Original: The Odd Child
Title: The Odd Child
Rating: G
Word: #147
Much like how far the mysterious depths of the universe stretch, or the meaning of life, or even how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop, what happened to my sister two years ago shall remain forever unknown.
It began ordinarily enough. It was a Saturday. Dad had left to go to work, Mom was in the kitchen sitting in front of the tiny television, sobbing over soap operas and muttering to herself. I wish she cared as much about my life as she did Faith and Duke’s. Sometimes I don’t though, because then she’d start crying over every time I passed a boy in school and didn’t say hi or confess my deep love for him. Or something. But my life wasn’t a soap opera, so maybe that’s why Mom had no interest in it.
Of course, this was not the take my little sister had on life. Of course, she hadn’t become a teenager yet, when everything seems to go downhill. As if acne wasn’t enough, my period gives me horrible cramps. At ten, Angela Marie Mardello was the queerest girl in all of Georgia.
She liked sitting outside a lot, when it was sunny and warm. She’d always turn her face up to the sun and close her eyes, then she’d spread her hands out and raise her palms up to the sky, like she was giving some gods a ritual sacrifice. When the sun set, she’d come back inside from sitting cross-legged out in the yard all day. She never complained about her neck hurting or her arms being tired, though.
Angela was pretty, I guess. She had that lovely golden hair from mother, that I wished I had, but no, I was stuck with the muddy brown. Her eyes were purplish in my opinion, though mother insisted they were just a darker blue. I swear, she’s like an albino, though not nearly as pink, just pale. She never gets tanned or sunburned from sitting out there in the sun all the time, though. Last year I got sunburned on my whole back.
Anyway, it was around lunchtime, so I had to go find Angela, as Mom slapped together a few sandwiches, while still watching as Duke and Tanya made-out while Faith was witnessed in horror. When I stomped outside I was surprised to find she was not sitting in the middle of the lawn, where a nice little ditch she’d made. Instead, she was hunched over under a tree.
I frowned and wandered over. It was accustomed to her being odd, by now. Everyone knew, and I think my parents worried a bit about her, not that her grades were low, but her lack of socializing was a bit strange. Heck, she was strange in general. I tapped her on the shoulder.
“Angela, it’s lunchtime.”
She jerked around. I stared. It was most certainly not Angela. Her eyes were more pointed, like an Asian, though not quite. Her mouth was small and tinted a sort of green, as was the rest of her skin. There was a faint glimmer and sparkle to her, and I suddenly remembered the time Angela had gotten into my body glitter and declared it fairy dust. The green girl stared at me with wide eyes, and stood up much too quickly to be human. I jerked back and she bowed low.
“I’m so sorry, Laurie.” She said suddenly straightening and grabbing my hands. I would have shrieked if her hands hadn’t been so oddly soft, and yet at the same time, they felt rough like bark. “I have to go back.”
“B-back? Where?” I replied dumbly. “Where’s my sister?”
She sighed and looked at me sadly. “She’ll be back. I just wanted to thank you for being so nice to me all these years; you’re a good person. Tell Mother and Father thank you, as well. Now, I must go back.” With that she whirled around. I must have blinked, because I didn’t see where she went to, but she was gone.
Angela did come back. After a few days, she wandered in as if nothing had happened, and Mom and Dad hadn’t been in near tears over her disappearance for three days, oddly enough, they seemed to forget she’d disappeared at all. When I asked her what happened to her, she was always vague and waved it off. I think Mom was relieved when Angela began to get pretty normal. From the freak with no friends expect her sister, to the popular girl with no time for her loser sister.
When I ask her about anything from our past. Why did you sit in the sun all day long and do nothing else? How come you never tanned before, but now you’re like a hash brown? Do you remember that time we sent to Maine and you shivered the whole time until we got back? She’d always say she didn’t know what I was talking about. She’d insist she was never the odd child I described.
Whether I’m crazy or not. Well, I supposed that’s one of those unknown things too. Mom and Dad seem to think so, otherwise I wouldn’t be here telling you this, would I?
