-Laelyn- 

I woke up late that Thursday morning. I'd had a rough night's sleep, and couldn't get the terrible images of my nightmares out of my mind. I couldn't remember much, except a pale girl with stringy black hair and silver eyes, who was trying to harm me, for some reason. Her voice was like the sound a cat's claws made on a chalkboard, mixed with a growl. The last thing I remembered about the dream was being hit by a blast of white light and falling. On and on...

I shook my head, turning my attention to getting ready for school. I could hear the yells from my mother downstairs, and it pushed me to move faster. I grabbed the red, short sleeve, collared uniform top from my bottom drawer and paired it with my cream colored skinny jeans.

"Laelyn! You're going to be late!" My mom called. She was the only one I always allowed to call me by my full name- I hated the way it sounded.

"I'm coming!" I yelled down the stairs. Quickly pulling my light blonde hair into a ponytail, I hurried down the stairs and into the small kitchen to see my mother making breakfast on the stove.

"Good morning, darling." My mother sang.

I inhaled deeply, and was greeted with the gorgeous scent of pancakes and bacon, with a hint of syrup. Probably all pre-made in a factory and frozen, but I didn't care. I smiled. This was my favorite room of the house, with dark blue walls and a very open concept design. Sitting down at the table, I looked out the large windows at the little apple tree in our backyard. It was just spring, and the apple blossoms had bloomed, with pops of pink showing through the dark green leaves of the tree. It was beautiful, and reminded me why I adored the season.

"I love spring." I said dreamily, still quite sleepy. I turned my head at the sound of someone walking into the room behind me.

"You say that about every season, Lyn," Link remarked, "Why can't you just have one favorite like everyone else?"

"They're all so beautiful in their own way! It would be unfair to just choose one." I sighed.

"Mhm." Link rolled his eyes, bringing two plates of food to the table. He and Mom engaged in a conversation about what she would be doing at work the next day.

I grabbed my fork and began to eat hungrily. While I ate, I read the new book I had gotten a while ago, a romance novel involving magic and dragons. I couldn't help but wonder how it would feel to be powerful. How different would life be if I had magic? I imagined that I would be much more popular. Maybe then I could catch the eye of a few guys. I could even be one of the popular girls that held parties that everyone tripped over each other to go to. Just as I was imagining a dragon-themed party, I was snapped back to reality.

"Laelyn! We're going to be late, put the book down!" My mother was yelling again, this time from the front door.

"Coming!" I shouted back. I couldn't be late for school, not today. I had that geometry test! I grabbed my backpack, and, shoving my book into the middle pocket, rushed out the door. Mom's black car was just a few feet away, but regardless I ran the entire way. I was glad she wasn't going in for work that day, otherwise we would have had to walk to school and would have been late for sure. I slid into the back seat next to Link, buckling my seatbelt as Mom backed down the driveway and onto the road. As we rode through the suburbs, Link turned to me.

"So, you studied, right? For the math exam?" He asked, running his hand through his hair.

I frowned and looked down. Crap. "Actually... no." I sheepishly matched my brother's gaze as his eyes widened in surprise.

"What? Joshua didn't go over math with you? Oh my God. You're going to fail." He shook his head in disbelief.

"Link!" I playfully shoved him, "You make it sound like I don't pay attention at all. I'm sure I'll get a B, at least."

"You'll get a B!" He smacked an open palm against his forehead and looked at me like I had said the craziest thing he had ever heard.

"Alright, alright. I know a B is the end of the world for you, but I consider it pretty decent."

"Decent!" Link was still incredulous. "You'll settle for decent!"

"Yeah." I shrugged. I knew this would irritate him, being a perfectionist. He looked like he was going to pass out just at the thought of receiving a B on a test. "And then I was thinking of maybe dropping out of school. Becoming a McDonald's employee for the rest of my life. All because of a B on my geometry test." Link started laughing.

"Okay, I guess I see your point. Just study next time!"

"Maybe." I shrugged again.

"Get out your study guide."

"What? Right now?"

"We've got a few minutes. I'm going to help you study."

"Link, I'm fine."

"Nope. Plus I need to review anyways." That was a lie. Link was a genius. He didn't even need to study in the first place, though he insisted on studying for hours on end.

"Fine," I finally gave in, knowing I couldn't win an argument against my brother.

"Good idea!" Our mother piped in from the driver's seat, giving Link an opportunity for a smug smile.

"Let's change this decent to perfect by first hour!" He exclaimed. I groaned. Sometimes Link was simply too excited for school. But I didn't complain, and we studied almost the entire packet on the short way to school.

Author's Note!

Hey guys, sorry this chapter is so short! I really didn't realize until I posted it. The next ones will be longer, I promise! Don't forget to comment any suggestions or things you liked, I'd love to know! As always, lots of love, I'll update again soon!

Savy Pearson