The Sight- Chapter One

The Sight

By: Alyssa Nguyen

Original Story by: Alyssa Nguyen

*Chapter One*

I’ve had this unusual power ever since I was a young child. I have, what Mrs. Dakota calls, a “special gift”. It’s called the Sight. I can see dead people, or Spirits. Surprisingly, these dead people aren’t scary looking. They don’t like zombies, skeletons, or stuff like that. And they aren’t transparent like ghosts. They just look like regular people- that happen to float in midair. Spirits didn’t exist for a purpose- well, at least I don’t think they do- so I always tried to avoid them. Sometimes, they’d just hang out with you and comment on situations you’re inwhich is really irritating. I hated my “special gift”. I had received this ability on my fifth birthday. I remember that day so clearly. It was a Saturday and I woke up early, feeling excited. I searched the house for my parents. Then I went to the backyard and saw someone that made me even more excited. It was our neighbor that had passed four months ago. Her name was Mrs. Dakota. Everyone knew her as “the nicest old lady- that made the best brownies ever”. Sure it was a long title, but she didn’t mind. I remember how I walked out the back door, with my eyes wide and mouth hanging wide open. “Serena, darling, will you help me with this?” Mrs. Dakota asked, reaching for the party lights. I was so thrilled to see her. “Mrs. Dakota!” I shrieked. “Mom! Mom! Mrs. Dakota’s here!” My mom was standing behind me with a phone resting between her shoulder and her ear, looking frustrated and confused. “What are you talking about? There’s nobody out here, except you. Don’t bother Mommy, okay? I’m trying to get you a cake.” Then she went back inside the house. I thought my mom was crazy. I glanced at Mrs. Dakota and raced towards her, with my arms wide open. Then I ended up running right through her. It was then, when I realized something was wrong. I turned around and saw a worried expression on her face. “Mrs. Dakota, what’s happening?” I demanded, my voice slightly shaky. After Mrs. Dakota had explained my “special gift” and what Spirits were to me, I never saw her again. But I was thankful to have Mrs. Dakota explain this whole new world to me. The rest of the day, I saw Spirits everywhere. When it was time for cake, my dead Uncle Max came and sang Happy Birthday with everyone else. Later, my dead grandfather watched me open presents. After everyone went home, I went to my room and crashed- exhausted from seeing so many Spirits. As I got older, I saw more and more Spirits, but of course, I ignored them as much as I could. (But it’s pretty much impossible.)

Original Story by: Alyssa Nguyen

“Serena, tell Eric I love him. Tell him that I’ll always be with him.” pleaded Savannah. I looked away and continued walking down the hallway, but Savannah caught up with me. “Please, Serena. He’s right behind you.” I glanced over my shoulder and saw Eric leaning against the lockers with his friends. Eric was the most popular senior in the school and was quarterback for the school’s football team. Eric was also the hottest guy in the school- at least, that’s what girls say in the locker room millions of times. (He’s also the biggest player in the school- at least that’s what Angela, Chase, and I think.) And Savannah George was Eric’s girlfriend- until she died in a car crash just before senior year started. “Serena, hurry, before he leaves for practice.” “If I tell him, it’ll just give him another reason to make fun of me.” I whispered. I continued walking down the hallway, but with a little more speed. I was known as the antisocial freak of the school and Eric always pointed out the obvious to everyone. Suddenly, my best friend, Angela, appeared right in front of me and made me jump. “Yo, Serena!” I blinked twice. “Were you even listening to me?” She demanded, putting her hands on her hips. “Uh...” I bit my lip. She sighed. “No. Sorry.” “Ugh, I’m not even going to tell you anymore.” She crossed her arms and looked away. I rolled my eyes. “I said I was sorry.” She looked at me and smiled. “Okay, okay. Stop begging. I’ll tell you.” I chuckled. “I was telling you what happened during Geometry. You know how I sit in front of Eric and Jason?” She didn’t wait for me to answer or nod my head. “Well, we we’re taking a test and I finished early- it was a piece of cake. Anyways, I dropped my pencil, so I bent down to get my pencil and Eric says, ‘Nice thong. I like the lacey kind.’” “Since when do you wear thongs?” I interrupted, raising an eyebrow. Angela’s had the biggest crush on Jason ever since seventh grade. Angela could get any guy she wants, except Jason. He wasn’t head over heels for her like everyone else. Not that he wasn’t attracted to her, he was just kind of shy. She ignored my comment and continued. “It was so embarrassing, but I didn’t hear Jason laugh with him. Then I said, ‘Nice face. Too bad I’m going to mess it up after school.’ I left the pencil on the floor because I was too upset. After class, Jason came up to me and gave me my pencil. Then he said, ‘Here’s your pencil and don’t listen to Eric. I know he can be a jerk sometimes.’ And then he smiled at me! Dude, I nearly fainted.”

