I woke up to the annoying beeping of my alarm. I lifted my head up from the pile of books on my bed, all my homework in a discombobulated mess. Ugh, I must have fallen asleep while doing them. I groggily got up out of bed and looked at the alarm, and bolted from my bed, 6:50! I'm late! Tripping over my bag and rushed to find my uniform. I threw all my work into my bag and hurried down the stairs, stopping in front of dad's office.

"Dad! Why didn't you wake me up!" I opened the door, only to find the room empty. That's weird... Where did he go? His office was a mess. There were papers everywhere; his laptop was gone, and so was his bag. Maybe he had an early meeting?

I didn't have time to ponder. I grabbed a vanilla yogurt drink from the fridge and bolted out the door. The air was cold again this morning, making my lungs burn as I ran down the street towards my stop.

My feet hit the pavement hard. My chest heaved, and my eyes stung. God, I hate running! I was so glad I didn't have to go to gym class anymore. I turned the corner and saw the bus waiting. I waved my arms to get the driver's attention. Thank god. I made it. I thanked the lady for waiting and sat in my seat.

Shit! It suddenly occurred to me. I forgot to take my meds. Dread overcame me, and my mind raced. I had never failed to take them, even if they never worked. But... what if they had been, if only just slightly.

I could text dad... but with the state of his office, he was obviously stressed out. I didn't want to put more stress on him. I nervously bit my nails as anxiety clawed at my stomach. I looked out the window, trying to focus on the horizon, but my mind was running a million miles a second. I plugged my headphones in and put some calming music on. Pulling my knees up to my chest, I put my head down and tried to block out as much as I could. I prayed my mind stayed silent.

A light tap on my shoulder popped my bubble of solitude. I looked up. Jessica was on the bus, and she smiled. We must've gotten to school. Vivienne was looking at me like I was a freak as usual.

"Hey, Liz? Are you okay?" Jessica asked, worry evident in her voice. Why did she hang out with me? I just cause her to worry.

"I'm fine, Jess. Just tired." I got up and followed her off the bus; even the bus driver regarded me with pity. Jess continued to stare at me as we made our way to Mrs. Emerson's class.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I told you, I'm alright."

She shook her head. "I'm not stupid, Liz. I can tell something is wrong, and I'm just going to continue to worry if you don't tell me." We sat at our desks and she reached out to touch my hand.

"You know I'll never judge you. But, I want to help if I can."

Anxiety clawed at me. She's lying. She'll leave you just like your mother. I shook my head. I knew the thought wasn't true. I took a deep breath and tried to push the negative thoughts out of my mind. "I... I forgot to take my medicine."

Her eyes widened. "Is that bad? I thought they didn't work," she said calmly.

"That's the thing though... I've never failed to take them before. What if it actually does help a little?" My leg started to bounce anxiously.

"Maybe we should go to the nurse? Doesn't she have spares for this?"

I shook my head and closed my eyes. I needed to calm down. Worrying was only going to make things worse. Mrs. Emerson came speeding into the room as the bell rang. I was going to be okay. I took a couple of deep breaths. Jessica dragged her desk closer to mine and put her arm around me.

"I'm right here, okay. Michael brought his car today. So if you need to go home, just say the word and we'll ditch, 'kay?"

I was about to respond but the words were lost to me as he entered. His bright green eyes surveyed the room, and then they fell on me. He smiled, and my anxiety vanished. Instead, the air around me seemed to pulse as my heart skipped a beat. His black hair was pulled into a tight neat bun, but unlike yesterday, he wore a crisp school uniform—the guy from my nightmare. Oh God, today was going to suck. I close my eyes and try to ignore the apparition of my mind.

"Class, we have a new student. This is Isaac Belwich. Isaac, you can take any of the empty seats. Meet with me after class so I can show you where to go to get the notes you missed." Mrs. Emerson's voice sounded tired, likely from all the work taking in a new student so far into the school year.

My eyes shoot open as the teacher's words hit me, and the realization sank in. Wait... What?! He's real?

He nodded and took a seat on the other side of the room, but his eyes kept wandering to me. "Jess... can... can you see him?" I ask, finding it hard to believe he was actually there.

She cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Who? Isaac? Yeah, why?"

