At first everything was fine, we unpacked what we brought, we made the beds, I set up my baby brother’s room. The feeling in the room was happy, joyful, and… Saul was…there? Ha. ha. ha. No. Saul isn’t there, but because of this day I really got to meet him for the first time. Then, the storm hit. Such a weird moment. Everything a blur. I remember putting my brother to sleep, I remember looking at his cute little face thinking that “I can’t wait to talk to you.” I remember feeling frightened, and hiding under my blankets. Seeing flashes of light. One right after the other. And the little rocks hitting the cabin. Then.

Then I remember feeling a sense of calmness. I walk out of bed towards the window and I see such a beautiful red and magenta to orange light coming from the woods. Next thing I knew, I was outside in front of it. A tree fallen over, embers everywhere and a fire thriving. I remember reaching out my hand, almost playing with the soft little fires. They tickled my fingers, I remember carrying one and feeling its little heartbeat. Then the boom and things go dark fast.

I wake up to my aunt crying to the officers. My uncle yelling at the officers to find him, you must find him. I get up and walk towards the commotion, I can’t see. I wipe my eyes, and when I open them I see red and blue flashes of lights. I cover my face and walk towards the cabin. An officer sees me and he yells “medic!” I get lifted and they say “what happened?” The medic starts his check up, and I try to grab her hands to make her stop, I ask again “what happened? what happened?! WHAT HAPPENED!?!?!?” almost screeching at the medic.

She walks away and comes back with my aunt. She says, “Oh, Magenta!” She hugs me. “How are you dear? Are you all right? We were both so worried about you.” She lets me go. I look to her confused. “Yes Auntie, of course I’m alright. Auntie… what happened?” She backs away, surprised. She walks away, I get up and head to the cabin. I look and look, I think ‘where is it? Where? Is? It?’ I begin to call out, “Momma! Pappa!”

Silence. Everything stops, it all goes quiet. At that moment I knew they were gone, in that moment I felt this blame on myself, I felt responsible for not being where I was supposed to be. This was all my fault. I began to cry, I stood there and I cried. I heard the officer say that they found the bodies of the mother and father only. I thought ‘…only…? ONLY??’ I run through the ashes to where my baby brother was. The fire fighters catch up to me and lift me yelling, “Wait! It’s still too hot!” I yell “But… my BABY BROTHER!”

They bring me back to my aunt and uncle. They ask my aunt and uncle “Is there also a baby that was on the premises?” They both look at each other confused and say in unison, “Baby!?” My Aunt continues, “They didn’t have a baby, we saw them just about a month ago, they didn’t have a baby.” I watched her lie, my dad talked to her everyday, how could she not know. I grew angry on the inside and yelled, “I do have a baby brother! I do!” They left me with a police officer, and they talked, and talked, and talked.

I remember feeling and thinking “I have a brother, I have a brother, I have a brother, I have a brother, I have a brother, I have a brother, I have a brother, I have a brother, I have a brother, I have a brother, I have a brother, I have a brother, I d… have a brother, I do… have a brother, I don… have a brother… I don’t have a brother?”

I ended up living with my aunt and uncle. At first I really think they tried to love me. Love me like one of their own they would tell me. Always distinguishing that I wasn’t really one of them. But after failed attempts to convince them that I did have a baby brother, they began to punish me. Maybe it felt good to them to do that to me, but what ever the reason it didn’t stop there.

After the funeral, they read my parents will. That’s when Saul came to live with us. He was our servant, he introduced himself to me. I almost spoke “I’ve met you before”, but my aunt cut me off and said “I know that so long as we care for dear Magenta, we will be able to use her parents finances to provide her the lifestyle dictated in their will. My poor sister-in-law, my poor brother-in-law, but alas here we are Saul. We accept your services as dictated by the will, but understand that if you cross us, we can always live without Magenta…”

My heads looks down, I felt such a shock, to my core. I lost all sense of myself, I felt destroyed. I lost my mom, and my dad! I felt as if I was going crazy because I remembered my brother, his scent, his little hand, and yet, he didn’t exist.

She continues “I mean without Magenta’s parent’s money. We love Magenta, but we don’t know you. We don’t live like this. My husband chose to bring her in because she is HIS brother’s daughter. Me? I have a connection with Magenta that isn’t a mother’s role, because I could never be her mother. But I care about her well-being, so I am invested in raising her as a proper young woman who knows her place. And you wont interfere with that.”

