Little Like a Breeze [Open]

Despite the initial apprehension his vivid imagination had given him, the reaction to the 'unusual growths' jutting from the sides of his head had been much less significant than he thought they would be. Almost non-existent really. Sure, there were some people who stared momentarily or perhaps pointed it out to friends, but no one took it seriously. It wasn't really the initial reactions he was scared of though, but rather what came afterward when they started to realize it wasn't just a joke.

Luckily he wasn't sticking around long enough for anyone to question him about it as today he only need to be here for an hour or so. His legitimate return to school wasn't until tomorrow. His reason for coming today was to speak to his counselor, which had largely been a waste of time. They spoke only briefly about his current situation and, at the end, the disbelieving counselor just played along, telling Claude to get a notice from a doctor confirming his health issue before releasing him. When he reached the door she stopped him momentarily to tell him with a smile that “he should use nail polish” probably believing the horns to be glued to his head as some form of prank.

Anyway, in the end they had agreed to not inform his father which gave him some measure of relief, though his mind still set itself to work as he walked down toward the building entrance. He started imagining all the different scenarios of the day he would have to explain things to his father, all of which ended poorly. His father had luckily been rather lenient on him so far, but he was a strict man. Claude could not bring himself to imagine the man simply accepting the change in appearance, let alone the fact that he had hid it from him and had been absent from school. In other words, he dug himself into a hole and now he had to lie in it.

With a sigh he arrived at the locker room at the entrance of the school. He silently and absentmindedly exchanged his shoes for his outdoor pair before heading for the door to head home to the apartments. Or at least he would had something on the floor not caught his eye. On the floor, by another set of lockers was a small book no doubt dropped and left behind as someone set down their belongings before leaving. No one had been in this row of lockers since he had arrived... or at least he didn't recall seeing anyone, not that he was looking. He knelt down and lifted the book up to inspect it. It was a small fantasy book, aimed more for children and young adults which made it all the more appealing to Claude. He liked more lighthearted and adventurous content in his stories. Anyway, he opened it cover on either side, careful not to dislodge the bookmark its owner had previously placed. Inside a name he found: Alissa Fox. Did he know the name? He could never remember. He was the kind of person to know a man (or woman) by their face rather than their name.

Now most people might have considered finding a productive way to return the book, but Claude just sort of... kept it. He didn't know which locker was hers nor did he feel like leaving it in the locker room or at lost items. He instead just opened it, began to read, and started walking. He didn't stop until he reached the center fountain area, a major thoroughfare of the school, where he sat down, only looking away from the book to ask any girls who walked close enough if they knew an Alissa Fox.