A Curious Soul Wanders the Earth

Disclaimer- I do not own HSM or A Corner of the Universe. Though they both tell wonderful, inspirational stories.

A/N - Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad you guys like it.

Chapter Two: Everyone Is An alien

June 1st 1968
Richmond, Virginia
The Bolton Boarding House

Gabriella Montez

The Bolton's have welcomed me warmly and I am grateful. Hattie's wonderful, a cute little girl. The cutest little girl I've ever seen. She had bouncy blue eyes and rich, golden skin. Much like her brother. Her curly brown tresses twist down her face and stops just below her shoulders. I've never met anyone like Hattie. She's so bouncy and so easy to love. I think I love her already, actually.

She leads me up the stairs after lunch as we laugh and giggle. Mrs. And Mr. Bolton decided that I can move in. Troy and Hattie will take me to go shopping and take me around Richmond to get familiar with everything. I'm so excited, I can barely wait.

"Gabriella, Gabriella, your room is right next to mine, it is!" Hattie exclaims happily. She pulls me into a room and grins. The walls are a sickly yellow color and the paint is chipped and worn. There's an old bed placed in the middle of the room and a dresser, vanity set and desk strewn around the room as well. The room itself was pretty dull, but I knew how to fix that up. I smile down at Hattie. "It's great. But we'll have to make some changes, won't we? The paint needs to be touché dup, maybe the furniture as well."

"We?" she asks excitedly. "You'll let me help? Oh, yes, yes, yes! Oh, good! We will make it pretty, won't we?"

I giggle and nod. "We will." There is a knock at the door and we turn. The door is pushed open and Troy Bolton steps in. I smile. Troy Bolton is very handsome, very, very handsome. His blue eyes are sharp and piercing, almost like the fluorescent water in Belize. And every time they land on me, they make me want to fall into his eyes and never come back out. Hattie grins at Troy. "Troy, Troy! Gabriella has decided that I can help her decorate her room! I can help her! I'm excited, so excited! You'll help, too, won't you? You'll help us decorate Gabriella's dull room?" Hattie can't conceal her excitement. She runs away from me and starts to jump on the old bed. "No jumping, Hattie," Troy scolds. Hattie sticks her tongue out at him and continues jumping. "You. Are. Not. The. Boss. Of. Me!" She punctuates every word with a forceful jump. Troy rolls his eyes and strides over to Hattie. He takes her off of the bed and Hattie pouts.

"I think your brother is right, Hattie," I quip. "What if you fall? Then you wouldn't be able to help me decorate my room.'

Hattie's eyes widen. I know I have changed her mind. "Oh, no, no, no! That is bad, bad, bad news! No, Hattie will not jump anymore! Hattie will not, she will not." Troy grins at me and let's Hattie down. She runs over to the dresser and opens the first drawer. She pulls out a picture and holds it up for me to see. It is a picture of a dog. "Do you see it, Gabriella? It is a picture of our dog Lucy. Mama had her since 1950, a year before I Love Lucy came out. Mama and daddy loved that show. It ended it 1957, you know. That was eleven years ago, it was. I am very good at math. I know a lot of it. I know what one hundred plus one hundred is. It is two hundred. But do you know what one hundred times one hundred is? It equals ten thousand, Gabriella. Ten thousand! That is a lot, is it not?"

I giggle. "Yes, that is a lot," I agree. "And you are very good at math. Not many seven-year-olds knows that."

"When I went to school, my teacher says I am very special. But the other kids call me a freak. They call me a freak, Gabriella. It hurts, but Troy says I am not a freak, I am unique and special. I like being unique and special, I do."

I frown. I think Hattie is lovely, she is not a freak. "That isn't nice," I say. "I think you're lovely, Hattie."

Hattie beams. "I think you are lovely too, Gabriella! Lovely, lovely, lovely." Hattie calms down. There was a distant buzz of music. Hyped, Hattie runs to the window. She opens it and leans out. "Oh, boy! It's the Good Humor ice cream truck! Troy, Troy, we must go get some! Come on, come on!" Hattie grabs our hands and drags us from the room. I try to run and keep up with her and Troy does too. "Mr. Jon!" Hattie calls once we are outside. "Mr. Jon!"

