Sweating profusely in the middle of the night when normal people are sleeping...but the thing is I'm not normal...no, I'm far from normal but you know, it wasn't always like this...
**Punch...Punch...Punch**I punch the punching bag I had installed in my room...with all my strength I punch it...thinking about how I used to be...before I became this mess...Flashback"So, What does my little princess want for breakfast?" My dad smiled up at me, me sitting on the kitchen counter smiling back at him "Dad, I'm not a little kid anymore, you can't keep calling me your little princess" I said to him and he frowned"Dad? No more daddy" "Yes, dad, that's what the older kids call her their daddy""But, you're still a little girl, Shorty" he said making me smile...he loved calling me Shorty and I loved hearing him call me thatBecause I really am short...shorter than most kids my age but anybody else call me that and you'll see what I'm made of...even momHe's the only one allowed to call me that"No, daddy, I'm a big girl now, I have to do what big girls do" I pouted"Hmm and what do big girls do?" He asked me"They call their mommy and daddy, mom and dad, they are not called little princesses and a bunch of other things...I'll teach you, I've got it planned out" I say shifting to jump off the counter before he pulled me back and looked into my eyes"Listen, Shorty, you can't keep trying to grow up so fast...you need to live life as it comes...Life's what's happening when you're busy making other plans" he said looking seriousEnd of Flashback
"I miss you so much, daddy" I say as I keep punching the bag
I punch for a few before I stopped, looks like the bag's about to break offWalking over to take a sit and drink some water I feel moisture on my chest and that's when I know I've been crying
"I really miss you so so much, daddy"I open up a bottle of water and surprisingly gulped down the whole thing... I didn't know I was that thirsty
My dad died in an accident 10 years ago and let's just say things fell apart...you know how in most families, the mother is the pillar of the family? In my case, my dad was that pillar and with that pillar gone...everything collapsed. I didn't just lose my dad in that accident I lost way more...I lost both my parents, my mom is alive though, it's just she's not herself and we rarely see each other anymore and the only thing she ever talks about at those rare times is my grades which had also gone from very good to extremely bad since dad died 'I'm so disappointed, Danielle' 'Even a fifth grader would have aced this more than you, Danielle' 'Why can't you bring home any good news, Danielle?'
I can't count everything that died that night with my dad but trust me when I say, it was a lot
The happiness in the house died...my good grades...the frequent smiles...the actual care and interest in each other...Now, everyone calls me Danny, except mom 'cos she just likes pissing me off and I've become more a boy than a girl
I've trained every night for the last, let's see, say 9 years more or less...not because I'm expecting a war or anything, just for the fun of it and besides why the hell not?
I can say that I could take down say 100 guys all on my own and I'm not exaggerating and no...I don't train all on my own, I go to the gym too... just haven't in a while '.cos all I ever hear there nowadays is'Danny, you should be a professional fighter,it'll earn you a lot of money and you're really good at it so, why not?'From literally everyone and I'm sick of itNow I'm gonna study a little before I have to get ready for school.
I walk into the kitchen to find my mom rinsing a glass by the sink and I just ignore and act like I didn't see her.I take my cereal and pour it into a bowl before adding the milk...all the while feeling her eyes on me but if there's anything I'm really good at it's awkward silence.Totally ignoring her, I finished my cereal and washed out my bowl and was just about to leave when she spoke "Really, Danielle¿ Not even a good morning?"And that stopped me right in front of the door and without turning to face her, I mumble a "Good Morning, mom" before taking another step to leave"Danielle..." she started but I cut her off "it's a beautiful day, mom, let's not ruin it?" I say in a question-like way with a fake ass smile but she wouldn't just leave it like that
"She was grieving, Danny""Think about it, if you did this just for your mom, you could've asked to be the smartest kid in school or have psychic powers or something more normal but you are crazy, Danielle Sanchez. Crazy is you. You and Crazy are one""Cherish your mom while you still have her, Danny"Beth's words keep ringing in my head."You could've asked to be the smartest kid in school"I groan
"Morning, mom" I beam as I watch her come down the stairs "I made breakfast"I came down earlier to cook breakfast."I noticed" she smiled and came over to give me a hug "Morning, Shorty""Looks good" she complimented, taking a seat."Yeah, right, that's just something you have to say" I say dismissively."I won't say it looks good if it doesn't look good, Danielle, you know me" she says slowly.
Today, we graduate high school.And I'm not going-well, I don't want to go but I don't think Beth is having that.She's currently ransacking my cupboard for something suitable for me to wear."Beth, just drop it, I'm not going" I groan for the nth time"Alright, give me one good reason for that silly decision" she turned to me for the first time since she started her mission."Silly?" I laugh
"Is there a particular reason for your decision or did you just..." Mom trails off.She's currently sitting on my bed, trying really hard to calmly understand why I'm refusing to further my education.But what can I tell her?'I met an alien 9 years ago, made a sick wish and now I'm not normal which is mostly the reason why I wanted to hate you so much'I don't think that will sit in well so I just stay quiet.She runs her hand through her hair for the nth time in exaspe
Mom left for work a few minutes ago.Beth and I have the entire day planned out-we're spending it with Clara.Mom would've loved to come but she had to go to work-says she'll join us next time though.We're going to the Seattle Aquarium-we think Clara will love it there. She always loved gifts of mother nature.And after that we're visiting the Woodland Park Zoo.I'm sure Clara will be really happy.
I called my mom to let her know I'll be staying over at Beth's house.Beth hasn't returned from Clark's house but I don't think she's coming back anytime soon so I have to cover for her over here 'cos she forgot to ask her mom before leaving.I lied to Clara that Beth's tired and already asleep before she went to bed.And tried the same with Will but he's a lot smarter, he noticed that her car was gone so I had to tell him the truthWell, not the real truth..just fragments of the truth-I'm not sure Beth wants him to know just yet.
It's been 3 months since we-Beth and I graduated high school.We've successfully marked out everything on the list Beth, Will and I made of things to do with Clara.I've made my decision on where I'm going.Even though things are perfect with my mom now and I no longer wish to be away from her, I still have to do this. I still have to leave this town because I just know that I can't find the peace I need to live with my curse if I stay here.A new, totally different environment is what I need and what I intend to get from Georgia. It's calm, quiet, serene and