By The Grace Of God - Prologue

     My name is Grace.  As in 'grace of God.' I know it's a weird origin for a teenage girl's name, but I'm not really a teenage girl, so it doesn't matter.  Well - okay, I look, and sometimes, according to my father, act like a teenage girl, but I promise you I'm anything but.  Lemme explain. . .

     You know the old myths, of the Grecian and Roman gods?  Half of them were about the almighty heroes - you know, children of the gods and the mortals they bewitched.  That's kind of what my background is, except I watched the Grecian and Roman gods come and go.  My dad hasn't ever really been considered a god, and there aren't any stories of his children, because, as far as I know, I'm the only one.  That's pretty much all of my own history that I know.  I have no memory of my mother at all.  I can't even really say how I came into being.  I just know that he met my mother in the earliest age.  He tells me that she was the most beautiful woman ever to live - the only woman he'd ever loved, in any time.  I don't think he has ever forgiven himself, through.  He wasn't ever meant to find love - it's not that he isn't capable; it's just not very practical.  His job makes it too painful for him.  After what happened to my mother, he swore he wouldn't ever love again.

     I don't blame him at all.  Despite his power, he cannot fight nature.  He made it as easy as he could for her.  According to his story it was fast, and painless - she gave in to her old age in her sleep, and he walked her to the next life clutching her hand every step of the way.  I was her last gift to him - something for him to remember her by, I guess.  He brought me back, not knowing what to expect.  I like to think that that is where my name really came from - that I was the one grace God allowed him - but I'm almost positive that it was because we are the last grace God gave to the human race.  He'd taken children before, shown them the way to the other side multiple times, but he'd never had to raise one - and he didn't know if I'd be more like her, or him.  After the first 50 years, it was pretty apparent that I would grow into his powers, and that, once I learned to control them I'd be just like him.  That was when he decided that he would train me to take his place in the family business.

     All I want is to make him proud.  Once I agreed to learn from him, I took the same loveless vow.  I've worked myself as hard as I could, and I feel like I'm ready - he just insists that there is more for me to learn.  How much do you have to learn, though, when the reaping of souls is your occupation - especially when Death himself is your father? 

Snatched Away - Prologue

It was all completely innocent, I swear.
All I did was notice the chain because it looked cool, I didn't even know the pendant was attached when I first picked it up - much less what it really was, okay? All it was, then, was a thick golden chain I found on my way into the interview for my first job. If I knew what it was, I would have left it there - wait, no, I wouldn- I don't know what I would have done, but I definitely would have been a lot more careful, honest.
I saw it out of the corner of my eye, and meant to keep walking without even pausing, but it called to me. It wasn't like a "Hey! Come here!" but as I turned away from it there was a tug in the pit of my stomach, like my breakfast hadn't agreed with me. Somehow, I knew it came from the chain, so I bent down and picked it up, shoving it into my pocket as I pushed into the HR building.
I didn't even notice the pendant until I got home three hours later. I put my hand in my pocket, having completely forgotten about the chain, and received a kind of electric tingling that shot up my arm, rattling my whole body until it came to a painful stop at my heart, practically electrocuting me. I screamed in shock, standing in silence for a full minute as the shock wore off. Hesitantly, my fingers felt the warm chain. I pulled it out and there it was, swinging innocently, like it had been there all along: a perfect wooden circle, strapped to the golden chain with thin straps of leather.
I fingered it and felt the same tingling that this time stayed in my hand. It is was, and still is, smooth and thick; it would be extremely hard to break if I ever had the urge. Satisfied, I slipped the chain over my head, and I was instantly warmer. It was like a warm coal with a soft glow had been planted in my stomach, just with this insignificant wooden circle.
Ha. Insignificant, see?
I told you - it was completely innocent.

Knowledge is Power - Prologue (rewrite)