I walk through the front door and say “I’m home Saul!” No one answers. I think to myself ‘Well it is Tuesday, maybe he went shopping?’ I decide to make myself a snack, peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a glass of milk. I close the knife drawer with my hip, and a shooting pain rushes through my leg. I yelp, and start to breath in agony. I put the knife down and grab my hip. I expose my hip to find that I am bruised and its purple and green. I get reminded of the last time I had this color bruising… back when I was with my aunt and uncle. My face goes numb and I know what to do. I leave my sandwich and go get the first aide kit. I grab some Gauss and wrap my waist and hip with it. I put water on the stove to boil, get a rag and dip it in the boiling hot water and set it to slightly cool to where I could put it on my skin. It burned, it hurt, tears flowed; but I knew from past experiences that now I would be fine.

I thought back to how I got the bruise, and remembered Jorge. I feel myself blush. Then I’m reminded of Michael… the boy with the orange who fought off a monster bullfrog… who followed me today. I shake my head and realize maybe I just had an episode and that really didn’t happen? Monsters and heroes, powers? No it was too ridiculous.

I ate my PB&J, drank my milk and got ready for bed. Not 5 minutes in bed and I fall asleep.

The next day, the third day, I went invisible. No one noticed me. The girls who I had interacted with left me alone and I didn’t see Jorge. I went home, I didn’t see Saul, ate a snack, did homework and went to sleep.

The rest of the week went well, everyday that ended uneventful, I just went about my day. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Finally Friday. I look for Saul as soon as I get home and don’t find him. I get frustrated, he hasn’t been here for me lately. But, I shrug and feel proud that I have been able to take care of myself. I decide to go out, my own personal secret.

The next morning I wake up slowly and take a deep breath. I smell nothing. I get up and change to day clothes and walk to the kitchen, expecting to see Saul; but there is no one there. I wait around for the only adult I really trust and know, Saul, the person I consider to be my father figure. The person I care about the most, where is he? I think back to the last time I saw him and realize that its been a few days… A sense of panic sets in. How could I not see it, how did this pass by me, how could I not know?! I sit in bed, stuck.

For that moment I am frozen, stuck in an seemingly endless cycle of my past memories. I feel cold, its raining. I look at my hand and its cold because I was touching the car window. We are driving to the cabin, such a happy place. I am 10 years old, we have been coming here since I could remember, as early as five.

I still remember my fifth birthday, just me, mom and dad. We lived in a neighborhood where it was nice, every one was nice to me. I loved it there. Then, all out of the blue we moved, everything changed, life changed.

We moved to a house that was smaller, dad no longer stayed with mom like he used to. Mom always said “Dad went to work darling.” While he was away, Saul would come and stay with us. Mom gave me singing lessons and I always got the songs right, sometimes even before she would teach it to me. I can still remember her happy loving face.

I wish I could remember when I first started to see Saul around, but I was just a baby. Mom and dad tried to keep a lot of old belongings away from me. But just once, I went into that room and saw Uncle Saul carrying me as a baby, smiling, holding me with my parents in the background. They looked weird but very happy.

The long drive that awful night gave me such a wonderful opportunity to really think back and solidify my memories of the really beautiful moments I had up until that point with my parents. Some big news had occurred, Mom was pregnant. She was surprised, maybe even a little appalled that she was pregnant. I remember asking her if “I was going to have a sibling?” She asked me “why?” I replied, “because momma, I want to be a big sister to a baby brother.” She looked at me and smiled sweetly, she got up and made a call as I left to play in my room. Next thing I knew we were coming to the cabin as a surprise visit.

I turn to see who it is, and its the coffee cream girl. “Why are you following me?”

I am surprised to see her and I squeak out a meek “no….no”, she squeezes my arms and says “Show me you schedule.” She lets me go to get my schedule, and shoves me towards the back as her group of friends look at my schedule.

As she is checking it, her hands clench and wrinkle my paper. She throws it to the me but it falls to the ground and I reach for it. She looks down to me and bends over to warn me “If you breath a word of what you saw in the garden, I will kick your ass.” Scared I look down and say “I-i-i wont” and she turns to the door and goes inside.

She scared me. She was mean and frightening. I never felt this scared for anyone that wasn’t my aunt and uncle. I take a minute to collect myself, I look around and nobody looks at me. I get up and I go inside. I walk in and give Mr. Bucanon my pass and he tells me to take a seat. He dims the lights and we proceed to watch a bill bye video about ecosystems and general biology terms. This class goes on with out a problem, though I feel coffee cream staring me down. I decide to ignore it, because while in the classroom I feel safe, I am safe.

The bell rings and I forget the whole ordeal. History had really taken my mind far away into the past. I wait for the students to leave, because I need to talk to Mr. Bucanon about the day before. I feel relieved that I don’t have to have a confrontation with her.

I leave his class 5 minutes later, and feel mildly depressed at the sheer volume of work that I will have to do in this class. High school is no joke. I look around and see people eating, it dawns on me; it’s lunch time. I walk and I feel like I’m being followed, I look back and sure enough there he is. Michael. I turn back around and continue to walk to the line for food. He follows. I go to sit down by myself and he follows. I move again and he follows me. I feel like I can’t even eat in front of him. I get angry.

