Books books wherever I looks.... That's not right...

Hey everyone. It's Kai. I've progressed a lot with my new book. It's the one i told you about, (CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD) with the girl who's father has died thirteen years ago, when she was two. Her mother is considering getting remarried, and Alexa (yes, that's her name, thanks to you guys.) doesn't like the idea. She meets a new boy named Nick from Canada. He tells her that he can take her back in time to meet her father. They do, and she finds out that he moved from Canada because his father is in jail. Then she realizes that if she saves her father that she herself would die, and never exist in the first place, throwing time off. So in the end she doesn't save her father and excepts life as it is. But anyway, now I have to name the book. So I've put a poll up to see what you guys like.

Hi everyone, it's me. I just wanted to take a minute to explain something. If yo y notice, a lot of blogs have cool templates and backgrounds. I could probably find one somewhere, but it is most likely that i won't. And I would like to explain why. I've kind of rubbed off on my blog (Well duh). It's plain purple. It's not showy, or 'special looking' and that's kind of where I'm coming from. I'm not a showy person. I try not to show off, even though I fail sometimes (the games), I'm not a beauty, 'never have been and never shall be' (the plain purple', but... I guess my personality makes it believable. I mean, you've seen pictures of me. Honestly I'm not that special.

But now back to the fun stuff. My dad is coming home from his book signing tour tonight. As long as he doesn't get stuck on the ice I am beyond excited. He has my brother with him, as well as a friend of mine that is coming to stay with us for a week. I. Can't. Wait. Even though we'll still have to do school, we're going to have a blast. Not really anything new or exciting around here, we've been stuck in the snow for a while, but the Jimmy awards that I was looking forward to? They're no longer day before yesterday.

They were supposed to be the twenty-ninth, but they got moved into February. And the Honk auditions that were supposed to be yesterday? Those are now tomorrow. If we can get there. So now all I can do is worry that I won't be able to go... Wish me broken legs!!! (theater term, don't freak.)

Big Words

If you are wondering why I have superfluous words on the top of my blog, it is because I am infatuated with enormous colloquialisms. Aka, I really like big words. I'm only twelve and in seventh grade but I really LOVE to use big words. Even though I do procrastinate most subjects, I have a zeal for vocabulary. And as anyone who knows me can attest, I am a complete bibliophile. I am a completely dramaturgical (it's a real word, look it up) person, me being an actress and all. My repertoire is as follows:
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (minor extra work)
The Black Motzart (young Nanon)
Farmer Jason (...girl...)
Goodys (photo shoot with Ashley Judd)
Fitness...stuff... (with Jenny Heft)
Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Alice)
Music City Christmas Spectacular at Opryland (The little girl)
Why the Rain Falls in the Jungle (Octopus number two)
Children of Eden (Little girl)
Charlotte's Web (Narrator three)
Aladdin Jr. (Narrator three)
Disney's Cinderella (Perla)
Oliver! (orphan/pickpocket)
Willy Wonka (Violet)
MathQuest (Charlene)

See how I cleverly (not) had you looking for new words (not) and then all of a sudden you were avidly reading my list of things that I've done??? I'm such a snob... sometimes I amaze myself. Well, now that I've bored you with a bunch of my boring stuff about myself that you couldn't care about less, I'll show you a funny video that relates to me. How? Because I'm homeschooled. For a very awesome video, go WAY OVER THERE WHERE THE GILLY WEED GROWS

Sledding!!!

Hi everyone, it's me. If you don't know my name, look at the picture. Today we went sledding down the h-yuge hill that leads up to our house. If you've paid any attention whatsoever to my previous posts, you will know that other than in dance class I am a very uncoordinated person (my repertoire includes falling off of couches, tripping over chairs, slipping on tile...). So naturally I was terrible at sledding. I got about to the middle of the hill every time... well, every time that I didn't run into a mail box, telephone pole or icy ditch. It was tons of fun though. There were other families out too, but none of the kids were my age. Right now I'm sitting in front of a roaring fire watching Fantastic Mr. Fox. It's a great movie. Yesterday we watched The Princess and the Frog. It. Rocks. Well, here is a video of my sister sledding.



Here is a picture of my sister with her 'sled' over her head and a huge piece of ice in her hand.


This is my three legged dog, Faith. She was enjoying the show just as much I was.


We'll see if we have any more pictures later, but so far that's it.

Snow days

All right. You've heard me obsess over the rain, so you must not be able to imagine how I feel about the snow. Actually, the same way as the rain. Thanks for putting up with me, because I'm about to go all out, pictures and all. It's only four thirty, and it's already getting dark. The snow is pouring out of the sky. I got to walk a little outside in the snow, and it's absolutely gorgeous. I don't think I've shown you any of what my home looks like other than my bed, so here goes. I live out in the woods. It's amazing when it snows. The trees are close together and in the summer, you can barely even see the neighbors.

this one is my house earlier today, before the snow really started coming down. It's almost completely white now.

Then it got whiter and whiter.... the result???


This is a picture of a friends house that we walked to.


There will most likely be more snow pictures tomorrow.

Yesterday my brother asked my mother if she wanted to play rock paper scissors 'where you can be anything.' My mom was all 'Okay sure!'. she had no idea what she was getting herself into.
my five year old brother: Okay, rock paper scissors shoot. What are you?
Mom: Scissors. what are you?
my five year old brother: I'm God.
Well we are by no means a religious family (we celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas...), but needless to say, God beat the scissors...

I suppose I should explain my poll up top. I'm beginning the beginning of my new time traveler book about the girl who goes back in time to meet her father. I'm deciding on her name but couldn't choose between those names. So far I really like Micah, Becca, and Alexa. What do you think???

And you know the Jimmy Awards I was so siked up about? They were postponed on account of bad whether. My response to that??? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! And then they also postponed the auditions for Honk Jr.

Okay, as I write this, my mother is singing the musical Wicked while playing it on the piano. This is why she rocks. Wicked is a play off of The Wizard of Oz. If you've never heard of it before, consider yourself enlightened. IT IS PHENOMENAL. I saw it on broadway and when it came to Tennessee last year. I loved it both times.

okay, so you've heard about our awesome science teacher. He asked me and the three other people in our 'class to create a science song'. I couldn't come up with anything until yesterday. Here is the song I came up with. There’s a hole in the bottom of the atmosphere
There’s a hole in the bottom of the atmosphere
There’s a hole
There’s a hole
There’s a hole in the bottom of the atmosphere

There’s some rays in the hole in the bottom of the atmosphere
There’s some rays in the hole in the bottom of the atmosphere
There’s some rays
There’s some rays
There’s some rays in the hole in the bottom of the atmosphere

There’s some UV in the rays in the hole in the bottom of the atmosphere
There’s some UV in the rays in the hole in the bottom of the atmosphere
There’s some UV
There’s some UV
There’s some UV in the rays in the hole in the bottom of the atmosphere

There’s radiation in the UV in the rays in the hole in the bottom of the atmosphere
There’s radiation in the UV in the rays in the hole in the bottom of the atmosphere
There’s radiation
There’s radiation
There’s radiation in the UV in the rays in the hole in the bottom of the atmosphere

Global warming is caused by radiation in the UV in the rays in the hole in the bottom of the atmosphere
Global warming is caused by radiation in the UV in the rays in the hole in the bottom of the atmosphere
Global warming
Global warming
Global warming is caused by radiation in the UV in the rays in the hole in the bottom of the atmosphere

There’s a hole in the bottom of the atmosphere
There’s a hole in the bottom of the atmosphere
There’s a hole
There’s a hole
But we’re healing the hole in the bottom of the atmosphere

Yeah. isn't that pitiful??? My friend was just 'explaining' to me what oxymorons are. (i know what they are but she was telling me some) She pointed out 'Adult Male' and 'Military Intelligence'. This is why I keep her around.

Hey everyone. The Jimmy Awards (remember them?) are coming up, and I can't wait!!!! Basically my goal is to get an award and leave happy. Ha ha, it's not gonna happen. Can I say thanks to the people who comment (Kenzy, Maia, and Quinny that one time)??? I've been having so much fun writing and reading what you guys say in response. And if you haven't commented, please do.

May I take a moment to rub the fact that I'm homeschooled in all of you non-homeschooler's faces??? Yes, it rocks. How? Here's how. This morning I got out of bed and went downstairs to shut off my alarm. I was at the house with no one else except my mom (my sister slept at a friend's house, my brother slept at the neighbor's and my other brother decided on the spurr of the moment, as in that day, to go to Ohio with Dad). I went into her room and hung out in there for about twenty minutes before we got ready to leave. Then she drove me to the theater where I sat in the greenroom (the room where all the actors hang out, we had friends in the show) listening to the show (Anne Frank) from a speaker box over my head while doing school in the dark. Then for the next show I met up with some friends to watch the second show of the day. Then I went home and started school. Does my life rock??? Add a couple more shows and yes it does.

Right now I don't have anything to write about in particular, just wondering how (if you do) you guys get your blogs out into the world of internet. I'm still relatively knew to all this.

Right now my dilemma is getting my mother to believe that I've done enough school work to audition for the show Honk Jr.. What do you all think??? Just kidding, knowing that you have no idea about the situation I'm in, but I've got to make her cave... Hmm, and then the Jimmy awards are coming up... I still have to decide on shoes... And then I have to get ready for my friend from Ohio to come over (yay yay yay yay yay yay yay). What else is going on??? I haven't really had a chance to take anymore pictures of anything, so that's on hold... I haven't really written much... It's not raining.... I'm not in shows... I don't know... interesting times will come....

And yeah, I don't think I ever posted more of Keiran did I??? Well, here it is from the beginning.


Prelude:
Dear girls, my name is Macie. As a teenager, I had a normal life. Until that is, I met a boy. Not because he was cute (which he was) or charming (which he was) or sweet (which he was), but because he saved my life… multiple times. So I’ve written this book of my adventures with him so that you, as girls who are being saved by your Saviors can know that you’re not the only ones who are afraid, amazed, and confused.















Chapter one: Sometimes things happen. No one knows why, but still, things happen.

