Marked? What does that mean? The book marked me? Why only me? I was pondering this when my mom called me,” Em come here. I was about to open the door when I once again saw the burn. I turned around and walked to the dresser. I found a long sleeved shirt and pulled it on. I walked out to my mom.
“Em”, she said in that disappointed, why would you, how could you do that tone. I looked at her feeling annoyed. She looked at me. I felt my look turn into a glare right before I went back to my room. As I came in and closed the door I locked it also. I sat at my vanity. I pulled up my sleeve. The blisters from the burns were bleeding sores. A slight tingle of goosebumps waved through my body. There was blood and pus coming from the gory burn that was immensely bleeding. It looked like someone branded the letters into my skin. The burns throbbed . I pulled my sleeve down and stared at it waiting for the blood to leak through. I continued to stare at it. I saw no blood. I pulled up my sleeve again. The gash looked deep. I ran my fingers along the blisters, the words. I took a finger and put it on the burn pressing down. My skin felt smooth as if there were no burns and blisters. I only felt smooth skin, but I could see blood, and feel the pain.
I looked at the door when I heard the knocking, and sniffling. I opened the door and found Ms. Burgess with silent tears streaming down her face.
“ Oh my gosh! Are you okay?”, I asked with a sympathetic look.
“ I am a horrible mother. I do not teach Thomas the right way.”, she took a step toward me and embraced me. I was so surprised by this action I let out a small gasp. She immediately stepped back.
“Did I hurt you?” I shook my head. She instantly let out a sigh of relief and started to embrace me again, and this time I hugged back. We stood there for a while until she took a deep breath and walked away. I could still feel the warmth of her body. I sat down in front of the mirror on my vanity and smiled at myself for a moment until a deep burning crept through my arm. I fell off of the purple stool and onto the floor. I pulled up my sleeve and looked at the deep marks on my arms, the sores looking mad. I pulled my sleeve down and inhaled. I stood up and walked out of my room. Ms.Burgess was sitting on one of the high stools at the island. She looked up to where I stood. I gave her a warm smile. She smiled back. I went to the cupboard and took out two mugs.
I turned to Ms. Burgess,” Do you want some coffee?” She nodded her head. I walked to the new looking coffee maker and made a pot full. My mom and I never drink coffee, but she got it at the annual dentist white elephant gift exchange. I filled up her cup and made myself some hot cocoa (that we have all year around). I looked at the hot chocolate and took a deep sniff. I could only smell the coffee from Ms.Burgess’s cup. I never liked the smell of coffee. It was too strong. My mother walked into the room with a half awake look on her face. My mothers matching dark hair was jumbled into knots at the back of her head. She was short and had shoulder length black hair. Her familiar sharp facial features stretched in funny ways as my mother rubbed her face. Next to me Ms. Burgess laughed in such a hard way I thought she was dying. She slammed the coffee cup onto the island. Some of the contents spilled out of the mug and onto the floor. I guffawed at her. Was she okay? After awhile I found out she was laughing not having a seizure! I looked at my mom and she just smiled and rolled her eyes. Then I fell.
“ Are you okay? What happened to your arm?” I heard my mother say in a far away voice.
“Thomas has same burn.” Ms. Burgess barely whispered, and I barely caught. I forced my heavy iron eyelids to open. My mom was right above me, and my sleeve was pulled up. A hard glare formed in my eyes I could feel myself fill with fake anger. I focused my glare at my mother. I shoved my sleeve down ignoring the pain. I sat up biting my lip, so I would not say anything I would regret. I stood up listening to the new pounding in my head and the new arising anger coming out of nowhere. I walked back to my room sitting on my stool. I looked at the pale pink wallpaper with the sloppy flower drawings on the walls. As I looked at my master pieces, I noticed that stupid monkey on the floor. I stared at the ugly brown. I once again felt that anger rising in me. Myself quickly filling with a deep rage.
¨Stupid monkey! I hate you!¨ I stood up, but sat back down when I saw my reflection. My face was contorted, with anger written all over. My cheeks were red. My eyebrows making an angry V. A dark frown carved where my usual smile is supposed to be. I felt as if I was glued to my seat, just staring at my reflection.
“ Mom,I am sorry for getting so mad, but I don’t want to talk about what happened, please.¨ I looked at her with begging eyes before I continued, ¨Do we have any ointment for burns?” she looked at me as if determining if she should question me either way. I tried to place a please, please do not ask look. She broke in.
“ Under the kitchen sink to the right behind the garbage bags.” I could feel myself smile for real again for the first time since school yesterday which is a long time for me. I undid the safety latch which has been there since I was little. I moved the box of garbage bags, and reached to the back of the drawer.
I pulled out the first bottle I could find. It was a bottle of nail polish remover. I reached back down, and I pulled out another which was exactly what I was looking for, burn ointment! I put everything back then opened the bottle. I squeezed the bottle and it came out fast. The light pink ointment completely piled up on my hand and spluttered on the floor. I heard my mom start laughing behind me.
“ A little help?” I pleaded with her. She nodded and put on a relaxed smile. She crouched down next to me and unscrewed the top of the bottle. She took her finger and swooped some of the top and slid her finger across the bottle scraping the ointment off. She continued until there was a good amount on my hand. She smiled at me and I tried to smile back through the sudden wave of inconvenient pain. My mother reached out and pulled up my sleeve. I placed my hand with the ointment on it on the burn. The cool feeling swept up my arm as I rubbed it in. I stood up and swiftly pulled my sleeve down. I walked to my room crossing through the brown walled living room. Once I got to my room I pulled out my phone and called the most familiar number, the one I have called a million times. I called Thomas.
“ What do you want!”, he said in more of a yell than a question. I started choking.
“ Meet me at the p-park?”, I stammered before he hung up. I walked out the door as Ms. Burgess grabbed her stuff to leave our house.
“ I am going on a walk mom”, I said as I followed Ms. Burgess out of the house. We turned the opposite ways. I walked to the park, and sat on the green bench right outside the ring of mulch. I sat there for half an hour before I felt someone sitting down next to me. I looked up to see Thomas’s gray eyes looking at me. I smiled at him and he looked at me like I was crazy. I went to lean over and hug him. He grabbed my burnt arm, I flinched. He pulled up my sleeve and looked at the burn. He looked at me and frowned; it looked as if he was about to cry. I grabbed his arm and pulled up his sleeve. He pulled his arm away before I could look at it.
As he walked away his wrist was still visible. The familiar letters that I have looked at on my arm were reflected on his. It looked exactly the same. I wondered many things at the time. Did he have the same dream as me?Is that why he is acting weird?Am I gonna be like that in a little while?
I walked home. I opened the door and grabbed the bottle of burn ointment and returned to my room. I added another layer of the cool lotion. The burn seemed to almost fight back. It seared with pain and I rubbed the lotion in faster movements. I went across the room and sat on my bed, ignoring the pain. I played the scene at the park over in my head. My head was pounding with stress, and my eyelids finally realized that they are twice as heavy as usual. I layed down. And let my eyes take a rest.
