Almost Fifteen Again

Chapter 2: The Runaway

Dear Diary,
So now it's November 30th and as my birthday grows nearer my determination to live already starts to deteriorate. I think I'll start this entry with my walk to Elie's house...
I had been running and walking for miles when finally started getting light out. According to my phone it was 7:00 am, so I stopped and look around to see where I was. I really had no idea, some street with about ten houses and I didn't recognize any of them. Siri came on through Google Maps on my phone and I saw that I still had around ten miles to go till Elie's house. So I grabbed the handle on my duffel bag, pulled it on it's wheels, and picked up my pace. "Turn Left in 2.4 miles." In a car that would seem like nothing, but when walking/running it felt like forever!

Once I reached the turn I heard my phone speak again. However, it wasn't until three hours later that I heard it say, "Now keep straight for .6 miles and you will arrive at your destination on the right." Finally! Gripping my bag I began to sprint the rest of the way to Elie's house. When I arrived it was about 10:15am. I took my bag with me and walked up to her door. She has a door bell so I rang that.

While I waited I looked around and took in my surroundings. Elie's house is huge, and I don't mean like it has two stories huge, I mean it's a mansion. The color is a metallic blue with silver here and there. In her driveway I couldn't see any cars, but she has a big four car garage so I assumed that must be where they were at the time.

It wasn't until I heard footsteps from inside the house that I turned my attention back to the door. It opened a peek with the lock chain still on it and two eyes peering through. I looked at the person who was actually a kid and seemed to be younger than me. "Who are you?" The young child asked.

It took me a second and then I realized they were talking to me. "Oh, hello, I'm Alena! Is there an adult here if so tell them Sarah is here." I said in the nicest way I could so that I didn't frighten the kid. A taller boy appeared behind the other child which I could by then tell was a young girl. "Sarah! I said don't answer the door!" The boy said sternly. "Sorry Ben, it's just that she looked young and I thought she was lost." She pointed to my bag.

Ben looked at me for a moment and then closed the door. For a moment I thought he might be shutting me out, but then he opened it without the chain on. "Why are you here?" He said in a less stern voice. "I'm here to see Eliana Ray Chipers." I replied using her full name instead her nickname.

"She's not here at the moment...and her name is Eliana Ray Thompson, not Chipers, she's married." Just as he was about to shut the door we all heard the sound of a car coming up the drive way. Thankfully, it was Elie.

She walked straight over to me. "Hello dear." She said sweetly. "Momma, this girl said to tell you she is Sarah." "Hush Sarah. Mom she knows your full maiden name."

"Kids go inside while I talk to this young girl." Elie said and they both walked inside. "So your name is Sarah?"

"It was, but now it's Alena so whichever is fine." I said. "Why did you think I would recognize you when you used the name Sarah?" "Because I knew you when I was Sarah. I'm pretty sure I'm the Sarah that you named your daughter after. Which by the way is amazing!"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know you and you certainly are not the person I named my daughter after. I named her after a f-" I cut her off. "After a friend from school that died the day before her fifteenth birthday." She sat there shocked. "Please don't freak out. Your my only hope, well you, Kate, and Martha, at a normal life. I turn fifteen in nine days and I don't want to die again."

She just stared at me and I waited for a response. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe you. There is one thing that will make me believe you though. What were our secret nicknames?" This was easy for me. "Kate was Kit Kat, Martha was Milky Way, I was Starburst, and you were Gobb short for Everlasting Gobbstoppers." I smiled at my success and Elie just stared at me.

"But. How?" She finally got out. "I'm not exactly sure myself really, but this isn't the first time it's happened. I've died seven times already and each time I die I'm reborn the next day as a new person. As I grow I slowly get my memories back from previous lives." I explained everything to her so that she would understand.

It took a while and before we both knew it, it was noon so she invited me in to have lunch with her. Over lunch I got to properly meet her kids.

"Sarah and Ben meet my friend Sarah." Elie introduced me and both Ben and Sarah said hi. "Sarah sweetie this is the girl I named you after we were friends back in school, before she..." She wasn't sure what to say so I helped her out. "Before I moved away to another state, but now I'm back!"

"How come you look to be my age if you're actually thirty?" Ben asked. "How old are you Ben?" I asked "I just turned fifteen this year." He replied. I mumbled "lucky!" Under my breath and Elie laughed because she heard me, but she just as quickly went back to her serious face.

"I don't know if they would believe us, but if you're okay with it then I'll tell them." She said. I nodded and she began to explain.

When she finished Sarah just sat there staring at me with her big brown eyes and a very big smile. I smiled back. While Ben, who had took some convincing, had on a face that I couldn't read.

"So why did you come here?" Ben asked. "And how?" "Well I was hoping your mom could help me not die this time. As for how, well I ran away."

     I'm going to stop this entry here. Sorry diary, but my life is pretty good where I'm at right now and you'll understand once I get there with these entries. So long for now.

- Love
Alena