Changes

Chapter One

An old Victorian house sets back off the road, where you have to travel the driveway to even see the beauty of it. It has a lot of windows with plants hanging around them on the inside and mother nature protecting it on the outside. Two boys are sitting on the old railing of the wrap-around porch covered in freshly fallen leaves laying on the deck talking when a petite girl walks out, standing between them.

" So how did it go," she asks the tan-skinned one

He didn't say anything right away " it went" was the only thing he could think to say.

" ATLAS" the girl was irritated with his answer.

" my first day was good, it was your average first day of high school" he cringes

Phoenix laughs " but how did it go with Klara?" he asks

Atlas sighs " I didn't get very far, she's a tough nut to crack"

" Dude, you don't have time for her to be a tough nut to crack, you both have a day left before her transition" Phoenix spins the football in his hand

" I know this!" He gets frustrated. " That's why I am going to her party tonight" he snatched the ball and spun it himself.

" a party?" Aria leans in interested

" You can't go Aria" Phoenix's voice is flat as looks at her " looks like it's you and me tonight" he drapes his arm over her tiny shoulders.

She jerks away pouting " I know Phoenix you and Atlas get all the fun" she rolls her eyes.

.......................

I hate large gatherings like parties especially if there are kids from school, I just hate being around a lot of people. It's like I can feel everything each person in that room is feeling and it makes me sick to my stomach. So you can only imagine how enthused I was when my sister told me she planned a birthday party for me and that I have to go because she and her boyfriend Ty planned it and it was going to be epic. I got up and finally decided to get in the shower. I felt hungover, I didn't even drink last night so that made me frustrated and angry, like if I was going to feel this way at least let me have had a drink or two. I start the water and climb in as I wash my hair and rinse it, I open my eyes and see a mark on my wrist, two curved lines and dots on each side appearing on my wrist as I reach for the conditioner, that mark was never there but that spot has been itching for a while. I panicked and tried to scrub it off but it was not disappearing. I began to panic more because I knew how strongly my parents felt about tattoos and this marking was not coming off with soap and water and I cannot have a secret tattoo ( or can I) I thought. When I got out of the shower I needed to find some way to hide the tattoo, I pulled together my outfit and put a giant scrunchie on my wrist and it covered it perfectly just as my sister came barging into my room.

" Ready Klarty Cat?" she asks flipping through one of my journals

" no," I say sarcastically snatching it out of her hands

" you are such a little bitch sometimes" she laughs

We pull into Ty's driveway and I groan as I see the cars and people getting out, my body started feeling funny as it began my "special power" of empathy. I glared over at Bailey and annoyed I got out of the car and slammed the door shut.

" Are you PMSing?" she laughs meeting me at the front of the car

" honestly, I could kill you for this so don't push my buttons" I threaten

She looks at me offended " take like 10 minutes to gather yourself and lose the bitchy vibes, K." she walks off inside.

I sigh and sit on the ground by the passenger side tire looking up at the dark moonless sky, I close my eyes knowing something deep inside me does not feel right but it's that kind of issue, not even a therapist could figure it out without wanting to use you for a study. I heard gravel from the driveway shift under someone's shoes and I turn my head to see Atlas, I groan and roll my eyes.