The Woven Lines of Elements & Designs

Chapter 1

How the hell did we get here?

The short answer is: I have no idea.

I woke up in my bed, the black and green bedding filling my vision, as I wasn't quite awake enough to register anything else.

My phone was going off, playing my girlfriend's favorite song. Motivation for me to get up, because I don't have much motivation these days.

I clambered out of bed, putting my phone in my sweats pocket as I opened my door and went down the hall to the kitchen. I was the first one up, so it was dead silent & pitch black everywhere. I felt around the wall, and found the light switch for the kitchen. I flicked it up, and got blinded by the bright white leds.

I stayed in the same spot for a minute, letting my eyes adjust to the lights. When I could see again, I went over to the food cabinet and got a box of cereal. I grabbed a bowl and milk, and made myself a bowl of cereal. I sat down on a chair in the living room, being joined by my cat, Shadow. I ran my fingers down the black fur of her back.

She purred in response, and I smiled at that. One of the few things nowadays that made me happy. Shadow, Casey, and nature. Although the last is getting scarcer and scarcer these days. Though my girlfriend, Casey, is often helping me feel better about that. She would tell me to focus on the better side of the future, like technological advancements.

I finished my cereal, and got up (to the angry protest of Shadow) to put my bowl in the dishwasher. Afterwards, I went back to my room and took out my medicine. I used the water I kept on my nightstand to take it, and swallowed it in one go. I had no idea what the medicine did, but my parents and the doctor told me it was to help with mood swings I had when I was little. Too little to remember apparently. They tested me once a year with stuff like a physical and a personality test to see if I still needed it.

Spoiler: I always needed it.

I got changed into a pair of black leggings and a green long sleeve shirt for school. I checked the time; 6:24, which meant I had about 20 minutes left before I needed to get outside to catch the bus. I went to the bathroom to brush my hair and teeth, made coffee, filled my thermos, and slipped on my black tennis shoes. I grabbed my backpack by the door and checked to make sure I had all my things in there. Everything I needed was in there, courtesy of my night planning.

Shadow was at my feet again, begging for more scratches. I happily obliged, scratching under her chin and on her back. My alarm went off, signaling it was time for me to go out for the bus.

At Shadow's dismay, I took my bag and left out the front door. I always timed my departure so that I would be outside just as the bus pulled up, since it was always freezing before the sun came up.

The bus was just pulling up to the driveway when I got outside, and I hopped on right when the doors opened.

"Morning Luna!" The bus driver greeted me.

"Morning Ms. Smith." I replied.

I shuffled down the aisle to my assigned seat; #11. I put my bag in my lap and laid my head back, closing my eyes. With the rocking of the bus and the hum of the engine, it wasn't difficult to fall back asleep.

                                  •••

I woke back up when my seat mate shook me awake, signaling that we were at school. I slung my bag over my shoulder and got up, following the other highschoolers off the bus and into the building.

Every hall was lined with blue lockers, other students rummaging through them, adding backpacks, removing binders, and some admiring themselves in little mirrors they had added to the inside of the door.

My locker was towards the back of the school, #1605. I doubt we even had that many students at this school. The sign coming into town said that the town's population was 2,742 people.

I reached my locker and opened it with the combination. I put my backpack inside, and took out my big blue binder, which I put all my class contents in so that I didn't have to come to my locker in between every class.

I walked back the way I came, headed for my first period; science. We'd been going over the periodic table, and I had it memorized by now. We were going over what each element did now.

I got to the classroom and sat in my seat in the back corner, next to the plants Ms. Fells kept. There was an evergreen sapling, a hydrangea bush, and a bunch of different flowers. I always felt happier, more grounded, when I was around plants. No clue why, just did.

Ms. Fells started talking the second the bell rang, giving a gist of the lesson plan for the day and then starting the lesson. Today's lesson was over the properties of helium. Fun.