“Tally’s gone.” Dad said calmly as I walked down the stairs to the downstairs of the apartment that I lived in. He held onto the stair rails.
“Again?” I said, throwing my head back in frustration. Why did she always have to run away? Tally, my fourteen-year-old sister was always disappearing.
“Well what are you waiting for?” my dad asked. I knew what he meant, even though I wished I didn’t.
“Do I have to?” I asked, whining. Dad gave me one of those looks that only fathers can give their daughters. I sighed, and ran down the rest of the steps, throwing my hair up into a cute pony tail as I went, New York style.
I walked down into the entrance hall and grabbed my roller skates. It was Sunday, and the streets of New York City would be packed with tourists. Ugh.
I pulled them on and was off, flying down the streets. Now if I were Tally where would I be? The question almost made me laugh. Of course I knew where she was. She went there every time!
That’s the reason that I don’t think Tally really wants to run away, even though she acts like a punk rocker, with her dark wavy hair, and the way she always wears black jeans, shirts, shoes, and everything else. She always goes to the mall. I guess that it’s a great place to hide and everything, but she leaves all these obvious clues and tips. And yet I still had to go after her.
I rolled up to the mall after weaving my way through many pedestrians. In my backpack I had a wallet full of some money, an extra pair of shoes, and an extra pair of roller skates for Tally.
I found her in her favorite store, Abercrombie and Fitch. She was in the t-shirt section. I put my arm around her before she realized who I was. I had on my extra pair of shoes, so I was allowed inside. She gasped, but quickly realized what was happening.
None of this was new. Now Tally was struggling.
“Stop! Macie I told you, I don’t want to be brought back!” she yelled. People were starting to look confusedly now, tons of New Yorkers staring at us. I just pretended to laugh.
“Oh Tally!” I said loudly. “You’re so funny! Every time we come here, it’s the same joke!” I steered her outside. We walked out into the main food court and I sat her down at a table.
I stared at her for a while, and then when she still didn’t say anything, I did.
“All right, spill.” I demanded. “Why do you always do this? Not only does it waste your time, it wastes mine.” I said. I meant every word. I wanted to be doing something worthwhile with my time. It wasn’t like I had much of the weekend left. It was almost over. Dad usually let us stay out and shop for a little while, and I had already memorized the list of things that Mom needed at home.
“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I guess it just gets so tiring at home.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, looking at her.
“You just get everything.” She said, laying her head on my shoulder. I rolled my eyes. There was no way that was true. Tally was the younger, prettier, nicer, luckier sister. I told her so.
Well, after listening to her talk, I got that she was as typical a teenager as I was at her age, even though I’m seventeen now. So basically, I talked her out of ever running away again. Thank goodness. This would save us a lot of time and worry.
We went to some of the other stores, and spent some of our money. It was almost impossible to get anywhere though, with all the stupid tourists everywhere. That’s the only complaint I have about living in NYC. There are always people who don’t know what’s going on.
You get so many people who walk around in the ‘employees only’ section of the mall it’s incredible. We walked around too, spending our money in ways that would have astounded our parents. We walked out of the mall with so many different pairs of sunglasses and pairs of pants that we could have closed the store down if they hadn’t had a storeroom.
We stopped at the grocers on the way home. Unlike all the other stores that had been geared towards tourists for a while, this one was strictly for the real New Yorkers. I mean why would tourists go into a grocery store that they could go into at home?
We left, a couple bags heavier, having bought every thing on Mom’s simple list. Milks, eggs, juice, ice cream (we’d have to get home soon if we didn’t want it to be liquid cream). The usual things. Tally held her bags and I held mine.
I waited patiently as Tally strapped on her roller skates again, I had already donned mine. Then we were off, flying through the streets, faster than before.



I pulled up to school in my skates, my backpack on my shoulders. I pulled off my skates and put on my shoes. My hair was a mess, my outfit was messy, and I didn’t care. I watched Tally walk off to her class building, across the street, just to make sure that she actually got there this time, even though she’d went through an internal transformation since our little chat yesterday.
When she reached the building I went inside my own, stopping only briefly to help the newer kids find their buildings. I pulled my sweater out of my bag and over my head. They kept it so cold in this school.
I sat down in my first class. History. There was nothing new about this. We’d been studying the same thing in school for a while, and I’d aced every test. I looked around the class, knowing that everyone here was old and normal.
But I was wrong. Looking around, I noticed that someone else was here. Somehow I had a strange feeling that he was new, even though common sense told me I was wrong. I turned my head away from him, after noticing what nice eyes, hair, and face he had.
No. I told myself. Pay attention. This is class, not La-La Land. But I couldn’t help but being intrigued by this boy who wasn’t new, just new to me.
There was no way I was going to pay attention in class now, and I should have, even though I already new everything Ms. Marietta was teaching us. But who was this boy? He had dark hair, and dark eyes, and normal skin. He was wearing jeans and a dark t-shirt, nothing abnormal.
So why did I think he hadn’t been here before? I knew in my gut that he was a normal student here, he wasn’t a new kid, but why didn’t I recognize him? I knew that most kids in this school wouldn’t think twice if there was someone in their class that they didn’t recognize, but I noticed a lot.
I risked a glance over at the boy again. Now he was looking at me. I liked it. I didn’t know why, but I liked it. I quickly looked back to the front, but I couldn’t pay attention to the teacher. As soon as I thought I was safe, I looked back at the boy, but he was still looking at me. Why isn’t he paying attention?
He might ask you the same thing. Someone answered. It wasn’t me thinking it, or maybe it was, and it just made so much sense that it was as if it had come from someone who was totally different.
Stop it! I told my self fiercely. You have to pay attention! I shook my head mentally and tried to pay attention for the rest of class.


My next class was Math. It was easy for me, but it was new, so I paid attention. Thank goodness, because I didn’t realize until afterwards that New-To-Me Boy was in this class too.
I wasn’t paying attention until the teacher called “Math Quiz!!!!” the whole class groaned, but I didn’t. I was totally prepared for this. Why did everyone else procrastinate studying until the very last minute?
Lucy Miles (a girl who lived in the apartment next to mine a.k.a. the prettiest girl in school) passed me my test. I looked down at it.
Oh! I thought. I never imagined that a test could have been this easy. It wasn’t even on what we had studied today.
Needless to say, I passed the test with flying colors. Not everyone did though, much to my surprise. I got an A, and I was privately sure that I had done the best.
I walked out of class feeling buoyant and happy. Nothing could bring me down now. I had done well on my test, Tally wasn’t going to run away ever again, and I was happy.
On my way out I noticed that the Not-So-New Boy was here in this class too. Would he be in every one? He was looking at me again. I don’t know why, still, but I liked it. I didn’t want it to end. Of course I couldn’t stand there looking like an idiot much longer, so I went on my way down the hall.
My next class, Math, was pretty easy too, the only hard one was Geography, and that was the farther off in the day.
Next was lunch. This was the only stress free part of that day for me. I didn’t have to pay attention to anything, I got in line, got my food, and walked over to my table, milling over my day so far.
Like everyone else in this school, I had a self-designated table where I sat. Jilly, Camilla, Jessie, and Carson all sat at this table too. They were nice, but I really wasn’t in the mood to talk right now.
The boy was at lunch too, and he was looking at me again. It was so weird. I mean, every girl wants the guys to look at her, but this didn’t give the satisfaction that it should have. It was like somewhere in my gut I knew that he wasn’t looking at me because he thought I was pretty.
“What’s with you today Mace? You haven’t eaten anything!” Camilla commented. My head snapped down and I started shoveling food into my mouth, hardly noticing what it tasted like.
“I don’t know,” I said nonchalantly. Then I was struck with an idea. “Hey… Camilla, Jill… do you recognize him?” I nodded a small concealed nod in the odd boy’s direction. I looked over at him, and he was smiling, like he was sharing a joke with himself.
Their faces went kind of blank for a minute.
“Oh… yeah!” Jilly’s light face lit up with obvious recognition. I looked at the boy’s face, and his was lit up with obvious relief. Could he hear what we were saying from all the way across the loud cafeteria?
“That’s Keiran. Keiran Hill. He’s been here for, like, ever. How can you not know who he is?” she asked, like I should obviously know who this person was. And in my gut, I knew that I should know him too. So why didn’t I? My common sense was saying ‘Of course you know him! That’s Keiran Hill!’. But another part of me was saying ‘Keiran Hill? Who’s Keiran Hill?”. That part of me was winning.



“And the periodic table of elements starts here in the cycle,” Mr. Davis droned on and on, and I don’t really think anyone was listening. Before I moved here last summer I was in an advanced school where the eleventh graders were doing college courses. I had learned almost everything this school had to offer, but I couldn’t skip, it was illegal. It was worth it though, I love New York City.
I looked around class. Was he here?
Stop it! I told myself. You’re being stupid. It’s not like he’ll be in all of your classes. I was right. He wasn’t in my science class.
So, thanks to New Boy not being here and the fact that I had already learned this class by heart, Science was a drag.
Then there was Literature. The teacher for this class, Ms. Micah, was always late. I loved her though, and that was why this was my favorite class. It might also have something to do with the fact that I hadn’t really gone through the same Lit class as was given here.
I looked around, feeling sure that since the boy wasn’t in Science, he wouldn’t be here either. But he was. And… for some reason, I was happy about it. He was looking at me, and I liked it. Then all of a sudden I had the urge to stare at him, but also to look away at the same time.
Ms. Micah still wasn’t here, and I was hearing some of the newer students whispering. I took it upon myself to help them, because nobody else would.
“Um, do you guys need something?” I asked cocking my head.
“Yeah.” One of the braver ones answered. “We were wondering if this was Ms. Micah’s class, or were we in the wrong place???”
“Oh. Yeah, this is Ms. Micah’s place, she’s just running late. you might want to get used to it though, this class usually ends up being about ten minutes long.”
I meant it as a joke, but I don’t think they got it. They just stared at me like I was crazy, and then went back to there seats. I didn’t concern myself to much about it, I had already done my best to be nice.
I looked back over at the boy, and I noticed that now his look was admiring, almost approving. But what right did he have to be approving of me? He didn’t even know me.
But somehow you’re supposed to know him. This voice was half my own, and half the person that had been inside my head earlier. I looked quickly away.
Finally Ms. Micah walked into the room. It was time for a new unit to begin. This was the only time in school that I ever got really nervous. I absolutely abhorred learning the same things twice over, even though I’d had to get used to it. This was the only time that I really had to worry about it, because I knew what would happen next every other time.
My heart fell when I heard what we were reading this time. The Pearl, by Robert Steinbeck. I’d done that in eighth grade. Ugh.
To soothe my boredom, I looked over at the boy. He was looking at me still, but now he looked more like he was sympathizing with me, like he knew I was sad. Was it that obvious on my face? I tried to rearrange my features so that they were happier, but it didn’t seem to fool him.