Original Story by: Alyssa Nguyen

“Let me guess, now you’re going to go home and add that pencil to your Jason shrine.” I laughed. Jason was also popular and a hot football player. The difference between Jason and Eric was that he was smart and charming, not a dense jerk. “I do not have a Jason shrine! You’re just making that up.” She snapped. I laughed and locked arms with her, walking out the school’s gate. Angela Mason and I were best friends ever since we were babies. Our moms were also best friends in highschool and they used to be like sisters. Just like how Angela and I are, we always call each other sisters. We were like two peas in a pod, when we were babies. But when Angela was around six-years-old, we were separated for six years, because she moved to Los Angeles. I was so lonely without her. From first grade to fifth grade, I never had a true friend like Angela. Then a year later, I moved to Los Angeles and reunited with Angela. It was summer break when I moved there. We’d go to Anderson Park every day and catch up on each other’s lives. It was the best summer break ever. Sadly, when sixth grade began, I had lost Angela to a bunch of preppy girls on the first week. When she left me for the life-size Barbies, I was alone again. Then during lunch, one day, there was an incident between me and one of the preps named Regina. I accidently spilled milk on her shirt when I bumped into her, walking to my table. She was furious. She called me names, but she wasn’t a threat to me, so I stood there, letting her take out her anger at me and people began crowding us. Then Angela came to the rescue. “You should really watch where you walk, you freak!” Regina raged. “You stupid loner! You-” Angela stood behind her and tapped on her shoulder. Then when Regina turned around, Angela’s fist went flying and landed on the bridge of her nose. In the state of shock, Regina rocked from side to side and stumbled over a trash can. The whole crowd laughed hysterically. I covered my mouth, trying not to laugh. “And you should really watch what you say to my best friend.” Angela remarked. She turned to me and gave me a hug. And behind Angela was our dead P.E. teacher, giving me thumbs up and a wink. After sixth grade was done, I went to New York to visit my dad for the whole summer. It was great, but sadly, I didn’t get to see Angela at all. I didn’t have an email or cell phone then. That was our first time being apart for more than a week- ever since I moved to Los Angeles. When I returned, it was late at night, the night before school started. I begged my mom to let me call Angela. She told me I had five minutes. Luckily, Angela picked up the phone right away. I told Angela I was in a rush and that I wanted her to meet me at the school’s football field at seven-thirty the next morning, then I hung up. The next day, I left the house early and walked to school. When I got to the football field, there was a girl waiting near the bleachers. The girl shouted my name, then I realized it

Original Story by: Alyssa Nguyen

was Angela. She changed so much, that I couldn’t recognize her. She was taller and had more curves. Her chest and her butt were larger than before- but that ran in her family. And her hair was longer. Her light brown hair was now chocolate brown and she wore purple contacts. Even though she looked like a totally different person, she was still the same person. She was still my best friend. Hanging out with Angela, during seventh grade, was strange. Boys were always surrounding us- but of course, they were only there for her. Although, every time the guys did something nice for her, they did the same to me- but only if I was around her. If they carried her books, they carried mine. If they held the door open for her, they held it for me too. It was kind of fun at first, then it got irritating. One time, a guy carried Angela’s lunch tray and followed her to our table. Then when his friend reached for my tray, I snatched it before he did. He tried taking it from me, but I stared him down and said, “If you touch this, you’re going to lose a finger.” From then on, the guys stayed away, but one of them continued to cling on. His name was Chase Adams. He was about five feet, eight inches and he had an athletic body structure. His eyes were hazel and had light brown, wavy hair. He never left me alone. Angela always teased me about how he had a crush on me and I knew it was true. I was never used to boys showing any kind of interest. During class, one day, he told me he liked me and had asked me out. Because I was so nervous, I laughed, right in his face. I felt bad for laughing at him. So I told him I was sorry the next day. Then we ended up being best friends. Since eighth grade, all the way till now, Angela, Chase, and I have been best friends and everyone knew that. Everyone knew Angela as the hottest chick in the school. (As in she looks hot and her temper is hot.) Chase was the skater. And I was the quiet freakshow. I was often caught whispering to myself- but in actuality, I was merely having conversations with Spirits. There were times where mean students would call me names and would try to pick a fight with me, but Angela and Chase had my back.

