Trials: Chapter I
This is my first *serious* story, and I hope it is as good as I intend.
All comments, criticism, or support will graciously be accepted in email form, my Facebook page, or by the places this will be posted.
*I do not claim any copyrighted objects in this writing. LittleBig Planet and PlayStation 3 are © Sony_®_, Furries in a Blender is © John Freeman, and the 'Got Milk' slogan is © National Milk Processor Board. Any other names of food brands, video games, or other companies receive their copyright spiel here as well.
** That said; if it is a capital word and does not exist in nonfiction reality; then it belongs to me. So yeah!**
Once again, thanks.
Enjoy.
I
Lewis sat silently at the lunch table. It was the beginning of lunch period and the room was becoming louder by the second as students filed in.
He usually sat by himself, though today 'his' table was in need of repair, so it was unusable. Instead, he sat at the table where the freshmen students sit. Lewis was a sophomore, and was the youngest student of his class.
'I don't feel like eating...' he thought dolefully, staring at his tray.
'But... I guess I sh-'
His thoughts were interrupted by a youth that sat beside him.
"Hello!" said a jovial, soft voice.
"Er... Hi."
"Hey.... aren't you a sophomore? I thought you sit over there...?" the voice questioned in a jokingly tone.
Lewis only nodded in response. He looked subtly to his left to see who it was.
The person in question was a slender pure white fox. His clothing consisted of a grey T-shirt that read: 'Got any Furries in a Blender?' an off the popular slogan 'Got Milk?', and a reference to the techno group. His pants were rather baggy shorts that went a few inches past his knee as he sat. Lewis had seen the kid around lately, and he was sure his was in Mr. Vell's Algebra II class because he had seen him in the front row.
'Huh.... kid must be pretty damn smart to jump Pre-Algebra and Algebra I in his freshman year.... and especially in Mr. Vell's class....' he thought, amused.
The fox looked at Lewis and said, "I'm Alexander.... or Alex for short... who are you?"
"I'm Lewis, Nice to meet you." Lewis said quietly, turning back to stare at his untouched meal.
The fox's tail started to sway, which apparently meant he was pleased. The rest of the period was rather quiet, and the fox ate everything on his tray. After he finished his meal, Alex began fiddling with his tail. His fur appeared very well groomed and taken care of, even appearing to have a slight shine in the well-lit lunchroom. Lewis didn't eat much, only the boiled peas and peach slices, but he drank two cartons of milk, one given to him by Alex.
When the bell sounded for the start of fifth period classes, everyone scurried out of the room as quickly as they had arrived and the room became quieter as janitors began their duties of cleaning the tables and floors. As Lewis was dumping his leftover food, Alex ran up to him with his bag slung over his shoulder.
"Hey! Can we exchange our cell numbers or whatever?" the fox asked curiously, as a gesture of friendship.
Lewis stood with a blank expression before Alex brought him back to reality.
"Uhm.... Lewis...?"
"Uhm, sorry.... come again?' he questioned.
"I asked if you wanted my number or email. I have PSN too...?"
"Oh. Yeah, sure. Just a second I'll get a piece of paper..." He said, rummaging through his bag.
Alex reached into his pocket, pulled out a piece of paper, and offered it to Lewis, who stopped his search.
'Oh.... thanks, Alex," He said as the bell for classes rang. "Uhm, you're late for classes...." he added.
"Uh-huh! No problem!" he replied as he walked away. "...And its fine!" he added before exiting through the doors.
He watched as the fox ran off, then himself trudged into the hallway towards history.
'Mh.... I kind of like the kid. Not annoying...' he mused as he headed towards his biology class.
*----*
After school ended, I walked outside and down the street. My house is about twelve blocks from the school, but I don't mind the walk. I saw many other students trailing behind me, probably going to the park to play ball or to their homes. As I approached my house, I began wondering if my brother would be home or not.
'Please be there.... Please be there.... Please be there...' I begged to myself, as if it would somehow ensure that he was there.
My tail began wagging as I approached our driveway, where I noticed his truck parked in the driveway.
"I'm home!' I declared, shutting the door lightly as I spoke. He was as well, but was sprawled out on the couch, sleeping soundly. I decided not to wake him because he needed the rest. As I walked towards the hall, my radiant mood dimmed a little as I noticed a picture of my mum; dad, brother, and I all huddled closely. I was much younger in the portrait, the kit in the photo reflected my appearance today, minus about nine or ten years. Although I fought it, tears welled up in my eyes. I sighed shakily and headed towards my upstairs room, and once inside I tossed my books down on the computer desk.
