Etc...Etc...Etc...

Man, it's been a busy week.  I've been gearing up for the cocktail party I'm hosting tomorrow night...lots of trips to Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Crate and Barrel Outlet, Michaels, Marshalls, Dollar Tree, shopping for/buying/returning dresses to Nordstrom Rack...hours of looking up recipes, writing lists, shopping, hand washing and drying glassware...and on and on.

The girls are off today...apparently they only needed 3 days of education this week-first with MLK day Monday and now this teacher inservice.  At least it's giving me a head start on party prep...anything that can be made ahead of time will be.  I'm also dragging them along to Target for one last trip.  I still need to hit the liquor store, but I don't really think I should take them with me...just seems wrong!

Anyway...this week was spent diving out of my comfort zone...Tuesday I attended a game night where I only knew 2 other girls, and I hardly know those girls at all...have I mentioned that strangers are about the scariest thing on earth to me?  Turned out to be really fun, and another game night is planned for late February, and...I'm actually looking forward to it!

Wednesday night I babysat as usual...finished up my Bible study for Thursday morning, called my mom-it was her birthday (!!!) and watched a few episodes on Hulu.  Thursday is always busy...Bible study (I took snacks because the person on the schedule is no longer in the group) knocked out a bunch of grocery shopping and went to the "Singles Worship" night at church where I met up with the group of people that are involved with another new thing I'm helping with at church (which starts next Thursday night) and again--it didn't kill me to meet and interact with strangers...though I thought it might and mentioned it to Lucy earlier in the evening, to which she replied:

Don't worry Linsey, you are beautiful, smart, funny, can hold a conversation, and everyone loves you.  So, you aren't a good singer-just sing quietly...

Ahhhh...such wise words from such a sassy girl!  Thanks Lucy!

So, that brings us back to today...FINALLY FRIDAY!!!  Looking forward to some girls coming over tonight to decorate and set up as much as we can for the party...ordering burgers and planning on solving all the world's problems...or at least all the problems that can be solved by laughing, eating ice cream and spending time with good friends...so, yeah, pretty much everything should be ok in the world by the time you wake up tomorrow!

Pics of the cocktail party next week.

And if you're in the greater Chicago area and somehow missed the invite...all are welcome:

Saturday January 26th at 7:30pm
Dress to impress
Bring a bottle or app to share

Not comfortable posting my address...message me if you need it!

Happy weekend peeps!

Lins

The Selection/Defiance (and so on...)

Lucy is an avid reader.  If you've read any of her writing (click here and here to catch up) you know she's not a bubble gum, lace and rainbows kind of girl.  While her little sisters occupy their time with books about cupcakes, secret fashion designers, and best friends temporarily feuding; Lucy and I bond over intrigue, justice, historical/futuristic fantasy...Hunger Games style stories, with strong leading ladies able to find the right balance of beauty and brains to get the job done.

 I've been in need of a good book so I asked Lucy to lend me a few this week.  In 36 hours I finished The Selection by Kiera Cass and Defiance by C. J. Redwine.  Both fall into the fantasy category, taking place far in the future but in true Hunger Games style, things aren't all "Meet George Jetson" it's more like the Firefly series...futuristic, teched-out cowboys.  Though its far in the future, life is more medieval, with a government hiding secrets and trying to avoid a rebellion of any kind.


Lucy and I...we love a good rebellion.

Especially when led by a smart woman out to prove herself among doubting men.

Doesn't hurt if she meets a cute guy along the way either.

Who could resist sweet guys like Peeta or Maxon, or the rugged and mysterious Logan, Gale, Aspen, or my favorite...Four?  But don't get me started on that...

Of the two books, I preferred The Selection.  I was shocked when I got to the last page and read those dreaded words:

End of Book One

NO!!!!!

A quick amazon search confirmed my fears...book two has a tentative release date of late April 2013.

Ugh...have you read all the posts about how much I hate waiting?

Defiance also has a sequel but no information on a release date at this point.

