The sight of the mountain was imposing yet relaxing. The boy's eyes darted in several directions, looking for the easiest direction to take. He walked patiently around the bottom, taking in his surroundings. Then, he stopped walking and then put his backpack carefully on the ground. He double-checked everything was where it needed to be.

"Water, first aid kit, markers, knife, hike shoes..." he repeated the process a few times and after doing so; decided which path was the most convenient and took it.

He swung his backpack on his back, and walked carefully up the mountain. The boy jumped from rock to rock, fumbling in harmony with the moist grass that remained below him. Then he got to the steepest part of the mountain. He carefully hopped horizontally from surface to wet surface, until he found an opening.

After finding an opening, it was all up to timing. He felt his backpack get heavier, his arms desperate to give up. Then, his left hand slipped, his body tilted menacingly, the backpack slided down his back. He quickly grabbed it with his left hand, put it on his back and stood still.

He needed to rest his arms, and although he could not let go, not moving was bound to get him energy. Not much, but it was the energy he needed. Matthew continued to clamber up the mountain. It was still slippery from the pouring rain.

Luckily, he knew these rocky paths like the back of his hand. He prodded each rock lightly before stepping on it to make sure it was solid. Sweat dripped from his body, this wasn't good news for him, as it made gripping more challenging.

Despite this, the climb up was relatively peaceful. The light breeze tickled his face, and he swore he saw a fox slinking in the distant clumps of trees. He could feel that unpleasant anxiety of knowing he was so close to the top, but managed to stay calm.

Finally, Matthew reached the top, expertly swinging his heavy backpack on the ledge. It landed with a thud, though water splashed on his face, the ridge remained sturdy. He then heaved his weight up and brushed the rock dust off his hands.

Mathew stood atop the rock surface. Though he had seen the mountain top view many times, it was breath-taking nonetheless. His eyes wandered from the lush forest to the tiny streets of his home. 

The cotton candy like clouds swirled from above, the weather hadn't been so pleasant in quite a while. A small moss-covered shack hid in the thicket of trees. The sight of it brought a smile to his face and a strange sense of safety resonated within him.

He slowly pushed the door open, taking in his surroundings. Finally, somewhere he could think, without the distractions of modern-day life. A constant uneasiness still stirred within him, but he pushed the feeling away.

The visible light  from the outside now fizzled away, remaining on the outside of the shack. Matthew turned on a lightbulb, the light barely enough to properly take in his surroundings. He adjusted to the lightbulb's emission, and saw the silhouettes of the items surrounding him. 

He pulled a cotton string, worn out by time, but still functional. It revealed a board, on which photos of newspapers and reports, sightings and convictions remained glued with white strings of cotton yarn rushing throughout the board. 

Matthew was piecing something together, and he was very close. 

He could feel it, it was there.It was there, he just needed to grasp it. . . .

Whilst this was happening, somewhere across town, through the forest, someone was just waking up from a heavy slumber.

The all too familiar beeping sound of Terrence's alarm roused him up from a heavy slumber. Streaks of sunlight penetrated the dusty windows of his and Brian's room. 

He looked around groggily, he peered at his alarm clock sitting on his bedside table. It was six in the morning, and it was a school day. 

Whatever, not like school mattered to him anyways.

He wrapped his blanket over his head to block out the sunlight. Just when he was about to doze off peacefully, a rough hand began shaking him violently.

"Wake up, dude. You're gonna be late. " Brian said. 

Terrence let out a low moan of frustration. 

He had just woken up when the sunlight blinded him. Terrence sat on his bed for a moment, trying to clear the drowsiness in his head.

Why did school have to exist? He asked himself that every day. 

He took a quick glance at his alarm clock. 

Ten minutes left before school start!? 

He'd better hurry, he couldn't risk getting another detention. Terrence whizzed past Brian, who was busily smartening up his uniform. Rushing into the bathroom, and hastily rinsed his mouth. 

Although not very hygienic, there wasn't time to brush his teeth. Then, with water still dripping from his mouth, he hurried back to his room and frantically fumbled for his uniform in his messy wardrobe.

Whilst haphazardly slipping on his clothes, he swung open his fridge.  

