Chasing Companions

Chapter 2

 I wake up to a beeping sound. It's shrill voice echoes through my mind. I take a deep breath and pull off my covers. The walls of my room are tinged yellow from the rising sun. I look around my room to more fully take in my surroundings.

Two doors are at the opposite side of the room as the giant window. I open one expecting to find a closet, but find a restroom. It's walls are covered with stones cut into rectangles and a shower the size of a horse stall takes up a whole wall. The faucet is a small outcropping of stone that pours into a stone bowl that is similar in size to the toilette. The floor is so polished, I can see my blurry reflection on it.

I exit the bathroom and enter the other door where I find my closet. It is an ordinary room. Nowhere to hang shirts or hide jeans. I take a step in and suddenly the back walls glow white. Drawers that were befor invisible now appear as the emerge from the wall. A large rectangle slides into the wall revealing a row of hangers

"Oh." I say under my breath. I back out of the closet and grab my bag of cloths. Back in the closet, I organize my belongings and put them in the drawers and on the hangers. I smell something a strange and realize it is me.

I walk into the bathroom and look in the mirror for the first time since I have been here. I am covered in sweat, probably from being stressed of being away from my family, and my hair is tangled and wet. I peel off my clothes and climb into the huge shower. The water is warm and calming. A hole opens on the ceiling above my head and blue soap falls into my hair. This new school is so much more different from home.

Once dry and dressed, I head toward the living room. Once there, a sweet scent reaches my nose and all I can do is follow it to a gourmet kitchen. Zack sits in front of a plate of Coffee Cake. The beeping that woke me up must have been the signal that his breakfast was done in the oven. He turns and smiles. He has major bags under his eyes. He gestures towards a silver box beside him. Under it is some cake for myself.

I sit down beside Zack. the taste of the cake in my mouth makes my eyes flutter. I glance at Zack and find him staring at me. He must be waiting for a sign of approval.

"This is.. Pretty good Zack." Zack smiles and turns back to his meal and begins shoveling more into his mouth.

Footsteps fill the air and suddenly, Jack walks in. He has left his shirt in his room. Zack looks up.

"You want some cake?" Zack asks quietly. His voice is hoarse and he sounds like he has been crying.

"Na. I like eating a lot of protein in the morning." He opens the fridge and then closes it, a handful of eggs with him. He cracks them into a cup and drinks them, raw. After he swallows the last one, he sighs and wipes his mouth. Zack grimaces and I laugh.

Jack leaves the room and the sound of his door slamming echos through the house. Zack turns to me and shivers.

"That was the grossest thing I have ever seen." We both laugh. Zack devours the last of his cake and puts his dishes in the sink. He leaves the room and I am left alone. I find myself washing and drying dishes. Soon, the kitchen looks as if no one has been here. I exit the kitchen.

The only sound here that similar to home is the koi and it's gurgling waterfall. I pull up a chair and watch the fish kept inside swim gracefully in their normal circles.

Tomorrow I start my first and last class of the quarter. All I have to do is pass it and get to find my Genetically Modified Partner, or as they call it here, my GMP. But, based on what I have heard, there is a tough test at the end.

I leave the fish and return to my room to find a white pamphlet on my bed. I plunk down on my bed and scoop up the pamphlet. Inside is a series of steps to layout my room.

Step One. On the wall above your light switch, there is a silver pad. Put your thumb on it.

I find the pad and do as the pamphlet told me to do. As my thumb makes contact with the cold metal, a blue light runs down the length of my finger. Suddenly, my back wall becomes a blank white. I look at the pamphlet once again.

Step Two. Tell the pad what you would like on your wall by speaking.

I instantly know what I want.

"Cow Ranch." I say. Within that moment, colors begins to form. Blue melts out of a bottom corner of the wall forming a brilliant blue sky. It spreads into a rich green, and suddenly hundreds of brown and white cows and a few horses take shape all over the bottom half of the wall. The whole wall becomes an images almost directly from my mind.

I throw the pamphlet onto the bed and just stare at the wall. Tears fill my eyes. How embarrassing. Men shouldn't cry. I wipe away the water and decide to just go back to sleep. It seems easier than being sad.