Chapter 1: Chapter 1, Part 1: The Grey Dawn

The pre-dawn light filtered in through the kitchen blinds. Its ghostly grey light illuminated the lanky, hunched over figure of a young boy with wavy dark hair, his wire-framed glasses focused upon the pool of egg yellow sizzling in the pan before him. A sprinkle of bacon, some pre-measured herbs, and then a dash of salt. Leo dug his spatula around the edges of the mixture and just when there was enough heat to congeal, he lifted one end to cover the gooey, still steaming insides.

He looked over his shoulder at the form of his sister, Maya, her nose totally buried in a novel, some series with romance and fantasy that she’s so into these days with a lady and dragons on the front cover. The scent of the omelet must have caught up with her because she instantly looked up from her book, a hungry smile on her lips, and a questioning arch in her wide blue eyes.

“For the first day of school, you know.” Leo plated the omelet and set it down in front of her. Wisps of white rose up enveloping her round face, making her eyes seem misty.

Leo had gotten up to get everything ready. He had things prepped last night, and gotten the internet recipe for the ‘perfect omelet’. She needed this. It’s the first day of middle school for her, and high school for him. Mom had celebrated by cooking french toast on his first day of middle school.

Maya took a bite, humming with appreciation. "Damn, Leo! This is incredible!" She eyed him slyly. "Someone's really looking forward to high school, huh?"

Leo felt his ears warm, focusing on his own plate. "It's just... new."

"Uh-huh," Maya grinned, clearly not buying it. "Is that why you and Naomi were practically melting into the pavement staring at each other by the library yesterday? Seriously, kinda creepy."

"We were talking," he insisted, ears burning. "We were talking about the new bio articles. They just found.. hey—don't shovel it in like that."

"Whatever," Maya said around another mouthful, spraying a few crumbs, though her grin softened. "Seriously though, this is amazing. Way better than Mom's scrambled eggs." She stopped abruptly, mid-chew. The teasing light vanished from her eyes, replaced by a flicker of realization as she darted a glance towards the closed bedroom door behind her.

Leo followed her gaze. An awkward silence fell, loud in the small kitchen. The only sound was the tiny click-click-click of Maya's fork scraping against the ceramic plate as she polished off the rest of the omelet. Leo stared at his own cooling breakfast. Way better than Mom's. The words hung there. He thought of dark rings around her eyes as she walked past him toward that door, probably after pulling another double shift. He helped out where he could, but Mom was the only one bringing in real money. How would there ever be enough? He had seen the stacks of bills; groceries weren't getting any cheaper. Enough for college—for him, for Maya? Mom never told him exactly why Dad left all those years ago, and Leo had never asked. All he really remembered was Dad bringing him a cheap plastic robot once, maybe twice, before he just… wasn't there anymore. He was pretty sure Maya didn't remember Dad's face at all.

Maya finished the last bite and looked up, her earlier enthusiasm replaced by a quiet watchfulness. Leo pushed his own chair back, the legs scraping softly against the floor. "Okay." There was a momentary vertigo. A dull pain stabbed through his head, front to back.

“Leo?!” A dish clattered.

“I’m alright… just up late last night.” For the past few nights actually – Leo had been looking online for part-time jobs, most had requirements for skills he didn’t have, yet. He steadied himself with the chair until the wave passed. Then he smiled at her, sending a teasing, grey-eyed gaze from over the top of his glasses. "But it’s time to get ready. Don’t want to be late for your big debut, do you?"

Maya answered his smile with a worried one of her own. She grabbed his plate and cleared the table without him having to ask, and carried it over to the sink.

While Maya rinsed her dish, Leo gathered the remnants of breakfast prep: the carton with one egg left, the container of chopped bacon. It would be nice to leave something for Mom, something better than cold cereal when she finally wakes up this afternoon. But cooked eggs wouldn't keep, not for that long, and just leaving ingredients felt... pointless somehow. The thought left a familiar, helpless pang in his chest. Nothing for it. He scraped the few remaining fried bits from the pan into the trash and gave it a quick rinse in the sink, before stacking it with Maya's plate.

"Right, let's go!" Leo called out with vigor as he yanked up his worn backpack from the floor beside his chair and unfolded his lanky frame. Maya's eyes popped. Maya zipped past him towards the door, her energy returning now that chores were done.

He followed her out into the drab concrete hallway, pulling the apartment door shut behind them with a quiet click. The brighter light of the stairwell seemed harsh after their kitchen.

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Downstairs and out onto the sidewalk, the morning air felt cool against his skin, carrying the first faint whiffs of exhaust from the starting morning commute. Cracked pavement stretched before them, running alongside the curb where old cars sat parked like slumbering metal beasts. Despite the urban grit beneath their feet, the sun was peeking overhead, painting the sky a brilliant, defiant red. Leo drank in the colors, but Maya was already bouncing ahead.

Her battered sneakers – sporting neon green laces today – pounded against the pavement.

"Come on, slowpoke!" She was already halfway to the corner where they always met Sam and Chloe, who were already there.

