Fate's Vinculum

Part VI, Chapter 1. Angelus Supreme

                                                           --Chicago Suburb, Illinois, USA--

"Can I have a pencil?"

The room of sixth-graders burst into excitable giggles. A few of the students, boys, began roaring with laughter. The teacher turned around and gave a withering look to the giggle students. When none of them stopped, she rolled her eyes.

"All right all right, that's enough. I'm sick of you guys doing that. Ha ha ha, I get it, you guys just came from health class and you've dubbed 'pencil' a code word for penis-"

"HAAAAAA! You said penis!"

"Frank! Control yourself or leave! I'm not stupid, I caught onto that awhile ago but I'm sick of it. It's not funny, it's gross and inappropriate for school. From now on, you will refer to pencils--" more giggles, "--as writing utensils in this classroom. Do you understand?"

"Yes Miss Johnson," the class responded unanimously. There were still some sporadic giggles here and there.

"The real question is though; Tommy, we're through half the class already. You haven't had a pencil this entire time?"

The entire class burst into laughter again. Everyone save one girl sitting in the back. She wasn't old enough to be in 6th grade, but she was smart enough. Briefly she looked about herself and then rolled her light lavender eyes, muttering to herself.

"Stupid, immature idiots."

"That's enough!" the teacher shouted. Everyone abruptly stopped laughing. She pointed at the class. "The next person I hear a peep out of gets sent to the principal's office, got it? Now, as I was explaining, in order to do long division, you must know..."

School had just begun a month and a half ago, and the weather had held up nicely, unusually warm. This was to blame for the fact that Jeanette's peers were still in summer mode, rowdy and inattentive. Knowing this didn't help quell her irritation with them though.

Idly she wished she was outside, running a hand through her short straw-colored hair. The girl had mastered the basics of long division awhile ago. Technically she should have been in 8th grade, but according to her school's rules a student could only jump three years at a time. Thus she wasn't in 3rd grade like her age deemed she should have been. Even so, she was still bored most days.

As she stared out at the green grass her mind wandered. She began to think about what she wanted to be when she grew up. She wanted to help people--or maybe animals. Perhaps she would become a veterinarian, or maybe even just a zookeeper. Or maybe she would go on wild safari's to save endangered tigers.

She smiled at the thought; Jeanette imagined herself in the stereo-typical garb, tan round hat with matching tan button down shirt and pants, topped off with pale boots. Jeanette imagined she would be brave in her ventures; wielding a dagger, she would fight off lowly poachers in the middle of a jungle.

Not just any jungle, the rainforest. Maybe even the Amazon--

Her fantasy derailed when she noticed a man leaning against a tree in the field that surrounded her grade school. For a moment she thought it was just her eyes playing tricks on her, but there was no mistake. A man wearing dark clothes stood, his arms folded, staring at her intently.

An unsettling feeling stirred within her, one she couldn't quite pin-point, and she sat up straight. Logically she knew he must just be watching the school itself--an equally disturbing thought. But an itch told Jeanette he was watching her.

"Jeanette," Miss Johnson said suddenly. Startled, Jeanette's head snapped to the front of the classroom. "Sweetie, I know you're bored, but please just bear with me and--"