Meteorite

Chapter One - A Change For Once

I rushed down the empty and quite hallway, my footsteps echoing the narrow hall. The lights were strangely dim but I didn’t question it. I didn’t have time to question. Somewhere, something was wrong, and I could feel it. I kept walking, increasing my pace with every few seconds. I walked by many empty classrooms, many closed doors, but none gave me a different feeling. 

At the end of the hallway, perhaps a few feet away, stood a red door. This was the room I wanted to go in, not because of the glow that came from the bottom of the door, but because this door was painted red while all the other doors of the building were blue or wooden. Yup, that was the reason. Anyway, I sprinted for the glowing door, knowing in my gut there was something in there that I needed to see. However, with every step, the door seemed to get further away. Panicking, I pushed my legs faster – which was hard to do since I’m not an active person – and tried to reach the door. My stomach was going crazy and I knew for a fact that I just had to get to the other side of that door. I didn’t know what lay behind it, I didn’t know what waited for me, but I knew it was calling out to me.

I ran faster, trying to beat time. I felt as if the Greek Titan Lord of time, Kronos, made a special appearance and tried to stop time and slow me down himself. I saw a door open, a regular blue-painted door, and someone stepped out. I honestly thought it would be Kronos, even though I had no idea what he looked like, but the silhouette was that of a woman. Her face was hidden by the shadows, but her skinny figure was clearly visible. 

She let out a screechy laugh, echoing louder than my footsteps. “You think you can save him, mortal?” Her voice boomed, shaking the building.

“Yes,” I replied fearlessly. “I can save him, and I will.”

She laughed mockingly. “Try, but you will fail. As long as I reign, you shall not progress. Your attempts will be useless and will go in vain; your pain shall not be acknowledged. As long as I reign, your mission will fail.”

“I live for my missions, I live for my goals. As long as I  live, you will not succeed,” I retorted.

“A mortal dares challenge me?” Her voice raised in anger. “A mortal!” With a wave of her hand, the building shook. Her silhouette shimmered and disappeared and the red door lost its glow. I covered my head with my arms before the ceiling collapsed on me. 

I woke with a start, and the bright lights of my room blinded me. I squinted and groaned, rolling over in my bed. I faced my bookshelf, and my eyes zeroed in on the five Percy Jackson books settled in my life. I knew I had a morning dream, a dream that was somehow inspired by Percy Jackson. I just didn’t have the heart to throw out the books.

I glanced at the digital clock by my bedside and sat up right away. It was 7:45 on a Tuesday morning. I overslept for forty-five minutes! I threw my blanket off myself and ran out my room, grabbing my tooth brush on the way. I quickly brushed my teeth and washed my face with my morning face-wash, and ran out the bathroom. I rushed through my morning routine and quickly grabbed my things.

Almost tripping down the stairs, I entered the dining room. The whole house was quite, and with the exception of my parents still snoring in their bedroom, our house was lacking life. I opened the curtains above the sink in the kitchen and fixed the ones in the living room. Our house then had a nice bright atmosphere, and smiling, I checked the time and ran out the door at 8:23 AM. 

Everyone turned their head to me as I opened the door and stepped in. My face turned red and I diverted my gaze to the tiles on the ground as I closed the door silently behind me. The teacher continued her lecture after glancing at me.