He wasn’t in Geography, my next class. I had already learned this lesson in Geography once, but I hadn’t passed the unit, so I had been paying attention very well for the past couple of days. But today I was so focused that I had to give myself a pat on the back. I truly hadn’t though it was possible, but I did it.
My next class was P.E, and he was there. I did okay in that class, but it wasn’t like anyone expected me to be good. Then I had Composition and Grammar. Keiran was in that class also, and even though I had already learned the lesson, I wanted to pay attention. You see, I had figured something out about the way he stared at me. No matter how straight-forward the look was, it was odd, he didn’t look at me like Thomas Harold (the cutest boy in school) looks at Lucy.
It was like a parent watches a baby that’s just learning to walk on its own. The way he looked at me… it was almost protective.




Chapter two: Sometimes people don’t know what’s going on. But that doesn’t stop them from finding out.


“How was school today Hon?” my mother asked as I walked through the door pulling off my skates.
“Good,” I said nonchalantly, shutting the door behind Tally. I ran up the steps to my room, dropping my backpack on the floor.
That’s one thing about my mother that I value. She understands teenaged girls. She knows that if a girl simple says ‘good’ when asked a question, something’s wrong. But she knows better than to come up and interrogate me about it. She knows where I’ll go next.
After taking off my summer scarf and my sunglasses, and yanking a brush through my ponytail, I walked down the hall to Tally’s room.
“Hey.” Tally says when I opened the door, not looking up from her Mac desktop computer. “I figured you’d be in here soon. What’s wrong?”
Oh and another thing about Tally: you can’t hide anything from Tally.
I sighed. “Well, at school today… there was this boy…” how could I explain this to her without her thinking—
“Macie.” Tally whined throwing her head back with exasperation. “How many times can I tell you that your love life is messed up and you need to lay off the boys?” She asked me, turning away from her computer.
“Talls, it’s not that, it’s just that he was staring at me.”
“Oh.” She said shortly. “That’s it?”
“No. That’s not it. They way he was looking at me was weird, and it changed sometimes. It wasn’t like he liked me, it was like he knew everything about me. Sometimes he would look sympathetic, sometimes he would look proud, or pleased. But most of the time it was just like he knew what I was thinking…”
“Creepy stare, creepy person.” Tally said like it made all the sense in the world.
“Well what should I do? I have to go back to school tomorrow, and unless there’s some freak change in nature, he’ll be there too.”
“Give him one more day, and then if he’s still staring at you, talk to him on Wednesday.”
I agreed to it, and I left her to her computer. I couldn’t help but admire how calm she always was, how her wavy dark brown hair was never messy, and how her dark room was always pristine.
I laid down for bed that knight, wondering what I wanted. I couldn’t say that I wished he would stop looking at me, but I didn’t want to confront him either.
I don’t remember when I finally drifted off to sleep, but it was sometime after I decided that I didn’t want anyone, especially Keiran, to stare at me anymore.



The next day I wore some simple jeans and a t-shirt. I tried to look inconspicuous, and walked instead of skated to school. I decided that if I was going to avoid Keiran’s stare, I should try and be ‘quiet’ looking.
Don’t get me wrong though, I still looked cute.
I walked into school slowly, losing myself in the crowd. I went and dropped my backpack in my locker, and went to class.
First, was of course, history, and Keiran was in this class. I sat down at my desk, shadowing my face with my dark hair. I looked around though, and there he was, looking straight ahead at the blackboard, where Ms. Marrietta was writing out the homework that we would be given later.
I could have sung. I would have to confront Keiran after all. He wasn’t staring now, and I was pretty sure that he would never do it again, but I told myself to keep checking, just in case.
I paid attention to history that day, looking over my shoulder only once to check Keiran. He was staring straight ahead, unmoving, every time. Even though I had already learned the lesson, history was interesting because of my elation.



Math, p.e., lunch, science, and literature all went as usual with no stares from Keiran. Nothing happened until geography. He hadn’t been in this class yesterday.
Things change. A voice inside my head told me. It shocked me, and I sat bold upright. I hadn’t been thinking that, but clearly my subconscious mind was. I wished it would stop happening, it was starting to scare me.
But why was he here? I wondered to myself. He wasn’t here yesterday, why should things change? I tried not to pay much attention to Keiran, but it was hard. He didn’t stare at me though, so that was a welcome change.
In the middle of class, I decided to check Keiran, just to make sure he wasn’t looking of course, not for… any other reason.
This time though, I did it quickly, just a jerk of the head. That was enough to throw and catch him off guard. I realized that I had been obvious enough in my attempts to stop him from staring at me.
He’d been doing so anyway, and I just hadn’t known.

The rest of the day passed slowly, and I didn’t even try to stop Keiran from looking at me. I gave in, knowing that I would have to talk to him tomorrow anyway. I didn’t like it, but that was what had to happen. I had to know why he kept looking at me.
When I got home that day, Tally wasn’t home yet, Dad was still at work (he’s a geologist), but Mom was there. I decided to keep her in the dark with the Keiran situation, I mean, why should she worry?
Nothing was wrong yet, and I was fine, so there was no reason to say anything. When I got home, I got on my own mac desktop, identical to Tally’s.
I checked my gmail account. Three new messages. One from Jgurl4, Jilly, another from camicam1500, Camilla, and another from khsavior.
Wait. I double checked that last one. Who was khsavior? I didn’t open it, knowing that it could be some creep trying to see who I was. I opened the other two though, they were my friends, and I liked to talk to them about other things than school.
I read the one from Camilla first.
Hey Macie-mace! How r u? I was just wondering why u were so weird at lunch yesterday. Wut was up w/ u? it was so crazy! Do u like that Keiran dude? He is pretty hot huh? Idk, just wundering. Talk 2u l8ter, Cami.
I sighed. What could I tell her? Should I just spill it all to her and Jilly? What could happen if they knew? Nothing. Absolutely nothing would happen. You’re making a huge deal out of nothing. Boys stare at girls all the time. This isn’t different.
Yes it is. The voice that was and wasn’t mine retorted. Yes it is and you know it. I couldn’t ignore the voice, it was to practical.
I did know that it was different. I knew that from the start. I also knew that maybe my friends would be able to help me. So I wrote back:
Hey Cami. Idk why I was so wrd at lunch yesterday. The reason I was asking about Keiran was bcause he was staring at me all yesterday, and now 2day 2. Idk whether I like him or not. Whut do u know about him? Mace.
I knew that Camilla wouldn’t write back for a while, so I planned on not worrying if she didn’t email me for a few days. Then I went to Jill’s email.
Macieeeeeee! U were so weird at lunch, whut was up w/ u???? hahaha lol, I though u would pass out u looked so wrried. Why? And why were you asking about Keiran??? Idk anything about him, but do u like him? ☺ Jill.
She was so straight forward that it made me laugh. I mean, her second sentence said what Camilla’s whole email said. I emailed her back pretty much the same thing that I said to Camilla, only I knew that I would get a reply from her a lot faster.
Now there was only the email from kh savior. I was afraid to open it, but I didn’t want to delete it, just in case it was important.



The first part of the next day was miserable. I knew what I had to do, but I didn’t want to do it. In truth, I didn’t even want to go to school. I’d tried everything.
I’d slept in late, but my mom came and got me. I said I felt sick, but my mother insisted that I looked fine. I did many other things too, but there’s no reason to list them here.
So, I ended up here, in p.e., with Keiran watching me. I didn’t even dare look at him now, knowing that I would have to face him at lunch.
I got so distracted that I almost forgot that I was on a rope, suspended ten feet in the air. I misplaced my foot on the rope, and that was the end.
I felt myself sliding and sliding, falling. Even though I wasn’t that far off the ground, the floor felt hard, and my hands burned. When I looked at them, I saw that they were bleeding, and that they had little pieces of rope stuck in my hand.
I couldn’t breathe, the air had been knocked out of me, and my hands hurt. It was hard to see, things were slipping in and out of view, and I was tired of trying to see. The nurse was here now, it felt like it had only been seconds since I fell. How could she be here already?
“—don’t know, she fell.”
“—her hands, we have to get the rope bits out.”
“—landed on her ankle funny. Do you think it’s broken?”
But only one voice really made it through clearly, and it was a voice that I had never heard before. It was a boy’s voice, not much older than myself, but smarter sounding, like he was years older in his mind.
“Macie? Macie, can you hear me? Are you okay?” I wanted to tell him that I was, but I couldn’t find the strength. “Somebody call her parents and 911!” he said, as though it was obvious that something had to be done.
I heard the vague sounds of everyone scrambling for their phones.
Before I knew it, the anonymous voice was being asked to carry me towards the ambulance.
Why? I though. I can’t feel any pain. And that was true. My whole body was numb, and I couldn’t feel anything but cold. So why were they taking me to the hospital? I don’t need it! I thought.
Yes you do. The mine-but-not voice said. You need it very much. But somehow the voice was more familiar now. It wasn’t scary anymore because I knew the voice from somewhere else. It was a voice who cared. The anonymous voice, but in my head, in the form of my thoughts. Who were they?


When I woke up, I wasn’t comfortable. I had questions all around my head, buzzing and bouncing. There was a tight pressure on my ankle, which I could feel was throbbing uncontrollably. My hands felt like they had been scraped with needles multiple times, and I had a headache. It took me a while to realize where I was and what had happened.
I groaned.
“Oh Honey… are you okay?” asked someone from my bedside. Mom. She was here?
“I don’t know, am I?” I answered truthfully. Someone else laughed. Dad. He was here too?
“Well, your ankle’s broken, your hands are all cut up, and it looks like you hit your head pretty hard, but you’ll heal.”
“That’s nice,” I said, turning to face them. I felt a little tug, and realized that I was connected to a big beeping machine, but just by what I really didn’t want to figure out just then.
“How do you feel Mace?” My dad asked.
“Like I got hit by a truck. Several times.” I said, laying back down on my back.
“Well, you’ll be out of school for a bit, I’ll tell you that. But you won’t be home either.” My Mom told me. I got what that meant. I’d probably be hanging here for a while.


















Chapter three: And then sometimes there are people who want to know up front what’s going on. Those are the people who get bad news in painful ways.

My time in the hospital wasn’t too bad. My friends came to visit me, I got flowers, cards, and balloons, and there was no Keiran to stare at me. There was no anonymous voice in my head, because if I can admit it, I was asleep for almost two weeks straight.
The first day back in school I decided to give Keiran one more chance.
But are you giving him another chance, or are you giving yourself one? The not-my voice said. And again I supposed it was right, no matter how much I hated it.
That day at school was anything but normal. I went through so much of ‘Oh it’s great to see you!’ and ‘Thank goodness you’re okay!’ I didn’t even know that that many people in this school knew who I was.
It was silly, but now not only was I looking for Keiran, but I was looking for the voice. You’re being silly. I told myself. No you’re not. Said my other. The voice was familiar… safe.
Keiran was there, in all of my classes, staring at me like I had on a see-through shirt. But the voice was still anonymous… I didn’t know who it belonged to.
By lunchtime I was done. I might not know what to do about the voice, who had been so nice when I had fallen, but I had to talk to Keiran. It was like he knew things about me that even I didn’t know.
I needn’t have worried about how to get to Keiran, he came to me.



