" Get up! First day of school!.. Get up!"
Waking up, Isaac found himself lying in a bed. Wearily opening his eyes, Isaac tried to remember where he was. But it was hard. Everything was dark and blurry, and his skin felt clammy and sweaty.
He couldn't think straight. His mind was still halfway stuck in the dream he was having.
It was a good dream too, he was a rock star performing on top of a star over a city of a million lights. The concert had been going on for a long time, but he never stopped playing. Even now, his fingers still felt like they were dancing across the wires. If he opened his mouth right now, he might start signing.
The sun had just started to come over the horizon when he got woken up by the screaming.
Still confused, Isaac tried to look around. It was still dark, and the only source of light that he had came from underneath a closet door. It wasn't a lot, but once his eyes adjusted, he could at least make out that he was in a room.
Hearing voices outside the door, Isaac tried to move off the bed, but something was covering him. Oh, it was his blanket, he realized. That might also be why he was so hot.
Slowly, it all started coming back to him. That's right, this is his room. Last night, he had been so excited about going to school that he couldn't sleep. It was only after it was really late did he finally fall asleep. Explains why he was so tired.
Shifting to his back, Isaac looked up at the ceiling. His eyes felt kind of heavy right now, they were having trouble staying open. Isaac looked through the gap in the curtains by his bed, it was still dark out.
Eh, still early, he decided. He can rest his eyes for a little bit. He's got enough time.
"Up!"
Isaac's eyes sprang open. He forgot. Today was the first day of school, which meant no more sleeping in. Now they had to get up early. His mom was already waking everyone up so that they could get ready to leave.
He could hear her coming closer. She already woke the girls up, now she was coming for him. She was about to reach his door. Knowing what was about to happen, Isaac barely had enough time to throw his blanket over his head before Soffia opened his door.
" Get up! Get ready, then go eat breakfast!" She said loudly as she let in the light from the hallway pour into Isaac's room.
" Grrrgh!" Isaac growned. He didn't want to get up, he was still tired.
" Now!" She screamed one last time. Leaving the door open, Soffia went to finish getting dressed. If he wanted that light off his face, then he'd have to get up and close the door himself.
And if he wasn't up and ready by the time she came back, then he was gonna get it.
Isaac sighed. Dragging his hands across his face, Isaac wondered if sleeping an extra five minutes was worth it. Probably not, cause the next time she comes by, it'll be with that bucket of ice-cold water that she keeps by the sink. She's done it before, and it wasn't fun.
Welp, he better get up then.
Throwing his blanket off, Isaac swung his legs over the bed and pushed himself up. Stumbling on his shaky legs for a second, Isaac quickly righted himself. Now he was wide awake. The head rush he got from standing up helped kill any thought of sleep that he had.
Grabbing his glasses off the side table by his bed, Isaac pushed them onto his face. Now that everything wasn't so blurry he can finally do something about that light.
Squinting against the light so that he didn't blind himself, Isaac quickly shut the door, plunging the room back into darkness.
Walking back, Isaac sat on the edge of his bed and grabbed his phone from the table. Pulling it off its charger, he checked the time.
6:00
School starts around 8-ish, meaning that they got around two hours to get ready for school. Seems like a lot, but the Cantors are nothing if not procrastinators.
It usually takes everyone at least an hour to get cleaned, dressed, and eating. Giving them at least a forty to fifty-minute window to be lazy.
That's barely any time to turn on the TV.
Getting up, Isaac went over to his closet and opened the door. Grabbing some clothes, Isaac quickly took off his pajamas and threw on a pair of loose-fitting pants and t-shirt. Thankfully, Garden didn't force them to wear uniforms like some of the other private schools he's been to so he could wear whatever he wanted.
Opening his door, Isaac left his room and went down the hall to the restroom. Inside, he grabbed his toothbrush and some toothpaste and started brushing his teeth. At the same time, he stuck his head under the faucet so that he could wet his hair.
Having curly hair in the morning is the worst. It gets really curly when it's humid, so he's got to try to smooth it out again in the morning.