Leo glanced down at the simple digital watch on his wrist – 7:15 AM. Plenty of time. He took a breath, filling his lungs with the cold air and shook off the lingering image of his mom's tired face. There was a faint throb behind his temple when he hoisted the frayed straps of his backpack higher onto his shoulders. Just need more sleep, he told himself as he started after Maya.

Sam, predictably, was leaning against the brick wall of the corner store, hood up, mostly obscuring his short blonde hair and a face illuminated by the glow of his phone screen. Chloe stood beside him, tall and spritely, shifting a large, paint-stained art portfolio from one hand to the other as she scanned the street. She waved as Leo and Maya approached.

"Morning!" Chloe greeted them, her voice cheerful. "Took you guys long enough. Sam's been completely useless." She nudged Sam, who grunted without looking up. Maya wrinkled her nose at him.

Leo offered a small wave, glancing briefly at Sam's phone – the latest model, probably. Must be nice having one. Maybe he’d be getting texts right now from her. "Ready for the big day?" he asked, turning back to Chloe.

"Totally!" Chloe bounced on the balls of her feet. "Did you see the final room assignments? I got Ms. Evans for Biology! You guys too?"

Leo nodded. He had told Naomi about it at the library, the excitement leaking through his voice. Her smile when she confirmed she did as well was so bright. Those brown eyes nearly swallowed him whole. He felt a tightness in his chest like his heart was being wrung.

“Nope. I don’t think I got classes with anyone.” Sam groaned, flailing his arms in exasperation, and nearly smashing his brand-new phone against a wall.

“That’s cause no one wants to be in class with a monkey like you.” Maya sniped at Sam before sticking her tongue out and running off.

“Why you little…” Sam dashed after her.

—

Leo sighed, shaking his head as Chloe chuckled beside him. The two of them continued walking, swept up in the growing stream of students heading towards the main entrance of Northwood High. The air buzzed with overlapping conversations, nervous laughter, and the general thrum of first-day anticipation. Maya reappeared briefly from behind a group of older kids, gave Leo a quick wave, and then veered off towards the lower building of the middle school nestled next door.

Just ahead, near the wide painted-metal doors of the entrance, Leo spotted her. Naomi. Her long, black hair slick under the morning sun. She moved with a quiet grace amidst the shuffling crowd, talking with another girl holding a student council flyer. That tightness seized his heart again.

Leo’s gaze snagged on another figure leaning against the brick wall near the entrance, holding court with a couple of guys wearing football jerseys. Kyle. Tall and athletic with a build that screamed football, except he was on Leo’s cross country team as well. They’re on ok enough terms. But he has a swagger which always rubbed Leo the wrong way, maybe because he’s the Mayor’s son. He’s always getting into his face like they’re some sort of rivals, more so after Leo came ahead of him in a few meets.

Unfortunately, Kyle’s bright blue eyes caught Leo’s. He ducked away only to find Naomi standing right in front of him. She smiled over to Sam and Chloe. “You guys checked out all the clubs and facilities? This is so great. It’s going to be a wonderful year.” She gushed, her face beaming. As she spoke, the back of her hand brushed against Leo’s. The unexpected contact sent a jolt up his arm, and Leo was suddenly, overwhelmingly conscious of the fact their hands were almost touching, separated by less than an inch of air.

Before any of them could respond, Leo felt a hand clamping on his shoulder. Kyle’s voice blared out from behind him. “Yeah, it’s awesome, right? First day of high school. First party! Coming over tonight? It’s gonna be a big one.”

Naomi’s smile faltered, her eyes clouding over. She shook her head. “Can’t, I have to visit my mom in the hospital later.”

“Oh, right,” Kyle said, his cheerful tone dipping only slightly before recovering with practiced ease. “Bummer. Hope she gets better soon.”

Leo’s teeth clenched. Her mom’s going through chemo, idiot – she told us this before with tears in her eyes.

Apparently oblivious, Kyle tilted his head down toward Leo, clapping him on the shoulder again. “So, what about you, speedy? Party’s happening over at my dad’s penthouse. You in?”

“No, thanks.”

As he was about to leave for another group, Sam called out to him. “Hey, what about us? You're gonna pretend we don’t exist?”

Kyle waved him away. “There’s gonna be upperclassmen there, you won’t fit in. Certainly not her.” He sneered at Chloe’s bright pink spiked hair.

Chloe ignored him but Sam couldn’t seem to let it go. “Whatever man,” he scoffed. “You all are just going to be getting drunk and puking your guts out anyways. No wonder Bianca dumped your Neanderthal ass.”

The reaction was immediate. Kyle had Sam up off the floor by his collar, his face menacing. The two struggled against each other and fists were thrown before Leo stepped in, shoving them apart. “Guys stop! It’s the first day of school.”

Angrily, Kyle shoved him back, but then he suddenly stopped. A strange look came over his face. “Bro, you ok?”

“Leo!” Naomi’s arm was under his, supporting him.

The world wobbled around him. Leo gasped, his lungs tightened sharply, each breath a battle. That strange tightness wringing ever tighter around his heart, he realized, was something else. He couldn’t breathe. His legs gave out beneath him and then everything went dark.