Chapter 2

The 16 year old had awoken almost an hour ahead of his alarm clock, yet he didn't make an effort to get out of bed. Blinking with silver eyes he stared long at the minute and hour hands, slowly rotating around the circle of digits. In a couple moments when the sun would rise he would be leaving his new home and heading towards his new high school, Casper High.

This was the third high school he had transferred to this year, leaving him with a new record of changes for his first double digit grade. 10 wasn't his favourite number and he didn't seem to like 11 or 12 coming after it, but if things actually went well he'd finally be staying in Amity Park for awhile. He actually didn't know why they moved so much, he never questioned his mother knowing her stressful life as it was. She had a demanding full time career with the federal government and beyond that, two kids in school to provide for since their father left.

Eventually he just assumed she had work to do in different places, and it didn't bother him. The government took care of the costs for moving for the family of three, rented the house for them and all utilities including transportation, education and medication if they required it. With his mom working so often though, he did his best to get along with his sister and take care of her and the house. Whenever his mom came home exhausted from work, she was happy to find she didn't have any extra chores or worry for the two siblings that got along so well.

His eyes darted away from the clock finally as his thoughts began to drift, several new images popped in his mind.

From a cold shower to wake himself up, to making breakfast for him and his family, and even the early morning chores he didn't want his mother worrying about. With a yawn he cupped his cheek with his left hand, while pressing his right thumb onto the screen of his alarm clock so it wouldn't go off for him.

Throwing back his patterned blanket, he leapt up with a morning stretch leaving a creaking sound on the bed frame. He glanced back assuming he'd need to add, fixing a screw or joint in the old structure to his list of things to do later on. With another quick yawn, he left his room pushing the door so that the slit of sunlight widened to the full width of his room seeming to brighten it. Passing his sisters room, all he could see and was a light rouge tint that dampened the walls and smell a touch of floral scent that lingered nicely. Her door was left closed more so than his own with only a crease open, due to the lack of wind in her room from a poorly placed window section that exhibited no ventilation whatsoever.

He was content seeing his little sister was still passed out, only her caramel hair and ears poked out of her blankets makeshift mummy wrapping. She'd wake up fully rested for school like her brother, but unlike him she wasn't used to so much solitude being the new kid like he was. He knew she missed her friends from past schools, but like him, she didn't want to be the cause of annoyance to her mom. She had followed her older brothers role modelling well, as much as she didn't approve of being rubbed off on by someone as embarrassing as he was.

He crept by her girly room to the washroom the two were meant to share, before shutting the wooden door quietly with the twist of the knob. With a cold refreshing shower, his teeth brushed to pearly white and his bodily fluids flushed. He left the washroom in a minty bathrobe and a white towel with a happy face design wrapped around his head, both of the items were his of his sisters craftsmanship and presents made for him from her. She had her own pair of course, a pink bathrobe and a white towel with a red heart design but she'd always make something for her brother too.

Quickly dressing into casual clothing, he wondered why over the years his sister had never actually made clothes to wear beyond the specialty bathrobes, towels and scarves of sorts. He assumed she had the fashion sense for it but maybe she didn't make any for him, out of the assumption he wouldn't wear anything she made out in public if it wasn't his style or something. He didn't have a lot of time to think, dropping the minty robe as he slid on baggy grey shorts over his white briefs, a loose but comfortable light orange T-shirt and the generic white socks. Peeling off the special towel, he shook his head for the remaining water particles to fling off of his hair.

Tidying up the bathrobe and towel, he went back to the washroom and hung both up for later use and drying. Making sure to toss the underwear of his previous day into the bin, he fixed up his blanket and pillows tidying the room in general before heading downstairs.

As he entered the kitchen, the first thing that went into his head was check for a note again. Just like a couple days before, he found a similar note like yesterday left on the fridge held up by a magnet. The handwriting of his mother labeled his name and his sisters in large bold lettering followed by the fold. It still took some time for him to normalize receiving these in the morning now, after his mothers promotion in her position at the government, she had to wake up extra early and couldn't greet him and his sister in the morning anymore.

