Genesis

Day Eight Part One

Word count →_→ 1063 words

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"Alex... It's time to wake up."

The gentle voice was the first thing he heard as he came to. Blinking, his eyes adjusted to the sunlight that was now flooding the room. He lift his head off of his desk as he found himself staring at his mother's ever smiling face. He'd slept on his study table. Again. This was becoming a terrible habit.

At forty three, Freya Maxwell didn't look a day over thirty with her lush bob cut raven hair, gray eyes that were filled with so much wisdom and flawless skin.

"What time is it?" He asked as he stifled a yawn. It must have been four a.m when he dozed off.

"Seven twenty four." She replied.

"What?" He exclaimed as he suddenly shot off to the bathroom. "Why didn't you wake me? I'm super late!"

She simply giggled at his flustered state.

"Well you did sleep late and you looked quite adorable I didn't have the heart to wake you up." She replied with a guilty shrug.

"No mom, we talked about this." He said as he peaked his head through the closet door. "It doesn't matter if I just fell asleep two seconds ago. You have to wake me up. I have my final exam today!"

He came rushing into his room once more as he grabbed hold of his notebook and laptop and shoved them into him backpack.

"Hold on, young man. You are an Engineering Masters student. You do not need your mother to get you to school on time." Freya said as she waved a finger in disapproval at her son.

He barely heard her as he raced out of the house.

"Bye mom." He called out as he raced out of the house.

It was just another regular school day and as usual, NYU was bustling with activity. As he was about to enter the engineering lab, a mere five minutes away from being late to the exam, he bumped into a familiar face.

"Dude, where've you been? You were almost late." Came the hoarse voice of his childhood friend Nick Palmer.

"I overslept." Alex confessed with a goofy smile.

Nick was a tall, muscular guy with curly brown hair and intense gray eyes. Both of them had been on the same athletics team in high school but Nick had been the best in four disciplines whereas Alex had only been on the track team. Despite the years, they had remained very close, choosing even to go to the same college for their other common interest. Engineering.

"Let me guess, you were studying all night again?" Nick asked with an exaggerated sigh. "I'm telling you, man, you're going to kill yourself before you get a chance to work at Braxton. I'm sure the greatest Engineering Firm in the state would be disappointed not to have you."

"Actually... about that..." Alex began nervously, looking like a deer that had been caught in headlights. "They gave me a call yesterday. They offered to take me as part of their training program this summer."

"For real? Man, now I'm jealous!" Nick whined.

"You don't have to be." he replied meekly. "It's not a big deal."

He turned to head towards the lab. After all, they had about a minute or so to go before they were due for the exam.

"I guess you're right." Nick replied, thoughtfully. "You're going to be dead before summer, after all."

"What?" Alex asked in alarm, not sure if he had heard his friend clearly.

He turned to face him but found Nick looking at him in equal confusion.

"Uh... What?" Nick asked back.

"You said... What did you just say?" Alex repeated.

"I said we better hurry up or we'll be late for the exam. Less than a minute to go. Don't wanna be late for our final exam." Nick said with an awkward smile.

"Oh, yeah, right." Alex said although he wasn't completely convinced.

"Right? What's up dude? You're acting all strange." Nick asked studying his friend in concern. "And you're so pale you look like you've seen a ghost."

"It's nothing I... I'm just tired." Alex stuttered.

"Yeah I bet." Nick said with a laugh. "Seriously, you need to take a chill pill and take some time off for a breather. You've been working your ass off all semester."

Alex wasn't even listening anymore as they entered the lab. His mind was unsettled and he felt uneasy.

I'm losing my mind.

Six hours later he made his way to the men's restroom after bidding farewell to his friend. He had finally completed his college chapter and could take a breather before he had to jump into work.

Nick had been right, he really needed a breather. Looking at his reflection on the bathroom mirror, he could see the dark circles under his eyes. The telltale sign of a lack of sleep. Plus he could feel the fatigue.

Bending down over the sink, he splashed some water over his face, enjoying the cool refreshing water as it made contact with his skin. For a second his mind was at peace but then he suddenly froze, realizing something.

No... I'm seeing things. I'm definitely hallucinating.

His heart was pounding and he could feel the sweat building up as he slowly lift his eyes to the mirror once more. When he saw his reflection move in sync with him he breathed a sigh of relief because for a moment there he thought he had seen his reflection remain unmoving whilst watching him in an odd manner as he had bent down over the sink.

My mind is playing tricks on me. It's a sign I really need sleep.

His celebration was shortlived however because he noted another strange thing. Looking at his reflection, he saw that his eyes were golden and underneath his pale skin his blood vessels pulsed a strange black color.

What the heck?

He brought his hand towards his face and used his fingers to trace the outlines of his face. His hands trembled as he did this. There was something that tugged at his mind, something very important but he couldn't recall. Blinking, Alex found himself staring at the reflection of his own brown eyes.

I am definitely seeing things.

He immediately backed away but his eyes remained glued to his mirror reflection before he turned and left.