You’re being an idiot. I told myself as I walked into the lunch room. No you’re not. The other voice said. But I knew that, for once, this voice was wrong. I was obsessing over something that I wasn’t even sure was true. This wasn’t right. Yet here I was, paying the lunch lady, and silently scanning the room at the same time.
A hand shot up as I watched, and started to wave. I didn’t pay much attention to it until I realized that Keiran was waving, and he was waving at me.
I walked slowly over to him. I ended up standing behind the bench that stood opposite his.
“Can I… sit down?” I asked awkwardly. I sound like an idiot. I told myself. No you don’t. The other voice told me. I didn’t believe it.
“Of course,” he said courteously. His voice sounded familiar. Safe. His voice sounded exactly like the one that had worried so much when I was hurt. I wanted to fling my arms around him and thank him for caring, do something nice for him, but instead I smiled and set down my things.
I looked down at my plate and started to pick at my food. I could feel Keiran staring at me the whole time. I didn’t get very far with my food before Keiran bit his lip, sighed, and started to talk.
“Listen, Macie… what I’m going to tell you won’t make sense, you won’t believe me, and you’re going to think I’m crazy. You have listen, it’s the truth, and you need to hear it.” He said slowly. I didn’t know how to respond, I said what I was thinking.
“Um, okay.” I said shrugging.
“I’m… well, I come from a family… and we have a special job. My last name isn’t really ‘Hill’. It’s Savior. Kind of. I’ll explain that later. But our job is to protect the world from the Seekers, who are kind of like the bad-guys in a fairytale.
“Seekers are a huge family, but we’re not… well we’re not all related. Some of us don’t even know each other. But exactly half the population are Saviors. Each Savior is born at the time of his or her… I don’t know what to call it, but they are born at the same time as the people who they have to save.”
He was right, I didn’t believe him.
“So you’re telling me that every person in this room has a, uh, Savior?” I said, looking at the nerd table. If anyone needed a helper, it was them. I mean, if this was all true, then they wouldn’t walk out of the bathroom with their heads smelling like toilet water.
“Yes, but they’re not always needed. Some Saviors get to live their lives out without even knowing what they are. But others have to save their… their person. Like me.”
“Well, why are you telling me this? Who’s your person?” I asked. I felt like I should have known. But I didn’t. Keiran stared at me again, but now it was just incredulous.
“Oh…” I said, surprised. “But why do you have to save me? I’m not anything special, I don’t plan on helping to destroy the world or anything.”
“Destroy the world? Macie, that’s not what they want to do. They want to study it.”
“What?” I asked.
“They don’t want the world to be destroyed. The Seekers aren’t human, they come from an alternate universe. Thousands of years ago, a Seeker got lost in space and ended up here. He was intrigued in the weak things that they called Humans. They want to experiment on us, not destroy us.”
“Oh… would I know of any one that was a Seeker?” I asked him. I didn’t believe him yet, but I was on the fence. He seemed to really believe what he was saying.
“Think about it. When or who would have helped with the ‘experiments’?” His emphasis on the word experiments scared me. He made it sound like they weren’t really civil. Then it hit me.
“Hitler.” I said shortly. “Hitler and the Holocaust.”
“Exactly.” He said softly. “In the 1940s it was Hitler. He helped the study by throwing a dart and choosing a people.” I gasped. “Figure of speech, Macie. He chose the Jews, and he put them all in concentration camps. Then they were easy to study.
“And then, even later in history, A. Mitchell Palmer helped to create the Red Scare. His dart landed on people in general. He just rounded up a bunch of folks and said ‘Okay you’re coming with me and we’re going to shove you all in jail and study your minds.’ And there’s no doubt that it will happen again. Soon, if you ask me.”
“But don’t people learn history to keep away from there past mistakes? Why do you have to protect me?” I asked. My head was bursting with questions, and I couldn’t answer them.
“Like I told you, the Seekers aren’t human. They don’t learn history, they make it. As to why I have to protect you, Seekers go after the people that are most likely to go against them, make it harder. They go for the nice, innocent people. Like you.”
“Oh. How do they know who is good and who is bad?” I asked.
“They read minds.” He said shortly, like it made him bitter to think about it. “We’re so like them it makes me forget sometimes. Forget how hard it can be to choose the right thing to do.”
“They read minds?” I asked incredulously, choosing to ignore the bitterness in his voice. I didn’t like it, but I was beginning to believe him. “And if you’re so like the Seekers, can you read minds too?” I asked. I probably should have wondered that if he was so much like them, if he was a good person, but he was so reassuring somehow, I didn’t even think to worry.
“No. We… we read emotions.”
“Oh.” Now I believed him fully. How else would he have been able to tell how I felt? All those times when he had looked at me like he could see right into my mind… in a sense, he could.
“Do you believe me?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Is that why you were staring at me?” I blurted out. “So that you could make sure I was safe?”
“Yes.”
“Is that how you could look at me like you knew what I was thinking? Because you can read emotions?”
“Yes,” he winced as he said it.
“I have one more question.”
He smiled at me. “I don’t think that’s true.” I scrunched my nose, knowing he was right.
“When I first saw you… I didn’t recognize you. I know most everyone in my classes, but not you. But then when I asked about you, everyone looked at me like everyone knew who you were. I didn’t think about it at first, but… were you here before a week ago?”
“No.”
“Allright, one more, maybe two.” I said, giving in. He laughed. It was a nice sound, and it healed all the doubts that I had had before. I believed him now, just because his laugh made me want to laugh with him.
“Why? Why is it that they all think that you’ve been here forever, but I didn’t even know your name?”
Keiran bit his lip. “Well, I have theories. I think it’s because you’re so individual.”
“Individual?” I asked him.
“Yes. Everyone else believes what the Saviors want them to believe because they’re afraid to think otherwise. They think that if they show that they’re different, they’ll be laughed at, ridiculed. You weren’t afraid of that, and so you could see clearly.”
It made sense to me… sort of. “All right. Last one. When I think something negative about myself, or something along those lines, a… voice… would tell me to stop. It would tell me to be nicer, or tell me what I knew was true.” I sounded so stupid. No you don’t.
I gasped. The voice inside me head didn’t change, but I knew who it was now. My head snapped up from the table that I had been staring at, to look at Keiran. He pressed his lips together.
“How do you do that?” I asked.
“Once a person that is being taken care of by a Savior sees their Savior by the first time, the Savior can help them make the right decisions. It’s not that they can here what you’re thinking,” he said quickly. “It’s just that they can feel the negative energy coming from you. And they try to stop it. The more negative you are, the easier the time the Seekers will have recruiting you. Basically, we’re connected.”
Hmm, I liked how he said ‘we’. Is that way to cliché? “How will I know when they come to recruit me? You said that they were humanoid.” I asked.
“You won’t need to. I’ll right with you from now on. Now that I’ve met you, I’ll be able to read how you’re feeling from anywhere. But I’ll most likely be around most of the time.”
That gave me kind of a flutter inside. I hadn’t said anything yet, but he was so good-looking. His dark hair went with is dark clothes and muscular body. His eyes were a dark blue, almost black. But he hadn’t answered my question.
“But how will I know?” I asked. “I want to, even if I don’t have to.”
He winced. “Well, to Seekers, they look like withered old bodies, empty of everything but hatred. To humans, it varies. It depends on how they feel. If they’re angry, bitter, or sad, the Seekers will look like the prettiest person that they’ve ever seen. Or else they look very close to someone that they love. If they are kind, loving, happy people,” he gestured to me. “Then they look like horrible old people who have no life or love.”
They way he described them made me get the goose bumps. This was the weirdest thing I had ever heard. But yet I believed him. What I didn’t believe was that he was pegging me on the nice side. But I wasn’t nice. I mean, I wasn’t rude, or bad, but I was mediocre, like most people.
But, thinking back to what he had said earlier, the fact that he would be hanging around with me a lot more shouldn’t have pleased me as much as it did.




Chapter four: Not everyone knows what kind of person they are, and not everyone will find out. I’m still learning.

“Macie where did you go during lunch today?” Jilly whispered to me during science.
“You’re not going to believe me.” I whispered back, knowing that this would catch her. She loves gossip.
“Tell me!” she insisted.
“All right. I was sitting with Keiran… Hill.” I guess I was supposed to call him that around other people. People who don’t know about Seekers and Saviors.
Jilly gasped.
“Girls,” Mr. Davis said, directing his attention to us, sitting in the middle of the class.
“Sorry Mr. Davis.” Jilly and I said in unison.
“Later.” I whispered to Jilly. She got the message loud and clear.
And she found out too. As soon as I walked into literature, Ms. Micah being late as usual, Jilly ambushed me.
“Oh my gosh I totally knew it!” she said, making no effort to speak quietly.
“Knew what?” I asked her.
“You and Keiran…” she looked at me, her eyes finishing her sentence.
“No, Jilly, I—“ but I was spared having to answer because at that moment something strange happened. A tray landed on the empty spot on the table.
I mean, it wasn’t that people didn’t come and sit at our table sometimes, but it was who was attached to the tray that was different.
“Hey Macie,” Keiran said normally.
“Hey Keiran,” all my friends said like this was totally normal. I just stared. I decided to play along.
“Hi.” I said, unwanted pleasure coursed my veins. He smiled. He was pleased that I was happy that he was here. I liked him. even then, I liked him.
“How are you?” he asked.
“Good.” I answered. The rest of our conversations were pretty simple and easy, except for the ‘knowing’ glances that I kept getting from Jilly and the blissfully oblivious ones from Camilla.
Or so I thought. As soon as Keiran stood up to go slowly to his next class, Cami ambushed me.
“So are you going out yet?” she asked me.
“Um… Keiran? No.” I answered honestly.
“Are you sure?” she asked me, obviously milking for details.
“Yes!” I said, not being able to help the smile forming on my lips.
“That’s a total lie,” she said, but she gave up anyway. “Well do you like him?” she asked me.
“Well duh!” I said, getting back to my normal teen-iaity.



