07loneil
02-03-2007, 11:11 PM
Quickly, I ran up the driveway to the door of my new friend Bailey’s house, hoping I was not to late for her party. I pulled open the door. My friend greeted me in her usual pert manner. “Hi Cassie!” she exclaimed, pulling me into the house. I quickly glanced around to take in the sights of the party. Bailey looked at me expectantly, hoping for my approval. I smiled at her, and said reassuringly, “It looks cool! This is going to be so much fun! You did a great job planning!” Her nerves seemed appeased, and I followed her through the hall into the main room. A few of my friends waved at me as I walked in with Bailey, who quickly ran off to mingle with some of her other guests. I wandered over to a group of my friends, and caught up with everyone. I socialized to the soundtrack of faint hip-hop music being played in the background, revelling in the newfound popularity my friendship with Bailey had brought.
After a while, I drifted over to the snack table. As I filled a small plate with various chips and cookies, I suddenly felt as if someone unfamiliar was watching me. Startled, I spun around to see who was watching me. Standing directly behind me was an nerdy looking girl who I only vaguely remembered seeing around school. What was her name, Ali? She smiled awkwardly at me, and said, “Hello, I’m Andrea. You’re Cassie, right?” I paused, somehow suspicious of this girl, replied, “Yes, I’m Cassie. Nice to meet you. How are you?” Andrea seemed relieved, and said, “I’m good. I’ve seen you around school. I need to show you something, follow me…” Confused, I considered my options. This girl was a bit odd, but I seriously doubted she was trying to trick me into anything. I followed her, haunted by a feeling that something strange was about to happen...
We walked out of the main room, leaving behind the wild party for the silence of the hall. “OK,” Andrea whispered, “You can’t tell anybody this…” Immediately as she began, the cautious side of me screamed warnings of danger, but my curious nature silenced the voices. “What is it?” I ventured apprehensively. “ I found a portal to an alternate universe!” She smiled, waiting for my reaction. For a second, I stared at Andrea in a stupor. What did she expect me to think? “Wow, that’s so cool, she found a portal to an alternate universe in Bailey’s house (which I am at so much that I practically live there), that is so plausible! Lets go find it!” I looked at her in amazement. She was in earnest. I finally opened my mouth. “Excuse me? An alternate universe? What do you mean?” She simply grinned, and said, “Come on! I’ll show you!”
Still dumbfounded, I followed her out the front door into the flower garden next to Bailey’s house. As we walked, she said, “I think that you’ll think this is cool…” She dug into a bed of flowers, and, to my surprise, revealed a strange vortex thing behind a cluster of petunias. I gasped, “Oh my gosh! What is this? How did this get here?” She bent down, motioning for me to follow the suit. As a squatted down next to her, she began to impart the story of this hole.
“Well,” she begun, “your friend invited me to this party, and, for some reason, as I walked in, I felt weird. I was curious, so I looked around. A weird glowing in the bushes confused me. I found this. You can imagine how surprised I was. I wanted to show someone, but I knew that people would probably laugh. I didn’t think that you would. You seem… nice. You don’t think I’m crazy, right? You see it… Don’t you?” She looked at me for validation. I paused, not wanting to taint my social life with a connection with this odd girl, but, starting to like this quirky girl, and frankly too curious to deny what was clearly before my eyes, decided to take a leap of faith and investigate this anomaly. “Yes,” I said, “I see it. Do you know what it is?’ She leaned in closer. “That is what I am wondering. I have been out her for about an hour, just looking at it.
Just before I came in looking for someone to show, I stuck my head in it a bit.” Andrea paused, hesitant. I encouraged her to continue, “Come on, tell me! I want to know!” She opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again and said, “I – I saw – our world, but, different. It looked like I was looking down on Bailey’s garden, Cassie, but, something about it wasn't normal. It felt like something was different. And I saw you walk in. You seemed, well, different, you know?” I frowned, confused. What did she mean by different? I asked, “What do you mean by that? Did I look different, or act strangely?” Andrea looked down, then, staring at the hole, muttered, “There was just a way about you. And it wasn’t just you. Everyone seemed different, not in a bad way necessarily. Can’t you ever recognize people by the way they have about them?”
