Prologue

Events to change the world.

- Prologue -

Darkness. Why was it always darkness? People say that dreams are able to tell the future or they could give you insight into your life. Dreams are informative and helpful and push you to realize something that your conscious mind doesn’t fathom yet. Or they could be complete nonsense jumbling all the events of the day into a quick crazy series of events. It’s hard to tell which it will be most days.

But if that was the case, then why were his dreams all black? Why were his dreams filled with no more insight then a brick wall? Maybe he had no future. Maybe his life was so messed up that even his subconscious had given up. And maybe his day to day life was filled with so much nonsense that his dreams didn’t feel a need to jumble them up for him. The only thing that seemed to get through when he was sleeping, was only his alarm clock which began emitting a loud pitched beeping noise.

His eyes slowly opened and he saw the same, stained, boarded ceiling that he closed his eyes to the previous night, his phone buzzing at the same time. His bedding was exactly as he had left it when he climbed under it. He never messed up his bed in his sleep, he never moved in his sleep. He moved from the bedding and sat on the edge. His tank top was sweaty, as usual, as were his boxers, as though his body had been dreaming without him. He didn’t know why he woke up sweaty, but it happened every morning. Though, if his body was dreaming without him, and said dreams were making him this sweaty, then he didn’t think he wanted to know what he was dreaming.

He stood and moved his blanket back, making it look like he had never slept in it at all. His feet moved him towards his closet out of habit and he began going through it looking for a clean uniform for school. He hadn’t had time to go do the laundry this week due to the hectic nature of his life, and the majority of his clothes certainly showed it. Luckily, he still had one clean outfit. He pulled out the blue slacks and a blue blazer with a gold emblem on the right shoulder. He laid them down on the bed and went to grab a white shirt and a red stripped tie. His socks were black ,most of the students’ socks always looked like they were new. His did not.

Getting dressed in the morning was his relaxation period. He didn’t have time for a shower in the morning, he rarely did. Once he was fully dressed and ready to take on the day, he departed his room, closing the door slowly. He couldn’t explain it but he had a feeling that he wouldn’t be able to see his room again for a long time. He snickered at the thought and shook his head, closing his door and crossing the small home to the kitchen.

He sighed when he saw the contents of the fridge. Three eggs. He thought to himself while trying to figure out how to make breakfast and lunch for three people. He moved to the cupboards and began to check them one by one. Three cans of soup, three eggs, a fourth of milk and just enough cereal for one bowl. He nodded and went back towards his room but stopping just short, as he entered his little sister’s room.

Unlike him, she slept restlessly. She tossed and she turned all night every night since their dad died. She always woke with tear stains on her pillow, though she never made a sound. Even when she was awake she kept quiet as though their dad dying had silenced her.

He hated waking her but he knew that she needed to wake. She needed to have a good education so she wouldn’t have to live like this anymore. He moved and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, watching her eyes slowly slide open as he spoke to her. “Hey, time to get up and get ready to go. I’ve got a bowl of cereal for you when you’re ready,” he said softly, tenderly, as though a harsh word could physically, shatter the child.

Her nod was just as soft as his words and that was all he needed. He stood and left the room, closing the door behind him. Now he had to go fulfill his promise to his sister. It wouldn’t get soggy. Once she was up, she was fast about getting everything done. Her teachers only had good things to say about her save for her silence. He continued to think about their food situation. He would need to call and ask if he could have more hours at one of his jobs.

He finished pouring the milk into the bowl filled with the remnants of cereal, when his little sister came out into the kitchen.

“Hey there, sleepy head. How are you feeling?” He asked, knowing he wouldn’t get a response from her. “Alright, here’s your cereal,” he set the bowl in front of her and placed a spoon in the bowl and watched as she began to eat. One thing off the checklist. He thought to himself, making a mental note. He frowned as he watched her eat. She was so…robot like. It bugged him that it seemed like life had just left her. She had no will, she had no strength.

He shook his head and turned around to make all three eggs. “Alright, so I’m going to be coming home late again tonight and I’m gonna trust you with the house, so, if anyone comes in, I want you to scare them off with your amazing voice!” He said jokingly to her, holding out hope that she would speak to him. He got no response as usual, but it was worth a shot. The little girl finished her cereal and took the bowl to the sink, thoroughly washing it and putting away the spoon. The bowl she left on the counter as she was too small to reach the upper cabinets. He smiled to her and put the bowl away as she walked out the door on her way to school.