Lucy doesn't understand why I enjoy reading "Young Adult" books so much, I had to explain to her that though the reading level is much too easy, the stories are just what I'm looking for.  They have drama, but not so much it becomes ridiculous; suspense/action, but not to the point of gore and horror; romance, but just enough to make it interesting, not enough to make me blush as I read.

Adult books go too far in all those categories.  As much as I struggle with balance in my life, I like a book to not be heavy on any one thing, but hitting every emotion just the right amount.

I teased Lucy when she picked out her latest stack of books from Barnes and Nobel...each cover showed a beautiful girl in a dress of some sort and wearing a look of distress mixed with confidence and a strong vulnerability.  Just like Katniss.  Just like Tris.  And in someways, just like good ol' Hermione.

Lucy and I, we're cut from the same cloth.  Maybe that's why we have such spirited interactions.  She's a good one, that girl and I now have a better understanding of what my parents had to deal with.

All I can say is:
I'm sorry :)

If you're keeping track with me, Lucy and I are currently waiting on three books:

The third Divergent book which uses "Detergent" as a working title: Expected September 26, 2013
The Elite (Book 2 of The Selection): Expected April 23, 2013
Defiance Book 2: No Release Date Available

And the final Hunger Games Movies:
Catching Fire: Expected November 22, 2013
And Mockingjay which is believed to be split into two separate movies: No Release Date(s) Available

Guest Post: Swan Tears: Part 2

To read part 1, Click here

Gartu knocked. I backed up and hid my face in Coral’s mane. A moment later the door was opened by a little boy with an angelic face and eyes the color of liquid silver. His hair was light blonde, running on white, which was the only other color besides Coral’s tail that I had seen today. I smiled at him, but he frowned at me, and I noticed the little tail that smoothly connected to his waist.

“Garth, come in. Father and Mother are waiting,” the little boy said. Wait, so Gartu was Garth? Wait, that was confusing. I felt Coral pull me into the castle. When she stopped, I looked up and gasped. The king was all silver, but the queen was a riot of color. Her eyes were bright green, and her hair was red like mine, except longer and fuller.

“Irene? I gasped. Irene was our oldest sister. She was twenty now, but looked older, more mature, queenly, even. She wore a silver gown, of course, and her mouth was turned up at the corners.

“Delilah. How you’ve grown,” she said. Her voice was cool. “Meet your new husband, Elijah.” Into the room swam a man who very closely resembled the king, except his eyes were blue.

“NO!” I yelled, which made Coral whinney nervously. Elijah smiled slowly, and his eyes glittered cruelly. I backed up.

“Is there any other option, Irene?” I asked my sister.

“You will address me as Your Holiness or Your Savior of the Land,” my sister said. She had a glint in her eye, a lust for power.

“Your Holiness,” I repeated. Irene nodded. “Is there any other choice?” I repeated.

“Well, you could spend the rest of your time as a swan,” the king said, and immediately I knew what appealed to me.

“Swan,” I said. The king looked shocked.

“Are you sure?” He asked. I nodded. “There hasn’t been a female living here in many years,” he said, but I wasn’t swayed. He sighed.

“We cannot force you into this,” Irene said. She brought me into a room made completely out of hardened silica.

“Why silica?” I asked. She said nothing. “We will put a pool in your family’s backyard, big enough for eight swans. You will live there for the rest of your life, unless you can shed a tear, which is impossible because swans do not feel like humans. And silica is a good magic heightener.” Irene started to leave.

“Will our family now who I am? Will you ever come back?” I bombarded her with questions, trying to make her stay.

“Yes, and no. I am one of the five women left in this Silver City. As much as I wish, I cannot go back,” Irene said sadly. “If you are freed from your spell, surf extra hard for me. Compete. For me, okay?” Irene walked out of the room, and there was a humming in the air. I felt a tugging in my gut, like when I hit a rough wave and am on the verge of wiping out. The silica room started spinning, and then I was floating.