Angela opened the passenger’s door and got in the car. “You aren’t driving?” I asked. “Nah, I got to fix my makeup.” She tossed me the keys to her car. I started the car and drove out of the school’s parking lot. “So, the Fall Dance is coming up. Who are you planning to go with?” She asked. “Are you kidding?” I said, pulling my eyebrows together. “Just curious.” She said, putting on lip gloss. “The dance is in three months. Why do I need to worry about dates now? And I don’t even think I’m going.” I added, shrugging.

Original Story by: Alyssa Nguyen

She shot me a surprised look. “What do you mean you’re not going?” “Well, the girls have to ask the guys, which I think is really lame.” I muttered. “I thought you like it when the girls are independent and take charge.” She mentioned, fixing her mascara. I laughed. “Who am I going to ask, anyways?” “Chase.” She smiled. Even though we decided to be friends, I knew Chase still liked me a little. (But that didn’t stop him from dating other girls, thankfully.) I wrinkled my nose. “Eww. No, thanks.” “Why not? He’s smart, funny, cute-” “Awkward much? And he’s just a friend.” I interrupted. “Whatever. I’d take him.” “Then why don’t you?” “Jason. Duh!” She said. She zipped up her makeup bag and glanced out the window. She grabbed my arm and shook it. “Oh my god, there he is.” Jason was hanging out with Eric and some of the other football players. Eric walked up to the window, smirking. “Hey, it’s Lacey.” The guys behind him laughed. Angela laughed too. She opened the door and stood in front of Eric. “That’s funny. You know…I like funny guys.” She got closer to him. I saw her lips move, but there was barely any sound. She placed her hands on his shoulders. He also got closer as well and smiled. She leaned towards him. Suddenly, she brought her knee up to his crotch and he fell to his knees. He swore and then Angela punched him in the nose, making his nose bleed. All the guys’ mouth hung open. “Not much of pretty face anymore, huh?” Angela remarked. Angela spun on her heel and walked towards the car. Behind her, I saw two guys rushing to Eric. And behind them, I saw Jason smiling. She buckled her seatbelt and observed her knuckles. “Hmm…not one scratch or bruise.” She said, sounding satisfied. “Girl, that was awesome. You do not know how long I’ve been waiting for you break his face.” I said, stepping on the gas pedal.

Original Story by: Alyssa Nguyen

She took out a bottle of lotion and squeezed it into her palm. “Why? What do you have against him?” “He’s a jerk to me sometimes.” I muttered, tightening my grip on the steering wheel. “When?” “In Geography.” I shrugged. “Why didn’t you tell me before?” She asked. I shrugged again and Angela shook her head, chuckling. Angela took out her lipstick and applied it onto her lips. “Ugh, this color doesn’t work for me.” She complained, observing her lipstick. “Here, you can have it. She tossed me the tube of lipstick. I caught it and rotated it. “Umm…thanks, but no thanks. I don’t wear makeup, remember? Or did you forget that, for the past five years?” “Why not? You could make that beautiful face of yours even more beautiful.” “Aww, thanks. But no.” “Speaking of looks, I’m getting tired of your “jeans and a sweatshirt” outfit. It bugs me.” “Well, I’m sorry you feel that way, but I’m completely comfortable with what I wear.” “You’re a pretty girl, Serena. You got a perfect body, perfect face, and perfect hair. Show it off, once in awhile.” I rolled my eyes. As I grew older, I never cared about what I looked like. I have to admit, Angela was right about my body, face, and hair. But I didn’t do anything to make them “perfect”. I never watched my weight, because I didn’t eat much. I never had an acne problem like most girls did. And I guess my hair was just naturally nice. I didn’t use special hair products from salons. I only turned out this way because my mom is beautiful. Every time I visit a relative, they always say, “You look so much like your mom.” I had straight, jet-black hair and crystal blue eyes. I had a few curves, but I wasn’t as curvy as Angela. I had an average sized chest and bottom. (Thank, God.) And I was about five feet, six inches. I was athletic, so I had abs and my arms were hardly muscular, but it was good enough for me. My phone began ringing. The caller I.D. said Chase. I pressed the speaker button. “Hey, Chase.” “Hey, Serena. Where are you?” “I’m in the car with a champion boxer.” I snickered.

