Spall

Jake

Jake

I passed out, not from fear of a bear, but from an intruding vision.

The second I stepped into the forest, I was feeling drowsy and dizzy. My stomach had dropped to my feet, and my feet couldn't move. My vision was getting slowly blurry, and Kendall was looking at me with a confused and worried face. Then it all went black when I fell backwards and my head hit the ground.

I was in a pre-school room. The abcs decorated the top of the walls. Numbers in English and Spanish were on posters written as numbers and in words. Circular tables as high as my knees were spread across the floor with short, colorful chairs around them. Kids around four years old ran around playing with wooden blocks and horses made from broom handles.

I noticed my view point was next to a small group of kids sitting in a circle, talking. I tuned in to listen to their conversation.

"What do you guys want to play with? The blocks?" asked a little boy. His big brown eyes took up most of his face, though sandy blond bangs covered up a good chunk of them.

"Nah. Let's play the mocking game! Its fun. My big brothew taught me it yestewday." said another small girl with a floral dress on that brought the dazzling blue in her eyes. She seemed upset that she couldn't get her "r"s right.

A girl with long blond hair and green eyes looked like she didn't like the sound of that. "Err...I don't like that game, Ella." she murmured in a squeaky voice.

"C'mon! It'll be lots of fun! Please, Tiffany," said the girl named Ella who suggested the game.

"Fine." said Tiffany, clearly unhappy.

"Ok! So, I'll stawt. I say something, then we go in a ciwcle and evewybody in the ciwcle has to twy to say what I said exactly how I said it. I pick who said it most like me, and that pewson gets to go next!" said Ella, taking charge. She cleared her throat, and she looked very cute as she tried to look older. "Um...My pwetty dolly ate my cheese."

The boy with the sandy bangs on her left went next. "My pretty dolly ate my ceese?" He sounded nothing like Ella.

The next girl with short brown hair scrunched up her face in concentration. "My pwetty dolly ate my cheese!" This girl was much closer, and I laughed when she tried to say her r's wrong.

The last girl named Tiffany sat up straight. Then, in a voice so like Ella's, I wouldn't be able to tell any difference whatsoever, she said, "My pwetty dolly ate my cheese."

The rest of the circle looked at her like she was insane.

"Freak." came a voice barely a whisper from the boy with sandy hair. Then louder, "Freak!"

Then Ella shouted at the top of her lungs. "FWEAK!" The rest of the classroom was dead silent. Ella pointed at Tiffany with a pudgy finger. Almost the entire class was looking at the quarrel in the corner of the room. Quiet sobs emerged from Tiffany.

"I am not a 'fweak.'" she said under her breath. The way Tiffany said 'freak' mocked Ella exactly. The rest of the class gasped. Then a tiny voice rose from the crowd.

"What is wrong with you?" said the small boy.

Tears were now streaming down Tiffany's face. She abruptly stood up, and stared at them all. She sobbed one more time, then the distraught 4 year old ran out of the building. I followed her.

She ran from the preschool, through the alleys, down the streets, until she got to a small house. The house looked like a gingerbread one, with white, squiggly window frames, and a curved brown roof. Smoke rose from the chimney in even puffs. My house, this was my house!

Tiffany walked up to the door and placed her hand on the handle. She hesitated before turning it, but when she did, it swung open with a loud squeak.

"Who is it?" came a voice from the kitchen. It's odd that she didn't sound worried. But that voice...it sounded so familiar.

"It's me, Mama! It's me!" said Tiffany.

A skinny lady walked in the room. Her eyes were big and brown, but also tired. Her brown hair fell across her shoulders perfectly. Mom, this is my mom. But if it's Tiffany's Mom too, does that make her my sister?

"Why on Earth are you out of school?" Mom said.

"I'm sorry, Mama. The other kids were being mean to me." Tiffany raised her head for the first time, showing her tear covered cheeks and puffy red eyes.

"Oh, sweetie." Mom then embraced her in her long, slender arms in a tight hug. Just then, a small pitter-patter of feet came from the hall. Out came a boy, around three years old with a big smile on his face. His small blue eyes were wide with happiness. He had silver hair in a bob. That boy...is me.

"Tiffey?" I asked in my squeaky voice, seeing her face.

"I should really bring you back and have a little talk with tour teacher." mom said.

"No Mama! No! I wont!" shrieked Tiffany, pushing away. When Mom reached out for her again, Tiffany turned around, and ran. I didn't know where, but I knew it was far far away.

•••••••••••••••••••••

I was being shaken awake by Julian and Echo, just in time to see Sara and Kendall talking to another girl. The girl from my vision.

Tiffany.

"Sorry, Did I frighten you? I'm Tiff. What are your names?" said Tiffany-I mean Tiff. Did she change her name? I quickly got up and introduced everybody.

After she discovered I was her brother...kind of awkward for her. Her whole life she has lived by herself and probably barely remembered me. Yet here I was standing right in front of her.

"Guys, this is my sister Tiff, short for Tiffany." I said proudly.

Tiff's mouth hung open. Echo was looking like I had just given him a rocket science problem to figure out in 10 minutes otherwise the world ends. Julian looked equally confused. Kendall pursed her lips and rose her eyebrows. Only Sara didn't seemed surprised at all,  she looked like she figured that out ages ago.

"So how did you guys end up here?" asked Tiff. I told her about our powers, the letter, our mission, how we found Kendall, everything. Tiff rose her eyebrow.

"Then it's settled. I'm coming with you guys."

"It's way too dangerous!" exclaimed Sara.

"I'm a dangerous kind of girl. And besides, I just found my brother after 10 long years alone. I'm not losing him again."