Not So Normal

Chapter 17 ~ Gone Too Soon

   The day after Niall leaves there's a knock on the front door at like nine in the morning. Who would be here this early? I go answer it and it's a couple guys in uniforms.

  "You ordered a kitchen smart TV system?" one asks, more as a confirmation. I look at them, confused. After an awkward few seconds of silence I shake my head.

   "You idiot, someone ordered it for her," the other one says. Ah. This must be what Niall got me. "Somebody named Neil or something?"

   "Niall?" I ask. The guy nods. I invite the guys in and they go inspect the kitchen. After a few minutes they go out to their truck and get a bunch of stuff.

   Two hours later, I'm saying goodbye to the guys. The kitchen is now fully equipped with a super high-tech TV system. There's speakers hidden all around the kitchen, a big screen (touch and remote-controlled) on one wall, and a small portable tablet that acts as a sort of controller for the whole system. The whole thing is also voice-controlled.

   I mess around with it for a while. The sound system is amazing. I hook the TV up to my Netflix account and all my other stuff like that. It doubles as a computer apparently, so I can do even more stuff on it. After I've messed with it for a while I text Niall and tell him thank you. I think it's like eight at night over in London, so I doubt he's in bed yet. A couple minutes later I hear the familiar sound of Skype.

   "Hey Elissa!" I hear Niall. I spin around and find him on the big screen on the wall. I must look pretty spooked because he hurries and explains. "It automatically answers Skype calls and puts the person on the screen." Wow. I didn't even notice a camera.

   "Oh that's cool. So how are you?"

   "I'm alright. I miss you a lot, but I'm having fun with the guys," he says with a small smile. We talk for a few minutes and then I have to leave for a meet-up with friends, so we say goodbye. I inspect the big screen and find a camera in one corner of it. Well that's good to know. I probably shouldn't walk through the kitchen in just a t-shirt ever again.

   Two days later I'm sitting on the couch, reading, when I get a call from my mom. That's weird. I never talk to my mom. It's probably been like three months since I last talked to her.

   "Hello?" I answer.

   "I've got some bad news," she says, sniffling. Oh no.

   "Mom, what happened?" I ask, that panicked feeling coming.

   "Ella's dead." I gasp. No. No no no no. Ella can't be dead.

   "Mom what in the world do you mean Ella's dead?" I ask, on the verge of tears.

   "She was walking home from John's house yesterday and got hit by a speeding car. The car didn't even stop. She died in the hospital early this morning," my mom says. There's a second of silence and then my mom starts sobbing.

   "Mom, I am getting the next flight to Salt Lake. I will be there as soon as I can."

   I say goodbye and run to my room. I grab a duffel bag and stuff random clothes in it. I make sure I grab a black dress for the funeral, and that's really the only thing I pay attention to. I call Lindsey, who's at the beach with some friends, and tell her what happened and that I'm leaving.

   I get to the airport and the next flight to Salt Lake city leaves in forty minutes. They better have a seat left. I sprint to the check-in desk and beg for a ticket, tears falling down my cheeks.

   "You're just in time, young lady," the older lady at the desk says. "There's only one seat left, and sales stop in five minutes." I breathe a sigh of relief. I get the ticket and sprint to security. When people in line see the tears streaming down my face and my rushed appearance, they let me go to the front of the line. I hurry and get through security and to my gate just before they close it.