After about three minutes my eye stopped twitching and I managed to gain enough common sense to snap out of my frozen demeanor. I muttered something under my breath about how it was natural and I should get over it. Then as I pulled out a blank piece of paper I realized two things: One, I didn't know what the strange adult/boy person wanted me to draw and Two, I didn't know who the heck Nico was. Shrugging my shoulders, I put pencil to paper and decided to draw that girl from the image I had constructed though I did her a slight bit older looking.

Humming as I sketched her out I thought about why I was doing this. I didn't even know Perry or whatever the hell his name was. Why do I always get the weird ones? Shaking my head I blanked out my thought and returned back to the image of my 35th hallucination. Yeah I counted them. I don't actually know why do though. Maybe it's because I have no life. I'm an epic fail. Ah well. Back to my life and not my personality.

Eventually, Ms. Hangshaw came back with an IT guy who, once he thoroughly examined the computer, rolled his eyes and left the room mumbling something about delusional women. Ms. Hangshaw looked immensely annoyed though her expression soon relaxed once a girl who'd been quietly reading at her seat got up and told her something. It was probably about the person who pulled out the plug that connected the computer to the electricity. Oh well none of my business.

I frowned as I realized the room's temperature seemed to drop. No one else to notice it though. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, saying to myself in my head that I was being stupid and that temperature doesn't just drop that suddenly. As I opened my eyes I saw a horrible sight. Instead of Ms. Hangshaw standing where she was, a creepy looking monster was there. It's hair - if you could call it that - were snakes that slithered around and snapped around. It looked as though it were going to eat the boy Ms. Hangshaw had called over. It's eyes were a light, steely gray that made me shiver in fear. The skin of the beast was wrinkled and flabby even around the face giving the monster an even more terrifying look. The dress Ms. Hangshaw had been wearing was decked out on the monster but it was splattered with blood and small pieces of orange cloth stuck to the dried blood.

I froze as she looked at me and hid my face in my arms, breathing deeply. Hallucination 36. When I raised my head Ms. Hangshaw was back in the monster's place, looking at me with a curious expression. I inhaled a deep sigh of relief and went back to the picture but I couldn't shake the feeling of dread from my emotions. Something was wrong here and I didn't know if it was worth figuring out what.


The morning went by quickly. Ms. Hangshaw did ask where the boy was but someone beat me to answer her. The boy who had told me to tell Ms. Hangshaw where he was when she asked was extremely kind as he took me to all my morning classes but he never once revealed his name and I felt as though I was supposed to know him from somewhere. It was the jacket that reminded me of something hidden in the giant cluster of memories I had rumbling around in my head. Something about it just seemed so familiar. Once lunch came around I realized how famished I was. I opened up my locker and ran my hand through my bag waiting for the handle of my lunch box to run over it. When I felt the rough handle brush my fingers lightly. I reached further and grabbed it, tugging it through the mess of papers I had shoved in there as I was leaving the house. What? I like to draw. Is that a crime now?

The boy showed me to the lunch room and waved to a couple kids in far corner before dragging me off towards them. Wow. So I'm his friend now or something. When did that happen? I mulled over the days events as he hauled me to his other friends. As we got over there I admired his group of friends.

Sitting of to the far left corner of the square table sat a boy with an easy-going smile on his face. His hair was mess of blonde curls and gel. He had gray eyes that twinkled softly as the sunlight that streamed down from the windows fell upon them. He smiled sweetly at me, the kind of smile a guy uses when he wants to become friends. In all my life it only once happened to me. A light blue jacket covered his obvious muscular chest and he wore baggy black jeans. His skin was like the colour of vanilla ice cream, soft and creamy looking. I wondered how many girls chased him around. He kept one hand in his pocket as he used the other one to salute the boy beside me and pretended to bow in his seat for me. I blushed a bright rosy red. A lot of girls then.

