Chapter Two-13 Days Ago

A story of government conspiracy, a flu, and aliens all wrapped in one girl's will to survive

 

Chapter Two

13 Days Ago-Saturday, June 3^rd

            Yesterday, I know I over reacted about two things: the seminar guy and the move.  At the time of the flu seminar, I was not in the best frame of mind, as you can well understand.  I came to the conclusion that my emotions were so overtaxed during the lecture that I made Kevin Consuelo out to be the bad guy; when in fact, he was just trying to help.  I knew I just wanted someone to blame and Kevin was the readily available scapegoat.  The move I was still mad about, but I felt bad about my actions towards Heather.  I knew I should vid-call her and make up, but I was still too mad about the whole situation to talk rationally to her.  Heather called me so many times last night on my iHolo-vid phone that I was contemplating changing my current oldie ringtone, Katy Perry’s ET.  I swear if I hear “you’re an alien” one more time, I am going to scream.  I tried to pick up several times, but I just could not…I did not know what to say.  All I could think was that my best friend was moving in 15 days.  I hate the fact that there is nothing I can do to change the situation, like I am a backseat driver in my own life.  I wish I could slow down and at least be within 5 mph of the speed limit, because I was doing 80 mph in a 30 mph zone.

            I came home last night after a miserable shift at Bella’s Diner and sequestered myself in my room.  I knew that my parents found out about Heather’s move, when the knocks started.  They asked me if I wanted to come out and talk about it.  I politely responded, “No, mom and dad, I do not want to talk about it.”  Eventually, they let me have some privacy to be alone with my dark thoughts.  My whole night I spent tossing and turning, trying to find a comfortable position so I could lose myself to unconsciousness or dreams.  By three in the morning, I finally got my wish.  I dreamed.

            I have had this dream before.  It was one of those recurring ones that you know you have had before many times over many years.  The dream has never changed, except for the boy.  I remember quite vividly having this dream when I was seven.  In my dream, I looked my age and the boy looked seven as well.  Over the years of having this dream, the boy has grown with me.  I am not sure if this is normal dream behavior; regardless of normal dream protocol, it happens.   My dream always starts in the pleasure garden in the back of Montgomery Manor.

The pleasure garden was one of my favorite places to go to think and just enjoy nature.  My great to the 5^th power grandmother loved flowers and her husband indulged her by hiring some of the best landscape designers and gardeners to create a masterpiece that would rival the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.  If they did not succeed, they came pretty damn close.  The pleasure garden was named after that particular grandmother and was called Hope’s Garden by the rest of her descendents.  Numerous plants and flowers grace the garden, many of the flowers I do not even know their names, though I do not need to for they serve their purpose.  This garden has always held a bit of magic for me.  Possibly, because it is so steeped in my family’s history, I do not know, still I love it.  There is even a maze, which is pretty deep in the garden where I rarely go due to past experiences.  Many times I have gotten disoriented and lost in that maze; I gave up years ago trying to figure the way out.  It is one of those mysteries that need to stay a mystery; otherwise, it might lose its appeal and mystique.  The garden is almost reminiscent to a jungle with plants and fragrant flowers everywhere like an ordered and elegant chaos.  Does not make much sense, I know; however, that is the only way to describe the power of Hope’s Garden.  My favorite part of the garden is the water fountain.  In the center of the garden, there is a masterfully sculpted fountain holding not just water, but the goddess Demeter, whose beautiful smile looks mysterious and wistful.  I spent many an hour here in the spring and summer trying to figure out her secrets; alas, I never did.

Whenever the dream begins, I find myself seated on one of the many stone benches that can be found throughout Hope’s Garden.  I am not sure what I am doing there, because I can tell it is the middle of winter and I am dressed in a pure white dress that was made for warmer weather.  I often find that strange, since my parents taught me to dress properly according to the season and weather.  Hey, it is a dream after all.  Snow is covering everything like a big, fluffy down comforter, which hides Demeter’s face from my wandering gaze.  Waiting.  I am waiting for someone or something to happen.  I always wait for a good while until a boy my age steps out from behind a trellis.  One would expect that after having this dream so many times, I would know what the boy looked like.  They would be wrong on that count.  Whenever I took a glance at the boy’s face, it would be all distorted and blurry; I could only make out his vivid green eyes"eyes like that could search and find the deepest, darkest hidden corners of your soul.  The rest of his face was a mystery to me, even after all these years of having the dream.