Original Story by: Alyssa Nguyen

“Oh, it was nothing. I just gave Eric a knee him to the groin and broke his nose.” She bragged. “Whoa, seriously? That sucks. I missed it.” He chuckled. “It’s okay. I’m sure he’ll cause trouble again and I’ll just have to teach the jerk another lesson.” Chase laughed. “Well, Chewbacca’s here and I was wondering if I could go to your house.” Angela and I laughed. Chewbacca was his little brother’s babysitter. Chase called the babysitter that name because every time she called him and his brother for dinner, she sounded like Chewbacca. “Sure, but you might have to wait a couple minutes.” Angela said. “Why?” Chase asked. “Serena and I have to go to the store and buy tampons.” “Eww! Too much info. Okay, see you later.” Then he hung up. Angela laughed wildly. “Oh, you need tampons?” I said, glancing at the Target next to the stoplight. She laughed harder. “No, I just wanted to gross him out. It’s hilarious.” I laughed too. My eyes flickered to the clock on Angela’s GPS. “It’s six. My mom should be home soon. I think she’s making spaghetti tonight.” “Yes! Her spaghetti is amazing.” She said. At first, my mom wasn’t great cook, but that was before Sam hired a chef to teach her. Five years ago, my father left my mom with me- at the age of ten- and my little sister. We didn’t have a lot of money and we always rented houses. At the same time, my mom worked three jobs. She was a waitress at a bar on the weekends, a maid on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and a nurse on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I stayed home with my auntie Katy and my little sister, Ava. She was only an infant, during that time. Luckily, Mom came home earlier than her co-workers. She came home at eight p.m. Even though, she only had two hours before she had to go to sleep, she would always find some time to play with us. Thirty minutes, at the most. One night, she came home with a huge smile on her face and told us we were moving in with her boss from the hospital. His name was Sam Wilson and he was tall, handsome, and filthy rich- according to my aunt and my mom’s conversation that night. Apparently, she’s been going out with him for weeks and now he wanted us to live with him. And then Mom married him a year later.

Original Story by: Alyssa Nguyen

Living with Sam was complicated. I wasn’t used to living with butlers and maids. And I always felt bad for them, so I didn’t ask them for much. Later on, Ava and I became friends with the people who worked for Sam. Sam adored Ava and always played with her while I stayed in the corner, reading my book and listening to the iPod Sam bought me as homecoming present. I never paid attention to Sam and I didn’t care for him either. In the beginning, I didn’t dislike or like him. Then when I realized what he did to my mom, I hated him. He turned her into this dull workaholic. She never played with us anymore and she went from a cool, laid back mom to a tense, non-fun mom. Sam threw a lot of “I’m the richest man in the universe” parties. People came dressed up and always talked about money. For awhile, Mom made us wear hideous dresses and told us to sit in the dining room where everyone could see us. I always played with my Gameboy, while my sister was being adored by the guests. They’d pinch her cheek and tickle her. If any of them reached for my face, I’d bare my teeth a little and let out a low growl. Sometimes, when we were bored, we’d sneak to the appetizers table. Then we would take some of the food and eat it under the table. We got caught once, but it was one of the butlers. He let us off the hook and gave us a tray of food to bring to our room. Four years ago, Sam hired a professor from Stanford to come to our house and train Mom to be a doctor. Then Sam hired a chef to teach Mom how to cook- which was useless because the chefs at his house already cooked the meals. Now, she had two classes and a job to tend to every day. Sam was working her to death, but she didn’t seem to mind. Later on in the years, Mom loosened up a little and played with us every now and then. But Sam would pull her away and take her on a date. And they had a date every other night, so we didn’t get to spend much time with Mom. If she wasn’t on a date with Sam, you’d find her in her office with piles and piles of taxes and bills. Even though, he loved Mom more than anything, I still hated him from keeping her away from us. “So how’s your dad?” Angela questioned me, finally putting away her makeup bag. “I don’t know. He left us years ago.” I shrugged. She narrowed her eyes at me. “I meant Sam.” I glared at her from the corner of my eye. “Well, he’s not my dad. You should say, ‘How’s Sam?’” “Okay, how’s Sam?” She asked, smiling. She leaned back in her seat. “I don’t know and I don’t care.” I grumbled. “Jeez, Ms. Pessimistic.” She snickered.

