Sallie! Sallie!! Sallie!!", Mrs.Frederick shouted repeatedly. Her voice gradually became louder as she continued calling the name of this 17 year- old who seemed to be asleep.
"Sallie! Sallie!!, Mrs. Fredrick now filled with rage decided to call the napping teen by her full name. "Sallie Storms!!!", she said in a tone quite furious.
Sallie who had been laying her head on her desk suddenly rose up. Her face didn't even look slightly disoriented like someone who just woke up from sleep. This is because she had been awake all this time and just intentionally chose to ignore her English teacher, Mrs.Frederick, all along.
Feeling insulted because she had been ignored by Sallie, Mrs.Frederick angrily sends her to the principal's office. Sallie frowned as the other students in class quietly laughed and murmured " What a freak!, I heard she came into this world without a father ", all these were the words the backbenchers kept exchanging between themselves about her.
Sallie banged her legs heavily towards the principal's office. She couldn't even distinguish if the feeling running through her veins was anger or sadness. Anger because it was the start of a new year, 2049, and life is already holding her by the neck or sadness because last year (2048) Christmas, her mother was diagnosed with stage 3 leukemia.
Imagine ending a year and freshly beginning another one discovering that your relative has a terminal illness. This relative wasn't just some random cousin that is only seen once in 5 years, this was her own flesh and blood mother, Sandra Storms.
To make matters worse, Sandra was Sallie's only family member. Her husband mysteriously disappeared 3 months after being pregnancy with Sallie.
It is the year 2049 and the cure to cancer had been miraculously discovered back in 2032.
It was a blue mysterious mineral called the Oncolyte that had been used to freeze and destroy cancerous tumors for nearly 2 decades. Being such a valuable mineral, the Oncolyte was worth a fortune. Only the rich could afford it.
Sallie was very sad not because her mother's cancer cut could not be cured. Her major concern was where she was going to get such a large amount of money to purchase even just a milligram of Oncolyte for her mother.
She sadly marched down to the principal's office mindlessly aware of her surroundings. Her entire mind consumed by the misery of her mother's misfortune.
Sallie accidentally bumps into another taller girl with pale white skin. She suddenly falls hard to the floor as if she had bumped into a wall of steel, her books and papers scattering everywhere.
She annoyingly looked up at the tall, white female figure she had bumped into. The girl's gleaming blue eyes seemed to bore into Sallie's soul. She wore a thin tank top and blue shorts, her expression unreadable.
It was January, just the start of the new year 2049 and Sallie wondered why anyone would wear a tank top in the winter season. This tall white girl was named Jexter, a Xilorian. The Xilorians are a race of Ice based aliens from the frozen planet called Xilor. This alien species thrive in cold weather and are extremely vulnerable to even the smallest amount of heat.
This explains why Jexter wore a thin tank top to reduce her body temperature . Neither Jexter's name nor her alien origins were known to Sallie because humans generally were unaware that "Beyond the Exosphere" of the earth, extraterrestrial life also existed on other planets.
Jexter offered her hand to Sallie to help her up from the ground. . As their palms touched, Sallie felt a chill run down her spine. Jexter's hand was colder than the snowflakes gently falling outside the school windows.
Jexter said "watch where you are going next time" and they both parted ways.Sallie wondered what caused the cold aura she previously encountered during Jexter's presence.
The encounter left her with more questions than answers. Who was this strange girl? and what was behind her literally cold aura? The memory of Jexter's frozen gaze lingered, sending shivers down Sallie's spine as she made her way to the principal's office.
Principal Smith's expression was stern he gazed at Sallie over the rim of his reading glasses. "Sallie Storms, you're a bright student, but your recent behavior has been unacceptable. Your grades are slipping, and your attitude in class is becoming increasingly disruptive."
He leaned forward, his voice taking on a slightly softer tone. "Sallie, I know you're going through a tough time with your mother's illness. But you can't let your personal life derail your future. You need to get your life in order, calm the storms, so to speak."
Sallie knew Principal Smith was right, but it was hard to focus on school when her mother's health was uncertain.
"I'll try, Principal Smith," Sallie said finally, her voice barely above a whisper.
Principal Smith nodded, a small smile on his face. "I know you will, Sallie. And if you need any help or just someone to talk to, my door is always open."
As Sallie left the principal's office, she felt a glimmer of determination. She would get her life back on track, no matter what storms lay ahead. Afterwards, she went home.
She opened the door to find her mother, Sandra, sitting on the couch, a scarf wrapped around her head. Sallie's eyes widened as Sandra slowly unwrapped the scarf, revealing her bald head.
Sandra's bald head was a great reminder of the aggressive chemotherapy she had undergone.The oncologist had warned them that the treatment would be intense, but Sallie wasn't prepared for the drastic change in her mother's appearance.
The chemotherapy had left Sandra weak and fatigued, her skin pale and dry. Her once-luxuriant hair had fallen out in clumps, leaving her scalp smooth and bare.
Sallie felt a pang of sadness as she gazed at her mother's fragile form. Despite the ravages of chemotherapy, Sandra's eyes still sparkled with warmth and love.
She smiled at Sallie, her voice barely above a whisper. "Hey, baby. I'm still here, and I'm fighting." Sallie nodded, trying to hold back tears. She knew that her mother was strong, but the cancer seemed to be winning.
The Oncolyte was their only hope, but it was expensive, and Sallie's heart ached with the knowledge that they might not be able to afford it. As she hugged her mother tightly, Sallie made a silent vow to do whatever it took to save her. She would find a way to get the Oncolyte, no matter the cost.
Sallie's desperation grew with each passing day. Her mother's condition worsened, and the Oncolyte seemed like an impossible dream.
She had tried every legitimate means to acquire the treatment, but it was too expensive.