Sitting on the opposite side of that boy was as short, nerdy looking boy, with his face stuck in a book. He raised one hand in a short greeting to us and used to other one to scribble something down. I noticed one on of his fingers he wore a black ring with the face of an owl on it. When he looked back at his book he swore under breath, and the girl sitting beside him whupped him upside the head. His bushy, brown hair jumped as her slender hand pushed it up and then fell back neatly onto his head. His skin reminded me of hot chocolate after the marshmallows have melted into the deep brown swirl of cocoa and you added a slight bit of milk. He had on thin, black framed glasses that I noticed as he looked up to smile sheepishly at the girl who was looking displeased by his swearing. Maybe because he did it in front of a new comer to the formed group I assumed since the blonde just laughed and shook his head. The replied to the boy's laughter by sticking her tongue out at him. Beneath the walls of glass I could see brown muddy looking eyes that seemed to pull me into it, going on forever and ever. He pulled his black coat farther up as to hid himself in it. He had on a green shirt with an owl that looked mighty on the front. It was holding a spear and shield and and decked out in shining gray armor. He had on simple black dress pants.

I lost concentration of his eyes as girl turned to me and I almost fell as these beautiful pale blue eyes stared questioning at me. They gleamed faintly, even without a tweak of mischief hidden inside them. Black hair was pulled into a ponytail and from what I could see it was long and sleek, falling down slowly in waves, never touch the pale pink cloth upon her back. She had apparently natural tan skin as some do or she went somewhere warm and hot during the break, as her skin was still nicely tanned even though it was winter, and most kids had their skin paled a little bit by now. As I mentioned, she was dressing a pale pink shirt with the arms of a thick white jacket wrapped around her small waist. Her pants were light green and flowing as they came down to the floor below her white sneakers. On her wrist was a shining yellow watch and a pearl beaded bracelet that had a single charm of a red rose on it.

"Hey guys. This is my sister's best friend Emily," he said.

I blinked. So I did I know him?

"I don't think she knows you dude," the blonde haired guy laughed. "She looks really confused."

The boy frowned. "You don't remember me. The boy you and Alice used to make eat mud pies when we were five?"

"Danny?" I questioned as sudden recognition washed over me.

"Yeah Danny. Daniel Daniels," he laughed.

Everyone at the table laughed as he said his name out loud. Daniel was the one boy who had ever signaled at me that smile I'd been telling you that the blonde boy had. I remember when I first met Daniel and his ever so compelling sister Alice. They weren't related by blood though. His mother had married her father after they dated for two years. I was their friend at the time their parents had been engaged. I was seven and it was the middle of summer when they announced their engagement. Alice and Daniel absolutely loathed each other and finding out that they were going to be step-siblings didn't fare well with either of them.

-Flashback-

My mother and Alice's father both worked at the same place; a small flower shop called The Garden Emporium so they knew each other quite well. I was five years old and my mother had finally finished her first book. She had sent me over to Alice's babysitter's home where Alice was as her father and my mother were going to the publisher. He was there for moral support. A new kid was coming over and, lo and behold, whoever shall it but Daniel.

It had rained heavily the night before, but the ground outside was dry enough that by noon we were allowed to run around in the backyard. It was still a bit muddy in some areas and mud was flung around at everyone. Alice didn't leave the house so neither did I. She was the leader and I just followed. She's was my only friend before Daniel came along, so I stuck to her like glue. Daniel taunted her but she never wavered so he filled his hands with mud and as one kid was leaving the house after going to the bathroom he swung the mud at her. It splattered all over her dress. Alice had quite the temper so it was best you didn't make her mad. She ran outside and shoved him down beating him with her tiny fists. I had taught her the alphabet in sign language a few weeks back so she sign-spelt the words MUD PIES.

I gathered a few other kids and we made about six mud pies. As I carried one back to Alice she forced Daniel to open his mouth and got me to put it in his mouth then she covered his mouth and pinched his nose until he was so desperate for air that he ate it. We gave him four mud pies to eat before he managed to regain his strength and push Alice off. He ran over to the bushes and puked. Alice just smiled her pleased smile and pulled me along back into the house. She rummaged through her things before she found two outfits she deemed suitable enough for us to where. On rainy muddy days Alice always packed extra clothing. Actually, on any type of day she packed extra clothing. She was just that way.

It was from that day on that Daniel and Alice hated one another and I was the silent one being pushed back and forth.

-Change Scene-

Their parents decided to announce their engagement on the day I got out of school for the summer, when both were usually content and easy going. It happened to be that way because I hadn't seen them in a long time and they both knew I'd like nothing more than for them to be nice to each other while we caught up and had fun. Alice had dragged me into a random store and bought me a single outfit to wear on special occasions which meant to her anytime she called and told me to put in on. Sometimes she'd call in the middle of the night; other times at five in the morning. Daniel had gotten me a vanilla ice cream cone (my favourite for anyone who cares) and we went to the park to watch Daniel compete in a skateboarding competition with some of the other kids.

