Dawn of Dreams

Chapter 7

Thursday morning. At last! Summer vacation! Jaden smiled, stretching lazily. Sleeping in was the perfect way to start eight glorious weeks of freedom. Exams were over. The LC was closed. He could do as he pleased. His smile widened thinking of the idyllic summer days ahead, devoid of schedules and homework and filled with just going with whatever the day brought.

His stomach growled, signaling it was time to get up. As he sauntered across the hall to the bathroom, the unmistakable salty aroma of bacon wafted up to greet him. He drooled. Racing through his pre-breakfast routine, Jaden rushed into the kitchen, eager to confirm what he had smelled was on the table.

Embracing his mother enthusiastically, Jaden thanked her for the spread before attacking the feast. Food tastes so much better when you're on vacation. He had nearly flattened the food on his plate before he looked up again and caught his mother grinning and shaking her head.

His fork stopped halfway to his mouth. "What?"

"It won't vanish into thin air, you know! Try tasting what you eat before you swallow it whole. No, wait, I stand corrected," she amended when she saw his plate was empty. "It did just vanish into thin air."

"Yeah, yeah. Any chance of a second helping?"

His mother laughed and waved him toward the stove. Jaden noticed his mother's joie de vivre. Apparently, he wasn't the only one excited about summer vacation. That he'd aced his exams didn't exactly hurt either. Even with the extra credits. His mom insisted their hike had made the difference. Jaden agreed, not telling her how right she was, though for (mostly) the wrong reason.

His reflections circled back to the mysterious creature, restlessness accompanying the change in thought. He had proven the creature's authenticity and given himself the study time he'd needed, but so what if it existed? For what purpose? And what rationale could explain why only he could see it? Was that significant? He placed the last morsels of the sumptuous breakfast in his mouth. Suddenly aware of his one leg bouncing under the table, he reached a conclusion. There was only one solution to the endless questions: exercise. He rose to clear his plate.

"Thanks, Mom, that was an awesome breakfast!"

"You're welcome. What are you planning to do today?"

"No plans. I thought I might go to Cowry Park and play some arrowball. It's such a gorgeous day . . . and I need to work off all the food I just ate!"

His mom laughed again-a tinkling, musical sound that bubbled out, infusing its sweet joy into anyone who heard it. Jaden couldn't resist laughing with her.

"Let me do the dishes before I leave," he said, taking the dinner plates from her and stacking them in the dishwasher.

Their home was a little dated because they didn't have a fancy auto-butler-something newer homes touted as a standard feature. The auto-butlers were great for menial tasks including clearing and cleaning dishes and returning them to their proper cupboards. When his dad offered to upgrade their kitchen, his mom had waved him off vehemently, insisting she preferred having her kitchen to herself and that the idea of a "bossy, automated droid" underfoot was abhorrent. His dad had shrugged, glanced resignedly at Jaden, and given up on asking again.

Jaden finished loading the dishes, then zipped upstairs to brush his teeth. Ducking back into his room, he grabbed his arrowball, towel, and water bottle before bouncing back downstairs.

Exiting their street door, the unmistakable sounds of early summer assailed him. Liberated students buzzed about on bouncy jetbikes, clicking lawnbots snipped perniciously at overgrown grass, grooming them to perfection, and rambunctious shrieks radiated from the excited children in a nearby swimming pool. The ten-minute walk to Cowry Park passed amiably amidst the boisterous hubbub.