I grab the burger and throw away the tater tots and side salad, and walk away again. Finally I stop and turn around and ask “What do you want from me?” “I needed you to be alone and secluded” he says. I realize that there is no one around me. He annoyed me until he had me where he wanted me… my face must have shown I was shocked, because then he said worriedly, “hey, hey, relax. I still just wanted to talk.”

I repeat, “What do you want from me?”

He walks towards me. And he says with every step, “please…just…stay…right…there.” He is two-steps away and he looks down to me, and with a brave face I stare him down. I will not go down without a fight, no matter what he may try to do.

We hear a teacher yell, “Go to class! The bell isn’t working! Go to class!”

Instinctively, I bite my burger and start to walk away. I past him and tell him “gotta go!” I hear him yell “hey, wait!” and then I hear him say “she’s not ready”.

I finish my burger quickly and head to Language Arts, which is a fancy word for writing/reading/speaking English. This time no issues, I go into class before it starts and I speak to my teacher regarding my absent. I take my seat and I stare at the people coming to class. Just like on the bus I start to day-dream about what their lives are like. And then I saw her.

A girl that resonated and called attention to herself in such a marvelous way. Windy. Popular Windy, the girl even I have heard about. There is just something about her that just draws attention to her. But, not me. I see her and feel nothing. I see how others react to her, and I can imagine what that feels like, but I personally don’t feel that about her. She seems like a normal, typical, average girl to me. Either way, I need to avoid her as much as possible so that I can go back to being unnoticed.

Class ends. Everything ends just like the second day of school should. I go to my last class, and it goes well. Art is, well art. I get on the bus, and it’s on time. I go home.

The class soon ends, and being on the last row I find myself waiting for those in front to leave, I feel my stomach rumble and my hand is quick to hold it in hopes that it will quiet down. I feel my face blush and I can’t believe that I feel THIS hungry. It’s a feeling that I had not felt in a very long time.

Instantly I’m reminded of my past. I think of how Saul would sneak food in for me on the days when my Auntie and Uncle would punish me, but being the “good girl” that I was, I never ate it. I took my punishment with honor and would only eat when permitted.

They controlled what I ate and when, what I did and when, and where I was and when; they were the reason why I had gained so much weight. They would starve me all day or longer and then feed me huge portions and make me finish them. Soon, all the feelings of sadness begin to flow through my heart. What monsters would deny a child food? I catch myself making an angry sad face and I force myself to smile.

It’s finally my turn to go and I make plans to go to the snack station so that I may get food. I know I have 7 minutes between classes and if I go straight there and to class I will make it. As I walk, I see Michael, waiting by the door, I roll my eyes, let out a sigh, and walk straight through not even pausing to talk to him. I am able to take a few steps before he says “Hey, red! Hold up!”

I keep walking pretending that I don’t know that he is talking to me, and then he appears in front of me so quickly that I am unable to stop and bump into him. My hands on his chest, I push him away hoping that no one saw, secretly hoping that Jorge did not see. I look around and he says “Relax, I just want to talk” as he hold his hands up in the air.

I look at him sternly and continuing to walk I say “What do you want?”

Again he walks in front of me to stop me and says, “It’s not about what I want, it’s about what you need from me” he smirks and winks at me.

Annoyed that he wont get out of my way I reply, “If its about the notes, don’t worry about it, I’m a good student and I will catch up on my own” and then I reach for his shoulder and push him aside as I check my watch. Now I must go directly to science, another class I never attended the day before. Having wasted that time on him, now I didn’t have time to go get a snack. Annoyed I realize that now I must wait for lunch. I walk away, and he doesn’t follow me, my mood darkens, I know that as time passes by, it is inevitable that I WILL get hangry. Angry VERY easily because I am hungry.

As I’m walking to science class I hear a faint whimper, I’m honestly surprised I heard it. I look around and I can’t figure out where it’s coming from. After looking around I see nothing, I stop myself and wonder ‘Whhat? If someone IS crying why is it that THIS time I care.’ I start walking towards my class again and I hear it clearer this time. I’m heading towards it and rather than take a different route, (which is what I would normally do) I feel the need to keep walking. Something is pulling me to this person.

I turn the corner and its the garden the school has for us to grow our own produce for lunch. really most students use it as a make out area. I walk through the entrance and I hear the noise coming from a… wall. I look right and then left and see no way to go in, so I stick out my hand in the shrubbery and walk forward. I am able to go inside, this wasn’t a wall. It was just vines.

