Date on Earth: Tuesday, October 3
Something was dragging me.
That was my first thought when I felt myself start to wake up. The ground scraped against my knees as I was pulled along.
I slowly opened my eyes. Tall oak trees towered over me and long uncut grass grazed my face.
My head started to spin and I struggled to comprehend everything.
Barn owls flew above my head. Wind rustled the leaves. Squirrels that were still awake jumped from branch to branch, chasing each other like a game of tag.
And I could see it all.
Nothing was even the slightest bit blurry. Not even in the dark of the night, or in my dizzy state.
My brain ached from all the sensations.
I tried turning my head so I could see what was pulling me by my arm. My neck strained to catch a glimpse of it.
When I saw it, I wished I was still blind.
I froze as I looked at the creature. Its scaly skin was the blackest of blacks and slick with oil. The hand that was gripping me had long ten-inch claws. Its body was slim with long legs that walked in a way that should be illegal.
But the worst part was its face. It was like a serpent's, with long sharp fangs sticking out of its jaw. The eyes were as black as its body, with a single white dot that resembled a pupil. Its nose extended forward and what seemed like tentacles hung from it.
I screamed loudly. The monster snapped its head back, looking at me directly in the eyes. I felt my body go numb. It bared its fangs, drool dripping out of its mouth. Suddenly it made a loud screeching sound that seemed to pierce through my heart. The monster's grip on me got tighter, and I screamed again as it dug its nails into my arm.
Panic took over me. I couldn't think. Couldn't breathe. I was going to die. There was no denying it.
In a desperate attempt to escape, I yanked my hand away furiously, letting out another cry as I felt the tear of my skin. The creature pulled me closer to it and held me up to its face.
Its breath smelled worse than anything I could imagine, causing me to gag uncontrollably.
I gazed up in terror. The monster gazed down at me like I was a full course meal it couldn't wait to devour. A whimper passed through my lips and I had just about accepted my end.
But then something happened. I could try to explain it, but it wouldn't do any good. It was a feeling someone could only understand after experiencing it.
The only way I could explain it was that it was a change. I felt like I was shrinking, smaller and smaller and the monster getting bigger and bigger. Something sprouted from my back. The demon-like creature's grip loosened and I slid away. It growled and looked like it was planning to pounce. Out of what must have been instinct, I jumped into the air.
And I flew.
Higher and higher. The trees became specks and the monster started to disappear from my sight. At the moment I wasn't wondering how this was possible; I was just focused on getting as far away from whatever that thing was as fast as I could.
I thought I was safe, until a loud inhuman scream echoed through the forest. Out of the canopy of trees the beast shot out. Its body had morphed into sharp talons, short legs, and slick dark wings. Its hideous face was still the same; the eyes sent paralyzing fear through me.
I flapped my wings subconsciously, going faster and faster. I risked a glance back at the monster. It was falling behind. Its flying was anything but graceful. It seemed to stumble around and obviously hadn't flown in a while.
But it still looked vicious. In fact even more so. Its determination to capture and eat me was overwhelming, and I had a feeling that it wasn't going to give up. The only way I would be able to be safe was for this thing to die.
As if the man upstairs had heard me, the sound of a helicopter came from above me. A plan started to formulate in my head.
I flew up to the flying vehicle's height and stopped to wait for the monster to catch up. It was struggling to get higher, but it pounded its wings furiously, meeting me at where I was hovering. I didn't know if the creature was able to feel emotions, but something almost resembling triumph seemed to form on its features. It thought it had won.
It prepared to attack, lifting its wings and claws. But it didn't notice the helicopter that was heading straight for us until it was too late. Right before the monster pounced, I flew down. Exactly at that moment the helicopter slammed into it, causing black goo to ooze out of the monster.
The creature's body rolled up the side and made contact with the propellers.
I looked away as its screams echoed through the air and its body was torn into pieces.
The helicopter flew away, but the people inside it could be heard from a mile, screaming loudly at what they had just witnessed.
