It all started like a regular day. I thought. I should have known better. It's just that feeling. You open your eyes and just know you shouldn't get out of bed that day. But you have to anyway. Cause life's calling. Life meaning school here. 6:30 in the morning. It goes against all human laws ever written to be up at such hour, so I stayed in bed until 6:45 and by then I was running late. I had just enough time to get dressed, put on my make-up and make myself lunch before I had to literally run after the bus. Michelle greeted me with a smile and a 'how was your weekend' before starting rambling about all the cute boys she had met at her trip. You see, Michelle's class had been away for a little weekend trip cause they were supposed to go to an old museum or something, but of course what everybody wanted was to par-ty! So I take it they did. I didn't really listen to Michelle cause I was worried about Dan. Dan being my super-cute boyfriend that also is in Michelle's class. Just like the rest of his class he too went on the trip and whenever he's away for more than one day he usually calls me to tell me that he misses me and stuff like that… not this time. I did get a phone call on Sunday, but he sounded tired and not really in the mood to talk. I couldn't get hold of Michelle either, I figured she was sleeping in from Saturday night, and listening to her now, it seemed I had been right.
"You would have loved him, Jo! Totally your type! Cute, charming… how come you always go for the cute guys? I mean, what fun can they be? But then I remembered Dan… geez, you two have been together for a long time now. What is it? 7 months?"
"8. And speaking of Dan," I started. "Have you noticed anything different about him lately?"
"Different? How? Oh no, Jo! Not again. I'm not playing your watchdog when it comes to Dan."
"I didn't say that! I only meant… did anything happen this weekend?" I bit my lip nervously.
"What could possibly happen? The guy only has eyes for you! Not that me and Dan really hang without you anyway. Seriously Jo, get over it. Anyway, this guy Roger, you should have seen him. He was so cute! Totally your type, I was like two seconds away from calling you and tell you to get your ass over there."
"I could never like anyone called Roger," I laughed.
"Don't knock it till you've tried it," Michelle said half-serious, half-laughing back.
And so on we continued until the bus reached our school. The usual Monday update talk. Still, everything seemed perfectly normal. It wasn't until we got of the bus and walked through the gate I started to feel bad. We had French in first period so we found the right classroom and read quickly through our homework. Quel temps fait-il aujourd'hui? Who gives a damn?
It wasn't until lunch I could finally get hold of Dan. We were in the cafeteria, I'd decided a salad and an iced-tea was better than homemade sandwiches, when I felt someone put their arms around me. I turned to find the face I probably love most in this world, Dan.
"Hi," I smiled.
"Hi," he said.
"How was your weekend?"
"Wonderful. But I missed you," he said with a half-smile and quickly kissed me. "But… I… can I talk to you for sec." He glared at my little group of friends which meant 'alone'.
"Sure. Is outside okay?"
"Yeah."
As I walked behind him, my bad-feeling grew for each step I took. Dan had never acted this way before, something had obviously happened. Dan stopped in front of a bench and I sat down. He remained standing.
"Jo… I hate to say this, but… and it's not just my idea, my dad, you know my dad," he started. Unfortunately I did. Dan's part Italian, part Turkish and that's where he gets his incredibly good looks from, but that also meant really strong traditions with his family and for the first 5 months we were together I wasn't even allowed to meet his parents. I had a feeling where this was going.
"He… we… feel like I should start dating other girls cause…" now he couldn't even look at me. "Cause they think I should start looking for the girl… who will eventually become my wife."
I was speechless. I had expected something, but this? And if this meant what I thought it did…
"So that's it? You're breaking up with me?"
"We could still see each other, and I'd like that, but…" finally he met my eyes. "I would have to take other girls out too, if only to please my father."
"I'm not just some leftover you can take out if girl-of-the-week cancels on you!"
"I know," he bent down and kissed my forehead. "I'm sorry, Jo."
"Yeah," I whispered. "Me too." Then he left and I closed my eyes to stop the tears that was coming at full speed.
I'm not sure what classes we had the rest of the day, and whenever Michelle and Elizabeth asked me what's the matter, all they got was a sad smile. They wouldn't understand anyway, I figured. Michelle didn't even like him, she had even admitted it so what was the point.
