.the.coming.dawn.//

[BYRON MIKAEL QUAKIDIES]

BYRON PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT OF HIS NEW SCHOOL AND SWITCHED OFF THE RADIO. HE HAD FOUND A SPOT NOT TOO FAR FROM THE ENTRANCE BUT NOT TOO CLOSE EITHER- KIDS COULD BE RUTHLESS IN THEIR PRANKS AND, ALTHOUGH HIS BABY WASN'T TOP OF THE LINE, IT WAS A NICE SECOND-HAND VEHICLE THAT HE WANTED TO KEEP IN GOOD SHAPE AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.

TAKING HIS TIME, HE GLANCED AROUND THE LOT. MOSTLY THERE WERE KIDS LOITERING OVER THE ASHPHALT AND HE FIGURED THE SENIORS USED THE LOT AS A HANG-OUT OF SOME SORT. HE GUESSED AS LONG AS THEY WEREN'T IN TOO MUCH TROUBLE THERE WASN'T MUCH HE NEEDED TO DO ABOUT IT.

HE'D HAD A MEETING WITH THE PRINCIPLE- AND HIS NEW BOSS- LAST FRIDAY SO HE COULD START FRESH THIS WEEK WITHOUT ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS. HE STILL DIDN'T QUITE GET THE LAYOUT OF THE SCHOOL BUT HE HAD PROWLED ABOUT AFTER SCHOOL ON FRIDAY AND GOTTEN THE MAIN PART DOWN-PAT. THERE WERE DIFFERENT BUILDINGS FOR DIFFERENT SUBJECTS AND SO ON. BYRON WAS JUST PLANNING ON WINGING IT FOR THE MOST PART.

TAKING A BREATH, HE BRACED HIMSELF AND SHOVED OPEN HIS DOOR AND STEPPED OUT, BRINGING HIS BACKPACK WITH HIM. HE DIDN'T LIKE BRIEF-CASES, IT MADE HIM FEEL TOO RIGID... TOO OLD AND THAT WAS JUST STUPID. TOSSING IT OVER HIS SHOULDER, HE IGNORED THE ATTENTION HE HAD SUDDENLY OF THE SENIOR STUDENTS AND CONCENTRATED ON LOCKING UP HIS CAR. HE KNEW HE WAS TALL AND HE KNEW HE WAS PASSABLY GOOD LOOKING BUT BRYON WAS ANYTHING BUT STUPID. HE KNEW PEOPLE NOTICED HIM BUT HE DID NOT PLAN ON BECOMING INVOLVED WITH A STUDENT. EVER.

SHRUGGING A SHOULDER AT HIS THOUGHTS AND TURNED TO HEAD INTO THE MAIN BUILDING. THEY HADN'T HAD HIS SCHEDULE READY FOR HIM ON FRIDAY AND OBVIOUSLY THEY DIDN'T BELIEVE IN EMAILS SO HE WAS PRETTY MUCH GOING INTO HIS DAY BLIND. LUCKILY THE PRINCIPLE HAD ASSURED HIM ALL HIS LESSONS WERE PRE-PLANNED FOR THE WEEK SO HE COULD TEACH THEM AS-WAS OR TWEAK THEM A LITTLE. IN THE MEAN-TIME HE COULD GET TO KNOW THE KIDS AND START PLANNING WHERE HE WOULD TAKE THEM.

BYRON SMILED- HE LOVED TEACHING AND EACH SCHOOL WAS JUST A NEW CHALLENGE.

TAG: open
WORDS:

[/color] 378
MUSE:[/color] none
NOTES:[/color] open to fellow staff/curious students- anyone
CREDIT:[/color] TILLY of caution 2.0.[/font][/left][/size]

[CENTER]
[IMG]http://i41.tinypic.com/vrdnr7.jpg[/IMG]
[blockquote][size=1][font=georgia]

TEXT TEXT TEXT

[/size][/blockquote][/CENTER]
[left][size=1][b][color=63638f]TAG:[/color][/b] open
[b][color=63638f]WORDS:[/b][/color] 378
[b][color=63638f]MUSE:[/b][/color] none
[b][color=63638f]NOTES:[/b][/color] open to fellow staff/curious students- anyone :)
[b][color=63638f]CREDIT:[/b][/color] [url=http://z10.invisionfree.com/CAUTIONTOTHEWIND/index.php?showuser=21517]TILLY of caution 2.0[/url].[/font][/left][/size]


[MORGAN ANNABELLE HOLLOWAY]

Morgan was nervous. She had spent most of her days skipping school and meeting up with the foster parents of her soon-to-be-born twin boys. She nervously slid a gray striped sweater over her shoulders, pulling it over her belly.
Her hand naturally rubbed the top of it as she grabbed her new jeans. The only pair that really fit her.
Over the past month she had gone through so many pairs of pants, but she was growing so fast she had to go buy a new pair weekly. She pulled the bell bottom jeans' band over her lover abdomen, smoothing it and sliding the sweater over her hips. It was a long sweater, and went past her bottom.
Morgan smiled at herself in the mirror. She looked good. Her hair was soft and shiny and her skin was really glowing.
Her head lifted in confidence as she grabbed her overweight book bag, and walked over the door.

