Friday, October 4, 2024,

  5:55 A.M.

  A white digital alarm clock sat on a bedside table, its LED display glimmering in a dark room with a cellphone placed beside it. The rising sun shone through the curtains, illuminating a tall wooden closet secured with a lock as the light continued to spread across the room.

  A cluttered folding table stood beside the bed and a lone desk lamp leaning crookedly in the corner. Below the table, a hidden laundry basket brimmed with worn clothes, tucked discreetly out of sight alongside a plastic basket of toiletries—shampoo, soap, and other daily necessities.

  On the beige-colored wall hung a grey towel beside the table and bed, and an ID lanyard with keys, a whistle, and an ID dangled from a wall hook near the door. Near the bed, a standing fan spun lazily, circulating the cool morning air.

  6:00 A.M.

  Beep! Beep! Beep!

  The alarm clock buzzed as the time ticked past 5:59 A.M., and the light slowly unveiled the person sleeping.

  A young man in his adolescence lay curled up, cuddling a pillow. He shifted, dropped the pillow, and silenced the alarm.

  The sun’s rays slipped between the curtains, pricking his eyelids. He blinked against the light and stretched his limbs awake.

  With a heavy sigh, he sat up—hair tousled, shoulders slouched—welcoming the quiet start of another day. He made a lazy upward flick with his finger, as if scrolling through a phone in the air.

  He stood up, grabbed the towel hanging on the wall, crouched under the table to retrieve his toiletries container, unplugged the fan, grabbed his ID lanyard from beside the door, locked his room, and stepped out.

  The hallway muted his footsteps. Through the walls: car engines revving, a radio's tinny melody, the hum of a refrigerator two rooms over.

  He descended the stairs, passing by another door with a handwritten notice: ‘No visitors and no smoking allowed! ’ taped above it.

  In the living room, a round table with two chairs stood neatly arranged, a vase rested in the center, and a wall fan rotated continuously on the ceiling.

  To the side, a kitchen sink sat beneath a window. A plastic cupboard and a metal utensil laid flat at the sink. Above the sink, cups and bowls filled an open cabinet. Near the stairs, a door marked with a ‘No entry! ’ sign stood closed, accompanied by a potted plant nearby.

  As he reached the bottom step, he saw his housemate.

  “Hey bud, going to… school?” Josh looked at him and sighed while he was cutting onions, “Stayed up late again?”

  “Yeah and I need to leave early. That bus is killing me,” the young man replied, wearing his shoes and readjusted them.

  The young man heard his mate’s incoming footsteps as he looked up after tying his shoes’ lace.

  “Alright then, good luck.” Josh held out his left fist, still holding the cooking knife in his dominant hand. “Too bad, you can’t taste my cooking.”

  A faint smile crept in the young man’s face as he bumped his fist.

  “Yeah, thanks.”

  He walked to the exit with keys in his hand, locked the door behind him, and stepped outside.

  A damp concrete wall covered the scenery of the outside as muted sounds of flowing water streamed down the covered sewage below him.

  He looked down below, a wet floor where a couple of plastic wrappers seemed to be brought by the flow of water.

  “Why today?” He patted down his white uniform and turned his backpack around to his chest as he grabbed his coat.

  Lights on the ceiling flickered. Rats ran towards the dark as splotching sounds reverberated through the alleyway.

  Shallow polluted water moved along the young man’s shoes as he reached an elevated pavement with a drain in its side. The man tapped his shoes and continued his path. Turning as he lets his fingers pass through the bars that served as railings.

  Reaching the end of the dark pathway of houses, the sunlight shimmered his whole body. The noise of cars passing by smothered the city.

  A tree covered in posters caught his eyes across the street. However, the smoke of a cigarette blinded him. The young man coughed at the smoke and covered his nose.

  He wandered his eyes, scanning incoming vehicles and crossed the street. He turned around his back, seeing the entrance of the alleyway in the towering buildings.

  He then continued his way toward his destination. Walls of each building were covered in soot, posters fluttering while people in fancy clothing walked by them.

  People coughed in their handkerchiefs as the young man passed by them, covering his mouth. They wore expensive clothing but were stained by the wet dirt on the road. Some lay on the streets with different substances in their hands, most of them are booze. Others sat with their companions, either they were discussing or just venting their contempt.

  His eyes narrowed but never changed his facial expression. Then he stopped beside a convenience store, still covering his nose with his hands, and walked in front of the door. The man entered as the bell chimed while he opened the door.

  The cold wind surged through the store and allowed the young man to breathe comfortably.

  Three columns of display shelves full of items. The shelves were organized cleanly in their respective uses.