I studied Andrea, her eyes searching my face for any sign of rejection or assurance. I knew what she was talking about. Not a sixth sense, exactly, just a knack for recognizing people by how they act and what you think of them. A manifestation of their personality. I never really explain this to people, but this Andrea seems to understand… I search for the words to finally voice my unsaid feelings. I had never felt lost for words before. “Yes, I know what you mean. It’s like a sense, like you know about a person before you talk to them… You think that people are different in this ‘alternate world’?” she nods, her eyes glowing with excitement at the discovery of a kindred soul. I continued, “Well, there’s no point just looking at this thing… I think we should go in. We’ll be ok… Bailey won’t miss me.” Andrea nods, determined. I look at my new friend, and we fall forward, into the new world.
For a second, it was black. I feel time and space whirl around me, and suddenly, I saw Bailey’s garden. It seemed as if I was looking down upon it from the sky. “Andrea?” I called out nervously. “Yeah, I’m here,” she replied, somehow floating next to me, watching the world below, “can you see her garden too?”
“Yeah,” I said, then added, “Do you see anyone? I want to see if they look different…”
Just as I said this, I saw someone I recognized. It was Colleen. She was walking her dog by Bailey’s house, glancing only for a moment at the party, walking away quickly like she always did. Right then, I felt awful. My mind suddenly flooded with memories of the past few moths, of my climb up the ‘social ladder’, and those that I left behind and betrayed. She had been my best friend. Colleen was alone now.
“Do you know her?” Andrea asked me. I turned to her, once again lost for words. Andrea noticed the look on my face. “Does she seem different to you? Is that it?” she asked, looking back down on colleen’s quickly retreating figure. I swallowed, gathering my thoughts, thinking about how it felt to see Colleen. “Sort of… It is almost like I am seeing the real her instead of the twisted version that my new friends have given me. Is that how you feel?” Andrea frowned and said, “I suppose that’s what it is. Like, when I saw you, I didn’t see a popular person, I saw someone who might get this weird world. Maybe it’s not so ‘alternate’ after all, huh?” “Yeah! Hey, look, there are some of my friends…” I said, wondering what I will see of my new friends, wondering how they will compare to Colleen.
Bailey was obviously in charge of the group. The group seemed awestruck by Tania and Rick dating, but the new pair up of my friends isn’t what surprised me. For the first time, I think, I listened to what they said. As Andrea and I somehow heard them, I heard the insults, the unjustified laughter, and the gossip. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Andrea try to catch my eye, but I was stunned by the immaturity of the friends I spent months aspiring to win. Their conversation turned to me. “Emmy,” laughed Bailey, “Did you see Cassie? Her dress looked awful! She is so stuck up! How long do you think I should lie to her? She’s such a dork!” Bailey chuckled, and Emmy promptly imitated her, assuring Bailey that I am a nerd and that she should ditch me soon. Bailey simply absorbed the flattery, bragging, “I’m way to good to be hanging out with her! Don’t want any dork to rub off on me!” they dissolved into laughter, and I turned away.
Andrea, who had been quiet for the past few minutes, spoke up, “ It doesn’t matter what they say…” “ Yes it does,” I interrupted, “but, in a different way. They are just- so – shallow. I really screwed up. How do you get out of here? i need to do something.” I turned, looking for an exit. Suddenly, I again heard the muffled sounds of a party. I shook my head, taking in the surroundings. We were back in Bailey’s garden. I looked at Andrea. We exchanged looks, and, almost reading my mind, she said, “I think that it showed us how people really are, instead of who we think they are. Like I thought you were a stuck up popular girl until I saw you in the ‘alternate world’. I wonder how it got there.” I stayed quiet, thinking about everything that had just happened. The strange events that had transpired didn’t make sense, but, strangely, now everything in my life made a bit more sense. All I had needed was to take a step back and see my reality through an ‘alternate’ one
“Thanks Andrea. I have to go for now, but- I’ll see you soon. Maybe we can hang out. I think that I might be looking for some different friends. I waved as I quickly walked away. immediately I grabbed my cell phone. I scrolled through the contacts, and selected a number that had been unfortunately neglected for a few months. The phone rang for a moment, and then I heard the other line pick up. “Hello?” It was Colleen. Her voice was so familiar, yet so foreign. She sounded confused; I hadn’t spoken to her lately. "This is Cassie. I need to talk to you. To apologize."
