Hope by day, Red by night.
Hope is in his senior year of high school. He's handsome, an honors student, captain of the basketball team, and president of the school board. A perfect guy in every way. By day, he accumulates Light to survive the Darkne...
The morning sun stroked the leaves on the trees, and a light breeze made them sway lazily, creating incredibly beautiful patterns on the school grounds. The white walls of the school building seemed to glow. There was a chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves. The air smelled fresh, as it had rained the night before, and faintly of honey.
Hope sat in the shadow of Albizia* on the bench in front of the building, resting his arms on its back and smiling as he watched the dance of light and shadow.
It was only 8:10 on the clock now, classes started at 9:00. Being alone here on the school grounds, the place of his strength did not bother the boy at all. He came to school an hour early every day to be alone with himself, with his thoughts and feelings. It felt like he was recharging his soul with the light while sitting here.
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*(From the author: Albizia is a tall tree of the legume family, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, Asia and Africa. It is striking for its giant size and unique silky, honey-scented inflorescences).
That is how Hope was charging until 8.45, when the schoolyard became lively, absolutely everyone greeted him, but he did not look anyone in the eyes, just nodded in response, continuing to look at the shadows.
"No way, the great and unique Hope get a monument in his lifetime! Wouldn't sit under a tree like a statue, the birds don't slumber!" - The cheerful voice and tinkling laughter of a petite girl with a short shoulder-length haircut and big Coke-colored eyes brought the boy out of his daze.
Hope slowly turned his head towards the source of the laughter and smiled sweetly. It was Jean, his mate who, for as long as he could remember, had always been there for him since junior high school.
"There goes another one of my geysers of pure energy" - the thought ran through his mind before he said hello, put his arm around his friend's shoulder and they headed towards the school porch.
As they climbed the wide stairs to the doors of the building, the boy stopped and turned around. His gaze travelled once more over the schoolyard, mostly flowering trees that created a small park around the school, where students could do their homework and relax during lunch break, enjoying the shade. His eyes rose to the sun, he squinted slightly:
