Sam Bryant's Story

AND




When Valerie returned, there wasn't much talking. Audrey had already prepared the small assignments she had been assigned,and was struggling to stay awake when the girl walked in.
Yay, my roommate is Valerie Alice!
She was about to say hello, but the air felt heavy in a way, and she looked up to Valerie.
Oh!, she thought in surprise as she saw her, taking in her face before the other girl turned it away.
There were scars Audrey had previously not seen before, lines running across her face.
W..w..why did I not see that before?, she thought, appalled by what she saw.
"I am sorry that you will need to see these every day for the next year," she murmured, tracing one of her scars lightly, her voice holding a sleepy quality to it. "And tell your brother that he is an idiot ..."
Audrey was about to comment, but Valerie proceeded to fall into bed and go out like a light!
For a few minutes, she was unable to move.

She hesitantly walked over to her, careful not to breathe on her.
She blinked when she saw the scars again.
Does she cover them with makeup?
Valerie stirred, and Audrey took a frightened step back, sighing soundlessly in relief.
Poor darling....What happened to her?
The scars had scared her initially, and they still did a little, but they weren't too bad now.
She noticed the girl didn't have anything on her, she was just there on her mattress.
She silently got one of the many blankets she had on her bed, and gently wrapped it around the girl on the bed. She tiptoed back to her side, and then slowly went to sleep herself,still thinking about the scars.



Audrey jumped off the cliff of the waterfall,wind whooshing around her whole body. She shouted enthusiastically as she felt the few moments where it was like she was flying. She closed her eyes for one second,feeling the spray of the waterfall,then covered her nose automatically with her pointer finger and thumb as she could sense she was about to dive into the lake at the bottom. Her body straightened on instinct, since she believed a cannonball was more painful than being vertical, even in her dreams.
All this lasted about five seconds, and then she was submerged completely.
She opened her eyes underwater and she felt that time had stopped.
The water wasn't moving,and neither was she,only her eyes could open and close. And there, right below her in her immediate vicinity, was a beautiful music box in pastel pink and yellow, with traces of milky white swirls.She remembered this music box from seventh grade, one she had seen in a shop window for a week before it was sold.
I had wanted it so badly.
Her hand could move now,so she opened it. Her eyes couldn't blink anymore, so she supposed only one type of body part could be in motion at a time.
There inside the music box were two dancers. There was no male,only two lovely,blushing ballerinas, one set permanently in fourth position,and the other in an arabesque. They started to twirl to a song she faintly recognized, but the music box melody was so hard to pinpoint.
As the song replayed,the two ballerinas stopped looking forward and instead looked up at Audrey. They began to sing, in whispering,haunting voices.
"Ring around the rosy"
"Pockets full of posies"
Their spinning slowed to an eerie pace.
"Ashes"
"Ashes"
"We all"
"Fall--"
"Down", Audrey whispered.




Audrey did not wake up with a start, but rather slowly opened her eyes to her royal purple sheer curtains.The creepy feeling from her dream has almost but disappeared as she looked up to the window.She had picked her bed to be closest to the window and nearest to the bathroom,seeing this as the perfect spot to wake up early graciously and still have the minimum required steps to get ready.She wasn't going to push her excitement about getting up before the world was awake,because she was not a morning person a few years ago. She slowly got up and touched her bare feet to the cold floor, and padded over to the bathroom,rubbing sleep from her eyes,noticing the time on her alarm clock that said 4:52 AM. She didn't remember her dream, only that she felt it had a positive start,and she couldn't quite complain on that aspect. She closed the door with a quiet click,trying not to disturb her new roommate.

The first few weeks she had started here at the Academy, she had felt a little scared. She didn't know anyone, and although she was starting to acquire friends,it felt incredibly lonely without her brother. In turn, she hadn't been sleeping right, and woke up earlier,at about the time her brother usually woke up.In her old home, her brother would make a lot of noise while waking up, so she would wake up momentarily, but then go back to bed. That first month, she would awaken just like before, but she couldn't go back to sleep in her new surroundings, so she just stayed awake and went to watch the sunrise, which she had fallen in love with. It was a habit now, although she didn't tell a lot of people. A little part of her still wanted to be known as the late riser to her brother, for childhood purposes.


After she had brushed,washed and sprayed everything that needed to be brushed,washed,and sprayed, she walked out of the bathroom in her towel over to her dresser drawer,picking out her outfit which included her favorite tassel scarf and her fifth favorite belted dress which was appropriate for autumn.She looked back hesitantly at Valerie.

Not gonna risk that. She went to change in the bathroom.


