Charlotte

***Okay, this is something I wrote a while ago, and this is as far as I ever got. I'm pretty sure I know what the rest would be like, but I never got around to it. I know it's horrible, and there's some things I was really close to taking out (that stupid thing about Jhonny and Mr. Gerd and then that horrific simile about the sea bass) but I wanted everybody to see what it was like originally. Also, there's a lot of bad cliche figurative language.***

Prolouge

Beep...Beep...Beep...

I groaned inwardly. Stupid alarm clock, was I seriously time to get up already? My head felt foggy and throbbed lightly as I tried to remember what I could have done to make it hurt like that. I took a deep breath and inhaled something strange. I concentrated for a moment, trying place to the smell.It was probably just Grams trying to cook breakfast again. It didn't smell edible, but then again, nothing Grams cooked ever tasted or smelled edible. So I ignored it. Squeezing my eyes shut, I fell into a deep trance within seconds.

Beep...Beep...Beep...

I bit my lip, trying not to get too annoyed. All I wanted was a few extra minutes of sleep before I had to lug myself out of bed and off to school (a.k.a. the worst place on earth). Was that honestly too much to ask for? Just a few more minutes, that’s all I need. Just a few more minutes...

Beep...Beep...Beep...

Sighing deeply, and with great mental force, I began to roll over, but was stopped mid-turn by the excruciating pain that exploded in my body. It sped through me and centered on my legs at a speed that rivaled quite a few NASCAR drivers. I gasped in agony. My right leg felt like it was decomposing at a rapid speed, as if every cell was slowly tearing itself apart. Then the realization hit my head full force, (which didn’t help the headache much), and I remembered.

I wasn’t at home.

Chapter 1

 I live in a small town. I go to a small school. My Grandma owns a small apartment. You get the idea. Every year we have this festival to celebrate the “birthday” of our town. (Which was sometime in early 1800’s.) Mr. Maynard, our mayor, makes a big deal out of it. There are fireworks of dangerous proportions, the biggest pie-eating contest you’ve ever seen, and the oldest Farris wheel in the state.

It’s always my favorite time of year because it’s the only time the whole town gets together and actually has a good time. Mr. Gerd doesn’t fight with Mrs. Powell and Johnny doesn’t jump off buildings just to get attention. It’s the one night in the whole year when everyone is happy.

This year was just as great. Katie (my best friend) and I were walking around the Central Plaza in front of city hall, slurping cherry red Popsicles as she talked about how cute Jack is and how absolutely adorable that t-shirt he wore on Friday was. I rolled my eyes and let my mind wander savoring every last lick of my Popsicle.

Looking around, I spotted my cousins, Cameron and Eric (even though they were only 6 months older than me, they both acted like they knew everything). They were surrounded by a bunch of girls who apparently thought they were as cool as they "looked". (Haha) Eric told a joke and all of the girls erupted in a high-pitched giggling that strongly resembled a pack of hyenas. I snorted.

“What do you think I should do?” Katie’s voice tore my gaze away from my cousins, and back to her.

“Huh? Oh, um…”

“You weren’t listening were you.”

“I was listening, I always listen! Sometimes, I just get a little distracted.”

“Well, I was saying-“

“Hey.” A voice from behind us called. A voice I recognized very well. Josh.

“Hi!” Katie called, and shot me a look. I rolled my eyes.

Glancing at Josh, I replied, “Hi.”

He grinned at me. “We were wondering if maybe you guys would like to come with us to watch the fireworks show.”

“We’d love to!” Katie answered. I glared at her. Was it absolutely necessary for her to speak in exclamation points? But then I remembered.

“I can’t. Sorry, I promised I’d help my grandma clean the house because my parents are coming tomorrow.” You should have seen the look on Katie’s face, I almost burst out laughing right there.
“Oh, okay. That’s cool.” He replied.

“Sorry.”

“No problem, Katie will come right?”

“Yeah!”

“See you later?”

“Yeah, bye.”

Chapter 2

A shrieking noise filled my eardrums, making them throb in an unsteady rhythm that matched my heartbeat. My right leg flooded with pain, as if a dam had broken releasing a huge tidal wave of throbbing terror. The shrieking noise got louder, and I suppressed the urge to press my hands against my ears. Instead I grabbed the crisp white sheets and balled them into my fists as I gasped for breath. The pain lasted no longer than a few seconds before slowly easing away, leaving me dizzy. The shrieking subsided and I realized that it had been me. A stampede of nurses came running into my hospital room (one of them carrying a suspiciously long needle), muttering:

“What happened?” a particularly strict nurse was saying, “You were supposed to give her enough anesthesia to last until the morning, when Dr.Stone does the surgery.”

“I did, she should be out cold,” another stammered.

“Okay, well give her some pain medicine, and put her back to sleep.”

I heard some shuffling to my right, and a few seconds later felt the cold liquid shoot out my IV and crawl up my veins. My vision started blurring, and my eyelids felt heavy. Blackness engulfed me and I welcomed it like an old friend, I smiled, as I slowly drifted back to sleep…

**
“Okay, Grams. I stirred in the vanilla, now what?”

The heat from the oven filled our minuscule apartment like well confined sauna, making my hair stick to my face.

“Pour it into the crust so we can put it in the oven.”
I lifted the thick metal bowl that was probably three time the size of my head, and pored the tongue-colored goo into the pie crust.

“Perfect,” my grandma said as she swooped passed me and carefully placed the pie into the oven. As I crossed the hallway to open a window I called, “Grams, why do we have to cook for them? They’re only staying for one night, and it’s not like they care about what they eat. They’re to busy”

“Your parents have been working very hard, and they deserve a good, wholesome meal. You know that honey.”
I rolled my eyes at her back.

“Whatever. I’m going to-“

“If every body could make their way to the stadium not, the show is about to begin. I repeat, the show is about to begin.” The mayor’s voice boomed through our apartment and seemed to vibrate off every piece of furniture we owned (which wasn’t a lot, trust me). He didn’t need to saw what show, everybody knew, the firework show was about to begin.
I had a great idea. I’d get the best view in the whole town.
“I’m going to watch the fireworks show. On the roof. I’ll be back soon!”
I scurried out the front door and up the rusty metal steps before Grams could even put down her wooden spoon. When I reached the thick wooded doorway marked with the words ,“authorized personnel only,” I slipped my jagged key into the ancient lock and turned the handle with a faint click.