Cole's Story; The TWILIGHT PIERCER

Chapter 1; THE BEGINNING

He didn't have the will-power to get up. More and more loud ringing filled the air as little by little, Cole began to wake.

"Couldn't even sleep... great..." The boy yawned, his lack of rest beginning to show as he sluggishly navigated his small bedroom to get ready for the day ahead.

Cole tried for a smile as he stepped in front of the small mirror above his dresser. His hair was, as always, a messy black mop, but he always argued it complemented his jade-green eyes. He donned his usual red hoodie, a small stain that refused to come out lingering towards the bottom left side of the fabric, and just a generic pair of blue jeans.

"Just gotta get through today..." Cole felt some semblance of motivation following him as he grabbed his backpack and made his way out of the bedroom, stepping into the dimly sunshine-lit hallway. He heard snoring coming from a room at the opposite end of the hall – the drone-like noise coming from his still slumbering dad.

Without saying a word, Cole crept down the stairs, making sure to avoid the creaky steps in the center of the stairwell as he finally made his way out the door, almost instantly being hit by a blast of cold air.

"F... frick should've wore... m... my jacket!" Cole decided not to turn back, not on the risk of waking his dad up. Looking up to the sky above, Cole could see clouds slowly setting in – winter storm clouds to be exact.

Casting a glance back at his home, Cole reflected a small bit over how it hadn't changed in years.

Two floors, some curtained-off windows, and dark, ocean-blue paint. It was alright. Not perfect, but alright.

Cole didn't pay much mind to the world around him as he progressed to his destination, his motivation, his drive returning with each step he took.

As the air began to grow colder, Cole's phone began to buzz. Pulling the device out of his pocket, he hit the answer button.

"Yo Cole! What's shaking' my man?" Cole smiled as the voice of his longtime friend; Aron filled his ear.

"Nothing much, just on my way to class for the day." As Cole said this, he reached the usual midway crosswalk. No traffic yet, so he made his way across rather quickly.

"Didn't anyone tell you? The pipes blew up, so school's been cancelled today my guy."

Cole went slack-jawed. "Wait, what?"

"Yeah, some real crazy stuff." Aron chuckled as he continued, "Some big blockage the school ignored got real bad, and several pipes blew up."

"Yikes." Cole spun on his heel, shivering a bit as it got colder, "Well, guess I'll head home now."

"Wait a sec, Cole. I'll cut you a deal." He was listening, "My dad needs me to get the space heaters out of our storage unit. You come help me load them up, and we can go grab some breakfast at Kasandra's Café – my treat."

The thought of food sounded good to Cole, his stomach rumbling in agreement. "You got yourself a deal. I'm waiting at the Midway Crosswalk."

"Coolio. Be there in a couple minutes." There was a simple click, and Aron's voice was no more. Cole slid his phone back into the recedes of his pocket and yawned.

Cole watched the sky for a few moments as the clouds rolled in front of the sun, the world around him getting just a bit darker.

"Barely late December and we already have winter storms rolling in." He spoke to no one but himself as he waited for Aron to pick him up.