A few moments after we got home and my mom had set out the delicious half chocolate, half vanilla cake they decided to announce their recent engagement. Unfortunately, their plan, despite how good it was, went horribly wrong and my mother's traditional Out-Of-School Cake was thrown, screams were made and Alice went as far as to try to murder Daniel. The entire time I sat their wondering why out of all the people in the world I got stuck with the dysfunctional ones as friends. Eventually I couldn't take it anymore and I ran away to my room to hide. Nobody noticed and at the time I honestly doubted they cared where I was. I slung myself into my bed and cried I remember I spent half an hour sobbing into my pillows before I calmed down. Cleo, my always purring Egyptian Mau, walked around my bed and nudged me. I turned around and there they were, standing in the door, their head hung so I couldn't see their entire faces, looking ashamed. I turned back around and buried my head back into my pillows. It took a long time but they managed to tear the pillows from my face. From that day on the swore not hate each other as much around me.

-Change Scene-

Then I turned ten and found out that they were moving to Florida. The day they told me was a bright sunny day. Alice and Daniel had both called in for me which was surprising as they let each both talk in equal amounts of time. They told me they had a surprise for me and that they would come over in a few hours. As they came the sun had been hidden behind dark gray clouds and the rain started to pour down in heavy drops. I tried to usher them inside but they wouldn't come in. Alice was crying. She told me they were leaving in two weeks. I didn't know they meant forever until Daniel who was trying to be the strong one told me. A part of my heart died. It's all really faint after that but I remember going into shock and having to be taken to the hospital. I went to hospital a lot as a child.

-End of Flashback-

The funny thing is we emailed (mostly them) each other at least once every week. You think one of them would've mentioned that they came back but no, they didn't. Probably arguing over who would tell me. That was the one thing that always stuck with me. Both wanted and had to have my affection more than the other did. Both of hem had to better than the other in doing things for me. It was like an obsession. It was laughable sometimes and really irritating other times.

Anyway, after his mother married Alice's father he didn't want his last name changed but it happened anyway. Every time since then I always giggled quietly to myself whenever I thought about his name. Daniel Dylan Daniels. The Big D, as his new stepfather used to say. How I did not recognize him, I will never understand.

"Daniel!" the schreeching voice shook me from my memories. I turned around to see the face of my best friend glowering at her brother.

"I thought I told you that when Emily gets here she's sitting with me," she snapped, grabbing my arm and tugging me hard off of the bench.

Here we go again, I thought bitterly. Thus cometh the need for love and the battle shall comence. I should write my own Bible. I'd be a natural.

Daniel stood up and pulled my other arm towards him, growling out the words, "No! She's sitting with ME!"

They argued back and forth, throwing down my arms which allowed me to make my hurried escape. Daniel's friends distracted them from seeing me snatch my lunch bag and run away. May God bless them with plates full of pie, because pie is just naturally that good. I ran out to the courtyard where there weren't a lot of kids. A few were having snowball fights and others were sitting at the wooden tables, talking and laughing about some television show that had just been on. I jogged over to the nearest, least crowded table and plopped down at the far edge, trying my best not to eavesdrop into the conversation of the two boys sitting there. It didn't matter much anyway. They shut up as soon as I became within five feet of the table.

One of the boys kind of reminded me of that kid that told me to draw him the picture except a little different. For starters he was much shorter but that might have been because he was sitting down and his hair was a bit straighter. He wore really bright colours like orange and yellow and whitewash jeans with bits of splattered white paint on it. He glanced once over to his friend then to me where I noticed his eyes. A dark sea green with bits of aquamarine flecks in them. Being deaf kind of enhances your vision. That's why I'm so awesome. Who am I kidding? I don't need to lie to you people. Back to the subject.

