EYEconomy (OLD VERSION)

Chapter 1

The sound of bubbles. All around me, streams of bubbles rise up towards the surface. I am underwater. I look up to find how far away the surface is from me, but can't make it out; it's too far away. I can still see the sun's rays, penetrating the water and shining onto the ocean floor. It's really pretty how they bounce off the water and make a blindly beautiful pool of light. I swim towards it, but it seems as if I'm not moving at all. I don't mind, though. Sometimes I wish my life was like this; at a standstill, frozen in time in a calm place. At the floor of the ocean, gigantic blue gems shimmer and gleam. I swim closer towards them to look, and I can see my reflection in them. The blue gems make even my boring, gray eyes look a pretty blue. I seat myself on one of them and look up at the sun's rays. If I could, I'd stay here forever. It's so peaceful; I wish I could stay...

"-Paige!"

I flinch at the sound of my mother's voice. I guess I fell asleep in the shower again. And had a dream, even. "Yeah, I'm done." I swipe my hand over the control panel, and the water stops. I step out of the stall and wrap myself in a towel. When I open the door, my mother is gathering the week's laundry.

"If we were Capital, I'd let you take all the time in the world," she says, "but-"

"-we're not," I finish. I know we're not. We're Economy, after all.

"Our water bill has been getting higher and higher over the past month," she complains. "What do you do in there anyway?"

I think of making up an excuse, but end up telling her the truth. "I sleep."

"What time do you go to bed?"

"The usual."

"So, then you should be fine. Stop sleeping the shower, please." She takes the load of laundry and goes downstairs. I shrug and go to my room to get dressed.

Most Economy families are complete with two parents and possibly one or two kids; however, that's just not my case. As long as I can remember, it's only been my mother and I. I don't find it a bad thing, though. I've been able to do just fine without a father. I guess I was able to live without one because my mother was such a strong woman, raising one child on her own. And for someone who's been doing this by herself, I'd say she's doing a great job. Under her influence, I believe I've become a pretty well-seasoned, well-mannered person.

I'm not adopted. I'm very much my mother's child, and I have the blood to prove it. But when I ask about my father, all my mother says about him is that he left when she was pregnant. Most people would think I'm angry about that, but to be honest, I'm not really mad at him. Other than the fact that he left, I don't find any other reason to be. In fact, I'd like to thank him for doing that; I'm pretty content with the way my life has played out so far. I wouldn't change it if I could, and if my father had been in my life, things would have turned out differently. But I honestly think I'm better off the way I turned out. If I had the chance to meet him, I'd ask him his reasons for leaving. His answer would determine what I feel about him. Call me crazy, but that's just my curiosity.

I guess besides leaving, the only reason why I would be angry with him is because of my mother. I notice the way she looks out the window and longingly stares into space. When a couple holding hands walks by, her eyes tend to linger on them for the time that they are in sight. She's still in love with him, I know. I try to picture what my father looked like, or where he is. When we're out, I study my mother's eyes and see if she looks for him. But she's never given me a clue. I have a few theories. It's either she's holding back or he doesn't live around here. Meaning he may be Capital. When I think of my father, I usually think of the him-being-Capital theory. It makes more sense to me. He was Capital to begin with, and my mother was someone on the side. An Economy girl.