A/N: This story is mine. This life is mine. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I don't know
if I'll continue this, I'm not too happy with it right now. And I apologize if the writing is
somewhat vague, it's a very disconcerting feeling, having to write about your life in the third
person. You realize many things you hadn't taken the time to notice before.
~*~
Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe...
~*~
The child had been due on All Hallow's Eve. But she was stubborn, or perhaps respectful of that
sacred day. She was born on a Wednesday, six days into the Goddess month of Samhain. Her
family, being Christians, were not aware of that.
Her due date and her stubbornness later became a family joke, but of little significance. That was
to be expected. But somewhere far beyond where the child was, the significance was noted, and
the child was duly watched.
In the six days the child waited to be born, three storms had swept through her city, one of them
circling back through the city to yet again wreak havoc on the inhabitants. The day after the third
storm had ended, the child came. She died twice during her birth, heartbeat lost and doctors
frantic. But for the third time, she drew life-giving breath. And the child lived.
~*~
She was named Gail, her name reflecting back on the storms that had terrorized her town just
days prior to her birth. And from the time she was born, she was different. Her dark brown,
almost black hair, came from no relative that her parents could recall. And her grey eyes were
those of a storm cloud, not of either of her parents.
Gail was a lucky child, very lucky. She was daring, but was never injured. Her parents said she
lived a blessed existence, even as they gave her cautious looks. She was a free spirit, with a mind
that was, her parents admitted, much to their discomfort, unable to be tamed.
And she was intelligent. Far more intelligent than a child of her age should be. For that reason,
when she started school, she was an outcast from the others her age. She was her teachers'
delight, but had no good friends. At first this suited her, because she could entertain herself better
with her imagination or books. But eventually she began to ache for human contact, for company.
So she reined in her mind, and curbed her imagination. At the age of six, she began conforming
herself to please others.
~*~
As she grew, Gail noticed her differences more and more. No matter how hard she tried, she
could not be like the other little girls. Yes, she had her "best friend in the world", but even there
something was missing. It all seemed one-sided, like she was pushing herself to keep the
friendship. And that was practically her only friendship. She had people she knew in school, but
was never popular. The other kids never cared for her much. They, too, noticed her differences.
And they resented her for them.
Try as she might, she could not completely contain who she was. She related better with her
teachers than her peers. And she felt older than any third-grader she knew. She felt alone, but
never dared question why.
~*~
Gail was a walking contradiction. She was intelligent, intellectual, and analytical, yet she was a
dreamer, in all meanings of the word. She dreamt of greater things, of things beyond the station
she was born into. And she knew that she was going to achieve those dreams.
She also was an avid sleeping-dreamer. At least four nights a week, if not more, she would dream.
And not just any dreams. She dreamt in novels, in plays, in poems. She could sometimes see and
read the words as the action occurred on a different screen. And all of her dreams had plots, vivid
and engaging plots. Every night she had her own, private theatre to herself, with stories that had
never been told to another, stories that were hers, and hers alone.
Her parents could never understand where her personality came from. Always, always, had both
sides of her family been reasonable, logical, dull. But this child, this dark-haired child turned their
worlds upside down. And though they loved her, they were afraid of her.
Oh, how they were afraid! Never had they seen such independence and free-thinking in a child
that young. She knew her own mind, and was the only one who did, or could.
~*~
The night was warm, it was almost summer. Ten-year-old Gail hung around one of the large tents
set up for vendors. She had been talking to the operators of a lottery booth all day, and was now
awaiting the results of one of the lotteries. She had given the crew at the booth three numbers, to
purchase a ticket. Ten o'clock came around... 10-28-41. The lottery workers started jumping
around, and finding souvenirs to give to young Gail. She couldn't claim the $330, of course, but
they could repay her with gifts.
~*~
Her family was Christian, and Gail was raised as such. Sunday School, Lent, Easter. The good
little Christian. It was one of the few things her parents felt safe about. Religion was good, was
safe, was normal.
At ten, Gail started feeling discontent. With precisely what, she couldn't put her finger on. But
she felt as if something were wrong. Nothing was missing, necessarily, but she was missing.
Missing from where she was supposed to be. And she started feeling the eyes. Someone,
something, was watching her, constantly. It wasn't a wholly unpleasant feeling. It made her feel
more secure, safer in the belief of her dreams, that something awaited her. That she wasn't
different because of some fluke of nature, she was different because she was destined to great
things. She believed that God had singled her out for something special. What, she didn't know
yet. But she was special.
