Too Close To the End


“When you die, there will be a few things on your gravestone; two numbers and a dash. The only thing that you have control over is the dash.”








-Paul Wentworth










Glossary:

Akmun- Insightful, perceptive or deep

Everdramsed- Exhausted

Hydrocuisete- Nutritious

H-board- A hover board that can come in the form of either a skateboard or a scooter

Marnol- An oil company started in the future

Ocano- An oil company started in the future

Plastru- A cubic piece of meat that comes from an ox and is usually served with breakfast

RV- retina-vision, a new name for the television

Staints- A writing utensil that uses a material that is a kind of fast drying paint

Tuerant- High powered form of hair dryer

Wentian- Intelligent, smart

Zig-Pad- An advanced piece of technology that is similar to a tablet


Chapter 1.


A jungle surrounded me, rapidly changing, evolving. I was watching time pass, thousands of times faster than it should. I could even see the sun rising and setting rapidly. From jungle to industrial city in a minute, with a sense that this happened much quicker than it should have. Only five, ten, maybe fifteen years to destroy nature on par with the rain forests... Just on par, or was it the rain forest? It was a thing of the past, a relic from my grandfather’s time. He had told me about it when I had visited him. I used to stay up until eleven o’clock at night listening to his stories when I was younger, they were just like what I saw before me now. I must be dreaming for things like these didn’t exist anymore. Lush green trees, full of life -they were so thick that I couldn’t see the ground.- that were packed with everything from birds to monkeys to animals I hadn’t even seen in my textbooks. They were deep shades of green and brown to camouflage themselves. These were hardly visible, and only slightly because of the motion provided by the quickened pace of time.

The jungle’s leaves and animals disappeared over time and gave way to industrial factories and oil rigs. Mobil, BP, Kangaroo, Ocano, and even maronol; all had come for a piece of the black gold... Oil. As the transformation drew to an end, time returned to its normal pace. I was in the first person, common for my dreams, but not alone.
“Kaelyn!” I screamed. Wait, I don’t know anyone named Kaitlyn. Strange, usually I know what I’m saying in dreams. I rushed toward her as if she was in danger of something. I don’t even know her, why would I do that? Besides that, what danger could she possibly be in?

I felt my mouth open to yell something else and...


“What’s going on Jaimes!?” some intruder screamed anxiously.

I was thinking the same thing! Who is this? Where am I? What’s going o-. Oh,
I saw a my room, the unorganized, full bookshelf that took up an entire wall, along with the countless drawings. “Nothing mom,” I groggily replied, “why?”

“You were yelling, I don’t know what you said but it sounded like a name,” This time, her breath had slowed, and I could see her muscles relaxing slightly, but she wasn’t quite calm yet. “Was it a dream?”

“I think so,” I offered mostly just to calm her down completely. “All I remember are trees. There were a lot of trees, but they were changing over time. The trees became industrial buildings, and the animals were replaced with electric paneling. Time changed and showed polar opposites; both
nature living up to its full potential, and technology destroying it all in the name of progress.”

My mother then warily replied “Okay, well thats a little akmun for a half-asleep high schooler, but thats my son for you”

I lightened up a little, finally awake “Yup, half-asleep is the only time you’ll get that stuff out of me. By the way, I caught that “High schooler” that you threw in there, does it even count if this is the first day in freshman year before I get there?” I even tried to wink and portray a mischievous facial expression. I must have convinced her somehow that everything was okay because she went back to sleep. As for me, I just asked my Zig-pad what time it was and got up early. At 04:30 on a school day I was only losing 30 minutes of sleep before I would have to get out of bed anyway. “Ughhhh” I moaned not wanting to get up yet, but knowing that if i slept I would feel exhausted when I awoke.

So I got up, grabbed a towel and some boxers on my way to the bathroom. Looking into the mirror I saw the same reflection of myself every day. My dirty blond, inch-long hair. My bright hazel eyes placed on my face as if purely to draw attention to everything else on it. They had a stark contrast to my almost vampiric pale skin. I had grown over the summer, at 7 feet 6 inches I was still short for my 14 years.
“Ughhh.” I slowly released a sigh after yawning. “Why do I have to be so everdramsed today of all days.” I quietly muttered to myself as I turned on the shower. “Ahhh, why is it so hot!” I screamed in pain before realizing that my parents were probably sleeping, so I quickly muted it.
“Ahhh.” I sarcastically yelled quietly.
“How hot is this water” I wondered. So I just popped three doors down and grabbed my Zig-Pad out of my room. “Let’s see now.” I whispered keeping to my quiet inflection. “How do I measure the temperature of water on my Zig-Pad”
“Here is an application to download.” It responded almost immediately in its perfectly human voice and displayed an image of a chrome thermometer that was shifting as it traveled on a H-board through different weather patterns. Once it was downloaded, I merely put some of the water on my Zig-Pad and waited for it to load. It was only a few seconds before the timer had gone off and the temperature was displayed. “What! 175 degrees!” I exclaimed.
I turned the temperature down to 90 degrees and measured it. First with the Zig-Pad, then with my hands. The water’s temperature was hovering around a comfortable 110. Wondering why someone would need
155 degree water, I was still worried about the 20 degree malfunction. I would just have to tell my dad about it after my shower.

