Mount Coronet Cracks the 'C' in it [EDITING]

Eleven: Reaching Out

That night, I returned to my room after cleaning up for bed oddly exhausted and in need of a long period of time to think.

Natsia is quite the bright girl. I can see why she's the spirit guide for such another talented girl like Aspen. Those two fit together quite harmoniously, almost like a yin and yang of sorts. After hearing her long, puzzling, and meaningful little pep talk she had given me at recess, I didn't know what to make of it just yet. It was still trying to process thoroughly through my head.

My pale hand turned a bit red as I clenched the doorknob to my room on the lower level of my house and turned it, opening the door slowly, listening to the hinges creak. As I entered, I flicked the light switch on and shut the door again. I was in need of some peace and quiet.

I turned towards the small mirror in my room, looking at my face. I decided to run my hands through my short mop of hair and mess it all up tiredly and most of all just plain old lazy. I rubbed my lower eyelids as I flopped on my bouncy bed, kicking my feet up. My room had the faint smell of cologne yet had the occasional smell of my hockey bag in the closet. My ceiling fan whirled around as I saw its shadow blur by on the floor.

I had to think about what Natsia told me today. About the Corrupted and their auras, the transformation of one's true self. Was it really that hard for me to grasp?

I have already bitten a few people around the school. Their negative auras haven't activated yet, because I bit them right before Natsia actually came to talk to me, believe it or not. But how will those auras react? When will these kids transform? And into what, at that point... There are millions of different creatures in this world. But all of these kids will be transforming into creatures gone wrong. It's almost so horrendous I can't picture it.

How did I end up as a vampire? What characteristics of mine made me turn out like this? Well... I'm very athletic, there could be one point. But that's not a negative thing, so what could it be then? God, I'd appreciate if the spirit guide would just come back and explain all of this to me.

In my room, there was a big white piece of paper filled with green writing everywhere pinned to the side of my wall. In grade five, the teacher decided to have us do an activity for a little self-esteem boost. We were told to write one little message each on everyone else's papers in the same colour, and basically leave it anonymous. We would look back on these papers and see all the wonderful and positive things that people thought about you to help motivate you and keep you happy every day. I remember that day like the back of my hand.

The teacher handed out each lengthy-sized piece of paper with our names printed on it in big, blue letters. I remember trying to write an original message for each person and not just write simple things like 'you are a nice and kind person' like the teacher warned us not to try and do. We had to make it unique. The papers would keep getting exchanged table group through table group, and eventually I received some people's papers like Mei's, Melissa's, Eric's, and more. I forget what I wrote on theirs, but obviously it was something kind and sincere.

But then I finally remember receiving Aspen's paper, and at that same moment she had received mine. We quickly glanced at each other, and she instantly whipped her head back shyly and embarrassed, but I remember feeling happy I finally got to write something happy for her. I didn't have long. We only had about a minute and a half pretty much per paper, so I had to think and write quickly. I put my pencil to the paper and wrote out 'You are a very enthusiastic and kind girl' with a little smiley face on the side like she always wrote beside her name. There. That was meaningful enough, right?

After I had finished, the only thing that had really come to my mind was what she had written for my paper.

I looked at that paper now, waving in the wind of the ceiling fan attached to a push pin on my wall, and recognised Aspen's printing. "You are a funny, smart and kind guy- keep being who you're great at being... yourself!" It had one of her little smiley faces on the end.