~*~
Those who watched were essentially pleased with the young girl's development. She was
progressing faster than they had expected, which was good. Her religious beliefs could be dealt
with at a later date, what they focused on now was her difference. They made sure that she felt
separated, for the most part, so that she would be prepared. But they felt she needed reassurance
in who she was. In the fact that she was different. And so they began sending her signs, small
signs that she wouldn't fully comprehend until later. But signs that would strike her, deeply,
making her want to remember why it was all so familiar.
~*~
Gail felt confused. She had been discussing with someone how she had felt when her father had
died. The words flowed, the feelings were re-lived. Then Gail realized something. Her father
wasn't dead. Those feelings had never truly existed in her, as far as she could remember. And that
continued to occur, in different circumstances, over and over again. She was feeling emotions that
weren't hers, speaking words she hadn't known, but fully understood.
More than ever, Gail felt alone. She tried explaining it to some of the other kids at school, but
they just laughed at her or gave her weird looks. No one understood. So she would retreat to
where she did feel comfortable, her mind. She'd perch on her roof on a chilly autumn day, and just
think.
~*~
Gail wasn't a quiet person in public, but she tended to keep to herself. She attempted to cover her
difference with sarcasm, but that just made her stand out more. She was either the one causing the
laughter, or the one being laughed at. As long as no one tried to get too close, she didn't mind.
When she was thirteen, Gail was finally able to discern one of the causes of her discontent. She
didn't like the things her church taught. So she told herself, and others, that she was no longer
that denomination. She was still a Christian, but a very open-minded one. Almost too open-
minded to be a Christian.
.
~*~
The summer she was fourteen, Gail attended a sleep-away camp. She enjoyed herself, and was
able to spend a lot of time outside, alone, able to think. It was at this camp that she found the
necklace.
She had been walking to the lake, to sit on the dock and think. The sun caught something in the
sand ahead of her, and she sped up to get to it. When she lifted it, she gasped. She could hardly
bear to look at it, it frightened her so.
It was a silver dragon, caked with sand and mud. Wings spread, teeth bared, and in its talons was
clutched a ruby-handled sword. The dragon was magnificently detailed, even though the chain it
was on had rusted and broken.
She didn't know why, but she tucked the necklace into her pocket, and rushed back to her cabin
to hide it in her bag. She didn't want to see it again, but she didn't want anyone else seeing it,
either.
~*~
Gail entered high school that fall, and found a new group of people, where she felt as if she might
fit in. She joined the theatre program, using all of the pseudo-emotions she had to become
different characters. Some liked her energy, others envied her abilities. She was just inside the
outskirts, but that was fitting in better than she ever had, anywhere.
Gail acted to escape; she acted to go home. A home that she could only go to while acting, or
reading, or writing. A place to be someone else, to be herself. She felt safe in her pursuits, felt as
if she belonged to her arts, rather than they belonging to her.
~*~
Those watching her were getting nervous. The girl was blossoming wonderfully, but needed
direction. It was time to send physical intervention. They had to get her headed in the right
direction, to lead her to her fate.
~*~
The summer after her freshman year, Gail felt drawn to "fantasy" novels and movies, and found a
community online where she could share her loves. Here she was introduced to people that she
could relate to on a different level than many, and it was discussing things with the people at that
site that caused Gail to make a stunning discovery.
She was not a Christian.
The things she had believed in most of her life had suddenly been seen in their true light, as if
someone had taken off her blinders. She could now see the hypocrisy that was religion, and
decided against any religion at all. That was what felt right to Gail, and so that was what she
believed, despite the protests of her parents. And she was glad she did believe in what she did
believe in, or else she never would have met Anna.
Gail had met Anna on a site dedicated to one of her favorite "fantasy" films. Their first
conversation was about writing. They soon discovered that they both enjoyed the same types of
music, and both liked challenges. Gail felt as if Anna understood her, which was something she
had never experienced before. Then Anna brought up her powers, and Gail's life began to get
more interesting.
~*~
"I'm a natural born witch. It's a thing passed down generation to generation. I have it, my mom
has it, her mom has it, and hers, etc. And they're all Catholic. They don't do anything with their
powers. I dug deeper into my abilities."
It should have sounded false, the alarm bells should have been triggered in Gail's mind. Yet the
only bell ringing was that of truth. Anna's life story fairly reeked with it. And Gail believed. And
from Anna, she learned.