I looked down at the ground to see a few houses and trees.
And it was at that moment that my brain decided to remind me that I was terrified of heights.
Suddenly I forgot how to fly. Which was a weird thought, since last I checked, humans couldn't fly.
I fumbled through the air, making noises that shouldn't be possible for any human to make and landed on the leaves of one of the trees, tumbling through the branches. The weird feeling washed over me again, and I found myself changing back to my skinny short self. I fell on the grass and groaned.
The air was knocked out of me, causing me to desperately gasp for air. The cold air burned my throat, and I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself. I felt paralyzed and didn't want to move from my position, but I needed to get inside before I froze.
Trying as hard as I could, I worked my way up to my feet. Everything ached so badly, and I kept shaking and shaking.
I stumbled to a road that I saw through the trees. The streetlight shined on me, making me immediately retreat back to the shadows. From there I observed the green sign.
Wait, I know this road...
It was the road that led straight to my house.
How convenient.
I followed it, making sure I stayed hidden in the forest. Occasionally a car would pass by, causing me to quickly duck behind a bush. My teeth chattered and I was convinced that any longer out here would result in me having frostbite.
Every step I took would cause pain throughout my body, but I carried on. Soon enough, I started to see the outline of my small house. It was situated across the street.
Making sure nobody was around to see me, I sprinted, albeit painfully, across the road and stopped beside the house.
I made my way around to where my window was, flinching when the house light shined down on me, exposing where I was.
When I reached my window, I quietly attempted to open it up. My muscles felt too weak to do anything, but somehow I managed to open it enough to slip through.
I used my right hand to pull myself up, and immediately collapsed on it, muffling a cry.
Idiotically, I had used the arm that had been scratched by the monster. I looked at the wound. Three semi deep gashes extended down my arm, one even reaching down my wrist and palm of my hand. I should be glad that the creature's claws had missed an artery.
But that wasn't the only thing on my wrist. I looked closer to make sure I wasn't seeing things.
It was a tattoo. I'd always wanted a tattoo, so you would think this discovery would cause me to jump in joy.
But this one was different. It wasn't something cool like a rose or a skull; it was a series of random swirls and symbols that had no rhyme or reason whatsoever.
It also didn't seem like it was made of ink either. It had a reflectiveness to it that you would find in metal. That too didn't make sense.
Nothing tonight has made any sense.
I tried again to pull myself into the room, this time using my other arm. A chill went down my spine and I sighed gratefully when I entered the warm heated bedroom.
I didn't bother closing the window behind me. I fell on my bed, my entire self trembling. The monster's hideous face repeatedly flashed in my mind. Will it come back?
My arm only then started to sting from the gash. A drop of blood landed on the white bedding and I cursed. Getting up, I went to the bathroom.
I washed the wound under the water, watching the blood flow down the drain. Then I took a towel and lightly dabbed it. I searched the cabinet for a big bandaid or gauze of some sort. The only thing I could find was a tube of some antibacterial gel and a box of some small tan bandaids.
The gel burned as I rubbed it on the gash. I blinked back the tears of pain and put the container away. I then took six of the bandaids and used it to cover as much of the wound as I could.
I examined my work. The bandaids didn't help to hide the scratch, but it would do if I wore a big sweater over it. I took the towel and threw it in the trash can, trying my best to erase any evidence of the injury.
I should probably have told my parents about what had happened. But despite the heart-to-heart talk earlier, I still didn't feel like there was much they could do. And I didn't even know how I would even explain it.
But it was even more than that. Along with it was a gut feeling– something hardwired in my brain that told me to keep this a secret, no matter what. Even though all I wanted to do was rant everything I've experienced to Mia, something was stopping me.
Which terrified me more than anything. Because it didn't feel like me that was preventing myself.
It felt like something...other.
That's when I suddenly remembered what had happened before the monster incident. I had been in so much shock that I had forgotten why I had become unconscious in the first place.