Inside I see this African American girl, sitting down and crying. Before I am able to make my presence heard, I hear her say “Why ma? Why couldn’t you just be a good person..” I walk forward and trip on a vine. I catch myself and she quickly turns away and wipes her tears. She snaps at me and says “What are you doing here?”

I say “I’m sorry I was just… was wondering around and bumped into this place,… are you ok? I heard you crying and I thou…” “YES, I am fine…” She cuts me off and she grabs her stuff and walks towards me. I look down and get out of her way and feel useless. For whatever reason her sadness, got to me. She was tall and very beautiful, her skin reminded me of regular coffee with one mini cup of cream in it. Just pure and sweet. Though even in her sharpness she was still beautiful.

I stay in there, something in this place just holds me here, I stop feeling my breath and stop feeling my hands. I go numb and feel weak. I wobble, something in here is holding me there and I feel myself struggle to leave. Slowly I take steps to get out and even though I am struggling I feel that I’m doing okay, it’s hard but I’m getting away. I finally get out and the bell rings. I am able to run to my next class just as he is about to close the door. I am supposed to be in my science class, with Mr. Bucanon, but I see a woman inside. Maybe a substitute? I ask if this is Mr. Bucanon’s class and she replies that the change was made yesterday, his class would be in room 1201 not 1102. So I calmly ask her for a pass, explaining to her that I was not able to attend class the day before and I go. As I’m about to go inside my actual class, a hand grabs my hand and yanks me to the left.

I think to myself ‘why is it that people keep grabbing me?!’

As he walked away, I positioned myself in bed and leaned back into my pillows and looked out my window. My lights turned off, thinking it was him, I didn’t even turn around and I said thank you, and fell asleep. I woke up the next morning to the sound of my alarm clock. It read 9/28/04 7:30am, quickly and annoyed I push the button with my hand to stop the sound and I turned my head back into my pillow. Then after a second, I look at the clock again and dart out of bed.

I think to myself, ‘I’m late! I cant believe that I’m late.’ I yell, “Saul!” as I’m getting ready, “Saul! Please get the car ready!!” No response, I quickly justify his lack of response thinking ‘maybe he went shopping?’ I finish getting ready and run out of my room. As I run out the front door I notice that the car keys are still hanging. Closing the door I think, ‘he’s probably out in the back.’ I check the time, its 7:34am and run to the bus station.

After a long hour and forty-five minute commute due to traffic, I get to school at 9:36am and go straight to the office. At the attendance window the clerk tells me, “You do know that school starts at 7:50am, Miss Levine?” I respond “Yes, ma’am. It wont happen again.” Another one of my biggest lies ever told.

I get a late pass and report to 3rd period. The first class I never attended the day before. I let out a huge sigh and hurry my speed to head towards my class. I take a deep breath before going inside, straighten my hair, fix my skirt and then I walk inside. “Mrs. Tronug?”

As she responds “Yes?” I look around and before I am able to speak, I see him. I feel my face petrified. Its him! ‘Omg! I cant believe it’s the guy with the orange!’ Just as I finish my thought he turns to me as if he heard something and rolled his eyes. As I force myself to turn to the teacher, I hear a pshht, and I turn to see who called me. Confused I look around and make eye contact with whom I thought I heard the sound from. My eyes jump from face to face and then I get to him. He looks at me and for the first time we lock eyes, and it’s as if my body is possessed. I feel a shiver and an overwhelming feeling, like if now at this moment I know that I know him, even though I just met him.

I snap out of the eye lock as my teacher frustratingly says “Miss Levine!?” I snap my gaze to her and say “Oh, I’m sorry. Yes?” She proceeds and tells me to take a seat all the way on the right.

I take my seat and she continues with the history lesson. As I write the notes down, I hear mumbling and yet I know I don’t actually hear it, then Mrs. Tronug is suddenly reminded that I was the only one not here the day before and stops class and says, “Now hopefully you will be joining us every day Miss Levine because absences like that of yesterday will count very badly towards you. Make sure you get the notes from a fellow student otherwise you will fall behind and fail.”

I look down almost discouraged at the fact that I was scolded, in front of class, this had never happened to me. I always tried to make sure that I was invisible to my fellow students and my teachers. And it worked so well, that most teachers would ask “Who is Magenta?”

As she turned around I hear a loud voice from behind me say “Don’t worry Miss Tronug, I got her” I turn around and see orange guy as he raises what seem to be the notes from yesterday. She ignores him and I stay looking at him.

Of course it would be orange guy, I get irritated, ‘I know who you are’ I think to myself ‘And I wont fall to this trick of yours.’ I quickly respond to him “It’s ok, I’ll ask someone else to let me borrow them.”

