Gifted with a Curse

Chapter 2

The wonders of autumn that held Misty's attention the day before had no sway over her mind this morning. Memories flashed before her. Yesterday's events with the camera, her dream. She tried to keep the two things separate, but they kept merging together.

Zack's form was melting into the boy in her dream and vice-versa. The disc floated with other things around the school. So caught in her thoughts, Misty barely realized when she reached the school.

The only reason she did realize was because Elly put a hand on her shoulder. Misty jumped at the sudden contact, but she quickly realized that it was only her friend.

"Oh, hey, Elly," she greeted with a small smile.

Elly didn't return the smile, however. "Are you okay, Misty?"

"What do you mean?" she tried to feign ignorance.

"I mean, you didn't reply to my texts last night, you're wearing your backpack upside down, and you just walked past your locker," Elly explained.

Misty glanced at her backpack; it was indeed upside down. She slid it off and put it back on the right way.

"I'm just tired," she lied. She wanted to tell Elly the truth, but who would believe something like that? No, Misty would just sound like a crazy person.

Elly made a face but eventually shrugged. "If you say so."

Misty couldn't meet her friend's eyes. Elly would either see the insincerity or the shame from it. So, Misty looked down the hall at the sea of kids getting ready for class.

At the end of the hall was Savannah, shutting her locker and speaking with her friends. As she turned, she scanned the other students' faces until she saw Misty. Savannah gave her a smile before heading down a different hallway with her friends.

The smile seemed sincere, but something burned behind Savannah's eyes that made Misty tense up. It was something that only an observant eye could pinpoint and only a perceptive mind could name. Misty didn't have the right mind to place the emotion she'd seen, but her intuition knew that it was not a gentle one.

She turned quickly and headed to her locker.

"Hey," Elly called. "Where are you going?"

"My locker," Misty replied, arriving at the metal door.

Elly stood beside her. "Misty, if something's wrong, you know Miranda and I are here for you, like you have been for us."

"No, really, it's nothing," she said, exchanging books between her backpack and locker.

Elly looked at Misty. "Is it your mom?"

"Elly, it's nothing," Misty insisted, exchanging the last of her supplies.

"Then why won't you look at me?"

Misty took a breath, closed her locker, and looked her friend in the eyes. Elly had concern plastered across her face, and it pained Misty to keep lying, but what else could she do?

"I'm fine," she said, forcing a smile. "I promise."

Elly's expression didn't change, and Misty was tired of talking about it, so she turned. "I need to get to class," she told her friend over her shoulder and began walking.

She couldn't concentrate well enough in any of her classes to understand a thing. Was she actually going crazy? Was this some sort of nervous breakdown from stress?

What she saw, or didn't see, was impossible; it can't happen. Things can't just move on their own. People can't control things with their mind. But that just didn't fit with what Misty had seen.