#my winter break teacher homework made me cry in public

[theculturalvacuum]

Our Common Ground

From Natural Curiosity, 2nd Edition, by Doug Anderson, Julie Comay, and Lorraine Chiarotto (pg. 9)

“Perhaps what is needed is a ‘reconciliation pedagogy,’ a recovery of relationships, an encounter that brings all of us together as co-creators of our children’s survival.”

[geminiamethyst]

Dragon Seekers. Chapter 1.

I thought that I should share the first chapter of a book that I am writing. This is my own original work (not a fanfic). I have published the start of the first chapter a while ago, but I thought that I should share the whole first chapter.

If you guys would like to see more of it, please let me know.

I hope you all enjoy it.

"Jamie, are you sure that you're alright?

Jamie Jones looked up at his teacher as the class started to leave. He could feel like he was trembling without even meaning to. He quite often liked the teachers at his school. There wasn't one that he felt like was not friendly towards him. Not many of his classmates even acknowledged his existence, so it was difficult for him to get along with any of them. Even in group tasks, no one would even look at him, let alone hear what he has to say.

"I'm fine. Why?" Jamie answered hastily, shoving his school books into his bag.

"Dear, there's a bruise on your neck. Are you sure you're alright?" The teacher repeated her question. Jamie sighed heavily. He briefly readjusted his scarf to try to hide the dark blue mark that stained his skin.

"I'm fine. I just fell down the stairs at home." He said, feeling like a broken record player. His life felt like one too. Wake up, eat, go to school, get asked relentless questions, get bullied, go home, do homework, eat again, sleep. That's pretty much how his life went. Or, it would've been if HE wasn't there.

"You say that Jamie, but this is really starting to make us worry. Your ankle was broken three months ago and you had to be in hospital because of a concussion last week. Is there something going on at home?" The teacher continued with her questions.

"No. Excuse me, Miss. I need to get home. Mum will worry." Jamie hastily replied, his body shuddering. The twelve year old zipped up his beaten up rack sack and slung it onto his shoulders. The movement was so rapid that he almost fell sideways. He ran out of the classroom, ignoring the teacher teacher calling out to him. He can't respond to that. Weaving in and out of the sea of students, Jamie couldn't pray more than he already began with to get home. He can't be late, he just can't. His heart is pounding so much that anyone could've mistaken it for a drum. His head was reeling too much for him to focus on anything else. His feet hit the pavement so hard and fast that a part of him thought that the ground would split open and swallow him whole. He would've loved that to happen. It'll be much better than going home.

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By time Jamie got home, he looked like he had run the London Marathon. His sweat drenched skin covered him from head to toe. His white shirt was creased and stuck to his chest and back like glue. His black school shoes were dirty and wet (it had been raining earlier, so he had to run through puddles). His school blazer was so untidy that it seemed to be slipping off of one shoulder, along with one strap of his rucksack. His back felt sore too because as he was running, his bag had been thumping down on it harshly. His face was beetroot red from running. His lamp black hair was messy and his fringe was stuck to his forehead thanks to his sweating. He truly looked like he was in a right state.

Jamie took a few deep breathes to try to replenish his constricted lungs. He looked up at the house that stood in front of him. Once upon a time, he loved this house when it was just him and his mum. It feels like an eternity ago since those days. And Jamie loathed that reality.

Jamie inhaled deeply, trying hard not to think about anything that'll make him run away. No matter how badly he wants to. Exhaling slowly, he rested his hands on the door handle and turned it silently. Just as silently, he entered the hallway. It felt just as cold and bitter as it was when he left for school. It wasn't even winter, it was the middle of spring. It shouldn't feel this cold. Jamie tried his best to shake it off furiously. He didn't want to feel like this right now. He gently closed the door. As he did so, he could smell something warm and wholesome. He could feel like an ocean was filling his mouth. It felt so refreshing to smell proper home cooked food than the dull food that was served at school. It made Jamie forget the coldness that he felt. It made him feel peaceful despite the dread that he felt earlier. He slipped off his shoes, placing them calmly onto the shoe rack. He slipped off his rucksack and rummaged through it. Out of an unwanted habit, he pulled out his maths book and pencil case. He didn't want to do homework after a long day at school. He wanted to at least have a break, especially from all the running he did. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he didn't however. He closed up his school bag and placed it on a hook inside the cupboard under the stairs. It fit snugly amount the summer coats and handbags. Jamie removed his scarf and hung it along with the rucksack. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up instantly, reacting to the brutal to the brutal coldness that he felt earlier. He ignored it, closing the cupboard and stepped into the kitchen.