I turn around and continue to write the notes down. As class continues a girl seating behind me nudges me and hands me a folded paper. I open it, and sure enough its from him. On the paper it says:

“Hi, I’m Michael. You don’t have to act all mighty just because you think you know who I am! I was just trying to help and you never even said thank you to me for saving your insignificant life. I didn’t have to show you my powers, I could have walked away.

Don’t even bother asking anyone else for the notes, because Mrs. Tronug made it very clear that anyone who helped you, would get homework points taken away. And I’m guessing that no one else in this preppy school would want that.

So meet me after school to get the notes. I know you will find it very interesting because I’m going to have to show you about proper manners.”

I sit there thinking that it is true, he did save my life. And then I felt angry, how dare he say I’m insignificant!? He didn’t have to!? Having those powers means it is his rightful duty to save another persons life! How arrogant and an ass he is, I will NOT meet him. I can’t believe there are guys like him that go here. He is nothing like Jorge!

I sip my tea again and continue, “Saul, th…there is something different here, and I don’t know what it is but I can feel it…..” he looks at me strangely as he takes a seat near my bed, “…and the weirdest thing of all is that I’m not afraid. Like, before when girls would try to befriend me and boys tried to talk with me, even if it was to ask a question, it was very easy to ignore them and walk away so as to not get any attention to myself, just like I had always planned,” I look up at him and see his disapproving face go down, “But today,…” he looks up, “I talked to a girl, in Spanish, and it felt like she was my best friend, as if I had known her all of my life…” still looking at him I see his face turn to a happy face.

“Maybe, if it isn’t too bold, Miss Levine,” he proceeded carefully, “this move will turn out to be the best thing to happen to us since we left your aunt and uncle. Here you will be able to have what they never permitted you to have, and the one thing you continue to believe is unnecessary because of how they had you in their solemn grip. Maybe accepting this girl’s friendship will finally open your eyes to what you have been missing” he says smilingly.

I sigh and roll my eyes, but in a joking matter, and think sarcastically ‘Augh I’m surprised he didn’t say true friendship… or something. Who needs that…’ knowing that all he wants is the best for me.

He had always wanted the best for me. As he picks up the tray and leaves, I fondly remember how he had saved my life. A father figure, truly worthy of the name, father. He was the one who supported me when I had tried to get away from my aunt and uncle, not caring of the consequences.

I look down at my cup, and as the cup’s liquid swirls I am put in a daze and the images of some names come into my head, I can’t see them clearly, but I can hear voices like they are yelling for each other. Soon my head is filled with this unsettling feeling again and I close my eyes to drown it out, but it isn’t working, I begin to panic and look around for my medicine. Shaking my head and unable to see clearly I think to myself, ‘Twice in one day, ever since it’s started it has never been this bad.’ Then Saul comes in  and asks if I want more tea. All of a sudden the commotion stops, and I stop and look at him. Not wanting to worry him I quickly say yes and he walks over to re-fill my cup. As he does he asks “So, Miss Levine do you have any homework?”

I say no, and he looks at me questioningly. I look up at him and say, “Actually, that’s one thing that I wanted to talk to you about. Today was a really strange day, not only about the girl I talked to, but there’s more.” He looks at me a bit surprised and takes a seat near me like before. “I also met a boy…” I see his face intrigued and my face begins to tingle, “and I was also atta…” Clash! Before I am able to tell him the rest of my day we both turn towards the door in the direction of the sound outside. He excuses himself to check it out and before I try to even get up, he says “Please Miss Levine, I will take care of it.”

Looking back to this day, I can’t help but think and wonder what would had happened if I had gotten up with him? Maybe I could have helped him, maybe I could have done something….

But no, that was not my fate. On that day I lost the man who I loved as a father. The man who after he lost everything was there for me. Who refused to give up on me, and gave me hope to continue on. He helped me to move forward and have trust in myself. Constantly told me that I was special, and that great things would come my way.

I always thought that in a way he was full of shit, telling me lies to make me feel better, but now…. wherever he is…. I know he was right. This was the first day of the rest of my life, and it had some of the worst memories that I often wish had never happened, it was the worst day that could have ever happened to me up to that point, and it took me forever to realize it. Often I would think that if I had just realized sooner, or had called him on his cell phone, that maybe things would have been different, but no. That day I lost Saul. That night he left my room to check that noise and never came back.

 

As I walk I think about the funny idea that Jorge was somehow a hero with magical powers, and that because he had saved me before, he could have saved me again. I conclude that people like that don’t exist and that Jorge couldn’t have been the one to save me. So, if not Jorge then who?

A flashback of the orange guy comes to mind. ‘It couldn’t be him… could it? I mean technically he did save me. Maybe he’s someone who would be able to help because he’s strong and could put up a fight against a monster like Bullfrog?’

