A twelve-year-old boy named Cornelius Trevor Riffin woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. With a groan, he slammed a fist onto the black box. Then he got out of bed, finding himself repeating the same-old morning routine.

"Another day, another stinking repeat of my life..." Corey muttered. He had been living alone in his home ever since his parents and sister disappeared seven years ago. And thanks to Mayor Mellow, he had no choice but to be as obedient as everyone else in Peaceville.

So Corey started his day the same way he always did. After taking a quick shower, he got dressed in his usual look (a black and white concert shirt, orange shorts, and blue and white tennis shoes with white socks sticking out) and fixed up his pale brown hair, completing the look with favorite orange beanie. And while he ate breakfast, Corey sat down on the living room couch to see if there was anything good on. But of course, Mayor Mellow was making an announcement.

"Hello, I am Mayor Mellow, your beloved mayor. Make sure you remember to obey all rules, or I will have no choice but to extract you from the population. Oh, and don't forget that Footlong Friday is coming this week. Free footlong sandwiches to all good citizens."

Those words were engraved into Corey's brain. Not the sandwich thing, but the constant death threat. "And three, two, one..." he muttered to himself.

"Don't miss tonight's episode of Geeks and Girls!"

Corey turned off his TV just as they were going to advertise a clip from the episode. He hated Geeks and Girls. It started off alright, but when it became suddenly popular after five seasons, it became focused on the secondary lead star who wasn't even funny anymore. The worst part? It was the only show on every single TV network. He quickly learned that the show's mere existence was to make everyone else in Peaceville forget about Mayor Mellow's death threat.

With nothing else to do, Corey stood up, strapped his red-orange electric guitar to his back, and left his house. As he walked over to the music studio, he saw all the other locals smiling and doing their usual things. "What a bunch of sheep..." he muttered to himself. He felt like the only person in Peaceville who knew the truth. He just kept on obeying because he wanted to live.

Eventually, Corey arrived at the music studio. "Hey guys," he said in a dull tone.

"About time you got here, Corey!" the drummer said. "We're about to go live!"

"Yeah, I know," Corey said, getting in position. "I've been doing this for the past few years."

"Alright everyone," the band manager said. "Let's give everyone good music like we usually do. Remember to follow your scripts. And...action!"

Women Singers: Everything is awesome
Everything is cool when you're part of a team
Everything is awesome, when we're living our dream

Everything is better when we stick together
Side by side, you and I gonna win forever, let's party forever
We're the same, I'm like you, you're like me, we're all working in harmony

Everything is awesome
Everything is cool when you're part of a team
Everything is awesome, when we're living our dream

Male Singer: Have you heard the news, everyone's talking
Life is good 'cause everything's awesome
Lost my job, it's a new opportunity
More free time for my awesome community

I feel more awesome than an awesome opossum
Dip my body in chocolate frostin'
Three years later, washed out the frostin'
Smellin' like a blossom, everything is awesome
Stepped in mud, got new brown shoes
It's awesome to win, and it's awesome to lose (it's awesome to lose)

Women Singers: Everything is better when we stick together
Side by side, you and I, gonna win forever, let's party forever
We're the same, I'm like you, you're like me, we're all working in harmony

Everything is awesome
Everything is cool when you're part of a team
Everything is awesome, when we're living our dream

Male Singer: Blue skies, bouncy springs
We just named two awesome things
A nobel prize, a piece of string
You know what's awesome, everything

Dogs and fleas, allergies, a book of Greek antiquities
Brand new pants, a very old vest
Awesome items are the best

Trees, frogs, clogs
They're awesome
Rocks, clocks, and socks
They're awesome
Figs, and jigs, and twigs
That's awesome
Everything you see, or think, or say
...Is awesome

*Instrumental*

Women Singers: Everything is awesome
Everything is cool when you're part of a team
Everything is awesome, when we're living our dream

That was the only song Corey and the musicians played. Worst of all, Corey himself was the one who wrote the lyrics. He was fully aware that his own creative genius was being used to make sure everyone in Peaceville had a sheeplike mindset.

But this musician had a creative spark. Corey wrote songs of his own design. He wanted his voice to be heard throughout the town. He just had to obey Mayor Mellow's rules or he would be dead. So he was stuck in the studio, forcing himself to play the same notes for hours.

That Evening...

"And that's a wrap!" the band manager announced. "Nice work everyone!"

As Corey strapped his guitar to his back, he overheard his bandmates chatting.

"I'm going to Bealchi's after work tonight. Who wants to eat some delicious chicken wings and celebrate?"

"Who wants to share a croissant with me?"

"I actually prefer giant sausages."

Just as Corey was about to leave with the others, he heard a whoosh sound and saw a flash of red in the corner of his eye. "I'll stay here and lock up for the night," he said. He knew no one paid attention to him, but he didn't care. Right now, he wanted to figure out what he just saw.

In the studio's alleyway, Corey saw a girl search through the rubble. "Hey, you!" he called out. "What are you doing here?!"

The girl didn't respond.

Frustrated with no reply, Corey walked over to the girl. "Didn't you hear me?" he asked. "I said, what are you-"

But when Corey forcefully turned the girl around, he found himself silent. The girl wasn't like anything he ever saw. She had chin-length, bright red hair with her sideswept bangs partially covering her dark green eyes. Being shorter than average height, she also had fair skin. She wore a striped lime green and black t-shirt with yellow sleeves. She also wore long, red jeans that tucked into black folded leather boots. She wore black eyeshadow and black lipstick for makeup. There was also a black wristband watch on her left wrist. Despite her boyish appearance, this girl was very beautiful.

After a few minutes, the girl pulled away from Corey's grasp and ran off. His curiosity getting the better of him, the brunette preteen ran after the girl. He was so distracted, he wasn't looking where he was walking, resulting in him falling into a hole in the ground.

THUD!

Corey landed on the ground back first, damaging his guitar in the progress. But that was the least of his problems. He was distracted by a small silver object nearby. He got up and picked up the object. "What is this?" he wondered out loud.

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the preteen's head as images flashed in his head.

"A chosen one with hair of a primary color will uncover the Pick of Destiny and use it to defeat the ultimate weapon and save the world."

The last thing Corey heard was a female voice calling out before he blacked-out.