Part I: Chapter 3

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Chapter 3 | ❝ Watch and learn, Kelsey. ❞

Wednesday, September 5th, 2018 - 7:30 a.m.

A LOUD, OBNOXIOUS buzzing noise jostled Zach out of his dreamless slumber. It hardly took the exhausted boy five seconds to determine it was the alarm on his phone. Zach lazily reached over and grabbed the device, tapping the screen in numerous random places before his alarm shut off. Even though Zach used his phone for an alarm every day, it was difficult to find where the off button on it was.

Zach let out a yawn and set his phone back down on the nightstand next to his bed. He buried his face into his pillow, hoping it was magically a Saturday rather than a Wednesday so he was able to sleep as long as he wanted. Unfortunately, that was not going to be the case, so he forced himself to sit up and prepare for the long day ahead of him.

The teenager's feet dangled slightly over the bed before he slid off and got into a standing position. It took Zach a while to memorise where everything was in his fairly new room, but eventually he figured it out. He made his way over to his dresser, picking out an outfit for the upcoming day.

Zach's wardrobe mainly contained neutral colors—black, gray, white, and even blue sometimes. He figured all of those colors would go together in any combination so he would not accidentally wear something completely mismatched. Either way, faded blue was Zach's favorite color.

Eventually he settled with a pair of dark-washed jeans and a t-shirt of his favorite color. While still wearing his pajamas, which consisted of a similar t-shirt and fluffy pajama pants, he carefully made his way to the bathroom. Zach carefully kept his hand running against the wall to determine if he found the correct room.

He felt the warm water from the shower cascade onto his black hair, transforming it into an impossible shade darker. Showers were always therapeutic to Zach. They gave him comfort when no one else was able to. As sad as it was to admit it, Zach felt quite lonely. He was unable to even see his hand in front of him, let alone his own thoughts.

About ten minutes later, Zach found himself carefully treading down the stairs. His hand gripped a bit tightly around the handrail until he reached the bottom step. The voices of his sister and mother were very prevalent in the kitchen. He imagined that his mom was making breakfast for both he and Hayleigh to enjoy before school.

Zach loved his parents to death. With his father working full time as a manager of a local restaurant and his mother complying to a part time job from home, he was only able to see his mother most of the time. The West family was searching for a new place to call home and start anew. What better place would there be than the small beach town of Oceanview?

As soon as Zach stepped foot into the kitchen, he heard his little sister's voice excitedly ring out. "Zach! Finally you're awake!"

"It's only about seven forty-five," Zach protested in the middle of a yawn. "Besides, I thought children enjoyed sleeping—not waking up at the crack of dawn."

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