Everything went normally for most of the rest of the day. Well, normal besides the fact that I had a teenager my age insisting that people were trying to do inhumane studies on the earth.
I walked into P.E, to find out that today was going to be a period of running… all of us. Needless to say, Keiran caught up with me pretty soon.
“How are you?” he asked me.
“It hasn’t been so long since you asked me the same question.” I joked. “I’m still fine. You?”
“Same as usual. Except for they’re getting closer.”
“They?” I asked him, puzzled.
“Come on Macie. Who would I be talking about?” I didn’t have to read emotions to tell that Keiran wasn’t just my savior, he was my friend, and he wanted me to be safe.
“Oh… what should I do?” I asked.
“Leave it to me. Can I come over later? And meet your family?” he asked me, biting his lip.
“Of course. But as who? I mean, as a friend, as a study partner, as a boy who’s out to save the world from concentration camps…”
“You’re going to laugh at me.” he said.
“No I’m not.” And I wasn’t. Even though I could see where this was going.
“It would be easier if you could just introduce me as your boyfriend.” He lowered his voice. “The Seekers are close, so I’ll be around even more now. Sorry. But thank goodness they’re not just looking for people to recruit.”
“What are they looking for?” I asked, worried now, my brow almost as tight as his. I was trying to keep up to his fast pace, and we were far ahead of the group now. What did we look like to them?
We look like two people who like each other. That’s all. It’s high school, this is allowed. And I guess Keiran was right.
Okay. I told him silently. Did it work both ways? That would be helpful if the Seekers ever did come for me.
“They’re looking for a place to hold the concentration camps, if you want to put it that way.” He said flatly.
“Oh.” I said. “Keiran?”
“Yes?” he raised his eyebrows at me, anticipating whatever obvious question was coming next.
“I was wondering… you know the thought deal? How you can read my mind?” I asked him
“I can’t read your mind. “ he said like he was trying not to yell at me.
“I’m sorry. What I meant to say was you know how you can… stop me from being negative? Does that mean that you can hear things if I want you to hear them? If we were connected like that?”
“Well, it depends. We would have to be connected in other ways to. Not just our mind. It would have to be in our heart too.”
I blushed. He just smiled, but I could tell that he was almost thinking the same thing. I was starting to sweat now, but Keiran wasn’t even breathing hard. I felt so weak.
You’re not weak. I’ve just had practice… you know, I had no choice. This message was so much more personal than any one I’d gotten yet. I liked it, and stored it away in my mental archives.
Can you hear me? I thought as hard as I could. I couldn’t do it. Not yet. I told myself. And you don’t know how he feels about you. He might not want your thoughts in his head.
Yes I do. I do want that. I want it very much. The first person dialogue was wonderful. It shouldn’t have meant so much but it did. This message brought not only a fresh blush to my already red face, but also a question to my bursting brain.
“Keiran?” I asked.
“Yes?” he said laughing. “You ask questions. You’re not afraid of answers. I like it.”
“When you… cheer me up… do you know what you’re saying? Do you know what I’m saying?”
“Not word for word. I only know generally what you’re upset about. Or happy about.” I pressed my lips together. “But yes, I know what I’m saying, even though most of it comes from my heart, not from my mind.”
“Oh…” I said, feeling sheepish. “Okay. Can you feel everyone’s emotions, or just mine?”
“Just yours.”
“I feel special.” I smiled. He laughed.
“So, are you coming home from school with me? Or would you have to go and talk to your parents first?”
“No… my parents won’t mind me being gone… do you remember what I told you about Seekers that first day? About how they get completely focused on their… friends?”
“Yes.”
“Well, my mother was a Savior. Her subject, excuse my phrasing, was my father. So, they pretty much pay attention to each other… and now I pay attention to you.”
“Oh… Um. Okay. The only problem would be that I skated to school today. I was born a skater.” I shrugged.
I looked at me sheepishly. “When I realized how much you skated, I kind of bought my own pair…”
“Perfect!” I said. “I’ll see you after school.”
“Um, you’ll see me much sooner than that.” He said, as coach blew the whistle and the class stopped running.
“What do you mean?” I asked him, confused.
“Well, now that I know that they’re close, you’re going to be seeing a lot more of me. We still have Geography, Grammar and Composition, and then the Skate home.”
“Okay. But what am I supposed to say when my friends ask me why I’m hanging out with you all the time?” I asked, hoping for something I knew he wasn’t going to say.
“You’re going to hate me for saying this, but the easiest solution is to say that I’m your new boyfriend.”
I flushed, and stayed flushed, all the way back to the locker rooms. I thought about it.
He doesn’t really want to be your boyfriend, it’s just a pretext.
No it’s not. Don’t think like that.
But why would he want me? I know that he thinks I’m nice, but I’m not. I’m not pretty, funny, smart—
Yes you are.
Thank you.
I’d never really carried on a conversation with Keiran in my head before, it was nice, so easy and fluid, like I didn’t have to worry that what I said was wrong. I walked out of the locker rooms refreshed. And surprised.
Keiran was waiting for me right outside the locker room door.
“Ready to go?” He asked me.
“Um, sure. Where?” I asked him.
“Lunch.” He said, as if I should know. And I should know, it was just that… the answer was so normal, so… simple. Like nothing else in the world.



“So how was your P.E.?” asked Camilla, knowing perfectly well, seeing as she had been behind me and Keiran the whole time.
“Fine.” I said nonchalantly. What else could I say? Keiran sat next to me. I nudged his leg. Say something! I urged him silently. If any time would be great for him to realize that he could hear me inside his head too, now would be it. Say something or we’re dead as dead can be.
No we’re not. Keiran told me. We’re fine. If anything we just tell her that we’re dating.
“So what were you talking about?” Camilla whispered to me, making sure Keiran didn’t hear.
“What do you mean?” I asked, louder than I had meant to.
“You and Keiran!” she said louder now, exasperated. “Why were you two so far ahead of us? It was like every step you two got closer, and closer, and closer, closer…” she went on and on, illustrating with her hands. I laughed. We did??? I guess I hadn’t been paying attention to what I was doing. It had all felt so natural.
The rest of the school day I had the most fun I’d ever had. As it was almost Christmas break, all of the classes were simple and easy. All review. By the time school ended I was so nervous I didn’t know what to do with myself.
I mean, Keiran wasn’t really my boyfriend, but I was saying he was, and that made me nervous. I’d never been a bad liar, but I’d never even dreamed of telling an actual lie. I mean of course the ‘Oh of course those pants don’t make you look fat!’ or ‘Oh I did that, not Tally.” Never anything huge.
I met Keiran outside my last class.
“Ready to go?” I asked him as he came out to meet me, skates in hand.
“Of course.” He said. We walked outside, strapping on our skates on a nearby bench.
“Can we take the longer route?” I asked him, “Talk a while?”
“Whatever you want, Mace.” Keiran said. It was the first time he’d ever called me ‘Mace’ before. It was nice, like this somehow made him even more of a friend.
I stood up, waiting for Keiran to finish strapping on his shoes. He took an unusually long time. And longer.
“Keiran?” I asked him. I watched him try in vain to strap on his shoes… the wrong way. “Keiran you’ll never get there like that.” I said, bending down. “Here.” I did the skates up for him.
“Uh, thanks…” he said, trailing off. He stood up shakily, and I pushed off.
Chrash! I whirled around. What was that? I skated over to the crumpled pile on the concrete.
“Oh my god are you okay?” I asked Keiran.
“Oh… yeah.” He said clumsily. I held out my hand. He hesitated, but took it anyway and I pulled him up. Once he was finally on his feet, it struck me how funny that had been.
Needless to say, I broke into a stupidly random peal of laughter.
It’s not stupidly random, it was funny! Keiran’s voice said in my head.
Stupidly random in a good way. I said, finally used to the voice that wasn’t mine in my head. I helped Keiran off, and then we were flying down the streets. But just to our misfortune, the fall-ish sky decided to cloud over and cry frozen tears.
“So I finally found it.” I said.
“Found what?” Keiran asked me. Now he was the one asking the questions.
“Found the thing that I can do that you can’t.” I shrugged. “I thought the day would never come.” Keiran laughed.
“And exactly why not?” he asked me.
“I don’t know, you’re perfect. You’re smart, fast, strong, you read emotions, you’re cu—“ I stopped dead on that one. My face went red, my hands went red, I sped up.
When Keiran caught up with me he looked straight ahead. We were passing Central Park when I asked it. The question I’d been thinking.
“What am I supposed to say when we get home?” I asked. It didn’t come out as a question. It came out as a dead comment. I was dreading the answer. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t lie. I wasn’t good enough.
No Macie, you aren’t bad enough.
“I’ll tell you what to say.” He said simply. I got what it meant. Our bond was getting stronger. We could think on almost the same track now. He could tell me whatever he wanted through our minds. I didn’t mind, I liked it.
“Can I tell you things too?” I asked him.
“I don’t know. Have you ever tried?” he asked me.
“Well…” I trailed off. He laughed.
“Try again.” He encouraged.
“Okay…” I bit my lip. If I weren’t flying on wheels, I would have closed my eyes. Can you hear me? I asked. Or rather I thought. Hard. Keiran? I asked him. I’m talking to you. finally I gave up.
I looked at Keiran. Nothing was different, except he was a little wobbly on his wheels with concentration. Keiran opened his eyes.
“I could feel you trying for a minute there, but I couldn’t tell what you were thinking.” Keiran told me.
“It’s okay, we’ll try again later.” I said, not really wanting to ever try again. I could just tell him everything he needed to know.
“You don’t have to.” He said, taking my hand. I was surprised that I even noticed that his skating got noticeably better when he did it. I was surprised I could think straight enough to skate any where other than into a pole.
We weaved in and out of the crowd, holding hands as we skated. I was in heaven. I decided that maybe he did want to be more than just a friend after all, that I wrong about him earlier. All I knew was, I wasn’t going to let him let go easily.


Chapter five. Sometimes, people who are learning have to learn from other people. Sometimes they have to guess.