After school that day I didn't want to take the bus home so I spent a couple of hours walking around town, stopping at my favorite stores, but I didn't buy much. I had just come out of my favorite video-store, not even looking through the Keanu collection could help on my mood, when I noticed a little man behind me. He looked dwarfish, but not quite. I remember thinking how funny it was cause I had never seen anyone like that in my life. In a way he reminded me of one of the dwarfs out of Snow-white. I smiled a little to myself, continued and forgot him.
A couple of hours went by and it started to get dark. I thought about calling home to let them know where I was and headed for a pay-phone. As I hung up, I noticed someone standing behind me, apparently waiting to use the phone. It was the funny, little man! I blinked a couple of times, but it was him alright. Strange, I thought, what are the odds for that.
Half an hour later, I decided to call it a night and I was just about to go through an ally to get to the bus-stop. I was a little frightened cause it was getting really dark, but figured if I walked quickly, I'd be alright. It was only 200 meters or so. Half-way through I heard a sound behind me, I stopped. It's only a rock, Jo. Don't be such a scaredy-cat. Slowly I turned, only to find the dwarf-like man behind me. And that did it!
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing? What gives you the right to follow me around all day? Listen, scumbag, I have had a really shitty day, and don't think you scare me with your freaky act. Just get the hell away from me or I'll remove you personally!"
The little man didn't seem startled at all. Very calm he said, "Good, good, the girl's got a little more temperament than we realized, but nothing we can't handle. Are you willing to help us, dear?"
"Help you? Where, to the nearest hospital?"
"No, no, no," he said smilingly with his raspy voice. "Are you willing to help us? Or more important, have you ever felt the true power of water?"
"Power of…? Excuse me, but I have to go now." I started to leave when I heard a thunder, so load I thought I was going to go deaf, a thunder just like the ones that comes right before a heavy rainfall. I continued a couple of steps before I was forced to stop. Something was dripping and the sound grew loader and loader and soon it became hard to breathe. My vision became blurry, it was just like… it was just like seeing under water, I suddenly realized! And what's worse, my lungs were filling with water and I had no idea where it came from. I think I understood it before I had even thought the thought, I was drowning. From the inside! Helpless, I fell to the ground. I reached a hand out towards the little man who stood silent and watched.
"Help me…"
He tilted his head a little. "Only you can help yourself, Josephine. Use the power."
For a second I had no idea what he meant and thought that was it. I'm a goner. And then something happened, something I will never know if I remembered myself, or if the little man helped me by entering my memory or something. I suddenly saw myself, seven year old, standing by the lake next to our house. It was winter, but it had been a mild winter, so the lake wasn't completely frozen. My little brother was playing on the ice and was getting dangerously near the edge where ice had melted. I remember calling his name, but it was too late, a huge 'crack' could be heard and in slow motion I saw my brother falling into the ice-cold water. Only that he didn't. I swear, it was water there when he fell, but the time he hit the surface, it was solid ice. In a flash I saw this and something told me I could turn water into ice. But what good could that do me now?
"I… can't…" I gasped, sounding more and more like a stranded fish.
"Use the power!!!" he was getting desperate now. I concentrated on the frozen lake again. Only now it was filled with blood and I was the one walking along the edge. Just as I fell into it, my body went stiff and I was back, lying on the hard pavement. I breathed heavily, but I no longer had the feeling of drowning. I was freezing though. No wonder actually, since my body had literary turned to ice for a second. The little man walked over to me and looked down at me.
"Do you now understand, Josephine?" I said yeah, I thought so, and he nodded and smiled and seemed like I had just told him I would give him a million bucks. He offered his hand to me and helped me up, and although I'd had a near-death experience, I felt pretty good.
"Are you willing to help us?"
"I have a question," I said.
"Yes?"
"Did you guys, whoever you are, give me this power?" He didn't answer, instead he looked peculiarly at me.
"What do want me to say?" he finally said.
"I don't care."
"Partly," he said then. "You had the gift, we just forced it. And now, with this… you have the power to control water and ice and we have prayed you will help us." That last part sounded like a plead. I smiled.
"Alright." Just alright, nothing more. He took my hand and where he was going to lead me, I had no idea. In a day I had lost a lot, but how much I had gained I couldn't yet comprehend. So yeah, I guess weird things still happen. Not that I ever doubted.