𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 [𝐣𝐢𝐦 𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐱 𝐨𝐜]

Chapter 1 | A New Dawn

Jim Lake Jr.

It was a lovely sunny day, perfect for a casual ride along the backroads in the valley beyond Arcadia Oaks as Jim drove his prized blue moped, following the winding road that slithered through the sea of greenery like a black serpent beneath a cloudless blue sky, wind roaring against his ears as he picked up speed. Suddenly, as if time had slowed, he faintly heard a familiar voice calling from a distance.

"Jimmy!"

In the blink of an eye, Jim stood upon a meadow of wild grass and flowers beneath clear blue skies stretched as far as the eye could see.

"Jimmy!"

Again, he catches the name in the wind, its familiar and light voice reminding him of one particular little girl who once called him by that nickname. Sweeping his gaze across the sea of green, he catches sight of a little girl waving to him excitedly, her bright, innocent smile shining like the dawn of a new day.

"Come on, Jimmy!"

Beckoning him to follow, she turned around and ran, her little turquoise dress with white frills folding in the wind as the breeze swept through her wavy, golden-brown hair.

"H-Hey, wait for me!" He runs after the little girl, whose playful giggles echo across the field. "Come on, slowpoke!"

"Wait!"

"Lizzie!"

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Jim groaned as his morning alarm went off, interrupting his dream—one of many he'd had almost every night for the past month. Each dream was filled with old memories of his childhood friend, Lizzie, whom he lost one tragic night ten years ago, never to be seen again.

Sliding off the motor pedal magazine from his face, he turns to look at the time: 6:00 A.M. He better get moving. He promised his best friend, Toby, to make lunch for him that day.

Jim quickly gets out of bed to start his day, unaware that in a few moments, everything he thought he knew was about to change.

Unknown

Along the sidewalk heading towards Arcadia Oaks High, a girl with golden brown wavy hair and turquoise eyes walked beside her tall friend with hazel-colored eyes partially covered by indigo streaks of hair.

"You sure you want to enroll in this school, love? I'm sure Arcadia Oaks Academy would be lucky to have you instead," Douxie asks the girl beside him, his hands in his jacket pockets. The girl sighed lightly. "Again, I'm sure. You don't have to worry about me, Doux. I can take care of myself."

Douxie chuckled. "Oh, I know that. It's not you that I'm worried about. It's the school."

The girl laughed, looking up at her friend with a raised brow. "Really, Doux?"

He shrugs, smiling at the girl, his hazel eyes twinkling with mirth. "I'm just saying, love. You'll be sweeping people off their feet once they meet you."

"Like I did with you?" She smirked.

"Ha!" Douxie laughed, rubbing the back of his head before muttering softly to himself. "Not literally, I hope."

The two chuckled as they approached Arcadia Oaks High, the sky lightening with the coming dawn. They walked up the front steps towards the main entrance through the central courtyard. Inside, they went down the hall to the main office, where faculty were prepping for another school day. A woman with black hair and glasses behind the desk glanced up at their arrival. "Good morning. How may I help you?"