1. Askew

You are about to embark on the first "real" day of Callie's life...

Lithium

-by-

Gina Magliocco

1. Askew

I awoke the next morning feeling out-of-place, like a stranger in my own skin. Although everything seemed normal around me, I couldn’t help but feel lost, bewildered, and quite honestly, terrified. As I got ready for school, I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me, waiting for me. The paranoia seemed to cling close like a sinister shadow monster.

         After taking a hot shower that shockingly couldn’t thaw out my chilled skin, I hoped to distract my frenzied nerves by putting a grand effort into my hair and make up. I took great care of giving my odd colored hair the perfect shine as I worked my fingers through it to hold my natural curls, making it look flawless and effortless. I then moved on to my unique eyes, transforming them from puffy and haggard to sexy and bedroomy. There was a look in my eyes, a terribly haunted look that I couldn’t place, and it troubled me straight to the core. I’d never seen that look in my eyes before, and I was bothered by it.

         I didn’t want to stay in the bathroom any longer than I had to, but something kept me standing in front of the mirror, just gazing into my reflection with complete fascination. I was different looking than the average girl in my high school"including my own twin sister, Becca. She was the perfect picture of a dainty girl with long, platinum hair, baby blue eyes, and fair skin while I contrasted her in every way possible. My hair was long like hers, but instead of blonde it was a dark, brownish black with a deep, auburn red in the blend. And my eyes were far from blue"instead they were a deep brown with an iridescent ring of yellow around the iris. And not to mention that my skin was tan and I was curvier than my twin was in all the places men thought mattered most. Was I beautiful? I never really thought I was, but that’s all anyone ever told me, so I never thought to question it. But truthfully, as I stood staring at myself in my bathroom mirror, I didn’t know if I’d use beautiful to describe me, but I could pass for exotic or mysterious.

         And today I can add haunted to that list of colorful adjectives as well.

         And for once in my life I agreed with those who claimed my name didn’t match my features; “Callie” just didn’t seem to fit a girl who wasn’t blonde and light-skinned. Usually I thought of it as a paradox, for me being someone who looked to be made of perpetual sunlight and warmth as opposed to looking like an ice queen that would make my name would suit me, but even today I couldn’t help but agree that it just didn’t seem to fit anymore.

         I dressed my absolute best in a bright pink and yellow floral skirt made of the finest Asian silk that flowed lightly above my knees, with a soft yellow crop top to match. I looked at how the clothes fit on me in my dressing mirror and found everything to my approval; the colors accentuated the tan I acquired on the beautiful beaches in San Diego perfectly, and my hair and make up choice had done its job of making my looks appear au naturel"just the look I wanted for my first day of senior year. I pinned one side of my hair up in a butterfly pin made of pink and silver diamonds and added a silver choker and bracelet to match. Strappy pink and yellow sandals completed my look.

         A knock then came to my door and I gave permission for whomever it was to enter. I looked up to see my mother wearing a pink business suit with her blonde hair pulled back in a French twist and make up light but pretty. She was accompanying my dad to his Governors’ Brunch in Trenton this afternoon and probably wanted to wish me luck for the votes for varsity cheerleading captain that were happening after school today.

         Mama smiled brightly and said, “Oh, Callie you look so pretty for your first day of school. I wish I could your father and I could drive you,”

         “Ah, don’t worry about it,” I replied with a wave of my hand, letting her know I wasn’t bothered in the least bit.

         She opened her arms as an invitation for a hug I knew would be warm and cozy, and I immediately went in the shelter of her embrace; didn’t matter that I was a big girl and soon to be eighteen"I always needed a hug from my Mama. It seemed as though I needed one more this morning than I ever had before. What was wrong with me? Could it be anxiety?

         Mama wished me luck and complimented my outfit again before leaving, finding nothing unusual about my character today and making me feel as though I were taking the varsity votes a little too seriously"that had to be what I was doing, right?

         “Oh and don’t forget Callie"Francesca will be up soon to bring you your vitamin drink, so don’t leave before you drink all of it.”

         I nodded mechanically and she closed the door behind her, leaving me once again feeling chilled and bewildered for reasons I can’t name, but would soon find out. The mention of my vitamin drink had weirded me out and made my stomach surge uncomfortably. But that couldn’t be it, could it?

         Another knock sounded on my door and I invited the knocker in. Francesca came in with my vitamin drink and set it to down where she usually did, only bothering to break her usual routine by wishing me good luck for the varsity votes. I thanked her and she left, giving me a chance to look at the beverage and study it for any abnormalities. I found none, but that didn’t surprise me.