He finished making the eggs. Scrambled. His mother could only have the smallest of foods and scrambled eggs were easier than keeping them full eggs and cutting them up. He put them on a plate and began making one of the things of soup. Chicken broth. He was upset that such a liquid had to be by itself. Chicken broth could’ve gone towards making all kinds of meals and he knew it. They didn’t have the ingredients or time to make such a meal though.

He poured the finished broth into a bowl with a spoon and carried it and the plate of eggs down the hall and to the bedroom across from his. He saw his mother with a smile on her face, sitting up. He frowned when he saw this. “Your cough gets worse when your upright, mom. You know that,” he said frustrated as he set down the bowl on her nightstand.

She waved off his comment and shook her head. “My cough gets worse when I’m awake.” She joked, though he chose to ignore it. “Did your sister eat?” He nodded slowly. “She left for school then?” He nodded once more. “Did you eat?” He chose to ignore this question as he set her plate on her lap. She glared at him, “You need to eat too,” she scolded.

“I’ll eat something at school,” he sighed to her words.

“Then get going. I’m not going to be able to hold your hand all the time,” she joked once again. Her face was slowly turning purple, like she had been holding her breath.

“Eat, then lay down,” He said not wanting her straining herself and passing out instead of falling asleep. Before she could retort, he was up and out the door, carrying a bag as he made his way towards school.

The walk was a long one, but there weren’t really busses that moved around the suburban area. Their neighbors were just as bad off as the rest of them though they were all older with no kids. The closest person to his age was his mother and she had twenty-five years on him.

The closer he got to his school, the faster his walking had become. He had gotten into this school with decent grades but what won him an entrance into this school wasn’t his academics, it was his athletics. He was great at gymnastics, sports, anything that made him work up a sweat, making him a natural athelete. Physical exertion was another thing that kept him from thinking too much.

He was practically running by the time someone threw an arm around his neck and began walking with him. “Sup, dude? So, you weren’t here last night when we trashed this geek’s computer. He’s definitely not gettin’ anymore good grades, huh?” He hated this kid but he put on a normal face. What he thought was normal anyway.

“S**t? Really? Damn, wish I coulda seen it or been there to dunk the dweeb,” He responded with a grin on his face.

“No worries, dude. The science nerds are having this thing at the end of the school day today. Plenty of oppurtunities to mess with ‘em then. Also, some of those nerdy chicks are pretty hot, you should get one to play with your pole!” He laughed as he was pushed away slightly by him.

You sick stupid a*s. His thoughts rang through his head as his ‘friend’ continued to joke, “Man, shut up,” he laughed at him making it seem like he was joking when he wasn’t.

“Nah, but seriously man, the gang wants you to go mess with a few of them. I know you ain’t a loser but the rest of the guys think you’ve got a soft spot for the nerds and dweebs,” He said, acting serious now.

D****t. Another test to prove I’m one of the guys? He thought to himself once again as he laughed and replied, “Don’t they have enough proof? I mean, yeah sure, I’ll do it, but ain’t they pushin’ it?” He said trying to find a way out.

His so-called friend, laughed and shrugged, “Yeah I know, man but hey, you want to stay at the top, right?” He said moving away from him and heading toward the school.

The school day was long and uneventful. Everything seemed to mesh into one. However, as the day began to end, he constantly remembered the words of his ‘friend’ and what he was expected to do. The day ended like all others and he made his way towards the gymnasium. He already knew about the science fair and regretted not entering it himself. It was a good way to earn grants and scholarships but he had gotten in through sports.

He sighed, maybe if things were different and he wasn’t so hard pressed, he’d be able to persue the things he actually liked. It didn’t matter now. He had no way to keep in school if he didn’t make the guys proud. The students had more pull in the sports. It’s like they had the teachers in their pockets. He looked around the science fair, admiring some of the work and most of the effort these kids put into them.

However, one display caught his eyes more than the rest. A table stood alone in the back of the gym with a posterboard sitting on top. The poster board was completely blank and the table looked old enough that it shouldn’t be able to hold the weight of the blank poster board. He frowned as he approached it, his eyes scanning every detail he could.

