S U N S E T O R A N G E
—
Avery had forgotten to close the curtain last night. The morning light was currently blaring through the window, piercing his eyes and murdering his dreams in the process. Groaning, he threw the pillow over his head in one final attempt for slumber. It didn't work. Mostly because the alarm clock chose then to start making its battle cry.
Avery slammed his hand down aggressively on the top of it to kill the noise, annoyed at the morning already.
Despite the irony, he was not an early bird.
The noise machine read 7:30 am. Great.
He almost considered the little voice in the back of his head that told him to skip, to avoid the inevitable for just one more day. But he knew he needed to get his stuff in order, and inform teachers—the ones that were there, anyway.
As well as say goodbye to Edison and Theo.
Edison and Theo.
He felt guilty about not telling them, having practically grown up with those two. Foster kids were typically weary at making long-lasting ties even though adoption itself was becoming more unlikely. People just struggled more than ever to take care of their own kids, let alone foster the idea of adding on someone else's.
Avery had met Edison and Theo in first grade, when Edison had snatched his apple out of hand, and taken a bite. Theo rushed in and bonked his sister on the head, making her cry and getting them all in trouble. After that, the three somehow became close friends, Avery frequently escaping to their house, subconsciously craving a sliver of familial normalcy and the open arms that were offered to him. Yet as their family let him experience what he craved, it also forced him to acknowledge what he'd never have; something that used to make his heart clench in self-pity.
Their father, Manuel, was also very passionately against the education system, believing that normal kids never stood a chance, that institutionalized disadvantages continued to be ignored. How could he support a system when even the seldom AAE success stories gave children an excuse to forget the problems their parents were born into? It would be impossible for Edi and Monroe to be his kids if they didn't at least share some of this sentiment.
Which was exactly why Avery knew telling them would be so hard. It would feel like a low blow. A betrayal from family. He didn't want that.
But they deserved the truth. Or a lighter version of it, one that at least mentioned him going to a lower university. Even if the truth made me out to be somewhat of a villain.
Sighing, Avery reached his arms over his head for a good stretch, getting out of bed to reluctantly face to day.
ВЫ ЧИТАЕТЕ
Cracks
Научная фантастикаSouth Chicago native Avery Han finds himself accepted to a prestigious university with ties to the American Inquisition, a military branch dedicated to defending the country's borders against thaumatic, or magical, attacks. Experiencing culture shoc...
