The Heroes of Our Time: Chapter 1

I am excited to announce that I have finished my first novel! Below is the first chapter. If you would be interested in reading the rest of the book, shoot me an email or let me know in the comments below!

“This isn’t normal, Lupita!” yelled Aunt Jacqueline.

“Don’t you think I know, Jackie?” responded Mom.

Glancing at my hands, I noticed water was gushing out of them.

“Stop!” I screamed, falling to the ground.

Glancing upward, I realized the lights in our house were blinking on and off, then they went out completely.

I shut my eyes. “This is all a dream. This is all a dream,” I muttered.

Boldly, I opened my eyes. Ahead of me, I saw red eyes glint back at me. “Join me,” came a voice.

***

“Jan, time to get up!”

Slowly, I opened my eyes. Why did my heart feel heavy? I glanced over at my calendar, then groaned—my first day of public school.

“Janessa! Did you hear me? Time to get up. You don’t want to be late for your first day of school, do you?”

I wouldn’t mind if I did. The less time I’m there, the better.

I threw the sheets off me. “What should I wear?” I mumbled. I wasn’t concerned about my appearance, but I didn’t want to stand out in public school. I intended to blend in with the shadows. Afterward, I would come back home and read.

I hated hanging out with kids my age. Especially girls. Most of the girls I met cared only for boy bands and makeup.

Ugh.

Not me. I preferred to be locked up in my room, reading a good book, or writing a story.

Edmund, my six-year-old brother, made friends his age with ease. Whenever Joey, the boy next door, returned from school, Edmund dashed across the street to play at the park.

Throwing on jeans and a t-shirt, I imagined what it must be like to be “normal.” I closed my eyes and pictured myself dating and applying crazy amounts of makeup to my face. Uncontrollably, I laughed.

Next, I studied my walls and envisioned my wall covered with Justin Bieber and One Direction posters.

Not a chance.

My walls were littered with paintings, The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars posters, and pictures of my friends and I having Nerf Gun battles.

I’m such a nerd.

Before I headed downstairs, I eyed myself in the mirror. My long, curly black hair possessed a bluish tint. I focused on my eyes and spotted different shades of blue. Baby blue. Turquoise. Sky blue. Sticking my tongue out at myself, I dashed out of my bedroom.

Arriving at the bottom of the staircase, my little brother raced to me and wrapped his short arms around my waist. “I’m sorry you have to go to doom-doom.” Edmund gave that name to public school.

“Well, I don’t have to, but Mom wants me to, so I make friends.”

Mom peered out of the kitchen to greet me. “Good morning! Excited for your first day of doom-doom?” she asked, laughing.

“No,” I admitted, not even trying to smile.

“I could have guessed.”

“Thanks for asking anyway.”

“That’s what mothers are for. And to make sure Edmund doesn’t get extra pancakes.” Mom quickly darted around the counter to stop my little brother from stacking 20 pancakes on his plate.

Entering the kitchen, Dad stretched. “You’re heading to doom-doom. Nervous?”

I nodded. “Yep. I’d prefer to stay home and watch the complete When Calls the Heart series.”

Dad grimaced. “Oh, that’s worse than I imagined. But consider this- you’ll make new friends.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. You know how hard it is for me to be around teens.”

“Well, get used to it, kid.”

Dad meant nicely. I knew he only indicated I would be fine.

Finishing breakfast and yelling goodbye, I grabbed my backpack and ran out the door. I got to the metal fence surrounding our house. I stopped and glanced back. The yard appeared so peaceful with the birds singing their songs and the bees buzzing around Mom’s garden, and Shmucka, our dog, barking at the commotion across the street.

The commotion across the street…the bus…I might miss it!

Sprinting across the street, I jumped in as it closed its doors. In one awkward moment, everyone on the bus turned and gawked at me. Gulping, I put my head down and tried to find a seat.

Realizing I had a problem of not being able to find a seat, someone piped up, “You can sit by me.” Quickly, I turned to see a pretty girl with long, blonde hair and blue eyes. “Come on, I won’t bite,” she laughed. She moved her backpack onto her lap as I sat next to her.

“My name’s Rose. What’s yours?”

“I’m Janessa.”

“Hi, Janessa. I’m 14 and a freshman. How ‘bout you?”

“Same.”

“You act like this is your first day of school.”

“It is.”

“Really?”

I nodded my head.

“You’re kidding!”

“Nope.”

“Woah! So, you get to do school in pajamas?”

“Yep.”

“That is so cool! What’s your family like?”

“I have a little brother, a dog, and Mom and Dad.”

