Forever

~25~

I come to and I look around confused finding myself back in my original home.

"Skylar?" I look to my right and gasp as my mother walks towards me.

"Mom?"

"Oh my word it's been three hours! Where were you?"

"What?" I ask and she walks right by me as if I'm invisible. I turn around and gasp seeing younger me sitting at a table.

"I'm sorry mommy, the girls at school were picking on me again. Calling me a freak and a monster. I ran, and stayed out. I'm sorry."

"Oh baby girl." My mom says pulling little me into a hug.

What the hell? What's going on?

"You're none of those things baby, your a great person, and your very talented and capable."

Why am I here?

"Ok." Young me says and I watch as she gets up and runs up to her bedroom. I look over at my mom and see her put her head down on the table. I walk over to her and place my hand on her back. She doesn't move though and a tear slides down my cheek at seeing her.

I look up at the stairs and take a deep breath remembering this moment in my life. I leave my mother's side and take off up the stairs and push open my old bedroom door. I see myself sitting on the bed staring down at the book and I walk in.

"Are you my guardian angel?" I freeze at my voice and she looks over at me.

"You can see me?" I ask and she nods

"I saw you when I was talking to my mommy. I just didn't say anything, didn't want to be noted anymore of a freak then I already am. So are you? My guardian angel?"

I shut the door behind me and walk over to her slowly.

"Uh no, I'm not."

"Then who are you?"

"I'm you, older."

"So like from the future?"

"More like from the present."

"How's that possible though? I'm here." She says and I nod.

"I'm trying to figure that one out too." I say and silence passes.

"Can I take a seat?" I ask and she nods patting the spot beside her. I take a seat beside her and am shocked at the question she asks me.

"Will it get any better?"

"Will what get any better?"

"The name callings, the fear, this." She says holding out her hands and showing me the blue light around them.

"The name callings ease, but fear never just leaves. It will get easier when you're older, but it takes one man to lead you in that direction."

"A man?"

"Yeah, he showed me that I'm my own worst critic. That I'm not the monster I was forcing myself to believe. I'm always scared though, I never know what to expect the next second. And this thing, yeah it's a curse, but it's also extremely helpful."

"How?"

"You see things in a different light, you use it for good."

"Then why do I feel so dark?"

"Because you're in a hard place, I was right there with you, obviously. Point is, I learned to manage with it. It's me, I can't change anything no matter how much I want to."

"So there's not a vaccine?"

"I've searched for decades, and found nothing. So no, there's not a vaccine, and it really does suck." I say and she nods.