I'm Not Crazy

**Not your average, typical story** This is the prologue :)

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Imaginary people. My mom kept assuring that they weren’t really there. Just a figment of my imagination. But I knew better. 

 **12 years ago**

      It was a normal, sunny day in Phoenix, Arizona. Mom and I had decided to go to the park and enjoy ourselves. I was so excited to go and play on the swings. 

     When we had reached the park, I quickly spotted my friend Alice and her sister, Chloe.  My mom spoke loudly, making sure I heard. “I’m going to sit next to Alex’s mom, ok honey?” I nodded and ran towards my friends. 

     We played for about half and hour until I realized something was wrong. The wind had become frigid, icy. Looking around, I noticed that no one seemed to care. Almost as if they were oblivious to the fact that it was freezing out here. As I was walking to my mom, I saw a little boy alone. He was siting at the edge of the park where the forest begins. His gaze flickered around the kids playing, longingly. Feeling guilty, I walked up to the boy and sat next to him. 

     He was older than me by a year or two, meaning he was 7 years old. I looked at his face and let out an inaudible gasp. His eyes were….. the strangest color. Ice blue, with flecks of black in them. His black hair covering his ears and forehead as he glared at me. 

     “Go away.” He said, his voice sounding sweet yet cold. I determinedly refused. “No. Do you want to play?” His glare turned into one of surprise. “Y-you want to play with me?” I smiled at him. “Everyone needs a friend to play with. Don’t you want to play with me?” My forehead creased into a frown. Why didn’t he want to play? “O-ok. What should I do?” He said, hesitantly. “Let’s play…hide and seek. I’ll count to ten and you go hide.When I’m done counting, I’ll come after you and try to catch you, ok?” He nodded excitedly, a radiant smile gleaming onto his lovely face. I covered my eyes and started counting.

     “One… Two… Three…” I heard a faint shuffling and slyly peaked one eye open. He ran into the forrest. I smiled wryly. ‘I’m going to catch him’, I chimed in my head. 

     After a full ten seconds, I got up and ran into the forrest.Slowly tiptoeing through the trees, I saw a dark silhouette of a boy behind a willow tree. I smiled, remembering that mom had told me I was named after it. Willow. I ran up to the tree and scanned it. He’s not there, I thought disappointed. 

      A presence behind me made me alert and I turned around. The boy was there grinning and started to run off. I smiled and ran after him, our laughs echoing through the air. I was truly happy then. 

     “Willow! Willow! Where are you?! My baby! Find her!!” I stopped shocked. Mom was crying? I looked forward and saw the boy stop and stare at me, his smile faltering. “You can go now. Thank you for playing with me.” He said with pure happiness in his eyes. “Wait! You’re just going to leave?” Tears strolled down my face. His eyes shone with sadness but the flicker of a light showed in his eyes. He had an idea. He took of his bracelet and quickly put it on my hand. I looked down and saw that the bracelet had a big white S dangling from a silver chain. 

     He started to walk off, but there was one question nagging at me. “Could I at least know your name?! My name’s Willow, like the tree. How about yours?” He turned around and smiled. A moment later, he vanished in thin air. I thought I was crazy but I heard a name being whispered into my ear.

Storm, the voice whispered.

     “Willow?! There you are! Why did you run off like that?! I was so worried I lost you! Don’t ever do that again! You understand me?! EVER!” She screamed as she held me in front of her. I started to cry. “B-b-but mommy!S-s-storm needed a friend and I played h-hide and s-seek with him!” She looked at me, a look of dread coming onto her face. “You’re seeing imaginary people. He’s not real, honey.” I stared at her in confusion. “But he is mommy. I saw him, he was-” I was cut off by the look my mom gave me that was filled with……. Anger. “Don’t say things like that. People will think you’re crazy.”

 If only I knew then how true those words were.

 **Present Day**

     I was diagnosed with Schizophrenia a year after that incident. I’m sure the people I see are real. But, so do others with schizophrenia. 

     I see people. People who aren’t supposed to be there, but sadly they are. I would’ve believed I was a schizophrenic if it weren’t for the bracelet Storm had given me. I wore it everyday because it kept me sane. It was the only way evidence I had that he was real. That I don’t imagine things. 

     I didn’t tell anyone about Storm since that day. I was classed as a freak at school. The reason? Because I was too ‘quite’ and ‘antisocial’. If only they knew what I go through everyday.  My dad died when I was ten years old. Mom hasn’t coped with his death yet and she never will. Adding on that I saw ‘imaginary people’, the stress and depression was endless. Most days she would just blame me for dad’s death. Other days she wouldn’t even talk to me. 

     I never take medication because I never needed it. Mom never bothered about my health  anyways. She never really bothered about me in general.

     But my life only worsened when he came back. The difference was, he wasn’t nice or friendly anymore. He was violent, cold, and….. powerful in a way.

Storm was back and he wasn’t here to play.                                           

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