"Hattie, stop all of that screaming!" a guy from next door scolds. Hattie sticks her tongue out at him. "You are not the boss of me!" Hattie runs us to the Good Humor truck. "Mr. Jon, we'd like some ice cream!"

"Hattie," he says, smiling down at her. "How are you dear? What would you like?"

"I want vanilla ice cream, please," she says. "Gabriella, Troy, what would you like?"

"I'll have the same," I say. Troy seconds that and hands Mr. Jon the money. Mr. Jon smiles at all of us before going to retrieve some ice cream. "Three vanilla ice creams," he says once he returns. Hattie grins and takes hers. "Oh, Mr. Jon, have I told you about my new friend? Her name is Gabriella Maria Montez, Gabriella Maria. She's just moved in. She's very lovely."

Mr. Jon smiles at me. "It's nice to meet you, Gabriella. Hattie sure is something, isn't she?"

I nod. "She is." I take my cone and Troy does too. We step back as Mr. Jon is ready to take off. "Now, don't cause much of a ruckus, Hattie. Be on your best behavior, no shenanigans." I expected Hattie to stick her tongue out at him and say 'You are not the boss of me!' but she only just nods and waves. "I won't, Mr. Jon. I promise." Mr. Jon grins and waves before pulling off. We walk to the porch and sit down on the swing. "Mr. Jon is a lovely man," Hattie says. "Mr. Renshaw is not." Hattie glares at the man watering his plants next door, the one who yelled at her. His back is turned so I know he didn't hear. I look at Hattie and frown. "That isn't nice, Hattie."

"He isn't nice," Hattie mutters. "He is not nice, not nice, not nice. He ran over Lucy!"

"It was an accident, Hattie," Troy says, sighing. Hattie glares at him. "Not nice, not nice."

The door opens and we look at it. Troy and Hattie's Nana and Papa exit the boarding house. Nana glares at me and turns to Hattie. "Troy, I've got exciting news. There is a dance next Saturday and I think it would be lovely if you and Hattie could go. You'd need dates, but I'm sure we can find someone for you. Hattie, Mandan Renshaw seems like he would be good for you."

Hattie's eyes widen. "Him? Oh, no, no, no, Nana! Not him, no! I don't like him, I don't. He calls me a freak, he does. He'll make fun of me! No, no, no!"

Nana sighs. "It'll just be for several hours, Hattie. You'll have to dance with him a few times, that is all. Do you remember your dance routine?"

Hattie ignores Nana. I think it is wrong of Nana to push her into this. If Hattie doesn't want to go, she shouldn't have to go. Hattie throws her ice cream down and stands and walks from the porch. We watch as she squats and picks flowers violently from the garden. Nana gasps. "Harriet, you stop this instant! Your mother and I cropped the flowers for many months and you will not destroy them! Harriet!" Hattie sticks her tongue at Nana and continues to pick and prop at the delicate flowers. "You are not the boss of me!"

"Hattie, stop," Papa says.

Hattie continues and Troy stands. He pries Hattie away from the garden and Hattie starts to scream and kick. "No, no, no! I don't want to go! You are not the boss of me! You are not the boss of me! You are not the boss of me!" Hattie scream and kicks and people start exiting their houses to see what is happening. Hattie and Troy's parents come from the boarding house along with Bernice and Mrs. Kenly. "Hattie, stop right now!" Nana demands.

I stand and rush over to her. "Hattie, honey, calm down," I say softly. I am shocked when Hattie glares at me and smacks me hard on the cheek. Her small hand didn't do much damage, but I did feel a sting. When she tries to hit me again. I grab her small hand and force it down. Hattie is shocked and brings up her other hand, ready to strike. But I grab that one as well. I force her hands by her sides and Hattie stops screaming and struggling. She just stares at me with a very plain, very blank face. I stare back.

We stare at each other for the longest time until I finally back away. Hattie deflates against Troy, wearied from her breakdown.

