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The sun was warm as the day started. Like any other day in November, the highschool kids got up and got ready for school. The campus was a quiet one for the most part, being in a quiet area with roughly six hundred students. Jene opened his eyes, but shut them tight again quickly as the sun pierced through his room on the second floor of his white house. Rolling over onto his stomach, he picked up the goggles he always wore, but he remembered that they had been broken the night before, so he instead picked up the set of sunglasses that lay next to the lamp. Sitting up, the sheets fell from his bare chest as he looked around his plain room. The bed he slept in, the table next to the bed and the desk with the chair were the only pieces of furniture in the room. His clothing was thrown in the chair, where he had taken them off the night before.
Putting his feet on the wooden floor, he made no reaction to the cold of the wood as he stood up. Walking to the chair, he picked up his jeans and pulled them on over his boxers. The waist was loose and fell low on his thin form as he picked up the belt he wore and laced it through the loops in his pants. He cocked his head downward and flicked his eyes to his closed door as he heard someone walk past the door and down the stairs outside his door. Then, with head still cocked, he picked up his T-shirt and pulled it on over his head. Finally, he picked up his vest and wallet and opened his door to the hall.
It, too, was plain. White walls and a bare wooden floor to the stairs that led down to the kitchen. But he turned to his left and walked to the bathroom. This room was just like the others. Only had what was needed and nothing more. Jene looked down as he closed the door. His boots were where he had left them the night before when he took a shower. He set his wallet on the sink edge and pulled on his vest, then he picked up the wallet.
This, for some odd reason, wasn�t plain. It had been given to him and thus had some sort of design on it. It was black, yes, but on one side it had what looked to be red fabric over lapped by plastic. This fabric was a bright red, with gold embroidered into it in the shape of the Chinese dragons. He turned it in his hand before he shoved it in his back right pocket. Picking up his boots, he looked in the mirror. His hair needed to be brushed and pulled back, like it always was. Dropping the boots, he took off the glasses with his left hand and picked up the brush that lay on the edge of the sink.
He pulled it back tight, his bangs still in his eyes like they had been ever since he could remember. Then, picking up the boots and putting his sunglasses back on, he opened the door and walked down the hall, down the stairs and into the kitchen.
The small round table was in the middle of the tile floored room. He set his boots on the floor and walked over to the table, picking up one of the pieces of paper his fingers came across. He had seen these before. Plans to something. Some sort of Human experi-ment. But what did it mean? Was this what had happened to him? Was this why the Spe-cial Forces wanted him so badly? Setting it down again, he turned to the frig.
The calendar read November 15. Just another day. What would happen this year during November vacation? Turning, he sat in one of the chairs to put on his boots. His glasses slid off his nose and fell to the floor as he bent his head to tighten up the laces.
�You�ll have to bend those so they don�t come off Jene.�
He snapped his head up as a man walked into the room. His mouth opened in a gasp as the man, dressed in some sort of lab jacket, picked up the tinted glasses off the floor. �I thought you left.�
�I came back to get these plans.� He set the glasses on the table and began to roll up the papers on the table. �You getting ready for school?�
�Yes,� Jene nodded as he picked up the glasses to bend the frames. �I was going to leave soon.�
�I�ll drive you. I have to drive by the school anyway.�
�I was going to walk with Petri like I always do.� Jene set the glasses quietly on the table and went to tie his other boot. �If that�s okay?�
�You do what you want. I�m not going to stop you.� He picked up the last roll of paper and walked to the door. �Just be back by the usual time, Jene.�
�I will.� Jene nodded and stood up. He picked up his sunglasses as he turned to grab his backpack. He slung it over his right shoulder, it falling on his left hip and fol-lowed the man out the door. The car started as Jene walked to the garage door and opened it.
�I mean it Jene. Be back here by four.�
�I will.� He nodded once more and watched the car drive away down the road. He turned right, down the sidewalk, away from where ever the car was headed, apparently deciding to stay away from the school, and walked quietly towards the school and Petri�s house.
Petri Burns. He was a nice kid, a Junior like himself. Short cut dark brown hair and matching brown eyes, Petri was one of the few kids that were friends with him. He was a good friend too. Always there when Jene needed him, letting him talk for hours on end about what he couldn�t remember of his life and not asking a single question. All he ever wanted to know was why Jene came to this school from the Colonies. Jene had given him the only answer he knew of, �They don�t know where this place is yet.�
And they didn�t. But Jene still didn�t know why the Special Forces were after him to the extent that they were. What had happened for him to be wanted by such a group of people?