Signs of a Knower are easy enough to pick out. When the gift kicks in, you find yourself answering any question that reaches your ears, whether you knew the answer previously or not. Unlimited knowledge was yours - until the Elite came for you, that is.
No one knew what they did to the people they took, the only thing they could do was hope that they would see them again - not everyone showed up on the council. People prayed, hoped, even begged to see their dearly departed, until the seven weeks had passed. That was when the mourning began, because then you knew they were gone for good.
It wasn't like this was something rare, either. People disappeared every week, I can't think of anyone who hadn't been effected by their rule. Tears were so regular now that you were lucky to be comforted. I never knew my father. All my mother could ever bring herself to tell me was that the Elite came to the hospital, as I was being born. They walked in, dragged him out, and left. I was kicking ans screaming minutes later.
I will always remember the day my sister was taken. My world seemed like it was going to implode, because my parents were never really there for me - my sister was. I relied on her to keep my head on straight; she had the answers for everything.
I love my mother, but a boy without a father is as lost as a child in a war zone. My hatred of the Council of the Known took deep and immediate root from the beginning. Anyone who feels like it's their right to devour the lives of innocent people deserves to pay the ultimate price. I'd had this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach that I was the one to make them pay, but they knew everything. What could a kid like me do?
Before long I stopped crying. I realized that there was no point, all I wanted to know was what happened to her. Over time, I didn't think about it as much, I mean, the memory of her being dragged away would hit me every now and then, but I did my best to ignore it. It happened and there was nothing I could do about it. Eventually, though, I couldn't think that way anymore. I couldn't just stand back and do nothing any longer.
I had three friends. I didn't talk to anyone else. I didn't dare make another connection that could be obliterated with a mere thought. That was before I met Cera, though. She practically forced her way into my life, and totally changed the my perspective in the process. Before I knew it, we were in the middle of a war; quite literally, on the front lines.
I had no idea what to do, until the day I met Braken. He was just as lost and confused as I was, but the way we just came together was meant to be. A quick plan, and a couple rather rash, snide comments later, we - that is to say 'I,' at least - were in way over our heads; leading a rebellion and leaving our lives behind us. We reached that point and decided that we should catalogue our story, just in case.
Cera and I had no idea if we'd see the whole thing through to the end. We wanted our thoughts and experiences written down, hard copy, so that others would be able to learn from our mistakes and duplicate our successes. Hopefully it helps.

