Chapter 1
"Ezra! Come on out!" Mom yells from the front lawn, "You're gonna be late for class! It's your first day of senior year, you cant be late!"
"Shit, gotta go. Time for first period," I say frantically through the phone. I know if I'm late I may not survive the wrath to come. The real final boss? Thats my mom. Nothing's scarier than Azlyn Monty when she's running behind.
"Yep! have fun Ez! Dont forget to tell me how first period goes! I dont start until 12:00" Connor responds, "See you soon! Bye!"
"Yeah, yeah. Bye- Hey wait! Didn't I tell you to stop-" Im cutoff as the call drops.
Gah! Asshole... I told him years ago to stop calling me that, I think to myself rushing down the stairs, enjoying the last few bits of warmth I'll have until I get out six hours later.
On my way out I turn to our family portrait, and suddenly I'm reminded of the one part of our family who is no longer here with us. I can almost hear her bickering with Azlyn about my senioritis.
Huh... it's been three years... she still hasnt returned. I hope she's doing well out there...
"Ezra! Get your ass out here right now!" I hear my other mom yell from the car.
"Yeah! Coming!" I grab my backpack and head to the car, bracing myself against the cold fall temperatures.
"Took you long enough!" Tiffany teases as i get in and fasten my seatbelt, my hands leaning into the warmth from the heater vents. God, not this again.
"And tell me... why are you coming along? Don't you have some fancy clientelle to attend to today?" I spit back.
"Well I just thought I'd accompany my little bro to school on his first day at school as a big boy" she mocks back.
"ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU, FOR CHRISTS SAKE! Do you know how hard it is to drive with this going on in the background? Be quiet or Tiffany you can get out of the car and Ezra you can get dropped off a mile off course, and walk your way back!"
…
Sheesh
-
"Now class..." Mr Johnson drones on in the background, information blending in with the hum of the aircon unit above the classroom door, but I couldn't care less... I just want to read. I can teach myself at home.
Suddenly I'm snapped out of this daze when I hear someone whisper:
"Soon"
"Huh? Who said tha-" Mrs Johnson immediately shoots me a look of disapproval as I speak up, "Sorry, I thought i heard something strange, carry on Mrs."
She seems to find that an acceptable response, and lets me be.
Another 15 minutes go by and I begin to read my latest obsession before I hear it again, this time audible above even the sound of That One Kid sneazing.
"Very soon."
Okay, now thats weird…
I go back to reading because I cannot deal with this nonsense right now. Its probably just one of my classmates being a dumbass I think to myself.
Eventually, I'm brought back to reality by Mrs. Johnson dismissing our class.
"Alright, thats it for the syllabus, remember to stop back by here at the end of the day for your student IDs!" She announced
But, as it turns out, it was not one of my classmates. Sitting in my 3rd period, book in hand, it happened again.
"Now."
Before I can react I find myself in a cold bluish void, with some.. weird... hologram in front of me?
"Woah woah WHAT?!" I yelp in shock.
[SELECT CLASS]
<INDUSTRIALIST >
<ERROR >
<ERROR >
<ERROR >
"Huh, I see… I've seen this before…" I say to myself, recognizing the setup in front of me almost immediately. Ive read enough of that genre to know what happens next.
Even so, I try to select error out of curiosity.
<Error: Please choose a different class>
"Well, it's all I can do i guess," I mutter to myself, mildly disappointed, before clicking <Industrialist >.
[You have selected the class <industrialist >]
[To check your status upon return say <STATUS > aloud]
[Returning in:]
<5 >
<4 >
<3 >
<2 >
<1 >
And like that I was back in the less-cold classroom, with the familiar chatter of my friends and classmates going about around me.
Connor looks at me confused, "Hey.. uh.. ez where did you go? Its almost the end of class and the teacher hasnt noticed your absence... I think I'm the only one who did?"
"I.. have no idea."