I had been on my way to Mia's, when something had fallen out of the sky. When I tripped on it, whatever that thing was caused me to pass out.
Is that why I could turn into a bird?
Even my brain could comprehend how absurd that thought was. It wasn't possible, but at the same time it was the only thing that made an inkling of sense, because I knew for sure that before that moment I couldn't fly.
I had also failed to show up to Mia's house, and she was bound to be furious the next time I saw her.
I layed back down on my bed and looked at the ceiling. I felt my throat close up when I was able to spot a single sticker on the roof that had seen better days. It had lost its bright color, and Ariel, the Disney princess on the sticker, was missing her nose. But in that moment, it could've been the most beautiful piece of art in the world.
I took the opportunity to capture every detail of my room. For the first time I noticed stuffed animals that were laying on the floor for who knows how long. Pictures of me and my family were pinned on the wall, and right under it was a mirror. I looked at my reflection and...
Ew.
I looked better when I was blind.
My body finally started to give out. I sighed and attempted to close my eyes to at least get a wink of sleep. But even with no energy left, my body still refused to rest. I kept imagining the monster popping out from one of the darker corners of my room.
It's dead, I had to keep reminding myself. I killed it.
Eventually, I managed to convince myself that it wasn't coming back and started to relax.
Right before I fell asleep however, the sound of my alarm beeped in my ears. I groaned loudly and shut it off. So much for that.
I slowly got up and walked to the mirror, making sure to hide any evidence of the night before. It was a strange sight to see all the tiny details of my face. I could even count the freckles on my cheeks. And notice how my bangs were way too long.
I tugged on the sleeves of my oversized shirt and tied my hair up into a high messy bun. My arm still ached, so I searched for some Aleve and downed it with some water.
Knowing I needed my glasses to prevent my parents from spotting something odd, I searched my room for a few minutes before remembering that I had my glasses on when I was on my way to Mia's house. That meant it was most likely somewhere on the road or in the forest, never to be seen again.
Huffing, I grabbed my backup pair. I hated those glasses; they were extremely uncomfortable and I'd been told they make me appear to be a nerd. But at least that way I could give a believable excuse to why I wasn't wearing my other glasses.
I made my way to the kitchen, praying that I wouldn't be asked too many questions.
...
"You look terrible."
Mia stood at the bus stop, sipping on coffee in a to-go cup. She looked at me up and down, as if she was trying to solve an intricate puzzle.
It was so weird to be able to see her in such detail and read her facial expressions. I hadn't even noticed she had a nose ring.
I sighed. I had managed to get through the morning without too many problems. Of course my parents wondered why I was wearing the pair of glasses I hated so much, and asked a few times if I was okay. I had responded by saying that I was upset because I had lost my other pair of glasses, which was true, even if it wasn't even close to the whole story. They seemed to buy it, and sent me off to school with my walking stick, which I had hidden in the bushes.
But Mia was a whole other story. She wouldn't just let it go, and would keep bugging and bugging me until I told her everything. This quality was the only reason why she knew pretty much all my secrets.
Needless to say, I was a little more than worried about my ability to keep last night obscured.
I went to stand next to her and adjusted my backpack, wincing at a sharp stabbing pain in my arm. As some of the numbness from shock started to wear off, I had started to feel aching throughout my body. Every step I took seemed to take twice as much effort as usual.
Not to mention the pounding headache that hurt worse than anything I had ever experienced. The overload of sensations made my brain scream, "Too much!" Every few minutes I'd have to close my eyes to rest them.
Great, just a few more things I'd have to hide from the Snooper of Snoopers.
I loved Mia, I really did. But seriously, that girl needed to learn some boundaries.
"Well that boosts my confidence," I said sarcastically. Mia took another sip of her coffee and threw it in the trash can next to her.
"Where were you?" She exclaimed loudly. "You better have an amazing excuse! I was waiting for you for hours. Do you know how many cups of coffee I had to drink just to stay awake?"