Untitled (thus far) - Chapter 3

I snuck out the side doors, glancing over my shoulder as I ran across the field. I really didn't need to be caught by an administrator and have to explain about how I'd just made my teacher's Diet Coke explode. No, I thought, you didn't make it explode. The can just decided to burst . . . after dancing across the table. Yeah.
You are so full of it, said the obnoxious voice in my head. What if Destin was right?
I shook my head, hoping to rattle the voice into nonexistence, but only really succeeded in making myself dizzy. I sat down on the grass, and gasped aloud when I realized where I was. While thinking, my feet had just traveled of their own accord, walking the familiar path to the park. What I hadn't been expecting was ending up on the bank of a small, but full, creek. I knew that the creek was in the park, but I usually came here to walk and think, which didn't work so well while I was near the water. I got up to return to my well beaten path and stopped dead as a voice echoed through my head.
No, wait, it said.
Normally, I would have told my sarcastic little voice to shut it, but this wasn't my voice. It had been calm, and clear, and it definitely didn't sound like me. It was more like a vast lake, quiet and powerful.
Oh crud, I thought.
Against my better judgement, I sat back down on the bank. I slid my shoes off to dangle my feet in the water as I had many times before.
What do you want? I asked, rather harshly.
As though responding to my thoughts, the usually calm creek began to bubble. Needless to say, I panicked. I'm pretty sure I screamed and tried to get back to the road using my hands, my eyes never leaving the water. I stopped to watch in awe as one of the bubbles grew up, staying connected to the creek, but gaining about five feet of height. The rest of the water seemed to flow to it, making it wider, giving this bubble shape. I'm pretty sure my chin dropped to my chest as a woman, made of water, stepped onto the bank. Tall and as graceful as ever, she seemed to glide as her feet brought her closer and closer to me - until I was sitting in what would have been her shadow, if she were solid.
Hesitantly, I looked up. Though her form was as clear as the water it just sprang from, you could see how currents inside her made clothes - a loose fitting, almost Greek, wrap hung from one of her shoulders and fell to her feet, a thin strip of some kind of water plant tied the . . . aqua-cloth around her waist and it fell from there to her ankles, her feet were bare. I chanced a look at her face - it was glaring down at me, and though the anger emanating from her eyes seemed to be burning my heart, I couldn't help but notice how pretty her face was. Smooth as ever, her heart shaped face was perfectly proportioned - smallish nose centered between her two clear eyes. Her, I guess I could still call it hair, was long and wavy. It fell to her shoulders, and probably would have gone a little farther if it weren't for the golden circlet around her forehead.
"I will not tolerate that tone," she ordered and I knew it had been her voice in my head.
I wish I could have come up with some sarcastic retort like 'well, what were you doing in my head?' but I couldn't make myself talk.
"Well?" she asked harshly. "I know you have a voice."
"I'm, um, sorry - uh, miss. . . ?" I asked.
Her features softened, "That's better, though I prefer Lady."
Lady, okay . . . I thought, digging deep to find my voice. "I'm sorry - milady - but I have no idea who, or - no offense - what you are."
Her laugh echoed in my head, sounding like a trickling creek and a pounding waterfall all in one. "I'm Nereida, Lady of the Water."
"Wait, Destin was telling the truth?" I asked.
"Yes, he was."
"But, I'm not made of water," I said in a panic. "I have a mom and dad - I'm their kid."
"That is not so," she replied calmly, stretching her hand out to me.
I reached forward tentatively, half expecting my hand to slide through hers, but her hand felt like skin. She pulled me to my feet and gestured back to the creek.
"Come and your questions will be answered."
I followed, more afraid of offending her than anything else.
"Lady, why did you appear to me?" I asked, losing my voice for a moment as she stepped into the creek. Her feet met the water and dissipated until the end of her robe was level with the creek, she seemed to glide across the top of the water. I followed, not anywhere near as gracefully, trying to keep my balance on the slippery rocks at the bottom of the riverbed. "Destin said he'd been alone until - whatever happened to me."
"All will be explained, though I must start at the beginning," she said patiently. "In the beginning of time there were two beings, Kayvan and Shivani. As husband and wife, they had four children: Astraeus, Aithne, Vane, and me. Our family is this earth you know: Kayvan over being and our mother Shivani over life and death. My brothers Astraeus and Vane were given the solid earth and ever changing skies. My sister, Aithne, was given the living flame and I the cool waters. We balanced each other perfectly - no one being had more power than another.
That is, until Astraeus decided that he should be at the head of our council - that we should have to report to and obey him. He created the first humans from his own substance. His children had access to all of our territories, and quickly claimed each as their own. Claiming their land as his, Astraeus gained power over the rest of us. War ensued - my brother, sister, and I prevailed; we destroyed every one of our brother's pure children, though we'd grown fond of the human race.
Our father, Kayvan, suggested the solution and with our mother's help we recreated the human race. Every individual is made up of the four elements: Earth for soul, Air for spirit, Water for life force, and Fire for passion. Our father claimed their souls, since he gave them being, my mother their lives, because she gave them blood. My siblings and I each have claim to a fourth of the human population. Those that we've claimed have the ability to control their patron element, though they rarely fulfill their true potential. As part of the compromise, we were all forbidden to create pure children of our own.
This world then experienced an unprecedented 6 millennia of peace - and then the human race became corrupt. For ten years we watched the people you count yourself among destroy the world - wondering where their corruption came from. Finally, a more learned child of my sister, Aithne, felt our father's presence in his mind. We found our father to be the source of the corruption - tainting the human race with his thoughts. My mother faded in shame - unwilling to accept the crimes her defamed husband had committed - leaving her claims on humanity to us, her children. With the power bestowed upon us, my siblings and I imprisoned our father in a state of nonbeing, where his thoughts could no longer reach the race of man - balance was restored once again.
