I walked down the halls of the counselor`s office hallway like a free man. I passed by other children who looked like they were waiting for someone or were about to be given medication to take. I passed them all without much care, this place had deep evil in it right now, but I couldn't just tell these kids to stop taking their medication. Not only that but I knew that a lot of these kids needed therapy or at least someone who wasn't a peer to talk to them. I am sure that the coping skills and therapy would help them in the future. It was probably the thing that kept doughy sane and the rest of them from just killing themselves. That and being together, I knew that having someone with you around that went through the same thing as you was so much better than anything else. It was just something that you just couldn't really say, it was just that 'I understand brother' kind of thing.
I couldn't imagine how doughy felt when his friends and family died. It was no wonder he had his crash out, anyone would. You fought and protected your friends for so long, only for a complete strange and a doll to come at you and start asking for shit. That when you do what they tell you to do, you go and find your little safe place destroyed and your only family dead. Yeah, the crash out was valid.
When I finally made it outside I don't know why but I yawned and stretched out my legs and arms again. God, moving around felt good. Being a kid sucks, but I am loving being able to not feel back pain and my knees not hurt. Man, when was the last time since I could sit down in a chair that long and not feel pain in my back or that annoying knee pain. Note to self the body is a temple, no getting back pain or knee pain for me in the future.
I only made it a few steps before Goodman called out to me.
"Max"
"Yeah doc?"
"I won`t stay long but I wanted to let you know a few things." He got on his knees and looked me in the eyes before continuing.
"I know this isn't what you wanted Max, but I know Keckler, and some of the other counselors here. He talks a lot but he is a good man. You can trust him, and the counselors here. They can help you get through your trauma."
He reached in to his pockets and pulled out a small card, to which he handed to me.
"This is my business card. If you need anything you call me you hear."
I looked at the business card, it was one of those basic business cards that had the name, address and phone number on it. It had a few wriggles on it, and felt like construction paper.
"Why?" I asked him, he was doing a lot for me. I mean why would someone do that? The only reason I could think of was that he either needed something from me or needed something from himself that he wanted to get from helping me. I grew up understanding that humans were selfish creatures, we only did things that benefited ourselves. That was simply nature, to get angry at someone being selfish was stupid. It was like asking why cat acted like cats, or dogs acedt like dogs or why it rains. Humans were selfish that was a logical fact. Hell, I considered myself a good person and even I didn't want to come here without serious back up or something like that. So, why was this old man helping me out so much. We only had a few session together, and even then it was more or less asking about how I felt or something along those lines. Strange.
"Look Max, not everyone is out to get you. You need to start trusting people. Let them help you. Call if you need anything" With that he got up and left
Strange indeed, so he is probably only helping me to feel better about himself. Or possibly wanting me to lower my guard or- sometimes I hated my way of thinking. The old man just wanted to help a child that is it, no point in looking past that. But trusting these people, yeah no. As, for having them 'help' me yeah again out of the question.
I was trained in a lot of different things and psychology warfare, and basic therapy technique was one of them. I didn't need them to help me, I could help myself. Like I did in my past life and would in this situation.
Enough depressing thoughts, the best way to get rid of these thoughts and feelings was for me distract myself with something to do read, or play games or watch something. Remembering that the only cartoons were probably something stupid or god forbid that Smiling Critters show or something worse I didn't even want to damage any of my current brain cells. So, that left books to read and since I didn't want to read anything brainy right now comics it was. Mangas would be cool too, but I doubt they had it and not only that but the Mangas that I wanted to read right now wasn't a thing yet.
As I walked towards the school building I couldn't help but mentally list all of the crap I could make. If I didn't become a toy in the future, I could make a lot of money. Pokemon and Digimon was a thing I could copy, oh holy shit all the things I could make. No more living the poor life for me. HAHA
The only children if they didn't think I was crazy before definitely thought I was crazy now. I was laughing to myself about jokes that they would be in their 30s before they understood it or when it was even mentioned about. It was going to be a hard life being a cultured person in this time period.
When I entered the school, I was happy to see that there was a sign that pointed to where the library was. It also showed where the classrooms were, that was cool. I didn't have to walk around this place like an idiot.
As I walked down the hallways towards the library I couldn't help but think that this place really reminded me of that school I went to back when I was in middle school. Tile floors with walls that had that clean tile or new wall paint look. Brought back good memories of when I was a stupid kid, with stupid friends. The good memories ended when the embarrassing ones came rushing up front asking to be viewed. Like an annoying car sellsman or that annoying song in your head. I shutter at the stupid, and cringe things I did as a kid. Man my mom had it rough with me and my weirdness.
The library room looked like a normal school library. They didn't seem to have a lot books available, but they did have tables that were spread down the library hall and a room with a sign that said computer lab. It even had that school library book smell to it.