His lunchbox was missing.

Crap, he thought, a feeling of worry swept over him. 

Brian, who stood at the door, read his mind.

"Don't sweat it" he said, "I already put your lunch in your bag. "

He pointed at Terrence's bag, laying next to the front door.

"You better hurry, If you aren't ready by the next minute, I'm just gonna leave myself. "

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Terrence yelled frustratingly from across the other side of the room. Slamming the fridge shut, he ran to the front door where Brian stood impatiently. 

He stuffed his sneakers on and swung his bag over his back. Both of them dashed out the door. 

In his state of panic, Terrence nearly tripped going down the ladder. He glimpsed at his watch, five minutes left, he should be able to make it.

Several minutes after, a group of people wandered across the forest, carefully and silently, for their presence was unwanted.

"Hey, Boss. I think that's what we're looking for" said a man in a black outfit with brown sidelines in his shirt. 

The "boss" turned around in a swift manner, taking in his surroundings. He pointed to the tree house inside of a circle which lacked vegetation. The man then moved his hands swiftly, and indicated the moving motion, the group started to surround the tree house.

The "boss" walked directly towards it, taking in the silhouettes of the vegetation surrounding him. He pick locked the door, which was easily opened. 

He entered and looked briefly through the rooms, finding a book. He carefully looked at it, and then gave the stop command to his group. 

The boss planted a device inside the book. It started blinking red, and he smiled upon seeing that.

A man went up to him.

"When do we use the Special Weapon?" he said quietly, to the boss.

"Its time to leave. " Said the boss. The men then left the tree house. 

They walked through the streets unnoticed, and went to an unknown location where a man sitting on a chair was. 

In one of the various houses on the streets, someone else was waking up in the morning sun.

Jaiden's alarm started beeping in its dull, monotonous tone. She squinted her eyes, the sun shone through the windows, illuminating her room in a brilliant light. 

She stood up slowly, still groggy from sleep. Her alarm stood polished on her shelf to the left. It didn't seem to be beeping. Had she switched it off without realizing?

She bypassed the question; stretched out her arms and let out a loud yawn. Through the window, sounds of birds chirping filled the room. It was nice for her to hear something else besides pouring rain for once. 

She took in her surroundings. Every nook and cranny of Jaiden's bedroom was polished. Not a speck of dust was in sight. All her books and stationery were placed precisely where it belonged. Some people even found it unsettling. 

Her dad often helps with the tidying. Which was probably the case this morning as her room looked that just bit cleaner. Of course, if that was even possible.

Jaiden reminded herself to thank him later, meanwhile figured she ought to stop idling. She took a quick look at her alarm clock, barely making out the time from the blinding glare. 45 minutes or so to get ready for school, she estimated it would be enough time. 

Her dad shouted her name calmly from downstairs, after swiftly drawing the curtains, she headed down and took a left into the bathroom.

Jaiden locked the bathroom door, which made an audible clicking sound. 

She eyed herself in the mirror, noticing every flaw and imperfection in the way she looked. From inside the drawer, she picked up her hairbrush and carefully brushed her hair, flattening all the loose strands of hair. 

Gently placing the brush back into its drawer, she grabbed her toothbrush and squeezed thick minty toothpaste onto it. 

Brushing teeth had always been mundane and unnecessary to her. But it was just one of the things that had been screwed into her from a young age.

About thirty-five minutes later she found herself walking into the classroom. She sat down, and put her backpack on the floor as the teacher proceeded to greet the students.

She didn't notice that she was unintentionally ignoring the teacher. 

Perhaps an hour had passed or maybe only 10 minutes? 

Time seems to go slower in class. Jaiden had always been a perfectionist, and while she tried her very best at school, she just wasn't a model student. After all, who could listen to the teacher drone on and on about god knows what? 

Despite that, she still somehow managed to get top grades in all her subjects. To her, school had always been merely trying to retain and regurgitate facts. Indeed, Jaiden never saw the point of it all. 

She tried her best to take notes, but making sure it was all organized was challenging enough. 

Instead, she spent most of the lesson absent-mindedly watching the shadows cast by the tables and chairs shorten as the sun went up. 