Original Story by: Alyssa Nguyen

“What? I don’t pay attention to him.” “Why don’t you just give him a chance?” I didn’t respond and Angela sighed. I made a turn and headed towards my house. We pulled up to the back gate and Angela laughed. “I still cannot believe you live here.” She looked out the windshield and smiled. (Well, my house wasn’t really a “house”, it was actually a mansion.) I shook my head. “You’ve been here how many times? And you’re still shocked.” “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” Robert, the security guard, came up to the window. “Hello, Ms. Wilson. Hello, Ms. Mason.” Robert said, nodding his bald head. “Hey Rob. Please don’t call me Ms. Wilson.” “Oh, sorry. Ms. Greene.” He corrected. Greene was my dad’s last name and when he left, I had told my mom that I’d keep his name forever. Robert opened the gate and waved goodbye. I went up the driveway and then one of the valet workers came up to the window. “Hey, Lucas.” I greeted. “Nice car. Hmm…BMW. Did Sam get you this?” Lucas said, running his fingers through his black hair. I laughed softly. “Yeah, right. This is Angela’s car.” I jerked my thumb towards Angela. She smiled and winked at him. Lucas raised his eyebrows and smirked. “May I have the keys, Ms. Wilson?” “Actually, it’s Ms. Greene. But I prefer you call me Serena.” I corrected him. “Alright. Serena, may I have the keys?” He chuckled. “Nah, I’ll park the car.” “But Serena-” “I’m not handicapped. I’ll do it. Here take this.” I handed him a fifty-dollar bill. “Now I can park my car by myself for the rest of the week, okay?” I drove around the house and parked the car near the front door. “He’s cute.” Angela said, taking off her seatbelt.

Original Story by: Alyssa Nguyen

“Who? Lucas?” I asked. “Why didn’t you tell me you guys were hiring cute guys?” “Because I want them all for myself.” I joked. Both of us laughed. She stepped out the car as I gathered my backpack and books in the back seat. I reached the door handle, but the door opened by itself. I looked up and saw Chase grinning at me. I chuckled. “Hey, Chase.” He took my hand and pulled me out of the car. “Thanks.” He glanced at Angela. “So, why’d you beat up Eric?” He laughed. “He was being stupid.” She rolled her eyes. “Ah.” Chase nodded. I chuckled. “Let’s go inside. It’s Friday, Miranda probably made cookies.” I unlocked the door and opened it. We walked down the ridiculously long hallway. The walls were covered with pictures of Sam and my mom. It made me sick. Then we turned into the kitchen. Edgar, one of the butlers- and one of my buddies- was already there with a lemonade pitcher in his hand and cups on the table. Next to the cups were chocolate chip cookies. “Hi, Edgar.” We all said, simultaneously. Edgar has worked here for ten years and he was about fifty-five years old. He was also a British man- Ava loved copying his accent. He had receding gray hair and he was about six feet. And he was Sam’s most loyal worker. “Hello, children. Miranda just made a batch of cookies and lemonade. Would you like some?” He offered. “Yeah!” shouted Chase and Angela. They rushed to the table and began eating. Savages, I thought, jokingly. “Thanks, Edgar.” I said, giving him a quick hug. He patted my head and said, “Your welcome. Now go ahead and eat.” “Okay. But can you thank Miranda for me?” I mentioned, sitting in my seat. “Why don’t you tell me yourself?” said a voice. It had a Greek accent to it. It was Miranda. I turned around and saw Miranda near the oven. She’s worked here the same amount of years Edgar has. When they first started working here, they were such flirts and then they ended up getting married two years later. She had short, light brown, curly hair and she was a thick lady. She had a big heart and everyone loved her. I laughed softly. “Thanks, Miranda.”

Original Story by: Alyssa Nguyen

“No problem, sweetheart. Now dig in.” “Okay.” I chuckled, taking a bite out of a cookie. “I smell cookies!” Ava shouted, from upstairs. Edgar left the room. One of Edgar’s jobs was to carry Ava down the stairs. Mom was scared she would fall down the stairs because there were so many steps. There was an elevator, but Mom was afraid she wouldn’t press the right button. Ava ran into the kitchen with a big smile. “Hi, Serena. Hi, Angela. Hi, Chase.” Her eyes flickered to the plate of cookies. “And hello cookies! Mmm…cookies.” She said. She stood on her toes and reached for a cookie, but she couldn’t reach. Chase smirked and elbowed the plate towards her. “Ah-ha. Got one.” “Wow, you’re getting big. What are you, ten-years-old?” Chase joked. “I’m six.” She corrected him, her face suddenly serious. “My apologies.” He chuckled. Then she put on her sweet and adorable face and looked at Miranda. “Can I bring some cookies upstairs, Miranda?” “Yes, Ava.” Miranda took four cookies and put them on a separate plate. “And may I have some milk too?” “Of course, darling.” She poured milk into a plastic cup with a swirly straw in it. “Yay! Now I can watch the milk spin around and around and around-” All of us laughed. “Okay, Ava, we get it.” Edgar held the plate in one hand and held Ava’s hand in the other. As we she walked out of the room, we heard her say, “And around and around and around…” We all laughed again. I noticed Miranda taking off her apron. “You’re not cooking, Miranda?” “No, your mother’s making her famous spaghetti.” She chuckled. “Yes!” Chase half shouted, half whispered. Angela and I glanced at Chase and laughed. Miranda laughed too. “And this time, your mother is putting salmon chunks in there.” “Hmm…that’s new.” Angela observed.

