English Class - Mr. Kirell

Exactly how long had he been lying here in bed, staring at the ceiling of his new bedroom? Granted it was as unfamiliar as you can get, what with being thousands of miles from the country you were born and raised in, but here he was. Here he was, far from the rolling emerald hills of Ireland. Where the roads were rocky and narrow, where the rains came nigh daily and the weather was cool and brisk. Alas, Kieran McNiall and his younger sister Fionna were nowhere near their childhood home now; nowhere near the flowing rivers and gnarled trees they grew up with...

Nowhere near their beloved Cliffs of Moher, where their parents' plane had crashed one stormy night. His amber eyes stared at the ceiling in boredom. Was it always going to be this difficult for him to sleep? It had been eight months since their untimely passing and yet insomnia still clung to him like some jilted ex-lover who had abandonment issues. His eyes flickered to the clock nearby, the hands reading 4:03 am. Heaving a sigh, he returned his gaze to the ceiling in time to see something quite peculiar.

Inky black hands started to descend from several ceiling spots at once, reaching downwards. Some swayed back and forth, others grabbed for his body. Cold fear shot through him, but he could not move. Though he was lying atop the sheets, his tall, lean body felt as if it were paralyzed from the neck down. With great effort, Kieran jerked his head to the left and saw dark, fluid-like arms crawling slowly upwards from beneath his closet door. A small whimper barely escaped his lips as he twisted his head away towards the wall, but the inky arms protruded there as well. Breathless, he wrenched his gaze from the wall and his attention focused in the center of the room, where a large shadowy creature was manifesting. As it's hideously terrifying form began to manifest, it started coming towards him.

It was that moment he found his voice.

The scream he let out was so filled with terror and anguish that the sounds of his sister leaping from her bed in the other room met his ears. The next thing he knew, she was next to him. "Kieran! Kieran, are ye all right?" Her voice broke through his nearly inhuman screaming and he became aware that the two of them were the only ones in the room. No monsters, no demons. His hands were shaking violently as he reached for the nearby waste basket and brought in to his mouth just in time to empty the contents of his stomach into it.

This was not the first time this had happened and it probably wouldn't be the last. The question was why. Why was this happening? Why now, instead of months ago? Why wouldn't this ever stop? He didn't know. There were no answers, only questions and he hated it. "Are ye doin' better now? Howya feelin'?" Fionna's voice brought him back to his senses. "How do I feel? I feel like shit beat up in a bucket, hi." He said softly, dragging a hand through his damp ebony hair, "Can ye get m' some o' da's whiskey? Ah think ah need it."

"Are ye sure? We got class ta get to in a short few hours." Fionna warned him. He simply nodded and sat up slowly, his feet resting on the floor. "Only a wee bit. It'll be outta m' system afore school starts and I need something to ease mah nerves." His cigarettes were not terribly far away from him, but he decided against it. There was no sense in accidentally causing a house fire. As she got up to get the bottle in question, he took a deep breath. What a way to start life in a new place. School would start in a few hours and hopefully that would be much better...

Rummaging through the one crate she had yet to unpack, she eventually found what she was looking for - a three quarters full bottle of The Dubliner Irish Whiskey & Honeycomb. This was the one he'd given her a few tastes of to help her sleep and though it was a wee bit strong, she liked it nonetheless. Compared to the normal one their father would share with Kieran, at least this one wouldn't knock him senseless. Grabbing a small glass from the cupboard, she tossed a few ice cubes into it and poured until the liquid came up a third of the way. Then she remembered that he'd looked awfully pale and decided half a glass would be better.

Nightmares had never been something that used to plague her older brother, let alone cause him to release such an inhuman sounding scream. It almost sounded like he was being murdered, she realized with a shudder. But with the recent stress and hardships he'd had to take on it was no wonder he was having troubles. Plucking the glass from the counter, Fionna took a small sip of it to calm her own frazzled nerves and headed straight into his room, handing him the glass. He took it gingerly and sipped it carefully, not wanting to vomit again.

She stroked his hair for a while as he slowly drank it and thought of happier times. after a moment, an idea struck her. "Come listen, Kieran. I'll play far ye." Taking his hand, she gently pulled him from his spot and led him into the living room, where she sat at her large Celtic harp and began to pluck the strings. A beautiful melody began to sound from the air, flowing gracefully from her deft fingertips. It was called Carolan's Dream, and she would often play it for Kieran and herself when they needed comfort.



As the last few notes softly sounded, Fionna looked to her older brother for approval and sure enough, he was smiling in appreciation. His shoulders were no longer tensed, his frame relaxed and his eyes held a great fondness for her. "Beautiful as always, lass. Ah swear you ken calm e'en the devil with tha' skill." He said, reaching over to ruffle her sleep-tousled hair, "Speaking o' evil, there's a trash bin ah must clean. Then we'll get ourselves ready far the day, hi?" At her nod of agreement, he left to go take care of his mess and start getting cleaned up for school.

