Chapter 1: Outsider

I feel so invisible…nobody seems to care about me or what I do…I wish I at least had one friend, and then maybe everyone would stop talking about me. "Look at her. Why is she always alone? She never talks to anyone. What, does she think she's to good for us?" Open your ears, I've tried talking with you, you just look at me and walk away. You're all just a bunch of egotistical, hypocritical liars that are obsessed with your own story. Why can't you shred the immaturity and grow up…

I sigh. My eyes open to see raindrops falling against the large window above my bed. My bed is sort of a window seat, except larger. My walls are a creamy greenish-white color. I have a copy of Renoir's Dance In The Town on one wall and Picking Wild Flowers by Seeger on the opposite wall. My nose is cold, so I crawl out of bed, pulling the sleeves of my long sleeved, grey shirt pass my knuckles. I quietly walk to the bathroom across the hall. After pulling my long, black hair into a rather sloppy bun, I turn on the water and wait till it's nice and warm. I continue to wash and dry my face and hands. I brush my teeth and take out the headband that was holding my bangs back. I apply mascara and a thin coat of eyeliner. I stop and look into my eyes, wondering about the curious, emerald green left eye, and the bright, amethyst purple right eye. For as long as I can remember, my eyes have been those colors and I have no idea why. I shake my head and walk back to my room, planning to wear dark blue jeans, forest green t-shirt, and long, black sleeves underneath. Finally, I head downstairs.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Mom greets me, looking up from her newspaper.

"Good morning, Mommy dearest" I say grabbing my keys and bag. I then head for the door.

"Aren't you going to eat some breakfast?"

"I'm not hungry, but I will take a cup of coffee," I answer, eagerly getting a thermos and filling it with cream and sugar induced coffee. I smile and take a sip.

"Well, I'll see you when I get home from work."

"Bye!" I say with a smile.

I close the door behind me and walk down the sidewalk to my wonderful, little Jeep Liberty. It is black with very shiny, silver handles. I get in, start the engine, and switch my CD to Grace Like Rain, going straight to that exact song by Todd Agnew. I then pull away from the curb and drive off to school. The rain has begun to fall faster and harder. Hearing the sound of it against my window makes me sing out to God in joy.

Hallelujah, grace like rain falls down on me

Hallelujah, and all my stains are washed away

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

All my stains are washed away, they're washed away.

I love you, God, I really do. And despite my whining about being an outsider and all this morning, I thank you for allowing me to live this day, this beautiful, cloudy day. The rain fills my heart with peace, and the coolness of the air makes me feel warm inside. Thank you, God, I know you've got something planned for me, and I know it's going to be big, for your favor is upon me along with all of your children. I just don't know what that plan is. I pull up beside the school, lock the car, and run up the large stone steps that lead into the school. So my day begins.

The hours pass by as usual; there has never really been anything new or exciting in this school. I am always on the outside looking in at all of those people who seem to be happy with theirselves, but wary of me. Lunch comes; I eat a small amount of food, considering I have a small body and a very small space for food. No, I'm not anorexic, I have tried to eat more, but I get sick and migraines take control. Since we have an hour for lunch, I am done in ten minutes and I go to play my guitar in the band room. This is my favorite part of the day, because I can be completely alone without having to receive unfriendly glares.

Click

I freeze. There is a 4570 rifle pointed right behind my ear.

"Make a soun' and you dead," the low, gargled voice says, "Turn aroun'."

Fear has completely swallowed my senses and I start shaking. I can barely tell myself to do as he commands, heck, I can barely think, but slowly I turn. The barrel is now right between my eyes.

"Yeah, you da one, da mutant," he said, spitting at the word 'mutant', "I knew you da one da moment I saw dose cursed, liddle eyes, filty gutta'snipe."

Mutant? What does he mean by that? Guttersnipe? You're the one with moth eaten clothing, greasy, slimy hair, and four sickly, yellow teeth.

"Any last words 'fore I send yo immordal so' to da grave?"

Immortal soul? My body is still shaking with horror. Think, Liz, think!

"In the name of—" I am stopped.

My hand, which hangs in mid air, is in flames and is shooting fire at the gunman! The rifle is dropped and the man is in flames, rolling on the ground. As I run towards the door, I hear a gunshot and more flames fly from my hands, causing the room to come ablaze. What is going on?

"Come back here ya liddle freak!" the man screams with his gun in hand.

I look to my side where I see the bullet hole, and I race out of the room. The fire sprinklers are on and everybody is running through the halls. What is going on? How did that fire get started? God, please give me an answer of some sort! I run down the hallway, along with the rush of people. Suddenly, everyone stops. Hello, the school is on fire. Run, everyone, run out of the building, let's go.

"What?" I say, somewhat confused.

Their eyes, and mine, fall to my hands. They are still on fire. Crap. I begin to shake my hands, trying to put out the fire. My hands do not burn, nor do they falter under the sprinklers, they do not go out. I look up at the entire school body with apprehension. The entire school body of creeps who have always put me on the outside, always shunning me, refusing to accept me as a friend or an acquaintance.

