Back from a very long holiday

It felt good to be back here. Back in the safe haven that is Starlight Academy. As Vince stepped into the cafeteria, all of the familliar sensations rushed to him: the smells of the delicious food, the sound of the fellow students talking, the feeling of incredible hunger... his holiday spirits could not compare to the feelings that were etched in his mind right now.

Vince looked around to find any empty tables. He did not want to announce his return out loud just yet, and as far as he could tell, none of the students noticed him yet. He found one at the corner of the cafe. Perfect. He walked quietly to that table, almost forgetting his hunger, and sat down on the wooden chairs. He reached into his pockets to take out photos. Nobody he knew was in them, but he smiled to himself nonetheless. He found his favourite: one of a futuristic looking factory. He thought about that day.

He was just walking back to his hotel when he noticed a glint of light coming from his right. He looked at it and saw a factory. The reason he took this photo was not because it looked magnificent or strange... or even remotely beautiful. He took the photo because it made him feel strangely at home.

Vince put the photo away quickly, just so that nobody could see it. Now's not the time to look at that photo. It will freak people out. He got up to order his food.

Vince went up to the counter, noticing that a girl just left carrying a meal that he had not had in a while. He recognized her. Hey, it's Ember. I can finally tell someone I know that I'm back.

He then just remembered that he forgot to tell her he was away in the first place. Gee, I knew there was something. He then turned away to look at today's choices. He decided to go for fish fingers and chips with peas, coke and, for dessert, vanilla ice cream with strawberry sauce and a small chocolate bar on top. He looked back to his table to see that Ember was sitting there.

Ok, Vince. Take it easy. It's only been several months. I can handle this.

Well, he got to the table and placed his food on it. But for some reason, he could not sit down. His knees were refusing to bend. He awkwardly said to Ember "Hey."

Vince whimpered completely audibly the moment he heard those words. They sounded very angry... no suprises considering the looks. He sat down on his seat, although it looked more like he collapsed onto it. He gobbled up some of his chips before finally replying. It seemed that his hunger was making him nervous. "I... uhh... something urgent came up..." He cowered, fully expecting her to shout at him. Why couldn't he just have sat somewhere else instead and said hello to Ember at a better time. Heck, why didn't he show up at that date he promised to go to? He suddenly lost his appetite.

See? You should have told her. Vince was now trembling. "I had to go on holiday, and it turned out to be longer than I expected. I forgot to tell you, and I am really sorry about that. I know it sounds crazy, but..." he finally lost his nerve. He laid his head on the table and banged his fist against it. "I made a stupid mistake! I shouldn't even have gone!" His face went red, and he didn't even dare lift his head up, in case he made an even bigger fool of himself. He didn't even notice that his photo of the factory fell off his pocket and on to the floor. This has to be the worst way to start school again.

"You had to go on a holiday!
Vince looked up again. "It's not what it sounds like. I was..." He didn't finish because he remembered that that was not why he never showed up at the date. "But that's why I was gone for so long, not why I didn't show up." He took a deep breath and suddenly felt a lot more courageous. "I didn't show up because... because I was attacked by someone." He waited for Ember to take this in, and shout at him again. But he was used to it... and at least he found the courage to finally tell her the truth.