Napping

A good way to spend the first two hours when you get home from school. Of course, when you fall asleep with your contacts still in your eyes you wake up with goopy, red eyes. Yuck!

The past few days have felt like a dream. I don't mean that everything went perfect and everything's puppies and rainbows. It's just seemed like it didn't actually happen. Like, right now, I could wake up any second and I'd be back in bed under my warm covers. And the fact that my vision's been blurry around the edges lately doesn't help. Have you ever felt like that before?

And another thing. I CAN'T REMEMBER ANYTHING. It's so strange! I think back to the day before and I don't remember a thing unless it was a major event. Like, I remember movie hopping with my brother on saturday, but everthing else I did that weekend is a blur. I can barely tell reality from illusions now too. What I thought happened, apparently never did.

Am I going crazy?


...help?

SPEAK (part 1)

Been writing it in creative writing class. Kinda cheesy, but what ever :P


Some would say it was destiny that brought us together. That we were practically made for each other. Others might argue that it was merely pure chance that we met. What did I think? What did she think? We aren't really sure, but we feel it's almost a mix of the two.

You see, we're not your normal teenagers. We're what you might label as" different" . But it's the things that make us different from everyone else, perfect for each other.

I have the ability to feel emotions that radiate off of people. I can sense when they're mad, sad, or glad. And, as I'm finding out, if I make contact with someone's skin, I can read their minds. And, when I say that I can read your mind and feel your emotions I'm not talking about looking into your eyes and staring deep into your soul type mumbo jumbo. I mean, standing in a crowded room with hundreds of people; feeling all their emotions smack me in the head all at once. And, when I make physical contact with someone, oh man. Any thought passing through their brain at that moment goes right into mine, sounding as though they were talking right to me.

But that's almost too much information. I suppose I should tell you a little bit more about me and my town. I'm your average male teenager-- well, except for the whole read your mind/emotions thing. I go to Briggs High School, have pretty good grades, hang out with friends at the movies, go to parties, you know, normal teen stuff. My name? Miles. Miles Halter. I'm 17, six foot two, and as gangly as you can get. I have honey blonde hair that waves in some places and curls in others, and my eyes are a stormy grey color; my skin pale with maybe the slightest hint of sun.

Her? Well she's Clemence. A girl with an hourglass figure, with long, curly, dark brown hair that tumbles over her shoulders to about the middle of her back. Her skin is an olive tone, her eyes a chocolaty brown that melts your heart. What's so special about Clemence, you ask? Well, she can't talk. She can hear, see, smell, taste, and feel just as much as the next guy, but, because she had a terrible accident when she was younger, she can't speak. What better friend for her than the guy who not only knows sign language but the one who can read her mind?

So that's us. Normal, but not. How did we meet? Why am I telling you all this? Because it goes with the story that follows this. Our story. A story of her, Clemence, being able to SPEAK...


It was the end of winter break and the start of a new semester. Our grades were set back to the beginning, our minds emptied of all we had learned the previous months. With our new gadgets and clothes obtained over Christmas some of us would return looking different, while others returned the same. Me? I was one of those who returned the same, and one of those who came back dreading every moment of it.

The Drama of high school, with its rollercoaster of emotions, is gut wrenching and mind shattering. With a population of almost two thousand kids you can imagine what I have to go through. I remember when this weird power of mine started showing up back in middle school that I'd stay home sick a lot. But, over the years, I had learned that music can block some of it out.

So, arriving early like I always do, and slapped on my headphones. I was still sitting in my clunker of a car, not in any hurry to go inside. But, I knew I had to, and sooner than later, so I took a deep breath and got out of the car. Walking into the building, my iPod not yet turned on, I felt the usual emotions of the teachers. Theirs were less abrasive and more depressing. Some enjoyed their job, yes, but when a janitor would pass by me I could feel the weight of his crushed hopes and dreams on me. He never wanted to be a janitor, that's just how things had ended up for him. Poor guy. The one happy thought that walked through these halls of unsuccessfulness and gloom was coming from the hall monitor, Jeff. The little punk just loved pushing, and ordering us around, always on his high horse. One day I hoped he'd be yanked of that pretty pony.

I adjusted my pack and continued through the halls towards my class room. When I arrived I plopped my backpack on the ground, slid down the wall, and sat next to it. Making sure my headphones where covering my ears I pulled out my iPod and turned in on, full blast of course. I closed my eyes and let the music carry me away into a state of dreaming. Then the bell would ring, I'd leave and go to class, but for now, in this hour before then, it was just me, sitting on the cold linoleum floor.

The loud ringing bell that signaled the start of first period brought me back into reality. gathering my things I walked into history class. Same old, same old. Or so I thought...

As I sat in my seat, waiting for our old, decrepit teacher to get his act together and quiet down my class I noticed a new face walk into the class room. At first I thought she was lost, but then maybe she was just asking the teacher a question about some other homework assignment. But then I say the crumpled yellow slip of paper in her hand and knew instantly what she was: a new student. Her small face looked forlorn and frightened and, judging by the emotional signal she was sending, nervous about whatever was about to happen.

As Mr. Campbell turned his attention to her she quickly handed him the paper. He signed it and handed it back, taking in a breath, readying himself to say something but then she handed him another piece of paper, one that had been clutched in her other hand. As he read it his expression went from surprised to one of sympathy. He mouth move, obviously talking to her, but with the noise that the rest of the class was making, it was impossible to hear him. Just when I thought that I would never find out what had been written on that tiny slip of paper, Mr. Campbell called the class to order.