I reached the front door of my house.
“Okay, Keiran. My mom? Just call her Ms. June. And dad? To you he’s Mr. Daniel. And Tally is just Tally. Got that?”
“Of course. Ms. June, Mr. Daniel, and Tally.”
“Perfect memory. Why am I not surprised?” I mumbled as I went to open the door. “Mom?” I yelled. “Dad?”
but it was Tally who got down the stairs first.
“Hey.” She said, not even looking at me. she was looking at Keiran.
“Tally, this is Keiran. Keiran, this is Tally.”
“Um… hi.” Tally said to him. “Can I steal our little Macie away for a minute?” she said, sugary sweet, as she grabbed my arm and hauled me into the kitchen.
“What is he doing here?” Tally asked. “Isn’t he the one with the creepy stare and everything?”
“Well, it was kind of creepy at first, but it’s not anymore. And besides, I know now why he was staring at me.”
“Why? Because he liked you like I told you he did?”
“Um… yeah.” I said, quickly turning my relief into sheepish looks. I hoped it worked. It did. I think. She rolled her eyes and led me back to the stair well.
“Sorry, that was necessary.” Tally said with a fake sweetness that I was sure was detectable. I glared at her. No it wasn’t.
don’t go off on her, Mace.
Fine. I said with an inward sigh of exasperation. Keiran bit back a smile.
“Mom and Dad aren’t here.” Tally said shortly.
I shouted at myself inwardly. Of course they weren’t here! The one day that I was able to do something fun and I’m not allowed to do it because Mom and Dad weren’t here.
Calm down Macie.
I can’t calm down! I was really excited! I mean, I thought for a minute that you and I… I couldn’t finish my sentence. Keiran told me again to calm down. I sighed again.
“Would you two excuse me?” I asked Keiran and Tally. “I’m gonna go call Mom.”
“Of course.” Keiran said with a smile. Tally shrugged and rolled her eyes at me.
I walked into the kitchen, grabbing the phone with such force that I knocked the cradle off of the counter. I stomped my foot, getting so angry and not knowing what to do with it.
Don’t you hate hormones? A voice asked me. It was Keiran of course, but it was different. It was like… it was more personal, more as if he was talking to me for fun.
I liked it. I laughed at myself, knowing he was right. I was being a stupid teenager. The kind that you always yell at in movies, even though they can’t hear you.
I punched in the number I knew so well and waited. The phone rang and rang until I was afraid that no one would answer. Just when I was going absolutely crazy, the phone clicked on.
“Oh hi Honey!!!” my Mom said unbeatably. No matter how ticked I was, I couldn’t help but smile at her voice.
“Listen. I have a frind over. His name is Keiran. Can he stay for dinner? He wanted to meet you.”
“A boy?” my mother’s voice rose to a shrill pitch. I dissected it carefully. Happy and excited, but nervous and worried at the same time. I smiled.
“Yeah. Can he stay?”
“Of course Hon, and we’ll be there in a second.” In the background I heard my mom hell something to the effect of ‘Step on it!’.
“Okay Mom, see you soon.” Click. She hung up the phone. I smiled as I walked back into the hallway, feeling almost as buoyant as I ever had.
“Okay Tally, Keiran’s fine to be here. Thank you for your concern.” I said, rubbing Mom’s answer in her face.
Don’t be mean. Keiran said. But now that we were friends, maybe even better friends than either of us could imagine, he had changed the tone of his voice. It wasn’t so serious and knowing. Now it was playing with me, messing with me, but all the while making sure that I was being nice.
I smiled at him, letting him know that I had received the message. I took his hand and led him into the living room: two green suede couches, a wooden coffee table, a wall of bookshelves and a TV. I handed Keiran the remote and sat down next to him on the couch in front of the TV.
He switched it on and turned to the news, CNN. A reporter was talking about huge storms in Haiti that were tearing the poor nation down. After that came how Mr. President was doing everything all wrong and how we would never get out of the economic spot we were in.
Then there was something worth watching. Something that no one else but Keiran would have ever paid attention to. His body tensed up, and I looked at his face for answers. He didn’t look at me, he just stared at the screen, his face a mix of horror and revulsion.
I looked at the screen as well. On it was a picture of three men. These men were recently seen around several people’s houses just outside New York City. No one knows exactly what went on there, but no more and no less than three hours later the residents of those houses disappeared. Seven people in all, Katie Mira, Max Notation, Natalia and Nathan Red…
I stopped paying attention. I didn’t want to look at the innocent and smiling faces of the people who were to help ruin the world with what my history teacher used to call ‘pseudo-science’. He had no idea.
“What?” Tally asked Keiran dryly. “Natalia your girlfriend?”
“Of course not, I’ve never heard of her or anyone else in that group. It’s just horrible that this had to happen.” He answered. It wasn’t a lie, I knew as much. What was Tally doing? Why was she being so hateful? Well one thing was for sure, the Seekers would never come for her.
Macie…
I know… I know… But I didn’t know. I was bursting with questions. Were those people in the pictures being held hostage by Seekers? Were the ‘aliens’ behind all that? Why? What would Keiran and I do to stop them? And most important, when would they come for me?
I couldn’t ask Keiran now. Tally was still here, and Mom and Dad would be back any second now.
Ding-Dong
The Witch is dead. I thought as the bell rang, as if on cue. I took a deep breath and stood up. I touched Kieran’s stone-still shoulder lightly as I walked to greet my parents. Not much, just lightly enough so that he knew it was time. Time to shake off the unsaid fear and face what had to be done.
I felt bad about what I was about to do, knowing that when I introduced Keiran to my parents he was going to get the initial introduction. The long one.
“Mom, Dad!” I opened the door for them, standing back while they walked in. They both had an armful of groceries, but it looked like that was the extent of their ‘loot’ as I used to call it.
We walked into the kitchen so they could put the food away.
“So what’s his name?” my mom asked. Really my parents weren’t as bad as most, they just wanted to look out for me. Well, no, my mother really was interested.
“Keiran,” I said, really trying not to smile now. She knew she was hitting a nerve.
“He’s seventeen?”
“Yes.”
“You know, I feel like I don’t even need to talk to this one.” My dad chimed in.
“And why on earth not?” I asked him, taken completely off guard.
“Keiran Hill? His father is a doctor and his mother is a nurse. They work with me and your mother.” My father said like it made all the sense in the world. And I guess if it had been any other boy it would have. It just sounded so… normal.
“Of course.” I said, trying to recover.
“Well what are we doing in here?” asked my mother, putting the last of the dishes away. “Lets go say hello.”
I walked back into the living room and sat down next to Keiran, taking his hand where my parents couldn’t see it. He understoond the message and snapped back to life.
“Nice to see you Ms. June.” Keiran said smoothly.
“You know them?” I asked quietly when they looked away.
“Of course.” He answered, not looking at me; Tally was watching us with particular interest.
“Why didn’t you say anything when I was telling you about them?” I asked, half angry and half incredulous.
“You were having so much fun prepping your boyfriend to meet you father. I let you have it. Even though I’m sure I’m not the first.”
I frowned. He was right on that one, I wasn’t popular, but I was nice and I’d had lots of boyfriends. I wondered if the same was true with him.
No. I heard him say in my mind. I looked up at him, shocked. He could do that? He looked down at me and smiled. Curious… I could tell. He told me, trying to stop me from getting frustrated while trying to figure out how the heck he told me that when I wasn’t angry. I guess it made sense, but I was still jaw-drop amazed.
I guess for someone to reading this, you wouldn’t understand. But from then on I realized something. Keiran could read my emotions… but not just the ones that I knew I felt. He could tell what I was feeling, even if I couldn’t tell.
“Oh.” I said dumbly. I let that conversation die. “Okay then,” I said louder. “I’m going to show Keiran my room.” I took his hand and started to pull him up the stairs.
“Wait—“ My dad said quickly. Then he caught himself and slowed down. “Why don’t you let Tally go with you?” He asked.
“No!” Tally and I both wined. I knew that she didn’t want to come just as much as I didn’t want her to. But Dad gave one of those looks that you just can’t ignore. I pulled Keiran up the stairs, Tally in tow.
When we got upstairs and out of sight, I whispered to Tally “Okay you’re free. Go play in your room until dinner’s ready.” I shooed her off to her room.
“Play?” she raised an eyebrow at me from her bedroom door. I rolled my eyes at her and followed Kieran into my room, leaving the door open.
“So…” I said, flopping down on the bed and curling up on my pillow.
“So…” Keiran said, taking off his shoes and turning to face me. “I like your house.” I smiled, trying not to laugh.
“What?” He asked me.
“I don’t know… You’re just so… normal.”
“Normal. Is that a bad thing?”
“Of course not… it’s just that you aren’t supposed to be normal. You’re supposed to be a savior.”
“Saviors are normal. That’s how they complete their missions. They choose some way to fit in, and they stick to it.

Sometimes things happen. No one knows why, but still, things happen. Sometimes people don’t know what’s going on. But that doesn’t stop them from finding out. And then sometimes there are people who want to know up front what’s going on. Those are the people who get bad news in painful ways. Not everyone knows what kind of person they are, and not everyone will find out. I’m still learning. Sometimes people who are learning have to learn from other people. Sometimes, they have to guess.

Hi. 'Tis me. Here I go again with the short sentences. Today I came up with two new book ideas. The first stinks and will never go anywhere. The second is actually okay and I might write some of it later and show you guys. It's about a fifteen year old girl who's father died when she was two. Her mother is considering getting married again, and she doesn't want her to. Then she meets a boy who is her same age and can travel through time (I know, I know, but I never said it was going to be realistic.). He takes her back to months before her father died and she pretends to be someone else and get to know him. Then she realizes the night of the fire that either she lives or her father lives. (he dies saving her). She realizes that even though it's selfish, it would mess up the wibbly wobbly timey wimey... stuff. So in the end she saves everything by deciding not to save her father and live with the fact that she at least was lucky enough to meet her father. Is that okay?? Be honest and tell the truth.

I have to ask your opinion. I was writing the song the other day, something I try to do, but don't, and I came up with this line:

go the distance
keep the door open
crack the window
even if it's broken

Everyone I've showed it to (aka my mother and my brother) thought that I meant shatter the window. I meant crack it open, like open the world of opportunity, even if it looks like it won't work. And then of course a door as in a door that you can go through where there's something great on the other side... what do you think??? DId you hear it as breaking or opening??? Will you tell me whether it should change or stay the same?? Please???

Nothing... absolutely nothing... I went to see Anne Frank again. Loved it. Again. Seeing it tomorrow if possible. Again. With some more friends. That should be fun. I'm so tired of writing choppy sentences, but what else have I got to write about? So far there's nothing that has happened. Dad is home right now, so that's fun. He's usually on tour with his band. He was just in California doing bass clinics and stuff like that. He just wrote a book and so he went to libraries around CA to promote it. It's really cool that he goes on tour so much though, even though he's gone so much. It's great to go on tour with him, and sometimes I get to sing on stage with him. My sister does too, and my other brother plays drums. Here's a picture of me and my oldest brother at one of our dad's shows. The next one is of the line waiting to talk to Dad and his band.




I'd also like to mention all of the followers that have blogs. Here they are.
Kenzy: HERE
Luna: THERE
Veruca and Violet:HOGWARTS
Maia:WAAAAAY OVER THERE
Lilly Jane: RIGHT HERE

It is time for the begging to start....

I'm sorry to do this. I feel like a rotten person who only wants to be famous. But really I just want my stuff (my writing, my acting repertoire, and stuff like that) to get out there. That's one of the reasons that I started this blog. So please please please if you know where I'm coming from (if you still think I'm a rotten person who only wants to be famous then definitely don't) send out an email, post on your blog, or do SOMETHING to let other people know I'm here. I would be oober greatful and I do visit everyone's site if they follow mine. Thank you, --the Reluctant Kai...

