Chapter 1: Show and Tell
I blinked, slowly becoming more coherent as the early, pale pink sunlight shone in from between my dark green curtains. I stretched and sat up. I glanced at the clock. 6:03.
"Early again?" I asked to both myself and my grey cat lounging on the end of my bed. As if to agree with me, Tiggy jumped off the bed and disappeared into the closet. I got up and padded off barefoot to follow him. I looked around, pushing over piles of clothes and shoes in search of my grey tank top. I found it hiding behind my favorite shirt, the green one with the sleeves that drooped off my shoulders. I grabbed that and left the closet in a mess. I pulled on a pair of my dark skinny jeans, being careful I was not within stepping range of Tiggy.
I slid the rubber band out of my hair and ran my fingers through my wavy brown-bronze locks. I swept my bangs to one side and hid one chocolate brown eye. I examined myself in the floor length mirror. I saw the same me I saw everyday staring back. I was slender, slightly on the short side, and I had curves in all the right places. My skin was the pale color of milky coffee and it rarely gave me problems. My hair hung in waves to about the middle of my torso, and when the sun hit it right, you could see the natural blonde highlights shimmer in the bronzy brown color. I considered myself pretty, but my dating history was just that, history. I had only had one real boyfriend, and it seemed that all that mattered to boys was girls with huge boobs and the will to do anything. Both were qualities which I lacked. I looked away from the mirror, and glanced at the clock again. I still had about 30 minutes until the bus came.
I made myself busy, making my bed, putting dirty laundry in the hamper and cleaning my already tidy room. When I ran out of things to do I sat down in my swingy chair. I looked around my room. It was a pretty cool little place, all decorated with greens and browns. A huge bay window occupied the right corner or my room, where I would sit and read until the dark twilight made it impossible to see. I loved my room, and my house. I just didn't remember moving into it. I didn't remember a lot of things.
I looked at the clock, and scolded myself. I was one of those people constantly checking the time. It never seemed to go by fast enough for me. I got up, careful not to break the chain that held my swingy chair up off the floor and suspended from the ceiling. I went back to the mirror, looking over my appearance once more. I changed my earrings from my little blue studs to black hoops.
I lightly touched the tarnished silver locket that dangled in the hollow of my throat. My eyes trailed over the pale scar that zigzagged across the bottom half of the neck and the top of my shoulder. I ran my finger over it, shuddering slightly at the sudden change in texture and temperature. I didn't mind showing people my scar, because when they asked me where it came from, I wouldn't technically lie. I knew where it came from; I just don't remember it happening. All I do remember is waking up in the emergency room, my mom crying and hugging me, making the wounds that had been under the thick bandages around my torso hurt.
I remember nothing else from before that point in time. I had lost two things in that car accident, the first 13 years of my life, and my dad. I blinked and shoved the thoughts with more mental force than necessary.
"Ah hell!" I growled, yanking on my boots. I grabbed a hoodie, my bag and my phone and ran out the door, smacking my left shoulder on the door frame, successfully giving myself a bruise. I ran down the stairs, running right in Helana.
"Hey! Jeeze Katerina, why don't you trade one of your left feet for a right one?" she growled, pulling her ear bud out of her ear. She glared at me out from under her short chestnut hair. I ignored her snide remark and glared back. When I didn't say anything she rolled her eyes and ran down the stairs. I ran after her, catching myself when I tripped. Helana jumped on the banister and slid the rest of the way down. I watched her and felt the familiar tiny spark of jealousy. Helana had gotten all the good genes of the family. She was two years younger, only 15, and she wore a C cup bra. She was as tall as me, and she was the most coordinated person in the world. I couldn't even walk down a flight of stairs without almost killing myself. She was still young though, and I was graduating this year.