She learned of worlds beyond any that she had ever imagined existed. And she learned of the
beings that occupied those worlds. She learned of magick, of witchcraft, and of histories that were
unknown to all but few. But Anna was more than just a teacher, she was also a sister and friend,
in a time when Gail needed one most.
And time flew.
~*~
Those watching felt that is was time for the young girl to know the truth. They informed their
delegate of the choice, and continued watching, waiting for the girl's reaction.
~*~
For weeks, Anna had been telling Gail that she was "Gifted"; beyond the powers of regular
mortals, but not quite one of the "Others", their term for those with powers. Gail found that
believable, since she doubted she had any real sort of powers. Yet, somewhere deep inside of her,
she wished that she could be an "Other", that she could have a reason behind her difference from
those she knew. She mentioned this to Anna once or twice, but her friend was quick to warn her
against the life of an "Other". So Gail kept her wishes to herself, always seeing the foolishness of
them, but secretly wishing, nonetheless.
Two months into their friendship, Gail got an e-mail from Anna, stating,
"You're one of us. That's the biggest thing I wanted to tell you."
She then progressed to other topics. Gail could only stare at her screen, stunned. Then disbelief
took over, and she just scanned past that part and continued reading. In her reply, she avoided the
topic. She had no special powers, she wasn't worthy of that title. Wishful dreaming, was all it
was. Desperate hope of a young girl who wanted to know she wasn't alone for no reason. She
wasn't truly "one of them." She couldn't be.
Yet Anna had said she was. Gail, looking at the computer screen, unconsciously stiffened her
shoulders, and her resolve. She did deserve an explanation for her difference, and this was the
only explanation that she could sense the truth in.
Feeling humbled, but honored, Gail turned off the computer, and prepared for bed. She could just
sense that something would happen in her dreams that night. She was excited, but nervous. She
knew not who she would meet, or what she would encounter, but she knew that the rest of her
life depended on the knowledge she had just been given.
~*~
Those who had watched prepared themselves, readying for their first personal contact with the
girl. They had watched her progress from birth, and now knew she was ready for the fate that
awaited her. They would meet her that night, and explain everything. Years of watching, waiting,
had finally come to an end.
Anna stood aside as the Others finished preparing, smiling. She, too, had been like Gail once,
before her calling was made known to her. And she looked forward to the future, knowing that
their paths were entwined in many places.
This is life...
This is what I know...
if I'll continue this, I'm not too happy with it right now. And I apologize if the writing is
somewhat vague, it's a very disconcerting feeling, having to write about your life in the third
person. You realize many things you hadn't taken the time to notice before.
~*~
Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe...
~*~
The child had been due on All Hallow's Eve. But she was stubborn, or perhaps respectful of that
sacred day. She was born on a Wednesday, six days into the Goddess month of Samhain. Her
family, being Christians, were not aware of that.
Her due date and her stubbornness later became a family joke, but of little significance. That was
to be expected. But somewhere far beyond where the child was, the significance was noted, and
the child was duly watched.
In the six days the child waited to be born, three storms had swept through her city, one of them
circling back through the city to yet again wreak havoc on the inhabitants. The day after the third
storm had ended, the child came. She died twice during her birth, heartbeat lost and doctors
frantic. But for the third time, she drew life-giving breath. And the child lived.
~*~
She was named Gail, her name reflecting back on the storms that had terrorized her town just
days prior to her birth. And from the time she was born, she was different. Her dark brown,
almost black hair, came from no relative that her parents could recall. And her grey eyes were
those of a storm cloud, not of either of her parents.
Gail was a lucky child, very lucky. She was daring, but was never injured. Her parents said she
lived a blessed existence, even as they gave her cautious looks. She was a free spirit, with a mind
that was, her parents admitted, much to their discomfort, unable to be tamed.
And she was intelligent. Far more intelligent than a child of her age should be. For that reason,
when she started school, she was an outcast from the others her age. She was her teachers'
delight, but had no good friends. At first this suited her, because she could entertain herself better
with her imagination or books. But eventually she began to ache for human contact, for company.
So she reined in her mind, and curbed her imagination. At the age of six, she began conforming
herself to please others.
~*~
As she grew, Gail noticed her differences more and more. No matter how hard she tried, she
could not be like the other little girls. Yes, she had her "best friend in the world", but even there
something was missing. It all seemed one-sided, like she was pushing herself to keep the
friendship. And that was practically her only friendship. She had people she knew in school, but
was never popular. The other kids never cared for her much. They, too, noticed her differences.
And they resented her for them.
