Diamond Shards

Chapter 3 : The Tarot

Bryce woke to his first day of sophomore year thanks to an alarm of bell chimes coming from his flip phone. He struggled to get out of bed, as if the sheets that covered him were not yarn but vines instead. And with the nightmares that would haunt him every night, it would make the vines those that have thorns. Bryce's excitement to finally leave home and be away from his father took over as some sort of fuel. A fuel of motivation. He jumped out and walked to his small closet. He dressed himself in slim black pants, an elastic long-sleeved blue shirt, and torn black sneakers that barely fit his feet. He grabbed his brown book bag that was stocked with materials he might require for his first day. Two mechanical pencils with extra lead, one cheap black pen, an eraser, and two red and blue spiral notebooks. He walked into the living room and decided to not eat breakfast. He opened the door and would not return.

The sky was blue with no clouds in sight. God would not watch over him today, he thought as he stared at the cloudless sea above him. He was right. As he walked to school, he stopped in front of the neighboring house. The static voice of a reporter struck his ears. It came from an old stereo boombox.

The reporter's flamboyant voice often cracked as it delivered news, "This is just in! Here in Haycity Hospital, a newborn has been reported to be born with a huge lightning bolt birthmark on its back. And no, J.K Rowling isn't the mother," he paused, "sorry, bad joke. Anyways, the baby has been reported to release small sparks of electricity. A strange phenomenon. Doctors speculate it could be the work of a hidden gene that allows the brain use of a higher function that differentiates per person. Tune in for more updates, I'm Daniel Rodriguez from Newsmundo, bringing you the latest scoop! Okay, can we cut that? Who even says scoop nowadays? What? We're live? Well then, stay tuned folks!"

Bryce hadn't realized he'd been standing completely still until Jenkins coughed to grasp his attention. He turned to look at the retired detective, who he often caught staring at the sky when it was gray and ready to pour down rain. Bryce changed his expression into a serious one. He did not intend to offend Jenkins with an optimistic smile that he often wore, the old man hated optimism. He remembered hearing Jenkins tell him once when he was sober, "Optimism is what kept every partner I had slow and lazy while some murdering son of a bitch was out there yapping and free."

"Morning, Jenkins," said Bryce with a nod.

The old man nodded back, "Had me scared there, Bryce. Thought you's was having one of them panic attacks the kids have nowadays."

Bryce replied, "Already had one last week, my next one isn't due for another month."

The old man laughed and gave Bryce a grin, revealing straight white teeth . He said, "You'd best be on your way, wouldn't want ya to be late."

Bryce nodded and waved goodbye. Jenkins waved back and began to light a cigar. Bryce continued to walk to school. After a few minutes, the college-sized campus was in sight. The exterior had a Greek temple design mixed with a modern school look. As he stepped on campus, he began hearing the usual gossip coming from three girls in his grade. They looked like dolls with clay on their face. The Heathers.

One of them said, "I swear! They did break up! She caught him NOT with another girl, but with a guy instead! I kid you the fuck not, girls."

Bryce, who was at an eavesdrop distance, sighed and shook his head, "The cheerleaders are already at it again?"

He walked up a few steps made out of tiled stone that led to the front doors of the school, which were constructed out of metal frames and turquoise stained glass. Bryce felt an odd feeling crawling down his neck, as if someone were watching him. He glanced over his shoulder and only saw the Heathers and a few other girls walking behind him.