Morning, always in Hollowreach, was always quiet.
Groaning as sunlight leaked through the cloth curtain, a kid pulled the blanket over his head, as he heard footsteps from downstairs.
His father was already awake and was coming up to his room.
"Of course he is awake, do all parents have to be awake up every day."
With great suffering, the kid rolled out of bed, hit the floor with a soft thud, and lay there for a few more seconds, contemplating whether to stand up or not.
"Up, Theo," his father's voice called from below, from the door.
He squeaked in surprise and scrambled to stand up, his feet as if the words carried hurried up, and to the bathroom he ran, splashing some water on his face, throwing on his clothes, and rushed downstairs, where his father stood with a towel over his shoulder, hair tied back.
"You're late," his father said flatly.
"I'm early at heart," Theo said, pointing his thumb at his heart.
His father just blinked, and then pointed to the stack of jars he had to refill every morning, saying, "Since your so early, go fill those."
The kid sighed and shuffled toward his chores, grumbling internally, "how other kids probably got to sleep past sunrise and didn't have to restock medical herbs still…". He sighed as he grabbed the jars, "I couldn't complain too much".
As he walked out to the street, he hummed as he saw settlement outside slowly woke, vendors setting up stalls, fabric tarps lifting, children running past windows to get to school.
Hollowreach wasn't big, but definitely felt like was home.
Walking past the house, he ran to a garden not far from the settlement. Reaching it, he was greeted by an old man that owned it.
"Your here on time as usual, Theo," the old man said, smiling at him.
"What can I say, am an early bird," Theo said, as he ran slowly to the garden.
"Theo," he called out as the boy ran ahead, "don't take the ones in the nursery, and tell your dad for me that my arm is starting to ache again, so he should be expecting me."
Waving his hand, Theo ran to the garden and started to pick the herbs and putting them in each jar.
When he finished his chore, he went back running, moving past the old man and getting home out of breath, his father stopping by holding his collar as he ran past him, "take a bath then get for school," he said. "And do not wander outside."
"I won't," he said automatically, avoiding eye contact.
His father's eyebrow rose just slightly.
"…Probably won't."
Without a word, his father just stared at him.
"Fine! I won't wander outside!"
Father nodded, satisfied. With that, he took the jars from him and pushed him gently toward the staircase.
Walking up, Theo smelled himself and looked disgusted by his smell, "I really need a bath".
With him getting ready for school, he went out the door, the air feeling cold made him sneeze a little.
Energy lamps lined along the paths were shining with a blue light, powered by the energy flow of Hollowreach, something the kid could barely even imagine on let alone hope to learn.
He kicking a pebble as he walked, drifting in thoughts.
His friends always bragged about how easily they could pull energy into their palms or sense the flow of it in the settlement.
Not to mention the elder's daughter could already form tiny shapes of light. Even that annoying boy from three houses down could distorted energy outside the walls before anyone else.
"But I could barely make a leaf sharp."
"Yesterday I tried focusing a bit too hard and ended up giving myself a headache for half an hour."
"Maybe I wasn't meant to be anything special. That was definitely boring."
Classes wasn't particularly exciting today. The elder's daughter, Miss Yoffim, lectured with her usual cold expression, trying to get the younger kids to form even the smallest glow in their palms.
Well, I tried. I really did. But all I managed was a little warmth.
"Warmth was a start… probably."
During the break, as his classmates tossed around little balls of energy as a game, Theo sat on the steps, staring off into the trees beyond the settlement walls.
"Don't even think about it," said a voice, came sitting beside him without being invited.
"I wasn't, Eliza," he lied.
Elizabeth snorted. "You always look at the mountain when you're bored."
He pouted. "It's interesting."
"It's not really."
He kicked at the dirt. She wasn't wrong, but she also wasn't fun.
Around midday, he returned home. Dad was talking about the old man's arm. Theo, walking in, looked at the mess his dad had left and washed his hands, then helped organize tools and herbs. He definitely liked helping.
Life was simple.
Small.
Predictable.
And yet it didn't feel like they at all
Outside, a crack was heard, barely unnoticeable.
The old man walked to the window, lifting it up to see clearly. "Storm?"
Theo, looking out, frowned. "But the sky's clear as day."
His father's eyes narrowed.
Another crack was heard.
Looking out in the distance, Theo felt a shiver run down his spine.
"Something is wrong, why is there lighting without a storm."
By the evening, everything returned to the usual.
But Theo ate dinner quietly while his father studied old notes.
"Normal again," he thought before bed as he was staring out the window.
The mountain seemed more interesting than ever at that moment.
"Am sorry dad, but I have know what that was" as looked back one last time he jumped out the window