Outside, it was raining a little. She squinted a little as the droplets tapped across her face. The air, though, was still. Surprisingly, there was no wind. The clouds were a gloomy gray color. It made the majority of the school have a tired look in their eyes. But Morgan didn't. She had a smile on her face as she crossed the street on foot, her eyes glancing around the lot, watching the students all look at her stomach. She nibbled on the inside of her bottom lip, and passed them, trying to avoid eye contact. She pulled her school schedule out of her pocket and read it through. Her first subject was art. Morgan loved art with a passion. She wanted to go to the ends of the world to be recognized as an amazing artist.

But the problem about her dream, was that she was way too shy to show off her work. Her eyes stayed on the ground as she made her way to the office. She walked in, looking around. It smelt almost like a doctors office. The noisy hallways faded as the door shut. Morgan walked to the woman at the front desk. It was a student that went here. Probably one of the better kids. Morgan leaned forward a little, and half smiled at the woman. She asked where the art room was. Just her luck. It was in the other building. Morgan scrunched her nose in disappointment, but it soon faded.

Morgan was early. She walked into the classroom, her backpack dragging behind. She looked around, taking a seat in the very back. She didn't want anyone to take notice of her. She opened her backpack and pulled out her sketch pad, setting it in front of her, sketching the outer shape of a dog as she waited for the bell to ring.

[/left]

[BYRON MIKAEL QUAKIDIES]

AFTER SEEING THE WOMAN AT THE DESK, A STUDENT APPARENTLY, WITH SOMETHING OF A PROBLEM WITH HER EYELASHES- THEY KEPT FLUTTERING AT HIM- BYRON STROLLED ACROSS THE CAMPUS TO THE ARTS BUILDING HE HAD DISCOVERED THE PREVIOUS FRIDAY. HE HAD ART FORTHE FIRT HALF OF THE DAY FOLLOWED BY TWO OF THE THREE ENGLISH CLASSES HE WAS SIGNED ON TO TEACH.

HUMMING TO HIMSELF AND CHECKING THE SLIP OF PAPER THE YOUNG WOMAN HAD HANDED HIM, BYRON STUCK HIS HEAD THROUGH THE DOOR HE THOUGHT WAS HIS AND SMILED, HAPPY TO FIND A STUDENT ALREADY PRESENT. HEAVILY PREGNANT, THE BLONDE GIRL WAS CONCENTRATING ON A SKETCH-PAD IN FRONT OF HER. AT LEST HE KNEW HE HAD ONE EAGER AND SERIOUS STUDENT. HELL, AT LEAST HE HOPED.

STEPPING THROUGH THE DOORWAY, HE MOVED OVER TO HIS DESK AT THE FRONT OF THE ROOM AND DROPPED HIS BACKPACK ON THE FLOOR, BOOTING IT UNDER THE DESK. HE DIDN'T WANT TO DISTURB HER FROM HER WORK AND THE FIRST BELL HAD YET TO RING.

INSTEAD, HE FLIPPED THROUGH THE FILES THAT HAD BEEN LEFT ON THE OLD DESK. THERE WAS STUFF HERE HE COULD WORK WITH BUT, IN TRUTH, HE WANTED TO GET A HANDLE ON WHAT HIS STUDENTS COULD DO AND WHAT THEIR AREAS OF INTEREST WERE. IF HE COULD GUAGE HOW THEY FELT AND WHAT THEY KNEW ABOUT ART, HE COULD GO FROM THERE.

REARRANGING THE DESK TO BETTER SUIT HIMSELF AND HIS STYLE, HE KICKED OUT THE CHAIR AND DROPPED INTO IT. HE STRETCHED LONG LEGS OUT IN FRONT OF HIM AND PULLED A FILE CLOSER. THE TEACHER BEFORE HIM HAD MADE SOME SMALL NOTES ON A FEW OF THE STUDENTS- THOSE THAT HAD APPEARED 'PROMISING'- BUT IT WAS NOWHERE NEAR ENOUGH FOR BYRON. BY THE TIME HE WAS DONE HE WOULD HAVE A FULL CATALOGUE ON EVERY STUDENTS INTERESTS, STRENGTHS AND DIFFICULTIES.

BYRON SMILED TO HIMSELF AND BEGAN HUMMING AGAIN AS HE READ- HE DID THAT SOMETIMES. IT HELPED HIM PROCESS WORDS BETTER IF THEY WERE PUT TO A BEAT, EVEN ONE HE MADE UP HIMSELF. AS STEROTYPICAL AS IT WAS, BYRON WAS INTO MUSIC AS WELL AS ART BUT HIS MAJORS HAD BEEN ART AND ENGLISH. HE WASN'T EXACTLY ONE TO STICK TO STEREOTYPES. BESIDES, THE LOOK ON PEOPLES FACES WHEN HE STARTED QUOTING SHAKESPEARE AND PROSE WAS ALL WORTH IT.