�Hey Jene!� he turned to look over his shoulder as a kid ran towards him. �Wait up! What were you doing? You walked right past my house in some sort of daze.�
�Sorry, Petri,� Jene looked to him as he stopped next to him, breathing hard. �I was just thinking.�
�Well, you know what I just heard. It�s all over the news! Jene, the President has been shot!�
�What?!� Jene�s eyes grew wide from behind his sunglasses.
�Yeah, they don�t know who yet, but her husband found her in her office this morning. The place has locked down and the Special Forces are being brought in.� Petri stopped. �Hey, where are your goggles?�
�I broke them last night.� He said calmly as he looked to the road. �We should go.�
�Yeah,� Petri adjusted his backpack as the two started to walk down the road. �How�d you break them Jene?�
�It�s not a big deal, Petri. It was my own fault.�
�What do you mean �your own fault?� What happened?� Petri looked at him as Jene stared forward, watching where he was going. �Jene?�
�I was careless in my words last night Petri. That�s all you need to know.� Jene looked at him for a second, then back to the road as a car drove by. �There�s Blake and John.�
�Huh?� Petri looked to the car. �Yeah, come on, we have an assembly today re-member?�
�How could I forget?� Jene nodded as the two fell silent and walked to school.
The campus was split in to three different sections. The Main Building, Middle Campus and Lower Campus. The road the two boys walked on was at the bottom of the hill, cutting the line between Middle and Lower Campuses. Lower Campus was mostly the three period tech class buildings, including Auto and Computer Tech. It was also the home of Driver�s Education and Boat Building. Under the college dorm building was one of the two art classrooms. Closer to the road was the Food and Fitness building, Post Of-fice and the last Tech building for Drafting and Tech Math.
Middle Campus was on the other side of the road and up the hill, including the two English trailers and the Business Building. This was on the left side of the road as you drove up the hill, including a baseball field and ice rink. On the right side of the hill, at the base, was the soccer field. At the top of the hill, on the left side was the Math Building and Nurse�s Building. On the right was the Main Building.
A large brick building, it was originally the only part of the school. But as times changed, so did the size of the campus. There were a number of ways to get into the building, but the most common were by the Autotorium, the Main Doors and by the Cafeteria. This was the home of all Social Studies and Science classes, plus the Foreign Languages. Along with a few more English classes and the other Art room. The Main Office and Student Services were located in this building as well.
The two boys walked up to the Math Building and opened the door to drop off Petri�s things before they went to drop off Jene�s things in the English Building. From there the two teenage boys walked to the Main Building and Cafeteria where Blake and John would be.
As usual the two brothers were in sort of fight. Blake leaned across the table as the two sat down. �John, smarten up, it is possible. You�re the damned genius Freshman, you figure out how it works. Besides that group has already done it.�
�What are you two talking about now?� Petri leaned on the table as John shook his head.
�No, Blake, it can�t be possible. There is no way to link Human flesh and Ma-chine together. They, I�d hate to say it, run on different materials. And a Human can�t live with grease and oil running in his veins.�
�Oh,� Jene sunk lower in his seat. �John, you�ll learn about this next ear. Do you have to talk about it? Your brother is right?�
�What?� John and Blake looked at him. �He is?�
�I am? Well, of course I am. I have taken the class and I passed science last year. So there Frosh, kiss my ass.�
�Oh, brother,� John rolled his eyes. �You are so average.�
�Was that supposed to hurt?� Blake stood up. �Hey, Petri, you hungry? I know I am. I got up last this morning and didn�t�� he trailed off as he fell from earshot and went to get something to eat from the workers in the lunchroom.
�Jene how come you seem to know so much about Cyborgs?�
Jene looked at John and swallowed. �I�I�ve been around them my whole life, that�s why. My family likes to work on the idea that they are real.�
�I see.� John nodded, mulling over this fact of somewhat reality.
Blake came back. �Hey, Petri, they got Chocolate Pop Tarts up there!�
�That�s great Blake.� He looked at his watch. �We should head on down to as-sembly now. The bell�s gonna ring soon.�
Jene looked up to Petri as he stood up. �What is this about exactly?�
�None of the kids are really sure and the teachers aren�t talking. It�s another one of those surprise things that piss me off so much.� Blake answered with his mouth half full of Pop Tart. Shrugging, he walked off and pushed open the doors to walk down the hall. The other three followed quietly. Petri and John watching Blake push through the crowd, Jene concentrating on every step he took.