Recovering

And if you've judged this post by it's cover, you were wrong. No, I'm not recovering from staying up until Five thirty last nights. I'm recovering from my little brother's friends spending the night. There were six of them in all, not including the four of us, and it. was. insane. They decided on a massive nerf gun steal the flag game. i played a bit, and (when the boys weren't screaming and yelling at each other for 'cheating' and such) it was really fun. Then we had ANOTHER party, the kids that I babysit. That was fun, and now we're off to the third... more on the parties later, but I have to go get ready.

Bored Out of My Mind at Five Twenty-Five in the Morning...

Hello everyone. It is 2:05 and I'm bored out of my head. I know what you're all thinking; "Well then you idiot go to bed!" the reason why I can't? I have no desire to waste my time sleeping, even if it means that I will have a harder time waking up in the morning. After my alarm goes off a couple hundred times, I think it will rouse me from my continuated slumber. (Ha, the word 'continuated' doesn't exist, I made it up :D) It's raining outside. A sure sign that it's summer. When it rains at night in calms me down and makes me feel sweet and poetic. Especially when I've been rehearsing for a show or just seen a show, as i have today. So of course, i've come up with 'Trapped'.

Trapped

Sometimes, I see things that aren't there.
Whether it be monsters, creatures, or maidens fair.
Sometimes I'm in places that don't really exist,
On a cloud or a storm, or a giant's fist.

Sometimes I'm trapped,
In a wide open space,
The wind closes me in,
My hair whipping about my face.

I look on into the rain
Hoping my sorrow leaves no stain
Knowing that I can not refrain
from feeling trapped in a wide open space.


The rain has stopped now, and all the magic is gone. It's leaving an empty feeling inside my stomach; like someone has reached down my throat with a spoon to scoop out my insides. I keep waiting for the feeling to come back, yet it is very easy to believe that the magic will never inhabit me again.

Do you see what happens when I stay up late listening to the rain? It drives me crazy, and now I'm driving you crazy as well. But then again, no one made you read my words, that was a choice that you made for yourself. But now that the rain is gone I have nothing more to say... I suppose I could try for a poem about the sky...

Sky of Saphire
Many things happen in the sky at night
Many things happen to the stars so bright.

Many things happen to the sky in the day
The clouds are visible when the stars go away

And in the clouds are pictures not so clear,
But in the stars are pictures that are above all peers

Tell someone the truth about the sky of blue
And you'll find out the secret of why you're you

Tell someone the truth about the sky of black,
And your imagination will run off its track.

I wish the rain would come back. It's just so much easier to think with the steady thrum of it going on behind your head, not really subconscious, but not something that you think about either. It's one of those noises that just flow with your natural instinct to live. So many people have negative feelings about rain and storms but i just don't understand it. I don't know, rain and storms symbolizes life and warmth to me... what do you think??? comment comment comment!!!

Hello world, it's Kai. Even though his birthday was a while ago, his birthday party is tonight... and tomorrow. He decided on seeing the movie Spy Next Door and having a sleepover. Fun, but crazy. We now have Me, my sister, my brother, my other brother, Boy number one, Boy number two, Boy number three, Boy number four, Boy number five, Boy sumber six, Boy number seven, and four grownups.... my house is a zoo. So much fun though. And the movie? If you like Jackie Chan and bad... everything else (just kidding, but it was a trip) 'Don't feed the pig bacon! Now that's just wrong." luved it!!! Well, I'm very glad that this isn't some kind of thing where I actually have to talk out loud because I don't think you would have been able to hear me. Right now I'm talking to Kenzy Hargen-something on my computer. She says hi, and you can go to her blog HERE. Today I saw the diary of Anne Frank at the Children's theater in Nashville Tennessee. I don't care if the king of England is getting married, you have to go see it. It. Rocks. The link to it's website is HERE. YOU. MUST. SEE. IT. Hmmm. What else is new???? Oh I know, once I was at a new years party, and a little boy got confused and drank a cup of wine instead of a cup of the sparkling juice that had been set out for him. Did he know better? The world may never know...

Here's something that i've been wanting to do for a while: vent. my curriculum k12, has come out with some crazy mistakes. like: putting the wrong answers down in the answer key for the math lessons.

Mom: Sorry Honey, but it's wrong.
Kai: Really? check it with a calculator and make sure.
Mom: Oh you're right, i guess the answer key was wrong.
Kai: AAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHH

and who uses a text book that specifically states (and i quote)

"are we all the same? look around you. of course we aren't. some of us are smarter than others, and some of us are better athletes, and some of us are better looking, and some are nicer." (Joy Hakim, A History of US, Book three)

that is NOT what you tell adolescent sixth graders. i mean come on? that's the kind of negativity that creates axe murderers in this world, and i don't think that i know anybody who really feels the need to create MORE.

I do feel the need however, to share with you some of my favorite words.
1.Cranioectonomy- the removal of the head
2. Tergiversation- to talk around the subject
3. Superfluous- extra and not needed
4. Subjugate- to DOMINATE
5. Mollify- appease
6. Procrastinate- ah, I'll tell you later...
Yeah. if you all have any big words that you would like to share with me please comment and tell me about it. i love to hear what other people have to say.


Today i fully intend to tell you all that i am reduced to begging. please send people to my blog, please!!!! all of the blogs that i follow are put on my links list, and I fully intend to check out everyone's blogs one at a time and follow as many as i can. even if i do not follow them, i am going to put all of the people that follow me's blogs on my post in about a week. so yeah, you guys have till then to get as many people as you can to follow my blog... please?

May I mention something that I don't think I've mentioned before: I'm absolutely obsessed with Harry Potter. I don't know what to tell you about Harry Potter that won't give away everything in the books, so here's what I'll say: read them.

Countdown

Hi everyone. Today is a very important day. Okay, so it's not so important. But it will be important soon. In two days, my brother is having a birthday party. In four days, my dad comes back from CA. In eight days, the Jimmy Awards will be here, and in ten days, the auditions for the musical I want to be in will be here. So yeah, that's what's going on today. Oh yeah and hopefully we'll be going to a show tonight... Here's a poem that I wrote while waiting for my ride home from dance class.

If everyone's realized what we've done wrong,
Then why is the earth singing such a sad song?

Do you really think that there's nothing we can do?
To save the earth, Me, and You?

Why do you go away and never choose to stay?
When we can save the earth, even you know there's a way.

So just open up your eyes
It's so easy to change sides

And find your own unique way
To become the savior of the day...

So yeah, i was just bored. But that's what boredom does to me: it gives me ideas.

Same here, same there...

Hi everybody!!! Nothing exciting so far except for the fact that i got my Jimmy Awards (remember them???) party dress. i know. doesn't it sound so obsessive of me to have gone out and bought a dress for that one night??? Well, that's what's exciting in my life. It's very pretty. It's vintage-ish and egg white. it has flowers and patterns that are made of grey/browm. it's gorgeous and cheep. I. Love. It. well, out of popular vote, Keiran is going up first on this blog. But sadly, do to my seriously innept skill with computers, it's not up yet. Sorry!!!

Um.... Guys???

You all are very unresponsive.... no one has commented for FIVE DAYS!!!!! I know you have more time than that. 

Hey everyone!!!! It's me. Right now I figured that I would do something that I've kind of been putting off. I'm going to put on a little bit of some of my books on my blog. Here's how it works. I've taken three of my favorite books that I have written/wrote, and you have to tell me what you think. I don't care if you hate them, I want to know that too. It doesn't matter what you say as long as you say something. So yeah, here I go... 

This one is called Katherine Kelly and about a girl who wins a song writing contest. Now she has to deal with some minor fame and school and... well, just being a teenaged girl. This is the first part of the first chapter. 

1 Winner

   I had entered this contest many times, but I had never really expected to win. I had merely wanted to get the country familiar with my songs. I had never even dreamed of hearing “…and the winner of America’s Best Song Writer contest is…. Katherine Kelly!!!!” Yet here I was, about to crawl under my seat, being applauded for my okay writing skills. I was just a fifteen year old from Kansas, nothing special, who had made it this far in the songwriting contest.

       “Miss Kelly, are you here?” the announcer asked. I jumped into action. I smoothed by skirt and stood up. I grabbed my note cards in my clammy hands.

       Every girl’s worst nightmare, is falling on the way to the podium, well… better me than you, right? Yes. I tripped on the red carpet. I bit my lip and kept walking.

       “Um, well…” I started. “I guess I’ll start by saying how lucky I am to be standing here right now, and thanking my mother for bringing me here tonight. I have entered this contest three times, and I was very surprised when I heard my name being called…”

       The rest of the speech went by in a blur. I wasn’t sure how fast I was talking or if I was mumbling, or even if I repeated the last sentence five times. When I was done, it took people about three seconds to start clapping.

       I took the trophy the confused announcer had handed me and stumbled back to my seat. I looked at my lap. I counted. One onethousand. Two onethousand. Three onethousand.

       “Um, thank you, miss Kelly, but you were supposed to sing your song for us. Would you like to come back up?”

       I sat frozen in my seat. Not only had I made a fool of myself already, but I was about to humiliate myself to mortal peril level. I couldn’t sing! Sure I could write songs, but sing? Sure, I took choir, and I had sung that one line solo that one time, but sing?

Sorry, I think I skipped something. I. Can’t. Sing.

But, what else could I do? I stood up, my skirt stuck to my legs with sweat. I tugged on the thin fabric… and my hand slipped. I tried two more times and then gave up. I walked slowly back up the steps the stage.

The music started. I struggled to find the words that I had known for so long.

I sang

And sang

And sang

The song passed. There were no more words to sing. Once again, the audience paused. This time I knew why. I couldn’t sing. Told you.

I almost ran down to my seat in the front row. I sat down, willing this horror to be over.

“Thank you for that, Miss Kelly. And, as usual, we are going to add a little pizzazz to the prize,” the announcer said.

Every one on the TV show had always groaned, so that was what I did. And I was the only one. Lovely.

I bit my lip. Was I going to have to sing my song again? Was I going to have to share the prize? Drat. I don’t like either option.

“You, Katherine Kelly, are going to have your song recorded and published, and sang by Faith Yellow! Not only that, but you are going to get to go shopping, see a movie, and have dinner with Miss Yellow.”

My heart did a back flip. I felt sick. I grabbed my stomach with one hand, and my mouth with the other. Faith Yellow? There was no way. None. Zero. Nada. Goose eggs. I was just a normal teenager from a small town in Kansas. I didn’t have enough money to go shopping with a superstar! Wow.

