Shoes for Hats (Snowpiercer Fanfiction)

Education of the Youth

We walked into the next section. The children were wearing mask and screaming. I looked around, breathing deeply. I held Rosie close.

"Good morning, children. I'm pleased to present guests from the tail section." Mason said, moving to the side so the children could see us. I looked around at them, then at Curtis.

"Yes. What do we say to tail section guests, children?" The teacher asked.

"Good morning, tail section guests!" All the kids said. I breathed deeply, pulling my arm away as a kid pulled at my sleeve. He giggled with his friend next to him about how dirty his hand was now. I swallowed and looked away. Tanya and Andrew hurried forward, pulling the masks off of two children who looked similar to Timmy and Andy. I held onto Curtis. They asked the children if they had seen them, holding up the pictures Painter had given them.

"I saw them!" A little boy in the back said, standing in his chair.

"When? Where?" Tanya and Andrew asked.

"Came through there, went through there." The boy said, pointing to the door we had just come through then the door at the back of the classroom.

"Is that all, boy?" Mason asked.

"Yes." The boy said, still standing in his chair.

"Were they crying?" Tanya asked, her voice breaking.

"No, but they looked like they wanted to." The boy said. Tanya looked down as she started to tear up. I moved around Mason and went to Tanya, holding her close. A little blonde girl in the front stood up in her chair.

"I heard old tail sectioners were lazy dogs who slept all day in their own shit." The little girl said.

"No, they're very nice! And very just and merciful. So it is." Mason said.

"I heard little front sectioner children were little stuck up shits." Rosie said. I turned quickly, fixing her with a stern look. Curtis had wrapped his arm around her and covered her mouth.

"Behave." He said, looking at her then me.

"And language." I said. She rolled her eyes and shoved his hand away, letting it rest on her shoulders though.

"Minister Mason, we were just about to show a video." The teacher said with her too peppy smile.

"Very good." Mason said. The woman turned on a video on the tv. I looked at it. 

"Wilford!" The children exclaimed, making W's with their hands. I looked at them then Curtis, then back at the tv. I moved back, closer to Curtis. He slipped Mason's chain into my hand and held me close. Rosie was leaning into his side and watching the tv. She didn't even know what it was. She had never seen one in her life. I breathed deeply, thinking of everything she had missed out on. I looked up as I heard the tv turn off. 

"As hard as it is to believe, people in the old world made fun of Mr. Wilford. They criticized him for over-engineering and over equipping this wonderful train. But Mr. Wilford knew something they did not. And what was that?" The teacher asked. The same blonde girl from earlier. 

"Old world people were frigging morons who got turned into popsicles." She said matter of factly. I've never felt the urge to punch a kid so much as I want to punch that little girl. Curtis's hold on my waist tightened slightly. 

"Well, sort of. Mr. Wilford knew that CW7 would freeze the world. So what did the prophetic Mr. Wilford invent to protect the chosen from that calamity?" The teacher asked, rubbing her large stomach. How did I just now notice? She looked like she was ready to pop.