TAG: morgan
WORDS:

[/color] 393
MUSE:[/color] mellowness
NOTES:[/color] thanks for taking this on
CREDIT:[/color] TILLY of caution 2.0.[/font][/left][/size]

[MORGAN ANNABELLE HOLLOWAY]

Morgans mind was busy on the sketch she had. It was a dog, based on her dog, Jackie. Jackie was an old and moldy jack russell terrier with arthritis in her hips and back. Morgan had that dog forever, and never took it to the vet. Morgan believed in natural healing, which seemed to work. She mixed a few herbs together with some moist dog food and within a week Jackie was becoming more active. It was a good thing for Morgan, for she wanted to take her dog out while she worked out and went for walks.

She was just finishing up her quick sketch as the bell rang. It made Morgan jump slightly, and her head lifted. A few students walked in, but nobody Morgan had met. She kept quiet as the room filled and people avoided sitting next to her. In her mind she found it was silly to avoid a teen just because they were pregnant. Everyone made mistakes, it's just that some are bigger than others - and harder to hide.Morgans dark brown eyes looked across the room as the final bell rang and she lifted her chin, looking at the teacher. He was charming. He actually looked a lot like Robert, the father of her twins.

Morgans eyes lit up a little. Robert was perfect in her eyes. He was tall, handsome, and mysterious. Robert was an outcast in school, and never showed emotions to people. But after they began to spend time together, he loosened up around her, and spent most of their days together. She leaned forward and put her elbow on her desk, resting her chin in her hand, a light smile on her soft lips. Robert had dark eyes, and a serious look in every expression. This man, however, looked a lot less threatening, a lot more playful than Robert did. Looking at the teacher made her think of Robert, though, and that was a bad thing. Her heart throbbed with a light pain and her smile faded. She wished so much that Robert wanted to be a part of her family.

[BYRON MIKAEL QUAKIDIES]

FLIPPING THE FILES SHUT AS THE BELL RANG, BYRON TOOK A DEEP BREATH AND PUSHED OUT OF HIS CHAIR. KIDS BEGAN FILING IN- NOT A HUGE CLASS, PROBABLY ONLY A DOZEN OR SO BUT ALL THE BETTER, HE THOUGHT. EASIER TO GET TO KNOW A FEW THAN A WHOLE LOT AT ONCE.

HE SMILED AT A FEW AND SHRUGGED OFF THE CURIOUS LOOKS HE GOT. MOVING AROUND THE DESK, HE RESTED AGAINST THE EDGE AND CROSSED HIS ARMS OVER HIS CHEST. THE SECOND BELL RANG AND EVERYONE STARTED TO SETTLE, THE CHATTER ABATED AS THEY ALL STARED TO THE FRONT, ALMOST IN UNISON. HE LOVED THE FACT THAT MOST TEENAGERS WERE STILL SHEEP.

"good morning guys and girls. welcome to your art class. my name is byron quakidies but you can call me mr Q if my surname is too much for you." HE SMILED AT THEM AND STEPPED FORWARD, STICKING HIS HANDS IN HIS POCKETS.

"i also teach english so it's likely i'll see some of you there as well. if you're curious about my background, well, i've got a degree in arts and music but i majored in english literature. i'm happy to answer any questions about any of those subjects and pretty much anything else so don't be afraid to ask." HE GRINNED AND WINKED AT THE STUDENT BODY, "i don't bite."

"basically, this week, we're going to get a handle on what you can do, what you like to do and what you know and see where we can go from there." BYRON EXPLAINED. HE LIKED HIS CLASSES TO BE OPEN AND VERY CLEAR- IT HELPED ESTABLISH A CREATIVE ENVIRONMENT AND ALLOWED NO BLOCKAGES OR CONFUSION ABOUT CREATIVE THOUGHTS.

"questions?" BYRON OFFERED TO THE CLASS AND PEERED ABOUT AT THEM. HE FELT SORRY FOR THEM- BEING A TEENAGER SUCKED. HE HAD HATED IT AND WOULD NEVER WISH TO PUT ANYONE THROUGH THE EMMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL TURMOIL A TEENAGER SUFFERS THROUGH. IF THE GOVERNMENT OR THE MILITARY COULD BOTTLE SUCH FRUSTRATION, ANGER AND CONFUSION THEY'D BE ABLE TO MAKE ONE HELL OF A TORTURE DEVICE.

THE CLASS WAS A BIT OF A JUMBLE OF TEENS; THERE WERE A COUPLE OF EMO KIDS OFF TO ONE SIDE WHO LOOKED READY TO CRY, A HIPPIE-INDIE-LOOKING GIRL JUST IN FRONT OF THE BLONDE GIRL WHO HAD BEEN IN CLASS BEFORE HE HAD. THERE WERE ALSO A HANDFUL OF SEMI-JOCK-LOOKING GUYS WHO HAD PROBABLY THOUGHT ART WOULD BE A BREEZE. BYRON WOUOLD BE HAPPY TO SHOW THEM OTHERWISE. TRUE ART WAS ALL ABOUT MEANING AND DEEP THOUGHT. LAYERS UPON LAYERS. THEY WERE IN FOR A RUDE SHOCK.