At this point I have been walking really slow, not only because of my leg but because I was in deep thought. I notice that the sun has begun to go down, I quicken my pace and I see a bus stop coming up and decide to check the times. Since there is one coming soon, I decide to sit again and wait. When I sit, I feel that my leg feels very relieved. It’s throbbing. Maybe this time I wont have a choice but to wait regardless of how long the bus takes. I need to give my leg a rest.

15 minutes pass and it is now 4:30pm, I begin to count time, ‘Let’s see, I got out of school at 2:15pm, and it is now 4:30pm. That means that in 1 hour and 15 minutes, I have only managed to walk half-way between my home… and school!?’

The bus was supposed to arrive at 4:25pm, it’s only 5 minutes late but I feel this desperation that I just can’t shake. I look around and the people seem normal. I don’t understand why I am getting this anxious over the bus being late. I feel my stomach in knots and I’m beginning to get a headache. I feel queezy, a mixture of nauseous and dizzy, but its not me. It’s like someone is causing this inside of me. I know what’s coming next.

It always happens next. As I try to use my breathing exercises to calm down, everyone, including myself, turns to the left in reaction to the noise of a car zooming down. It is going really fast and swerving between cars trying to get away or get to a place. The car passes by and almost in slow motion I see the driver. And the driver sees me. Quickly I feel relieved, and realize who it is. ‘I can’t believe that it’s him!’

He busts out a u-turn quite elegantly like he is known to be and parks the car facing traffic on the side of the street were I am. Relieved I try to get up, but I feel faint. Probably the reason he came dashing to look for me. I extend my hand and he catches it, wraps his arm around my back to give me balance and helps me into the car. I smile at him and weakly ask, “what took you so long?”

He smiles and says, “I hadn’t realized that you had forgotten your medicine Miss Levine.”

He closes the door and gets in the car, inside I see a tray with my medicine and a cup of water. I take my medicine and drink the water. My nerves immediately calm down I lean back and the car goes. I close my eyes and my  mind goes draws a blank on the events that happened today. I still manage to make a mental note that I have to tell Saul all about it. The sway of the car lulls me to sleep.

When I wake up, my eyes flutter. I am in my home, in my room laying down feeling much better. I sit up and I feel sore, like if with every move my body is ripping. I feel it most in my leg, and on my back. A little disoriented, I call for Saul. He comes in with a tray and tea and responds “Yes miss Levine?”

Groggily I ask “what day is it?” He replies, “It is 6:30 pm, the day of your first day of school, Miss Levine.”

I reach for the tea and take a sip, “Thank you Saul, what happened…?”

“Well Miss Levine, as far as I can tell by the wounds you have sustained, you were attacked by an animal, you fell unto your right hip and your left foot got hit by some type of a vehicle” he replies.

As he speaks the memories begin to come back, I put my tea cup down unto the tea plate and look up at him. His eyes full of frustrated sadness, I know what he is thinking. It’s what I was thinking too. I decide to wait, before I tell him my reasons for why we have to leave. It is a conversation that will happen when we are both ready to deal with moving again. I decide to lighten up the mood, “Well better than the first day of school last year,…” I look at him rather serious and he looks at me. Then I quite seriously raise an eyebrow and we both laugh.

 

 

I half laugh and smile at her, but as I look at her, and then connect with her eyes, I feel her face remain serious and I feel my heart flop. I stay looking at her eyes and then manage to look away and think ‘this can’t be happening.’

She very seriously replies “Yes, it is.”

I stare at her and I get that tingle down my spine, and I tell myself ‘this stuff only happens in stories, this stuff only happens in stories….’

She then laughs, and says ” you must have really had a long day if you believed me, it’s a joke…” She stops laughing when she notices that I’m not.

I look at her half relieved and half annoyed, “No, but they are really related because they have many similarities. I would argue that they seem to be referring to the same people, almost makes me believe that it actually did happened.”

Looking at the clock now, I have about a minute left, so I pick up my things and rather than continue the conversation to be polite I say, “Well, thank you for all your help.”

And I proceed to walk out. She gets up and says “Oh, yea no problem. I hope to see you again,…. under better circumstances!”

‘Nice save’ I think and I wave bye. I beat most of the crowd out of campus. Rather than go home on the school bus, I had already planned on taking the city bus, so I proceed to go to the bus stop. I check the times and the bus is running late. I take a seat and let out a huge sigh. I stretch and think to myself ‘what a long day.’ After 10 minutes the people around me get anxious and begin to complain about the bus’ tardiness. Getting annoyed myself at the people who are getting annoyed, I get up and make up my mind to just walk home.

I take out my mp3 player and listen to some music as I walk home. ‘I cant believe how this day went. It was all so crazy. There were ups and downs, and the worst part is… should I be more relieved or more scared than what I am right now after everything that happened.’

