We freeze our bodies to bring about new life or a greater damnation. It is the end of all humanity, throughout all ages.
That said, all hospitals can at least turn up the temperature a few degrees. It seriously hurts when you're stuck waiting for hours on end in a really uncomfortable chair. All because the mystical hero of prophecy is supposed to be born today. Do you know what's even stupider? I'm, not here recording this to witness the birth of the hero. No, I'm sitting here freezing my butt off to witness the death of a hero. I, A.RTorrens, swear, I am not drunk enough for this. Ahem!
Let's start this story off on proper footing, shall we?
This story begins in the blistering uncertainty of April, where the sky can't decide if it wants to rain down sunshine or throw up hail. On this completely unsuspecting day, all of the planets did align. Astronomers and doomsday bros alike made a big fuss about it. Do guess how much people cared. By the way... if your response to this is "They surely must have cared a lot", then I, Torrensolkiens, would like to kindly suggest that you either reevaluate and reflect on yourself or the state of your world. But don't worry, it must be the latter no doubt. I know very well that you can't tell if I'm being sarcastic. I love it very much.
In other words, TOUCH GRASS.
But anyhoo, it just so happened that the start of the end of the era as told in some prophecy from ancient times coincided with today. I, Sir Articus, am hoping that is enough information to put you up to speed on how I ended up being tortured in a hospital.
So the hero would have been born on the third floor in the first room on the left from the elevators. It was a tragedy: neither the mother nor the newborn lasted through the pregnancy. With that said, I had already bought a magnificent illustrious notebook, so back then I was like, "By golly, I'm gonna fill this with something!". On that fateful day: things were in fact filled.
To my great luck, and absolutely no mystical A.R. Torrens Cool Cat Extraordinare plot shenanigans, there was yet another pregnancy happening so close that it might as well have been in the same room! Directly in the next room over, the second room in this hall from the elevators (to the left of them still), there was a child who did make it along with his mother. It was almost scenic how different the atmosphere in these two rooms was despite being so close.
That boy was a rather small creature, other than that completely unremarkable but alive. If it works it works. Anyways, I, The A.R Torrens Coolest Cat in the Galaxy Extraordinare, decided to add a bit extra seasoning to his fate.
Anyway, that's all for my little prologue. HAHAHA. I GOT YOU TO READ A PROLOGUE. SUCKS TO SUCK!
18 YEARS LATER
Hoshi Academy is the single most elite high school in the entire nation of the Land of the Free. Forget Harvard and Yale, today's youth want to be admitted to this prestigious private school. Founded in 1901, it started as a small community college specializing in art and archaic animation. However, popularity did not befall this school until 1903. The foundation of Hoshi Academy's Yoshi Club brought fame and fortune. The 'Youth Organization of Surrealistic Hue Interweavers' (or Yoshi Club) quickly attracted many members for its groundbreaking techniques in animation which led to rapidly amassing over 9,000 members. One hundred years and some irrelevant amount of minutes and seconds later, the Yoshi Club remains the top club in this school. Other clubs cannot come close to even competing.
Our tale begins the warm afternoon of March 26th, in the year of Joeseph Mamath. The mail arrived that day surreptitiously without notice. A few hours later, a 2003 Bonda Divic wheezed up the driveway next to it. It struggled like a hospital patient on their last legs. A small man stepped out the driver's side door and waddled on down to the mailbox. When he arrived, there was only one letter to be found within. He turned it towards himself and looked at his name written neatly across it. He took it with him up the driveway and into the house.
As he stepped into the dining area, he quickly tore at the fragile bundle of paper in his hands.
> Hoshi Academy of Fine Arts
>
> 3434 Toshi Court
>
> Boshiland, HI 3000
>
> March 1, 20XX
>
> Theodore Barnes
>
> This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
>
> 460 Willowhaven Drive
>
> Boring, ST 49951
>
> Dear Theodore Barnes,
>
> Congratulations! It is with immense pleasure that we extend to you an offer of admission to the Hoshi Academy of Fine Arts for the upcoming academic year. Your application, portfolio, and interview demonstrated exceptional talent and creativity, and we are thrilled to welcome you into our esteemed community of artists.
