A Fresh Start
A normal person would be a mental wreck right about now. Here I was, sitting in the absolute silence in the confines of my mother's car while she drove me to my first day of school. The only thing that kept my mind off of the day ahead of me was the roar of the engine as my mother accelerated and decellerated the vehicle. The silence alone was nearly deafening, hurting my ears far worse than any high-pitch fequency. My mother could sense my nervousness, I was sure. Any other time she would be talking up a storm, almost to the point where I would have to beg her to stay quiet. She was quiet and alert, lips pursed and eyes forward. It was odd. It had been my decision to transfer, after all, and she even supported my cause. Now that the day finally arrived, I could see the hesitance in her.
I was the only human transfering to an all-furry school, after all.
Ever since the anthropomorphic animals were discovered, there was a full-blown war between the two species. Humans almost always came out victorious. The dispute grew larger and larger, and eventually ended up being a world-wide dilemma. Governments from almost every country came into agreeance about the unecessary violence we were causing. The solution was a paper, signed by every head official in every major country on the globe and presented to the furry community which, at that time, grew widespread. The treaty was greedily signed, the furries eager to put an end to all the war and death the humans were causing.
Of course, furries were outcasted by everyone. They were given different schools, hospitals, bus's, everything. It wasn't because it was the law. It was because if a furry dared to step foot in a human facility, they would most likely end up in a heap on the ground, lifeless or barely hanging on. The thought of a human even interacting with the anthropomorphic community was a disgrace.
Here I was about to live with them.
Of course, flashes of myself beaten and abused occasionally pop up in my thoughts. I barely have time to think before I hear my mothers voice snap be back into reality. "Dean!" Her head was turned toward me now, her face adorned with an expression mixed with annoyance and reluctance. "We're here. I'm already late for work, so you'll have to stop in the office and get yourself situated." Great. It was my first day at a new school where everyone would hate me, and my mother was worried about being late for work. With a roll of my eyes, I reluctantly agreed. A quick hug later and my mother is off down the road, speeding away. I turned around and surveyed my new school.
It wasn't at all bad; in fact, it was really nice. The color scheme was neat, to say the least. Surrounding the school sat a metal pavilian stretching the entire length of the building, the green-tinted metal roof gleaming over the rest of the ordinary silver. There was a little garden, as well, with mulch and a few scattered plants added for a pleasing effect. I merely huffed and shurgged on my backpack before heading toward the office.
I barely took five steps before I had furs staring me down. A wolf and a coyote stood at the enterance, muzzles widening into a sickening grin. "Uh, excuse me," I said. The two furs barely got a word out before a furry paw gripped my hand and herded me into a room conviently marked as 'Office'. The door shut automatically behind us upon our arrival, and it seemed bare for the most part. There were two or three desks neatly piled with paper and a fur sitting obediently behind it. The fur who helped me offered me a chair in front of her desk, and I humbly sat down.
It turned out that the animal was the vice-principal, a border collie named Mrs. Hyde. Her fur coat was a rich golden color, allowing light to bounce off the reflective fur almost beautifuly. "Sorry about them," she smiled apologetically. "Those two are always skipping class. Might have to write them up again." I smiled meekly before noticing the paw outstretched across the desk. I grasped it and shook, almost smiling at the tickling sensation her fur was causing. "I'm Mrs. Hyde, and I'll be showing you your schedule." A frown appeared over her muzzle for a moment, her hands picking and dropping papers scattered randomly across her desk. With an exclaimed 'aha', she pulled out a slip of paper and placed it in front of me. "These are your classes throughout the day. Right now..." she paused and glanced at the clock on the wall, reading in big red numbers '9:03'. "...you should be in period 'B': Government in room number 153. It's right outside the hall, to the right a ways." She bent her head and brought it closer to mine. "Stay careful, dear. Our kind isn't particulary fond of yours," she warned in a hush voice. The warning made me gulp audibly, only to receive a small smile in return. "You shouldn't have anything to worry about, though. The teachers will keep an eye out for you. Run along, now, you don't want to be late."
The walk seemed like a blur. The corridors were empty, only littered paper and writing utensils thrown shrewdly about the hallway in sight. The lockers, I noticed, were small and thin. 'Must be a big school,' I thought, passing the door that read 'Room 153'. With my hand firmly grasping the handle, I took one inhale before setting my face and opening the door.
It was as though I were on fire. Stares from every direction burned into me, seeping into my core as I looked awkwardly around the room for a friendly face. Animals of various species sat in an ordered row, the only fur standing being the fox at the board. The silence was so quiet that I swear I could have heard a pin drop. It was like the room was holding a collective breath, and I found myself holding mine, too. "Oh, you must be the newbie," the teacher grinned, gesturing to the front of the room. 'No, I'm not a newbie. I'm just the only fucking human in this school,' I thought bitterly before shrugging off my pack and gently leaning it against the white wall adjacent to the board.
"Class, this is Dean Malar." The teacher brought his paw up to my shoulder, grasping it reassuringly with a small squeeze. "He's... uh, recently transfered, so he's completely new here. Be nice and respectful, yadda yadda, you know the drill." A sly grin covered his face from ear-to-ear, ending my introduction with a pat on my shoulder. "Dean, just find an empty seat and get comfy. This is a block class, so it's going to be a long one." I only nodded my assent and shuffled forward, ignoring any snickers or stared pointed in my direction.
I spotted a seat in the back that seemed isolated, but the closer I got the more apparent it was that there was a female panther occupying the seat in front of it. 'Drat,' I thought bitterly, making my way to the seat and sitting, mumbling a quiet "Sorry" only she was allowed to hear. She only glanced over her shoulder as a response, seeming almost unphased by my presence. Hell, he knew that nobody wanted to be stuck sitting by the only human in the entire school, and she was just unfortunate enough to be sitting in front of one of the only empty seats there was to choose from. With my pack at my side, I leaned back in my chair and folded my hands over the desk, mentally flipping everyone off who was staring at me. I just set my jaw and stared forward.
This was going to be a long year.