“Bye…” Casper returned as Mason took off. The feeling in the pit of Casper’s stomach was something he was very unused to, it was a form of longing. Was it for Mason? Perhaps he didn’t want him to leave. It was almost as if safety left with him and once more, Casper was standing alone on a large ship full of people. It was nothing against Kana or Mark, but Mason had managed to unlock something within Casper that he never thought possible from anyone else than his dad. With Mason gone it felt like Casper was suddenly out of place with the others. Kana and Mark were polite individuals, they were kind. However, Casper felt out of place in their conversations. He didn’t quite belong. “I’m gonna’ leave, too…” The boy spoke quietly, his eyes trailing the floor. “It was nice meeting you…” 

With a gentle smile, he moved away and walked down to the sleeping quarters where he had his bag. It didn’t take long, he knew the way. Upon reaching his destination, Casper dropped down on his knees and produced a Playstation Vita from the traveling bad and replicated it. Call it paranoia, but he’d rather walk around with something he couldn’t really lose. 

There, he was all set for the remainder of the trip. He’d be within the safety of his own little bubble. No one usually came and bothered a person reading a book so why would they with a person playing video games? It’s considered rude, isn’t it? Casper left the sleeping quarters and found himself a nice, sunny spot on the lower levels and sat down against the wall. He felt the soft breeze brushing past him as he turned the portable game console on and clicked ‘Play’ as soon as the main menu appeared. He had always loved shooters, and they were a splendid choice when he wanted to kill time. 

The boy’s thoughts traveled to the academy as he absentmindedly played the game. Would people remember him from last year? He had his hair coloured in a similar way back then but a bright green colour instead. A lot of people objected, of course. It was in the form of bullying and forcing him to rather secluded places in between classes. Casper didn’t mind being by himself beneath a large tree casting a refreshing shadow over him to prevent the sun’s hot rays from being constant. Had he a choice, however, he would enjoy some company. Mason…perhaps he would be that company this time around. Casper was sure not to count on it, though. There were a lot of students in that academy, all of which were more interesting than him. There was another thing, too. Casper didn’t want to drag Mason through the mud. He seemed like a socially inclined person and hanging out with Casper would immediately brand him with a negative stamp on the forehead. 

There was this other kid at school who had it worse, though. In comparison, Casper was king of the ball room. What was his name again? He didn’t remember, the never actually spoke. Harley, Harvey? It was something like that. His name wasn’t the thing people would remember though, it was his appearance. He didn’t have eyes, his skin was a sickly colour and he was just overall so…weird. At first Casper’s heart skipped a beat at the sight but it quickly turned into fascination. How, why, when…how!? How could someone look like that? 

Shaking his head slightly, with a soft sigh leaving his lips, Casper paused the game for a moment. He didn’t have anything against this guy…Harvey? No, he didn’t have anything against him. In fact, he had wanted to say hello a lot last year but it never came down to it. He never had the spine to actually do it. Perhaps this year would be different, maybe it would be different for everyone. From the get-go, this year had started out as the polar opposite to last year. [i]Three[/i] people came and talked with the boy, they came to [i]him[/i]. Perhaps that was a sign. Casper wanted friends, he was just too scared to take that step. With this start however, he might have the strength to pass it forward. Mason gave Casper something he never expected. It was time to pass it on. Okay, it was decided. He’d say hello to…Harley? Whatever, he’d say hi. Un-pausing the game, Casper returned his attention to the screen.