The Elf Girl (4 page)

I wasn’t frail. I could be brave when needed, and I could be strong, as I had been last night. Unfortunately, once my pointy ears were brought up, all the strength I knew was inside of me dwindled until it was nothing but a flickering flame. I knew that if I didn’t have my cursed ears, things would go smoothly for me.

Deep inside, I wished I could feel confident about my ears. Something about them seemed right to me, as though they belonged. So far, however, no reasons for my strange feeling had manifested. I was still waiting for something positive to come out of having them.

Sighing, I combed my hair over my pointy appendages and used as many bobby pins as needed to keep it in place, hoping it would hold for a few hours. With that matter taken care of, it was time to go to school.

***

The bus was always crowded when Dina and I got on because we were one of the last stops. Dina found a seat with her friend, Julie, but I didn’t sit with any friends on the bus. Dina used to sit with me, but I knew she missed her friends. Some of her friends liked me, but others didn’t feel comfortable around me. I finally told her I was fine on my own. I disliked the pity Dina always felt for her socially inept sister. It only made the situation more apparent and worse.

In total, I had one very close friend and a few acquaintances. I had to admit, I was surprised when some of my classmates actually put an effort into having a decent conversation with me…without gawking at my ears.

Carmen had never cared about how I looked. Our friendship began in kindergarten, when she shared her snack with me on the first day of school. She didn’t look at my ears when I thanked her. Even as a kid, she saw me as I really was on the inside, not on the outside. We had been inseparable ever since. For Carmen, it had meant earning the label “freak lover.” Most of the students had become accustomed to my strange appearance by middle school, but others continued to taunt me.

At school, they stared, pointed, and whispered – not just about my ears, but all the characteristics I had that made me stand out. I sometimes found it funny how features such as white-blonde hair and green eyes were regarded as rare and interesting, but only ignored when it came to me and my ears. But today wasn’t one of those days. It was a Monday, and I was not looking forward to school at all, especially after last night’s rendezvous.

As I made my way down the bus aisle, I heard snickers from other students, names like “freak” and “Elf Girl,” their personal favorite. Sighing and trying to ignore them, I finally found a seat in the back and put down my backpack.

“Thank the Lord,” I muttered and sat down, glad to be away from the name-calling and chatter. I needed some peace and quiet this morning.

When I saw her, I literally jumped. I was not comfortable with being caught off guard. When I made it back down to earth, I had to catch my breath, my eyes wide with disbelief.

“Hello,” Addison greeted from across the aisle.

Once again, I noticed our resemblance. This morning she was wearing a green t-shirt and faded blue jeans, and the green only made her eyes more prominent. I also noticed the way she fidgeted, shifting as if the clothes she wore were too tight or the fabric was uncomfortable. It was strange to me, only because her outfit appeared to be so casual.

“Sorry I got so scared,” I apologized quickly. “I was just surprised to see you here. I didn’t know you went to my school.”

What a strange coincidence,
I thought, but I didn’t say the words aloud.

She smiled another bright and warm smile, the kind that made you
want
to be her friend. “I didn’t until today. It’s my first day at Meadow High.”

“It’s your first day? But school is over in two weeks,” I pointed out.

“Yes…” At that moment, it seemed like she was trying to think of what to say next. “Try telling that to my parents.” She laughed lightly, but her eyes betrayed her nerves.

“Did you just move here?” I wondered, still skeptical.

“Yes, we just arrived Friday.”

“Wow, I can’t believe you got a job so easily,” I mentioned.

“It was through a family friend.” I could tell she was feeling tense.

“Oh, that’s cool.”

“Is your throat okay?” she asked.

I coughed and nodded. “Yeah, it’s fine. Just…a little dry,” I lied.

I wasn’t about to tell anyone about my nighttime scare, especially not someone I hardly knew. Addison would probably call me crazy or weird, like everyone else. I wasn’t even sure I would tell Carmen. I mean, what happened hadn’t even made sense to
me
.

