Chosen (an original novel)

The move to a new town was treacherous. At least, it had been for me. Being a teenager was hard these days. People aren't as nice as they used to be. Not that I was really popular at my old school. That's one of the reasons we moved to Starville.

It was the smallest town I had ever seen. The population was only one thousand. Most of the adults had grown up here together and their parents had grown up here together. I felt like I was intruding on a close knit family. Everyone here knows everybody else, so my mom and I stand out like sore thumbs. Especially since we moved to the brightest house in the neighborhood. It was bright yellow with lime green trim, not to mention that it was the center point of Delaney Street, the street we now lived on.

My mom was always the first one up, so it was no surprise that she was shaking me vigorously trying to get me to open my eyes. I've always been a heavy sleeper. Mom always told me that I could sleep through an Earthquake as long as my bed stayed in tact. My eyes fluttered open reluctantly. There was a scowl on Mom's face as usual.

"I'm up," I told her groggily.

"Yeah, it looks like it," she said hatefully.

"You're in a good mood," I grumbled.

Her features softened. "I'm sorry, honey. It's just I'm so stressed from trying to keep up with work and we have to go through this same ordeal every morning. You really should get an alarm clock."

I rolled my eyes. "I had one. It got smashed, remember?" There was a hint of bitterness in my voice. I had smashed it myself one morning when I thought it had woke me up an hour early. But alarms only sound to the time you set them to, right? Somebody obviously forgot to relay that message.

My mom leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. "You're not a monster, Makayla," she assured me. Her tone was soothing, but I wasn't buying it.

"Whatever, you say, Mom."

She got up and walked out my bedroom door. I closed my eyes again. I wasn't ready to get up. I looked at my watch. It was 6AM. I groaned and pulled the covers over my head. Mom poked her head back inside the door.

"Get up, Makayla," she said firmly.

Under the cover I made a face. Then I threw them off and got to my feet. I glared angrily at my mother. She just smiled and ducked back out into the hall. I walked over to my body length mirror hanging there on my closet door. My hair was sticking up in all directions and there were dark circles under my eyes. I groaned. I looked like a raccoon. "Perfect," I commented to myself. "As if I don't have enough to worry about."

I dragged myself into the bathroom and turned on the water in the bathtub. I squirted some apple flavored bubble bath into the running water. It's my favorite. Immediately the aroma filled the room. I stood there taking it in. The smell seemed to relax me. I let the water run a bit longer while I brushed my teeth. Once my teeth were rinsed and squeaky clean I began to undress. I stepped into the now bubbly bath water and slowly sat down. I laid my head back. I didn't have to be to school until 8AM. I had an hour just to soak and clear my head.

Before I knew it, I was fast asleep...again. The journey from California to Starville, Kentucky had been a long one. I didn't sleep at all on the way here. I drove. My Mom was so tired already. I knew that if she drove, we probably would have never made it here alive. So she slept while I made the journey singng and talking to myself. My Mom came in at almost 7AM and woke me up again. She informed me that I was going to have get my sleeping habits "under control" so I would be able to get up when I was supposed to. I reminded her of our trip and she was off my case. I love my Mom.

It took me a total of half an hour to pick out the perfect outfit. I knew I was going to get stared at, so I wanted to be sure I was wearing something stare worthy. I finally settled on a pink blouse and blue jeans. My hair was short, so the only way I could style it was blowdry, brush, and go. Since I didn't have to do much to my hair, it gave me extra time to focus on my make up. I was just finishing up when Mom rushed up the stairs and into my room again.

"It's fifteen till 8, Makayla. You're going to be late," she said. "Time to go."

"I know, Mom," I whined. I grabbed my tote bag from my nightstand. "I'm ready."

"I want you to be careful."

"I will."

"I don't want any incidents like there was at your old school, Makayla. We can't afford to move again."