 He would hold out his hand to me offering me to take it; I never hesitated in my dream to take the proffered hand.   Hand in hand, he would lead me to the back entrance of my home.  At the door, the boy would turn to me expectantly waiting for me to open the door.  I grabbed the gold-gilded handle and turned it.  The door always opened wide and then would disappear.  We would find ourselves not in my family’s living room, but on a cliff overlooking a burned out city.  The emotion I feel when I see the city is not one of fear, but of resignation.  I am resigned to the fact that I cannot save the city…I am only one person, after all.

Smoke swirls around the sky above the city in a twisted version of a ballet directed by the frivolous wind.  In some buildings that I could see, fires were still ravaging all remnants of occupants long gone; whether, these people still lived or not, I could only guess.  In a strange way, I felt like the fire was a friend, who was trying to burn any memories of the painful past of a life that has been long forgotten.  The breeze that lifts my hair carries with it the scents of the city"death and decay and the purifying fire.  Both of us stand there for an indeterminate amount of time, watching"just watching"the fire burn and purify.

 I have had enough of this sight of the fallen, burned city and I pull on the boy’s hand to let him know that it is time to depart.  There is nothing that we can do.  He does not want to leave yet for some unfathomable reason.  Maybe he wants to say goodbye to the civilization that lived there, I think to myself.  I pull again this time more urgently…it really is time to leave.  Our hands are still connected even after what felt like a century; thus, I can feel his hand go cold with fear.  My senses go on high alert and I quickly scan the area"there is nothing here, but us.  I look to the boy and he is facing the forest behind us.  My dream self trusted this boy and his senses.  If he sensed something coming from the forest, I knew, without a doubt, that there was something in there…something that could and would hurt us if given the chance.  In a flash, he pushes me to a steep path down the cliff leading away from the forest and towards the city and the abandoned suburban houses surrounding it.  I do not want to leave him and I reach out to press myself against him.  For a moment, our hearts beat as one, I cannot bear to be parted from this boy that I have, in a weird way, grown up with.  Our eyes connect his otherworldly green and my sky blue ones that I inherited from my mother.  The connection between us sizzles and I feel like I would burn with it"I would willingly burn to that is how deep the bond is between us.  I look up into those eyes and I see the fear, not for his life, but for mine.  Instantly, I felt his body stiffen, breaking our connection; he gently pushes me away.  He was breathing heavily as if trying to fight back anguished sobs.  Once he was in control of his emotions, he shoves me towards the path again.  In that same breath of time, there is a strange, high-piercing screech coming from the forest.  The fear that has been building up inside him reaches a boiling point, he pleadingly screams, “Run!”  My instincts kick on as I race toward the path and away from whatever made that awful, inhuman screech.  My fear for myself subsides a notch, I turn back to see if the boy is all right.  In front of my non-believing eyes, I see his body and the surrounding area transform into stars.  Confused at this new development, I look around and see myself drifting in space.

Then, I would wake up, every single time at that point of the dream…always drifting, floating in the great emptiness of space.  The vastness of space caused a fear greater than my fear of what was in the forest.  Being alone has always been my greatest fear, which is why I reacted so strongly to Heather’s big move.  My fear was so great that I was always drenched in sweat and out-of-breath when I woke up from the dream.  For as long as I can remember, this dream has haunted me making me relive my fear every time.

Pulling my knees to my chest, I sat there in my luxurious queen-sized bed with unbelievably silky sheets imported from India, a present from my grandmother.  I hated to be alone.  I hated that I treated Heather so badly for a choice that she did not make.  I was not sure how I should feel. What I needed was my best friend to help me figure and sort out my emotions.  Grabbing my iHolo-vid phone from my bedside table, I called Heather to work things out.  For the time that we had left together, I decided that I would not spend that time angry and hateful; rather I would spend the time with my bestie, who knew me better than I think I knew myself.

The hologram of Heather’s face popped up and out of my phone.  I saw her tentative smile and I felt my face returning it.  “Heather, I just wanted to apologize.  I really treated you badly yesterday and I am really, really sorry.  I know it was not your choice to move,” I paused thinking of what to say.  I decided, instead of polishing up my apology, I would go for honesty about how I felt.  The truth was always best, or so my oh-so-wise mother said.  Thanks mom for those little life tidbits.  “I am still upset, obviously, but I realized that I am not the only one hurting.”  Again, I paused, because the next thing I was going to say made me feel vulnerable and naked.  The words of their own accord rushed out in one breath.  “I am scared to be alone.  We have always been there for each other, so you know…”  I knew if I said anymore that I would start crying, and that is the last thing I wanted to do.

