The Journey

The Incident

              Beep. Beep. Beep.  My alarm goes off at 5:00 am and I remember what day it is. Today is my Journey. And I couldn't be more nervous.

               Every time a girl is born in the Thompson's house, she is destined to be a Journeyer. That means whenever she turns 13, she is sent off on a journey to discover what animal is destined to be her match. There are no phones, no TV's, no electronics of any kind. The Thompson's have always been the ones who know everything about the animals. They are very magical and should be treated with respect, they are much more powerful than any other thing on the world. They are powerful, but they are also very dangerous in the wrong hands. What that alarm is saying, is that it is the start of my Journey. The day I set off to find the chosen animal for me.

               "Well, I better start the day off fresh."  I think as I walk drowsily into my bathroom. I turn the shower on to the hottest setting it has, and think about NOT falling asleep again. I take off my clothes and step in. During the shower, I try to wash away all of the fears I have of my journey. Oh, did I mention that no one has come back from their Journey successful? Yeah, that's even more pressure on me.  When I step out of the shower, I grab a towel and dry myself off as quickly as I can to start on my outfit. "Hmmm... What to wear?"  I think to myself as I walk to my bedroom.

                I open my drawers and pull out my favorite black jeans, white shirt, and green jacket.  This'll have to work, at least for this morning. When I look into my mirror, I don't see anything special. Dark brown wavy hair. Light freckles. Deep brown eyes. Oh, nevermind, I am 5'7, so I'm unusually tall.  Other than that, I'm just a normal teenager! As I run downstairs, I smell the amazing aroma of fried bacon. "Oh my gosh... Just what I needed to make today even better!"  I think with a sigh. When I step into the kitchen I see my seven-year-old twin brothers Aidan and Wesley bring a very large, slimy toad out of their room. "Go take that outside before Mom catches you!" I whisper shout. I love them to death and hate seeing them get in trouble for silly reasons. "Thanks!" They whisper to me while they run out the door into the backyard. "Those rascals..."  I think as I shake my head and turn towards Mum. I tiptoe over to where she's standing, careful not to startle her. She's busy cooking on the stovetop by the window. Perfect. I think evilly to myself.

                 "Good morning Mum!" I jump out and say as I hug her from behind. "Sleep well?"

                 "Aislyn! You scared me, and no, not at all. I was too worried about you, dear." Mum replied sadly. I wish you could wait a few years, you're still so young to travel on your own!"

                  "I'm not THAT young, Mum, I'm 13 years old today!" I complained to her.

                   "Oh well, stop arguing with me and go eat your birthday bacon!"

               I turn around and see our table. It's only seated for 2. "Is Dad not eating with us this morning? He's usually always awake by now!" I ask Mum worriedly. "Dad's been feeling a little... under the weather lately. He didn't feel well enough to come down this morning." Mum explained. Concerned, I  reply, "Oh, I hope he's alright."

                       Dad sometimes skipped breakfast. And as I got older, he started skipping it more than usual. I never thought it was anything serious, but turns out it was.

                    "Umm, well I guess I should go say good morning to him." I may never get to again. I add secretly in my head. After all, it is true. As I carefully walk up the stairs, I hear someone moan, then let out a throaty cough. And it sounds a lot like Dad... I sprint up the remaining length of the stairs and fling open Dad's door. "Dad! Oh my gosh oh my gosh... oh gosh!" I exclaim as I cautiously walk up to him laying on his bed. He's laying there with his eyes half closed, with blood soaking through the front of his shirt.

                  "Daddy! Oh my gosh, what happened?" I cry as I run up to him. He looks up at me with huge sad eyes only filled with pride. "Aisy... I want..." He leans over to cough. "You to... know that I'm.. I'm proud... so very proud... of you." Daddy whispers. "I need you to... come back successfully... from your... Journey." He coughs one last wet cough, and utters four simple words. Words that might not mean a lot for anyone else, but to me, they meant everything. "Do it... for... me." He finally gasps as the light leaves his eyes and he falls back onto his pillow. "No... no no no... no." I squeak as I fall in slow motion, down to the floor.

                                                      END OF CHAPTER ONE.