The Yarian Chronicles: Second Life

Chapter 1

The night was cool. I was sitting on a smooth white stone bench talking to a young man, whose face I couldn't quite make out. We were surrounded by a beautiful garden; rows and rows of planters, made of the same smooth stone of the bench, overflowing with colorful flowers, the likes of which I have never seen before - yet it all seemed so familiar. We sat there happily chatting until a young woman with long blond hair and piercing green eyes came up to us. She was dressed in a long, white, cap sleeved dress that flowed down her body. It was almost exactly the same as the one I was wearing. I immediately knew she was my sister.

"Come for a swim Zathar! It's so nice out tonight." She said. I hesitated to answer. She took my arm and pulled me in the direction of a large swimming pool with clear blue water. There was already a young man with short, dark hair treading water in the pool, wearing a tuxedo. His jacket had floated up to surround him. His white button-down was soaked and see-through. I knew he was my brother.

"I promise you it's ok. It's earth water." She added and she jumped in. Her hair and skirt floated around her as she swam across the pool. She and my brother laughed as I hesitated at the water's edge. "Just come in!" She yelled at me.

I jumped into the pool and the water was slightly cool, but not uncomfortable. The young man I was talking to, stood at the edge of the pool. His face was all blurred except for the smile on his face.

"See, it's not so bad." The girl said as she splashed me. I splashed her back and laughed.

The only thought in my head was what a perfect night it was. The sky was clear and cloudless. The red lines of the two rings which surrounded the planet blazed across the dark sky and framed the two moons which hung in the distance amongst the golden glitter of the stars.

Suddenly, a chill came across the pool, and all the light and happiness seemed to be sucked up by our surroundings. We all looked instinctively at the pool's edge. There was a dark, hooded figure standing there. He slowly raised his arm, and there was a blinding flash of light.

My alarm clock blared, and I rolled over sleepily and pressed the snooze button. I stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom. I got into the shower and turned it to as hot as it would go. I closed my eyes and thought about my dream. It was the umpteenth time I'd had that dream. Each night it gets a little clearer, and goes a little farther. At first, all I saw was the pool, and then slowly, the sound of the wind, the feel of the cool water against my skin became more and more real. I shook my head and jumped out of the shower, brushed my teeth, and whisked on some mascara and a little tinted lip balm.

Mondays are always crazy. I hated taking 8 am classes, but unfortunately that's the price you pay when you wait until the last minute to register into classes. The late classes always fill up fast. At least, that's what everyone told me. I didn't listen though. Summer seemed to go by so fast, and before I knew it, the semester was about to begin and I still wasn't officially in any classes. As a result, I was now stuck in the only Grade 12 English course they had left, Monday mornings at 8 am. Ouch!

I took my crumpled jeans off the floor and my favorite black t-shirt off the top of my dresser and pulled them on. I grabbed a bottle of mousse off my dresser and scrunched my dark brown curly hair. That was definitely a benefit of having curly hair, all you need is a little mousse and you can be out the door. You don't have to waste too much time primping. An important consideration when you have to be out to the bus by 6:30 am.

I ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. I picked up my backpack, grabbed a muffin off the counter, jacket off the hook and bolted out the door. I ran down the block. I still had five minutes to spare. Thank god! I stood there shifting weight from one side to another. Taking the bus was never my favorite thing. You had to stand outside in the cold to stand up for an hour in a little box that was too packed with too many stressed out students. I had a car too, but it was way too expensive to drive to school. I don't know how they expect students to pay $100 per month for parking. Then there's gas too. It's ridiculous. So I took the bus. And unfortunately here the bus system is not the best. They take too long, and don't go near enough places, which was why I had a car to take me everywhere else.