TAG: morgan
WORDS:

[/color] 436
MUSE:[/color] mellowness
NOTES:[/color]
CREDIT:[/color] TILLY of caution 2.0.[/font][/left][/size]

[MORGAN ANNABELLE HOLLOWAY]

Morgan watched innocently, grinning lightly as the teacher talked on. His body language was a lot like Roberts. Smooth, and almost rehearsed. Morgan put her hand over her belly and leaned back as far as she could, feeling the babies moving. She looked over at a small group who were whispering and looking back at her. She stared a moment, and then looked down at her stomach. She was getting pretty big, as a matter of fact. She could no longer see her toes and she couldn't bend without squatting or struggling.

A light sigh escaped her and her face switched to an uncomfortable look. She looked up at the teacher and raised her hands when he asked if there were any questions. "May I use the restroom?" Having to pee like a pregnant woman wasn't a saying for nothing. Morgan had to make five or six trips to the restroom every few hours. She stood up slowly and walked to the front of the class, her head down as she passed the teacher. He was much taller than her. Morgan was just barely five foot. She looked back and saw the whole class staring, before she walked out of the room.

The hallways were quiet. As she passed the classrooms she could hear lectures going on and students talking. She walked into the bathroom and shut the stall. Tears began to slide down her cheeks. She knew it'd be hard. Her first real day with everyone and so pregnant. She wasn't expecting so many people to be rude enough to stare. Like as if she wasn't even able to notice. She cried hard for a good ten minutes before wiping her eyes, fixing her make up, doing her business, and walking back to the classroom. She stood in the open door way. Her head was low and she looked up at the teacher, trying not to show she had been crying. She cleared her throat, looking at everyone and then back to the ground. As she sat down in the chair, she sighed heavily, looking back up at the teacher, she faked a smile.

[BYRON MIKAEL QUAKIDIES]

BYRON SMILED AND NODDED TO THE BLONDE GIRL- HE'D BEEN AROUND HIS SHARE OF PREGNANT WOMEN AND MOVIES HELPED HIS UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR NEED TO CONSTANTLY PEE. HE WOULDN'T HOLD IT AGAINST HER. HIS ATTITUDE DIDN'T EXACTLY SEEM MIRRORED IN THE REACTIONS OF HIS STUDENTS. THEY WHISPERED AMONGST THEMSELVES AND SOME BLATANTLY STARED. HE CLEARED HIS THROTA POINTEDLY AND STEPPED INTO THE VIEW OF THE DOORWAY TO RETURN THEIR ATTENTION TO HIM.

"if you've finished gossipsing, put your eyes back in your heads and turn your attention back to the purpose of this class." HE SUGGESTED, VOICE A FEW OCTAVES DEEPER THAN BEFORE. SOMETIMES HE FELT SORRY FOR TEENAGERS. SOMETIMES HE HATED THEM.

"we'll go around the class, starting here," HE POINTED TO A GIRL IN THE FRONT ROW WHO MADE AN ODD SQUEAKING NOISE AND TURNED RED, "your name and why you chose this class, if you don't mind. what do you like about art?" HE ASKED, RETURNING TO HIS DESK TO MARK OFF NAMES ON THE CLASS ROLL.

IN TOTAL IT TOOK ABOUT TEN MINUTES AND HE NOTED THAT TIME BECAUSE IT TOOK THAT LONG FOR THE BLONDE GIRL TO RETURN. HE HEARD HER AT THE DOOR AND OFFERED A SMILE. SHE WAS BRAVER THAN MANY GIRLS WHO OPTED FOR ABORTION OR HID AWAY UNTIL THEY GAVE BIRTH. IT WAS BETTER THESE DAYS, OF COURSE BUT TEENAGE PREGNANCY WAS STILL FROWNED UPON.

BYRON TIPPED HIS CHIN, HOPING THE GIRL WOULD LIFT HER HEAD AND DO THE SAME- A NON-VERBAL STUFF-YOU TO EVERYONE WHO STARED OR TALKED ABOUT HER. HE CLEARED HIS THROAT WHEN SHE RETURNED TO HER SEAT.

"i expect you each have some version of art paper with you? a sketch book of some sort?" HE SPOKE, VOICE LOW AGAIN AND HEADS SNAPPED BACK TO HIM. THE GIRL IN THE FRONT ROW WHO HAD BEEN OPENLY STARING EVEN SUNK IN HER SEAT. "up here are sticks of charcoal- i want them back. everyone, in a moment, is to come and take one. you have thirty minutes left until the next bell goes. in that time i expect at least one roughly completed image of something you would consider 'beautiful' from the school grounds. it can be people, nature, architecture. it's up to you. front row first."

RATHER THAN EXAMINING THEIR DRAWING SKILLS ALONE, BYRON PLANNED THE LESSON TO REVEAL THEIR INTERESTS AND THEIR UNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT ART AND BEAUTY. HE WANTED TO SEE HOW FAR OUTSIDE OF THE BOX EACH OF THEM THOUGHT AND IN WHICH DIRECTION. IT WOULD ALSO GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO SPEAK TO THE BLONDE GIRL- MORGAN, IF HIS ROLL WAS CORRECT.