In council, my siblings and I were delegated responsibilities, in order to prevent more bloodshed. Astraeus is to keep his eye on the human race, Vane watches the winds, Aithne listens to the forgotten ashes and I rely on the most sensitive currents to know the true balance."
"Lady," I asked, "you said you weren't allowed to contact your claimed humans. Why have you appeared to me?"
"The past ten years of peace have lulled my siblings into a false sense of security. Being more attuned to the balance than my siblings, I have felt the subtle changes of recent years. I created you as a precaution when my siblings refused to heed my warnings."
"Wait, you created me?" I asked. "I thought you'd just claimed me."
"That is what it must appear as to my siblings, for if they learn of your existence, war will ravage this world yet again. You are a pure child of water."
"What?"
"You are made up of the same water that is in me," she said. "None of the other elements pollute your being."
"You're telling me that I'm not human?" I asked, my breath catching in my lungs.
She simply nodded.
"And you're telling me that it's my purpose in life to figure out why the so called 'balance is tilting?"
She nodded again.
"And stop it from tilting?"
She smiled, "You're right."
"Am I ever going to wake up from this?"
"I do not understand," Nereida said, confusion rippling throughout her features.
"Is this really happening?"
"I have told you nothing but the truth."
I paused, trying to let the new information sink in. I let the information fall through me, and a disconcerting thought struck me.
"What about my parents? Are they still alive?"
"Your human parents, Tia and Jansen, were charged with your protection - though they know nothing of what you really are. They adopted you into their family because of the promptings I put in their heads. You are my child."
"You're my mom?" I asked, stunned.
"The original water that is your life force came from me," she affirmed. "You are the first pure child to be born of an elemental since the first children of Astraeus."
"Pure elemental?"
"Yes," she said.
"But I have skin, and blood and bones," I said, desperate to cling to some kind of reality.
"True as that may be, your essence is water," she replied. "Your skin, blood, and bones are made up of water, where as your human friends have cells and all of that nonsense. You take this form because it is what's natural to you - the water reacts to you rather than just following your orders. If you wished to appear as I do, you could with a mere thought."
I fought the impulse to try - what if I couldn't make it back?
"Is that why the soda and the IV exploded when I got angry?"
She nodded and another uncomfortable thought hit me.
"You said that the elementals weren't allowed to have pure children," I said. "So what will your siblings, my aunt and uncles, do when they learn of my existence?"
Her pretty face clouded over. "They will not take the news well. A terrible war would ensue - they must never realize your true identity."
Though I had just learned of elementals, this thought terrified me.
"You're telling me I'm most likely going to start and have to fight in a war?" I was barely able to whisper. "How am I supposed to restore the balance when I may very well be the one throwing it off? I don't know enough about your - I guess I mean our - world to even think about where to begin."
"You will learn. Listen to the currents, their strong and unbiased reasoning is often the most sound counsel I can receive. You must do this alone, for I have my own responsibilities to fulfill while-" she replied, breaking off mid sentence, though it sounded like she had something more to say. "My siblings have noticed my absence. Our time together must be cut short."
"You're kidding, right?"
"Lira Anne Kay, I hereby charge you with the obligation to render the plans - whatever they may be - impossible. You will capture the orchestrator and bring him to us - alive. I hope you realize this quest as an opportunity to test your strength and come to terms with the world in which you belong. The fate of this earth could very well be in your hands."
She melted back into the creek with a small plink, leaving me up to my knees in freezing cold water, confused as ever. I raked my brain, trying to think of what to do. How am I supposed to figure out what is going on with the world when I had barely figured out the lore? I just barely found out I'm not human and my mother - who is seriously lacking in the human department, also - expects me to save the world. I didn't even know where to begin - I was completely alone. In the distance the bell rang for school to end and an idea hit me.
I took off running toward the school, praying I'd make it to the front door before he left. I leaped up the stairs and let myself fall into the shadows. I closed my eyes and concentrated on being invisible - a strange rushing feeling cascaded through my body and I opened my eyes, gasping as I looked down to see the change. My body was completely clear - the only way I'd be visible would be if the light hit me at just the right angle. I focused my attention on the crowds pushing their way through the doors, scanning their faces for Destin. He would be helping me whether he liked it or not. His anxious face surfaced, searching for something. Boy was he in for a surprise.
My only thought was to reach him, so I charged forward, not caring about the wake of falling people I left behind me, and grabbed his backpack. Yanking hard, I took off toward the park, dragging him along. I must admit his reaction was pretty priceless. His form flailed behind me, screaming bloody murder as an unseen force dragged him away from the general human population. If I weren't so confused, it would have been hysterical. Once we were far enough away, I shouted to be heard over his scream.
"Destin, shut up. Stop screaming or you're going to make a spectacle."
"Lira Anne?" his voice lost almost all of it's volume.
"Who else would it be?"
"How come I can't see you?" he asked, much calmer now that he had identified his problem.
"Let's just say that some weird stuff happened and I believe you about my moth- I mean, Lady Nereida."
"Are you going to explain any of this or do I just get to chill back here while you strangle me with my own shirt?" he asked.
"Just a bit further," I said, pulling him across the bridge and to the part of the bank where Nereida had appeared to me.
I dropped his collar and he fell to the ground massaging his neck. He looked around confused.
"Lira Anne?" he asked. "Are you still here?"
"Yes," I said, concentrating on my human - well, solid - form so that he would be able to see me. "I need your help."