>
> At Hoshi Academy, we pride ourselves on nurturing innovative minds and fostering a vibrant artistic environment. Your unique vision and dedication to the arts have set you apart, and we believe you have what it takes to thrive in our programs. Enclosed with this letter, you will find your acceptance packet, which includes details about orientation, course registration, and other important information to help you prepare for your exciting journey with us. Please review these materials carefully and follow the instructions to confirm your acceptance and secure your place at Hoshi Academy.
>
> We invite you to join us for a warm Welcome Event on August 10, 20XX, where you will have the opportunity to meet your fellow incoming students, explore our campus, and get acquainted with our faculty and staff. You will also get a guided tour of our facilities by your upperclassmen.
>
> To ensure a smooth start to your college journey, we kindly ask that you complete your registration process online. This includes submitting any necessary documents, selecting your courses, and finalizing your schedule. Please visit our student portal and follow the instructions provided to complete each step. If you encounter any issues or have questions, our support team is available to assist you.
>
> Once again, congratulations on your acceptance. We look forward to seeing the remarkable contributions you will bring to our artistic community and are excited to support you as you embark on this new chapter of your creative career.
>
> Warmest regards,
>
> Elena Thorne
>
> Director of Admissions
>
> Hoshi Academy of Fine Arts
The paper crumpled under the young man's shaking hands. For some time, he just stood there and stared at the words written across the paper. Eventually, he set it down on the dining room table and turned away from it. From the way he was standing, one would have expected this was the moment for him to say something deeply profound and meaningful... or at least the normal cries of joy for acceptance.
"FINALLY. I CAN GO TO HOSHI ACADEMY AND GET A GIRLFRIEND. GOODBYE VIRGINITY!"
Theodore Barnes stood in the doorway of the dining room, facing away from the door. He had his arms raised and his legs spread, with extra emphasis that he was not facing the doorway.
For you see, as our protagonist was shouting to the heavens about the working of his groins (mostly lack thereof), his mother had opened the door. But she didn't open it right at the start, no. Theodore's mom opened the door to hear her son shout "GOODBYE VIRGINITY!" in the doorframe of her dining room, directly in front of her.
Don't get me wrong, Theo had heard the click of the door midsentence. But it had been too late. He slowly turned around to face his mother. Their eyes locked in tense disappointment that I, Arty McFarty, have been informed I must tell you was not mutually exclusive. Theo's mother's gaze was filled with enough disappointment to give the way most parents feel about their middle child a run for its money. Guys listen his mom is the one disappointed. Once again for the people in the back, Theo is panicking. His mother is disappointed-ing. This concludes the short explanation on eyes, and the not so short explanation on parental disappointment.
Gracefully his mother closed the door as swiftly as she had opened it.
Theo rushed out to clear the misunderstanding only to find his mother already very deep into a phone call with who was undubitably his father. He slowly walked up to her, handing her the letter. His mother paused her rant for a second, reading the contents before letting out a very high-pitched screech. She abruptly hung up on his father and put the phone back into her pocket.
"Finally..."
"After so many years..."
"You're finally getting a girlfriend. I was so worried about you." His mother had a massive feces-eating grin on her face. She opened her arms in a wide embrace around her son.
"Good job on getting in." Her hand had found its way to his head, gently patting it,
"Go in and get changed. We eat fancy tonight!"
"Unlimited shrimp and seafood." That grin had crept back on her face.
"But I like pasta..." Theo's pleas fell on deaf ears.
But at that moment it didn't matter. Behind his mom, across the street, a girl was walking. Her scarlet hair was neatly braided and pinned (You gotta know it's pinned guys, hair has to be pinned) into two buns, contrasting sharply with her pale skin. She wore a plain black hoodie and a matching pair of sweatpants. Theo watched her walk off to a house three houses down the road. The curves visible through the jacket, the sway in her walk... his eyes lingered longer than they should have. It caused his mother to turn around and glance around the street,
"What are you staring at?" Her gaze scanned the road as she spoke that.
"Just a girl" Theo mumbled.
End of Chapter 1
Will our great hero find true love in this stranger?
Find out next time~!