Question Everything

Discovery

This time, while I slept, my mind was blank, except for occasional images flickering behind my eyelids. They were the same images as the nightmare I had had earlier. Same noises, too.

I woke up to a beautiful sunrise. The skies were clear, not a cloud in sight. The sky was painted with orange and pink. It was also the perfect temperature; it was probably around seventy degrees, and there was a slight breeze ruffling my multi-colored hair.

I sat up and brushed a strand of red hair off my cheek, which had been glued there from spit. Gia was studying the small, floating balls of light. She touched one, and it exploded, sending glitter onto her face.

Under the tree -which I now saw was a willow- Greson was crouched down over a pile of sticks. I walked over to him.

"Whatcha doin?" I asked.

"Trying to make a fire," he said back. "I found this brick over by the waterfall, and I'm hoping I can use it to help me. Unfortunately, I don't know how." He turned the brick over in his large hands.

"Let me see it." I reached for the brick, and he set it in my palm. I crouched down over the pile of sticks, picked one up, and very quickly rubbed it against the brick, like I was lighting a match. It lit up, and I through it back into the pile. Soon all of the sticks were cracklings, singed black by the flames.

I looked over at Greson, and he was clearly surprised. "See?" I said. "I'm not entirely useless."

He looked at me. "I never said you were."

"Yeah, well, a lot of people think I am, so..." I shrugged.

"No, they don't."

"Oh, yes they do. Trust me, people have said it to my face that I'm a worthless freak."

Greson frowned. "That's horrible. Why would they say that to someone like you? You're amazing." He held my chin.

"Greson, that's sweet, but it's not true. I've always been a freak, and now that my hair has declared me that, everyone knows."

"Stop saying that. You're not a freak."

"Oh yeah? Then why did I get rainbow hair? Because I'm a freak! The only other person in history that had rainbow hair lived in an insane asylum! Honestly, Greson, sometimes I wonder if you're just lying to me to make me look like an idiot."

"April, you know I wouldn't do that."

"Do I, though? You may be my boyfriend, but I still barely know you. I mean, we met two days ago. For all I know, you could just be some psycho trying to lure me into a trap and kill me!"

"April, don't be ridiculous. I love you, why would I try to kill you?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask your split personality?"

"I don't have a split personality."

"And how am I supposed to know that? You could easily be lying to me."

"April-"

"No, Greson. I don't want to hear it. No matter what you say, I'll always be me. I'll always be a freak. I don't know if you're just trying to deny it because you don't want your girlfriend to be a freak, but eventually, you're going to have to accept it. This is who I am, Greson. And that's not going to change." I was tearing up now. He looked so hurt, like I had just blamed him of killing my best friend.

I sniffled and ran to the water fall. I glanced at Greson, and he was staring at me. He looked back to the fire, and I collapsed. I clutched the grass, crying. What was wrong with me? Why would I just scream at him like it was his fault that I was a freak? Because I'm insane, I thought. I'll always be.