Almost Normal (Editing)

Chapter Twelve

ANDREW

The schools as getting ready for the upcoming dance. During the week there was a spirit week going on where everyone dressed up more ridiculous than normal. Patrick was also the school mascot so it was his chance to run around as a giant bird. Eagle to be exact. Seeing Jade hang out with Damien more and more makes me feel slightly uneasy. Everyone seemed to forget about Angel and more concerned about what dress to wear and who to ask. Brittney and Charles were going of course and they were also the poster kids of this year and next next year's dance.

"I just think dances are superficial and a waste of money." Jamie said dropping her tray of food next to mine.

"You're just mad that you don't have a date." Jade added sliding in next to me.

"Why is that a bad thing? I'm going stag." I said jumping in.

"It's not that I don't have a date. It's that I don't know who to ask. I'm at an all you can eat buffet and I don't know where to start!" Jamie exclaimed.

I looked over at Jade confused and she shook her head before leaning over and patting her hand. Alexandra came over and soon the three of them were coordinating outfits and shared limo rides. I took that as a hint to leave.

JADE

Once Andrew left Alexandra and Jamie started talking about her baby. It was due any day now and some of us were pretty excited. Probably not for the same reasons, but it was nice to see them get excited over something that happens everyday.

"Jade when the baby is born I was wondering if you could be her godmother." Alexandra said interrupting my train on thought.

"Why me? Why not Jamie? She likes babies." I said taken aback.

She shrugged before replying, "Because I trust you. Besides you seem to have this motherly instinct."

"She's got a point," Jamie started. "Out of the two of us you're more likely to keep her child off the pole."

I laughed and changed the subject to something less serious. A godparent? Me? I can't even see myself being a normal parent. Admission the discussion over what last night's homework was Damien made an appearance sitting across from me causing my heart to beat a little faster and my palms to sweat. Jamie and Alexandra gave me a knowing look knowing that I may or may not have feelings for him.

"So Damien... do you have a date to the winter formal?" Jamie asked boldly.

"I was actually thinking about skipping it. A little pointless plus once you've been to one dance you've been to them all." He said.

"Well maybe you haven't found the right date that's all." Alexandra said.

"No such thing as the 'right date'. I have more important things to do than spend a few hours with some girl." He said eating his lunch.

"What of it was someone you already knew?" I asked hoping to not sound desperate.

"That's even worse. Why ruin a perfectly good friendship with a date?" He replied.

After school at home my mother was unloading groceries on the kitchen table. Cereal, vegetables, few pounds of raw meat and some eggs. With my dad gone again she was left to prep for Andrew's change. This usually meant sitting in the basement all night with a tranquilizer gun to keep Andrew from escaping. Usually my dad would be here too to help with Andrew's transition, but since he's not my mother is on her own.

"Hey honey how was school?" She asked as I slid onto a kitchen barstool.

"Same as usual. No word from dad?" I asked.

"You're father doesn't seem to be speaking to me at the moment." She sighed putting the raw meat into a fridge drawer.

"Wow. It's usually the other way around." I said lighthearted.

"Men are a bunch of dogs." She replied.

That night I was standing on the edge of the woods. Snow flakes fell around me covering the ground in a soft snow. I looked around and saw the single story houses. They all looked the same on the outside with their picket fences and neutral colored exteriors. A couple houses next to each other had lights on and something felt so familiar about the two. I was about to walk towards them when I heard someone call my name.

"Jade..." it hissed from inside the trees.

I turned around and heard the voice call my name again drawing me inside those woods. The deeper I went the clearer the voice got until I was in the same clearing as before. Dead animals and a single child's shoe. Except this time there was a body and the ground was stained red. Soon the body sat up revealing the face of a small girl. Her neck bruised and punctured.

"Why did you hurt me Jade?" It said weakly. "I thought we were friends."

I turned around and ran in the opposite direction, but her voice seemed to follow me. Calling my name and asking me to come back.  As I made my way towards the neighborhood again. I tried to tune the voice out, but it sounded like it was right behind me. I was at the edge of the woods again when i saw the little girl with the bloody smile blocking my way out.

"I didn't mean to do it." She sniffed eyes watering up. "I didn't know."

I took a step back turning around thinking there was a different way out, but the other girl was there too.

"It's all your fault." She said.

I turned facing the other girl who's eyes were red and she started growling an animalistic growl. She ran jumping on top of me knocking onto the ground. Soon the other girl was there too as the first one but my neck and began to drink.

"This is all your fault." She said as my vision started to fade to black.

ANDREW

I woke up to the sound of something crashing downstairs. I shot out of bed and walked out into the hall noticing my parents door closed, but Jade's open ajar. I quietly made my way downstairs and found Jade muttering to herself as she ripped open one of the blood bags and drank from it. I walked over and got a closer look. She was on her third bag and she wasn't being too beat about it either. There was blood all over the floor and some of the cabinets. Jade sat there on the floor growling and mumbling.

"Hey Jade... it's me Andrew." I said softly holding my hands out.

She looked up at me fangs out and eyes red. She growled and went back to drinking not paying any attention to me. I slowly crept closer to her until I was right in front of her. I grabbed the half empty bag which caused her to hiss and try and fight me.

"Jade god damn it wake up!" I yelled holding her arms to her sides and shaking her.

I saw Jade's eyes blink once then twice before asking me to stop so I did. She stood there looking around at the bloody mess.

"What... happened?" She asked quietly looking down at her blood stained fingernails.

"You went feral." Again. "My guess you were sleepwalking." I said.

"We better clean this up." She said numbly walking towards the closet to get a mop and sponges.

We spent the next couple hours cleaning up the mess in silence. I could tell what happened scared Jade and she wasn't ready to talk about it. Once we were done we both went back upstairs Jade going into the bathroom to shower and I went back to bed. Staring up at the ceiling I heard the sound of the shower turn on and shortly after Jade sobbing. I made a mental note to talk to mom about getting Jade into some kind of therapy or something before telling her the truth.