Forever Young

Forever Young ch.1

“Forever young, I wanna be forever young.

Do you really wanna live forever?

Forever or never?

Forever young, I wanna be forever young.

Do you really wanna live forever?

Forever young.”

  Ch.1 The Beginning of the End

My name is Erin and I’m not normal in any sense of the word ‘normal’. So I used to be a pretty 18 year old girl who used to dream of being like those people *coff Asians coff* who stayed looking young forever. I wasn’t shallow or anything, it just kinda....rubbed off on me. I was a pageant girl from the age of 2 until I was 17. I was forced by my mom, Shelby, to be that way, but all I really wanted to do was be a normal kid. The day after my 18th birthday, she tried to convince me to do pageants again.

“C’mon Erin! You used to be so good at them! Just for old times sake?” she pleaded with me.

“No! I want to be a normal kid who goes to college! Why can’t I do what I want to do for once?” I asked, annoyed. This happened practically everyday since I quit, but today she was irritating me more than usual. Now I love my mom, don’t get me wrong, but when it comes to pageants, I would rather her die. Maybe I thought that too early in my life. Because, reluctantly, I agreed. “Fine Mom!”

Her face lit up. “Really Erin? I’ll be able to?! I mean, you’ll, be able to?!” Obviously she wanted to be a pageant girl when she was younger, but was unable to, either because of money or her parents. So I think once I arrived in this world and my round brown eyes peeked at her through the soft blanket they wrapped around me, her heart told her that she could live her dream through me.

And then tragedy struck. At one of my pageants, I tripped and fell off the stage, breaking practically all the bones in my body due to the high heels she forced me into. I was in a coma for a while and when I woke, the whole room was dark except for one faint light coming from somewhere. Though I was taught to not follow the light, I did. I threw myself out of bed, and for some reason, I could move more. Ok? This is weird....I keep walking towards it and the light grows in intensity, so I have to shield my eyes. I hear mumbling voices towards it. “Is someone there?”

The voices grow louder and then it hushes and I feel myself watched.

I turn to see if someone’s seeing this too, but my family is just sitting there asleep, and I feel alone. I never knew I would have to get used to that feeling. I feel myself tugged and then I see the person from which the light was being illuminated.

“So you’re Erin,” the person smiles evilly. I would like to say it was a female, but I’m not 100% sure.

I stay silent, confused, and a bit cold. Who is this?

“I know you’re wondering who I am? That doesn’t matter. I have a deal for you.”

“A deal?” And I was shocked. Shocked that I actually spoke to this witch-looking person and shocked that they knew what I was thinking.

“You’re not fully alive at the moment, but I have something...” the witch peeks into a huge satchel that they were holding. Light emits from it as well and I’m shocked that the witch doesn’t have to shield their eyes.

“Something?” I peek and they glare at me.

Closing the satchel, the witch said “You have to pick one and only one. No second chances. Once you pick, there’s no way to go back,” the evil smiles comes back and I shiver.

“Ok...?” Wait, she said I wasn’t ‘fully alive’? Is that why my family was asleep? O.O What am I getting myself into?

“The question is, Erin, do you really wanna live forever?”

I raise my eyebrow slightly, a habit that my mom hates, claiming I’ll get wrinkles. “Umm...”

“Let me try again. Remember, choose wisely. Forever or never?” the witch smiles wider.

“Why are you asking me th-”

“Forever? Or never?”

“Umm....Forever?” I say, slowly, confused.

Her face lights up. “Good choice,” opening the satchel, the witch says something, more like chants something.

I feel something in my chest warm and when I look down, the center of my chest is illuminating light. Turning my head, I see that the same is happening to my family. Sighing, I look up and see the witch smiling.

They say something that sounds like “I love my job.”

Suddenly, one by one, my family shrivels up, looking similar to life size prunes, and the light stops emitting from them.

“What did you-?!” Turning back to face the witch, I am horrified by seeing that they are gone. As the light stops radiating from me, I run towards my family. Seeing all of them, their lives stolen from them, tears flood my cheeks and I let them fall. I run out and try to unbelieve my fate. Living forever young. Forever 18.