The bus halted and the ride was over. Students were already pushing and shoving to get off. Addison didn’t seem like she was ready to leave yet, so I went ahead without her.
What a strange girl
, I thought to myself, and then I laughed to myself. What right did I have to call someone strange?

Just like every other morning, Carmen was waiting for me by my locker. She waved and brushed her dark brown hair behind her ears. Her smooth complexion and dark eyes were alluring, and she often stood out in a different way than I.

Carmen and her family had moved here from Texas when she was five after leaving Spain when she was three. While most of her other relatives remained in Dallas, her father had gotten a job at a local university and her family had been ready for a change of scenery. I remembered that she had tried to teach me Spanish when we first met, but I completely failed at learning. I was trying to redeem myself in high school by taking a few classes, but I still didn’t have much luck with the language.

“Hey, Ramsey!” she called in her accented voice, still noticeable after all these years.

“Hey C, what’s up?”

Yes, I called her C. It was better than using an automobile, Car, as a nickname. I couldn’t even imagine the horror. Calling her C just fit.

“Nothing really. But yesterday my family came all the way from Texas for my sister’s first birthday. Can you believe it? She didn’t even know what was going on! She’s only a baby.” Carmen rolled her eyes.

“Wait, the
whole
family?” I asked.

“Yes,” she confirmed.

“I wish I could have seen it.”

“No, you don’t, trust me,” she said seriously, which only made me giggle. “Way too many mixed accents and a whole lot of food forced down your throat. Apparently, I’m too skinny.”

I laughed, and was about to comment back when the five-minute bell rang. I was going to be late.

“Crap,” I muttered.

“Watch your language!” Carmen said, and then she laughed.

I sighed and grabbed the books I would need for class. “Whatever,” I said sarcastically.

“See you third period. Our Spanish presentation’s going to kick –”

“Language!” I interrupted.

“Ugh, whatever!” she called as I walked away.

“Bye,” I replied, and hurried to my Calculus class.

I wasn’t an overachiever. School just came easy for me, not that I liked it all.

It wasn’t ordinary for sophomores to be taking multiple advanced placement classes, but I needed some kind of challenge in school, or I would feel useless. All of my classes were with upperclassmen, or scary-smart sophomores like me, except for Spanish and Gym, the latter of which because I wasn’t much of an athlete; more like clumsy and uncoordinated.

Calculus, my first hour, was probably one of the most boring classes I had ever taken. I could hardly pay attention enough to notice Mr. Kurt’s ugly new sweater. The math was so simple it made me want to smack myself in the face. A.P. Chemistry wasn’t very fun either. I was relieved when I finally made it to Spanish. At least there, I could chat with Carmen and allow her to brighten my day with some of her fun attitude. I still hadn’t mentioned anything to anyone about my watery accident. It wasn’t something I could bring up at school.

Carmen was already in her desk, making the final adjustments to our project, and I was relieved I wouldn’t have to spend the beginning of yet another class alone, twiddling my thumbs and cursing myself for forgetting one of the books I had bought the night before.

For our project, we had to research the country Venezuela, and then make a poster on how different it was from the most popular Spanish country, Spain. It had to be both written and presented in Spanish. For Carmen it was easy, but for a foreign language-challenged person like me, it was real work. It was so unlike my other classes.

“How’s it looking?” I asked, as I sat down in my assigned seat.

“
Fantastico
!” Carmen replied in her perfect Spanish accent.

She was fluent in her native language, but took Spanish to get credits and have a class with me. I loved her for that. Being alone in most of my classes had never helped my confidence level. Thankfully, I had Carmen who could always boost it back up.

“It looks amazing. We’re a great team.”

“Oh yeah!” Carmen replied enthusiastically.

“
Siéntese, por favor!
” Senora Peters called in her fake accent.

She wasn’t Spanish at all. That bugged me a little because it didn’t seem like she knew much about the language herself. She had even mentioned once that it was her backup plan for teaching, her first being math. They weren’t even remotely related subjects!