Occasionally, she would snap out of her daydream to jot down some notes in perfect handwriting, only to fall back into her subconscious mind.

Finally, the school bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson. It was time for the next class, homeroom. 

She wasn't quite sure why it wasn't the in the first period, but she figured the school ought to have its reasons. 

She prefered to think of it as a small slither of time used to prepare for the next 6 hours of boredom. Or maybe she only said that because the teacher had just given her homework.  

Jaiden lifted her school bag, almost tripping due to the surprising weight of it. After putting the backpack on her back, she walked out of the classroom.  

Taking several flights of stairs, she made it. She slumped into her seat, and cautiously placed her bag against the wall.

Surprisingly, the teacher declared she had a special announcement for the students. This managed to get Jaiden's attention, mostly wondering if they would assign another assesment.

The teacher started talking as Jaiden paid close attention to her. "We've decided to move around students to different classes. Some new students will come to this class, and some will leave. This choice was made by the principal, as he said and I quote, 'We need to make sure that the social behaviors and friendships of our students, don't affect their ability to retain knowledge or acquire it'. The changes of class were thereby made studying your social behavior. If anyone has any problems with this order, please stand up".

A strange silence filled the room. No one stood up. Jaiden was sure that everyone wanted to, but they had "no actual reason" to do so. After realizing this, only moments after the silence became unbearable, the teacher proceeded.

"Here are the changes that will be made: Oscar 'toby' Gerson, Samantha Forums, Jaiden Cruz, Helen Powers, Jane Quicksilver and Darlene Gerson " the teacher stopped talking, and then continued "each of these proceed to the door, and there will be further instructions given at the advisory's office. "

Jaiden and the respective others stood up and walked out of the classroom. They waited at the advisory's office for five brief minutes.

After they had been given their information, Jaiden and the others walked to their respective rooms. 

She walked alongside Oscar 'toby' Gerson and Samantha Forums. They each now had the same homeroom, and thereby the same order of classes. 

They entered the class. Everyone inside stayed silent, some rather unamused.

She sat down, and upon everyone sitting down in their respective seats, the teacher rose from their office styled black seat, and proceeded to give the instructions for the students to introduce themselves. 

Jaiden sat down besides Oscar Gerson and Terrence Xender. The former in her old class, and the latter completely unrelated to her. 

Jaiden took out a notepad and started writing as the teacher introduced himself. He then later called each new student up to introduce themselves; and after they had all been properly introduced, proceeded with the usual class.

For Jaiden, it was like the first day of school all over again. 

Terrence however, was slightly happy that the teacher wasted almost twenty minutes introducing the students, mostly because it narrowed down the time of class he had to take.

The rest of the first half of classes went by notably quickly. Jaiden mostly writing down facts in her notepad and Terrence absent-mindedly listening to the various teachers, barely trying to retain any information.

Then, the bell rang, and the teacher dismissed the class. As soon as the teacher said so, many kids quickly put on their backpacks and trotted outside. Others took their time putting their materials in their backpack, such as Jaiden.

Terrence also ran outside, and almost got pushed over by the stampede of loud students. He felt the breeze hit his face and enjoyed the time he had during recess.

Several minutes later, Terrence was waiting impatiently for Brian outside of the library. Terrence looked around every 10 seconds or so, to see if Brian was nearby. Eventually, Brian walked up to Terrence. 

"What took you so long?" said Terrence impatiently as Brian took off schoolbag slowly.

"I was on the **other side** of the school" replied Brian with notable emphasis on every word. Brian continued talking, "What is it that you need then? I assume you didn't call me for no reason, right?" 

"Of course not. Did you perhaps grab my book?" asked Terrence quietly.

"What book?" answered Brian with emphasis on both words.

"*The* book. The one with exclamation marks on the cover. The one I always bring everywhere. You know, *the* book." replied Terrence with notable impatience in his pronunciation.

"Well, it's probably in the tree house if you don't have it. . . .  Though I don't remember seeing it, although we **were** in a rush. . . Still, it's probably there." answered Brian doubtfully.

