Chapter 1
The rain streamed down from the sky, like a constant river of doom and despair. The bus window started to fog up not that anyone else noticed, I wiped a perfect circle to clear the view, not that I needed to nothing would have changed. I can’t remember a single day of ever when it wasn’t raining or snowing. I absolutely hate the bus, and I always had, not only did I have to suffer the humiliation of sitting by myself, I was constantly picked on about what I wore (which was perfectly fine, or so I thought) and what I had done at school that day. What’s wrong with reading, or studying or practicing something at lunchtime? It’s not like anyone would notice I mean I didn’t have anything else I could do as no one would look at me without rearranging his or her face into a glare as if to say;
‘Why were you born?’ Or ‘get lost you don’t belong here.’
Even my teachers hated me just because I was well above the average student, and often corrected the mistakes that they made in class. Today, for example, was the day that everyone got their half yearly’s back. I had managed to do really well, and it was because of this I got sent to the principal’s office because I got 100% in most tests and had failed to stay within the average score of 75% – 80% (Again!!!).
This didn’t bother me though it happened at least once a week give or take a few days. The only thing that did bother me was the fact that everyone acted the same about their results; they were all really pleased that they got B’s; but shouldn’t some of them have had different views not to mention grades? Not saying a B isn’t a good grade but everyone getting the same thing every time was a bit weird.
The bus window clouded over again but there was no point in wiping it clean there was nothing more to see. Every house was the same, a perfect 2 story cottage, perfect for a family with 2 children and every family had 2 children, except mine, each house had a green garden filled with roses and every other flower imaginable and a one tree where a swing normally would hang.
Once more everyone acted the same to, for instance the teachers like all the other students except for me, even their houses are the same. Don’t these people have an opinion, or is everyone secretly a robot that’s controlled by …
My train of thought trailed off. The fact was that if that ever happened to the town I knew exactly who she would expect to be the controllers. The bus was almost half empty now. It pulled up to the next stop where we deposited another 4 people. If I was lucky today I would make it to Grandma Molly’s farm without getting pelted by food and bits of paper but I’m rarely lucky. Sure enough a piece of paper went sailing by my head missing by a long shot but was quickly followed by another hitting me square in the back of my head. Just in time I ducked my head as almost a whole book went flying past the spot where my head had been just about a second ago.
‘Almost there, almost off the bus away from these people.’ I whispered under my breath.
The paper throwing was usually followed by the name calling, teasing, bullying and then well after about 20 minutes of that most of the ‘popular’ kids (everyone) was off the bus and there were only exactly 4 people left, not including me. I didn’t mind the bullying I had kind of grown up with it. The sad thing was that my siblings would also join in on the theatrics so that they would stay ‘normal’. Yes I said siblings; I have a little sister and an older brother; Alice and Alex. So that makes my family abnormal (duh three kids) .Not that I exist or anything
Most of the kids at my school hated me, and when I say most I mean all. Not only was I ‘abnormal’, but I also had strange faint light blue markings that covered my arms legs and face in a mist type pattern, almost like a tattoo. Not to mention the fact that I don’t really care that much about fashion. I mean I care about how I looked but I wasn’t into the latest trend which just happened to be wearing miniskirts, strapless tops and 3 inch heels; it was what everybody wore in high school, every today exempt for me. Today for instance, I was wearing a light blue raincoat, a plain long sleeved white V-neck top, jeans and black ballet flats. My long brown hair was braided neatly down my back, except for the few strands that had come out during the day.
The bus slowly emptied as one by one the students of Dark Fall High School got off, finally leaving me alone with the bus driver (no more getting pelted with paper. Yay!!) Slowly the bus rounded the last turn before and screeched to a halt. We had reached Grandma Molly’s farm, or at least the edge of the property to her farm. I walked down the aisle of the bus, the rain had slowed to only a light drizzle. Stepping off the bus I began the long walk/hike up the hill to reach the little cottage on top. The constant rain had made the steep hill slippery, rocky and lifeless, so the rocks and trees were covered in moss and well every time I made this trip, which was almost every day, I managed to slip or trip in one way or another.
I had almost mad it to the top without slipping for once when I saw them. They were the figures that had haunted my childhood. Black cloaked shadows that were always just around the corner hiding in the shadows and no one else could see them except for me. I hadn’t seen them since I was 10 when my parents had sent me to a psychiatrist with the hope I would stop seeing things and become ‘normal’ whatever normal ment. But now it looked like they were back.