Untitled (thus far) - Chapter 2

"Really?" I asked, finally finding my voice. "You got knocked in the nose too?"
"No, I was at the beach in California," he said. "Your basic family vacation and, being me, I was out in the water. A powerful wave pulled me under, and I blacked out before I resurfaced. When I woke up a day and a half later the hospital was in an uproar. All the doctors swore I had been dead only minutes ago, my mom burst into tears, and most of the nurses passed out. Once everyone got their heads on, they rushed me to do x-rays and found my lungs completely empty. They tried to keep me so that they could study me - I was a medical miracle. That's when the sink in the room exploded. Finally, one of the doctors had some sense and realized there were other patients that needed their attention. He told me to go home and I booked it out of there."
"A day and a half?" I asked. "No wonder they thought you were dead."
"Think about it, Lira Anne," he said. "How long were you out?"
"A day and a - and a half," I said, stunned.
"That's how long it takes for Nereida to claim us," he explained.
"Claim us?"
"Talk the higher beings into letting us live," he said. "She claims us as her children because she has to fight for each and every one of our souls. After that day and a half we're hers - body and spirit."
"How does that even work?" I asked. "I'm Lira Anne Kay. My parents are Tia and Jansen Kay. How can I be her child?"
"I don't exactly understand it," he said - I flashed back to the annoying doctors. "I've just been figuring this out by myself."
"But you said she told you to go to the pool party. Hasn't she filled you in at all?"
"I heard her voice in my head," he said simply. "It was calm and clear, like a vast smooth lake. I was thinking about the party and it just said, 'Go, you'll see her there. You'll be alone no longer.' I had no idea who she was talking about until I got there and saw you in the water. I knew it was you because of how the water just responded aware. . .of the water. Like I'm connected to it."
"Okay," I said. "Well then who is this Nereida lady? You say her name like I should already know her."
"Lady Nereida," he said. "Lady. Don't forget the title or things could get messy. How much do you know about mythology?"
"Not much," I admitted.
"Lady Nereida is a water elemental," he said. He must have seen how confused I was because he just kept explaining. "Elementals are spirit that inhabit the elements - Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. They're made up of them and can bend them to their will. Lady Nereida is kind of the most powerful water elemental there has been, ever. Since she is our life force it would definitely be best to refer to her as Lady. The spirits can make you life miserable if you annoy them in just the right way."
I looked up and saw that we were knack to the front of the school. I didn't want to be rude, but Destin was really freaking me out - I don't even know how he made his story seem so plausible. I was suddenly asking myself why I was walking with this kid. I remembered my first conclusion: he's crazy.
"Okay, well, thank you, Destin," I said, "but I've really got to get going."
"You don't believe me," he said.
"Lira Anne," he said desperately, "you've got to believe me! I'm not crazy, I promise. I tried to convince myself I was, but there is another explanation."
"I'm sure it would have worked for you," I said, really just fighting to get away and back to the sane world. "I've heard enough crazy explanations for the day though, thanks."
"Lira Anne," I heard his desperate voice mutter behind me. It sounded like a trickling creek forcing its way up a small hill.
Stop it, I told myself. No more thinking about water. That Destin kid is crazy, okay?
He's not the one talking to himself, said that stupid, snide, little voice in my head. I told it to shut up and ran for the cafeteria, determined to make an appearance as a living soul before class began again. I made my way through the thick crowd, and turned into the hallway right off the main cafeteria. There wasn't even a door or anything but the noise level dropped about ten decibels as soon as I did. I walked a couple more feet and turned as if I was headed into one of the English classrooms. The wall indented so that students could get to the classes, and it was just wide enough for me and my friends to sit and enjoy each other's company - without having to yell to have a conversation.
They were in the middle of a pretty urgent one when I arrived, though.
"We've gotta go visit her, as soon as school gets out," Kayla said.
"Yeah, I can't believe that happened you guys," Trevon replied, seeming extremely downcast.
"It's just Lira Anne's luck," muttered Kyle, and I knew they were discussing my accident.
"What's just my luck?" I asked, sitting down between Kayla and Kyle.
"What are you doing here?" Kayla asked, pretty harshly.
"Um, sitting down for lunch," I said slowly; almost offended. "I can leave if you want me too. . ."
"My mom told me you were in CRITICAL condition!" she cried. "What the heck are you doing here?"
