Day 1
Noon. I slept in that long? I missed most of school.
“Avery! Up! Now!” My brother yelled. “The ice cream truck just came!” His name is Jira. He’s 5. I’m 12. “C'mon, it’s passing us! Bring your jar bank!”
I threw on some shorts and a T-shirt and ran down the stairs. Mom and Dad weren’t there, which was weird. Jira’s little hand grabbed mine, and he almost threw me out the door. “Hey! Wait!” He screamed.
“Wait for them!” A girl’s voice yelled. The ice cream truck went to a halt. It was my best friend, Lillian.
“You guys need to come out early..” She mumbled. We grabbed our ice creams. “Thanks,” I said. “No prob.”
We silently stared at each other for a few seconds and Jira’s loud chomping ruined the moment. “Jira! What are you, an animal? Stop eating so fast!” I yelled at him. Lillian busted out laughing, and Avery just started eating faster and louder. “Shurn Uprt!” His words were muffled by the chunks of ice cream in his mouth. While we were fighting, a cat ran past us. “Hold on! I'll get it. It's probably missing!” I exclaimed, running for it.
They should’ve warned me.
But they didn't.
ZOOM
BANG
—
What time was it? That was..a really bad nightmare.
I heard an ambulance racing down the street. Police cars and firefighters too.
“Good god, what's going on out there?”
I don't recognize that voice.
That's not my mom.
“Minnie! Come down!”
MINNIE? Minnie? Who's Minnie? Is someone spending the night here? Did I mishear something? Who's MINNIE? “Minnie Allen! Come down! I made pancakes!“
After that, I understood. Well, I understood my surroundings. I was in a white-walled room, with a brown wood floor, and I was wearing a black nightgown. And, to make it worse, I was in the girliest bed known to man. There were a bunch of posters up, and a few race car toys and action figures. Well, a bunch. There was a whole collection of them.
How did I get here? I felt my head to make sure I wasn't dreaming. There was long, brown hair, where my blond, short hair should be. “O..Okay! I'll be down!” I yelled. I sounded like such a girl!
I ran into the bathroom and frantically looked at the mirror. I was a girl. Blue eyes and all.
“The hell..?” I mumbled. I ran down the stairs and saw a woman with black hair. She was sitting on a gray couch, watching the news.
“It is with deep sadness that we report that a tragic incident occurred involving a young boy named Avery Jordan Willows. Unfortunately, he was involved in a collision with a truck and was announced dead on arrival. Witnesses at the scene observed that a black cat, which had been missing for approximately 17 weeks, was with him at the time of the accident. Our thoughts are with Avery's family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
“Poor boy; Poor, poor boy.” The black-haired woman cried.
Did I die?
Wait.
No, that's not a question.
I did die.