It had a hard wood surface with white cupboards and draws. A black cooker and oven stood out perfectly in the middle of it. The smell wafted from the cooker filled Jamie's nostrils again. It reminded him again of how hungry he truly was.

A woman stood at the cooker, humming a quiet tune as she stirred whatever was in the pot. She wore a long sleeved turtle neck shirt and jeans. Her long black hair was tied back in a long braid, reaching her hips. Her hair had obvious silver streaks from the roots to the end of her braid. They weren't natural grey hairs that one would get as one gets older, nor was it hair dye. It was pure, natural coloured hair that she was born with. Jasmine Jones turns around upon hearing the almost silent footsteps from Jamie. She had a golden chain around her neck, suspending a golden palm sized locket with a blue gem at its centre. She pulls a smile but it doesn't quite reach her ears. It looked almost out of place among the the creases of worry on her face.

"Hi, honey. How was school?" She asked, trying hard not to look at the all too obvious bruise on Jamie's neck. Jamie tried to ignore the face she was making. There was once a time when she would give a legitimate smile. He would give anything to see it again.

"It was...fine." He said slowly, not entirely sure how to answer. Jasmine only looked at him, concern emitting from her eyes. Jamie tried to ignore it as he placed his match book to the page that he needed to go to for his set homework. He didn't start right away however. Instead he followed his nose to the pot, wondering what was being made.

"Spaghetti bolognese tonight, Jamie." Jasmine smiled, as if she had just read his mind. She grabbed a spoon and sampled a little of the Italian dish. She offered it to Jamie, who almost greedily ate the whole thing. "How is it?"

"I think it could use a little more pepper, but it's good." The son smiled, warm feelings of love bubbling inside him. Jasmine's smile looked more convincing as she placed the used spoon into the sink. "Aren't you making this a bit early? You know how Carl gets."

"I know. If I made this later than it wouldn't be ready on time." Jasmine sighed, trying not to seem worried. Jamie sighed, annoyed at the obvious facade that his mum was putting up. He couldn't help but notice something heart breaking. Jasmine had her sleeves rolled up, making sure that they wouldn't get dirty while she was cooking. This revealed the dark, large, hand sized stains on her pale skin.

"What happened?" Jamie asked, trying to mask the overwhelming worry he was feeling.

"It's nothing, Jamie. It was just a slip up." Jasmine sighed, hastily covering up the bruises. Jamie shook his head lightly. He heard this excuse everyday. He loathed it and he desperately wished that his mum wouldn't lie like that.

"You can't keep doing this, Mum. We can't keep doing this. We have to leave." Jamie pleaded, sweat dripping a little from his forehead. He wanted to get away, run away with Jasmine so that they could be happy finally for the first time in years. Jasmine looked at him. His heart was breaking as he saw that the woman looked like she was going to cry. She opened her quivering mouth to say something.

"WOMAN!"

Jasmine and Jamie flinched horribly at this bellowing noise and the door slamming. The door slammed so harshly that the house practically threatened to collapse. Jasmine turned back to the spaghetti bolognese as Jamie hastily went back to his homework. He tried to focus on the mathematics in front of him. The heavy footsteps and the heavy breathing were the only things that filled his ears, distracting him completely. He swallowed as silently as he could as the noises grew louder. They stopped at the doorway. Jamie's heart once again pounded harshly and he actually felt like throwing up. Hesitating, his ocean blue eyes drifted to the doorway.

A rotund man with pale ginger coloured hair stood there. He wore a checked shirt that was unbuttoned, showing off a grey stained white vest, cameo trousers and heavy boots. He had dog tags dangling from his neck that he constantly showed off boastfully. His stench overpowered the fresh home cooking as if he hadn't showered in a year. His stubby face had a permanent scowl plastered over it whenever he was alone with the mother and son, but never out in public. He had been in this house since Jamie was seven years old, and life couldn't be worse.

