Another day, another monotonous retinue. Jake could hardly muster the strength needed to push the covers off himself. Not from any sickness or physical hindrance. He simply struggled to find a reason to do so. Eyelids heavy, the boy turned on his side and checked the time on his phone. Six o'clock even, giving him at least another thirty minutes before school opened their doors. Although the prospect of some more time to sleep was tempting. He'd need the full half hour if he was going to make it on time while walking.
Jake kicked off the sheets, stretched his weary limbs high into the air and then began the usual morning schedule. First things first, he flung his closet door open and plucked out a basic gray sweatshirt. While not completely clean, one sniff provided enough assurance that it'd be alright for one more day. Slipping it on without a T-shirt, Jake then pushed the hood off his head. Next he moved over to his dresser in the corner of the room. Accidentally mistaking the sock drawer for the one containing all four pairs of pants he owned. Though he made sure to take out two at random before correcting the error. The bottom compartment slid open and Jake choose black sweats over denim jeans.
Outfit assembled, he was nearly ready to face the day. At least in terms of his outward appearance. Jake pushes open his door and casually moves towards the bathroom across the hall. Floorboards underneath the shag carpet creaking all the way until he was within the tiny boxed restroom. Freed from the annoying squeak, he now had to deal with the mess in front of him. The medicine cabinet which doubled as the bathroom mirror was left unlatched. It's contents spread out across the sink. Empty or half filled pill bottles, Q-tips, bandages, over the counter pain killers, a complete mess.
Jake sighed, as he grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste. Only to realize that the tube was dry. He tried pushing out some by rolling it, but only managed to squeeze out a puff of trapped air. No luck, he went ahead and made a mental note to grab some after school. Best he could do for now was comb his hair. Dragging the plastic tool through his saggy head of dark brown hair. While his bed head was contained, there were still a few pesky strands standing up in the back. Good enough for now, chances are it'd be ruined later anyway.
"Hey. I'm heading to school," Jake said to the woman laying face down on the floor in the bedroom across from his own. At this point he wasn't even sure why he bothered. If the piggish snoring wasn't enough of a sign she wasn't there at the moment. The spilt bottle of some kind of benzos on the nightstand was more than plenty. No point in hiding them, she'd find a way to get more. The teenager left the door adjured like he found it and made his way downstairs. Lifting his book bag off the hook in front of the living room door. Slinging it over his right shoulder as he stepped into his sneakers. After doing a quick pocket check, wouldn't want to forget his phone, he took off for the school building.
The morning sun had yet to reach its apex. And already it was hot enough to make Jake regret choosing the sweatshirt over a basis tee. At least it was a peaceful stroll through the neighborhood. With only a few cars speeding past, ferrying their sleepy passengers off to work. Otherwise he was left to his lonesome, most of the people his age were still in their homes getting ready to head to the bus stop. Funny, considering that they'd leave after him but still arrive sooner. Not that Jake minded, on foot travel was much quieter than the bus and he'd sooner throw himself into on coming traffic than ask his parent for a ride.
Once he turned the corner on the end of his street. It was a straight shot down the road till he reached school. Passing through a small stretch of stores clumped together into a shopping center. He continued onward until Jake heard a faint mew come from the alleyway between the two buildings coming up. Curious, he came to a stop and peaked around the corner. Ultimately seeing nothing but a dark, dirty corridor. That's when a pair of beady amber eyes appeared out of the shadows. Belonging to a fluffy, slender cat with almost jet black fur.
"No wonder I couldn't see you little guy," Jake cracked a soft smile as he dropped down to the feline's level. Surely he wasn't the only one with a soft spot for animals. The black cat grew closer, and for an assumed stray since it had no collar. It's fur was stunningly clean, lacking even a speck of grime. However when he reached out to pat the cat on the top of its head, the animal pulled back. "Not in the mood huh? Can't say I blame you..."
Jake heard footsteps behind him. It was a man and a woman heading for the coffee shop a few feet away from where he was sitting. Turning back towards the alley, the cat was gone. "Wow those things are fast."
The distinctive hiss of a school bus's engine flared as it cruised past the shopping center.
Better get a move on...
