While making pizzas, I’d been able to put my concerns and fears outside of my mind, focusing on enjoying myself. Especially because the pizza tasted SOOOO GOOOD! This was the first time I’d had it since being reborn. I was so happy I’d started to cry.

Of course this made everyone worried about me, and my vocal cords froze up when I cried so I couldn’t explain for a while.

However, despite my resolution prior to dinner, doubts and fears still plagued me, turning my dreams into nightmares. Of being found out, captured, experimented on. Not just being a mew, but because I’d been reborn with the memories of a past life, another world.

I must not have made enough noise to disturb Rachel, because when the wake up alarm went off, she looked well rested and had a smile on her face. Unlike me. I’d gotten sleep, but kept being woken up by the nightmares, so it had been at most a couple hours, interspersed with periods of trying to calm down enough to go back to sleep.

Rachel’s smile turned downward when she saw my face, but we had to get ready for school, so there wasn’t time for conversation if we wanted to use the baths early. There was only so much room, and they were shared among a large number of girls.

Cleaned up and dressed, we had breakfast and made our lunches. We could get meals at the cafeteria, but only so many a month, so most of the time we had to bring our own. Also there was the fact that institutional food didn’t tend to be very good, so it was safer on the stomach to prepare food in advance. I had plenty, the benefit of a time-stopped storage skill.

Rachel tried to speak with me, but I just shook my head and kept my mouth closed. I wasn’t ready to talk about it. I might have dragged her along to use as a shield if she’d been in elementary school with me, but she wasn’t. The junior high was right next to the other two schools, since it had made construction of the educational complex easier, but students were not allowed on the other campuses without permission.

Incidentally, there was also a university on the opposite side of the three schools. The entire square mile was reserved solely for educational facilities, back when Pallet was expanding, though it took a while for it to be filled in. Even that hadn’t been enough when the university and city had decided that a stadium was needed.

I tried distracting myself with random information as I walked along with my housemates to the school district, but it was hard.

Then that happened.

We weren’t the only ones walking to school. There were plenty of residential areas nearby, including several apartment complexes, so most students within a mile of the school tended to walk.

The people of this world really tended to be much more physically fit than my last. Especially those interested in pokémon. Since they mostly lived in wild areas, one needed to be able to get to those. And tradition dictated that trainers shouldn’t use vehicles or hire anyone while on their journeys. Walking, biking, or training a pokémon that can be ridden was how they were supposed to travel, outside emergencies.

Because of this, there were plenty of people around us as we walked. Friends met and walked together, talking about whatever peaked their interest, or sometimes met someone new and made small talk and ended up with a new friend, or sometimes rival.

What shouldn’t happen was that some idiot wasn’t paying enough attention to her surroundings that she started walking across an intersection without bothering to do more than check that the walk sign was lit. A blue haired girl a year or two older than me had her nose stuck to her phone, and didn’t pay attention to traffic.

Sure we had the right of way, but not paying attention can be deadly, especially when distractions occurred.

The girl wasn’t the only one not paying attention, something had caused the truck driver to look away from where he was going, and he came barreling down the street without braking.

Those who’d been attentive hurried out of the way, shouting, but the girl was so focused, she didn’t notice until it was too late. When her head did come up, she was like a deerling in the headlights. Aware of the danger, but unable to move. So I did.

I’d been among those who’d been just starting to cross when the reckless driver appeared, and had hastily come to a stop, so I saw the whole thing, including the girl freezing in terror.

No one else was risking their life for the idiot, not even me, but I didn’t have to. I just hope this didn’t come back to bite me in the butt. I wanted to keep it a secret, but I couldn’t do so and watch an innocent die in front of me when I could do something about it.

With everyone watching, the frozen girl suddenly shot backwards, to the sidewalk she’d started from. It was obvious that she’d had nothing to do with it or she would have earlier. The street was clear and the truck rushed passed, nearly causing a traffic accident as it ran the red light and almost hit a passing car.

There was a flash of light, irritating but not blinding so as not to cause further chaos. Hopefully that was a camera flash, though video would be better than a still shot so it could see that the driver almost killed someone… or maybe not? I want the axxhole punished, but not at the expense of my life.

The idiot girl was right there in front of me, but I could pretend it wasn’t me, right?

“Are you alright?”

She burst into tears. She also grabbed onto the closest thing as though grabbing a lifeline. That just so happened to be me.

Nope, not alright, but she was alive. Now we just had to get to school… or did we? Maybe I could use this as a way to escape?

Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen. Not only kids walked to school. There were adults among us, teachers and university students, did as well if they lived close enough, unless they had to haul stuff around or something. And a pair of them came running over to us, having witnessed the entire event. I didn’t recognize them, which wasn’t surprising. Others did, so I guess they were safe to have help us.

We had almost reached the school, so once the girl was able to, we were ushered over to it and into the office. Not once did the vice grip on me loosen. It was actually irritating me at this point. I didn’t know the child, but she wouldn’t let go! At least I didn’t have to explain things. The adults who’d helped us over here, who turned out to be teachers at the high school, did it for us.

I just sat on the couch with the sobbing mess of an idiot, getting my shirt covered in tears and snot as I awkwardly held her and patted her, trying to calm her down. Well, maybe it was karma for what happened yesterday when I did it to the computer lab’s teacher, though she was the one to grab me, not me her.

The sobbing eventually came to a stop, but the grip didn’t loosen. Her breathing also evened out. The muk! This girl fell asleep clinging to me like I was a body pillow!

