The Watcher

part one

She walked casually to school that morning. The crisp, autumn air hit her face as gusts of wind hurried past her. It was as if they needed to be elsewhere. The leaves beneath her crunched with each step she took, some louder than others. She couldn't hear them though. Music filled her ears, and I could hear it as well. The same damn song she had left on repeat for the past two days. To be honest, I didn't get all the hype over it, but then again, only mortals would be able to do so.

That morning had been the same as the others. That same old scene.  A small, dainty looking town with little buildings plastered together on each side of the sidewalk. But she didn't care, she was proud to call it home. She grew up in this town. Before her mother had passed, they had moved here to live with her great Aunt Ruth. Her father was an abusive alcoholic and her mother didn't want her newborn baby to live in that kind of environment. So one night she packed up just the things she could carry and left. At least that's what great Aunt Ruth told her.

She loved her great Aunt Ruth, but she loved her mother so much more. It had been her mother who had taught her to walk, talk, and write her name in the short years she had on this earth. No child should have to lose their parent, but at least she was young enough to not remember, at least not in the part of your mind you use daily. It was in the back of her mind, she stored those treasures. The memories she had with her mother. She saved them for rainy days, as humans would say.

Great Aunt Ruth wasn't the kindest woman in the world, but she cared about her great niece. She was proud of all she had accomplished at such an early age. She was a smart little girl, and as she grew, so did her mind. When her great Aunt Ruth had asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up her response was always the same.

"When I grow up, I want to be a scientist".

"Is that so?"

"Yes, Aunt Ruth".

"Out of all of the career paths you could choose, Why that one baby girl?"

"I want to find a way to save my mama".

As a young girl, she didn't understand that death was forever. Great Aunt Ruth had to tell her that. Now that she is older, she understands it in more depth. She knows there is no way to bring her mother back. But there is a way she could help save people who were just like her mother had been. And that is exactly what she planned on doing one day.

She arrived at Westshore Secondary School ten minutes before the warning bell rang. A normal routine she had every day. This gave her just enough time to go to her locker, grab her things, and head down to the east stairwell to her Advanced Placement biology class. Every class on her timeline had those two fancy letters in front of the subject. Like I had stated before, she was always a smart girl and this just proved it.

She walked through the classroom door and went to her regular seat. The desk by the window, on the left-hand side of the classroom. She had always enjoyed the view she saw, but particularly this time of year was her favorite. Shades of red, orange and yellow reflected off the window and into her eyes. Something about it almost hypnotized her. Perhaps it was the memories flooding back of her mother's scarlet hair, and with those probably came many more that she didn't even think she remembered.

Mr. Schultz entered the room with a coffee in one hand, his laptop bag on his shoulder, and his day planner and textbook in the other. He was a nerdy looking man. Very short, possibly only 5'7, with thick pop bottle glasses, and looked like he still lived in his mother's basement. Many of the students at Westshore Secondary School would rather call him Mr. Shorts, or sometimes gnome. But she never did. She enjoyed having Mr. Shultz as a teacher. He knew how to teach his class, and always showed his passion for doing so.

First, second, third and fourth period had flown by. That's another thing mortals don't take into consideration, time. It's very limited. It can rush by, or it can drag on. "Days go slow, years go fast," I think is what they say about it. And they aren't wrong. They just don't think about it enough, until its too late. She had made her way to the cafeteria to meet her best friend, Miles. He was seated in their little corner spot, the one they had claimed as their own the first day of freshman year. So many memories were made there, and they are all sorted in the back of her mind as well.

Miles was fairly tall, (probably around 5'11-6') and she thought he was quite handsome as well. His hair was short. It was shaved on the sides with a mound of hair left to sit on the top of his head. That was the style these days I assume. He had small framed glasses, which were mostly used for reading. To many students at Westshore Secondary, he looked like your average high school jock, but he happened to be far from it. His body was toned and muscular, not the body type you would expect to see on the nerdy boy. Miles was an oddity, a rare sighting.

Miles was just as smart as her, if not smarter. He happened to be a math genius and well, he definitely knew it. He wasn't a total dick about it, but he did like to show off just how intelligent he was. This pissed off a lot of people especially the teachers, but Miles didn't care. She found it attractive. It always brought a smile to her face. Rosey red cheeks followed shortly after. I think that's what she found most attractive about him. Not his physical appearance, but rather his intelligence. She longed to be with someone who was as smart as her. She wanted to be able to have "normal" conversations without having to explain what everything meant that came out of her mouth.

She didn't know how Miles truly felt about her, but she hoped it was the same way she did. Her blue eyes were fixated on him, her hand cupped under her chin. Her mind was racing, I could feel it. How could someone be this attractive? How did I get lucky enough to call him my best friend? A long sigh filled her brain, as well as me. I knew she has ventured off into her own little world. Silly girl, she doesn't even know he's trying to speak to her.

"Did you not hear anything I just said? Are you even listening?" he had caught her off guard.

"Sorry...yes I was. Wait- what did you say?"

Clearly, she hadn't been listening to him at all. She had been admiring his very existence. Miles simply rolled his eyes, his glasses magnifying the act. An ever so slight smirk began forming on his lips. She, to my surprise, doesn't see it. But I do. I can see that Miles adores this girl. He better say something to her soon, before its too late. For all we know, she could die tomorrow. And if that occurs, he would have never gotten the chance.