I am walking in such deep thought, then I realize that I’m looking at gravel instead of sidewalk. I continue to take another step while at the same time looking up and turning to the left and I see a car heading my way! I close my eyes and hear the honking noise so close! Immediately I think ‘I’m done for and brace myself for impact.’

But then I feel a strong…hand? Pull me back, the car manages to hit my foot as it was in the air as I was pulled back. I realize later that it didn’t hurt, but the sound it made against the car frightens me and forced out a scream from me. My eyes still closed I wait to fall to the ground because I can’t walk backwards to catch myself. But then I feel myself lean against a body that is holding me up, literally holding me up because not even my feet are touching the floor. As I am slowly put down, I regain my balance I think to myself ‘if I continue to hurt my legs I wont be able to attend the competition anymore.’

I turn around and take off my earphones to thank my savior but when I do, there is no one there. I take a few steps in the direction were there may be some hiding spots but I see nothing. There is no one. ‘Who would help me and then just run off?’ I look around to see if anyone saw the incident and there is no one around. No one on the street, no cars driving by. It’s like if for one moment I was all alone in the world. My nerves act up and I walk back to the corner where I almost got hit and as I turn I see people.

I feel relieved and think ‘Who helped me? Why didn’t I sense that someone was walking right behind me?’ As I lean against the wall and try to calm myself I bring my hand up to my mouth. ‘I’ve always had a good sense of my surrounding. The last time,… it was Bullfrog…. When I actually felt someone watching me earlier today, it was Bullfrog… and when I didn’t sense anything,… that’s when I heard that music and I was, healed. Who would protect me? Why would anyone want to protect me?’

I get off the wall, begin to walk and put my earphones back in. ‘The only person who had been helpful to me, was Jorge…. maybe Jorge saved me again? Maybe he has healing powers and healed me.’ I let out a huge “Pssshhht! HA! Maybe it makes sense since he did say he wanted to get to know me! Hahahaha, but…through notes? Like what is that all about!? Hahahah…”

‘Maybe he’s just really, really shy? Even so, if  he saved me again, he would have stayed and waited to see if I was ok.’

 

 

 

 

I begin to unfold it, when I notice that the nurse is leaning closer and closer. I suppose the curiosity was getting to her. I look up at her, and she looks down to me. She realizes what she is doing and says “Oops, I’m sorry.”

I respond ” It’s ok.” She walks away and I unfold the letter.

Hello, Magenta L.

I figured out your name when I had to look for your id. Sorry I didn’t help you when you fell, you rolled out of nowhere, I wasn’t even sure how you managed to fall.

*Stops reading the letter, blushes and thinks ‘Oh damn, I must have given the impression of being a total klutz’ face-palms herself. Continues to read.

I am really infatuated by you and I have an odd request, I would like to get to know you…However I can’t directly. So I spoke to the nurse and she agreed to be our little bird so that we may talk to each other via notes.

Hope to hear from you soon, Jorge B.

PS. (Yes I finally found out your name, since I had to get your id from your backpack to give to the nurse)

I fold the paper back and just sit there in shock. No boy had ever given me a note that said he liked me. No boy had ever really payed attention to me. And now, all of this was happening to me. Love. Well the possibility of love. He was cute and it’s true that I felt my heart yearn to leap for him. But I don’t know him. It’s my first day I know nothing of the clicks or of where I belong. I haven’t even met all of my teachers yet.

Then I stop, catching myself. Wait so, I’m thinking of staying here? after everything that happened? Just for that boy?

I look up at the clock and realize the time. It’s 30 minutes before the end of the last class of the day. I turn myself to get off the bed, look around for my things, spot them and get out of bed. I stand and wobble, balance myself out, and begin to walk as normally as possible. I make it through the hall and I don’t see the nurse. I continue to walk and hear a “Woah, what are you doing?”

I turn to my side and see the nurse. I reply, “I’m going back to class since I’m awake now. I can still make the last 30 minutes”. Checking the clock on the wall.

She walks towards me and says “Look I know you had a long day, the bruises I examined show it. And if that boy had anything to do with them then I advise you to stay away from him”, she says to me worriedly.

“No! No, it’s not like that at all. Today is my first day of school and I met him this morning. He has been helping me out all day today” I reply.

She says “Well, that would explain why I couldn’t find you in our system. We actually had about 10 students who all started today, its the damnedest thing actually.”

I look at her, a bit surprisingly since she cursed, and a bit confused as to why she would tell me this information. Then she continues “So, you might as well just stay here and rest. There really is no point of you going back to class with that leg and then have to come back this way to go home.”

I ask her, “Is that really ok? Shouldn’t you be more strict and send me anyway?” She replies with “Meh, anyways follow me”.

