Gifted

Part 14: Intruder

       

The next morning, I woke to the obnoxious sound of the alarm on my phone, like I did every morning. That night, instead of my usual nightmare, I just dreamt about the incident in the alley. I wondered if that whole thing had been nothing but a dream. But as I turned over in my bed to get up...

    "Good morning, Nora!" said a familiar voice. Alice was laying in bed next to me, as if she had been there the whole night.

    "Alice? What the hell are you doing in my bed? What the hell are you even doing in my house? How did you get in here?" I asked endless questions as Alice got out of bed and started examining herself in my mirror. She already looked perfect. She even had the same white dress on that she wore the previous night. I wondered if she always wore it, or if she ever washed it.

    "Oh, don't worry about those petty things. I'm here because I wanted to see where my hero lived." she said, still looking in the mirror. I sighed.

    "Well next time, could you at least warn me before you follow me home and break into my house?" I asked.

    "Sure. I apologize." she said.

    "Alright." I said as I began getting dressed and packing my bag for school.

    I left Alice to go to the bathroom and brush my teeth. My dad was there, so I brushed my teeth next to him. I was silent and trying to think of an explanation to tell my family when I walked downstairs with Alice. They had never met her before, and I didn't want them to get any wrong ideas.

    "You were out pretty late last night. I know your eighteen, but your mother and I were still worried when you didn't contact us. Next time, if you think you're going to be out late, let us know, ok?" my dad said.

    "Yeah, sorry. I was with Jordan, Elizabeth and Mackenzie at the Maple Cafe. Then, Jordan, Mackenzie and I went and walked around the shops after Elizabeth left for her flying lessons. We lost track of time." I said. I left out a lot of stuff. I wasn't prepared to tell my dad anything yet.

    "Ok, that's fine. Just, be careful." he said. I nodded.

    "Sorry, dad." I said.

    Behind me, I heard footsteps and saw Alice's reflection in the mirror. I jumped and whirled around to see her entering the bathroom. I gave her a look, but my dad didn't seem to notice her. Then, Alice turned on the bathtub water and started undressing. I panicked.

    "What's wrong, sweetie?" my dad asked. Alice was completely naked in the bathtub. My dad didn't seem to see Alice at all. He didn't even notice that the bathwater was running. I decided that if he didn't ask for an explanation than I didn't need to give him one.

    "Nothing." I said but I glared at Alice who was now making herself completely at home in my bathtub! She smiled back at me. Even when she left the tub, her hair was dry. Water slid off of her like she was a penguin. She didn't even need a towel.

    "Don't worry. Your dad can't see me." she said before dressing herself in the same dress. I sighed then turned my attention back to my dad.

    "Hey, dad?" I said.

    "Yeah?" he asked.

    "Do you think there will ever be a cure for me? Like a way for me to develop a power just like everyone else?" I asked. He looked at me with a very sad expression.

    "I don't know, sweetie. All I know is, if there was a cure, your mother and I would definitely make sure you had that opportunity." he said.