The Outcast

Chapter One

******

Hey, thanks for reading!

Please comment if you want me to continue updating, or if you think the story was good.

>> Picture of Kendra on the side. Just imagine her younger xD Lucy Hale was the closest I could find.

******

Chapter One.

My mother says a talent is something to be proud of. She says our gifts are what make us special. I don't think my gift is something I should be proud of. I think my gift is ridiculous and that I am a disgrace.

            You're probably a bit lost, aren't you? Well I suppose then, that maybe I should start from last night. Because where I am now, my life is much too complicated to start off guard. So, anyways, shall we?

            It was all last night that it begun. I was sitting at the dinner table, minding my own business eating my steak and chocolate milk (which, by the way, is a delicious combination.) and my goody-two-shoes older sister Isabel has to come by to remind me how much of a misfit I am. I mean, it's not like it's my fault she has her gift and I don't.

            "Hey, Dork." She says, not acknowledging me any other way than a simple insult and a wave of her hand. Wow. Nice to know I'm loved.

            "Hey, Ugly." I reply, not taking my eyes off my steak.

            "No need to hate me because I'm beautiful." She laughs.

            "Right," I grumble. "Because that's why I hate you."

            "No, you hate me because I can read minds and you can't."

Damn it! See? This is why I hate her! She knows everything about me, including things I struggled to keep a secret ever since she got her gift. She knows about every single thing that runs through my mind.

            "Alright." I agree. "So maybe that is why I hate you. But it isn't my fault you're older than me. I have no power over when I'm born."

            "Well, don't worry kid. Once you turn thirteen, you'll get your gift just like me." Isabel says, flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder and walking away.

Okay, that was surprising. I had no idea why, but for some reason that comment sounded more like a compliment to me. It was actually supportive criticism.

I never get support from Isabel, because she's everything I'm not. She's the beautiful blonde girl with blue eyes. She's the one that boys are drooling over in the hallways, and she's the one that has so many friends she couldn't count them all. Everyone looks up to Isabel but me.

I'm the weird one. I'm the one with the long black hair, and the spiky razor-slashed bangs. I'm the one that kids make fun of, and the one with only one or two best friends. I am nothing like Isabel.

The only way you could ever tell us for sisters is our eyes. We've both got these beautiful, clear, bright blue eyes. It's the only trait we share.

Right! That's what I forgot to tell you. Our eyes are what give us our gifts. Our blue eyes have been passed through our family for many generations, and everyone who possesses them receives a 'gift'. Just like Isabel's gift of reading minds.

We get our gifts when we turn thirteen. Isabel is sixteen now, so she's had her gift for three years. She says she can't live without it. I, on the other hand, am only twelve. I haven't gotten my gift yet. So basically, everyone in my family has got a paranormal talent but me. I'm such a loser.

But hey, wait up for a minute! My thirteenth birthday is in a week, so I won't be a misfit for much longer. In fact, I just might possibly get an even better gift than Isabel! How awesome would that be? Maybe for a change, I could be the one to make fun of her for not having a cool gift! That would be great!

Too bad I've got to wait a whole week for my dreams to come true. But now that I think about it, just one week of Isabel's insults won't be too bad. I'll just ignore her until she's done, then it will be my turn to shine. How fun will that be?

I wonder what my gift will be. Maybe I'll get something real cool, like seeing the future, or sensing emotions. Hmmm, but what if I get something bad? I heard from my dad that his great aunt Ruth got the power to destroy whatever she touched. That would suck. You wouldn't be able to do anything. Why, she probably had to hire people just to feed her! That's ridiculous.

My cousin Julie has a pretty cool gift, she can disappear. That's right, she can become totally invisible! I bet that might come in handy when your teacher is bagging on you for failing your math test. Too bad Julie doesn't use her gift well. She told me a while ago that she's only used her gift once or twice, and only to hide from her mom because she forgot to make her bed. That's such a waste! I would do so much more with a gift like that than Julie ever would. She doesn't need a gift as much as I do.

So maybe that's why I'm so anxious. Maybe I'm just worried that I'll get a crappy gift, and Isabel will have all the more reason to make fun of me. Although, almost everyone in my family has a good gift, I could get a bad one. Isabel has mind reading, Mom has the ability to move things with her mind, and Johnny and I have nothing.

Oh, crap, right, I forgot to tell you about Johnny. Johnny is my little brother, he's only ten. He looks a bit like me, with the eyes, but his hair is a dark blonde, so I guess that ruins the image. I kind of feel bad for him, because once I get my gift, Johnny will become the misfit instead of me. But it's okay, because until then, I'm the misfit.

And I guess that's what leads me to where I am now: munching T-bone steak and chugging chocolate milk. But hey, don't laugh; chocolate milk can fix a lot of worries, especially paranormal ones.

When I'm done my food, I throw the plate into the sink, along with the drained empty cup. They both fall with a metallic clank noise. It sounds kind of odd, considering the silent surroundings.

Maybe I'll get a really good gift after all. Maybe I'll get something worth bragging for. Maybe....

"Kendra, you're still up?" my mom says, surprised. "I thought you were in bed!"

"No, mom," I say. "I was just enjoying my delicious Steak and chocolate milk. I'm going to bed right now, okay?"

"Fine then." She says. I think its funny how she considers this normal behaviour. Ha. Because it's so normal to be eating steak and drinking chocolate milk at ten o'clock at night.

I ignore her, muttering under my breath. I book it up the wooden staircase to my room, slamming the door hard behind me. I run over, jumping onto my king size bed with a thump. Mmmm...That's comfy.

I sigh a breath of relief. So it'll all be over in some time. Soon, I'll have my gift too, and I won't have to take slack from any of my family members.

"Soon," I breathe. "Soon, I won't be an outcast anymore."

My own voice echoes across the silent bedroom.

Soon...