I was extremely tempted to tell her exactly how "amazing" my excuse was, but thought better of it.
"Well, why were you up so late, and calling me to come over past midnight knowing how bad my eyesight wa-is? Are you insane?" I went for the classic change of topic, hoping she didn't notice my slipup. And I was very curious why she wanted me there so badly.
It seemed to work, because she went on ranting, "I was making cinnamon rolls! I had the batter ready and everything! But you know how bad I am at using the oven. I tried to do it all myself, and I burnt them! Twice!"
I looked at her, dumbfounded. She carried on, "The third attempt was better, but then Andrew ate them! Five. Fricken. Rolls. I was only able to save one, see?" Mia held it out in front of her.
"Mhm," I said looking at it. I reached for the bag and she snatched it away.
"It's not for you!" She exclaimed.
I raised one eyebrow. "Then who is it for?"
She got quiet and looked down, suddenly becoming very interested in her feet. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about..." She trailed off.
"Well, are you gonna say it?" I said impatiently.
A faint blush spread across her face. "I wanted to give something to Tristen. And I thought that since you know him better than I do...maybe you can give me some advice on how to get him to notice me?"
I groaned loudly. "Seriously Mia? Him? Out of all the cute boys in our school you couldn't choose anyone other than Mr. I-Wear-Headphones-To-Look-Hot?"
"Well, I think he's perfect, okay? Look, I know he used to bully you or whatever, but he doesn't do that anymore, and he hasn't been anything but nice. To both of us."
"The only reason he has been a little kind is because me and his mom are best friends. His mom probably told him that if he didn't treat us well, she would take away those stupid headphones of his."
"Well, I still think you're wrong about him."
The bus pulled up a moment later, and me and Mia got on.
Mia took the window seat and occasionally checked the treat in her paper bag. I rolled my eyes.
"No matter how much you look at it, your cinnamon roll will still be there."
Mia sighed and glared at me. "Why are you so grumpy today?"
I shrugged. "I'm always grumpy." To be honest I was a little more...sensitive than usual, but I couldn't exactly tell her why I was in such a bad mood.
Suddenly, I felt something touch my shoulder. I immediately thought of the monster's cold hands and let out a small scream. My heart beat sped up and it took a moment for me to calm down.
The sound of laughing came from behind me. Hayden snorted as I smacked him.
"You are jumpy! Like, with a bold and capital J! What, were you finally able to see that monster under your bed?"
Man, does he really know how to press the wrong buttons.
I turned around to peer at the boy, and wow. He looked completely different with clear vision. Since when did he have so much acne?
"Watch out Hayden, Ana's in a really bad mood right now. She might end up slicing your throat if you don't watch out," Mia saved me from responding.
I crossed my arms. "If he scares me like that again then I might."
I smirked at Hayden's quick look of terror. However, it quickly passed and he leaned forward on the seat, giving that look you see on dogs when they beg for food. "So...do one of you guys have the homework for Mr. Ondre's class?"
Mia's eyes widened. "We had homework for Mr. Ondre? I completely forgot!"
I sighed. Typical Mia. "Yeah, we had that review packet."
"Sooo..." Hayden looked at me hopefully.
Knowing what he was implying, I scoffed. "No way, not after you just scared me like that."
"I didn't mean to scare you that bad!" He objected.
"You do this every week. Why don't you just do it yourself?"
"Because I'm lazy," he said without missing a beat.
"No duh."
He begged me again. "Please?"
I glared at him. "Last. Time." I handed him the packet roughly.
He nodded and quickly started copying down the questions. I hid a chuckle. Little did he know that I had given him the packet from last week, with completely different answers. I hadn't even gotten a chance for Mom to help me complete the one he needed. But Hayden was going so fast he didn't even notice the difference in the questions.
Mia chatted away and I zoned her out. As strange as the thought was, I was actually glad to be going to school. Yes, it was boring and tedious, but it offered some sort of safety, being around all those other people. I doubted another monster would come after me there.
