V1-CH1: A Normal Beginning

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. – Lao Tzu

It is an inspirational quote that rings true to my heart, however, it is something that I have yet to accomplish. I believe that taking the first step is the most difficult and for me sometimes it almost seems impossible. My name is Sulien Ray and this is my story of change and the beginning of a journey that changed my reality.

As I slowly open my eyes I can hear the ringing of my phone, I slowly push myself to get up to turn it off. The noise of the phone is especially annoying as I have made it purposefully so. I slowly walk over to my desk trying not to trip over anything on the ground. I swipe the phone to turn it off and also look at the time, it's 6:30 A.M. it seems like I still have some time before my class at 8. I grab a towel and head to the shower but it seems like my roommate has beaten me to it. My roommate's name is John Blake, we are both in the same college at Madison University; every morning we compete on who can wake up first but seems to be my loss today. I toss the towel back onto the bed and go to the kitchen to eat an apple while I wait for him to finish.

As I finish my breakfast I start browsing the news on my cell phone. I notice this one article about some random shooting happening in Illinois, it seems like a man went on a rampage at Cherryvale Mall. The law enforcement of Rockford is currently on a manhunt for Jerry Wilson, he was last sighted in the Beloit area and it is assumed that he is currently heading north. From what I read in the article it seems like Jerry was a perfectly normal car mechanic before he completely lost it. I make a note of his physical features, he is a fairly tall man with red hair and brown eyes; according to the article he was shot in the leg when he escaped. It seems like similar shooting events have taken place all over the country these past few months.

As I browse my phone John leaves the bathroom, I quickly enter and start getting ready for the day. My outfit for today is blue jeans, a red t-shirt, with a black hoodie. I look at the mirror and quickly put on my contacts over my brown eyes and comb back my black hair. I grab my backpack and join John as we start walking towards the university, it is about a 30-minute walk from the apartment.

John: "Hey, Sulien were you able to finish making your presentation for speech class".

Yeah, John, I managed somehow, but I am still nervous about presenting to the class today

John: "Don't worry too much everyone is facing the same problem so you will do fine, we better hurry up if we don't walk faster we will be slightly late to class"

After hearing what he said I start to pick up the pace; as we walk faster I start coughing and come to a halt. "Hey, John why don't you go ahead it seems like my asthma is acting up again".

John: "You sure"

"Yeah don't worry about me ill make sure to get there on time"

John: "Ok I am gonna go on ahead, In case you do miss the start ill tell the professor that you were late due to asthma I'm sure he won't mind".

I watch as I see him walking off, I place my backpack on the sidewalk and shift though the interior to find my inhaler. As I was looking through my backpack I notice a small white animal in the distance. It seems like it was attracted to my coughing. I look at it for a little bit, it seems to be a canine but I can't be sure. Its fur is completely white and its eyes a yellow, I watch as it slowly comes towards me. I am not too worried because the animal is barely bigger than my hand. It has to one of the most adorable animals I have ever seen, I look back at my backpack and pull out my inhaler that I was finally able to find. I look over and see that the little critter is still staring at me, after pondering for a little bit I decided to pull out my lunch for today. I quickly toss over the turkey sandwich and watch as the little one quickly starts nibbling on the food. After watching it eat for a minute I quickly start walking towards the campus, I still have some time before I am late.

I was finally able to get to class with 3 minutes to spare. I go and quickly go to my assigned seat. I look at the person seated beside me, his name is Nolan, a very quiet kid who barely talk he is always staring at his cellphone even during class. Off in distance, I can see my roommate John as well as his girlfriend Ratsel Lee who is sitting in front of him in the first row. From what I can remember they have dated for about 3 years. Ratsel often visits us at our apartment so I have had the chance to get acquainted with her.

Professor Rhiter: "Alright everyone its time to start class, I hope you have prepared mentally to give your presentation. Let's see, Ratsel you are fist"

I start paying attention; if I remember correctly her topic for the speech was gun violence and the fear it produces. I listen to her presentation but I can't help but notice my seatmate Nolan who is not paying attention and is still on his cellphone. I make a quick glance at his phone and it seems like he is watching videos on youtube, I look up and see that he has a headphone on one ear hidden under his hoodie. I quickly look away and continue watching Ratsel's presentation as she finishes.

Professor Rhiter: Alright!!! Well done Ratsel that was excellent. Let's see the second on the list is Nolan, are you ready to present".

Nolan slowly looks up

Nolan: "No professor I wasn't able to finish the assignment in time"

Professor Rhiter: "Hmmm ok that unfortunate I hope you can present in the next session. Sulien you are third on the list do you have your presentation"

"Yes professor"

I slowly walk to my professor and hand him a USB with my PowerPoint on it. He quickly inserts it into the classroom computer and projects my PowerPoint.

I walk and stand beside the projector and take deep breaths and take out a small flashcard with my outline in case I forget or get too nervous. I remember that I need to have my eyes facing towards my classmates as instructed by the professor.

"Hello everyone my name is Sulien Ray and today I will be informing all of you about ADHD and how it affects their day to day as well as ways to cope with it"

As I start my speech my nervousness is gone and I am able to quickly go through the lines. However, my heart still hasn't slowed down yet if fact it beating louder and louder. I start feeling strange, I am fairly healthy so I shouldn't have any heart problem. The beating gets faster and faster, I endure the tightness in my chest and continue to finish my speech.

Professor Rhiter: "Good job Sulien it seems like you worked hard on the speech, you did an excellent job. Are you ok it seems like you are sweating quite a bit."

"Thank you, professor, I am fine, I just had stage fright that all".

I quickly walk over to my seat and sit down, I can still feel the beating in my chest. In fact, it has gotten faster. I can't keep my eyes open any longer, it feels like my heart is on fire and its burning. I close my eyes and pass out.

Everything seems hazy in the darkness and I can't concentrate. I don't know where this is, all I remember is passing out during my class. As I try to think and concentrate something catches my eye. Off in the distance, I see a dull light that slowly approaches me. I watch as it gets closer and I can make out what it is, it looks like a ball of fire barely the size of a marble. As I watch the fire getting closer I notice that I can't move. The bead of fire slowly enters my chest but I can feel no heat or pain from it. After it is completely inside me the darkness around me disappears.

I quickly stand up gasping for breath. I look around but I see that there is no one around me, I am still in the classroom. There are still books and computers on the desks but no people. I quickly stand and start walking out of the room, I follow the stairs down and exit the building and see all my classmates and professor standing outside. Something seems strange, they are all standing still and looking up.

I follow their view and lookup. The sky is black, pitch-black. I look down at my watch and see it is only 9:30 A.M., I look up again to see the sky, this time however I see something else a cluster of white dots in the sky. I use my phone camera to zoom into the darkness where the dots are. I drop my phone startled by what I saw, there were hundreds of eyes all spaced around and they were all staring straight at me.