Chapter 4
First Gap | Bella

Months passed. I didn't see Alice.

But unlike before, I wasn't afraid that she wasn't real, because she'd said she was real. And she was my angel, so I knew she'd come back. It was hard waiting, but Mom always said that patience was important, so I could be patient, though it was really hard.

Eventually the school year came to a close, which meant I was finally out of kindergarten and I'd be in first grade in August.

I learned that summers in Phoenix were uncomfortably hot. One day it even got up to 110°F. Nothing like what California had been like. My mother tried to get me to do a couple things at a community center, but I preferred staying at home or going to the library occasionally.

I still couldn't draw that great, but I was getting better, especially with some books that one of the nice librarians had found for me.

It felt like a blink, and then summer vacation was over. Classes started, and things were different, but still the same. It was still school.

At least, that's what it seemed like to me.

"Hello Bella, I'm Doctor Reeves, but you can call me Rebecca if you like," the brunette woman across from me said from her place in the high-backed chair.

I shifted around on the couch I sat on, my back to the window in the room. "Um, hi?"

"Do you know why you're here?"

I shook my head. All I knew was that instead of walking home like normal, Mom had picked me up and brought me here after school.

"Well, your mother told me that you've been having some trouble at school," she told me in explanation.

My eyebrows squished together. I couldn't remember anything like that. Nobody ever bothered me, and I did my work well. There wasn't any trouble I could think of at all.

"Let's just start by talking a little bit, okay? Maybe… introduce ourselves so we can get know each other better?" she said.

"Okay," I replied, nodding.

She smiled. "Well, as I said, I'm a doctor. I'm thirty-seven. I like hiking and learning, and I don't like tomatoes. What about you?"

"Me neither," I said. "Oh! Um. I'm seven. I'm in first grade, and I like reading and Alice. And um… I don't like zuc… zucchini."

Rebecca leaned back in her chair and rested her cheek on her fist. "Who's Alice?"

I couldn't stop myself from grinning when I thought about her. "She's my guardian angel! That's what Grandma said. She's really pretty."

"What's she like?" Rebecca asked. "Can you tell me a bit about her?"

I nodded, happy to finally find someone that seemed to be interested in listening to me after Grandma. "She's got really dark hair. Like black-black. Super black. And white skin that kinda glows. And her eyes are red. Really, really, really red. Tomato red, but a little different 'cause they change and stuff when she looks around. They're super pretty."

"Why red? Red eyes are unusual aren't they? Why not blue or something?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. They just are." I thought it was a great eye color, even if she was the only one who had them.

"How did you meet her?" Rebecca asked.

I scooted back on the couch, leaning backwards to rest against the back. "We were visiting my Aunt Becky. Um… she lives in New York City. Mom and I were at the big middle park–" Rebecca's mouth quirked upward slightly, "and I saw her. She was sitting under a tree and looked really lonely so I talked to her. She said I was per-ceptive."

"But your mother didn't see her?" Rebecca questioned curiously.

I shook my head. "Uh-uh. Grandma said it's cause she's my angel."

"Have you seen her since then?"

I nodded. "After the… the funeral." I looked down, my hands tangling with the hems of my shorts' legs. "I was really sad, and then she was there, like she knew I needed her. And she hugged me and made me feel better and tucked me in."

"She sounds very nice," Rebecca commented, smiling.

"Yeah," I agreed. "The nicest. She's an angel so she's gotta be nice, right?"

"Yes, that makes sense," Rebecca agreed, and I felt good because someone finally got it. "I think I understand."

We talked some more, about other things, like other friends at school (I didn't really have any), and how I was doing in classes (very well). Soon enough, though, she said our time was up and I left the room, mom taking my place as I sat on one of the chairs in the waiting area.

"–simply a coping mechanism. Perfectly normal, healthy even. Nothing to worry about. A few years–"

We left soon after.