CHAPTER 7

The strange envelope

Matt came home later that day with so much joy in his heart. The day's event had steered into a direction he hadn't expected. It was true that he hates racing and all about it, but his ambitious self, had dragged him into it today. What a perfect turn of event, it was really a blessing in disguise. His father Derek Zonna was a potential racer and had taught Matt and his two brothers how to use the H-board for three years, yet Matt as at that time, found it difficult to comprehend what his father had taught him, though his brothers had learnt everything with a click of the finger. At first, Matt was convinced he had dull brains, clustered with video games, but until he met Jeff and had learned from him, he never saw how strict and partial his father was.

Matt was eighteen and a month older than Jeff. He is a teenager who lives with his mother; unlike Jeff, he had two brothers. He was younger than the two and like Jeff; his father was among the four who were murdered that night, in the Might's hall, by a massive explosion. It was seven years now yet all effort to trace the killers had met dead ends. Seven years since his mother became a cleaner just to earn enough money to train his two brothers and him. Seven years was a long time that had steered different event in his life. Seven years was all it took to bring out the potential in him and made him realize how much hate his family had for him. Well, that was all about to change.

Matt smiled at the thought, he stood at the front door of their house, creating a new picture of their new house in his thought, and replacing the old with the new. "It going to change, we would be gone from here soon." His smile widened as he touched the document underneath his gray jumpsuit, just to make sure they were still there.

Matt whistled joyfully with his mouth as he opened the door and walked straight to his room. Though this house licks water from the roof; with rats and insect rooming about like land lords and ladies, it still had the welcoming arms of home. They had lived in it for thirty years and something told him he was going to miss it.

Matt decrypted the door of his room; it was the only door out of the four in the house that the mandibles and maxillae of termites haven't visited. He waited for the beep before he turned the knob of the door and walked in. He was welcomed with hot air as he dropped his H-Board on the carpeted floor and threw himself on the small soft bed.

His room was nowhere the size of Jeff's. Not even a window was in it, the only ventilation was coming in from the door, that's why he always left the door ajar whenever he was at home. A small table and chair was at the eastern side, with the picture of the gray hoe at the north. At the western side was the bed where Matt lay, where a window should have been. There was also a limited collection of books on the shelf and a closet beside it.

"In five days," Matt thought "I'd be in the famous academy of Anadan; Mom, Kyle and Tim would move to our new house. What a change" He laughs as he unbuckles his Head-plate from his ear and dropped it beside the lamp stand, next to his bed.

Of all the day's event, Matt was happy over three things: the award he had received, that he would be going to the hero's academy soon. The third reason was quiet inexplicable. It was about that girl in the racing field perhaps. The way she had looked at him, well, not actually a direct gaze though, but he was sure her eyes were on him throughout the event.

She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, with perfect body curves and streamline figure, with those little lips on her smooth round face, and with smiles so lovely that it could make the fiercest cat become a house pet. The thought of her mesmerize his head that he didn't realize he was standing over a mirror and smiling at himself.

"Damn what am I doing?" Matt cursed as he blinked himself to reality; he had been combing his shaggy hair again not knowing. Although some other girls thought him beautiful because of his blue eyes, try as hard as he could, his short blond hair won't just stay smooth and perfect, it was always rough and untidy like the fur spin of a hedgehog.

"Here I am thinking of a girl I barely know" he sighed and dropped the comb back to its place. Matt picked up his cell phone to return to his video game, but dropped it back when he remembered Dr. Jakin's rowdy behavior. What was that man thinking? Calling us brat in front of everyone? The gloomy and worried atmosphere was trying to cloud his happiness, but he took a deep breath, trying to relax himself. He unzipped his gray jumpsuit and sat gently on his bed.

At least I would have an air before my excuse for brother's return. "I will..." he paused. There was noise coming from the door, probably rats he thought, but the doorbell from the main entrance said otherwise.