Somewhere In The Woods

Chapter Four - Bethany Marley

My mom had loved history from the time she realized she had her own. She liked to think deeply about how things had subtly changed with or without us noticing. Sometimes she spent hours just sitting and staring off into space while she compared now and then in her head. Bethany Marley did what she could to instill a similar love for history in her children, and while I didn't know much about other people's history, I did enjoy the idea of creating and examining my own.

Annie was more focused on making a future than anything, using up her time in the present to make time in the future. It was a convoluted system, as she was always making time and never using it. My sister wouldn't listen when someone told her the truth of what she was doing, she was too afraid to slow down, in worry that she would end up like our mother; the woman who spent too much time in the past that she relinquished a future.

Our mother didn't want anything more than right now. She said that was all we needed, but I disagreed. If I didn't want anything, I'd never strive for anything, I'd remain normal, just like everyone else. I didn't want to be happy with what I have, I want to always be creating something better. Every breath is wasted if not put towards living. I don't want to exist in a constant placated state of enjoying the little things. I wanted to be better than everyone else. Not in the shallow way of narcissistic self-holding, but to know that I gave everything my one hundred and I killed it. I wanted to kill my heroes, to usurp my icons. Anything they can do; I can do better.

"Alright class," my mother turned towards the board where she had scrawled her name in large letters. "Welcome to second hour, my name is Bethany Marley, but you will call me Mrs. Marley. I'm taking over this class from Mr. Gess after his heart attack, and I'd like to see where he left off teaching. So, we're starting with an assessment." The class groaned. "Calm down, it's this, or I start from the front of the book and speed teach to where we're supposed to be."

She walked down the aisles, handing out papers, giving me a little wink as she gave me mine. Once she was in another aisle, Eliza turned back to me. "So, that's your mom?"

"Yep," I nodded.

"She seems like a nice lady," Eliza looked over at her and watched as she gave a little hop over a student's backpack. "How is she grade-wise? Lenient or strict?"

She is a nice lady, I thought to myself, watching her smile to herself- when she remembers I exist. "Depends on if you try hard in her class or not."

"Alright, before we start, I'd like to say a little bit about me, so that we can get to know each other." I internally groaned. Here began the never-ending onslaught of that's your mom? No one ever got over the fact that teachers have kids. "I'm forty-three years old, I've got th-two kids, twin girls, Maggie and Annie. Say hi Maggie!" She pointed at me with a grin. "We just moved here from Oregon, where I taught history for several years." No one seemed too interested in her background. "I'd like you all to be nice to Maggie, she is a bit of an introvert compared to her sister. She never even dates really," my mom went on carelessly. Thanks, mom.

"And the penny drops," someone snickered. A girl dressed in not enough fabric to make a crop-top stood at the back of the class and threw her finger my way. "Then why did you and Sam have that meet-cute debate? If you're perpetually single, why'd you turn him down?"

Eliza swiveled in her seat, annoyed and defensive in my honor. "She's already got a boyfriend, Cassandra! Ever think of that? Boris Quinn got to her first. Now sit down and let me take my test!" She took a breath, realizing how loud she was.

I clapped her shoulder supportively. "How about we all just take the test?"

My mom nodded, stupefied by the unfolding events. "Yes, let's."