*I sat under a weeping willow tree watching the night sky shimmer. The stars shone bright in the sky and I started hearing a song.
'Let me tell you this
Your beauty's just like this
The moon, the stars and no one can insist
You remind me of a rose I'll imprint it on my nose
Who dares complain when I do it no one knows
I'll take you to that place where I'm sure that you'll be safe
No one goes there only I and we'll escape
Let me tell you this
When I see you I can't sleep
I love your smile and it means the world to me'
The song echoed in my head and I started to hum along with it. I closed my eyes and hummed along with the song.
'You are my greatest gift
I can not confess it
The way you are is enough to shake a cliff
I love you very much
I have not said it enough
But hear my voice
You're always in my heart'*
I shut my eyes open and blinked a few times. That song had always echoed in my head. That willow tree, the lake, the bright night sky it always lived in my dreams. I was always under that tree in the dream I never moved from there and I was having the same dreams over and over again they kept coming, the same song, the same place the same sitting position everything was the same.
I got downstairs after getting ready for school and hoped to drop off Gabriella but mom said Cecilia already dropped her off.
~G. No she didn't
Gabriella said running downstairs.
~mom. What? But Cece told me she's dropped you off
~G. Then she lied right to your face
~mom. She did didn't she? Come have your toast so you two can get going
Gabriella sat on a barstool and picked up her toast. After eating we went to the car and drove to school and for some reason I wanted to see Emory and Acura there. As I got to Gabriella's side I stopped the car and just as she was about to get down she turned to me.
~G. Be careful....it's happening
I looked at her confused at what she just said.
~me. What?
~G. Nothing nevermind
Then she jumped out of the car. What did she mean by be careful, it's happening?
It had already been passed lunch and we were going for art class but where were they? I haven't seen them all day. I took my seat beside Adelynn while Rylee sat to her left then just as the teacher walked in they walked in and sat right behind me. I could feel their gaze burning through my back and it made me nervous somehow. I need to understand the things they said to me about not being human and also what Gabriella said to me too.
Our teacher asked us to paint an image, any image at all. I painted the weeping willow tree, the lake, the moon and the stars onto the canvas.
~Teacher. Alright students our time is almost up, take your time and paint whatever image it is that you've pictured in your mind
As I tried adding some touches to my painting it just didn't feel right. "Something is missing, I'm not getting it right, something is wrong but what is it? Why can't I just get the image in my head and paint it out onto the canvas?". The bell rung and just as I was about to stand up Acura bent over my shoulder and whispered.
~A. You remember it so vividly
Then she walked off with Emory. What did she mean? These two have to stop confusing me, I can't always understand the parables they speak in. What does she mean by you remember it so vividly? I've always had this image in my mind, I dreamt about it at night and thought about it all day, it was the only thing I seemed to dream about.
I left the art room and went for my next class at least that one Acura and Emory weren't in it with me. I walked into the class only to see Emory and Acura sitting right behind my seat and there were no other empty seats so I took a seat and tried to focus on the class but it just felt impossible, I kept thinking about Gabriella's words, and the words they had told me too it was a lot to process and I haven't been able to understand what they meant about it either.
I sat on the bleachers during recess and just thought about everything that was going on in my life.
"If the people around me can't see my hair changing color but Acura and Emory can, does that mean the three of us are different, does that mean we are the same? Does that mean they actually have the answers to all my questions?... No! Of course not, they could just be fooling around with me, they can't really understand the things going on in my life, even my own mom doesn't understand so how in the world could two random new kids know?! That's impossible"
~R. Girl you lost deep in thoughts are you okay?
~me. Oh yeah yeah I was just thinking about food, I'm pretty hungry
~Ad. I've got a bag of chips in my bag
~me. Then we're is your bag?
