Unexpected Moments

Chapter 1

The afternoon smelled of rain and moms cooking. I was in my room finishing up on my Calculus homework. I had been working on it all afternoon long, it was a new class I had to start this new school year. Math for as long as I could remember had been my deep weakness. I barely made it past Algebra now came this. I had a trashcan beside me overflowing with crumpled paper, an indication of all the failed attempts in solving simple calculus. I pushed my homework to the side pressing my head against the desk. I guess I'll just get the answers tomorrow from Julia and Kristen tomorrow morning I thought to myself.
"Mia, dinner's ready!"
Her voice echoed through the hall downstairs. I got up rushed down, picked up my plate and a glass of water. I gave her a quick "Thanks" rushed back to my room before my mom would ask any questions about my day. I sat on the edge of my bed flicked on the TV on to CNN news. They were giving the daily reports on how the world itself was doing; murder or robbery was rarely on the news anymore. It was all about how war might be coming any day soon. My dad would stay up late at night to watch the news to keep up to date. I'm 16 years old most of this news was kept away from anyone younger then 18. But word always gets itself around, lately I herd countries are going desperate for water. That's basically all I've herd the information is well protected even though I have a TV in my own room. My dad works for the police so he knows more then me and mom but he doesn't even tell mom anything. I sipped from my glass of water placing it on my nightstand. I thought of the summer day when I asked dad,
"Dad, what are we going to do when we run out of water?"
"We won't run out of water."
"But Obama said...."
"Obama has a right to his own opinion."
My dad had said "opinion," and here I was watching CNN news seeing the once biggest lake in the world now a part of the Sahara desert. And I was here at home sipping a glass of water where people were killing each other to get water. The news rambled on about, "The human body is made 90% out of water enough to feed a family." My eyes grew big as it continued, "In countries like North Nigeria people have been…," I turned the TV off, and I gagged in disgust. The last sentence the television said was, "Kill 1, to save 5." I started thinking of how just last month all television shows were taken off the air. For a period of time they allowed Spongebob to play but a week later they realized it enhanced the desirability to drink water and was a bad example to other countries since the sponge and starfish were surrounded by water. I took a bite out of my chicken sandwich missing all the show's I use to watch like House M.D and C.S.I. I let the taste of chicken go down my throat savoring the taste. When I finished I dabbed myself on my lips with a napkin and placed the plate on the floor next to my bed. I spread myself out on to the bed focusing my ears on the pounding raindrops outside my window. I was always good at calming myself even in the most hardest of situations. When I was young my dad use to tell me, "Focus on earth's natural sounds." He would bring me to the park and tell me to focus on the air being inhaled into me. With that, my body went into unconsciousness.
The next morning I woke up to the obnoxious ringing of my alarm clock. My face against the pillow, my arm slid to the edge of the bed with my hand searching for the snooze button. I pressed the button then pushing myself off my bed. I rubbed my eyes with my knuckles to see if I was still dreaming of calculus. I opened my eyes to the sunlight glowing through my window like a 120 volt light bulb in my face. I dressed into a pair of jeans and a white and grey blouse with a brown tank top underneath. I brushed my hair, applying foundation on my blemishes. Today was the last day I could use foundation I had none left and they no longer sold it in stores. They stopped selling it a couple days ago it was new a law; they say foundation is 60%-70% water. "A total waste of drinking supply," the CNN had said. I got onto my bike swinging my backpack over my left shoulder and started peddling myself to school. I was there in about 5 minutes; I jogged up the school steps towards the entrance. My hand trailed on the railing as I saw my best friends,
"Hey Julia, Kristen, what's up?"
They turned to face me their jaws half open, Kristen's eyes filled with worry. Kristen rarely got worried. The last time I'd seen her worried was when I was 9 and that's when she needed to have a liver transplant.
"Mia...they closed the school," Julia murmured in a quite voice.
"How come?"
My voice showed no worry or any emotion at all other then calmness. My calmness often times aggravated Kristen. She'd say,
"Your father turned you into a rock."
Kristen was silent next to Julia her hand against the glass door. Her long straight hair, her black hat tilted to one side. Kristen bent down to the ground picking up a rock the size of her hand. Her mouth opened her thin lips spilling her words of anger,
"What Else Are They Going Too Take AWAY FROM US!?"
Her hand tightened around the rock, bringing it over her shoulder, throwing it at all her power. The rock collided into the glass door breaking into 100's of fragments across the ground. Julia's eyes exploding out of her head,
"Kristen, Stop, please calm down," Julia's voice was pleading.
I ran up the rest of steps, pieces of glass crunching under my feet. I wrapped both of them into my warm arms. Kristen broke into her emotions into sobs, the tears soaking into my shirt. Kristen looked up at me her cheeks red,
"Mia, I'm crying because I know something is wrong, but its getting worse Mia, you should have seen the news last night, something is going to happen!" She broke into sobs again, Julia also began to cry against my neck I herd Julia whisper,
"She's right..."
We stayed like this for long time I watched as other students walk up and down the steps some staring at us as they walked by. Most of them were sad, deep down in everyone they knew something was wrong and something big is going to happen.