Morning routine

Benjamin sat up in his bed. The nightmare he had just endured didn't concern him at all. After all, he had nightmares before. This one was just one entry on a very long list.

He has suffered from this nightmare for as long as he can remember but not once has he ever saw light or heard a voice. He didn't think too much of it and decided to get out of bed.

Benjamin stretched and checked his alarm clock. It read six o'clock. He picked up his phone without a word and looked at the date. It was Thursday, December the 2nd.

Benjamin got up and looked around his room and it was a mess. He hadn't cleaned his room in several days and had clothes all over the floor. He shook his head, sending his hair into disarray. He bent over and picked up some of the clothes off of the floor and threw them into a clothes hamper.

Benjamin repeated this process until all that was left on his floor were some old chip bags. Benjamin went over to pick them up.

They had been Fritos, honey barbecue flavor to be exact. "Hope Isaiah brings some cash to school so I can get some more" he thought to himself, crumpling up the bag in the process.

He dropped it into a wastebasket and walked into the hallway.

The house was still dark except for the bathroom, in which someone had left the light on. Judging by the way that the door was opened, it seemed one of his siblings had been inside.

Benjamin disregarded the clothes on the floor inside and went over to use the toilet. Once he had finished, he walked over to the sink and began to wash his hands.

While he was doing that, he looked at himself in the mirror.

Benjamin was tan with acne dotting his face. His hair was long and black and reached his neck. Benjamin had finished washing his hands and dried them off. After that, he reached for his contacts to put them in. He was careful but quick about the ordeal and was finished in no time at all.

He walked back to his room, blinking to adjust the contacts, when he was greeted by his phone vibrations. He picked it up and answered the phone. It was Velena, his boyfriend.

"Hello," Benjamin said, trying to cover the tiredness in his voice. "Hey Benjo," Velena said casually. "We'll be a little early today," he said, his voice betraying a hint of impatience. It took several seconds for this to sink in, but when it did it sent Benjamin into a panic. "Where are you guys now?" Benjamin asked, running over to his dresser and grabbing some pants and a shirt.

"We're on the road now," Velena replied. Benjamin quickly shed his clothes and pulled on his new ones. "When do you think you'll be here?" Benjamin asked. "In about 10 more minutes," Velena answered, "Why, aren't you ready?" "Almost," Benjamin replied.

"I'll see you when you get here." Benjamin hung up the phone and grabbed his hoodie.

He ran out of his room and passed one of his brothers who looked at him confused. Benjamin didn't have time to chat, so he ran past the rest of his family who were in the living room getting ready to leave.

Benjamin sped past them and was out the door before his mom had the chance to say, "Have a good day at school!" Benjamin stepped out into the cold, wintery air. A thin layer of frost covered the grass. Benjamin kept his pace, trying not to slip on the frozen grass.

He ran out to the edge of the yard and looked down the street and there was nothing.

He let out a breath of relief. He walked back to the porch and sat down. Since he had time, he pulled out his notebook and looked at his half-completed homework.

He reached into his bookbag and pulled out a lead pencil. Benjamin sighed as he looked over the runes. His enchanting work would have to wait until he got to enrichment where he could compare his work with Xavier and Isaiah's.

He looked up from the depression he was experiencing because of his homework and saw Velena's grandmother pulling into the driveway. Replacing his notebook and pencil, he got up and walked to the van that would take him to school.

Opening the door, he saw Velena sitting in the seat across from him.

Sitting in the front seats were Velena's grandma and sister, Tessa. Benjamin climbed into the van and sat down. "Hello Velena," he said, smiling. "Good morning," he said to Velena's grandmother. "Good morning, Benjamin," she replied brightly. Velena turned to Benjamin and asked him, "Are you ready?" Benjamin had no idea what she was talking about. Velena read the expression on his face.

"Evan said he was gonna fight Coach Haynes during lunch today," he said, shaking his head. Benjamin suddenly got a vivid image of Coach Haynes destroying Evan in a fight. He chuckled, "Well, we know how that's going to end." He took out his phone and checked the time. 6:45, it read.

"We're gonna be a bit early today don't you think," he said to Velena raising his eyebrows. "I was gonna sleep in, but grandma said we had to leave early for Tessa's field trip today."

"Ah, I get it," Benjamin said. He sat back in his seat and opened one of the many manga apps on his phone.

He pulled up his favorite manwha and immediately skipped to chapter 56. He began to read to pass the time that it would take them to get to school.