"Settle down, settle down," His raspy voice croaked. "Class, this is Clemence," he gestured towards the tiny girl standing next to him. "She's new to Briggs so please be kind and welcome her. And, please understand that she can't respond to you. She's a mute."

Andrew Grossman, a guy with worse timing than anyone on earth, laughed as Mr. Campbell said that and said, "What a loser. Why the hell can't she talk? trying to be some loser mime?" And he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box either.

Clemence looked at the floor, her face turning a deep shade of crimson. "God, Andrew. Can you have some respect please? Clemence has torn vocal chords making it impossible for her to speak, you bumbling idiot!" I spat, not knowing what came over me. "Now shove that bulbous thing on your face you call a nose into your text book that's never been opened before. Maybe you'll learn something about the history of respect." As I hiss that last word I noticed I was standing up, my fists on the table. I promptly sat back down, crossing my arms and looking at the wall to my left.

"Yes..." Mr. Campbell said, a bit uncomfortable with the current situation. "Well Miles, since you're the only one in the class who's fluent in American sign language and have the only available seat next to you, Miss Arnett will be your History partner. Please be kinder to her than you were to Mr. Grossman, no matter how accurate your words may have been. "

"Hey!" Andrew shouted defensively.

I sat forward and tried to put myself in a more relaxed pose, hoping to relieve some of the tension that was building in the room. Oh how it hurt my brain. I felt like all the tension was in there not dispersed throughout the class.

As Clemence sat down next to me, she was very hesitant. I had frightened her and felt sorry. I quickly apologized, saying, "Hey, didn't mean to freak you out. I'm not sure what came over me. It's just..." I looked at my hands lying on the desk, "Andy was being a total douche. Sorry."

"It's no big deal," she signed back smiling. We nodded to each other and looked forward at the front of the class room. As the bell rang to free us from a boring lesson on the Opium wars in china, we packed up our bags. During that though, Clemence and I's bare elbows briefly touched and that's when I heard it

...Wonder what he'd do if the... Rang through my head.
I looked over at Clemence then, forgetting all about my backpack. "Excuse me?" I said. "What do you wonder I'll do?"

She looked at me shocked. The I realized, we had made contact. I had just read her thoughts and heard her speak. WHEN SHE HADN'T SAID ANYTHING.

"How?" she asked, her hands shaking as she did so.

"What?" I said, trying to think of a way to change the subject. "Oh, look at the time. I've gotta go. See ya Clemence!" And on that note I got up and quickly exited the room. What had I done?


For the rest of that week Clemence kept her distance. I suppose I had really spooked her. I mean, I would be too if someone had just read my thoughts. So, I decided to let her do so. I thought that maybe, over the weekend, she might forget about it all. Then maybe when she returned I could just be a normal guy.

On Monday, when the blessed weekend was over, I tried talking to her again. As she tentatively sat down next to me in history I signed to her "Hello!" and smiled.

She smiled back weakly and didn't look back at me as she pulled the out her history notebook...and all of her texts books. She made a wall between us with them. Brief eye contact and then back to scribbling notes on imperialism. That hurt.

"Hey," I said. "Are these," I pointed at the wall of texts between us, "really necessary? "

She ignored me, and even scooted to the farthest edge of the table. Now that was just plain rude. "Look, this is so not cool and I didn't even," I grabbed her wrist, "do...any...thing..."

...can't he understand that I just want to be left alone. It's the way it's supposed to be. Mute girl sits by herself and just gets through school. What's wrong with this guy?... Her thoughts said in my head.

"Why can't I talk to you? Why do you have to be the mute girl that sits alone? I understand sign language perfectly and I don't have a problem doing talking to you." I replied, my ego worse for wear. I felt sorry for her. And then I realized what I had just done.

Again, she stared at me incredulously. I made sure that I stared at my textbook intently. I could tell that she was surprised but confused and angry at the same time. She was probably wondering what gave me the right to her mind. Nothing did, really. I was just specially cursed with this ability.

"How the hell do you do that?!" She signed.

"Do what?" I signed back.

"Know what I'm thinking? are you some kind of...some kind of psychic?" She wanted answers but they were answers I couldn't give. So, naturally, I lied through my teeth.

"No. Your just imagining things. go back to your notes behind your wall of solitude and sit alone. it's what you want right?" I turned back to my own notes, fuming and feeling guilty. But I wasn't the only one with the guilty feeling. Clem was feeling sorry too.

We kept the quiet tension between us for the rest of class. We tried to act like the other wasn't there but it was too hard for me not to notice her. She smelled like lavender and that was probably my most favorite smell, but that's not why I couldn't ignore her. It's because I could feel her building up the courage to break the silence.

The bell rang and all that courage was shattered. I sighed heavily, wishing she had spoken, and packed up my backpack. As I sat up straight, getting ready to stand up and leave she put a hand on my shoulder, her finger touching my neck.

I'm not sure if you can hear this but I'm sorry. It's just so..strange. I hate this school so much and it smells horrific and-- she thought.

"Hey! The school doesn't smell that bad. I mean, sure, there's a musty wet dog smell that floats through the halls and maybe some classrooms smell like mold but...it's nothing...serious."I trailed off. She looked at me surprised and had a feeling of triumphantness.

As I tore my eyes away from her I noticed the rest of the class was staring at me. Apparently they hadn't heard her thoughts and they never saw hers or my hand move. If only I had a Twix at that moment. instead I had to come up with something else. So, panicking, I blurted out "What? can't a guy talk to himself once in a while?"

