Wren calmly shut the door to his room and sat on the soft, carpeted floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not disturb mode please, Aition.\u201d The windows that peered outside into the utopian metropolis tinted themselves black. The door he had just closed locked itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWould you like some work music, sir?\u201d Aition\u2019s monotone voice spoke over unseen speakers.<\/p>\n
\u201cSentimental mood,\u201d Wren\u2019s voice shook slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood choice. That one\u2019s good for concentration.\u201d As the jazz music began with its soft intro, Wren fell on his side and began silently crying. He felt a dark pit forming in his chest. His vision blurred. The pit gave way to immense pain, and he gave out a silent scream. After laying in this state for an hour and almost falling asleep multiple times, he focused his attention on the beautiful sound that was playing through his automatic record player. He wiped his eyes, sat up, and regained his normal, excellent posture.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow\u2019s the work, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n
Wren sniffled, \u201ccoming along great.\u201d His voice was now monotone like Aition\u2019s. He searched through a nightstand that was next to his bed. A large notebook sat on top of all the rubbish that was dropped pointlessly into the drawer. Its cover was light blue with white specks. It read, Wren\u2019s Thought Journall<\/em>. \u201cJust doing some notes,\u201d Wren said to Aition, \u201cPlay all of Kind of Blue when this song is over.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir,\u201d Aition responded. Wren took out a pen and opened the notebook about halfway through. He listed the date 27\/5\/99 and began to write.<\/p>\n The cloud has returned with great force after about a month\u2019s respite. The AP test is in about a week, and I feel prepared for it, but I am still incredibly nervous. I still can\u2019t place the origin of this cloud as it seems to return at random times. Gwen and I worked together for another one-hour study session after school. She had told me beforehand that she wanted her boyfriend, Trevor, to come too, as he needed the help, but he never showed, so we brushed up on some math, which is a weak area for both of us. After we finished studying we watched a movie, and now I\u2019m here, writing in this stupid journal. I don\u2019t know why I think this helps.<\/em><\/p>\n He shut the notebook and threw it back into the drawer.<\/p>\n \u201cMother has returned home. Would you like to greet her?\u201d Aition spoke as if queued.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, maintain \u2018do not disturb\u2019 mode, please.\u201d The window immediately untinted itself, and the door unlocked itself.<\/p>\n \u201cWren, come help me with the groceries!\u201d He heard his mother\u2019s voice as the sound insulation in his room was turned off.<\/p>\n \u201cComing,\u201d he responded callously as he made his way downstairs. He walked out the front door towards the parked car. He stepped onto the platform that sat thousands of stories above the ground. He viewed the megatowers that surrounded him with their blue glass shining in the sun and the green plants that accented each building. The sky was blue and clear and the air smelled fresh with a touch of pinewood. The levitated itself in its parked position right next to the entrance of their apartment. Wren took the remaining bags from the backseat and proceeded back inside to the kitchen.<\/p>\n \u201cHow was your day, honey?\u201d His mom\u2019s voice was now significantly sweeter and more relaxing than when she first called him.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was all right,\u201d he automatically responded. His mom immediately saw through his veil of apathy and stopped putting the groceries away for a moment.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u201d she asked. Wren thought about what to divulge for a moment.<\/p>\n \u201cJust a little stressed is all,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, just you wait,\u201d she resumed working on the groceries. \u201cJust you wait until after you take the AP test. It doesn\u2019t get any easier after that.\u201d<\/p>\n Wren put a loaf of bread away before saying, \u201cthanks,\u201d and returning to his room where he reengaged do not disturb mode until the next morning.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Wren calmly shut the door and told Aition to play more jazz music before he took the thought journal out of his nightstand and began writing. He started by marking the date 28\/6\/99.<\/p>\n Gwen is starting to make these study sessions more frequent as well as longer due to the encroachment of the AP test. I think she\u2019s getting more and more frustrated with Trevor. Today, in study hall, she was trying to focus on some homework, but he kept distracting her. Eventually she just moved tables. I briefly considered moving next to her, but I decided that she probably wanted peace and quiet. Mrs. Wellenak explained some of the rules of the AP test to us today. She talked about the different sections. Science, math, history, and earthian language. She told us we only needed a passable grade in one of them, but the more passes you got the easier your job hunting future would be and the cheaper college would be. Gwen and I both decided that we should do our best to pass all four of the sections. I\u2019m confident both of us can pass at least two. History I don\u2019t even need to study for. Another item of note that occured today. In my creative writing class, Mrs. Wellenak gave me a complete short-story collection for each of the three authors that she said she thinks I am most inspired by: Hemmingway, Bradbury, and Lovecraft. All three of the books are very old and worn. She told me that she gave them to me so that I could best determine how to be different from them. At that moment I knew for sure I wanted to be a writer. I just need to think of something to have as a backup plan in case that doesn\u2019t work out. Overall, I feel pretty decent today. I hope to do more study sessions with Gwen as we approach the AP test, and I hope we decide to stick with our plan of passing all four sections. I also hope I can start being honest with myself.