Chapter One
Beep. Beep. Beep. Johnny jumped up and out of bed; the smoke alarm was going off.
“There’s a fire! There’s a fire!” Johnny screamed, running out of his bedroom. “Mom, come quick!”
“Whoa there, Johnny,” his mother said, exiting the kitchen from the floor below. “I say Johnny; you really need to calm down. The toaster burnt the toast again. It’s nothing to get worried about.”
His mother, Deborah Rush, was a single parent trying her best to manage juggling both a son and two jobs. A woman in her late thirties, she was both kind and compassionate. She also shared the same dusty blonde hair as her son. She felt bad for her young son, who always had a hard time with his nervous nature.
Of course she was right, Johnny thought. They didn’t have much money since his father passed away; and what money they did have needed to go to more important things than the toaster. He couldn’t help but think however, that it would be nice to go at least a week without having to wake up to the fire alarm.
It was two years ago when his father, Stephen Rush, had died; and Johnny had not truly recovered from the loss. He fell in combat in the war, saving the lives of several civilians in the process. A hero, they called him. None of that could comfort a young child of twelve, who just wanted to have his father back.
They lived in Detroit, Michigan. “Lower middle class,” his mother would always say optimistically; but the money they got when his father died in combat was barely enough to pay the bills. His mother had to work day and night to support him, and save for his education and health plan. Frivolous purchases like a new toaster would just have to wait.
Johnny was fourteen now, and was in his first week of high school. He was nervous, but he was used to feeling nervous. This was something different, however.
Johnny paused for a moment at the top of the stairs. There was something he was forgetting. Something important, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember what it was. Whatever it was, it left him feeling scared and alone.
He didn’t like feeling that way. His mother kept telling him he was normal, but he never felt normal. He was always that creepy kid in the corner, or so he feared. His doctor called it social anxiety, but all the kids at school just called him weird, at least that is what he always imagined.
He over thought everything, always worrying about the tiniest detail stopping him from really enjoying himself. He didn’t want to be like that anymore, but change was hard. He would freeze and stutter when talking to people. He would panic at the thought of giving a report in front of the class.
The worst part was that when it was over, he would always make a comment to himself that it wasn’t that bad; that he could do things like this more often, and he might actually enjoy them. Yet every time it came back around, his body would tremble and his throat would choke up at the thought of leaving his comfort zone.
“Mom, I don’t feel good today,” Johnny said, trying to his best to act under the weather. “I don’t think I can go to school today.”
“Aw, honey,” his mother said, walking over to comfort her young boy. “It’s Friday; you can stay home all day tomorrow. Let’s finish your first week of high school properly, shall we?”
She was right, again. Johnny knew he couldn’t hide away forever. Who knew, maybe this was the day he would meet a new friend.
He looked out the window, sending him on another one of his day dreams. He often escaped reality with his day dreaming. He knew this, but often found these the most relaxing moments of his day; when his worrying nature seemed to disappear in the stories of heroes and villains.
His day dreaming was halted when a bright red ball bounced by the window.
“What is that?” Johnny said, mesmerized by the bouncing ball. “It’s just a red ball—“
Johnny stopped in his tracks. It wasn’t just a red ball. Well, okay, that was just a red ball; but it brought back all the visions Johnny had from his nightmare the night before. How could he have forgotten about the Dark Prince?
“Johnny…Johnny!” his mother yelled, snapping her fingers at him. “You’re day dreaming again, hon. C’mon, let’s get ready for school.”
“Mother, wait!” Johnny shouted, turning back towards his mother. “I forgot to tell you what happened to me last night!”
Johnny recounted in detail the events of last night to his mother. He expected a look of shock and amazement from her eyes, but all he got was a worried frown as she crossed her arms.
“What am I going to do with you, Johnny?” his mother said with a concerned look on her face. “I know the doctor said you’ve got issues, but I’m sorry, Johnny; I just don’t have the money to cover the prescription costs. You’re just going to have to manage.”
That was alright, he thought. He was never interested in taking medication; it was just one more thing that made him different from the other children. His mother tried to tell him that all children take medication sometime, but all he could think was what if the other children found out? What if they knew he had to go see doctors and psychiatrists? He refused to be singled out any more than he already was.
Grabbing his backpack, he gave his mother a kiss on the cheek and headed to the door.
“Love you, mom,” Johnny shouted as he walked out the door. One more day at school, he thought. Then he had the weekend all to himself.
Jonathan Rush and the Star Academy Page 2