         The drink was a strawberry-lemonade flavored smoothie that contained all the vitamins and minerals I needed through my adolescent years, as well as the proteins I needed to make my immunity system stronger. I was born with a weaker one than Becca was, so my drink was slightly different than hers. I also had to take it twice a day whilst she only took hers in the morning, but that was strictly a precaution my mother wanted to take since she was a worrywart about everything concerning her twins. It wasn’t a bother to me"not when I knew she did because she cared"and at least the mixture didn’t taste bad. I could never taste the supplements that were in it so I never minded the taste. I just always hated the dependency. Still drank it though. Every last drop.

         For the third time there was a knock on my door and this time I answered it myself. Becca stood there dressed in an awkward looking black tunic dress, black-and-gray striped leg warmers that came to her knees and covered some of her dangerous looking three-inch stilettos, her eyes were way too dark and smoky, and her bangs were cut straight across and puffed against her forehead. She looked like some kind of Wednesday Adams nightmare.

         “Tell me you’re not going to school like that,” I greeted her with a scowl. I shook my head disbelievingly when she nodded. “Someone’s gonna have to cart your a*s to the emergency room and I’ll be damned if I’m gonna be that person.” Cheerleading votes are today you stupid brat!  I wanted to scream that last part but held it back, only because she’d use it as leverage against me and purposely fall down a flight of steps or something just so I’d miss out on the most important high school dream to ever come true. Becca resented me for being a cheerleader"something she wanted desperately to be"as well as for being popular, pretty, and spoiled. Everything she wasn’t, she hated me for. Sometimes it seems like our lives were switched like some kind of weird Invasion of the Body Snatchers plot.

         “Oh come off it, Callie,” Becca replied flippantly with a toss of her hair. “I happen to think I look cute like this. I look like a little rich goth girl,”

         “No, you look like a little rich idiot who can’t dress herself,” I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose with my index and middle finger, which was the best indication that I wasn’t pleased with something. It was safe to say that I was more than not pleased with Becca’s taste in clothes, as well as her lack of consideration for anyone she was related to. Like I wanted to babysit her and make sure she was on her good behavior like I always had to? Give me a f*****g break.

         She narrowed her blue eyes at me and gave me an once-over with such scrutiny. Jealousy colored every pore of her skin an ugly, sickly green. I think it suited her quite well. “And don’t you look the flawless picture of floral perfection,” she sneered sarcastically. “Better yet, you look like an over-sized vase of Asian flowers. Even your perfume has a floral scent to it!” She wrinkled her nose in disgust and pulled a handkerchief from her purse to cover her face with. I sniffed where I sprayed Dolce and Gabana’s The One on my wrist and thought it smelled simply divine.

         “Ah, and you see, Becca? This would be you choking on the expensive smell of fine taste and class that unfortunately for you money can’t buy"an appreciation for the finer things in life is something you’re born with. Now no more time for arguing, for I have places to go and people to grace.”

         I ignored her shocked expression, knowing fully well she was about to say some kind of snide remark, and turned my back on her to get my purse. I grabbed it from where it sat by my vanity, but when I turned to head back to the door I suddenly froze. A lump formed in my throat as tears filled the brim of my eyes, threatening to fall and ruin the effort I put in to my make up. As I fought to catch my breath and gain control of what the situation could be, my eyes narrowed hard on the object that caused my disturbance; I’d never seen this black jacket before, but it was somehow familiar. Did it belong to Travis? Was it a coat I had from a few years ago that Mama wanted to donate to good will? But it was way too big for me, so it couldn’t be mine…

         Whose coat was it then?

         “Callie, you okay?” Becca asked from behind me, trying to peer over my shoulder to see what was bothering me.

         I kept the coat from view as I turned back and assured her I was fine, that I was just thinking of Travis who I missed terribly over the summer"even though that was a downright lie. I mean, I had missed him in California and wanted so much to walk hand-in-hand with him on the Hollywood Strip, but that was when I was in California. I’d only been home since yesterday, and since then I hadn’t thought of Travis once. Not like Becca needed to know that though.

She didn’t seem to buy my answer though, which really bugged me. But it wasn’t her business anyway, so I wasn’t going to tell her, regardless. 

Author's Note

1. Any grammar/spelling mistakes?
2. How'd you like the dialogue? (internal/external)
3. How was the imagery? Did I paint a portrait in your mind?
4. What would you say the mood was for this chapter?
5. What's something you really liked?
6. What's something you really hated?
7. Additional comments.

Thanks! :)