2 Golden Eyes

Life is but a waking dream.

I can't remember the face of the person who said this phrase in my earlier years, but I remember overhearing it in passing on a busy street. Then, I thought of it as an intriguing, if not beautifully crafted line whose purpose was to be merely thought provoking. Now, I am older, wiser, and slightly terrified as I know just how such a thought held more in truth with reality.

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In a corner bedroom of a two-story house, a brown-haired girl around the age of 13 was sitting on her bed with one arm cradling a large drawing pad, while sketching with the pencil in the other. Her golden, amber eyes never seemed to leave the paper as she steadily drew from memory. With only an occasional pause as she seemed to be recalling details, which would lead her to erase, and then, redraw something she seemed to have missed.

Art had been her main release for as long as she could remember. It was both a joy and great distraction from her other studies, as evident by the folder sitting to her side, on the bed, that was full of today's homework assignments.

As to why she wasn't being a model student and doing her homework assignments first, that could be easily explained by a flyer sticking out from under the folder. It was an announcement of an art contest that this girl would be participating in.

She was so single-mindedly focused at the task of drawing, that she almost missed the knock at her bedroom door.

"Jasmine. Dad called to say he is on his way home," a feminine voice sounded before the door was opened by a girl who looked similar to Jasmine, but was a bit older and had steel blue eyes. This was her older half-sister, Krystal, who had inherited their mother's eyes.

Jasmine sighed and set the sketch aside.

"What are you doing? Your homework?" Krystal started to ask as she walked into her sister's room, then noticed the sketch on laying on the bed.

"Drawing again!?" she exclaimed.

"I was going to…" Jasmine started to explain to be interrupted by Krystal.

"You should be doing your homework! Not drawing! You can do that when you're done!"

Jasmine looked at her older half-sister with disgruntlement. Yes, she knew she needed to finish her homework, and before her father was home too, but she didn't need her authoritative older sister to remind her.

Picking up the sketch, Krystal looked it over and grumbled, "…dragons again, huh?"

"It's for an art contest," Jasmine quipped.

"Yea, well you still need to set your priorities straight and focus on your homework first."

Jasmine did her best not to protest and begrudgingly grabbed the folder with her homework assignments, then got up and left her bedroom for downstairs. Leaving Krystal to glance at the art contest flyer that was left behind, before she discarded the sketch on the bed and left after her younger sister.

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Their family of five lived in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas in a two-story house that was around 225 square meters (a little over 2400 sq ft) and could be described as average as best. A lot like her family.

Her father, Jakob Travern, was a military veteran who joined the police force after his year's in service were completed. He had met her mother, Julia, in his early years with the police force, when he had to take a civilian to the emergency room that she was working at. The romance between them was short, before he married the nurse, and adopted the two children Julia had from her previous marriage.

Her mother's story was a bit more complicated, as she was an ER nurse that would spend long hours at the hospital. She had married her high school sweetheart right after graduation, and the two of them had gone to college together.

However, shortly after getting pregnant with Krystal, her then-husband started distancing himself before divorcing her, right before going on to medical school to become a doctor. She had originally planned to continue her education and become a doctor too, but the divorce destroyed that plan. Being a single mother of two, she desperately needed income and no longer had anyone who could assist her. So, she quickly finished nursing school instead and got the job that lead her to meeting Jasmine's father, Jakob.

It is one of Julia's biggest regrets that she couldn't go to medical school and become a doctor, as she had originally planned. So, it is no surprise that she wishes her children will be able to obtain scholarships and attend college, hence pressuring them to be the best.

Jasmine's older half-sister, Krystal Lyon, is a senior in high school that is almost nearly perfect in that way, as she maintains top scores in her studies; a model student. She had left so much of an impression behind with her schoolteachers, that they look to Jasmine with great expectations, but were ultimately, found wanting, as Jasmine wasn't as exceptional as either of her two older siblings.

Ethaniel, her older half-brother, is a year older than Krystal, and a freshman in college. Easily making it to the Dean's List in his first semester, he had been quickly recognized as a kind of natural genius. His high intelligence and his witty charisma have proven time and time again to be a winning combination when coupled to his calm, caring demeanor.

Whereas Krystal was direct and pushy, Ethaniel was more of a clever manipulator, who would challenge Jasmine and motivate her. Even though she was aware of what he was doing, she didn't think poorly of her brother. Rather, she admired and looked up to him.

If Krystal presented the stick, then Ethaniel dangled the carrot. His teasing and doting on her were flavored with genuine care and familial love.

Unfortunately, he was a college student now, and wasn't around as often as he had been in the past. Instead, Jasmine would routinely have to cope begrudgingly with her bossy sister's constant policing, scolding and domineering presence.

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Father arrived later in the evening and quickly put a meal together. Krystal had helped with the cooking, while I set the table for dinner for three. Mom wouldn't get back from the hospital until it was really late, and brother wouldn't be coming home tonight.

At the dinner table, Krystal acted as expected and ended up snitching about the fact that I had not finished my homework before working on the piece for the art contest. Her holier-than-thou attitude really irritates me, but if I speak up, she will just get worse and louder.

'Ugh, when will she just shut up! Looking at dad though, it seems his mind is preoccupied. He is just nodding and not really paying attention to Krystal's tirade. I wonder...'

"Dad? How was your day at work?" I asked.

"Hmm? Oh... my day," he paused for a bit with a frown, then it was gone and replaced with a half-hearted smile before replying, "...it was fine. Just another day on the beat."

He turned his attention to his plate and continued to pick over the meal while Krystal sighed, exasperated. Noting that she wasn't being listened to, she picked up her plate to take it to the sink to wash it and left angrily.

I spent a little while longer at the table and watched as my father kept poking around his plate while lost in thought. 'I wonder what is going on?'

Knowing that I wasn't going to get an answer, I finished eating and took care of my dishes before going back up to my room. Afterall, I do still need to finish up the last bit of homework before bed. Yet, I hadn't even made it to the stairs before I heard my father calling to me.

"Jasmine... Jasmine?"

Poking my head back into the dining room, I answered, "Yeah, dad?"

"You should consider riding the bus to school instead of walking or bicycling there. Make sure you get to sleep early enough to get to the bus stop."

"Um, okay," answering, I quickly left and headed upstairs, but couldn't help but think why father wanted to tell me that. 'I haven't been late to class. Plus, the bus comes so early that I lose a bit of sleep if I try to make it in time to catch it. Well, whatever, it won't matter as long as I am not late to school.'

Climbing the stairs, I returned to my room and spent the next half an hour finishing some homework I had started while in class earlier today. Then, I collected my sketch and put it on my desk for tomorrow. 'I can work on it a bit more later. I hope I will be able to capture that image as I have envisioned it in my dreams the other night.'

Turning off the lights, I got ready for bed and got under the covers. Checking that the alarm was set, I made myself comfortable and closed my eyes. Darkness filled my vision and as I began to drift towards sleep, I felt that something was alive in that black abyss of my consciousness and suddenly, I saw it. Golden, serpentine eyes snapped open and glowed in that night right before I was out.