The boy opposite him was glaring at me like I was the bane of his existence. The first thing I noticed was the contrast the two committed. While the previously mentioned seemed bright and happy this boy seemed dark. I didn't think meeting him in a dark, secluded alley with no one around seemed like a good idea. We both turned from each other before I could analyze him further. The one thing that stuck to me mind were his eyes. While the black boy who was a friend of Daniel had soft chocolate eyes, this boy had eyes that seemed...evil. Darker than a sin it seemed like to me. They were endless and bottomless pits that pulled you and drowned you within them, made you curious as to what happened that was so bad that could make those eyes seem so... so... so dead. I shivered as I turned. As I marveled about his eyes I realized slowly that there was something hidden deep inside them, a sort of anger and sadness. Regret.

The two boys never continued their discussion out loud but instead turned to passing notes between the two them. The rustle of paper and the occasional sigh of annoyance kept striking my attention. I pulled out the piece of paper I was using for drawing that girl from it's place as a bookmark and tried to finish it without getting distracted by the hole I could feel burning into my back.

"Nico," the bright boy whined.

The name woke up from brain. I finished the girl's arm hurriedly, pushing the picture towards the darker boy. Nico. The named seemed sweet and strange all at the same time. As it had before when Perry, no Percy, had told me his name the first thing that came to mind was necro. This time it somewhat fit his image.

"It's for your friend. Perry or something," I muttered.

I turned back to my book and sandwich. The sandwich was peanut butter. It stuck to the roof of my mouth. I washed it down with water, trying to push away the feelings of stupidity. I wasn't supposed to be listening to them.

"Thanks," he murmured. "You're pretty good."

"You're welcome and thank you," I replied without turning.

He cleared his throat. I turned to look at him. His friend was staring at him with a 'Don't do it' look on his face. Nico ignored him.

"Could you draw a picture for me?" he asked.

Before I could reply I heard an excited and happy yell from behind me. Alice was jumping up and down as she spotted me, screaming stuff I really don't want to put down right now at Daniel. Daniel was yelling at her about how I didn't know they were her friends and it didn't count. They began to argue again. I returned to my original position before they interrupted my answer but it didn't matter. He was distracted by a girl who was walking over here. She made Alice look like a negative seven on the beauty scale. She made me look like a negative infinity on the beauty scale. She stepped around me and plopped her pink clothed butt down on the bench before leaning in towards Nico. I turned before I had to witness anything that would make me feel minor and uncomfortable. I returned to reading, listening to the sound of Alice and Daniel's constant screaming. It made me feel content, even with the currently making out couple beside me. I missed out on a lot of stuff not being able to hear.


The end of the day had finally come and I was so happy and pleased. I had a million things to do, a million itty bitty places to go and people to glare at. The day though fun and happy was tiring. I had to do a bunch of homework that most of the teachers apologized or giving me because it was my first day at a new school and I was trying to settle into it, which, in the middle of the school year was a slight complicated. It was hard, not signing out every answer I gave and when I did sign it by accident the class would laugh and the teacher would chuckle, asking me to repeat in a language everyone in the room knew, so, I would, but my would be as red as a tomato. At the end of my last class which was science, I found myself wondering how many types of red my face would turn before it exploded. I don't think my cheeks have been as red as they were today.

Beside all that I still had Daniel and Alice's bickering to deal with. When I'd been sitting beside the couple and their friend who looked disgusted as they continued Alice has chosen the destination of murder. Again. I figured the teacher would break it up but as they tried to pull her away from him she screamed, "Pedophile!" which caused the rest of the student body to come out. They couldn't tear her away from him and if they did she'd wrench herself from their grips and attack. Eventually, I realized that just sitting and watching wasn't doing away good so I got up. I snatched the knife she been trying to kill her brother with, gave her a glare, helped Daniel up and walked away after I told them that they were being immature I no longer wanted to be friends with them. They both chased after me, promising to be better and kinder and nicer and bunch of other things that they would never be. After lunch we had one class together. Science. I decided I hated whoever came up with the idea that at schools when you learn Science you have to have lab partners.

In the end I got paired up with Joshua, a sandy haired boy. He was funny and reminded me of the sun with his bright... aura. I don't know. All I did was close my eyes, as the tears of laughter and joy began to come and when I opened them, I wiped them off, looked at him and saw a bright shining yellow ball of light outlining him all over like the sun was sucking him in; like it was claiming him as its own. Then I blinked and it was gone. I decided on paranoia and pretended as though I'd never seen it, but every time I looked at him I found myself hoping that it was real, that it would show again. It's was brilliant, and I wished somewhat desperately that someone could see that in me, see a bright shining light that surrounded my body and made me seem somewhat angelic. Having people think I'm an angel would be cool, but I need wings and a free entry pass into heaven which I unfortunately don't have but still it's the thought that counts.

