Destiny: Unknown

Chapter 1: In Which My Perfectly Normal Day is Ruined by a Crazy Old Guy

The day that my life changed forever started out fairly normally.

I was soundly asleep when my alarm went off at exactly 5:45. Groaning, I rolled over and tapped the screen of my phone to shut it off. Why did I make Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive" my alarm again?

...riiiiight, because all of the other alarms on my phone are really obnoxious, and I thought that if I'm going to have to wake up at some ungodly hour, I might as well have to get up to a good song. Plus, I thought it was ironic, what with the song lyrics and all.

I slowly sat up and stretched, yawning and groaning as all of my sore muscles protested the motion. Deciding to get up before I accidentally fell back asleep, I swung my legs over the edge of my bed and stood up before shuffling my way to the bathroom.

I turned on the sink's faucet and splashed cold water on my face. Feeling a little more awake, I grabbed my toothbrush and started to brush my teeth, repeating my mantra as I did. Through the thin walls and doors, I could hear the boys in the dorm next door, with whom I share a bathroom with, still snoring away, probably trying to sleep in as long as possible.

Not me. This was one of the few times during the day where I was completely alone.

Deciding that my teeth were clean enough, I spat out the toothpaste and rinsed out my mouth. Then, I took out a clean washcloth and started to wash my face.

This was my typical morning routine: get up, brush my teeth, wash my face, put on my dance attire underneath a comfortable pair of sweat clothes, fix my hair, and then head to breakfast. Since I woke up earlier than the people in the dorm next door, I was usually the first one in and out of the bathroom and was usually on my way to breakfast before they even woke up.

Today, I had to take a little longer to get ready because of my hair. It had grown, which was okay because it's been awhile since I went to the barber shop. So I had to take a little longer combing and brushing it out. I also took the liberty of tying my bangs back into a small man bun.

...what?! Don't give me that look, my bangs are really long! Plus, it's not that uncommon, plenty of the other guys on campus have man buns.

Anyways, once I was finished fixing my hair, I pulled on a pair of sneakers and walked out my dorm, making sure to lock the door behind me.

The mess hall where they served breakfast was a quick two-minute walk away from the dorms. The fall equinox was just a few days ago, but it already felt like it was much later in the season. I shivered and put my hands in the pockets of my sweatpants, walking a little faster so that I could get inside where it was much warmer quicker.

Once inside, I took a moment to get warmed up before looking around. The mess hall had plenty of different places where you could get different food for meals. Since breakfast had only just started, there were only a few people waiting in line and sitting down at the tables.

I made beeline to one of my favorite places to eat for breakfast. It was my favorite because they always served pancakes with all sorts of different kinds of toppings. Today, I topped mine with chocolate chips, pecans, and a generous supply of syrup. Two strips of bacon, a glass of orange juice, and an apple later, I declared my breakfast complete and went to sit down.

I selected a small table squished in a corner near the windows. I sat down and mindlessly chewed on a piece of bacon while I stared out the window. Outside, a few people were straggling out of the dorms and making their way to the mess hall to eat. Some were alone, but most of them came in groups of three or more, chatting with each other as they made their way to their tables.

I tried to ignore the small stab of envy and loneliness that attacked my heart, and instead focused on inhaling my breakfast as fast as possible. Classes would start in a few minutes.