"Son Gohan, this is your fist day of high school and therefore you are
going to wear a tie, weather you like it or not."
Gohan struggled under his mother's firm grasp. "I don't want to go to some dumb Christian boarding school." The boy sobbed. "Can't you just let me stay at home?"
"It's an honor to get into such a high esteemed school. Not every little boy can get a scholarship. I'm sure your father would be very happy with you right now."
Happy? Gohan knew that his martial arts obsessed father wouldn't agree to having his eldest son sent away to a Christian school where violence isn't encouraged. Besides, Gohan wasn't even Christian; let alone catholic, so it was a joke that he got accepted into the school.
But still, they set off that morning by bus. After walking to the nearest town, Gohan, his crazy mother, Chi-Chi and his one year old baby brother, Goten.
Gohan didn't often catch the bus. He didn't like the way other people would stare at him. Both his parents were what you'd call a 'natty dresser' and the site of a twelve year old kid wearing a suit and tie, or a training outfit to go with his long, shabby black pony didn't really make a good match. Also, people were often scared of his eyes and the way he would stare darkly at someone...
They arrived at the airport at one am.
"Alright Gohan, take care on the plane and make sure you behave yourself. After all, it is a Christian school."
Chi-Chi pulled him into a rib crushing hug. Goten began to cry as his brother took his bags and departed at the airport, knowing he wouldn't see any of his family or Japan until the holidays.
*****
"Hey Vicky!" Faye grinned as she warmly greeted her friend. "How was your summer?"
Vicky pulled a face. With such a slender face, pale against her long black hair and deep green eyes, Vicky could make the most comical looks.
"I spent it at my grandmothers. What did you do?"
Faye shrugged. "Ate."
The two friends made their way through the gate and into their school. Another year of backbreaking study and lack of fun. How could they cope?
*****
Gohan stretched, sitting up in the plane. A slight delay had caused the plane to be late. Though the whole plane was both frustrated and amused with the young boy who managed somehow to eat two days worth of plane travel food in one hour had caused them to back away. As well as consuming all the usual revolting plane food, he had also eaten the pilot's bag of doughnuts and several tins of baked beans.
The passengers were wisely keeping their distance.
But it pleased Gohan secretly. It meant that he would have more time to wait until school started.
This Ellawin boarding school for boys and girls didn't sound at all like the place Gohan wanted to spend his schooling life. He wished he had flunked the test and never got that scholarship.
Looking out over the rising sun of a new day, Gohan began to wish his mother had let him fly. Perhaps there was a way out of the plane?
Getting to his feet, Gohan attracted stares from every passenger in the plane. Gohan knew they all thought he was off to the bathroom and he felt his hands and face grow hot.
Unfortunately, there was no way for him to get his stuff from under the plane. Gohan was going to have to sit tight.
They finally landed and Gohan quickly gathered his bags. Instead of taking the bus like was planned, he decided to fly overhead and get to his school the faster way. He was already late for the welcome day.
"Hey, are you one of the Ellawin kids?" A stewardess asked him, passing by with an empty food trolley. "Cause your bus leaves in a minute."
"Uh, yeah." Gohan replied meekly and let her lead him to the bus turbo.
The bus was packed with heaps of kids, carrying heavy bags and boarding the bus hurriedly. They were some of the many late comers. Gohan felt weak as he realized they all knew each other. He would be the only one on the bus who didn't have anyone to sit with.
He needn't have worried as most had to stand in the cramped bus anyway. Gohan noticed that all the boys stood up for the girls and acted in a very polite way. He would never fit in.
The bus jerked and Gohan fell forward, landing flat on his face. Clumsily, he got to his feet only to trip over his bag again. He could hear everyone laughing at him from all over the bus. He didn't bother getting up again.
The bus stopped and the doors opened. Pounding feet scurried past him to get to school. One particularly large grade twelve stopped to stand on his back.
"Hey, do you think this kid's dead?" The boy on his back asked.
"He will be if you don't get off him." His friend replied.
Gohan felt the weight on his back leave as the boy stepped out of the bus. Gohan stood up wearily, dusting himself off and grabbing his things.
"Hey, are you ok?" Asked the obese year twelve boy. "I practically flattened you."
"Wow, check out this kid's abs." His friend said, examining Gohan's elbows. "Do you work out."
Gohan nodded sheepily and stepped quickly from the bus. If there was one thing he didn't want now, it was attention. He was under orders from Chi- Chi not to reveal his true power while at school.
Gohan gasped as he got his first look at the new school. It was four stories tall (Not including the ground floor) and covered more land than Gohan could see. It was shaped like a grand castle and the gardens were so well kept, they could have come out of a painting.
Gohan had never seen anything like this in Japan. The biggest land feature he had ever been to was Kami's lookout.
The entrance hall was packed with people trying to get anywhere but where they were. Gohan stood in the middle of them, clutching two giant suitcases and wondering where to go.
Desperately, he tapped an older girl on the head.
"Hello." He said in his perfected English. "My name is Son Gohan...I mean...Gohan Son and I was wondering if you could tell me where the new year sevens go."
She giggled girlishly, wrapping a strand of hair round her little finger. "Sure cutesy. Just go up two floors and you'll come to a set of double doors. Go through them and you'll find the year seven dorms."
"Thank you." Gohan gave a slight bow automatically, before remembering that it wasn't the custom here and hurried to the second floor to meet his new classmates.
