The Chase
By: Kelsie Kato
It felt as though my heart would burst as I crushed my foot onto the gas pedal. I turned to see the black corvet that was chasing me; I was staring at the one other car on this solom road besides mine. I would remember this road next time I came along it, if that ever happened, if I ever escaped this mutany.
In the car there was a familliar face, the face I loved, no, the face I love. That made the chase that much worse, that much harder, to keep running from the person I wanted to run to. How could I run from him, how? I love him, but then again how can he be chasing me when he loved me.
My hand instantly reached for the necklace, my fingers fumbled over it as I clenched my fist. Tugging hard the chain snapped. I couldn't wear this anymore, I wouldn't put it on until we were together again.
When I looked back I saw the pain, clear as a still lake, on his face, in his eyes. I felt like I was looking into that lake and seeing my reflection. I couldn't bear it, I couldn't look anymore, it hurt to much. It was obvious that he felt the same way.
Then his eyes hardened to ice, he really did hate me. Why did this have to happen? Why me?
Introduction
"Mom, do we really have to go see Paul tomorrow? I mean it'll be the four years since... dad... died," I choked out the last words
"Hun, it's my way of saying I'm starting over. I would let you stay but Jo Jo and Anna are already with Paul... don't you want to see your brother and sister? Plus, if I left you here you'd just ge into trouble," my mom is- was an independant woman, but I could tell she was getting lonely.
When my dad died four years ago we knew we had to move from my hometown in Sao Paulo in Brazil. We couldn't afford the house that my dad bought, not with the prices rising. We weren't poor, but we weren't rich either. We moved to many places, yet my story starts here.
After a while we moved to the little town of Levenworth, Washington. A small Bavarian village with gingerbread under the eavs of all the buildings. Each and every hotel and store was themed, even Mcdonalds, flower boxes under the windows and signs hanging from the covered porches.
That town was the place she met Paul (curses this darn village). Paul lived in Tonasket, about a three and a half hour drive from my new home. They started dating, then my mom found out I didn't like Paul. She promised me that she would keep living with me, in Levenworth, until I was out of school. That would be two years, I didn't know if she could live without Paul for that long. She really loved this guy; why couldn't I?
I wondered if I would come back to this little German inspired home. I would miss the small garden in front, the whitewashed fence. I could never forget the little garden my mom tended to day and night, until her hands were permanently grass-stained.
"We're almost there," my mom whispered.
The rain pounded on the road, leaving large puddles in their wake. It was a cold, stormy night, one of those ominous nights you don't want to be out in. The steady pounding usually would make me calm, that night there was something about it that gave me the chills.
"Great," I said sarcasticly.
All of a sudden our car skid over a puddle into an oncoming truck. I saw bright lights, blinding. They burned my eyes. There was a loud beep, probably from the car horn. I only had a few seconds to take it all in before I heard the sickening crunch of bones or metal, I couldn't tell which was which.
Chapter One
I awoke to the cold, barren walls of my new room. It didn't help that there were no pictures, no anything. I stared nervously at the empty walls, their cold rolled off like hatred. The gray-blue walls were chilling me to the bones. I couldn't help hoping maybe this was a dream or a nightmare. Either way, I just wanted to wake up.
Getting up I saw a paper on the floor, I picked it up. I couldn't read it; it just reminded me of what happened a month ago. That was when my mom died, the same day my dad died, just four years afterward. The docter's signature was scribbled on the bottom. My shaky handwriting was worse after the catastrophy.
The paper was the release form from the hospital, there was only one, yet there should've been two. Why you mom? Why not me? I thought to myself.
"Get down here now, Alice!" my older brother Jo Jo yelled. "Do you want to be late for your first day of school?"
Ha, that must have been a joke, of course I wanted to be late... No, scratch that, I didn't even want to go. Why spend another year trying to get friends? We'd probably move as soon as I made one good friend, that was how my life seemed to work. Either that or Paul would die, and we would be homeless kids. Every few years someone close to me died; I didn't want to be close to anyone.
"Hey, Alice, let's get a move on," Jo Jo was in my doorway now.
"Sorry," I replied.
"S'okay, now move. We have twenty minutes to get to school and it's fifteen miles away."
"We can take my car; mom got it for my birthday. Paul drove it down here yesterday."
"Let's go then," he signaled for me to go down the stairs.
I ran out my door and slid down the handrail on the stairs. My brother chuckled quietly when I ungracefully slid off and landed on my butt. There was a loud thud and a sharp pain.
"Nice landing," I scowled at him.
For the first time in a month I could be happy without thinking about my mom. Jo Jo had always been the person who could make me laugh when I didn't even want to smile. Next year he would move away to college, how could I live in this painful nightmare without him? If he wasn't here I was sure to go into a spiral of depression.
"We need to get our butts in gear and to school, like now!" Jo Jo yelled.
I ran out to the driveway and flicked the tarp off of my new car. It was a Camaro, canary yellow with racing stripes. I had always admired the pretty cars in the movies, so my mom took it upon herself to spend thousands of dollars on my sweet sixteen birthday present. I had tried to get her to take it back; we were broke enough already.