"There wasn't anything wrong with me," I said. "The guy just knocked me out."
"Lira Anne," said Kyle slowly, "you were out for a day and a half."
This just reminded me about that Destin had said. "Yeah, don't remind me," I muttered. "I woke up and the doctor said I was good to go."
I really hoped they would just take it. I didn't want to have to explain my conversation with Destin - or discuss any more of the oddities of my life for that matter.
"Why'd you go to that party?" Trevon asked, throwing me a bone. "We told you it wouldn't be fun!"
"It was fun until I got knocked out," I said. They all just started at me pointedly, not satisfied with my answer. "I really don't know, you guys. I just kind of felt like I should go."
Great, I thought. I felt like I should go? Really? I just totally played into Destin's crazy story. I tried to come up with the real reason to why I'd gone - no matter how hard I thought - I could only come up with the feeling. I shook this thought out of my head though. I'm not crazy, I told myself.
Yeah, right, said that snide voice in my head.
It'd be a lot easier for me to convince myself if you'd shut up, I told it.
I could have sworn it laughed.
"Really?" Kayla asked, and I knew I had it coming. "You felt like you should go? Did it change your life, Lira Anne? Do you feel like a new person because of that party?"
If only I'd known.
"No, I don't. I feel like an idiot okay?" I said. "You know me and pools though. I just love the water."
"Yeah, yeah," she said.
"Sorry, guys," I said. "I didn't mean to freak you out."
"It's okay," they all muttered. "Just don't do it again."
I nodded, hoping I could keep that promise.
My only class of the day was English. I love English, I really do. I read more than what would be considered healthy - anyone will vouch for me. My English teacher, though, is crazy. Granted, all of the glorified writers of the time period we're studying were on some kind of drug - so that might have had something to do with it, but I wasn't too sure. I mean, first of all, why would we emphasize that in schools? 'This guy was awesome. He is one of the best poets this world has ever seen and guess what! He was on drugs the ENTIRE time!' I don't know what the teachers get out of a statement like that, but this is what we students hear: 'If you ever want to write anything worth reading, get high off of some drug and see what you get.' Is that really what we need to be teaching this generation, people? Anyway, the only way I get through that class is sarcasm. Most of the people, teacher included, don't understand what I'm saying half the time, so it works pretty well for me.
Today we were discussing Beowulf. We'd been reading through excerpts in class for the past week, which is another thing I just didn't understand. Why, when it is a famous epic poem that each student could get their hands on easily, aren't we reading the whole story? Isn't that kind of the point of reading these ancient texts - actually reading the texts, I mean.
"Lira Anne," the teacher called me out of my mental ranting. I looked up. "Will you read the next part aloud?"
"Sure," I said, grateful it hadn't been a more complicated question seeing as I hadn't been paying attention.
I read of the epic struggle between hero and villain where Beowulf ends up with the advantage because he disarmed Grendle. I broke off laughing - disarmed him? Ha, see this is why I love these old stories, the authors always seemed to fit in some kind of ridiculous pun. Granted, I was usually the only one to pick up on them. Guessing by the questioning look my teacher was giving me, this was one of those times.
"See, Beowulf disarmed Grendle, you know, took away his weapon," I tried to explain. "Grendle's weapon was his arms - so he literally disarmed him."
I shot a thankful expression to the girl on my table, who understood what I was getting at and cracked up. The teacher, however, just shook her head and asked someone else to continue reading. For some unknown reason, I was instantly angry. An English teacher that doesn't understand puns? What was this world coming to? Suddenly, the teacher's Diet Coke can began to shake violently on her desk. My anger disappeared - though my heart kept beating as the soda can rocked back and forth, moving across the desk, closer and closer to me. I looked around the room, was anyone else seeing this? Of course not, they were all 'studiously' reading along with a text they obviously didn't understand - so, when the can exploded, bathing me in Diet Coke, it looked like I'd finally snapped and gone all crazy with the soda can.
The teacher glared down at me but I really didn't care.
"Can I run to the bathroom, please?" I asked as though the soda wasn't dripping from my hair.
The teacher just nodded and turned back to the class. I grabbed my backpack and booked it out of the room - not really headed toward the bathroom. I needed to get out of here and think and there was a park right next to campus that would fit my purposes well.

