-L'Amo-
"Benna! I mean it! I don't want you missing school again! All these tardy's and you're going to be kicked out!" Benna's mother yelled from downstairs.
"I'm coming!" she yelled back, pulling on her sneakers. She grabbed the brush off her dresser and pulled it through her hair as she ran down the stairs. Her mother greeted her at the bottom.
"Now I want you going straight to school. I don't want to get and phone calls telling me you've been late again. I have an important meeting this morning and it can't be interrupted. Let me look at you," she said, holding her hands on Benna's shoulders. She shook her head and sighed. "I wish you would take pride in your appearance, Ben. You're a beautiful girl, I hate to see you hide behind that tangle of hair and those baggy clothes." Benna shrugged.
"I don't care what they think of me, mom. And you shouldn't either," she said, rolling her eyes at her mother and grabbing her bagged lunch off the counter. "I'll see you later." She kissed her mother on the cheek and walked out the apartment to the elevator. She pressed the down button as she waited, checking her watch every few seconds. Finally, it stopped on her floor, and she got in.
'Oh great,' she though, looking down at the small poodle barking at her ankles. 'Ms. Capperson and Fritzy. Couldn't have been anyone else?' she asked herself, scowling at the extremely annoying dog.
"Oh, hello, Bennita, darling. How are you today?" Benna cringed at the sound of her full name. She put on a fake smile and nodded to the old woman.
"Fine, Ms. Capperson, thank you," she said, watching the floors drop slowly. '9th... 8th... 7th...' She tapped her foot on the floor out of habit and waited. She looked down at the dog again. It was really rather ugly, she didn't understand how anyone could want to own it. And it just kept yipping. "Ha chiudeto su," she mumbled. She paused. Did she just speak Italian? But, she didn't know Italian... She looked around, then focused back on the floors. '3... 2...1.' she thought. She looked at Ms. Capperson and smiled as the door opened, and ran to the exit of the building. Anything to escape the barking.
Finally, the sounds of the city overcame that of the puny dog inside. She closed her eyes and smiled.. Though she'd lived there her entire life, every day was as though she had just been born. A new life, taking their first breath of the calming New York City air. She opened her eyes and looked around. The usual people were out. Mr. Pauley, the mailman, was making his morning round. The Chang's were opening the doors to their market across the street. Lucy Brookes could be seen above the Chang's, working out in front of the window for the world to see. And all of the other usuals were out and about, tending to their normal routines. Benna smiled. She alone had no 'normal routine'. Every day was a new adventure to her. She was never bored.
'Where to go today...' she thought, looking around. She heard her mothers voice in the back of her head.. "Now I want you to go straight to school." Yeah, right. Benna never went 'straight to school'. There's too much to see to waste time learning junk she'd never need in the real world. 'Where to go... where to go...' she though again. 'I guess...' she closed her eyes and spun around twice, then stopped. Her finger was pointed out towards the street leading away from school. She grinned. '...That way.' And so she was off.
It's not like she'd never been down this road before. Hell, she'd been around the entire city plenty of times in fifteen years. 'Well... 5 years...' she though, recalling the 'accident'. Her mother never liked to talk about the 'accident', though Benna wanted so much to know what had happened that day when she was ten. All she knew was that something awful had happened to her, causing her to go into a coma and lie in the hospital bed for three months. When she finally came out of it, Benna had no memory of her life before, and had to start over entirely. Her mother was very touchy whenever that time was brought up, and since she had no father, Benna had no one to talk about it with. There were so many questions she had, and–
"Out of the way, Miss." Benna looked up. There was a man standing there in front of her, holding a large sewage pipe, trying to get past. She stepped to the side of the sidewalk out of the way. Once again, her wandering thoughts had gotten the better of her. 'Ah well, I'll get over it,' she thought with a grin. Most people would have told her that she should have left her imagination behind with her childhood, or that she was too old to still be causing havoc and making up stories in her head. But she had the right mind to disagree. She loved thinking like a child, and having fun like one as well. It's the one thing that set her apart from every other 15 year old she knew. And that, she figured, was why they all though she was a freak. A loner, an outcast, a social misfit. It was as if she was living in her own time, and no one understood her. But this did not bother her at all. Her mind was the greatest tool she could ever own.
Suddenly, Benna paused in her walking. No, she didn't pause, she was stopped. Something was stopping her from moving onward. It was as if an invisible force was halting her from continuing. Then she began to hear voices. The sounds of the city faded from her ears, and all she could hear were the voices. They were familiar.
"It's just a little sprain, love. Nothin' to be worried about."
"But it hurts..."
"It won't foreva. C'mon, let's go get you some ice cream, take ya mind off all a this."
It was a boy and young girl. The girl was crying, and didn't sound much older than 9 or 10. The boy was about 17. Then it hit her. 'These are the same people from my dreams...' She looked to her left. There was a building there she didn't recognize. It was all boarded up, and looked as if it was being held up by magic. She looked around. Everything in the city had stopped moving. It was as if time was standing still. Breathing heavily, she looked back at the building. Was it like her to pass up something like this? She grinned. 'No way.' And with one last look around, pulled a few boards off of a window and climbed inside.
