The Things You Will Become- Chapter 1

A mesmerizing sunrise rose over The Shining City, bringing with it a mix of reds, oranges, blues, and purples to start the day. Spring was ending and summer was starting, and it was getting hot outside already. A twelve year old boy ran down the staircase of his river side house. He had messy brown hair that went just past his ears and a bright smile. His green eyes were always bright and vibrant. He wore green pants with lots of pockets and a red jacket. His name was Lucas. “Mom, what's for breakfast?” he asked.

“Bacon and eggs,” replied his mother, Jane, who also had brown hair. 

“Thank you,” said Lucas. “Wow, it's an incredible sunrise!” Lucas added, taking in the glorious sight.

 “Agreed” His mom nodded as she scooped the eggs on a plate. 

The city was known for its picturesque mornings. The colors of the sunrise reflected off the Steel Tower and the Crescent Moon Canal that ran through the Metropolis. The Steel Tower was the biggest building in the city, and it was the headquarters for the government which was led by a man named “The Chosen One” who rose to power after a deadly fire nearly destroyed the city 10 years ago. The Chosen One took credit for rebuilding the city, but no one knew who created the fire in the first place. He yawned. Lucas had read his history book through half of the previous night, so he was partially tired. It was the thing he did when he could not go to bed. The luminescent sunrise inspired him though to keep pushing through the day. “Hey there sleepy head,” Lucas’s mom scratched his head. He still had found no new information on the fire. The book was centered around The Chosen One, and it praised his actions. “Remember to go to rest your eyes,” His mom told Lucas.

 Lucas was fascinated by the history of the city, but The Chosen One had never done anything to recognize the event of the fire. He also wondered if his father died in the fire. It could have been something else. Lucas's mom didn’t trust The Chosen One and Lucas didn’t know why. Lucas's dad, a detective, died when he was very young. Lucas didn’t know how he died, and it was another thing his mom was secretive about. They had a modest living but they were happy. Lucas still thought about the mysteries surrounding his family. 

The Chosen One had introduced a power source called luminous lights. They were mysterious objects with thousands of ways to be used. By the time they had been in the city for five years, every single house had one. A strange thing happened to Lucas when he was near Luminous Lights, he felt like he was connected to them somehow. If he focused on them long enough his body would faintly glow. He did not know how or why but he felt that it was important and he had decided not to tell his mom. It seemed like she didn't need to know.

Outside of the window Lucas saw The Crescent Moon River, which was almost as beautiful as the sunrises. The Crescent Moon river ran through the city, dividing it into two sides. The wealthy and modern side was known as the Golden Empire, where the radiant part of the city lay, and the other side was known as the Encased Hamlet. It was old, weary, beaten down and forgotten about. It still was the home of much of the city’s population. It had just as many people as the golden empire Lucas lived near the canal in the Hamlet but he thought it was a nice enough place. He was in his bathing suit, and the moment he saw the river, he jumped into it! Lucas happily splashed in the water, swimming in the crystal clear creek.

“The reason it was named the crescent moon river was because of the views of it at nighttime. Maybe we should swim in the water then!” Lucas called to his mom. The geography of the city was like no other. It had many alleyways and secret passageways. Every single walk through the city could be an interesting adventure.  Luminous Lights gave off a distinct yellowish glow when being used, and Lucas could see that distinct glow on most skyscrapers of the Golden Empire and the bridges used to get from one part of the city to another. The tall buildings on the other side of the city loomed over the tiny houses that made up the Encased Hamlet. Lucas thought about the difference a lot, and he wondered if the city was favoring the Golden Empire. The poor side unfortunately had less Luminous Lights and there were less structures, while the other side had all of the known and powerful figures in the city. Lucas got out of the water and into his normal clothes, and tried not to think about it. Meanwhile, his best friend had just arrived. Another boy Lucas’s age talked to Lucas’s mom. 

“Is Lucas home?” he asked. 

“Yes Daniel, he is available if you want to hang out,” she replied. 

Daniel ran upstairs with a cardboard box in his hands and excitedly said hello to Lucas. 

“Hey Daniel!” Lucas greeted him. 

“Hey dude, I made something really cool, wanna see it?” Daniel asked Lucas. 

“I’ll see it.” 

Daniel pulled out a lamp from the box. 

“You can turn it off just by telling it to!” Daniel told him proudly. “Try it.” 

“Turn the lamp off.” Lucas said, and it instantly went dark. 

“This is awesome Daniel! This is one of your coolest things yet. I bet you can show it to the government,” 

“I’m gonna send it in tomorrow for inspection,” Daniel said. “I’m going to try and patent it!” “Great! How are you doing in school?” Lucas asked, “Pretty good, I aced my science test,” Daniel replied.

“Bye!”  Daniel left as quickly as he came. Lucas read the daily newspaper, as far as he knew he was the only kid in his class that did this. The Chosen One says that The Encased Hamlet is doing fine despite the rumors of a water failure, Lucas read. Lucas wondered if The Chosen One was as good as the book made him sound. Why did he ignore the encased hamlet? Soon it was time for dinner for Lucas, and soon it got dark, and it was time for him to go to bed. A normal day for Lucas. And he awaited the next day.