The Northside Reality

Another Town, Another Identity.

"Hello and welcome to Walla Walla! Wait, what kind of name is that?"

"Harper, for God's sake just keep reading."

"Fine fine! Hello, blah.. blah.. blah.. located in Southern Washington. It is surrounded by forest and a beautiful scenery of streams and waterfalls. September has painted the trees with red, orange and yellow! It is especially beautiful in the Autumn and spring times! Though we hope you choose to stay to experience all four seasons!"

I flipped aimlessly to the next page of the brochure, my mom had forced into my hands, and glanced over the pictures inside. It did look pretty. However, though it looks like a cheerful and loving small town, In reality it always filled with heartbreak, goodbyes, and pain. That is the side of it that small towns like these always fail to mention, but I knew from experience. Though they tried to hide it, I always knew the truth.

"God, I just hope we don't have to leave again.."

I sighed as I heard my mother in my head and I looked over at her, trying to muster up some consoling words to say. "It will be okay, Mom." I said softly and she looked over to me, her emerald green eyes meeting my bright blue ones. It was so strange how different yet similar we looked. She told me that I had my dad's eyes and nose, but I had her lips and cheekbones.

"Harper Alexis Moore, stay out of my head."
She said with fake sternness, though I was only able to tell because there were no negative emotions coming off of her.

"Hey, it's not my fault you're loud."
I replied, sticking my tongue out at her which just resulted in both of us laughing.

After we both settled down, I still was able to feel the anxiety coming off of her in thick suffocating waves, and I tried my best to push some positive vibes back which ended with her body seemingly relaxing as she drove. Her knuckles regained color after losing some from gripping the steering wheel so tightly.
I looked out the passenger window and caught my reflection in the side mirror. I zoned out slightly, staring at my shoulder length brown hair, and bright blue eyes. My slim face was complimented by my cheekbones and dimples that apparently were to die for. My dimples were seen when I smiled. I was of average height, around 5 feet 5 inches. I was skinny but well kept and taken care of. I ate enough, sometimes too much, but I never really gained a lot of weight. It was probably due to the fact that I wasn't all that average. My mom said I got it from my dad an extremely impossibly fast metabolism along with a couple other 'gifts' that are more like curses.

When I saw the 'Welcome to Walla Walla' sign, I held back the groan that threatened to escape. "Please tell me at least this time I get to be home schooled and not enrolled in yet again another high school?" The hesitation mixed with the unspoken confession made me sigh softly. Another school would mean a new name, a new life that would really only last four months at most, if we were lucky. Oh, how wonderful the lies were. "So what's my name this time?" I asked quietly, my eyes flickered away from the side mirror and focused on my mother once again. A wave of sadness and guilt hit me hard in the chest and though it wasn't my own, I could feel my heart race in my chest in response. A lump formed in my throat and I tried my hardest to swallow it back down. "Don't... Don't be sad, mom. It'll be fine." As soon as the words left my lips, I was thankful that she wasn't like me. I was grateful that she couldn't sense the fact that I wasn't being honest. Although it was a lie, I wanted to make it the truth. After all, she didn't have a choice in the matter and she had done all these things to protect me. I couldn't hate her for that. I could feel the sadness lighten up ever so slightly and my chest became not as heavy. I could breathe a bit easier, and my heart rate fell back into a normal pace.

"Yeah, you're right, honey. It will be okay." My mother's voice was a little bit more confident now, more reassuring which helped when it came to my reactions. I moved my hands from the brochure, setting the pamphlet in my lap as I rested my arm on the door, my head automatically resting against my palm.

"God, I just hope they don't find us..."

The next thought to slip its way into my mind made the hairs on my neck raise, and I inhaled sharply. Our last encounter had been one for the books... It had been when my abilities first started, the voices i was hearing when I touched people skin-to-skin, the rush of feelings that came with it. I didn't always need to touch them to experience these things however. With people I was close with, like my mother, could always sense what she's feeling, though the hearing her thoughts only occurred when I was with her. Experiencing this, I thought I was going insane.. that something was truly wrong with me.

At the age of 12, after I had started going crazy, my mother and I had been walking down the street when all of a sudden three men in black suits grabbed me and tried forcing me into a car. My poor mother tried her best but in reality it was like ten men versus two girls. Luckily for me, a cop was nearby arresting a woman for solicitation- So, thanks Candy for being there at the right time and thanks for trying to sell yourself, I guess. Any-who, the officer jumped in and helped us out before offering my mother a ride to the police station. I remembering being so confused on why she had turned him down and instead rushed us home and moved us out of the state as soon as she could... But now, I understood.

It's been five years since that day, so you could imagine after five years, and attending 15 different junior highs and high schools, how tired I am of pretending. But I had to do this for her... For my mom. She handed me my new passport and photo ID along with my school registration forms and birth certificate. I nodded slowly, forcing myself to take a deep and calming breath.

"Hayley Russo, Huh? Well, Walla Walla, you're in for one hell of a surprise."