Dark Turns to Light

Chapter 1

5:00 am.

"Ugh" I groan as I reluctantly roll out of bed.  Today is Monday, a typical school day. I stand up and stretch my arms and yawn. It's too early for this. 

I glance over to my calendar to see if anything is due today. Marked on today's date, in all caps, are the words "Leave it all behind and live a little".  At this moment I remembered that today was not a school day, but it was the day that I finally got to live.

Suddenly, I don't feel as tired anymore. I run to the kitchen and begin making scrambled eggs and toast. I have never been too good of a cook and I usually eat cereal in the mornings, but I need the protein for the big day ahead. During the process I burnt my hand on the pan, but I do that all the time. My right hand is covered in blisters and scars from countless burns and cuts that I have gave myself while attempting to cook. I wish that I could have learned to cook while I was young, but I never had the parents to teach me. My dad left me and my mum when I was only 4 months old. My mum never had the time to teach me because all of her responsibilities. Right now she is sick with leukemia and in the hospital. I have been living on my own for a little over a month now, and I'm not doing so well.

I lack all of the skills that normal young adults should have because of all of this. I eat cereal for almost every meal and I have no job. I sleep on an air mattress in a sleeping bag every night, which has caused me some pretty bad neck problems. I am currently a senior in college, and I am only here because I was granted a scholarship for football back in high school. I'd say that football is the only thing that I'm truly good at, besides singing, but that's more of a hobby. Sometimes I will sing on the side of the street, and that's how I make money. I'm barely making it by, but I could be in a worse situation. I never learned to drive either, so when I do visit my mom I have to walk or ride my bike on the side of the highway. She constantly tells me to stop because I could get hit by a car so easily. But I don't- partly because of the adrenaline rush, and mostly because I don't know if mum is going to make it, and I'm always afraid that when I visit her, it's going to be my last time. I do it for her. I always tell her that I got a ride when I do visit her, but she just looks at me disappointingly.

The eggs are slightly burnt and so is the toast. I eat them anyway- I have made much worse. After breakfast, I head back to my room to pack for the big adventure that I'm about to embark on. 

My football team and I are heading to Colorado for the week to go on a camping trip. I have never been camping before- so this should be interesting.

I shove a toothbrush, toothpaste, My dad's old jacket that I found in the basement, and my only four outfits. I also roll up my worn out sleeping bag and clip it to my backpack. The only things that are left in my room are my air mattress, the desk that I carved into as a kid,  a old chest that carries my clothes, which is empty now, and rested on top of my desk is an old leather moleskine notebook and a picture of me, my six sisters, my brother, and my mum back home in Doncaster. I scoop up the two items and shove them into my bag as well, slinging it over my shoulder. 

6:00 am.

I lock the door to my apartment that I share with my siblings and take it to the highway. I kick the pebbles into the road as I walk and sluggishly watch the cars as they zoom by. I can see my school in the distance, but it's going to take another 20 minutes or so to get there. I look at my feet and begin humming to myself.

And it's alright
Calling out for somebody to hold tonight
When you're lost, I'll find the way
I'll be your light
You'll never feel like you're aloneI'll make this feel like home.

10 more minutes. I begin to think of all of the things that could go wrong, but I have already reached an all time low, so it wouldn't even matter anyway. I'm just a 22 year old kid who snuck onto a plane with my 7 siblings and flew all the way from Doncaster to Michigan to be with my sick mum.

I finally approach the entrance to school and spot one of my teammates Harry, who was looking at a sign taped to the door. I walk over to him and greet him with a fist bump.

"Whats up Louis?" He says. "Are you excited?"

"Yeah." I reply. "I'm a little tired though." I reply.

"I can tell. Did you walk again?"

"Yeah... I did."

"Louis, I told you that I can give you a ride whenever. It's not safe to be walking by a highway when it's still dark out" he exclaims.

"You sound just like my mum" I say back with a forced laugh. I know that I should listen to them, but I kinda like walking. It's my version of an escape, and I get some time to think.

There is a moment of silence between us, so I take the time to walk over to the door and look at the sign taped to it. The sign instructs us to head to the gym, so I begin to do so.

"Hey! Wait up!" Harry yells as he jogs over to me.

I turn around to face him. 

"Sorry."

"Nah, your'e good" He says back. "Here, have this. Did you eat today?"

He pulls a nature valley bar out of his pocket and hands it to me. 

"Yeah, I did. I had eggs and toast." I say back proudly.

"Good job!" He says as he turns to me. "How were they?"

"Pretty good... a little burnt though."

"Hey, well, it's better than cereal. That stuff makes you tired, Louis. Maybe you should try gluten free, it might preserve your energy for longer." He extended his hand and placed the bar in mine. "I want you to take this anyway for later. I have one for myself too, so you have no excuses not to take it" He says with a grin.

I roll my eyes and place to bar in my backpack. 

"Thanks" I reply. "I appreciate it, I really do. Thanks for looking out for me."

He shrugs his shoulders and smiles. "It's my job. I want you to be okay."

We finally arrive at the gym , where I spot some of my other teammates. We all took a seat on the ground and waited for our coach, who was running a little late. I dug through my backpack to find my moleskine, and used a pencil that I found under the bleachers to write a note in the back of it. By the time I was done, our coach had arrived.

"Are you guys ready?" He yelled to catch our attention.

I stand up and brace myself for a good week. It is time to start living.