Guardian of Dreams

Chapter One: Accepted

Winter couldn't come any faster for Mae. She looked out her window at the bright shining sun, and she felt the humidity in the air. Her gaze dropped to her tiny house, a one room cottage with a kitchen on the left side a bathroom on the right and a bedroom in the middle. It's what she could afford after all. Sometimes she wished that there was someone else to pay the bills beside her. Someone that could support her. But for now, she had no one. There was nothing she could do about it. The tiny cottage had makeshift furniture speratically placed among the room. She had sweetly smelling candles placed around the room.ae examined her cottage, as she had done every day, and then she decided it was enough. She cut her glance away from her small space and she began preparing herself for school. At least she had free public education. She thought to herself, what would I do without it? And she dreaded her answer. Mae owned the fifty acres she lived on, because her family had bought it years ago. But she still had to pay for water and electricity. She did not have enough money for a television, or a computer. Or a phone. She simply had enough to keep the lights on, and Mae was satisfied with that.

She collected her belongings and raced out the door. She was going to be late. She was going to miss the bus. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and slammed the cottage door shut. She sprinted towards the road, her tennis shoes getting soaked by the dew on the ground. The tall green grass slapped into her legs, and her legs began to sting. She ran as fast as she could, past the trees and down the long overgrown dirt road. She heard the sound of an engine in the distance. The bus would be rounding the corner any minute and if they didn't see her she would be forgotten. She pushed herself to go on, as fast as she could possibly go. As fast as her legs could take her. She felt like she was flying through the air, but somehow she wasn't quite fast enough, and she heard the skidding of wheels, and then she saw the yellow bus move forward, continuing its route.

"Really?" She yelled out to herself. "Today?" She came to a stop and started walking towards the main road. She had walked many times to school, just never on the day of her brothers death. Her brother was murdered on his way home from school. Mae was sick that day, and if she was there perhaps he could have been saved. Her older brother was the only person she had in the world and she thuoght every day that she could've prevented his death. She could've been there perhaps, maybe if only they had seen her then maybe they wouldn't have shot at him at all, or if she was there maybe she could've ran for help earlier. Instead Ezra was killed, and he lie on the side of the road until someone with a car came by him and found him. They took him to a hospital but they couldn't do much for him. They had no way to reach her until she had walked into town and found a police officer. He took her to the hospital but it was already too late.

Mae walked silently. Captured inside her own mind. Thinking about things, trying not to think about Ezra. He had a job that paid well, and she didn't have to worry about her job not paying that much. Mae's life was not at all easy. People at school complained that they had it hard, but they really didn't know. A couple of them had a right to complain, but the ones that had a loving family and a loving home and money, they didn't have a right to complain. It was just flat out selfish. Mae looked down the road. She had made the long walk about a million times but she disliked it even more each time she did it. Somehow she was capable of walking the seven mile walk into town. She had memorized it at an early age. When she and Ezra were five and eight they would walk into town and buy their grocieres. It's funny the looks that they would get. Mae with her bleached blonde hair, and Ezra with his dirty blonde hair. An eight year old holding hands with a five year old, and they were buying milk. Then they would carry it all the way home.

Their life was anything but easy but together they made fun out of it. A scared little eight year old and five year old growing up alone. Taking care of themselves. Now Mae was fifteen and Ezra would've been eighteen. Ezra would be going to a community college through a full scholarship, and Mae is in tenth grade. Ezra would graduate from college and then begin his life long dream of becoming a famous writer. Their house was sprawled with notes and loose paper where an idea had been written, and then sometimes carried out. But it will never happen now.

Mae finally reached town. She came across the frst general store, on her right. It had been boarded up for a year because they had gone out of bussiness. Mae's first job was there. She had helped price everything out and she had gotten paid a little at first, but then they hired her salary. When they ran out of bussiness she had to look for a new job. The General Store was run by The Johnson's. They were a nice family who had moved out of town now, because they needed somewhere else to go. Mae passed the gas station to her left. Ezra's first job. As Mae came closer into town she spotted the newer stores. The ones that had been turned into tourist attractions. The ones that were so expensive one of Mae's whole paychecks would have to cover the cost of one meal. Sometimes Mae would daydream what it would be like with a family. Her and Ezra living with a loving family that wouldn't require them to have a job.

Mae continued into town, the school was on the completely other side of the school. She was a small, short girl. With bleach blonde hair and a confident personality. She wore a simple black T-shirt that was absorbing all of the sun, and she wore long black jeans. Her sneakers were still soaked from her run in the grass. They had collected dirt and other remnants on her way into town. She walked past the many shops, some of tehm boarded up. Some of them vandalized. Her childhood, now gone. She stopped in front of a shop window, because a sign caught her eye. "Guardians, please report to Harmony Heights Training School at the crack of dawn on April 16." She looked to the people crossing the street, none of them seemed to notice the sign. "Um, excuse me." Mae caught a man in a bussiness suit on the cellphone and he waved her off. "Miss!" Mae asked but she ignored her and carried on with her walking. A mother glared at Mae, holding her children closer to her as they passes. Mae was so confused, she just wanted to know what the sign had meant. She looked back to it, it seemed to be taped onto the winow from the inside but this shop had closed years ago. They used to sell books, Ezra had a job here at once. It was named "Jedediah's book shop, and antiques." But Jedediah had moved out of town two years ago. Two years ago and he had just left this sign here. Now normally Mae would continue on with her day but when she looked back at the sign, it had changed! The words were now reading. "First years, Jake Molly, Carter Thomas, Hershel Winfrey, Buckley Zintag, Harry Yersley, Taylore Mally, Felix Fernand, Quentin Gray, Lukas Frayer, Oliver Desdool, Michael Kony, Mae Thompson, Riley Set, Olivia Pearing, Adelaide Lest, Quinn Harsely, Lolita Met, Leslie Broke, Addy Melone, and Sarah Wellington."
"My name is on the list." Mae said aloud, catching a couple stares from some rude people walking past. Mae skimmed the list again. All of these names were very odd, except Mae Thompson. Mae's name. Her name was on this list in the abandoned book shop.
"Mae?" Mae turned and she saw Harry Yersley. Her best friend, he already had a drivers license and he had a fancy car. Harry Yersley, Mae turned back to the list but it was already flashing, "Second Years, Luke O'Mally, Brenda"
"Did you see the list?"
"What list?" Harry asked.
"The one on the window of the abandoned book shop!" Mae exclaimed to Harry.
"Mae, we are going to be late to school." Harry said, agitated. "There's no list, just come on I'll drive you the last couple miles. I'm assuming you missed the bus?" Mae nodded. "Thought so. Come on." He said and motioned to the passenger side door. Mae walked around the car, but before that she looked at the sign, and it was flashing "Fourth years, and she saw an Ezra, but she didn't have time to read the last name because out of no where it started to rain, and Harry started yelling at Mae to hurry, they were going to be late.