Twelve Stones

Chapter 1 (Part 1) - Not Just Another Normal First Day

I woke up panting and sweating after having a terrible nightmare. I looked around slowly processing where I was. I realized I was in my bedroom and my alarm clock was buzzing. Normally on the first day of school I was tired but jittery. Today I was wide awake after that nightmare. I had dreamt that a strange looking army was coming after me. I was sprinting through the woods tripping and stumbling but not caring. One thought raced through my mind. Run as fast as your legs can take you. I had been having those dreams a lot lately. I breathed deeply and slowly and sat up in my bed. Sun shined in through the windows even though it was only 6:30 am. I went through my daily morning routine, brushed my teeth, did my hair, got dressed stopping every so often to think why am I getting ready again and quickly reminding myself you have school today pull it together.

"Lily come down stairs breakfast is ready" I heard my mom yell from the bottom of the stairs. I went over and looked at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a gray baggy t shirt with the Eminem logo on it and a pair of high wasted jean shorts (In case you couldn't guess Eminem is my favorite artist of all time so naturally I had his t shirt, hoodie and hat. It was my dream to see him in concert and I had been saving up for years waiting for him to go on a North American tour). I don't really like getting dressed up for the first day of school, I find that the more makeup I wear, the cooler outfit I have on, the better my hair looks, the more people stare at me and try to talk to me. Naturally people stare at me all the time because...well I have no idea. Everyone says I'm really pretty, but I just don't see it. Sure I'm the classic blonde hair beauty but that didn't change a thing. I'm still just Lily. I have sandy blonde hair, electric sea green eyes, and tan skin. I'm a little tall for my age but still curvy. Yup pretty... I guess and yet I don't feel pretty. The ends of my shoulder length hair are dyed a tealish color to separate myself from the other girls. I don't want to be like them. Just another pretty, popular, rich, fake girl. And plus, I don't fit in. I'm just so...different in too many ways. 

My mom's voice snaps me out of my thoughts, "Lily, at this rate you'll miss the bus." I walk out of my room and down the stairs. My sister Maya is already sitting at the table shoveling a huge stack of pancakes down her throat. I sit down across from her at the breakfast table. My mom stands at the kitchen counter scrubbing the dishes. I put a couple pancakes on my plate and began to eat. My sister eats her pancakes so fast I can barely believe her stomach could hold that much.

"clearly someone's in a rush" I say to my sister. She rolls her eyes and continues to eat without a word.

"aren't you supposed to be at work." I ask my mom. My mom shakes her head "I have an extra day off" she says stacking more pancakes on my plate. I pour syrup on them and begin to eat savoring every bite of my last home cooked breakfast. Once my mom starts work again, she won't have time to make breakfast. My mom is a music teacher, she has the prettiest voice. When she sings a whole crowd goes silent. When she speaks everyone listens. Its quite astonishing really.

My sister Maya's a year older than I am. She's a regular old pimple faced brown haired teenager. No one ever stares at her. Today her outfit consists of ripped jean shorts, a black tang top, and a jean jacket. She is the perfect example of a regular cool teen. Energetic and mischievous, always causing trouble. She never wears much makeup or glamorous clothing but try's harder than I do. She is one of the kids you'd find hanging out with all the misfit popular girls who like to pull tricks on the guys and gossip and go to the mall. She fits in perfectly. I would do anything to switch with Maya.

My sister continues to gulp down pancakes and i start to realize why she's eating so fast, she's nervous. Today Maya starts high school, A huge new school with a new schedule. She'll go back to the bottom, a tiny little freshman. Luckily, I'm only in 8th grade, the top dogs of the school. I get to look down on the puny 6th graders and laugh. My sister will be the one getting laughed at. I feel kind of bad for her, but I know Maya will be fine. She'll find some prank to pull with her friends and then everyone would find her hilarious and awesome.