An Illusion of Will

Chapter 1: Goodbye Normality!

"Good morning, Alex!" a loving voice echoed through the house. Brown hair swayed as a boy darted down the stairs, his voice filled with mild exasperation. "Mom, how many times do I need to tell you? My name isn't Alex! Call me Al like my friends do or Alexander like Dad does."

Linda observed her son's hurried entrance into the living room, her eyes mirroring his restless movements. She lowered the volume on the television. "Have you heard what they've been saying in the news? An entire town in Alaska mysteriously vanished," Linda said with a voice slightly higher than the TV's.

Al looked at his mom mockingly with a playful spirit in his eye before he could get a sarcastic word in. She continued, "It's been all anyone is talking about lately. I think it might be extraterrestrial aliens abducting folks." Linda concluded, her gaze shifting towards the cross on the wall as she blessed herself.

Al glanced at the cross before scrambling to find his other shoe. In a hasty breath, he loudly responded, "Maybe the internet is wrong this time, and it's not an alien invasion. It could be the work of some criminal organization, targeting vulnerable towns to harvest organs."

Linda choked on her breath before shouting, "Please, don't say that!" Her voice cracked, needing reassurance.

Al chuckled softly. "There's no use dwelling on it too much. Anyways, I've noticed that Dad's been more occupied lately."

Linda released a weary sigh, her gaze drifting towards a portrait of the three of them. "I miss him too, but since the vanishings began, the law firm has been calling him in relentlessly."

Al paused for a few seconds, and his brow dropped slightly towards the hard wooden floor before perking back up to inform his mom he was going out. "Oh well, I have to get going. Mark is waiting for me. I told him I'd swing by and pick him up on my way to school." He turned to hug his mom goodbye and grabbed his bag.

Al burst out the front door of his house. The sun was high, and the skies were clear. His thoughts had already shifted to what street to take to Mark's house.

Al's final week as a high school student was almost over. He reflected on his years through school—a resounding success by all standards. He was walking in his father's steps, headed to the legal field after university.

On the other hand, his best friend Mark wanted nothing to do with pens or paper. Mark wasn't even sure he wanted to graduate.

Al got in his car and began driving to pick up Mark. When he got to Mark's house, his chubby friend was waiting outside.

The car bounced as Mark got in, "Uhh, I'm not sure about this, man. I mean, what if we..." Mark's words trailed off, his reluctance apparent, but Al cut him off. "Are you in or not? If not, you can still get out and walk."

Mark gave a defeated sigh and remained quiet. Al laughed as he began driving. He dashed and weaved through the traffic. The harder Al stepped on the gas. The louder he became. "Relax, we're going to let the birds fly. I'm telling you! It's going to be worth it!"

"You're insane! Your plan doesn't even make sense." Mark shouted before silence filled the small car as they approached the school.

Seeing the shift in Al Mark's shaky voice broke the silence. "Now that I think about it, I guess it's kind of funny," Mark said, trying to lighten the mood. Still, there was hesitation on Mark's face. He quickly added, "But birds shitting on everyone's gowns during graduation seems kind of excessive and uncalled for don't you think?"

Al slowly shook his head. "You just don't get it. Think about it. Everyone is so full of hope for the future then it starts raining bird shit! It's funny, trust me." Al said with a stubborn look and a glint in his eyes.