TAG: morgan
WORDS:

[/color] 434
MUSE:[/color]
NOTES:[/color]
CREDIT:[/color] TILLY of caution 2.0.[/font][/left][/size]

[MORGAN ANNABELLE HOLLOWAY]

Morgan stared for a while as the teacher went one. She looked back at the group who was talking about her before she left. She leaned on the desk again, her face frowning as he told them to go get chalk. To others, simply standing is... well, simple. Not to Morgan, though. With two babies on the way, she had a lot to carry, and it was all sitting on her thighs. She turned and shifted, slowly standing. People brushed past her and she stepped aside, watching them with nervous eyes. After everyone else had gotten their chalk, Morgan went up and grabbed the last... two? It was one broken piece. Morgan picked it up gingerly and looked at the teacher with almost a nervous look. As if she would get in trouble for it.

She turned and walked over to her desk, sitting back down slowly. One of the babies were active and twisting around. It was an uncomfortable yet comforting feeling. Physically uncomfortable, but she knew he was up and active, and that meant he was safe and healthy. Her right hand settled on top of her belly while she sketched lightly on a fresh piece of paper with her left hand.

After about fifteen minutes, Morgan set down the chalk, viewing her sketch. The sketch was of her view of the classroom. There were shadowed faces and huddled groups, a couple of shadowed faces looking over at the viewer of the picture. She scribbled the chalk board in the far background of the picture and of the teacher, sitting on the other side of the room. The teacher's face was the only one drawn out, instead of shaded dark. The face didn't look much like Byron, but more like Robert. The same shape, but the features were more sharp, and more serious.

[/size]

[BYRON MIKAEL QUAKIDIES]

BYRON WATCHED THE BLONDE AS SHE SKETCHED, CAREFUL TO KEEP HIS DISTANCE- HE DIDN'T NEED RUMOURS CIRCULATING AS THE GIRL SEEMED TO HAVE ENOUGH STRESS AS IT WAS. HE ALSO DIDN'T NEED THE DAMAGE TO HIS REPUTATION CONSIDERING IT WAS THE FIRST DAY AT A NEW SCHOOL.

HER CONCENTRATION WAS SO COMPLETELY ON HER ARTWORK THAT BYRON DECIDED THAT SHE HAD TO BE THE MORGAN THE OLD TEACHER HAD WRITTEN ABOUT. ALTHOUGH IT HAD ONLY BEEN A PARAGRAPH, IT HAD BEEN MORE THAN ANY OF THE OTHER STUDENTS- WHO HAD HARDLY BEEN WORTH A MENTION APPARENTLY.

MORGAN HOLLOWAY- A CONSCIENTIOUS WORKER, HER ART IS IMPRESSIVE WHEN SHE SHARES BUT HER CONFIDENCE IS LACKING. ENCOURAGEMENT AND A CLOSE EYE WOULD GO A LONG WAY HERE.

BYRON CLEARED HIS THROAT AGAIN WHEN SHE SET HER SKETCH PAD DOWN AND OFFERED A FRIENDLY SMILE, LEANING AGAINST HIS DESK. HIS OTHER STUDENTS HAD MOSTLY GONE OUTSIDE TO SKETCH WHILE SOME WERE LOITERING IN THE HALLS STILL- HE COULD HEAR THEM AND HE DOUBTED THEY WOULD ALL HAVE A SKETCH DONE BY THE BELL.

"morgan, right?" HE ASKED, CROSSING HIS ARMS OVER HIS CHEST, TIPPING HIS HEAD AT HER SLIGHTLY, "can i ask what you sketched?" HE GLANCED AROUND THE CLASSROOM- IT WASN'T EXACTLY WHAT HE WOULD CALL BEAUTIFUL BUT HE WAS MUCH MORE SOCIALLY-MINDED RATHER THAN ARCHITECTUALLY. HE SUPPOSED THAT COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN HIS PERCEPTION.

HE HOPED TO LEAD INTO FINDING OUT IF SHE WAS ALL RIGHT. SOMETIMES WOMEN WERE SENSITIVE ABOUT SUCH THINGS, HE HAD DISCOVERED AND HE DID NOT DOUBT A PREGNANT TEENAGER WOULD NOT BE ANY DIFFERENT.

TAG: morgan
WORDS:

[/color] 268
MUSE:[/color]
NOTES:[/color] Sorry, short.
CREDIT:[/color] TILLY of caution 2.0.[/font][/left][/size]

[MORGAN ANNABELLE HOLLOWAY]

Morgan had just begun filling in the shading before she heard the teacher say her name. Her stomach tightened and her eyes closed. She didn't care much for attention. "Um... Yeah..." She looked up for a second, then back to her work. She tucked it closer to her, putting her arms over it. ...Oh... It's... It's not good. I think I'm going to do a different sketch... if that's okay?" She kept staring to the side, but not at the teacher. She had low confidence around older men, especially teachers. Morgan breathed in deeply and stood up quickly, her sketch book in her hand, she jumped a little, realizing she was much closer to the teacher than expected. Her face was merely inches away from his chest, which meant her belly was toughing his.

