Changed Direction

Changed Direction Part 1

Chapter 1: Emilia

I got another letter from him today. That's ten this month, and it's not even halfway through October. I've come to expect them now, they come so often. For the past five years, letters from him show up in my mailbox. Waiting. Waiting for me to read and reply. They appear nearly every other day. Sometimes daily. I did not use to reply, but I've started writing back more often- maybe three or four times a month. I know that when I do it makes his day.

The front door slams behind me as I enter the house. Orange rays of the setting sun stream in through the large floor-to-ceiling windows of my living room. The cream-colored linoleum is hot under my feet, the path leading from the door to the kitchen catching the evening sun. The outside air is only just now beginning to cool down to autumn temperatures, but as this is Los Angeles the sun is still warm and my house feels like a sauna. I need to turn the air conditioner up. I pad quickly though the living room and into the kitchen, where there are fewer windows and the linoleum is much cooler. I flip a light switch so the kitchen lights up, its white walls bright and cheerful.

Sitting down on a polished oak barstool, I set the thick stack of mail down on the island that sits in the center of my kitchen, covering the creamy marble countertop. It would take a while to sort through the mail. Bills, department store catalogues, coupons, a lot of the usual. My mom sent a letter, probably to let me know what's going on in the big city of Blue Creek, Nebraska. Probably nothing. I'm sure somebody bought a new tractor or a new litter of kittens appeared in our barn. The rest of the mail seems to be all from fans. Two letters are in pink envelopes and have my address written in hot pink glitter pen. His letter, however, is just tucked into a plain white envelope and the address written in sloppy handwriting with a black pen. I slice open the envelope and pull out the sheet of white-lined paper probably torn out of a school notebook.

"Dear Emilia,

So much has happened since I last wrote you..."

It hasn't even been three days. Actually, I think got a letter from him yesterday.

"I got an A on my biology quiz and a B+ on my ecology report. My grades are looking great this semester, at least in my science classes. I have a test coming up in statistics that I'm not looking forward to, but hey, I'm a natural genius. I'm sure I'll do well. Maybe I'll even study this time. The only class I really don't like this semester is Humanities. I still don't see the point in these "general education" classes. Why can't I just take the science classes I need to graduate? I'm studying marine biology, not the human condition or enlightened philosophy.

How are things with you? I loved the last episode of Wiz University. I've watched it six times since Friday. You were so great, as usual. The way you cast that duplication spell on yourself and made your double go to all of your classes while you went shopping at the mall was genius! That's one way to get straight As. Hilarious! There are times I really wish I had a double who'd take my classes for me. I could really have used a double last semester when I had to take English Lit. Ugh. Who wants to take that? Not me! I bet my double would have understood Pride and Prejudice better than I did. I understood exactly none of it. Anyway, I can't wait until this Friday for the new episode of your show. The advertisements make it look extra funny. Maybe I'll re-watch the third season this week just to make sure I'm keeping up with everything.

We are only three weeks away from your next tour starting and only four weeks away until you are in Indianapolis. Exactly twenty-nine days from now you and I will be in the same city!

Write back to me soon!

With love,

Ethan"