Untitled (thus far) - Chapter 1

"Mom, come on," I said. "You said yourself I am completely fine, I feel completely fine. Get me out of here."
"Lira Anne, you will stay in this hospital untill they discharge you," she said in her best disciplinary voice.
I rolled my eyes. Knowing I'd lost the battle, I looked around the room desperate for something to do. That is when I realized the IV.
"WHAT is this doing in my arm?" I asked, pulling at it with my hands.
My mother swatted my hands away and scolded me again, "Don't touch that, the doctors put it there."
"Why?!" I asked, "I'm completely fine, remember?"
"The doctors aren't sure, remember?" she countered. "Leave it there."
"I don't want it in my freaking arm," I muttered as a fresh wave of anger went through me.
That is when the IV exploded.
"Oh!" my mom gasped as whatever was in that plastic bag doused her thoroughly. "How did that happen?"
Even if I was as suprised as her, I had to repress the urge to laugh. She looked up, her mouth was in a surprised 'o' and she was blinking rapidly. The nurse walking by glanced up, smiling, and then went back to her clipboard. she then stopped dead in her tracks and gawked at us through the glass before charging into the room.
"Your IV exploded," she cried.
"Thanks for telling me, I never would have guessed," I muttered as she ran out of the room calling, "I need a new IV pronto!"
"No I don't!" I called after here. "I need to get out of here."
I'm normaly not so pushy, it's just that hospitals and me - we don't agree. I've never been able to stomach that 'anti-bacterial' smell that clings to the inside of your lungs. I've never been able to handle the gleaming white surfaces. I've never been able to handle being addressed like a five-year old - which most nurses must take a class on because I was about ready to scream. If one more person slapped on a fake smole and asked 'Are you sure this doesn't hurt?' in their best sweetly, high-pitched voice I would lose it. Why would I be in a hospital if I wasn't hurting? That was the question I really wanted answered.
But, of course, no one really hand an answer to give.
I swear if I ever meet that MORON that hit me hard enough to put me in here, I'll kill him. Since I'd rather forget about the whole experience, I'm going to summarize. Three different doctors came in separately to ask how I was doing - all three got the exact same answer:
"I'm fine, can I go home?"
The first two just stared at me in amazement and then hurried out into the hall. The third one looked me in the eye and said with a completely straight face:
"We have no idea."
Finally, I'm getting somewhere.
"So I can leave then?"
"No, what I meant was," he paused here, as if he was searching for some way to break the news delicately, "we have no idea how you're alive."
Faliure.
"But I am . . . so?"
"Our paramedic's showed us pictures of your injuries, and from their descriptions, the one thing we can agree on is that you should not be talking to us right now."
I was beginning to like this guy, I mean he was giving me answers, and, more importantly, ignoring the dramatic gasps and attempted protests from my mother.
"What were my injuries?"
"Your nose broke, the bone shattered," he said simply. "At the exact angle you were hit, the shrapnel would have gone right into your brain, mentally handicapping you for the rest of your life - if you were lucky."
"Well, doctor, my nose isn't broken, and I don't feel handicapped in any way," I answered with a shrug.
"Which is exactly why we're so puzzled."
Great. My doctor is 'puzzled.'
"I'm not trying to be rude, but you can be puzzled all you want," I said. "I just want to get out of here."
"I understand completely," he replied. "We might call you in, but I can't see any reason for keeping you here now. There are other people that need our attention."
"Thank you sovery much," my mother jumped in, shaking his hand like he was her favorite movie star.
"You're welcome," he said and then turned to me, "Avoid the pools, huh?"
I just nodded and followed my mom out the door. There was no way I was going to be able to fulfill his request. Since I was little, my mother has referred to me as her 'little fish.' I can hold my breath for a little over two minutes and know every possible stroke. Water is my oxygen - I don't need anything else. you wouldn't think I'm over exaggerating if you knew me I promise. Taking all of this into consideration I couldnt' hold in a chuckle as we pushed the doors open - 'Avoid the pools,' yeah. Like that was going to happen.
My mom pulled out of the parking lot and I buckled my seat belt.
"Once we get home you should rest," my mom said. "Maybe watch a movie or something. . ."
"What about school?" I asked. The last thing I wanted to do was sit around, hadn't I just been 'resting' when I'd been knocked out?"
"You've just gotten out of the hospital, Lira," my mom said firmly. "You need rest."
"The doctors said I was fine!" I said. "My nose isn't broken, and I'm not dead. There is no reason for me to stay home."
"Lira Anne," my mom said threateningly.
I loved my name. Lira Anne Kay. I went by Lira Anne. It just sounded cool, you know? My mom only called me Lira though, unless she was angry with me. Since I seemed to have a talent of getting on her last nerve this happened a lot. She would totally drain any cool ring the name had with her bored or threatening tone.
"What mom?" I asked, exasperated. "The doctor told you I was just fine! He did say he had no idea why, but he said I was fine."
"Lira," my mom sighed. "Don't kids your age want to stay home from school?"
"They wouldn't be forced to lie down and do nothing all day," I said. That was just my cover up though. For one thing, I knew that stories would be circulating that I was dead, or in critical condition at least - and dying would just kill my social life. Secondly, I wanted to find that guy that hit me and see what would happen. It had been an accident, so I didn't necessarily want to yell at him, I just wanted to see him and his reaction.
I can't honestly say what I was expecting his reaction to be - I can honestly say that I was not expecting him to be right there at the doors when I walked into the school during lunch. Not sitting there eating, not just hanging with his friends - just sitting there, waiting for me. I'm not gonna lie, it kind of creeped me out. I don't even know who this kid is; I just knowI probably have a couple hundred of his skin cells on my nose.
"Lira Anne," he said. "How are you?"
Um, who are you? I thought. "Doing okay, no thanks to you . . . . ?"
"I'm Destin," he said, surprising me with his calm reaction to my attack. "I knew you'd be fine."
"Excuse me?" I asked. Who did this guy think he was? "You sent me to the hospital with a broken nose that should've mentally handicapped me for the rest of my life, and you say you knew I would be okay?"
I don't think I meant to be that mean; I think my anger was mostly coming from the memories of the hospital.
"Um . . . yeah," he said, glancing around cautiously. "I could explain if you want to walk with me. Around the school maybe?"
"Huh?"
I know I wasn't expecting that.
"Just walk with me, okay?"
"Yeah, okay. . ."
We walked a little ways in silence, and then it got awkward.
"So. . .?" I prodded.
"Okay, well I work for this . . . lady, Nereida. she sent me to that party because she knew you'd get hit, whether or not I went. She knew that if I went she'd be able to save you and make you one of her children."
Right then, I wanted to run down the halls, screaming at the top of my lungs about lunatics. Her children? Seriously? Did this guy think I was crazy? Was he crazy?
I decided to answer affirmatively to the last question - the poor guy probably just wanted someone to talk to. I have to admit, I wanted to hear what else he would come up with.
"Her children?"
"Yeah," he said, hesitating awkwardly. "Lady Nereida thinks it's a waste of life - especially those of us that were born or her."
"Okay . . . what did you mean when you said that she sent you so she could save me?"
"She knew you'd get hit. She knew you would die."
This sent me over the edge.
"Oh did she? So you guys planned my murder and it didn't work out? Are you asking me to call the police?"
"No, Lira Anne, please listen," he begged. "I'll prove it to you, okay? I bet when you were in the hospital the doctors had no idea what to do with you. They all told you that they had no idea how, but all of your injuries were healed and you shouldn't be there talking to them. They probably had you hooked up to an IV, and guessing by your charming personality, the confusion probably made you really angry and the bag exploded - if there wasn't an IV, the sink or the drain in the floor exploded. Am I right?"
Stunned, I just nodded.
"The same thing happened to me."

