Chapter 1
Luke Robert Hemmings wanted more out of life. When he was young he pictured adulthood to be something more. He pictured choices, adventures, and most of all: freedom. He was born into a wonderful loving family. There was his dad and his mum, Andy and Liz, then he had two older brothers, Ben and Jack. His dad was a contractor, while his mom was a math teacher. His brothers now worked under his dad. Ben was single and mingling, Jack on the other hand was very much taken. They lived happily, but Luke sought out for more.
Being the youngest out of three he was always looked down upon. Well, babied more like it. He had two capable older brothers and everyone expected for him to aspire to be the same. And he will! But he feels as if there is more out there for him. He feels that something great is waiting for him to grasp it and that he could be great just like his family, but different. He wants to go out there. He wants to explore and discover what it is to be him; however, he's being restricted by expectations.
Ben was the oldest out of the three and he was-- well, how do you explain Ben... He was athletic and he had charisma. He was popular to say the least. He can charm anyone out of their pants, but Ben didn't do that. Ben was considerate and a flirt, but Ben was Ben and their parents raised them right.
Then there was Jack. Jack with his ruggedly handsome features. Jack who was tall and full of confidence. He was smart and athletic. He was forward, but nice. He told you the truth and didn't sugar coat, but he was kind about it. Everyone loved Jack. Everyone loved Ben. And everyone expects the same things from Luke. But again, Luke is Luke and he didn't want that to change.
Luke remembers going on vacations with his family. He remembers sitting in the middle of the back seat, because Jack and Ben wanted the windows. He would stare out and watch all these majestic sights pass him by. He couldn't help but to think that he wanted to live that. He wanted to experience everything the world had to give. From a very young age he's always known that he was different and two days after they got to their beach house he knew for sure that he was.
He had crawled into Jack's bed unbeknownst to the older blonde because he had a nightmare. He slept fine after, but three hours later he woke up and found himself floating three feet above his brother's bed. He flailed and screamed, that's when gravity finally did its job. He dropped right on top of his brother and Jack jolted awake, then promptly pushed him off to the floor. Their parents ran in due to all the noise and when they asked for an explanation, they were not able to decipher anything. Both boys were raising their voice to outmatch the other. When their parents had enough they asked Luke and when he mentioned floating-- neither of their parents believed him. They opted to believe Jack even though the older boy hadn't divulged his version yet. They made him apologize to his older brother and ordered him to go into his own room and to let the rest of the house sleep. He did what he was told, but stayed up all night staring at his ceiling.
He knows he's not crazy. He was floating. As the years passed he tried again and again to make it happen. He knew that what happened that night was what made him different. It was what set him apart from everyone else, because no one-- not his family or his friends, believed him. They thought he was imagining things. They excused it when he got to his pre-teens, but when late secondary school came around... Everyone told him to grow up, to get his out of the clouds. But he refused! How? How could he move on when something everyone dreams of doing happened to him! It wasn't because he wanted to be better than everyone else! That's all he ever hears.
'Luke I know you want to go above and beyond because of your family but this isn't the way.'
He knows.
He fcking knows.
Does he want to look fcking crazy in front of everyone?
Does he want people looking down at his family because of him?
Fck. No.
But.
But.
He knows.
He knows what happened that night was real and he refuses to chalk it up as a dream like everyone else. They are right it was a dream and it came true. People spend their whole lives chasing dreams. When you're a child you see things around you and you think, 'huh, I want to be that.' But as you grow older, life catches up and you start thinking "practically." Next thing you know you find yourself changing and accommodating what life throws at you. The outcome? You change what you wanted to do, because growing up complicates things. He attained one of dreams when he was at the tender age of eight. He doesn't-- wouldn't let go of that.
But.
Luke knew he needed to act "sane" or his family would throw him in an insanitarium. He couldn't let that happen. So, when he was in year eleven he decided to straighten out. He's always had awesome grades, an athlete, and was in a few extracurricular activities. He ensured he got into a great college. He had to satisfy people around him. He had to reach expectations, because if he was locked away, he wouldn't be able to find answers he needed. And if it just so happens that he accepts a scholarship is San Francisco in America... Well, he needed space to find what he was looking for. It also doesn't hurt that his friends and family were beyond impressed. As the saying goes, it's like killing two birds with one stone.