Chapter 1- Embarrasment
I strolled down the green walkway, after waking up from a really sweet dream. I wish my life were a dream- that way; the pain of waking up from them would never exist. Another day of an average, normal life. I sighed at my thoughts. All I needed was a nice thrill, for once, in my life.
A flash of sparkling green, yellow and orange flitted by in front of my eyes. I knew who it was, but I turned around anyway.
“Flick! Give me a break!” He was bobbing up and down with excitement. This is not the kind of thrill I meant.
He smiled-only slightly apologetically. “Sorry sis, but you can’t blame me for wanting to show off a bit!”
“A bit? Flick?” I stared him down
“Alright, a lot.” He admitted.
I rolled my eyes, turned my back to him and walked down to the kitchen.
Only showing off a little bit? Please! He was flitting about everywhere, bragging every second. I haven’t seen him set foot on the ground since he transformed. Well, at least someone was in a good mood.
My mom was in the kitchen, waiting for me. She had been dishing up my food on a plate when I walked in. She turned around.
“Hey, Mom. What do you have to eat on this already ruined day?”
“Honey, don’t start that attitude.” She warned, as she set down my plate at the table. “Come sit down.”
I groaned silently at her, but pulled out the chair and sat down.
“Mom, Flick is driving me insane!” I said, maybe a little too over dramatic.
I could hear her shuffling around, cleaning up behind me. She paused for a moment, and then answered me. “Your brother is thrilled. You have to admit that we need a little excitement in the family.” She turned on the faucet, and started cleaning out the pan.
“Ugh, but he doesn’t need to fly around constantly! Especially right in people’s faces!”
I picked up my fork, set my napkin in my lap, and started eating. I was paying no attention to my food- I was too annoyed to care.
My Mom laughed behind me. So now, my annoyance is funny? Her laughing at me just made me slightly more annoyed. Thanks, Mom. I thought sarcastically.
“Sweetie, your hair is getting in your food!” Whoops. She wasn’t laughing at my annoyance. “Let me pull it back.”
As she came over to adjust my hair out of my plate, I calmed down slightly. My annoyance at Flick, however, did not disappear. I was still fuming internally at him.
My Mom pulled back my thick brown hair. She took a little longer than necessary. Probably admiring it and wishing her hair still looked like it used to. She tells me it looked just like mine.
I receive a lot of compliments about my hair. I usually wear it down. I have medium-long hair, and when I get it cut, I usually just ask for a trim. I don’t need a big dramatic change in my appearance; I try not to draw much attention to myself.
What I don’t like much about my appearance is my eyes. I hate looking into a fresh dewdrop, and seeing those husky brown eyes staring back at me. They always look like they should belong to someone else. They have too sharp of a stare, and too perfectly shaped to be mine. Those brown eyes are too read-able for my taste. The ones who know me the best can usually tell my emotion, and close to what I am thinking.
I used my sharp eyes to turn around and give my Mom a look. She smiled with a sigh, and dropped her hands from my hair. Not before she gave it one last stroke, though.
Now, my sister’s eyes on the other hand, are perfect for her. She has eyes that say, “Look at me!” Primrose is absolutely gorgeous. Our Dad claims that she inherited that from him- no one listens to him though. Before Primrose left the house, she was always waltzing around, catching everyone’s eye. She completed her sprout only 20 years ago. She was gorgeous as every, of course.
Her long strawberry blonde hair glittered. Her newly grown wings were small, yet dainty. They grew out just past her shoulders. Here wings, a pale pink, sparkle with her every move.
Yet, the most dazzling thing about my sister is how good her small figure looks in her dresses. When she wears them, it magnifies her beauty. Like she needs to be any more beautiful.
She’d had a ‘thing’ for this guy named Christian. Of course, he fell in love with her, and they got married. I am glad that Primrose found her true love, but I can’t help secretly being jealous of her.
When I finished eating, I picked up the plate, stood up and pushed my chair in. Once I had cleaned my dishes, dried them, and put them back in the proper places, I was free to leave the kitchen.
The next thing on my list was to look for Flick. Joy. My parents had decided to give themselves a break, and seeing how eager he was flick was going to take me to school.
Flick was usually pretty hard to find, especially now. No doubt he was flying somewhere, or spying on me. I wouldn’t put it past him to be holding his tongue, watching me struggle to find him. Try to be mature once in a while, Flick.
I spent about 20 minutes looking for him until he decided to suddenly appear, using the excuse of not hearing me. Lame. I’m sure someone else would have found it funny, but I was already annoyed at him, as it was.
“Flick! I’m ready to go now!” I said, exasperated.
He had changed his clothes. He was now wearing a deep green outfit. I had to admit, it looked really great on him. It went with his wings just right.
