The Gift

Chapter 1: First Day - Part 3

Recap:  She looked around Ms. Repleh was at the other end of the room lecturing about the physics and laws thereof; the students were focused on her words. Elle's confusion grew, searching for a sign in the other student's faces she looked around but everyone was just looking at the teacher, and it seemed that she had just dreamed the whole incident. The room was as normal as could be, as if she had been in some kind of a time warp. Elle sat through the rest of the class dazed, waiting for the bell to ring.

She needed to get out, quickly. Excusing herself to the bathroom, her breath was heavy and her chest was still tight from the pain. What was going on? Cooling her face she quickly splashed some water on her flushed cheeks. The bathroom was bright, too bright for her eyes and her pain came back. This time it was more in her head, it was like a surge of electricity running through her frontal lobe. Then, suddenly it all stopped. The pain, the brightness, it all was clear. Her breath slowed to normal pace and she was able to focus again.

"A heart attack? A brain tumor? What was that?" The reflection in the mirror frightened her; her face paler than normal and sunken in. She looked half-dead.

"I have to get out of here." She was anxious to see her friends and forget this happened. The end bell rang just as she came back to the classroom and everyone scrambled to get out. Some kids shoved to get passed her and their bodies touched against hers. Surges of pain shot through her chest and head again and it took all her willpower not to scream. As the room cleared and she was left alone with the teacher the pain waned. She looked for her teacher's reaction, sure that she would have noticed something was wrong, but Ms. Repleh was involved in sorting papers and books and paid no attention to Elle, until Elle went past her gather her bag and books.

"Elle, right?" Ms. Repleh's voice gently wrapped around her senses. "I think we will have a great year together."

Elle smiled vaguely, still disoriented and foggy, but somehow the voice of her teacher came through crisp, clear, and seemed to lift the cloud around her.

"What?"

"I think we will have a great year, don't you?"

"Yeah." Elle absentmindedly touched her strap of her messenger bag, holding it tight around her shoulder.

"I'll see you tomorrow Elle." Ms. Repleh's voice resonated in Elle's thoughts...feeling more and more at ease and peaceful...with every word. She looked deep into her teacher's dark soothing eyes and saw her own reflection staring back at her and just nodded her head in agreement.

Elle was confused. What if she was seriously ill? Her analytical mind took over and ran through all possible scenarios for explanation. All sorts of illnesses popped in her head and most made no sense to what happened to her. Maybe it's just heartburn, that bad lunch she ate earlier. She chalked it up to rotten lettuce, salmonella poisoning of sorts.

At Sophie's Elle was unusually quiet. She sat between Tony and Cecy, who were chatting and twittering and flittering on and on about the day and everything, and nothing. With every word from her friends she felt light pulses vibrating through the old Victorian couch they were sitting on.

"Right Elle?" Tony's eyes were searching for a sign of life.

"What?"

"I said, we need to plan our year, we are going to have so much time on our hands. This will be the easiest year ever."

"May be we should start working somewhere." Cecy's long hair bounced with excitement. "I'm not sure where. Grocery store, or Movies or something."