Disappear

Chapter 1

What if your entire world disappeared? What about if you, were the one that disappeared? How would you handle it? Good? Bad? Throw a fit? Maybe even act like nothing was even wrong?

My predicament was quite similar to both of those possibilities. The only difference was that I didn't react remotely the same way. I didn't get the chance to react at all. I was too busy running for my life. This is the collection of my experiences with a strange boy in a strange place, who I have come to know better than I know myself. This story is how my life changed in an irreversible way, and how I learned to accept it. 

My name is Rachel Hart. I live in Orange, New Mexico. A place where everyone knows everyone, and have all been friends since birth.  
With the exception of a few stragglers.  I am one of those stragglers. I moved here about a year ago, and believe me, it was no small feat getting the three friends I have. I am an orphan, I live alone though my legal guardian is my Aunt Walsh. Who despite her "charitable" persona, neglects that I exist. I suppose it reminds her too much of my mom, who was her baby sister.

The story begins with me getting ready for school one morning, in my less than luxurious apartment. My normal routine, clothes, hair, breakfast then teeth. I was halfway through brushing the mop of blonde mess I call hair, when I realized, I smelled bacon cooking in the kitchen. A bit frightened, I walked towards the stove and saw bacon, simply sitting there in a pan on the stove. "Hello?" I called out. No reply. I listened for the slightest sound, footsteps maybe. No sound graced the silence.

Choosing to disregard the whole thing, I dumped the bacon into the garbage can. I then finished my morning routine, and ran out the door to my car.

As I pulled into the school parking lot, I went into my home room classroom. I was greeted by a group of teenagers waving and screaming like the crazy people they were.

Those crazy people just happened to be those three friends I mentioned earlier. I swear, our group was a walking misfit. There was Kayla Smith, who I have never once seen crack a smile. There was Cleo Cunningham, who was a notorious hot-head. The only problem was, when she got mad, she turned into a klutz. And finally, Percy Wells who was a self proclaimed "bad boy". He did things like spray painting "Percy was here" on the parking lot.

I reluctantly walked over to my group of oddly enthusiastic friends. "Zebras are black with white stripes!" I heard Cleo exclaim.

Percy replied with "They are not! They're white with black stripes!"  Percy may have been loud, but his knowledge didn't back it up. "Then prove it, you dope!"  I tuned out the rest of the conversation because I knew how it would turn out. Percy and Cleo had been feuding for years, it didn't matter what the conversation was, there would most likely be an argument involved. Kayla and I have a theory that they will will end up together by senior year, which was two years away.

"How long has this been going on?" I asked Kayla. With a nonchalant shrug, she replied, "Not long, only about half an hour." 

Now, you might read that and think "wow!" But, in Percy and Cleo's case, that's considered a squabble. The shrill shriek of the bell sounded and I rushed to first period.

God I hated math. Personally, I was a literature type of girl. And that was mostly because math made absolutely no sense in my world. And most of math was pointless. I mean, when am I ever going to use linear equations or slope ever again? I was internally scolding math when the teacher, Mr. Cecil, asked a question. Then called on me. I must've looked like a fish out of water, because I got some chuckles and Mr. Cecil asked again,  "How does one find slope and create a linear equation with the data?" As I was about to answer, Mr. Cecil suddenly turned around, began teaching, and asked the same exact question to another girl, Molly. It was if Mr. Cecil suddenly didn't acknowledge my existence. "Mr. Cecil, I was about to answer that exact same question."  He paid absolutely no attention to me. "Hello?!" I exclaimed. No reply again. I walked up to Mr.Cecil and waved my hand in front of his face. He kept writing on his chalkboard like nothing even happened. "Is this some practical joke?!" I screeched.