The Hero: Prelude [COMPLETED]

The Night Before

3. The Night Before
I WAS RIGHT on time, when Max Jerchin, ranked 22nd closed the damn doors on me. As a result,  I had to run to the counselor's office and explain that I had indeed tripped on myself on my way to school which was the reason I was late. I know it was stupid lie, but she seemed like she brought my baloney, so she allowed it to slip. I ended up missing the entirety of Mrs. Corso's amazing Honors Differential Calculus class, I'm sure they were all glad. Especially Max Jerchin, the 22nd place jerk.

After that, it was Honors English, Ms. Pa's class. It was my time to outshine Max Jerchin. I walked into class and took my seat next to Reagan. This was the only class we had together, well,  after all, she's currently unranked, since her data is null. How did she end up in Honors English? Good question. Her essay when she took the entrance exam was said to have teared up Ms.Pa and even the Dean, but that's only a rumor. (Though I think it's probably, more than likely to be true.)

Max Jerchin was silent the entire class, since English was his weak spot. I made sure to pound on him until his face went bright red and he kept his head low the entire time. "Ms. Pa, I think Max Jerchin had been very quiet, why don't we ask him to present his thesis?" I suggested. Max shot me a glare behind me, but tried to keep a calm face. Ms. Pa nods.

"Good idea Lily. Ok, Max, how about you come up here to present your thesis to us?" Max politely smiled at Ms. Pa, and began,

"Umm... Ms.Pa I would love to go up and present my thesis. But I think Lily and other classmates are more eager than me to present their thesis. How about we give them a chance?" Ms. Pa gave a thoughtless nod and asked,

"So, would anyone like to volunteer to come up here and present their thesis?" No one made a single move. Not even a sound. Max Jerchin made a wrong move. Everyone knew he'll screw up, and what did I tell you? It's competition, all the time. As expected, Ms.Pa gave Max the come-up-here-before-you're-screwed-even-more look and everyone else tried to hide their laughter. I smiled.
***
School ended at 4:00 PM sharp, like any other day. But today, everyone showed some emotions, even though they were entirely negative ones. Again, I reiterate, no one likes to cram into a terribly odorous bus for 12.5 hours and arrive all groggy knowing they have to spend three meaningless days doing nothing. I was no exception, I reached into my pockets, and decided to save my oranges for the trip. I went home alone, since Felix had to make a last minute errand to a client. I decided to take the bus uptown and buy some things for tomorrow's long dreaded  trip. I walked slowly, careful to absorb the beauty of the artificial around me. Walking along the bustling city streets at City Center was a weird experience, because it's one of the few places that you not only see people racing against time, but if you glanced into the glass window panes of old fashioned  coffee shops, you can see people who's just out there enjoying themselves, chillin with their friends, and drinking a nice afternoon tea, laughing about their past, occasionally showing off their crooked teeth. It was rare to see people these days. Only if I had an entire day of freedom, I'll explore City Center in entirety. I'll see all sorts of exotic things, I bet it.

The lights flashed blue, signaling for passengers to walk. "Please Proceed" a mechanical voice said. We all acrossed. The installment of AI in all areas of life was to accommodate the large senior population that represented over 70% of the entire population globally. Now, it seemed like we all can't live without them. Perhaps I can say I'm lucky to be born in this age of stability, where all the world's problems have been solved and everyone is happy.

I stood in front of DashBuy and observed their new logo for a moment. It was pretty, simpler than last time, a blue dot within a red star. "Hey" a familiar female voice says in my ears. I turn my head around, it was Reagan. She looked different than in school. Her hair was now in a high bun, and she was wearing a plain white dress. Her fashion senses are surely peculiar, or is dynamic the better word for it? "What are you doing here?" She asked.

I shrugged, "I thought maybe I'll be getting some stuff for tomorrow. I'm free now anyways." She nods thoughtfully.

"Oh, I was thinking the same, let's go then." She flashed a smile and linked my arm into hers as we walked in together. We walked through the desserts section and I picked out three bags of peanuts and one bag of cranberries. "Wow, so nutritious." She compliments.

"Yea?"
"I mean, do you guys always eat like this, so healthy?" I tilt my head in confusion.
"Who's you guys?"
"I'm referring to the people in your school. Or  I should say, our school."
"Errr... I'm not a accurate reflection of everyone, everyone has their own taste  you know." My tone was obviously uncomfortable as I was weirded out by her question.

"I'm just saying you guys really live a controlled life. Not just you, a lot of people won't eat  salty or greasy foods, I guess that's a good thing, you all slim as hell" I frown slightly,
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing, nothing. Just sayin'." Reagan gives a small shrug and continues walking through the aisles.

"Let's go to the accessories section, I'm sure it full of discounts today." As we walked through DashBuy, I caught sight of an old man through the transparent windowpane. His head hung low, and his body was scrunched together into a ball. I could faintly make out his slim and dry shape. What was he doing there? Is he practicing for a play? Maybe he's just an professional actor and there's a camera in a angle I can't see.

"Is that a beggar?" Reagan asked curiously.
"No, he's probably a actor." I replied instantly.
"How would you know?"
"Because there's no beggars in this world, everyone lives in equality." I almost exclaimed. "You must be new here." I added. She smiles,
"Yea I am. Sorry if I offended you." I shook my head.
"No, you offended everyone. Just be careful next time. I mean it's good to be curious. Just not all the time." I said as I walked off towards the duffel bags section.