Her eyebrows rose and her innocent brown eyes looked up at him. She took a step back, putting her hands over her stomach somewhat instinctively, turning a little, looking away quickly. "Sorry..." She said quietly. "um... The bell... it's about to ring..." She glanced at the clock, and then the teacher, then away again. "I'll finish a sketch, though. I mean... Soon..." She swallowed and nervously turned, picking up her backpack as the bell rang. Morgan quickly walked out of the room, stopping just outside in the middle of the hall and she sighed. Morgan looked around the hall way, seeing students staring and looking away. It did get irritating, but Morgan was good at hiding it.

As she stood there, gathering her nerves, the halls began to empty as students too their seats in their classes. Morgan pursed her lips as she pulled her schedule out of her pocket. She had Algebra next, then lunch, then... English. With the same teacher. She breathed in deeply, going to her Algebra class.

After lunch, Morgan slowly walked to classroom she had been in earlier. Something about the class made her nervous. Was it the teacher? or was it the students? She didn't know. Morgan slowly walked back into the classroom, sitting down in the same spot she did last time. In the back corner by the window.


Note: Sorry it took so long! We couldn't pay cable xD

[/left]

[BYRON MIKAEL QUAKIDIES]

"don't worry about it." BYRON SMILED KINDLY AND STEPPED BACK, HOPING TO MAKE HER MORE COMFORTABLE WITH DISTANCE. IT DIDN'T WORK.

WITH A SIGH, BYRON LET MORGAN RUN AWAY- BECAUSE THAT WAS WHAT SHE WAS DOING AND SHRUGGED A SHOULDER. THAT WAS HIS SLOW APPROACH... WHICH, JUDGING BY HER REACTION MEANT HE WAS GOING TO HAVE TO SLAM THE BRAKES ON EVEN MORESO. tHE EQUIVALENT TO PUTTING HIS FOOT THROUGH THE FLOOR, HE SUPPOSED.

HE HADN'T GOTTEN TO SEE HER SKETCH AND THE WAY SHE AVOIDED HIS EYES SUGGESTED THE OLD TEACHERS NOTES ABOUT HER SELF-CONFIDENCE WERE SPOT-ON. SHE HAD VERY LITTLE-TO-NONE. IT WAS NOT A HEALTHY SIGN IN A TEENAGER- NOT THAT THOSE KIDS OVER-BLOATED WITH THEIR OWN SELF-WORTH WERE ANY BETTER BUT AT LEAST YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THEIR SELF-RESPECT. KIDS LACKING CONFIDENCE HAD BEEN PROVEN TO FALL INTO A LOT WORSE CITUATIONS THAN THOSE WHO WERE OVERLY CONFIDENT AND TALK THEMSELVES AROUND MOST THINGS.

SHAKING HIS HEAD AS THE BELL RANG- BYRON OFFERED A SMILE TO THE FEW STUDENTS WHO QUICKLY RETURNED TO DROP OFF THEIR SKETCHES AND HURRY OFF TO THEIR NEXT CLASS. HE MADE A POINT OF MARKING THEIR NAMES AS STUDENTS TO WATCH FOR AS, THOUGH THEY WEREN'T EXPERTS, THEY WERE AT LEAST KEEN AND IT WAS THAT HE COULD WORK WITH. HOPEFULLY HE WOULD HAVE MORE RETURN NEXT LESSON.

AS THE NEXT CLASS BEGAN FILING IN, HE CHECKED HIS SCHEDULE. ENGLISH. IT WAS A JUNIOR CLASS DOING SHAKESPEARE AND BYRON SMILED. HE WASN'T A BIG SHAKESPEARE FAN BUT HE HAD TO ADMIT- THE MAN HAD PENNED SOME DECEPTIVELY GORY SCENES.

BYRON GREETED HIS NEXT CLASS, THE SAME AS HE HAD THE PREVIOUS ONE, RECIVING A MUCH MORE SATISFYING RESPONSE. JUNIORS WERE STILL UNAWARE THAT LAUGHING AT A TEACHER'S JOKES WAS APPARENTLY 'UNCOOL'. BYRON DIDN'T MIND EITHER WAY.

THEY SPENT THE LESSON DISCUSSING THE DOUBLE-MEANINGS OF SHAKESPEARE AND THE CLASS LEFT LAUGHING. HIS NEXT CLASS WAS, AGAIN, ENGLISH, BYRON WAS PLEASED TO NOTE AND FLIPPED THROUGH THE FILE AND ROLL. MORGAN HOLLOWAY JUMPED OUT AT HIM, JUST AS THE GIRL HERSELF SLUNK INTO THE ROOM AND BYRON SMILED. SECOND CHANCE. OBVIOUSLY THIS WAS SOME SORT OF SECOND OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THE GIRL AND BYRON FELT IT SILLY TO WASTE IT.

"hello again morgan." HE SPOKE SOFTLY, UNOBTRUSIVELY AND SENT HER A SMILE, RETURNING TO HIS PAPERS WHILE HE AWAITED HER ANSWER. HE DIDN'T WANT TO CREEP HER OUT OR ANYTHING BUT HE DID WANT TO OPEN A CHANNEL OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THEM AND ENGLISH WAS THE PERFECT SUBJECT TO CONTINUE BUILDING IT.

