Interconnected Lives

Alicia Lazarus

I don't like being in my houseanymore. Not since dad and Saddie stopped being there. Now there'sjust Mrs. Stenson and mamma, and I don't want to be around either ofthem. So instead of going into the house I stay in my treehouse. Dadhad it special built so that it's just like a house, just up in atree and it has a trap door. It has a regular door too but I like thetrap door a lot better. I have a little sleeping pad and some beanbag furniture, plus dad got me a little fridge and microwave and alittle window unit that can be a heater or a air conditionerdepending on if it's summer or winter. I can pretty much live inthere, and for the past few months I kinda have been.

I don't like going in the housebecause that's where mamma is. She never leaves her room, but I cansmell her all over the place. She smells really bad, like milk that'sbeen on the counter for a couple days but not long enough to be allsolid. I dunno how she manages to get her icky smell all over theplace when she doesn't ever get out of bed and Mrs. Stenson is thereto clean the house and cook every day. Maybe it's like a super poweror something. Weird super power but whatever, at least she has one. Idon't have one.

Maybe I don't have a superpower, but I do have my tree house. Maybe I'm more like Batman whereI'm just a regular person with a really cool hideout.

Dad set up a TV for me with abuilt in DVD player so I can watch my favorite shows without momgetting grouchy. She hates my shows. I leave all my DVDs out in thetreehouse now because she went on a rampage and threw out a lot of myanime after Aunt Nat died. She told me my shows were weird, and myclothes are weird, so she threw my stuff out and yelled at me to benormal. Dad totally lost his mind on her when he came home and foundout. Dad likes the same 'weird' things I like. So does Saddie. Dadbought me my shows and more of my clothes that I like and told mejust to keep things I like in my treehouse until he moves back home.

He offered me to come live withhim and Saddie at his house but I don't want to so he isn't makingme. My house kinda sucks right now but I don't want to leave. I canjust stay in my hideout until things get better.

I'm making hot coco when theGhost comes up through the trap door and collapses on the floor. Idon't scream though. Only shojo girls scream, and I'm more of ashonen girl.

I stare at it and think thatthis must be the start to my own anime where I get my super powers tosee ghosts. Maybe I'll be a paranormal detective or an exorcist! Ilook out the window to see if anyone is running towards the treehousein case an exorcist is coming who I can go with and start myapprenticeship. No one is outside though. It's just me and the whiteghost thing. That's a little disappointing, but it doesn't mean thatno one is coming. Maybe I just need to give them a minute.

The white thing is right infront of me suddenly. Its hands are on either side of my head and itsface is pressed almost right against my nose. I'm scared frozen. Fora long time I'm just standing there with the white things cold handsover my ears, and I'm too afraid to move. I stand there so long Istop being afraid and start noticing things about it, like how itdoesn't have a smell or shadows. The whole thing is just a reallyflat white. Even up close I can't see anything but white.

Maybe it isa shadow, I think to myself.

A moment later it lets me go andfalls backwards onto the floor.

"You're very sick," thewhite thing says. It has a lady voice. It doesn't have lips.

"I don't think so," Irespond. "My nose isn't running and I always get a runny nose whenI'm sick."

"Not that kind of sick," itsays. "You have a tumor in your head. It just hasn't made you verysick yet so you haven't noticed."

My face scrunches up and I rubmy forehead as if I can feel the tumor there but of course I can't.It's just my forehead like normal.