Status: Mind flowing, words processing.
Feather Ink
Unremarkable
Anya was in her 4th period class, the last class before lunch, and also her most important class of the day-her AP English class. This class was important to Anya, because the final project was a signature piece of original non-fiction prose that would serve as her application essay to NYU in the fall next year.
Her teacher, Mrs. Greene, ruled the lessons with an iron fist and presented each student with difficult work and even more difficult tests. They read controversial, thought-provoking books and were always required detailed and well-articulated responses to each chapter.
Anya did her best to concentrate on the current assignment at hand.
Complete an essay response to Dante Alighieri’s Inferno stating your perspective and opinion about the structural design Dante describes as hell. Make citations in MLA format, using quotes and page numbers, while supporting your opinion about how the circles of hell relate to modern society’s pyramid-like social conventions. 4 pages, typed, double-spaced, correct grammar and spelling, 1st draft due Monday the 16th.
Today was Thursday, the 12th. She had 4 days to complete the assignment. It would take her 2.
Anya re-read the assignment sheet several times before removing her notebook from her backpack and opening it to begin a rough draft. She drew up an outline and noted key plot points, referring back to the book for reference. For each plot point she added different possible interpretations of what the circumstances of the story might compare to real life situations. She listed the different circles of hell, following Virgil and Dante through the Styx river into dungeons of the underworld.
By the end of the class she had already come up with the framework for her introduction and first content paragraph.
The bell rang signaling lunch, and Anya capped her pen and closed her notebook and her copy of “Inferno” before returning them to her school bag. She hitched the bag to her shoulder and left the classroom, heading down the hall way to the back exit of the school.
Once outside, Anya made her way a couple blocks down and crossed the street to the parking lot of a convenience store. There she met up with a girl named Nia, and a few other friends that weren’t really friends so much as they were acquaintances. She sat next to Nia on the stone wall next to the wire fence separating the store from the garden of the house next door. Anya pulled out a cigarette from a pack in the front pocket of her book bag. Nia also pulled out a cigarette, leaned in and lit her and Anya’s cigarette with a lighter. Anya replied with a simple “Thanks,” and took a drag.
Nia and Anya sat, dangling their feet together and talking mindlessly about the events of the previous weekend and plans for the coming weekend and other nonsense subjects. Anya listened and responded with a friendly tone, laughing as two boys of the group practiced skateboarding off the curb around the store, attempting to flip their board as they skid across the parking barriers. When lunch was over, Anya snuffed out her cigarette against the concrete and placed it respectfully in the ashtray outside of the automatic doors into the store. She and Nia, as well as the rest of kids who routinely spent their lunch time in the parking lot, made their way back to the entrance of the school and parted ways once inside hall, separating to their different classes to trudge on through the last 3 periods of the school day.
For Anya, the rest of the day went by in a dull blur. Her last class was study hall, which Anya usually skipped out early after signing out, claiming she had to pick up her younger sister from day care. This excuse was true for the most part, save for the fact that day care let out an hour later than she lead the office attendants to believe. It made no difference to Anya, nor did she believe it would have made a difference to the school. She got her work done on time and received decent enough grades, there was no reason for her to be present for a class that which she would only do the same work that she could just as easily do at home.
Anya arrived at her study hall and walked in, noticing the usual faces, the same classmates she’d had all semester and made her way to the front desk to sign herself out. The librarian politely told her to have a good day and let her leave without any further questions as usual. She smiled politely and turned to leave when she saw a strange black-hooded figure in the corner of the room.
It was a man, she could tell that much from his posture, the way he posted one foot on an empty chair in front of him and let the other lean casually on its heel. She couldn’t see his face but she knew she had never seen him before, whoever he was. He was having a conversation with one of the other students, using body language and hand gestures to illustrate his statements. She was unable to make out what he was saying. All she heard was a muffled voices, syllables but no words. For some reason unbeknownst to her, it struck her as strange. It made her uneasy. She couldn’t even see his face and she could barely hear his voice, but for some reason he just made her…apprehensive.
At this, she quickly left the Library and tread down the hall, pushing the heavy doors open and making her way down the steps. She walked through the parking lot, looking at all the other student’s cars, envious of their motivation and financial entitlement. Here she was, 18, no car, no job. Her best bet was spotless grades and a kickass essay. If she didn’t receive her acceptance letter by the end of the semester, she’d just as soon crawl into a hole.
She was incomparable to other people her age. She wasn’t especially good at anything, just mediocre at a few things. She had one source of income and it was nothing to be proud of.