TAG: morgan
WORDS:

[/color] 431
MUSE:[/color]
NOTES:[/color] No probs. The world has been busy lately
CREDIT:[/color] TILLY of caution 2.0.[/font][/left][/size]

[MORGAN ANNABELLE HOLLOWAY]

Morgan was busy gazing off at the door where few other students liked to make it early. She always felt different, coming into her classes early while everyone else loitered in the halls, talking too loud to their companions and current best friends. She was so focused, so deep in thought when the teacher greeted her. Had she been standing she would have jumped at the sound of a pen falling. Morgan looked over to the teacher, her eyebrows pulled up a little bit as she waited to see if he would say anything else. She lowered her head and looked over out the window. It was still drizzly and depressing outside. Her eyes once again focused on the teacher and she tightened her lips into an uncomfortable smile, waving her hand once lightly, respectively. As the bell rung the students flooded in. Everyone avoided sitting beside Morgan, as if pregnancy was really contagious. She watched them quietly, her eyes showing she was in deep thought. The late bell rang and Morgan grabbed her back pack, pulling out her note book, glancing outside once more.

Outside there were two homing pigeons. Morgan loved them. She stared, watching their smooth yet sporadic movements across the pavement as they searched for a somewhat dry spot in Chicago. Good luck. Morgans hands rested on top of her belly, sighing a bit as she turned back to the teacher. She knew he was trying to get to know her, but she also knew that if she wasn't pregnant he would have probably made no interest toward her over the other students. She grabbed her pen and flipped through her book. It had previous works and notes from last year at her school in Tennessee. The notes focused on proper grammar, spelling mistakes she made that were corrected, and sometimes just simple doodles with Roberts name and hearts around it. She stopped at one of her doodles and half smiled. It was the biggest smile she had made all day. Her eyes scanned over the picture of Roberts name, little hearts and stars and shading all over it. It was one of the very first times she had done that with his name, and just looking at it brought memories back of the times they would go to the lake and walk barefoot over the shore, holding hands. Morgan sighed lightly, turning the page to the end of her notes, so she could add more.

Note: xD she's not much of a talker. Especially to any boys who remind her of Robert.

[/left]

[BYRON MIKAEL QUAKIDIES]

BYRON BEGAN HIS CLASS SIMILARLY TO THE LAST TWO, IT WAS EASIER IF THEY ALL GOT TO KNOW WHAT HE WAS LIKE ON AN EQUAL BASIS- IT WOULD MAKE LIFE EASIER. HE DIDN'T SPEAK TO MORGAN AGAIN SPECIFICALLY BUT GLANCED OVER, AS HE DID WITH ALL HIS STUDENTS- EVERY OW AND AGAIN TO CHECK HER PROGRESS. SHE DIDN'T EXACTLY SEEM ENTHUSED BUT, THEN AGAIN, NEITHER DID MOST OF THE OTHER KIDS.

SENIORS WERE JUST TOO COOL, IT SEEMED. THAT PERCEPTION DIDN'T CHANGE FROM SCHOOL TO SCHOOL LIKE SOME OTHERS.

APPARENTLY THIS CLASS WAS FINE-TUNING THEIR GRAMMAR AND ESSAY-WRITING, NOT EXACTLY HIS FAVOURITE AREAS OF ENGLISH BUT, HEY, HE WAS TRAINED FOR ALL OF IT. NOT FOLLOWING THE PRE-PLANNED LESSON- OF COURSE- BYRON SET THEM THE TASK OF WRITING A SHORT ESSAY ON WHAT THEY HAD LEARNED SO FAR IN ENGLISH THIS YEAR AND WHAT THEY THOUGHT THEY OUGHT TO KNOW BY THE END OF THE YEAR. HE WANTED TO, AGAIN, DISCOVER THEIR INTERESTS AND WHAT THEY THOUGHT THEY OUGHT TO KNOW.

"you're seniors, after all. once you leave here you'll be on your own, needing to make your own decisions about life and careers and such." HE EXPLAINED, "you're not going to have faculty there to spoon-feed you. what you do now will impact then so choose wisely." BYRON ADVISED AND TURNED TO THE BOARD TO BEGIN WRITING UP THE BASIC ESSAY STRUCTURE, JUST IN CASE: INTRO, BODY, CONCLUSION. THERE WERE MORE COMPLICATED VERSIONS, OF COURSE BUT STARTING OFF SIMPLE WAS ALWAYS SAFEST.

"once you're done, i'll also get a few of you to come up and give a summary to the class. i know some of you will hate public speaking but life is public speaking- it may not have all the tassles but you're constantly being judged, put under pressure. as teenagers, i expect you'd be aware of that more tha most." HE OFFERED, SWIPING HIS CHALK-DUSTED HANDS ON HIS DARK JEANS AND LEANING AGAINST THE DESK AGAIN.

HE HID A SMILE AS HEADS BOBBED, FACES TURNED DOWN. SOME STARED OUT THE WINDOWS, OTHERS, INTO SPACE. HE DIDN'T MIND. IT WAS A MEASURE OF THEIR INTEREST AND WORK ETHIC. IT WAS ALSO A MEASURE OF THEIR LAST TEACHERS ABILITIES, HE THOUGHT.

