Nova

Chapter One: The talks

   We never second guess where we're from. We can second guess who we are, what we do, and other people but never where we're from. Why is that?

   I'm somewhere that's red with a blue and purple sky, it almost seemed daytime. I walk around looking for anything or anyone but there's nothing to be found. I bend down and feel the ground, it looks like rocks and sand, even feels like it but something tells me otherwise.
   "Nova", my mother awakens me hurriedly. I jump and look at my surroundings. It's nothing like I dreamed of. I then look at my mother and her tired face. "Nova your going to be late to school", this is a joke to me but serious to my mother.
   "Mom don't worry I won't be late", I say reassuring her while grabbing my weightless backpack.
   I hurry downstairs and eat the same Friday waffles with whipped cream and strawberries. I then give her a kiss and hug, "Bye mom".
   "Bye sweetheart", she says back.
   I run out the door and head to the direction of the bus stop, as soon as I'm out of sight I head towards the old abandoned railroads. I jump in the large hole near the trains and sit. I don't know why but I always liked it here. I mess around with the dirt for a while before I get out. After years of going here it's now quite easy to get out of. I walk over to the closest train. I move the old, torn Galaxy curtains blocking the train entrance out of the way. I turn on the lights that are the shape of stars on the ceiling. I lie down on the soft, grass rug. I lay there until nightfall before leaving.
                          ...
   I move the curtains out of the way with one hand and grab my backpack with the other. I jump off the train and put my backpack on, adjusting the curtains behind me.
   I head into the now sleeping city ready to scrounge for whatever I can. I grab my pocket knife from my pants pocket and keep it close to me just in case. I look behind a ragedy, barely functional restaurant. I look through the dumpsters finding something decent to eat. I find some questionable meat in a container.
   "Ew", I grimace but still take it. I then walk across the street to a furniture store doing remarkably well with business. I get in their large dumpster with my backpack in my hand. I find some star stickers, a purple lamp with a Galaxy shade.
   I walk over to the right, to the grocery store dumpster. I search through it and find exactly what I'm looking for, a purple box with Nova in blue lettering. I open it up and see all the breakfast foods for the week.
   "Thanks Wolf", I give a silent prayer to the person who has been leaving me this box for years, with a little note card inside saying each time 'It'll get better, Wolf'.
   I head back home to my wonderful, hard to pay by myself house. It's a dirty, white house with fading blue shutters. I haven't had the money to fix it. And every weekend my mom says it needs to be cleaned. But it's much worse looking than she thinks because every Friday night I straighten up the porch to the best of my abilities for her.
   I open the screen door to the porch, grab the broom beside the door and start sweeping.
                           ...
   When I get done it's about two in the morning. I set the broom back beside the door, unlock the main door and go up the steps to my room. I close the door to my room even though I know across the hall my mom is still sound asleep.
   I go to my closet and change into a gray, comfy t-shirt and black shorts. I jump into bed and get underneath the covers. I fall asleep easily, comforted by the warmth under the blanket.
                              ...
   I'm back to the place with red dirt. I start walking toward the brightest star in the blue and purple sky. It seems like it's getting farther and farther away. I start running, not looking where I'm going. I trip, expecting to land on the hard dirt, I close my eyes. After a few seconds I feel nothing so I decide to open my eyes only to see red grass around me in a perfect patch. After I get up it turns back to dirt.
   "Strange", I mutter to myself.
   "Honey, let's talk", I wake up to my mom with a concerned face. My clock to the left of me reads twelve. Right on schedule.
   "What do you want to talk about mom", I say with a fake but practiced concerned face, although she may not even see my real face.
   "Let's go out on the porch, meet me outside once your dressed", she says while shutting the door behind her and leaving.
   I crawl out of bed hating the routine. I open the door to my closet. I grab a grey, comfy sweater and change my shorts into black, ripped skinny jeans. I then brush my long blackish, blue hair into a messy bun. After I'm dressed and hair brushed I put on my black hightops with blue and purple outline. I practically go down the stairs two at a time ready to get this over with.
   I grab a piece of bread from the kitchen and start tearing pieces off to eat while I had to the front door leading to the porch.
   "This porch needs to be cleaned. Oh well, honey I know it has been rough on you moving here and all but although I may not be your real mother I want you to know I love you just as much as your mom did", she says with her eyes glooming.
   "I know, your like a real mom to me, I appreciate you taking me in like you did", is what I want to say. But sadly I can't, I have to say the same thing that I did the first time to not cause more trauma for her.
   "Mom, I hate you, your nothing like my real mom. You make me feel forced to call you mom or even live here", I say this regretfully time and time again but the very first time I didn't, I was mad and upset at her because of school which wasn't even her fault. Everyone was being mean to me in school and calling me names. Now I have to relive this horrible talk for years to come.
   She looks at me trying not to cry, nods her head, gets up and goes to her room. I finish the piece of bread I was eating, walk up to my room and go to sleep while thinking about what and how I said it the first time. Tomorrow I'll go back to the trains.