With Fear or Without

1- So Much for Textbooks

Cleo Coleman woke with a start, flipping in her bed so she stared straight up at the ceiling as the sound of her phone alarm reached her ears. Taking in the familiar dusty grey color above her, her heart started to calm, the adrenaline slowly pouring off her. As she pushed herself to a sitting position, her thick hair fell in tangles around her like a gnarled shawl.

"Cleo, honey are you alright? I've never seen you get up that fast before," said Ronan Coleman with a grin. "Maybe I'll be on time today"

He raised his eyebrows at her, patting the wall next to him softly before turning and leaving her room, leaving the door wide open. She hated that.

Her brain felt like mush as she glanced around her bedroom once more. Everything was the same as it's always been, the brightly painted blue walls, the tall wooden bookshelf absolutely filled to the brim, the pristine white desk, and the multicolored pastel rug that covered the center of the room. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and her eyes lingered, trying to remember what had shaken her up last night. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Rubbing at her half-closed eyes, she let her gaze rest on a small table in the corner covered with headsets, a couple of mic-packs, and loose batteries. Each pack has a piece of yellow spike tape with the words "Property of Whitecoast Theater Dept." in black marker- Cleo's messy yet somehow graceful handwriting. She sighed as she studied the tangle of wires that she had spent most of the past afternoon trying to untangle, with little luck.

She flopped back onto her bed, draping her arm over her face dramatically. A soft mew came from above her a split second before a small shape leapt gracefully off her windowsill, landing with all four paws square on her stomach and other vital organs.

"Ow! Artichoke!"

"The best way to wake up," said a voice from the doorway, with a snort. Cleo's younger sister Terra stood grinning widely, a half eaten piece of toast in one hand and a vibrant pink smoothie in the other. Her straight brown hair was pulled into a relaxed ponytail and she wore a maroon headband, as if she was about to go running. Judging by the rest of her outfit, Cleo figured that was exactly what she was about to do.

She set her smoothie down on Cleo's desk and squatted down to run her free hand over the kitten's sleek black coat. Terra's smile brightened as the animal lifted its head to meet her hand before trotting off down the hallway.

"I will never understand you and your mornings," Cleo grumbled, throwing the covers back. She trudged to the door, scooping up Terra's smoothie in the process and taking a large sip.

"Hey!"

Despite her early rise, Cleo had her usual rushed morning, complete with breakfast in the car and a last minute run to grab her earbuds off the dining table. The usual routine.

Sitting in the passenger seat and staring out the window, Cleo wore a loose, olive green t-shirt under a gray coat half tucked into basic blue jeans and black high tops. Her waist-length hair was pulled back into a claw clip on the back of her head.

Once she reached the school the morning became anything but usual. A firetruck and a squad of police cars filled one of the streets surrounding Whitecoast High School. The alarm sirens blared through the neighborhood, making Cleo once again feel extremely sorry for the people who were stuck living next to a high school.

Because of all the emergency vehicles, traffic was even worse than usual. In the driver's seat, Cleo's dad sighed.

"Even with the early start, I'll end up with a bad parking spot at work."

"Sorry dad. This time it really isn't my fault though," Cleo said, smiling sheepishly. Her dad gave her an admitting nod, sitting back and preparing for the long wait.