Unlike Primrose’s small wings, Flick had large, pointed wings. They were sparkly. Swirls of orange, yellow and light green patterned them. He was standing in one of those over-confident poses.
I had to laugh at his facial expression. He was proud, and grinning widely. He was trying to hide some of the smile, and it made him frown slightly. His lips were slightly puckered out. Ah, Flick.
“Don’t you think that’s a little to fancy for a trip to my school?” I asked him, with my eyebrows raised.
“Naw! Now that I’ve sprouted, I feel I need to show off! Besides, this green highlights the natural color and glow of my new flutterers,” he admired.
I snickered. “Oh, Flick. What are we ever going to do with you?”
He caught on fast to my joke. “Nothing except wait. Soon, I will have my very own princess who cannot resist my charm,” he grinned.
I was caught mid-sigh. Flick had lunged forward and grabbed me. He whisked me off, starting to fly up.
“Wait! Flick! I need my bag!” I panicked.
“Oh, sorry. Guess I’m a little too eager.” He admitted.
Uh, yeah! Way too eager, I thought as he set me down gently in my room, so I could run and grab my bag before he swooped down and picked me up for a second time.
Now that I had everything I needed, I could enjoy the ride to school. We didn’t live that far away by flight. The school was in the large tree, close to everyone who lived in our valley. It took forever to reach by foot though, since it was so high up in the tree. The elevators are really slow. Most people take the smart way, and have one of their family members fly them up.
The further we went up, the more we could see. Below us, our valley was stretching far. I enjoyed trying to see as far out as we could, beyond our valley. I’ve never set foot outside this place, so what lies beyond our boundary line has always been a mystery to me.
When we reached the entrance to the school, Flick slowed down, and set me gently on the ground.
He didn’t bother landing, but hovered in the air. “Have fun, Lore! I’ll pick you up,” he winked, “after your last course! Literally, so be prepared. See ya!” He did a flip, and went off who knows where.
I shook my head lightly, and turned toward the front of my school. It was a short walk to my first class; the classroom is right by the front office. I passed a few rows of lockers, with giggling girls and chatty people. Did they have to torture me so?
I have only a few friends. I don’t like to go out of my comfort zone, so I can honestly say I don’t make friends very easily. I’m shy around people I don’t know very well, but crazy and completely at ease with the ones I know inside and out. I only have one best friend, and I’ve known him almost my whole life. Our Moms are good friends. We do everything together, well except the girly things. He leaves that to my two girlfriends and me.
My first class of the day was the hardest class of all; Plants and Animals. The title pretty much covers it- we study plants and animals. We learn about what kinds of flowers are good to live in, and what types of animals to stay clear of.
Our teacher, Miss Starwort, gives lots of tests. When we complain, she merely says, “This is one of the most important subjects you’ll ever be taught. Take the test”.
When I walked into her room, she was writing on the leaf board. I smiled casually at her, and went to take my usual seat behind my best friend.
“Good morning, Lore!” he smiled, happy to see me.
I smiled back.“Hey, Elvin! Ready for the test?” I asked in a sarcastic tone, as I took out the materials I’d need for class, and stuffed my bag under the chair.
“Oh, I won’t say. I don’t want to jinx myself,” he winked. “I will only tell you that I stayed up late studying last night.”
I groaned and sat down. He twirled gracefully in his seat to face me. “Ugh, El, you just helped me get flutterers in my stomach!” I put my arm on my stomach to demonstrate.
He laughed quietly. “Hon, there’s no need to worry. You will do just fine! You always do, you smart thing!”
I blushed. “Thanks, but please don’t set expectations on me.”
“Dear, dear, Lorelle.” He flashed a huge grin. “You are as red as a tomato! Have my compliments embarrassed you?” My favorite smile stayed on his face. His brown eyes lit up under his laughter.
“Elvin! Stop, you know how easily I blush!” I put my elbow on the desk, and then rested my chin on my hand. “And besides, you know me better than anyone.”
He ran his hand through his thick dirty blond hair, and flashed a huge smile at me. I winked at him, and then he mimicked me by putting his elbow on my desk. We both burst into laughter. This is one of the reasons I like Elvin. He’s always so easygoing and comfortable with himself.
I had my head down, laughing, and I didn’t notice Miss Starwort turning away from her board. I heard the clicking of her shoes as she walked to her desk, and then the cricket chirped, signifying the start of class.
All the students turned to face the front of the classroom. Elvin rolled his eyes, smiled, and turned around. The room slowly grew quiet.
Miss Starwort cleared her throat, grabbed a stack of papers from her desk, and walked to the very front of the classroom.
