Before your eyes Ch1

Before your eyes
Ch1: Dreams of the Past, Days of the Present  

“Alright class, this is your first recess as fifth graders, that means you get to play on the big playground.” Mrs. Jones called to us as cheers broke out. “Great,” I thought. “Just the same as any other year. I‟ll still be playing all alone just on bigger scale.” The kids lined up at the door and looked eager to go out while I was lost on thought. “Elem, come on Elem, go play with the other kids.” Mrs. Jones said making the other kids snicker at me. Silently I nodded, a 'good girl' as always doing what the teacher said without question.

I went out and watched the other kids run wild going to the slides, the jungle gym, the fireman‟s pole, the kickball court, everything but the swings. I went over knowing that I was an outcast, friends were not for me in this world. I did have friends for a while but they always left me. „Best friend‟ what a lie, I was young but I knew it well every time someone would call me that they would soon find a new friend and toss me aside forgetting about me for their real friends. I didn't mind though, I was used to it; no other girl would ever hang out with me. The boys were even worse; I was just a big joke to them and didn't know why. They would tease me, in front of me and behind my back. If a boy ever asked me to be their girlfriend I knew to just ignore them. The one time I said yes, happy about the boy I liked asking me out, he laughed in my face then ran to laugh and joke with his friends.

I went to my place, the only safe place on the playground for me where I would not be ridiculed, not be teased, shoved, or bullied, the swings. On the swigs I could fly away, be free touch the sky and no one would ever swing with me, which was the way I liked it. As I sat I could feel Mrs. Jones‟s eyes on me, watching me, taking „pity‟ on me. Even on the first day of school she knew about me, she must have been told about me by other teachers, it was a small school after all. I knew felt so bad I was always alone but never did anything about it, even if the teachers cared they never helped. As I glanced back at her she looked away not wanting to meet my eyes. With a sigh, I took
seat on the swings and started to kick, started to fly up high.  

The world faded away, the other kids, the looks, everything. I was happy but suddenly something was wrong, I could sense someone next to me and looked at the next swing to see a boy sitting on it. He was looking at me with his ice blue eyes, about as far as they could be from my brown eyes. And his hair, black as his outfit and far from my strawberry blond hair. I looked away knowing that avoiding eye contact meant less chance of becoming a joke. I could hear the squeak of the chains as the boy started to swing. I could feel his eyes were still on me and I couldn't take it anymore. “What?” I asked as rudely as I could as I looked at him.

“So what are you doing over here all alone?” His voice was unlike any I had heard which was odd. Most people never forgot a name or a face, I never forgot a voice. Names were nothing special, even the oddest name had a twin name somewhere, faces were the same, they blended together and one face could be mistaken for another. But a voice, even twins had different voices, no animal sounded just like another, and no human voice matched another. I knew I have never met this kid before, but that was nothing new. Most kids in the school hated me and I didn't like to get to know those who hated me. Even if I didn't know someone I knew their voice in the crowed, the kids I had known since kindergarten, all voices that shouted out in the playground, the lunch room, who shouted at me, who laughed at me and this boy's voice was different and new. The voice was friendly and rang with truth and clarity.

I glared at the boy, suspicious yet curios. “Who are you?” I was sure to try and sound my toughest, my scariest but the boy, swinging beside me without a care in the world, just smiled confusing me more than I could say. “It‟s not nice to ask a question before answering one, and to ask my name without telling me yours.” My glare grew icier the words and tone in his voice were normal, even a little happy yet there was an emotion in the voice of caring. “I didn't ask you name I asked who you are, I won‟t remember it an
away.” He laughed. “Oh Elem, yes you will, I know you will.”  

“How do you know my name?” I demanded. “The other kids, they talk about you.” I looked down and nodded. “Yeah I know.” For a while we just swung in silence. “Jet.” the boy said making me look at him. “What?” “Jet, my name is Jet. It‟s only fair you know my name when I know yours. You won‟t forget a name like that will you?” “Well I won‟t forget your voice.” I sighed looking forward. Jet looked at me, I saw him out of the corner of my eyes, a frown on his face that didn't last long as a smile took its place. “Good, faces can hold lies but voices are mostly true.” I nodded not in the mood to talk.  

