New Parts of Chapter 2, hot off the press- Lots more to go!
Chapter 2
"Lightpaw?" Professor Yangston called. Zain raised his paw to signify his prescence. "Locksted? Martin? Melburn? Nox?" a white paw went up in the air two rows down and three chairs to his Zain's right. Professor Yangston aknowledged each raised hand with a brief nod of his antlers. Zain found himself again gazing at the white paw, briefly imagining himself holding it, letting his imagination lead him where his common sense would not let him. "You don't even know his first name yet, and you want to hold his paw?" a voice within his head rose unbidden, seeming to puncture the bubble of his lucid imaginings- "So what?" he found himself vituperating the voice that the old Zain might have called 'common sense'. "A guy can dream, can't he?" Professor Yangston, having finished roll call_,_ snapped Zain from his internal musings. "As we all know,"he said, "We live in a Galaxy that we call the "Milky Way" - a few students gave affirming nods, "And if you'll be so kind as to refresh my memory, what type of Galaxy is itthat we inhabit?" Zain again raised his paw. "Yes? Mr... er..." Professor Yangston consulted his list- "Lightpaw?" "The Milky Way is an Sbc barred spiral galaxy, sir." Zain said, somewhat uncomfortably aware of the sidelong glances from several of his classmates. "Well stated, Lightpaw! Well you heard him everyone, but what do those letters mean? Now if you'll focus your attention, please, to the blackboard..."
The relentless autumn rain, combined with other distractions, made the rest of the class seem to fly by. Zain, having promised to meet Matt in the cafeteria for lunch at four, padded quickly down the stairs at the end of the hall. The scents of the cuisine of several continents met his nose as he neared the cafeteria, coalescing with the scents of the students themselves, forming an aroma which he could only describe as a school cafeteria smell. Matt, with his bright orange and ebony stripes, stood out among the generally less vibrantly colored population of the cafeteria. He waved to Zain as he approached, though his mouth was too full of spaghetti to say more than "'sup?". "Thought you said four?" Matt asked, swallowing a large amount of spaghetti. "Yeah, I know, sorry- Yangston wouldn't let us go until we understood everything that happens in the Universe." Matt grinned, but his face became a bit more serious and quizzical "S'ok, but hey, is everything okay with you lately? "What do you mean?" Zain started to lie, but thinking about it quickly, decided that telling Matt the truth would make it easier in the end.