This is just a story that popped into my head today. This is a really really rough draft. Have fun!
Chapter 1-The Beginning
Broken-that is what I thought. A verb that described my state of mind- broken. I can't touch anyone or anything unless I wanted to wake up on the floor with horde of eyes on me with disgust or pity. I couldn't help it that every time I touched something a surge of images in disarray like watching a movie that is played out of order and rapidly invaded my mind that causes my whole body to seize up and basically go into seizure. My parents has spent a lot of money on seeing psychiatrists, specialized doctors, and brain surgeons to find out what was wrong with me. Name any medication for the crazys and I have tried it from amphetamines to even THC. I was even sent to a mental institute. That was the worst, but it helped me understand how I could pass as so-called 'normal.' Now I am just your average teenager with a large list of phobias- haphephobia, mysophobia, scopophobia, claustrophobia, and agoraphobia. Thanks to my phase in the mental institute, they passed me as being able to cope well with society and not be in any danger of harming others or myself and my parents sighed with relief and let me come back home.
To anyone who sees me, I am just a weird freak who always wears long sleeves shirts, pants, and leather gloves despite the weather outside. My long black hair is always up in a ponytail, so that I can always be quick to get out of someone's way to avoid touching them. Thanks to my ethnicity and genes I have a slight tan year round and an athletic built. Despite the horrible rocky past that I have had which my parents and I only knew. My siblings were told I had gone to summer camp. I made it to my eighteen year and was about to graduate from high school. I did make few friends, somehow they are able to look past my phobias and defended me whenever someone tried to make a comment about it. And I resumed a so called 'normal' life of today's American standards.
I realized at the age of 6 that what I saw was the past present and future at once. You know that theory of everything is happening simultaneously-its true. Your past, future are happening at the same time- its just your brain keeps everything in a time frame aka the present or else the average Joe out there would totally go bonkers. I did go bonkers as a 6 year old as the images of the beginning and end of your family's lives. It was quite frightening to hear your child ask questions about past friends and or future events that were yet to come. Remember 9/11. I had ran into someone who had worked there and saw his inevitable death there. I had told my parents but they didn't me believe me thinking it was just my imagination. and from the mental institute that frightened the hell out of me, but thanks to a 'guardian angel' I had met when I ran away from the institute. Broken but patched together, I resumed life.
"Elisha, make sure you take your medications," reminded my mother as she got my younger brother and 2 older siblings their lunches. I rolled my eyes at her, but obeyed as I took about 13 pills into my mouth. It was our routine. She hugged me then asked me to show her my mouth to make sure I swallowed all of them. As she touched my face, I kept my face neutral as the images of her life flashed before me. I smiled on reflex and walked outside once she was done touching my face. I would wait outside for everyone and discreetly take the pills out of my sleeves and toss them in the trash in a tampon box. I avoided the medications like the plague as it made those images run rampant even without touching things or people. I got used to the images as I grew older. There were some that were shocking, but that was rare. I was a clean freak as I always washed everything that was bought, and always brought a sanitized wipe to clean before I touched them even with my gloves. My older siblings used to tease me as they brought a dirty glove or item to me. I would burst out in tears as they forced the items in my hand. But I learned that if I did not give them any reaction they eventually got bored and moved on.
Today was any ordinary day except my sister played her typical prank on me and and had stolen my gloves. I sighed and reached for my backpack where I stored an extra pair of gloves but they were gone. I sighed. I guess it would be okay since I had another in my locker. I glared at her as she walked by to get into the car. She smirked as she saw me gloveless. As her twin, our brother ignored me as he got in the driver side and drove off to the college campus. She and I always butted heads it didn't help that my parents always focused on me because of my 'illness'. My younger brother smiled at me as he walked by and got in the back of the our mom's car. And I got into the front seat passenger.
I got to my locker with no incidents. I quickly opened my locker and searched my gloves. They weren't there. A small bubble of panic rose. I had forgotten that I had taken them home to get washed. My sister had sabotaged them and cut off the tips of them.
'Good morning Elisha' said my good friend, Mia. Her golden blonde curly hair bounced as she animately told me about her weekend. I quickly slipped my hands into my sleeves and placed a smile on my face as I grabbed my books and turned to face her. In the corner of my eye, I saw Ethan. My heart fluttered. He saw me and waved his friends good bye as he made his way towards Mia and I. 'Hey Elisha, Mia," he said as he smiled at us. I kept my face neutral as he charmingly asked, "how are my two favorite girls doing this lovely Monday morning?' He noticed my hands and one of his eyebrows went up, "No gloves today?"
I shrugged and nonchalantly said, "testing my phobia."
Mia looked at me and asked 'do you want to see if I can grab some gloves from the lab?"
"That would be awesome," I replied as I kept my voice steady. I have not touched any of them despite the us being good friends. I did not want to see their past or future.