This book is called Keiran. It is about a girl who sees a boy in school staring at her. This is the part of the third chapter where she finds out why Keiran is staring at her.

 

You’re being an idiot. I told myself as I walked into the lunch room. No you’re not. The other voice said. But I knew that, for once, this voice was wrong. I was obsessing over something that I wasn’t even sure was true. This wasn’t right. Yet here I was, paying the lunch lady, and silently scanning the room at the same time.

A hand shot up as I watched, and started to wave. I didn’t pay much attention to it until I realized that Keiran was waving, and he was waving at me.

I walked slowly over to him. I ended up standing behind the bench that stood opposite his.

“Can I… sit down?” I asked awkwardly.  I sound like an idiot. I told myself. No you don’t. The other voice told me. I didn’t believe it.

“Of course,” he said courteously. His voice sounded familiar. Safe. His voice sounded exactly like the one that had worried so much when I was hurt. I wanted to fling my arms around him and thank him for caring, do something nice for him, but instead I smiled and set down my things.

I looked down at my plate and started to pick at my food. I could feel Keiran staring at me the whole time. I didn’t get very far with my food before Keiran bit his lip, sighed, and started to talk.

“Listen, Macie… what I’m going to tell you won’t make sense, you won’t believe me, and you’re going to think I’m crazy. You have listen, it’s the truth, and you need to hear it.” He said slowly. I didn’t know how to respond, I said what I was thinking.

“Um, okay.” I said shrugging.

“I’m… well, I come from a family… and we have a special job. My last name isn’t really ‘Hill’. It’s Savior. Kind of. I’ll explain that later. But our job is to protect the world from the Seekers, who are kind of like the bad-guys in a fairytale.

“Seekers are a huge family, but we’re not… well we’re not all related. Some of us don’t even know each other. But exactly half the population are Saviors. Each Savior is born at the time of his or her… I don’t know what to call it, but they are born at the same time as the people who they have to save.”

He was right, I didn’t believe him.

“So you’re telling me that every person in this room has a, uh, Savior?” I said, looking at the nerd table. If anyone needed a helper, it was them. I mean, if this was all true, then they wouldn’t walk out of the bathroom with their heads smelling like toilet water.

“Yes, but they’re not always needed. Some Saviors get to live their lives out without even knowing what they are. But others have to save their… their person. Like me.”

“Well, why are you telling me this? Who’s your person?” I asked. I felt like I should have known. But I didn’t. Keiran stared at me again, but now it was just incredulous.

“Oh…” I said, surprised. “But why do you have to save me? I’m not anything special, I don’t plan on helping to destroy the world or anything.”

“Destroy the world? Macie, that’s not what they want to do. They want to study it.”

“What?” I asked.

“They don’t want the world to be destroyed. The Seekers aren’t human, they come from an alternate universe. Thousands of years ago, a Seeker got lost in space and ended up here. He was intrigued in the weak things that they called Humans. They want to experiment on us, not destroy us.”

         “Oh… would I know of any one that was a Seeker?” I asked him. I didn’t believe him yet, but I was on the fence. He seemed to really believe what he was saying.

         “Think about it. When or who would have helped with the ‘experiments’?” His emphasis on the word experiments scared me. He made it sound like they weren’t really civil. Then it hit me.  

         “Hitler.” I said shortly. “Hitler and the Holocaust.”

         “Exactly.” He said softly. “In the 1940s it was Hitler. He helped the study by throwing a dart and choosing a people.” I gasped. “Figure of speech, Macie. He chose the Jews, and he put them all in concentration camps. Then they were easy to study.

“And then, even later in history, A. Mitchell Palmer helped to create the Red Scare. His dart landed on people in general. He just rounded up a bunch of folks and said ‘Okay you’re coming with me and we’re going to shove you all in jail and study your minds.’ And there’s no doubt that it will happen again. Soon, if you ask me.”  

         “But don’t people learn history to keep away from there past mistakes? Why do you have to protect me?” I asked. My head was bursting with questions, and I couldn’t answer them.

         “Like I told you, the Seekers aren’t human. They don’t learn history, they make it. As to why I have to protect you, Seekers go after the people that are most likely to go against them, make it harder. They go for the nice, innocent people. Like you.”

         “Oh. How do they know who is good and who is bad?” I asked.

         “They read minds.” He said shortly, like it made him bitter to think about it. “We’re so like them it makes me forget sometimes. Forget how hard it can be to choose the right thing to do.”

         “They read minds?” I asked incredulously, choosing to ignore the bitterness in his voice. I didn’t like it, but I was beginning to believe him. “And if you’re so like the Seekers, can you read minds too?” I asked. I probably should have wondered that if he was so much like them, if he was a good person, but he was so reassuring somehow, I didn’t even think to worry.

         “No. We… we read emotions.”

         “Oh.” Now I believed him fully. How else would he have been able to tell how I felt? All those times when he had looked at me like he could see right into my mind… in a sense, he could.

         “Do you believe me?”

         “I don’t know.”

         “You don’t have to.”

         “Is that why you were staring at me?” I blurted out. “So that you could make sure I was safe?”

         “Yes.”

         “Is that how you could look at me like you knew what I was thinking? Because you can read emotions?”

         “Yes,” he winced as he said it.

         “I have one more question.”

         He smiled at me. “I don’t think that’s true.” I scrunched my nose, knowing he was right.

         “When I first saw you… I didn’t recognize you. I know most everyone in my classes, but not you. But then when I asked about you, everyone looked at me like everyone knew who you were. I didn’t think about it at first, but… were you here before a week ago?”

         “No.”

         “Allright, one more, maybe two.” I said, giving in. He laughed. It was a nice sound, and it healed all the doubts that I had had before. I believed him now, just because his laugh made me want to laugh with him.

         “Why? Why is it that they all think that you’ve been here forever, but I didn’t even know your name?”

Keiran bit his lip. “Well, I have theories. I think it’s because you’re so individual.”

“Individual?” I asked him.

“Yes. Everyone else believes what the Saviors want them to believe because they’re afraid to think otherwise. They think that if they show that they’re different, they’ll be laughed at, ridiculed. You weren’t afraid of that, and so you could see clearly.”

It made sense to me… sort of. “All right. Last one. When I think something negative about myself, or something along those lines, a… voice… would tell me to stop. It would tell me to be nicer, or tell me what I knew was true.” I sounded so stupid. No you don’t.

         I gasped. The voice inside me head didn’t change, but I knew who it was now. My head snapped up from the table that I had been staring at, to look at Keiran. He pressed his lips together.

         “How do you do that?” I asked.

         “Once a person that is being taken care of by a Savior sees their Savior by the first time, the Savior can help them make the right decisions. It’s not that they can here what you’re thinking,” he said quickly. “It’s just that they can feel the negative energy coming from you. And they try to stop it. The more negative you are, the easier the time the Seekers will have recruiting you. Basically, we’re connected.”

         Hmm, I liked how he said ‘we’. Is that way to cliché? “How will I know when they come to recruit me? You said that they were humanoid.” I asked.

         “You won’t need to. I’ll right with you from now on. Now that I’ve met you, I’ll be able to read how you’re feeling from anywhere. But I’ll most likely be around most of the time.”

         That gave me kind of a flutter inside. I hadn’t said anything yet, but he was so good-looking. His dark hair went with is dark clothes and muscular body. His eyes were a dark blue, almost black. But he hadn’t answered my question.

         “But how will I know?” I asked. “I want to, even if I don’t have to.”

         He winced. “Well, to Seekers, they look like withered old bodies, empty of everything but hatred. To humans, it varies. It depends on how they feel. If they’re angry, bitter, or sad, the Seekers will look like the prettiest person that they’ve ever seen. Or else they look very close to someone that they love. If they are kind, loving, happy people,” he gestured to me. “Then they look like horrible old people who have no life or love.”

         They way he described them made me get the goose bumps. This was the weirdest thing I had ever heard. But yet I believed him. What I didn’t believe was that he was pegging me on the nice side. But I wasn’t nice. I mean, I wasn’t rude, or bad, but I was mediocre, like most people.   

         But, thinking back to what he had said earlier, the fact that he would be hanging around with me a lot more shouldn’t have pleased me as much as it did.

 

And last but not least, Mally. This (reaaaaaalllly far out) one is about a teenaged girl who finds a box sitting on her doorstep. What's in it? Read on to find out. (Wow that was cheesy...) 

“Mom!” I yelled. “We got a package! Can I open it?” and in truth, the package was addressed to the whole Terriss family, so I could open it if I wanted, but I had to ask first.

       “Sure!” Mom yelled back from upstairs. “Who’s it from?” she asked. I looked, I hadn’t noticed earlier. Hmm. That’s odd, it didn’t say.

       “I don’t know Mom. It doesn’t say on the package.”

       “Yes it does, it always does. Let me have a look.” She came downstairs and looked at the package. “Hmm…” she said slowly. “You were right when you said there was no return address. Go ahead and open it. I’m curious now.”

       I was too, so I ripped the tape off as gently as possible, remembering the ‘Fragile’ sign on the top. At first, I thought the package was pure blanket. I dug through them to try and find what was underneath them. All of a sudden I struck something hard. No, soft, but harder than the rest of the blankets.

       I lifted it out of the box, and it started to whimper. I looked at it more closely, realizing what it was. No, who it was. 

       I was holding a gorgeous, blue eyed blond little girl, almost one year old. She couldn’t be old enough to take away from her mother yet. Not really. I didn’t know what to do.

       Mom didn’t speak. She just stood there staring at the girl. I did to, but I cuddled her, and she cuddled right back. She seemed to like it, but not as much as I did. She was so sweet and innocent, and every time I looked at her I wanted to shield her from the world, so that nothing could ever hurt her.

       Every now and then she would grab my finger, and I thought I would never be able to let her go. Finally my mother spoke.

       “I’m going to unwrap the rest of the blankets, and see what else is there. Will you go get a washcloth and a phone? Wet the washcloth with warm-ish water and bathe her down. Then bring me the phone and we’ll call the police.”

       “The police?” I asked, shocked. Mom wanted to hand over this perfect and beautiful child to the police? How could she? She should just adopt the pretty little girl. She didn’t seem like she could be any trouble at all.

       I did as I was asked though, and brought the little girl up to the bathroom. I started thinking of a name for the girl. Thinking… thinking, thinking… I decided that I liked the names Rosie, Lilly, Nessa, Molly, and Sienna. But none of them fit. They weren’t pretty enough for this gorgeous, sweet, innocent, perfect, blue eyed blonde.

 

that's it for now... (seeing as I think this is the longest post I've ever put up). Comment Comment Comment, and I'll see you later.