2 Chapter Two

The sound of the shower running and the water splashing on my skin always seems to somehow relieve me, I wonder why. It's become such a habit to me now, I should probably be worried about that.

"Daniel! Breakfast is ready!" I hear a mature female voice call out, amidst the sound of the water sprinkling on my face, breaking me away from gradually deranging thoughts.

"I'll be out in a minute mom!" I yell in reply, before picking up a bar of soap and, going to town with it against my skin.

My name is DANIEL JASON, I'm sixteen years old this year. I've got the typical Lordanish almond skin complexion which I took from both my parents, titian and auburn colored hair, titian colored eyes, slim brows, pointy nose, small lips, and a sharp face... Based on my facial features, not that I like to brag, but I've got to admit, I am cute as hell. I'm 172.2cm -and still growing- in height, got a slender build, and...

And yeah,

I've been having that same dream for a month now.

I turn off the tap, my personal therapy –shower, officially coming to an end for now, and reach for the white towel hanging on the dryer in my bathroom.

I don't remember exactly what day it started, since at first I thought it was just some random dream caused by all the cartoons I've watched and comics I've read, but after some, possibly three nights? Yeah, three nights of having the same shitty dream, of course It turned into my biggest nightmare.

I take a momentary halt in my thoughts to pick up my green toothbrush and squeeze some toothpaste onto it,

When I told my parents about it, they just dismissed it, even had a good laugh, which was kinda creepy, "I mean, your freaking son is being emotionally scarred", they said that I'd been reading too many fantasy books... no one takes me seriously when I want them to...

"Heck... I even stooped reading comics -as much- because of it!!!!"

At my little outburst, I stop to stare at my reflection in the mirror silently, before resuming what I was doing,

It's frustrating. Lately, it's becoming more realistic; the smell of the corpses, the feeling of being burnt... I feel it all, like I'm the one it's all happening to.

"Yo Danny! I'm gonna eat yours too if you ain't out in twenty seconds!" comes a yell that jolts me, and a vein protrudes out of my forehead.

"Don't you dare touch my food, Max!"

MAXUEL JASON, my younger brother by just a year, and a really annoying little runt. He's 170cm in height same complexion as mine his face is a bit chubbier than mine but we're probably close when it comes to weight.

"Make that eleven seconds!" his lethargic voice comes again,

Worrying about the dream can wait, saving my breakfast is more important now.

I slip into my uniform in a rush; our school's button-down, white long-sleeved top with a dark brown tie, and dark brown pants, and pick up my black all-star shoes.

"You are so dead, man!"

My younger brother has quite a weird personality, he shows weird interests, and doesn't care what people say or think. But even through his attitude which deviates from the norms, he has a nasty habit of sticking to his words. The thought of this sends a shiver down my spine as I try to suppress one too many traumatic memories as I jump down the flight of stairs.

Our house is a one-story bungalow with three bedrooms up and one downstairs together with the kitchen, dining room, living room, a little library mainly for dad's reading, and a basement that also serves as a storage room for old stuff.

"Don't worry man, I didn't touch it... Not yet at least." says the obtuse younger brother of mine, eyeing my crumpled expression with a smirk.

"What took you so long honey?" asks the lady seated on the chair directly backing the arced-square entrance to the dining room,

"Ah... no... I–I was just a little absent-minded while taking my bath today mom."

My Mom, CAROLINE JASON, she's a 36-year-old beauty with not a single spot or wrinkle on her face, and titian-colored hair and eyes, just like mine. She's got the figure of a woman in her mid-twenties, literally.

I took most of my facial features from my mom, although personality wise there's a hundred percent resemblance between her and Max.

"So, are you just gonna stand there and admire your mother or are you gonna have breakfast?" the man seated on the chair opposite to hers on the table, asks before taking a sip from his cup.

"Definitely gonna have breakfast, good morning dad"

JASON RICHARD, my dad. he's 42, a real looker for his age with grey hair and a few strands of auburn in between. I Can't say I'm similar to him personality-wise, I'd give that to my older brother, COLTON... Still, no matter how I look at it, Maxuel completely takes his looks from my dad, although, just like his personality, his hair takes a rather bizarre, yet organized growth pattern as the top of his hair is completely grey, while the sides are auburn. No one who sees him believes it's natural, and if I wasn't his brother, forced to live with him my whole life, I wouldn't believe it either.

"Toast and scrambled eggs huh?" I mumble as my eyes focus on the plate over the empty seat before me.

Well, it's mom after all.

With that thought, I pull the chair back, take a sit and pick up the cutleries organized beside the plate.

