Here we go again guys. This was a little short but its a start! Let me know if you've got any thoughts.
Ever since I was a child, I could...get a feeling of people? No, no. That doesn't sound right. I could sense people? It isn't like I guessed, I rarely ever guessed but I'm always right when I have a feeling. Almost always. I don't know how, and I don't know why. I can just...feel people. My mom says its a gift that I'll be able to focus on a little more when I'm older.
I think its a curse.
I learned as I got a little older and hit high school, don't just say hi when someone approaches you. You have to wait to turn around so I don't freak them out as much. I can kind of tell when people are lying about being totally cool with me, theres like a jump or something in them. Or, more so in the feeling I get of them.
I'm kinda wishy-washy.
"Alice." Angela's voice startled me in my seat in the cafeteria, making me squeeze the juice out of the juice box I was holding. She looked worriedly at me as I grinned, a little ashamed at how exaggerated my reaction was.
"Sorry." I pulled my grin down to a smile while she returned my assumed glee.
"I'll go grab some towel's so we can clean it up a little." She giggled softly and stood from our two person table. We sat to the side of the cafeteria, next to the windows and the paper towel roll. Much easier that way.
We began wiping away at the cranberry juice I'd dumped everywhere when I picked up on a Jessica Stanley coming by, possibly to laugh or possibly to gossip. I honestly couldn't tell.
"Hi Jessica." I greeted as I felt the chatty teen come a little closer. I could see her pause a second out of the corner of my eye as I continued to wipe away the juice. F
"Hi...Alice." She replied uneasily, opening her mouth for a second as I turned to face her.
"I could see you out of the corner of my eye. Cute top by the way." I smiled, hoping she'd take the bait and turned again to dump the soaked paper towels.
"Oh thanks! So, anyways I wanted to just let you guys know. Its for sure." She looked giddy as it dawned on me what she was talking about. The new students who'd be in our year. Junior year seemed like a strange time for them to move but I had a feeling it was for good reasons.
"Whats for sure?" Angela asked, glancing at me in confusion as I came closer to the table again. I shrugged mutely.
"The new students. Theres like 7 of them." She clapped as I pursed my lips.
"I think theres only 6." I tilted my head as she furrowed her brows at me. "I was talking to Mrs Wilkin's yesterday." I added as her brows relaxed and she grinned, nodding as she accepted my excuse of the school secretary.
"Right! Okay, theres still a lot of them." She chattered. I nodded, smiling still as she continued to talk about how to best greet these new comers and what boys she thought they might be like. I wasn't sure they were all male but, I'd let her dream nonetheless.
The bell rang finally, silencing Jessica for a second before she waved and ran off to her next class. Angela and I slowly packed up, walking towards the science wing where she had her chemistry and my biology class.
"Did you really talk to Mrs Wilkins?" She seemed shy about the question.
"No. I figured it sounded more normal though." I shrugged, grinning at that. She nodded, agreeing that it was a lot more normal. I think Angela was the only person I'd met in Forks that didn't find it all that strange that I could tell people apart without really getting to know them among other things.
"Hi Alice." My mother called out to me as soon as I opened the door to her little shop. Her back was turned but she always knew it was me. I think its a family thing.
"How was school?" She turned now, facing me completely. I shrugged as I went around her, putting my backpack on the couch she had near the back. She sold herbs, teas, essential oils, and other assorted odd bits. I loved her shop. It felt homey but light at the some time, with pastel blues and reds.
"Anything happen?" She tilted her head as she came to sit down in front of me, setting down the dusting brush she'd been using.
"No, just keep hearing about these new kids." I sighed, pulling my legs up to sit in front of me. She gave me a sighing smile, seeming to understand why I wouldn't really want to hear all about them. I'd lived in Forks for maybe 5 years now, since I was 11.
"Abby, I have the wors-" I looked behind my mother as she began to reach for two dark glass tubes on the white wicker table in front of us. I found one of my school friend's mothers, Elizabeth Stanley.
"For your sinuses." Mom held the glass bottle up to her with a knowing smile at the women in business wear. Mrs Stanley took it slowly, closing her mouth with whatever words were left.
"Echinacea and goldenseal. You can put the echinacea in a tea and the goldenseal in some boiling water and breath in but don't combine them." Mom smiled at her softly, not saying anything else as Mrs Stanley attempted to find words.
"Right, uh...how much do I owe you?" She nodded quickly, apparently accepting whatever my mom said about the glass dropper bottles in her hands.
"13 dollars." Mom answered easily, accepting the money Mrs Stanley pulled out of her leather purse.
"Thanks, Abby!" Mrs Stanley yelled as she hurried back out the door, the bell rang as she closed it behind her.
"Tea?" My mother offered a fragile looking decorated cup to me. She'd been expecting me, it seemed. I guess that was a plus of having a mom who was just a little weird like you, she knew when you were coming and what you'd need when you got there.
"Thanks." I smiled as I took the cup, sniffing the sheer brown liquid inside it. "What is it?" I raised a brow, looking at her over the edge of my cup.
"Blue Vervain. Might help to soothe your nerves." She smiled as she took a sip from hers. I sighed before I took a sip, recognizing the warm smell now. I took a small sip of the warm tea that tasted almost lemony, greeted me.
"You always know what to do." I smiled at this woman who seemed to be an older version of me. The same brown hair and blue eyes greeted me but with warmth and life.
"I know a few things but...I only know as much as I try and I never know who I might stand up too." She finished with another odd piece of wisdom I'd grown so accustomed too. I took another sip of the tea she'd made prior to my arrival and contemplated it.
She gave me a loving smile and stood, brushing non-existent pieces of dust off of her pants-legs. I stood as well, putting down my oddly extravagant tea cup and hugged her quickly before leaving her to be a business owner.
We didn't live too far away from Main street so I elected to walk slowly, enjoy the cold breeze while I could.
"So sorry." I bumped into a boney shoulder and paused to apologize.
"No problem." Eric Yorkie quickly accepted my apology and continued, possibly not wanting to be seen talking to me. The thought stung but I pushed it away to focus back on the nice walk I'd been having.
Ever since we came here, I'd been both the main place of entertainment for most of the kids here and a sight for the creepy-crawlies. I got it. I'm pretty unsettling as a person and not all that interesting looking after the new wore off. I didn't get all excited for a boy to talk to me, told my mom everything that happened in my life, and I focused a bunch on my studies.
But it wasn't all that bad. My mom had her shop which made her happy and I had Angela to talk to whenever I wanted. We clicked on the first day, I had a feeling we would. I was super nervous to go but mom kept saying that it was a new start and a new start meant a new place to grow. Angela and I grew very close over the first week, just a little too awkward to be average.
I passed by the library and considered stopping there to peruse any new books Miss Rays might have gotten in. Then I elected not too, the concept of laying in my bed with some ice cream and the computer was far too tempting.