Grasp The Stars

Chapter Four

--Wolverhampton, England

--Sage

--2080.

Nobody was there for me. Dad was probably still at work, and mom, well, mom, she was dead. I plopped down on the couch and swiped to the left on thin air. The same old transparent cyan screen appeared and showed the assignments I wouldn't have to complete tonight. I wasn't returning to school tomorrow, after all. Not that school taught us anything important. The best way to learn was from relatives. They learned in civilized schools. They learned about more than just the Third War. And it sounded better. A lot better. As I scrolled through the rows and rows of old media files, my mind wandered to what I, the average high school student, could do for the military. Sighing, I laid down on the couch, resting my head on the armrest and closing my eyes, having not realized how tired I was. I slowly began to doze off, forgetting about packing anything up.

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I awoke to the sound of footsteps entering the small, abandoned apartment. Dad looked exhausted from a day of work. He was working around the clock to try and get some kind of order restored in the Northeastern Region. From what I understood, it wasn't an easy task. Without paying any attention to me, he walked to his office and closed the door behind him, not mumbling a word to me. Right, I have to pack. I thought, sitting up and heading to my room, glancing around at the simplicity there was to it. I could fit everything into my schoolbag. I began the manageable work until I came to the small closet in the corner of the room. I stared at the threadbare clothes that hung loosely on hangers and decided against bringing them. This uniform is the only nice thing I've got. I thought, grabbing a pair of shoes from the closet. They used to be mom's, from when she was my age. They were simple, the color of the old gravel roads. They were comfortable and easy to put on. Who knows, maybe I'll need them. I placed them carefully among the things in my schoolbag and sighed. I knew dad wouldn't have any time to make dinner for us, and I wasn't even hungry. Leaving the room, I walked to the kitchen and opened the cabinet. The only things there were rows of instant ramen, apparently called "Cup Noodle," since we didn't have any fresh foods, all we had to eat were things that required a small amount of water. I placed one styrofoam cup on the counter and pulled off the lid. I held the cup under the faucet, filling it exactly to the line and no more. The water was ice cold. I placed it into a small microwave oven, as dad called it, and pressed the button he showed me. It rumbled to life, and within a few minutes, the water was boiling. I pulled it out carefully and dug through the drawers to find a fork. I brought it to his office carefully, knocking on the door before entering. He looked even worse under the glow of the small lamp that sat on his desk. Dark circles outlined his eyes and his chocolate-brown hair was messy and unkempt. I set the cup down on his desk along with the fork. "Thanks," He made an effort to look up and smile at me. I gave him a submissive nod and left the room, silently signaling that he could finish his work before he focused on me. When I got back to my room, I closed the door, laid down on my bed, and cried. I never thought that I would miss this place. Eventually, I fell asleep, drifting away from tomorrow and into another nightmare.

A/N-Hey y'all! Today I'll be posting two chapters. Originally, this was just gonna take place in North Country (what would have been Canada and the U.S) but I wanted to change it-yay extra work for me! Anyway, have a nice day/night!

--Laura S.