Carmen saw the look on my face and laughed. She knew how I felt about school. I felt like I was wasting my time here. Nevertheless, what else could I do? Where else could I go? Unfortunately, freaks didn’t fit in anywhere. That’s why they were called freaks.

We were the last group to present. We did really well, and before we left, Senora Peters told us to expect an A. The day hadn’t been too bad. It was the usual, mostly. I found it was easier to forget the almost-drowning incident when things were going so simply.

***

Okay, so I said that entirely too soon. The day wasn’t so bad until I got to A.P. Lit. Today we were having a group discussion on
Romeo and Juliet
versus today’s love stories. Mrs. Marx went through a list of questions and we had a group discussion where participation was a requirement. But that wasn’t the unfortunate part. I didn’t have a problem speaking out in class. It was different when the discussions concerned my education. The awful part was what came at the
end
of class.

“Now remember that tickets for this Saturday’s
Last Century Ball
are on sale during lunch. Support your Music department’s annual Chicago trip for next year by buying one for you and that special someone!” Mrs. Marx reminded us, pointing to the poster taped to the wall.

That was why the day went sour. The ball was this Saturday, and as an Honors Choir member, I
had
to go. The problem was simple. Freaks didn’t go to balls! It wasn’t as if anyone had asked me. Carmen was going with some guy she met through one of her cousins. If only I were so lucky.

But I had a dress, an amazing dress at that. Mom took Dina and me shopping a couple of weeks ago, and I found the perfect outfit. The gown was emerald green with a black ribbon around the waist that hung down the center. My black velvet choker with my name written across in green print would match perfectly, as well as some elbow length black gloves.

The Last Century Ball was kind of like prom, but for all grades. The dress had to be a gown, no exceptions, and the boys had to wear suits and ties. Yep, that was going to be fun.

However, the ball wasn’t until Saturday, so I decided I would worry about it later. Instead, I focused on reviewing for finals. Most of my classes were easy, but I found I could sometimes crack under pressure, which was
why
I studied. When I got to Gym class after A.P. European History, I was ready to relieve some study stress. I almost cried out with joy when our teacher announced we were running a mile. I needed to clear my head.

While the others complained, huffed, and puffed the whole mile, I breathed evenly and let the stress wash from my mind. I actually loved running. It released all of my troubles so I could focus on just one thing, the road ahead. I was not a very talented athlete, but running was the one activity I excelled at in Gym…as long as there was nothing to trip over along the way.

I found myself remembering the man from the night before as I jogged around the track. He was young, maybe only a few years older than I was, and handsome. Something about him hadn’t seemed…
human
to me. The way he moved, what he did with the dirt and rocks, how he could make things appear out of thin air. It wasn’t normal, but I felt drawn to it. It was like something out of a fantasy book. I might have hallucinated; there was always the chance of that, because I
had
hit my head a few times during all the turmoil. However, I wasn’t one to be skeptical about these kinds of things, and I had a gut feeling that the night before was no hallucination. Yet how else could I explain it?

I was one of the first runners to finish the mile, so I went out to the hallway to get a drink of water at the bubbler. Yes, I called it a bubbler. I was from Wisconsin…need I say more?

I actually wasn’t surprised to see Addison taking a drink herself, because lately so many strange occurrences and coincidences were linked closely together. I made a coughing noise and waited to see if she would turn around.

“Hello, Ramsey,” she said softly, but she didn’t turn to face me.

“You know my name?” It was all I could say in return. She moved so I could take a drink. “How do you know
my
name?” I asked after I was finished.

Addison hesitated. “Uh…You paid with a debit card, and your name was on it,” she said.

“Oh yeah, I forgot. Sorry.”

“No problem.”

“I found out your name from your tag.”

“I assumed so,” she said.

“Okay, then…,” I trailed off.

She didn’t make the initiative to leave or continue the conversation. It seemed like she was waiting for me to keep talking, but I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t have much experience with chitchat. We stood there, facing each other, neither of us moving or speaking.