THROUGH THE WINDOW

Chapter 15

NORMAL POV

Graduation day finally arrived. Blue-black gowns colored the entire field. Families, relatives and friends had already settled down. The diplomas were already given. Only Brandon's and Fay's diplomas weren't collected.The principal was making a long speech about starting about starting new life.

" Can you can it old man!" Someone dared to say after a while.

The principal cleared his throat and held onto his midnight blue tie.

" Ahem! As I was saying, I would now like to introduce this year's valedictorian, Chelsea Walker."

Few people clapped and some whistled. Chelsea stood at the platform and took the microphone. After taking a deep breathe, she started her speech.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It is a great honor to be here. I would like to express my appreciation to all of my teachers, friends, and family members who helped to get to where I am right now: standing here in front of you. I would also like to thank the administration for providing me with this opportunity. Almost exactly four years ago, I remember leaving my middle school class for the last time and heading into the exciting (and sometimes scary) world of high school. I know a lot of you were nervous, though you won't admit it now. High school can be intimidating, for sure. But it can also be a place for growth. If you didn't spend all your time updating your Facebook status or tweeting about your weekend plans—or even if you did—you had the opportunity to meet and mingle with thousands of other students. You got the chance to share ideas, passions, and strengths.

When I first came to this school district, I was a bit apprehensive. I knew I was entering a small-town country high school, which couldn't have been more different from the school I'd left in Florida. But the students I met that first year did not conform to my country bumpkin expectations. Instead, they were kind and welcoming, smart and creative, athletic and determined. And this isn't something that is just a part of our school, but visible in the rest of this community as well.

As I made my climbed my way up the ranks—from lowerclassman to upperclassman—it became clear that my classmates were compassionate, upbeat, curious, respectful, and highly talented people. Of course, some interesting events happened along the way which I cannot explain now in details.

Your kindness and dedication have resulted in thousands of hours of community service performed for various organizations in our town, including fundraisers for Relay for Life, the food bank, the animal shelter and more. Talents like art, music and sports have also been nurtured in us by the school.

It is time to set goals for your future. Before you can do that, however, you need a vision. A dream. Over the next few years you may end up at a college or trade school. You may begin working full-time or even start a family. No matter what your dream is for the future, you can get there with the dedication, determination, and focus that you have learned while here at this very high school.

We, the class of 2015, are a powerhouse of innovation and creativity. We will push boundaries to make this world a better place even in small ways.

Always remember where you came from. And always remember where you are going.

And on behalf of the school, I would also like to congratulate my two friends who couldn't make it to come today because of unavoidable circumstances.

Congratulations, graduates."

Chelsea put back the microphone and left while people started throwing their mortar heads. It was a joyous occasion for everyone. A stranger with short auburn brown hair tied into a neat pony tail and wearing a brown turtle-neck sweater and blue jeans, stood and left. She hoped no one noticed her. She removed her tinted shades to wipe a stray tear. Chelsea's speech was great and she wished she could go and congratulate her.  

Tonight would be senior prom. The girls were already rushing home to prepare themselves. Fay knew such normal life had already passed since that night.

Flashback

Day after Chelsea's Bash

FAY'S POV

I found myself in a white room. Every part of me was aching. At the corner of my eye, I spotted somebody who looked quite familiar. I looked at her and saw a petite woman. Feelings of nostalgia swept over me at that moment.

" Hi. Do you remember me?" The smiling figure asked.

I tried to remember  who she was but my head was pounding so hard. I held my head to ease the pain but what I felt was something slimy. I instinctively removed my hands, disgust clearly showing on my face. The woman giggled like a teenage girl.

"What's so funny?"

" Well...the face you are making is quite humorous."

"That's because my head feels like slime. I'm surprised that my hands don't have that slimy sh*t."

"That's because you're molting."

" Huh!?"
This has to be some kind of joke.
"How can I be molting? I'm not a snake."
" Yes, you are not a snake but you are also not human. You are one of us."

The woman started fading after she said that. I tried to yell ' stop' but no sound came out.

" Fay? Fay darling wake up."

My eyes felt so heavy when I tried to wake up. Soft warm hands held my face.

" M..o...m." My throat felt so dry and when I talked it was grating on my nerves.

"Oh! Thank goodness you are awake. I was so worried."

I wanted to ask her what had happened but I didn't want to have that grated feeling again. Two weeks passed and I was almost back to my normal self. I learned I was attacked and my parents had found me in the hospital. My whole body was badly bruised and an arm fracture. My father had found out I had gone to Chelsea's birthday party and he was enraged. He forbid me to go out of the house and I shouldn't contact my friends at all. My stuff were already collected from school so there was no excuse of going out.

I was dismayed and devastated. I wondered what would become of me because this confinement would lead me to insanity if not madness. But as people say, once a curious one always a curious one. Therefore, I devised a plan which involved my little brother. Trevor kept me in the loop on everything that happened in my absenture.  In the past weeks I have been eating junk food non-stop  so I wasn't surprised I gained an extra five pounds.

Time skip

Tomorrow is gonna be graduation day. I felt thrilled but remembering my situation I was once again frustrated but as I remembered my plan, I grinned.

Time skip

My planned worked. I managed to get out of the house unnoticed. I was kicking a can of soda that was on the street. As expected, graduation was nice. I stopped walking and found myself in the park Chad and I were. How did I get here? I walked towards the lake but in a secluded area. Few people were there. I removed my shades and sat near the shore. I dipped my hand in the blue-green water. It was cool as the waves caressed my hand. I lay on the ground and closed my eyes not bothering to wipe any stray tears. The sounds of birds chirping and the water waves soothed me and lulled me to sleep.

Drops of water trickled down on my face. Someone was poking my right side arm. I opened my eyes and saw a blonde-headed petite woman.

" Hello there. Do you remember me?"

" Yeah. You are the woman who was in my dream the other day. Weren't you?"

The woman just smiled. Her green eyes were glinted with mischief and motherly love. I realized that a green umbrella covered us. I looked around and saw that it was raining.