It had been a year since I was turned into a swan, and I hadn’t been able to shed a tear. I was used to seeing a beak and long neck in the water, but what really made me sad was the ocean. The waves were huge, and the water a cool blue. I felt tugging in my feathered body at all times, though I loved watching Maddie and Kevin learning how to surf. Mike was eighteen now, so we didn’t see him often because he was off at Stanford, doing whatever college kids do. I looked up and cawed happily. Chelsea, at twelve now, came forward holding a cup of lemon citrus tea. I found I still liked it, even after I had been turned into a swan. Chelsea still found time to visit me, even after I had been turned. She still loved me. That was good. David, at fourteen avoided me, and I could hear him muttering words like “unnatural” and “false.”  It made me sad.

“Hi, Delilah,” Chelsea said. Her grey eyes were filled with sadness. Sadness, if I had been able to, would’ve made me cry. I gave another call, and Chelsea smiled, tears dripping down her cheeks. She let me drink the tea, and then I put my head in her lap. I was so filled with emotion, moved by Chelsea’s tears. I felt an odd prickling sensation, and out of my eye spilled something wet.

“Shh. Don’t cry…Delilah?” Chelsea picked something up from her lap. It was a pearl, white and creamy. It looked like my feathers when they were wet, creamy and smooth.  I sat up. I felt a warm tingling feeling in my body, and took flight out of Chelsea’s lap. I felt her eyes follow me. I landed, and began to sparkle.

“MOMMA! DAD! DAVID! MADDIE AND KEVIN!” Chelsea screeched, and the rest of my family came running. They couldn’t even say anything.

The sparkling stopped and I looked up. My hair--red hair, surrounded my vision. I touched it. It was smooth and silky. I sat up. I was wearing my suit, but my shirt was gone. My hair had grown to well past my shoulders, almost at waist length. Another moment passed, and my whole family collapsed on me, hugging and kissing one another.

I was free.

I had shed a swan tear.                   

Wait, You Don't Eat Pork?

I mentioned before that I've been praying that God would present me with opportunities to speak the Gospel into the girl's lives, and the courage to do so.  Today, He presented such a moment.

I'll set the scene: Lucy, Pho and I were hanging out in the car while Mia was at her dance class.  The girls were doing homework and I was reading my way through today's portion of my "Read the Bible Through in a Year" program.  I just happened to be in Leviticus and something (ok, God) nudged me to interrupt their homework...

Me: Hey, Lucy, you know how your Jewish friends don't eat pork?

Lucy: Yeah...

(Pho stops doing homework and sticks her head up from the back seat)

Me: Well, I'm reading that part of the Bible right now 

Then I read them most of Leviticus 11:1-46, stopping along the way as they were grossed out at the thought of eating some of the animals listed.

Me: So that's why they don't eat pork.

Lucy: So, Moses, he was like a messenger for God?  God spoke to him and he told the people?  What's that called?  A prophet?

Me: Yeah, exactly.

Lucy: Well, I used to think that it meant he made money-because he was a profit.

Me: That's funny Lucy!  So clever!

Pho: So, you're Jewish?  Wait, you don't eat pork?

Lucy (breaks into maniacal laughter): Yeah right!!!  Linsey not eat bacon...that would never happen!!!

At which point I explained to Pho the difference between the Old and New Testament, the difference between someone who is Jewish and a Christian. And then Lucy asked me to "draw her the cross thing you drew for me last month and explain about how without Jesus, you'd just fall into the Grand Canyon, but because of Jesus and his work on the cross, he bridges the gap between you and God so you can be with him forever when you die." (Lucy's words)

So I did...

Enjoy your eternal trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon...

Lucy pointed out several times to Pho "how cool it is that this makes a cross,
and that's the symbol for Christians because Jesus was crucified on a cross."

I know it really should read "Jesus took all my sin"--it's not contingent on me giving my heart to him, it's already been done...it's not perfect, but on the spot, this is what I came up with.