  The young man walked through the refrigerator to his left and grabbed a packaged cheese sandwich. Then he went to the counter.

  “That will be five dollars sir, cash or credit?” The cashier lady’s tired tone made her quiet voice slightly indecipherable.

  “Just cash.” He reached in his pocket, conveniently pulling up six dollars and gave it to the cashier, then he added “Keep the change, I think you’ll need it.”

  “Is that all sir, your change will be a dollar.” A clanged sound resounded as she began to take a dollar to the cash register.

  “Just take it, I’m not trying to make a move.” The man grabbed his sandwich and ambled at the heater and placed his sandwich.

  “Thank you.” He caught her mumbled hoarse voice then his lips upturned.

  He took his phone, while the sizzling sound of an encased heater enveloped the room as the young man waited.

  Ting-

  The heater stopped. The man grabbed his sandwich in its package with tongs.

  He began to leave as the waiter voiced her usual goodbye.

  “Please come back again.”

  He grabbed his handkerchief in his bag then went outside the store. Then he checked his watch.

  6:47 AM

  “I’ve got plenty of time left.” He whispered to himself as he turned to his side. His hand still covered his nose with the handkerchief.

  He saw a vending machine in his view and a pedestrian at front leading to a supermarket

  There weren’t many people around as he ambled to the vending machine. He took his wallet in his bag and inserted a dollar to buy a water bottle.

  He grabbed the bottle and went to the supermarket. His shoulders dragged his body but that didn’t slow his pace. However, the crosswalk signaled red.

  The young man’s body and eyes relaxed but tightened his grip to the bottle at hand. He looked at the signal and waited. He whispered, counting his numbers down to one.

  The light turned green as he crossed the street.

  He squinted his eyes as he saw the bus station in front of the supermarket and sat at the bench.

  He took his sandwich, covered by his handkerchief, and ate his breakfast. When eating, he took a glance at his watch to see the time.

  6:58 AM

  He wandered his eyes to the street as he finished his meal. He noticed the bus was approaching and readied himself.

  He threw his wrapper to the trashcan, grabbed his water bottle and stood up.

  The bus arrived at the station. The LED strip displays the time and date of the day.

  “7:00 AM | October 4, 2024 | Viva la Uva”

  The door opened. He went in, seeing a crowd of people onboard, then jostled his way to an open seat as the bus began to move.

  The bus was quiet, most of the people were office workers and college students. The bus shook, running through a speed bump.

  Some people scrolled through their phones, sleeping in their seats, and looking through their windows.

  The young man grabbed his earbuds and looked through his window while his head laid on his headrest.

  Gray concrete buildings passed through. The lack of greenery and the dust on the windows were all that you could see.

  Then the bus stopped at the nearby traffic, the red backlights contrasted the monotone environment.

  The man then looked at the other side. A nearby bay, the waters were clean and there were cleaning ships traversing at the sea. Few people picked up trash at the bay.

  Sigh~

  The young man heard a sigh to his side. He was a middle aged office man. The eyebags visibly and wrinkles marked in his face, his expression of longing to comfort.

  “It’s nice to be young again.” He complained softly to himself, his expression deepened in sadness.

  The bus moved again, signaling the end of traffic.

  The scenery moved on to the same gray buildings as the young man closed his eyes.

  “Young man, where's your fare?”

  A voice interrupted his sleep.

  He opened his eyes, blinking, as he reached his hand in his bag in front of him and gave his fare. Then he said, “Murrlow Station is my stop.”

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  The bus conductor took his money, typed in his handheld device, then gave the young man a ticket. The conductor moved on and collected the money of other passengers.

  The young man closed and hugged his bag then dozed off with his head low.

  “Arriving at Murrlow Station in five minutes”

  A digital voice announced as its sound faded. The young man woke up, looked around, and sighed as he looked at the time in his watch.

  7:25 AM

  “... locate the kidnappers, with hopes of rescuing the actress soon.”

  The young man heard a tone similar to a news reporter as he began listening in.

  “Breaking news: The President of the United States of Averia and representatives from multiple nations have arrived at UNHA's Middle East headquarters to continue discussions on proposed legislation requiring licensure for mobile device usage. The bill is currently under review by the international committee and awaits approval by the legislative assembly. No date has been announced for the final vote. The international community awaits the decision, which would establish the first global framework for mobile communications regulation.”

  The voice stopped as gossip started behind the young man’s seat.

  “Authorities should just reject this case, that actress is in a better place than us.” The person behind the young man thumped his feet in front as another person joined in, “Right? Let them violate that girl for what they did to us.”

