Chapter One - Billie-No-Mates

I fell asleep peaceful and contented, the only time I wasn't worried about coming into contact with people. I am a freak. I have what people would call a 'gift', I would call it a curse. I've had it since I was nine years old.

No one knows about my 'gift'. Not my mum, dad or best friend like in story books. Truth is, my mum is dead, my dads a drunk and I don't have a best friend, or any friends really. Everyone thinks I'm weird at school because I avoid any kind of physical contact.

My gift is the reason for this. If I touch someone, I see how they die. Sometimes it's like watching and old person sleeping and then nothing. Other times, it's like watching a horror film. How people die can change though, just like anything else.

I got my gift in a car accident. My mum was telling my sister Olivia and I off for fighting. She swerved in the river and only had time to pick one of us to survive. Olivia was unconscious and so my mum unstrapped me and gestured for me to swim up. As I left, I saw her struggling to get Olivia out, I never saw her again. The ambulance and police were called by a witness and as soon as one of the paramedics gave me a blanket, I saw how he would die.

The paramedic was shot at a bravery awards ceremony, just like I had seen. I punished myself for everything. It was my fault that mum and Olivia had died, I should have helped them. It was my fault that the paramedic died, I could have told someone about my gift, but I didn't, I could have asked him not to leave because of it but I didn't. I never told anyone about my gift because I was different.

I was something nobody would understand. I was planning to tell my dad, he was distraught when he couldn't understand why I was no longer giving him hugs. The night mum died, we sat on the sofa and I cried myself to sleep in his arms. I was so upset I couldn't see the visions. Dad turned to drink for the answers. I knew I could no longer tell him, I couldn't tell anyone. Dad soon got into the habit of drinking, he would drink more if he hadn't got to go to work than he would if he did. That turned out well for dad. He owns the biggest chain of hotels in the country, he only has to go in on Monday.

You'd think that I'd get a lot of pocket money right? Wrong. Dad doesn't let me have much money. $2 a week isn't a lot for a sixteen year old girl. Most of the girls in my year get at least $5 a week. If I want that $2, I have to earn it. Laundry, ironing, dishes, vacuuming, shopping, cooking, cleaning etc...

Basically, I have to pretty much do everything. Oh and I lied about not having a best friend, I do. Her name is Ivy.

Unfortunately, Ivy doesn't count. She's a cat. A stray, sort of. She never goes anywhere in the house except my bedroom. She's a great listener and she contributes to the conversation in her own way. Her miaows are very insightful. Great, I sound insane.

Mrs Adams sort of knows what's going on (the cat situation not the drunk dad situation), she's my very nice next door neighbor. I go to her every Thursday and Monday. She supplies the cat food for Ivy. She also gave me her spare food and water bowls.

I woke up and turned off my alarm clock. I chucked on jeans and a tee and put my hair up in two scruffy plaits. I went downstairs and the usual stench of dried alcohol and vomit hit me. I held my nose as I scrubbed the sick off of the carpet and threw the beer cans into the trash. I got out the air freshener and sprayed every room except the one dad was in and I chucked on a clean pair of marigold gloves before nudging dad awake.

"Dad get up."

I stood back and let him slap the air before grunting and going upstairs. I sighed and took of the marigolds I only use for waking up dad to get back to cleaning the house. I wore the gloves so I didn't have to see my dad's death. It's not everyday you see that happen. If only I could wear the gloves in school. Of course, at school there were I had to hold someone's hand in some lessons. The activities I hate most is when everyone has to stand in a circle and hold hands. It's very confusing and extremely tiring to watch two people's deaths at once.

I grabbed my school bag and shoes and got into my car. I have a pretty nice car, I had to start saving when I was ten, it sounds stupid but I knew that if I wanted a nice car then I would have to start saving as soon as I could. I saved three quarters of the money and dad gave me the rest for my birthday. With it, I acquired a silver Porsche. I'm very proud of it, every week it is polished and any scratches are taken care of. Not that I get scratches on it. I'm a pretty good driver. It's only a two-seater but no-one ever rides with me so it doesn't matter. There's plenty of room for me. I got into the school parking lot and saw the only space left was next to an m3 convertible. Nice.

New kids probably. I was sure that everyone knew everything there is to know about them but not me. I don't talk to anyone except when necessary so I wasn't 'in' with the gossip.

I chucked my driving boots in my locker and grabbed my white sandals and all my school books I needed before my first breaks. I headed towards science for my first lesson. I had physics first. I was pretty good at physics and I sat next to someone who actually talked to me. Kristie Lane.

"Hello Billie, good morning?"

This was her usual greeting. I put my school books on the table and gave her my usual answer.

"Yeah." I sighed. "You?"

"Yeah, my sister stood up for the first time this morning, it was great."

I smiled and then Mrs Brooke came into the class and the lesson began.

I had never asked Kristie if I could eat with her at lunch, I could imagine what her answer would be.

'Sorry Billie, you're nice and all but kind of weird."

Everyone acted like that. I knew Kristie was just trying to be nice when she talked to me. No-one actually wanted to be my friend. Billie-no-mates really fits. I had to change that, seeing deaths would just have to be something I'd have to put up with. At the end of the lesson, Kristie was about to leave when I grabbed her arm to stop her leaving. I felt everyone in the room, including Mrs Brooke stare at me as I saw Kristie in an old peoples home in my vision. When it was over, everyone tried to look normal and left without looking at me and I focused my attention back on Kristie.

"C-c-could I sit with you at lunch?"

I shook like jelly as I waited for an answer and Kristie's mouth broke into a huge grin and her eyes sparkled.

"Sure! I'll see you then. You know where we sit right?"

I nodded and so Kristie waved and left. My heart was fit to burst with happiness as I walked to my locker to get my books for my next lesson. I would no longer be Billie-no-mates. I felt someone brush past me and open their locker, I waited for the vision to start but it never came. I closed my locker door and saw a small girl do exactly the same. Our expression's matched. Our eyes wide and our mouths clenched shut to stop from gaping open like a fish. But why was she like this? Only I knew about my visions, there was no way she could know and no reason for her to be doing this.

"I'm Alice Cullen."

Thank you for reading, please review and tell me what you think. First fanfiction, did I do any good?