I glanced over at him. He was still looking at me. Jess followed my gaze and smiled.

"Wow, would you look at that? Liz, it seems like New Guy likes what he sees." Jessica said, nudging me.

"Really? I hadn't noticed," I replied, shrinking in my seat.

"Oh, come on! He's cute!" Jessica waved at him, offering him a warm smile, and he looked away. "You can't hide forever, Elizabeth. You're gorgeous. Just because you deny it doesn't make it any less true." she smiled, grabbing her books and such out of her purse.

"Anyway, New Guy aside. I meant what I said If today gets to be too much and you need to go home. Michael and I will take you. We'll hang out until your dad gets home."

While the teacher began the lecture, I could feel his intense stare on me, but he would turn his eyes to the window when I looked at him. The class seemed to drag on forever. I tried to concentrate on what the teacher was saying. Sometimes I just wished she would talk slower. My anxiety seemed to settle down though, which I was thankful for.

A loud toll erupted from the speakers.

Finally, the bell! I gathered my things and jumped out of the room, mumbling a quick apology to Jess. As soon as I was in my next class, the anxiety snuck back up on me. Great.

Thoughts of Isaac plagued my mind as I went through the motions. I tried to pay attention to my studies. But it was hard. Who was he? Why did he look like the guy from my nightmare?

His green eyes flashed across my mind. He was cute though, I couldn't deny the attraction I felt toward him. Why was this happening? Why today? I groaned, massaging my temples and trying, unsuccessfully, to quiet my mind.

Just like Calculus, the day seemed to drag on until finally, I made it to my last class, AP History. I sat at my desk and put my head down, mentally exhausted. He was supposed to be just a figure of my imagination... is this another hallucination?... no, that wouldn't make sense; Jessica and Michael saw him too. Then, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up and stared into those beautiful green eyes.

"Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?" His voice was soft and deep. I brushed my hair out of my face.

"I.... uh... no, no one is sitting there."

"Great." he pulled his shoulder bag off and sat down next to me. " You were in AP Calculus, right? I think I saw you."

Yeah, right, you practically stared at me the whole class... "Yeah, Mrs. Emerson's class, you're Isaac? I'm Elizabeth." I tried to keep my voice and breathing under control. My pulse quickened as he reached out for a handshake. I took it gingerly. As soon as our hands touched, something inside me jolted, and a small electric pulse passed between us. I looked up at him in surprise, but he seemed to be unfazed.

Suddenly, a thunderbolt struck outside.

The ground shook. Lights flashed, and the windows shattered as a hum of energy could be heard. The smell of burnt grass and chlorine came through the open windows. What the hell?

Everyone jumped and ran to the front of the classroom. There wasn't even a cloud in the sky. A small fire started where the lightning had struck, and a moment later, a teacher frantically ran out from the side of the building with a garbage can full of water. I looked back at Isaac, still in his seat. He didn't seem to care.

The teacher reached for the class phone and made a call. After a few minutes, we were relocated to a new classroom. The faculty were baffled as to what happened and what had caused the freakish situation.

"Okay, class, as exciting as that was, we need to get back to learning." Despite his words, his voice shook. He was obviously disturbed by what had just happened, as were we all. Except for Isaac, apparently.

History seemed to take even longer than usual. The teacher seemed to be having trouble focusing, as did the rest of the class. We all kept glancing at the smoldering black scorch mark that was still visible from our new room—the only proof of what had happened at the beginning of class.

Why?! Out of all the open desks, why did he have to pick the one next to mine? I snuck a glance at Isaac. Wasn't he weirded out by what happened?  I noticed a few loose strands of his hair came out of his bun and fell gracefully around his angular face. It looked so silky...I wanted to reach out and touch it.

He caught me staring. I quickly glanced away, letting my hair cover my reddening face. What's wrong with me?

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" He asked, his voice making me jump.

"NO!" I said a little too loudly. The whole class turned to look at me and whispers erupted. They looked at me as if I was going to sprout wings. I covered my face with my hands, mumbling an apology, "No... I'm just not used to people sitting next to me. Most people avoid me."

He cocked his head to the side. "Why? You don't seem so bad." His green eyes stared into mine, and he reached out and touched my chin. "In fact, you seem very approachable, those eyes especially. They're alluring, I don't think I've ever seen someone with violet eyes before." He smiled.

