Chapter 1
The misty treetops below the cliff shone a brilliant gold as the twilight sun reflected off the morning dew that had gathered on their leaves. A cool breeze carried the damp, earthy smell through the air. The sun had yet to completely embrace the landscape with its presence and yet I could feel the warm glow of the sun as the morning breeze blew across my face. All I could do was smile as the stranger in front of me removed their blade from my chest. I could feel my heart aching; my mind was racing. Did I know them? Hard to say - their face was shrouded in shadow, but the tears dripping off their face told their own story. Placing my hand on their cheek I gently wiped away their tears as I stumbled backwards, falling over the cliff. A strong sense of regret washed over me, smothering me, forcing me to wonder what I could have done differently. Did I make the correct choice? It didn’t seem to matter anymore. I turned my head to watch the rising sun as the horizon came closer and the sea of gold turned to lush green leaves. I felt the brush of leaves and branches against my body as the light in my eyes started to dim, the splash of water breaking my fall. Rushing waves of cool liquid embraced my body as I slowly descended into the depths.
A sudden but stern voice shattered my peaceful descent.
“Cian! CIAN! You’re going to be late for school again - get up! What am I going to do with you?” A small woman yelled from the doorway to my room, peering in with an expression that urged me to rise quickly from my bed.
Mother was a kind little woman who wore a blue apron and pink slippers at almost all times. I rubbed my eyes sleepily as I raised my head from the pillow. The clock read 7:55 a.m.
“Morning already...? Sorry Mom. Guess I stayed up too late,” I said, trying to catch my bearings.
I honestly wasn’t quite sure what to make of it all. The scene had been vivid and I could feel the lingering emotions as if they had enveloped my body. I couldn’t help but feel a bit nostalgic as well - what a weird dream.
My mother always insisted that I was a delicate soul and that I needed to be looked after more than I already was. Needless to say my protests often went unheard. My mother put her hand to her forehead in exacerbation as she shook her head gently. While she may have sounded annoyed, the small smile hidden behind her hand told the real story - she simply just enjoyed waking me up.
“Well...go wash up and then come down for breakfast,” she said as she left the room, leaving the door wide open - it was my mother’s silent way of daring me to go back to bed and I wasn’t dumb enough to test her twice in one week.
With a groan, I dragged myself out of bed and shuffled across the hall to the bathroom. It was an absolute pigsty, just as it always was, a testament to my sister's notorious disorganization and messiness. Though she was kind-hearted, her proclivities were a constant source of frustration for me. Perhaps one day she would achieve some level of decency - but alas here I am bearing the burden of the room. I closed the door making sure to step over her stinky towel as I made my way to the shower - wasn’t that towel from yesterday?
Having finished my shower, I began the arduous task of getting dressed - I probably spent more time on it than most. I pushed through my closet searching for clothes until I finally decided on a grey t-shirt, dark blue jeans and a red jacket. Feeling good about my selection I headed down stairs for breakfast.
“Sorry but we're having eggs again,” Mother said apologetically as she set the food on the dining room table. “I know it's not your favorite but it's all I could make in the time I had this morning.”
Our house was rather spacious, boasting a kitchen, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a dining room, a living room, and a study. The kitchen, which was open and roomy, was where my mother spent most of her time, and it was easy to see why. The decor was simple and modest, designed with efficiency and practicality in mind.
“It's ok mom, I appreciate you taking the time to make me breakfast every morning,” I reassured her.
As I wolfed down my breakfast, I snuck a glance at the clock and felt a surge of panic wash over me - it was already 8:23 a.m? School started in twenty minutes. It was clear that if I didn't hurry, I'd be late to school...again. Gulping down the last bit of orange juice, I raced from the table, grabbed my bag, and headed for the door.
“I'm off to school. See you later! Oh and before I forget, sis made a mess of the bathroom again,” I yelled back to my mother who watched with a smile as I headed out the door.
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“When will that girl ever learn? Oh well, have a nice day dear.”
Walking at a brisk pace down the sidewalk, I realized the start of this day was better than usual. An average day would have me thirty minutes late. Then, just as I thought I was making good time, I felt a familiar vibrating sensation from my left pants pocket - someone was calling me this early? I answered it Immediately without dropping my pace.
“Hello?” I said hurriedly.
The gruff voice of my father came from the other end. “Hey Cian, can you come by the shop after school?”
“Sure thing father. See you after school,” I replied and, at the same time, noticed my slowing pace.
“Alright, have a good day at school,” my father replied shortly before hanging up.