Carl looked at Jamie with a deadly gaze. The terrified boy quickly shifted his eyes down to the paper in front of him. The maths questions stared back at him relentlessly, begging for them to be answered. Jamie couldn't bring himself to concentrate. The heavy footsteps thumped and the heavy breathing heaved. They stopped right behind him and he could hear Carl leaning down, hovering over his shoulder.

"Just started did you? Just got home?" He huffed, the alcohol on his breath was nauseating to Jamie. He held his breath and nodded mutely. Carl huffed again as he patted Jamie's head harshly. "Good. Just like my days back at base. Discipline is everything. So is obedience." Carl finally walked away from Jamie. The boy let out a silent breath of relief. However the dread immediately returned as the man went over to Jasmine, leering over her shoulder just as he did to the boy. Jasmine tensed up and her breath came out in terrible shudders. The air seemed to be cold and harsh. The hairs on the back of Jamie's neck stood up, warning him about the anger that was present in the room.

"What are you making?" Carl asked, suddenly sounding calm. Jamie tensed up, knowing what was coming.

"Spaghetti bolognese." Jasmine answered, trying to keep her voice from trembling.

"You're making it too early." Said Carl, his voice starting to lose its calmness.

"But if I started making it later, it wouldn't be ready on-" Jasmine tried to explain.

"Throw it away." Carl spat, his voice getting louder.

"What?" Jasmine whispered. Jamie could feel his body tense up even more, causing it to involuntarily shake.

"Must I repeat myself?! THROW...THAT...FILTH...AWAY!" bellowed Carl, his fists impossibly tightening up so much from rage. Jamie slapped his hands on top of his ears. He wanted so desperately to not have to listen to this.

"But-" Jasmine tried once again to explain. She suddenly let out an ear piercing yelp after a horrible vibrating sound emerged. Jamie whipped around at this. Jasmine was knocked to the ground. She was holding her face, covering the red mark that tainted her skin. Carl stood over her like a beast, his arm still after striking his emotionally broken wife. He breathed heavily, as if his unforgivable actions took out all of his strength.

"It's all your fault, Jasmine. And you know it. No wonder your parents abandoned you." The man continued to berate her as she whimpered like a child. "So clean up your mess. Or do I have to punish you even further?" Jasmine pitifully shook her head. Her breathing came out in short, quick shudders. She got to her trembling feet and turned off the cooker. Carl kept his eyes trained on her like a hawk. Jamie too couldn't stop watching, but mainly because he was frozen in fear. No matter how many times he had seen or heard it, he couldn't stop watching. Every time it happened, he desperately wanted to run to a neighbour's and get help or call 999. He sometimes imagined himself to fight Carl, give him a taste of his own medicine. However, he never brings himself to do so. He always gives himself into fear. And he loathed it.

"What are you looking at?!" Barked Carl, as he felt the twelve year old looking at him. Jamie tensed up. He looked back down at his homework, trying hard to believe that he was invisible. He tired to think of a place where he would feel safe. A remote island off the coast of nowhere. An island that no one had discovered or will ever discover. An island where no one but Jamie and Jasmine lived peacefully. No politics to heckle them. No illnesses to be fearful of. No weapons or wars that they would feel threatened by. Best of all, no one like Carl to disrupt the life that they deserved to have. The perfect paradise for a boy like him to have only with his mother. The perfect fantasy for Jamie to have.

The fantasy shattered like glass as a pair of greasy hands grabbed Jamie's school blazer. He was yanked out of his chair, the wooden furniture clattered to the ground. Jasmine could be heard gasping. Jamie could feel like his body was weightless, his toes barely taping the ground. He looked at the large man, his dark eyes were blazing with fury. Jamie begged his body to fight back and his voice to scream. However, his body was completely numb and his voice had gone mute.

"Who do you think you are?! Guess sending you to school without even so much as a slice of bread or a penny for lunch wasn't enough punishment for you?! Right?!" Carl yelled, shaking the poor boy furiously. Jasmine tried to take him away from her son, but Carl shoved her away. This has sent her down to the ground again in a sobbing mess.carl refocused his attention back to Jamie. "You want more punishment?! Fine! I'll teach you a lesson that you'll never forget!"