As if I asked him to respond Andrew Grossman shot back "Yeah, if that guy's insane." The classes joined in his laughter. "God Miles, you're such a nerd." And then he was gone, off to sleep in, and fail some other class.

"And one day us nerds will be the boss of you," I grumbled. "That is, if you can actually have enough brains to get a job, you dolt."

There was a breezy sound that came from my left, and when I looked to find the source I saw Clemence.

I raised an eyebrow. She just blushed and glided away, out of the room.

I got up and followed suit, walking towards anatomy, a grin spread wide across my face. So, Miss Clemence could laugh, huh? It wasn't like a loud, hearty laugh that came straight from your gut. It was a light, airy laugh, that sounded as though she was breathless. I carried that thought with me through the rest of the school day as I toughed through the thoughts of these pitiful teens.


As I was pulling out of the lot I saw her again. Her dark hair curled over her face, but I knew it was her. I could also feel that something was wrong. She looked sad and lonely sitting on that old wooden bench. So, my curiosity getting the better of me, I back into a parking spot, hopped out of the car, and trotted over to her.

Carefully sitting down next to her on the rickety bench I inhaled, readying myself to say something so cool, so well composed, and so thoughtful that she would just have to tell me what's was wrong.

"'Ssup?" And that sure as hell wasn't it, but, sadly, that's the lame ass garbage that came out of my mouth.

Clemence laughed another one of her airy laughs and signed back "Hey."

I knew there was something way better I could say than "'Ssup" this time. So, trying to save myself I asked, "Why the long face? Car break down only to now find out that 15 minutes could have saved you 15% or more on your car insurance by switching to Geico? " Not exactly smooth operator kind of talk, but I felt that being goofy might have been better. Another breezy laugh passed through her lips.

"No," She signed, "that's not the problem. I don't have my own car so I don't have to worry about car insurance. The current problem is that I missed the bus and my mother can't pick me up until five which means I have to sit here for two and a half more hours until she arrives." She looked at the cars longingly, wishing she could be in one of them.

"I could give you a ride," I replied.

She shrugged, meaning why not, and stood up, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. I lead her over to my car and, being the gentleman that I am, I sat right in my seat and attempted to turn the heap of junk back on. After my fifth try I got it going.

As we pulled out I reached over her and grabbed a notepad and pen from the glove compartment. "Write down directions, please," I asked, turning left onto the freeway. She did so and handed it back to me.

After too much silence I pointed to the radio and said, "Turn it to whatever station you like."

She flicked the knob a few times before finally deciding on a station I had never heard of before. I raised an eyebrow in question and she signed, "My Brother's radio show."

Oh. So she had a brother, huh? I wonder if he went to the same school or was in college, but i never got the chance to ask because at that moment we were at her house. We sat there for a second, finishing the song that was playing. When it ended I turned off the radio and looked at her.

She clasped her tiny hands on either side of my face and thought, Thank you so much for the ride. She smiled at me then hopped out of the car, her hair swishing from side to side as she walked up the steps to her front door, she waved good-bye then walked inside.

"Good-bye," I whispered to myself, then drove home.

~*~

So that's what I've got so far. Yeah...

Questions? Comments? Ask! I'd love to answer them :)

Glee

Is AMAZING!!! asjkefhakwe

Last night's episode was DA BOMB. Can't wait for the rest of this season! :D

I'm so full of glee right now ;)

Good bye and have a great day everyone!

Who am I?

WHO AM I? I'm told that I'm Hannah, but isn't that just a title given to me by my parents? It doesn't make me who I am. But what does then? Is it my parent's that make me who I am emotionally? Is it because of them that I'm the person I am today? Or was it all my own doing. I suppose they did influence me when I was a child right? You know, monkey see, monkey do. That sort of thing. And then they always told me what was right and what was wrong. But that just a small part of me. Because don't I make myself me? But what is it that I do that makes me, me?? Maybe if I list some trait I can get down to it, what causes me to be those things. Let's see...I'm smart, yet lazy. Funny but sarcastic and cynical. But then I care a great deal for others and their feelings and makes sure they're okay before I am. I'm a constant thinker, who's over analyzing everything. I'm generally pessimistic but for the sake of others I can pretend to be optimistic. I know lately I've been sad and angry a great deal what with everything going on in my life which then causes confusion. I know that I'm very shy and keep a lot from others, making myself somewhat of a mystery. I second guess myself and hardly believe in me. I know why I do the last one, and that's all thanks to my older brother. He'd always drag me down, saying what a piece of dirt I was. Just more dust in the wind. He's sort of caused my self-esteem to be non-existent. My humor is the way it is because I've been crushed with the harsh reality and the truth of what it is. My childhood innocence and the idea that everything is and always would be good was gone. Life sucked. I know I care for others because I've been so humbled over the years that I just have this feeling of wanting to help. I remember when I was little I use to want to be a veterinarian or pediatrician so I could make people feel better. I'd try and make sure that my friends were okay and that, when I was down in the dumps, that it didn't show so I wouldn't ruin their day. That goes along with the pretending to be optimistic when really I'm very pessimistic about life. I'm gonna skip the sad/angry/confused thing because that's just a load of inner turmoil that I need to deal with. But the one thing that stumps me every time is why I want to hide the real me from others. It's so strange. And it's really hard for me to even talk to people. This weird constricting feeling causes my voice to quiver and falter. That's most likely what cause me to be a constant thinker since I can hardly say anything out loud. But then, what causes me to sit alone and push others away? I'm not trying to show that I can be tough and that I don't need others. That's not it at all. Is it because I'm afraid? Afraid that if someone gets too close that they'll use their new found power over me to crush me into tiny pieces? It wouldn't be the first time... Or maybe I just can't handle friends anymore. I've trusted them, put my whole heart out there and they've used me, forgotten me, and in the process made me more of a mess then they could have ever imagined, all oblivious to what they're doing. I'd do anything for them and I'd always assumed it'd be vice versa but clearly the memo was not passed around. I dunno. I suppose that, for the most part, I'll remain a mystery to myself. Unknown. Maybe one day, when I'm older, I'll reflect upon the past and figure out WHO I AM.