Terrence groaned quietly, Brian looked at Terrence slightly annoyed, 

"Look, what do you want me to do, I cant do anythi-" Brain was cut off by Terrence, 

"Yea I know its just that. . .forget it, its fine." 

Terrence walked into the library, and Brian, now somewhat filled with guilt, parted ways after lifting his backpack.

Terrence looked around briefly before writing his name in the paper stipulated by the librarian. He noticed a figure sitting in one of the chairs looking down at the presumed object in the table. He walked towards the figure.

"Do I-" Jaiden turned around as Terrence now realized from where he knew that person. 

"Ah" He replied to his own words, 

"I recognized you from class" he continued, 

"Sorry to bother you" he finished.

"No problem" replied Jaiden who now resumed studying her perfectly written notes.

"What are ya doing?" he asked her curiously.

"I'm studying my notes" she replied briefly. Terrence walked away and started looking for a book in the various dusty shelves.

Jaiden tried to continue the conversation, after losing concentration on revising the notes.

"What book are you looking for?" she asked whilst she put her notebook inside her backpack.

"The Guinness World Records" he replied as he walked forward and continued to look for the book. She closed her backpack with an audible zipping sound before replying,

"Haven't seen that one. . ."

"What books do you like to read?"

"Horror, mysteries and classics, like Dracula for example"

"Oh nice."

Terrence walked towards another one of the numerous rows of bookshelves and repeated the same process.

"Why do you read the Guinness? For fun or out of boredom"

"Not sure. I mostly find the easiest records and try to learn how to do them; emphasis on try"

Terrence briefly stopped and observed one of the shelves more carefully. He then took out a book that labeled, "Guinness World Records". He quickly put the book in his backpack as the blaring sound of the bell echoed through the library and school.

Terrence and Jaiden quickly swung their respective backpacks on and trotted towards their current classroom.

A few more note-taking and day-dreaming hours later, the school day had ended and Jaiden saw Terrence walk up towards her.

"Hey, what is your name?" Terrence asked semi-breathlessly.

Jaiden briefly responded before continuing,

"I got to go home, see you".

"Yeah its fine, nice meeting you!" he replied before she walked away, out of his sight.

Terrence stood in the grass, lying besides a tree waiting patiently for Brian to pass by.  Every few moments or so he would catch a glimpse of a figure, and quickly realize it was not Brian.

After standing on the grass for a few minutes he noticed Brian walking on the pavement, moving towards him. 

"I'm gonna go to my friend's house, I'll be in the tree house in about 10 minutes" Terrence mentioned as he crossed the school's gate.

"Won't you tell me his name, at *least*?"

"He likes his privacy, and I understand it"

"So do I but...", Brian sighed in defeat, allowing him to go to his Terrence's friend's house.

"Thanks, be home in 10 minutes"

"You better"

Terrence trotted down the sidewalk as the gusts of wind struck the streets. People rushing down into the insides as the imminence of rain was clear. Taking sharp turns at each street,now running at full charge, he saw the back alley on which his friend lived in, but also noticed Jaiden visibly frustrated standing in front of what he assumed was her house. He quickly slowed his pace, now down to a light trot.

"What's wrong" Terrence asked her loudly as thunder echoed through the skies.

Jaiden sighed frustratedly, "I can't find my keys, I think I left them inside the house"

"This is your house right?"

"What do you think?"

"Just asking; I can help"

"Do you have a giant truck?" she asked jokefully as it a light drizzle hit the streets.

"No, but I have a screwdriver" Terrence replied.

He put down his backpack and quickly zipped it open. Terrence took out his lunch box as the drizzle got heavier; he opened his lunch box frantically, and took out a screwdriver. The rain increased as he put the screwdriver into the key hole. He slowly moved the screwdriver left and right until he heard a fainted click. Then, he rotated the screwdriver left and right until the door creaked open.

"I've got to go now, it's about to get real heavy out here" Terrence loudly stated.

"Thanks"

Terrence walked towards Matthew's house, used the screwdriver to open the door and entered the small room. He noticed a sticky note reading, "Left {im} home, be back soon {ok}." the note ended with, from "M" to "T". Terrence sighed and sat on the cushiony chair as he pariently listened to the rain's satisfying pitter patter.