Gohan struggled under his mother's firm grasp. "I don't want to go to some dumb Christian boarding school." The boy sobbed. "Can't you just let me stay at home?"
"It's an honor to get into such a high esteemed school. Not every little boy can get a scholarship. I'm sure your father would be very happy with you right now."
Happy? Gohan knew that his martial arts obsessed father wouldn't agree to having his eldest son sent away to a Christian school where violence isn't encouraged. Besides, Gohan wasn't even Christian; let alone catholic, so it was a joke that he got accepted into the school.
But still, they set off that morning by bus. After walking to the nearest town, Gohan, his crazy mother, Chi-Chi and his one year old baby brother, Goten.
Gohan didn't often catch the bus. He didn't like the way other people would stare at him. Both his parents were what you'd call a 'natty dresser' and the site of a twelve year old kid wearing a suit and tie, or a training outfit to go with his long, shabby black pony didn't really make a good match. Also, people were often scared of his eyes and the way he would stare darkly at someone...
They arrived at the airport at one am.
"Alright Gohan, take care on the plane and make sure you behave yourself. After all, it is a Christian school."
Chi-Chi pulled him into a rib crushing hug. Goten began to cry as his brother took his bags and departed at the airport, knowing he wouldn't see any of his family or Japan until the holidays.
*****
"Hey Vicky!" Faye grinned as she warmly greeted her friend. "How was your summer?"
Vicky pulled a face. With such a slender face, pale against her long black hair and deep green eyes, Vicky could make the most comical looks.
"I spent it at my grandmothers. What did you do?"
Faye shrugged. "Ate."
The two friends made their way through the gate and into their school. Another year of backbreaking study and lack of fun. How could they cope?
*****
Gohan stretched, sitting up in the plane. A slight delay had caused the plane to be late. Though the whole plane was both frustrated and amused with the young boy who managed somehow to eat two days worth of plane travel food in one hour had caused them to back away. As well as consuming all the usual revolting plane food, he had also eaten the pilot's bag of doughnuts and several tins of baked beans.
The passengers were wisely keeping their distance.
But it pleased Gohan secretly. It meant that he would have more time to wait until school started.
This Ellawin boarding school for boys and girls didn't sound at all like the place Gohan wanted to spend his schooling life. He wished he had flunked the test and never got that scholarship.
Looking out over the rising sun of a new day, Gohan began to wish his mother had let him fly. Perhaps there was a way out of the plane?
Getting to his feet, Gohan attracted stares from every passenger in the plane. Gohan knew they all thought he was off to the bathroom and he felt his hands and face grow hot.
Unfortunately, there was no way for him to get his stuff from under the plane. Gohan was going to have to sit tight.
They finally landed and Gohan quickly gathered his bags. Instead of taking the bus like was planned, he decided to fly overhead and get to his school the faster way. He was already late for the welcome day.
"Hey, are you one of the Ellawin kids?" A stewardess asked him, passing by with an empty food trolley. "Cause your bus leaves in a minute."
"Uh, yeah." Gohan replied meekly and let her lead him to the bus turbo.
The bus was packed with heaps of kids, carrying heavy bags and boarding the bus hurriedly. They were some of the many late comers. Gohan felt weak as he realized they all knew each other. He would be the only one on the bus who didn't have anyone to sit with.
He needn't have worried as most had to stand in the cramped bus anyway. Gohan noticed that all the boys stood up for the girls and acted in a very polite way. He would never fit in.
The bus jerked and Gohan fell forward, landing flat on his face. Clumsily, he got to his feet only to trip over his bag again. He could hear everyone laughing at him from all over the bus. He didn't bother getting up again.
The bus stopped and the doors opened. Pounding feet scurried past him to get to school. One particularly large grade twelve stopped to stand on his back.
"Hey, do you think this kid's dead?" The boy on his back asked.
"He will be if you don't get off him." His friend replied.
Gohan felt the weight on his back leave as the boy stepped out of the bus. Gohan stood up wearily, dusting himself off and grabbing his things.
"Hey, are you ok?" Asked the obese year twelve boy. "I practically flattened you."
"Wow, check out this kid's abs." His friend said, examining Gohan's elbows. "Do you work out."
Gohan nodded sheepily and stepped quickly from the bus. If there was one thing he didn't want now, it was attention. He was under orders from Chi- Chi not to reveal his true power while at school.
Gohan gasped as he got his first look at the new school. It was four stories tall (Not including the ground floor) and covered more land than Gohan could see. It was shaped like a grand castle and the gardens were so well kept, they could have come out of a painting.
Gohan had never seen anything like this in Japan. The biggest land feature he had ever been to was Kami's lookout.
The entrance hall was packed with people trying to get anywhere but where they were. Gohan stood in the middle of them, clutching two giant suitcases and wondering where to go.
Desperately, he tapped an older girl on the head.
"Hello." He said in his perfected English. "My name is Son Gohan...I mean...Gohan Son and I was wondering if you could tell me where the new year sevens go."
She giggled girlishly, wrapping a strand of hair round her little finger. "Sure cutesy. Just go up two floors and you'll come to a set of double doors. Go through them and you'll find the year seven dorms."
"Thank you." Gohan gave a slight bow automatically, before remembering that it wasn't the custom here and hurried to the second floor to meet his new classmates.