Picking his head back up, Isaac looked at himself through the mirror. Looking back at him was a tired-eyed teen with a toothbrush in his mouth and a wet mop of hair clinging to his head.
Isaac rubbed his eyes. Guess he was still feeling kind of sleepy.
Brushing his hair back, Isaac tried to smooth out all the bits sticking up with one hand while still brushing his teeth with the other. Spitting into the sink, Isaac finished getting ready before wiped his face and turning off the light as he left.
As he was making his way to the kitchen, Isaac stopped in the middle of the hallway. He heard something. Laughter coming from the kitchen. It sounded like his mom. Weird, she's usually stressed on the first day of school. What's got her in such a good mood?
Pressing himself up against the wall, Isaac leaned over and peered into the kitchen. Inside, his mom was cooking over the stove, her hands holding the pan steady as she stirred whatever was inside with a wooden spatula. Behind her though, was his dad, hugging her from behind as she cooked and making her laugh as he buried his face into her neck.
Isaac clicked his tongue. Slowly moving back into the hallway, Isaac tried to think about what to do. He couldn't just walk in there, that'd be awkward. But he was also hungry, and it's also awkward just standing here, waiting for his parents to move on.
While he thought about what he was going to do, behind him, Isaac heard a door open. It was Mirra, coming out of her room all happy and smiling. She even did a little ballerina twirl, showing off her pretty pink dress and matching pink jacket.
Satisfied with her little show, Mirra clicked her heels together and skipped down the hallway towards the kitchen. Watching her get closer, Isaac frowned. This was bad. Mirra didn't know how to read a room. She's gonna prance on in there like it's nothing and make everything awkward. He has to stop her.
"Mornin', Isaac." She said barely noticing him leaning against the wall.
Not even asking why he was hiding in the hallway, she just kept on skipping.
" Hey." He whispered, trying to grab her arm.
But she was too fast. Giggling, she dodged out of the way, slipping past him. She probably thought that they were playing a game. And before he could try again, she was already in the kitchen.
" Morning!" She screamed.
" Good morning, Mirra." Soffia laughed as she continued cooking. Embarrassed, Patrick tried to push himself away, but Soffia grabbed his arm before he let go.
Wanting to get in on the fun, Mirra went over and hugged Dad. She tried to reach around him and hug Mom as well, but her arms were too short. Giggling, she let go of Dad and skipped to her seat.
Sitting down at the table, she waited for someone to bring her food as she tapped a happy tune on the table.
Isaac sighed. Barely 6:20 and already Mirra was giving him a headache. A whole summer with her was almost too much for him. At least now that they're going back to school, he can finally get a break.
Behind him, he heard a door open again.
" Why're you standing there?" Anne asked, coming up behind him.
"'Cause your sister's an idiot." He said, turning to look at her.
Anne chuckled. Slipping on her black leather jacket, Anne brushed her messy hair out of her eyes. Her torn-up faded t-shirt to some band, and her black jeans that she had cut into shorts, made it look like she was going to a concert instead of school.
"Don't let her hear that or she'll tell Mom."
Bumping him out of the way with her shoulder, Anne walked past Isaac into the kitchen. Ignoring everyone else, Anne quietly went and sat at the table. Yawning, she laid her head on her arms and closed her eyes, waiting for someone to bring her a plate.
Seeing that there wasn't any point in hiding in the hallway anymore, Isaac went over and sat down with them.
Helping with breakfast, Patrick left Sofia's side and got cups for everyone. Setting them on the table, he went back and got apple juice and milk from the fridge. Mirra got milk for her and Anne while Isaac poured himself some apple juice. A minute later, Soffia showed up with the plates of pancakes, sausage, bacon, and eggs.
Finished setting everything in the middle of the table, Soffia and Partrick took their seats. Picking up her head, Anne yawned as she fixed her glasses. Reaching over, Anne covered Mirra's hands with hers, stopping her tapping.
" Say your prayers." Soffia reminded them as she clasped her hands together. Everyone quickly followed her example.
Once everyone had finished saying their prayers, they grabbed their plates and started eating.
Piling the food on their plates, everyone grabbed as much as they could carry. It's not every day that they get to eat a full breakfast meal. Usually, it's frozen waffles and cereal. It's only on days like today that his mom spoils them with food.