I rummaged through the cupboard, looking for the last Cocoa Puffs cereal bar. When I heard the bus out front I gave up and ran outside to catch it. Helana ran out of the house behind me, but she passed me in the drive way. With the weather becoming warmer in northern Michigan, that meant slippery melting ice hiding in the driveway. I made my way around puddles and sad looking lumps of snow and hopped up the two stairs into the bus. I sat in a random seat, closer to the back. I leaned my head against the window and looked out. I watched as the new green of spring blurred into the old brown of winter as the bus gradually gained speed.
I felt someone poke my in the ribs, and squirmed away, looking over my shoulder at my attacker. Helana watched me with her soft hazel eyes. I turned back to the window. She poked me again. I ignored her. She poked my cheek. I turned and looked at her.
"Do you need something?" I asked, trying to keep the acid out of my voice. She nodded. She opened her mouth, and then closed it again. I rolled my eyes and turned back to the window once more.
"Katerina I'm pregnant!" she blurted out.
"What?" I cried. Her face held such seriousness I was almost positive she wasn't kidding. Her eyes softened for a moment, and she burst into her high pitched girly laughter.
"I' m kidding! Jeeze Katerina I'm only 15. I'm not a hoe." She said between giggles. She got up and sat with some of her friends. I watched as the bus slowed and Leah and her brother got on. She came to sit by me, and when she sat down her big sapphire colored eyes widened at my appearance. I was pale and out of breath from Helena's "trick".
"Kitty Kat! You're as pale as a ghost! What happened?" She asked, her face coming within inches of mine. I laughed. Her sapphire eyes narrowed slightly. I smiled and took a deep breath, composing myself.
"Helana should be an actress. " I said.
"Oh God. Do I even want to know?"
"It's actually quite funny." I mused. I told her how completely serious Helana had been, and by the time I had finished she was practically on the floor shaking with silent laughter. I laughed with her.
"I agree. Helana should be an actress." Leah said. I shrugged. Last I heard Helana had wanted to sing professionally. She, unlike me, did not mind singing in front of people. I could hear her rich voice a few seats behind me singing to one of my favorite songs of hers. She had the instrumental soundtracks of all the music she wrote on her I-pod, and she frequently played them out loud, singing along to them. Helana was really into music. Her whole room was practically a recording studio, and she played seven different instruments. She wrote songs, recorded them, and made them into albums.
I knew all of the songs she'd written, and even though she was convinced that I was a better singer than her, I still refused to record any of the music I wrote. She already had one record company considering offering her a recording contract. They called her the new Evanescence. I loved Evanescence, which was the reason I listened to my sister's music.
Leah snapped her fingers in front of my face.
"Katerina! Hello? Is Helena interesting to stare at or what?" She said, moving to block my view.
"No, it's just for a moment I thought I saw a belly bump." I laughed. Her eyes glanced behind me for a second, and then the deep sapphire color seemed to darken more.
"Ugh. School." She whined. As the bus slowed we got up, ignoring the people who stared and snickered at us. We walked to the front, and glared at the bus driver. The timid woman who drove our bus never said much, and was scared of the obnoxious teens that rode the bus. She looked away from us as she pulled up to the curb. As soon as the bus doors open we ran. We ran through the immense crowds of kids and through the front doors of the school. We ran through the lobby, and my hand touched the wall first.
"Ha! I win!" I said as I leaned back against the wall to catch my breath. I looked up and caught sight of a very annoyed Riley glaring at the back of Josh's head. Josh was staring at Alexa, who was obviously flirting with Justin. Riley smacked him upside the head, and glowed with satisfaction when his face turned a pinkish red. She dragged him away towards us and out of the view of Alexa. He smiled as they walked toward us, hand in hand. He broke the contact and wrapped an arm around her waist instead.
"So, who won?" He asked, flashing a brilliant smile. I straightened up and looked at Riley. Riley was an interesting person. She changed her style from day to day, for example today she wore a pink Hollister tank top, a white hoodie, and light Abercrombie jeans. Her hair fell down her back in light blonde waves. Yesterday she had been wearing black jeans, and a dark red My Chemical Romance shirt. She smiled and winked on eyeliner lined eye at me. Josh then got Riley's attention, and I looked at him. Josh was, well, he was just Josh. He hadn't changed much since middle school. His sandy brown hair fell into his eyes sometimes and looking into his eye was like looking at ice blue silk.
