Ash

Ash sat at his desk, idly staring at the smudges on the floor and doodling in the corner of his notebook. The lesson seemed endless, the teacher's voice blending into the distant hum like the background noise of a radio. He had long since lost all interest in the topic under discussion. It seemed nothing interesting would happen today—until the teacher suddenly interrupted his sentence, adjusted his glasses, and raised his hand to attract everyone's attention. "Attention, please. Just a moment. We have a new student today." Ash looked up, his fingers hovering over the page. A boy he'd never seen before stood in the doorway. This sudden change of scenery piqued Ash's interest more than the entire lesson had.