Alyssa and Ephram both sat in the same English class not paying any
attention to the teacher. Well, they weren't really paying attention to
anything at all, for that matter. It was only 3rd period, and both of
their minds were some place other than English class. Ephram had his arms
crossed on his desk with his head down on his arms. He wasn't asleep, at
least not yet. Alyssa had her arm upright on her desk and her head resting
on her hand, which was balled into a fist. She was staring out of a window
thinking about how everything used to be; how everything was back home.
She missed it. She missed it a lot. She hated how she was new and how
nobody knew anything about her. And that was the truth. Nobody really
knew anything about her. Everyone was so busy with his or her own problems
that they didn't want to take the time to get to know anyone else. Well,
maybe not everyone.
*****
Dr. Brown sat at his desk in his office. He looked down at the folder lying in front of him. He read the name of the patient silently to himself. He opened the folder and started reading through everything that had been hand-written. Dr. Brown paused. He closed his eyes and sighed.
"Trust me, I know how you feel," he whispered.
Dr. Brown glanced over at the picture of Julia that was placed on the left corner of his desk.
*****
Ephram stepped into the library and saw Alyssa sitting at the same table that she had been sitting at the day before. She had her notebook out and was staring down at the blank page. She held a green drawing pen in her right hand. Ephram thought to himself.
"I'll give it one more try," he said. He took a deep breath in and started walking towards the girl.
Alyssa looked up as Ephram started walking towards her. This time, she actually watched him walk up to her. Ephram stood there for a second.
"An answer to your question yesterday," Alyssa said. "No. I don't mind if you sit." She tried to force a small smile, but didn't have much luck.
"Thanks. You promise you won't run this time?" Ephram said with an unsure look on his face.
"Sorry, but I can't promise you anything, Ephram." She looked a little upset as she spoke. Alyssa glanced down at her notebook. She had drawn a straight line at the bottom of the paper. She stared at the green line. Next, she took her blue pen and drew around the green line. Then, she took her red pen and drew just a small dot at the very top of the paper.
Ephram watched as she drew. "You like to draw?"
Alyssa nodded. "It kinda just takes my mind off of things."
"So you have a lot on your mind, lately?" Ephram asked.
Alyssa quickly looked up at Ephram defensively. This was the first time that she had actually looked into his eyes. Ephram smiled slightly as he looked right back into her eyes. Alyssa seemed somewhat uncomfortable whenever she looked at Ephram. Neither one of them moved until Alyssa slammed her notebook shut. She turned her head to the right, shut her eyes, and swallowed hard.
*****
Delia sat in class as Miss Violet gave out an assignment.
"You will have to write a three-paragraph essay. Now, a paragraph is anywhere from four to seven sentences long. Remember your rules: capitalization, punctuation, and keep your ideas related to your topic sentence."
"Three whole paragraphs?" a boy asked in shock.
"Yes, three whole paragraphs. It's not too much. You just have to think. Just use your brain. And you have the rest of the week to write it. It's due on Friday." The third graders started to chatter with each other. Miss Violet raised her hand to silence the children. "Your topic is: If you could have any super power, it would be. You must explain what super power you would want and why you would want it. It's simple."
"Oh boy," Delia said to herself.
*****
"Ephram, if you could have any super power what would it be?" Delia asked her older brother.
"Umm. I'm not sure. Probably either x-ray vision or." Ephram paused. "The power to read minds."
Andy walked in the kitchen where Delia sat at the counter while Ephram washed the dirty dishes that he had gathered from the living room.
"Why would you want x-ray vision?" Delia asked looking a little bit confused.
"Well." Ephram paused and thought for a second. He smiled.
"Never mind, Delia. Ephram will tell you when you're older." Andy looked over at Ephram and smiled. They both laughed as Andy walked out of the kitchen.
Delia frowned. "Why would you want the power to read minds?"
Ephram looked at Delia. "Well. You know when you see someone and they look sad, happy, or mad, but they won't tell you what's making them sad or happy or mad?"
