Special

Not. Special.

"Suzi!" Mom called. "Breakfast is ready! Omelette with toast—your favorite!"

Suzi slowly opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. Arrrgh! she was NOT ready for another Monday. Arrrgh! Suzi thought again as she buried her face in her pillow. Maybe I can fake being sick. Suzi inhaled the pleasing smell of bacon and eggs that was conveniently wafting into her room from underneath her bedroom door. No. Then I won't get to eat mom's omelette. Sigh. Suzi pulled on her favorite shirt and jeans and rushed downstairs. How come everyone is special except me!?!?!?!?

"Thanks for the omelette, mom." Suzi said as she sat down at the kitchen island.

"No problem, dear." Mom replied. Okay, okay, so not everyone. I guess Maddie and the guys aren't exactly special either....but they're all so far away! Sigh. Yeah, yeah, I know mom always says that we're the ones that are special, but I sure don't feel special. Different doesn't mean special.

"Don't forget your jacket, dear." mom sighed and handed Suzi her jacket as she rushed out the door.

"Thanks, mom." Suzi called. Why does life have to be so unfair!? She thought as she boarded the school bus. Everyone everyone besides me, Ben, Wil, Matt, and Maddie have something special. "Even having Aquava would be better than nothing," Suzi thought as she gazed out the window and saw Mrs. Goldstone making it rain on her garden. They all have some form of Parva.

Suzi sighed. Her dad had come from somewhere else—he never had told her where—with a few others, like Maddie's dad, Ben's dad, Wil's dad, and Matt's mom; when they were all very young. All Suzi knew about that world was that it was a beautiful place, and that she would fit right in there. No one there had any kind of powers at all.

Neither had Suzi's dad.

Suzi had inherited a lot from her dad. His dark, curly hair, his bright blue eyes, his strong, prominent build, and his love for learning—especially from books. Suzi was proud of all of these things. The one thing she was not thankful for was inheriting her dad's not-so-powerfully-special self. Nope. No powers. Not even one. Sigh.

Suzi's dad—her marvelously WONDERFUL dad—had died when she was only six years old. And only two days before Christmas, too. Sigh. Great. They were almost to school. Canyon Peak Middle School, where everyone but her has something special.

*******

"And now for the news..." The funny looking announcer on TV was saying. Sigh. Suzi had FINALLY made it through another day of school yet again. Jonathan had made fun of her today by reading her thoughts. At least mom was nice about it when she read other people's thoughts. If only no one knew I didn't have powers. Sigh. "There seems to be a mysteriously unidentified illness spreading around..." The announcer interrupted Suzi's thoughts. What?

"...the illness now referred to as the 'sickness' is spreading wildly fast and no one seems able to escape it. It is though it swirls through the air and no matter how many doors you hide behind, it will always find you!"

No need to be that dramatic, Suzi thought. Probably just another flu, they're all the same...But maybe I should get mom anyway. "Mom..." she called.

"Yes dear?" Mrs. Roberts called back.

"You might want to come see this..."

Mrs. Roberts stopped folding the laundry in the other room and came to come see what was going on. The announcer talked for a while, and then something he said caught Suzi's attention. "Symptoms are as follows: weakness, vertigo, loss of powers (gasp), coughing, and light headed-ness."

No one has EVER lost their powers before! Suzi thought. There's no way that's a flu!... Huh. Naming it the 'sickness.' Suzi thought again, sarcastically. Shows how much they know. Click. Off goes the TV. Mom looked scared.

"It'll be fine, mom." Suzi tried to comfort her mother, but her voice was shaky.