CatSSWoTV - Chapter 1

Clorica and the Somewhat Strange World of The Veil

Chapter 1 - A Gift for Clorica

"Clorica! Clorica, dear! Wake up!"

"Mm, just five more minutes, grandma..."

"You best get up now, girlie, or the Visionaries will getcha!"

"ACK!"

I opened my eyes sleepily, rubbing them in a hurried manner. Why did grandma always have to be like this? Couldn't I just sleep in for a bit longer? Sheesh! Adjusting my view to the alarm clock next to me, I saw what the time was. "7-7:30 already!? Why didn't ya wake me up earlier, grandma!?" I quickly sprung out of my bed, rushing out the door of my bedroom. I could inaudibly hear grandma nagging me from my room, but I didn't have time to hear what she was saying. I had to get to Lucid Academy!

Stopping in the living room, I spotted the mirror from the corner of my eye, examining myself. In the mirror I saw a very exhausted version of myself, that was for sure. My chest-length pastel pink hair was strewn in all different directions, with my two bunny ears hanging down from both sides. My eyes were light blue, "almost as gentle as the sky itself". At least, that's what grandma told me once when she was having a good day.

Proceeding down to my clothes, I was wearing the uniform for my academy, Lucid Academy. It included a periwinkle shirt with a plaid mid-length skirt. Okay, by now you're probably wondering why I'm wearing my uniform when I just got outta bed, huh? Well, I kinda oversleep often, so I have to be as prepared as I can!

Oh, there's one other thing I forget to mention. Most of my left arm is missing. Grandma told me it was because of an "accident" when I was younger, but I was never told very many of the details. Mom and Dad disappeared when I was younger too, so it was up to my Grandma to raise me. I owe a lot to my grandma... I'm very thankful for her! Even if she is a little stern sometimes.

"Sheesh! I'm really going to be late now!" I exclaimed, grabbing my denim bookbag down from a hook in the floral-themed wall. Rushing out the door, I almost had to resist the urge from hopping. Bunny instincts, I guess. My school was a few blocks from my grandma's cottage, so I didn't have to rush that much, but just to be safe!

On my way to the academy, I saw many different half-breeds wearing my school's uniform up ahead. Oops, you probably don't know what half-breeds are, huh? Since you're totally human, tee hee. Well, a half-breed is any animal split with a human. For example, I'm half bunny and half human! As for the world we live in, well, you're not gonna believe this, but we exist inside dreams! Our dream world is called... The Veil.

The Veil is where all dreams are created. Every good dream, every bad dream, and even maybe inspirational dreams! Speaking of dreams though, there are creatures in this world that just want bad dreams... they're called "Nightmarens". The Nightmarens are half-breeds who are mostly nocturnal that wish for only bad dreams to exist in The Veil. They're the baddest of the bad! The most evil of the evil! The spider you find in your bed when you're about to go to sleep! Oops, got a bit carried away there, sorry.

Anyways, I'm one of the "Daymarens"! We're half-breeds who would only like good dreams to exist in The Veil! Even though the Nightmarens are baddies, I would really like us to make peace and live together and not separated. Grandma and the Visionaries say it's impossible, but I think we could do it if we tried! I guess you could call me one of those... pacifist thingies. Yeah, a pacifist.

Finally I reached the gate of Lucid Academy, and zoomed through the doorway to my classroom. The bell rang just as I took my seat. "Phew... nice save, Clorica." A monkey half-breed in the desk next to me said, smiling. This is my childhood friend, Tam-Tam. He and I have been the best buddies since like... forever! He had short auburn hair, with fiery orange eyes and a long auburn tail. His outfit was exactly the same as my uniform, except he was wearing shorts instead of a skirt.

Tam-Tam turned his wheelchair towards me, exposing his two stumps for legs. Apparently Tam-Tam had also gotten into an accident when he was younger so we immediately became friends. The teacher walked in, the heels of his shoes clicking against the wooden floor. Our teacher, Mr. Trunks, set a thick stack of papers on his desk. I gulped. Those aren't... the tests from last week, are they?

Mr. Trunks cleared his throat, sniffling a bit from his elephant trunk. "Class, I have graded your tests from last week." he announced monotonously, choosing a student from the front of the class to hand them out. I tapped my fingers nervously against my desk, waiting for my paper to be handed to me. Please, Dream weavers, please let me have a good grade...

The moment of truth finally came for me. The paper slid onto my desk unceremoniously, and I scrambled to look for the red grade mark in the upper-right corner. The grade was... an F. I resisted the urge to hop out of my seat and straight outta the academy. "This is so embarrassing..." I whispered, staring down at the big red F on my test. Next to the mark was something written.

"See me after class." -Mr. Trunks

The four dreaded words... "see me after class". Oh sheesh... why did it have to be Mr. Trunks' class!? I laid my head down on my desk, mumbling nonsense to myself. I could have sworn I had my facts down on the Dream weavers... so much for that.

Time passed ever so slowly, the ticking of the clock going in one bunny ear and out the other. It seemed like forever before the bell finally rang, signaling the end of class. My classmates began to file out one by one, Tam-Tam giving me a sympathetic glance before wheeling out into the hall. Oh, Tam-Tam... you understand me better than anyone else here!

Raising from my seat, I fearfully approached Mr. Trunks' desk, and his dull gray eyes looked at me from beyond his thick glasses. "Clorica. Did you see the grade you got on your test?" he asked, waiting for my response. Gulping, I nodded my head feebly. "Y-Yes, sir." He sighed, uncapping one of his red pens and looking over my failed test again. I could feel the sweat dripping off of my face.

"Clorica, you know if you don't pass the Dream weaver's test, you'll never get recommended by the academy to become a Visionary." Mr. Trunks stated bluntly, circling a few sentences on my test. I nodded once more, watching him nervously. "I've already scheduled a tutor for you tomorrow. I'll give you one more chance to pass the test. If you don't pass it this time, your chances for becoming a Visionary will greatly decrease."

Heaving one final sigh, he gave me permission to leave at last. The rest of the school day proceeded slowly, Mr. Trunks' words weighing heavily on my mind. The Visionaries... ever since I heard about the conflict between the Daymarens and the Nightmarens, I've always wanted to become one. Surely this was the only way to make peace between our two societies. Visionaries are basically the government of The Veil... I need to get in. I just have to.

Just as I thought that depressing thought, Tam-Tam appeared in front of me. "Hey, Clorica. Sorry about your test..." he said, looking down at the floor. Aww, Tam-Tam's worrying about me... wait, Clorica, what are you thinking!? Don't say "aww" at that! Sheesh!

Tam-Tam reached into one of his pockets and brought out a small present box. "This is for you, Clorica. I brought it just in case you failed your test..." he stated, but then rushed to revise his sentence. "O-Or passed!" I tried to ignore the part about "failing" and smiled my most genuine Clorica smile. "Wow, thanks, Tam-Tam!" I bent down to pick up the box from his hand, pulling the yellow ribbon to open it.

Inside were all kinds of candy... lollipops, spicy candy, bland candy, colorful candy... I could always use more candy! "Oh my gosh! Thanks, Tam-Tam, you're the best! I love candy!" Lunging forward, I hugged Tam-Tam with all my might. "Ehehe, you're welcome, Clorica." he responded shyly, returning my hug.

-- Chapter 1: A Gift for Clorica END --