Walking along the red dirt path to the lake, Audrey felt the quiet enclose around her, making it too quiet. Then,she heard a lark sing in the distance,a sweet,light tune and she smiled in the direction she had heard it from and decided to sing as well. Audrey did not like to sing that much in the presence of others,because she knew other people would judge her for her less than melodious voice, and she did not like to be judged harshly and silently.It was mostly the good singers that scrutinized her,picking apart the strains in her voice and how she couldn't quite hit the high notes, then describing to great lengths how she could improve.The advice was always unwelcome, along with the demonstrations of them singing as an example,since she felt it was mostly about them and what great singers they were.She didn't feel like she needed to meliorate her singing. Her voice carried, resonated, and sounded like her and no one else, so what else would she need to change?
A melody from one of her favorite childhood movies floated into her mind.

"I have often dreamed
Of a far off place
Where a great warm welcoming will be waiting for me
Where the crowds will cheer
When they see my face
And a voice keeps saying
This is where I'm meant to be”

She made up the tone of the song,making it rather fast-paced and light-hearted.She knew the song was supposed to be less giddy than she was making it, but it felt good to sing it faster and more joyfully than reminiscing and hopeful.Singing it this way took away all her breath ,made her light-headed,and woke her up a little. Her voice was the only thing she could hear in the silence, and she spun around in glee, the faster she spun, the faster she sung. She smiled wide,knowing that occasionally it was better to be alone than with other people, and how she could be alone for hours and hours sometimes and not care at all. She didn't know it was a symptom of hers, staying alone for so long.She instead blissfully ran the rest of the way to the lake, and skidded to a stop when she reached her destination.

Yay,I'm here! With plenty of time,too. She now walked,slowly over to the enclosure and breathed the crisp,clean,cold air of fall,which seemed to heighten her senses.There were a few leaves here,and she picked up a red one she knew belonged to a red oak tree. There were a variety of trees planted all around campus,like redbud,dogwood, and hickory trees.

As she neared, she couldn't help but think about how much she loved the open enclosure next to the lake. It was the most impeccable, perfect place to watch the sunrise in the morning.She settled into a comfy,plush chair,bringing her legs in with her and resting them in the lotus yoga position, a leftover smile on her face. A light breeze was making some strands of her hair blow backwards, and she fiddled with the leaf in her hands as she waited.

---

---

He was flying. Then his head smashed through the glass, and bits of it got embedded in his face, arms, and even his chest. He heard the snapping of ribs. His mouth was full of blood. From where he lay, he could see two bright lights speeding towards him, and from the corner of his eyes he watched as the moon peeked out from behind the clouds. Then the impact came, smashing and crushing what remained of his already shattered body. That's when his heart stopped, and David woke up.

This was Brad's dream. David felt himself sitting up, searching blindly for his watch. He put it on, even though he didn't remember wanting to. In the dull morning light he could barely make out that it was only 5:00. Without waiting for his command, his body began to move, forcing him to get up and head for the bathroom. David felt himself splashing water at his face, then walk out and head for the closet. For some reason, his hands reached for the shelf that belonged to Brad. He began to pull on jeans and a T shirt, but hesitated. Why am I doing this? Then it hit him, of course he wasn't doing it, Brad was! Brad picked out his favourite hat from the numerous collection. He plugged in his headphones, and humming Led Zeppelin he headed outside.

---

---

Brad walked slowly, kicking a can in front of him absentmindedly. His mind was completely absorbed by the lyrics;
Leaves are fallin' all around, time I was on my way
Thanks to you, I'm much obliged for such a pleasant stay
But now it's time for me to go, the autumn moon lights my way
For now I smell the rain, and with it, pain
And it's headed my way.....

He stopped short when the can, having skidded a good 10 feet, rolled into the water. Unconsciously, his feet brought him straight to the lake. Brad inhaled the fresh air deeply, grateful that he came here. The lake was a great place to think, or even just to listen to some music...
A-ramble on, and now's the time, the time is now
Sing my song, I'm goin' 'round the world
I've gotta find my girl
On my way, I've been this way ten years to the day
I gotta ramble on, I gotta find the queen of all my dreams
I tell you no lie...

Then he noticed another human shape; a girl was meditating in one of the many plush chairs. Her slim silhouette was outlined by the rising sun, a true picture of peace and tranquility. Brad contemplated her for a minute before working up the courage to approach her. He was very surprised to recognize the figure as-

"Audrey?"