Oh Hiccup...

How I seem to be slightly Obsessed with you...

Damn. I can't seem to get the little guy out of my head. I mean, I've drawn pictures of him.
See?


AUGH!

But the movie how to train your dragon was FREAKIN AWESOME and if you haven't seen it yet then go get in your car/on a bus/some mode fo transportation, and GO SEE IT. It's amazing.

Wow, okay, so I don't have school tomorrow so I shoudl be able to type some stuff up and post it on here. You know, since this is suppose to be a blog sull of stories and not my random thoughts.

Here's a quick one. It's called the ugly barnicle.

Once there was a barnicle who was so ugly that everyone died. The end!

well, good-bye and good night everyone!

*sniff*

I have the sniffles...


Dang it.

E-mails

checkin' mah e-mails to-day.

hmmm....well isn't that a surprise? I have 5 e-mails? but who are they from? My friend's who I only see every now and then? Grandparents? other family members? Nay. Just the doctor, Borders, Think Geek, NBC.com, and Neopets (which I haven't been on since, like, seventh grade). Awesome right?

No.

No it is not awesome because I miss emails from people. I miss the times where we would write a long e-mail about our day, so full of thought and meaning...Now it's just fwds and crap. :(

I'm in a whiney mood, can you tell?

I have writing but I'm far to lazy to type it up. Too much effort...

I miss people and I'm debating starting a vblog. But that would be silly, no?

Yes. Yes it would.

still need to do that voice meme....

*slams head on keyboard*

I think I'll just go on omegle and pretend to be a 19 year old dumb blonde from Arizona. Boy do the conversations turn out funny!

Stranger: Look it up on a map.
You: What's that?
You: A picture book?
You: With pages to color in?
Stranger: You dumbf***.

OH was that funny!

Wow, this is just a ramble post huh?

Good by my two followers and any ghost followers!

What about the Elephant?

Written by Chloe and I for creative writing class :)