  The young man reached for his phone as the person behind him leaned to his seat and asked, “Do you agree, Gredarian nerd?”

  The young man shrugged his shoulders at his question. The person scratched his head and tried to lay hands on his shoulders as the bus stopped and threw him back into his seat.

  The young man stood up and was about to leave, however, a loud voice resounded inside the bus.

  “Hey! You didn’t answer my polite question.” The person, wearing a messy greyed uniform, crossed his legs.

  The young man pulled his handkerchief to his mouth, turned around, and parted his lips. “I don’t have a reason to answer your question.”

  Then the young man left the room, leaving the person clenched his fist and kicking the seat in front of him.

  The bus left the station.

  The young man gazed at the bus, his expression wavered as he grabbed the strap of his backpack, set off with his path.

  Countless cars pass through the highway, shadowed by towering buildings encompassing the entire cityscape. People come and go, passing through the overfilled trash bins. Alleys filled with cats roaming around as men wearing suits laying on the floor, knocked out with white plastic pouches on their hands.

  The young man ambled his way as his eyes narrowed. Then he reached the bus station once again and he stood there.

  The station was filled with students that had the same uniform as him, some were talking with their friends while others played with their phones.

  “Do you know that Wella and Jud are together again? They are such a mess.” The girl giggled as she showed a photo of a couple.

  “I know right? That guy is such a charmer. I heard that he had cheated on her twice.” The girl’s friend scrolled through her phone while she smiled and giggled back.

  “That guy is a pervert through and through. I have even heard that he placed cameras in a girl’s changing room.”

  “He was caught before he placed that—”

  The young man wore his wired earphones and began listening to music. He put down his phone in his pocket and looked at the road.

  He checked the time in his watch while he waited.

  7:32 AM

  He pulled his phone out with his left hand. His right rose—finger extended briefly—then dropped to grip the pole beside him

  His phone vibrated and the young man peered at his phone as he typed his message.

  While he glanced to check for the bus, a group of students walked. They were so loud that the young man heard them while listening to music.

  “That shit was ass dawg, like really it was dogshit.” The boy spontaneously sat at the bench between the two girls who were gossiping earlier.

  “You’re right man, for what reason they need to make a movie that bad.” His friend followed as he stood in front of them.

  “I read that the producer was a Defronian, it makes sense that movie’s bland bro.” His other friend laughed as he showed his phone to them.

  The young man increased the volume as the noise faded.

  The mouths of the boys continued on as the ones standing leered at the girls visibly. The two girls stood up, faces visibly disgusted, then left while the boy sneered at them and parted his lips. His friends snickered and sat at the empty seats.

  The tensions rose at the station then the school bus arrived before any ruckus began.

  The students entered the bus and sat in their chosen seats. The tension withered, the students shut their voices and the bus left the station.

  The scenery changed after the bus passed by the urban area. Lush greenery and trees gave the environment a sense of calm.

  From afar, the clean air gushed to the bus as leaves revealed the bright sun. The sides of the road are filled with luxurious houses, varying in bright mellow colors.

  The houses were organized with crossroads a couple blocks away and a roundabout in the middle.

  The bus stopped as it reached the metal gate with fanciful decorations made of silver. The gate opened and the bus moved inside. The bus passed through two guards with rifles strapped through their front holding a scanner in their hand.

  Then the ceiling light turned yellow and a voice rang out.

  “All passengers and the driver in the bus, please turn off all electronics and step outside the bus. The external inspection will begin in one minute.”

  The students inside grabbed their phone and turned it off. After a minute, the light turned red as the guards scanned the vehicle from all sides then nodded after the scan.

  A guard with a cap turned to the opaque barrier and nodded. Green light blinked as normal white light illuminated the entire checkpoint.

  The opaque glass turned transparent revealing a person wearing a vest and a desk clock showing the time.

  7:38 AM

  Then that man spoke up.

  “All passengers, please proceed quietly to the inspection desk for your identification.”

  The students walked to the desk and filed a line. The driver was escorted by the guards to another desk.

  There were machines mounted beside the desk as the students took their ID’s and placed them under the scanner. At the back of the line, students were fidgeting with their ID’s and having a difficult standing still.

  The guard who escorted the driver checked his license then the ID and whispered in the radio.

  The person inside the transparent glass pressed a button and his lips parted.

  “The inspection has been finished. All passengers proceed to your vehicles. Devices must not be turned on after the vehicle has exited the building.”

  All of them went inside and the driver went to his seat and turned the engine on. The lights inside all blacked off as the gate in front opened, letting the sunrays in.

  The light gleamed through the glass as the bus drove outside the border checkpoint.

