Darien stared at his half-full suitcase on the bed in his little room. He took in a deep breath as he looked around at the now empty walls that had originally been covered in movie posters and beautifully framed photographs. He had lived in this little apartment in Florida for only two years, ever since he first turned 18, but he still loved the comfortable feeling of home. He was 20 now, and he was setting himself on a path for new beginnings. He was going across the country to California to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. Recently accepted into a Preforming Arts academy, he didn't hesitate to pack his bags.
Why wouldn't he? The school even provided him with a plane ticket and a few days to move in before starting up his classes. They also sent a schedule and a map of the campus. It would be wrong to turn them down.
Darien filled up the rest of his suitcase with his clothes. He didn't have that many in the first place. Jeans and plain t-shirts made up most of his apparel, and even though it was very plain, he liked it. Along with his suitcase, he had two other bags filled with personal belongings such as books, movies, and photos. A third bag held his toiletries and other small things.
Little worrisome thoughts went through Darien's head. He had secrets, and many of them. During his mother's pregnancy, she had an accident dealing with radioactivity, and he took the fall for it instead of her.
Maybe it wasn't exactly a "fall". Hell, he was born with super strength and speed along with the ability to fly and draw energy to and then from his palms in the form of electric waves. He called himself the Blue Warrior. He was a real life super hero, and he actually acted upon that fact. In fact, there was plenty of crime going on in L.A. to take care of. He had recently read about a real life villain tearing the place apart every now and then. He was called the Phantom, probably because of his abilities to fly, and use things such as invisibility and telekinesis. Darien wanted to meet this villain face to face.
The last thing he packed was his costume, in order to hide his identity from the rest of the world. He loved helping other people, but a blessing like this would ruin his chance at having a dream come true, and even just living a normal life.
The text alert on his phone went off with a new notification. His ex-boyfriend's name, Teagan, went across the banner of his phone with the message "I'm outside in the car!" printed underneath. Although they had broken up, they were still close friends. Darien smiled and texted back, "I'll be out in just a second."
Tegan was driving Darien to the airport that morning. Darien looked around at his empty room one last time before grabbing his things and heading out the door. Teagan flashed a smile at him, so he gave one back, and climbed into the passenger seat after filling the trunk with his bags.
Teagan looked him up and down and asked in a teasing manner, "you're awfully adorable, are you trying to seduce the authorities there?"
A blush warmed up along Darien's cheeks. He looked down at his outfit, which was just some nice jeans, a snug-fitting, purple crew neck shirt and some black and white mid-rise Converse. He was actually an extremely attractive person, he was just too insecure to let himself realize the fact.
He was kinda short for his age, reaching only six feet tall. He was very slim, but weighed 170 pounds due to muscle mass. He had really nice arm muscles and the classic six-pack. Despite the muscular menace look, he was actually adorable. He had big, brown eyes that looked like they held the horizon in them, with eyelashes a little longer than the average man's. His cinnamon hair curled up from his forehead in a lovely quiff. His tan skin was smooth and silky with little freckles dotted along the bridge of his nose and both cheeks. He created little dimples with every smile.
"Very funny, Teagan," he said and rolled his eyes.
"I'm just messing!" replied Teagan, smiling a sweet smile.
"Thank you for coming to get me."
"No problem! I didn't want you to have to leave your car down at the airport for the school year. They would have torn it to shreds down in the city."
"You're a good friend."
Teagan smiled at the little compliment he had received. It warmed Darien's heart to see his best friend so happy, even though he was leaving him for a good bit of time. Teagan started up the car again and made his way down the interstate.
The car ride was mostly silent. Teagan was focused on his driving, and Darien couldn't help but watch the beautiful Florida sceneries. He grew sad inside, he felt as if he didn't appreciate it as much as he should have. He passed the same trees, fields and wildlife every day for years, but now that he was moving across the country, he wanted to stay and capture the beauty.
"What if they don't like me?" Darien finally spoke up.
"What?" Teagan asked.
"The academy. What if they don't like my acting skills? What if I'm not the right material?"