More silence before Jet spoke again. “I‟m here to play with you by the way. You looked so lonely, I mean I know your used to it and all, you don‟t like them but there are more than them in the world much more.” He seemed to read my mind but I didn't show it I just nodded. “They can‟t fly like we can. On these swings we can fly!” It was true, we were almost to the top of the swings, the other kids looked like ants. “And Elem, I know you‟re lonely now. Don‟t worry though, you won‟t be lonely forever. Those people won‟t be mean forever and even if they are, so what?” Jet kept right on talking and I knew no matter what I did he would'‟t stop. Deciding a little bit of talking was better than silence I decided to talk as well, if only to humor him. That and I knew someday I would break free from all of this.

“I know Jet, I know, their opinion about me don‟t matter in the least.” Our swings were soon moving side by side and Jet looked at me. “It will get better, you will break free. And yes, you‟ll see me again.” I looked right at Jet; he was almost reading my mind. Wait was he? “Not now of course, I don‟t go to this school, or any school but we‟ll meet again, and we‟ll fly higher than them all just like today.” The recess bell rang before I had time to ask him anything. We drug our feet on the ground to stop and hopped off. I watched the other kids go inside and turned back to Jet standing there smiling. “Till we meet again.” He ran over to the crowd and when they were passed he was
gone.

I woke up with a start sitting up and looking around. I put a hand on my forehead. “I remember that day, that kid. Why on earth am I dreaming about that now?” I thought as I heard a knock on my door. “Come on time for school! Don‟t want to miss your first day of high school do you?” “No Dad, go on I‟ll meet you in the car.” “But don‟t you want breakfast?” “I‟m way too nervous to eat today.” I said with a small laugh. “Don‟t worry Elem, there is no Freshman Friday. You‟ll be just fine.” My dad joked making me laugh. “Well all the same I don‟t think I can eat anything right now. I‟m just ready to get this day overnight and come home alive.” We laughed together this time as my dad turned and left. “Alright, see you in the car.”  

I stood, still thinking of my dream and went to get dressed, tiring to find something good for my first day. After picking a plain yellow top and a pair of cargo pants I grabbed my backpack, filled up yesterday, and went to the car. My Dad and I didn't talk much, mostly about his first day of High School and how well it went. Soon enough though the car ride ended and we were at the large two story building. After goodbyes went in the building funneling in with the crowd feeling like cattle to the slaughter.

Voices rang out from all directions; I recognized the voices of all your typical clicks and ignored almost all of them, all but one, Elisabeth, or Liz. Her voice stood out to me like her hair stood out to others, long way past shoulder length and a lovely aqua blue. We moved though the crowed like fish going upstream and hugged. “So where‟s your locker at?” She asked. “Second floor academy 3 right in the middle of everything.” I said looking up to the stairs. “Second floor academy 5, in the middle of nowhere. Mind if we share?” “Of course.” I said with a grin as we went up the stairs.  The second floor was the same as the rest of the school, five side halls called academies with one main hall on the outside of them all like a massive highway that was always busy. There was of course the gym, the pool, the cafeteria but they were on the opposite end of this place. The main hall on the second floor was a balcony that overlooked the first floor.

When we reached the second floor with its balcony like setup I looked down to the first to see a face I would never forget, it was probably the first face I recognized in my life. Standing there in all black, to match his hair stood a boy with icy blue eyes. Liz followed her eyes. “Hey who‟s that?” She asked. I shook my head and looked away. “I don‟t know just some guy.” Liz laughed and nudged me. “Some cute guy, so should we go- hey where is he?” We both looked down to see the crowed close in and when it cleared he was gone. Grabbing my backpack straps I shook my head. It couldn't have been him, it just couldn't have been. Liz nudged me. “Hey he so stunning you can‟t talk.” I gave her a look that that let her know something was up and she fell in step alongside me.