“Lexxie girl, I know how you feel, believe me, I do.  I am sorry that I kept it from you for so long.  I was just hoping that it would go away…”  She stopped and a smile lit up her face as she continued, “As I was trying to tell you last night with all those phone calls I made that I talked to my dad.”  I had the sense to look sheepish and guilty, but she only shook her head and smiled.  This girl knew me too well.  “I told my dad about everything"how unfair it was to take me away from my last year of high school and all that.  Basically, I made him feel guilty.  He then came up with a compromise to the situation.  Do you want to know what he said?”  I excitedly nodded for her to go on.  “He said that I could spend the summer here with my aunt who lives the next town over…and if my aunt agrees to it, I can finish my last school year here!  He knew how important it was to me to finish school with my friends.”  I could not believe my ears.  Happiness flooded through me at her announcement; I do not think it was possible for my smile to get any wider.

“Seriously?”  Heather nodded like an eager-to-please puppy; I could understand because I was wriggling with happiness like a puppy too.  “Wow!  You better get in your pretty blue mustang with that ridiculous sunflower on it and come over!”  The words had barely let my lips and Heather was gone.  I knew she would be here within five minutes, since she only lived a few streets over.  I could not believe this new development and how happy I was with this one compared to the last! I guess the higher power did hear me after all.  Thanks higher power for making my world perfect once again!  All is right with the world, and I am content to blast my happy, feel good music.

#

“Pass the popcorn,” I asked of Heather as we sat in my family’s den watching the movie 2012 with John Cusack and Amanda Peet.  We both were lounging on the massive sofa that my dad had bought so he and his buddies could watch sports.  I loved this couch because it came with a chaise lounge attached to it; there have been many times I feel asleep in the chaise lounge while I was doing homework.

Heather passed the big bowl of extra butter popcorn my way.  I grabbed a handful and quite unladylike shoved it in my mouth.  The movie had me hooked; I could not take my eyes away from the screen as the family raced to get out of California as it was sinking into the Pacific.  “Can you believe people actually thought the world was going to end in 2012?”  Heather asked me as she popped one piece of popcorn at a time in her dainty mouth.

“Everyone was listening to the hype of the Mayan’s calendar.  Last time I watched this with my dad, he told me people actually made fallout shelters and bought large amounts of food and water.  Actually, one of his neighbors had built a fallout shelter and went inside a week before December 21, 2012 and did not leave until halfway through January.”

Heather snorted almost choking on her popcorn.  “Seriously?!”  I nodded as my hand of its own accord groped for more popcorn.  My attention went back to the movie, but Heather looked thoughtful before she asked, “What would you do if you the world was ending?”

I paused from chewing of the buttery goodness and thought a good while about the question Heather had thrown out there.  “Hmm…I don’t really know.  I mean how would anyone know how they would react to that situation?  The only way I would know is if I went through it; sadly, I am pretty sure I would be like one of those 1960s people and hide under the table…or like chicken little running around screaming ‘The sky is falling! The sky is falling!’.”  I did a mock impersonation of Chicken Little by waving my arms in the air pretending the sky really was falling.

“Oh come on and be serious, Lex.”  Heather’s tone was serious, but I could tell she was about to break out into giggles.

“I am being serious.  I am not brave like you!”

“So what I am brave now, because I like scary movies and roller coasters?” I fervently nodded like a bobble head toy.  “Yeah I guess that settles it…I’m the brave one!”  Then both of us burst out into laughter when Heather had put her hands on her hips in Superman style.

We were both oblivious to everything around us, which was the perfect setup for a disaster.  If I had paid attention to my surroundings, I would have noticed my mother walking in with several dress garments slung over her arm.  Truth be told, my skills are lacking in the observation department.  As you can imagine when my mother called my name to grab my attention, I freaked and the popcorn and the bowl flew out of my hands, making quite a mess out of the living room.

“Geez, mom!  You scared me the s**t out of me!”  My mother paused in her process of emptying the garment bags and gave me a stern look.  “Sorry, I am working at not to cuss.  It just came out.”