I pulled out the slip of paper Alex handed me and unfolded it. The contents, which were very neatly written, read:
_"_Cell Phone; 12-467-9723
PSN: AlexandrianFox
E-Mail: [email protected]"
'I'll text Alex and tell him I'll be on the computer later on...' I thought as I pulled my phone from my pocket.
I typed his number into a new message and then sent him a text, which read: "This is Lewis, Alex's phone, yeah?"
I felt a vibration on my knee a few moments later and opened the reply:
'Yeah, this is Alex :]'
I added his contacts and replied simply, 'Okay, Just wanted to be sure. I can't talk now, gonna nap and start on my homework. I'll probably be on my PC later though~' and set it on the desk as I emptied my pockets of the everyday junk. Pencils, chewing gum, a gum wrapper, a very dirty pink eraser broken into halves....
Zzzt! Zzzt! Zzzt! Zzzz- I interrupted the silenced ring by opening his message.
'Aright, talk to ya later then. Sleep well! Lol'
I tossed my phone by my books and pulled my clothing off, and got into bed in my boxers. I never did like sleeping with clothes. As I lay, I began thinking about the day.
'Well.... he seems like a new kid.'
'Nope, you just never cared to notice him before' a seemingly other voice in my head responded.
I rolled to my side and sighed. "Well. Whatever..."
I was very weary. My eyelids began to close rapidly, and I continued arguing with myself. I kept wondering why he was so cheery... He had a demeanor that reminded me of a distant cousin who I don't know well. Eventually, I was sound asleep.
When I awoke, it was 6:53 PM. I needed to get up and finish an essay for final exams, but I procrastinated and drifted back to sleep again before I made my mind up. When I woke this time, I could see that the May evening was much darker. I had only slept for little over an hour and a half the second time and the sunset is around 8:25. I yawned and stretched, my feet arching and my tail coiling. I slowly sat upright just as I saw a flash and a loud bang directly afterward. I yawned again, now more awake, and stood up. Crossing my room I looked out my window to see a downpour of rain, and then I sniffed, catching the scent. I murred quietly and shivered as gooseflesh crawled across my skin.
'I love the smell of rain' I thought, smiling.
I arched my back, causing it to pop, and crossed to my computer desk. After turning the desk lamp on I woke my computer up from hibernation and began my essay.
After finishing and printing the final draft, I decided I was hungry and went downstairs for some food. Glancing at the clock, I now noticed it was 8:00. As I stepped in the kitchen, I saw my brother.
Jason Lee, my eldest brother, is a slim jet-black wolf. He is taller than I am, and is currently in the University of Media and Fine Arts, to further train himself in drawing, and he illustrates a mini-comic in the local newspaper called "The Daily Coffee Break". Jason is normally very hyperactive, and a 'compulsive dunce', though has many times cheered me up with his little pranks. His soft, yet deep voice is calming.
He greeted me with "Hey Lu! You hungry dude?" I nodded in reply, sitting at the table.
"Whatcha want?" he asked, his head stuck in the refrigerator.
"I dunno... Are you hungry too?" I responded.
"Yeah.... Starving!" he said with a chuckle.
'OK.... Just make something we can share?" I suggested, to which he only nodded.
After finding a few items, he grumbled and turned to me.
"Uhm.... we can have spaghetti or pizza. Which would you prefer?" he asked.
I knew this was a trick question, because he very well knew I didn't like spaghetti, so I chuckled and replied sarcastically "What do you think I want, Captain Obvious?"
Jason smirked and chuckled at me, putting the spaghetti sauce back in the refrigerator. Afterward, he opened the freezer and asked with a stifled chuckle if I wanted pepperoni or super supreme. He knew the answer here too, so I only scoffed and he chucked the Pepperoni back in the freezer, closing the door with his tail.
'Hm... Power must have been knocked out by the storm' I thought, noticing the flashing "00:00" on the microwave's display screen.
"Tch... you're a picky boy. You should learn to take what is offered without question!" he joked.
"Yeah, on and on you rant, problem is Jason, you just gave me two choices, TWICE!" I replied with a smirk.
He only grumbled after that, and sat down at the table across from me. "Pizza should be done in about...Mmh,' He looked at the clock and then continued, "about twenty minutes. So, how was your day?"
I smiled back "Eh. It was good. Some kid named Alex sat by me.... and now I apparently have a new friend....And Mrs. Johnson was a royal ass again today. "
He scoffed, "Oh... Big surprise. That old bat is still hanging from the rafters of room 12A?"
I sat silently and then began laughing. 'Only you Jason."
"What!? Wh-HEY! I speak the truth, so therefore, it isn't rude! I swear she's a vampire or something...." He argued with a matter-of-factly tone, his paw hitting the table.
