Confinement Of The Stars

Chapter 1

I wake up to the blaring sound of my alarm. The horrid sound filling my whole room and pulling me from my happy slumber.
"Good morning Tora. Today is Friday, October 17. Today's forecasts predict a cloudy day with a 30% chance of rain. You have a Math test today, 3rd period. You also have a book report due today, it is currently printing." Reported Nova's smooth voice. "Would you like for me to start preparing your school lunch?"

"Yes please," I say groggily, rubbing the sleep off of my eyes. I run a hand through my tangled hair and look around the dark room with a sigh. "Is something wrong Tora?" The lights slowly dim on, helping me adjust to my surroundings. Baby blue walls surround me except for the wall facing my bed. Digital photos of me and my friends fill the screen along with my schedules and progress bars. A comm pops up, writing down what Nova recited to me just moments ago. As I dismiss the message another comm comes up, this one from Apollo, asking if I needed a ride for the academy. I chuckled softly to myself, noting how straightforward his message is. Apollo at his finest.

A shiver runs through me as I throw off my covers. "No, I'm fine," I mumble softly, shuffling to the room across from mine. When I push the door open I'm met with the image of my mother sprawled on her bed, her curly red hair all over her face. Watching my feet to avoid stepping on anything, I draw out her curtains and see that the sun has barely risen, filling the sky with a pinkish glow. Gentle chirping and the faint hum of hovers and cruisers fill the tranquil morning. My mother groans loudly as she sits on her bed "What hour is it?"

"It is currently 5:16 am Seira"

"Uuugh, why do you do this to me Tora?" she complains, flopping back to her bed. I smile and turn on her lamp; picking up the stray clothes she has around the room and dump them in the hamper.

"Come on mom, I have to be in school no later than 6 and I don't want your breakfast to get cold by the time you get down," I say as I gather all the empty mugs on her nightstand so Nova could wash them later. My mom tends to be messy when she works on her ship designs (which is technically always because she's always designing) and she's been especially sloppy this week because she had to finish designing a completely new model for an exposition for a huge company. She's talented and is even considered the best in her field but she tends to be very picky with whom she works with, only selecting a handful of projects to work on when she could easily do triple the amount.

She sighs sitting up. "Alright darling, if you want you can take the cruiser today so you can get there quicker." 

"That's alright Apollo is going to pick me up." She walks towards me, her messy hair tickling my face when she leans to kiss my forehead. "Thanks for bearing with me this past week, I know it's been tougher than usual." She hugs me and lightly pets my hair.

"I don't mind, but can I ask you a favor? The guys want to come over and hang out, is that alright?" I hug her back and give her the best puppy dog eyes I can muster at this hour; she quietly laughs at my expression but nods anyway, gently poking my nose. "But I'll be stopping by the grocery store so I won't be at home first." With that, she ruffles my hair and goes to change.

I grab all the mugs and go downstairs to start making some breakfast. It's just the two of us, but we have a decent sized house. Thanks to my mom having a lot of at-home projects, we really needed the space. And since she's constantly working late into the night, I'm the one that wakes her up and helps her get the day started. It honestly doesn't bother me, she already does a lot for me, having to raise me all by herself and also having a successful career. Helping her in everyday things is the least I could do to repay her.

"Tora! Grab my bag from the basement, the mechanic called and needs me over there now." She shouts from upstairs. I can hear her frenzied steps as she rushes to get dressed and find her things.