Not My Body

Katherine

I stare at myself in the mirror. Red, unruly hair, braces, hot pink glasses and all. I sigh. A deep and big sigh. A geek. A nerd. Metal-mouth. That's what everyone said in school. Including my best friend. My best friend.

I walked to my Memory Wall, a wall with all of my most treasured pictures. Those that held meaning and the best memories.

I look at my Memory Wall closely now. Most of the pictures are of Sophia and me. Best friends forever and ever. "Besties!" she would say. Now, everything has changed. I have no idea why or how. She used to be my "sister". Now, I don't even think we are frenemies. I think we are enemies. No, I don't think that, I am sure of it. The way she glares and sneers at me then flips her hair and struts away. She just went into a whole new league.

She was fine last year. And the year before that. And the year before the year before that. All the way until Kindergarten. We have been best friends since Kindergarten. It was just the last day of Summer. The last day of being in Primary School that she changed. She "grew up". All she talked about were how cute this boy and that boy was, fashion (I don't remember a time where she even was interested in fashion until then), makeup, gossip and all the other "mature teenage" stuff.

We were at the pool, like how we spent every last day of Summer. With a pool party. Demetria, Megan, Helia, Aashka, Madison, Katie, Amani, they were all there. It was our "little" girl gang. But this time it was special. Sophia had invited a new girl to join. Sophia explained, "Cathy just moved two houses away from mine a few weeks ago. We have been spending these few weeks trying to know each other. She's really nice and I know you will like her!" I smiled as Sophia spoke. She always spoke with such enthusiasm, making everyone around her want to smile and laugh too. But when she said she had been spending time with Cathy, my stomach flipped with jealousy. Is this why she always wasn't home when I came to visit her? I thought. I quickly cast that thought away. I shouldn't be jealous of Cathy. I mean, Sophia is allowed to have friends. It's not like I restrict her to. She doesn't restrict me too either. And also, I have had Sophia for so many Summers. Besides, we are best friends. Nothing is ever going to break us apart. So, why should I be jealous of this newcomer, Cathy? But something was not right.... I just couldn't put my finger on it. So, I brushed it away.

At that one point of the party, the best point. The one with all the dancing and laughing. I had a vision. I didn't mean I hallucinated or anything like that, I just had a vision. Like a prophecy or something. Or maybe the future. Anyway, I had a vision. And I am pretty sure, no, very sure, that these visions are not normal. In my vision, I saw Cathy. She walked up behind Sophia, grabbed something just right at the top of her spine and pulled. Sophia opened up. Like a bag being unzipped. I wanted to run towards her, shout, anything. But I couldn't. I was rooted to the spot. Cathy stepped inside Sophia's skin like wearing a jumpsuit. Right before her head went in, she looked at me and gave me the most bone-chilling smile ever.

I was back in reality and was in shock by what I saw. I looked straight at Cathy. She seemed like a normal person, but deep inside I knew she was not. She was why Sophia had changed.

She was the worst kind of poltergeist, a phantom. And she had took over Sophie, my Sophie's body. I carried this secret like a burden with me everyday, everywhere. Until now...