Rita was born in San Diego in June of 1995. Today is April 7th 2010. In that time she had rarely left her hometown, and though she loved San Diego, she knew it was not enough for her just to think about the places she could go anymore. She had a fiery personality and an insatiable hunger for adventure, plus she was absolutely fearless. This got her in trouble on more than one occasion, but it made her determined to pursue a life of adventure. So with almost all the money she had, she had bought a plane ticket to Tanzania. She chose Tanzania after careful and meticulous research about its climate, culture and wildlife, concluding that it would be the ideal place to begin her journey.
She had thought long and hard about it before this moment, and she knew there was nothing else in the world she would rather do. Before leaving the house she had grabbed her passport from a stack of important papers in the office, thankfully it hadn’t expired yet. It would be a shame to never use it. She had also left a detailed letter to her parents explaining where she was and why she must make this journey, though she knew it wouldn't stop them from coming after her. She also assured them that she would return when she was ready. She knew they loved her and wanted to protect her, she felt the same way about them. But they would have to let her make her own way sometime or another; and as far as Rita was concerned that day didn't need to wait until she was an adult.
Rita felt strong and sure as she rolled that suitcase out the front door, but she stopped on the threshold and looked back hesitantly. She was really leaving. Her parents, her beloved dog Rudy, her whole life. She wondered what they would think when they came home and found her gone. But she brushed those feelings to the back of her mind and forced herself to close and lock the door. She could not help but feel some regret as she spent her bus ride looking down at her passport picture in silence, but any previous moments of uncertainty vanished when she stepped into the San Diego International Airport.
At the airport, shortly before Rita's plane was supposed to leave, a boy sat at a table alone in a stuffy holding room, waiting. He drummed his fingers nervously on the table top, wishing he was anywhere but here. An airport security guard entered.
"Son, do you know why you're here?" He asked with a tired voice.
"I haven't got the slightest idea." The boy said stubbornly, crossing his arms and putting his feet up on the desk.
"What's your name?" The man asked with the same careless disinterest.
"I don't have one." The boy said, scowling. There was an uncomfortable pause, and then the man replied, this time with an edge in his voice.
"Don't mess with me kid, just tell me your name and you'll be back home asleep in your own bed shortly."
"I told you I don't have one. I can't tell you something I don't know." The boy snapped.
"How does somebody not have a name?" The man questioned.
"Well..." the boy sighed. “You see, my parents abandoned me when I was five, deciding that a little kid was just too much work or something. I can't exactly remember the name they had given me, so...no name. I've lived in San Diego for a long time, since I was a little kid. If I lived somewhere else before I don't remember it. Okay?"
"Oh. Er... Well I'm gonna need at least an address or something. You do have one don't you?" The man asked impatiently.
"No," The man looked surprised. Worrying that he might end up getting put in to the foster care system, or something of the sort, he quickly thought up an excuse. "But, uh, I'm visiting my uh...aunt? Aunt! In uh..." He leaned to the side looking up at the flight times, squinting. "Tan...Tanza..." he trailed off. Having never been to school, reading wasn't easy for him.
"Tanzania?" the police man offered up.
"Ah yes! Tanzania. Thanks. Um, ya, so my er...aunt lives there and said I could come live with her and living on the streets making money is hard, ya know? So I was kinda hopin' I could get a ride on one of the planes..." He looked down at his hands. Act sad, helpless, innocent, he told himself. Maybe he'll buy it...
"I'll go see what I can do," the man stood up, sighing heavily. "Just... stay here, okay?" He looked at the boy waiting for a response.
"Sure," the boy said, trying to ignore the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. The man walked out of the holding room, leaving the boy alone. He ran his hand through his messy brown hair and looked at the mirror in the corner. Tall, skinny, grimy, it's no wonder they had pulled him aside.
The door opened and he looked up hopefully. "It's your lucky day kid. Lady says that the flight that's leaving to Tanzania has some open seats so you can go. Follow me please."
The boy leaped up and walked out of the room, following the security guard through the thick crowd. Seeing the families, all ready to go on vacation or back home together, made a lump rise in the boys throat. Family...the one thing he'd always wanted.
Before he knew it he was sitting down, close to the front of the coach section. To his right, in the window seat, was a girl. She looked about fourteen, a year younger than him. She was tiny, but he figured she was older than she looked. She was thin and wiry, with skin bronzed by the California sun. She had long, curly, dark brown hair that tumbled over her shoulders to about the middle of her back. She looked up as he sat down with big brown doe eyes.
“Hello.” She said casually.
“Hey,” He replied.
The boy tried to start up a conversation. After all, it was going to be a very long flight.
"So…," he began, but his words hung in the air like a stubborn mist while he searched for something to say. Finally he continued.
"What are you doing on a plane to Tanzania?" He offered, and Rita took a moment to reply. Who is this guy? She wondered, and then responded slowly and carefully, unsure if it was wise to tell this to a stranger. But he seemed well intentioned; he was probably just trying to make conversation.
"I've always wanted to travel; to Africa especially. You see, my parents traveled a lot before I was born, and I mean a lot. They’ve been to at least a dozen different countries." She paused and wondered if it seemed like she was bragging. She wasn't trying to, and she hoped she hadn't made a bad first impression like she had so many times before. She started to speak again.
"But after I was born, I guess they decided not to travel anymore, so I never really got to go anywhere."
"So you ran away?" The boy asked innocently enough, but the question made Rita uncomfortable, and she responded harshly.
"I didn't run away. I'm coming back someday, but this is just something I had to do so I won’t suffocate before ever getting the chance to really live.” It went dead silent. The boy could sense the anger and frustration behind her voice as plain as day. He first opened his mouth to say something to make her feel better, but the right words just didn’t come to his mind. Rita sighed and leaned back in her seat.
“Listen; I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go off on you like that. I say a lot of things I don’t mean.” Rita admitted, and she could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment. The boy just grinned and shook his head.
“Don’t worry, I wasn’t offended at all. Actually, what you said kinda makes sense to me.” Rita managed to laugh a little. Now she was curious about this boy.
“Well since you’re on a plane to Tanzania too, I’m sure you have a story behind that. Can I hear it?”
He hesitated. The truth was he was a little embarrassed to tell her where he came from. He would never have admitted it but he was very afraid that this girl he just met would completely write him off once he told her that he was homeless, an orphan, and a nobody. Literally. Here goes nothing; he thought, and then began to speak.
“Well, to be honest with you I’m not sure what I’m going to do after this plane lands. I guess I’ll find a way, I always do, but it’ll be hard in a whole other country.”
“I’m not sure I understand.” Rita said, she was confused, and the boy knew it. He had been talking all around the fact that he was homeless, but now it was time to tell her the truth.
“I…I…I was abandoned by my parents when I was pretty young. I grew up in the streets. The only reason I’m here is that I was hanging out at the airport and I guess I looked suspicious. I don’t know what I was doing, I just freaked when security pulled me over and I made an excuse that I had an aunt in Tanzania who would take care of me when the truth is I know absolutely nothing about my family.” He took a breath after his torrent of words and looked down at his ratty shoes; half regretting he had started talking to this girl. He could feel her staring at him, and he grimaced when she replied.
‘You’re kidding me…” her voice trailed off as she stared, which she realized was very impolite so she quickly turned away. She started again.
“Oh my gosh, you’re not kidding.” She said, and felt stupid after saying it. But soon her mouth turned up into a smile.
“This is so perfect!” She squeaked with pure excitement, the boy looked at her in puzzlement. She went on.
“We can help each other. You seem like you’d be good at surviving, ya know, like getting food and stuff and I know everything there is to know about Tanzania, I even know just enough Swahili to get by. We would make a great team! What do you say?” She looked at him with imploring eyes and he knew he couldn’t turn her down. This would be a great adventure anyway.
“Count me in.” He said, and smiled, then thought of something.
“I don’t even know your name,” he said.
“It’s Rita, Rita Valente. What’s yours?”
“As of this moment; I don’t have one, but it’s nice to meet you Rita.” He said, hoping she wouldn’t be put off by his lack of a name, but if she thought it was weird she didn’t show it. All Rita could think about was that at least now she had a starting point, a fellow adventurer, and a long plane ride ahead of her.
When the plane arrived at the Julius Nyerere International Airport; Rita could hardly contain her excitement.
“Look, look!” She squealed as she watched the plane roll to a stop from her window. The boy craned his neck to look through the window. The sky was clear and blue, and he wondered how hot it was outside. They were pleasantly surprised when they stepped outside that the temperature was probably in the high 70s and with a bit of a sea breeze. It made sense. Dar es Salaam, the city they landed in, was near the coast. Come to think of it, he realized it didn’t feel so much different from back home in San Diego.
After leaving the airport they wandered around the city in silent awe of everything around them. Dar es Salaam turned out to be a bustling city, filled with people moving quickly through the streets toward hundreds of individual destinations. At some point the boy felt a light tap on his shoulder and turned to see a boy probably about 10 years old holding a stack of bills. He started chattering excitedly in Swahili to him.
“Uhhh, I’m sorry I don’t speak Swahili.” The boy apologized, but the other boy laughed and switched to perfect English without so much as pausing to breathe.
“Would you like to exchange your dollars for Tanzanian Shillings?” he asked, and Rita broke in.
