You Call This a Gift?
Chapter 12: Annalisia

I plopped onto the couch next to Kenna and Sable listening in on their conversation about supernatural problems. I looked over at the clock which determined it was eleven in the morning. The sun was beaming through the windows causing all kinds of shadows to bounce around the walls. I couldn’t get Jonah out of my mind. “Why?” I asked myself. I don’t even like him he seems like a jerk plus he’s Lorraine’s brother and I’m not dealing with that. I also had Davis on my mind. “What would have happened with him if I was home for the summer? What if we did get to hang out? Would he like me? Would he ask me out?” I had these thoughts rolling around my head. “Not like it matters I’m never going to see him again,” I reminded myself with a frown. I looked at my hand. I had the weirdest tingling sensation radiating through my fingertips like electricity. “I can’t take this headache I wish I had some Tylenol,” I said out loud accidentally.

Just then both Kenna and Sable fixated their eyes on me.

“What? Why are you staring at me?” I asked annoyed with pain.

“Uhm sorry, I guess we’re just not used to your power yet,” Sable responded.

“What do you mean?” I began saying when I looked down and saw the bottle of Tylenol lying in my lap. I scrunched my face like I had just sucked on a lemon. “Damn! I keep forgetting that happens!” I said. I picked up the Tylenol and wished it away. “Why can I summon things, but I can’t force them away?” I asked followed by throwing the bottle across the room.

“Are you okay, Anna?” Kenna asked me worriedly.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m sorry that I’m in a bad mood I just have a lot on my mind and a splitting headache,” I answered apologetically.

“Well, it is the weekend, why don’t we replace something to do to take your mind off things?” Sable said trying to be helpful.

I sighed silently. I didn’t want to do anything except catch the first bus home. “Sure, what do you guys want to do?” I asked anyway.

“Ooooh, oooh, can we please go swimming?” Kenna begged.

Sable and I nodded in agreement.

I pulled the cabin door closed behind me as we stepped out into the blazing sun. According to the weather app on my phone, it was 94 degrees today here in New York. I looked at the girls who were coincidentally both in almost matching pink bikinis. I was wearing my new bikini my mom had just bought me. It’s probably my favorite suit I’ve owned in years. It was a mint green with white polka dots.

“I should’ve worn shoes.” Kenna sighed while stumbling over rocks on the trail clenching her teeth in pain.

“We already asked you multiple times if you were sure you didn’t want your shoes,” I said laughing.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t expect so much gravel!” Kenna said with a little annoyance.

I heard Kenna gasp and turned my head as quickly as I could to see her tripping over a branch. She was quickly caught by a very cute guy.

“OMG! Thank you,” Kenna said as she reclaimed her balance. She then looked up to meet Bradley’s eyes and stood unable to speak.

“Are you alright?” he asked her.

She smiled and nodded still lost in his eyes.

“Uhm, Kenna, we’ll meet you at the lake,” we said giggling as we took off running.

As we approached the lake, we saw that groups of teens were there already congregating along the sand. We found a spot and laid out our towels. I lifted my hand over my eyes to block the sun and looked around. At the far end of the beach, I could see Lorraine tanning with a bunch of friends. “What’s her deal anyways, what’s her power?” I asked Sable.

“Oh, she can turn into a bird and fly or something. I’m not 100 percent sure,” she replied.

“Does her brother have the same power?” I asked.

“No, I don’t think so. He’s her half-brother. He has a different father,” she responded quickly.

I looked back at Lorraine squinting my eyes.

“Come on, girl, let’s go swim!” Sable insisted.

My skin was burning from the sun already. “I’ll be there in a second; I need sunscreen,” I said shooing her to the water. I sat down on the towel and reached into my bag and pulled out the bottle of sunscreen. I started applying it when I heard, “You missed a spot, need me to put it on your back for you.” I knew that voice. I scrunched my face and swung around saying, “No, I most certainly do not.”

“Okay, chill, I was just joking, didn’t mean to make you angry,” he said with a raised eyebrow.

“Jonah, please just go away,” I said rolling my eyes.

“Yes, ma’am!” he said with the tip of his imaginary hat.

I watched him run off towards Lorraine. I stood up to go join Sable in the water when I heard, “Thanks for ditching me.”

“Kenna! Oh, I’m sorry I thought you’d want some alone time to thank your hero,” I said teasingly.

“Actually, I owe you thanks. Guess who got a cute boy’s number today?” Kenna said with a bigger smile than I’d ever seen on her.

“Good for you, Kenna! But if we don’t go join Sable, she might tear our heads off,” I said laughing.

We ran and plunged into the water sending water straight to Sable’s face.

“Hey! No fair,” Sable said while splashing some water back at us.

“Oh, you’re soon!” Kenna yelled as a water fight emerged.

I climbed out of the lake. My eyes were burning from the amount of water that had been thrown into them.

“Need a towel?” I heard and saw one being held out in front of me.

“You again?” I sighed with disbelief.

“I mean, I prefer you without the towel, but I figured you might want one anyway.” He giggled annoyingly.