On the way to our lockers I explained the dream; we tell everything to each other, we were no strangers to the other‟s odd behavior. We got to our lockers and managed to stuff everything in, my stuff at the bottom her stuff at the top. “So you think it means something? I mean it can‟t be just a coincidence can it?” Liz asked once we had our things for our first classes. I sighed and leaned against the locker. “I don‟t know…I never remember a face and you know that, it took me a long while to remember your and Oracle‟s faces, how else would I find you when you don‟t talk. But this guy‟s face, I knew it right away. I wished he spoke though then I‟d know for sure.” “Hey how big can the school be? We‟ll see him around, and Oracle.” I nodded. “Yep we‟ll find them both, I hope.” We nodded to each other as the first bell rang and we split to go off to class.

Every classroom was the same, whiteboard, desks in a row, windows in the corner, teacher up front behind a podium. In each class I took a place by the window, away from my „classmates‟ and close to freedom. Each class went by fast; the teacher spoke of what we would do in class and passed out papers that the jocks soon threw away. First was math, then history, English, biology and a break for lunch. The upperclassmen rushed to the lunch room before us all to grab the best spots but I hung back by the locker where Liz soon joined me. “So first day of high school exciting enough for ya?” She asked. I laughed and nodded as we put books in and took books out of the locker. “So shall we fight the masses and claim a table?” I said with a smile. Liz nodded and we left to find a spot.

Lunch went by too fast but there was an announcement made, something about a Circus with odd creatures galore. Liz and I grabbed a booth and let our books stake our claim. We learned quickly to eat fast, put up our trays then talk with what little time we had after. We of course spoke of the announcement.  I gave Liz a smile. “So you a part of this? Going to flash your scales.” Liz nodded, “You know it, if only we could find Oracle.” I was about to speak again but the bell rang cutting me off. I watched other students gather together and make their way out the only two entrances pushing and shoving galore. “Well off to more of the best years of our lives.” I sighed as we waited for the masses to clear.  

The rest of the day was nothing special, I didn't see the boy again and we didn't find Oracle. Chemistry, the newspaper class and home ec went by slower than I could have thought and soon the last class of the day was upon us all, ceramics. It was there that I met up with Liz, in the room thick with clay dust. “Take a good look, this is the cleanest thin room will ever be.” I said looking at the six large tables with four seats each. Liz and I sat side by side as we checked out the mostly empty room. Supply cabinets were behind us labeled 'high fire' 'engobe 'bats' 'fettling knives' 'ribs' 'sponges' all the tools and glazes we could ever need. In the back of the room were ten wheels still sainted with clay from the ages. A small room was off to the side with the kiln.

Much to our surprise and happiness one of the faces to walk in was a familiar one, Maria, or as we know her Oracle. She came over and sat and we smile. “Well there you are! So what do they say about the Circus?” I asked. “Haven‟t asked yet, but hey we were all brought by our parents right, let‟s get together before they get here and ask them.” We nodded. I looked at Oracle, her bight green eyes stood out from her long raven black hair. She was in her fancy skirt and white blouse. “Well you don‟t look much like a potter.” Liz said with a chuckle. “Hey were not using clay today are we? I don‟t have to be.” We laughed together and watched as more people came in, all voices I knew but were not close to those that had them.  

The class ended sooner than it started and we left together stepping outside to sit on the grass. I looked around at all the cars, most of the ones who left right away were the upperclassmen who had cars of their own. But they had to wait for the busses, all twelve of them. Our parents would be the last to leave so they had no reason to hurry. I hoped that with all the traffic there would be no wrecks. Liz and Oracle spoke on as I watched the crowd flood out, looking for the boy in the crowd. He was nowhere to be seen and I thought I only imagined him but then again Liz saw him too. My thoughts went back to our small little group as Oracle took something out of her purse, tarot cards. “So shall we ask them?” Oracle said with a wicked grin. Liz and I nodded with smiles, eager to see what the Fates would say