Original Story by: Alyssa Nguyen

“She’s doing this because of Master Wilson’s promotion that he received today. So, look alive, okay Serena?” Miranda said. I forced a smile. Almost everyone that worked for Sam knew I disliked him. Miranda left the room and shouted, “He’s coming.” I knew what she meant. Sam was coming. Chase placed a hand on top of mine and said, “Be nice to him. Just for today. Talk to him or something.” “I’m always nice to him. I don’t give him crap. That’s the nicest thing a person can ever do. Who likes dealing with problems and drama?” I said, trying to make a point. “Serena, he’s a good guy. He deserves your love too.” Angela said. “The only people I love are my mom, my dad, Ava, Edgar, Miranda, and my two best friends.” I added, putting a hand on their shoulders. Both of them smiled at me. “Hey, everyone! I’m home!” Sam called. “And no one cares.” I muttered, under my breath. Angela kicked my leg, under the table. “Ouch.” I grumbled, rubbing my leg. Behind me, I heard Sam come into the kitchen. “Chase! Angela! I’m so glad you’re here!” He walked towards the table. I clenched my hands into fists, in my lap. “Hey, Serena. Guess what?” He said, anxiously. “What is it, Sam?” I asked, matching his tone. (If you really knew me, you could tell my enthusiasm was fake.) Angela noticed and glared at me. “I got promoted today. I’m assistant manager now.” “Assistant only?” I said, in high pitched voice. Angela kicked me again. “Ouch.” I said quietly, through my teeth. I glared at Angela and she quickly stuck her tongue out at me. “I heard your mother’s cooking tonight. I wonder what she’s making.” “The only thing she can cook.” I took another bite out of my cookie. “Well, she said it’s a new recipe.” He mentioned, grabbing a cookie. “It has salmon in it this time.” I said, taking a sip of my lemonade. “And she said it’s going to be delicious.” “It’s spaghetti.” I said, rolling my eyes- but he didn’t see me.

Original Story by: Alyssa Nguyen

He paused. “She also said it was…going to be a surprise.” He said, awkwardly. Angela kicked me again, but harder. I didn’t say anything this time, because I felt a bit guilty. Chase was staring at the ground. Sam broke the silence and said, “Oh, it’s fine, Serena. I’ll just act surprised. Don’t worry.” He turned around and went up stairs. I heard him shout, “Ava, I’m home.” “Serena, do you always talk to him like that?” Chase asked, looking slightly astonished. “No, I don’t talk to him at all. I usually stay away from him.” “Why don’t you talk to him?” Angela asked. “Because I end up talking like that.” I said, twirling the straw I my cup. Chase sighed and shook his head at me. I stared at the floor, biting my lip. “Serena, Ava, I’m home!” I heard my mom shout. I was so relieved, knowing my mom was home. She also sounded happier than usual- which wasn’t normal. I smiled and ran out the room. Before I could run up to Mom and give her a big hug, Sam beat me to her and locked lips with her. The way he kissed her was meant for alone time and it made me feel nauseated. And he always took his precious time with her. “Wow, three minutes. New record.” Another Spirit. He was actually our gardener’s son that died in a motorcycle accident last year. His name was Rodney. I used to have a crush on him- but it was only for a week or two. “I know, it’s disgusting.” I whispered. Mom and Sam stopped and glanced at me. “Hi, Mom!” I ran to her and finally hugged her. “Hey, Babygirl.” She looked over my shoulder. “Hey, kids.” “’Sup, Mrs. Wilson.” Chase said. “Hi, Mrs. Wilson.” Angela greeted. “Lady Wilson, may I take your coat?” Edgar offered, holding out an arm. “Yes, please.” Mom smiled, handing him her coat. Edgar hung it in the closet, then went up stairs. “Lady Wilson, would you like me to set up the ingredients?” Miranda suggested, holding her apron. “No, no. It’s fine. I’ll do it.” Mom said, taking the apron.

