It was a normal morning for me, but the house smelled like burnt toast when I woke up. The oven was off, the furnace was fine, and the toaster was empty, so we just shrugged and let the smell go. I got ready, and in the shower my soap also smelled odd, but today was an important day, so I didn’t ponder it. Finally, I was ready for my first day of High School. We, my Mom, Sister and I, that is, all piled into the car, on our way to the school. I was really a lot less nervous than I thought I’d be, though I was sweating. Man, it’s HOT in here! I thought to myself, so I opened a window. Still hot, I figured it was because of the summer, still lingering. We arrived at school, and my sister and I went separate ways. It felt like the school had turned up the heat just for the new year. I got to my locker, but I forgot my combination! Dejectedly, I turned to my homeroom and sat down, figuring I’ll carry my lunchbox and jacket around all day. I looked around, and I didn’t know anybody in this room, so I just sat in the back quietly. This pattern continued all day, other than I was always late because I kept getting lost, and I didn’t even have time to eat lunch because I couldn’t find a single table with friendly faces, everyone sneering at me. At this point I am sweating buckets, and for some reason even the water fountain is boiling. It’s the end of the day, and I finally find my friends. They all have the same classes, and even my so-called “best friend” doesn’t even miss me. I cry on the car ride home, and my sister and mom laugh over her great day. I go home and do the obnoxious amounts of homework, and I barely eat anything during dinner. “Mom,” I say, “I think I have a fever, can I stay home tomorrow?”
“Let me feel your forehead.” she says. She feels it, and her hand is like a hot-iron poker when she touches me. I shout in pain, and she jerks her hand away from my head. “You feel fine honey, are you sure you just don’t want to go to school tomorrow?” she says. I silently nod my head, and get told to lie down. I lie down and watch some TV in the living room. I watch, but don’t really focus on it. I am just dying of heat now, and I go to get some water, but it scalds my tongue, so I run to the freezer to grab an ice cube, but it feels like a bin of tiny coals. Tears begin to flow down my face, and they feel like droplets of magma falling down my face. I finally wake up from this terrible dream, sweating in bed. Good, I think, it was only a dream. But then I focus on the blaze around me, and realize the nightmare has only just begun.