The Family Circle

The Family Circle Chapter 1: Rude Awakenings

Intro-

I was running, every step I took, my breathing and panting got faster and heavier. I felt as if my legs couldn't carry me any further, but still, I kept running. I was being chased by something I'd never seen before, I didn't even dare to stand there and take a good look at it, but all I knew was that I had to run. No matter what. Right before I was thinking of giving up, the corner of my eye spotted a cliff. The moment I saw the cliff, I didn't even think of slowing down, I just ran towards it. My head just kept telling me to run, and so I did. With all the energy I had left, at the edge of the cliff, ready to face the consequences, I jumped. After I carelessly jumped, in mid air, I dared to look back... I saw it, the beast infront of me, the very excuse for a monster. I couldn't help but widen my eyes, as fear struck me once again, I began to fall faster. My face was pointing straight down, ready to head butt the pile of rocks beneath me. However, just before the moment I faceplanted on the ground, I woke up. And there I was on my bed, messed up and sweating while my alarm rang loudly.

Chapter 1

Rude Awakenings

Hello there to the person reading this story, if you're reading this just for fun or to find out more about the story, don't. Because the story you're about to read is my story, and my story isn't just any story. It's one you won't forget. It's the kind that you can't move on from and have nightmares about. If you promise not to stop halfway or stop reading once things get ugly, you may proceed, however, if you feel like you can't handle it, don't you dare try. However if you don't feel like your ready and still continue to read this, I'm warning you.

My name is Kai Arc, I'm 15 years old and today I'm starting grade 10, when I was grade 5, my grades were so high that the principal allowed me to skip grade 6. Not that I'm bragging. If I were given a rank in my so called social life, people would classify me as a "nerd", but being a smarty pants doesn't mean I like it. I hate school, I find it very boring and dull, it's just not interesting. I was born and raised in America, but technically I'm half Japanese, or at least, part Japanese.  I've moved to New Zealand, and now live with my Mom in some weird smelling house in Wellington. I never really saw my dad much, he died when I was only 7. My Dad traveled everywhere, so even if he was there for 7 years of my life, he never really had time for me. There was only one thing I had that always reminded me of him, it was some pendant amulet thing I always wore. When I was young he told me to always wear it, I don't know why I still do. Well, no point getting lost in the past, today is January 27th, 2017. And after that dream that woke me up, I'm still lying on my bed. I've been having a lot of dreams lately, most of them I don't recall... But my brain decided they're just a bunch of nightmares trying to annoy me. I decided to stop thinking about it and get ready for school, it was the first day, and there was no way I was going late on the first day! When I finished taking a bath and had already gotten dressed, I packed my backpack with my new books and went downstairs. As I walked downstairs, I heard my mom shout from the kitchen, "Kai! Breakfast is ready!". "Coming mom!" I replied, almost tripping and falling down the flight of stairs.

The world is a boring place. It's a cruel and unfair place to be in. At least, that's what I've learned throughout my whole life. Well, that's the perks of being alive. I quickly finished my delicious eggs and bacon, said goodbyes to my mom and boom, walked out the door half ready to go back to school. My school was a big school, not those fancy rich schools with PHD students, but the kind of good, private, and normal school for normal students. As I walked through the gate I recognized someone sitting on a bench at a distance. It was Thomas, my best friend from last school year. Something looked different about him though. Last year he had a slight mustache, now his mustache was clearly noticable! How in the world do people hit puberty early these days, sheesh. "Hey Kai! Is that you!" he shouted, looking up from his book. I just nodded and walked up to him. He kinda changed a lot. Not sure. Well after a few minutes of catching up, we heard the worst sound ever. The school bell. We hurried inside, fortunately, somehow we ended up in the same class. After a fair amount sitting in class for a straight few hours, the final bell rang and that marked the end of school for the day. Me and Thomas walked home together, we seperated at a fork in the road because he lived the other way, so I walked the rest of the way alone.