“Uhg I'm definitely going to be late for school now,” I whined to myself in frustration as I shoved the phone back into my pocket. “Looks like I'm going to have to run.”
My father owns a jewelry shop not too far from the school; it wasn't the most fast paced business but somehow it managed to pay the bills. Conversations between us were always brief without much substance - we simply didn't have much to say to each other. That phone call however, was odd as my father had never asked for me to come to the shop before. He was always adamant that I focus on nothing but school.
“I’ll just have to push it out of my mind for the moment,” I thought aloud to myself and hurried on my way.
I arrived at school mildly out of breath only to be greeted by a very familiar voice.
“WOW you're on time for once! I think this is your first time ever.”
It was Alden, my best friend since second grade. He was always off in his head thinking, but for some reason always managed to notice me. He was a tall lad with fair skin, blonde hair and looks that could kill. He was a true ladies man, or at least, he could be if he had interest in anyone - though he thought no one quite seemed worth his time.
“Come on...cut me...some slack,” I wheezed out between breaths.
“Seriously man, this could be the start of a good trend here. I mean you might even get Nicole to notice you some more now,” Alden said, continuing his verbal assault.
Nicole is someone who I’d always wanted to notice me in a romantic sense. She had moved here during our fifth grade and had always been the nicest any girl had been to me. We’re still just friends at this point but I hoped to be more than that one day - if only I had the guts to ask her.
“Yeah…well piss off man, seriously…” I muttered as my breathing started to normalize.
I scowled at Alden who joked a little more before ending the discussion at my request.
“So what are you starting your day with?” Alden inquired.
“Good question,” I said, as I began digging through my backpack for a familiar piece of paper.
It was the start of the new semester and I could see students studying their schedules with as much scrutiny as I currently was, or would be if I could find the darn thing. Finally finding it, I impishly tried to uncrumple it as I struggled to read the remnants of my schedule.
“Seems I always have to start off with the bad stuff. I’ve got English, then science.” I moped.
“Ooooh, sorry to hear that man. Looks like we’re not in the same classes again this semester. Looks like they’re trying to keep us apart after last year’s… antics,” Alden said, conspiratorially with a large grin on his face.
“Oh, I’m sure we’ll figure out something again this year,” I said, sporting a mischievous grin of my own.
Before we could share another word the bell rang loudly signaling the beginning of my eternal torment. We nodded at each other and headed towards our respective classes. We wouldn’t want to leave a bad impression on the first day of the new semester after all.
Our school, just like everything else around here, was average at best and mediocre even by those standards. Standing three stories high, it had a population of around 1200 including teachers and students. The building itself used to be a university that was abandoned after a lack of funding. Thanks to an anonymous buyer the school was converted into a split between middle school and highschool. This happened shortly after strange events had mysteriously rendered our separate schools unusable. The only notable thing about the school was the circumstances surrounding its inception and the locked basement that, allegedly, no one has ever been into. Besides that, it was predominantly made out of glass with large thick planes spanning entire floors. Inside the classrooms were standard white boards and stainless steel tables to sit at - so maybe the school wasn't so average after all… Either way, there was a stark contrast between the quality of the building and the quality of its occupants. The latter seemed mostly cursed with a life of melancholy with an exception of a few people I'd taken note of over the years, one of them being Alden.
The bell rang to signal the end of the school day. The scuttles of footsteps and creeks of doors flying open filled the halls. I couldn’t think of anyone who wouldn't rush out at the sound of the bell - even the teachers would rush us out the doors. The teachers loved the students and their jobs
- which was more than I could say for some other schools, but when the bell sounded, the grand migration began without fail.
As Alden closed his locker, I appeared by his side, timing it just right so that my face would be revealed as soon as he shut the door. The lockers were constructed out of thick steel folded multiple times; it almost seemed like something the military would use. The doors were heavy, equipped with a fingerprint lock and a difficult-to-unlatch combo lock that made a loud clunk when opened.
“What are you doing after school Cian?” Alden asked, immediately noticing me.
“My father asked me to come work in his shop with him. Wanna come?” I joked, disappointed at his lack of reaction.
“As much fun as that sounds, I have homework to do. Later man,” Alden remarked quite sarcastically.
“Alright see you tomorrow,” I said, laughing at his exaggerated sarcasm.
Alden nodded and we headed our separate ways. I started to wonder why he had asked what I was up to and in the process of that, I remembered just how much my father disliked waiting.
“Time to pick up the pace…again,” I muttered, whilst breaking into a brisk walk, heading towards the direction of the shop.