-
Audrey turned slightly at the voice, and smiled at the person it belonged to.Oh,hey,it was Dee! Or,was it Brad? She decided not to call him by any name until she was sure.
"Hello there. I've never actually seen someone out here this early.Would you like to join me?"Her eyes and her smile had gotten sleepier the more she had sat here waiting, along with her brain, so she didn't feel like being too chirpy. Especially at this early hour. It would ruin the tone of the morning.
She pointed over towards where the sun was just beginning to rise, and then motioned to a chair next to her, her face a bit expectant.Both of the boys were good friends of hers.

"Sure thing!" Brad flashed a cocky smile, allowing himself to fall back into the comfortable chair next to her. "Early bird gets the worm, I suppose. What got you out this early?"

She knew who owned that self-assured smile. It was definitely Brad talking to her. Over the years, she'd learned their two individual personalities. Dee was shy and kind, while Brad was more brash and outgoing.
"I usually come out here most mornings. It's been instilled in me since I came here. How about you? Couldn't sleep,Brad?"

"Just an, uh, unpleasant dream, that's all."

Audrey's eyebrows creased in concern. "Well,I hope it's not a recurring thing.Although-", she grinned,teasing, "I do enjoy the company."
The sun had slowly started to rise a few minutes before, and the smallest bit of sun could be seen.The sky's fading dark color started to recede as the sky was filled with delicate pinks,oranges,and purples.
She was left breathless, only pointing to it before she settled into her chair,not even smiling.Instead,she was left with a look of wonder on her face.
"I wish I could paint well enough to try and attempt that." She whispered.

Brad remained silent as he watched Audrey watching the sky paint itself with warm hues. He leaned back into his own chair, admiring the beauty unraveling itself before his eyes. Brad was not usually the sentimental kind, unlike his brother, but for the moment both boys felt peaceful.
]“You won't know that you can until you do.”

She turned only a bit to smile at him softly. "Trust me, I've tried."

She looked over to the left, to the terrain that stretched around the lake, and saw a figure running in.
She warily stared at it, until she realized it was her brother.
He can't see me here! I'd shatter the illusion of being the cranky,sleepyhead that wakes up hours after he does. Even though it wasn’t a big deal, she didn’t want Sam to think she had changed, even a little bit.
Ever.
He was a bit far away, and sometimes she would watch the sun from behind a pillar, not even in his range of sight. But now she was too close.
"I gotta go, Brad. I'll see you later,yeah?" She absentmindedly hugged him,then sprinted back to the path, careful to make it so her brother was not looking. Brad looked very tired as well. Maybe he’d head back to his dorm and sleep a bit more until the rest of the school woke up.

She hadn't been planning on running before, but now she could see why her brother loved it. The rushing air, the lactic acid running through her muscles, the breathlessness. She couldn't think about anything except her destination. She stopped near the boy’s dormitory, and then admired the now fully rising sun from afar, but then continued her run after a few minutes.

When she got back to her dorm, there was more sun in the room, and her roommate was showing signs of waking up.

Then, she was overcome with a feeling of dizziness.

Oh, woooah. She stumbled over to the bed, her hands at her temple. She felt woozy, so she immediately lied down.
Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to go running before having eaten.
She decided to take a little nap, hoping it would make her feel better. There was a little time before she was expected at breakfast.
She covered herself up, and then reached towards her phone. There was a text message there she had not seen prior from her brother.
As she read the text quickly, she knew that something must have happened between Valerie Alice and Sam, even though she didn’t acknowledge it last night.

That’s what Valerie said too., she wrote back. She looked over to the girl, set an alarm for fifteen minutes, and then crashed into bed to get rid of her headache.



When the annoying alarm sounded,Audrey woke to an empty dorm and only a slight buzzing in her head from dizziness.She quickly got her bag ready with a notebook and a pen and pencil. She also stuffed the recipe for one of her classes, along with a little snack to have during Advisory. She hummed while she retouched her hair, and then, in her new reawakened mood, skipped over to have breakfast.

When she approached the cafeteria, she was met by a very large poster that a boy was taping to the front.She recognized him as the Student Council treasurer. She waved to him, and he shyly waved back. He was a very timid person.

Oh my gosh, Halloween,I forgot, I love Halloween!!, she jumped up and down as she read the poster, energy coming to her which was completely fueled by her excitement.

When she walked in she was intent on finding her brother.She saw his back and eagerly ran to him. She bumped into him, and was sent back by the impact.

“Whoops!”, she giggled as she almost fell to the floor.
She looked up into the eyes of Tarrant.
She gasped, seeing how awful he looked. She remembered the scene from yesterday.
Did I do that?, she thought horrified. The argument was almost a fading memory in her mind, seeing as she did not hold many grudges. She put his hand on his shoulder.

“Tarrant, are you okay? I’m not upset about yesterday, I promise.”