<\/em><\/p>\n ~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The car drew to a stop in front of the school. Through the glass walls Wren could see the hectic movement of administrators and students at desks taking on the towering reputation of the AP test.<\/p>\n \u201cIt always gets like this on test day,\u201d Wren\u2019s mom said as they both exited the car. She kissed him on the forehead and shakily said, \u201cgood luck.\u201d Wren could see the worry in her eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, mom. Gwen and I made sure we covered everything together. We should be good to go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood,\u201d she responded, \u201cI would be devastated if anything happened to either of you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Wren asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing, now go and make your mother proud.\u201d Wren quickly forgot about what was just said and quickly entered the school building along with a large group of other students who were assigned to this time of day. The group made its way down several hallways until it reached the gym where hundreds of desks had been set out for the students. Each student occupied a desk and the tests were passed out. Wren noticed Gwen as she sat at her desk. He smiled briefly before being handed the test. He worked through his hardest subject first, which was math, followed by science, then earthian language, then, finally, history. He stuck with the method he and Gwen had devised. Do the hard stuff first while you have the energy. Wren handed his test in and exited the gym through the door opposite the one he came in. The door led to a large courtyard where several students played various games while they waited for their results to<\/p>\n come back. Soon after Wren had entered the courtyard, Gwen followed. They talked about the questions they were unsure about and made sure that they had arrived to the same answers. After the rest of Wren\u2019s group entered the courtyard, an administrator with a megaphone appeared.<\/p>\n \u201cGroups one and two: please follow me, your tests have been graded.\u201d The group immediately hopped to and followed the administrator as he led them to a nearby magrail station. The students boarded the train. The ride as a whole took a total of five minutes but to Wren it felt like a lifetime of staring at a grey wall as he thought about the ramifications of not being Admission Passable. The train dropped them off at a large square. Several kiosks were set up in a line in front of the group of students.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease line up at the kiosks. Your results will be given inside.\u201d The mob of students surged forward towards the kiosks. Each person attempted to be first, but eventually everyone organized into several lines. As the line slowly moved forward, Wren suddenly realised that there was a single smokestack jutting out from a building just behind the ministry. He had just answered a science question about the abolition of smokestacks which took place more than a hundred years ago. The stack wasn\u2019t billowing any smoke, but Wren wondered about its purpose during his entire wait. He entered the kiosk and sat in a chair, which was in front of a computer monitor. A tray suddenly stretched out from under the monitor. It contained five numbered stamps.<\/p>\n \u201cName,\u201d Wren heard Aition\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n \u201cWren Hastings,\u201d he spoke loud and clear. The computer processed for a moment before speaking again.<\/p>\n \u201cStamp your right hand with stamp number five, then proceed to the other side of the kiosk line.\u201d Wren took the correct stamp and stamped his hand. A little fox with number four appeared on the back side of his right hand. He left the kiosk with a burst of excitement.<\/p>\n \u201cI passed all four!\u201d he heard someone yell in unison with him. He looked to his left to see the same expression of excitement worn on Gwen\u2019s face. They gave each other a celebratory high five and began to talk about how nervous they were until the administrators voice could be heard over the megaphone.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone with a cow stamp please follow me, anyone with a cow stamp please follow me.\u201d Several students congregated around the administrator and proceeded to follow him towards the ministry. Gwen and Wren both noticed the back of Trevor\u2019s head as it followed the group of cow stamps.<\/p>\n \u201cFigures,\u201d Gwen said.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you can\u2019t say we didn\u2019t try.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, you can\u2019t.\u201d They proceeded to talk endlessly about their dream jobs as they waited to see if any of their friends from other groups passed all four sections. As Gwen spoke, Wren decided to sit down for a moment. He couldn\u2019t stop looking into Gwen’s light-blue eyes which so closely matched the clear, unpolluted sky. He compared the two colors until a streak of black smoke burst from the smokestack, blackening a small section of the sky.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nick Phelps Wren calmly shut the door to his room and sat on the soft, carpeted floor. \u201cDo not disturb mode please, Aition.\u201d The windows that peered outside into the utopian metropolis tinted themselves black. The door he had just closed locked itself. \u201cWould you like some work music, sir?\u201d Aition\u2019s monotone voice spoke over… <\/p>\n