Chapter: One

Friday, August 25

Bailey sat silently in the back of my adopted mother's van listening to the argument.

"No way," I looked up from the lines in the middle of the road, "you are so not hooking me up with a boy I don't even know!"

Joan smiled, "I just did, and I have to go on some errands." I gritted my teeth and glared out the window. Joan, my adopted mother, set me up with some random guy again like I was a Barbie just needing a 'husband.' It was annoying and the boy either was desperate because his friends all had girl friends and he didn't or, it was a dare.

When Joan found out Bailey had to ride with us she sneered and I grimaced thinking about it.

"What is that dirty child doing in my car," Joan had sneered. Joan had to go to the office for some grown up reason (coming from my mom she was probably complaining (and I know regular moms don't always do that so I'm sorry) about something or other). My eyes had widened when I had caught on and I had said, "That's Bailey and she needs a ride home. I usually baby sit her." Bailey hadn't even noticed because she had been fumbling with the hot seat belt trying not to get burned. It was so hot out the metal had heated up. Bailey hadn't even noticed me say her name.

I was jerked rudely out of my trance by a sharp prod in the elbow and I brought it back immediately. "Your Black has fallen asleep and we are home." She glanced at me, saw my angry expression, and ignored it. "And don't think I am going to touch that thing." I rubbed my elbow because it was getting sore now. I sighed and looked at Bailey. She was so like her mom and cute in every way. I smiles, grabbed my backpack from the front seat, closed the door and opened the back one. Joan was really stingy, she didn't like other people and if something, anything happened to her possessions she would flip and scar the crap out of a kid.

My backpack scraped the car just lightly and I hoped I didn't make a scrape but I didn't check. I unbuckled Bailey and carried her, hers and my book bag, and took them to our little clearing. I kept my stick there at all times where my mom didn't know about it. Also, a lot of logs to lift and other things like that. I went to the edge of the clearing where the grass gave way top the mosses. I knelt down switching arms of everything I was holding and tested the moss to see if it were wet. Stupid me, it was blazing out side, of coarse it wasn't wet.

I laid down the book bags first them I laid Bailey's head down on the moss. She was still out cold.

I went over to a soft patch of grass not wanting to climb a tree, and meditated. I lost all sense of time and feelings.

I still had my thoughts though. I am (and I am being earnest here) not a regular girl. I am adopted as I told you but I was basically grown up by seven years old. I have green eyes, skinny frame, long bleach blonde hair, narrow face, and wiry muscles. Those are just physical things you learn when you see me. Inside I am a rebel child, at school I am the unpopular kid, and I am clever. I have talents though. I always have the element of surprise because no one except Bailey and her mom know why I have the element of surprise. I work out everyday, practicing moves with my stick, meditating, and learning to defend myself. Joan has never called Bailey or her mom niggers in their face but she does say it, and one of these days I am going to do more than just take a few dollars from her over filled purse.

You are probably thinking what and ungrateful git I am, but I will plead with you to understand. Joan has a wish that the Klu Klux Klan would come back. Yeah, it's that bad. I don't think they will they all are dead. Then again…..

"Penny?" Bailey was awake. "Morning," I smiled teasingly at her and she laughed," It's not mornin' silly." This time I laughed too. Bailey was my neighbor and like I already said I baby sit her. She and her mom know about me. They know my talents at defending my self. They also knew my weaknesses. I absolutely will not go back on a promise. That's not physical and I can't think about any physical weaknesses but I am sure I do have some.

Bailey looked at her backpack balefully, "I have homework." I laughed at her balefulness. "It's alright, I'll help you." So we sat there and did homework joking around and enjoying each others company until Trish showed up. Trish is Bailey's mother who is so nice. God and Earth love her. Which brings up another topic, I have two kinds of religions. Half Catholic and Wicca, some people believe that all Wicca is evil, evil, spells and more evil. It sucks. No one knows what I believe in. Some people are Evangelizers some aren't. I am part of 'the are not' category.

I am Wicca because I believe in the Mother Earth and God. Mother Earth helped create us. Just as much as God did. God takes care of those in heaven or like the dead for instance. Mother Earth takes care of us on earth. I them both by my meditating, I mediate sharing my thoughts and praying for thirty minutes imagining myself or my soul talking to God. Then to Mother Earth. I personally think Mother Earth has an evil twin because I don't think Mother Earth would want to hurt us and destroy our homes like hurricanes do. Free will. I don't think that either Universal Parent has a strong hold on what we do so to cover it up they had free will made. If you are wondering, free will is said to be the gift from god that allows us to do what we want.

I shivered. Crap. I had gone into a 'trance' or what I do when I meditate and Bailey was still there. I opened my eyes and adjusted to feeling again. Bailey's homework was still in my lap and her pencil in my hand. I realized Bailey wasn't behind me looking at her homework anymore. I looked to my side and smiled. When I went into my trance she also decided to meditate which looked so cute.
She had her eyes closed tight instead of relaxing and after just a few seconds she glanced at me which obviously she had been doing a lot to see if she was doing the right thing. She noticed me looking and I erupted into laughter and so did she.

"Guys?" interrupted Trish. She must have just been pulling up when our laughter had started and she was worried. Probably because mine and Bailey's laughter both sounded close to crying. I shut up but Bailey couldn't. "It's all right," I assured her, "Everything's fine." Which was not exactly true but what Trish thought was wrong was alright.