Ethan looked at me inquisitively, but didn't say anything. He grabbed my shoulder and guided me to our class. 'See ya Mia, have fun in your 11th grade science class. Elis and I better get to our Calculus class," he said jokingly at Mia, ' I will take care of our Elis until you get her gloves."
I shrugged him off as I could feel Mia's gaze on us. Mia had the biggest crush on Ethan, since sophomore year. After our freshmen summer break Ethan had an amazing transformation from your awkward nerdy boy to a heartthrob. Working at his Uncle's farm did wonders to his image and confidence. He was still our sweet Nerdy Ethan who was now part of the popular clique.
The classroom was in an unusual buzz. At my desk there was a crowd of people. I heard a deep hearthy laugh. I looked through the crowd and saw why everyone was a buzz. Another heartthrob had entered in our school. Ethan walked ahead of me and cleared his throat, the crowd stared at me as they saw me behind Ethan. The new guy and Ethan were both polar opposite in their looks and their aura. Ethan was like a soft gentle puppy where the new guy was a roaring lion. Ethan's hair was a golden brown hair with hazel brown eyes, where as Liam was tousled black hair framed with bright gray eyes. I started to blush as Ethan asked politely if they would move from my part of desk. Everyone dispersed to their seats as the teacher walked in. He smiled at me sweetly as I quickly sat down with my head down. He lightly touched my shoulders reassuringly as he went to his seat a few rows behind me. I felt quite conscious as I kept my hands in my sleeves. I avoided looking to my right side to the new guy.
I could feel his stare. 'Hey, name is Liam. What is yours?," he whispered with an Australian accent into my ear. I literally jumped as I covered my ear, which in turn caused one of my rings to hit his lips, splitting the corner open. I blushed even more as the the teacher stopped roll call and everyone turned to look at me. 'Ouch' he said as he brought his hands to his lips.
In horror I apologized as I saw the blood weld up on his lips. I grabbed on of my tissues in my purse and gave it to him. Our teacher walked back and inspected his lips and directed him to go the nurses office and I was to accompany him.
I was shaken as I walked him down to the nurse. Ethan had volunteered but the teacher insisted that I went. As we were about to walk out the door. One of the girls grabbed Liam's backpack and handed it to me. I openly flinched. She looked at me offended, but shrugged it off as she smiled sweetly at Liam how thanked her through the wad of tissues. Ethan looked at me with concern as I walked out of the class with Liam.
As we walked to the nurses office. Liam grabbed for his backpack saying he could carry it. As he reached for it his hand brushed against mine and I instinctively jumped away causing myself to lose balance. With wonderful reflex he caught me. I closed my eyes tightly and held my breath as I prepared to see his past and future. There was none. 'Are you okay,' he asked, as "you are one strange girl." He propped me up. I opened my eyes with shock.
Here was a person who did not have a past or present. I was flabbergasted. I scrambled out of his arms. "Elis!" Shouted Ethan as he can running towards us, "are you okay?' as he tentatively inspected me. I answered, 'I am fine.' As he protectively placed his around my shoulders shielding me from Liam.
Liam looked at the both of us. 'Well, seems like we have an entourage to the nurses office.'
We made our way to the nurses office when out of no where I felt an overwhelming pressure in my mind as if something was trying to get into it, but my mind was resisting. I fell down to my knees clutching my head as the pain became unbearable. I felt someone pick me up. I heard Liam snap at Ethan to stop or do something. I felt a cool hand in my mind soothing my pain as the pressure intensified release. "Stay with me Elisha. Relax,' whispered a voice in my head as it continued to relieve the pressure. I lost consciousness.
I was in a field of sunflowers. The sun was a nice glow as it was setting. I saw Ethan in the distance. I ran to him as I got closer, I saw that he was clutching his side when he saw me he said to me, 'Don't come near me. I warn you Elisha no matter how much you love me. Don't you dare touch me." I realized then that the sunflowers was streaked with blood. His blood. He looked behind him, and yelled at me, "Run! Elish, run! Go back!" He pushed me back with a force. I felt my mind being pushed as if I was in movie and was pushed out the other side of the screen. Now I was standing in front of the television watching a grotesque chimera beast oozing of putrid smell of decay. Rapidly approaching Ethan. Ethan turned to face the beast. I banged frantically at the wall that separated me and the scene. I watched as Ethan tried to distract the beast from me. My stomach dropped. The beast turned first to Ethan and as if he caught a wind of something he turned to me. It lunged at me. I could almost feel its sharp teeth sinking into my skin and the decay smell overwhelmed. I screamed and awoke to a white tiled popcorn ceiling and a quiet humming of an array of machines. I felt pain in my arm and saw an IV. Panic arose from me as flashes of the past and the future infiltrated my mind. I felt the pain of each patient that had gone past the room. Immediately everything stopped as if someone hit pause. And I felt the same cool pressure from before I lost consciousness. After a few minutes I opened my eyes and the room was dimly lit. As my eyes adjusted I saw both Liam and Ethan passed out in the chairs.