The warning bell rang, and I looked away as Riley and Josh bid each other good bye. Riley looped her arm through mine and looked back over her shoulder at Josh, who was on his way to Spanish.
"Come on." She said, pulling me towards Math backwards, causing me to stumble, and almost pull both of us to the floor. She steadied me and grabbed to book I dropped. I said bye to Leah, but her attention was centered on her boyfriend, Tyler. She fluttered her hand at me in an attempt to wave. Riley and I made our way to Math, and sat down in our usual seats, right in front of Ms. Merello's desk. Ms. Merello glared at us as she began class. She began talking about the lesson, and since I didn't really listen in Math. I just giggled at Riley, who kept mimicking every move Ms. Merello made. She turned around, and glared at me.
"Miss Abromovich. Can you tell me how to solve this equation?" She asked, her voice hard.
"No I can't because you haven't even finished explaining how to do the first fricken problem." I retorted.
"Go outside in the hall. Now." She said. I got up, grabbed my bag and books, and walked up to Ms. Merello. I said right to her face:
"Bite me bitch." I got a satisfying feeling when her face paled and her eyes widened. I turned, and meant to sweep dramatically out of the room, but I tripped, and dropped my math book. I kicked it and walked out of the room. I hated all of the teachers here. I was their favorite student to pick on. I heard the intercom come on.
"Katerina Abromovich, please report to the main office."
"Aw crap." I whimpered. I spun my locker com with shaky fingers. It took me three tries to open it. My locker was pretty much empty except for my back pack, jacket, and books I was given. I zipped my back pack shut, concealing my binder, pencil case, and book. I shut my locker softly, making a barely audible click echo through the empty hall. Then I straightened up and marched off towards the office.
When I opened the door the secretary watched me warily as she called out the principal. Surprisingly Mrs. Stendle was one of the two teachers and staff that did not hate me, and as she stepped out of her office I almost sighed in relief. There was not a trace of hate or anger in her eyes, just disappointment.
She beckoned to me with perfectly manicured nails. As I approached the door to her office I caught my boot on the edge of the secretary's desk. Mrs. Stendle caught me before I smacked my head on the door frame, but I still felt the warm feeling as the blush creeped up my face. I looked down and let my hair fall over my face. She said almost nothing to me. She gave me a pink detention form and looked at me.
"Go to choir Katerina, sing your heart out." She said, and all but pushed me out the door. It was passing time in the halls, and everyone was waiting for me outside the office door. Everyone was yelling at the same time, and I couldn't understand what was said. Leah pulled me away from the crowd and pulled me off towards choir. We sat in class, waiting for Ms. Sullivan. When she came into class, everyone quieted. Ms. Sullivan was a bit eccentric, but the look on her face was nothing like normal. She was looking at me.
"Class, today is show and tell day. I will pick students, and they will come stand up on our stage, and sing a song of importance to them. Any questions?" She always got straight to the point.
"Ok good. Katerina, you're first." She said, gesturing to the stage built out from the wall. I stood up, and looked at Leah. She shrugged. I walked up to the stage. I stood, and faced the class. I took a deep breath and let my golden soprano voice begin the haunting melody of "My Immortal". I sang loud, and my voice surprisingly didn't shake. I looked every student that was sitting there, staring at me in the eye, daring them to say one word. When my voice drifted off on the final note the whole class was silent for a second, then, I stood there not believing that the roaring in my ears was the sound of 37 students clapping. I stepped off the stage and asked Ms. Sullivan if I could get a drink. I walked down the hallway slowly. The cool water at the drinking fountain tasted like metal. I leaned against the wall and slid down till I was sitting on the floor. The shock of was I had just did hit me all at once, and realized I was going to faint. My heart was pounding in my head and I was starting to see in black and white. I leaned my head back and surrendered myself to the colorless world that beckoned to me.