Radiant Shadows

I slowly get up, and rub my head. "Ow..." I mumble. I look around. I'm in a... forest of some kind, if you could even call it that. There's little saplings, and small bushes, but that's it. Everything else is just burnt tree trunks and ash. I get up a bit, and sit on my knees. Am I in Australia? I know they had been having wildfires lately, but I'm not sure. I hear a faint bird cry. I look up, and nearly get blinded by the sun. "So, it's around noon then..." I whisper to myself. I stand up. Do I hear footsteps? I turn around. There's no one there. I'm probably just losing my mind. Just when I let my guard down a bit, I receive a hard whack to the head, and I pass out.

Earlier that day...
I wake up to the sound of my alarm clock beeping in my face. I get up, and head to the kitchen. I can't function without a bowl of sugary cereal - usually Lucky Charms - in the morning. I get the cereal, and start eating it.

I should probably introduce myself. Hi, I'm Jaxson with an x. My friend calls me Jack. I only have one, Mari. We like to joke she's secretly the Marionette rencreated. I used to have more, but they turned on me. I'm 16, and my friends that turned on me are 17 spoiled rich kids, who left me for a new kid called Mason. Well, not SUPER rich. They now throw insults at me, and give me black eyes. 4 outta 5 days a week I go home with bruises. I recently started cutting through the woods to avoid meeting them. My dad leaves for work early and comes home late. He told me my mom died shortly after I was born. She actually mysteriously disappeared, but was presumed dead after 2 months.

I'm kinda on the tall side with slightly long light brown hair, and light blue eyes. I'm an optimistic guy, but lately I haven't been so happy. My friends say I'm funny, and my grades are average (B's, C's, sometimes A's). While people might think I'd rather stay inside and play video games, if the weather's sunny I go outside and take walks. If it's rainy it's even better since no one goes outside. If it's rainy at night, it doesn't matter if there's school tomorrow, if the best thing ever is happening tomorrow, if my house is on fire, if the world's on fire, I'm going outside and taking an hour long walk.

Anyway, I finish the cereal, and go back to my room to change into a blue t-shirt, a navy blue and white hoodie, and white jeans. I like blue and white, ok? I check my clock, and HOLY CHIPS I'M LATE FOR THE BUS. I snatch my backpack, rush out the door, being careful to lock it, and just barely get on. The bus driver - who everyone calls Jason - nods, and I pick a random seat. Most people talk to their friends or text, but I stare out the window. After 30 million years, well maybe not that long, the bus pulls up at the school. I silently wait for everyone else to get off, and then I get off. I head inside, and I don't get two steps inside before I'm hug-attacked by Mari.

"JACK!!" She screams. "I MISSED YOOOOOUU!" I laugh, and gently pushes her away. "Calm down, Marionette." I joke. "I wound up your music box." She laughs, and starts dragging me. This is why people think we date: She always attacks me when I show up, saying she misses me, and we always joke with each other. Highschool. Oh yeah! I go to Melaina High. I think "Melaina" is in a different language. I force her to let me go when we passed my locker. I open it, and put my bag inside. Then, I feel a hard push to my back, which nearly makes me go into my locker entirely. "Wow, you're so fat you can't even fit inside the locker!" Mason laughs. While Mari is usually a calm, happy, also optimistic person, she's like the Marionette in another way: her temper can change within seconds.

"HEY!" She yells, stomping over. "Get away from him!" Leah, one of my ex-friends, narrows her eyes at her. "And what are you gonna do about it?" Mari's temper begins to boil over. "Do you wanna stay to find out?" She challenges. Leah rolls her eyes. "We don't waste time with LOSERS. C'mon, let's go." Mason and her leave, and I smile at Mari. "Thanks." "No problem." She shrugs. "I've taken karate for 3 years. Why would anyone in their right mind fight me?" I head to class, and after another 9 googolplexian years - little funny sounding, but it's an actual number - school is FINALLY over. I walk out, and after a quick "goodbye" to Mari, I start cutting through the woods.

"Heyyyyy Jaxy boyyy!" I hear. No. That can't be Mason. I start walking faster. I barely got 5 feet before someone grabbed my arm. Mason forces me to face him, and without another word, begins to hit me. Arm, chest, and face. No. This will not happen today. I somehow manage to kick him backwards, and start booking it farther into the forest. Did I mention I'm on the track team? Well, I can't go home now, he'll find my house and egg it or something. The forest begins to feel like it's trying to suffocate me. "COME BACK HERE JAXY BOY! YOUR UGLY FACE NEEDS MORE PUNCHES!!" I ignore it and try to run farther.

I trip over something and get a face full of dirt, leaves, and twigs. I stand up, and look over to see what I tripped over. Its... a birch stick? There's no birch trees around here. I bend over, and pick it up. It's birch, and has splashes of blue on it. There's white sparkles floating around it, and it seems to be levitating a crystal ball. It has purple, light blue, and light green mist inside. "W-what's this thing?" I whisper, like I was expecting someone to be watching me. All of a sudden, the mist starts to come out of the ball, and starts rotating around me.

"W-woah!" I say, very scared. "P-put me down!" The mist, even if it could hear me, which I doubt it could, didn't do anything. A bright white flash of light blinds me, and I get knocked out.

-=+*To Be Continued*+=-

Sorry if the school part seemed fast, I'm too lazy (and dislike school) to write about Jaxson going to his classes.