“Yeah. That seems like a good idea. Here, I have my money here.” She nudged her companion with her elbow.
“Do you have any money on you? You should probably exchange yours too.” The boy shoved his hands into his pockets and retrieved a few crumpled bills. Rita had quite a bit more. In the end they counted about $214. Rita handed it to the Tanzanian boy, who counted her money, and then his stack of Tanzanian Shillings. As he counted Rita tried to start up a friendly conversation.
“So what’s your name?”
“My name is Kanu.” He replied.
He picked out a portion of the stack and looped a rubber band around it, then handed the money to Rita.
“Nice doing business with you.” Kanu chirped, and then began to retreat back into the crowd. Something had just happened that made the boy suspicious.
“Wait a minute Rita, let me see that money.” She handed him the money. He took off the rubber band and all the bills went falling to the ground. But they weren’t all bills. Except for the two on the outsides of the stack the rest were just worthless blank sheets of paper. The boy cursed under his breath and took off after Kanu.
“Wait!” Rita yelled as she followed closely behind. Rita caught up and eventually overtook him when she spotted Kanu. She sprinted across the street where she was almost hit by an oncoming car when the boy shoved her out of the way. They both ran, panting for breath after Kanu, whose feet seemed to never even touch the pavement. Kanu scrambled around a corner into an alley, and the boy immediately slowed to a walk and motioned for Rita to do the same. He quietly sneaked to the corner and turned his head to see if he could spot Kanu…and their money. He sure wasn’t running into a dark alley in a strange new country not knowing what was in there waiting for him. They both stood silently and peeked around the corner; and a large truck came into view. The boy and Rita ducked back behind the wall and waited, both knowing exactly what the other was thinking. They held their breath and scrambled into the empty truck bed when it came out of the alleyway. They laid flat against the floor of the truck bed and kept silent while they heard excited voices in front of the cab part of the truck.
It drove on and on through the streets and eventually out of the city. As dusk approached it grew colder outside, Rita wondered what exactly it was they were trying to do. Did they really think they would get their money back? Who else was in the truck besides Kanu? Perhaps she would be better off not knowing. She was cold; she missed home, and was hiding in the back of a truck with a boy she hardly knew. What would await them when this truck finally reached its destination? She shivered when she imagined being shot or killed by some other means, lying dead in the bush where no one would ever find their bodies. She forced that thought completely from her mind. But she soon fell asleep and briefly forgot all that had happened to her that day.
The boy woke up with a sore, stiff back from being jostled around in the truck bed. He squinted into the glaring sunlight and raised his hand to shield his eyes. But he put it down when a tall figure cast its shadow upon him. A tall Tanzanian man stood above them smiling mysteriously. He was accompanied by five teenage boys holding rifles, and Kanu, who was pointing at them and talking excitedly.
“They’re the ones! After I got the money I ran, and they followed me. I thought I had lost them, but I must not have, because here they are!” The boy looked at Rita, she was still asleep. He looked back at the big man when he spoke to him.
“Boy! What is your name?” He barked.
“Uhh, I don’t have one.” The boy stammered. He was growing tired of explaining this.
“Where are you from?” The man asked impatiently, and the boy couldn’t help but feel that he had just had this conversation a day or two ago.
“California. San Diego, California.” He replied.
“And the girl?”
“The same.”
“What are you doing here?”
“We want our money back.” The boy said. The man chuckled.
“You have to move fast to make it out here boy. Like a serpent, be ready to strike, before somebody strikes at you.” The boy was a bit confused by this, but he nodded.
“Where are we?” The boy asked in bewilderment. This was not the coastal city he had left; they were now on an open grassy plain. He also noticed it was much hotter here.
“Just outside Serengeti National Park.” The man replied, then pointed at Rita.
“Who is the girl?” He asked.
“Her name is Rita, she’s my friend.” The boy felt an ache when he said this, because he knew it was a lie. He had known her for only two days, and if she knew him better he wondered if she would even want to be his friend.
“She is very pretty.” The man commented, and the boy realized that the whole group couldn’t seem to stop looking at her. The boy scooted over to the left, as if shielding Rita and stared threateningly at the man. There was no way he was gonna let any of these guys lay a finger on her. The big man laughed.
“Don’t worry boy, she will be safe here.” The boy cut him off.
“Safe…so you’re not planning on killing us?” The big man roared with laughter.
“Don’t worry boy, I would no sooner kill you than one of my own.” He gently slapped the boy next to him on the back. “I found it amusing that you went to so much trouble to get your money. You could get hurt chasing thieves into dark alleys you know. Besides; we may be able to use you both so you can earn your money back. We could probably spare enough food for two more.” The boy sighed with relief.
“So what do we have to do to earn back our money?”
“Simple.” The man replied. “We are hunters. You would do easy things, like accompanying my boys on their rounds to check our traps and such. You may polish some ivory or prepare other items for sale.”
“So you’re poachers?” The boy said, shocked.
“That’s such an ugly word.” The man scolded. “We are just hunters. Yes, we may overstep what is legal in our work, but we are just trying to put food on our tables.” The boy glanced back at the other boys. They were all just skin and bones. He thought about it, and then slowly nodded. How bad could it be? He reasoned. The man smiled.
“Good!” He exclaimed. “But, you must first swear on your life and the life of your friend that you will never tell a living soul about us or our work. These boys will have no future if they are sent to rot in prison, and my son Kanu will be taken away from me. You don’t want that, do you?” The boy gulped.
“No sir.”
“Do you swear it?”
“I swear.”
“Very good.” The man clapped his hands together. “The boys will introduce themselves and show you and your friend around the camp.” The boy looked around and realized that this was indeed a camp. The whole camp was shaded by six acacia trees. There were three tents pitched in a sort of triangle around a smoldering campfire, with the truck parked alongside another vehicle, a large, ancient land rover that had several animal skins draped over the top. He decided he wouldn’t tell Rita right away that he had made a deal with poachers.
“One more thing.” The man said, “I need to call you something, I can’t just continue calling you boy.” The boy’s heart skipped a beat as the big man scratched his chin in thought. He was getting a name! The man finally chuckled and said,
“Kivuli. You like it?” The boy’s mouth turned up into a wide grin.
“It’s perfect.” He said.
Soon he was standing in the middle of a circle of boys all talking excitedly, except for one standing sullenly on the other side of the camp. One boy in the center stuck out his hand for Kivuli to shake. He was the largest of the group. He was thick and muscular, but by no means fat.
“My name is Tembo. I am the oldest.”
“Nice to meet you.” Kivuli replied, his face radiating the happiness he felt. He finally had some friends! And they called him by his own personal name! Over the course of the next half hour he met the rest and got to know a bit about them. There was of course Kanu, the son of the man he had talked to, Bwana Adhra. (Kivuli later came to know that Bwana meant Mr., or sir.) Next was Farisi, the tallest and leanest of the boys, who was often called Twiga (Giraffe). Zuberi was the obvious leader; he knew everything there was to know about hunting and surviving. Sabra was the second youngest, and by far the most timid and sensitive. He had a family that he didn’t know what happened too, he had been separated from them for three years. He often talked of his beloved little sister Ajia. One couldn’t help but feel bad for this boy; he was only 13 and in his short life he had lost everything dear to him. Abasi was a mystery. He was the one who stood alone.
“Don’t mind him.” Zuberi had said, “He’s Bwana Adhra’s favorite and is jealous when he doesn’t get his attention. As long as you leave him alone, he won’t hurt you.” This made Kivuli even more nervous. It was right about then when Rita woke up.
Rubbing her eyes, Rita groaned as the stiffness in her back came into realization. How long had she been asleep? She froze, fists still on her face. The tuck wasn't moving anymore. Had they stopped? She looked to her left where the boy had been, but he wasn't there; just empty space. Rita quickly sat up, a blanket falling off of her. Wait, that hadn't been there before either. Something was up.
Crawling to the edge of the truck bed she carefully peeked her head around the corner. They were at a camp now? "Huh..." she whispered to herself. Wait, was that? Yes! It was the boy! She leaped out of the truck and ran over to him, only to stop suddenly in her tracks.
He was surrounded by multiple boy, one of them including Kanu. Seeing him made her face turn red. "You!" She snapped, storming over to him. She was preparing to shout even more at him when the boy stepped in front of her path.
"Rita!" he exclaimed. "I have great news! I have a name! Can you believe it ?!" he beamed at her.
"A wha--?" She looked at him puzzled for a sec at the thought registered in her mind.
"Name!" he finished for her.
"That's great!" she said, smiling back at him now. Good for him for finally getting one. "What is it?" she asked.
" Kivuli. Isn't it the best?!"
"Of course it is," She replied.
"Oh, how silly of me," Kivuli put a hand on Rita's shoulder and lead her over to the group of boys he had been talking to before she had interrupted. "Let me introduce you to the gang. Rita, this is Farisi also known as Twiga, Tembo, Sabra, Zuberi, over there by the fire is Abasi, and, well, you know Kanu," Kivuli said, pointing to each as he said their names.
Rita waved at them then turned back to Kivuli, "Can I go talk to you over there real quick please?"
"Sure. Why--?" She grabbed his wrist and pulled him along.
"Who are they, why are you so friendly with them and what's going on?!" She said quickly, inhaling as she finished.
"Well, I just told you who they were and I'm "friendly" with them because they're basically family at this point," he held up his hand to stop Rita from interjecting, "and what's going on is that they aren't going to kill us, we've got a place to stay, and a job to earn our money back."
"And what sort of job will that be?" Rita asked, crossing her arms.
"It doesn't matter. Honestly. Just trust me, okay?" He smiled and jogged back over to the boys, laughing and waving as he went.
"Hey! That's no fair!" she ran after him, shaking her head and laughing too.