The bus rolled in through a thin cloud of exhaust. A bright yellow that boomed out at me, I was shoved forcefully out of the way for the kids who decided that the small once-deaf-but-currently-hearing girl didn't matter. Stumbling I almost fell but managed to catch my balance before my butt made acquaintance with the cemented ground. Luckily, Daniel and Alice had been picked up by a different bus already so they weren't trying to destroy the ones who pushed me. As the kinder students let me walk in, I noticed that all the kids had flocked the back seats, leaving empty seats for me up at the front. Feeling a bit of freedom, I plopped my stuff down onto the seat beside me and sighed in pleasure. I could feel that humming buzz of the bus underneath me. By the time the last kid had seated themselves no one had dared to approach me or ask for my seat. They were all perfectly content among the friends they had grown up with and knew quite well. No one needed to learn to infiltrate the new kid. I was just a system among the rest, untested and forgotten by existence.

The bus roared to life and humming buzz grew stronger against me. I heard the faint cry of yells of stop so the bus did as it was instructed. Nico and his beautiful girlfriend of who's name I don't know entered the bus. The kids talk suddenly grew quieter, as Nico nodded his thanks to the bus driver. No one moved for the newcomers. I feel the radiation of fear dripping off of his body like sweat, which was probably the reason that no one moved an inch. The looks of pleasure and happiness turned to looks of nervousness and fear. He sighed, like he didn't like the looks people gave him, ran a pale hand through his mess of black hair and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled and retreated to the back where an empty seat was. I assumed by the giggles between her and the girl on the seat beside her that they were friends. Nico then chose to side next to me once he saw that his girlfriend was well attended to. Running his hand through his hair once again, he sighed softly and glanced by me. Something in his eyes made me wonder what I did or what had happened that was so wrong to have such hatred and anger stare back at me, even though his facial features said different.

It's always the eyes, my grandmother would laugh when I visited her on weekends. They can tell a story no one but the person containing them and the person who can see deeply will ever understand. Learn the feelings and emotions in a person's eyes and you will understand them more than anything. Few can shield it away, never to be understood and even less that that can see to the depths of emotion and soul.

The last time she told me that was two days after I got out of the hospital, after the ear operations. She was on her death bed, smiling and telling me how she knew I was going to be able to see stories no one could even imagine, how she knew I was special, more special than any special person in the world. She died a few minutes after informing me that, holding onto my hand as though it was where she wanted to be when she died. In a way, I think if she hadn't told me that or if I held her hand harder maybe she'd still be alive. Maybe I could've kept her in the land of the living. I try to cling, even now, to the memories of her and that's the one that sticks like glue.

Nico's eyes told me a depressing story of a boy who once had laughter and happiness. A story where the boy suddenly was left alone, and hatred took over. Then there was a light source of pleasure that came, but it was not enough to overwrite the anger inside. The boy found more happiness but the emptiness in him still was there. Suddenly news he didn't want appeared and he saw something or someone that caused the raw anger to rip itself back up and be directed it to the person or object once seen. It was a sad story. I didn't like it. I wondered what he lost. Who he lost, perhaps.

I shook my head and turned, a chill running up my spine as I contemplated his story. In the window, I saw the faint outline of a drop-dead gorgeous woman standing in the rain outside the bus, staring at me. I blinked. When did it start raining? I rubbed my eyes and looked back. Nothing. No lady at all. Just a trick of the light. I stared hard at the window, willing the rain to wash away the pain that had erupted in me as I had unraveled Nico's story.

