You Made Me

• Wayna Faisal, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2016

I had only faced two different types of auras around this girl. The one with the flowing yet unusual two-toned hair. I wasn’t the only one eyeing her. There was Jacob. Then the Ice King. Somehow even the most irresponsible bigots had managed to create a distraction. To them it was seemingly normal. It just wasn’t for everyone, unfortunately. She didn’t seem at all bothered. It was just a part time responsibility she unfortunately had to face. I was just another one of the girl’s many quirks. The idea of being with the one thing that could almost kill you; metaphorically or not. It was just one of the few thrills associated with abnormal people’s lives, the ones that admired the girl as if she were a goddess.
But that was all before the ending days. I could still recall, even now. The times when nothing mattered yet mattered anyway, to an extent. Lies. So many lies were told that day. They all had the same consequences; either certain death or certain torture. Of course I chose what I did, if I hadn’t, then my life would have been taken instead of hers - Stevie.
I reminisced her words.
“Taylor, you’re being profoundly stupid” she’d laugh.
Her laugh always got me.
I still remember the scent of lavender every time she’d close in. The pure light surrounding us as we cracked dumb jokes while causing havoc, when Saturdays were just an excuse to visit the breakfast pub around the corner of the road. We’d take in the various smells of overcooked eggs and burnt toast. That was probably why everything was so cheap, being under 5 dollars and all. Or the times when we would chase rabbits in Uncle Tom’s garden. We never caught a single one. She never seemed to mind. Then again, we were as average as everyone else in this sorry excuse for a town.
Stevie and I had a kind of emotional connection, a deeper level than most friendships. Some would say it was close to platonic, because it was. We were so close that we had seen and memorised every inch of each other’s mind set and deepest insecurities.
Yet we both knew one of us wasn’t coming home.
I lied; Lied about everything. It was either me or Stevie. I wasn’t aware of the consequences at the time, and didn’t understand or believe. They took her away - The eerie emotions inside my mind. I wasn’t afraid, was I? It couldn’t have been that simple.
I still remember the fear in her eyes, the complete doubt in her expression that made me want to stab my chest repeatedly and blame myself. I can’t help it. I still do.
She was all that mattered.
Fear… it’s everyone’s weakness.
I kicked my feet on the edge of a cliff, staring into the starry dark sky, captured solitude, as leaves blew around me in the autumn wind. I took a deep breath and sighed slowly,
“I’m sorry.”