  The wheels rolled as the bus passed through the row of houses, varying in colors but most of them were gray.

  The student’s eyes gazed through the window as he opened his mouth, letting out a yawn. One of the students had his head hung up high beside his headrest and windows that his headrest pressured his temples.

  The group of students at the backseat had their hands occupied by their phones and tapped their screens. One of them giggled as she sped up her typing.

  A rustling sound came from the boy crouching as he grabbed a chip from the bag.

  The student beside him stared at it, raising a finger as if asking for one.

  The boy glanced at his hand, then silently popped the chip into his mouth.

  A girl stood, put her hands on the front chair, and moved to the other side with her friend. Then she showed her phone to her friend, revealing a flower keychain.

  Her friend leaned while fixing her eyes to the keychain. The girl with the phone grinned but then bemused as her friend looked at her, squinting her eyes.

  The boy glanced at the two girls at the other side and unscrewed his bottle then the water swayed forward.

  The bus stopped. The young man looked at the window on the other side, looking at a stop sign and a large building.

  He looked at his watch.

  7:55 AM

  Many students packed their things and wore their bags. Uniforms fluttered by the wind outside.

  A tall building stood at the front of the bus with trees surrounding the building. The clouds covered the sun, leaving the soothing autumn wind to fill the place.

  The young man strode at the side of the building, passing by the elevated walkway connected to two buildings while plugging his earphones.

  Inside, a coliseum and other buildings are surrounded by lush greenery. Cemented floors span all across the school with raised garden beds at the sides of each pathway connecting the other areas of the school.

  The young man walked along the straight pathway and went inside the building to his side.

  There were two elevators and a staircase leading to floors. He proceeded to take the stairs as the elevators were full of people.

  “4th floor”

  He reached his floor and walked in the hallway. On his side are three rooms, there were two doors for each room and went inside to Room 4B.

  As he went in, some students looked at him and turned away to continue their banter. However, one student approached him with a big smile on his face.

  “Hey dude, can I copy your homework?” The student leaned at him while grasping his shoulders as if massaging him.

  “I plan to work on it during class, and please can you get your hands off me. I'm not into guys.” The young man sighed as he reached into his bag and grabbed a sheet of paper.

  The student looked at the paper while still holding him.

  “Here is the scratch, take a photo and bring it back to me. Also…”, The student released his grip and took his phone and snatched the paper.

  “Thanks dude.” The student placed the paper on a desk and took a picture. After he took the picture, the student tried to run away with it.

  “Lewis, really?” The young man smiled as his hands were pressed to the paper.

  “Come on man! It's a payment for what you recommended to me yesterday. It's shit as fuck!” Lewis let go of the paper and showed the young man a cover art of a certain animation.

  “Do you know what personal preferences are? Never mind that.” The young man took the paper and sat in the third-row seat.

  Lewis gave a grin as he sat in his chair with papers in his desk.

  The young man grabbed a piece of A4 paper and wrote his name and equations.

  The clock ticked as the door opened.

  “Sorry class, I'm late!” The teacher's hair was still wet as she walked to the podium in front and mumbled. “That damned paperwork.”

  The students sat in their seats quietly. Two of each seat share the same table. The other seats in front were empty, the seat right beside the young man was empty too.

  “Class, we have a new transfer student today.” The teacher was arranging her papers while she looked around the desks in front of her.

  Students bickered as they heard the news, but the young man stayed silent.

  “Did they give me the wrong memo?” Her silent whisper was heard but it was fogged by the students’ countless murmurs.

  Bang!

  The back door slammed open as a girl with her slim bag glanced at us and she froze. The noise was silenced by the sudden slam.

  “Please take your seat, Miss Leah.” The teacher gave a smile as her eyes focused on the crack in the concrete.

  The girl briskly walked toward the seat she saw then she sat at the young man's side. Her face was filled with sweat that was now dripping on the table.

  The young man put his papers away from the girl and continued his writing.

  “Miss Leah, please introduce yourself.”

  “Right!” She jumped at her seat and the table jolted forward while the young man was still writing his homework.

  “Good morning, I am Leah D. Sthri. J-just call me Leah.” She stammered as her voice lowered. The young man deeply inhaled after he saw the jagged line in his paper.

  “Thank you, Leah. The one right next to you, please introduce yourself.” The teacher shuffles through the paper at her table.

  Leah glanced at him and saw the scribbled mess in his paper. She parted her lips, but the young man scratched his head and spoke.

  “It's fine, don't apologize.” He stood up as he gave his name.

  “Miss Leah, it’s nice to meet you. My name is Sebastian G. Halvier. You can call me Sebas.”