Try as she might, she could not completely contain who she was. She related better with her
teachers than her peers. And she felt older than any third-grader she knew. She felt alone, but
never dared question why.
~*~
Gail was a walking contradiction. She was intelligent, intellectual, and analytical, yet she was a
dreamer, in all meanings of the word. She dreamt of greater things, of things beyond the station
she was born into. And she knew that she was going to achieve those dreams.
She also was an avid sleeping-dreamer. At least four nights a week, if not more, she would dream.
And not just any dreams. She dreamt in novels, in plays, in poems. She could sometimes see and
read the words as the action occurred on a different screen. And all of her dreams had plots, vivid
and engaging plots. Every night she had her own, private theatre to herself, with stories that had
never been told to another, stories that were hers, and hers alone.
Her parents could never understand where her personality came from. Always, always, had both
sides of her family been reasonable, logical, dull. But this child, this dark-haired child turned their
worlds upside down. And though they loved her, they were afraid of her.
Oh, how they were afraid! Never had they seen such independence and free-thinking in a child
that young. She knew her own mind, and was the only one who did, or could.
~*~
The night was warm, it was almost summer. Ten-year-old Gail hung around one of the large tents
set up for vendors. She had been talking to the operators of a lottery booth all day, and was now
awaiting the results of one of the lotteries. She had given the crew at the booth three numbers, to
purchase a ticket. Ten o'clock came around... 10-28-41. The lottery workers started jumping
around, and finding souvenirs to give to young Gail. She couldn't claim the $330, of course, but
they could repay her with gifts.
~*~
Her family was Christian, and Gail was raised as such. Sunday School, Lent, Easter. The good
little Christian. It was one of the few things her parents felt safe about. Religion was good, was
safe, was normal.
At ten, Gail started feeling discontent. With precisely what, she couldn't put her finger on. But
she felt as if something were wrong. Nothing was missing, necessarily, but she was missing.
Missing from where she was supposed to be. And she started feeling the eyes. Someone,
something, was watching her, constantly. It wasn't a wholly unpleasant feeling. It made her feel
more secure, safer in the belief of her dreams, that something awaited her. That she wasn't
different because of some fluke of nature, she was different because she was destined to great
things. She believed that God had singled her out for something special. What, she didn't know
yet. But she was special.
~*~
Those who watched were essentially pleased with the young girl's development. She was
progressing faster than they had expected, which was good. Her religious beliefs could be dealt
with at a later date, what they focused on now was her difference. They made sure that she felt
separated, for the most part, so that she would be prepared. But they felt she needed reassurance
in who she was. In the fact that she was different. And so they began sending her signs, small
signs that she wouldn't fully comprehend until later. But signs that would strike her, deeply,
making her want to remember why it was all so familiar.
~*~
Gail felt confused. She had been discussing with someone how she had felt when her father had
died. The words flowed, the feelings were re-lived. Then Gail realized something. Her father
wasn't dead. Those feelings had never truly existed in her, as far as she could remember. And that
continued to occur, in different circumstances, over and over again. She was feeling emotions that
weren't hers, speaking words she hadn't known, but fully understood.
More than ever, Gail felt alone. She tried explaining it to some of the other kids at school, but
they just laughed at her or gave her weird looks. No one understood. So she would retreat to
where she did feel comfortable, her mind. She'd perch on her roof on a chilly autumn day, and just
think.
~*~
Gail wasn't a quiet person in public, but she tended to keep to herself. She attempted to cover her
difference with sarcasm, but that just made her stand out more. She was either the one causing the
laughter, or the one being laughed at. As long as no one tried to get too close, she didn't mind.
When she was thirteen, Gail was finally able to discern one of the causes of her discontent. She
didn't like the things her church taught. So she told herself, and others, that she was no longer
that denomination. She was still a Christian, but a very open-minded one. Almost too open-
minded to be a Christian.
.
~*~
The summer she was fourteen, Gail attended a sleep-away camp. She enjoyed herself, and was
able to spend a lot of time outside, alone, able to think. It was at this camp that she found the
necklace.
She had been walking to the lake, to sit on the dock and think. The sun caught something in the
sand ahead of her, and she sped up to get to it. When she lifted it, she gasped. She could hardly
bear to look at it, it frightened her so.
It was a silver dragon, caked with sand and mud. Wings spread, teeth bared, and in its talons was
clutched a ruby-handled sword. The dragon was magnificently detailed, even though the chain it
was on had rusted and broken.
She didn't know why, but she tucked the necklace into her pocket, and rushed back to her cabin
to hide it in her bag. She didn't want to see it again, but she didn't want anyone else seeing it,
either.