Rating: G
Word: #147
Much like how far the mysterious depths of the universe stretch, or the meaning of life, or even how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop, what happened to my sister two years ago shall remain forever unknown.
It began ordinarily enough. It was a Saturday. Dad had left to go to work, Mom was in the kitchen sitting in front of the tiny television, sobbing over soap operas and muttering to herself. I wish she cared as much about my life as she did Faith and Duke’s. Sometimes I don’t though, because then she’d start crying over every time I passed a boy in school and didn’t say hi or confess my deep love for him. Or something. But my life wasn’t a soap opera, so maybe that’s why Mom had no interest in it.
Of course, this was not the take my little sister had on life. Of course, she hadn’t become a teenager yet, when everything seems to go downhill. As if acne wasn’t enough, my period gives me horrible cramps. At ten, Angela Marie Mardello was the queerest girl in all of Georgia.
She liked sitting outside a lot, when it was sunny and warm. She’d always turn her face up to the sun and close her eyes, then she’d spread her hands out and raise her palms up to the sky, like she was giving some gods a ritual sacrifice. When the sun set, she’d come back inside from sitting cross-legged out in the yard all day. She never complained about her neck hurting or her arms being tired, though.
Angela was pretty, I guess. She had that lovely golden hair from mother, that I wished I had, but no, I was stuck with the muddy brown. Her eyes were purplish in my opinion, though mother insisted they were just a darker blue. I swear, she’s like an albino, though not nearly as pink, just pale. She never gets tanned or sunburned from sitting out there in the sun all the time, though. Last year I got sunburned on my whole back.
Anyway, it was around lunchtime, so I had to go find Angela, as Mom slapped together a few sandwiches, while still watching as Duke and Tanya made-out while Faith was witnessed in horror. When I stomped outside I was surprised to find she was not sitting in the middle of the lawn, where a nice little ditch she’d made. Instead, she was hunched over under a tree.
I frowned and wandered over. It was accustomed to her being odd, by now. Everyone knew, and I think my parents worried a bit about her, not that her grades were low, but her lack of socializing was a bit strange. Heck, she was strange in general. I tapped her on the shoulder.
“Angela, it’s lunchtime.”
She jerked around. I stared. It was most certainly not Angela. Her eyes were more pointed, like an Asian, though not quite. Her mouth was small and tinted a sort of green, as was the rest of her skin. There was a faint glimmer and sparkle to her, and I suddenly remembered the time Angela had gotten into my body glitter and declared it fairy dust. The green girl stared at me with wide eyes, and stood up much too quickly to be human. I jerked back and she bowed low.
“I’m so sorry, Laurie.” She said suddenly straightening and grabbing my hands. I would have shrieked if her hands hadn’t been so oddly soft, and yet at the same time, they felt rough like bark. “I have to go back.”
“B-back? Where?” I replied dumbly. “Where’s my sister?”
She sighed and looked at me sadly. “She’ll be back. I just wanted to thank you for being so nice to me all these years; you’re a good person. Tell Mother and Father thank you, as well. Now, I must go back.” With that she whirled around. I must have blinked, because I didn’t see where she went to, but she was gone.
Angela did come back. After a few days, she wandered in as if nothing had happened, and Mom and Dad hadn’t been in near tears over her disappearance for three days, oddly enough, they seemed to forget she’d disappeared at all. When I asked her what happened to her, she was always vague and waved it off. I think Mom was relieved when Angela began to get pretty normal. From the freak with no friends expect her sister, to the popular girl with no time for her loser sister.
When I ask her about anything from our past. Why did you sit in the sun all day long and do nothing else? How come you never tanned before, but now you’re like a hash brown? Do you remember that time we sent to Maine and you shivered the whole time until we got back? She’d always say she didn’t know what I was talking about. She’d insist she was never the odd child I described.
Whether I’m crazy or not. Well, I supposed that’s one of those unknown things too. Mom and Dad seem to think so, otherwise I wouldn’t be here telling you this, would I?