The pancakes were nice and fluffy. Isaac grabbed at least three of them, each one as big as his plate. Tearing them up with his hands, he poured the syrup, then grabbed some sausage.
Immediately, he could tell that his dad made the sausage. They were all ground up into little bits and some bits were burnt. His mom usually likes to make patties and she rarely burns them.
He grabbed some of that as well.
Leaving the eggs alone, he grabbed a few strips of bacon before they were all gone. Everyone ate in silence, too busy eating to say anything. Mirra was the only source of noise, humming softly to herself between each bite.
After all the food was gone, Isaac got up to put his plate away. Anne, wanting to get a few minutes of sleep, layed her head down again while Mirra went to the living room to watch TV.
" Don't turn on the TV, I want pictures first." His mom called out.
Isaac groaned. He was hoping that she'd forget about the pictures. Every year, she has them stand in front of the fireplace while she takes pictures of them before they go to school, then at the end of the year, she'll do the same thing and get everyone in the family to compare the two photos.
It's embarrassing, but his cousins find it hilarious and they never miss an opportunity to make jokes. No one else in the family does this, so he can't even get back at them, he can only silently take it while plotting to get back at them later.
Isaac looked over at Anne as she banged her head on the table. He knew that she hated it just as much as he does, but what could they do? His mom is adamant about getting her photos.
Isaac rubbed the back of his neck as he made his way over to the fireplace. Anne followed behind him, her arms crossed in front of her as she glared at the ground.
Mirra was already there, bouncing up and down on her toes as she waited for Isaac and Anne to get in place. She was the only one that liked taking these pictures.
" Ok- Anne, get closer to your brother- Everyone ready..and…Smile!"
Soffia gave them a big smile as she rabid fired the camera on her phone. Taking dozens of pictures before they could move.
" Come on, Anne, Isaac. Smile."
Isaac gave a small smile. He wanted this to end. He could already hear what his cousins would say. "Oh, look, Isaac, I think that you got shorter." "Isaac, every year you get fatter and fatter." "You look like an idiot." Over and over, their voices kept going through his head.
Keeping his hands in his pockets, Isaac waited for it to end.
Finally, Soffia got enough pictures.
" Ok, I guess that's all I'm gonna get. You've got fifteen minutes to relax, then we're leaving."
Soffia walked away. Her hand resting on the small bump on her stomach while she scrolled through the photos. It was a big surprise for them when they found out that Mom was pregnant again. She only recently started showing.
They didn't even tell them until summer was already in full swing. By then, they already knew what the gender was and when he was going to be born. Apparently, it was going to be a boy.
Isaac didn't know how long Mom and Dad had been sleeping on this without telling them, but it finally explained why they had been so stressed. When they finally decided to tell them, they did it in the most Cantor way possible.
By buying a dozen blue glazed donuts and taping the ultrasound to the inside of the box, and then having a confetti cannon blast them in the face. They even recorded it and showed it to everyone. Mom somehow even got it playing on a blimp around the cit,y so that was fun.
Isaac wondered if his Mom should be moving around as she is, there expecting the baby any week now.
Those fifteen minutes weren't any time at all, and before they knew it, Soffia had already pushed them towards the car and loaded them up. His dad was gonna stay behind as he had to go to work later. He stood at the door, waving them goodbye.
" Bye guys, have a good day at school. Isaac, behave, listen to your sister okay? Don't cause any problems at Lubbock High."
That was something else that had been going on. They still weren't telling his dad about Garden. They told him that Isaac was going to Lubbock High for school and that Garden didn't work out.
He didn't ask too much about it, instead he was just happy that Lubbock High had decided to change their mind about letting Isaac attend.
But in reality, they were just gonna use the school-issued silver keys on one of the doors at Lubbock High and then head to Garden. Anne had been doing this for a few years already, so Luci and Isaac were just gonna follow her to Garden from there.
Isaac still didn't know why they had to keep this a secret from Dad, it felt wrong. But Mom had put her foot down, telling him to let her handle his Dad.