They were woken up early the next morning, the sun just barely rising in the distance. Rita sat in the back of the truck with Kivuli and a few of the other boys, all of whom were carrying guns. She looked to Kivuli for an answer but he kept avoiding eye contact. He really would have preferred that Rita stayed back at the camp but she had insisted that she come along.
Through the grass and dry land they traveled, the rocks jostling those in the back; the sun not yet high enough to fry their backs. Kivuli stared at Rita as they rode on. She was pretty, he realized as the wind blew through her dark hair. She caught him staring and he quickly turned away, his face turning bright red.
The truck stopped a few yards away from what looked like a watering hole. There were a few elephants around it, peacefully drinking, unaware of the danger that lurked.
Bwana Adhra pulled Kivuli aside, leaving Rita and the other boys as they unloaded the truck and land rover. They stood in the shadow of a nearby tree. Adhra leaned against it and looked towards the elephants, a serious expression on his face.
"Now's the time to prove yourself," he said. "You see those elephants over there?" he jabbed a finger towards them. "You have to help us take one down." He turned towards the boy when he said this.
Kivuli gulped. Taking down an elephant? this defiantly wasn't what he had signed up for. But he couldn't let Bwana Adhra know that. So, like he had done so many times when he was on the streets, he played the tough, nonchalant type. "Taking down an elephant? No problem."
Adhra laughed at this statement, wiping a tear from his eye as he said, "Oh boy will you regret saying that later!" He shook his head and walked back over to the group, Kivuli right on his heels.
He walked over to Zuberi to ask what his task for this assignment was. All he did was hand him a gun and said, "To shoot it of course." After asking for quick instructions as to how he actually used the gun, he walked over to Rita who's brow was furrowed.
"What's going on?" She asked. "For real. No 'trust me's' this time please."
"Well," Kivuli started, not entirely sure how to go about this. "We, uh, are sort of going to..." He took a deep breath. "killanelephant," he said quickly.
"Excuse me?" Rita raised an eyebrow at this.
Sighing, he repeated himself. "We're going to kill an elephant Rita," Kivuli said looking at his dusty shoes.
"Why?!" She nearly shouted.
Kivuli looked over his shoulder at the guys who were clearly waiting for him. "Because that's the only way they'll accept me." He turned back to her now. "They're my family and I have to do what they say. I have a name now Rita! And a place to call home. I can't lose it now. Not so soon..."
"If they were a true family they wouldn't have you poaching animals, now would they"
"Poaching is such an ugly word. We are just hunters," He replied. "And besides, you wouldn't understand. You had a family and it was your choice to leave them. Mine left without asking me, not caring if I made it at all," he snapped.
"I didn't leave them for good and--" she started to say.
"Ugh! Just be quiet please? This is why I wanted you to stay back at the camp. Just...leave me be and let me do what I want." He turned away from her now and walked over to his family, preparing to do something that made his stomach turn at the thought. What had he gotten himself into?
After they had finally singled out a lone elephant and had wounded it to the point of near death Adhra stopped the boys and turned to Kivuli. "Now's your chance boy. Give it the final blow. If you do you'll be one of us. You'll be a part of our family."
Kivuli grimaced, Rita's words ringing through his head. They sounded so loud as he began to aim the gun. Almost as if she was...
"NO!! DON'T DO IT!" Rita screamed, waving her arms frantically as she sprinted towards them. He wouldn't kill that poor creature, she thought to herself. He's a good boy and I just know he won't do it.
But the boy ignored her, continuing to point the gun at the elephant, his hands quivering.
"NOW!" Adhra shouted. "Do it now, before it's too late!"
click.
Bang!
Rita stopped in her tracks, watching as the elephant fell down, down, down...
What had he done?! Kivuli thought. How could he have done such a terrible thing! Why...why had he...?
"Good," he heard Bwana Adhra say, a sinister grin stretching across his face.
Wack! Kivuli was tackled down to the ground, punch after punch hitting his face. "How could you?!" Rita screamed. "I thought you were better than that! You...you...ARGH!" She continued to his him while crying. Crying because he had done something he thought he'd never do.
Tembo and Zuberi pulled her off of him. She struggled to get lose, to smack more sense into Kivuli, but she never got the chance to say anything else. She was dragged back to the truck where she was then driven back to the airport from whence she came. Put on to a flight back to San Diego, she cried as she looked out the window, almost wishing she had never even met that boy. Almost.