She leads me to her office and takes a seat, and offers me a seat as well. I sit down and look around. I see many certificates, pictures, and posters. Then I look at her and she is already looking at me. Her eyes make me nervous.

I ask her ” So, Nurse…. I’m sorry I didn’t quite get your name. Do I just call you nurse?”

Whatever deep thought she was in she snaps out of it and looks at me, smiles and says “Nurse Sherry, My full name is Sherrin, but my friends call me Sherry. Like cherry, but with a sh sound rather than a ch sound”.

I look at her with a face that looks like I’m saying seriously and say “Ok, so nurse Sherry. Ummmm, what do you do for fun outside of working here?”

“Huh, no one’s ever asked me that before…. hmmm let me think” she says. At first I wait with anticipation and then after a minute or two I sit back and wait.

Then she yells “I got it!” I prop up. “When I’m not here I like to learn as much as I can about old legends.”

“Oh really? That sounds really interesting. What’s the most interesting legend you have come across?” I ask.

“Oh there are so many, but I would narrow it down to two legends.”

“Why two?” I ask.

“Because they both deal with you Magenta” she replies.

It’s my mom setting up the table! Before I get a chance to run to her and hug her, I hear “Yum, smells delicious! You outdid yourself dear”.

I turn to that voice and it’s my dad! Holding my baby brother. I begin to cry and my parents ask “What’s wrong honey?”

I mutter through my tears “I missed you all so much”.

They both look at each other and chuckle and my brother coos. My mom replies “Oh, honey you were only outside for 5 minutes” she smiles her sweet smile and continues “Did you find all the fire wood you need for the bonfire so that we can make s’mores?”

Instinctively I say yes, and then I begin to remember more. “Actually mom, can we do it in the fire pit inside? All of the sticks are kinda wet” I ask, and dad replies “that actually sounds much better hun, that way the house is warm for my cousin and his wife”.

For a moment I feel relieved and I smile and eat. Then the lights flicker and a storm hits outside. I look out the window and see a lightning strike a tree nearby. Fascinated by it I get my coat and go outside. It’s raining, but not pouring. As I make my way to the fire, I feel as if it is calling out to me, so I run to the fire and when I get there I am mesmerized by it. It’s as if it wants me to touch it. I reach out my hand and it’s almost as if I can hold it in my hand. A little heartbeat.

Then I hear my father calling for me. I turn around and face towards the cabin and lighting hits it. I see fire and smoke coming from the direction of the cabin. I walk to the cabin. Then I hear mom scream at dad to go get the baby. Then I start to run to the cabin and i see through the open front door that she goes to get the fire extinguisher but it’s stuck. I begin to run and yell mommy! Daddy! Another bolt hits and the cabin blows. The force of the explosion pushes me back and I fall. I open my eyes and all I see are chars.

I call out for mom. No answer.

I call out for dad. No answer.

I call out for my brother. No baby noises. I look around flames are still up.

Then I hear a voice calling my name. I turn around and yell “Mom?”

It’s not my mom. It’s my aunt and uncle. I blank out and then there are ambulances and helicopters. I remember my uncle talking to the police. My aunt talking to a medic. I am just sitting there and in that chaos I hear, “nuuuuaaaaa” very faintly.

I look up and try to see where that noise is coming from. I get up and walk around. Then my aunt comes to me and asks ” Is everything ok?”

“I heard Damian, aunty”. I keep looking around and then my uncle comes over. He says something to my aunt. Then he asks me “What are you doing?”

“I heard Damian, uncle”. I look up at them. They look at each other. Then look back down at me.

“I’m sorry Magenta. But you couldn’t have heard your brother. Or your mother. Or your dad. They are all gone”. I begin to whimper and say “but I heard him, I did”.

“Don’t start crying over spilled milk Magenta, they are in a better place now. Be happy that they get to be in heaven” Aunty says. I obey. I had always obeyed and they treated me so…

With tears in my eyes, I close them and then wake up in a bed, the walls a pale blue. I sit up and I see a tear fall unto my skirt. I wipe away my tears and think to myself. It’s been so long since I had that dream. I bring my knees in to my chest even though it hurts. I hold myself. I sit there and think in disbelief that it has 10 years since the death of my family. I take a deep breath and think they left me alone with those people, i snap out of it and tell myself that I am no longer with them, I wont let this get me down, I need to be happy for them. I look around and that’s when it hits me that the guy isn’t anywhere.

Then I hear “Glad to see that you are up”.

I turn my head and I see the nurse. “What happened?” I ask.

“Well, I sent the young man who carried you back to his classroom. He insisted that he stay here until you woke up, but seeing how asleep you were and in what condition you were in i wasn’t sure when that would be. Oh! and before he left, he told me to give this to you”. She hands me a letter. Blushingly  I take it.