Our dining table is a thirty six inches wide and forty eight inches long rectangular standard one, and on top of it, arranged into four places is a very mom-like breakfast.

Mom is somewhat a nutritionist. Because of that, she likes to draw a fine line between what should be eaten as the three meals of a day. But it isn't just what to eat as the major meals, she also keeps a strict watch on her children –us, to make sure we do not deviate from her paradigm of a proper human diet.

I remember when she and Max had a fight about his snack-eating habits. It was so crazy, I still chuckle just thinking about that day.

"Bro, why are you laughing to yourself while looking at me, that's creepy," says Max while he stuffs his mouth with some bread...

It honestly baffles me how he can even tell I am looking at him when all his attention is on the food.

Dad puts his fork and clears his throat "Ehem, Daniel, I heard your class has a school trip coming up on Friday, where are you going to?"

Ah... that's right, I'm a highschool tenth grader.

School isn't one of my favorite topics. I live the most normal kind of school life you can find anywhere, just like a 'side character getting bullied by the corner in a comic book' kind of normal. There's just nothing special about me aside from the cute face I took from mom and dad.

Pushing back the depressing details of my school life, I let out a sigh, then give dad a small nod, "Yeah, we'll be site seeing at a medieval castle owned by some Baron in the early seventeenth—"

"That way you speak gives off the impression that you're not the least bit excited about it," cuts in Mom as she wears a childish pout on her face...

My mom can be really annoying at times... But you can't even get mad at her since she acts cute while she's doing it, and also cause its been baked into my genes, the want to live.

She is right though, personally, I don't like field trips. I see them as stressful. But since today is Wednesday, I've still got time to prepare for that unnecessarily stressful Friday—

Wait a minute, they are misunderstanding something here, "Mom you've got it all wrong, we aren't going there for fun, we'll just be using the castle as a pit stop, the main event of the trip is the hilly landscape behind the castle... Apparently, we are gonna go forest hiking and do some geography there—"

Max suddenly chokes on his orange juice, sputtering it as he says, "Ack! Did you say forest hiking?!"

I roll my eyes at his overreacting, "yes Max, forest hiking, but as I said, it isn't for fun it's for prac—"

"What could not be fun about forest hiking?! Damn it! I wish I was a sophomore too!" He cries out, cutting me off once again.

Admist his unconventional personality, Max has always been the adventurous type for as long as I can remember, I used to be like that too. Once. A very long time ago. But now I've been enlightened;

"What could be so fun about taking a walk in a forest, while getting stung by bugs and preyed upon by wild animals?"

And to my statement, his face lights up, "that's it bra! that's the perfect environment for a ninja like me!"

Dad gets up from his seat, straightens his suit, and tie as he says in a firm tone, "You don't always have to be so negative about school-related trips son... Eventually, you'll start to lose interest in the school itself too."

"..." to his words, I find no reply.

He takes another sip from his cup and continues, "And Max buddy, keep yelling like that during breakfast and you'll actually choke on your food, besides, aren't you too old to be claiming to be a ninja?"

Mom pushes her seat backward and gets up too, "Don't worry honey, he's just fifteen, I'm sure he'll get over it soon,"

Then she picks up dad's plate, places it carefully on top of hers, and says, "Alright guys, finish up quickly or you're gonna be late for school."

Heh, Just fifteen? when is he gonna get over it? When he has his own kids? Hehehe...

"Dude you're doing it again!" Cries Max

"Shut up and finish your food ninja." I scowl.

***********

"So buddy, remember what we talked about the other day?" Asks dad, as I and Max prepare to set off, "we'll be leaving today so— did you take the spare keys with you?"

Leaving? Leav—

"He definitely forgot dad, but I didn't. I've got the spare keys with me," says Max, as he cuts my thoughts short.

Wait, oh yeah, we did talk about something like that on Sunday... And last night too... and I think even Monday— wait, we've been talking about them traveling every day since last week.

"So, I and your Mom will be going to CAMLEOT today, and as we discussed we will be away for three days. But, if anything comes up and our return is delayed in any way, we will call and inform you guys. So, as I promised, I've spoken to Mr. Dawkins that owns that grocery shop by the junction in the commercial zone, you guys can get food supplies there anytime... But remember, I'll still have to pay when we get back so show some restraint alright?" Dad explains.

For a moment, I picture him more as a commander walking his troops through a mission briefing, than a dad telling his kids what to do when he is away... Or maybe I'm just the one who heard it that way?

Anyway, CAMLEOT huh? It's the capital city of our country, Lordan, and also the city I and Max were born and spent our early years. Mom and Dad have always been a busy duo, it's one of the reasons why we moved from Camleot in the first place.