******

It had been a long morning, but Fionna didn't let that bother her. She just saw it as an opportunity to help her brother as he had helped her - by sticking together. The morning air was cooler than yesterday afternoon's sweltering heat (at least, compared to Ireland in the midst of late summer and early fall) and it was a very welcoming feeling. Fionna walked side by side with her older brother, a bounce in her step as the two made their way to the gates of Valevay High School. It was absolutely huge! A huge grin spread across her face and she bounced around in excitement. "Look at it Kieran, look! That's deadly!" She gushed to him. The dark haired boy simply nodded and said, "Bang on, you are. But stop dancin' about afore people think yer not the full shilling."

He had a point there. She quickly regained her composure but couldn't - and wouldn't - smother her smile. Hopefully, she didn't look too much like a tourist as they made their way into the building for their first class of the day. English class with Mr. Kirell was sure to be a great to start to their new school year. The two siblings made their way into the classroom, ready to start their day.

“Why is it that there aren’t any cheerleaders at science fairs?”

Cadence’s question at the breakfast table took the entire family by surprise. Alexander looked up from his plate of food and shot his youngest daughter a quizzical look. One of Elizabeth’s eyebrows quirked up in confusion. Camille, who was intrigued by this question, cleanly slipped her spoon out of her mouth and placed it back into her empty bowl of cereal.

“Oh,” she cood, “did my little scientist want big sister Cammy to cheer for her at her science fairs?”

Cadence nonchalantly swung her feet underneath the table while playing with a lone cheerio in a sea of milk. “No, I was just curious. So, is no one going to answer my question?”

“To be honest, honey, we don’t really know the answer,” their father answered. “I suppose it’s because scientists need their concentration. Wouldn’t want to mess up any important research, now would we?”

Camille scoffed. “She doesn’t need concentration, she needs attention. Don’t worry precious, I’ll cheer for you at your next science fair – pompoms and everything.”

“Ugh, no…” the youngest sister protested. “You’ll just embarrass me. Thanks but no thanks.”

“Oh ouch,” Camille pouted. “How mean… who’d you get that sharp tongue from anyway?”

After taking a bite of food, Alexander said to Camille, “From you, obviously.”

“And her from you,” Elizabeth said before she sips her cup of tea. Her husband made a face, but she wasn't having any of that. “Alright, breakfast is over. Chop, chop or we’ll all be late.”

“But I’m not done eating,” Cadence mumbled as her mother swiped the bowl from in front of her.

“You’ve been playing with your cereal for 10 minutes now. I think you’re done.” As the family moved from the table to collect their things, Elizabeth barked orders. “Hun, you and Cadence need to get to school. Her backpack’s in the living room on the couch, same place your tie is. Camille, the cheerleading outfit is dry cleaned and ready to go. Did you pick it up? I put it on the back of your door.”

She nodded. “Already packed it, thank you mommy dearest.”

Her father stared into the hallway mirror, fiddling with his tie. Her sister slipped her pink polka dotted backpack on before she rushed him along. Her mother double checked her briefcase for all the important documents she’ll need for today’s court proceedings. Camille wished her family a good day, but she didn't leave the house before placing a small kiss on Cadence’s cheek. Secretly, Cadence always looked forward to them each morning.

The drive to school was always calming. She caught up on some celebrity gossip from her favorite radio station and listened to all the popular songs on the top of the charts. One in particular made her tap her finger rhythmically on the steering wheel.

By the time she parked her car and entered the school building, all she can repeat in her head is the terribly catchy chorus over and over. What were the other words to the song anyway? It bothered her so much that as soon as she entered Mr. Kirrell’s classroom, she searched the name of the song on her phone (because of course the song isn’t named after its catchiest part.)

Cellphones were strictly forbidden in class, but seeing as though Mr. Kill Joy hadn’t arrived yet, Camille didn’t see a problem with her behavior.

Mina stretched and yawned widely, as sunlight rudely blasted her awake, shining in her window.Turning away from the light she rolled out of bed, almost talking her soft pink comforter with her as she went. Well, time for another day of school, she thought grumping about it.

The first thing Mina did was go to the bathroom and brush her teeth, brushing her hair immediately afterward and making sure to remove every tiny tangle. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror, satisfied that her hair no longer looked like a rat's nest. Turning away from the mirror she was stopped by her little white cat stretching out her paw and batting Mina's arm. Scooping up the kitten in one arm, she headed back to her room to dress for the day.

Dropping Misti on her bed she planted a little kiss on the soft white head before turning her attention to the closet. "what should I wear?" She muttered out loud to herself. She pulled outfit after outfit out and after a quick look discarded each one. Soon every outfit she owned was in a pile on her bed, except for one, which happened to be the one she was after. a very tight, blue denim sundress that flared at the skirt. She picked it off it's hanger and inspected it, deciding it worked. it was casual but still pretty and could be worn without showing off too much. maybe that was almost stretching the truth but she knew nobody would complain!