As I stepped out of the shower I got dressed while using the Z voice application on my Zig-Pad in order to find out what I needed to do to “prepare for a successful day at school.” Apparently, it was absolutely imperative for me to
eat a hydrocuisete and filling breakfast (Once I go downstairs)
pack my supplies including a lunch (Once I go downstairs)
shower and brush my teeth to maintain hygiene (Done and after breakfast)
wear weather appropriate attire (Once I get dressed)
and make sure to depart from my home in a timely fashion in order to avoid tardiness. (Umm okay? Isn’t that a little obvious)
I couldn’t help but add in my own little narration as the Zig-Pad carried on.

Finally dressed with my hair combed, I headed down the stairs into the kitchen.

“Morning everybo-” I said cheerfully before realizing that it was only 05:00 and no one else would be awake for another 15 minutes. “Well don’t I feel wentian” I sarcastically muttered to myself. With nothing to do but get ready for school, I went back over what I had left of my checklist.
eat a hydrocuisete and filling breakfast (Next)
pack my supplies including a lunch (After breakfast)
shower and brush my teeth to maintain hygiene (done and I still I have to eat)
and make sure to depart from my home in a timely fashion in order to avoid tardiness. (Still obvious)

My breakfast was planned from last night and dad should be getting up any second to make me eggs and plastru. Until then I decided to pack my backpack with all the generic supplies; 4 different colored staints, notebooks, paper, my Zig-Pad, and four different colored binders. I was on my way to get some milk when I noticed a-

Doo-doo-do-doo-da-do-doo-doo-do... Doo-doo-do-doo-da-do-doo-doo-do... Doo-doo-do-d-

My fathers alarm blared and stopped making noise just as rapidly as it had begun.
“Time to get up” I heard the artificial cheeriness in my newly awoken mothers voice.
“What time is it?” My father asked groggily.
“05:15, don’t forget that you promised to make Jaimes breakfast.” This time she was alert and the glee wasn’t a facade.
“All right, but I’m showering first. At this point I’m still asleep.” He said. I heard him get out of bed noisily and head towards the shower. Wait, the water!
“Dad, don’t get in!” I yelled.
“Woah!” He exclaimed. “Jaimes? Why not?” he inquired.
“ The water temperature is messed up, it’s running 20 degrees up from what you tell it.” I answered.
“Okay, thanks...” He thanked me, but then paused for about five seconds before talking. “I’m going to take a shower now.”
“Don’t forget my breakfast when you get out!” I reminded him.
“I know, I know” He replied.
“Could you please keep it down?” My mom asked politely. “Your father may have woken up from your outburst, but I haven’t yet.”

“All right, you can have until breakfast” I said it seriously, but she knew from the joking expression on my face that I wasn't.



Fshhhhh
“Ready for breakfast Jaimes?” My father inquired.

“Almost dad” I said while finishing up on the RV program and turning in it off “Ready.” I stated simply.

“Perfect timing, so is the food.” My father coolly replied as he put it on the table.

“Thanks dad.” I thanked him as I paused to look at the clock. It was already 5:20 and I had to leave in 10 minutes! “I guess I’ll just have to eat fast. I started with the eggs so they wouldn't get cold and then gorged myself on the plastru.

I checked the clock again, 3 minutes left. I packed a quicky-schticky for lunch with a sealed bottle of milk and ran out the door. Simultaneously pulling out my Zig-pad to check the instructions. Left out of the house... 2nd right... stop a street before the highway. I ran as fast as I could and made it to my bus-stop with seconds to spare; I could already see the bus coming down the highway just ahead at a sluggish 80 miles per hour.

As it turned the corner I packed my Zig-pad into my backpack and waited for the bus to stop. The doors opened and I asked the question I always ask on the first day of school:
“Is this the bus to Requisaphium Upper?” I inquired
“Yeh, now come on and hurry you up, I don’t got all day” my driver replied, he was a short, tan, bald Caucasian man with his foot tapping impatiently on the gas pedal. Without another moment of hesitation I got on the bus and waited to arrive at my new life for the next four years: Requisaphiium Upper School.