My face turned an even brighter shade of red. I turned my head away and stared into my book. "I have schizophrenia," I mumble.

He stared, confused. "Oh... Intriguing." He returned to taking notes, and nothing else was said.

What did he mean? Alluring? My face felt so hot, and I was sure it was just as red. My skin tingled where he touched. Finally, the bell rang, freeing me from this nightmare of a day. I grabbed my bag and started towards the door. He tried to say something but was rushed by a bunch of girls.

Typical for the new 'resident hottie'.

I darted into the bathroom, heaving a sigh of relief. I glanced at the mirror. One would think I had painted red all over it. After I splashed my face with cold water, I stared at my reflection. My eyes seemed brighter than usual, much to my annoyance.

As I left the bathroom, I shot Jess a text asking if I could get a ride. I didn't want to deal with Vivienne. I turned toward the stairs and bumped right into the she-devil herself. Oh great, today just keeps getting worse.

"Well, if it isn't, Little Miss Freak."

I clenched my fists and tried to walk away, but she stepped into my path, poking her long sharp finger into my shoulder. "I saw you with the new guy, Isaac. Stay away from him, he doesn't need to catch whatever crazy you have," she sneered. She moved to push me but instead hit the chest of Isaac. Where did he come from?

"Oh Isaac! I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to hit you! My... my name is Vivienne. It's nice to meet you," she fumbled over her words. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her outstretched hand.

"Wish I could say the same, Vivienne," his voice was like ice, it sent shivers down my spine and Vivienne took a step back.

"I'm only looking out for you; she's sick and a freak. You're new here. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life." her voice shook but she stood her ground.

"I don't need you to make that choice for me." His eyes seemed to glow as he took a step towards her. Vivienne paled, her mouth opening and closing. wanting to say something but couldn't find the words. Heat rose to her face and she ran away.

"Coward." He turned to me, and the warmth from earlier today returned. "Are you okay?" he asked gently.

"I'm fine. You didn't need to step in. I've grown up with Vivienne; I'm used to it." I was exasperated. I just wanted today to be over.

"I could never stand by and watch someone get bullied. Especially someone like you."

My breath hitched as he stepped a bit closer. "You barely know me," I said.

He smiled, his hand brushed up against mine, sending a jolt through me. "I'd like to If you let me?"

My mind went blank, and Jess came up behind me, making me jump. Isaac was gone. Where the hell did he go?

"Are you ready to leave? How was the rest of your day?" she asked. I sighed and leaned on her.

"Exhausting. Did you hear what happened?" I asked.

"Yeah! I saw it, and our teacher ran out to put out the fire. Crazy, huh?"

"You have no idea. Isaac sat next to me in history."

Her eyes widened. "Oh my god! You have to tell me everything! Did he talk to you? What did he say?"

I let out a relieved sound and recounted the events of history and Vivienne on the way home. Jessica loved it. I, however, didn't know what I was going to do the next time I saw him. I still couldn't shake the weirdness of today from my mind. My dad wasn't going to believe me. We pulled up to my house, and I got out of Michael's car.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay? I can text my mom and tell her I'm staying the night." Jess said.

"No, no, you have a party to set up, remember?" I laughed.

She shrugged. "My party can wait. You mean more to me."

I shook my head. "No, it's okay. I'll be fine, I promise. I made it through today, didn't I?"

"Barely." She laughed as she leaned out the open window and grabbed my hand, squeezing gently. "By the way, I invited Isaac to my party. I hope that's okay with you?"

"I don't know. He gives me the creeps." Which was a total lie, every time I looked at him, my heart sped up, and I could hardly breathe.

"I could give him the wrong address if it really bothers you. I just thought maybe he could join our group. He seemed to like you."

The thought of Isaac made my stomach do somersaults. He did seem nice, and he did want to get to know me. "Let him come. I don't want to be the reason he got to miss out on your awesome party."

Jessica smiled, pulling herself halfway out of the car. She gave me a tight hug and brushed her lips against my temple. "I love you. You know that, right?"

I waved goodbye as Jess and Michael drove off. Love you too, Jess.