Clearly, they are listening when I talk.  And praise God for answering prayers and providing an opening for His message to be heard.  God is Good!

Guest Post: Swan Tears: Part 1

Lucy's latest story:

Swan Tears

The rip current tugged at me, and I fought at it. Struggled to get to the surface, to air. I grappled with the waves, fighting for my life, literally. The current was strong, stronger than I thought. Deeper and deeper I sank, and as I slowly lost consciousness, I wondered where my board went. The last thing I saw were my broken board and a dark shape with a mane of silver hair and a sparkly tail swimming towards me…neighing? A tugging on my shirt, the water stirring around me…everything black.

“There was a horse!” I sat up and yelled suddenly. Mike spinned towards me. He frowned. “Are you okay, Delilah?” My brother asked. I laid back down, exhausted. My head felt like someone had pounded it thoroughly with a hammer.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I heard the ocean crashing around outside, and I felt a pull from the water. I needed to get out, and swim…somewhere.  

“Uh-huh. You look great! You only almost drowned,” Mike said, smiling. He handed me a cup filled with tea. I inhaled the lemony scent of my mom’s homemade lemon and citrus tea. It may not sound good, but wait until you taste it. I put my lips to the china and the tea was gone in a short matter of time. I closed my eyes and sighed, and lay very still. I felt Mike pull the blanket up to my chin and take the empty cup from my relaxed hand. A moment later, I heard the door close. My eyes snapped open and silently I jumped out of bed and locked my door. I ran into the bathroom and ran a brush through my washed-out red hair and wrapped an elastic hair tie  around the gathered bunch. I put on my swimsuit that was hanging on a hook near the shower and a swim shirt. I slipped my flip-flops on and climbed down the ladder from a window in my room. The garage was open, and my dad was working on our old Chevy. Who knows what was wrong with it now. I stopped suddenly and flattened my back against the wall next to the garage door.

“Hello?” My dad called, looking up from his work. I heard gravel crunching and footsteps. Before my brain registered what was happening, I had scaled the wall and was on my stomach on the roof. The pull was even stronger from up here. I waited until my dad was inside the house and I slid off the roof. The garage was now closed, but I punched in the code and it opened. Multiple surfboards leaned against the walls. We had so many, with five of us in the family. The kid-sized ones belonged to the twins Maddie and Kevin, who were seven, while the more professional ones to me and Mike. The others, which were a mixture of pink and green, belonged to the third oldest and fourth oldest, David and Chelsea. I grabbed a random one that belonged to me, and snuck out to the water. Soon I was up and surfing, moonlight filtering through the mist and making the water turn silver. I dove off from another beautiful run and again I heard the neighing. This time it seemed to be urging me to come to it. My hands found the velcro connecting my ankle to my board and I ripped it off. I didn’t even think about breathing before I had zoomed off into the darkness.

By the time I saw light, my hands and toes were wrinkled like raisins. I knew I had been in the water for a while, because I was exhausted, and the water didn’t tire me out easily. Not once did I think about air. Now when I think about it, I remember breathing normally, like I was above water.

The light approached, and I saw it was a guy about my age, fifteen or sixteen. He held a lantern glowing with a silver light that made the darkness around me eerie. He smiled, and turned around and shot off. I took this as a sign to follow and swam after him. A heartbeat later, we were at a pair of gates made out of silver. Two guards dressed in the same color of the gate were sitting on an animal, half horse, half fish. Their horse part was white, with silver manes, and their tails were pinks and blues and greens, made only brighter by the lack of color. One of them neighed at me, and I swam towards it. The horse-fish thing nuzzled my hand, and the guard smiled.

“Coral likes you,” he said.

“Is that your horse?” I asked. He looked stunned, as if I was not supposed to speak to him.

“Yes,” the man with the lantern replied. He had talked to the other guard and the gate was open. “And they are not horses. They’re hippocampi.”

