Atlas (Splintered fanfiction)

Chapter 01

Chapter 01 

It is dawn.

     The sun crawls up over the horizon, tinging the slightly cloudy sky with a beautiful array of golds, pinks, purples, oranges; the sky itself is blue, shining through the clouds for once - the horizon's edge is a light blue and from there, it steadily grows darker and more blue. There is a quiet whisper of wind, a soft breeze only strong enough to play gently with the dew-covered blades of grass, pulling them from side-to-side.

     As the sun rises, it lights up the world below, making those pale colors vivid and bright once more; the pale, spring green of the thriving grass becomes a vibrant summer green; the dandelions casually scattered and sprinkled through that grass go from a pale blonde to a rich gold; the monotone pale gray of the concrete morphs into a glimmering white, like the radiant shine of an opal. The sun, it creates a gorgeous, new realm that is reborn each dawn; the night, and the silvery moon, destroy this realm each night, and the sun allows it to be reborn once more.

     A low hum fills the air, disturbing the silent serenity and peace, as the glimmering metal airplane sitting on the tarmac prepares to take off. Its engines whine loudly as it backs up from the loading area and turns to the direction of the runway. It drives slowly to the runway, at a pace that reminds the riders of a reluctant, dying bus. The runway is lit up by flashing, blinking white lights; yellow dotted lines are painted down the 1200 mile stretch of runway, looking to be lit on blinding fire by the waking light of the sun. The runway lays ahead, seemingly reaching all the way to the horizon, but the riders pay the road ahead no attention at all.

     The plane, a large jumbo aircraft meant to take a lot of passengers, begins to race down that tarmacked runway, and a willowy teen girl with forest-green eyes, lined with blue kohl stares out of the small window in the airplane, as the lush landscape of Seattle, Washington, her home, rushes past. Her hair, flaxen blonde and done up in a plaited French braid, is pulled back into a bun, and it gleams pale gold in the sunlight shining through the small window next to her gray, plush seat.

     Her home. She's leaving the place she has lived for years, since her father sent her away.

     Then she shakes her head; Seattle, the place of almost constant rainfall or overcast skies, it's not her home anymore, not since her father called her back to her birth-place for the first time in eleven years. Her home - until he demands she leave again - is now Pleasance, Texas. Just like before.

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     Alyssa Gardner, a slender blonde artist with a killer sense of style, walks down the stuffy hallways of Pleasance High, ignoring the scents of crappy school breakfast wafting from the cafeteria and the overpowering cologne and perfumes constantly sprayed to ensure attractive freshness of the students; her nose stings and her eyes water slightly, but she doesn't let it affect her.

     Her boots, ankle-high and made of black leather with a wedge heel of about three or four inches, click against the tiled floor as she strolls to her locker, her red and white plaid skirt edged with spidery black lace billowing around her long legs. She reaches her locker, clean white metal, and scowls when she realizes it has been hit by the recent obsession with the upcoming prom, too; there is a poster hanging smack-dab in the center of her locker, advertising the powder-puff ball in bright, neon colors. She glares at the offending piece of paper and tears it down harshly, taking a secret pleasure in the sound of ripping paper; she crumples it into a tight ball and tosses it into the nearby trashcan.

     She sighs, wiping her hands together and turning back to her locker. She begins to enter the combination into her old-school lock.

     Jenara Holt, the punk-rock-princess of Pleasance High - complete with the long, neon pink hair, walks into the school through the swinging double doors, her nose wrinkling as she takes in the usual scents of high school. She wears a black tank top, with a dark crimson bustier over the top, and a hot pink mini-skirt with gold and black cheetah print painted on to the fleecy fabric, paired with black fishnet stockings and red high heels that look to be killer on her ankles.