“I know it was a mistake, because I scared you.  Still it is not fitting for a young lady to use those words.” For one long moment, I was being stared down by the-you-better-behave-yourself-or-I-will-punish-you-for-the-rest-of-your-life look.  Whenever I got that look for mom, you better believe I was on my best behavior.  It was another long moment, before a smile lit up my mom’s face and she continued, “The reason I came in here was because I brought some dresses for you both to try on.  I know prom is coming up in a week, and Lex you still have not picked out a dress.”  At the mention of trying on dresses, Heather perked up and practically skipped over to the rack of dresses and immediately began browsing.  Suppressing a groan, I got up and walked to the rack as if I was Marie Antoinette walking to guillotine.  Dancing was not one of my many talents.  Ok, I will come clean to you: the main reason for not wanting to go to the prom was that I did not have a date, so trying on dresses seemed pointless.  “Come on Lex! You will be with all your friends.  You do not need a date to have fun.”  My mother always had the ability to read my mind; I was not sure if that was a “mom” thing or she just had that uncanny talent. 

“Mom, do you ever not have a date for a dance?”  Instead of answering me, she made herself look extremely busy by straightening out dresses and fussing over Heather.  “Mom! Did you ever not have a date?”  I repeated in exasperation.

“No, Lex. All right! I always had a date, but that is because I did not say no to every guy that asked me.”  Now, I knew this was a conspiracy, because Heather darted out of the room with a gown in hand.  Thanks traitor and I shot a nasty look at Heather’s retreating back.  “Oh, don’t blame Heather.  I bribed her for the information.”

“What did you give her?”

“You know my famous cream cheese swirl brownies, which are her favorite by the way, and she spilled like a can of beans.  Why didn’t you tell me you got asked by Luke Tremblay? His family is a founding member of this town and he is quite a handsome boy!”  By the way my mother gushed on and on about Luke, you would have thought Luke asked me to marry him.

“Mom! This is a prom not a life decision; besides, I really do not care about Luke.  He is sort of a pompous as…butt.”  I caught myself from swearing.  Luke Tremblay was tall, tan, overly muscled, and quite frankly a jerk.  I have seen him tease and torture other kids.  He has even given Ralph Little, a guy who was a bit on the dorky side, but he was really a sweet guy, a swirly.  There was no way I was going to be the arm candy for Luke Tremblay at our junior prom.  I think I lost my mom, because she was back browsing through the dresses.  After a moment, she pulled another dress out of a garment bag and held it up to me.  The dress was a soft peacock blue with a heart-shaped neckline and off the shoulder straps.  Stunning!  The gown was simply stunning and I noticed the back of the gown had a train, which was a swirl of colors exactly like a peacock’s tail feathers.

“Try this on! I believe you will look gorgeous!”  I took the hanger out of my mom’s hands and went to the mirror in the hallway to check myself out.  Heather joined me with a champagne colored number and held it up to herself.  “It really is beautiful Lex.  Go try it on!”  I acquiesced and rushed to the bathroom.  Quickly I changed into the silk gown and I let it flow down my skin in a soft caress.  I took a peek at the mirror and I did not recognize myself.  The girl in the mirror was no longer a girl, but a woman.  This woman was everything I wanted to be lovely, graceful, strong, and mysterious.  I did not know this woman, but I hoped I would someday grow into the strong and proud being that looked back at me.  At that moment, I knew I would do anything to become that woman and change myself from a scared, clumsy, weak smart a*s into the woman that was my reflection. 

 

Author's Note

Let me know what you think! Constructive criticism please! I updated this a bit to add more dialogue to break up the monotony!

Reviews

[halflives]

"Both of us stand there for an indeterminate amount of time, ("just watching") the fire burn and purify." ; "burned city, and I pulled on the boy’s hand to let him know that it was time to depart." ; "“Pass the popcorn,” I asked of Heather" (this isn't really asking. Another word, perhaps?) ; "(i)Thanks traitor(i)(,) (I thought)(,) sho(o)t(ing) a nasty look at Heather’s retreating back" ; "Quickly(,) I changed into the silk gown and I let it flow down my skin in a soft caress."
Great job with this! I was intrigued the entire time, especially with that constant detail of the dream in the beginning. I'm interested to see what this turns into; I can already tell that the dance is going to be a disaster. Why else would you put it into a book that has a world that falls apart? Very, very good. I'm going on to read more!

[melissa]

Wow I hope you get this book published because I want a copy of this book because is an awsome book

[Jim]

The story is moving along well. Lexxie's voice is strong, and the dream sequence is intriguing. The characters feel believable, especially Lexxie and Heather.

Here are a few nit-picky things:

In the opening, it seems odd that she refers to Kevin Consuelo, someone she has never met, by the first name only: "I knew I just wanted someone to blame[,] and Kevin was the readily available scapegoat."

