Date: Tue, 27 May 2008 17:02:35 -0700 (PDT)
From: Stephen Case <case4295@yahoo.com>
Subject: Damien World part 1

Damien's World
~a novella~
Chapter 1

                As I awoke to the sobering `beep' of my seemingly ancient
alarm clock, I laid in bed, pondering what my new school year, of my new
school, would be like.  I had just moved to Franklin, a small town in rural
West Virginia.  Franklinwas a dreary, overcast, small-town bordering the
Appalachian Mountains.  Everybody knew everybody, and everybody knew each
other's business.  It has its pros and cons, I guess.

                Waking up in a new town is different.  It is like waking in
a person's home, of which you slept the night in the first time, and
momentarily not knowing where you are.  I got a serious dose of this
feeling, it wasn't very comfortable.

                I snapped out of my drifting thoughts, and rushed
downstairs only to be met by the smell of freshly brewed coffee, like a
smack in the face.  My mother stood above the rustic wooden sink, just
below the kitchen window which displayed a quiet view of the fall foliage
in its infancy.

Upon hearing me enter the kitchen, she jokingly snapped in her distinctive
Brooklynaccent "Who the hell are you?"

Giggling, I replied "Your illegitimate son!"

After our bantered greeting, I rushed over and gave her a light kiss on her
wrinkled smoker's cheek.

This was my mom: a middle-aged widow with developing sags under her eyes,
mounting monetary stress, eccentric drinking habits, and an evident case of
unfulfilled dreams.  Yet, she still managed to remain cheerful in her
demeanor, ever since a terrible accident which robbed me of my workaholic
father, and the family car, an old 70's Lincoln Town Car, which was on its
last legs.

                My mother and I had just moved from Long Island, hoping to
get a fresh start on life in a new town.  Overall, I didn't favor the
transition much.  But then again, I didn't have much to lose.  I wasn't
popular in my old school; there were no special academic achievements for
me, no star athlete status, and a social status short of an unknown who
drifted through the hallways, like a ghost each day.

                I guess you could call me a bit of a loner.  I was apart of
a small circle of friends, who enjoyed moderate popularity.  I was somewhat
of a tag along with them, yet they still enjoyed my presence (I myself
being a little bit of eye candy).  If I didn't cause any trouble with any
of them or get in their way, I was occasionally invited to come along with
them on their outings to the local suburban shopping mall.  I never really
cared for extraversion, myself being a self-recognized introvert; I just
hung-out with them to keep up appearances with my seldom noticing peers.  I
didn't want to be labeled as an outcast, you know.

                I comically walked over to the kitchen table, still covered
in moving boxes, to see what my mom had prepared for our breakfast.
Scrambled eggs and bacon, how mediocre...

                On my walk to school, I was hoping to catch a glimpse of my
new classmates.  By this time the sun was out, and its blare reflected off
the browning leaves of the trees creating a lovely shade of sepia.  About
two minutes into my walk, I began to see other kids stepping out of their
Victorian homes on Main Street.  I strived to get a closer look at them,
but the hedges in front of me would not allow my view to extend pass a mess
of leaves.  I walked passed the hedges by about three feet, and that's when
I saw quite possibly the most beautiful boy I had ever seen.


*I will continue this series if I receive positive feedback*

Comments are to be sent to case4295@yahoo.com

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