What to Look Forward to

"Settle down, class is in session!"

An older lady enters the room with a folder in hand. Behind her enter two figures that could very easily be mistaken for young human girls.

"We have some new students. Introduce yourselves later, but sit over there for now."

At the teacher's direction, Mira and Ange take their seats at the open desks on different sides of the room. Their nervousness is completely visible to the staring crowd of students as neither utters a word. When Mira reaches her desk, she closes her eyes to avoid contact with her new neighbours. She doesn't even remember to take out her supplies as the teacher immediately begins the lecture.

"Turn your books to page 120 and begin reading the passage to yourself. Answer the guided questions immediately after. You have ten minutes and we'll review the calculations afterwards."

Mira flinches at every movement that any person in the room makes. If her legs were at all functional, she would have already darted out of the room and left the building altogether. Unfortunately, her fear has frozen those functions.

"Deep breaths…deep breaths…"

Stella's advice from the night before reaches out to her as a lifeline. When things get rough, take a deep breath and observe your surroundings.

"If unsure, copy those around you…"

It doesn't take long to realise the detail that Mira lacks in her desk setup. Everybody else in the class has the identical book turned to the exact same page and with their own variation of pencil and paper. Noa had handed her everything she had needed beforehand, so all that's left is to bring it out and follow instructions.

Mira begins pulling the textbook and her bag of supplies from the backpack.

"Ah!"

The balance of her bag is immediately disrupted and the stack of old flashcards resting at the top are scattered across the floor. The young rabbit quickly gets down to a crawl and starts scooping up the papers filled with everything Noa passed on to her. Her frantic struggle isn't enough to drown out the giggles of boys and girls both around the room. Mira wants to hide more than anything in the world, but she knows that doing so will only make the situation worse.

"If something bad happens, laugh it off and pretend like nothing happened."

A familiar voice once again pushes to the front of Mira's brain. She wasn't initially all that serious about remembering all of Stella's words, but now they are the only things she has on her side.

"Hahaha…"

With a swift motion, Mira stuffs the cards back into the bag and returns to her seat with the proper items laid out. Nobody seems to pay her any mind after she makes an obvious motion to start reading. The words on the page are hardly processing, but at least she can relax for now.

*****

"I want to go home…"

Mira can feel tears threatening to burst from her eyes as she sits inside the restroom stall.

One of the tools given to her was the ability to ask the teacher if she could go to the restroom. For the first time since the bell rang, she's been able to sit peacefully in silence. However, this has the added consequence of leaving her with nothing but her own thoughts. To make matters worse, Mira is almost completely out of tips to help her.

"None of it makes any sense…"

She certainly read the passage, but her answer was so far off compared to the teacher's. To make matters worse, the other people at her table looked at her weird when they saw her final answer.

"I don't want to do this…"

Everything has been so warm since she found herself in Noa's arms. The people they met were all kind and everyday was something new. She never had to worry about anything. Yet when she arrived here, none of that remained true. The old lady talks too loud, the young people are mean and disheartening, and even the building itself seems designed to make her uncomfortable. As far as Mira is concerned, nothing good has come out of being here.

"Noa…"

The tears are about to stream down her face, but a loud thud interrupts them.

"Running away, Droopy Ears?"

The bathroom door swings open. Mira doesn't need to exit the stall to confirm the source of that high-pitched voice. She doesn't need to, but she still does. The stall door creaks and the blue rabbit peeks out at a face that feels relieving to see at this point. With a few soft steps, both of their reflections are visible in the large restroom mirror.

"Old man…"

"Planning to hide in here all day!?"

Mira flinches at the intense voice of Ange echoing throughout the white room. Her arms are crossed, but her face is far from the usual smugness.

"Where was your confidence from earlier?"

"I…"

"Nothing has changed…"

The orange rabbit winces and shakes her head. Mira is completely lost for words as Ange then glares forward with all of her might.

"We aren't just rabbits anymore!"

Her thick hair swings with each motion. The words coming out of Ange's mouth shake her entire body and almost throw Mira off of her feet.

"We can't just run from everything that scares us anymore. There's nowhere for us to hide now."

"But…I can't…"

"Look here, Mira!"

Ange lunges forward and grabs onto Mira's shoulders. At first, the blue rabbit is blinded by a mass of orange, but the girl before her soon looks up. In those pale brown eyes shine the beginnings of rain.

"You're not the only one scared…"

"Ange…"

Mira can feel the uncontrollable vibrations moving into her body from Ange's hands.

"I saw what happened to you and I was scared that I would mess up next! Then you left and I was worried that you wouldn't come back…"

Mira can't see anything but the sadness and fear of her always energetic rival.

"I thought I was all alone…"

As the young girl seems just about ready to burst into tears, a flash of blue washes over her. Ange feels her body warmed by the powerful embrace and her trembling begins to slow as Mira whispers near her ear.

"I'm sorry…"

"If you're sorry, then don't leave in the first place…"

The two remain in place with only their uneven breathing and the occasional sniffle breaking the silence. It feels like an eternity for them, but there is still time before the end of first period. However, they need to return soon to make it before the bell.

Ange taps onto Mira's shoulders and pulls back.

"I can't be stuck here! I have to do well so Dad will be happy when I get back!"

"Your Dad?"

The orange rabbit turns around and leaves nothing for Mira to look at except for her thick fur. However, she can still see that now fearless grin as a reflection in the mirror.

"He's been losing hair at the idea of me starting school. I have to go home and show him that everything is alright."

"Go home…"

Mira suddenly remembers the small item hanging just over her chest. She reaches beneath her dress and pulls out the small key given to her by Noa.

"Whenever it feels overwhelming at school, just remember that this home is waiting for you when you're done."

His words help finally suppress the forces holding Mira in place. Her hand stings as she grips tightly onto the rough metal, but that pain also serves to snap her out of her uncertainty.

"When classes are over, I'll show Noa how upset I am for sending me here! I'll forgive him after he gives me something!"

"Oh! Nice idea! I should ask Dad for some ice cream!"

"Noa will rub my head and make pasta and…and…and take a bath with me!"

"Hahaha! Finishing the day doesn't sound so bad now!"

The two rabbits look each other in the eye and grin. At some point, the restroom atmosphere transformed from one of despair to one of hope. All it took was remembering the ones that mean the most to them.

"It looks like we both have something to look forward to."

"Yup! Let's work hard and finish the day!"

Mira lifts her hand into the air and Ange meets her with a loud clap.

The face of Noa drifts into Mira's mind as the two exit into the hallway. All of his effort, all of his concern, all of his pain was for her. Just thinking about that makes her heart pulse with strength, the strength he has given her. Imagining how happy it will make him to return home with a smile adds an extra spring to every step. If she can see him smiling, dealing with this horrific place is a small price to pay.

"Wait for me, Noa! I'll show you that I can handle this much!"

Side by side, the two rabbits return to the classroom with high spirits.