He thought to himself as he transitioned into a brisk jog back down the road. Though that detour with the stray ate up some extra time. Jake made it to the high school as the buses started letting students out. Moving along with the mass of students. Jake found his mind wandering into a day dream. Wafting through several random thoughts, this building for one. While massive, encompassing at least fifty thousand square feet of land. Plus an additional three stories in height, the student body felt overcrowded when within its walls. Entering through the main entrance, Jake still bumped shoulders with those also trying to make it to home room.
This was a process he'd completed everyday for the last seventeen years of his life. And it was about to be made another twelve months. Done so frequently, Jake could sleep walk through the halls and arrive to the correct classroom. As a matter of fact, he wasn't completely convinced he hadn't already done so. He headed up the nearest staircase, coming up on the opposite side of the second floor. Adding an extra moment or two to the trip. But soon enough, Jake reached his destination, classroom B-21. His designated home room for his final hoorah in grade school.
And the newly eighteen year old was already over it.
Jake took his seat in the back near the window. There were no assigned seats, but the students typically sat in the same spot day to day. He was no different. Home room didn't give out any work, but with nothing better to do Jake unzipped his bag and took out a composition notebook and pen. Scribbling down a few basic doodles on a blank page towards the end. Keeping busy, he couldn't help but overhear a conversation between two girls a few seats in front of him.
"Hey you made sure to shut your door this morning right?"
The student sitting on the right shot her a quizzical look,
"Uh yeah? Why are you asking me this?"
"I thought I saw Felicia on my way here."
"She's staying with my grandparents..."
"Oh yeah?"
"Actually... is she? No... that was just the dream I had last night. Guess I miss her more than I thought..."
"Freaky... when I thought I saw her earlier. She disappeared as soon as I looked away. Maybe I'm in the same boat..?" The rightmost woman gasped, "Hang on aren't black cats a bad luck charm? What's gonna happen to me!"
"You're too loud..."
That's weird, two, possibly three black cat sightings on the same day? Not exactly cause for alarm, but it certainly seems unlikely that it's the same cat. Maybe there's a problem with strays in the surrounding neighborhoods. His pen dragged from one end of the paper all the way towards the opposite side. Striking a line through the misshapen stick figure he created. For whatever reason, Jake drew another line through the crude interpretation of a human. And another, and another, until the paper was little more than a tangled mess of several strings of ink.
"At that point you shoulda torn out the page," a familiar voice called out from the right. From the corner of his vision Jake could just barely make out the rounded shape of his childhood friend Martin Boyle. "Didn't have to go and waste all that ink."
Jake let the pen roll out of his hand and into the space between the two pages while he turned towards Martin. As respectfully as Jake could be, Martin was a bit chubby. Granted most of it was accumulated in his beer belly, which inexplicably formed without any alcohol. Even now the kid had an oatmeal bar from the free breakfast served at the school in his hand. And some on his turquoise shirt's collar for good measure.
Jake quickly smashed the journal shut, "An oatmeal bar? Couldn't have grabbed something better to start your day with?"
Martin laughed as he took another chunk out of the bland, nutrition less bar. Plopping himself down in the desk right next to Jake. Taking his spot in the non-official seating order, and though he sometimes talked a bit more than he'd prefer. Jake was still happy to have the company, it made for a decent pace breaker from the constant dreaming. "What else would I eat? Those dry ass muffins? How about cereal in a plastic box with no milk? You can keep all that nastiness."
"Your taste buds were installed backwards," Jake replied whilst trying to stifle a chuckle.
"At least mine see some use," Martin chided back, "When was the last time you ate man? So boney I thought we were in human biology."
"Last night..."
"Don't mess with me man."
"I already told you. I don't eat breakfast, makes me feel sluggish the rest of my morning."
"Thought you hated mornings," Martin said as he took another bite, "Look man I thought we talked about this already..."
Jake placed his elbow down on the desk. Using it to cradle his head as he gazes out the window, "We did and now we're done."
"Aye man I didn't mean to rub you the wrong way," Martin responded apologetically, leaning close, probably in the hope that Jake would loosen up again. He did no such thing. The large man sunk into his uncomfortable metal seat as he finished off the rest of his meal. The two didn't exchange so much as a glance for a solid moment there. Only broken when another recognizable face joined the conversation.
"Alright which one of you said the thing?" A woman said with a falsified attitude. "Martin!"
"Why'd you assume it was me?!"
She scoffed, "Cause Jake says like four sentences all day. Meanwhile a certain someone loves to talk."
