House of Khepru ~ Episode One

House of Khepru - Episode One

  Calvin Travostin

  Copyright 2016 by Calvin Travostin

  License Notes

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Chapter One

  Adam's arms tremble as he struggles to carry the last box of my belongings. After inching his way through the door of my new dorm, he drops the heavy case on the ground with a loud thud.

  “Careful!” I yell, holding my arms out in surprise. “One of my computers is in that!”

  Adam tosses his dirty-blond hair away from his widened eyes, letting a tired groan escape his mouth.

  “Another one!” he says. “How many do you have?”

  “Three.”

  He slumps himself over the box, letting out another groan.

  “You have three computers?” he asks.

  “Well… I brought three computers with me.” I say, rubbing the back of my neck with a sheepish smile.

  Adam chuckles, smacking his hand on his forehead.

  “I swear Cayne, you are such a computer nerd!” he says between laughs.

  He isn't wrong. I do spend more time writing code and finding ways to improve my setup than I do anything else, so I'm computer nerd to the highest extent, not that I'm ashamed of it. I actually take pride in it.

  I raise an eyebrow as my smile shrinks into a smirk.

  “Did you expect me to deny that?” I say. Adam laughs harder before calming himself with a few deep breaths.

  He gets up and ruffles his fingers through my hair, thoroughly messing up my brown locks.

  “I've taught you well, my friend.” he says as he wraps his arm around my neck, his blue eyes still teary from laughing so much. “You've really come a long way since high school.”

  My smile fades as I turn my eyes to the floor. High school wasn't that bad for me, but there is one thing I wish I could forget.

  Adam gently places his hand on my shoulder and turns me to face him.

  “Cayne, I know how you felt about her,” he says as images of Sona start forming in my mind. “but stop beating yourself up about it. It wasn't your fault.”

  I let out a small sigh as I slide my hands into my jean pockets. More memories of Sona slowly creep their way into my head.

  Her smile. Her platinum blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Her kindness and optimism. She meant the world to me.

  I first met Sona at the start of my freshman year of high school. Before then, the only other friend I had was Adam. She was the first to introduce herself, with me being the shy boy that I was.

  I was pretty introverted back then, so I didn't go out of my way to talk to other people. However, during lunch one day, when Adam was out sick, I was sitting alone in the grass. Sona approached me from the side, beaming a bright smile at me as her long platinum hair fell behind her.

  “Hi.” she said as she sat down next to me. A hint of warmth appeared in my cheeks.

  “He-Hello.” I replied. I mentally cursed myself for stuttering.

  She giggled, turning her sky-blue eyes to me.

  “You're Cayne, right?”

  I gave a small nod as my face turned hotter.

  “You're new here?”

  “Yes, I am.” I said quietly, trying to hide my blushing cheeks behind the collar of my shirt.

  To my surprise, Sona extended her hand to me. I shook it lightly as she beamed another smile at me.

  “Well, welcome to the school!” she said.

  That was the day I met the girl who would eventually be my first real love.

  Over time, Sona and I became closer, with her helping me in any way she could, especially when it came to my Algebra homework. She was always smiling and bringing joy to anyone she met. It is no surprise that I fell for her.

  Then, around the middle of my sophomore year, she started acting different.

  Her smile slowly disappeared. Her boundless energy and optimism dwindled. Her shining eyes grew dull and lifeless.

  Throughout the year, I watched the girl I loved become a completely different person. It tore me apart inside to watch her loose her zest for life, the very thing that made her who she was. It was almost like something was draining the life out of her.

  Then, one day when I was walking her home, she collapsed beside me. I can still remember holding her limp body in my arms as I tried to bring her back to consciousness.

  I called an ambulance for help. The paramedics pulled me away from her as they readied their equipment, the sirens drowning out the sound of my frantic crying.

  After what felt like hours of waiting, one of the paramedics came and knelt in front of me, their gaze avoiding mine. He gently placed his hand on my shoulder before saying the last thing I wanted to hear.

  “I'm sorry, but she's gone.”

  The air in my lungs instantly froze as the world around me stopped moving. I fell forward, placing my hands on the cold concrete of the sidewalk as tears began to stream down the sides of my face. How could she be dead? I didn't even know where to begin processing the fact.

  I decided not to go to the funeral service Sona's parents held for her. I spent the day in bed, completely unresponsive to anything around me. The first girl I truly loved died in front of me. What else was I supposed to do?

  Adam saw how much Sona's death affected me. Not only did he know about my feelings for her, he convinced me to tell her how I felt when I took her home. Unfortunately, I never got the chance.

  If it wasn't for Adam dragging me out of my room every weekend, “forcing” me to get out every now and then, I probably wouldn't have recovered the way I have.

  My smile slowly returns as I bring my head up.

  “Thanks, Adam.” I say before releasing another short sigh.

  He ruffles his fingers through my hair again, nearly getting his hand tangled in the thick waves and folds.

  “That's my boy.” he says. “Besides, you know there are going to be tons of cute girls here!”

  I chuckle at his statement before removing myself from his arm. He has always been the more outgoing of the two of us.

  “You haven't changed at all since high school.” I say, giving Adam a playful punch on his arm.

  “Thank you, my good sir.” he says, giving a “gentlemanly bow.”

  I walk over to open the window, letting a cool breeze flow through the room as the sun starts to set outside. I turn around to see Adam trying to untangle his fingers from a bundle of wires from one of my open boxes.

  “Hey, why don't you let me unpack these myself.” I say, sliding the bundle of cords off his fingers.

  Adam stands up before looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

  “Are you sure?” he asks.

  “Well, I do know more about this stuff than you do.” I say as I nod my head.

  He lets out a small laugh. Honestly, I just don't want Adam to break any of my things, but I can't tell him that.

  “I won't deny that.” he says, starting his way towards the door.

  “Are you still going to help me unpack my stuff tomorrow?” he asks, gripping the door knob.

  “Well, I'm not sure I can carry all of those sketchbooks, but I'll lend a hand.” I say, giving Adam a thumbs up.

  “Thanks Cayne.” he says as he steps out. He looks over his shoulder at me.

  “Remember buddy, these are supposed to be t
he best years of our lives, so don't waste them.”

  “Yeah, I know.” I roll my eyes as I kneel down to the open box of wires.

  “See you tomorrow!” he says, waving to me as he closes the door behind him.

  I start untangling my mess of cables as I ponder Adam's words.

  Sona was the first girl I ever loved, and it crushed me when she passed. I know it was three years ago, but I still feel guilty about it. It isn't that I don't want to move on, but it feels as if a part of me simply won't let me forget her.

  I set one of my three monitors on my desk as I continue contemplating the years ahead.

  Adam is right. There will be a lot of cute girls on campus once classes start. Maybe I will find someone here. Although, I don't think I'll ever feel the same way I felt about Sona with anyone else. Well, first love is always they most painful, I guess.

  After checking all of my connections, I check the time on my phone. My eyes widen when I see it's already past midnight. Setting up my computers took a lot longer than I thought it would.

  I stretch my arms over my head, yawning as I start to slip off my jacket. I set my phone to charge on the nightstand by my bed before turning off the lights.

  As I lay atop the soft sheets, a small grin forms on my face.

  Finally, I'm starting a new chapter in my life. College is going to be awesome!

  My eyes close slowly as I fall asleep, my smile still obvious on my features.