“I thought they were mythical.” I said. Now he looked stupefied. I sighed and swam through the gates, and heard a yell. Coral the hippocampus had dumped her guard and was swimming after me. The guard was swearing at the lantern-bearing guy, who was laughing.

“Be, quiet, Gartu!” He yelled. Gartu? Really?

“Sorry,” Gartu replied, chortling. “Come on, Delilah,” he said, and I knotted my hand in Coral’s mane. I was creeped out, because I didn’t remember telling him my name. Coral pulled me along after Gartu. We passed by silver houses, market stands, mine entrances, factories, even daycares. What little people I saw were men. Not a single woman. Every time I passed someone, he would gape at me like I was a beautiful piece of artwork done by a master. I blushed, my face hot. Soon we reached a beautiful palace. Even if it was silver, like everything else, the construction was amazing. Delicate spiral towers bloomed from shell-shaped roofs. Windows lit with silver light threw little patterns on the ground from indents in the windows. I saw seahorses, mermaids and hippocampi all over the path to the doors.

Come back next Monday for part 2

My Past Life

Lucy asked me the other night what I was in my past life.  Looking at this as a moment to speak some Jesus into her life, I answered her with a very serious, "I didn't have a past life." To which she shook her head, looked at me with that sideways glance that says trouble is brewing, and whispered, "I understand, but sometimes its fun to pretend, isn't it."  As she then glanced at her little sisters and added, "for them."

OH!!!  We're in pretend mode/imagination land...sometimes it's hard for me to tell!

So, after thinking a moment I said, "Well, I was most definitely a mermaid in my past life."  Which received rave reviews from Pho and Mia.  Lucy was less than impressed.  So I added, "And I could sing too."  Which got me thinking..."I was Little Mermaid in my past life!!!"

The crowd roared with approval!!

Lucy got a serious look on her face, eyes focused, nose wrinkled ever so slightly, brow furrowed...her thinking face.  Little did I know, but she was about to take all the wind out of my sails...

"It's like you're the exact opposite from your past life.  You aren't a mermaid, you can't sing, you breathe air, you have legs, you can't get a husband, your dad is dead instead of your mom and instead of being babysat, you're a babysitter...wow!!  Everything is the exact opposite!!"  Thanks Lucy.

Everything I don't have  in this life...

The little girls and I decided that we were all mermaids; the singing sisters portrayed in the movie.  Lucy again did not like that idea..."I was not a mermaid!" she said.  Now, it was my turn to rain on her parade.  "Lucy, you were the seagull, Scuttle." Again, huge applause from the peanut(free) gallery, Pho and Mia, but huge displeasure from Lucy.

We also decided that Clover, the family german shepherd, was Prince Eric's dog and that's why she likes me so much in this life--I married her owner in our past lives.  The girls' dad (my boss) was determined to be the old butler guy...jury is still out on their mom (my boss) as we can't make her Ursula...we'd all be grounded/fired for that one...

Kids...I tell ya, they sure do make dinner entertaining!  And I thought it was going to be a boring night of homemade chicken alfredo...boy was I wrong!

Supper Nanny?

I think I just handed down the world's greatest "punishment" to our dear Lucy.  For the past two days (after returning from a 4 day school canoe trip) she has been nothing but sass.  The amount of disrespect she has shown me in the past 24+ hours has been ridiculous.  I warned her several times, but to no avail.

Finally, on the car ride home from school, I had had enough.  I told her I was going to take away a privilege.  Last time it was Harry Potter...all 7 of them.  She was devastated.  I made her pull each one (she has multiples of some) off her shelf and give them to me.  She was sobbing.  Mind you, I didn't take away reading-her one true love-I simply took away reading Harry Potter.  For 3 days.  Oh, she died!

This afternoon she immediately asked what the punishment was.  I drew a blank.  I couldn't pull the Harry Potter trick again, but what would work this time?  I told her I'd let her know when I'd figured it out...I figure there's no shame is saying I need time to think about it-hits home the fact that I don't have punishments "at the ready" because their behavior rarely needs correcting...right?