~Ad. It's in my locker come on let's go get it
~me. You guys should go first I'll be right there
~R. Okay
They left and just as they stepped out a short while after Acura and Emory walked in. I stared at her for what felt like decades until she just walked out and left Emory standing there he had a faint smile on his face and I just stared into those icy blue eyes then the smile died and he walked out too. What was up with these two? They were all over Cecilia on their first day then why are they now on me all of a sudden? I picked up my hair and watched it change color, I was still feeling very weak but I had to stand up then it stopped...I felt completely energized so I ran to meet up with my friends. I met them at out lockers and Adelynn threw the bag of chips at me, even though I wasn't actually hungry I ripped open the bag and picked out a chip then took a bite out of it.
I talked and laughed with my friends and then the halls went silent, I started to feel weak again and it was getting stronger and stronger and my hair was changing colors rapidly, I ran to the bathroom and looked at my hair and that's when Acura barged in and without even saying anything hid the hair and under the others, used a hairpin to hold it in place and brought out foundation and dabbed it on my face, she took one last look at me and nodded then Acura changed to a completely different person. The girl in front of me no longer had dark silky hair but golden blonde hair, those pink eyes were now golden brown and those pink lips were now red, the freckles on her face were gone and the structure of her face changed I was in shock but no words came out of my mouth, there was so much I wanted to say but everything refused to come out then she took my hand and we left the bathroom, she started laughing all of a sudden and then my eyes met with a pair of onyx black eyes. A guy who I had never seen before and then Acura nudged me in the arm and whispered the words...
~A. Cute, wave at him, he's looking at you
I found myself wiggling my fingers at the guy but then he gave me a meek smile and walked away, behind him two guys and two other girls walked with him. Me and Acura walked further as to not lose sight of them then they stopped in front of Cecilia and he smiled. Was Cecilia that attractive that she caught the eye of all the new cute guys in the school. Her black hair and purple contact lenses, her freckles and carnation pink lips, were they what attracted these guys even Emory started following her from day one. He said something to her and walked off with her then I noticed a guy, he had brown hair and green eyes, salmon pink lips and glasses looking at Acura and I. I turned to Acura and looked at her confused, even though she didn't look like herself I still knew she was Acura but how did she make herself look so different. I still feel very weak considering the fact that I'm so close to her but this guy looking at us who is he? I haven't seen Emory either. Acura looked at the guy and he looked at her too he walked up to me and stood by my side and after a while of standing in the middle of these two he looked at her and nodded then walked away, Acura took my hand and pulled me along with them. We got to an empty classroom and when I looked at them again Acura looked like herself and Emory was the guy with brown hair and green eyes.
~me. What is going on?!
I finally asked, I was too confused and hated that they were confusing me more and more.
~E. Are they gone?
He asked looking at Acura.
~A. Yes, but they'll be back Cecilia had them fooled just like us
~me. Can you guys answer my question?
~E. We'll answer all your questions and more once you choose to come with us
~me. I'm not going anywhere with you two, I don't even know who you are and I should go with you? To where exactly?
~A. Aura you miss home very much and we know you do, come with us and we'll answer all those questions you want to ask
~me. You can answer those questions here and now
~E. It's not safe here
~me. Then I bet it's not safe wherever your taking me either
~E. Aiko please just come with us
"Aiko, that name,why is that name so familiar to me?"
~me. I go nowhere with strangers
I said turning my back to leave but the door nob didn't budge.
~E. Acura please
He said placing his hand on her shoulder.
~E. Don't hurt her
~A. I don't want to have to resort to force Aura
~me. Resort to whatever it is you want to resort to, I don't care now let me leave
~A. Aura please we just need two minutes with you and that's all
~E. Forget what these humans have done to you, your stronger than that
~A. Whatever sorcery it is that they used on you, fight it
"I wish I could help them but I can't, I don't know these people and there's no way they know me, but then what do they want from me? If I don't know who they are what do they have with me and why do they want to talk to me so bad? I can't just go with them just like that mom had told me never to follow people I don't know, she told me if I feel weird around the person I should never follow even if they cried and begged me to come with them and these two they not only make me feel weird but make me feel something I haven't even felt from a normal human"