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Scarlette snapped out of her daze to her name shouted angrily by the teacher. She looked at the sun tanned, blonde hair, and blue eyes of all the children in her class staring at her. Scarlette looked a lot like them. The only difference she was very pale.
“Scarlette were you paying any attention at all?” The teacher sounded very exasperated. Scarlette shook her head feebly. “You better start paying attention missy. You are already five years of age and yet you never pay attention in class.”
The girl next to Scarlette snickered. Scarlette sighed and recited the standard apology that was required when one was not paying attention. Scarlette wished her dream that she saw would come back. She had a vision she was in a city, a beautiful and ancient looking city. The town’s people were all gathered in the heart of the city. In the middle of the crowd was a platform. On the platform was a frame of wood with a blade at the top. The crowed jeered as a man was brought onto the platform.
They called the man Louis. He was about to make a speech about how France was going to pay for what it did to its king. Scarlette wondered what France was. Was it a person?
The noon bell ring signaling a lunch break. The lunch crew brought the meals in on carts like they did everyday. And like everyday it was the same thing. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some apple juice. The children in Scarlette’s class got together in their group of friends. Scarlette had no friends. She was different than everybody. Somehow everyone, including Scarlette, knew she just didn’t fit in somehow. When Scarlette finished her lunch she was instructed to go outside to the playground for recess, as always Scarlette sat alone in the shade of a great tree and dreamed.
Sometimes she heard things. Things she never heard when she wasn’t dreaming. They were beautiful, the pitches rising and falling, the speed would increase, and masterful and tuneful trills would fill the air.
The shriek of the bell clashed with the melody Scarlette was hearing. She looked around and saw the children filing toward the door that lead to the classroom.
Finally math arrived, the last class of the day. Today they were learning long multiplication. The dismissal bell rang and the children clamored to the closet to get their things and go home. “Scarlette,” The teacher called, “I want you to stay for a bit. I would like to have a word with you.”
Scarlette’s heart sunk. She walked over to the teacher’s desk in despair, she had disgraced herself again by not paying attention.
“Scarlette, you seem to not be paying attention in my class. What’s so important that has you so distant?” the teacher inquired.
Scarlette hesitated, “Well, it not always the same thing. I see things. I go to many different places, and I am starting to think different times as well, but-“ the teacher’s vexed expression made her stop. “I’m not different am I?” In the community where Scarlette lived, anyone who wasn’t in the norm seemed to mysteriously disappear. Scarlette felt that because she told the teacher about what she saw, she would be labeled as different.
“Well, I may have to talk with the elders about these ‘things’ you say you see. I hate to see some one so young be classified as different.” The teacher stood up. “Who knows, it just might be an over active imagination of a child. You can go home now.”
Scarlette sighed as she walked home. She knew her parents would be called about class. Scarlette would cause worry in her home and annoy her elder brother. She was sure she embarrassed him with her differences. Scarlette solemnly opened the door to her home. Her brother Pierce looked up from his schoolwork.
”What’s wrong with you?” Pierce asked sourly.
“Nothing.” Scarlette snapped. She hated the way her brother treated her.
“Good, then don’t talk to me.”
“Sure, but he is the one who started the conversation.” Scarlette thought. She went into her bedroom and placed her school bag on her bed. It was a day like any other day. The weather never varied. It was almost always around 23 degrees centigrade and sunny with a bit of clouds that were fluffy and white. She slumped onto the gray carpeting and stared at the white wall.
“Monotony…” Scarlette mumbled. “I am so sick of it.” She started to pick apart little bits of the carpeting. “Everyday it’s the thing. Same weather, same people, same room, same EVERYTHING!” Scarlette let out an exasperated sigh.
Scarlette began to drift into sleep. Another dream visited her. She had a dream she was in a house, there were sirens blaring, explosions could be heard in the city. An older girl came bursting into the room Scarlette was in.
“Scarlette! Dear, there you are!” The girl grabbed Scarlette’s hand. “C’mon Mum was worried about you! What are you doing sitting around.”
“What’s going on?” Scarlette asked the girl.
“Germany is bombing us. We need to get to the shelter.”