All evening she asked what the punishment was.  Still nothing had come to me.

Finally I figured it out.

I told her to sit on the couch and to remain there until I notified her that the punishment was complete.

I gathered her two little sisters, booted up my computer and let the punishment being.

Amelia, Phoebe and I sang along (at the top of our lungs) and danced to one of our favorite songs...the one, the only, Say My Name.

See, Lucy HATES my singing, almost as much as she hates my dancing.  The little girls and I had a blast and poor Lucy kept saying "This is torture!" to which I replied, "You sassing me the past two days has been torture."

Lucy enduring her "punishment"

Surely, you won't find this recommended in any parenting books.  So, I'm unorthodox.  I doubt she'll ever forget the time her nanny punished her with singing and dancing.

Guest Post: Shattered, Part 2

To read Shattered, Part 1, click here.

“You okay?” I asked Alexa.

“Yeah,” she replied. “What happened to Elizabeth?”

When I got home I checked my email. I had one message, from some character that called herself “The Shatterer.” It was a little cheesey. There was some stuff about breaking my friends and if I don’t give her the symbol worn by Elizabeth I would be in big trouble. But what really worried me was the little handwritten note with the words “give it to me or she shall perish” on it. Below was an address, and the date of next Monday.

Monday of the next week Jason and Opal didn’t show up at Science. I asked Kelley, who was in Maggie’s fourth period Math class, if she was there. She said no, and also told me about the article on the internet that mentioned Jason, Maggie and Opal’s disappearance. I couldn’t tell Elizabeth about it because she was so tense these days, and also because of the crack-like tattoos that were appearing all over her. I continued on with school in a trance-like state, and managed to get home without calling or texting any of my friends. I opened the door at our address, and looked around the kitchen and the living room for Elizabeth. She had to be in her bedroom, unless she had disappeared like the others. There she was, lying in bed with those horrible cracks running along her face. She held a little wooden box.

“Elizabeth!” I yelled, and ran to sit on her bed.

“Listen. I only have so much time. Adrienne is the Shatterer. It’s what she does. She is summoned by the Devil Himself from the Underworld to go up and Shatter people to get Him what He wants. This time it was this,” Elizabeth said, and from underneath her shirt she pulled a strange necklace shaped like a pair of wings. “It could bring the Devil out from the Underworld. I was given this to protect it, and now since Adrienne had cracked me, I will Shatter soon.”

“No, Elizabeth! I need you,” I begged.

“You have Mom, and Dad, and Alexa,” Elizabeth said, fastening the necklace around my neck. “Oh, and, one last gift.” She gave me the little box. I opened it and saw that it was divided into four parts. Three were filled with powder and shards. One pile was green, another blue, and the the last pink.

“Maggie, Jason and Opal were Shattered,” Elizabeth said softly. I blinked away tears. “Is the last section for…for…you?” I shut the box. I was so mad. Mad at Elizabeth, mad at Adrienne, mad at Jason, Opal, and Maggie. I took a deep breath, and kissed Elizabeth’s forehead. She smiled. I closed my eyes, and heard the sound of glass breaking.

“So she was just…gone?” Alexa asked.

“Shattered, yes,” I replied. I snuggled deeper underneath my quilt and sighed. No more pushing feeling.

“Night, Alexa,” I whispered.

“Night, Carlie.” I closed my eyes.

In the morning a crack had appeared on Alexa’s upper lip.      

By: Lucy (almost 13 years old)

  

Guest Post: Shattered, A Short Story

Lucy, my favorite almost 13 year old, has finally agreed to be a guest blogger on my blog.  The following is a short story she wrote (in under an hour) for a class assignment.  I think she's brilliant, what do you think?  Enjoy!

Shattered

 I turned over. “Alexa? Still awake?” It was a moment before Alexa’s soft breathing stopped and I heard the rustling of sheets.