He was almost touching the thing when he felt two taps on his shoulder. He jumped and turned around startled as he saw a man, grinning from ear to ear. He couldn’t have been a student. He couldn’t have been from the school even. He was balding and had brown hair that had been neglected for a good long time. He wore glasses on the end of his pointed nose with a lense missing. He wore a long white lab coat with different colored stains all over it. One of his shoes had a hole right where his big toe was while the other shoe was white instead of a matching brown. If he had to guess, the man’s pants had once been black but were now grey.

The man smiled and folded his arms once the boy was looking at him. He turned towards the poster board and smiled, “Quite a display, hm?” He said as though admiring the work.

“What are you-?”

“I mean it took so much work to set it up, but in the end it was worth,” He stopped and looked back to the boy smiling, “So, you want to change your life? You want to make everything better and everything to be different?” The boy’s mouth drooped open slightly in shock as he watched the man and listened to him. His voice matched his strange appearance.

“Alrighty, then instead of listening to your stupid friends on how to live your life, take a chance with me,” He said smiling extending a hand. He then looked to his hand and took it back laughing, “Well, it seems I forgot my business cards, be right back!” He said energetically and he walked behind the poster board. The boy blinked, confused at the poster board. He then looked under the table. He wasn’t there. He had gone behind the poster board but there was no trace that he had. He reached under, trying to make sure he wasn’t crazy when that same tapping came onto his shoulder making him jump. This time the man was sitting on the table holding a card out to him. “Here we are!” He said with a wink.

The boy took the card and looked down at it. It had an address on it, but that was all. He looked up once again but the table, poster board and man were gone. He looked around himself and it seemed like the fair had continued regardless of what he had been doing. His true confusion could be seen on his face but he didn't want to be seen as weak so he pretended like nothing was wrong. He sighed and read the address one more time before leaving the gymnasium. If the man were right and real, then this was his opportunity.

The card led him to a building that seemed to be condemned as there were broken windows and it seemed to be decaying, slowly, but there was no sign stating as much. When he knocked the man answered with a bright smile. “Oh there you are!” He said taking his leg and pulling him inside. Apparently, he thought his leg might've been his arm for he let go and grabbed his arm shortly afterwards. The inside looked a lot better than the outside had. Everything was white and in pristine condition. The doors all seemed automatic as well as seemed to slid with a card reader on each one.

The boy was led into an empty room save for an empty, metal chair that kind of looked like it was made for a dentist office chair, as well as a mirror facing him, and made to sit down. The chair then closed around his wrists and ankles to make sure he was in place. Once there, the man leaned against the wall smiling. “I knew that you would want a change. Who’s going to take care of your sister or mother if you can’t, right? Can’t keep living a double life,” The man said empathetically. The boy was in shock. How did he know so much about him? He couldn't explain it to himself, so instead he kept quiet.

“Alright, so to start the change, we are going to give you seven injections on even different days. We are testing a new solution and we have yet to figure out all its effects,” he said as a drawer slid out next to him with seven needles filled with seven different liquids. The first he picked up was a magenta color and it made him cringe due to the bubbles seeming to be inside. The doctor, he thought, moved closer with the needle and injected it into his neck immediately.

The boy almost screamed but calmed down when he noticed that he hadn’t even felt the needle go in. In fact, he had lost all feeling in his neck, fingers and toes. After noticing these changes, he felt his eyes grow heavy and finally close.

When he opened them again, he was still in the chair. The man was there again but something was different. He seemed older. He didn’t know and couldn’t explain it but now he held a forest green looking syringe. Once again he was injected and once again he lost feeling in certain parts of his body.

This went on until they came to the last syringe. This one looked like it was on fire and the man no longer looked young and filled with pep. His hair was now grey with age, his face covered in wrinkles and his smile non-existent. The boy was injected this last time and he lost all feeling in his body as he passed out once more.

His eyes opened slowly. Everything was blurred but he felt a chill and shivered slightly. His eyes adjusted and he realized he was laying on his side. He stood up and looked around. The inside of the place looked just as bad as the outside had. He had been laying on a bale of hay in the northwest corner of the room. He looked over at the wall the old man had once stood against and found a cracked mirror, but the reflection in it was not his own, but of that of a naked woman.