Chapter One: The Truth shall set you Free.
The eastern seaboard of the USA, Friday, November fifth, 2183.
“Mr. Kross, perhaps you would like to share with us your knowledge of this subject by telling the class something important about today relating to it!”
I really need to stop falling asleep in class.
Ivan shook himself and glanced up at his beady-eyed history teacher. Despising Mr. Baldwin was a favourite pastime of his, “yeah, sure. About 400 years ago some nut head tried to destroy the world or something.” Despise Mr. Baldwin's job and you despise him. He had devoted his life it it, and Ivan knew he was being mean; but presently he was too bored to care.
Mr. Baldwin gave him a pointed glare and then turned to the rest of the class. “Today is the day that, over three hundred years ago, a man named Guy Fox went mad and attempted to bomb the Parliament towers of London. I see him as a special example of a person who will kill hundreds of innocent lives because he hates one little thing. Though there aren't quite so many such men . . .”
And so history droned on. Ignore it. You're nineteen years old, getting married in a few weeks, and ready to graduate and become a world-class physical scientist; history is ignorable material.
The instant the bell rang, everyone jumped out and stormed out of the classroom, chattering and talking about the latest fashions and what-not. Ivan, unlike the rest of the students -who were on their way to the mess-hall for their evening meal- he turned at headed for home.
Life was pretty boring here in Norman. It felt empty. Why? Well, his father and mother said it was because he was a boring, hopeless kid with no prospective in life. His sister said he needed to 'go with the flow' more -hang out with the popular people, do the popular stuff and all that. Ivan? He said it was because the rest of the world was boring.
He stopped, just outside the massive doors to Norman University's main building. He had two places to go too right now. A: he could go dig up his 'girlfriend' Sarah, or B: he could go to his house. Or of course he could just go take a walk and hope he didn't run into any patrol police.
Transferring to MIT in a month. He sighed, right after a I get married.
Getting married. Ugh, he despised the idea. He didn't like Sarah at all; she was air-headed and buried up to her neck in social life. But they were 'government compatible' and were now 'destined to be'. Miserable.
The worst thing was that Sarah didn't even give to cents for the idea. Get married or not, her life would hardly change . . . for a few years at least -until Ivan got back from MIT. But there was nothing that Ivan could do. His mother and father approved of the union -not that their approval mattered- and there was nowhere to turn.
Angelica, his sister, was just like Sarah. If not worse.
He sighed, shaking his head. His father wouldn't be home for a few hours, same as his mother. His sister would be off with everyone else . . . but he? He would take a walk; try to calm his mind a bit. Forget the world. He nodded to himself, and turning, headed for the forests; looming dark on the far side of the school-grounds.
8-22-2013.
Walking under the trees always seemed to sooth him. He felt calmed. He felt, for a change, a bit of hope. What was there to life these days! If one refused to go with the 'flow' you became an outcast. You lost purpose.
Ivan sighed. I refuse to do what they do. I refuse to follow everyone else.
Why though . . .
