The bracelet that leads to the future

Chapter 2: The dreamless sleeper

Chapter two: The dreamless sleeper 

"Master, by my calculations it is time for you to wake up and prepare for your classes."

The high-pitched voice of Roboppy, Yusaku's maid robot, advised. Yusaku opened his eyes, after a long and dreamless sleep. He got out of bed and changed into his school uniform.

Yusaku's flat was almost completely empty, only his bed, computer desk, and a single cupboard filled the large empty space of the room. There also was a large window opposite of the bed overlooking the busy streets and other buildings of Den City. On the window ledge was a single flower blooming in Violet, however signs of neglect were showing and some of its blossoms had turned the same muted color as the rest of the room.

After putting on his school uniform, he stood for a moment in silence. In the back of his head he could feel a strange feeling, like he had forgotten something important. He took a deep breath and tried to think of the three things he needed to do before leaving the house like every morning.

First: He needed to go to the bath room to clean his teeth and wash his face.

Second: He needed to eat breakfast.

Third: He needed to boot up the computer and check for any activity from the knights of Hanoi.

He needed to follow the three steps and he would be fine, he knew.

So, he pushed the feeling to the back of his mind and headed for the bath room. Inside of the small room he leaned over the sink and splashed water in his face. Then he got his toothbrush and started to clean his teeth. This gave him time to once again ponder that strange feeling.

Was he getting sick?

His thoughts were cut short by the squeaky voice of Roboppy coming through the door.

"Master, by my calculations you need to double the current speed of your morning preparations in order to reach school in time."

This surprised Yusaku. He was never late for school and come to think of it Roboppy never needed to wake him before.

He quickly finished cleaning his teeth and then made his way to the kitchen. The kitchen was also small and lacking anything needed to make proper meals, mainly because Yusaku always eats at Kusanagi's. Almost without looking he made himself a bowl of cereals and sat down at the kitchen table.

While eating Yusaku noticed a few unopened boxes in the corner of the kitchen. They were still from when he first moved in and he had yet to unpack them. Normally Yusaku like to keep things clean in his flat and what few things there where had their proper place, but after a time the boxes just started to blend into the environment and he had never bothered unpacking them.

The amount of strange things this morning was starting to make him uneasy, but he kept to his plan.

With breakfast behind him he made his way to the last step, his computer. He moved to push the button to turn the computer on, when something suddenly made him stop.

He didn't know if it was a deliberate choice to stop or if he acted on impulse, but he was still standing in front of his computer, not having activated it.

It was as if something in his mind objected to this step of his plan. Was there something he hadn't thought of? No, this was definitely the third step. It had to be done, but why again?

The question over took his mind and he decided it would be best to leave now, so he grabbed his bag and moved to the front door of his flat, but when he put his hand on the door handle different thoughts kicked in.