He first opened just one eye. He was staring at the bland white color of his ceiling, proving that he had definitely fallen. Turning to see what he had fallen on, his eyes widened in shock to see that the girl was beneath him. She was sitting up. He had landed on her lap. She broke his fall. But more importantly, how did she even get to him that fast?!
Facing him, she only smiled at the boy. His heart was pounding in his chest. No one could catch anyone falling like that. It's inhumanly possible.
"That was graceful..." she forced a laugh, as if this were a usual thing.
He still stared at her, baffled and unaffected by her little joke.
She sighed and stood, making sure to pick him up on the way. She lifted him as if he hadn’t the weight of a single feather. He still couldn't move, not even breath. This girl, was she Super Man's kid or something?!
"So..." she started in an innocent voice, "Where is my room?"
Jeraud was stunned. How—why was she passing this off as nothing?!
"Jer," she sighed looked away as if she were annoyed. "Aud! Look, don't seem so...stunned. Anyone could've done that! It's really no big deal..." she shrugged it off.
"Hey kids," Mother knocked on the door before she let herself in. "Getting along in here?"
"Yep!" the girl stated cheerfully, "I think Jer and I—I mean, Jeraud and I are going to get along perfectly."
He did a double take, "What?!"
"Really?" Mother asked at the same time.
"Yeah! He just doesn't know it yet..." she giggled sheepishly.
"Oh, you are the cutest!" Mother smiled. "Don't worry, you two are going to the same school, anyway."
"What?!" Now Jeraud definitely hoped he was hearing things.
"Rosalind here skipped the second grade, so now she is in the same grade as you. Isn't that great?" Mother walked up and put her arm around the weird girl. The look on her face was like she was the proudest mother in the world.
"Maybe I'll even be in some of your classes!" Rosalind added with glee.
His mind went blank. Classes? With this freak who should be in 8th grade?
"Did you see your room yet?" Mother asked, eager for the answer.
"Oh, yes! I really love it! The bed, the drawer, the mirror, all of it! Orange and white are my absolute favorite colors!" Rosalind went on describing her room.
"Great! We'll start adding more decorations tomorrow after school. A matter which Jeraud and I will discuss later." she growled at her son, making his skin crawl. "Rosalind, why haven't you put your suitcase up yet?" When she turned back to the girl, all of her creepiness was gone.
"Oh..." the girl simply stated, staring at her polka dot suitcase.
"Well, take it up and meet us downstairs so we could give you the grand tour."
"Yes ma'am!"
Mother chuckled then walked out the door.
Once she was out of sight, the girl rushed towards the closet where the stairs to the attic was, then was back by Jeraud’s side in less than a second.
"Come on! Let's go Jer! Aud!" She broke his name in two again.
He stared at her, still in shock. "What are you?" He managed to ask after a moment of silence.
The chipper aura around her died, and she turned faced the floor boards. "Normal," she whispered, "just like you. Human." Then the brightness around her returned with a smiling, "Why?"
Suddenly, his mind blanked at the sight of her beaming smile. It was the kind of smile that anyone couldn't pass up, even if they knew it would kill them.
"Good answer!" she exclaimed while he was stuck in her trap. Did she plan that all out? "Now let's go!" She grabbed his arm and began pulling him through the door.
"No wait!" Jeraud, learning nothing, tried to jerk his arm back.
Quickly—too quickly—she let him go and he fell backwards, yet right into her arms. She pushed him up onto his feet again before she spun herself right back in front of him, all of this done in the fraction of a second.
"I'm so sorry! I keep forgetting that you're...new. Or I'm new!" she began an awkward apology, "I just feel too comfortable around you or something," she rambled on and on, "I never meant to hurt or scare you, honestly! I'm sorry! It’s just that you seem really—"
"Shut it." Jeraud growled. She gave him a stunned look, but did as was told. "I don't care if you never meant it, just never do that again."
"Do what? Do you want to fall? I'm sorry! So sorry!"
"Not that! The pushing and pulling part! No one should be able to lift someone bigger than them like that! What are you, a mountain gorilla?!" he exclaimed.
The beast pursed her lips at him, her brows in angry slants. "No! I am not a mountain gorilla! I'm human, just like you! Made of flesh and blood and all that stuff inside! I'm normal!" she spat out, but the look in her eyes was different. She looked as if she desperately wanted him to believe her. But he couldn't.
"You'd be normal in the freak show." Jeraud muttered bluntly.
She paused, startled by his remark, before scowling again and turning her back to him. "I'm normal," she growled, "Just you watch me."
ns 15.158.61.11da2
