It was a little boy wearing a superhero T-shirt, looking no older than six or seven.
After stopping Julian, the boy pulled a small tin box out of his desk, entirely filled with superhero band-aids.
The little boy took out a band-aid, carefully wrapped it around Julian's thumb, and gently blew on it.
Then, flashing Julian a wide, open smile, he lowered his head and went back to working on his own project.
Julian stared blankly, his gaze shifting downward.
He saw that the boy's little hands, currently busy weaving, were covered with three or four band-aids on each side.
Yet the boy didn't cry or complain. He stayed entirely focused on his work, as if these injuries were nothing, something he had long since grown accustomed to.
Julian's gaze returned to his own thumb, staring at the bright superhero print on the band-aid.
The impenetrable, concrete-like shell around his heart...
cracked open just a little bit more.
He sat in silence for two seconds before reaching out and gently poking the little superhero fan beside him.
The boy looked up at him questioningly.
Julian glanced at Mika, then quickly raised his hand, gave a thumbs-up, and bent it twice.
[Thank you.]
The little boy grinned, revealing a row of innocent white teeth.
By the end of the bamboo weaving class, Mika had finished a bamboo coaster, while Julian had only managed half of one.
Seeing that the timing was right, Principal York took them to another classroom.
Laughter and chatter drifted from this room.
But when they walked in, they weren't greeted by desks, but rows of familiar physical therapy tables.
Class had ended, and the teenage boys and girls were chatting and laughing inside.
But some had their eyes tightly shut, while others had them half-open, revealing only a blank sea of white.


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