Dark grey storm clouds started to gather in the sky. It was going to storm. I thought back to the lightning bolt and Isaac, and I groaned as I unlocked the door to my house. I hope I don't embarrass myself tomorrow.

"Dad, I'm home!" I kicked off my shoes and stared down the hall. "Did the news say anything about a storm? I hope there's lots of thunder." I reached his office door but stopped.

"-No. I'm just worried. Weird things have been happening at her school."

Who was he talking to?

Silence. "Yeah... Okay... How is she? Do you think I'll get to see her? It's been so long...I know... I miss you... Okay, I'll let you know... Goodbye."

I knocked on the door. "Come in." My dad sat at his desk, leaning over a folder with a bunch of scattered papers.

I wonder who that was? My dad didn't have many friends outside of work, and he had never brought anyone to the house... Maybe someone from Colorado?

"Who was that on the phone?"

He gave me a small smile, his glazed eyes staring out the window as if pictureing he was somewhere else.  "Just an old friend, one I haven't seen in a long time. How was school?"

"Fine... Weird... There was a new kid in class. They seemed nice. Are you okay?"

"You talked to them?" his eyes widened in mock surprise, brushing past my question.

I reddened. "Oh, come on, I talk to people! He sat next to me in History."

He threw his head back and laughed. "A boy! Who are you, and what have you done with my daughter?"

I rolled my eyes. "Dad... What's for dinner?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I'm going to order a pizza later. Want anything special?"

I shook my head. "I'm gonna head up, I have a ton of homework that I'd like to get a jump on. Call me when it gets here." He waved, and I headed to my room. Thunder boomed and shook the walls... Oooh, it was going to be a good one. I smiled and rushed up to my room. I pressed a button next to my bed and flipped a switch that turned on my purple fairy lights.

A panel slid back on the ceiling, revealing a giant skylight. I sat back and gazed at the sky. Large, dark clouds rolled by, and rain started pelting the glass. It was so amazing. I could feel my body relaxing and my mind focusing. Closing my eyes and took a deep breath, pushing the memories of today away, I opened up my textbook and started on my homework.

A couple of hours pass, I get up and stretch. Sitting on my bed hunched over books is really not good for me. I groaned and rubbed the ache out of my back. The clock on the nightstand read 6 pm. The pizza should almost be here. The storm had calmed down considerably, but it was still raining pretty hard. I pressed the button to close the panel for the skylight and headed downstairs.

My dad was just getting the plates and napkins from the kitchen. The pizza's smell filled the living room. I sat down on the couch and picked off a sausage from one of the slices. The news was on. The river was flooded, and emergency vehicles were running around like crazy. There were multiple accidents along the highway. Freak lightning was striking all over the city, even in areas where the storm had already passed.

"The city is going haywire. It's been like this for hours." My dad said, coming into the room and sitting down next to me. We jolted when a bird suddenly hit the window with a loud thud.

"Jesus, I hope it lets up. Is it just Vancouver, or are these things happening all along the coast?" I asked, taking a big bite of pizza.

Dad hummed. "I think it's just here in the city. The storm was pretty big. It might have caught the south end of Seattle, and Portland probably got a lot of rain." He switched the channel to NBC, and we started to watch a comedy show to lighten the mood.

The rain knocked against the window outside, and you could hear the wind howling. I thought I saw a shadow rush past, and I started to feel light-headed. I could hear whispers coming from somewhere. Oh no... The voices. I covered my ears, praying that they wouldn't come, but they did.. Ignis... Luna... Terra... Mortem... Mortem... Terra... It's always the same words over and over again.

I groaned, and my dad pulled me to him. "What's wrong? Do you have a headache?"

I nodded, not wanting to worry him more. After a couple more deep breaths, the voices faded, and the light-headedness subsided. I shook and hugged myself. "I'm going to go to sleep... I'm pretty tired. I want to head over to Jessica's around noon,"

"Okay... Goodnight, sweetheart."

Crawling into my bed under a mountain of blankets, I heaved a sigh of relief. I wondered what was happening, how it all started at school when I met Isaac. His green eyes flashed in my mind. I remembered that I was going to see him tomorrow. My stomach twisted into knots.

©2021 Jessica Powell. All Rights Reserved

*****Thank you to my wonderful Editor Arco*****