Codes of Wisdom

Chapter 1: Hazy Dream

It was hazy. But somehow, I remember it vividly.

152389, and some weird distant saying, but loud enough so that I could just barely hear it, "being young with only righteous glory!"

I try not to think too much about it, but as the days fly by, I just can't get it out of my head. 152389...

It's September 18th, and I'm at my junior year at Charity High. I've already made a few friends, though we aren't as close as most people are.

I look at myself in my bathroom mirror. I didn't need to stand on my toes like Ari did, that's thanks to my long legs. I looked down at my sneaker, blue jeans, and my oversized Charity gray sweater. In the cold state of Vermont, not even a parka could keep you warm.

I went downstairs, greeted by my parents. Mom bundled up in a heap of thick blankets and Dad having his morning coffee. I sat down next to my little sister, Ari Jackson.

"Morning dofus." Ari says with a waffle stuffed inside her big mouth. She had thick frizzy brown hair and wide, curious brown eyes.

"Morning jerkface." I shot back, grabbing a green apple–tossing it into the air and catching it–and biting right into it.

Leaning back in my chair, I glance at the clock fingers pointing at eight o'clock, suddenly realizing I have just about five minutes before my friend, Kaleb Carrotian, appears and gives me a ride to school.

I shot out of my chair, the gesture so strong that the chair got knocked down, my eyes widened as I slinged my backpack over my shoulders and quickly rushing out the door giving my parents a brief wave and goodbye.

Once I was outside, I suddenly felt the cold rush of Vermont air as it breezes through my face, hair, and fingertips.

I suddenly see my friend's car pulling up in our driveway, its a blue car, barely coated in frost as the steam is shown coming through the hood.

I walk briskly towards the car as the cold windows roll down. Kaleb's pointed nose was as red as his hair. His hazel eyes winked at me and unlocked the car. As the windows rolled shut, I immediately felt relieved as the heater blasted inside the car.

I suddenly felt the urge to recline my seat when a familiar girl cursed at me.

"Watch the legs Dany!" Jessica Sterling snapped at me in her rich Australian accent. She was a transfer student here at Charity.

To her left was none other than the Cali girl, Rachel Porter. She wasn't someone to joke about, she can do some serious damage if she wanted to.

Since the day of my dream, I try to hide my troubled expression, but it never works. I was never a good liar.

"It's been a few days since you've had that stupid dream Jackson," Rachel says, rolling her narrow green eyes. "let it go."

"Who says I'm even thinking about that right now?" I snapped, glaring at her over my shoulder.

"That seems to be the only thing that's been on your mind right now." Kaleb sighs, obviously sleep deprived from all the video games he's been playing.

"So, today's the day of the big assembly." I say, trying to change the subject.

Jessica looks out through the window, her blue eyes hopeful. "Yeah, I bet it's another speech about being kind to one another."

Rachel snorts. She always skips these kinds of things. I say it's dangerous, Kaleb thinks it's cool. I sometimes don't understand how "cool" works at Charity.

Our carpools to school everyday always end up like this, with Jessica being giddy with school, Rachel not caring about anything, and Kaleb too tired to do properly function. It seemed as if everyone had a role to play, what was mine?

I turn the music up to distract my friends and myself of the inevitable suffering which is school as we make our way towards it.

As we enter the student parking lot, another student driver suddenly cuts ahead of us, causing Kaleb to violently hit the breaks to prevent an accident.

Now incredibly pissed, Kaleb honks madly at him–cursing alarmingly loud–and swerves around him to find another parking spot.

"What was his problem?" I asked hotly, not realizing that I was tightly gripping my seat belt the entire time.

Well, our day was starting out great, I thought sarcastically.