My grandmother had made it seem like a blessing. Instead it seemed like a curse to be able to understand emotions and feelings through a person's eyes. It's the one thing I know I've never hallucinated about considering my grandmother made me find the story within her old, dying cat when I was eight. It was pretty and beautiful. So much love throughout it, and then everything turned bad. Her kittens taken away from her when she was young. An evil old man that let her grow with cancer until she was fragile and almost dead. Pain, needles, anger, blood coursing down her back as the mean tomcat attacked her for the food she got herself constantly. It hurt so bad even when the pleasuring moments seeped in. I pulled away at the last moment, tears streaming down my face. My grandmother told me that even though it seemed bad at the time it was going to be a good thing to have. That God wouldn't have given it unless I needed it. I deduced from that that God hated me and that I would be going to Hell because he gave me such a rotten thing. My grandmother just laughed told me that I had to find young kids with angels watching over them that hadn't been corrupted by sin just yet to make it go away. Louisa - the cat - had a rough story and her story was something my eight year old mind would never have been able to come up with.

After staring at the window, I chose a happy memory that I had found within a little girl, about six years old. I set on that, relishing in the feelings of joy until the pain, hatred, and everlasting anger left. I could feel Nico's look on me as the bus lurched for its first stop.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "Fine."

He grinned and said, "Oh. It's just that you looked a bit out of it. Wouldn't want you to miss your stop."

"Thank you," I murmured, sounding sleepy.

I was sleepy a lot often nowadays. I kept daydreaming more often as well. It was normal behaviour, my mother had insisted. I was tired of the world and wanted one that was better, nicer to me. I had a feeling she was keeping something from me. I didn't bother asking for the same reasons I didn't bother asking why I hallucinated or why I had to have both ADHD and dyslexia. She would just insist that it was how I was meant to be and wouldn't let another word arise on the matter by giving me some work to do or calling a friend.

I slipped my fingers into my lap and pulled my feet up onto the seat. My small form made it possible. I quickly and quietly tucked myself within the safe comfort of my own body. The pitter patter of the rain drummed loudly in my senses. My hearing was going on overdrive. It was too much. I lowered the sound on my hearing aids, revealing them to Nico who cocked his head to the side. He looked like a dog. I buried my head, realizing my mistake. I had not had class with him yet and I prayed I could go on my life without him knowing. Something about his girlfriend scared me and I had a feeling that he told her everything, even if it were something bad like murder or theft. It was just the way she clung to him and they way they seemed together that made me think like that. I felt a sharp jab in my left shoulder. I raised my head slightly so that only one eye peered over the edge of my arm.

'Deaf,' Nico signed.

I sat up abruptly. Sign language.

'You know my language?' I asked, smiling this stupid look.

He shook his head and laughed.

"When I was younger a substitute of a class I had taught us a few words in our spare time. That's the only one I remember," he said in words rather than my preferred choice of language. "So I have no absolute idea what you just said. Sorry."

He gave me an apologetic grin and watched me for a reaction. I wondered in my own mind how I should react. Angry because he got my hopes up. Joy because he at least knew something which meant he was capable of being taught. Then his story came flooding back. I retreated in the small corner of the chair, where the side met the wall of the bus and nodded quickly once before turning my head. Ignore. It usually worked and Nico wasn't insistent so I was safe.

I curled up against the cool glass of the window, the sound of rain hitting it softly calming my senses. My eyes fluttered closed, the tips brushing against the smooth feel of the glass. I tried to imagine sand being created into glass. The image wouldn't sit so I gave up and ran over a few of today's lessons in my head. Suddenly I felt a compelling need to look up as though something dangerous was watching me. The woman was standing in the sidewalk, a bright pink umbrella over her head. She stood out from the rest of the pedestrians considering she wore soft light colours for spring or the ending of winter while everyone wore darker colours to fit the depressing mood. She place a slim, manicured finger against her full lips and gestured to me. Then she walked away, her long dark hair floating in the breeze.

I pulled back, confused. Who was she and why was she following me? Maybe she was another hallucination. Maybe I was daydreaming again except in my daydreams I'm not stalked by beautiful woman who have manicured finger nails. Hell, I'm not stalked at all. Stalkers are creepy and weird. Maybe I made a mistake and she wasn't looking at me. I sighed. I was not helping myself at all. My brain clearly didn't believe what it was saying which sounds weird because its both my brain, but you know what I mean. I hope that you did anyway.

I noticed Nico's dark reflection in the glass and found that he was watching me. Not the stuff going on in the bus. Not his girlfriend. Not the outside world. Me. That did nothing for my self-confidence and my face turned red. I willed it to go away but not before Nico noticed. He grinned and looked away. Eventually we pulled into my street. I rushed off the bus in a hurry. It was home. I was home. HOME! The scent of rain flooded my overrun senses, clouding out a very important fact that I realized as I came to the porch steps. The lights were on but my mom's car wasn't parked in the driveway. I slowed to a stop as I noticed a figure in the windows through the curtains.