“Did I do something to earn your attention if so let me know so I can ask my friend to turn time back and stop me from whatever I did,” I said annoyed.

“Can I just ask what I ever did to earn your hatred?” he asked. His face was tense as if he no longer wanted to be here.

“You have done nothing, there is just something about you that bothers me and makes me want to stay away,” I said rudely. “Is that a good-enough answer?” I added.

“Yes, perfectly clear,” he said angrily and took off.

“Woah. Do you think maybe you were a little harsh?” I heard Kenna say from behind me as she grabbed her towel.

I sighed. “Why was I so nasty to him? He’s right; he hasn’t done anything,” I thought to myself. There was just something about him that brought out my frustrations.

Sable came running over to us. “Guys!” she shouted, quickly adding, “Lorraine and some of her friends are having a party at ten o’clock tonight and she said since we were cabin mates we could come.”

Kenna and I exchanged glances.

“A party?” Sable asked.

“Kenna, you know curfew is at ten, we could get in a lot of trouble,” I said.

“Please, Anna, let’s go to the party. Bradley asked me to meet him there,” she begged.

Kenna stood staring at Sable and I with puppy eyes and a quivering lip. Sable looked at me with the same look now joining Kenna’s team.

“Oh fine, but if we get in trouble, it’s not my fault.”, I said sternly.

We went back to the cabin, had some lunch, and mingled around the house. I was just about to turn on the TV when I heard my phones ring coming from the bedroom. I ran down the hall and into my room belly flopping onto the bed. I turned over and grabbed the phone from the nightstand. I looked at the screen to see “MOM” floating across the screen and the picture of us from when we went to NYC. I hesitated before answering.

“Hello,” I mumbled through the line.

“Hey, sweetie, I miss you! How is camp?” she asked.

We exchanged pleasant conversation for twenty minutes before she said, “Alright, sweetie, I’ve got to get back to work. I love you and I’ll talk to you soon. Bye!”

I ended the call without a return “bye”; I was still upset with my mom for sending me here.

I opened my eyes realizing I had fallen asleep. I glanced at my phone to see that it was 8:55 pm, there was only an hour and five minutes to get ready for this party. I could hear the girls giggling and running around the house. I called for Kenna. I wanted her opinion on which outfit to wear; I had two picked out. I showed her the first outfit, which was a simple black dress, a distressed jean jacket and a pair of black flats. The second outfit choice was jean shorts, a white button-down blouse, and black vans.

“Definitely the dress!” Kenna chirped out. Then she ran back to assist Sable.

I pulled on the outfit and made my way to the bathroom to see what they were doing. Both girls were dressed up in cute dresses and full faces of makeup. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and thought about adding some makeup before deciding not to. I looked at my hair, which dangled around my face. “My mom would approve of this look,” I thought to myself.

We sat on the couch waiting to head to the party. It was 10:03 pm, but Sable insisted that we wait until 10:30 pm to head over. I guess it would be awkward to be the first ones there. I wondered what it would be like to go to a party with Davis. I wondered how it would feel to have his hand in mine. The thoughts overtook my mind.

“Sweetie, are you okay?” Sable asked.

“What did I say about listening to my thoughts?” I asked annoyed.

“I wasn’t listening, I swear! I can just tell by your face that something is wrong,” she said.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m just thinking about the guy I like and how I can never be with him. It’s just a bit depressing, I guess,” I replied.

Kenna jumped in, “Anna, you’re still thinking about him? When are you going to let it go? You only ever talked to him once or twice this year.”

I gave her a look of pure hurt. My eyes filled with tears.

“Oh, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean it like that,” she said as I stormed out the door closing it with a bang. I took off running towards the woods. I made my way through the brush, bushes, and thorns. I looked out to see I had reached a different part of the lake. You couldn’t see the area we had been at from here. This was its own secluded area. I climbed up on the nearest rock which overlooked the lake. I looked out at the reflection of the moon that wobbled in the current. The slight breeze was blowing my hair to the left.

I sat on the rock with my knees pulled to my chest glaring out at the water. I cried for a few minutes with all the thoughts I could think of attacking my brain. I wanted so badly to go home, to get away from here, to hug Marina, to see my mom. Even if I never got to see Davis again, I still wanted to leave.

Suddenly, I heard crunching and snapping coming from the woods to the right of me. I wiped my tears and stood up peering that way. I squinted my eyes trying to get a better view when I saw a figure come running out of the woods. They ran straight for the water and dove in. I stretched my neck out as far as it could go trying to see who it was. I inched my foot forward, and just when the face turned towards me before I could get a view, my foot lost balance and I plummeted into the water below me. I plunged my face through the barrier of water above me and gasped for air wiping the water from my eyes. Falling off guard had caused me to breathe in just as I hit the water and I could feel the water trying to escape my lungs. I tried to swim toward the sand, but I couldn’t stop coughing and gagging for air. Everything started to blur over, and I began to sink. I tried my hardest to swim, but I had used up all my energy and continued sinking.