Alice

Chapter 1

Cynthia and I were running through a field of beautiful sunflowers. Our hair was tied with the red ribbons that our mother had done for us. It was blowing behind us as we ran and laughed together. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining bright, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The sky was a beautiful bright blue colour and it wasn't too hot or humid out.

Suddenly I stopped. I got that feeling again and froze. Not again!

All I could see were rain clouds and lightning. I could hear thunder booming in the background. The sky was dark, and storm clouds assaulted the sky.

I blinked as I heard Cynthia yelling my name.

"Are you okay, Mary?" she asked.

I nodded. "I'm fine."

"Did it happen again?" she asked softly.

I nodded and looked away from her.

"Don't you think you should tell mommy and daddy?" she asked.

"No." I said. She and I were three years apart. She was seven, I was ten. "They'll think I'm crazy."

"But they might be able to help you!" she cried.

"Do you want me to have to go away?" I asked. "They'll send me away! Do you want that?"

"No!" she cried, clutching my shoulders tightly. "No! I don't want you to go anywhere Mary!"

"Then don't say anything!" I said.

"Okay." She said.

"Come on; let's go home…it's going to rain."

"How do you…?" she trailed off and I gave her a look that told her exactly how I knew. We walked back to our house together quietly.

"What are you two doing back?" our mother asked.

"Mary said she thinks it's going to rain." Cynthia said. I shot her a look of pure death.

"What are you talking about, Mary?" our mother asked. "It's beautiful outside."

"I just have a feeling." I said quickly trying to think of something. "I don't know, I just think…" I trailed off as thunder boomed outside.

Our mother turned and stared at me. "How did you know?"

I shrugged and went up to the bedroom that I shared with Cynthia. I didn't want to talk to my mother about this. She would know.

I sat by my window and pulled my diary out from under the floorboards where I hid everything dear to me. I grabbed a pen and began writing furiously.

Dear diary,

It happened again today. This time while I was out with Cynthia. She's the only person who knows about these visions. She's the only one who I've ever told. I haven't told my parents or any of my friends. They would all think that I was crazy. The only reason I told Cynthia was because she saw me one day, clutching the railing to go downstairs, frozen in shock, and unable to move.

When I came out of it she had asked what happened, and I had dragged her up to our bedroom and told her everything. At first she thought I was crazy, until I predicted that our aunt from out of town would be at our house within the hour. Sure enough, half an hour later she showed up at our doorstep.

Cynthia had thought I was absolutely insane at first, but promised to keep her big mouth shut. Ever since then she had been super cautious around me, as if I was going to be pulled into a vision at any moment. I didn't like that she was always so scared to be around me as if I was going to predict her death or something.

I hated what would happen to me. I hated these visions. This curse! Some people may think it was a gift, but I knew better. It was a curse! Some people would say that I should be honoured to have this happen to me, but I hated it. It wasn't what I would want. I was a freak. I would never be normal. Who would ever want to be with the freak that could see the future?

-M.A.B.

As I signed my latest entry with my initials, I slid my diary back under the floor boards and went downstairs to help my mother prepare dinner. I was always very cautious when I was around my family, and had learned the warning signs of an oncoming vision a while back, just so I could excuse myself in time.

I cut up some vegetables and helped my mother cook them. I quite enjoyed cooking. It was a lot of fun, especially helping my mother cook. Tonight we were having vegetables and steak that my father had brought home not twenty minutes ago. He had been soaking wet from the pouring rain and had been grumpy until he saw me.

It had always been clear to me that I was his favourite. No matter what kind of day he was having, whenever he saw me waiting at the door for him a smile lit his face. I had considered telling him about the visions numerous times, but could never bring myself up to it. I was scared of what he would say. I was scared of what anybody would say about my visions.

After dinner was prepared, we all sat together and ate it at the table, just like a normal family would.

But I wasn't normal. I was different. I was a freak among what was socially acceptable.