"Jake & Nikki," he read in his head, his name was something he'd hear his mom say a lot. Usually she called him and his sister, 'dears or sweeties.' But he assumed it would be strange to write that down naturally, as he flipped the notes fold open to continue.

"As you know with the promotion, I don't get to see you two in the morning as much unless you both wake up extra early- which I'm not suggesting you two should, I know as much as we'd want to enjoy breakfast as a family, you both need sleep as growing adults. I know, this sounds like a lecture but it isn't. Just be sure not to skip breakfast, make it to school on time and most of all, take care of each other. I'm well aware it's going to be hard heading to a new school in the middle of a semester. But work hard you two! I love you both.

-Mom"

Slightly frowning at the letter, the contents didn't bring out his disapproval but he wondered how much time his mom must have took to write the paragraph before work, she was stressing herself out again just by wanting to speak to him and Nikki. He flipped the note backwards as usual with the past few notes, happy to find he didn't miss out some more of his moms frantic early message.

"Also I did the garbage and recycling disposal earlier today, thank you Jake for the past couple months you sweetie."

He almost forgot about that fact, as his free hand poured the carton of milk into one of the two glass cups his mom always set onto the counter for him and Nikki before work. He sighed wondering why she did so much, it was his obligation but maybe he was just being a bit too ridiculous towards himself. Drawing the glass of milk towards his mouth to take a sip, he wondered again about the high school he'd soon be heading off to with Nikki.

"Morning bro." A groan came from his little sister who entered the kitchen, she wasn't tired but rather bothered she had to start school only 2 days after moving into the new house.

"Hey sleepy head, here sit down I'll get you some breakfast." Jake gestured before reaching for the now empty glass of milk he had chugged down earlier. Placing the cup into the sink to wash after eating, he filled the glass with water before feeling the hot air above the pan he placed earlier on the stove.

"How would you like your eggs sis?" He turned to his sister, who was now emptying the remaining jug of orange juice into her own cup. "Uh, scrambled would be nice." She smiled as she did the same with the empty jug of juice to the cup Jake had filled earlier with water.

"Alright." He returned to face the pan, crashing two eggs into it before swishing the yolk and whites together with a wooden spoon. The familiar sound of swishing behind him, as his sister emptied the orange juice jug with water and let it drain facing downwards in the second sink.

Breakfast ended pretty fast with the two siblings devouring the eggs made, not realizing how hungry they really were. Washing the dirty plates and cups, the 16 year old flashed his eyes to the clock before realizing they only had 15 minutes to reach the new high school.

Thankfully it's location was convenient to the house they had rented, and the two decided they could walk over rather than take the unfamiliar bus route.

"It looks we're near." Jake spoke while scanning the students that walked towards a similar location. They passed a turn and found themselves facing the school, a gloomy red colour painted the schools side walls layered with 9 windows on each side. Each barred with what appeared frames of thin black metal, that seemed outdated to modern housing. The front double doors were a tan brown shade before a white and grey mix of the frontal structure, it was probably the only thing that made the school not seem as old as it was.

"Well this doesn't seem as bad as the other schools we've been to. It might be a good change." His sister turned to look at Jake, still wondering if her brother was covering up his nervousness or wasn't feeling it at all. Her anxiety was obvious though, curling a finger through her caramel locks. Her hazel eyes glanced at the other students, who seemed entirely focused with one another in groups that they didn't seem to notice the two unusual new students.

"Again with the change." The boy sighed, his hand brushing back dark auburn hair. He had gotten so used to switching surroundings, that the nervousness of entering a new school was drained away from him. Silver eyes glanced at the bold lettering above the twin doors, "Casper High," he mouthed silently. "How original."

"Let's head in then, before the bell rings." Jake turned to his sister before putting an arm around her shoulder, "It's gonna be fine Nikki." He smiled at his younger sibling, trying to reassure her of the alien surroundings. She nodded hesitantly and he let go of her shoulder as they pushed the twin toffee coloured doors together.