different (Trilogy: BOOK 1) ✔

Prologue

I was 12 about to turn 13 in a couple of hours when it all happened. I was walking home from school with my friend Alexis since our houses were right next to each other. Everyday we would took a short cut by going through this tiny forest. It was really pretty and had a nice lake right next to a hill.

It was October 31st. My birthday was today. I was born at 11:59pm so we celebrate the 1st of November instead. My family will stay up late on Halloween (whether it was a school day or not) and waiting till 11:59pm. My family would sing happy birthday to me at 11:59pm until 12am. If I had school that day we would celebrate right when I got home but if I didn't then we would celebrate the whole day.

 Alexis and I were rushing to get home so we can finalize our homemade Halloween costumes (Alexis was Mario and I was Luigi). 

I saw this glowing light. I told Alexis to follow me. We followed the light which brought us to a tree. Behind the tree was a rock that was glowing green. I got on one knee and went to touch the rock. My hand made contact with the rock and suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my wrist. The pain worsened every second. I struggled to release my hand from the rock. But it wouldn't budge. I screamed.

"My hand is stu-stuck" I stuttered. 

She got on both her knees and gripped onto my forearm with both her hands and tried to pull my hand off but she couldn't. Suddenly a glowing green line formed at my pointer finger and scattered throughout my whole body. The pain that started at my wrist was now traveling up my arm. Alexis lets go of me and falls backwards. I screamed in pain. She got up and tugged my shoulders. I started to cry. 

Finally the pain stopped. My hand was released from the rock causing me to fall backwards and fall down the hill. The hill led straight into the lake. I got to the edge of the lake and Alexis immediately ran to me and grabbed my hand and pulled me up from the ground stopping me from going into the lake. She hugged me and I began to cry into her shoulder. She backed away and said, "Oh my God! Your hair!"

"What?" I said. 

I grabbed my hair to see that my long, wavy brown hair was now green at the ends. I screamed when I saw it.

"My hair!" I yelled, "It's green! Alexis what is happening? First there is rock that is glowing second, when I touched the rock pain went to my wrist third, I couldn't let go of the rock fourth, what was that green line and finally why are the ends of my hair green? And my arm still hurts," I asked forcefully as I stared at my hair.

"I don't know Nicole." she pulled me into a hug. I continued to cry into her shoulder.

Our phones both started ringing it was our moms. I picked it up.

"Where are you??!" my mom said.

"Mom," I cried.

"What? Where are you?"

"I'm almost there."

"Why are crying? And why are you home yet?" my mom asked.

"Mom, the reason why I'm crying is the reason why I'm not home yet."

"Why?"

"Mom, I'll explain it when I get home."

"Why can't you explain it now? And where are you?"

"I already said. I'm almost there."

"Specifically."

"I'm at the forest."

"Forest? What forest? There is no forest in the route you take home."

"Alexis and I take a short cut all the time."

"If you take a short cut all the time then why aren't you here?"

"The reason why I'm crying mom."

"Nicole please get home soon."

"Yes mom," I cried.

I hung up the phone. Alexis was still on her phone with her mom.

"But mom. I'm telling you something happened to Nicole," she said into her phone.

Her mom said something and Alexis responded with, "Yes. She is."

Her mom said something and Alexis responded with, "Yes. I will."

I tried to guess what her mom was saying but I just couldn't put the pieces together.

Her mom said something and Alexis responded with, "Promise."

Her mom said something and Alexis responded with, "Yes, I do."

Her mom said something and Alexis responded with, "Bye." (A/N the "Her mom said something..." Is very necessary! :) Just saying. Thank you.)

She hung up the phone and told me, "Come on, let's go."

"What did your mom say?" I asked her.

Her parents are way overprotective. She is lucky enough to be able to walk home from school let alone by herself.

"She didn't believe me. That something happened to you."

"Oh."

We both started crying. We didn't talk to each other the whole walk home.