And just when I thought that topic was settled Mom suddenly suggests, "Maybe we should just call the Nanny for them like we always do?"

"What?! Come on Mom we ain't little kids that need babysitting anymore!" I protest, although what I really want to say is 'hell no mom!, no Nannies!unless she's cute and isn't old enough to give birth to me.

"Yeah Mom, I don't know about Danny, but I can take care of myself!" adds the stupid nincompoop beside me, I swear one of these days—

"I know… I know… I'm just teasing," giggles my mom, after the annoying, comes the cute,'I can't rewrite my genes'.

"You boys be good while we are away okay? No fighting at school or here at home and don't bring anyone we don't know to the house, also remember to lock the doors before you sleep, and turn off the gas after you cook and turn off the li—"

"Alright alright mom, we know... See you on Saturday," if I didn't cut her off there she would have kept going for God knows how long, haa...

"Your mum is only being that way because this is the first time we are leaving you guys home alone, I hope you won't betray our expectations," says dad as he walks us to the door, then he adds with a smile, "by the way boys, no see you laters' for me?"

"We'll meet you at the base on Saturday, SARGE!" Max replies imitating a military officer's salute and we all burst out in laughter. Guess I wasn't the only one who thought it sounded like a briefing.

***********

HAMILTON TOWN.

It's a fairly large, and rather peaceful town in our current state of residence, FRAELEOT, which is located in the southern part of the country, Lordan.

It's quite developed here; with good roads, large apartment buildings, big shops and restaurants, an amusement park, malls, hotels, there's even a pretty big cinema here in town. But there are still lots of open fields and forests that you can just run away to breathe some fresh air. There's also an abandoned welding factory just a few miles out of town, we used to play there a lot when we just moved into town from Camleot.

It's basically just a little industrialism short of a small city, still, It's a very nice town to live in. The environment is neat, the roads are clean and the people around are very friendly—

A loud, aggressive honk suddenly blasts from behind me, sending a tremor through my body

"Are ya outta ya feckin mind kid?! Do ya wanna die?!! Do it when someone else is drivin by, ya crazy wimp!!!" Yells some random dude driving a motorcycle at me

Well friendly most of the time... Haha.

Our school, SCHULERIN HIGH is one of the two high schools in town... We usually walk to school since it's just a few blocks away from our house although we can choose to take a bus too, that's if we are just feeling lazy.

"So Danny," Max suddenly calls my attention, snapping me out of my thoughts, "you're gonna confess to Angela today right?"

H–he just said it... I had completely forgotten because of my dreams, even still, it isn't something you can just remind someone of so casually... And it hit me with so much force I feel a shock run through my legs, and all the hair at the back of my neck stand as I suddenly fill like I've been punched in the gut, my stomach turning queasy.

But instead of words, I choose to reply with silence, hoping that he would read the mood for once, and laugh it off, but reading the mood doesn't apply to my insensitive brother,

"..."

"..."

"So you are gonna confess right?" He asks again, this time staring straight at me, obviously expecting an answer.

"I–I... err... I don't know man, do you think I should?" I reply awkwardly, avoiding his piercing stare.

Maybe my question sounded funny with my stuttering voice, but he suddenly makes a comical scornful face and replies, "Do I think?, of course bra! go for it, worst case scenario you get rejected and I win the bet with ETHAN,"

Then he laughs in a very creepy and cynical way, smearing my self confidence with his inhumane schemes.

"Haa..." I finally let out a deep breath I'd been holding unconsciously since the first time he asked the question, "That's... really reassuring, thanks bro"

I know what he's trying to do. Lessen the pressure on me with his jokes... He has probably been looking for a topic to start a conversation with since we left home... It isn't like me to be so quiet when it's just the two of us after all.

He smiles a little, "Glad I could help, race you to the hallway!"

And with those words, he starts running. I'd been so deep in my little world that I didn't realize we were at the school gates already... Still, looking at his figure dashing away, a smile tugs at the corner of my lip.

"The hall monitor always warns him not to do that, but he's as stubborn as ever huh..." I voice out in between a sigh of relief.

Well,almost came late... I should head to class too.

Our school is pretty large, a huge four-story building serves as the classroom blocks, a smaller three-story building serves for indoor recreational activities, different club activities and an announcement hall, we've got a neat football pitch and tennis court... Then there's the large cafeteria building west of the classroom blocks—

"For someone so late, you seem to be rather relaxed" a female voice calls out to me,

That calm, melodious voice that sounds like she's singing all the time.. and her slow-talking style so she hides her accent...

I turn around slowly, through the heavy thumping of my heart,

"Good morning Danny," ANGELA says to me with a beautiful smile.

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