Wednesday Rain

The strangely consistent drizzling continues throughout the afternoon. I walk to class with my snake skin print umbrella and look at all of the other students in their different colored coats and umbrellas. 

Rain always makes me relaxed, and want to just curl up in my down comforter all day with a movie and hot chocolate. That's actually probably what I'll do the rest of the day. It's Wednesday and I don't have swim practice this afternoon so I can do that. Wednesdays are always weird days to me because I only have a morning of lifting those iron things that people call "weights" and a small amount of yardage, and because I don't have to swim in the afternoon I want to look a little bit more human. Which doesn't make any sense to me though because I don't really see anyone all day unless I go to the library, but I don't really have to because I caught up with everything. So I dress up for myself and my self esteem. Either that or it's because I think maybe some random guy will see me and ask me out...HAHAHA yeah right.

The other athletes in "study hall" are just kind of sitting there. Trying to study, but at the same time resisting the urge to talk to each other. It doesn't work very well though. The constant jabbering never dies down.

I should know. I do the exact same thing every time I come in. It's like the thought that you're trying not to say just builds and builds until it explodes and everyone around hears your "all important thought" when it really doesn't matter. People really don't get much done. Not at all. They're really all just on facebook trying to delve into each others lives. 

The rain is still going and going. The sidewalks aren't as crowded as they are when the rain isn't there. The hundreds of little puddles splash my jeans as I walk home in the rain with my snake skin print umbrella.  

Morning time

This story is kinda boring...sorry. I just don't have any weird story on top of my mind. So I wrote how my morning has been. Minus the pee soaked toilet seat that I sat on, I guess that's what happens when you have a 2 year-old potty training little brother.

I woke up this morning to the sounds of my family moving about the house. Like always. It was the first day of school, for them anyway, I don't start for another week. My little sister was going to be a sophomore at the high school down the street that I had the unfortunate event of graduating from, my mom was going into her tenth year of teaching at the same high school, and my little brother was going to kindergarten. That was the weirdest thing. Teddy and kindergarten. He's only 3! Wait...no I guess he's 5, but it seems like he should still be 3.

Anyway, I looked at my phone/alarm clock to see what time it was and it was 7:02. I was kind of annoyed. I stayed up until 12:40 last night watching t.v. and then later than that because I'm trying to get over this weird summer cold and I couldn't stop coughing. But, I got up anyway to see Teddy off. I didn't have my contacts or glasses on, so I couldn't see anything. My mouth was coated with some sort of goo from my cough, but I figured I was going to go back to sleep anyway, so I don't have to brush my teeth. Just yet. It was Teddy's first day of school, I could sacrifice my comfort. I don't think he really knew what was going on, but I found him on the couch watching some sort of cartoon on PBS. He had his motorcycle shirt on with his basketball short and his socks pulled up as high as they'll go underneath his Transformer Velcro strapped shoes. His hair was pushed to the side, like he always does. I think he copies how my dad does his hair, which makes Teddy look like a really short old man. Teddy takes after the Morgan side of the family like I do, so we look very similar. It makes me reminisce of the old days when the hardest time you faced was going to a new school and worrying if you'll find friends.

Then I went back to sleep until 10. Which is awesome, once school starts I can't sleep in that long. 6 am practices every morning!

Then I woke up, I walked into the bright teal bathroom that my sister and I painted this summer and squinted at myself through my sleepy blurry vision, and put in my contacts. My face was still kinda peely from my chemical peel. I guess no swimming for me today! I brushed all that gunk from my mouth and washed my face. I grabbed some Fruit loops, turned on the t.v. just for some background noise, and sat down with my laptop. My sister's annoying little chihuahua-thing came up and sat by me, begging for some of my food. Ugh, he's such an annoying little rat dog, but he is a snuggley dog. I guess I can deal with it. So, I cracked my toes and settled into my giant comfy couch and got ready for a nice long session with my facebook, hotmail, and blog with PBS kids going in the background. Mostly because I'm too lazy to find the elusive remote.

Disappear...

The sun beat down on my head. It was hot outside. Very hot. I put my hand on top of my dark hair that was pulled back into a pony-braid; the top of my head was probably hot enough to cook an egg. The hard and cracked ground I've been walking on for about 6 hours now was probably hot enough to cook a well-done steak. "Man I'm hungry," I thought simultaneously with my stomach, "when was the last time I'd eaten?" I had eaten about 4 hours ago when I passed the small village. I'm starting to get more familiar with this alien terrain: dirt, dirt, a dried weed, and more dirt.

I'm looking forward to camping tonight. My pack is getting heavy. I have my small one person tent, my gallon water bottle, and a couple of dried astronaut food packs. Although the desert is really hot and everything is really brown, there's some sort of beauty about it. It's starting to turn into evening and the sun is slowly setting. The colors that were missing from the desert light up the sky. Orange, pink, blue, and a touch of green streak across the sky. The clouds seem to interrupt the color and put some sort of color that I can't really put a name to. It's like a dark pinkish green. Then the colors slowly drop to the horizon and mix with the cooling desert floor making it look like a pool of water standing in a nameless shape on the ground.

