New ROTG story! I'm so excited. Hopefully, this story turns out well. I wrote out and organized all my thoughts at work one night…and then I lost the note. It probably ended up in the wash. Then I wrote out the notes again, so hopefully they're not too different from the ones I developed before. Well, we'll see how this first chapter goes and then go from there!

Chapter 1: Along Came A Bunny

Perfect. I'm sure everyone's used that word at one point or another. How many, though, can truly say that their life is perfect? I can. My name is Jackson Overland and I live in a utopian society. Seriously. No crime. No illness. No auto accidents. Think of every "bad" thing you could ever imagine. There's none of that here. Everyone behaves perfectly and life is amazing. Well, it was amazing, for me, at least…until my encounter with a bunny. Allow me to explain; it's a bit complicated. This is the story of how my utopia turned into a nightmare. A perfect nightmare.

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Jackson's eyes opened and he sat up, stretching. Time to get ready for school. It was a typical weekday morning. He woke up at the exact right time and changed into his perfectly pressed school uniform—khaki pants and a light blue polo shirt, knee-high socks and loafers. No matter how many times Jackson's mother washed the school uniform clothing or how many days Jackson chose to wear it before passing it along to be washed, the polo and khakis were always perfect, not a wrinkle to be found. It had always been this way.

Because Jackson was always awake on time each morning, he always had time for a perfect breakfast prepared by his mother. There was never any talk at breakfast because, really, what was there to say? Of course, Jackson finished his homework last night. Of course, he had straight A's in all of his classes. Yes, the weather was absolutely perfect. There really was nothing to discuss. Jackson finished eating before his sister, Emma, and waited for her so they could walk to school together. Jackson's high school was near to Emma's elementary school, so it just worked out for them to walk together. Along the way, Emma's friend James Bennett would join. Jackson was more of a loner, so he did not mind the company of his sister and her friend.

Emma finished and took her plate to the sink to rinse. Jackson waited by the door while Emma finished getting ready. When Emma was finished, she joined her older brother at the door. "Ready?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.

"See you two this afternoon!" Mrs. Overland called from the kitchen.

Jackson and Emma said their goodbyes and then left to walk the short distance to the schools. Many students walked each day because the schools were the ideal distance from all the homes of the students who attended them.

Like always, James joined the two Overland children as they passed his house. "Good morning, Emma and Jackson."

They greeted James and continued the walk. By this point, they were almost to the schools already. When the group of students arrived at the school, Jackson walked with Emma over to the elementary school. Many older siblings would not be caught dead returning to their past schools, but Jackson didn't mind. It never bothered him and (though he'd never admit it) sometimes he liked to reminisce the memories attached to the elementary school building.

"See you after school, Emma," Jackson told his sister before walking over to the high school. After school, Jackson would wait the half hour until the end of the elementary school day before walking home again with Emma and James. Just another typical day.

School for Jackson was the same as always. Go to each of the classes listed on his schedule. Complete the work for the day. Listen to the teacher on the TV discuss whatever they were to learn today. Teachers were never present in their classrooms. Why would they need to be there? Students did not misbehave. Work was collected and left for one of the two building principals to send to the teacher to look over and grade. This is the way it has always worked, even in elementary school.

When school was finished, Jackson stopped by his locker to drop off books that he did not need for tonight and then walked the short distance over to the elementary school. Finding his favorite bench, one near the elementary school's playground, Jackson set his backpack down and carefully took his seat. Like always, he pulled out his homework and worked on it for the half hour until Emma and James finished their school day.

As Jackson worked on his homework, he did not notice the small gray bunny make its way over toward the bench. He continued working until he heard his sister call his name.

"Jackson!"

Looking up and noticing Emma and James making their way over, Jackson packed his homework back into his backpack. Standing up, he smiled to his sister and her friend. "Ready?"

As they walked, Emma told Jackson about something strange that she saw as she had walked out of the elementary school. "You should have seen it, Jackson. There was this small gray bunny sitting right in front of you. Have you ever seen bunnies come that close to anyone before?"

"Ah…no. I didn't even see this bunny. I was working on my homework."

"It was the one that was sitting by the tree near the playground."

"Well, that's…cool," Jackson replied, a little unsure what to say. Emma's story didn't sound real, but no one told lies in this society. Still, that would be so…strange.

When the Overland siblings arrived at James's house, they said their goodbyes and continued on their way home. Arriving at home, the first thing both Jackson and Emma did once they stepped inside was finish their homework. Prior to doing anything else, even eating an afternoon snack, they were to finish their homework. This was normal for every school-age child living in Burgess.

Homework was never hard for Jackson. Like every other student in his class (in the school, actually), he was right at the level expected of his age group, a typical 18-year old senior in high school. Still, as he worked, Jackson couldn't help but to think about what Emma had told him on their walk home. Had there actually been a small gray bunny sitting that close to him as he'd worked on his homework there on that bench near the elementary school playground? Emma would never lie, but Jackson also knew that bunnies did not come that close to humans…unless they were domesticated bunnies. That must be it. Someone's pet bunny must've gotten loose and come and sat by me.

Once finished with his homework, Jackson grabbed a granola bar and informed his mother that he was going outside to take a short walk. In reply, his mother told him to be back by dinner time, but she really didn't need to say that; he'd be home way before dinner. He always took a brief walk after finishing his homework. The cool evening air helped to replenish his mind.

Jackson walked the same route that he always did, just a short walk around the block. Taking his time, Jackson looked up to the sky. Gray-white clouds covered the normally-blue sky. This was Jackson's favorite time of the year. It would snow soon; this was the only part of the year where the weather was anything but sunny. Satisfied, Jackson continued walking; he needed to be home soon.

As Jackson approached his home, he came across a small gray bunny staring intently back at him. Wait…bunnies don't stare like that. I must be seeing things. Besides, it's probably not even the same bunny that Emma saw earlier. Continuing his walk toward home, Jackson found himself growing a bit paranoid as the bunny seemed to follow him. Why is it following me? No…it's not following me. I just think it is.

The paranoia gnawed at the back of Jackson's mind as the bunny seemed to follow every step he took. Finally, unable to take it anymore, Jackson whipped around and advanced on the bunny. He never intended to hurt it. He just wanted to frighten it away so that it would stop following him.

Instead, Jackson's actions seemed to have the opposite effect on the animal. It did not scamper off. In fact, the bunny seemed to straighten up a little taller and smile. What the? Bunnies definitely do not smile. What was I just thinking?

"It's good to see you again, Mate," the bunny spoke in an Australian accent.

Wait…the bunny just spoke? To me? No, that is not possible. Bunnies do not talk. What is going on here?

Oh, Jackson Overland, if you only knew that this is just the beginning! Haha. I'm pretty excited for this story and I hope that you enjoyed this first chapter! P.S. I wish I could describe every little aspect about this utopian society. I literally have a whole note on my iPhone devoted to the differences between real-life societies and this utopian one.

Thank you all for reading and supporting Perfect Nightmare: Utopia!

Posted: December 31, 2015