She was, as she thought, unremarkable.
Contemplating this sadly, she exited the parking lot and walked the 8 blocks down the street to pick up Clover.
Her teacher, Mrs. Greene, ruled the lessons with an iron fist and presented each student with difficult work and even more difficult tests. They read controversial, thought-provoking books and were always required detailed and well-articulated responses to each chapter.
Anya did her best to concentrate on the current assignment at hand.
Complete an essay response to Dante Alighieri’s Inferno stating your perspective and opinion about the structural design Dante describes as hell. Make citations in MLA format, using quotes and page numbers, while supporting your opinion about how the circles of hell relate to modern society’s pyramid-like social conventions. 4 pages, typed, double-spaced, correct grammar and spelling, 1st draft due Monday the 16th.
Today was Thursday, the 12th. She had 4 days to complete the assignment. It would take her 2.
Anya re-read the assignment sheet several times before removing her notebook from her backpack and opening it to begin a rough draft. She drew up an outline and noted key plot points, referring back to the book for reference. For each plot point she added different possible interpretations of what the circumstances of the story might compare to real life situations. She listed the different circles of hell, following Virgil and Dante through the Styx river into dungeons of the underworld.
By the end of the class she had already come up with the framework for her introduction and first content paragraph.
The bell rang signaling lunch, and Anya capped her pen and closed her notebook and her copy of “Inferno” before returning them to her school bag. She hitched the bag to her shoulder and left the classroom, heading down the hall way to the back exit of the school.
Once outside, Anya made her way a couple blocks down and crossed the street to the parking lot of a convenience store. There she met up with a girl named Nia, and a few other friends that weren’t really friends so much as they were acquaintances. She sat next to Nia on the stone wall next to the wire fence separating the store from the garden of the house next door. Anya pulled out a cigarette from a pack in the front pocket of her book bag. Nia also pulled out a cigarette, leaned in and lit her and Anya’s cigarette with a lighter. Anya replied with a simple “Thanks,” and took a drag.
Nia and Anya sat, dangling their feet together and talking mindlessly about the events of the previous weekend and plans for the coming weekend and other nonsense subjects. Anya listened and responded with a friendly tone, laughing as two boys of the group practiced skateboarding off the curb around the store, attempting to flip their board as they skid across the parking barriers. When lunch was over, Anya snuffed out her cigarette against the concrete and placed it respectfully in the ashtray outside of the automatic doors into the store. She and Nia, as well as the rest of kids who routinely spent their lunch time in the parking lot, made their way back to the entrance of the school and parted ways once inside hall, separating to their different classes to trudge on through the last 3 periods of the school day.
For Anya, the rest of the day went by in a dull blur. Her last class was study hall, which Anya usually skipped out early after signing out, claiming she had to pick up her younger sister from day care. This excuse was true for the most part, save for the fact that day care let out an hour later than she lead the office attendants to believe. It made no difference to Anya, nor did she believe it would have made a difference to the school. She got her work done on time and received decent enough grades, there was no reason for her to be present for a class that which she would only do the same work that she could just as easily do at home.
Anya arrived at her study hall and walked in, noticing the usual faces, the same classmates she’d had all semester and made her way to the front desk to sign herself out. The librarian politely told her to have a good day and let her leave without any further questions as usual. She smiled politely and turned to leave when she saw a strange black-hooded figure in the corner of the room.
It was a man, she could tell that much from his posture, the way he posted one foot on an empty chair in front of him and let the other lean casually on its heel. She couldn’t see his face but she knew she had never seen him before, whoever he was. He was having a conversation with one of the other students, using body language and hand gestures to illustrate his statements. She was unable to make out what he was saying. All she heard was a muffled voices, syllables but no words. For some reason unbeknownst to her, it struck her as strange. It made her uneasy. She couldn’t even see his face and she could barely hear his voice, but for some reason he just made her…apprehensive.
At this, she quickly left the Library and tread down the hall, pushing the heavy doors open and making her way down the steps. She walked through the parking lot, looking at all the other student’s cars, envious of their motivation and financial entitlement. Here she was, 18, no car, no job. Her best bet was spotless grades and a kickass essay. If she didn’t receive her acceptance letter by the end of the semester, she’d just as soon crawl into a hole.
She was incomparable to other people her age. She wasn’t especially good at anything, just mediocre at a few things. She had one source of income and it was nothing to be proud of.
She was, as she thought, unremarkable.
Contemplating this sadly, she exited the parking lot and walked the 8 blocks down the street to pick up Clover.
♠ ♠ ♠
Unknowingly.