"I dropped my ice cream," Hattie says finally. I let out a small laugh and soon everyone (except for Nana) is laughing. I hand Hattie my ice cream and she smiles shyly at me. "I am sorry, Gabriella Maria Montez. I did not mean to hit you, I did not."

I smiled. "I know, sweetie." People left for their houses again and Hattie and Troy's parents, Mrs. Kenly and Bernice went back into the house. Nana looks at Hattie. "Hattie, I will not tolerate any of your meltdowns. You are going to the dance."

"I think you shouldn't make her go," I say bravely. Nana looks at me like she's ready to strike and kill. "She is only seven, after all."

"And young minds need to learn right from wrong," Nana says. "I will not get told what to do by a seven-year-old nor will I be told what to do by you. Hattie is going and that is final." Nana and Papa leave for the car. I sigh and look down at Hattie apologetically. "I am sorry, Hattie."

"Why don't you come with us," Troy suggested. I look at him, bemused. "Nana says I need a date," he continues. "You'd be perfect." I stood there, shocked. I didn't know what to say. I suppose Hattie will go without argument if I say yes. "I guess," I say. Hattie squeals and jumps up and down. "Oh joy, oh joy, oh joy!" she yells excitedly. Then she sings, "Run rabbit, run rabbit! Run, run, run! Run rabbit, run rabbit! Run, run, run! Bang, bang, bang! Goes the farmer's gun! Run rabbit, run rabbit! Run, run, run!" Hattie grins and claps.

"Do you like that song?" I ask. I remember singing it when I was younger. Hattie nods vigorously. "I do, I do. Troy, let's go stroll now, let's go. Gabriella Maria Montez, let's go." She grabs our hands again and we are being pulled by her. Since it is a very beautiful day, we decide to walk. I notice that many people are saying hi to Hattie as we walk by. "Hello, Hattie," a person who is sweeping outside of a store calls. Hattie looks up and smiles. "Oh, hi, James! Hi, hi! This is Gabriella Maria Montez, she's is pretty, is she not? She is my new friend, my new friend! I met her at the park."

James laughs. "Yes, she is a pretty one." I bush. "Hello, ma'am, I am James Raptor." James Raptor looks maybe in his early twenties. He's a good looking man, shady black hair and cypress green eyes. I smile at him. "Hello, I'm Gabriella Montez. But I'm sure you knew that already." I step up to James, a smirk growing on my lips. James face reddens. We stand there for a moment before I back up and sigh. I have to remember I am not in Cincinnati or New York anymore. Hattie grabs my hand as if she senses my distress and pulls me along. I wait for Hattie to say something, to ask me what had happened back there, but she doesn't. Troy does. "What was that?" he asks reluctantly.

"N-nothing," I stumble nervously. "That's just how I say hi. You know that, don't you, Troy?" Troy shrugs his shoulders, but I think he does know.

We walk quietly down the sidewalk, Hattie saying hi to someone every five minutes. She points to different things as we walk by them. I now know where the library is, where several stores are and a few famous people's houses.

"That's Nana's house," Hattie explains to me as we stop in front of a large house. It was much fancier than the boarding house. Freshly paint walls, neat outdoor furniture and flowers galore. I even saw some I've never seen before. "Papa works in a big business and he's a doctor," Troy explains to me. "Nana doesn't work. She's retired even though she is only fifty-eight. She used to work as a producer in I Love Lucy and once played in a little episode of Leave It to Beaver." I gape at him. Is he for real? "Seriously? That is amazing." I am genuinely surprised.

We walk for a long time until we stop at a dirt field. "There will be a parade before the carnival," Hattie says. "It will go through our neighborhood. I'm excited. Are you, Gabriella?"

I nod. "I've never been to a carnival before."

Hattie gaps at me. "Never? Wow, wow, wow. Carnivals are exciting, they are, they are."

I grin. "Well then I can't wait."

"We should probably head home now," Troy suggest after he glances down at his watch. It takes us only fifteen minutes to get homes from Nana's house. When we get there, a little boy is playing on the porch with his friend. Hattie's eyes blaze. "Mandan Renshaw, you've got some 'splainin to do!" Hattie bellows. I stare at Hattie bemusedly, but then I remember that Hattie does not like Mandan because he makes fun of her. Hattie places her hands on her hips. "Oh, boy, oh Mandan, what do you think you're doing?"

