The Old Gods

A Day in the Life of Amir

Amir Arkendale woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside. He couldn't help but laugh at how clichéd it sounded in his head. And yet, it was oddly fitting, for this was going to be his second last morning in the city of Hurtlespool. He would depart on the adventure of a lifetime tomorrow, leaving him with a day or so to get all his packing sorted out. It was all a very big deal, seeing as it would be his first vacation abroad with Robin and Leigh.

The pile of blankets on the bed beside him shifted. His twin sister and best friend Leigh Arkendale crawled out of the mass of blankets, rubbing her eyes blearily.

"Morning, Amir." She said, sounding very much like she wanted to return to sleep.

"Morning, Leigh. Dibs on the hot water!" Amir joked. That got Leigh awake in a snap. The hot water in their room's shower was erratic at times, so the last person to go in had to deal with freezing cold water. It was a bit of a competition between the two. There was a board on Amir's side of the bedroom that recorded all his victories over Leigh when it came to getting the hot water.

"Oh no you don't, Amir." Leigh bounded out of her bed with the agility of a trained gymnast, not a half-awake thirteen-year old girl. Amir grinned and chased after her, rushing for the bathroom. They charged across the room, navigating their way through the stacks of random items. Amir's books, Leigh's soft toys and a bunch of building blocks from when they were kids were among their pseudo-obstacle course, and Amir had tripped over them more than once. Leigh leapt over them with the grace of a gymnast, her curly brown hair bouncing as she stuck the landing. Without her regular ponytail keeping it in check, she looked wilder than ever.

Just as he was about to open the shower door, Leigh barrelled into him and knocked him onto the ground. They tackled each other onto the carpeted floor, a tangle of brown hair and caramel skin.  They laughed and screamed as they rolled around.

Leigh clobbered him over the head with a stray soft toy. Amir shook off the blow, only to find Leigh standing with the shower door open, smiling victoriously.    

"Told ya."

Wrapping her towel around herself with a dramatic sweep, Leigh took a bow and slammed the door in Amir's face. Amir slumped back onto the floor, running a hand through the tangled mop of brown that was his hair and readying himself for torrent of cold water when he stepped into the shower.

He hopped out of the shower thirty minutes later, his limbs numb. Leigh was already dressed and waiting for him. Helmsley Academy's uniform was unnecessarily fancy, with its striking maroon blazers and navy-blue trousers and skirts. Amir had never understood the need for a uniform, for all the other schools in Hurtlespool didn't require their students to wear a uniform.

Then again, the Helmsley Academy was one of the most prestigious schools in all of Twistrose. He, Leigh and Robin had competed with thousands of kids their age from all over Twistrose for a spot in the Academy. Leigh with her museum-worthy art, Robin with his chess skills and Amir with his penchant for writing stories.

Amir donned his uniform and buttoned up his blazer. As uncomfortable as the uniform was, Amir did look quite dashing in it. He straightened his tie and trailed after Leigh to the breakfast table.

A bowl of cereal and fruit had already been laid out for the two. Their father, Gabriel, had already gone off to work. He studied the plants of Twistrose. Their mother, Mallory, held a fairly high-ranking position in the Twistrosier government. She normally worked from home, but today she had something to attend to, leaving the two children alone in the house.

They scarfed down their breakfast and headed for school. They received either jealous stares or curious glances, for Amir and Leigh were among the five people from Hurtlespool who'd secured a place in the Helmsley Academy. Whoever wore the uniform in public was automatically deemed a snob. Amir and Leigh tried to take a more secluded path most of the time, but today, they were far too excited to take their usual route to school.