        “What, Carlie?” She asked. I could hear the telltale sounds of sleep in her voice; maybe she hadn’t been faking it.

“Do you believe in demons? Like the ones summoned from the Underworld to…break your heart?”

“No, of course not. Carlie, are you feeling okay?” There was the sound of creaking springs and Alexa’s dark shape navigated around my bookshelf and desk before she sat on my bed. I felt her cool hand against my forehead and I knew she felt my racing pulse and high temperature.

“Carlie!” He hand slipped down to my cheek, which was hot with anticipation, or fear. I didn’t really know.

“I need to tell you, Alexa. It’s like something is pushing me from the inside, pushing me to spill,” I whispered. My heart beat faster.

“Okay, Carlie. If it going to make you feel better,” Alexa said. She pulled up my quilt and laid on her side, like she had done countless sleepovers before we got too big to share. I straightened up, and smiled. It felt strange, because I hadn’t smiled since…what, three months ago?

“You remember Elizabeth, right?” I started. Without waiting for an answer, I kept going. “Well, her death wasn’t an accident.” My voice dropped. “It was my fault.”

“Geez, Carlie, don’t be so hard on yourself,” Alexa said sympathetically. She reached for my hand and squeezed. I pulled away.

“All my fault.” I closed my eyes and went back, speaking as I recalled the last two weeks before my sister’s demise.

“Come on, Carlie!” Elizabeth shouted. I kicked harder, and as the wall approached, I put my head down and in a pure sprint I touched second. I saw the pink cap and shiny gold goggles of the girl who beat me by a millisecond. She was smirking at me with chapped lips, and the way people were cheering for her was a little scary. When I looked up at my mother, her eyes were focused on the winner. She was clapping mechanically, and smiling a smile that stretched across her face in a disgusting way. My eyes found my coach. She had the same wide grin as my mother plastered across her face and was clapping in a way that made her look possesed. I yanked my goggles off and looked at the girl. She had taken her goggles off too and was treading straight upright, eyes closed as of she was drinking in the applause. The horn sounded, and the next heat stepped up to the starting blocks. It was time for us to get out.  I was out before anyone else. Ms. First Place was out soon after me, but not before I saw her in the water.

She wasn’t treading, just floating.

Like a corpse.

Like she was dead. 

After the meet was done, I was sitting on a stair to the parking lot when Creepy-Girl came up to me. Up close, she seemed more like a corpse then when I saw her in the pool after the two hundred breaststroke. Her eyes were like black pools of water, holding fear and evil deep inside them. Her hair hung like a crow’s wing: thin, sleek and sharp. I didn’t even think it was cleaner than a wing of a crow.

“Good swim, Caralyn,” she said. I nodded at her, a little creeped out. She knew my name? My full name, no less!

“Thanks.” Though to me it sounded more like a question.

“I’m Adrienne, by the way.” Her voice was no more than a whisper, like something evil on the wind as it passes through the trees. I also noted that her name was uncommon, rare at the most. She smiled as if she could read my thoughts. Her chapped lips turned up at the corners, and then I realized that her lips were not actually chapped. They were tattooed with little white lines, spidering and twisting in odd formations. I smiled back at her and picked up my bag. I planned to walk in the other direction, but I saw three kids from my swim team; and all of them had tattoos across their lips, even though I swore they didn’t have them last time I saw them, but here they were, smiling creepily at Adrienne like she was their savior. Now that they were closer, I saw that they were Jason, Maggie and Opal. Maggie and Opal had raced against Adrienne, and lost. If they had any sense left (which they clearly didn’t) they would've avoided even being near Adrienne. Jason hadn’t raced against her but he was against tattoos. I started freaking out and turned the other direction, towards the pool, where I saw Elizabeth. She held out her hand and Adrienne and her new friends backed up really fast. Elizabeth came to me and together we walked into the parking lot. As we passed Adrienne, I swear she muttered something like “geis.”

Read the rest of Shattered next Monday!