Please critique the beginning of my chapter?

To be honest, I was wary about reading something that looked so long, so that was a turn off for me. But as I read more, I started to think, "Okay... Not half bad. Huh, I sort of like it." Its true. I do like it. Its not fantastic or - sorry for the following comparison - twilight phenomenon amazing (but what do I know, I'm no expert), but its something I would like to read. I especially like the topic. 2012, how relevant. To me at least. At that point in the chapter I thought, "Yes, someone has read my mind and wrote something about 2012!" I'm still smiling about it. Anyway, very good job. I'm pretty sure it would be a tad better if Y!A had italics. Again, nice job.