'Woah...'
"Benna! I mean it! I don't want you missing school again! All these tardy's and you're going to be kicked out!" Benna's mother yelled from downstairs.
"I'm coming!" she yelled back, pulling on her sneakers. She grabbed the brush off her dresser and pulled it through her hair as she ran down the stairs. Her mother greeted her at the bottom.
"Now I want you going straight to school. I don't want to get and phone calls telling me you've been late again. I have an important meeting this morning and it can't be interrupted. Let me look at you," she said, holding her hands on Benna's shoulders. She shook her head and sighed. "I wish you would take pride in your appearance, Ben. You're a beautiful girl, I hate to see you hide behind that tangle of hair and those baggy clothes." Benna shrugged.
"I don't care what they think of me, mom. And you shouldn't either," she said, rolling her eyes at her mother and grabbing her bagged lunch off the counter. "I'll see you later." She kissed her mother on the cheek and walked out the apartment to the elevator. She pressed the down button as she waited, checking her watch every few seconds. Finally, it stopped on her floor, and she got in.
'Oh great,' she though, looking down at the small poodle barking at her ankles. 'Ms. Capperson and Fritzy. Couldn't have been anyone else?' she asked herself, scowling at the extremely annoying dog.
"Oh, hello, Bennita, darling. How are you today?" Benna cringed at the sound of her full name. She put on a fake smile and nodded to the old woman.
"Fine, Ms. Capperson, thank you," she said, watching the floors drop slowly. '9th... 8th... 7th...' She tapped her foot on the floor out of habit and waited. She looked down at the dog again. It was really rather ugly, she didn't understand how anyone could want to own it. And it just kept yipping. "Ha chiudeto su," she mumbled. She paused. Did she just speak Italian? But, she didn't know Italian... She looked around, then focused back on the floors. '3... 2...1.' she thought. She looked at Ms. Capperson and smiled as the door opened, and ran to the exit of the building. Anything to escape the barking.
Finally, the sounds of the city overcame that of the puny dog inside. She closed her eyes and smiled.. Though she'd lived there her entire life, every day was as though she had just been born. A new life, taking their first breath of the calming New York City air. She opened her eyes and looked around. The usual people were out. Mr. Pauley, the mailman, was making his morning round. The Chang's were opening the doors to their market across the street. Lucy Brookes could be seen above the Chang's, working out in front of the window for the world to see. And all of the other usuals were out and about, tending to their normal routines. Benna smiled. She alone had no 'normal routine'. Every day was a new adventure to her. She was never bored.
'Where to go today...' she thought, looking around. She heard her mothers voice in the back of her head.. "Now I want you to go straight to school." Yeah, right. Benna never went 'straight to school'. There's too much to see to waste time learning junk she'd never need in the real world. 'Where to go... where to go...' she though again. 'I guess...' she closed her eyes and spun around twice, then stopped. Her finger was pointed out towards the street leading away from school. She grinned. '...That way.' And so she was off.
It's not like she'd never been down this road before. Hell, she'd been around the entire city plenty of times in fifteen years. 'Well... 5 years...' she though, recalling the 'accident'. Her mother never liked to talk about the 'accident', though Benna wanted so much to know what had happened that day when she was ten. All she knew was that something awful had happened to her, causing her to go into a coma and lie in the hospital bed for three months. When she finally came out of it, Benna had no memory of her life before, and had to start over entirely. Her mother was very touchy whenever that time was brought up, and since she had no father, Benna had no one to talk about it with. There were so many questions she had, and–
"Out of the way, Miss." Benna looked up. There was a man standing there in front of her, holding a large sewage pipe, trying to get past. She stepped to the side of the sidewalk out of the way. Once again, her wandering thoughts had gotten the better of her. 'Ah well, I'll get over it,' she thought with a grin. Most people would have told her that she should have left her imagination behind with her childhood, or that she was too old to still be causing havoc and making up stories in her head. But she had the right mind to disagree. She loved thinking like a child, and having fun like one as well. It's the one thing that set her apart from every other 15 year old she knew. And that, she figured, was why they all though she was a freak. A loner, an outcast, a social misfit. It was as if she was living in her own time, and no one understood her. But this did not bother her at all. Her mind was the greatest tool she could ever own.
Suddenly, Benna paused in her walking. No, she didn't pause, she was stopped. Something was stopping her from moving onward. It was as if an invisible force was halting her from continuing. Then she began to hear voices. The sounds of the city faded from her ears, and all she could hear were the voices. They were familiar.
"It's just a little sprain, love. Nothin' to be worried about."
"But it hurts..."
"It won't foreva. C'mon, let's go get you some ice cream, take ya mind off all a this."
It was a boy and young girl. The girl was crying, and didn't sound much older than 9 or 10. The boy was about 17. Then it hit her. 'These are the same people from my dreams...' She looked to her left. There was a building there she didn't recognize. It was all boarded up, and looked as if it was being held up by magic. She looked around. Everything in the city had stopped moving. It was as if time was standing still. Breathing heavily, she looked back at the building. Was it like her to pass up something like this? She grinned. 'No way.' And with one last look around, pulled a few boards off of a window and climbed inside.
'Woah...'