"She's the freak! The freak that started the fire!" I hear someone say.

"The mutant!" another person says.

"She's a mutant!" someone else says.

At first, it starts as a low rumble, and then slowly it starts to grow. "Mutant Freak! Mutant Freak!" they're chanting. Pure rage starts pumping my blood, and my fists start to clench. The fire has now stopped, but I hear light pounding on the roof above me. I feel my face getting hot; my eyes are tearing up, and the pounding above gets harder and harder. So many people, so much screaming...

"SHUT UP!" I scream, throwing my hands up in anger.

At that exact moment, huge balls of ice crash through the windows, and are thundering above us. I look up and see that the ceiling is shaking under the pressure of the ice. My eyes open up at the shock of it all. Some of the people around me have been crushed by the ice and are, perhaps, dead. The others start to run out of the building. I slowly begin to move, but as I do so, I realize that I am the only one that has not been affected by the storm. I walk out of the half burned school, the balls of ice crashing all about me, but never hitting me. I am unhurt by the storm. Did I cause this horrific event? God, what kind of power have you given me? By this point, though, I am calmed down, and the storm has ceased. It is now just pouring rain, along with my tears of sadness. I walk to my jeep; thankfully the ice did not pummel it. Despite the rain, I race home, run up the stairs to my room, lock the door, and hide in my corner.

What is going on, God? Am I really a mutant? What is this power you have given me? I lift up my white, bony hand to my face. It looks normal. I put it on my cheek and it is cold, as usual. How did—THUMP I wince. Mother, dearest, is home, probably wondering why the principal called her about the fire at the school. Most likely, they blamed me, nailing me down because I'm the outsider, which they were right in doing so, but they failed to hear about the part where my life was threatened by some lunatic! Besides, I didn't do it on purpose.

"Elizabeth Wilhelmina Mae Carter!" I hear my mom say, "Get down here, NOW!"

I haul myself to my feet and walk downstairs, dreading the voice volume war awaiting me there.

"Elizabeth—"

"BEFORE you say anything, Momma," I cut her off, "It was an accident, and first of all, I was about to be shot by some homeless man with a 4570 pointed at my skull!"

This delightful piece of information catches her off guard and all is silent for one second.

"Don't you lie to me, young lady!" she says, fire in her eyes, "Your principal called me, COMPLETELY off it, because her school is BURNING! And she says YOU were the one left at the scene! Try that one on for size." She finishes her little statement with a smirk.

"That's what you tell your DAUGHTER when her LIFE is threatened? How could you not believe me?" I ask with a bit more tears than fire in my eyes.

"Elizabeth, why on earth would someone want to kill you?" she says, avoiding my question.

"BECAUSE I AM..." I stop.

What would she say or think if I told her I was a mutant? Tears are now streaming down my face, and I stomp to the fridge, grab apples and peanut butter, and storm back upstairs.

"You get back here, we're not done until I say we're--" I shut the door.

After wiping the tears and snot away, I turn on my Over Ashes CD on high. I hear muffled sounds of dishes breaking and pots and pans banging. I sit down to eat my apples and peanut butter. I love this stuff. I also love pie. BANG Chicken potpie is the best, just without the green beans. CRASH I hate green beans. BANG The only vegetable I really like is corn, perhaps a baby carrot here and there. CRASH!

"Honey, what on earth are you doing?" I hear from my dad downstairs.

A slight giggle escapes my throat. After finishing my substitution of a dinner, I turn down my CD player and sit down to read my Bible.

But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.

We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.

In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.

May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
even as we put our hope in you.

…But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish…

Goodnight God, I thank you for this day, I really do. I take it as a blessing in disguise. I ask that you let your will be done in my life, and also that you will forgive me for my sins. Although, I don't remember sinning today, I had to have at some point though. Supposedly it starts right when we're born, I'm not sure I believe that. I miss my baby girl, my niece I mean, Loralai. OH! Sorry God, you know me and ADD. Anyway, I don't know what's best for me and you do. I wonder if it's just best that I leave here and go someplace where I will be accepted for who I am. My parents will find out soon enough, and I know I won't be welcomed at school. I sigh, I don't know, God, it's all up to you. Goodnight. And with that I put my mind to rest for the day.

sSsSsThEdReAmSsSsS

"Elemental!" a voice says, "You're flying, you're really flying!"

My eyes look down and around, but I see no one. I am in the air, and I see a rather large mansion with trees and moss everywhere. A beautiful fountain is overflowing with water right below me. The wind is weaving through my hair, and it is a beautiful day. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the smell of spring is in the air, and I am falling with great speed towards the ground! The fountain that once looked like a very small miniature is growing bigger!

I scream, "Please, God, don't let me die! Oh, please not yet, God, please help me!"

sSsSsThEpArEnTsSsSsSs

"Jason?" Tiffany, Elizabeth's mom, asks, "Do you think we should check on Elizabeth? I hear screams."

"…Hmmm? What?" Jason says groggily, "Oh, yeah, Its probably just a dream."

