"Take your seats." a gray-haired woman announced as earth children began to swarm into the classroom.
"Who is she?" I asked with sudden curiosity.
"Earth Teacher." Zim said sullenly. "I will instruct you in the ways of the earth-people after the school-day is over. Tomorrow is a day in earth-time when we do not come here. It lasts for two earth-days."
I smiled at the way he referred to everything as earth-something.
I began to walk to the back of the classroom as Zim had told me, when the woman rapped a ruler on her desk.
"You, girl. Come here!" she hissed. With my small booted legs I stumbled up to the tall desk with short, feminine gasps.
"Are you a new student?" she asked crossly.
I turned to Zim, who nodded his head once.
"Y-yes..." I muttered. She took my hand and placed me in the front of the class.
"Tell us your name." she ordered. My lips puckered, and I bowed steadily to the class.
"Ume."
The earth-children studied me.
She leaned forward and said, "Is that Japanese?" I smiled proudly. "And... your a little girl?"
I looked at Zim again, who nodded, chuckling.
"Yes, I am."
I finally sat down, and was able to bear the class as much as I could. When the teacher asked a question, I would pretend to drop my writing utensil and duck down under my desk so she wouldn't notice me, thus not calling on me. Zim also told me to do this. I had no smarts whatsoever of this planet, so if she asked me a general knowledge question I did not know or answered incorrectly, Zim told me they were allowed to set me back grades, or levels. If they did that, he said, Zim couldn't protect me anymore until the mission was over.
At last, school was ceased.
As I gathered the things inside of my desk (like my pack, which I don't like to wear), Zim grabbed my arm and rushed out of the door and into the long halls. Other children were crashing into us, which frightened me immensely. Not only were children ugly, but they were loud, drooling, mean and scary. As we made our way along, they were blocking my vision. I heard a thump, and struggling sounds, but all of the children managed to push open the doors that let in a wash of golden sunlight inside as they ran from the building.
As we walked home, I noticed the sky fading. This is was I assumed was night, but Zim seemed to be in a huge hurry.
"Why are we walking so fast, Zim?" I huffed as I steadily trotted along. We ran under an area of trees, which reflected small off patterns of light through their leaves onto the cement.
"The dark clouds are coming." he rasped with squinted eyes. Out of a stroke of pure genius, I smiled,
"If you want to go faster, just use your spider-legs!" as I called them.
"Can't," Zim continued, "there are people about. They will see us."
Suddenly, a drop of what I thought was acid plopped onto my head, and I shrieked,
"Oh, Zim! What happened? T-there was...!"
He had stopped, and was frantically looked around. Then he grabbed my arm again and we dashed under one of the trees that was almost 50ft away from his base.
"No!" he exclaimed, letting go of me and huddling close to the big, brown stem of the tree. "I wanted to get to base before the rain came..."
"What is rain?" I asked, sitting next to him.
"The acid you felt." he answered. I shivered in fear, gazing at the translucent drops and puddles of the horrid liquid as it gathered near the base of the tree.
"Stupid people!" I growled, cutely, crossing my arms. Zim gave me a tired grin.
"Nah... for once, our pain is not from people, but from the Earth itself. Water."
I wanted to ask Zim what water was, but when I looked at him, I could see through the dark sky that he was now asleep.
"Who is she?" I asked with sudden curiosity.
"Earth Teacher." Zim said sullenly. "I will instruct you in the ways of the earth-people after the school-day is over. Tomorrow is a day in earth-time when we do not come here. It lasts for two earth-days."
I smiled at the way he referred to everything as earth-something.
I began to walk to the back of the classroom as Zim had told me, when the woman rapped a ruler on her desk.
"You, girl. Come here!" she hissed. With my small booted legs I stumbled up to the tall desk with short, feminine gasps.
"Are you a new student?" she asked crossly.
I turned to Zim, who nodded his head once.
"Y-yes..." I muttered. She took my hand and placed me in the front of the class.
"Tell us your name." she ordered. My lips puckered, and I bowed steadily to the class.
"Ume."
The earth-children studied me.
She leaned forward and said, "Is that Japanese?" I smiled proudly. "And... your a little girl?"
I looked at Zim again, who nodded, chuckling.
"Yes, I am."
I finally sat down, and was able to bear the class as much as I could. When the teacher asked a question, I would pretend to drop my writing utensil and duck down under my desk so she wouldn't notice me, thus not calling on me. Zim also told me to do this. I had no smarts whatsoever of this planet, so if she asked me a general knowledge question I did not know or answered incorrectly, Zim told me they were allowed to set me back grades, or levels. If they did that, he said, Zim couldn't protect me anymore until the mission was over.
At last, school was ceased.
As I gathered the things inside of my desk (like my pack, which I don't like to wear), Zim grabbed my arm and rushed out of the door and into the long halls. Other children were crashing into us, which frightened me immensely. Not only were children ugly, but they were loud, drooling, mean and scary. As we made our way along, they were blocking my vision. I heard a thump, and struggling sounds, but all of the children managed to push open the doors that let in a wash of golden sunlight inside as they ran from the building.
As we walked home, I noticed the sky fading. This is was I assumed was night, but Zim seemed to be in a huge hurry.
"Why are we walking so fast, Zim?" I huffed as I steadily trotted along. We ran under an area of trees, which reflected small off patterns of light through their leaves onto the cement.
"The dark clouds are coming." he rasped with squinted eyes. Out of a stroke of pure genius, I smiled,
"If you want to go faster, just use your spider-legs!" as I called them.
"Can't," Zim continued, "there are people about. They will see us."
Suddenly, a drop of what I thought was acid plopped onto my head, and I shrieked,
"Oh, Zim! What happened? T-there was...!"
He had stopped, and was frantically looked around. Then he grabbed my arm again and we dashed under one of the trees that was almost 50ft away from his base.
"No!" he exclaimed, letting go of me and huddling close to the big, brown stem of the tree. "I wanted to get to base before the rain came..."
"What is rain?" I asked, sitting next to him.
"The acid you felt." he answered. I shivered in fear, gazing at the translucent drops and puddles of the horrid liquid as it gathered near the base of the tree.
"Stupid people!" I growled, cutely, crossing my arms. Zim gave me a tired grin.
"Nah... for once, our pain is not from people, but from the Earth itself. Water."
I wanted to ask Zim what water was, but when I looked at him, I could see through the dark sky that he was now asleep.