-Tranquil-
Jaiden couldn't concentrate for the rest of his classes. His mind was buzzing with everything that could go wrong. He rewrote all the notes over and over, picking out every line, every word. The possibility of a world hidden within his own seemed to be a concept that was only possible in fairytales but at the same time, it was all so real. The more he thought about Ms. Crodsfer, the more it all made sense.
He fiddled with his pencil all through his last class of the day. He hadn’t paid much attention and was completely distracted by his thoughts. The kid that sat beside him leaned over once or twice to see what he was writing, but other than that, Jaiden was left alone. From what he gathered, the passage consisted of three directions and a warning that he didn’t quite understand. “If the ‘Welcome to Ollen’ sign is really the place I need to go, how did Mr. Reaber figure it out?” he wondered. The dismissal bell rang and snapped him out of his thoughts.
Jaiden’s neatly written notes were scattered across his desk. Startled, he almost fell out of his chair as he gathered all of his things to leave. He shoved all his papers into his backpack and jogged out of his class. Jaiden scrambled to get to his car, bobbing in and out of the crowd of students. Down the building stairs, across the campus, out of the gates, to the parking lot he went. The trek felt much farther than usual. He breathed for a second before shoving his keys into the door and tossing his backpack to the passenger seat.
Everything was going to be fine; he figured the journey to find this secret world wouldn’t have that many complications. All he needed to do was prepare and text his mom that he was going on a school trip. That would be a good excuse, right? His plan was far from foolproof, but he felt a little more confident as he pulled out of the parking lot. He took a deep breath and looked back at the clouds which rested along as if nothing had happened.
“Okay. When I get home, I’ll just put a bunch of stuff in my backpack. Camping supplies? I don’t want to carry that much. I guess the essentials: Food, water, shelter,” Jaiden put his thoughts in order as he drove towards his house. He recalled relevant information from family camping trips: anything he could use for when he’s away. The honey-colored summer before sophomore year. That was the last they had all properly gone. Scooping out bits of what his parents taught him about survival seemed to be going well. What berries and mushrooms were safe to eat, what wildlife to avoid, and even creating a makeshift fishing pole.
He was almost at his house and deep into his perfect organized plan of when to go and what to bring. It had been a quiet drive but his thoughts blocked the silence; which he considered peaceful and somewhat enlightening. That was until the sudden realization bombarded him.
“Crap!” He gasped as he stomped on the breaks. At this point in his drive back from school, it was never quiet. Just as he was turning into his street, Jaiden sinkenly remembered he forgot to pick his brother up from school.
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