of Europe to look at these two new continents for resources.

Ethan was enthralled. He’d always enjoyed history and the passion and engagement Mr. Darnell showed for the subject as well as how he engaged the class really kept him interested in the subject at hand.

“Now I would love to spend more time on the Spanish and Portugese as well as early American Civilizations,” Mr. Darnell said, “but this class is specifically about U.S. history so we will be focusing on that. Can anyone tell me what the first permanent British settlement was in America?”

Ethan...Ethan Russell…

“Jamestown, right?” Ethan answered feeling startled that Mr. Darnell called on him by name.

“That is correct,” Mr. Darnell said, “ten points to whatever house you’re in.”

“Salamander,” Ethan added.

Grinning Mr. Darnell said, “I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name.”

“It’s uh Ethan sir,” Ethan said feeling completely confused.

Didn’t this man just call on him by name to answer that question? What in the world was going on? Why did he keep hearing his name when it apparently wasn’t being called?

“Well Ethan, I appreciate the enthusiasm but next time please raise your hand and wait to be called on before answering,” Mr. Darnell said. “And unfortunately there are no points for the houses. Those dorms are just where we adults like to lock you up at night to keep you from causing us trouble. What do you all think this was? A school for magic?”

This drew collective laughter from the class and even Ethan couldn’t help but smiling a little at the joke though he was still bothered by the fact that he kept hearing his name called when it wasn’t.

“Quick for twenty more meaningless points does anyone know the first permanent European settlement in what is now the United States?” Mr. Darnell asked. “Yes you Alex.”

“Saint Augustine, Florida,” Alex answered.

“Yes, I can see you’re going to be the one setting the curve in this class,” Mr. Darnell said beaming at him. “The rest of you can blame Alex when you all fail this class.”

When the class stared silently back at him with concerned faces he laughed.

“Relax, that was my joke,” he said dismissively. “I don’t grade on a curve and I know you’re all going to pass this class with flying colors. I’m going to make sure each and every one of you do great so that when your parents get your report cards they won’t be having a discussion with you about your history class at least.”

“That’s good,” Gavin said loudly, “because my parents are going to be pissed already when they see my P.E. grade.”

This drew more laughter from the class and Ethan decided then and there that history was his favorite class by far at Hinan Academy. While he usually would have placed P.E. above it, the way Mr. Darnell taught just made him want to learn and he found himself not minding that he was in class.

When class finally ended Ethan was feeling pretty good and just wanted to go relax somewhere. Perhaps he could lie down in the quad somewhere or find a nice shaded spot.

Bella ruined these thoughts a second later by asking him, “Do you have homework you need to work on? I was thinking about heading to the library and trying to get some done before dinner.”

Ethan responded by looking over at her sourly and narrowing his eyes.

Bella laughed in response to this and said, “Don’t look so excited about it. Come on, it won’t be so bad if we’re together.”

Sighing Ethan muttered, “fine, I do have homework that I need to do. I really just didn’t want to think about it.”

This was true as he had Biology homework that was due first think tomorrow morning. Man, he hated school sometimes. It was bad enough that it was now taking up most of five and half days out of his week but it couldn’t be content with that so it decided to eat into his nights and weekends too.

He promised to meet Bella in ten minutes at the library after leaving his History classroom. Running back to his dorm room he quickly grabbed his Biology book off of his desk where he’d spread it out trying to dry out the saturated pages. The book was now dry but the pages were now wavy, stiff, and showing obvious signs of water damage.

We’ll that’s just great he thought. Hopefully it’s still useable or I’m going to be in real trouble this year. His Health book was showing similar symptoms, but he was at least grateful that those were the only two textbooks he’d had on him when he fell into the dungeon lake.

Scowling he added it to his backpack along with his other books and left the room before he chanced an encounter with Alex which were always unpleasant. Seriously, four years of rooming with him was not going to end well for either of them at this rate.

Making his way across the quad Ehtan located the library on the other side of Racoon House. It was huge. Way bigger than any library he’d ever seen in his life, especially for a school. It was two stories tall and stacked from floor to ceiling with books in row after row. There were tables in the front for students to sit and work at though there were also hidden cubbys and seating areas throughout the whole library as well.

Bella was waiting for him at the front and the two of them made their way to a cozy corner on the second floor which overlooked the ocean. Ethan hadn’t realized it before but the library was near the western end of campus next to a road that butted up against a beautiful white sand beach.

He definitely needed to get out there sometime if he was living this close to it. Living in California he’d been to the beach before but it was a rarity still as Fresno was hours away from the coast. Now though he could walk there in less than five minutes. That was awesome.

Turning his head away from the window he refocused on his task and pulled his Biology book out of his backpack and cracked it open.

“What did you do to that book?” Bella asked staring at it.

“Oh my backpack got wet yesterday when I hit my head,” Ethan mumbled not really wanting to explain it to her.

“You’re lucky you didn’t drown,” Bella said looking concerned.

No kidding, Ethan thought remembering his plunge into the lake. Could have drowned or been burned alive, just your typical first day at Hinan Academy. This caused him to smirk a little as he laughed at the joke in his head.

“What’s so funny?” Bella asked curious.

“I was just thinking about how only I could have had such a great first day at school,” Ethan answered.

“Now your due for some good fortune,” Bella said. “You got the bad stuff out of the way early so now it should be smooth sailing from here on out.”

I highly doubt that Ethan thought as he heard his name called once again and this time he knew it wasn’t coming from the girl in front of him.