I looked to the adults for help, only to find the high school teachers gone, and the secretary on the phone. Hopefully they knew on sight who the girl was and were trying to contact her parents. Unfortunately it didn’t seem to go well from the frown on the man’s face. He looked at the computer screen in front of him and tried a different number.

This one seemed to connect, but I couldn’t hear him. Well, I could have if I boosted my hearing, but I didn’t care enough. I pulled out a book and read while waiting. I wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon with this girl clamped onto me like a shellder biting a slowbro tail.

The secretary finished his call and came over to us. I put a finger to my lips and whispered that she’d fallen asleep. Ne nodded and quietly told me that someone would be along to collect the girl shortly. He then mentioned that I’d have an appointment with the school counselor whenever I escaped. The last bit had come with a wry twist of his lips. He’d seen me try to do so and fail.

I sighed, and nodded, resuming my reading as he went back to his desk.

A while later Miss Amanda arrived. Huh? Had they contacted her as well since I was involved?

She spotted us and came right over.

“Are you two alright?”

The worry in her voice was palpable.

“Yes. Something threw her backwards and saved her. She landed right in front of me and hasn’t let me go since. Can you help me get her off? This is really uncomfortable.”

“Sorry, once she’s latched on, it’s almost impossible to dislodge her.”

I tilted my head.

“You know her?”

“Yeah, she’s my niece, Sammi. They called me when my brother couldn’t be reached. Thank you for taking care of her.”

“I didn’t do anything. I was pretty much just a hug pillow for her to cling to.”

She laughed, softly so as not to wake the girl quite yet.

“Let’s take her home, shall we?”

“Umm, they said I was supposed to meet with a counselor?”

“A counselor? Oh, right, you took a placement test yesterday.” I nodded. “Well, they’ll have to wait you can’t go anywhere like that, and she’ll probably be out for a while. I’ll be right back.”

She headed off to the secretary’s desk and spoke with him for a moment. He marked some stuff on the computer and made a quick call, likely to the guy I was supposed to talk to, then we were free.

We worked together to get her out and into the car, though Miss Amanda had to buckle us in. My arms wouldn’t reach where they needed to. I was surprised Sammi was still asleep, we hadn’t been entirely gentle, since that was difficult given the circumstances.

A quick drive and another awkward walk got us into the house and into the library, since it was close to the garage and had comfortable couches.

“She’ll probably be asleep for another hour or so. Sorry for the trouble.”

“It’s not your fault. I’ll just read here until she wakes up.”

“Thank you. I’ll probably be in the office, so come find me when you can.”

I nodded, and she left. While I wasn’t entirely comfortable, this couch was much better than the couch I’d been on back at school. I opened my book and started to read.

I was almost finished with the book when I felt Sammi stirring. I ignored it for the moment. She wasn’t awake quite yet, so I’d let her do so naturally.

Well, that was my intention, but then she suddenly jerked and the top of her head slammed into the book I was reading and my chin, causing both of us to cry out in pain. It also sent the book flying. I hated books getting damaged and stopped it from hitting the floor. Unfortunately Sammi was looking in that direction and noticed. I quickly released my hold of the book, but the damage was done.

“It was you! You’re the one who saved me!”

I put a confused look on my face, though as I couldn’t see it I had no idea how well I was doing with it.

“Huh? What do you mean? When you started freaking out after nearly dying you grabbed onto me since I was closest. Has anyone told you that you hold on too tight when you’re asleep?”

“Yes, but you’re the one who saved me from the truck, aren’t you?”

“How would I do that? I was back on the sidewalk behind you.”

“Like you did with the book! What’s it called tel… tele… agh! Tela-something-or-other!”

“I have no idea what you’re saying. I’m Telarynn, but I prefer being called Rynn. Miss Amanda already told me you were called Sammi. Also, she wanted to see us when you woke up.”

She got the deerling in the headlights look again.

“Oh no.”

“Yep!”

I popped the P just to make a point.

She hid her face in her hands.

“She’s going to kill me. It would have been better if they’d called my dad.”

“Umm, I think they tried, but they couldn’t get a hold of him so they called Miss Amanda. She brought us home. At least this way I get to delay things.”

I’d muttered the last bit under my breath, but not softly enough.

“What do you mean, ‘delay things’?”

“Ugh. I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

“Tell me! Or I’ll tell Auntie!”

“Haa… fine. I took a bunch of tests yesterday and I’m scared to learn the results.”

“Tests? Like school tests or hospital tests?”

“School ones. For showing how much I know. I’m scared of what they’ll do with me.”

I was able to hold back the tears, if only barely, but that didn’t stop Sammi from grabbing onto me. Dear lord this girl’s got a strong grip!

“It’ll be fine! The teachers are all really nice, and if they do try to do something, just talk to Auntie and she’ll help. She runs the orphanage here.”

“Umm, I know. We’re at the orphanage, remember?”

“Oh yeah. Teehee.”

“Also, I live here.”

“Huh!? You do?”

“Yeah. I never met my parents since being born.”

“Awww! That’s so sad!”

She started crying again. I just shrugged.

“You can’t miss what you don’t know. Anyway, we need to talk to Miss Amanda.”

“Do we have to?”

Ah, so had she been trying to divert attention so as not to meet her for as long as possible? Well too bad.

“Yes, we do. C’mon, let’s go.”

I stood up and dragged her along behind me. She didn’t really resist, but she didn’t want to go, so she was dragging her feet, making it take as long as possible.

I had no sympathy. After all, it was her inattention that almost got her killed. Well, the driver too, but she had the time to move had she paid attention to her surroundings.

At least I think she forgot about the TK.