1. Chivalry Is NOT Dead

December 2nd…4:29 am...

Bri woke up with a start. Afraid she was still trapped in her dream, she reached over to the nightstand and clicked on the lamp, flooding her room with warm, welcoming light. Exhaling, grateful that it was only the reoccurring nightmare that hadn't plagued her for months now. Why was she having this memory now?

The dream started about 1 year ago when she went hiking with her best friend, Rina Skye and a few others from her old school in Seattle. It’s always the same wolves and her by a cave deep in the woods on her parent’s 40 acre lot. She always ran the same way, from her log cabin to a cave, but she never got to finish the dream. Did she die? Did her wolf protector die and the white wolf take her captive? She had been dreaming about these two wolves, one, a huge snow white wolf attacks her while the other, a black wolf slightly smaller than the other protected her.

Dismissing her dream, the thought of going back to sleep had crossed her mind, but was quickly rejected by her now awake body. Today was her first day at her new high-school, middle of the year.

Awesome.

Being the new kid used to work in her favor, when she was in 3rd grade. Now she was almost a 17 year old junior, at the bottom of the totem pole, socially, knowing no one.

Awesome.

"Bri! I heard your alarm go off, put your feet on the floor and get up. I've got your breakfast down here. Your favorite, waffles and berries." Noni her mom called upstairs.

"I'll be down in a few, shower first!" She yelled back. Twenty minutes later, Bri was putting her hair in a ponytail coming down the stairs, falling down half of them before reaching the bottom.

"How do you manage on a volleyball court, but can't walk down carpeted stairs? You are your father's child!" her mom laughed.

"I don't get it either mom. Maybe I should invest in a helmet and knee pads?" Bri giggled and sat at the island in the kitchen, grabbing a cup of coffee.

"You nervous about today kid?" Noni asked.

"A little, why? Can I stay home if I am?" Bri asked a smile played on her lips.

"Dream on." her mom laughed, "You sure you want to walk to school? I can't give you a ride, I have papers to sign before I start today."

"I don't need my mommy to walk me to the principal’s office on my first day." Bri teased.

"I can see that you are all grown up and onto a new, this woll be a fresh start for both of us." Noni smiled.

"Is dad coming to live with us soon?" Bri asked, hopeful.

"He has to stay back in Seattle as the CEO of KingBear Corporations there, while I start up our new branch here. We all agreed to this plan, BrI. Your father had something shipped to you for your first day. Want it now, or would you like to finish eating?" she asked, a giggle escaped her.

"Are you drunk, mom? What is wrong with you?" Bri laughed, "Of, coarse I want it now. Where is it?" she asked, getting excited.

"In the driveway, but put your boots on! We are in Colorado now!" Noni called, watching her daughter sprint to the front door. Bri flung open the door, and the fully loaded Chevy Blazer she'd wanted from back home, asked her parents for, but had to leave before she got it.

"Are you serious right now? This is mine? You guys said you couldn't get it and move!" Bri squealed, looking back at her mom, her dad was smiling back at her on her mom's tablet.

"Dad, this is great, mom you can't keep a secret to save your life! How did you keep this from me?" Bri laughed.

"Your mother wanted to tell you a few times, but she never broke!" her dad laughed.

"You guys are great! Thank you! Where are the keys?" she held her hand out to her mom, "I have no problems getting to school now!" Bri giggled as her mom dropped them in her hand.

Briar and her parents spent the next 25 minutes or so talking about the gadgets and gizmos, mountain driving safety, reminding her she needed to go through the 2 day class so if she got caught on the side of the road, she could survive long enough to get help.

Noni looked at the clock on the tablet, 7:44 am.

"Bri, I've got to get going. Kyle, we have to wrap this up, Bri needs to get to the campus and get the paperwork for her file to the Headmaster. I love you two, but you are little girls when you talk!" She laughed.

"Right, sorry ladies," her dad's mood changed in an instant. "I've got paperwork to do myself. Love you, kiddo, you too, Love. Talk to you soon." He waved, and the screen went dark.

"Does dad seem tired to you?" she asked her mom.

"He's not used to the pace that goes with doing both his and my job, kid. He'll get used to it. He's tough." Noni replied heading back into the house to grab her stuff for work.

