Spirit

Prologue
This whole idea was stupid, idiotic, and reckless. Never in my life had I made a decision this dumb. It was like I was walking straight into the trap. Like I wanted to die or whatever she was planning on doing with me.
I pushed myself to run faster. I had to do this. No matter what the police say, no matter what my friends say, no matter what my family says, and no matter what I say.
What would she do to me? Put me into a facility for aliens? Make me a lab rat? Kill me? I honestly don’t mind what she does to me as long as she tells me the answers I need. That’s all I wanted. That’s all I ever wanted was to find out what I truly was and why.
I had to run faster or else the police and my parents would notice that I escaped and they would lock me up for even longer. I was risking so much by doing this.
I felt the force pulling me toward her and in the distance I saw her flaming orange hair. It was the color of Gene Gray’s hair off of the X-Men.
I could feel the force growing stronger and stronger and it frightened me.
I prayed that she would spare my life.

Chapter 1: Same
“Happy Birthday, Natalia!” Everyone cheered as I pulled off my blindfold. This was meant to be my surprise seventeenth birthday party, but it wasn’t a surprise to me. I was quite aware of what was going on due to the obvious. My best friend Lawren Shaw took me out of my house once I woke up this morning and took me to an amusement park. To be honest, he seemed like the only one who was amused. I was just annoyed but I tried not to show it. Lawren’s part in this party was to keep me away from home and I wanted him to feel like he was doing a good job at it. Another reason it wasn’t much of a surprise was because I had to be blindfolded to enter the house. I was guessing so I wouldn’t see all of the balloons and such outside of the house.
Everyone rushed over to give me a hug and greet me happy birthday. My friends were here; all of my family was here even my grandparents from Australia and my cousins from Italy.
I examined my living room and the first thing that caught my eye was the streamers, balloons and banners that said “Happy Birthday”.
“Happy birthday, Nat,” my grandfather Norman from Australia said with his thick Australian accent as he handed me a small box covered in wrapping paper and a purple bow. “It’s from your grandmother and I. I hope you like it.”
“I bet I would like it no matter what it is. It’s the thought that counts, right?” I gave him a hug and sat down next to him on the couch to open the present.
I scratched at the wrapping paper and finally got it open along with the box. “It’s a clock!” I said as I pulled it out. “Thank you!” I leaned over to give me grandfather and grandmother another hug.
“And it’s shaped like Australia!” My grandmother Natalie added.
“I’ll put it with all of my other things shaped like Australia that you’ve given me,” I said and laughed. I looked to the ground and saw that a pile of presents was at my feet. I sighed and smiled weakly. “I’m sure I didn’t ask for that many things. I just asked for a car!”
“Yeah, because a car would totally fit into a box,” my friend Blaine Vietzke scoffed. “ But open mine next!” he added and pointed his out.
After opening all of the unnecessary presents, one including car mats from my friends Chloe Allen and Alex Nguyen (who thought it was funny since I didn’t have a car), my parents brought out the cake. It had all the fixings as you would see on a five-year-old birthday girl cake. It had pink letters, flowers on each corner and hearts around my name.
Once we were finished with the cake and playing the childish games, everyone got ready to leave.
“Promise me that you’ll come see me soon,” my grandmother Natalie said as she gave me a tight hug.
“I think we’re coming in two years. Right mom?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said and rushed over to give her parents a hug. “It would be nice to finally get out of Washington.”
“Too long!” grandfather Norman said to my mom.
“Well, you know. The kids have school and we need to save up money for vacation.”
“Okay, okay. Bye, honey,” grandfather Norman said and kissed my mom on the cheek.
“Bye dad! Bye mom!”
“Bye everyone!” I called.
“Now that that’s over!” my little sister, Nicolette grumbled and plopped onto the couch and flipped on the TV. Nicolette’s personality is entirely contrary to my own. She’s loud, obnoxious and rude and I’m… quiet and shy. Sometimes I wonder if we’re really related.
“Harlie says ‘happy birthday and she’s sorry she couldn’t make it’,” my older brother Jayant said as he put on his coat. Harlie was my brother’s fiancé and she was a model. She traveled a lot and right now, she’s in New York doing a photo shoot for Dior.
My brother, Jayant looked very much like me. We had the same hazel-green eyes and same shade of brown hair. He was like the boy version of me.
“Bye mom, bye dad,” he said and gave them a hug.
“You’re leaving?” my little brother Jonathon asked. Jonathon looked like my sister. They both resembled my father the most and Jayant and I resembled our mother. Although Jonathon looks like my sister, he acts like me. He is quiet, shy and scared of pointy objects! Nicolette has a lot of fun with our phobia of pointy objects.
Lawren was the only one who stayed behind. We went upstairs to my room to hang out there. “Did you like the party?” he asked me as I set my new clock down on my shelf.
I deliberated for a second. “It was… good. It was a bit too childish for my liking actually. I mean, did you see the decorations and all of those presents?”
“It’s funny how they still treat you like a child,” he laughed.
I wanted to say something rude, but I knew if I did, something would happen that I didn’t want to happen so I rolled my eyes instead.
“C’mon, Natalia! My parents were like that for my sister when she was your age. They knew she was growing up and they didn’t want to accept that fact, so they treated her like a child. They even made her hold their hand while she was crossing the road,” he chuckled.
“I wish they got me a car,” I muttered, changing the subject.
“At least you got car mats! I don’t own anything affiliated with cars.”
“Car mats without the car,” I sighed and sat on my bed next to him.
“I don’t have a car either, so I guess we’re on the same level.”
“I noticed you didn’t get me anything,” I said. “Not that I want you to get me something!” I quickly added. “You being my best friend is enough,” I said and smiled at him.
He looked down and fiddled with my blanket.
“What is it, Lawren?”
He grinned to himself and shook his head. His face turned bright red behind his chestnut colored skin.
“Did you get me something?” I asked him, shocked. “I told you I didn’t want anything from you.”
“It’s not something I got you. It’s something I want to tell you,” he mumbled.
“Then tell me,” I insisted.
“I can’t.”
“Whenever you’re ready.”
We waited for at least five minutes, sitting in silence. I watched him as he kept looking down. The redness of his face never diluted.
“Okay. I’m ready,” he finally said and looked up at me and smiled.
“Okay!” I said and clapped my hands excitedly.
“Lawren, your mother said its time to go home now,” my mom called from outside of my door.
We both sighed, aggravated.
“Next time,” I told him.
He smiled at me, his face red again. He got up and walked around the bed to me and gave me a hug. “Happy birthday, Natalia,” he whispered into my ear and stood up straight and headed for the door.
I felt so ignorant, not knowing what he had to tell me. But maybe tomorrow at school he’ll tell me without the hesitation. Hesitation was awkward.
I had a theory of what Lawren might’ve wanted to tell me, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up like I had so many times when I thought we got close to the point but then the next thing I knew, his new girlfriend wasn’t me. But what other thing would Lawren be so hesitant to tell me that would turn his face bright red and make him so nervous?
We knew each other since kindergarten and since then, I always had the same feelings for him but I never told him. I was too scared. The only person I could trust with this feeling was Jayant.
Lawren telling me that he had the same feelings for me that I do for him would be the greatest birthday present in the world. Sadly, my birthday was almost ending. Which meant my first full day of being seventeen. It didn’t feel any different. Nothing was different. My parents still treated me like a child, my only transportation was still a bus or walking, and Lawren and I remained on the same level as we’ve always been since kindergarten. Everything was the same. Fabulous.