It was a nice, sunny day in Denver, Colorado. Birds chirped on the treetops, and they flew around in packs, getting back from the cold winter. The giant animals ventured over the great fields. Right in the middle, Connor sat outside, reading a book.

Conner was a pretty normal kid. He is 14 years old and lives in a small house with his brother, Samuel. They like to read, play video games, and baseball. The brothers are best friends, except when they start fighting. Connor would never want to leave Samuel.

When Connor was little, his mom had died in a devastating car crash. He lives with his dad right now. Connor still remembers that devastating day, when he heard the terrible news. Connor was flabbergasted for days. That was the worst time of his life.

Conner decided to go for a walk. He loved the scenery of Colorado. It feels like a dream for him. He saw the great sun, making this spring day awesome. “Nothing can beat this scenery,” Connor said.

Conner went on his nice, long walk. He was tired once he got home. That was good. He felt tired and was sitting on the couch. So he did.

He started watching his favorite TV show, Galaxy Rangers. It’s about two people who explore far away galaxies. He watched it for hours. He always wondered what it would be like if it was real. Then his dad said, “Dinner’s ready.” He stopped and walked to the dinner table, his imagination full of ideas.

When he finished eating, It was time to go to bed. He got covered in his sheets and turned off his lamp for bed. When he fell asleep, he had so many dreams about a galaxy adventure. The dreams kept spinning around like a fan. He thought it would be amazing. Floating around in space, seeing planets and stars and galaxies. He would always want that.

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* • •

Connor woke up to the sound of Samuel. He remembered now, it was Monday. He had to go to school. Connor hated school. It felt like prison to him. Same for all the other students. School sucked.

But he had to go. There was no way around it. It is the law. He had a very hard math test coming up, and he forgot to study. It was too late, he had to go now. Connor packed up his bag, getting ready for school.

He got to school, starting his first class. For some reason, he heard this voice, but ignored it. It was a little whisper, and it sounded like he was saying Connor’s name. Connor wasn’t able to comprehend it however, so he left it alone.

He finished science, social studies, music, and now it was time for math. Connor was nervous. It was an algebra test, which Connor struggled a lot at. She started handing out the tests. When Connor got his test, he started to struggle.

36 = ( 4 x x ) ÷ 3

Conner was struggling. He couldn’t even answer the first question. Math was way too hard for him. He always wondered why it existed. You could just use a calculator, he thought. But you 're not allowed calculators in class. “That sucks” he said, quietly so the teachers wouldn’t hear.

Then, he heard a sound. The announcement buzzer. That meant that Principal John was about to say something. Connor listened carefully. He said: “This is a lockdown, this is a lockdown, this is a lockdown.”

Everyone started to go to the corner of the class. They started talking and playing chopsticks. Everyone thought this was a drill. Nobody had any fear. But then they heard a loud noise of destruction, followed by a scream. The class waited in silence.

Everyone was mentally freaking out. The short kids started hiding in the closet. Connor had no idea what to do. He started to hide behind a small cubby. Seconds later, the door was smashed open.