I began to catch whiffs of the sauce and dough of the pizza and sniffed the air with a smile "Is it done yet?" I asked in a begging tone. He stood and grabbed the towel on the stove top and opened the door to the oven. The smell of a 'perfectly' cooked pizza overcame me after a moment, and I started tapping the table impatiently, my claws making a rhythmic clicking sound. I swore he took his time just to torture me.
"Mmh... smells excellent! Hurry up! Bloody hell you're going to drive me insane Jason..."
"Oh listen to you," he said as he sliced the pizza into eighths' and brought it to the table. "Now. Here's the pizza. You can get up and get your own dinnerware" he teased.
I stuck my tongue out at him. "Be that as it may, you'll want to have a nice, cold, drink with that delicious pizza...And I'm not getting it for you!" I said, putting emphasis on select words. He "tch'd" again, something we both do to add sarcasm. "Fine" he continued, "But I'll get my revenge...."
We ate rather quietly for the remaining time, only exchanging our daily activities' info and other small talk until we were both finished. I thanked him for the 'gourmet meal' and washed our plates.
I finished right at nine thirty and told my brother goodnight. He replied "Night Lewis, sleep well bro."
Once I was upstairs, I texted Alex and checked to see how much longer he'd be up. The answer was; "When do teenagers have bedtimes exactly?? Lol. I'll be up until I get tired"
'Frigging night owl...' I chuckled, and replied once more:
"Alright. I'm gonna shower and when I get finished we can play a game or whatever."
"Righto, no problem"
I attached my phone to its charging dock, grabbed some fresh clothes and walked into the bathroom. I rarely lock my bedroom door because though my brother always knocks; he does open it a little and ask if he can come in, plus I doubt he would want to come into the bathroom anyway.
I stripped and stepped into the shower, closed the door, and turned the shower head on. The cold blast that rained down on me did not bother me much, but it still surprised me. I backed up to let the water warm up, and once satisfied, I washed and relaxed in the shower.
Once I dried off I dressed and walked over to boot my computer up, I texted Alex to see if he was still awake. He immediately responded. 'Yup... still here. Hey, do you have Little Big Planet 2? If so, wanna play? A few people and I are all playing if you want to join us."
I loved that game, so I said "definitely. I added you earlier too" as I turned my television and PlayStation 3 on. I put in Little Big Planet 2, and after signing in, started the game. As soon as I was in game and connected to the server, I received an invitation, and accepted. There were four or five others playing besides myself. We played for about an hour and after a while, we ceased our attempts at building a massive chain-reaction scene and instead chatted.
"Lol. Everyone else must be asleep. I'm so nocturnal. :P" Into the game from the 'Popit' chat. I replied to Alex after a short laugh "lol. Me too. Starting to get a bit bored though...."
After a few minutes with no reply, his Sackboy disappeared and I began to wonder if he had decided to go to sleep. Sighing, I eventually quit the game and read through my unread messages, and checked who was online. He was back online a good ten minutes later, so I sent him a message through chat and he replied after a minute or so.
'Heya.'
"Helloo... Get bored?"
'Yeah' was the simple reply.
"Sorry... Hey, did you finish that report?" I asked, trying to spark a conversation. Our evil history teacher had assigned a three page report on the importance Fye's economy on our own province, Alvenia.
'Yea... I did it a while ago'
'OK... I did too'
'srry brb. Mom wants me... : l'
I sat quietly, then after a moment, I felt like I had a thousand pound weight on my shoulders. I began feeling less joyful, and my mood sank to the floor as I remembered the past, and without any other warning, I began to cry quietly into my arms.
'plip!'
I looked up, my fur matted with tears.
'Sorry... she decided to change routines on me. ._.' '
I wiped my face and tried to gather myself up, and eventually I answered with 'OK.'. His next reply came a bit later than mine did, but he obviously 'noticed' that I was troubled. '...Are you okay?' he posted, adding 'I mean... anything wrong?' afterward as I began typing.
"Uhm, yeah... just tired all of a sudden..." I lied. "I think I'm gonna go"
He first replied with "Oh...Okay. Sorry D:" and then immediately after, "see ya later Lewis! Sleep well :)"
I shut the system off and sighed, my ears drooped and my tail hanging limply on the floor. For a while, I sat on the edge of my bed, mourning silently; my elbows propped on my knees. I woke up some time later and found myself under the sheets; Jason probably had come up to say goodnight as he went to bed himself, saw my asleep, and tucked me in.
'Did he come in here...?" I questioned myself, trying to recall if I had laid down myself or not and suddenly hearing a clap of rumbling thunder.
'Well, most likely. He always comes to say goodnight, surely he saw you...' I thought, countering my logic. I sighed in relaxation and lay there for a long while as thoughts began to return to me, causing tears to once again leak from my eyes as I went to war with my conscious mind and its activity.