Mia let out a high shriek. "There he is!" She pointed to the taller than average boy with his gold chain necklace and red sweatshirt. Mia looked inside her paper bag once again and told me, "Okay, so when he passes by us, I need you to hand this to him."
"Uh, no," I said stubbornly. "And he isn't even going to pass by us, see?" I pointed at Tristen sitting down on a seat in the first row.
Mia frowned. "Since when can you see that?" I froze. What was I supposed to say?
Luckily, she continued talking and ignored that little detail, much to my relief. "But he always sits in the back! Is something wrong? I hope he's okay!"
I rolled my eyes for what seemed to be the hundredth time that morning. "Or maybe he just got tired of the same seat every day and decided to change it up a bit."
The bus stopped again and Mia grabbed my wrist, pulling me up. "Come on then. We're changing seats too." She dragged me along despite my protests.
"Seriously?" I exclaimed when she stopped at the row of seats right behind Tristen. "There are people already sitting here!"
She ignored me and told the two students in the row, "Hey, can we switch spots? Our row is closer to the back." I glared at Mia.
The students looked at each other and shrugged before getting up.
Mia grinned at me as she took a seat. I sat down angrily. "That was unnecessary," I huffed.
"So is your attitude." She patted me on the head like a puppy and leaned back, staring at Tristen the whole time. If only she knew how creepy she was, I thought bitterly.
I watched as a new kid got on the bus. He was in a wheelchair and was very skinny. He looked around confidently, unlike most other kids on their first day. He wore a big smile and seemed to capture the rest of the kids' attention. It was unclear though if it was his strange appearance or radiating positivity that drew in everyone's gazes.
He stopped his wheelchair in the row right in front of me, keeping his eyes forward. I caught a few other kids watching him and looked away.
I turned to see Mia rubbing her hands eagerly. "I'm going to ask the new kid to get Tristen's attention and give the cinnamon roll to him."
Before giving me the chance to say anything, she went forward to tap the boy on the shoulder. I shook my head at her as the new kid turned to face us.
"Hey, new kid!" she whispered. "Can you give this to the kid next to you? Say it's from me."
Mia looked too jittery for her own good as she held the paper bag out, and I decided that now was the time to intervene.
"Do not give him that bag." I quickly grabbed it out of her hand. She gave me a look of betrayal that almost made me want to give it back and let her have her fun. But I reminded myself that I was doing this for her own good. "What? It's bad enough that my parents force me to hang out with him. I told you, he's a jerk. And he's definitely not worth your cinnamon roll."
Mia leaned forward and snatched it right back. "You don't get to tell me what I can and can't do." She held out the bag again for the boy to take. The poor kid looked so confused that I almost felt bad for him. Hesitantly, he grabbed it. I mumbled something under my breath and Mia looked at me triumphantly.
"Tell him that it's poisoned!" I quickly added and Mia slapped me on the arm. Hard.
"Ugh, you are so annoying!" She exclaimed angrily.
"Whatever." I watched silently as the new kid handed Headphones Guy the cinnamon roll that I was positive I would've enjoyed more than him.
After examining the treat, he called over his shoulder, "Thanks Mia! You too Diana!" I growled at his fake appreciativeness and Mia sank into her seat with a lovesick look in her eyes. I was extremely tempted to smack some sense into her.
The rest of the bus trip was uneventful, and after the Tristen incident, Mia stopped talking to me.
I got off the bus and walked to the school building. As soon as I walked inside, I felt a weight of fear being lifted off my shoulders.
Here I would be safe from whatever that creature was, and whatever I had touched last night wouldn't affect me.
At least, That was what I had hoped.
One by one I went to each class. Math. Language Arts. Science. Eventually it was Social Studies with Mr. Ondre. I took my seat in the front of the classroom and pulled out the packet of homework.