Scarlette was pulled outside into the night. Angry flames licked the sky and homes were caught ablaze by the bombs. The German planes in the sky roared as the passed over the city. A shell fell from the sky and landed in the yard next to the house with an astounding bang and flames.
“Oh… my….” Scarlette gaped as she was tugged into a cellar. A frightened woman and child with strange colored hair, that was brown, were huddled in the corner. Scarlette’s mind went to the blonde population in her town.
“Oh Scarlette, you made me so scared. Where were you?” the woman asked.
“She was day dreaming in the house mum. Scarlette is a regular dolly-day dream.” The older girl who had pulled Scarlette from the house explained.
“Scarlette? Sweetums are you okay?” the woman seemed alarmed.
Scarlette noticed the room was swaying and she was shaking. Or was the swaying her?
The woman got up and knelt down and grabbed Scarlette’s arms to stable the child. “Calm down Scar, its okay your mummy is here.” The woman cooed stroking Scarlette’s blonde hair. “Come and sit down.” She scooped Scarlette into her arms and laid her down on a makeshift bed. What happened after that wasn’t really important because the people there she sat quietly and explosions could be heard. Scarlette fell asleep quite fast. So I shall skip ahead to when she woke up.
The first thing Scarlette noticed was the silence. The light is what she noticed next. It was the pale light of the fluorescent light was not like the orange light that was in the cellar. Scarlette’s eyes flew open and she noticed she was back in her real bedroom. She stood up and sighed. What a horrible dream… Scarlette could hear her parents whispering in the dining room.
“…Completely baffling, it hardly shows other than the inattention.” Her father’s voice mumbled.
“Roger, it’s not normal. I looked into ancient ailments. This may be something serious. There is an ancient problem called schizophrenia. From the teacher’s report Scar might have it.” Scarlette’s mother sounded frantic. “She sees and hears things too! That is not what we do. I have never heard of anyone who did things like that.”
Scarlette was nervous, her mother was a doctor after all. If anyone knew about ailments, her mother did. So now that her mother thought Scarlette was insane it must be official.
Scarlette wanted them to stop talking so she fake-coughed loudly. The talking in the kitchen ceased.
“Mother?” Scarlette called.
“Yes sweetie?” her mother said, full of false cheeriness.
“What time is it?”
“It’s 18:00 dear. Dinner is almost here.”
“OK.” Scarlette got up and walked in the kitchen. It seemed very bland. She once had a grand dream she was in a place called Versailles and there was a large feast with something called turkey, and there was lamb with apple jelly, whatever lamb was, and much more mouth-watering foods. The doorbell rang and Scarlette mother went to get the food. They were having red bean paste, with corn, bread, and apple juice. And as always those chalky tasting calcium pills. Her brother as always complained about the food, wishing there were more choices.
“Seriously these beans look like mud! Who wants to eat mud?” Pierce rambled. “We should have something good and juicy.”
“Like turkey?” Scarlette added helpfully.
“What the heck is turkey?” Her brother snapped.
“I don’t really know exactly, but it’s delicious. It might be a fruit, the flesh of it is white in some parts and dark brown in others. It is incredibly juicy and is really good with something called gravy.”
“We’ll have none of that nonsense young lady. Stop gibbering at once.” Scarlette’s mother said sternly.
“But it isn’t nonsense. It’s real.”
“Enough lying! One more word and its off to bed with you.”
“But mother, I really-“
“Bed. Now.”
Scarlette got up and marched off to her room, fighting tears the entire way.
“Oh, why does she have to be so mean?” Scarlette mumbled into her pillow. “I wasn’t lying. Turkey and Gravy are really real things.” She sniffled.
Scarlette fell asleep quickly that night. She had a dreamless sleep for the first time in a while. Her mother woke Scarlette up around seven in the morning.
“Wake up, we are leaving.” Said her mother sternly
“Where are we going? It’s one of my days off.” Scarlette mumbled a bit confused.
“To see the Elders.”
Scarlette’s gulped. This was probably because of the dreams. Scarlette wondered if it would have been better to lie. She got up out of the covers as her mother left. To wear she picked a generic white T-shirt and a pair of denim jeans. Scarlette usually wore just jeans and T-shirt, the girls in her class however, wore miniskirts and spaghetti straps. With a strong bout of bravery, she stepped outside to go to the elders.
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