" Bye, Dear!" said Mother to me on my way out the door, as she kissed me on the cheek. Her lipstick smearing.
"Bye, Ma" I replied wiping it on my long blue jacket. She turned back to the dishes, putting on her gloves.
" Ethel" Father said. I turned to him at the table. " Don't forget to go to church for your treatment after school, ok?" Father asked. Well not so much as asked, but demanded.
" I wont forget" I said glumly, staring at my feet. When he went back to his newspaper and coffee I walked out the door.
As I walked I saw Miles. He waved to me and I gave a small smile back. I kept my head hung low and eyes on the sidewalk as we walked passed each other. When Miles delivers our mail he is a little more friendly too me than to my liking. I shook as a shiver went down my spine.
Once I got to school I overheard some girls talking.
" Ethel Hardman? Ha! Should call her Ethel Harlot!" One said
" I heard that people like her are spawns of Satan! When she dies she will go to Hell!" The other said.
These comments weren't rare. The very few girls that were in my class hated me. I sighed as I walked to my seat. As soon as I sat down Baxter was right in my face.
" Soooooo Ethel you doing anything-"
" Yes, sorry." I said quickly not looking him in the eye.
" I did not even finish" He said as he pulled out his chair from his seat in front of mine and sat in it staring at me. He stayed like that until Miss. Hufanian told him to stop.
" Okay class, Can anyone tell me what day it is?" Miss Hufanian said
One of the girls from earlier raised their hands. " September, 2" she answered.
" Very good!" Miss Hufanian praised " Now what happened on this day?"
" We won the war on this day!" Baxter shouted.
" Good!" She praised again, but I can tell she was slightly annoyed. It peeved me that Baxter made a tweak of annoyance flash over Miss Hufanians flawless features.
" I think you ALL know what we will be learning today!" she said with exitment. " I even brought in a TV for you to watch!
Mr. Parfix then pushed a TV into the room. He flicked it on and Black and White pictures filled the small screen.
' Today we celebrate the day we won World War II! It as just 8 years ago that we won the great war!' The reporter said. I sighed again and turn my head to stare out the window.
After school I had to go to church so they can 'help' people who were like me. I sit down in my chair and look around at the people around me-oh that's right, there are no other people here. Just me. Alone.
"Ethel" Mr. Hive started, looking at me. " What makes you have these….feelings" I could tell he is uncomfortable with this topic. Anyone would be. The rumor about me being a spawn of Satan isn't really comforting to a priests ears.
" Weeeeeeell" I said , putting my chin in my hands and putting on the most bored face I could muster. " Nothing causes them…I just have them."
He sighed, looking at the floor. He then reached for some cards.
Great. The same cards from last week, and the week before, and the week before that, and so on. They were a male and a female card.
" Now Ethel, See this?" he asked, holding up the male card.
" Yes, Im not blind." I answered. He looked frustrated for a moment then his expression softened.
" Now see this" He said wiggling the card " goes with this." He then put the female card next to it. "They only go together, no other combinations. In your case…." he said gesturing to me " You have these….feelings towards….both…right?" he said sweat on his brow like he is in deep concentration.
"Yes" I replied, crossing my arms.
" Well you have to stop having feeling towards your own….and only towards the males!" he said with force in his voice. He then put the cards down, got up, and while he was walking out he said " we will finish this next week.
It was dark now and I was walking home. Why cant they just leave me alone? Im not hurting anybody! Who cares if I like both! I'm just like everyone else….I WISH I COULD JUST LEAVE! I don't care where. Just a place where I can be accepted for who I am….I wish…..
Then right after she was done wishing, a bright light appeared out of the ground and swallowed her up. Ethel Hardman was gone. Poof , just like that. Sorta like magic.
" SKAHHHHHHHHH" I screamed. Where am I? This place….it looks strange….
It was blue, with green specks everywhere. It looked like it could go on forever. I was flying closer and closer to a huge white gap in the blue. " WHOOOOOOOOOA!" I screamed as I flew out of the hole and hit something hard.
" owwww" I complained, rubbing my tuckus. I slowly got up and took in my surroundings.
I was on top of a building. It was sunset, and a flying boy in a helmet was fighting another boy with weird hair with flying things of light.
Then Ethel Hardman fainted.