Down the carpeted hall of a blue gray color, down the cement stairs, across the breezeway and into the Autotorium, to the Junior section. Blake fell into one of the chairs with a smile as Petri and Jene sat next to him. �Next year,� he sighed. �Next year we own this place.�
�Yeah, sure Blake,� Petri nodded. �Right Jene?�
�Huh? Yeah, right.� he nodded. �Whatever you say Petri.�
�Are you okay, man?� Petri leaned forward to look at Jene�s face better. �You seem really quiet today?�
�I�m fine.� He looked up to the stage. �I�m just thinking. I came across something this morning that I don�t think I was supposed to see. I�m just trying to make sense out of it.�
�Don�t hurt yourself.� Blake swallowed. �I actually gave my self a head ache from thinking once. I�m still trying to figure out how I did it.�
Jene smiled. �Blake you�re an idiot, you know that?�
�Eh,� he shrugged. �I try.�
�Alright, settle down,� the three boys looked up to the stage as the headmaster spoke.
�When did the bell ring?� Blake asked.
�Well, by now you are all wondering why we�re having this assembly, when we usually don�t have one. Well, with your vacation coming up, I wanted to have one last assembly before you fly to where ever you are going, drive to where ever your family is�and the teachers and I have decided to let you have next week off�� he waited qui-etly as the six hundred students went into an up roar. Blake stood up yelling as Jene sat quietly, staring at the floor and Petri yelled with Blake. �And we decided that next week, you guys could have Friday off before vacation. As an extra gift from the staff here at the school.�
Jene nodded quietly. �I�m not going to tell him about this.�
�What Jene?� Petri sat back down and looked at him.
�Nothing.� Jene shook his head. �I�m talking to myself.�
�Oh,� Petri nodded.
�Well, that�s all I have. How �bout the teachers�? Mister Kei.�
�Well, the soccer team still has their game Friday, but I managed to push the time up to start at four instead of three. So you all need to be here this Friday afternoon to watch the game and cheer us on. This is the championship game.�
Jene nodded silently as he listened to the words. I can�t tell him. He�ll move all it forward. I�m not sure what he plans to do, but I know it�s connected to what he did last time and I don�t remember that! I can�t let in happen again!
�And Basketball sign-ups start Monday. So bring your sneakers and be ready.�
�Thanks, Miss Webber. Is that it?� he looked around. �Alright. Students, any thing that needs to be said?� he looked around. �No? All right. Have a good morning fac-ulty.�
�Jene you okay?� Petri grabbed his shoulder. Jene snapped his head up and reached back to his right hip.
�Sorry, Petri, what?�
�You okay, you were in some sort of daze again. What�s up with that?�
�Nothing. Don�t worry about it. I was just thinking again. I�ll be okay. Really.�
�Seniors. Good morning.�
�Are you sure? You�ve done this before.�
�Juniors.�
�And last time you were gone for a week.�
�I told you,� Jene got up. �I had some appointments I had to go to.�
�I know that already, but is it because of these black outs I guess you could say.� The three walked to the doors and with the rest of the kids, outside.
Jene blinked as he stepped out into the sun and looked at Petri. �No, it�s got noth-ing to do with that. And they�re not black outs, I�m just thinking. I just get really fo-cused.�
�I�d say.� Blake laughed as they crossed the street. �Well, I�ll see ya fifth Jene.� He walked to the Math Building.
�I�ll see you third.� Petri followed Blake into the building.
�Yeah,� Jene nodded as he walked down the hill to his English class. He opened the door and sat down in his seat, like any other day. He took out his two English books and flipped through one.
�You ready to read Jene?� the teacher, who was Mister Kei, asked as he looked up.
�I guess so.� Jene said as he came to the last entry that he made the night before. �I found what I�m going to read.�
�That�s good.� He nodded as the last of the students came into the room. A girl sat infront of Jene.
�Hey, Jene, how are you today?�
�I�m fine, Jenny. You ready to read today?�
�I guess so. I�m just gonna continue on from my story last week.� She smiled as Jene nodded. �You?�
�I�ve got something I wrote last night that I�m going to read, I guess. I�ve never been one for reading in class, you know that.�
�I do.� She nodded sharply. �You wanna go first?