CLEMENTINE | zoldyck family

03 - kukuroo mountain

ALANA HATED her new teacher and she couldn't figure out why.

No, that wasn't right. She couldn't remember why.

Ms. Campbell was familiar the way Zushi's new friend Killua was familiar— in a bone-deep way that's been made fuzzy by time. The more she thought about them, the more her memories did piqué turns to get away.

"Okay, everyone! The next set of equations I want you to do independently. Independently, Matthew. Does everyone have their whiteboards out? Wonderful!" Ms. Campbell changed the PowerPoint slide. "Alright, I'm setting the timer for ten minutes."

Alana inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, carefully keeping her face blank. She picked up her red dry-erase marker and started working. 

She clutched a bobby pin in her right hand, rubbing the grooves in an attempt to distract herself from the pain. She didn't know why her fingernails suddenly started hurting but this was not the right time to show weakness.

As if some ill-wishing entity heard her thoughts, Ms. Campbell paused by Alana's desk. 

It happened for a moment, just a single moment, but Alana felt it: the gentle, warning flare of Ms. Campbell's aura. A Nen user who wanted her to know they were a Nen user. Alana was alone in the forest and a mountain lion had found her.

Alana dug her nail into the bobby pin. Slowly, she looked up.

Ms. Campbell scanned Alana's work with eyes that were far too chilly for an elementary school teacher. Too impersonal. A doctor's eyes, or a waiter's. Or a... there was a word. A better word to describe this woman and it was just out of Alana's reach. 

Her memories were too muddled. She saw people in black and white outfits for a millisecond before the image drifted away, and then Alana was looking at Ms. Campbell's signature sunny smile.

"Left-handed, I see," she commented.

"Yes," said Alana, trying to control her grip. Any harder and the marker would snap. Gently, her mom's voice cajoled. Alana's fingers relaxed minutely. 

"Numbers one and two are right," Ms. Campbell said before tapping the third equation with a hot pink nail. "Try that one again. Two-point-forty-one minus one-point-thirty-eight."

Alana erased her answer for number three— one-point-zero-two— and replaced it with one-point-zero-three.

"Great," Ms. Campbell smiled. She held out a little lollipop with a pastel wrapper. "For a job well done."

Alana's fingers twitched violently around the bobby pin and she couldn't stop it. She held her teacher's gaze. "I don't like lollipops."

"Really?" Ms. Campbell's eyebrows shot up. "What a surprise." She didn't look very surprised.

The pastel lollipop went to blond-haired Kacie a few desks down.

Alana, too focused on keeping herself under control, couldn't pay attention to the rest of the lesson. She didn't know why the woman made her react this way but it was highly irritating. 

The bobby pin in her hand was swollen with defensive aura.

"Ow! Ms. Campbell, Chris threw a ham-and-cheese at me!"

Alana felt something soft hit the back of her head. It fell to the floor with a muted thump.

"Ms. Campbell! Chris threw another one at Bug Eyes! Dude, why the heck do you have two?"

Ms. Campbell clapped her hands three times. "It's time for lunch, everyone! Chris, we do not throw objects in this classroom. Matthew, it's disrespectful to call your classmates names. The two of you stay behind for a minute, please. Alana, are you okay?"