~*~
Gail entered high school that fall, and found a new group of people, where she felt as if she might
fit in. She joined the theatre program, using all of the pseudo-emotions she had to become
different characters. Some liked her energy, others envied her abilities. She was just inside the
outskirts, but that was fitting in better than she ever had, anywhere.
Gail acted to escape; she acted to go home. A home that she could only go to while acting, or
reading, or writing. A place to be someone else, to be herself. She felt safe in her pursuits, felt as
if she belonged to her arts, rather than they belonging to her.
~*~
Those watching her were getting nervous. The girl was blossoming wonderfully, but needed
direction. It was time to send physical intervention. They had to get her headed in the right
direction, to lead her to her fate.
~*~
The summer after her freshman year, Gail felt drawn to "fantasy" novels and movies, and found a
community online where she could share her loves. Here she was introduced to people that she
could relate to on a different level than many, and it was discussing things with the people at that
site that caused Gail to make a stunning discovery.
She was not a Christian.
The things she had believed in most of her life had suddenly been seen in their true light, as if
someone had taken off her blinders. She could now see the hypocrisy that was religion, and
decided against any religion at all. That was what felt right to Gail, and so that was what she
believed, despite the protests of her parents. And she was glad she did believe in what she did
believe in, or else she never would have met Anna.
Gail had met Anna on a site dedicated to one of her favorite "fantasy" films. Their first
conversation was about writing. They soon discovered that they both enjoyed the same types of
music, and both liked challenges. Gail felt as if Anna understood her, which was something she
had never experienced before. Then Anna brought up her powers, and Gail's life began to get
more interesting.
~*~
"I'm a natural born witch. It's a thing passed down generation to generation. I have it, my mom
has it, her mom has it, and hers, etc. And they're all Catholic. They don't do anything with their
powers. I dug deeper into my abilities."
It should have sounded false, the alarm bells should have been triggered in Gail's mind. Yet the
only bell ringing was that of truth. Anna's life story fairly reeked with it. And Gail believed. And
from Anna, she learned.
She learned of worlds beyond any that she had ever imagined existed. And she learned of the
beings that occupied those worlds. She learned of magick, of witchcraft, and of histories that were
unknown to all but few. But Anna was more than just a teacher, she was also a sister and friend,
in a time when Gail needed one most.
And time flew.
~*~
Those watching felt that is was time for the young girl to know the truth. They informed their
delegate of the choice, and continued watching, waiting for the girl's reaction.
~*~
For weeks, Anna had been telling Gail that she was "Gifted"; beyond the powers of regular
mortals, but not quite one of the "Others", their term for those with powers. Gail found that
believable, since she doubted she had any real sort of powers. Yet, somewhere deep inside of her,
she wished that she could be an "Other", that she could have a reason behind her difference from
those she knew. She mentioned this to Anna once or twice, but her friend was quick to warn her
against the life of an "Other". So Gail kept her wishes to herself, always seeing the foolishness of
them, but secretly wishing, nonetheless.
Two months into their friendship, Gail got an e-mail from Anna, stating,
"You're one of us. That's the biggest thing I wanted to tell you."
She then progressed to other topics. Gail could only stare at her screen, stunned. Then disbelief
took over, and she just scanned past that part and continued reading. In her reply, she avoided the
topic. She had no special powers, she wasn't worthy of that title. Wishful dreaming, was all it
was. Desperate hope of a young girl who wanted to know she wasn't alone for no reason. She
wasn't truly "one of them." She couldn't be.
Yet Anna had said she was. Gail, looking at the computer screen, unconsciously stiffened her
shoulders, and her resolve. She did deserve an explanation for her difference, and this was the
only explanation that she could sense the truth in.
Feeling humbled, but honored, Gail turned off the computer, and prepared for bed. She could just
sense that something would happen in her dreams that night. She was excited, but nervous. She
knew not who she would meet, or what she would encounter, but she knew that the rest of her
life depended on the knowledge she had just been given.
~*~
Those who had watched prepared themselves, readying for their first personal contact with the
girl. They had watched her progress from birth, and now knew she was ready for the fate that
awaited her. They would meet her that night, and explain everything. Years of watching, waiting,
had finally come to an end.
Anna stood aside as the Others finished preparing, smiling. She, too, had been like Gail once,
before her calling was made known to her. And she looked forward to the future, knowing that
their paths were entwined in many places.
This is life...
This is what I know...