"Mom" and "Dad" should be capitalized, because you're using them as proper nouns: "I politely responded, 'No, mom and dad, I do not want to talk about it.'”

"Many times I have gotten disoriented and lost in that maze; I gave up years ago trying to figure the way out." Then how did she get out? That could be an interesting story in itself.

"The garden is almost reminiscent (to) a jungle with plants and fragrant flowers everywhere like an ordered and elegant chaos." Should be "reminiscent of"

"One would expect that after having this dream so many times, I would know what the boy looked like. They would be wrong on that count." You use "one" followed by "They" here.

"Maybe he wants to say goodbye to the civilization that lived there, I think to myself." The expression "I think to myself" is redundant, because you can't think to anyone else. I'd just use, "I wonder."


It is a bit confusing when the tense switches back and forth from present to past. Fort instance, most of this scene is in the present tense, but here it switches to past tense: "My dream self trusted this boy and his senses. If he sensed something coming from the forest, I knew, without a doubt, that there was something in there…something that could and would hurt us if given the chance." I'd stick with the present tense.

"Our eyes connect(,) his otherworldly green and my sky blue ones that I inherited from my mother"


"Confused at this new development, I look around and see myself drifting in space." The "confused at this development" part is unnecessary, and I think that the sentence would work better without it.

"I would have noticed my mother walking in with several dress garments slung over her arm." "dress garments" feels redundant

"Whenever I got that look (for) mom, you better believe I was on my best behavior." Should be "from"

"as if I (was) Marie Antoinette walking to [the] guillotine" Should be "were," because it's subjunctive

"“Mom, (do) you ever not have a date for a dance?” Should be past tense

Need commas here: " Thanks[,] traitor[,] and I shot a nasty look at Heather’s retreating back." Come to think of it, I'd split that sentence in two and get rid of the "and,": "Thank, traitor. I shot a nasty look..."

Something seems to be left out of this sentence: "He has even given Ralph Little, a guy who was a bit on the dorky side, but he was really a sweet guy, a swirly." Gave Ralph what?

[Naomi Roseღ]

I still really like this book! This chapter was great, except for one small error I saw: "My senses go on high alert and I quickly scan the area"there is nothing here, but us."
Did you mean to add the quotation mark in between area and there?
Anyways, great chapter!

[Amanda Naomi]

i think you got a little too distracted on the garden, i really wanted to get to the dream sequence (which was awesome btw) and then you were describing a garden and i was like "whoa whats going on...i thought we were supposed to get to a dream, now there's a garden?"

also the mom is WAY to formal and polite when her daughter is caught swearing to install the kind of fear that and respect that you talk about later

but sweet! apple is still in bis with the new iholo phone!

also i feel that you're using too much "oldie" material like 2010 and ET by katie perry.....by the time we have holo phones and hover cars, those kinds of movies and song would be lame to a 17 yearold girl! don't be afraid to make up your own ringtone and movies! or if you still want to watch 2010 atleast say something about horrible graphics and completely unrealistic!

also i doubt we will have this kind of technology soon, and it seems like this futuristic story is only the next generation, and i doubt we are anywere close to comercial use of holo phones and hover cars......but by saying that her dad said he knew someone from that time kinda makes it unrealisticly impossible!!! try saying she watched it with her great grandpa....with advances in medical technology i'm sure he'd still be alive!

[MR_BERG]

The story itself is moving along quite well, but you have a chapter without action; they have to happen. Is there some information that could be added past the recurring dream?

[SheWhoWillNotBeNamed]

wait.... Lex was dreaming at around 3 am... and then she called her bff and she just came right over??? Isn't it like.. the middle of the night??!?!
"“What would you do if you the world was ending?”" you're missing something here..
"You scared me the s**t out of me" take out the first 'me'
I liked this chapter quite a bit.

[bluessadmood]

here i liked the dream,i love dreams,ha ha,but they are pretty hard to bring out
but you did so well,it has to be strange looking and it was ,again always the feeling of
some sadness looming and almost things sinister and hard to stand could be felt
i like writings like this,i dont know where you are heading with this,still i like it
lovely write..

[Gone]

This just keep getting better with each chapter

[Blue Moon Ice Cream]

This is another good chapter. You might want to read over it again and look at the verb tenses, though--for instance, in the first paragraph, Lexxie says "I knew I should vid-call her and make up...." and then a sentence later, she says "I swear, if I hear "you're an alien" one more time, I am going to scream." This also happened a couple times in the dream.