After a while, I drifted over to the snack table. As I filled a small plate with various chips and cookies, I suddenly felt as if someone unfamiliar was watching me. Startled, I spun around to see who was watching me. Standing directly behind me was an nerdy looking girl who I only vaguely remembered seeing around school. What was her name, Ali? She smiled awkwardly at me, and said, “Hello, I’m Andrea. You’re Cassie, right?” I paused, somehow suspicious of this girl, replied, “Yes, I’m Cassie. Nice to meet you. How are you?” Andrea seemed relieved, and said, “I’m good. I’ve seen you around school. I need to show you something, follow me…” Confused, I considered my options. This girl was a bit odd, but I seriously doubted she was trying to trick me into anything. I followed her, haunted by a feeling that something strange was about to happen...
We walked out of the main room, leaving behind the wild party for the silence of the hall. “OK,” Andrea whispered, “You can’t tell anybody this…” Immediately as she began, the cautious side of me screamed warnings of danger, but my curious nature silenced the voices. “What is it?” I ventured apprehensively. “ I found a portal to an alternate universe!” She smiled, waiting for my reaction. For a second, I stared at Andrea in a stupor. What did she expect me to think? “Wow, that’s so cool, she found a portal to an alternate universe in Bailey’s house (which I am at so much that I practically live there), that is so plausible! Lets go find it!” I looked at her in amazement. She was in earnest. I finally opened my mouth. “Excuse me? An alternate universe? What do you mean?” She simply grinned, and said, “Come on! I’ll show you!”
Still dumbfounded, I followed her out the front door into the flower garden next to Bailey’s house. As we walked, she said, “I think that you’ll think this is cool…” She dug into a bed of flowers, and, to my surprise, revealed a strange vortex thing behind a cluster of petunias. I gasped, “Oh my gosh! What is this? How did this get here?” She bent down, motioning for me to follow the suit. As a squatted down next to her, she began to impart the story of this hole.
“Well,” she begun, “your friend invited me to this party, and, for some reason, as I walked in, I felt weird. I was curious, so I looked around. A weird glowing in the bushes confused me. I found this. You can imagine how surprised I was. I wanted to show someone, but I knew that people would probably laugh. I didn’t think that you would. You seem… nice. You don’t think I’m crazy, right? You see it… Don’t you?” She looked at me for validation. I paused, not wanting to taint my social life with a connection with this odd girl, but, starting to like this quirky girl, and frankly too curious to deny what was clearly before my eyes, decided to take a leap of faith and investigate this anomaly. “Yes,” I said, “I see it. Do you know what it is?’ She leaned in closer. “That is what I am wondering. I have been out her for about an hour, just looking at it.
Just before I came in looking for someone to show, I stuck my head in it a bit.” Andrea paused, hesitant. I encouraged her to continue, “Come on, tell me! I want to know!” She opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again and said, “I – I saw – our world, but, different. It looked like I was looking down on Bailey’s garden, Cassie, but, something about it wasn't normal. It felt like something was different. And I saw you walk in. You seemed, well, different, you know?” I frowned, confused. What did she mean by different? I asked, “What do you mean by that? Did I look different, or act strangely?” Andrea looked down, then, staring at the hole, muttered, “There was just a way about you. And it wasn’t just you. Everyone seemed different, not in a bad way necessarily. Can’t you ever recognize people by the way they have about them?”
