“Watch it, nerd,” the guy said, purposely hitting my shoulder as he walked by. God, I was sooo done with these kinds of people, but you don’t really get an option in highschool, do you? Hi, I’m Venari Hearne, V for short, and this is my story.

Before we start, I suck at writing. Like, 55 in English kinda bad (okay, not really, but who cares?). So don’t expect any kind of majestic, flowing story okay? It is what it is, my fucked up life. So, here we go!

I’m an average guy by most standards. Sure, I may be a bit tall, being just under 6’0, having just turned 18 at the start of the year, but that doesn’t mean much when you never talk to anyone. I was the kind of kid who talks just enough to avoid looking like a creep or nerd, but never had any real friends. Sure, I had some people I hung out with occasionally, but no one that I’d ever really connected with, ya feel?

The only place I felt like myself was outside. I loved the outdoors. My family lived in a house with a large forest in the backyard, and boy did I love to explore it. It was somewhere where I could relax and just be, ya know? It was so peaceful, and yet full of opportunity. I spent hours doing my homework there, did a small workout regime I researched to keep just a little fit, and I’d say I spent a good 6 hours a day there. It was practically my second home. When I was 12, my parents realized how much time I spent out in the woods, and helped me make a little cabin on the side of one of the valleys running through the forest.

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I say little, but in reality it was a good 450 square foot lodge, with a few chairs, a table and a cushion or two. That made it my official second home. Of course, it didn’t have any electricity or running water or anything of the sort, but it was comfy, and stayed at a warm temperature most of the time.

When I wasn’t in the cabin, I was still in the woods. I practiced archery an hour a day, did the light workout, climbed some trees, the works. Of course, I wasn’t body-builder fit, or a god at archery, but I loved the feeling of hitting a bullseye, the satisfaction of watching those hours pay off. Was a shame it wasn’t more popular, really.

Anyways, it was just your average day at high school, teachers ignoring bullying, popular kids gossiping, someone complaining about their math test, all that good stuff. It was halfway through the first semester, and boy was I tired of school. Sure, I was actually pretty good at most subjects, but that didn’t mean I had to enjoy it.

Except it wasn’t.

I was sitting in my history class, Mr. Wilson droning on about something around the Egyptians, when I felt it. It was like the world shifted, and suddenly the shadows became darker, no longer dark edges but shifting smoke, and I started hearing whispers from all around me. I groaned and bent forward at my desk, clutching my head. 

Before anyone could question what was wrong with the weirdo in the back, the world went black, and the pain vanished.