With My Life in Her Hands

I glanced down at my notebook and opened up to a new page.

I titled the page Final Review in my best cursive script. I like writing. I like understanding the human mind. I also like seeing my legs elegantly curl into each other.

One moment I'm copying what notes I should go over for the final test and the next I'm no longer in class.

The hallway is dark and reminiscent of the alleyways that Sunnydale people go through that don't come out. It makes my skin tingle and makes me stiffen my body. I am all alonein this hallway just walking. I don't like this feeling. It feels like a stone has settled in the pit of my stomach.

I continue forward and hear someone humming. This doesn't seem right at all. What are they doing? The humming continues and I follow through the maze of hallways to find out who it is. The humming is high pitched and sounds like a little girl. I follow anyway until I see her face.

She is small: maybe eight. This little girl has blond hair that reminds me of the girl in class I have to stay away from. That same warning of danger comes from this little girl. Her little mouth opens and a song bursts out.

Can't even shout

Can't even cry

The Gentlemen are coming by

My voice starts to blend with hers and I realize this girl is a warning herself.

Looking in Windows

Knocking on doors

They need to take seven

And they might take yours

Can't call to Mom

Can't say a word

You're gonna die screaming

But you won't be heard

A cold prickly feel starts at my neck and travels down my spine. There's something near. Again I can feel my body stiffen without my control. I turn around and a white bald headed demon is watching with beady eyes like coals and are rimmed in the same smoky glaze. He smiled at me with his hands founding and all I can see are teeth like a crocodile: long, sharp and deadly. He comes closer and...

My vision ends. I stumble out of seat no longer concerned about academics. Other students part like the red sea as I try to get away from psychology. Is this what humanity really does as young adults? Stop and stare at people while they're lost but refuse to help?

I stop in the corridor and have that same lonely feeling that I did in my vision. A shiver creeps down again and I allow myself it.

'Stop being such a baby,' I tell myself. I was so caught up in trying to stop feeling so anxious and afraid that I bumped into someone. I barely fell back a step but I heard their hitch of breath as I grabbed them with one hand as the person began to fall and caught their textbook before it hit the floor.

I looked at the person that I caught and realized she was girl. Her eyes were such a light shade of brown that they seemed almost hazel. Her pale skin only seemed to emphasize that unique wholeness of her eyes. My arm was wrapped around her waist and it seemed very intimate. I could feel a spark where our skin touched and I realized something. My arm fit around her waist perfectly.

I couldn't think of anything to say but this:

"This is when I apologize, right?" I smiled timidly letting go gently.

"That would be of the good," she quipped. "This is when I say sorry for bumping into you too. Sorry. I was just helping my friend get a special friend which kinda doesn't explain it. Sorry. I was helping her talk to her crush and got away so they could talk but instead I bumped into you so sorry. I'm very sorry and now I'm babbling so doubly sorry," she took another breath and I took the chance to say sorry.

"I'm sorry too. I mean for bumping into you. Most people..." I struggled to find the word I wanted.

"Most people?" The redhead prompted.

"They don't come near so I thought that everyone did that," my voice hushed into almost a whisper.

Her small pink mouth frowned into a cute pout.

"Well, I'm different. I mean I didn't see you at first but now I do and wow. Doubly wow. How can anybody not see you?" Her arms pointed at me as if to prove her point.

"I'm not sure what the problem is but here's your book," I handed the textbook and saw the title.

"You have Professor Walsh's psychology class, too?" My voice wavered at the last. I still wasn't used to English. I seemed to elongate each word and forget to breathe between words sometimes.

"I do," she confirmed. "Do you?"

"I do," I copied and she smiled. It was more of a cute lifting of cheeks than showing teeth. It was adorable and I couldn't help smiling exposing unnaturally white teeth.

"I'm sorry again. I forgot to..show myself," She smiled again and looked at the ground before looking into my confused face.

"I said it wrong, right?" I sighed embarrassed.

She picked up on it and the smile loosened.

"It's not noticeable. Not at all, no. You sound almost...natural. No, I mean experienced. Yeah, experienced," she nodded to herself. " The word is introduce though."

"Thank you. I am Briar. Who are you?"

"I'm Willow, Willow Rosenberg. Not like I'm James Bond but yeah..." Willow's voice trailed off embarrassed herself. The arm she had started to extended lowered back down.

"Why did you put your arm up?" I stared at the limb as I inquired.

"You don't know how to shake hands? How don't you know how to shake hands? I mean it's to shake hands. You didn't raise yours so I put mine down." Her cheeks were turning rosy pink and I liked the color against her peach like pale skin.

I extended my arm and smiled.

Willow gave me her hand.

"Now what do we do?" I asked still smiling.

"We shake. Well, at least move our hands up and down," Willow's eyes were wide in curiosity. They were so attention grabbing and expressive that I didn't want to look away.

I gently moved my arm remembering how fragile normal humans are. Her skin was warmer than mine by a couple degrees. It was also very soft. I can imagine that is how clouds must feel. I reluctantly let go of her hand after a minute.

"May I ask where you are going?"

"It depends. Do you believe in magic?" Her relaxed face had tightened while waiting for my answer.

"There's too many unexplained things for their not to be magic," my voice still had a hard time with doing c and k sounds and pronouncing them hard.

"Do you practice it?" Willow stared deeply into my own hazel eyes searching for the truth.

"A little," I confessed. "It's in my family. So can I go?" I tried to sway her opinion.

She smiled the cute grin again and nodded.

"Sure. Follow me."

I nodded and copied her step for step alongside her.