9 Lives

Day One

I'm walking to school, as always. Today is the last day and if I know my school, we won't celebrate that. 

I go to school and Odiosis Middle School.  Yeah, I know that "Odiosis" sounds like a name for an ancient greek hero but if you've ever been to my school, you would probably think it was just another word for boring. Because that's what my school is exactly: boring. 

Odiosis Middle School is a white, brick school. At least, I thought it used to be white. The bricks were stained with water and something yellow. I would rather not know where the yellow stains are from. 

I bring my backpack up onto my shoulder. My backpack was either too big or I was too small, but considering how skinny I am, I assume it is the second one. I lift up the strap on my backpack to get my long black hair out from under it so I don't rip the hair from my scalp whenever I turn my head. 

I approach the school grounds of Odiosis Middle and walk across the grass toward the swinging doors. Students are filing in. Some are talking and some aren't. Most of the students are walking quietly with their heads down. 

There was ringing and a voice came onto the loudspeaker, "Welcome to Odiosis Middle School. Please get ready for the first period and quietly retreat to classrooms silently. Thank you."

"Welcome to Odiosis Middle School is like saying, 'Welcome to your doom,'" said a student as he entered the school. I silently agreed. 

***

I sat in class, reading a book from under my desk. I looked up at the clock. Only seven minutes until school was out. I went back to reading again. For a moment I was lost in the romance I was holding.

"Miss Dardith."

I looked up into the face of my Math teacher, his hand held out. I looked at his face, his hand and his face again. He raised eyebrow.

"The book," he said.

I set the book gently in his hand. He examined the book over his glasses that glistened in the light.

"Pride and Prejudice," my math teacher said slowly. He looked back at me. "A classic, huh? Well, unfortunately for you Miss Dardith, this is not English. We will not be reading classics here today, nor any day for that matter."

He took my book to his desk. "You can retrieve you book after school today and for now, we are learning algebra."

He gave me a tight smile. I felt my face go red in indignation. I had seen student play on there phones for entire class times and yet, I, when reading a book, was the only one caught not listening to the teacher.

For the rest of class, I zoned out everything that was said by the teacher and stared at the light shining on his bald head instead. Those seven minutes were some of the hardest in my life. Seven minutes, refraining myself from walking out of the classroom before the bell rang.

When the bell rang, my anger oozed out of me as I quickly stood up walked over to my math teacher's desk.

"I would like my book back," I said. Suddenly, the world around me became blurry. I saw my math teachers lips moving but my ears rang so loud I couldn't hear. I felt like the static on a radio. Unable to channel any interpretable sound and loud sounds all around me, drowning out any other sound. My legs buckled under me.

I plunged into warm water. I was sinking, lower and lower. I fell on something soft. Sand? Why is there sand?

I opened my eyes and took a deep breath. I looked around. It was light around me. Where am I? I wondered.

I stood up. I looked around at my barren surroundings. All I could see was sand--blue sand. That was unusual. I turned around in a circle, carefully examining where I stood. I was sure this was a dream. It seemed so real. I walked for a little bit and spotted a something brown in the sand. I kneeled down and gently brushed sand off of what looked like a journal. I opened to the first page.

If you have arrived here, somehow,

You must know this right now

That and the ninth day when consciousness you lose

It most certainly will be you doom.

But if you do some things...

What?! If I fainted nine times, I would die! I panicked. I didn't want to die! How did I stop this. The book started fading. No!

"How do I stop this? I don't want to die!" My vision was turning black again. No! Everything went black again.

***

During the 19th century, women owned fainting couches, it is disputed about what they were for but one theory states that women may have used fainting couches for when their corsets were too tight causing the blood flow to be constricted and they, consequently, would faint. When I woke up in the hospital, I wished I had had a fainting couch when I had fainted.

Yes, I had fainted in Math class. Apparently, when I had fainted, I had feel forward and hit my head on my math teacher's desk. My head was cut really bad and I was given stitches. Now, I had stitches in my head and a really bad headache. Not my best day. On top of that, I was worried I was going to die in a few day. At that moment, I was miserable. Oh, just wait, things are about to get better.

I was lying in the hospital bed pitying myself when my parents came in, crying. The doctor was following them and closed the door behind him.

"Uh, what's the matter?" I asked.

"You only have nine days to live," the doctor replied and my mom promptly burst into tears.

Oh no. My dream was right.

"What?" I asked, dumbfounded.

The doctor looked at my parents. "I'll let you have some time alone with her."

The doctor walked out of the room and there was silence for a few minutes.

"I need to get home," I said.

"What?" My mom asked, looking up.

"I need to get home! I need to find out what's happening to me!"

My parents looked at me. "There's nothing you can do, Anitha. The doctor said you're dying of unknown causes. There's nothing you can do." My father said softly.

"I had a dream! It had a poem, telling me that if I fainted nine times, I would die! But there was more! It said more, but I couldn't read it! I was waking up!" I said. "If I faint again, maybe I can find the book again, maybe I can find out if I can do anything about this!"

"What?" My mom said. "You had a dream? Anitha, this is serious..."

"I know, Mom! Please, can we go home," I looked into her eyes, pleadingly. "Please."

My mother looked at me. "I have to check you out."

"Thank you!" I said hugging her tightly, pulling my dad in soon after. "I love you guys."

"We love you too," my parents replied.