Enigma Source: Grey Area

Chapter 2: Lonesome Optimist

November 21, 2531
Grey Morrison
Reach Academy

"Hey Dad! I've uh, I've missed you. How's it been? Heard about you almost getting assassinated. Sounds rough haha... No that doesn't sound right". I stood in front of my mirror and twitled my fingers. The kid in the reflection perfectly mimicked my awkward movements. A teenage boy with blue eyes and somewhat spiky, sand-brown hair, with bangs sweeping over his right eye looked back at me. I mean, of course he would. It was my reflection after all. I played around with my bangs a bit, looking for a spot that would look good for when I would reunite with my dad.

I breathed slowly and carefully, trying to normalize my breathing rhythm. "It's okay Grey. Your dad won't think you're weird or anything. Just gotta focus on communication", I said to myself. I paced back and forth in the room, still playing with my fingers. "That's even if he's at Corpus Industries today". I let out another sigh, this one more depressing sounding. I looked at the clock positioned on a wooden dresser in the middle of the back wall. "It's about to be eight. The trip starts in about an hour. I should be getting dressed", I spoke to myself. I ran to my dresser and began to shuffle through my folded clothes. Before I could really find anything, a text message alert broke my concentration.

"What is it now?", I asked. I pulled my phone out of my shorts' pocket and looked through my texts. I only ever texted like four people: My mom, one of my teachers (for assignments), my roommate, and my one and only real friend, Blythe Staples. She was just BS in my contacts. "Hey Grey! Are you ready for the 'road trip'? I hope you have something to keep you entertained. If not, I could lend you a book or something to read", she sent me. She even had a little emoji that teased me at the end of the message. I simply rolled my eyes and put my phone down. "I really don't have time to look for something to entertain myself during the trip", I said to myself.

I fell on my bed, facing up at the ceiling. There was a whole swarm of butterflies in my stomach. I felt very anxious and uncomfortable. I wasn't ready to see my dad, even if there was only a small chance of that possibility. Things were always weird for my family since my dad was rarely home. His job at Corpus made him live on one of thier worksites. He had been living on one of them for about six years now. Sure, the money was always there, but it was never a worthy enough replacement for a father. My mom would do her best to fulfill both jobs, but it was obvious that she didn't know how to "father". It was probably a good thing that I was at the age to go to Reach Academy.

"How do I even bring up the topic of assassination naturally?", I thought. Just thinking about the idea made me laugh out loud. I rested on my bed for a good minute before leaping up to prepare for the trip. "I really don't need much. It's just gonna be like a two hour long drive. I should just charge my phone and put some comfortable clothes on; clothes that are both comfortable and formal enough for a tour of Corpus' Industries". That was the immediate plan.

I hopped out of bed and out of that depressing mindset that hung over me. "I can worry about my dad later", I mumbled to myself. I plugged my phone into its charger and let it charge up a bit as I returned to find some clothes. Back at the dresser, I picked out some blue skinny jeans and changed into them. I left the white T-shirt that I had already been wearing on. I already knew what I wanted to wear as a top. On the opposite side of the room was the closet that I had to share with my roommate. The room was small, as you could probably guess.

I opened up the shutter like doors of the closet and instantly spotted my prized jacket. Using both of my hands, I separated all the other useless clothing away and let the jacket breathe. A lightening blue jacket hung there, greeting me with its sleek look. The black outline on the rim of the cuffs taunted all other jackets with their oddly vibrant obsidian shine. The white trim along the zipper popped out like a clown at a funeral and the angular collar was like two triangles at a rave trying to hit it off. I carefully took it out of the closet and placed it gently on my bed. "Oh momma. I shouldn't be doing this. But I must".