TAG: Morgan
WORDS:

[/color] 373
MUSE:[/color] none
NOTES:[/color] That's kay. Byron is persistent.
CREDIT:[/color] TILLY of caution 2.0.[/font][/left][/size]

[MORGAN ANNABELLE HOLLOWAY]

Morgan stared for a moment before flipping open her sketch pad, pulling her pencil from the rings that kept it together. She began to sketch the two pigeons. Something about sketching while someone was talking to her or lecturing her class kept her listening. She could hear them the whole time, word for word. Sketching while someone talked made her a much better listener.

When she heard they would be presenting their work, she stopped sketching, not looking away from her paper. Her heart began to race a bit. Morgan hated attention on her. She hated it. It might be because when she was young her parents forced her into working with horses in front of a crowd. She never liked performing in front of others. Nervously, she looked around and then at the teacher. As everyone began to write, Morgan stood up, drawing in a deep breath and walked over to the teacher. She felt her palms begin to sweat. "Um... Excuse me?" Morgan looked over her shoulder and at everybody in the class. There was a dull murmur in the room. Many of them were looking at her like some sort of freak. Leaning closer to the teacher, her hand on the desk, she spoke quietly, just over a whisper. "I don't think I can do this... I mean... present... in front of everyone..." Morgan looked away from him after she finished her sentence.

Really she was scared of being in front of everyone. Just walking up and talking to the teacher made her freak out. She couldn't imagine knowing everyones attention was on her. She looked up at the teacher. "I just... I'm not good... I mean in front of... people..." Her voice slowly slowed and dulled as she finished her sentence.

[/left]

[BYRON MIKAEL QUAKIDIES]

BYRON WAS AS SURPRISED AS THE REST OF THE CLASS WHEN MORGAN SPOKE UP THEN STEPPED UP. HE WOULD HAVE GONE TO HER DESK HAD SHE PUT HER HAND UP BUT, HE SUPPOSED, IT WAS HER DECISION.

CLEARLY THE GIRL FOUND IT DIFFICULT SPEAKING UP- AND THE STARES OF HER CLASSMATES WOULD NOT EXACTLY HAVE BEEN HELPING. HE SMILED ENCOURAGINGLY AS SHE SPOKE, URGING HER ON. SHE WAS WORRIED ABOUT SPEAKING? HE FROWNED- IF JUST THE THOUGHT OF PUBLIC SPEAKING HAD HER APPROACHING HIM OUT OF TERROR THE GIRL WAS LIKELY TO COMPLETELY FREAK OUT PUT IN THE SPOTLIGHT FOR SOMETHING TO DO WITH ASSESSMENTS.

"back to work." BYRON ORDERED, SHOOTING THE NOSEY STUDENTS A LOOK THAT HAD THEIR HEADS DUCKING AWAY FROM HIS LINE OF VISION. "you're going to have to learn some time morgan." BRYON SUGGESTED GENTLY, GIVING A SHRUG OF HIS SHOULDERS, "tell you what, write up your essay and i'll organise a crowd that's a little less daunting." HE OFFERED, TIPPING HIS CHIN A LITTLE, CAREFUL TO LOWER HIS VOICE SO THE OTHER STUDENTS WOULD'T HEAR. IT WASN'T EXACTLY A DISADVANTAGE TO THEM BUT, CLEARLY, MORGAN NEEDED A LITTLE MORE SUPPORT.

"it's important that you learn these skills." HE RAISED HIS VOICE TO A NATURAL LEVEL AGAIN AND GLANCED AROUND THE CLASSROOM, "you need to learn how to speak to people, how to communicate your thoughts clearly and succinctly." HE OFFERED MORGAN A SMILE AND GESTURED TO HER SEAT.

"don't worry so much though. it's only for my benefit. you won't be marked." HE ASSURED HER AND NODDED. "it's so i can gauge where you are all at and work on the skills you already have." BYRON TOLD THE CLASS, STEPPING BEHIND HIS DESK AND BRUSHING A HAND OVER THE FILE HE HAD IGNORED- THE PRE-PLANNED LESSON- IN FAVOUR OF HIS OWN STRATEGY.

IT WAS ALL HE COULD DO TO ASSURE MORGAN. ANY FURTHER SPECIAL TREATMENT MIGHT GIVE THE CLASS THE WRONG IDEA AND THAT WAS NOT SOMETHING HE NEEDED. AS IT WAS, IT WAS ONLY THE NOTES FROM HER OLD TEACHER- IN THE ART CLASS- THAT SUGGESTED THERE WERE CONFIDENCE ISSUES THERE AND THE FACT THAT SHE HAD APPROACHED HIM, WORRIED ABOUT SPEAKING THAT HAD LED HIM TO THE IDEA OF A SMALLER PRESENTATION SETTING. HE WOULD COERCE SOME OF HIS FELLOW STAFF OF DETENTION-BOUND STUDENTS TO SIT IN ON HER PRESENTATION. IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR HER.

TAG: morgan
WORDS:

[/color] 403
MUSE:[/color] none
NOTES:[/color]
CREDIT:[/color] TILLY of caution 2.0.[/font][/left][/size]