“I have a sister, a cat, and Mom. Dad died in a car accident.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

Rose smiled sadly. “Hey, you don’t talk very much, do you?”

I shrugged.

“You’ll open up.” She peered out the window. “We’re about there.”

Chills ran up and down my spine.

“Don’t be scared. Walking into those big, glass doors will be a piece of- Okay, I’m nervous.” Rose put her hands to her stomach and made a funny, dramatic face.

Unable to hold back, I chuckled.

Sluggishly, the bus came to a full stop. I stepped out on the pavement, Rose beside me. Fear enveloped my mind. Nervous, I wished to be back in my room, reading Lord of the Rings.

“Hey, gorgeous, what’s your name?”

Eyes wide, I turned to discover who dared put their blasted arm around me. A boy, a head taller than me with bright red hair, stared down at me with dark orange eyes.

What a strange color.

Winking, he flashed a charming smile at me. “I’m Aidan. Freshman, 15, and proud to be so. What’s your name, beautiful?”

Before I could mutter a word, the nuisance of a guy fell forward onto the ground. Cursing, he jumped up, furious. He turned to face an unhappy Rose, hands on her hips.

“Back off, hotshot,” she sharply muttered. Her big blue eyes flashed warning signals.

“Why don’t you back off, idiot?!” he yelled back.

“Listen, not all girls in school appreciates you putting your arm around them, Aidan!” Rose argued back.

Tilting his head, the young man tried to recognize the enraged girl. “Hey! I recognize you. Rose, right? Yeah, you gave me a hard time in eighth grade. Kept getting between me and possible dates. Oh, is that the bell I hear? Sorry, but I need to get going. So long, loser.” He turned to me. “I’ll hunt for you after school, sweetheart.” Aidan turned and strode away.

“She’s not your sweetheart!” Rose bellowed. “Arg! That guy gets on my nerves. C’mon, let’s go find the assembly hall.”

As we half-ran, half-walked to the assembly hall, Rose turned to acknowledge me. “Sorry ‘bout that jerk. Aidan somehow turned into the ‘coolest kid’ back at Reagan Middle School. He believes he owns the whole world.”

I nodded and realized we were wandering around. “Do you know the location of the assembly hall?”

Rose didn’t stop walking backward. “Nope, I’m following the crowd.”

Skeptical, I studied my surroundings for a map as we continued our way, but I found the crowd led us correctly. Pushing open the door, Rose grabbed my other hand. “There’s some seats. Hurry!”

Her eyes were quick but not quick enough. Of course, she hadn’t spied Aidan in the row, but I did. “Um, what if we sit further up?” I suggested.

“Why do you want to sit in the – oh! I get it. Yeah, I judge your plan to be an excellent idea.”

Passing by the aisle where Aidan sat, he pointed me out to his friends and laughed. He winked and yelled, “Hey, gorgeous, you didn’t stay away long.”

Rose moaned. “I apologize for his behavior. Ignore him.”

“I’m trying.”

“I’m sure he’ll move on promptly. Aidan never stuck to one girl for so long. Last school year, he boasted seven sweethearts.”

“Hopefully, he won’t stick with me for long.”

“I don’t understand why legions of girls have fallen for him. Anyhow, what’s your first period?”

“Um, I think it’s social studies.”

“Shoot! Mine’s arithmetic. I was hoping I would at least be able to stick with you for the first couple of periods.”

Deciding to sit far back, we shared a row with scary-looking kids wearing nothing but black. Black lipstick. Black eyeliner. Black earrings. Black jeans. Black hair. Black nose rings. Black shirts. Black hats.

I sat next to one of the boys in the group. When I took the seat next to him, he sent me a death glare as if I invaded his privacy, but I distinguished something strange regarding him.

His eyes.

Bright yellow and glowing, they tried to hide under the black hoodie he wore but failed miserably. The boy greeted me with a scowl; I did not look away from him. Appearing confused and embarrassed, he turned his head away, but I realized he kept glancing over at me.

Seated next to this boy, I perceived a strange sensation. I couldn’t grasp what was wrong or even if there was something wrong.

I sensed a sort of connection.

Distracting me from my thoughts, Principal Mendez came to the stage. “Welcome to Gladys High School! I am thrilled about this year, and I hope to make it our best year. Let’s show the world what we’re made of and make this old building proud.”

The principal pumped his fist in the air. If he wanted a cheer, he didn’t get one. The kids in front of us took out their phones or whispered to one another. The kids beside us glared at the ground.