The confused Teagan replied, "didn't you send in a video? Y'know, to show what you can do?"
"Of course I did. I'm just afraid they'll see me in person and change their minds."
"Listen, Darien. I've seen your acting. We've been in school plays together since we were six, and you pretended to like girls from the ages thirteen to sixteen," he laughed. "You're really good at what you do. You have a natural talent."
"I hope you're right," Darien sighed.
The last of the car trip was only five minutes long. Teagan pulled up to the curb alongside the building and looked at Darien.
"Please, please be careful, and text me when you get off the plane, okay?" he pleaded.
"Of course, Teagan. Don't worry," Darien assured. He smiled and hugged Teagan tightly, pressing a kiss to his forehead afterwards. He climbed out of the car, retrieved his bags, and waved goodbye one last time before entering the building.
He dragged himself through the boring, long lines and the baggage check and all the other shit he didn't want to have to go through. His flight was in five minutes, so he grabbed a donut from the airport café. He decided to text Teagan, "about to board, I'll talk to you as soon as I can. :) <3" and he got in line at the gate.
"Be safe, love ya!" was the reply.
Boarding took less than ten minutes, including all of the instructions given by the flight attendant. Darien put in some headphones, laid back, and closed his eyes for a lovely nap.
***
"Please put your trays up and buckle your seat belts; we will be landing in Los Angeles shortly."
Darien blinked his eyes open, awakened by the announcement. He checked his phone, actually pleased with the fact that he slept for the whole four and a half hours. It felt like 20 minutes. He collected his things and put them in his carry-on bag, and watched out the window as the plane touched the ground again.
To: Teagan: "I just landed, I'm safe and sound."
From: Teagan: "I'm so glad you're okay. Don't forget to Skype me every once in a while! <3"
To: Teagan: "You know I can't forget about my best friend :)"
From: Teagan: "You're such a cheese. Have a nice orientation! Let me know how it goes."
To: Teagan: "I will, T. Thanks ~<3"
Darien caught a bus to the academy. It was almost six in the afternoon now, nearly three hours behind his usual Florida time. He stared out the window at all the lights and people and wonderful things to see. He thought about being one with the celebrities one day, and that people would stare out bus windows hoping to see him as they passed by.
California definitely wasn't Florida, but Darien knew he'd warm up to it, and fast. He already loved it, and he hadn't been there for more than 30 minutes. The drive to the academy wasn't long, and he was getting off right at the next stop.
He couldn't believe his eyes when he stood in the main gateway of the campus. It was huge, marvelous, and so unique. It was a blessing to even be accepted to the school, much less being asked personally to come like he was.
"Well, time to move in," he muttered to himself. He pulled out his map and made his way to the main building, where he could find the Dean's office. Surprisingly enough, he found it with ease, and made his way inside. A tall man with dark hair met him in the lobby.
"Darien? Darien Malloy, yes?" he asked him.
"Yes, that's me," he replied.
"I'm Dean Williams. We've been expecting you. Come, to my office," he ushered.
Darien followed the Dean into his office and sat down in probably the most comfortable leather chair his ass will ever touch.
"I've seen your abilities, and I've heard many good things about you, Mr. Malloy. I have high expectations," Dean Williams said.
"Thank you, sir. It's an honor to be placed in such a high ranked academy," Darien chuckled.
"There are few rules I have to go over, however."
"Lay it on me, sir."
"First of all, it is not required that you live on campus. However, if you do, you have no curfew. Just be responsible! If you're not, a curfew will be set. This isn't junior high, you know!"
"Of course, thank you, sir."
"Are you living on campus this year?"
"I planned to."
"Good, good! I think you'll be all set for the learning year. Don't you think? All of your set classes are located in the same two buildings, which are placed directly next to each other. That's not too much to handle, correct?"
"I will manage easily, sir."
"Perfect. Oh, and one more thing," the Dean added.
"Yes?" Darien asked.
"You will have to share a room with a roommate. Is that an issue?"
"No," Darien smiled. "That's not an issue at all."