Chapter 28 - 28. Meanings

The bell rang out releasing Asher and Jane for the countless laps they never thought would end. "Finally, I thought we would be running all day!" Jane wanted to fall flat and sleep right there.

"Were the laps too much for you? Do you need more to show you just how great they are?" Coach Winters did not want to let up but knew that they had to go off to their next class. "If you two are still here in two minutes you will get to run laps for another hour." Her threat went over well enough to get the two running to the locker rooms. "I still have it." Coach Winters smiled as she started to clean up for the next combat class with the seniors.

Having changed and met outside Art and Jane had been waiting for Asher who ended up lagging behind. "Coach Winters is so inspiring. She would have helped us train all day if we didn't need to go to another class. I hope that I can have the same amount of drive when I am older." Jane was fantasizing about her own exploits in her future career as a hero.

"If you have the same kind of drive as her you might just end up being the most brutal hero in all the world." Art was pretty pessimistic after being stopped multiple times with his poor footwork. He had a huge tendency to cross his face and fall flay on his face. He had become an easy target for coach Winters.

" I am just glad we can rest in out next class. Plus we can see what else we have to think on." Asher was the first to enter their next classroom finding that there was a pamphlet of questions on each other's seats. Mr. Richards was sitting in a chair by the podium watching the students enter. As soon as they were all seated and the bell had rung he was standing.

"Hello, welcome back. We have a slower class today. I want you all to talk for the whole class. Your goal is to find twenty different answers to the same question on that pamphlet in front of you. After you will write a short journal entry on their differences and why they appear in different people."

'Is this just lazy teaching?' had a feeling that Mr. Richards was basically just leaving them to talk and hang out but when he saw the pamphlet full of the same question twenty times in a row he felt even more that it was a waste of paper too.

"The question you will all be answering is simple. Why do we look to the future with hope?" The entire class looked at him like he had just asked the most simple question however as soon as their voices started to ring out there were many more answers than Asher had expected. This was going to heat up a bit.

"Easy, we look to it with hope because we know that awesome heroes are going to be born to protect us." Art sat straighter showing off his height and feeling of strength.

"People normally look forward to the future for the possibilities it has. Even the impossible can become possible in the future." Jane's explanation was much more logical and by the book. She knew that many people had hope for what new and promising events the future held. Humans always strived to evolve and make new things that no one had ever thought of before.

"You are both right. The future is hopeful in different ways to everyone. I used to hope that the next day would be my lucky day. Now I hope for a future where I can stand next to my friends as a true hero. I think humans look to the future for hope because it is not set in stone, it has the ability to change. The past can't , right?" Asher's answer seemed to trump theirs in insight but neither were willing to budge on their own feelings.

With their answers found they started to find more students to ask around the room. However Asher had a thought. 'I wonder what Mr.Richards thinks.' He had noticed that not a single student had approached their teacher to ask him their thoughts and knew that someone should. It was an insight that nobody else would have in the classroom.

"Mr.Richards, can i get you input on this question?" Asher stood, wishing his pen at the ready.

"Oh? I am surprised you came to ask me. I have been waiting for someone to come. The future huh?' He sat pensive for a moment stroking his beard. "People look to the future not for what they are but for what they wish to become. The future holds the power to be both light and dark. Humans look with hope at the future because they see an infinite possibility in the future."

Asher found that the answer was even more refined than his own but also very similar.This was more encouraging to him. Mr, Richards was shuffling some papers when his hand slipped and ten or so fell from desk to the ground. "Oh darn, again. I dropped so many of these things today that I swear they are jumping out of my hands on purpose." Asher bent down to pick them up and noticed that these were pamphlets that had already been collected. Mr. Richards had been looking at last year's answers to start making his inferences.

'I am just going to slowly pick these up.' Asher acted like each paper he picked up was a delicate flower and placed them on the desk. He was reading them as he went but pretending that he did not want to damage any one else's assignments. "Sorry for distracting you. I hope i didn't bend anyone's homework." The comment made it seem like he cared about the other student's work so much so that he was willing to sacrifice some of his time and carefully collect them.

"Oh, no. You didn't need to pick them up at all. They are old. I was just referencing them from last year. Thank you for your help." Mr. Richards hadn't even noticed the strategy Asher had used.

"How did you finish so fast!" Art saw him return to his seat after just a few minutes. He himself was only halfway through and could not figure out how fast Asher was to get all the answers.

Jane was finished after another five minutes further confusing Art who was still many away from being completed. The two of them were now comparing answers and writing their journal entry early.

"I just finished and you two are already halfway done with your entry. You two must be hidden genius." Art couldn't keep up anymore and started to write frantically just as the bell rang. "Nooo, I was just starting to write my journal entry." He nearly shed a tear thinking about the home work he would need to do tonight.

"Good luck in sewing and chemistry! I'm off to astrology and fortune telling!" Asher was actually finishing himself most excited for this class. Having thought about Jane's words he was much more confident sharing his opinions on what his aura reading meant.

Upon opening the door he was again hit by a wall of incense smoke. He burst in to a fit of coughing as a familiar voice came up behind him. "I swear if you keep this up we will all lose our ability to breath. Madam open a window!" Lin rushed in to the room past Asher. She had mastered maneuvering the room blind and opened four windows.

She flapped her owl like wings a few times to start the room clearing out. The sunlight started to show through and brought the sight of madam Weaver in to full view.

She was resting her hands on the crystal ball humming a strange tune while seemingly meditating. She had paid Lin's words no mind. The bell rang again signalling the start of the last class period of the day. "Oh, I knew you would both be here when I opened my eyes." Madam Weaver had a small smile on her face.

"No matter how many days you make that joke it is still bad." Lin just sighed and shook her head at this terrible joke. She had heard it hundreds of times at this point and just couldn't handle it any longer.

"Welcome back Asher, I am glad you decided to stick with the class for a little longer. We have plenty more to talk about. I am sure Line spent all night trying to decipher some code in your aura reading." As much as Madam Weaver seemed to question Lin;s logical approach she was interested to see what inferences she had. The two had long debated things alone and having a third fresh mind was just what they needed.

"Oh yes, I spent some time deliberating and came up with three solid theories. However I have no idea if luck is actually a factor when it comes to anything. It's the same mystery as auras. Shall I start?" She pulled a three page typed essay in her theories and looked at Asher.