Original Story by: Alyssa Nguyen

“You are very generous, Lady Wilson.” Miranda replied. Mom smiled warmly at Miranda. “Now where’s my little monkey?” “I’m right here!” Ava shouted, from the stairs. When Edgar reached the last step, she let go of his hand and rammed into Mom. “Mommy, I got an “A” on my spelling test!” “Good job! High five!” She exclaimed, raising a hand. Ava slapped her palm against Mom’s. “Everyone stay in the living room until the food’s done, okay? Including Miranda and Edgar.” She added, glaring at them. Everybody agreed and went into the living room- except Sam. Before I walked down the hallway, I glanced over my shoulder. Sam had her in his arms and they were sharing passionate kisses. I quietly gagged. I walked into the living room, grimacing. Angela was playing with Ava on the end of the couch. Edgar and Miranda were chatting at the dining table. Chase was also on the couch and he was watching T.V. He glanced at me and smiled, patting the cushion next to him. I shuffled over to the couch and sat next to him. I threw my head back and grunted. “What now?” “Oh, nothing.” I said, sarcastically. “I just saw Sam making out with my mom.” He grimaced too. “Eww.” I sat up straight. “No, duh!” I scoffed. “Ugh, Chase, help me.” I tipped over and smashed my face into the cushion next to me. He patted my back and chuckled. “At least, your mom’s happy.” “I know and it sucks! Why does she have to be happy with him?” I shouted- except it was muffled, because my face was still in the cushion. “It’s going to be okay.” He assured me. “C’mon, Serena.” He tried flipping me over. Childishly, I clutched the couch and said, “Nuh-uh.” “Don’t make do it.” I turned my head and glared at him from the corner of my eye. “You wouldn’t.” He narrowed his eyes at me and slowly raised his hands. “Don’t.” Before I could stop him, he

Original Story by: Alyssa Nguyen

started tickling my sides. (Did I mention I was extremely ticklish?) I laughed wildly and shouted, “Okay! Okay! Stop! I surrender!” Finally, he stopped and I sat up straight. I playfully pushed him. He glanced at me and I stuck my tongue out at him. “You asked for it.” He laughed. Angela hopped onto the seat next to me. “Dude, turn on Friday Night Lights. It’s on right now!” “Okay, okay. Hold up.” I searched for the remote, but when I looked up, Chase had it in his hand. I raised an eyebrow and he smiled smugly. By the time the show was over, my mom had finished cooking. “Dinner is served!” Mom called. “Awesome.” Chase said, jumping off the couch. Angela and I laughed. “What a piggy!” Angela laughed. “Spaghetti! Spaghetti! Spaghetti!” Ava shouted, running into the kitchen. “And that’s Piggy’s mini-me.” I joked. We all took a seat at the long dining table. Sam and my mom sat at the ends of the table. (Starting from Sam, going clockwise around the table, sat Edgar, Miranda, Ava, and then my mom at the other end, Angela, me, then Chase.) On the table, there were two big bowls of spaghetti, two medium-sized bowls of salad, one pitcher with soda, one pitcher with lemonade, and one bottle of wine. “Surprise!” Mom shouted. I glanced at Sam and he quickly glanced back at me. I looked away and heard him laugh. “Thanks, honey.” He said. “Let’s dig in!” The salmon spaghetti was delicious. For the first time in my life, I had thirds. Chase and Angela laughed as I added more spaghetti to my plate. After everyone finished, Sam proposed a toast. I rolled my eyes. “I’d like to thank Miranda, Edgar, Ava, and Serena,” my head shot up, “for supporting me. And I want to thank Elena for making this meal and for supporting me also. A toast to my encouraging family.” Everyone raised their cups and cheered. For a moment, I was stunned after I heard my name in his speech. I lifted my cup too, but I didn’t really cheer. “Whoo-hoo.” I said, pathetically. Chase nudged my elbow and Angela kicked me again. “I am going to get bruises from you.” I warned Angela, through my teeth.

Original Story by: Alyssa Nguyen

Angela shrugged and Chase held back his laugh. Sam’s kept talking and talking as I twirled the remaining noodle in bowl with my fork. They all laughed at Sam’s stories and I would only laugh when Chase elbowed me. When dinner was over, I volunteered to wash the dishes while Sam, Mom, Ava, and Miranda went to the living room to play a board game. Chase and Edgar were still having a conversation at the table. Sadly, Angela had to go home early. “Hey, girlie. I got to head home.” Angela told me, giving me a hug. “Aww…so soon?” I whined. “Yeah, my mom wants to do girl’s night thingy.” She shrugged. I envied her relationship with her mom. Angela was going to have a girl’s night with her mom and I would never get a night with my mom. “That’s cool. Okay, then. I’ll see you later.” I waved at her as Edgar escorted her to the front door. As I scrubbed off the leftover food on one of the plates, I craned my neck and glanced at the others in the living room. They were playing Monopoly and it seemed like Mom was winning. She shouted, “Whoo! Got another property! Man, I am on a roll.” I chuckled lightly, until Sam cupped her chin and kissed her. I rolled my eyes and got back to work. I began scrubbing the plate really hard. I jumped a little when I felt Chase placed a hand on my back. “Jeez, what do you have against the plate. You’re going to break the thing.” He joked. I didn’t find anything funny at the moment. “Here, let me help you with that.” He took the plate and sponge from me. “I’ll wash, you rinse.” “Okay.” I began rinsing the plates that I had already soaped. “This isn’t going well for me.” “What is?” “Living here and having to see Sam suck on my mom’s face.” “Eww.” He grimaced. “At least you don’t have to see it every day.” He shrugged. “True.” In one year, I thought happily, I’ll be free of Sam forever. Of course, I’d have to stop by here, once in awhile, to check on Ava, Mom, Miranda, and Edgar, but I still wouldn’t have to deal with Mr. Perfect. “You got that face on.” Chase observed. “What face?”