My first instinct was to run. I went with my seventh instinct since all the others were still about running away and calling the police. I touched the handle and turned it but the door didn't open. It was locked. I frowned. Unless the thief crawled in through the cat door there was no way he could get in. The windows were locked tightly and had an automatic alarm system tapped into each. The backdoor was non-exsistent so how could the thief get in through there? I tried to convince myself it was my mom home early but couldn't and quietly unlocked the door. For reasons unknown to me the alarm system didn't go to the front door so there was no beep to alert the burglar that someone else was in the room. I quietly pulled out my umbrella which, Alice liked because you could bash people's heads in with it. She told me that while she glowered at Daniel. I guessed she was thinking of his head bashed in which was a sickening sight to my seven year old mind. My umbrella was new back then. We just celebrated it's eighth birthday. Any excuse for cake.

Back to point. I would use my umbrella a safety tool. The lights suddenly went out and I flipped them back on, rushing after the direction I saw a piece of cloth go in. I grabbed the man (pretty sure it was a man. I mean you don't get many female burglars nowadays) and something came flooding into my head. Everything darkened.

-Hallucination #37-

Off in a far corner of dark room stood a man, staring into a mirror with a bored look on his face. He rolled his eyes and muttered something in a different language that I couldn't understand. Maybe if he signed it. A little boy was tugging at his sleeves.

"Uncle Thantos! You're not watching me!" he shrieked.

Thantos (why does that strike me as a name I should know) turned to face the boy but walked right past him. The little boy stared at his uncle bitterly and picked up a discarded teddy bear. I recognized it. It was mine. My mom said she gave it to me when I was five. She said it was my father's at one point. I shivered.

-The Scene Change-

The scene blurred and suddenly I was watching a teenage boy watch a girl through a pair of binoculars. He had one hand gripping branch and the tips of his shoes were grazing the next branch. He watched the girl I realized to be my mother as I'd seen pictures of her when she was my age. She was laughing with a group of friends when a boy ran up to her and they separated from the group, the other girls giggling and she held hands with the boy. The boy in the tree did not seem to like it as he set the binoculars in their case and was going to do something when someone yelled, "Morpheus!" He got distracted and lost his grip. He should have died but he got up and shoved his ribs back inside his body, glaring at the kids looking at him.

"She's too good for you," the other boy said. "Anyway, she doesn't even like you. To her you're an arrogant bastard that needs to serve time in Hell."

Morpheus (another strange name I should know) glared. "She'll like me." His face fell softly. "It wouldn't be fair if she didn't."

-The Scene Change-

"Your daughter, Morpheus. I need her for the army," a scratchy rasping voice breathed.

Morpheus was sitting atop a large black chair but it didn't seem to fit him. I finally got a better look of him. His hair was gray though he didn't look old and his skin was a nice thin line between pale and non-pale. He had icy blue eyes that darkened immediately at the words of daughter, army and need. He didn't like that.

"NO! I told you. She's staying out of it," Morpheus snapped.

"We will win with her. A single touch and all their weaknesses will be found. They will fall easily," the voice hissed.

It wanted this girl.

-End of Hallucination #37-

The man's arm ripped out of my grip before I could finish the rest of the hallucination and he literally disappeared. Maybe I imagined him but I had the strangest feeling I didn't.


Hi. An epic failure right.

Me: *sigh* I feel so terrible.
Beta: Yeah.
Me: What are you doing? You're supposed to encourage me!
Beta: *blinks innocently* I am? I thought I was supposed to honest.
Emily: No. You're supposed to lie. In the words of Dean Winchester from Supernatural, it's how you become president.
Me: You watch Supernatural. *squeals and starts talking about Supernatural*
Beta: Uh guys. What's Supernatural?
Me & Emily: *shoot Beta in the head* Idiot.
Beta: *dodges and survives* :P

Supernatural. One of the greatest TV shows in history. Anyway, if you can guess who Daniel's godly parent is (yes he's a demigod, duh) then you can have a sneak peak of the next chapter, like 3,000 words or something.

REVIEW.

-Happykid44