Thanks for dealing with my pissy mood earlier, people. I'll be explaining medical terms in this chapter. If I confuse you, ask for more clarification. My mom's a nurse and my dad was a paramedic, so I like big words. I'm using my case instead of making one up. It's easier for me to write and for me to answer questions about. This is pretty much a summary of my mom's college paper on the subject.
This chapter also contains a bit about my poll with band names. It's funny. The rest, you'll have to read.
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I sat down on the bleacher. After acting like he was playing Titus came over. "Is it true?" he asked slowly. "The rumors?"
I had no clue what he was talking about. Okay, I thought, maybe I would like to be a telepath. "What rumors?"
"That you have—" He was searching for the right words. "You have—" He looked down, red-faced. "I'm sorry. I don't know how to ask you this without hurting your feelings."
I instantly knew what he was talking about. "That I have some awful incurable disease?" He nodded. "Well, it's not really a disease. It's not contagious, progressive, or lethal. It's more of a condition."
He nodded again but still looked flustered. "Really, I don't mean to be mean but what is it?"
"It's called Spastic Diplegia." He just looked perplexed. "Cerebral Palsy?" I offered the simpler, broad term.
"Oh. I still don't get it," he admitted. He wouldn't look me in the eyes.
"It's okay," I assured him. "Not very any people know what it is. In fact, I know I guy who didn't know he had until he was 10. He was like most of us, he was born with it.
"All forms of Cerebral Palsy are caused by brain injuries that happen before, during, or in the two-to-three years after birth. Usually, it's because oxygen is cut off for a short amount of time. In my case, it was a few hours, maybe only minutes. They did a scan of my brain after I was born and saw a dark spot. A few hours later it was gone."
"A dark spot? As in—"
"Blood." He shivered. "It left scar tissue that causes my brain to misfire."
"Misfire?"
"It sends unwanted messages to my arms and legs." I hyper extended my hand. "See?"
"That looks painful." He touched my hand.
I pulled my hand away. "I'm used to it. Sometimes my legs do this." I turned my arms, so my elbows faced in word. "Ow." It bothered one of the bruises.
He gasped. "I'm sorry, Liza. I shouldn't have asked you to show me. Do you want me to take you to the nurse?"
"No," I smiled. "Shit like this happens. I'm fine." Dude, how little you know.
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By Saturday, the bruises were nearly gone. I ventured toward Grant's garage, wondering if they were out today. The weather was nice for once.
They were arguing when I stepped in. "Liza!" Grant called. "Glad you're here. We're trying to choose a name for the band."
"I'm not in the band," I reminded him.
"Come on," Nate said, hitting my arm. "It'll be fun." None of them heard me wince in pain. "Titus said he had a new idea."
"MisFire," Titus replied, looking slightly shamed. "I know it's a lot like Misfits, but I like it."
I blushed. I knew where that one came from. "Anything else?"
"I'm sticking with UnderFlowed." Grant muttered.
"There's always Over the Pass," Nate said, starting to laugh. "Or the old standby Water Logged." They all burst out laughing.
"What," I questioned, "is so damn funny?"
Nate's grin grew. "We preformed for our moms last Mother's Day. We were outside, and it started to rain. We were flooded out."
I walked back home, ecstatic. They'd chosen a name and inducted me as their 2nd guitarist/sometimes lead vocalist. We were going to practice as soon as Grant's mom turned the power to the garage back on.
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When I came home, Bella and Charlie were both quieter than usual. "What's up?" I didn't want them to rain on my parade, but I asked anyway.
"Bella has a date with Edward Cullen in thirty minutes," Charlie growled.
I gasped. On, no. She knows. "WHAT?" I demanded. We're so DEAD!
"My thoughts exactly," Charlie replied.
"We're just playing baseball," Bella explained, shocked by my anger. "His whole family will be there."
Someone knocked on the door.
"Go away," Charlie whispered, getting up to answer. "Come in Edward," he said hostility as he stepped back.
I posed myself on the arm of the love seat. "Cullen," I greeted, curtly.
"Liza," he replied, smiling. "¿Cómo estas?
"Muy mal, no gracias a tú." (Awful, no thanks to you.) I replied. I looked him in the eyes. I don't trust you.
"I know," he whispered. "But trust me this once." Nobody else heard him. "Chief Swan," he said formally, "my name is Edward Cullen."
"I know," Charlie stated. "So, you'd like to date my Bella."
"We're just going to play some baseball. Liza's welcome to come."
Just as I started to say "No," in my most polite tone, Charlie said, "That's a good idea."
As we started to walk out the door into the rain, Charlie pulled me back. "Yeah, Dad?"
"Please, do this for me this once. I need to know what's going on."
"Sure, Dad." You really don't want to know…
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We walked out to to a field in the woods. The biggest Cullen waved at us with his bat. I couldn't remember his name.
"This is Liza," Cullen said to his family. "Charlie wanted her to come along. Liza, this is my family."
I nodded, staying close to the tree line and trying not to look small and afraid. It wasn't working very well. I didn't really pay any attention to game either. I just sat cross legged behind Bella and Cullen's mom, picking grass. I flinched every time the bat would hit the ball or one of the Cullens would hit a tree or something. It just didn't sound right.
Suddenly, several people (if you could call them that) gasped. "Alice, what is it?" the doctor asked.
"They're coming," she said, simply. Who? "They heard us playing."
Someone pulled me off the ground. "We've got to get you two out of here."
"It's too late," the doctor replied.
What's going on? I demanded of Cullen.
"Waylon was killed by other vampires," he explained, softly. "They're coming this way."
"Are they thirsty?" Edward's mom asked Alice. The small vampire nodded.
I didn't need to ask Cullen what that meant. I sat back down. "Oh my god," we're going to die.
The trio was crossing the field. Everything was moving slower than usual, as a stood to stand shyly behind the doctor. He nodded to me swiftly.
"Hello," the front vampire said. "I'm Laurent, this is Victoria and James."
"My name is Carlisle," the doctor replied. "This is Esme and Liza; Emmett and Rosalie; Jasper and Alice, and Edward and Bella." He made a point of introducing us in pairs, so as not to put the spot light on Bella or me. "We have a permanent residence nearby."
"Permanent?" James took a step closer. "Oh, golden eyes."
I didn't ask. "Can we play?" Laurent asked, in my place.
"Three of us were just leaving," Carlisle replied. "I don't see why not."
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew my hair.
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Don't kill me! I've already got chapter eight finished. I'm just making you guys wait because I'm waiting. You see, I can't finish this story without the band name and nobody's voted, so please! VOTE!
Anna.