After dropping off Mirra, Soffia quickly took them to Lubbock High. The street was packed with cars dropping their kids off so it took them a bit longer to find somewhere to park. The street in front of Lubbock High only had two lanes, so that didn't help.
Finally turning in front of the school, Soffia parked across the street and let them off.
" Ok, have a great day, and Anne, help your brother, please."
" Whatever." Anne huffs as she closes the door.
" Bye, Mom." Isaac waves.
Soffia sticks her head out the window. " Have fun." She yells.
Isaac laughed as he jogged to catch up to Anne. It was still early in the morning, so the cool morning air cooled their breath as they made it to school. Kids were still getting of cars while a few hung around the school.
Some of them were talking to their friends while others were crossing the street to grab breakfast from the restaurants nearby, but most of them were heading inside.
Anne went towards the side door by the street, not even waiting for Isaac to catch up, she started heading inside. Not wanting to wade her way through the line of people at the door, Anne, in Cantor fashion, just started moving people. Picking them up, shoving them, even tripping one guy into the bushes, anything to get by.
Everyone already knew who they were, so no one said anything to her. They quickly moved out of her way as quickly as they could, making a path for her inside. A couple of people tried to speak up, but their friends quickly stopped them and pulled them aside. Obviously, new to Lubbock, those kids didn't know that when a Cantor was near, you moved.
Isaac smiled. Waving at a few people that looked familiar, he tried to say hello, but they quickly turned away, as if they were thinking that if they couldn't see him, then he couldn't see them.
Isaac laughed to himself. These guys were funny, he almost wished that he was actually going to school here just so that he could mess with them some more. But he had somewhere better to be.
Following Anne down the hallways, Isaac tried to check the school out. It was nothing compared to Garden, but it was still a building that his Great-granpa Jaime helped build.
Immediately, the first thing that he noticed was that down the hall, the wall split into two separate sections. On one side, old brownish stone, on the other side, newer teal stone. The side door that they had walked through was actually a new addition to the school.
At the open house a few weeks back, Isaac had learned that this was actually the science wing. A part of the school that was built fifty years after the school was originally designed. This, as well as the cafeteria and sections of the other side of the school, were all part of the work that Granpa Jaime did.
Even in his fifties, he was still working hard.
It also made him wonder if there was any magic in these walls. That'd be cool, a hidden spell or enchantment left behind by a deceased family member, only to be found later as their descendants walked through their legacy.
Ooh, he should write that down.
Pushing her way through the crowd, Anne suddenly took a left turn down a smaller hallway with two large double doors at the end.
" What's this place?" Isaac asked.
Is it a secret entrance that only they could see. Maybe it leads to a dungeon where they have to answer a riddle to get to the door that takes them to Garden. Ohhh, that'd be so fun.
"It's the library," Anne answered boredly.
"..." Why does everyone got to try and ruin his fun? Can't they let him enjoy this before they burst his bubble?
" When they got Grandpa Jaime to do the add-ons, they also asked him to do some remodeling for the library. There's a door he put here that I use." She explained having seen his face.
In one of the fake potted plants by the door, Anne pulled out a key. Unlocking the Library doors, Anne went inside. Grabbing the door behind her, Isaac opened it wider so that he could step inside behind her.
Because it was so early in the morning, nobody was in the library right now. The only thing here was the shelves of books and rows of computers off to the side.
" Hey, shouldn't we wait for Luci?"
" Stupid, weren't you paying attention? Mom already said that Luci texted that she was going in early, she's already there."
" Che~ No." Isaac clicked his tongue. " No one tells me anything."
" Whatever."
Anne walked towards the side where the Librarians had their offices. Opening one of the doors off to the side, Isaac saw that it was a broom closet.
"Okay, here it is. Always make sure that no one is in here, we don't want them trying to open the door at the same time we are, best case, they just walk through to Haven, worst case, well…" Anne shrugged her shoulders, not needing to say any more.
Isaac nodded as if her was listening, but really he just wanted her to hurry up.
Taking out her silver key, Anne pushed it into the lockless door and turned. When she opened it again, the broom closet was gone and a city was there instead.