Saturday, June 1, 2013

The Rebirth of a Dragon: Chapter 1

Chapter one

    

  "Until we meet again," said the girl with a smile as she vanished. "How will I know you," asked the boy, but it was too late. She was gone. Seth awoke with a yelp. He could never remember the beginning or the middle of this dream, but the ending was always the same. A girl whose face he couldn't make out smiling and then disappearing. He had had this dream consistently on the night of the full moon for as long as he could remember. He wondered just who the boy and the girl was, but knew he probably would never know. He thought of this as one of those annoying facts of life that he couldn't change and looking back, he had instinctively known that the dream was something that was not meant to be shared, even with his family and best friend. He wondered now why this was true and then heard his mom calling him to get ready for school. His train of thought got interrupted as he recalled that today would be his first day as a junior in high school, so he had better get dressed soon so his mom didn't come in and wonder what was taking so long.
     He pulled on a long sleeved gray shirt and dark blue jeans with black tennis shoes. Ordinary clothes that weren't too eye-catching so that he didn't draw too much attention to himself. In a school like his, Seth and his best friend, James, had figured out the best way to blend in without drawing the notice and interest of certain crowds that James had dubbed for them "the untouchables." Members of "the untouchables" were all pretty to look at, but whenever normal people got involved with them, bad things happened to said people. Thus the name "untouchables." Look all you want, but do not touch them.
   He remembered how just before summer a boy , who had gotten involved with them had "mysteriously moved away." Everyone knew that there was more to the story, but they were all too scared to voice their opinions. Not that Seth was one to talk. He had spoken to the boy, Josh, a few times at lunch and knew that Josh's parents had no intention of ever moving because his dad had a permanent position in an office that was way too good, according to Josh, to give up, but Seth didn't have the guts to speak his mind. "Seth, you're going to be late so get down here right now," cried Seth's mom. The boy in question shook his head at having thoughts that were way too depressing for any normal sixteen year old boy to be having.
    With that thought, he went downstairs, grabbed a quick bite to eat, waved bye to his mom, and grabbed his backpack on his way out. Outside his first generation Suzuki SV650 was waiting for him. Seth didn't like to stand out, but he had always loved motorcycles, even as a little kid. He worked non- stop since he was fourteen at his dad's bookshop just so that he would be able to have enough money for this baby by the time he turned sixteen and got his license. Seth's grandpa was a mechanic who understood his love of motorcycles and had even helped him get his permit when he was fifteen along with helping Seth fix-up the old thing so that it was as good as new. He knew that it wasn't as good as a BMW Motored or a Triumph, but he had earned it through his hard work and wouldn't have traded it for the world.
    Seth lived in Brooklyn, but went to school on a full scholarship to the best school in Manhattan, not that he was stupid enough to ever tell anyone that. His dad was a pÅ™istÄ›hovalec or immigrant from Prague and couldn't find any other work than a bookstore when he moved here. Seth's mom always said that his dad had the devil's luck because the old man who ran the fore mentioned bookstore liked my dad so much that he left it for him when he died twelve years ago. Seth was only four at the time so he couldn't picture his dad working anywhere, but at his bookstore. His mom was a nurse that worked the night shift. This worked for her because she wanted to work, but still be around her family.
     Seth parked far enough that his bike wouldn't be noticeable, but near enough that he would only have to walk for about two minutes to get to his school. He thought about his school now. The oh so prestigious St. Gregory Academy. He laughed at the thought that a Drak attended a school named after a saint famous for slaying a dragon. Of course Seth wasn't a real dragon, but that was what his surname meant and he still found it funny. "Hey dude," said a familiar voice. Seth looked to the side and saw James. "You know it's creepy how you do that," commented Seth. "Do what?" Seth sighed and said, "Never mind." They had this conversation before and James was the sort of guy where if he didn't want to answer something, he either ignored it or figured out a way to completely dodge the question. Seth supposed that he should be annoyed by this fact, but he had known James for years and knew that even with his occasional weirdness he was a good guy and always had Seth's back.
   The school ran on a block schedule because whoever was in charge figured out that no one was learning anything by jam packing six or seven classes into one day. This year, Seth and James had the same lunch period and AP Calculus A/B class, but that was it. On the way to AP Calc he heard James talk about this rumor about transfer students from California that came in to their year. Seth found this odd because this was a hard school to get into. It went from K-12 and the only reason he got in was because academics had always came easy to him, even at an early age. Seth came in the fourth grade when his parents found out he had gotten the highest score in the New York State ELA and Mathematics exam. At the time, he didn't really care because for him, it just meant going to a new school where he didn't know anyone. Now he thanked whoever was watching him from above because if it wasn't for that it was very possible that he would not be attending any college after graduation.
     When Seth and James walked in they were separated by the teacher who was arranging the students to his seating chart. He looked around him and saw that although the seat next  to him was empty, the other seats were filled with untouchables. Seth wondered why the untouchables had to be so smart. He could avoid them in a crowded hall or lunchroom, but it was quite another feat when they surrounded him in his classes. He told himself to relax and keep his head down with his eyes focused on his desk and there was no way that they would notice him.
     "Why are you so scared?" For a brief second Seth looked up and locked eyes with a girl that he recognized, but didn't know. She was pretty, but she didn't have the perfect beauty that the untouchables had. Not with the freckles that dotted her olive-toned skin and her messy black curls that we're barely kept in a waist-length braid. Seth was normally good with faces and names, but for some reason he couldn't place where he had seen her. She put her stuff down next to the seat that was adjacent to his and sat before turning to him and saying, "Well, are you gonna answer the question?" Instead of answering, Seth dumbly asked, "Do I know you from somewhere?" She gave him a cocky grin and said, "Is that supposed to be some pick-up line? I just moved here from L.A. two days ago, so how could I possibly know you?" He quickly apologized before the bell rang and the teacher started the class. This was the first time that Seth had met her, in this lifetime, but it would not be the last.