Original Story by: Alyssa Nguyen

“Your thinking face. What’s on your mind?” “I’ll tell you later in my room.” I whispered. “Alright.” We finished the dishes and then headed upstairs. Chase was probably the only boy who was allowed to go to my room. They all knew we were just friends and nothing more. Sometimes he would show his affection towards me, but I would never react to it. He did ask me out again during sophomore year, but I told him that I didn’t want to ruin or friendship and he respected that. I closed my bedroom door behind me and threw myself onto my bed. My bed set was purple and was made out of silk. When I first came, the bed was pink and there was a sheer curtain circling the bed like how a princess’s bed would look. I had begged my mom to change the bed and she did. But she came back with purple silk. My room had been pink as well, until Edgar and Miranda painted my room purple with blue stripes. My walls were covered in posters and picture frames. Most of the pictures were me, Angela, and Chase. Only one of them was a picture of my father. Across from the bed, there was a plasma screen and a big stereo system. I didn’t use them often, only when Angela or Chase was here. And next to my bed was a large, light blue vanity table. Instead of using it to do my make up, I used it as a desk. I had my Mac Notebook on the table. That was probably the only electronic device I used in my room. Next to my vanity table/desk, I had a walk-in closet that was half the size of a regular McDonald’s restaurant and it was only half-filled- Angela always complained on how I didn’t deserve to have such a huge closet. Then on the right side of my plasma screen was my bathroom. It was just like any other bathroom, except there a Jacuzzi in it. Lastly, on the right side of my bed, there’s a gigantic window that’s about 15 ft. tall and 10 ft. wide with a balcony. (And no, this is not the master bedroom.) I sat up, crossing my legs, and hugged my Barney pillow as Chase laid down, across my bed in front of me, with his legs dangling on the left side of the bed. “So what were you thinking about earlier?” “Leaving home.” I said. He shot up, sitting up straight with his wide eyes. “You’re running away?” He asked. “No. I’m talking about the future. In a year, the three of us are going to be in college and I’ll be away from Sam.” He pressed his lips together. “But if you leave Sam, you’re going to be leaving Ava and your mom too, you know? Then you’ll never get to spend time with your mom.” My eyes began to water. “Not that I ever do.” I muttered, stubbornly. He saw my eyes and sat next to me and wrapped an arm around me. He rubbed my arm as I sniffled. Tears didn’t come out yet, but I felt them coming. “If only I understood things more when I was

Original Story by: Alyssa Nguyen

young, I would have stopped my mom from marrying a workaholic. I wish he never came into our damn lives.” “Well, I’m glad he did.” I pulled my eyebrows together and looked at him, confused. “If you didn’t move here with, I would have never met you. And you’re probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” I was suddenly angry with myself for not thinking of him or Angela. I hugged him tightly. “I’m sorry. I’m being so selfish.” I pulled back so that I could see his face. “Forgive me?” “Always.” He smirked. “You’re the best.” “Cool.” He pulled his arm back and waved his finger at me. “But don’t tell Angela.” He snickered. “It’ll be our little secret.” “Okay.” I giggled. “Alright then. Since we’re done with confessing, would you like to watch a movie, miss?” He offered, sounding like a host on a game show. I laughed and nodded. “Sure, but could you not use that voice?” “What voice?” He asked sarcastically, still using the same voice, but a bit deeper. “This is how I really sound. Do you not find it attractive?” “Not really.” I laughed again. “Fine.” He said, his voice normal again. He turned on the T.V. and went through the pay-per-view channels. “Ah, here’s a good movie.” The theme song to Batman came on. “Batman?” “Yup. He’s probably the only superhero who doesn’t wear their underwear on the outside.” He shuddered. “But that’s the best part of being superhero.” I joked. “No one can make fun of you if you wear your underwear on the outside.” “Ehh…no thanks. I’ll pass.” He made a face. “Okay…your lost.” I shrugged and laughed.

Original Story by: Alyssa Nguyen