I know it's rough. There's things that need fixed, but I would like to know what you think. I have more than this but I'm putting this much up to get imput.
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I'm...different.
No, correction: I'm a freak of nature.
I shouldn't be able to do what I do. Everyone that always claims to have this "gift" is a crack-job. I've never met anyone else like me, and I doubt I ever will. It just goes against everything reasonable. And the worst part is that I can't tell anybody. I'd be locked up in one of those padded rooms--strait-jacket included.
I can just see it now. I would walk downstairs to the couch where my parents would watch one of their nightly T.V. shows. I'd just sit down next to them. Once a commerical appeared, the television would be muted, and then I would mutter the infamous Sixth Sense line...
I see dead people.
See? I told you--freak of nature.
Chapter 1
"Elizabeth Daniels?"
I snapped out of my "own little world" as soon as a heard Mr. Ward, my chemistry teacher, call my name. I could tell he was getting frustrated with me. I had recently--and a lot--been drifting in and out of focus, thanks to it being the last few weeks of school.
"Sorry, sir," I said, looking down at the boring white desk, flushed.
"Do please pay attention," the middle-aged teacher begged. "Your final is in only three days and you would not want to fail this. It would be very unfortunate to fail your science class right before graduation."
I didn't respond. Not because I was embarassed, but because I knew he was right. Although I had done just okay in my chemistry class during the year, I had forgotten almost everything I'd learned. And the final was going to be a huge part of my grade. Now was not the time to be day dreaming.
I started trying to focus as Mr. Ward went over a review for the final. Today, he was studying orbitals. Definitely something I despised. In fact, I just despised the whole class. Why did I let my father walk me into taking chemistry? I wasn't even sure of that answer. It was just a momentary lapse of judgement on my part. One that could end up screwing up my graduation.
Of course, my dedication to the attempt of focusing didn't last. It shifted to watching the clock. There was only a minute left in class until three o'clock. This made the class even worse--it was the last period of the day, making the hour drag on slowly. God, I loathed this class.
Finally, the bell rang, granting the class' freedom. They all hated the class as much as me. As I walked to my car, I heard a voice calling my name.
"Liz! Hey, wait up Liz!"
I recognized the voice at once as one of my good friends Zach Myears. Zach is a great guy--one my parents always wanted me to date--and I love the guy to death. Just not in the way that he loves me to death. And unfortunately, he doesn't always get the hint.
"Hey," I said to Zach as a neared the parking lot.
"Hey, Liz," Zach said happily. Almost too happily. Like a 'I'm very nervous' happy. I started to pick up on what this might be about. "You know, I was just thinking of an idea." Uh-oh. This was definitely about doing something together--like a date. "You and I should go see a movie tonight." Bingo.
I hated this. Turning down Zach would be hard, but to be honest, I didn't want to date my 'brother'. My best friend, Laura Walsh, asked me to help her cousin move into his new apartment in town. I'm not sure why she asked me to help, but she did. Boy, was I glad she did. It gave me a nice reasion to turn Zach down nicely.
"I'm sorry, Zach," I started, "but I'm helping Laura's cousin, Alex, move into his apartment. I'm on my way to Laura's now."
Zach's face fell enough for me to notice, but he put on a mask to hide it an instant later. Guilt washed through me. I hated to hurt him.
"That's cool," he said non-chalantly. "Have fun moving boxes!" That's Zach. Always make light of something that hurts him.
He laughed and continued his way to his truck. I turned in the opposite direction and headed towards my car. The air was warm since it was mid May, and the heat felt good on my face. When I reached my little Chevy Cavalier, I unlocked the door, rolled down the widows, and started the car.
I drove through the streets of town, on my way to Laura's house--like I did most days after school. I glanced on the sidewalks seeing many underclassmen students who lived nearby that were walking home.
While stopped at a stop light, I noticed another teenager on the sidewalk. Only this teenager, I knew, wasn't a normal teenager. This guy standing there was probably my age--and has been my age for a while. The guy was dead.
Wonderful... was all I could think to myself.
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Technically there is still more to this chapter, but I haven't figured out a good stopping point, so I'm going to stop it here. Please, let me know what you think. I greatly appreciate it.