I walked up to the front desk, where an elder woman sat. She had short blonde hair, with glasses on her face that had to be the quarter the size of her face. She had a long red T-shirt with a scarf around her neck. Why she had a scarf on, I didn't know but didn't care one bit about it. She was organizing books shifting them from one bin to another. My guess was she was getting the library outlook organized, matching the dates and figuring out what books are overdue or late or something like that. I honestly didn't know what librarians did.
"Excuse me" I said
She looked up from her work, leaned in towards me and adjusted her glasses to focus on me. Can you see grandma, I thought to myself.
"Yes, deary how can I help you. If you are here about the chore job, then I am sorry but that is already taken."
"No, I am new here and wanted to know how to get a library card. Also I was interested in your computer lab, and if you had any comics to read."
"Oh. For the library card it is simply in the books you check out. They have a little card in them, All you need to do is write your name on it and give it to me. And don`t think I wont find out if you don't bring it back. For the computer lab if you look right from here, you see that desk next to the Computer lab door. Right there is a sign-in sheet for the available computers, but just remember that there are a lot of children here so please be patient for your turn. Now for comics we have some over there its in the rows in the back. If you go down the hall to the left they are in that self. Not the one on the wall, but the one next to the wall."
While she said this stuff she pointed out each location, which was helpful. I said my thanks and left. What a nice woman, hopefully she retires soon.
When I finally got to the last far bookshelf that was placed against the wall on the far left of the room. I turned around to see the bookshelf column that sat parallel of it that she had told me about. As I looked through the selection, I took notice that the comic options weren't that good. It was DC character does this thing or saves this. Marvel wasn't better it was avengers or something does this thing. Wit that comic book action, or that witty funny comic humor they have, so nothing too bad to skim through. I guess I can do a spider man and flash comic. They were pretty good heroes, with interesting villains not only that but they had so pretty funny sections in them. It wasn't my kind of Deadpool, dark humor but comedy was comedy. A laugh was better than nothing at all.
I grabbed two random comics with my selected heroes on them from the shelf. I didn't even bother paying attention at what the front page of it said, the only thing I care about was that it had flash or spiderman on it. It would be cool to see kind of comic I grabbed, it would be a surprise.
The moment my eyes landed on the far back corner table, I knew it was mine. The anime weeb in me needed that seat, it was the protagonist spot where stuff happened. It was also the spot that people didn't bother with and left you alone. I had multiple nieces and nephews whom I had to babysit for on more than one occasion. I wasn't a stranger to watching or dealing with the young kids that were around here, but that didn't mean I wanted to deal with them right now. Young kids were brutally honest and said the weirdest crap out of nowhere.
I flipped open the spiderman comic first, it was a comic about spiderman encountering venom and I was on the part where spiderman said a remark after being hit that I heard someone.
"H-Hey"
I looked up and got to see a group of absolute nerds. It was a group of four kids. They were probably 12 or 13 years old, they were all white besides that token black kid. Three of them including the black kid were tall and thin. My guess was they were at that station were the body customed fat faster than it could grow. The station in life where you could literally eat anything you wanted and still have thin arms and legs, where the only thing that might happen is you getting that awkward belly fat that didn't match your developing body. The other kid was rather fat, his shirt that he wore didn't help him. It was funny seeing them, I don't know why but the way they gathered seemed like a group of puppies that wanted to fight.
I smiled at them and said "Yes. How can I help you gentleman" the darkest part of my mind surfaced from its depth. It whispered in my ear 'do it, anime aura farm. What better way to distract yourself then doing a classic anime villain pose to these kids. They would call you a legend' I wanted to so bad, but was able to stop myself.
"You are probably new here, but that is our spot"
"Yeah"
"We play Dungeons and Dragons here every night everyone know that's."
"You need to move, we need to know if the rogue was able to fire his arrow at the cave troll, and if the wizard here actual managed to fire his spell without killing the fighter."
Yeah these were nerds, and I needed to anime aura farm. Austin would kill me if I didn't do at least a sitting jojo pose. I didn't know if I hated that man for infecting me or love him for all the reference I got. No wonder villains did this.
I adjusted my positioning in the sit where my back didn't lean in the center but rather on the right corner, I placed my right elbow on the chair handle with my right hand holding my head. My legs were crossed with my left hand resting on my knee. It was even better because I was short and in a child`s body. I mentally laughed that I probably looked like every shota villain.
"Oh..forgive me I am new here and don't know the customs here" I said with as much fancy sounding and slightly mockery in my voice allowed me to do.
The white kid whom first spoke to me, he had a bowl kid with a long nose and said
"Wait are you the kid that came in with restraints?"
"That would be me. Yes"
The other kids behind him spoke up.
"Seriously, what did you do. I never seen anyone come here tied up like that, Dude seriously I don't think anyone here has seen that. What did you do? You're like what 7 or 9?"