After completeing my homework, I know right? "Homework" like jeez it's the first day of school people. Well it wasn't that much anyway, so when the clock hit 8, I dozed of and went to bed. The next morning got me by suprise as I forgot to set my alarm. And as you'd expect, I woke up late. I zoomed to the bathroom to get ready, after about 10 minutes I rushed downstairs to find that my mom left a note. She went to visit her sister. I ate the sandwich that she left on the table and ran outside with my bag on my back. School starts at 9, and usually your suppose to be there before 9, but this time I was running to school and it was past 9:30! I was hoping my watch was lying, but of course my hopes were crushed. I was confused when I arrived at the school gate, there was no one around and it seemed like the guard wasn't there. I went inside and checked my classroom hoping that my teacher would forgive me. But for some reason I don't know, the classroom was empty. I checked all the other nearby classrooms too, but still, empty. Now I was starting to think I came to school on a weekend, but I checked the date on my watch (convenient) and it basically showed clearly that it was Tuesday. Now that I think about it yesterday was the first day. So what in the world was happening? Did everybody forgot to come or something? At this point I was going crazy. I went inside my classroom and sat on my chair which was beside the window. I looked outside, and fortuntely, I saw the Janitor sweeping the leaves under a tree. I thought I could ask him where everybody was, and so I walked outside to do just that.

I went outside, treading carefully among the fleet of stairs I was walking through. Something was bothering me though, It was almost as if, it was too quiet. I saw the Janitor taking a break, as he was sitting down on a nearby bench. As I began to close the distance between us he kept looking at me, like no student ever approached him. As I walked closer the Janitor stood up, he started to look mad. I just ignored that fact and asked him, "Sir, is their school to-". I was cut off when the Janitor opened his mouth and revealed fangs from his teeth and made this weird hissing sound. When I focused, His eyes turned red too, he started achieving traits that didn't look very, uhm, humanly. I took a step backwards and he jumped like 10 feet in the air! I mean seriously, how is that even possible for a human being? Then my mind started to think, is he even a human being? After hesitating I started running as fast as I could, the moment I looked back, he landed on me. "Get off me!" I shouted trying to break free. He was on top of me, there was nothing I could do, I thought it was the end. He kept repeating my name for some reason, in this loud scratchy voice. "Kai! Kai! Kai!" it said. The next second, I realized that the creature stabbed my stomach with a knife, and then BAM. I woke up.

I woke up with a jump, almost falling out of my bed. "That was so not normal" I whispered to myself. "Kai! Wake up or you'll be late!" my mom shouted from downstairs. "Coming!" I said pulling my bed sheets of me. I've had a lot of scary and unpleasant dreams, and now the one I just had just adds to them. I wonder why I have these dreams, and why are they so... supernatural? I quickly got ready for school. I checked my watch, yep, it's Tuesday alright. I again like everyday, put on my dad's pendant behind my shirt. I walked down the stairs and sat at the table. My mom passed me a news paper, "Some bad things are happening around here, you might wanna take a look at that" she said. I grabbed the paper and read the headline on the first page, "FIRE HOMICIDE IN WELLINGTON?" Well that's a weird headline, I said to myself, "Keep reading" my mom insisted. I started reading out loud, "There have been a total of 7 murders today in Wellington. The murderer is still not yet to be found. Police warn civillians to stay in their homes as much as possible. The bodies have beeen found and were brought in for investigation. The condition of all the bodies were in bad shape but were similar. The police said that most of them had burn marks. Chief of the Police Department, Allan Dunner, says that the police suspect that the killer for these 7 people is the same man. Chief Dunner says these murders occured during night, so he encourages the citizens to stay in there homes".

After reading this my mind went to blank mode. Well that's one way to strike fear in everyone. I couldn't think. "It's dangerous around here Kai, be careful" my mom said picking up the empty plate where by breakfast was 10 minutes ago. I got my bag, said my goodbyes to my mom. And I was off. "Time for another day of school. I hope I don't die of boredom" I whispered to myself.