Renaissance

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

Blair

      What was that? I looked around the dark forest and found no one. Nothing. The shriek starts again, even louder and seems much closer this time. I jumped up in surprise and saw a glittering woman, who looks exactly like me, wearing a long, white, silky night gown, ending up in a fog surrounding her feet. Her long, hazel hair dancing along with the chilly wind, and her eyes bluer and brighter than the brightest sapphire. She steps closer to me, stretching her arms out wide, hissing my name eerily, “Blair…” as I immediately lose control. I want to run, run as fast as I can away from here. But instead, I stand there stiff, waiting for the figure’s hard blow. I imagine it transforming into a monster, with its teeth bigger than me, about to munch on my face. Instead, it dissolved into smoke and found myself inhaling it. I become dizzy, clouds of green form in my vision. I fall, bumping my head on the ground as I find myself slipping away…

      I woke up. “Sigh”, I went, relieved that it was only a nightmare. It’s 6 in the morning and the last day of May. I can feel the early spring moving out and summer taking its place. Warm as it ever was, I’ve got to get to school, St. Olivia Junior High in Seattle, an international school, where I study as a senior, with my best friend, Trevor Shay Marwick, a British-American, 18 year-old guy.

     Trevor and I’ve been best friends since we were in 3rd grade, when he was a newcomer. He lives just beside our house, which could be a great advantage to our friendship. We go to all our classes together for the past 9 years, which is somehow quite an impossible chance students could ever have with their acquaintances and friends. Our parents arranged our schedule with the school’s coordinator though we really don't know how and why. This contributed to us being really close and always there for each other.

      Everyone likes him. He looks either like Colton Dixon or Chase Ellison, both extremely attractive celebrities. Girls surround him and hate me for having attached to him. Guys detest him, envy him, though some imitate him and want to be him. What’s there not to like about him? He's got light, brown hair with natural highlights of platinum blond, which makes him stand out in a crowd.. His hair always rests playfully on his charming face, compelling him, always, to flip it. He has these big, adorable green eyes with a mixture of blue and gray, making them mesmerizing to stare at. Even at 18, he has a tan, muscular body that could really be eye-catching, and is 6'1 feet tall. Aside from his appearance, he’s also smart, friendly, approachable, and is the sweetest guy one could ever meet. He’s also captain of our school’s football team.

     I grab my wallet, cellular phone, some pens, books and notebooks, and pack them all in my bag, along with my written reports due today. I brush my teeth, comb my long, wavy, hazelnut hair, and wash up before going down to eat breakfast.

    “Blair, you’re up early!” greeted my mom who was preparing breakfast. “Hi, mom. I’ve got hundreds of reports later” I scoffed. “Uh-huh. And your professor told me you were doing well on your reports.” Mom said, smiling.

“Well, I’ve been prepared for those and I think I may have a chance on these ones, too.” I assured her, almost flaunting, and Mom laughed, “You should. You’ve got about two weeks before your final exams.” I brighten up a little, “summer!” I reply. We sat on the dining table when we heard a knock on the door. “I’ll get it!” I exclaimed rushing through the main door of the house, and found Trevor.

     He greeted me with an almost shocked face. Perhaps he, too, was surprised I was up really early. He always fetches me to and from school, and usually waits for about 30 minutes before my mother could wake me up, sometimes by force, or through physical violence, that drives them hysterical. On the good side, unlike other girls, I don’t use up a lot of time combing my hair or grooming myself. This saves a lot of time.