She quickly pulled it on over her head and tightened the laced back, tying the denim cords into a bow. slipping her shoes on she finished readying herself , and headed to the cats bowls to fill them, and to grab a quick breakfast, before heading out the door on the way to class.

Mina walked into the room confidently, her bag over her shoulder. Sliding into a desk, she slung the bag over the back of her chair and tucked her feet up under the chair to keep them out of her way. She didn't bother to see who else was in this class.

Chepe woke up in a tangle of blankets, to his rottweiler puppy, Angel lying sprawled over him and licking his face. "Angel!" he laughed, pushing the big puppy off of him, "Let me get up, girl." With her continuing to attempt to attack his face with kisses, he managed to untangle his body from the blankets and get out of the bed. "Let's go eat girl." He headed into the dorm's kitchen and quickly made some pancakes, of course making enough for his friends'  breakfasts as well, knowing they would most likely want something quick to eat.

He took his plate to the table and then picked up Angel's bowl, and took it to the counter. Setting it down he went to the fridge and pulled out the container of her homemade dog food. He carried it over to the counter and set it down beside her bowl, and pulled the lid off. Angel stood under his feet, sniffing the air knowing she was about to get fed, as her owner scooped food into her bowl. She pressed against his legs comfortably, her long tail wagging slowly.

Chepe took her bowl off the counter and set it on the floor again. Patting her he then turned and went to the table and sat to eat too. Once he was finished he got up and went into the living area where he filled Airie's cat bowl, that sat on one of the little tables beside the couch. He didn't want his sister's fluffy white kitten to be hungry. He hadn't seen the kitten yet this morning but he wasn't worried.

Going back to his room he cleaned his ferrets cage, and let them play around his room while he did so. after a few minutes he put them back inside, with a fresh bowl of food, clean litter box and water bowl. he quickly fed the dragons, and pulled a large frozen rabbit out of a cooler he'd bought exclusively to hold them,  for his snake.carrying the meal to the kitchen he turned on the hot water and plugged the sink. putting the rabbit in a plastic baggie he put it under the hot water. when the sink was half full he turned it off and left it till the rabbit was thawed fully. Carrying the rabbit back to his room, he slid the rabbit into the cage. pulling his hand back out he carefully closed and locked the cage again. He wanted to be sure the large snake didn't escape. He watched the snake grab the rabbit by the head and slowly start to swallow it. Chepe was always fascinated by watching her eat, how she stretched her mouth around the food and swallowed it whole.

He quickly dressed in a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt and running a brush through his long black hair. He didn't see a point in wasting a lot of time or energy on his appearance.After brushing his teeth he hunted down his school bag and his shoes and then grabbing his guitar bag he called out a goodbye to his roommates and the animals and left.

walking into class, he looked around the room, taking note of the students that were there so far. Some he didnt know. He went to a desk more in the middle of the room, sat down and put his bag and the guitar bag's straps over the back of the seat. Turning around he waited for the teacher to arrive.

Unsurprisingly, John’s body awoke at the same time it did every morning, the heavy pressure of his eyes in their sockets coaxing no more sleep from its larger counterpart. Pushing the blanket away and sitting up with mild protestations from his back, Mr. Kirrell sat in meditative silence until he had just enough time to get ready and prepare his tea. Padding into the living room as the last vestiges of night made way for the rising sun, he rolled out his yoga mat and performed three slow cycles of sun salutations before cleaning up and heading into the bathroom for his morning ablutions. Stepping into the kitchen, he put on the kettle and began to pack his bag for the day. He left for work with thermos and bag in hand, only slightly resigned to greet the day full on.

Seniors, always an anxious bunch. Not quite in the realm of adulthood nor no longer children, he does not envy them this year. Sipping at the satisfying bite of his tea, he stops by the lounge for one of his breakfast bars, deciding he was a bit more peckish than tea could help. Navigating his way to the door of his classroom, he slips inside and pays no attention to the students already seated until he’s settled behind his desk, glasses pressed high against his nose to begin his scrutiny.

The girl and boy with facial similarities he had neither seen nor heard talk of before, so he was left with the assumption that they were transfers, more than likely siblings. John dipped his head to peer at his roster, and indeed found the name McNiall belonged to two students, well aware that they could not be the Stills siblings, who were the only other set of students in the same year with the same last name. Curiosity accosted him them, and he looked at the pair once again, taking in the tired and almost haunted look sported by the boy, and the more cheerful anxiousness seen in his sister. His eyes roamed over to the girl engrossed in her phone, a mild twitch of the eye the only response he reserved for the display, seeing as class had not yet started. He buried a sigh in his chest at the sight of Ms. Aura, her reputation preceding her. The only other student in class at the time was Kojike, a generally bright and quiet student, so Mr. Kirrell only glanced at him briefly before reaching into his bag for the book he had packed. It was going to be the first one on the syllabus, and he had the last few pages to reread.