Daylights Loss: Part 2

Shock fills Nagase.

It has been a long time since someone has been so direct when asking her about her condition. It's the last thing she wants to talk about but Shuzo clearly isn't going to leave her alone about it.

"S-sure." 

"We want to make sure your stay here will be as smooth as possible. We already talked to your mother about what accommodations you would need." Shuzo says gently.

'Of course you did.' Nagase thinks to herself as she sighs.

Shuzo apparently noticing her discomfort quickly moves on.

"We have made arrangements to have a member of our staff escort you around the campus when you need it. Along with that, a very kind student in your class offered to help you."

"It's not often we have a student with a disability enroll in our school. You and your mother are very brave."

Nagase tenses up.

Hearing someone call her disabled fills her with a deeply seeded dread. 

'That's not what I am... I don't need to be cared for like a lost puppy, nor do I need to be called brave for going to school.' She thinks to herself.

Shuzo continues talking, "Today ill be escorting you to your class and introducing you if that's ok?"

Nagase just wants this conversation to end so she nods.

"Is there anything else you need to make your time here enjoyable?"

Nagase pauses for a moment.

"Let's just go."

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Nagase walks down a quiet hallway while holding onto the arm of Shuzo's suit trying to make as little contact as possible, she can't help but keep her head down. The contents of her mostly empty bag shifting from side to side with every step. 

Nagase can hear the faint sounds of teachers talking and giving lessons as they pass by door after door. A cold and uninviting air fills the area around her after each one.

Shuzo suddenly stops and with as much enthusiasm as he can presumably muster says, 

"Welcome to your new classroom! Number 17 if you're curious, are you ready?

Nagase kept telling herself that she was, up until this moment she had felt fine just existing as her new life dragged her along from destination to destination. Now it was real. 

"As I'll ever be." 

She gives Shuzo her best smile.

"You're going to do great here." Shuzo says quietly as Nagase hears him open the door.

A draft of cold air floats around Nagase, giving her instant chills and causing her to pause. 

After a moment she is led inside and the room becomes quiet.

A female voice breaks the silence and says, "H-hello, sir! Is this the new student you mentioned?" 

"Yes, I came to introduce her to you and the class." Shuzo says

"Wonderful! Please go ahead."

Shuzo suddenly in a loud booming voice completely unlike the man she met a few minutes ago said, 

"Listen up students! This is your new classmate Nagase, please give her a warm welcome."

"Hello Nagase." Seemingly the whole class says in a bored and monotone voice.

At this Nagase cant help but nervously smile and point her head back down to the floor. 

Shuzo very clearly not impressed sighs and says, "those of you in the front row may be able to tell but for the rest of you-" He pauses.

"Nagase is unable to see, but I expect all of you to treat her like any other student. Is that understood?"

The whole class says yes but this time in a more curious tone, seemingly caught off guard. 

"Good." Shuzo says sternly. 

Nagase is then led to her seat and Shozu leaves.

Nagase half expected the teacher to stop everything and ask a bunch of questions, but a few seconds after Shuzo departed she just kept going on with her lesson.

'This place is really weird but thank goodness they're mostly ignoring me.' She thinks to herself.

Nagase can almost pretend that shes still in her old school which makes her smile a little.

'Miharu..' 

Nagase couldn't believe she'd almost forgotten already. she never wanted to forget. 

She couldn't.

Nagase reached into her pocket and quietly pulled out her friend's pendant. She traced her fingers around the lettering over and over. 

'I want to go back home.' 

Nagase felt a light tap on her shoulder which made her jump practically out of her seat. She had no doubt people were staring. 

"Oh, I'm sorry." someone whispers. 

'Deja vu.'

"I didn't mean to scare you, I'm Akiko." 

Nagase took a moment to collect herself. 

"It's nice to meet you too Akiko."

"I'm the student the principal told you about, at least if he didn't forget."

Nagase cant help but grin. Something about this girls voice was instantly reassuring and calming, like a beam of warm sunlight coming through the clouds.

"yes he told me."

Nagase can hear Akiko quietly clap once.

"Fantastic!"

'She's not even listening to the teacher anymore at this point.' Nagase thinks to herself.

"So did you just move here?" Akiko asks 

"Y-yea, a couple weeks ago." 

"Oh sweet! You should totally let me show you around sometime." Akiko says excitedly.

Nagase is completely taken off guard. 

'Who is this girl? Why is she being so nice to me?'

"U-um sure." Nagase says awkwardly. 

Suddenly from across the room, "although I am happy that you two are getting to know each other I would appreciate you do that out of my class."

Nagase quickly apologizes and look down to hide her face.

"Please call me miss Suki." 

"Yes ma'am."

Nagase sits and listens to the lesson for a while. She has never been very interested in classes.

Nagase slowly pulls out a piece of paper from her bag.

After a few minutes, she then pulls out a pencil. She feels the paper in front of her and traces her finger around the edge.

Once finding the corner she begins writing Minawa's name extremely slowly using muscle memory. 

"Nagase smiles."

Then around the name begins drawing the pendant. 

She feels an insatiable need to see her friend just one more time. 

Her pencil suddenly slips.

'No no no no no no!'

Nagase desperately drags her finger around the whole page trying hopelessly to feel for her drawing knowing its right under her fingers. 

Nagase grips her pencil wanting nothing more than to throw it.

She can feel tears wanting desperately to escape her eyes. 

The hopelessness of ever being happy and the image of her helplessness is the only thing she can see.

Social pressure is the only thing keeping her from running.

She can feel as a tear runs down her face and disappears into the world she could no longer love.

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Authors post introduction notes. 

Every Night Has A Star is a project that I started just to see if I enjoyed writing, (Also thanks to Eyzi) and I've absolutely loved it. Never have I had so much freedom to just tell a story on a platform that has people who not only could but want to read it. it's allowed me to tell me a story like Every Night Has A Star which is a story idea I've had for a long time inspired by people in my family and movies like A Silent Voice. 

I just wanted to thank those who have read this much of the story and I will continue to publish new chapters regularly. Of course like it if you think I deserve it and comment. I'm on the site almost all day reading or making drafts for future chapters.