~*~

It was around ten years later when Rita heard a knock on her front door. Getting up off her ratty couch she crossed her tiny apartment and walked over to the door. Peeking though the peep-hole she felt her heart stop for a second. Could it be?
Quickly undoing the locks she thrust the door open. "Kivuli?" she whispered, he hand covering her mouth.
My had he grown over the years. Now over six feet tall, he had to bend down to look at her. He smiled a familiar smile, one she had never thought she'd see again. His once shaggy brown hair was now cropped close to his head, and his gangly body was now a muscled one. He looked at her with sad green eyes and inhaled, ready to say something that had been on his mind for so long.

"I'm so sorry Rita," He said, looking down at the floor. "I should have listened to you but, I panicked and I felt so terrible but glad at the same time and..and...I'm just sorry." He looked up at her now, hoping she'd except his apology.
She had changed a lot too over the years, he noticed. She also looked like she had just gotten out of bed, seeing as she was in a robe and slippers with her dark hair pulled back at the nape of her neck.
She smiled at him and hugged him, "Of course I do, no matter how stupid it was, knowing that you'd realize your wrong decision in the end is all that matters." He hugged her back, glad to know he hadn't lost her friendship after all.
"Now," she said grabbing his wrist, "you're going to come inside, sit on the couch with me and tell me all the stupid stuff you did down in Tanzania. We've got a lot of catching up to do."
He laughed. "Yes. Yes we do..."

The End


P.S. this is just the short rough draft so please ignore all the mistakes! :D