"Okay class, settle down!" Mr. Ondre clapped loudly. "Have your homework out on your desk so I can come collect them."
While letting my eyes wander, I made eye contact with Mia. She smiled at me like she had forgotten all about the bus drive. I was thankful for that and responded with a half smile. But then her expression turned into confusion as she mouthed, "You can see me?"
Panicking, I quickly looked away and glued my gaze to the unfinished sheet in front of me.
As the homework was being picked up, I studied the pencil in my hand. I memorized every little wooden crevice, wondering if this new miraculous development was temporary. If I blinked a little too hard, would my vision revert back to the way it was?
Mr. Ondre walked up to his desk and placed something in his cupboard. Then he went to stand in front of the whiteboard. On it was written "Test today on Ming China."
"Today we are taking a test on Ming China," he repeated from the board. It was something he was required to do since before today, I couldn't see anything written on it. "I hope you all studied. You have until the end of the period to complete it. I suggest you use your time wisely."
He passed out the tests and I resisted a loud groan. Because of all the events of the day before, I had forgotten about the test and hadn't studied. While the other students immediately began filling out their sheet, Mr. Ondre directed me to the computer in the back with headphones that read each question out loud. Over the years, I had memorized roughly where each letter of the alphabet was on the keyboard. So luckily, I didn't need the teacher's assistance while taking exams. At least in this class.
But this time I didn't need the headphones. I read each question over and over, taking my best guess on each one. I looked around and to my amazement, I could see even the students' answers across the room. Being as covertly as possible, I copied down the answers of Cassandra, the smartest girl in the class.
And yes. I know you're not supposed to cheat. But I'd like to see what other people do if they suddenly get superhuman vision and see if they would be strong enough to not sneak a glance at their peers' test answers.
I released a breath when I had finished, sinking back in my chair. Finally, I had done all fifty questions. Seriously, who made tests that long?
I went to turn it into the basket in the front. Most of the other students were already done.
Mr. Ondre looked up from whatever he was doing and ushered me over. Confused, I walked around the desk and stood next to him.
"I got an email from your parents. I am so sorry to hear about your vision." His words held pity, but his facial expression showed none of the kind. Why would he? He probably thought I couldn't even see his stupid face.
How many other people have lied to my face without me even noticing?
"However," I snapped my attention back to the teacher, "I was told that you would be using a white cane to move around, and I haven't seen it with you."
"I don't need it," I blurted. Mr. Ondre raised an eyebrow and I cursed internally at my mess up.
"Diana, it is really nothing to be ashamed of. I don't know where you put the stick, but I recommend you use it. For your sake."
I was trying to think of a response when a strange noise started coming from outside the classroom. It sounded like building pressure. Gradually getting louder and louder.
The heads of all the students turned to the source of the sound. I squinted my eyes, trying to see through the small door window.
For a split second I saw something dart across the hallway, too fast for me to tell what it was.
Then the room exploded.
I was knocked back, slamming into the wall. In my ears was a loud ringing that muted everything else. I was vaguely aware of Mr. Ondre above me, screaming at the top of his lungs, a look of guilt on his face.
Then he left me.
When my hearing started to return, all I could hear were kids yelling and crying. Fire blanketed all of the walls and pieces of the roof were starting to fall down. I forced myself up, despite my disoriented state. I looked around to see any students that were still in the classroom. They had all escaped.
I blinked back tears as I realized that they had all abandoned me.
They left me to die.
But I wasn't going to let that happen.
I searched for a way out of the classroom when I spotted a hole that had been formed by the large blast. I immediately ran to it, hacking from the black smoke.
I could taste freedom. Smell it like brewed coffee on a Sunday morning. It was so close. A few more steps and I would be safe.
Suddenly, a loud cracking noise sounded from above me. I snapped my head up to see the roof collapse. I shielded my face as it came crashing to the ground.
I felt my hope evaporate as I looked in front of me at the damage. The fallen debris blocked the only exit.
I was trapped.