Jason and Tiffany crawl out of bed with a bit of worry floating in their minds. The screams grow louder and louder the closer they get to the door. Tiffany opens the door only to have a rush of wind and rain hit her in the face. The room is in complete chaos. Papers and objects are flying around the room, the window is open, and rain is pouring in from the outside. The most horrific sight of all is to see Elizabeth floating above her bed. Her parents are terrified!

My eyes snap open and I fall on my bed. Wait, I fell on my bed? All of my notebooks and drawings are strewn across the floor. My window is open and the rain is soaking my floor. I turn around.

"Momma, Dad?" I ask, "What are you doing in here?"

"You—You—You where floating," my mother says to me, "Over your bed."

Floating? Does she mean—"Flying?" I ask, my eyes begin to open wide in joy, "I was really flying?"

I stare at my parents, waiting for an answer. God, have you given me the gift of flight? This is so exciting! I might actually be able to… I look at my parents. They just stare at me with a disgusted look of fear, and possibly—is that disappointment I see?

"Get out of this house, Elizabeth," my supposed loving, adoring father says, "You don't belong here anymore."

"What?" I ask, completely overwhelmed by this particular statement.

"Get out," my daddy dearest says with a deathly tone.

"But Daddy, why—"

"Get out," He says again, this time with extreme force.

My brow rises in a confused arch. Father looks as if he will throw me out the window if I don't leave. Why is this happening, God? Why?

"Momma," I ask, warily walking up to her, "What is he talking about?"

Momma fearfully jumps back at my outstretched hand. Her face is full of terror. She acts like I'm some kind of monster. I step back, wringing my hands as I finally realize what has happened. They have clearly discovered that I am a mutant, one of the freaks they hear gossip about on the news. They don't want me anymore. I throw myself to the floor in tears. Through the blubbering and crying a soft, gentle voice whispers to me, a blessing in disguise… I look up through my tearful, curious colored eyes and watch as my parents leave the room and shut the door.

This, God, this is my blessing in disguise? How could you be so—sorry, forgive me, Lord, please. I will not let anger take its hold on me again. Anger only brings more pain for others and myself. My mind drifts back to the storm at the school. All of those people lying helplessly on the ground; that is what my anger amounts to. Forgive me, God, please, I did sin this day, I brought pain and anguish upon others and their loved ones. I will not allow anger to overtake me ever again. After saying this short prayer to my Father, I bring myself up and wipe away my tears. The only thing left to do is pack up and leave. It seems to be the best thing. First, I gather up the scattered notebooks and drawings I want to keep. I then go to the closet to get my big, grey-green suitcase and lay it on the bed. I take all of my clothes and bathroom items and stuff them inside. On top of that I put in all of my songs, music, notebooks, drawings, and my Bible. Reaching under my mattress I take out a huge billfold, which holds all of the money I've earned from the past 3 years, most of the money I've earned anyway. I put that in my—I guess I should get dressed. I change into some punk jeans and a long-sleeved, grey shirt. After a short while, I am done packing. Oh crap! I left my guitar at the school! All it is now is an ashtray, darn it! I regretfully swing my suitcase over my shoulder, grab my sweatshirt, two blankets, and a pillow, and I walk slowly out the door. I pause to say goodbye to my dear, beautiful room. My parents have locked themselves in their room. I lightly knock and say goodbye. They don't answer, and I hold back the tears threatening to fall.

As I step outside, I stop to take in the fresh scent of rain. It is misting now, and it will soon get stronger, I know. I throw my stuff in the trunk of my jeep and start it up. Grace Like Rain starts playing, again. A single teardrop slides down my cheek, and the rain begins to pour again. All right, that's enough, Liz, you stop that now, you'll start a flood. I wipe away the tear and pull away from the curb. My parents watch me as I leave, from their window. How could they force me away like that? They're the ones who have always taught me to accept people for who they are, no matter what the world thinks is wrong with them. Oh well, I know this has happened for a reason, I just don't know what that reason is yet. It is still raining as I drive out of town. I head down the highway, not knowing where to go. After a while my eyes start to blur, so I pull over to the side of the road. Well, it is midnight, and there's not another town for about an hour or so. I do not want to go back and stay at a hotel; that would be completely pointless. I guess I'll just sleep in here tonight. I turn the jeep off and lock the doors. The rain is still coming down pretty hard, but that's not because of me. I'm fine now, and I do love the rain. It is kind of cold in here, though. I put on my sweatshirt, take off my shoes, and crawl into the backseat. I push my suitcase to the floor and cover up with my blankets. The sound of the rain is calm and soothing to my ears. It makes me feel so warm inside. My thoughts drift back to my parents. How could they put me out like that? They acted as if I was some kind of psychotic killer or something. If they won't accept me, who will? Knowing these questions are silly, considering the fact that God is always protecting me, I forget about my troubles for the night and fall asleep.

Author's Note: I own everything you don't recognize. Ah, now that that's over...YAY! I finally finished rewriting the first two chapters. The other four chapters will be up soon, sorry it took me so long to get here. I haven't been on the computer for the passed three months. :) Ta.

-Captain Jack