I studied Andrea, her eyes searching my face for any sign of rejection or assurance. I knew what she was talking about. Not a sixth sense, exactly, just a knack for recognizing people by how they act and what you think of them. A manifestation of their personality. I never really explain this to people, but this Andrea seems to understand… I search for the words to finally voice my unsaid feelings. I had never felt lost for words before. “Yes, I know what you mean. It’s like a sense, like you know about a person before you talk to them… You think that people are different in this ‘alternate world’?” she nods, her eyes glowing with excitement at the discovery of a kindred soul. I continued, “Well, there’s no point just looking at this thing… I think we should go in. We’ll be ok… Bailey won’t miss me.” Andrea nods, determined. I look at my new friend, and we fall forward, into the new world.
For a second, it was black. I feel time and space whirl around me, and suddenly, I saw Bailey’s garden. It seemed as if I was looking down upon it from the sky. “Andrea?” I called out nervously. “Yeah, I’m here,” she replied, somehow floating next to me, watching the world below, “can you see her garden too?”
“Yeah,” I said, then added, “Do you see anyone? I want to see if they look different…”
Just as I said this, I saw someone I recognized. It was Colleen. She was walking her dog by Bailey’s house, glancing only for a moment at the party, walking away quickly like she always did. Right then, I felt awful. My mind suddenly flooded with memories of the past few moths, of my climb up the ‘social ladder’, and those that I left behind and betrayed. She had been my best friend. Colleen was alone now.
“Do you know her?” Andrea asked me. I turned to her, once again lost for words. Andrea noticed the look on my face. “Does she seem different to you? Is that it?” she asked, looking back down on colleen’s quickly retreating figure. I swallowed, gathering my thoughts, thinking about how it felt to see Colleen. “Sort of… It is almost like I am seeing the real her instead of the twisted version that my new friends have given me. Is that how you feel?” Andrea frowned and said, “I suppose that’s what it is. Like, when I saw you, I didn’t see a popular person, I saw someone who might get this weird world. Maybe it’s not so ‘alternate’ after all, huh?” “Yeah! Hey, look, there are some of my friends…” I said, wondering what I will see of my new friends, wondering how they will compare to Colleen.
Bailey was obviously in charge of the group. The group seemed awestruck by Tania and Rick dating, but the new pair up of my friends isn’t what surprised me. For the first time, I think, I listened to what they said. As Andrea and I somehow heard them, I heard the insults, the unjustified laughter, and the gossip. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Andrea try to catch my eye, but I was stunned by the immaturity of the friends I spent months aspiring to win. Their conversation turned to me. “Emmy,” laughed Bailey, “Did you see Cassie? Her dress looked awful! She is so stuck up! How long do you think I should lie to her? She’s such a dork!” Bailey chuckled, and Emmy promptly imitated her, assuring Bailey that I am a nerd and that she should ditch me soon. Bailey simply absorbed the flattery, bragging, “I’m way to good to be hanging out with her! Don’t want any dork to rub off on me!” they dissolved into laughter, and I turned away.
Andrea, who had been quiet for the past few minutes, spoke up, “ It doesn’t matter what they say…” “ Yes it does,” I interrupted, “but, in a different way. They are just- so – shallow. I really screwed up. How do you get out of here? i need to do something.” I turned, looking for an exit. Suddenly, I again heard the muffled sounds of a party. I shook my head, taking in the surroundings. We were back in Bailey’s garden. I looked at Andrea. We exchanged looks, and, almost reading my mind, she said, “I think that it showed us how people really are, instead of who we think they are. Like I thought you were a stuck up popular girl until I saw you in the ‘alternate world’. I wonder how it got there.” I stayed quiet, thinking about everything that had just happened. The strange events that had transpired didn’t make sense, but, strangely, now everything in my life made a bit more sense. All I had needed was to take a step back and see my reality through an ‘alternate’ one
“Thanks Andrea. I have to go for now, but- I’ll see you soon. Maybe we can hang out. I think that I might be looking for some different friends. I waved as I quickly walked away. immediately I grabbed my cell phone. I scrolled through the contacts, and selected a number that had been unfortunately neglected for a few months. The phone rang for a moment, and then I heard the other line pick up. “Hello?” It was Colleen. Her voice was so familiar, yet so foreign. She sounded confused; I hadn’t spoken to her lately. "This is Cassie. I need to talk to you. To apologize."