Summer's Gift

Our story begins by going through the thick fog and sunshine, in a secluded place called Little Creoheg. It possesses a timeless beauty that no other town would ever be able to compare to. From above, you'll see the grey roofs of the typical Canadian houses, scattered all over in an orderly manner. On the far left side of Creoheg, is a co-ed boarding school called Millington, and this is where our story actually begins.

Today is the 27th of May, and the townspeople are seen walking around in the city just outside Millington, enjoying the daylight that rarely comes by as they shop for various things, usually things one wouldn't even think of buying before. It's a lively town, that is little Creoheg, and most especially in Millington Academy where students are seen wandering the school grounds, some are seen half-asleep and some fully awake.

Every morning, at exactly 7:25 AM, students go to the dining hall to eat their breakfast that usually consists of bacon, eggs, juice and two pieces of French toasts. (Though for those who aren't in the mood to eat bacon and eggs in the morning, there are a few other choices like hot oatmeal, pancakes and a simple bowl of cereal.) That being said, a delicious breakfast usually gets people excited in the morning, this resulting in the crowding of the halls filled with people wearing maroon.

Zoë Anderson, one of our characters, walks through the courtyard while carrying a bunch of books in one arm and her breakfast—a french toast and a bottle of orange juice—in the other, with a dazed look in her eyes as she debates in her mind whether she should go back inside to grab a bottle of water, but after looking back at the distance between her and the building, she decides not to and continue going to the tree she frequently stays under.

Anderson is a thin and tall woman, with dark brown locks and dimmed brown eyes that always seem tired despite sleeping for one whole day, wearing a maroon blazer with neatly pressed lapels, underneath it is a white blouse with crisp collars and cuffs, with a dark grey skirt that stopped just above her knees—that is hanging tightly around her waist, and below it is a pair of black shoes.

She finally took a bite of her toast once she was in the middle of the field, enjoying its buttery taste which made her pleased enough to start humming a random tune to show her enjoyment of the said toast.

Some of the students that she happened to pass by, gave her side glances before looking back at their front to continue with their day, with their minds being unconsciously occupied by a simple thought that lasted only for only a few seconds.

'What made her so happy?'

It was rare, after all, to see a happy student on a Monday, in Millington, and just before the daily assembly too where they expect a long and boring speech from their headmistress. Most would usually be seen swearing and kicking a tree or a table out of nowhere with the reason being nothing but their usual morning grumpiness.

But of course, those students who gave her a few seconds of their life, turned their heads away while dismissing those thoughts, thinking it was abnormal to over analyse the situation. Their eyes landed on the toast she was holding and immediately came up with their own answers as a way to finally get their minds over the girl.

'She likes the toast', or 'the toast is so delicious it lifted her mood', or maybe even 'eating is her pleasure'.

Nevertheless, they walked away as new thoughts began to occupy their minds, with the weird girl humming while eating the toast, long forgotten.

Anderson finally got to the tree, plopping down under it as she rubbed her hands to remove the tiny crumbs from it before opening the cold bottle, with the school clock filling the silence, as the few students idling around, stood up and ran towards the auditorium, everyone except for Anderson.

And the reason for it isn't anything complicated, rather it was too simple. It was her own laziness that would prevent her from attending. She never attended morning assembly and the teachers already gave up on trying to persuade her and judging from her relaxed position under the tree, she looked like she isn't planning on changing that any time soon.

"Summer." A student spoke up from her side as he sat on the space next to her.

She glanced at him, whose smile is brighter than the sun itself as she rolls her eyes, with a little laugh escaping her. "Summer." She repeats with an excited tone.

He smiles before swinging his heavy arm over her shoulders so suddenly, making her wince in pain at the sudden weight. She looked up at him as she tries to shove his arm off of her. "Are you serious?" She groaned as the former laughs at her suffering.

This man is named Crinse Porter, a very close friend of Zoë Anderson. A person, who knew how to perfectly annoy his easily irritated friend, was the perfect description of average looking. He was tall, thin and full of vigour. The man has a thick neck and an angled jaw, with thickly framed glasses over his upturned nose.

"I can't believe you're still not attending the assembly despite getting warned about it hundreds of times." He said, a bit amazed at his friend's bravery.

She scoffed, "And I can't believe you're still in that stupid club."

"Drama club is not stupid, it helps you find your true self buried under the layers of your fake masks." He proudly replies with eyes twinkling in interest.

"Right. 'True self.' You also said that last time when I found out you joined that embroidery club for no apparent reason, you don't even like arts and crafts!" Zoë spoke as she narrowed her eyes, while he makes a face in return, letting her know he was offended by the girl's snarky reply.

"I'll have you know, that embroidery was a part of me I never knew existed—"

"—You decided to quit after three days—"

"—and never wish to find again."

She shook her head in disbelief.

Porter developed this interest in finding his true inner self after having this talk with her about college and other stuff that they will soon be forced to put up with later. He knew he did not want to end up being burdened with the responsibility of picking a job he never wanted and ended their conversation by deciding to find out who he truly is before senior high school ends.

Anderson didn't think of this little mission of his laughable, rather she thought it was nothing but a pointless journey as he would be pressured later on to randomly pick what he wants despite having already chosen a job beforehand.

"Anyways, pushing away your negative response to my club—"

"—Just know I will forever question this specific decision—"

"—Supportive, really supportive." He mumbled. "I'll be flying back to our home country with Lance and Kurt. And they asked me earlier whether you and the girls are still going on that trip to the beach."

She beamed at the mention of the beach, "Of course! Also, fly safely you three."

"That goes without saying, Zoë." He replies with a smile before they both took a bite of their breakfast at the same time. "Ah, I also have something to tell you."

"What is it about?"

"Just a dream really, though it's becoming weirder and weirder. There's this foggy looking monster with an eerie face—" before he could say more, a timid looking boy calls out to Crinse then proceeding to yell, "The headmistress called for you!"

Crinse frowns, "Did the assembly ended early today?"

She rolls her eyes, "Yes. Goodness Porter, I don't even attend it and I still know what goes on at our school."

"That's because you check the announcement board." He sneers before standing up, "Whatever. Go back inside, I assume that class will be starting soon—and before you suggest it no, you can't skip the first period." He says before running off with the student.

She looked around the courtyard before letting out a frustrated sigh. She normally doesn't listen to anyone and would only pretend to, but she knew she wouldn't pass to the next grade if she failed this one, so she decided to stand up from her spot, pat away the dirt from her skirt while grabbing her stuff before walking towards one of the buildings to learn something new today.