Sonder: A Solangelo Story

Chapter 1

The first thing Nico did when he woke up, was wonder why the hell his room was so damn bright. Nobody in his family had walls covered with enough yellow to make the sun inadequate, it was basically sitting in the middle of a lightbulb. Once he got used to the ultra bright room, -like damn take it down a notch- he started to notice other changes to the room. Mainly the millions of medical books laying around and the fact his bed was a somber blue, the shade you might see closer to dusk when the sky is reflected in the beautiful sea wa- wait, why did it smell less like the sea and more? Oh, god was that manure?! Where the hell was he??! After a moment of deliberation, he quickly slipped out of the bed, only to stop and stare at the mirror. The blonde hair, blue eyes, beautifully tanned skin and freckled face male was not who he was expecting to see in the mirror. 

"What the fuck?!" He whispered, the eyes of the reflection showing the same amount of surprise he felt.

"WILL!! ITS ALMOST TIME TO LEAVE" a female voice yelled from the bottom floor, the sounds of multiple people talking surprised him.

"Uh....Is that me?!" He asked once opening the door, surprised to see a green haired female climb up the steps.

"Really? This again?! I get you don't like to go to school, especially after the bullshit Travis and Conner pulled yesterday, but don't act like you forgot your own name" the female responded, clearly tired of conversations like this. Nico had started to wonder if this was a dream, maybe he should enjoy being someone else for a little while?

~

Will had awakened to the sound of an alarm buzzing and quickly fell out of the bed when trying to shut it off, the room being unusually dark and the sound surprising him. Once the sound of buzzing stopped, the male rubbed his eyes and looked around a bit. Why were there blackout curtains? What was with the skulls and empty McDonald's wrappers? Is that bed covered in pillows? He was completely bewildered by the new setting and slowly stood, the mirror on the nearby closet door revealing it all to him. The dark hair and eyes, the pale skin and black clothes.

"Am I emo?" He asked, not realizing that an older male, who looked similar to him, had opened the door to check on him.

"I'm glad you finally realized this, Nico," he said, his voice stern but gentle. As if he was a man who could do harm if he wanted to but instead showed compassion. "Anyways, I made you some breakfast for once. I have to go, behave at school okay?" He then closed the door, leaving Will to question if this was reality or not. Probably just a dream? Yeah hopefully. The sound of honking actually made him jump, causing him to pull back the curtains and smile like an idiot at the scene. 

"This is the city!" He said excitedly, having a dorky grin on his face as he quickly got dressed and grabbed the phone off the dresser. "So, I need to find my way to school, unless a friend picks me up....I wonder who Nico's friends are?" He started to speculate that he might be around a group of kids like Nico, it was a bit nervewracking that he might have to discuss things like death but also a bit exciting. Or maybe they were a group of dorks and teased Nico for dressing like this, how should he respond to that? While speculating, he sat at the table and ate the meal his father?? provided him with.

~

"Hey, Will!"
"Sup, Will?"
"Will, do you know where the amygdala is?"
"Hey, Solace, do you have bandaids?!"
"Will, Kayla said you forgot your name. Are you doing okay?"
"Solace!" 
No matter where Nico looked, everyone seemed to know his name and attempted to greet him. He felt surrounded and didn't know how to escape without answering a few questions. After a while he just glared at anyone who attempted to speak to him, finding it more effective as those attempting to talk to him seemed to back off until a pair of twins appeared.

"Solace? What's with the look?! I thought we were friends here" the taller of the two said, ruffling his hair

"sorry for shredding your exam, we told the teacher and she'll let you retake it." The male seemed to be looking for some form of confirmation that Nico understood. He didn't and continued to glare at the twins, or at least what he suspected to be twins. 

"Will, you feelin' alright?" The shorter one asked, tilting his head.

"Yeah, fine....just leave me be for now." He muttered, clearly irritated with how the two were talking to him, still. Did they not get that he wanted to be left alone?

"Well, Connor and I are here if you need anything....I guess?" The twins looked at each other before walking off, whispering quietly to one another. Nico didn't care and walked to the back of his classroom, having found where it was using Will's phone. He found a chair to sit in and just rested his head on the desk, ignoring the stares from the rest of the class. Who cared anyway? It was just a dream.

~

Will had become lost, having found Nico's phone unreliable in terms of school information. Though the kid did have flawless taste in music and he was grateful for that. He hummed along quietly before being startled by a hand on his shoulder, looking behind him to find a taller female. Her chestnut colored hair was in a side braid, her tan skin only making her brown eyes filled with concern standout and a faint sigh escaped her thin lips. 

"Nico? First off, you're heading the wrong way and secondly, are you feeling okay? You were humming a song." She said, removing her hand and guiding him in the direction of the school. Her brown eyes still filled with worry and curiosity.

"Sorry, didn't realize someone I knew was around and that I had been going the wrong way." He said with a grin, causing her brow to furrow intensely. He was wondering why she so concerned, did he not smile or sing? What sad life did Nico have to live where singing was no longer a pleasure? This thought ran through his mind, causing him not to notice he'd been asked a question. "Sorry, I didn't catch that?"

"You seem happy, did something good happen?" 

"No, I just woke up in a good mood. Though it might fade once we get to class." He hoped his response sounded reasonable as he walked through the brick and mortar building, his eyes on the different doors.

"You're going to be late if you follow me, your class is through this door. I don't think you're just chipper, you're forgetful too." She said, walking off and leaving him to move through the crowd desks, the open one in the back most likely would be his. The spot was close enough to read the board but far enough to ignore and sleep.

"Hmm.....i wonder if he sleeps in class," he wrote in the back of the notebook he pulled out, finding intriguing doodles. He sorta wished this wasn't a dream, then maybe he would be able to meet Nico in person as he seemed like a very interesting individual.