The Winter Prince

Chapter Four

I turned and looked out through the glass door. I saw a dark figure standing there looking at me. I couldn’t see their face or tell if it was a guy or a girl. Whoever it was turned and walked away but my body still felt like it was vibrating and my eyes were burning. I must’ve gotten something in my eyes, so I headed towards the bathrooms. When I headed over to the sink and saw my face in the mirror. I shrieked and fell against the bathroom stall. My eyes were bright green, kinda looked like they were glowing. My body still was pulsing and my head started pounding.

What is happening to me? I thought. I sat down on the floor and put my head in my lap. I felt sick to my stomach all of the sudden. I tried breathing in through my nose out through my mouth. I looked back at the mirror and my eyes were still a piercing green. I tried calming myself down but I was terrified. The bell rang and I heard people walking by and talking. I knew sooner or later someone was going to walk in and see me. I quicking got up and put my head down and walked out.

I couldn’t go back to class not when I looked like this so I headed to the nurse's office. Only a few people were laying down and the nurse was at her desk playing solitaire on her computer. “Excuse me, I'm not feeling very good,” I said.

“I’ve heard that a lot today hun” she said, not taking her eyes off the game “All of my rooms are full so unless this is an emergency I suggest you head back to class and wait it out.”

“I can’t go back to class” I told her clenching my stomach, I suddenly felt nauseous. “I just wanna go home,” I told her.

“Don’t we all”she said sounding annoyed “Unless you are puking your brains or dying, I suggest you go back to class.”

I felt my heart begin to race and my eyes were still burning. My head felt like someone was taking a hammer to my head and before I knew it I was double over and throwing up everywhere. “Oh my god” the nurse said and quickly got up and came over to me.

“Now can I go home?” I asked her

“Yes dear, just let me sign you out” she went back to her desk and grabbed the sign out sheet “Just need you to fill this out.”

I grabbed the clipboard “Thank you” I said and accidentally looked up at her.

“What the! What’s wrong with your eyes” she said, backing away from me.

“Oh….they are just colored contacts” I said quickly and looked back down. I gave her the sheet and stormed out of the office before she said anything else. Thankfully no one was in the hall so I went to my locker and grabbed my stuff, I wished I drove today. My head was still pounding and I was running fast and hard. I heard the trees calling my name and the wind was chasing me. The leaves began to form a tornado around me and I couldn’t see where I was going. I stopped and the leaves started to spin faster and faster and instead of my head pounding, my whole body was.

Holding myself I got onto my knees and started to cry. Part of me thought I should feel a sense of calm, I knew nature was trying to calm me down, I don't know how I know but I do. But I was beyond calm, I was terrified. I sense darkness and pain. I screamed to the top of my lungs “STOP IT!!!!!!” I closed my eyes and begged to be home. All of a sudden I heard nothing and felt nothing. I opened my eyes and everything was quiet and I was sitting on my driveway. I got up and looked around confused, how the hell did I get here.

I felt a sense of relief and my body wasn’t humming anymore. I grabbed my keys out of my purse and ran inside. No one was home yet so I got water out of the fridge and headed towards my room. I threw my stuff on the floor and gulped my water down. I threw myself on the bed and stared at the ceiling. My body felt worn out and exhausted and before I knew it I was out.

I don’t know what time it was when I heard voices throughout the house. I opened my eyes and looked at the clock. It was 5 o'clock, my mother was just getting off work and soon so will my dad. I could hear Lily downstairs watching spongebob. “Madison honey, are you home?”my mother shouted up the stairs.

“Yes” I shouted back “I’ll be down in a second” I was worried my eyes were still glowing. I couldn’t let my family see me like this. I got up and walked towards my mirror. I braced myself and when I looked at myself, my eyes were back to normal. I let out a sigh of relief and rubbed my neck with my hands. I was so happy I wanted to cry. I heard my mother calling me again so I headed downstairs.

“Madison honey, are you okay?” my mother asked me when I walked into the kitchen “The school called and said you came home sick.”

“I think it was something I ate” I lied “But I’m feeling much better now.”

“That’s good,” she said over the stove. I peered over her shoulder trying to see what she was making. It looked like spaghetti. I watched her cook and again it hit how different I looked compared to her. Both my mother and sister have blonde hair and blue eyes. My mother is a little chubby and kinda short. My dad's the same way and he has black hair and brown eyes. I wanted to ask her if anything strange ever happened to them but I was afraid.

Finding my courage I finally asked “Hey mom?”

“Yes honey” she said stirring the noodles.

“Has anything strange ever happened to you or anyone else in the family?” I asked .

“What do you mean strange?” she said.

“Like have you ever had something happen to you that you can’t explain….like maybe controlling the weather or healing someone?” I asked.

She stiffened and dropped her spoon “What are you talking about?” When she looked at me she looked worried. “Honey you don’t think you can do that stuff do you?”

“No of course not” I said quickly.

“Good” she said and picked up her spoon and rinsed it off.

“Tell me again who I look like” I asked her.

“You look like your grandmother” she said pacing around the kitchen.

“I thought I looked like my grandfather,” I said.

She stopped dead in her tracks but didn’t look at me “Did I say your grandmother? I’m sorry I meant your grandfather. Silly me always getting them mixed up” she rushed around the kitchen as if she was looking for something.

“Mom” I said and walked up to her and put my hand on her shoulder “Are you okay?”

“Me, of course” she said but I could tell she was worried.

I was about to say something else when she cut me off “Please no more questions Madison and go find something to do before dinner.”

“Fine,” I said and went to go to my room.

When I got to the stairs my mother came up behind me “Madison …” she began.

“Yes mom” I said and looked at her. I could tell she wanted to tell me something.

She shook her head “Nothing just wanted to tell you that I love you.” I could tell that she was lying but I ignored it. “Love you too,” I said.

“Oh Madison” she said.

“Yes mother” I said as I continued up the stairs.

“Whose shirt are you wearing” I stopped dead in my tracks.

“Whose shirt” I said and turned and looked at her. She raised an eyebrow at me “ Relax mom” I told her. “I didn’t know it was supposed to rain today so on my way to school I got soaked and I was looking for clothes in Amy's locker when the new guy Zane saw me and offered one of his shirts.”

She didn’t look entirely convinced “ Seriously mom, you know I’m not that type of girl” I said and walked away.

“I’m sorry honey” she said.

“It’s fine mom” I smelled something burning, I looked over my shoulder “By the way something's burning” she gasped and ran for the kitchen.

When I got back to my room my phone was blowing up. I looked at my phone and saw at least twenty messages from Amy asking me where I am and why I wasn’t answering. Then got ten from Eddie asking me the same thing.. I also had a couple miss calls from an unknown number. I ignored it and went to text Amy and Eddie back when I got another text from Amy. Before I could read it I got another call from the same unknown number.

“Hello?” I said. There was no answer but I could hear someone breathing on the other end. “Hello?” I said again and then they hung up. Weird I thought. I looked at Amy’s message and nearly dropped my phone. She gave Zane my number and said he looked worried about me. So that was Zane that called me, why didn’t he say anything back? I immediately texted her and asked what else he said. I texted Eddie back and told him I was fine just something I ate.

My phone dinged with another message from Amy, I was disappointed when she texted saying nothing. After she gave him my number he walked away. Thought that didn’t surprise me. My mother called me down for dinner and I texted Amy saying thanks. I got up and went to leave when I looked at myself in the mirror again. Everything looked normal but I still didn’t feel normal.