‘Say what you like but Justin’s right, Claire,’ Sabrina joined in from nowhere. Doreen was standing right next to her, arms folded and wearing a vile scowl on her face. ‘I thought you could do better,’ Sabrina continued. ‘We all did. Now you’re picking this kid over your own friends?’ There was a sign of grief in her voice.Sineas could only stare into the nothingness of the table. He was twiddling his thumbs under it.Clarissa shot to her feet and her nose almost touched Sabrina’s. ‘So you think I’m just going to sit tight and watch all you bullies make fun of Sineas like that?’ she hissed. They had finally drawn the attention of the entire school.‘You even know his name?’ Justin laughed scornfully as he pulled the girl deeper under his arm. She smiled. She seemed to be enjoying it. Justin rubbed his boxlike jaw. He walked to Sineas’ side, pulling the girl with him. She had an enormous grin on her face.Sineas was still twiddling his thumbs under the table. He wasn’t p

Sineas had just finished taking a shower. He threw on a red t-shirt, a pair of blue jeans, a pair of white sneakers and he was good to go. ‘What are you watching, Aunt Janice?’ he asked her as he descended the wooden stairs, swinging his backpack onto his shoulder.She was wearing an orange blouse and her black waitress skirt. A shower cap was on her head. She usually took a shower just after Sineas. ‘Good morning to you too, Sin,’ she said without taking her eyes off the screen. ‘Come take a look at this,’ she beckoned towards him with her hand, still keeping her eyes glued to the TV. Her other hand was occupied with a half eaten slice of toast. ‘Oh, Breakfast is on the table,’ she informed him. Moments later he returned into the living room carrying a plate with three slices of toast and scrambled eggs. He stood behind the couch as he ate. ‘So, what’s up?’ he asked her shoving a slice of toast into his mouth.‘You just missed it. There was a commercial with second-ha

  He stopped. He slowly turned his head around. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized who it was. It was Clarissa. He could recognize her strange sense of fashion from a galaxy away. She didn’t look half bad in her simple white sweater, black leather skirt and black leather high heel boots. She wore a sorrowful look as she paced quickly towards him. She gave him a friendly hug. ‘Sineas! Oh, my gosh, I was worried about you.’He was shocked. Firstly; the hug was a bit unexpected. It had almost triggered the soldier between his legs into an involuntary salutation as her warm breasts firmly pressed against his chest. ‘Worried? Worried for what?’ he asked her trapped in a state of confusion.She released her embrace. ‘Yes, didn’t you know? Justin is missing.’ She now had her arms folded but the sorrowful expression remained.‘Oh, yeah, I saw it on the news this morning,’ he said.‘I know he can be a jerk but I really hope he’s okay,’ she said rubbing

The entire room quaked with laughter from the students.Mr. Gwarini slapped Sineas’ shoulder playfully. ‘I’m just fooling around, lad,’ he laughed.Sineas turned to the floor. He did not want to be in that room anymore. Too many eyes. Too much laughter. Too much, just too much.‘You’re a fresh one, aren’t you?’ Mr. Gwarini asked Sineas as soon as the laughter dissipated. ‘What’s your name?’‘Sineas,’ he whispered. He managed to get one glimpse of his teacher then turned his gaze back to the floor.‘A quiet one too,’ said Mr. Gwarini. ‘Okay, Sineas, show us what you got.’Sineas began to look hopelessly somewhere inside the crowd, way past it. His eyes rested on a wall. They stayed there.‘But, sir, I’ve already done enough for both of us,’ Clarissa reminded Mr. Gwarini. She looked puzzled.‘Its okay, its okay, Miss Sherman. I just want to see how our mini-gangster here can get down.’ He smiled deviously at Sineas.He did not budge. His eyes were still lost

‘Justin was a great rugby player. A true sportsman. A talent in the making,’ said Mr. Regwizini, the Math teacher. It was the Math period but he had decided to hold a short “memorial” for Justin. He sat at the edge of his desk, his arms folded as he stared mysteriously onto the floor as though he was looking at Justin’s corpse directly.‘Is he dead?’ Sineas whispered into Clarissa’s ear curiously.She shook her head. She looked serious in her pink velvet blouse.‘Wherever he is, I know he is safe. He is definitely safe,’ continued Mr. Regwizini, ‘and he shall return again to Malrich and continue to do us proud.’ He allowed a brief moment of silence. ‘Is there anyone else who would like to share something about Justin as well?’ he asked, his eyes perusing through the class.A girl balancing on wooden crutches stood up and headed towards the front of the class, taking her sweet time while the rest of the class bowed their heads in silence. Her right leg was in a cast. Sine