"HA, nothing serious just…Killed someone" I said the last part with a glare, it wasn't totally wrong either. My first deployment wasn't that great, but my other deployment were pretty chill with nothing special happening. Every time I thought about my first deployment, always made me sick. Everyone thought that being a badass assassin or whatever was cool but actually doing the deed was different. It was easy when you are in combat, but after that was when the nightmare start, the doubt, the thought of damn I took someone life. Someone who was just on the opposite side of where I was. We both had people telling us to kill each for reasons that had personally nothing to do with us. Who cares that my leader, whom I never met in person didn't like what your leader did, whom I know for a fact you haven't met either. It was stupid.
"Gulp..s-seriously?
"I knew the new kid was crazy, but destiny didn't believe me."
Before they started getting into it, I laughed at them, when they turned towards me I smiled and said.
"Nah, Just messing with you guys. My parents passed away, and I didn't want to come here so I kind of got a little violent. Nothing crazy or anything serious."
"oh"
"wel-" the black kid was interrupted by the fat kid, whom based on the book he was holding in his arms was either the DM or the wizard. I couldn't tell.
"Most I remind you guys that it is almost lights out and I really…really. Want to know if that wizard fire the spell correctly or…if we are all toast, get eaten and have to start this whole thing all over again."
Oh yeah he had to be the wizard. I already could piece together what happened. Team made it into the cave, fighter ran up to the monster, rogue shot arrows and wizard from far way fires a spell not knowing that he needed to do a saving throw to not kill the fighter, whom was fighting the cave troll. Or it was the rouge that messed it all up. Hard to tell sometimes.
"Cool, can I watch?"
"Hmm..ha..do you even know the difference between magic and melee users. Or better yet do you even know the difference between an human and an elf. Come on. This kid wouldn't know anything that was going on. He is probably just sitting here, WASTING OUR TIME, trying to act cool cause he is new. Anthony did it, Jacob did it and remember what that kid Ethan did last week to be 'cool'. We are already late to this campaign as it is, and I do not want to be in the group that was bullied by the younger kids. Our reputation already sucks. We. Cannot. go. Further." Said the fat kid holding his DnD book.
"Dude not cool"
"Yeah, he is probably just having a bad start we all did. Let`s just play other there, it's not that serious. We don't have our names on it or anything."
They argued back and forth, and it kind of reminded me of a sitcom watching them. Before it got more heated. I injected saying.
"Hey, I said I would watch not play. Also what magic user are you talking about wizard? Druid? Sorcerer? Warlock? Or are you counting any magic user like paladin or cleric. Also for melee user do you mean Rogue? Fighter? Barbarian? Monk? You cant just say something user you have to be specific. Everyone know that. Also seriously humans are humans and elves are long-ear pointed, long lived races duh."
The leader of the group, which was the bowl hair cut boy hit the fat kid on the shoulder and said
"Look see I told you, and he passed your stupid test. So let`s set up, stop arguing and play already."
"First off…ow, second off it wasn't a stupid test, and third that was I have been saying all day"
The table was big enough for all of us, and I decided to sit next to the DM. The DM was surprisingly the white dude that has been quite the whole time. He was pretty shy at first with me being next to him. Avoiding eye contact with me, and keeping his head close to the small built up paper screen he had set up.
As more time went on, the group and I started to interact more. I found out that the DM was named Barry. He had been here the longest, and didn't like talking about how he got here. It almost became awkward. Barry was an extremely shy person, whom only talked when he was passionate about something or telling a pretty good dnd campaign. He had black hair with a curtains hairstyle, he overall looked like that autistic good friend I had back in high school. They both had that same aura about them, that they were in their own world and the only way to reach them was with something they liked.
The black kid name was Darren, he had short curly black hair with a big nose. He seemed pretty chill guy, but hugged and grabbed the arms of his friends a little too much. He could be gay, didn't really know, and didn't really care. However being gay in this time period wasn't ideal so it was whatever, and for all I know I could be wrong. He also seemed like the dude who was a hype man. He played the rogue character.
James was the fat kid that 'tested' me. He was the fighter of the group and brought the book to see if the spell would kill his character or not. He also was very dramatic. I don't know if it was because I was watching or not, but the dude was rolling the dice like it was a matter of life and death. Whenever it hit 1 or a low number he would throw his hands back like he wanted to rage quit. This dude would definitely be a gamer in the future.
Jeffrey the bowl hair, skinny white kid who was probably the leader of the group played as the wizard. He was as much into it as everyone else, if not more. He was the only one that changed his voice to roleplay as the wizard better, and would fact check his party. He had also seemed pretty mature for his age, and was able to settle the argument that rose up between the DM, and the fighter if he and when he got bad rolls.
It was fun watching them play and just be normal kids. It helped get stuff off my mind.
"Lights out in 15 minutes, please make your way to home sweet home. Again 15 minutes until lights out."