I think it's about time to start preparing for camp. I'll need some twigs to keep away the creepy little animals that are out and about at night. So I pick up random dried out weeds, making sure that they are especially dry. This is where I'm going to stop for the night. I take my pack off of my back, the cool night air gently kisses the spot where it's been sitting all day allowing my back to gather sweat. I pulled out my little tent that doubles as a cot, and started my fire with my flint. It's little, but it'll keep me safe enough. It's about time to sleep, I need to get up a little before dawn. I crawl into my tent after I've had my meal, and start to drift off to sleep.

I haven't been able to sleep well at night since he was taken. It's unsettling. The screams keep ringing in my head, and pictures flash across my eye lids of him. So beautiful, so young. Why him? I need to find him and find out why.

The race.

This is in honor of the Olympics! I've never been, but this is what I think it'd be like.

Breathe...just breathe....in. out. in. out. It's going to be fine. You'll be ok.

The crowd is getting louder. I know, just breathe. I'm getting more nervous.

Just breathe!

Ok, ok, ok.

Now, open your eyes. It's almost time.

Almost time? What? It couldn't be.

Yeah, it is. This is something you've been waiting for all your life. Just breathe. Ok. See? It's not that bad.

I guess you're right. It's kind of exhilarating. I'm gettin' pumped now! Listen to that! They're chanting my name! I'm SO ready now!

Good. see, I told you.

Now what am I swimming again?

Oh geez..how did we make it here again? You're swimming the 50 free. Remember?

Oh yeah. I remember now. I like this race! It's over nice and fast.

Yeah, but you have to go fast too.

I know what to do. You don't have to tell me everything. Now go away for awhile so I can breathe.

If only I could...

Breathe...breathe...breathe...in. out. in. out.

Now wave....ok. We're good.

"Swimmers, take your mark...." beep!








Look, it's almost over. One more stroke.

Listen to that roar? What did we do? Oh.

Conform to the MAN

The sunlight danced across the floor as it played through the blinds. The cat was startled by the sudden movement and moved over to play in it. Soon enough the feline became tired and fell asleep in the warm light. I haven't ever been too fond of cats, but for some reason this one I've taken a liking to. He doesn't have a name. I just call him cat. He's kind of a free wonderer. All he needs is food and water and kitty litter and he just does his own thing. I guess that's why I kind of admire him. He doesn't have to conform to anybody. In fact, the only reason I have him, I guess, is because I conformed to the man. Either that or it might be the fact that ever since they took over we've only been allowed to have a few things at a time to make things "more fair." Which doesn't make any since at all. We recieve a new outfit once a month; we get an apartment with one bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom; once we reach a certain age and we aren't married, we can get either a dog or a cat. I was never a dog person either.

Before they took over, things were different. Much different. I was only around two, so I can't really remember much. From what they've told us, life was chaotic. Chaos...there is a word that I wonder about sometimes. The most chaos I've seen is when a storm came and there wasn't enough food to go around. That didn't last long though. We're watched everywhere we go. It's kind of like that one book 1984, I guess. They take out a lot of pages now. Anything that puts the idea of being original into the citizen's heads.

Even our food is made for us. Every month we go to the grocery and receive boxes for each family for however days there are in the month. They're usually placed in order too. Anything that is different from anyone else causes chaos. At least that's what I've been taught. I'd like to do something different for once though. Chaos sounds like fun. Wait a second, there's a knock at the door. I'll be right back...

Stormy Night

Here's my first. I know it's not perfect, but that's part of the reason I'm doing this blog, to make it better. "Practice doesn't necessarily make perfect...perfect practice makes better." Tell me what you think!

The thunder clapped loudly as she sat in her sad excuse of a room.

She had just moved here.

All of the boxes were scattered randomly across the room cascading eerie shapes on the bleached walls every time lightning struck. While she sat, she couldn't help but think that this move was a bad idea.

The thunder clapped again, which startled her. Then a noise. This wasn't any normal noise. It sounded like some sort of unearthly call from the very depths of hell. It was some sort of moan. She walked through the living room and to the front door. The sound got nearer and nearer as she walked forward. She slowly opened the door. It was too dark to tell what it was. Everything was pitch black. Just then a wet creature bolted through the crack in the door. Sopping wet. Whew, she thought, just the cat.

She stumbled across the unfamiliar living room to her new room, and jumped into bed. KABOOM! She has always hated thunderstorms. She pulled her multicolored afghan over her head. Lightning, followed by thunder, yet again. She closed her eyes and kept saying to herself everything was going to be ok, but was it?

All the sounds in the small apartment were amplified now. She laid there quietly while the storm blustered on around her. Just as she was about to fall asleep, a strange screech echoed in the empty room. Her eyes shot open. It's nothing...it's nothing...it's nothing. Her hot breath stifled her, but she refused to take the blanket off of her head. The screeching continued.

CRASH! She shot up straight. Her window had broken, and a tree limb waved creepily in her room, and the wind and rain blew in. Well, crap... She closed the blinds as much as they would go over her window, grabbed her pillow and blanket, and walked into the living room. Throwing her pillow on the couch, she wrapped her blanket around her and flung herself on the couch. Every little movement she made made the leather couch squeak loudly. Frustrated, she looked out straight into the dark room and waited for sleep.

A pair of eyes stared back at her. Glowing.