Alex Rider stepped out of his new bathroom using a towel to dry his hair. He had moved in with Sabina and the Pleasures just two weeks ago, still not in the least adjusted to the cream, gold colored setting of the entire house.
What bothered him most about the bathroom was that its lighting was slightly more dimmed then it was in the rest of the house, which just seemed like a pathetic allegory for his life.
Alex pulled his shirt over his head and shook out the rest of the water as he walked down the wooden stairs and into the lounge which they called "the living room".
Just past it and to the right was the kitchen.
The kitchen was very basic: a wide open space with various kitchen appliances like the oven, a microwave, sink, and faucet. In the middle of the kitchen was a large island-like counter where Sabina sat, typing something into her brand new phone. Liz was behind her, flipping a pancake until she deemed it edible, then set it on a plate with more pancakes.
It was a change from Jack's simple two-minute oatmeal, but it was a pleasurable one.
"Edward!" Liz called, and turned around with the plate, unperturbed by Alex's presence. "Alex," she smiled at him over Sabina, who finally looked up and noticed he was there, "It's nice to see you're up before breakfast."
Sabina smiled too, albeit a little awkwardly, and judging by her tinted cheeks, a bit embarrassed by her inability to notice him sit down across from her.
Liz set the plate down in the middle of the table, "Bon appetit," she said proudly.
Alex pulled two pancakes off of the plate and onto his own, cutting it into pieces and eating it.
Liz frowned, "Alex, do you want some syrup... or jam?" she asked, watching him eat the pancakes plain.
Alex glanced up at her, "No, thank you, I'm fine," and went back to chewing his food.
"At least let me get you some milk so you don't choke," she cooed at him.
Alex didn't respond as Liz prepared him a glass of milk. As she set it down to his left and ruffled his hair affectionately, Edward limped down the stairs, his right hand gripping the railing for support, and his cane held in his left hand.
Even with his handicap, Edward still climbed up and down the staircase in an effort to show his impediment wasn't going to hold him back from doing anything. He walked pitifully towards Liz and kissed her cheek. She smiled at him and took his cane, ushering him to a chair.
He swatted at her playfully, "No need to treat me like I'm ninety. I may be close but I'm not there yet." Liz backed off, her hands in the air, "Yeah, that's right, hands off the merchandise."
Sabina blanched and set her phone down. Alex tried to read it but was only able to gather that she was texting someone. It was pretty obvious by the incessant typing but now it was set in stone.
Alex pushed his half-empty plate forward and stood up, "Thanks for breakfast, Liz," he said politely.
She turned toward him with that never-ending, pleasant smile, "It was nothing dear, could you hand me your plate? And finish your milk, please."
Alex grabbed his plate with one hand and downed the glass of milk with the other. He handed over the plate and used his hand to wipe his mouth.
As he continued upstairs, Liz yelled out, "Don't forget a coat! It's getting colder every day."
He opened the door to his bedroom, taking a deep breath and stepping inside. The walls were white, and it was the only distinctive color in his room. His bed frame, his dresser, the closet doors and the desk next to his bed were all made of polished oak. His only poster was a picture of his favorite football team, Chelsea, hung up above the desk.
Alex grabbed his iPod off of the table and threw it into the pocket of his sweats. He felt oddly underdressed. School was in about a half an hour and he was a little self-conscious with the absence of a school uniform. He opened the closet and pulled out a sweatshirt that had the initials "LA" on the front and "CA" in the back. Something Sabina and Edward had bought him at the airport.
He grabbed his backpack from its spot in front of his bed and dragged it to the bathroom where he brushed his teeth and pulled the sweatshirt on.
Sabina pushed the door open as he was walking out and Alex had to shove his foot in the door so it wouldn't hit him.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly, and let go of the door. "If we want to make it to the bus stop in time, we have to leave in five minutes at the max."
Alex stepped past her, "Then we'd better get going," he told her, grabbing her hand and guiding her back down the stairs. From the kitchen, Liz caught his gaze and winked at him. Edward was sitting in the lounge watching the news and only said goodbye after Sabina did, her farewell reminding him.
The Pleasures lived on a hill with many other houses, a roundabout leading back down a road and onto the main street where they'd have to be before the bus beat them to it. Then they'd have to walk nearly half a mile, which, in Sabina's words, "would have been devastating for multiple reasons". Alex had been introduced to two other kids, a brother and a sister named Daniel and Beatrice. Sabina had been pretty well acquainted with the both of them. Of course, she would be, she was probably one of the most popular kids in the school.
The bus pulled up— it was a flat nosed piece of trash that left Alex wondering how experienced the driver was —and it stopped with a short, pitiful creak and a release of air. The doors opened, and Alex was met with a short-haired, greying man with a permanent frown. Alex stepped onto the bus and immediately noticed that, for some reason, most kids were piled up in the back. Alex took a seat in the middle and half expected Sabina to sit with him.
He was only mildly disappointed when Sabina passed him, followed by Beatrice.
The bus was loud, and there were kids shouting obscenities and throwing middle fingers in the air like they could fly away. Yet the bus driver didn't seem to care, only chiding some kids on the speaker when things got a little too rough.
None of them seemed to care about the two HD cameras at the front and back of the bus. Do they even work?
The bus soon pulled in front of a three-story building Alex assumed was the high school. There were many other buses but Alex's seemed to be the worst.
Day 1.