Mandan rolls his eyes. "Shut up, freak. We're leaving. No one wants to be on a freak's property, anyway." Mandan and his friend laughs. Hattie frowns and drops her hands. She looks at Troy, then at me and then at the ground and then she starts to cry. I pull Hattie into a hug and she cries into the pants Bernice let me borrow after lunch. Troy glowers at the two boys. "Get off of our property before I thrown you off," he threatens.

"Not nice…not nice," Hattie continues to murmur. I pick Hattie up and we march into the house. Hattie is laying her head on my shoulder, silently murmuring. I rub her back and bounce her gently. "Shh," I say. Hattie's mom, I learned earlier that her name is June, comes from the kitchen. When she sees Hattie, she looks at us in question. "My God, Hattie, what's wrong, dear?"

"Not nice," Hattie whispers, lifting her head. I set her down on the floor carefully. "Mandan Renshaw is not nice, not nice, not nice."

June sighs. "That damn boy…I will talk to Mr. Renshaw, sweetie. Why don't you show Gabriella your dolls? I'm sure she'll play with you." Hattie sniffs. She looks up at me and I can see the hurt etched tightly into them. I squeeze her hand and we slowly turn and walk up stairs.

"Mandan is Mandan," Hattie explains once we are in her room. She's already introduced me to her dolls. Sister Belle (Belle); Matty Mattel, Matty the Talking Boy (Matty); Dancerina (Delilah); Chatty Baby (Anna); Baby First Step (Susie); her Mary Poppins doll (she just continues to call her Mary Poppins); Giggles (Gina); Pollyanna (Polly); I Love Lucy Doll (Lucy, of course); and Love Me Linda (Linda). I remember having little teddy bears and not dolls when I was Hattie's age. My father brought me lots of things and he moved me place to place, city to city. Most people think being the daughter of him is great, but it isn't. His first priority isn't you. It isn't your safety, your accomplishments. It's his work, his creations. We would move around a lot when I was younger and when I was fourteen I told him I was tired of it. He said he'd send me to Cincinnati to live there and I can be homeschooled. He sent me teddy bears for my birthday and a card saying 'Happy Birthday!' but nothing to make me feel honored that I was alive.

I smile softly as I play with Hattie. She seems happier, brighter. "He is mean, mean, mean," she continues. "I am not a freak, am I, Gabriella?"

I shake my head. "No, you aren't, Hattie."

Hattie smiles. Then she pauses and asks, "Gabriella, how come you did not live with your parents?"

I frown, confused at the change of subject. "I-I…" I look and Hattie and sigh softly. "Can I tell you a secret, Hattie?"

"Can you?" she asks. "I do not know. May you? Of course!"

I giggle lightly. "Well, my dad traveled a lot and I didn't like it. So I asked him if I can stay in one place and he sends me to Cincinnati. And because I am a minor, he hired someone to let me stay with them. One day my dad stopped sending me rent so I got a job, but they fired me. So I couldn't pay. He kicked me out. I had to live on my own for a while, get jobs that weren't so…good."

"What about your mama?" Hattie asks.

I sigh. "She died. She was a nurse in World War I and…" I trail off when my throat closes. Feeling ashamed, I cover my face and turn.

"Oh, do not cry, Gabriella Maria Montez. Don't, don't cry. Do not, it is alright. Mrs. Ivory lost a lot of people. She cried, but she stopped." Hattie reaches forward and gently rubs my shoulder. "Do not cry, do not cry. Every little thing's going to be alright."

I wipe my eyes and look at Hattie. She smiles at me and takes my hand. "I'm sorry," I apologize. "For getting emotional. Let's play, shall we?"

"Wait, Gabriella Maria," she says. "You've told me one of your secrets now I must tell you one of mine. I think I am an alien, Gabriella Maria. And do aliens really belong on this planet, do they?"

I look at her sadly. "Hattie, if you are an alien, than so am I. So is everyone else."

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~~~~ Nessa Kiss