Jordan Arnaz sighed, leaning his head against the cool metal of the school bus interior. He was one of the first to be picked up, which wasn’t unusual for him. He rarely missed the bus. The longer it took to get to school the more likely he was to miss another meal.

In three days, August 27th, the seventh-grade class of ’93 and above would be going on a special trip. They’d be heading down to Houston for a weekend stay at a special S.U.N. research center. The ride there would be grueling, even with the comics he shoved away into his bag and knowing his friends would be there to chat with. It’d be worth it though. Then there was the tour.

A learning experience reserved for Junior High, it went across Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Friday they’d be heading out and unwinding from the trip. Sunday was reversed for preparing to go back and celebrations. The real meat of the whole thing started on the second day, Saturday. A tour of the devastation and horror etched across the city not even nine years prior. He couldn’t wait to see it in person. It filled him with apprehension and excitement, on a level that only holidays prior could have.

He didn’t know why it made him feel like that. He felt, maybe, he would discover something about himself on this trip. Some secret hidden from him all his life. Not that this was likely. Granbury Texas, where he was born and raised, went largely untouched by the attack. Some part of him felt guilty, wanting to tie himself into such a tragedy in some way.

He frowned. It was better to think about than what he would do when he got home. Chores left undone, dishes still needing to be washed, nothing but busy work. That was all that waited for him. His mom couldn’t be there. She was on a business trip, as she called it. He wasn’t sure what she did exactly. It was rare for her to ever be around. Work kept her traveling and even when she was home, she was often busy.

He didn’t know why she always seemed so short with him. He didn’t know why she still cared. If she still did. She only sighed when informed of the latest fight he was part of. The parent teacher meetings, where an exasperated teacher tried to impart how his attention never seemed set on the here and now and the importance of schoolwork, had to bore her almost as much as it did him. He doubted he mattered to her even a little bit.

The bus lurching forward startled him. Settling into his seat, banishing conflicted thoughts away, he turned his eyes to the sky. The clouds were heavy, the sun rising. Yet as only a child could, he saw more than reality. He saw sleeping horrors waiting to come down, he saw a host of Angels ready to rise. Across the sky was the future, the past and the present. A storm was coming.

“What are you looking at?”

The voice was sudden, unfamiliar. Jordan leaned away from the window, confused. Looking back, he saw a girl around his age staring at him with bright green eyes. He recognized her from school but didn’t know her name. Her eyes were stark the way they seemed to glow. It wasn’t a shade of green he had ever seen anywhere else. Everything else about her was so plain, normal. Medium length dirty blonde hair, light freckles, slim, a little taller than he was. She was wearing khaki pants and a light blue blouse. He wasn’t sure he saw her when he got on the bus. Was he zoning out that bad?

“I wasn’t,” he stopped. “I don’t know. At the sky, I guess.”

“You see anything interesting?”

Only what he imagined, he wanted to say. He shook his head. “I don’t think so. Maybe some birds.”

“Maybe,” she mimicked him. She dropped down next to him, curiosity brimming. “What are you looking forward to?”

Jordan stopped from asking what she meant. “The tour.”

“That’s in, like, a week,” the girl said.

“Three days,” he was quick to reply.

“Big difference. What’s got you so interested? Curious about all the destruction?”

The question sounded innocent. He frowned.

“No.”

“You can be honest you know,” she said. “Why do you look upset?”

“I don’t.”

“You were sulking when you got on.”

“I wasn’t!” Jordan winced, looking away from her to the driver. He didn’t recognize the man at the wheel and thankfully he didn’t seem to care much about the commotion behind him. “It doesn’t matter.”

She tilted her head. “That’s not healthy, ya know? You don’t have to hold it in. It’s good to talk about things.”

His face flushed; he shook his head. “I don’t know you.”

“Oh, is that all?” She said, holding her hand up. “I’m Steph. Eighth grade. You’re Jordan, right?”

Hesitating, he took her hand. “Yeah.” It was surprisingly warm. More than he expected. “How’d you know?”

She giggled. “People talk. You’re pretty popular among some girls, you know. My friend, Sam, thinks you’re cute.”

He jerked his hand away, confused. “Why?”

“Come on! You’re kidding, right? They’ve been watching you play soccer you know. You kick ass out there. Plus, grey eyes, dark skin, those exotic features? Talk about an eyeful!” She giggled. “You’re growing into quite a catch, Jo’.”

He supposed that anyone else would take that as a compliment. He found it annoying. There weren’t many Asian kids, let alone mix-raced ones, in Granbury. Made it hard for him to tell when it was sincere or picking. Instead, he turned to stare out the window.

“Embarrassed?”

About what? Some people he didn’t even know talking about him behind his back? Treating him as a prize because he looked different? No, he didn’t think embarrassed was the right word. A different feeling burned in his chest. The way she was looking at him was strange. He didn’t like it.

“You’re going to be fun to tease. See you around, Jo’.”

He ignored her as she left. Not long after more kids began to file onto the bus. Soon his friends would join him. All the while he kept watching the sky. Dreams wove themselves before him, a tapestry of his own imagining. That day was coming. The day everything would change. A destiny that was his to claim awaited.