“I have your tests in my hand. You will have the entire course period to work on them. I’m sure you will all try your best! I will be sitting at my desk if you have any questions. Good luck!” She smiled and started passing out the test.
A couple of people groaned, but no one else bothered. We were used to these frequent tests and knew there was no use complaining about them anymore. Miss Starwort walked by and handed me my test. I took a deep breath, and looked at the first question.
To my surprise, the test was actually really easy for me. I’m sure most of it had to do with my Dad always walking around, asking me questions and making sure I knew all the answers. If I ever get it wrong (which happens frequently), he’ll tell me the correct answer ad make me repeat it. And then, to my annoyance, he’ll ask again the next day, and expect me to remember his answer.
I have to deal with this almost everyday, but I guess it pays off in the end. It’s nice to do well on a hard test.
When class ended, I pulled my bag out from under my chair, stuffed my things in, and waited for Elvin.
“Sorry, Lore. Give me a second.” he smiled as he quickly tried to put his things away.
“That’s okay. Why don’t you just stuff it in? That’s what I do.” I suggested.
“Because I like to be organized and not have to dig through my stuff later, to find a pen.” he explained, as he picked up his bag and slung it on his back.
“Oh, that’s right,” I joked as I nudged him in the arm.
We started walking to our classes. We had to split and go opposite ways at one hall, since he had a different class.
“I’ll see you at lunch,” Elvin pat my shoulder and turned the other direction. I snuck a glance at the clock, and started speeding towards my classroom.
It was on the other end of the school from Plants and Animals, so I really had to hurry. I guess today Elvin spent a little more time getting ready than I realized. Either that, or we were walking slower than usual, because I didn’t have as much time as I usually do from when we change directions in the hall.
Every day, I had to walk fast through the halls, but today, extra speed is what I needed. I would have run, but I didn’t want to get in any trouble. I was getting really tired of this. Where was Flick when I needed him?
I ran as fast as I could to still call it a walk. I was breathing very heavily when I sat in my assigned seat one second before the bell rang. I was tired, but relieved to have made it on time. That was one less thing to explain to my parents. I could see them asking about my one tardy for class.
I closed my eyes for a few seconds, trying to catch my breath.
The teacher started speaking, only I didn’t recognize his voice. Wasn’t my math teacher a lady? I opened my eyes, and looked up to see a complete stranger. I was confused as I looked around the room.
I was dazed until I saw the students who were sitting around. How could I be so stupid? Realization came to me and I immediately felt my face grow hot. These students were a lot older than me.
The worst part was that they were all staring right at me. Drat! Why did they have to make every single classroom in the hall look exactly alike? And why did this have to happen today? Any other day would have been preferable.
I quickly scanned through my possibilities for action in my head. This was the most humiliating thing that had happened to me so far this year. I could either sit here, or pretend I belonged, or I could leave. If I left, how could I not draw attention to myself? No, that was impossible.
I decided I was just going to leave. I took a deep breath, summoned up what wimpy amount of courage I had, and walked up to the front of the room. I headed for the door, and as I passed the teacher I felt the need for an explanation.
“Wrong room.” I muttered as I quickened my pace out the door.
I could hear all the laughing and snickering that followed in the room I just left. My face boiled a deeper red.
Great, now I was late, embarrassed, and about to blush even more when the kids in the correct class see my face. What a day this had become...
At lunch, when I walked into the cafeteria, I saw Elvin sitting at a table on the other end of the room. I walked over and sat across from him. Our table consists every day of just Elvin and I.
I huffed as I took out my lunch sack from my bag.
“What’s the matter, Lore?” Elvin questioned. His eyebrows pulled down into a frown.
“Oh, just the day I’m having. You’ll never guess what I did in math class today. No, actually, scratch that. Before math class.” I emphasized the ‘before’.
“You are probably right. You might as well tell me,” his eyes lit up hopefully.
I sighed. Of course I was going to tell Elvin. I told him everything. Well, almost everything. I never described my dreams to him. What kind of reaction would he give me? This was about the only thing I couldn’t talk to Elvin about.
I told him my story, and described every detail. His lips curled up into a smile when I described what my face looked like- he loved my blushing. He listened intently the whole time, while I poured out my most embarrassing moment. He was really enjoying it.
“Aren’t you going to laugh at me?” I asked. He was smiling, but not laughing. Elvin usually laughed at me whenever I mentioned my blushing.
“No. This time, I’m actually picturing how embarrassed you were. I usually just laugh at you when you blush in front of me, when it’s me embarrassing you.”
“Oh. Well thank you for not laughing at me.” I thanked him truthfully. “You know how I am with embarrassment.”
He chuckled lightly. “You bet I do!” He said, leaning back in his chair.
I joined in with his laugh and took a bite out of my sandwich.