"Wow!" Jo Jo's mouth hung open. "I got a cat that ran away two days later for my sixteenth birthday."
"Well, are we going? Or are we going to stand around here talking about birthday presents?"
I slid in and reved the car up, sliding it in gear I began to back up, "Hey! Wait for me!" my brother jumped into the car right before I stepped on the gas. "Were you trying to leave me behind?"
"Maybe," I said mischeviously.
Jo Jo narrowed his eyes and glared at me. I noticed an absence of annoying perfection. My sister wasn't here. She always tagged along with Jo Jo and I; her snobby attatude didn't fit in with my brother's playful disposition or my relaxed state of mind. That was one of the reasons I lived with my mom in Leavenworth; my sister lived here. We had never seen eye to eye.
"Where's Anna?" I questioned quietly.
"You noticed how quiet it was too, didn't you? She leaves an hour early to help Mr. Huson every day," Jo Jo replied.
"I have a feeling that Anna is his favorite student," Jo Jo understood exactly what I had said.
Jo Jo just laughed. He always understood what I was talking about, "Yeah, he plays favorites."
I turned into the parking lot. I hated the feeling of being watched. Being new was always painful for me, and at this school it was harder. Not just because my mom died, but the fact that Jo Jo was so much more popular than he had ever been anywhere else. I couldn't help but trying to keep his reputation high.
"Come on, I want you to meet some people before class," Jo Jo grabbed my arm.
"We only have two minutes," I said.
"I lied, we still have about ten minutes. Now come here," he jogged over to a group of kids standing by an old, rusty pickup truck.
"Hey, Jo Jo!" a girl tackled my brother from behind him.
"Good morning Elizabeth," my brother sighed.
He shouldered the girl off. Jo Jo's face began to turn red in embarassment. I giggled, to myself mostly. It looked like my brother had an admirer.
"These are my friends. Luke, Blake, Alex, and Kira," he pointed at each person with each name.
Luke turned around, he didn't like me, obviously. Blake smiled slightly, his eyes glittered humorously. Alex sauntered over and hugged me, he seemed to warm up to me more than the others. Kira turned her nose up, weither it was at me or Elizabeth was questionable.
"Come on Jo Jo," Luke spoke now. "Do you want to be late again?"
"Mr. M. won't be happy. He might even give you a detention," Kira trilled.
"Who cares? It's just a detention; it's not like he's getting a suspension for it," Alex said. "Plus, I want to meet little Alice," he said quietly.
"Go on, there'll be time later," I urged nervously.
"Yeah, hopefully alot later," Kira sneered.
"Hey, be nice. You don't even know her. Sometimes you just annoy the crap out of me!" Blake growled.
"Come on guys, let's just meet her!" Alex yelled over top of them.
I felt my face get hot. My hads trembled slightly. I hadn't liked te way he said that. His voice smooth like honey, eyes soft. My stomach jumped at the thought of him actually liking me.
"You guys can come over tonight and meet her okay!" Jo Jo saved the day for me.
"Later," Blake said, his eyes glittered humorously again. "See you tonight."
I nodded my goodbyes and headed towards the school. I stopped at the entrance, looking at the paper that said my classes. It said, Mr. Cawrick: Algebra. I was in ninth grade, my first year of Middle School. I started school late, so I was already sixteen.
Mustering up all of the strength I possessed I walked into the school. It was loud; all the voices came at me at once. I shouldered through the crowd of people. The unfamilliar people pressed into me in an effort to get to class.
"Follow me," said a girl who seemed to notice my predicament.
I nudged my way through the pleathora of students. I desperatly followed her quickly dissapearing blond hair. Soon we were in a clearer hallway; I could take a breath.
"That was," I paused, thinking carefully about what I would say next, "interesting."
The girl smiled at me. Her clear blue eyes twilkled. She had curly blond hair and a beautiful pale face. She had a dimple in her left cheek, just like my mom. This girl had just saved me from great embarassment.
"What is your name?" I questioned.
"You can call me Flick. My real name is Addie, but I think it is such a boring name. Isn't Flick so much more exciting?" Her voice was rushed.
"Do you know where Mr. Cawrick's class is?" I inquired.
"My brother has that for first period too. His name is Kyle. Maybe you'll meet him there," she finished, but then she hurried off.
I was alone again. I began to walk, noticing that there were name-plates outside of each classroom. , Mrs. Candoy, Miss. Faya, Mr. Lucas, and so on. Soon I found the plate that said Mr. Cawrick. I opened the door to see a group of students talking about something. I saw familliar blue eyes in the group, saw a familliar dimple on the left cheek. Though these features originally belonged to a girl I could clearly see this must be Flick's brother, Kyle.
"Hey! Can you move?" a voice growled from behind me.
"Leave her alone James," Kyle moved toward me.
"Who's gonna stop me? You?" James taunted.
"Let's go. You're Alice right?" his attention turned to me.
"Yeah, and thanks for that," I said quickly.
"No prob'. James is a jerk to everyone; don't take it to heart," he whispered once we were out of earshot.
"You're Kyle, Flick's brother aren't you? I met your sister in the hall."
"Yeah. Did she talk your ears off?" Kyle joked playfully.