100% SURE »H.S

C H A P T E R O N E

BRYN

"Rrrrring!"

Bryn groaned as the alarm clock informed her the start of a new day. Why did she even reach for the alarm clock? After all, it woke her up on the same time every single day, so the action was totally pointless. Bryn shook her head to avoid her thoughts, there would be more time to do it later.

Bryn rolled out of her comfortable bed and stripped her pajama's for an old t-shirt and yoga pants. She retrieved her iPhone from her charger before going downstairs to slip on her Nike running shoes. After lacing them up, she silently opened the front door tiptoed outside to avoid her family's slumber.

The dark street was illuminated darkly by the lampposts and Bryn took a deep breath, releazing the smell of the early morning air. There was nothing quite like it. It was so clear, clean, and pure that she felt regenerated every time she inhaled it. Once she made it to the end of her street, she found the familiar trail that was her running path and she took off, slowly at first but increasing her speed more and more.

Her run ended twenty minutes later and she sat down on the bench in the park over looking the forest. Her house was situated on a large hill of sorts and from her current view, at the top, she could see the sunrise creep out over the horizon. Bryn sighed in as the sun slowly began to some out from its rest.

Bryn stood up a few minutes later and made her way home. Fortunately, the path she took was the short cut and didn't take a long time to go back.

At promptly 7:20 she sat down at her dinner table after her shower, dressed in new Calvin Klein dress. The maid worldlessly placed a cup of hot coffee in front of her. Bryn silently thanked her. She felt like she needs to wake up before school or she would fall asleep during class, which her mom would not like.

Once she finished her coffee, her mother, Leslie Howard, came down her dark hair let down so that it tumbled over her shoulders. Bryn always admired her mom. She always felt nobody treated her seriously with curly gold hair.

Bryn straightened her posture at the sight of her. Leslie adjusted the sleeves of her t-shirt as she stepped into the kitchen. She cast a disapproved look to her as if Bryn did something that she did not like.

"Did you finish correcting the essay for your geography project?" Athena asked expectantly.

Bryn nodded in as if she was prepared for this. "I made sure to change it before I went to sleep."

"You shouldn't have made so many errors with your grammar. I expect better from you. " Leslie snapped, her dark eyes looking Bryn with disdain.

Bryn felt anger and disappointment blossoming through her stomach, but she held her tongue. She so desperately wished she could tell her mother would just accept her as she is. Instead, Bryn merely nodded curtly at her mother before politely saying, "Of course mother, I won't fail you."

"I hope not. We expect you to follow in Dylan's footsteps." Leslie murmured into her cup I'd hot tea.

Jeff Howard, Bryn's dad, gave her a sympathetic glance as Bryn met his eyes. Bryn turned her head and tried to repress the feelings hurt and disappointment at herself.

Dylan was Bryn's perfect older brother. He was the brother who was always the teacher's pet. Winning a full scholarship to Standard. Whatever she did she couldn't escape the fact that she was Dylan's shadow. Bryn didn't hate Dylan. He was the perfect older brother any one would ask for, so caring and protective. She just wished that she could escape being his shadow.

"That's enough dear. Bryn's going to do just great as Dylan no matter what she is going to do" Jeff said soothingly to his wife.

Leslie glared at her husband who calmly stared at her. She stormed away, grabbing her bag and leaving the house, shutting the door behind her.