Endangered/Chapter 1

This is the first chapter of Endangered, titled The City of Brotherly Love. The full chapter will be released shortly, with this preview focusing on Tori's first section.

The City of Brotherly Love (Preview)
VICTORIA I

It was a beautiful day at Temple University. Students roamed around the campus with joyful smiles, socializing with friends at the many spots around, while others were enjoying their time with music on their lonesome. After weeks of sunny, joyful weather, the sun is finally beginning to hide away in the clouds. A signifier that fall was to come and a reminder that summer was coming to a close.

As a native of the west coast, Tori always loved the summer. It reminded her of her childhood left behind. Sunny skies, light breezes, the shrieks of people trading their worries away. It wasn’t often Tori missed her town of Sacramento but she will always miss the sensation of riding her bike down the streets at sunset; the resting sun on her face made Tori free from her worries.

Restful days for a simpler time. Now even in her spare time Tori’s shoulders are never burden free. If she knew attending university would sign away her serenity she would have thought twice.

Victoria “Tori” Cummings sits outside Alter Hall on a cloudy day, struggling to keep her hair from flowing with the breeze. Snuggled up in her sweatpants and loose, cherry red Temple sweatshirt, Tori’s eyes were dronning into the void; one look at her and anyone can tell it is not her day. In Tori’s words, she’s experiencing something of a fuck my life kind of day--which, to be fair, she uses to describe all her days.

Instead of doing something exciting with her life she is wasting her day on more school work. Today, Tori’s time is dedicated to a paper on the examination of Alfred Chester and his experimental writing. Even with reading being one of her favorite pastimes, Tori found the assignment to be daunting. The majority of her classes have left her feeling a similar type of dismay. Is she really spending thousands of dollars a semester to learn about writing she’ll never use? Yes. Yes she is. American higher education really is a ‘magical’ system; of course, by magical Tori actually means bullshit.

At the very least music was successful in keeping her relatively sane. The playlist’s track, Paramore’s Hard Times, was always one of her favorites; but today, it speaks intensely to her. Aside from the vexing paper, Tori has been stumbling through life all day. She had no food in her apartment for breakfast, forgot homework for her overbearing professor and her precious iced chai latte was blown out of her hands. Lucky for her the angels working at Saxbys gave her another one. Brief miracle aside, the day has treated her rough. She is counting down the timer until her next screw up.

If she was being totally honest, the argument could be made that her entire college experience has been a screw up. Her early semesters at Temple had her switch her major four times, each subject wildly different than the last. She started off as film studies, transferred her way into law, immediately found herself yeeting to psychology, until finally collapsing into communications. It has been a rough journey with continuous ongoing complications.

God, what she would give to smoke weed right now.

“Tori!” She is thrown out of her dwelling by the intensity of her name, with the shock nearly dropping her drink. Approaching her is a colorful young man, whose curly hair made him instantly recognizable.

“Hunter!” She mimics his obnoxious yell as Hunter James takes his seat across from her. Tori’s childhood best friend, Hunter’s big smiles and warm eyes perfectly encapsulated his personality. After her family’s move to New Jersey, Tori spent the majority of her youth with her curly haired, quirky neighbor. From elementary to high school the two were inseparable. Unfortunately, despite their dreams of ruling Temple together, their college years have drifted them apart. “Was it really necessary to yell my name? You were two steps away from me.” Tori partially jokes but Hunter was the type of dude who will get your attention if spotted.

“You noticed me, didn’t you? I would argue my method worked”

“I wasn’t given the choice to ignore you.”

“Unsurprisingly, you would not be the first person to ignore me today.”

“Would I be correct in guessing that it was all women who ignored you?”

“You would be! I don’t know if I ever told you this but my superpower is actually repelling females. If they get within a ten foot radius they could potentially die.”

“Am I immune?”

“No, actually. I think my senses consider you a guy.”

“Ah. The classic mistake. I very obviously scream masculinity.” She flexes a nonexistent muscles. “I might be stronger than you.”

“A squirrel is stronger than me.”

“Well, no shit, have you seen those things? Philly squirrels are a special type of monster. I saw one carry a shoe up a wall. You’re not gonna catch me facing one.” Tori comfortably leans back on her chair. “Not to backtrack here, but what if I fell out of my seat? I could’ve broken my hand and sued you. I took a law class once, I know this” Tori speaks as a very knowledgeable, one semester, transfer law student.

“You could sue me for all the twenty bucks to my name, sure. But you should sue Temple instead. Schmooze that hand up, get that cherry and white money.” After much raport the two friends finally break into laughter. Even though distance has grown between them Hunter always knows how to make her smile.

His earnest attitude blended with the self-deprecation made for a great combination. She was always jealous, in a way. He takes everything thrown at him in a hefty stride, a trait she so desperately wishes she could learn. If Hunter is the type of person to laugh after embarrassing himself, Tori is the person who randomly dwells on it in bed five years later.

“How are you?” Hunter asks.

“Well, you know, I’m alive. That about sums it up.”

“You have God’s great gift of life, Victoria Cummings!” Hunter perfectly impersonates their youth pastor’s voice. Father Ennis was always a weird pastor, with his squeaky walk and undeveloped voice. He loved the kids he worked with--and as is Catholic tradition he was fired later on for related reasons. “And, personally, I’d argue that being alive is better than dead.”

“Is it though?” Tori asks as a joke but perhaps she wasn’t totally kidding.

“I’m a bit biased since I haven’t exactly died yet. If you wanna ask again in about five years I might have an answer.”

“Well, as someone whose been internally dead for about...23 years, I’d counterpoint that it’s not too bad.” Tori always loved joking with Hunter. Other than her old roommate Lara Drake, Hunter is probably the funnest person she knows.

“Seriously,” Hunter transitions from the weird humor to casual. “I haven’t seen you in forever. I heard about your cousin.”

Tori did her best to give a pout at the mention of her. Isiss Fisher was Tori’s older third cousin, whose age gap prevented them from becoming very close. Isiss wasn’t by any means a bad person, she was even admitely better than Tori in some regards. A beautiful woman who spent years dedicating her life to public education. Admitely, she was also a coke addict that ruined her life, so there’s that.

Tori feels wrong for not being torn up like the rest of her family. She isn’t not sad by it. Death is a tragedy, it’s sad, and no one should die young like Isiss did. She feels bad but she can’t bring herself to cry over it. She barely knew Isiss and her life isn’t going to dramatically change from it. It’s a reasonable thought process but it makes her seem uncaring. Which she isn’t except ...well, it’s complicated. “Yeah,” Tori finally adds after a pause, “It’s tragic what happened to Isiss I’m heading back home tonight for her funeral tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry for your loss. Give your family my best, though.” Tori’s family always loved Hunter, maybe even more than her. Tori’s mother loved most people more than her. “Have you kept up with photography at all? Out of everyone you always had the best eye.”

The question took her a bit off guard even if it was expected. Growing up her passion always was in film. She loved all aspects, although she really shined in cinematography and framing shots. It was only natural that she became obsessed with photography. Her years in high school consisted of her trying to be a professional photographer, except it never worked in her favor.

“No. I haven’t had the time. One of these days I’ll get back around to it.” Tori did her best but she knew Hunter saw through her words even if he remained silent. Tori did miss being involved in the artistic scene. The whole idea makes her feel trapped. She wants to go back chasing her dreams. She knows she won’t achieve anything with it, though, so what’s the point of wasting her time? At least a communications degree, as pointless as it may be, will get her something.

She can’t help but shudder at the irony of how she became the person her younger self was afraid of being.