Marceline's Journal

The beginning

         Never in her life had Marceline been so attracted to anything like this. The fact that she was in a mall and probably likely to get knocked over by someone passing by didn't even register in her mind. She had her eyes locked on one thing and all her mind, body and even soul was drawn to it.

      It was almost like there was some inexplicable force drawing her. After what what felt like an eternity staring at the immense beauty before her, that seemed to be staring right back at her, she finally remembered she actually had legs that worked. So, with utmost determination to close the distance between them, she walked towards the source of such attraction.

    Alas she was within mere inches of it. She couldn't back down now so she summoned all her courage, reached out and touched the surface of this force that drew her so close. In that moment she could have sworn she felt electricity surge right through her. Her heartbeat increasing, her pulse racing, her ears buzzing, the feeling was so exhilarating. She felt all her inhibitions fade away. So adrenaline pumping, she moved even closer, brought her hands up to hold the sides of this piece of wondrous matter, drew even closer still and whispered to it...
         "You're the one"

     "You wanna take that book Marcy?" The question came from far off and only managed to pull her out of her reverie but the words or even the voice it came from had not registered yet in her head. She looked at the plain hard covered book in her hand. She and her mother were shopping for a new book to use as her journal since summer was going to be over soon and it was her tradition to start each new semester with a new book.

     She had to laugh at herself and the tiny narrator in her head for being so dramatic every time she had to do such a simple task as this.

     It still wasn't until she heard something that sounded like another book drop on the tiled floor that she realized she wasn't alone in the mall. She looked to her side to identify the origin of the sound and saw a woman staring at her with her jaw quite open and her eyebrows arched as if to inquire if she was in perfect mental state

    For a few seconds (and a few seconds only), Marceline wondered why the woman was staring at her like that. Then it dawned on her that she had just spent the last few minutes staring at a book, then walking slowly as if in a trance towards it, passionately caressing it's covers, whispering to the book and then (as the cherry on top) finally laughing to herself.

      Embarrassment was an understatement, dignity was long gone, all hope to remedy the situation completely lost to her. So she did the most reasonable and normal thing anyone would do in that kind of situation. She tried to conjure up the most demented look she could and put on finger to her lips while mouthing the interjection "sshhh" like someone who just escaped from a mental hospital. This was all the proof the poor old woman needed to flee from the book aisle. She looked utmostly terrified and for a while, Marceline actually feared she might just call the police.

    "Marcy?" The second call sounded louder and finally got her attention. She turned her head to the voice. It belonged to the person who had asked the previous question. Her mother. She was walking towards Marceline and honestly Marceline was shocked at how far ahead her mother had gotten without her. Marceline wondered how long it took her to realize her daughter was no longer beside her anymore. The thought made Marceline roll her eyes.... How typical... She thought.

    "So you want that one?" Her mother looked at her choice with furrowed eyebrows.

    "Are you sure Marcy?" Marceline hated that nickname.

      "I mean that one over there looks better" her mother pointed to another book on the same shelf and truth be told, Marceline thought so too. So as the magic pull, the electricity and the adrenaline rush had begun to emerge all over again, she started to reach for the second book, all interest for the one she had in her hand all gone.

     As she was about to grab it, she remembered just what kind of child she was. A rebellious one. She remembered everything she had ever done, every order she had ever disobeyed to earn her that title, and listening to your mother (even though she's right)was just not what troublesome daughters did. So there was the book, so well designed and simple, she would have loved to write in it for this semester since it was her last anyway but then there was the whole "rebellious teenager" thing she had worked hard to achieve. She could just see her rebellious self now, shaking it's head at her for even taking so long to make this decision. So she decided. She hadn't listened to her mother about anything before and she wasn't about to start now.

     "No, I'll go with the one I picked already" and those were the first and last words she said to her mother the entire time there were in that mall.