The woods were silent.  The seemingly lone figure stands, eyes scanning, hands twitching and fiddling with the Cannon Camera, strapped securely around his neck. 

    He is looking something. Something amazing. Something to bring him fame and fortune. 

    Suddenly, the man turns.  It was faint, but he had felt the cool guest of wind as something flew passed him.  With practiced ease, he brought his camera up and took several shots as something zipped off threw the woods.  Not pausing to look at the pictures, he raced after it.  He was only able to keep up for ten seconds, and then it disappeared into the wood. 

    Stumbling to a stop, he steadied himself and then looked around again, copying his earlier actions.  Silence.  Standing. Scanning. Twitching and fiddling.  A rustling in the bush to the left.  Snap!  Snap!  Snap!  Running.  Stopping.  Again and again.

He had done this three days a week, every week. So far, nothing actually useful had come up in the pictures, but he knew...  He knew if he kept at it, he would get one.  And once he did, there would be no more laughing from the town, and he would become famous.

World renowned for finding proof of the existence of the mythical Fae.

2: 1: Your First Glimps of My Daily Life

Walking down the hall, I could almost feel the walls closing in on me. Did it really have to be today of all days? Valentine's day was going to be the day that I finally got up the balls to ask her, the one and only Elsy… Unique, beautiful, funny Elsy...

Whom has been my closest and dearest friend since we were in the 5th grade.

For at least a year now, I've been building up the courage every week- and every morning of every week- to ask her out- only to resemble a balloon that's lips were let loose, deflating and then nothing but an empty piece of rubber, along with an embarrassing sound- not farting, thank Bene.

But it was today, Valentine's Day, that I was sure I could do it. Simply slipping the note to her, and then giving her a that $30, big, heart shaped box of chocolates.

It was all planned out!

So why?! Why now?! Why, of all the other days it could have happened, did it have to be today that my name was blared out over the intercom, demanding me to "Come to the office. Right now mister!"

Did Mrs. Miller have something against me? It's not like I go to the office as much as the average ass hole in the school, but it was more than enough, even though I didn't do anything.

Okay, well there was that one time when I was caught with a pack of cigarettes, but it wasn't even mine! It was my friend's who had decided to quite cold turkey, and told me to do the deed he could not and throw them away. But even with his reassurances that the pack was his, the Principle still yacked at both of us, and for some reason, got onto me more, given that I "looked like I smoked". Dude, guys, look at my health record, would you. I've got asthma. Why on earth would you think I was a smoker?

I grumbled as I went to open the office door. After pushing on it, and wondering why on earth it wasn't budging, I looked down at the plaque that clearly stated "Pull" while the door next to it said "Push".

Feeling a great deal embarrassed- as there were two girls and a jock that had clearly witnessed my blunder- I ducked my head as much as I could behind my coat collar, and walked up to the front desk.

"Name?" the desk lady asked, plucking through papers- I have a feeling she doesn't actually know any of the students, as I've never once seen her look up from the desk; I'd be surprised if she knew what Mrs. Pincen looked like, who sat at the desk right next to her.

"Kristoph Fay." I replied, wanting more than anything to be out of this office. The walls in here were even tighter. (If you've not figured this out by now, I'm also a bit claustrophobic. Well, maybe more than a bit...)

"Principle Miller will be with you shortly. Have a seat." Flicking her pen in the general direction of the seats, she dismissed me. Seeing as the only seat left was right next to the two girls and a jock, I vouched for leaning on the wall, attempting to look like I really didn't care why I was here. And I was probably doing a spectacular job of fueling the three's amusement in me. At least I'll make someone's day happy.

A minute later, I was called back into the office. Jeeze, did the walls just keep closing in? The closer I got to the office, the closer they became.  Finally, I knocked on the door. Hearing a call of "come in", I opened the door and slipped in side, like I was trying to keep it a secret that I was going into the office.

"Mr. Fay, how nice of you to come. Sit."

Mrs. Miller was one of those old people that looked younger. She had black, but graying hair, just a few wrinkles around the eyes, nose and mouth, and was fairly small, in proportion and height. She was also very strict. Many a student has been put to shame, thinking she was nothing due to her shortness, then her voice cracks like a whip, and her use of the paddle is feared even among some of the teachers- who had once been under her as students themselves.

"Now, lets not beat around the bush. You were caught skipping class yesterday. I don't want any excuses. This is a no warning school. You mess up the first time, best to learn your lesson there and then, so you won't be likely to repeat it again. But of curse you know this, Mr. Fay."

"Bu-" I tried to say, but she continued as if I hadn't tried at all.

"You are to report to detention tomorrow during lunch. Bring your own lunch, because you know you won't be allowed to go to the lunch room."

"But-" I tried again.

"No 'butt's. You can either deal with it starting tomorrow, or shall we start it now?"

Sighing inwardly, and hung my head. "No, mama. I'll go tomorrow."

"Good to know we have an understanding. Now, you may go. And no more skipping class. It'll be much worse if you do."

"Yes, mama." I mumbled as I got up and walked out.

Keeping my head low as I passed the two girls- the jock must have left- and ignoring their giggles and stares, I made sure to examine which door was push and which door was pull. That was the last thing I needed, was to get it wrong again.

After leaving, I headed back to class, which was on the other side of the building, and down two flights of stairs. Guess Bene wasn't always on my side.

Some other above force must have something personal against me, because just as I was nearing the last three steps on the last flight of stairs- the door to my class room a mere ten more steps- the bell rang for the end of class.

Surprised by the suddenness of it, as I had been tuned out, I stumbled and promptly fell flat on my face, just in time for the first kids to step out of the class rooms to see.

Picking myself up and trying to laugh it off and act like it was nothing- while it most certainly wasn't, given that I'm sure I pulled something in my side- I looked around and tried to find Elsy in the growing crowd.

There she was, smiling brightly and waving over the crowd to grab my attention. Smirking, I pushed through them and joined her as we made our way back up the stairs. My next class was both close, and at the same time, painfully far. In terms of closeness, if I could punch through the wall in the boys bathroom and then walk across the hall, there it'd be. But that's not an option for me.

But hey, at least I'll get some time with Elsy.

"So, what were you called up for now?" she said in an exasperated tone, though not directed at me, but at the fact that they call me up for too many things that I did't really do.

"I apparently skipped class yesterday."

"What? Didn't you have an attack and had to lay down in the nurses office?"

"Yeah, that's what I remember. But apparently, me taking the rest of the day off at the nurses to recuperate equals skipping to Miller. But it wasn't like it was the whole day. I went to my last block class, and was fairly attentive- compared to any other day."

"Well, I don't know what to tell ya. Want me to get into trouble and then you won't be alone?"

While she giggled while saying this, I knew she was dead serious. She'd done it before, when I'd jokingly replied that "Sure, and then we can go mad together!" I hadn't realized that she'd take that as a "do it."

"Nah, no need for you to get any bad marks. I'll just solider through, like always."

"Well, you've only ever been about ten other times. Any of your other punishments are extra homework in the class you're doing worse in. It could have been worse."

"I like how you say 'only ever been ten other times', makes me sound like a real Ace Student. But yeah… I think I like detention better. All I have to do there is copy down an essay that apparently claims to know what I'm thinking, stating what I apparently want to tell my respectable teachers, and all that..."

We both laughed. But then, unfortunately, we had to split up, her off to gym, and me off to the dreaded Computer Apps class.

By the end of it, my fingers where sore from the fifty thousand lines that I had to write, and my brain numb to anything but the prospect of being able to finally go home.

Don't let them deceive you- ninth grade blows.