Deadlox's POV~
I gripped my hoverboard tight, and hoped that what I had in mind would work. I would either crash to the ground, or float away. Deciding that I had thought about it enough, I launched into action.
I jumped from the tree, pulling the hoverboard under my feet and switching it on. It worked, and I only dropped a few feet before the hoverboard turned on fully.
I zoomed away, not looking back. School on monday is gonna be awkward... I would transfer, but this is the town farthest from the government. It's the safest place for me, and I have no idea what's on the other side of the border. Everyone says different things - the edge of the world, a wasteland, monster infested. No one has any idea what's out there. So, my only choice is to stay in this town... especially since my parents won't let me drop out.
I guess I'll go find another quick job.
~TARDIS time skip to monday~
I had managed to find a job helping a nice couple repair their roof, and another one helping an old woman weed her garden.
When I got to the school, I saw Sky, and he started towards me but I quickly ran into the school building. I hid in the janitor's closet until the bell rang, announcing that we could go to class.
Mr. Brown was absent, and we had this sub called Mrs. Crabapple. Yeesh. She gave us a worksheet, and then just set us loose to do our own thing. It only took me 5 minutes to do the sheet, and after that I took some tools out of my bag and started tinkering. This time I was working on building my own small super laptop. I had been scavenging parts for weeks.
As I worked, I heard whispering nearby but I ignored it. They were probably talking about whatever new fad they were going through. Whatever it was, it didn't interest me. Then, as I was about 1/3 done, I stopped to puzzle over where to put something and realised that I could feel many eyes on me. There was no whispering now.
I looked up, and realised that all of my classmates had moved in to crowd around me. They were all staring, wide eyed.
"Um... dood... where'd ya learn to do that?" Mitch asked nervously.
"My dad's a mechanic, and he asked me to fix his computer for him because he was too busy." I lied. They would never guess that I was building a super laptop from scratch... and that I was customizing and improving the parts. Or that I was also designing my own program that I could use as a shield to keep my hacking undetected. I forgot to mention I'm an awesome hacker and lock picker, huh.
"Well ok then, dood. Have fun?" Jerome said nervously.
"Thanks, I will." I retorted, and then I returned to my laptop.
~Another TARDIS time skip to lunch doooooweeeeeeoooooo ^-^ ~
I went out to the tree again, and this time I circled it a few times, looking at the trunk. About halfway up I saw a huge hollow, and I pulled a grapling gun out of my bag after checking that there was no one watching. I shot, and the grapel landed just short of the hollow. I retracted it and tried again. Bullseye! After checking that the line was secure, I reeled myself up.
The hole was the size of a small room. The entire tree was hollow. It was that way from the roots to the top of the tree, where the sunlight filtered in through the leafy branches. It was a miracle the tree was alive at all. Down at the roots, I spotted a small gap where light streamed in.
I started scheming. I could put the door down at the bottom, and put in two platforms, one here and one at the top. I could put in two ladders, and have solar powered electricity. The first rope ladder would be activated by a hidden switch, and so would the door.
I could live in this tree, and be safe. After school I could drop off my homework, go out scouting for a job, go bathe, and have somewhere to come back to. I could use the bathrooms in the school. It was perfect!
My thoughts were interrupted by voices beneath me.
"Deadlox! C'mon man, where are you?" I could bear my friends looking for me. I turned around on the lip of the hole, and peered down. Everyone was below me, except for Seto.
"Man, we just saw him during class, where could he have gone?!" Sky exclaimed, frustrated.
Seto came running up to them, his cloak flapping behind him like wings. He looked so cool... Focus!
"Guys... I ... finished searching." Seto puffed out. "No one has ever been born in the whole country with the name Deadlox. The only name that came close was Tyler Lox, but he and his family were declared dead years ago." I froze... he knew my real name, although they hadn't made the connection yet.
"Hmph." I said, not realising that they could hear me.
"Did you hear that?" Jerome said. Everyone's heads had snapped around, looking for the source. I shrank back slightly, praying that they wouldn't look up.
"C'mon, we need to plan what to do..." Seto said, and they huddled together, whispering until lunch ended. Great, now I didn't know what they were planning.
~TARDIS time skip to after school cuz im a lazy person~
I walked away from the school. I would have to find another job before I had enough money to get all the wood I needed for the platforms, and I would have to stop by the dump for the electrical parts. If I couldn't find a solar panel, I could probably throw one together.
I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, that I didn't notice the shadows following me.
I ended up helping a man fix his windows, and a woman find her son. It was late, and I would have to skip getting the wood and going to the junk yard. I guess I would just spend the night in the park again.
As I went to the hot spring, the shadows continued to follow me unnoticed.
As I climbed the hill, there was some rustling behind me. I dismissed it as just a few animals and continued on. I reached the top, but then I heard clacking on the hill behind me. I spun around quickly, throwing back my elbow. It struck something hard, and whatever it was dropped to the ground. It was a person dressed entirely in black, and they had fallen to the ground reeling. My elbow had struck him on the nose. I heard another scuff behind me, and whirled again while drawing a couple of small knives out of my belt. There was another figure, and I launched myself at him, knives at the ready. He brought up an axe and deflected my blows. I moved quickly, giving him no opportunity to strike and trying to find a way through his defenses.
But then I was stopped in my tracks. My heart had started beating, and I couldn't move at all. I could sense a buzz of magic. I forced my head to turn towards the source, and I saw Seto standing there. His hands were raised in front of him, and his eyes and hands were glowing purple.
That was the last thing I saw before everything went black.
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Tada! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, my fluffies! I do good? See ya later, my fluffies!