"Mom?" Briar called after her.

"What's up?" she looked up, after filling her coffee cup.

"Thanks for making this move easier for me. I know it's been hard being co-CEO's with dad, and this is your chance to take a more active role in your and dad's company. I'm so proud of you, mom." Bri hugged her.

"I'm speechless, Bri. You have the most beautiful soul. I'm the one who's proud at the person your dad and I raised you to be." Noni kissed her on the cheek, holding back tears, leaving for work.

Eating breakfast, she pulled out her phone and reached out to her best friend back in Seattle.

Text Message To: Rina Skye

From: Briar KingBird BKB

'Hey bestie! How's life without me? My dad bought me the Blazer I was supposed to get back home! Guess who is coming home on the holidays! Hit me up when you can! Love you most...'

She finished her food, rinsed off her plate in the sink, and put it in the dishwasher. In the middle of filling her coffee cup, her phone buzzed. Flipping it open, she smiled.

Text Message To: Briar KingBird BKB

From: Rina Skye

'It is SUPER lonely without you! Call me tonight after your done with your day! I’ll be online later, so DM me! Love you most 2…’

The drive to campus was slow due to every driver collectively losing their minds, forgetting how to drive once the snow hit the ground! “It happens every year people. Humanity is screwed.” She laughed.

Thanks to all the grannies, Briar pulled into the parking lot having to settle with the nose bleed section. It was quite a hike to the doors of the main building too. She looked at her watch, 8:45. Classes started at 9:30, so she just might make it.

People started to stare at her and her 3 bag balancing act. Except for volleyball, she was a bear cub in action. She dropped her keys several times before just putting them in her pocket rather than trying to juggle them.

Taking a deep breath, walking into her new jail for the next year and a half was a bit of a shock. Back home her school wasn’t this big, the campus was an old farming complex remodeled and made into a school, and her class was maybe 200 people. Here, her class had to be close to 400!

This school was huge, multiple buildings for the various subjects, and a modern look with log cabin/ ski resort vibes. It wasn’t her kinda scene, but Briar promised her parents she would give Colorado a chance. Relief washed over her when she saw that the Headmaster’s office was central to the big campus.

As soon as she walked into the office, an older woman, with salt and pepper colored hair, geeky coke bottle glasses, and dressed more like a librarian than a secretary.

“Hello, dear. How can I help you? Open registration was last week, and we normally don’t handle transfers without a parent present.” The woman said, smiling.

“I’m Briar KingBear, my mother, Noni talked to you on the phone last week, during open registration.” Briar replied.

“I’m so sorry. My name is Mrs. Danielson. Did you bring the folder with your information so we can get your file together?” she asked.

Briar reached into her bag to pull out the folder her mother left on the counter this morning and handed it to Mrs. Danielson.

“Great! Let me get this scanned in and I’ll get you your starter packet, and you can be on your way. Sound good?” she asked.

“Yup. Thank you.” Briar replied, grabbing her phone out of her back pocket of her jeans, a nervous thing she did in a new place. Checking her social quick to kill time. A few minutes later she heard Mrs. Danielson’s heels clicking across the floor, Briar shoved her phone back in her pocket, not wanting to be rude.

“Here we go. This has all the basic information you will need, your class schedule, locker assignment, a map of the campus, the various clubs, organizations, and non elective classes we encourage you to sign up for. Your file indicates you’re are a violinist and volleyball player?” She asked.

“That’s right. I started playing the violin when I was 4 and volleyball when I was in 5th grade.” Bri smiled.

“I have taken the liberty to put you on our symphony orchestra conductor’s and varsity volleyball coach’s radar. Expect to hear from them, you will meet both in the course of your day.” She smiled.

“Wow. That’s a lot to digest. I think my brain just blew up.” Briar smiled at the secretary.

“If you need anything, please feel free to stop in and ask. You will like it here, Briar. Give us a chance?” Mrs. Danielson smiled.

“Thank you for all your help.” Briar laughed and left.

Briar felt her back pocket vibrate. She retrieved it, turned to go in the direction of her locker, slamming into an open locker door, and flat on her ass. The floor was hard too, but her pride was crushed as she angrily looked up to who owned the locker.

The world stopped.