Embarrassed, Mr. Mendez grunted and continued, “Um, well, announcements. Classes will go on normally. There are voluntary clubs for after-school hours. You can come to my office or ask one of your teachers if you are interested. And that’s all. Go ahead and enjoy your year!” I detected how he sounded less exuberant.

Rose and I compared our class schedules and found we shared the same lunch and music period. Before we parted, Rose encouraged me. “You’ll do great! You’re already starting to open up. And if you meet Aidan, ignore him!” The bell rang. “Oh! Gotta’ go! Meet you in the cafeteria. Good luck!”

As I turned, I bumped into Aidan. “Hey, babe. You can’t stay away from me?” Not knowing what to say, I glared at him, gritted my teeth together, and tried to go around him.

“Woah, chill, sweetheart. Leaving so soon? You could kill a Wookie with that look. What’s your first period?”

“Social studies,” I murmured.

“You can talk! And guess what, gorgeous?” he put his blasted arm around me again. “That’s my first period too.”

Swell. Just swell.

Gently, I removed his arm from my shoulders, but he didn’t notice. “Do you know where the class is, beautiful?”

At that moment, I realized I knew not how to get around the school, and Aidan grabbed at the chance. “I spot that sparkle of fear in your gorgeous, blue eyes, and, lucky for you, I know the way.” He caught my hand. “Follow me.”

I pulled my hand out of his, but I followed the annoying boy because I didn’t want to be late for my first class. When we got to the classroom door, Aidan opened the door for me.

At least he’s got manners.

Lunchtime finally arrived. Together, Rose and I sat at a table and discussed the day’s events. Actually, she did most of the talking, but I didn’t mind.

Abruptly, someone spoke.

“Hey, babe. Thought I’d check up on you. Mind if I sit down?”

“Yes,” Rose spat.

Ignoring her, Aidan sat beside me. “How you doin’?”

Rose answered for me. “She was fine until you came along!”

Aidan grabbed his chest dramatically. “Oh! That’s an arrow to my heart.”

Rose grimaced.

“Hey, gorgeous, do you consider me good-looking and charming?”

Ugh! My salad feels like it’s coming back up.

“Learn to use her proper name!” Rose stated, showing her back to Aidan. Following her example, I chewed on my salad and ignored him. We heard him get up and leave.

“Thanks, Rose, for helping me out on my first day. I’m shy and don’t know what to say to that guy whenever he walks up to me.”.

“No problem. Aidan’s a jerk. Besides him, I believe you’ll warm up to public school.”

“I hope so,” I replied.

***

“Quick! Let’s get on the bus before it leaves!” Rose yelped.

We ran as fast as we could but came to a full stop; Aidan stood by the bus door, waiting for us. Putting our heads down, we tried to get past him.

“Yo, babe- “

“That is all I can take!” Rose exploded. “Her name is not babe, gorgeous, beautiful, or sweetheart! Her name is Janessa.”

My eyes opened wide. She is brave.

“How could I use her name? I don’t even know what her name is.”

My eyes opened even wider. He is dumb.

“C’mon! It’s not rocket science. Ask her.”

“I did, but she never answered because you pushed me!”

I have to stand up for myself.

“No! I didn’t answer because you boasted on and on about yourself!” I shouted.

“Woah, sweetheart, calm down.”

“Arg! Let’s go, Janessa, before I blow my top,” Rose barked before I could say anything. She grabbed my hand and pulled me onto the bus. “Ugh! He drives me insane!” Rose practically screamed.

We sat in silence until the bus neared my house. “Jan, I think we’re going to be best friends.”

Smiling, I nodded. “I agree. You know, all my life, I’ve had a hard time finding a friend, but I believe I finally found one today.”

Rose chuckled and shook her head.

“What?”

“That’s the most you’ve spoken all day.”

“Oh? Sorry, I guess I’m shy.”

“Yeah, you are, but I take to that. It gives me a reason to be outgoing.”

The bus came to a full stop across from my house.

“This is my stop,” I stated, grabbing my backpack. “See you tomorrow.”

“Janessa?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks for letting me be your friend.”

Beaming, I waved and walked to the bus door. Suddenly, someone gently took hold of my hand. I glanced down to identify the boy from the auditorium. ‘What’s your name?” he questioned.

“I’m Janessa,” I replied, once again sensing a connection.

Surprising me, he grinned. “I’m Dray.”

“Who are…”

“You getting off the bus or not?” yelled the grouchy bus driver.

“I need to get going,” I told Dray. “See you tomorrow, I guess.”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow,” Dray slowly responded.

Stepping off the bus, I dashed across the street to the haven of my home.