For The Greater Good-World 1: A Corrupted Cove || World//Zero ||

1. Nervous

Alec was sitting alone in his room by the time he heard a knock on the door. He lifted his head as his mother invited herself inside. After taking a single glance over her child's living space, she had a startled, and rather disgusted, look on her face. He couldn't blame her, since it wasn't exactly what she expected. She stepped through everything on the floor carefully, like she was following someone's footprints in 6-inch snow, and stopped beside the bed.

"What happened in here?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. Her tone was soft, but stern all at once; a stark contrast from her usual light teasing. Alec didn't have to look up to understand what she meant. He knew that his room was a mess, as he was surrounded by practically all of his belongings in a state that didn't look natural at all. It looked like a hoarder's bedroom, clustered and tight, even though most of it was his clothes being on the floor and the things he needed to bring with him for the trip. She then smirked and looked at Alec. "Did a mage sweep in here or something?"

He shrugged. While he would normally joke with his mom, he didn't laugh. Apparently, Alec's mom believed that mages, specifically beginners, were anything but neat and tidy, as they couldn't control their powers well enough. While Alec never met a mage, let alone seen one for himself, for some reason he took his mother's word for it.

As his mom started picking up his clothes, she turned to him. "Come on. Help clean this up."

When she noticed her son slouched on the edge of the bed, his mother frowned. Putting the clothes down, she sat down next to him. She studied Alec for a moment before folding her hands together. "It seems like you are having a hard time adjusting," she observed. "Do you want me to help you pack?"

Alec hesitated. He didn't expect his mom to see right through him. While he was nervous about the trip, he didn't want his mother to worry about him. Not that he didn't appreciate the offer, but he didn't want her to think that he couldn't take care of himself. He didn't want to disappoint her.

He shook his head. His mother squeezed his arm comfortingly. "Are you sure? I can—"

She cut off as Alec lightly squeezed his arm. She smiled softly as she let out a quiet sigh. Meeting his gaze, she quietly said, "Don't worry about it, Alec. I'll take care of it. Why don't you go downstairs and get yourself some breakfast?"

Alec nodded and watched as she started picking up his clothes before he left, heading down to the kitchen. After a few minutes of rummaging through the cupboards and the fridge, once he found something worthwhile to eat, he found a place to sit at the table and started eating. Or he tried to, at least. With his head resting in his hand, he stared blankly as his spoon submerged his flakes of cereal. He didn't feel hungry. The thought of leaving home was getting the better of him. He couldn't imagine being so far away.

When his mother finally returned from upstairs with a suitcase in her hand, she set it down before coming to Alec's side. Sitting down in the chair next to him, she comfortingly rubbed his hand. "Are you anxious?" she questioned.

Alec didn't answer. His eyes flicked up briefly when she said that, and she smiled kindly at him. Then he turned his head away again. After a moment, he gave a small nod.

She sighed. "Okay. Well..." Her voice dropped lower as she continued, "If it will help, would you like to tell me what's wrong? Why are you nervous?"

Alec didn't exactly know why he was so worried, but it made his thoughts go all over the place. Perhaps it was because this was the first time he'll be away from home. Maybe the length of the visit was what was getting to him—he was told that it would last a year, maybe more depending on whether or not he returned home between periods. The trip there was frightening enough as is, but the thought of being in a world where everything was different just didn't sit right with him. He didn't know what to expect, after all. However, knowing his mother, while being sweet to him now, would somehow convince him to go on the trip, no matter what. But no matter how scared he may have been, he decided to tell her.

"Mom, I... I don't want to go. To World Zero."

He winced at his own words. That sounded much too serious for such a simple request, almost like he was saying something forbidden. His mother, however, smiled encouragingly and took his hands in hers. "Why not?"

Again, he hesitated. But she was patiently waiting for an answer, and he couldn't lie to her. It wouldn't do any good. Besides, it might make him feel a little less uneasy. "I'm worried about... everything."

His mother looked at him gently. "Don't worry, Alec," she said. "I was just as nervous as you were when I was your age. I remember how much I begged my parents not to let me go. But as soon as I got there, I felt a lot better. In fact, some of my best moments in life is when I went to World Zero. That was how I met your mom."

Alec averted his gaze to his sad bowl of cereal and furrowed his brows. He twiddled his thumbs nervously. "I'm scared of never seeing you again. What if I can't come home?"

"Oh, Alec." His mother took the side of his face and slowly made him look at her. "Of course, you'll see us again. It's not like they'll force you to stay. Once you finish your training, you are free to come and go whenever you'd like. The path to World Zero may not last that much longer for me or your mom, but we are still able to communicate with you whenever you want to. I promise that we'll write to you as much as possible. That's only if you're willing to reply to our messages." Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Even then, your room will be filled with letters by your second year, I'm sure."

Alec forced himself to smile, but he really hoped that things worked out. He knew there would probably be nothing to write home about, but he still needed something to keep him occupied. At least for a little while. And besides, reading his parents' letters put him at ease. His mother brushed his dark hair to plant a kiss on his forehead. "Go get ready. I'll wait for you in the car."

Smiling, she got up, took Alec's suitcase and her keys, and went outside as Alec abandoned his half-eaten bowl of cereal to go use the bathroom.

The journey to the station, located near the city's outskirts, seemed to drag on forever. Neither Alec nor his mom didn't spend much time talking either, enveloped in their thoughts. By the time the train station came into view, Alec's mother had finally spoken. "Remember what I told you before. Once you get there and get situated, your mentor will be there to help you. Okay?"

Alec didn't respond and continued to stare out the window. As his mother searched for a parking spot once they got there, Alec shrunk in his seat, his legs feeling weak. He didn't want to move, but as his mom stopped the engine and got out of the car, taking his suitcase with her, he pushed himself off the seat and followed his mom to the underground train station. However, rather than getting on where they normally did, where the train transported them to different parts of the city, she led him deeper into the ground. After going down a couple more levels, Alec felt his hands getting sweaty, wondering why they were going so down. As soon as they stepped off the staircase, though, he seemed to find out.

Before him was what appeared to be another station, only they were reserved for people like him. There were a lot more trains than just the average one or two, and they waited as crowds of people got on. A sign displayed the time schedule for each of the trains. There looked to be at least eight trains in total, though Alec felt that there were more than that.

Like the others who were saying their goodbyes to their friends or families, his mother turned to him and knelt in front of him, grasping his shoulders and meeting his gaze. "You're sure that you'll be okay?" she asked.

Alec gave her a weak smile. Even though he didn't feel ready to leave just yet, he didn't want to keep his mother any longer. "Yeah, I'll be fine," he reassured.

She patted his shoulder lightly, her expression suddenly turning serious. "Be safe, okay?"

He nodded.

"And promise that you'll write to me?"

Alec stifled a laugh before nodding again. "I promise."

His mom sighed quietly before pulling him into a firm hug. Alec nearly fell into her embrace and felt a lump well up in his throat. When they pulled away, Alec's mom stood up and handed her son his suitcase. "Have a good time, kiddo," she said. "I love you."

Alec looked up at his mother before breaking into a sad, teary-eyed smile. Before he turned to go to his train, he gave his mom another tight hug. "I love you too."