Saviour

1. It Happens

Chapter 1.

On a Saturday, most kids my age stay in bed until at least ten o'clock, curled up inside their dank, dark cave that they call a bedroom. Most kids my age would hate to be awake at five-thirty in the morning. Most kids my age would rather do anything else than get up at the crack of dawn to go for a run.

But not me.

This was my usual Saturday morning though. My hand slipped out from underneath the bed sheets and tried to find the alarm clock, desperate to banish the dull crackle that was echoing around in my brain from the untuned clock.

The sound cut out and I was left with a few precious moments of silence to gather my thoughts and wake myself up properly. Pushing against the wall, I rolled out of bed, landing on the floor and searching for a pair of shorts to slip on over my boxers. Hooking a t-shirt with my foot, I kicked it into the air and caught it, pulling it on over my bed head.

My feet carried me over towards the curtains and I opened them up, watching the first slither of sunlight creeping up over the hills that surrounded our house.

Our house was nothing special. Not too big, not too small. It wasn't grand and it wasn't run down. Just an average farmhouse that held an average family; my mum, my brother and I.

My forehead rested against the cool glass of the window and peered out, trying to see past my reflection and into the fields, watching the flock of dozing sheep starting to wake up groggily.

I thudded down the stairs as delicately as possible and walked into the kitchen, almost colliding with someone as soon as I stepped in.

"Jacob, what the hell are you doing awake?" I asked my older brother, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. My voice had raised slightly but I was unaware of this until he clamped a hand over my mouth.

"Shut it, Alex! Mum'll hear and come down to see what's wrong!" He warned me, flicking the dark hair out of his eyes.

His hand left my mouth and I was free to speak again, this time I was sure to be quieter. "Where've you been this time?" I pulled a glass from the cupboard and set it down on the table, opening the fridge and pulling a carton of orange juice from the door, pouring myself a drink.

"When you and mum went to bed last night I went over to Hannah's." He shrugged casually and snatched the carton from me, drinking straight from it.

"Right, so why have you come back so early?" This earned me an irritable look from my older brother.

"So I wouldn't get caught. Are you stupid or what?" He glanced over at a pile of yesterday's unopened post, flicking through it. Jacob's eyes lit up as he found a letter and held it up, waving it teasingly in front of my face. "Actually, I think you are stupid. Judging by where this letter is from, your grades are getting even worse."

I reached out for the letter and read the name of my school from the envelope, my lip twitching in irritation at the side. "I'll open it when I get back." I cast it aside and downed the rest of my drink, putting the glass by the sink and pulled on my running trainers, tying up the laces and glancing back up at my brother. "Jacob?"

"Yes, Alex?" Jacob turned back to me, raising an eyebrow, giving me the exact same look I had given him earlier.

"Tell mum I'll be back later on." And with that I slipped out of the back door, making my way down the garden path. I swung the gate open and ran out onto the lane, starting my journey up onto the hills that surrounded the valley we lived in.

Saturday was probably my favourite day of the week because it meant I had two days of complete freedom from school. To say I hated the place was putting it lightly. I dreaded it, loathed it, detested it. Look under the word 'hate' in the thesaurus and every word listed there explains how I feel about school.