"Good morning Zoey," Jake managed to say as he willed up the energy to twist around in his seat once more. "Also it's not you Martin... crappy night is all."
Martin nodded twice as if to say not to worry. Zoey on the other hand seemed far more concerned. Her slender face was contorted into an expression somewhere between a grimace and a questioning stare. "Wanna talk about it?"
"Not really." Jake responded."
"Then we won't." Her messy bun allowed for a couple hairs to fall within her vision as she looked at Martin, then quickly shifted back in Jake's direction. "Anything else you wanna say to me?"
That was obviously a trick question. What could he have forgotten? Maybe she changed something about the way she dressed? Right now she was wearing a forest green crop top, with a matching jacket overtop it, unlike himself Zoey evidently had a taste for fashion. But this was expected, he tried again to conjure up an answer... and failed. "Nothing in particular really..."
"My birthday," She placed her hands on her hips, "It was yesterday and you didn't show up."
Martin chimed in, "Or return your calls!"
"Thanks for that," Jake waved Martin away, "I'm really sorry. Something came up last second and I-"
"Look it's alright but you could have at least given me a warning. We waited all night for you."
"I know... I'll do better," Jake said while avoiding eye contact. In truth, not only did he forget her birthday party was on that day. He purposely ignored those calls. Hard to hold a conversation while have another screaming match with your mother. Still it didn't give him a right to completely disregard his friend. "I promise."
"Well okay then," Zoey reached over and ruffled up Jake's full head of hair. Demolishing any semblance of structure which remained from his morning combing. She smiled at the boy, and took off not a second later. "Well I'll see you at lunch. And text me if you wanna talk okay?"
Jake gave her a thumbs up as she left. Martin seemed a bit puzzled however. Just as she was about to make it through the doorway he called out to her, "It's the morning? Where are you off to in such a hurry?"
"Promised Ms. Clem I'd help her move the instruments around in the band room!" Zoey shouted back before disappearing into the halls.
"Dang girl is gonna stretch herself thin with all these extra favors," Martin crumpled up the wrapper of his food bar and scooted out of his chair. "Gonna throw this out."
Today was proving to be more of the same. Every day, every month, every year. He'd get into heated arguments with his mother where things were said that could never be taken back. Only to force himself to attend the repetitive lectures waiting for him at school. Where he'd wade through the slog and spend some time with his friends at the end of it all. What happens next? What was waiting for him in the future? At this point it was looking to be an exact duplicate of his current life. Although he'd have a new building to walk into everyday. Such repetition drove him insane. People desperate and broken, begging for help only to fall back into whatever habits made them this way. Exactly like his own mother, and now he couldn't completely say he was any different.
"Hmm...?" Jake was lost in thought absentmindedly staring out the window. When something caught his eye. From the angle provided, he could see the rooftop of the opposite side of the school. The large industrial sized fans affixed to the top, pumping out or pulling in air from outside was the most noticeable landmark. But today something else was in front of that large gray box. A person, though he couldn't tell much else without getting closer. Was standing on the edge, head drooped downward, occasionally letting one foot dangle off the surface. The implication was clear as the morning sun.
"Are they gonna.."
Their body fell faster than Jake could speak.
An indescribable bleakness consumed him. He couldn't move, nor speak. Hell it happened so fast he wasn't sure if it was real, or some twisted hallucination. It took him a second to fully process it, but his hands.... They were shaking. As was the rest of his body, same for the desks, and the very walls themselves. Students looked around, confused at first, but when the teacher's desk at the front tipped over, cracking the smooth floor. Fear completely overwhelmed everyone in the room. Was this an earthquake? No the timing was too specific to be a mere coincidence. And that's when the sun went out.
The rumbling kept growing, more and more, objects were now thrown around the classroom. People screamed, Martin called out for Jake, he felt the cold touch of the chair fade from underneath him until gone completely. Wind rushing upwards, no support holding his body down. Jake almost felt like he was flying. An ear piercing, whiney screech blared so intensely Jake felt like his head was going to explode. He clasped his earlobes, crying out in pain, but it did nothing to dampen the sound. The ringing within his skull was becoming unbearable, there was a wet pop, liquid came streaming down the right side of his face. Then without warning, the inexplicable event came to an end. Gravity retuned dropping Jake back to the floor.
His head banged into something hard and rugged. Afterwards, nothing, everything went black.