Everybody Shifts (Scrapped)

XIV

I lope towards the back door of my house, an old, peeling, off-white slab of wood, much older than my 17 years. I shift out of my wild form, then open the door and step into the kitchen. It looks immeasurably different from the door, with its white and black checkered floor,  pale blue painted walls, pale green tiles on the walls between the counter and cabinets, and a plain wooden island. The immense difference often put people on edge or startled them, but to me, it was deeply comforting. I grab an apple and eat it from the bottom up like I have all my life. I quickly make my way through the core, then toss the stem through the slightly open window. 

"I'm home! Yes, I had fun, I just ate, and I didn't bring anything so I couldn't have left anything. I'll be in my room!" I holler, anticipating my parents' questions before they can answer, having answered them countless times, though I was not often considered social.

"Alright then. Be down in time for dinner." my mother replies. I voice my agreement as I make my way up the stairs.

Two o'clock. I put my favorite cd in the player then collapse onto my bed, the nervous energy that I hadn't realized I had had for the last few hours suddenly drained. I let out a deep breath, and after a few minutes, I nod off.

I wake up with a start, terror running through my veins like ice. I look around, my exhausted mind trying to figure out where I am. 5 o'clock. As I remember the events of the day, my blood thaws like ice on the sidewalk in summer. I practically slap myself in the face when I remember the way I left.

"Why did you have to say that?! Now you sound like an idiot, Estrella!"  I chastise myself, feeling the blood rushing to my face, even though I'm alone. I lay back down, breathing in and out deeply. 

Calm down, Estrella. You know that you can't change the past, no matter how hard you try. This isn't the first time you've felt like a complete idiot. You should've gotten used to it by now! This seems to happen every time you meet up with someone you recently met for the first time... You're all fine and dandy when you meet them, maybe a little weird but not too much, and then something happens and you make yourself look like an idiot. And this is why you're a loner. You always see it coming, so you try to avoid it. You saw him wandering through the woods late at night, and yet you didn't think to let him keep searching like an idiot and not talk to him.

I flick myself in the side of the head, as though that will help clear my mind. Stop that! What's done is done is done! I shake my head, trying to rid myself of the traitorous thoughts. From somewhere deep inside my head, a small voice murmurs, "This will come in handy sometime soon... When exactly is a good question, but soon? That's the answer."

(I myself am not really sure how much sense this makes, or how well it fits with the rest of the story, but here ya go. I've mostly been focused on Glitches and a bit on Snowmelt, so if you're looking for fresh, (mostly) sane content, go look at those!

~Khali)