Untitled (thus far) - Prologue

They told me I was lucky to be alive.
I actually agreed with them as they told me - granted, that was right after I woke up in the hospital.
Now I know that I was supposed to die at that pool party. I was supposed to get hit in the head by that wack job's serve. His elbow went right into my nose hard enough to break it and shove the bone up into my skull. I was knocked out instantly. Looking back, I'd have to say I was glad I didn't have to see all the blood that gushed out of my nose and mouth. I didn't have to watch as the girl's parents came running out, ahead of their bawling daughter, with a phone dialing 911 in their hand. I didn't have to feel the paramedics' hands grasp my arms and legs to heave my water logged body onto one of those body-boards.
That's a good thing. I probably would have thrown a fit, kicking and screaming the whole way. I don't do well with people touching me. I'm one of those tough it out kind of people. If I hadn't been knocked out I would have shoved the guy as he tried to make sure I was all right, hobbled out of the pool and driven myself to the hospital. I wasn't awake when the doctors shoved the IV's into my arms. I'm glad for that because I'm not a crier. No one, friend or family, has seen me cry. It just doesn't happen - so much so that must people believe I don't have any tear ducts. I have a feeling though, that those needles being shoved into my arms would have done the trick.
The only thing I'm angry I missed was the doctor's reactions to the MRI. When I woke up it was the first thing my mother told me about. Apparently the charged out of the lab and demanded another MRI, because it just wasn't possible. According to the pictures they were looking at, my nose wasn't broken anymore. It had healed in the two hours I had already been out. Even better, there was no brain damage. I'm not complaining, and they assured my mother that neither were they - but it just wasn't possible.
My mom told me this when I woke up a day later - I tried to get up and leave, according to them there wasn't anything wrong with me, so what was the point of staying? My mother fussed, shoving me back onto the bed, saying the doctors weren't sure I could leave yet.
I got out - eventually.
I wish I was still there.