"Yeah."
"That's why. Sometimes I just wish I knew."
"Me too! Thanks Ephram," Delia said as she jumped off the stool she was sitting on and ran out of the kitchen.
Ephram walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch. Right as he sat down, he noticed a red mug sitting on the coffee table.
"Great," Ephram said shaking his head. "Where'd you come from?"
*****
Dr. Brown sat at his desk in his office. He looked down at the folder lying in front of him. He read the name of the patient silently to himself. He opened the folder and started reading through everything that had been hand-written. Dr. Brown paused. He closed his eyes and sighed.
"Trust me, I know how you feel," he whispered.
Dr. Brown glanced over at the picture of Julia that was placed on the left corner of his desk.
*****
Ephram stepped into the library and saw Alyssa sitting at the same table that she had been sitting at the day before. She had her notebook out and was staring down at the blank page. She held a green drawing pen in her right hand. Ephram thought to himself.
"I'll give it one more try," he said. He took a deep breath in and started walking towards the girl.
Alyssa looked up as Ephram started walking towards her. This time, she actually watched him walk up to her. Ephram stood there for a second.
"An answer to your question yesterday," Alyssa said. "No. I don't mind if you sit." She tried to force a small smile, but didn't have much luck.
"Thanks. You promise you won't run this time?" Ephram said with an unsure look on his face.
"Sorry, but I can't promise you anything, Ephram." She looked a little upset as she spoke. Alyssa glanced down at her notebook. She had drawn a straight line at the bottom of the paper. She stared at the green line. Next, she took her blue pen and drew around the green line. Then, she took her red pen and drew just a small dot at the very top of the paper.
Ephram watched as she drew. "You like to draw?"
Alyssa nodded. "It kinda just takes my mind off of things."
"So you have a lot on your mind, lately?" Ephram asked.
Alyssa quickly looked up at Ephram defensively. This was the first time that she had actually looked into his eyes. Ephram smiled slightly as he looked right back into her eyes. Alyssa seemed somewhat uncomfortable whenever she looked at Ephram. Neither one of them moved until Alyssa slammed her notebook shut. She turned her head to the right, shut her eyes, and swallowed hard.
*****
Delia sat in class as Miss Violet gave out an assignment.
"You will have to write a three-paragraph essay. Now, a paragraph is anywhere from four to seven sentences long. Remember your rules: capitalization, punctuation, and keep your ideas related to your topic sentence."
"Three whole paragraphs?" a boy asked in shock.
"Yes, three whole paragraphs. It's not too much. You just have to think. Just use your brain. And you have the rest of the week to write it. It's due on Friday." The third graders started to chatter with each other. Miss Violet raised her hand to silence the children. "Your topic is: If you could have any super power, it would be. You must explain what super power you would want and why you would want it. It's simple."
"Oh boy," Delia said to herself.
*****
"Ephram, if you could have any super power what would it be?" Delia asked her older brother.
"Umm. I'm not sure. Probably either x-ray vision or." Ephram paused. "The power to read minds."
Andy walked in the kitchen where Delia sat at the counter while Ephram washed the dirty dishes that he had gathered from the living room.
"Why would you want x-ray vision?" Delia asked looking a little bit confused.
"Well." Ephram paused and thought for a second. He smiled.
"Never mind, Delia. Ephram will tell you when you're older." Andy looked over at Ephram and smiled. They both laughed as Andy walked out of the kitchen.
Delia frowned. "Why would you want the power to read minds?"
Ephram looked at Delia. "Well. You know when you see someone and they look sad, happy, or mad, but they won't tell you what's making them sad or happy or mad?"
"Yeah."
"That's why. Sometimes I just wish I knew."
"Me too! Thanks Ephram," Delia said as she jumped off the stool she was sitting on and ran out of the kitchen.
Ephram walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch. Right as he sat down, he noticed a red mug sitting on the coffee table.
"Great," Ephram said shaking his head. "Where'd you come from?"