Dreamchasers

Chapter 1

 'Dear Beth Clementine, there has been a change in your application status. Please log in to your portal to view the message.'

A new email titled 'Laurel Preparatory Decision Notification' stood out from a slush of notifications on Beth's phone. Beth took in a big breath, stared at her screen for a couple of seconds, and tapped on the message. As her finger swiped across her phone screen, she could feel her heart pounding heavily, as if thousands of butterflies left her stomach at the same time. As a small-town girl, she had always wished to attend a prestigious high school in a buzzing city, and Laurel Prep was exactly such a school. In a few minutes, the day would turn either sweet or sour.

Quickly typing her ID number and password into the application portal, Beth closed her eyes as she pressed enter on her laptop. See if you can spot the word 'congratulations'. She remembered her classmates talking about high school acceptances. If the letter starts with that word, then you are in. If it starts with 'thank you for your application', it might be a no. She squeezed her hands, trying to prepare herself for the worst.

A letter sat in the middle of her laptop screen.

Beth quickly glanced over the first sentence of the letter. The admissions office had finished this year's review of applications. Her heart skipped a beat. She quickly read on, stopping at the sentence we are pleased to offer you a place in the Laurel Preparatory Class of 2019.

A desire to scream suddenly took over Beth. She smashed her hands on the keyboard and jumped out of her seat. The sunlight that came through the window seemed brighter than ever. The air smelled extra fresh. Everything felt unreal. The acceptance letter came on top of a pile of rejections from high schools too much of a 'reach' for Beth. Out-of-state private schools, urban visual arts magnet schools, and prestigious college prep schools where people obsessed over climate change while living off their parent's money. As Beth walked out of her room, there was only one thing on her mind. Her life was changing. She was bound to fly away.

···

Ever since Beth was young, she had been a discoverer. She would talk about becoming a princess that helps people alongside her pals, a circus performer who can speak to elephants, and a dancer that builds a home underwater. But as she grew up, she found her life increasingly stifled by the isolated bubble that raised her. She used to play hide-and-seek with her friend squad in the woods, watching the clouds change shapes in the grassy mountains, and going on sleigh rides when snow had fallen. Now, her once fairyland became an illiterate rural town to her. Slow phone signals, not a lot of entertainment, sudden water shortages...you name it.

Many of Beth's friends stayed in town for education and struggled to balance school with home duties. Beth's parents, whom Beth once looked up to as her wingman and role models, became two noisy people obsessed with irrelevant details to her. No, I am not interested in when Jonathan opened up a new grocery store. I don't want to know when Suzanne got a new husband. Why do I need to care about how gasoline prices have risen recently? Oh gosh! Can't you guys just think about other topics, like what the meaning of your life is? The incessant speeches of her parents became rumbles that drove her away, leaving her room door shut every day. She yearned for that busy city life, vibrant city lights, hustles and bustles, and casual chatters in the candlelit bars.

Upon acceptance to Laurel Prep, Beth started posting memes and her art to the 'Laurel Prep Class of 2019' group immediately. Everything was new for her, yet never had she felt that she belonged to a community than ever before. During dinnertime, she was completely carried away with her texting. Her face was sucked into the tiny white screen in front of her.

"Beth, what's so funny?" Luke, Beth's father, asked.

"Nothing, dad. Just talking with some new classmates from Laurel Prep before I go there." Beth quickly glanced at Luke and went back to her phone.

"Oh. So you did get into Laurel Prep." Madison, Beth's mother, said. 'That's quite unexpected for you.'

Beth slightly shrugged and looked cross-eyed at her mother. Can't she be just a little more encouraging?

"Come on, honey, no more screen time. Let's talk about our day like a normal family." Luke poked at Beth's shoulders. 'Getting into Laurel Prep is a good achievement! Tell us more about it.'

"I wish I were someone." Beth looked at the ceiling.

"You have always said that. You are yourself, Beth. You have your family, your hobbies, your school duties..."

"That's not what I meant! Look." Beth showed her phone to Luke. "See this guy? He has already signed with a record company and led a band at the age of 18. This girl you are reading about now published a book on philosophy during college. That well-dressed person founded a popular cosmetics brand under their name just after graduating college. If only my life could be enriching and meaningful like that."

"You are talking as if we owe you some better life you can't live.' Madison said. 'We certainly didn't raise you to be ungrateful like this."

"Why are you mad at me? You know what, I'm fed up being a small-town nobody. When I get to Laurel Prep, I am dressing up, going to fashion events, and mingling with other artists over culture and style!"

"Let's talk about this whole fashion design thing later. You are going to Laurel Prep to lay down your pride and study hard."

"Studying? Come on! It's learning! You go to school to keep an inquisitive mind, practice creativity, and realize what you have been fed throughout your life isn't true."

"And then get school mails of unsatisfactory academic notices, yea? Of course, you think studying hard isn't true for you. I can already see you repeating your pattern in middle school — being absent-minded in class, jumping between different interests, skipping course readings for comic books, and storing weird-looking art supplies at home. You were always experimenting, as you called that. Guess what — We checked your transcript, and it's lucky for you even to get accepted at Laurel Prep!"

"Fine, if that's what you think. I promise you that when I get into a top college, make lasting impacts on society, and become eternal in history, you will regret what you have said to me at this moment."

"With your work ethic, I am just gonna expect you not to end up in the streets."

"Ugh!"

Running straight to her room, Beth curled up on her bed, staring at the numerous flashy posters scraped from fashion magazines, surrounded by fairy lights that she put up on the walls. She wanted to be a city-bound fashion designer, working for those confident and posh models she saw in the magazines. A giant banner that read Lisette University College of Arts hung on top of her mirror.

That's where famous artists go, and I will go there someday. Looking at the banner, she smiled with a sense of determination. After that, I am leaving this house, this town, once and forever.